8. Livy

CHAPTER EIGHT

LIVY

" H urry up Sunny. We've got a training party waiting for us at the town hall." Ferina's voice rang out from behind my door, heavy fisted knocks came after.

"I'm almost ready." I fastened the clasp at the back of my bra, pulling on my long sleeve blouse, buckling my blue jeans and finally, sliding on my sneakers.

Running over to the mirror, I combed my hair and paused, my eyes glued to my reflection.

This was supposed to be a day of training with Ferina. This was to make sure I knew how to fight alongside demons in case there was another attack. But that was Malek's idea. I had different motives.

I still hadn't uncovered any useful intel about him. I needed to make nice with his sister, gain her trust and somewhere in the small talk she was bound to give me something I could use to put a wrench in Malek's war machine.

"Su----nnyyyy," Ferina bleated like a goat .

I moved for the door, pulling it open. A camouflage jumpsuit hugged Ferina's tall, shapely figure, her eyes narrowed as they cantered down to what I was wearing.

"Private Sunny reporting for duty," I gave her a salute.

"Not in jeans you aren't." She chuckled, smiling warmly. "Luckily, you're not in the army and aren't on duty so you can train in whatever's comfortable. But are you sure you'll be loose enough in jeans?"

"They're super stretchy." I kicked high, showing off my impressive dexterity.

She nodded, puckering her lips, appearing satisfied.

We went out to the garage at the back of the castle. Hopping into Ferina's red Audi, we cruised through the sunny streets of Demon City.

"So, Sunny. Big brother wants me to teach you about what it's like to live in our great city. This means a crash course in our culture, history and team fighting strategy and all that boring shit." She switched gears, taking a sharp turn onto a minor road, avoiding traffic. "Buttttt I'm not the boring shit kinda gal. So, what do you say we cut to the need-to-know stuff and go for donuts and drinks instead?" She peaked at me, gauging my reaction.

I was caught off guard. Ferina was princess to an entire race of beings and she was so casual, down to earth and well, more ‘normal' than I'd expected.

"Just don't tell Mally okay?" she whispered conspiratorially.

"He'd have to pry the truth right out of my mouth before I tell him a word." I made a mouth zip gesture.

"I knew I liked you." She pumped the brakes as traffic stalled at the end of the minor road.

"It's hard keeping Mally out of the loop on anything. He's got eyes and ears everywhere in the castle." She rolled her eyes. "I love him to death but he's a bit of a control freak. "

She maneuvered in her seat to face me, her palms slapped her lap. "He wouldn't get it. This is way more important than training! We're about to be like sisters." She exclaimed. "We should get to know each other as much as possible. We can't exactly do that while trying to kick each other in the face, can we?"

The traffic nudged along, and she faced forward and continued driving.

"Um, sisters?" I asked, my voice going shaky.

"Well, yes?" She looked at me questioningly. "You need to learn our ways and norms so that once the war is won, you will be accepted as queen by the horde."

"So, about that." I paused, considering just how to put it.

Talk about this so-called betrothal came up briefly at the picnic and I didn't address it then. I was so caught up in how surreal it was that I was having a meal with demon royalty that I did way more listening than talking. But now that we were in private, I wanted to give her the courtesy of the truth.

"I don't know what your brother has told you, but I have not agreed to be his queen, wife or anything. As a matter of fact, I've even entered into a deal with him in an attempt to stop him from starting a war."

"A deal?" Ferina had a dazed look scrawled on her gaze. She hit the brakes holding up traffic behind as the road cleared ahead of us. She didn't move, lost in thought as a symphony of car horns played behind us.

"Hey, you okay?" I snapped my fingers in front of her face. Why were demons so weird about deals?

"Sorry, yes! I'm here." She snapped out of it, pumping the gas, crossing the street just before the light went from amber to red.

I rolled down my sleeve, revealing the heart shaped tattoo. "If my love for your brother doesn't fill this tattoo all the way in the next two months, he can't declare war and must stop all hostility outside his own borders. Meaning as long as I don't give him my heart, there will be no war and obviously no wedding."

Her jaw dropped to the floor, and she drew back dramatically. "Your gutsy as hell, girl! Leaving it to use a demon's weakness for deals against us." She cackled as if the entire thing was positively hilarious.

I wanted to ask her if she thought he would keep his word, but it would only put her guard up, knowing I didn't trust her brother. Then she'd never give me the info I need.

She made a sharp left over a bridge and a right down a bumpy, restaurant lined boulevard. "You must have incredible self-restraint, though. I've had to beat most of my friends off Malek with a stick. Most demonesses think he's the most gorgeous and charming male on the planet."

Gorgeous was an understatement. The man was sex personified, his dark stare seductive enough to charm the panties off a python. His muscles were so hard and large, every time he was near all I could think about was how much I wanted to touch them.

"He's okay." I shrugged, averting my gaze so she wouldn't see the lies floating across my eyes.

Heavy traffic slowed us to a snail's pace as all lanes converged on the heavily built up commercial center. At Ferina's suggestion, we parked the car on the sidewalk and continued to the donut shop on foot.

Food stalls trailed the crowded street. Demons tucked in and out of shops and restaurants. It was like we'd entered an ant's nest with lines moving in so many directions that I'd have gotten lost if Ferina wasn't holding my hand.

We passed a demon in a hooded black cloak handing out a flier. He stood in front of an old church that was wedged between a bookstore and an antique doll shop.

A swelling of demons congregated in front of the church, accepting the flyers and quickly scooting away, as if worried they might be seen. Those who already read the flyers passed them on to other passersby.

Who would have thought that demons even went to church. Well, I guess nobody would believe in angels more than demons.

We weren't too far from the church and someone placed a flier into my hand, not saying a word to me as he went the other way.

Ferina took the paper from me without asking and read it. Her jaw tightened. "What in the world is this?" She turned the paper sideways. "This isn't English, Demonish or any language I've seen in a thousand years of life. It's pure gibberish."

I took the paper and glanced it over. It was written in perfect English.

"Are you tired of living under the boot of a callous and arrogant leader?" I read it aloud. "Come and find your home with demons just like you! Join the Brotherhood of the Black Phoenix. My cursive is a little rusty but it's easy enough to read." I handed it back to her.

"Easy for everyone but those who weren't meant to read it." She crushed the paper into a tight ball and crammed it into her pocket. "Come on, we're going to the afternoon service, to find out what ‘holy message' that priest is peddling."

"Fine, but first we need to get you a change of clothes." My finger swirled in a circle near her midsection. "Something tells me a military uniform may not be the best thing to have on where we're going. You don't want to draw more attention than necessary."

She nodded, agreeing that I was right, scowling in the direction of the cloaked man still handing out flyers.

"Speaking of attention, how come no one comes up to us for your autograph? You're the princess." I asked.

"Malek is much more of a public figure than I, and even he tends to shy away from too much public engagement." She explained as we continued down the street looking for a clothes store. "He sees it as better for the safety of the royal family to keep some level of distance and anonymity between us and the public. So we tend to only make rare and select public appearances, usually away from cameras. "

"Where I come from, there's no hiding the alpha and his family. Their faces are on every billboard, every tv commercial. They always want to be the center of attention."

"That's interesting. I've always been curious about why shifters are so open with their private business." Her eyes lit up as she pinched her chin in thought. "I feel like I know more about the lives of shifter online influencers than I know about my own family. Demons prefer to live life in the shadows. This is how we feel safest. But, when I think about it, I envy your people's openness. It's such a fearless way to live. It's freeing."

"That demon tendency to cling to the shadows and be more secretive might be at the center of the propaganda flyer we're about to investigate," I argued.

"Good point. We demons tend to justify being secretive and sneaky by arguing that what others don't know can't hurt them. But after hearing the angry opposition to my brother's rule in that flyer, I'm not sure that type of rhetoric is completely harmless, at least not for my family."

We stopped in a store and got Ferina a pair of jeans and a plain black T shirt.

I wasn't entirely sure this was a good idea, I thought while waiting for her to finish changing in the dressing rooms.

Going to a meeting filled with demons critical of Malek's leadership was one thing, but going in with Malek's sister? That was dangerous.

On the other hand, Ferina was an ancient demon and presumably quite powerful. I had Mellow should I need to shift and fight.

Even though I still felt uneasy, Ferina's stride was confident and unafraid as we entered the church.

I counted seven rows leading from the pulpit, trailing down to the back wall of the small, intimate structure. All but the back row was fully stocked with attendants.

The smell of centuries old dust made the air in the small space musty. The scent wasn't heavy enough to irritate the senses though, and it added to the mystique of the cobble stone walls and floors.

We sat in the back row nearest to the aisle so that I was in the aisle seat and Ferina was boxed in between me and a teenage demon in a black baseball cap on her right.

A tall, cloaked figure blew in from outside, drifting down the aisle like a spirit with unfinished business. The air grew colder with every inch he moved and the congregation's chattering immediately muted.

He closed in on the pulpit. All eyes locked on him as if ensorcelled by his slow fluid motion.

The cloaked figure stopped behind the pulpit, turning around to face us so slowly it gave me chills.

His hood fell and I was a bit disappointed to find that instead of a beastly ghoul, a man stood before us.

He was rugged, tall and muscular with several lines on his face that seemed more a result of a hard life than age, as he didn't look a day over forty. He was the class of demon that appeared human, but the smell of sulfur was so strong on him, I could smell it from the back. So there was no mistaking what he was.

"Brethren, thank you for coming." His voice was steady, authoritative and loud enough to reach the back. "As always, your courage is highly appreciated here. For all newcomers, you are especially welcomed in the keep of the Black Phoenix."

His bright green eyes flitted to the back row, falling on Ferina and I, then moving to the row ahead of ours.

"If you're here, it can only mean one thing. You long for a world where your opinions are valued, a place where all demons are equal, whether you are thraxy, an ancient or a ‘soft skin' like me." Reaching out his arm, he pointed at the thraxy woman in the front row and the demon beside her who appeared human. "You long for a home that is peaceful and not under the constant threat of destruction from senseless wars. Wars orchestrated by a callous leader who hides behind the high walls of his luxurious palace!" His words rang out like thunder, electrifying the masses who now applauded and stamped their feet on the floor, shaking the room.

"Callous? Who the hell does this guy think he is? Does he have any idea about the sacrifices Mally has made for them?" Ferina wrung her fingers together craning her head to hide her fangs that now protruded in rage.

"Quiet." I whispered in her ear. "They outnumber us twenty-five to one. We can't afford to piss these people off."

Her head jerked up and down mechanically, blood lust transforming her face, wrinkling it with hundreds of fine lines. She was a few disparaging comments away from ripping this man in two. And after seeing her brother do the same in the forest, I wouldn't put it past Ferina to kill him right there at the pulpit.

"Yes, you and so many silent voices across Demon City are sick of never knowing when the world as you know it may come to end. All because our king has made enemies of the entire fucking world!" he shouted, casting his eyes to the east. "He sits on his throne with all his protections as he undermines the safety of all his people."

"We can't even leave the city anymore without being spat on by wolves and mages." A thraxy in the second row grumbled.

"The wolves hate us now and the mages want us all dead!" A random person yelled from somewhere on the far left.

Ferina folded her legs tightly, biting her tongue as more people voiced their grievances about Malek's leadership and the breakdown of demon relations with the shifters, mages and humans.

I couldn't believe most of what I was hearing. For the last several years, Malek had been inching his way into several wolf packs, seizing control of them with the help of moles planted on the inside. This is why making a deal with demons was my pack's most abhorrent crime. Because the minute you did, Malek could command you to steal secrets from your own pack to help him infiltrate.

But this entire time, I thought demons were all on board with it. I thought they all wanted to rule the world. But these bitter complaints made it very clear that many didn't agree with Malek's ambitions.

"Off with the tyrant's head!" An old woman shook her fist above her head, and many applauded her. "Steal his royal horns and give them to Varcus as a crown!"

This went a step too far for my liking, and even I wanted to punch the old lady for that one.

Ferina cursed a string of expletives, digging her heels in the ground. She'd heard all she could take.

She shot up like a weed, pointing an accusing finger at the old woman. "You! How dare you threaten your king's horns! Those horns are what helped create most of your ungrateful asses."

"And you, coward, hiding behind your cloak and the thick walls of your church." Ferina stared the cloaked man down fluttering her fingers about mockingly. "You think you would make a better king? Ha! You haven't the shoulders to carry a king's burden. The fact that you think you do only shows your pig-headed arrogance."

Time stood still, the room so quiet that Ferina's heavy breathing and the sound of my racing heart went unchallenged.

This was bad. We were sitting ducks, entrenched in a room filled with demons hostile toward Malek, and presumably his supporters.

"And what about the King's arrogance? I want to save all demons. He wants to capture the world. Isn't that the ultimate arrogance?" The man drew closer, his expression calm and measured.

I stood, taking Ferina's arm and pulling it, encouraging her to sit down.

"You know, I think we might just be in the wrong church. We thought you guys were Methodists." I joked, trying to diffuse the building tension.

He roamed closer to us.

Grimaces and murderous stares swarmed me like ants to honey .

"I know exactly what you thought. You thought you could infiltrate our secret order and then be on your merry way to tell the king all you've heard." He undulated two fingers up and down gesturing to two demons by the door.

With a nod, the door keepers sealed the entrance tighter than a maximum-security prison.

"Tell the king what?" I shrugged, standing slowly. "That a few of his citizens are exercising their right to peaceful free speech?" I asked, faking a calmness I sure didn't feel.

"You're a smart one. You must be the fabled bride I've heard whispers about." A smile brightened his face and hushed whispers abounded.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I cupped my elbows with my palms.

He raised a silencing hand. "Come on, give me more credit than that. I could smell him on you the minute I walked in."

"Relax. Just because you are his, doesn't mean we can't be friends." Coming in on my left, he offered me a hand. "I'm Varcus. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. And you are?"

"She's not interested." Ferina intercepted his hand, tossing it away like trash.

"Stifle the ancient." Varcus instructed the demons at the door. He then seized my arm, leading me away from Ferina.

The door keepers marched for her, roughly taking her by the shoulders.

"Take your hands off of her." I demanded, the muscles in my back twitching as I considered shifting. It would have to be a last resort with this place locked up tighter than Azkaban, I'd be a trapped wolf with nowhere to run or hide.

"No one is going to hurt the ancient," Varcus said.

A thud drew me back to Ferina. The teenager who sat next us scrambled away as the goons descended on Ferina .

Her fight was brief as one of the goons held up a luminescent green flame candle between her eyes. Its glow was so hypnotic, it zombified her. A drop of drool fell from her lips as she collapsed in the wooden seat, legs sprawled loose and wide. Her eyes drooped and she appeared lost in a drunk-like daze.

"What the hell are you doing to her?" I shoved Varcus in the chest, a warning meant to let him know, resistance leader or not, I wasn't fucking scared of him.

"She'll be fine. I promise you." Varcus' expression was blank as a sheet of paper, his voice calm and assuring. "All they're doing is wiping her memory of everything that she's seen and heard here today. We cannot allow her to leave with the information she's gotten."

"And what about me?" I took in my surroundings. The room patiently watched Varcus and I. Most fidgeting uncomfortably, exchanging concerned glances. "Your followers don't seem to trust me anymore than you do her."

"Oh, but you are nothing like her." Varcus gazed at me so intensely, it was like he could see through my skin straight to my soul. "I can see it in you. You may be his bride, but you sat there and didn't say anything while we criticized your king. Is it because you agree with our cause?"

"Hey, I'm just as against the war as you are. But I wouldn't go so far as killing Malek or stealing his horns. That's just barbaric," I ground out.

"Forgive Mrs. Johnson, she can be a bit overzealous at times. We're not a violent group. We only want peace. Nothing more."

"Peace by making yourself King of the Demons?" I asked.

"Me being king is not important. I'm a servant of the people. I only want them to have the gift of choice over their own destiny. Surely you can agree they deserve that." He said and his words touched something in me.

For as long as I could remember, that was exactly what I wanted. The freedom to decide my own future. Decide where I wanted to live, where I would go and who I would be. But one alpha after the other had always seen fit to take that choice from me, leaving me powerless.

"Your silence is telling." Varcus interrupted my thoughts.

My head popped upward.

His smile shone with the kind of charisma that great leaders possessed. Varcus wasn't what I'd call handsome, but there was something homey about the man, calming even. One look into his eyes made you feel like you were safe to be the real you, not what those in power wanted you to be.

"Where are you going with this?"

"Help bolster our righteous movement. Be our eyes and ears in the palace." He drew closer. I leapt to the left, and out of the tight church bench. He blocked me with his body, so I had no choice but to face him head on. He hovered over me like an interrogating police officer. "Help us remove Malek as king and prevent him from starting a war that will destroy us all."

"Is that all you want?" I faked a smile, shooting a glance at the interested onlookers. "Or will you be needing ten pints of my blood to go along with it? Look, I respect your cause and understand your reasoning. But I don't know or trust you." I cast my arms wide. "Not to mention the fact that what you're suggesting could get me killed. No thank you."

I wasn't about to let this man control me just like Alpha Prometheus had. I would find a way to stop Malek and I'd do it my way on my own terms, I didn't need to get involved with Varcus.

Whispers turned to grumbles and Varcus told the congregants to settle down.

"She's right. She doesn't know us." He said to his people before reverting back to me. "But something tells me you may eventually have a change of heart. As a matter of fact, I'm so sure that you'll come around, I've decided to let you keep your memories. "

Raucous dissent abounded; it was swiftly quashed by a stern look from Varcus.

"Come back when you're ready to save the world." Varcus unlocked the doors and cast them wide. I thought this was a trick until he took my shoulders and ushered me outside, casting Ferina out seconds later.

I stood outside, confused and not believing how easily he'd let us go. The doors sealed shut and Ferina rubbed her eyes, chewing her lower lip as if waking up from a deep sleep.

"Are you okay, Ferina?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" She yawned, stretching her arms as passing demons casually bumped into us on their way into the doll shop beside the church.

"Is it six already?" Ferina slapped her forehead, eyeing her watch with surprise. "We were supposed to be getting donuts, right?"

Ferina, seeming to have lost all memory of what had just happened, and gripped my hand. She knifed through the sidewalk traffic, leading the way just like she had before we'd gotten the flyer.

In the donut shop, we ordered one of everything and sat, eating them with iced mocha lattes. Ferina gave a passionate explanation of the demons' team battle strategy, which was basically guerilla warfare, attacking your opponent with overwhelming force and numbers.

Wiping the foam from her lip, she explained the location of all secret exit points in the palace and the city walls, should we need to evacuate.

I nodded, saying very little as my mind drifted to thoughts of Varcus and the resistance. Did I make the right choice, refusing to help them? It might have been divine intervention, me meeting a group of demons who shared my anti-war beliefs.

I shook off the thought, I did not get a good feeling about Varcus or his followers. My instincts told me not to trust them and my instincts are what kept me alive so far .

I wasn't about to go running to tell Malek that he wasn't as popular as he may have thought he was. He'd probably have them arrested.

I'd gotten this far on my own and I simply needed to stick to my guns and continue on as planned. I'd keep looking for info on Malek that might help me to stop his war. Somehow I'd find what I needed to keep this war from happening and I'd do it without Varcus and the resistance.

"You heard what I said about the exit point behind the staircase in the basement of the north wing, right? It's the most important emergency exit," she ate a strawberry jelly donut in one bite, licking the powder from her upper lip.

"Yes, most important." I agreed, taking a sip of my latte.

"Why is it the most important?" her eyes shrank to slits.

I paused for a second to think. "Umm, because it's near the living and dining rooms. Annd…" I looked to the ceiling. "…and our bedrooms are four floors directly above the dining room."

"That's right, you've got it!" Ferina cheered. "Now, Mally will never know we didn't go to the training center."

She went to go buy some more strawberry jelly donuts and I peered out of the shop's glass window, onto the busy moonlit street. Watching demons bustle in and out of restaurants and shops, spending time with their friends and families made me realize something for the first time.

I didn't need to stop the war only for the shifters, mages and humans. The lives, safety and security of demons was also on the line. Death and destruction went both ways in battle and innocent demons deserved to live just as much as everyone else. I may never be the demons' queen, but I will save them from their king.