Demon Blood II

Chapter 4: No Place Like Home

Chapter 4: NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Kelly raised an eyebrow at the room Masterson just led her into. "This is where you live?" she asked, looking around.

Masterson raised an eyebrow of his own. "Yeah, why?" he asked, dropping a bag she hadn't realized he was carrying on the floor, and moving to sit on the small sofa on the other side of the room.

She shruuged. "I don't know, it just looks, well, normal," she answered.

Masterson had led her to his house, and in most respects, it was completely normal, except for the fact that it was underground and connected with the sewers, of course. It had regular, untattered furniture, white walls, and tannish-brown carpet. It looked like any other home would, complete with a television and lighting.

"And that's a bad thing?" Masterson asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kelly smiled. "No, just not what I expected."

He tapped the coushion, next to him. With a smile, Kelly accepted his invitation and sat next to him, allowing him to wrap his arms securely around her. "So just because we're a bunch of monsters, you expect us to live in grime and muck?"

She shook her head. "No, because you're a bunch of monsters living in the sewers I expected you to live in grime and muck."

He chuckled quietly and ran his fingers through her hair. "Point made." He placed his finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to his, staring into her eyes as if he could see into the depths of her soul. "What's wrong?" he asked, creasing his eyebrow.

She shrugged. "I don't know, it's just, I can't stop thinking about Kyle. I mean, if it wasn't for him, if it wasn't for all of you, who knows what that demon would've done to me."

"Kelly, I don't know where he is, and I'm not gonna lie and say I'm sure he's fine, because I have no idea. But I'm not sure you'd even want to see him anymore."

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Why not?" she snapped. "Everybody keeps telling me that he's insane, that he's lost his marbles, but nobody's told me what he did that makes him so bad."

He knitted his eyebrows together and opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. He sighed as he dropped his eyes to the ground momentarally before lifting them back to hers. "Look, I know it might not be the easiest of things to accept, and I know you still love him," she opened her mouth to speak, but Masterson cut her off. "But he's different, Kelly. He's not the man that he once was. Well, 'man' might be an overstatement. More like a scared, prissy, bitch, than anything."

Kelly sighed and dropped her eyes. "I guess you're right," she conceded. "I guess I should just forget about the guy who helped save my life and focus more on the guy who tried to end it."

Masterson wrinkled his eyebrow. "I never tried to-"

"Not you, Sam," she interupted. "I'm talking about the demon. Lucifer." She only muttered the name so quietly, it was barely audible, even for Masterson's extra hearing capabilities. But that one, quiet word was laced with enough venom to bring down half of thhe country's population.

"Oh, right. Him," Masterson said. "What about him, exactly?"

"Is he alive? Can I still kill him, or was my chance at vengance stripped from me?"

Masterson's eyebrows knitted together as he studied her. "Vengance?"

She shrugged. "So what?"

Masterson's usual, sinister grin, which she didn't know she missed so much until then, plastured itself across his face. "Well, you've definitely changed."

She shrugged again. "So what? He messed with a goddess, and I had to leave before I could show what that meant. Now I'm back, so I figured he'd finally be able to find out. Is that so bad?"

His smirk remained on his face, though it became less sinister. "Not at all. Kind of sexy, actually."

She rolled her eyes and playfully shoved his shoulder. "Come with us," Masterson invited, his eyes growing larger. "Tonight, I mean. We're going for a hunt. Three hundred mouths to feed, you know. It isn't easy."

Kelly shrugged. "Why not?"

Darrious was whistling quietly as he made his way from his shower to the small bar on the opposite side of the room of his bed, where he poured a small cup of jaeger, and another of blood. He dropped his head back and downed the alcohol, using the blood as a chaser. After another round, he sighed and turned around.

"Are you gonna say something, or are you just gonna stand there all night?" he said into the darkness.

Jason stepped from the shadows and smiled widely at him. "Hello, Darrious," he greeted.

"Are you gonna tell me what the hell you want, or did you just come because you think I'm pretty?" Darrious responded with a smirk.

"No. I wouldn't mind a drink, though."

With a smirk, Darrious took another drink of his alcohol.

"Well, that's no way to treat a guest," Jason stated. "Anyway, I'm sure you know why I'm here."

"No clue, actually. That would be why I asked what you wanted."

"There was a woman here earlier."

Darrious smirked. "There was a lot of women here, earlier."

"Yes, but I'm sure we both know the paticular one I have in mind."

Darrious lifted his chin, knitted his eyebrow, and mashed his lips together, prentending to think. "Let's see," he began, tapping his chin. "About yay high?" He lifted his hand to the aproximate hight. "Red hair, blue eyes, really pretty, Kyle's ex?"

Jason nodded. "That would be the one."

Darrious shrugged his shoulders. "Haven't seen her."

Jason slammed his fist into the wall. "I haven't time for your games," he shouted. He took in a deep breath to control his rage. "We both know she was here. All I want to know is what she wanted from you."

Darrious shrugged again. "I don't know, she wanted to know where everybody was," he answered.

"Why?"

"Didn't say."

"Did you tell her?"

"I didn't give anything away, don't worry."

Jason smiled at him. "Good. The last thing we need is for her to find him. If she does, we're all fucked."