Like a beacon in my moments of clarity, I returned to the city I was born in, the city I died in. It had been twenty years since my brother shunned me and ran away. Twenty years since the night, I lost my family, since I lost myself. This was the first time the hunger didn't nag at me. It was the first time the fog that normally kept me in a drunken haze cleared away.
Twenty years and the humans finally accepted that they were no longer alone in this world. That demons walked among them. They chased them around; they made them their meals. For the first time in who knows how long humans weren't at the top of the food chain.
I didn't need to think to know where my feet was taking me. It was the only place in this city worth going. The home that I was raised in. The house that I died in. Now my brother lived here. His wife and two daughters lived here.
Standing outside of their window I could see them holding hands as they bowed their heads over their dinner. Lots of people turned to God when they learned demons walked the Earth. The end of days were here they said. I can't remember ever praying before a meal with my family. My brother had faith now. Seeing the dead rise can do that to a man.
"How sad, I missed one." A voice that was burned into my mind spoke. It was a voice that I haven't heard in twenty years. Whipping around the breath left my lungs as I came face to face with a demon. He was still as beautiful as the memories lead me to believe. He stood there with a smile on his lips.
My feelings were all jumbled inside of me. The two sides of myself wared over the appearance of this man. On the one hand, I wanted him to take me like he had the day I died. I wanted to feel the same pleasure that only he seemed to bring me. On the other hand, I wanted to rip his throat out and get the revenge my family deserved.
"Ban," That was his name. I could feel the rage inside of me bubble and boil. I could feel the new found powers being a demon brought me awaken inside of my veins. I wouldn't just lay down and take his beating this time. I was no longer a weak human. I had the power I needed to fight back.
His fingers combed through my hair. The touch made me close my eyes as shivers trickled down my spine. He gripped my hair roughly and I could feel my fangs pressing down from my gums. I was ready for a fight if that was what he wanted.
Ban's mouth smashed against mine. His tongue encouraged me to part my lips and let him inside. I could feel his controlling kiss and I pressed into his body. Lost in the lust that his kiss brought I could remember the way he touched me. I wanted him to touch me again.
He pushed me back against the side of the house. I sucked in a sharp breath when his fingers pushed into the front of my pants. Turning my head to the side I closed my eyes as his fingers wrapped around me. I could feel the pressure he implied as he stroke me.
I stopped the moan that was coming by biting my lip. There was pain as sharp fangs poke through the soft flesh of my bottom lip. I could feel the way my blood ran down my chin. Ban leaned forward. Pressing me against the wall more as his hand worked my lower half.
His tongue flicked out as he cleaned away the blood. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth. He drank from me. How was that possible? I didn't think demons drank from each other. Wasn't my blood as poisonous as his? Did it not burn like acid the way his burned me?
My fingers moved to my belt unfastening my pants so that Ban could touch me more. What was I thinking? This was the man that killed my family. This was the demon that killed me. We were right outside of the home he slaughtered everyone I knew and love inside. The home home my brother and his family were inside of. So why was I letting him touch me? Why did it feel so damn good?
I could feel the way he teased me. Slowly stroking me and then going faster. My fingers twisted in his shirt as I begged for more. Twenty years was a long time to go without another's touch. Did it have to be his touch? Why was his touch the only one I remembered? I knew I was human once. I just had no memories of any day but my death. As if everything had been replaced by Ban.
He was kissing my neck. His tongue traced patterns over my flesh. His hand drove me closer to the edge. The moans I had been biting off was slowly breaking free. My hips rocked against his hand. I could see the way his black eyes watched me. The lust they held was mixed with something I didn't understand. Why me? Why was he doing this to me again? Ban was the kind of man that could have anyone he wanted. So why did he want me?
"Get out of here," the very tone of the voice made my heart ache. Turning slowly I looked upon the face of my brother. I knew it was my brother, even though his face was blurred in my memories. He had to be my brother. He looked just like our father after all.
His gray eyes narrowed as he looked at us. I could see the recognition in his face. He stumbled forward for a moment but stopped in his own tracks when he watched Ban pull his fingers from my pants. Run, I wanted to yell it to him, but my voice was trapped in my throat.
"Zero," my brother's voice trembled as he said my name. Ban stepped away from me. He had this twisted smile on his lips. It was as deadly as it was sexy. It meant awful things were going to happen. Awful things always happened when Ban was nearby.
"Our car just broke down and my damn cell phone died. Do you mind if we use yours?" Ban spoke the same words he had spoken twenty years ago. He pushed his way into my brother's house pulling me along behind him.
The faint scent of blood hung in the air of the dimly lit club. We all sat at a table far from the stage. It was still a good view as the band banged away on their instruments gaining mild interest from few people.
It was clear that the people here came for one thing only. They wanted to hear Maya sing. The demon was the lure and these humans were the lamb ready for the slaughter. Looking around the room I searched the faces of the crowd for Kenji or Ban.
So far, the only demon in this room was me. Where were they? Was Ban hiding somewhere in shadows? Were they waiting for the perfect moment to strike? Hiding wasn't really Ban's style. If he were here, he would be front and center.
The song the band was playing ended. I could head a few people clapping, but that was all they got. My eyes were on the stage as the band packed up taking their things and walking to the back. Once the humans cleared the stage, a new person walked onto it. Shu reached for his gun, but I grabbed his wrist. The Blood Demon Kenji was here.
"Not yet," I whispered to Shu. This was what I was talking about. We needed to be smart about this. Attacking Kenji right now was just a bad idea. There were too many humans in the room. If we went on an all out attack a lot of people were going to die. Their blood would be on our hands.
"Why wait? We can take him." Dante hissed and my eyes shifted over to the bigger man. If Dante wanted to get himself killed, I wouldn't stop him. Shu and I needed to be smart about this. I had to get Shu back home to Amy and Rai. That meant waiting for the perfect chance.
"Zero's right. We need to wait." Aya spoke and I could smell the sour and earthy notes of her fear again. I could hear the sound of all three of their hearts racing. I could see the way the veins in their neck pulse. Sweat had gathered on their brows and I had a feeling it had nothing to do with how hot it was inside of the club. Our table was alive with energy. Could Kenji sense it?
"We'll take them after the song." Maybe Kenji would be gone by then. I was hoping that he would be. Then we could send Maya back to hell and go home. Shu would be upset he missed his chance. I would promise him there would be another. Tonight was just too dangerous.
Shu looked towards me. I didn't know what he was reading in my eyes. Maybe he wanted to know what I was doing. Maybe he wanted to know why I wanted him to wait. I just didn't want him to die. Shu was my best friend. I can't remember if I had one of those when I was human. I did know that Shu had been my best friend since the day I met him. He looked past my demon parts and saw me.
"Welcome," Kenji spoke into the microphone. "We all know what you came here for." A quick look around the room showed me he had everyone's attention. Did these humans not know they were in the presence of the Blood Demon. Or did they just not care their lives were in danger.
"You want to hear her sing." There were loud cheers from nearly everyone in the club. They wanted Maya to come on stage. "You want to bathe in her dark light as you fall deeper into her words. You want to be devoured by her song." There were more cheers, but this speech sounded more like a demon's way of saving grace before their meal.
I could smell the blood in the air even before it was spilled. Just like you could smell the April shower before the rain came. I swallowed, my eyes shifting around the room. He had these people under his spell. Or maybe this was Maya. Just how powerful was this demon? Had I underestimated her?
"How sweet your blood will taste when infused with her powers." There was a fang tooth grin that he gave these people. He was going to slaughter them all. Shu came to this realization too. His finger was going to his gun again my hand was still on his wrist. Now wasn't the time.
Kenji's eyes shifted around the room. I could see him sniff at the air. Could he smell the demon in the room? Or was it the bloodline that so boldly hunted him that he was smelling. Maybe it was both that drew his eyes to our table.
"I won't waste any more of you time. After all, I'm famished." With that he walked off the stage. At this point, Dante and Shu put in their earplugs. I made a show of putting mine in as well. I didn't turn them on. I wanted to hear her sing. I wanted to know how her song was going to affect these people. Maya walked onto the stage and the whole room went crazy as she stood at the microphone. Could they not see the horns on her head? Did they not see that their pretty little singer was a demon?
She probably had them all glamor. It was a low-rank magic trick for demons who didn't possess a human form. They could make the weak willed them as humans and not the demons they were. I knew that everyone at my table saw her for what she truly was.
The song that Maya sang wasn't in any language I understood. Yet I could feel the power in her words. It was a soft, sad tone that had men and women sitting on the edge of their seats. They were all . . . memorized by her. I miscalculated her powers. With just a few notes, she had power over this whole room. I thought her powers only worked on men, but the women were just as caught up.
Aya was crying, I didn't warn her to wear earplugs. I didn't think she would need them. Now she was under the spell that Maya was casting. Shit, we walked into their trap. We needed to kill Maya and run.
Kenji walked back onto the stage. I watched as he whispered something into Maya's ear. She only nodded her head before Kenji walked away again. She looked towards our table and the demon's eyes locked with mine. The tune of her song changed. I could feel it ripping through my soul like a wave breaking down the walls of a dam.
My fangs pushed down, my nails grew, my black hair turned white as it flowed down my back. At last my wings burst free. Her song brought my demon form to the surface. How? How did some B-Class demon lure me into her trap?
"Zero," Shu's voice was breathless. It had been at least fifteen years since he seen my demon form. His eyes weren't on me. He was looking across the table. My eyes followed him to Dante. I could see the pure rage on the bigger man's face. Aya was still listening to the demon's melody. She was completely under Maya's control.
"You're a demon," Dante spoke slowly. "You are a demon." He broke his words downs as if they were easier to understand this way. The hatred in his eyes for me erased the last few months we have hunted together, ate together, lived together. Now all he saw was red.
"Ban doesn't leave survivors." It was as simple as that. I told them all that Ban attacked me. Ban kills his prey. I just didn't stay dead. I wanted to live too badly to remain dead.
"You lied to me." I could hear the hurt in his voice. Dante felt as if I betrayed him. I didn't betray him. Even if I had what more did he expect from me. I am a demon. Still I shook my head. I could feel the tension in the air as Maya continued her song. Dante hasn't moved yet, but everything was coming to a head.
"I didn't lie. Not once did you ask if I was human or not." I was both human and demon. Or maybe I was neither. I exist somewhere between humanity and damnation.
"You son of a bitch!" Dante yelled jumping across the table. He had gone insane if he thought to attack me this way. Shu reacted before I could. Drawing out his gun he put two bullets in Dante's chest. I watched as the bigger man dropped onto the table breaking it into pieces. I could smell his blood as it pumped out onto the floor pooling around our feet.
Aya like all the other humans in the room didn't take their eyes off of Maya. Dante was dead and Aya couldn't kill least. I bit my lip as I watched the blood. I should have felt guilty about Dante's death. It was him or me. Shu chose for the both of us.
"Kill the demon, Zero!" Shu ordered and I sprung into action. Leaping across the tables between us and the stage I could hear the tune of her song change again. The human's heads all snapped towards me. Like puppets, they rose from their chairs. The ones that were carrying weapons all drew them out. I bared my fangs my fingers curling as my nails extended longer.
Those closest to me came forward. Swinging my hand, my crawls sliced through the man's neck. Warm blood sprayed into my face and I smiled as I licked my fingers. I remember this feeling. It made my heart race and my blood pump faster.
Like a dance, I moved through the humans. Swinging and kicking I was surrounded by the splashing of their blood. It made the beast that I truly was roared. Grabbing a girl by her hair I bit into her neck. Her blood was sweet and sour in a pleasant way. Like eating a green apple.
I toss her away as I heard guns going off around me. Turning around I could see Shu behind me. He was reloading his gun as Aya went for him. I could see the blades made of wind that Aya sent towards Shu. Her element was wind, the aero magic she used was one of the reasons we wanted her on our team.
Black magic wins over elemental every day of the week. Through the blood on the flood a hand form. The bloody hand wrapped around Aya's neck making her blades miss Shu as it yanked her down to the floor. Shu stood over Aya's body. His gun was pointed at her. I watched as his hand shook. Aya was our teammate. She was our family.
Shu hissed out a breath before leaning down and punching Aya in the face. She went still and the blood hand released her. Turning back towards Maya I sliced through the last few humans that were in my way.
Reaching the stage, Maya was just standing there. I could feel the blood I was covered in dripping from me. Reaching up I licked it away from my fingers. Did she know who I was? Could she feel the power that rested inside of me? Was she smart enough to know this was her undoing?
"Welcome little demon," Maya made a small curtsy. It was as elegant as her singing. She was a demon that was probably someone important. Her powers were greater than I first thought. Maybe she was someone big down in hell. She was about to go back.
"Little Demon?" I tilted my head to the side as if I was trying to understand her words. "I outclass you." Did she think she was going to win before I was young, for a demon? I killed demons twice her size in higher classes. Now that Kenji and Ban were hiding there was no doubt in my mind that we have won this battle.
"Children are so disobedient. Why are you attacking us with humans?"
"I have issues with authority figures." I offered her a smile along with my words. She was frowning at me. Maybe she knew that I was mocking her. Why wouldn't I fight with humans? I was human once. I heard a few more shot going off around the room. Shu cleaning up the rest of the humans that was left behind.
"Kill her!" Shu yelled at me again. I rolled my eyes. Of course, I was going to kill her. He was right, however, now wasn't the time to stand around and talk. I went to her but was stopped when I felt something connect with my temple. For a moment, I didn't think anything was going to happen.
Then pain exploded in my head as I flew off the stage. I hit one of the tables breaking it as I bounced off and hit another one. Crashing onto the floor I slide back until I hit the wall. I felt like I just took a bat to the face.
Shu grabbed my arm helping me back to my feet. I could hear ringing in my ears as I got back to my feet shaking my head as if I could shake away the pain. My eyes went back to the stage as I saw Kenji lowering his leg from a kicking stance. So that's what hit me.
"So you are the demon boy." Kenji's voice was a hissing sound. He reminded me of a snake. Everything about that demon oozed not to trust him. I pictured him as the snake in the stories Kaleb always read. About the garden and the woman eating the forbidden fruit.
"Damn it, it was the wings that gave me away wasn't it?" I spit blood from my mouth as I glared over at Kenji. Aya was out cold, Dante was dead and the humans that were still alive was hiding under a table. It was just Shu and me against Maya and Kenji. I didn't like those odds.
"Kenji!" Shu yelled and the Blood Demon eyes shifted towards my best friend. A part of me wanted to push Shu behind me to protect him. Another part knew that Shu would never forgive me if I did something like that.
"What, worm?" Kenji spoke the malice in his voice was tangible. He hated humans. I could tell that by the look on his face. Maybe all demons hated humans. No, Ban didn't think about humans at all. They were just food to him.
"You killed my great grandparents, my grandparents, my parents. You killed my aunts and uncles. You took so many of my friends from me." I wondered how many times Shu said that line in his head. Every time we were going after Kenji did he repeat it until it was perfect. Until he finally got a chance to utter them to the monster he hunts.
"Cry me a river," I growled at the demon. I knew how much this hurt Shu. I knew how much it had hurt Kaleb. They were my family. They were the people who took me in when I had nothing. When I was no one. Respect, that was what the Blood Demon lacked. Even as Ban slaughtered my family he . . . Respected us.
"You die now!" Shu yelled squeezing the trigger on his gun. At the same time, I went for Maya. The elemental of surprise was on my side. My fingers reached out cutting her throat open. Reached inside of the gash I could feel the core of her powers. Yanking it free I held the golden orb in my hand.
Maya fell backward reaching for her throat as I put the orb into my mouth swallowing it down like a pill. My whole body pulsed as I felt the new power that I had just taken in. Opening my mouth, I let out a scream. It made Maya cover her ears, but it wasn't enough to save her.
Black blood started to leak from her eyes, ears, and mouth. It probably felt like forever for her, but all of this happened so quickly Shu was still firing on Kenji. Maya's head exploded from the pressure the sounds waves of my new power produced. She fell backward onto the stage as I reached down picking up one of the horns that survived the blast of her head going pop.
As I turned to the Blood Demon fell backward onto the stage. I could see smoke came from his body. I hissed out a breath as his black blood pooled around him. Was it over? Had we done it? Killing two demons with just the two of us. Was the Blood Demon Kenji dead?