Lucifer Read online

  “We’re the entertainment tonight.” Zeus explained.

  The guard stepped back, looked at the vehicles following them and raised a brow. “How many people are with you?”

  “We have twenty –two in all.” Zeus replied.

  “Isn’t that a lot?” The guard mumbled.

  “Some are roadies to set up for the band. We have people in charge of makeup, costumes and special effects. Besides the regular band members we have a couple spares in case someone needs an extra break.” He began.

  “Whoa right there. I don’t know anything about bands so I’ll just trust you. Drive all the way to the end of the road. It’s the only building down there.” He explained.

  After all that, he let them in without searching the vehicles or counting the people. He hurried back to the guard shack where he probably had something to keep him occupied.

  “That’s not good.” Stef observed. “Someone could bring a bomb in here.”

  The gate opened and they drove through it followed by their entourage. They passed rows of new buildings with the windows mirrored for privacy. They could have been anything from apartments to office buildings. It didn’t really matter so Stef turned her attention on where they were going.

  They reached the end of the road and there was a building that looked like an amphitheater. It was away from the other buildings and had a huge parking lot. It looked more like a place to hold a concert than a party.

  “Why don’t we go in first and check things out then we can come back for everyone else?” Zeus suggested as they pulled up to the building. It sounded like as good a plan as any.

  “Lead on.” Lu replied with a smirk.

  Zeus grunted as he exited the SUV and walked to the nearest door with them all following behind. Zeus opened the door and walked through it letting Lu stand and hold it open for her and Sierra. This door turned out to go to a storage area but they found a hallway that went to the main room. It was an amphitheater with a stage below and seats circling it. There were rooms at the top of the seating area, probably for the richest of the attendees.

  It was once they stepped into this area that they caught the attention of a guard who was patrolling inside.

  “Halt!” He yelled as he raised a gun in their direction. “Identify yourself!”

  “We’re the band that will be playing here tonight. We came early to set up and everyone else is waiting outside. We came in to get instructions on where to park and which way to bring our gear in.” He explained.

  “Show me some ID.” He directed.

  Stef and Sierra pulled out their ID and he looked at it.

  “Now you two.” He watched Zeus and Lucifer as if expecting them to jump him.

  “Gods don’t have ID.” Zeus informed him.

  “Everyone has ID.” The guard insisted.

  “Gods don’t because we were enslaved until a short while ago. We live in the equivalent of our own country and most people know about us so ID hasn’t been needed.” Zeus argued reasonably.

  “No one said you wouldn’t have ID.” The guard muttered. “How’d you get in the gate?”

  “That guard was aware of our situation. Many people recognize me.” Sierra explained. “Even if they don’t, you’ll notice I have US active military ID.”

  “So?” The guard grumbled.

  “Call your supervisor to verify what we’re telling you.” She advised.

  He stepped back a bit, probably hoping they wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation. Even Stef could hear most of it so she knew the others could hear it clearly.

  “Boss, there’s some people here.” He said looking up at them. “They claim to be the band that’s playing for the party. They say they’re gods or something like that.”

  His face turned red and Stef thought he might be in trouble. He refused to meet their eyes when he hung up and stepped closer to them.

  “You can bring your gear in the side door. If you need help, just find one of us and we’ll get it for you.” He stomped off as if he was glad to be away from them.

  “I don’t think he’ll be one of your fans.” Stef said looking at Lu.

  “It will be heart wrenching, but we’ll make do without him.” Lu declared.

  They went back to the side door they’d entered from and let everyone know where to bring the gear in and where to put it. Stef grabbed her computer while everyone else carried in a piece of equipment. While things were being set up, she would work on her computer. She would send video to Cherish while Cherish would hack into the security with her laptop. She hoped Cherish didn’t get caught or they would all be in trouble.

  She set up on a table against the wall plugging into the internet directly. Now she would let Cherish do her magic. She watched as the crew set up the speakers and instruments working slowly but surely. They had plenty of time to prepare which was a good thing. Zeus and Lu had slipped away to search around the place and see where all the exits were. They were gone a long time, long enough she feared they’d been caught sneaking about. She was relieved when they came back. Zeus sat down with Sierra and they got caught up in a conversation while Lu checked out the placement of all the instruments and equipment.

  They would be doing a sound check soon and warming up before they played. They would be doing the songs from the album they had just completed. They were working on new songs but they were in the writing stages and not complete yet. The old songs they had were hardly old since they’d just been released themselves. Getting the whole show with the demons looking like one would expect demons to look and Dori doing some special effects like smoke and lights would be a real treat and not just for their audience. Stef was sure she and the others there with them would enjoy it too.

  She didn’t like all those females staring at her demon, but she knew it was a necessary evil for someone that wanted to be an entertainer. He needed to make money for his demons and this was a sure way to do it. She accepted that he was a leader and would have to make sacrifices and so would she. Putting her jealousy aside was one of them. Even though the party was for a sixteen year old girl, she wasn’t naïve enough to think only young girls would be here. There would be women too and all of them would look at him with appreciation. How could they not? He was sexy as hell with his hard body, broad shoulders and tall, like a mountain waiting to be climbed. He had the look of an action hero with wings or an angel except for the tail.

  She would just have to suck it up and deal with it. That was the price a woman paid when she had such a gorgeous boyfriend. She felt all warm and mushy when she thought about him but for now she needed to toughen up. She needed to be strong for him so she could help him. She’d never been as tough as Sierra or Doc even though they’d both told her she was in a different way. That was code for she was a softy. She did what was needed and she fought when she had to, but she didn’t go looking for trouble. She just seemed to attract it or be unconsciously attracted to it.

  The band finished their sound check with thumbs up all the way around. Now they would warm up by singing a song or parts of a few songs which seemed to be their preference.

  She saw some people wandering around in the seating section. Early arrivals or curious onlookers? It was hard to say since they were up there and she was down here. A man came in and headed toward the band who was still playing a line or two from each song on the album. It sounded like an odd song indeed if you seriously believed it was just one song. He had a look of disapproval and she would bet money that the band wasn’t his choice. He approached Zeus and they spoke but she couldn’t make out a word from where she stood.

  The band stopped playing, Lu approached Zeus and the mystery man and they shook hands. She saw the odd look the man gave Lu’s wings and tail. Lu spoke a little louder and the man must have asked about them. Lu said something about giving the fans what they wanted. The guy walked off after they spoke a little longer. She had a feeling he was the proud papa, Rhinefeld. Lu walked over to stand by her.

 
“How’s it going?” He asked.

  “Things seem to be progressing well.”

  “That was the man himself. He wanted to meet us but I don’t know why. He doesn’t seem to be a fan of music or demons.” Lu said with a chuckle. He wouldn’t let someone’s disapproval bother him, not anymore. Especially someone who didn’t mean anything to him.

  More people were arriving so they needed to find somewhere to hide until show time so the band could make an entrance.

  “Back here, everyone.” Win gestured.

  He showed them the way to the dressing room near the stage where Dori and Gloria were already set up with all their gear. The demons knew the drill by now and they divided up between dressing and getting hair and makeup done. They had become efficient at dressing and even sitting still so Gloria could work on them easily. Lu and his Band of Demons looked dramatic and gorgeous by the time she was through. Those little teenagers wouldn’t know what hit them. The time to start things rolled around as their manager Stef, went out to announce them.

  “Hello everyone. We’ve heard there’s a birthday girl out there so let’s all wish her a happy birthday!”

  Everyone started shouting and screaming so she waited a moment to speak.

  “Since you all came here to see Lucifer and his Band of Demons, I’m just going to have them come out right now.”

  The roar of the crowd was deafening.

  Lu walked out and waved up at the crowd. Stef handed him the microphone and she hustled back to the table she’d sat at before. She was out of the way and barely noticeable, but she could still see everything the band did.

  “Hello everyone! I’m Lucifer and this is my Band of Demons. We have a new CD that just came out and we’ll be playing some of our songs for you.”

  The band started playing the first song and when Lu started to sing, his voice was so pure and beautiful everyone gave him their rapt attention. When the song ended, the crowd went wild. They quieted as the band started the next song and before he started to sing, Lu spotlighted each band member and introduced him to the audience. They sang three songs and then they took a break but two of the other demons that had come along sang and played a couple of songs that were popular recently. They were good, but their songs weren’t as fresh as Lu and his band’s original ones. The crowd still seemed to enjoy it and applauded them enthusiastically.

  Now she knew Lu wasn’t exaggerating about all demons having talent because so far all demons who she’d heard play had been good. Lu and his band came back out to roaring applause. They played another set and the other demons came out again to give them a break. This last go round would be there last set.

  Zeus had contacted Stef to let her know he had the missing demon. He had been sent to the spot as agreed upon. Zeus sent one SUV and its occupants to the plane with Asb’el so they could begin to treat him and see him cleaned up and fed. All of them knew how bad his condition had been and he couldn’t wait to be helped. He needed care as soon as possible.

  The last set went well. Lu met the young lady of the night, Michele Handover. He gave her a hug under the watchful eyes of her father and they spoke briefly. Her father explained why they had set the party up like a concert. Missy was a well-grounded young lady and she set up her celebrations as charity events. Since her family was rich, she didn’t need gifts so instead, her friends and family donated at the gate and the whole amount was used to support a charity of her choosing. This one went to autism because she had a friend whose little brother was autistic. Stef thought it was wonderful that the young lady had been taught to think of others.

  Chapter 12

  To Catch a Demon

  The whole event had been anticlimactic with nothing happening. There hadn’t even been an attempt to take any of them or to inflict any harm. He could sense they were all starting to feel relieved. Even Sierra who was a perfect soldier wasn’t as guarded as she had been in the beginning.

  Gear was being loaded at a fast rate and the crowd in the seats had mostly dispersed. The ushers had worked to get them all out before the band left so they wouldn’t be rushed and overwhelmed by all their new fans. Lu felt pretty good about their first concert. Most of the audience had gotten into their music. He realized you couldn’t please everyone, but it looked like they had come close. Rhinefeld had even slipped him a check for a couple thousand dollars which helped offset expenses.

  He’d given the check to Stef since she was the manager. He thought that’s what managers did and she’d taken it without a word. She hadn’t even looked surprised as she’d slipped it into the large bag she’d brought along. She was packing up her computer right now and there wasn’t much left to do here so Lu thought he’d go to the bathroom before they left. He went down the dark hall without a care. It was a mistake he’d remember never to make again. He felt a pinch, like a stick when the doctor gave you a shot or took blood. He thought of a bee stinging him, but he was dizzy, too dizzy to stay upright.

  He heard the sounds of two males talking but he couldn’t understand the words as black edged around his vision until everything was black. He felt himself being lifted and his last thought was about not being careful long enough.

  He felt stiff and his head ached. He tried to think but it made his head ache more. Was he ill? Had he been injured? He was nauseous and he felt much like he had when Origin had tortured him. He knew he’d escaped from them but had they recaptured him? He wasn’t sure why they would bother because they had nothing but contempt for the demons. They thought them evil, vile and outcasts even from the god’s society. What a difference just a small percent of DNA could make. Not even a whole percent in some cases but the physical differences were obvious.

  He felt cold concrete under him. No pillow or blanket lay under him or nearby, again, it was reminiscent of Origin. He moved sending a shaft of pain through him. His headache was starting to dull to a throb, but his body was stiff and unyielding like a board. He started flexing his muscles one at a time hoping to loosen them. Lying on the cold floor wasn’t good for him and he needed to get up to see where he was exactly. The process was slow, but it was working. It might be the cold and uncomfortable position he’d been put in that had caused his muscles to stiffen and cramp.

  He listened with his demon hearing which was better even than god’s hearing. He could hear noises off in the distance but nothing nearby. He thought he might be alone, for now anyway. He worked his muscles until they loosened up but he didn’t try to think too much at this point. He sat up and felt dizziness and nausea, but it passed. There was an old chair he could sit in. He sat there and looked all around his prison. It was a cell, bars on two sides and concrete walls on the others. There was a toilet, sink, and a hose near a corner that also had a drain in the floor. Their version of a shower? The wall was solid, no windows, vent or anything else to detract from its security.

  It looked like cold gray concrete as well, just like the floor. There was a bed, just a frame with open rusty springs and no mattress. The air smelled musty like this place hadn’t been used much. The only thing he thought he knew for sure was that he was underground. This room was too much like a basement not to be one. The area outside of his cell looked like storage. There were items long unused covered with cobwebs and dust. Everything about this place screamed that it had been abandoned and not used for many years until now.

  He looked around for anything he could use like keys carelessly left within reach, a screwdriver or a similar tool that could be used to pick the old lock, or anything he might communicate with even though he knew it was unlikely he’d find any of those things. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do. The cell didn’t look like it was set up to keep a prisoner for long so either they would be back to get him, they would be bringing supplies to him, or they planned to leave him here to die. The last possibility seemed wasteful, but he didn’t know why they wanted him so he couldn’t guess what would suit their purpose.

  Maybe they just wanted to cause confusion an
d upset among the gods and hadn’t been focused on him at all. Maybe he’d been the only one dumb enough to go off by himself. He slapped his hands against the bars in frustration but all that accomplished was a shooting pain running through them. He saw things he might be able to use, but they were well out of his reach. He looked down at himself to see if he wore anything usable. He had a chain that his medallion hung from and a belt on his leather pants. He had on what he called motorcycle boots and he was wearing socks. No shirt, not that he thought it would help anyway.

  If he was in some kind of action movie he would have weapons or explosives, but he was just a demon who’d been shaking his thing on stage and had protection all around him until he’d really needed it. He walked up to the cell door and shook it. It rattled but it didn’t open. It should have been the first thing he’d tried anyway. Now that he’d gotten that out of the way, what next? It would help if he knew where he was. What was upstairs and should he try to make some noise? What if it was those that had captured him that were there and heard him? They could torture him or even kill him. On the other hand they might be planning to do that anyway. Why would they though after all the trouble they’d gone to. He wasn’t thinking clearly, it must be a result of the drug they’d given him.

  He looked up at the ceiling and he was fairly certain he was looking at the underside of the floor above. If he could pound on that, it might get someone’s attention. Even if it was his abductors, maybe he’d get some information out of them. It was better than sitting here waiting to die. He took off his boots and he picked them up throwing them at the ceiling one at a time. They made a satisfying thump as they hit and fell back down. He did it for several minutes before taking a break. He sat on the chair feeling like taking a nap but he’d probably fall out of the chair the second he fell asleep. He took some deep breaths and went back to hitting the ceiling with his boots.

  He continued with making noise for what seemed like hours seeing no results. He shook the door again, hard. It rattled but the lock didn’t give way. The metal was old and rusted but not enough for it to break into pieces. He felt pretty tired but he didn’t have a comfortable place to sleep. At some point that wouldn’t matter and he would succumb to his need for rest. He had winked off a few times, not because he had gone without rest for too long, but because of the boredom and the ill effects of whatever they’d drugged him with. Why did everything fall apart for him? He’d finally gotten free, found a home for himself and his demons and the biggest surprise of all, found his mate. It was like he’d been given everything he most wanted in life just to have it stolen right out from under his fingertips.