Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen

2

Sharen typedin the passcode outside the Rebellion’s headquarters, a warehouse that looked abandoned from the outside. She shoved the door open, and Kade held it while she stormed inside.

She was used to the massive space being filled with boxes of supplies and weapons, but she was still getting used to the many demons and other beings that had joined the Rebellion and now occupied the space.

“Commander,” a demon said, rushing up to her, saluting.

She sighed. Many of her newest recruits were ex-military. Even though she’d told them a dozen times that saluting her wasn’t necessary, they couldn’t seem to break the habit. As a result, all the demons treated her like a military leader, a position she had no interest in taking.

“What is it?” she asked, frowning.

The short man named Henry stood up taller and dropped his hand. “Two demon families have failed to check in.”

Don’t start crying again.“Brian’s family was killed by angels. Have someone check on the other family.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As she strode past him, someone called out her name. She turned to the side of the room now filled with a dozen different computer desks. Ryder circled the demons who worked relentlessly, searching for information. They hoped to learn more about the angels’ weaknesses, and about other ways to help the demons.

Sharen headed toward an outspoken demon named Isa. “What’s up?”

“A demon used their powers around three in the morning. I hacked into the hunters’ system and discovered that he was apprehended rather than killed.”

She frowned. “Any details as to why?”

The older woman shook her head.

“Keep searching.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She turned back to the screen, her gaze intense.

Before Sharen could turn to go, Ryder pulled her into his arms. She got a flash of his smile before he was kissing her. For a second, she forgot about everything, about her responsibilities, about the people she’d failed to help. She could do nothing but kiss the handsome demon until he pulled back.

Her eyes were closed, and her hands clung to the front of his shirt.

“Damn, you look beautiful,” he growled into her ear.

A shiver went down her spine, and she opened her eyes, unable to hold back her smile. His light brown hair was even messier than usual, and the red plaid shirt he wore had several buttons undone at the top.

She just stared at him for a long moment. Alec and Kade might have been her rocks in this stormy time in her life, but Ryder was like a tropical island, a vacation away from it all. He didn’t ask her what was wrong. He just tried to make her happy.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.”

His hands slipped down from her back to cup her ass. “How about you meet me in your office for a little meeting?”

She laughed. “Sorry, but I’ve already got other plans.”

She sensed Kade approach behind her and knew what he would say before he said it. “She intends to go through the stone again today.” His voice held disapproval, and she could picture his stormy expression behind her.

A look of concern came and went in a flash on Ryder’s face. “Well, don’t tire yourself out too badly. I plan on hitting this tonight, and hitting it hard.”

She stood up on her tippy-toes and pressed a kiss to his chin. “I think you’re the one who'd better save your energy.”

He laughed. “God, I love you.”

Her heart warmed. “Right back at you.”

Turning away from him, she moved past Kade, her back straight. She needed to be tough and not show weakness. Soon, she would be jumping into a demon realm alone, and the last thing she needed was to carry Kade’s doubts with her.

“Sharen!”

Darla raced up to her, clenching a pile of papers. “I think I have my latest spell down.”

The youngest witch in the Rebellion, Darla was barely eighteen, with reddish-blonde hair and a face full of freckles. She was also a witch with a whole lot of power and very little experience.

“Which spell?” Sharen tried to keep the concern out of her voice.

“To force angels out of any hosts they possess.” Darla grinned. “It’s not an easy spell, but I think, based on all my research, it’ll work.”

That would be useful, but it sounds dangerous as hell.

“Have you actually tried it?”

Darla’s grin wavered. “Well, no, but in theory it should work.”

In theory.

“Well, keep up the good work. I’ll hope we never need to use it, but I’ll be glad to have you around if we do.”

The girl beamed and took off back to the far corner of the warehouse used as the research nook. She and two other witches spent all their time researching the ancient books the Rebellion had managed to gather. So far, they hadn’t learned much, but Sharen had no doubt that with time the witches would prove useful.

Going to her office, she slipped into the darkness. Taking off her hoodie, she sank into her chair, resting her head on her desk.

A soft knock came at her door.

She took a deep breath, gathering strength to face yet another person who needed something. But before she could give the order to enter, Marval appeared before her.

Sharen snapped into a sitting position. She hated it when the vampire surprised her. Even though she’d met with him many times before, she always felt like she needed to prepare herself for him. When he caught her off-guard, she didn’t get that chance, and it meant that she was a little rattled at their meetings. But even though she logically knew why he unnerved her; it didn’t change the fact that she needed to act like she had her shit together.

So, she tried damned hard to pretend she did.

“Yes?” she asked, lifting a brow.

For a long minute he didn’t answer. Just studied her. So, she studied him right back. The vampire appeared young, but he was in fact the oldest being in the Rebellion. Old, powerful, and capable of learning things that no one else could. Which was why she’d put him on a private mission. Figuring out what the hell I am.

“I found out more information.”

“Go on.”

He sat down, his dark eyes fixed on her face. He had an aristocratic beauty that hovered over him like a cloak, even as he leaned back in his chair in a casual way. And yet, he might try to look relaxed, but he didn’t pull it off. He was a creature who hummed with power and strength, so much that it felt as if he might attack at any moment.

Not that he would. He was on their side, after all.

“Let’s start with what we know and what that means.”

She nodded.

“You’re getting stronger and faster, but your abilities come and go, which is unusual in every way. If you were part demon or part angel, you would have always had these abilities.”

“So, there’s never been a case of a half-breed developing powers later on in life?”

Marval touched his dark beard, rubbing it as if lost in thought. “Only under special circumstance. Typically, if powers develop later on in life, it’s because their abilities were sealed with magic earlier for some reason and then unsealed. Yet, you’ve indicated not being aware of any such things. Of course, then there’s the fact that your abilities are inconsistent.”

She felt her irritation rise. “Okay, so we’ve established that I don’t seem to fit the pattern for normal half-breeds. Is there anything you have figured out?”

He regarded her for an uncomfortably long time before speaking. “You cannot manipulate others with your words like a demon. You cannot fly or teleport like an angel. You cannot use magic like a witch, nor shift like a shifter. You don't need to feed like a vampire.”

“Right,” she said, her teeth clenching together in frustration. “There’s a whole list of things that I’m not, so what I am?”

He leaned forward. “You, Sharen, are like nothing I have seen before, but this I am sure of: you have an ability that I cannot connect with any supernatural being I’ve come across before.”

An ability?“What?”

He nodded solemnly. “Others follow your lead, almost without question.”

Her irritation rose once more. “That’s not a power.”

“Perhaps not, but—“

“Marval, I appreciate all you’re doing, but I have to go through the portal today. Keep researching and come back to me if you actually find something."

He rose. “You may feel that your ability to lead is not a power, but I’ve lived for hundreds of years and no one has ever convinced me to join a cause. Until you. Think about that.”

The vampire left, vanishing from her office as silently as he entered.

She put her head back down on her desk. I don’t know what I am. I don’t know what I’m doing. But I’ve got to keep going. I have too many people counting on me to stop.

Yet, she didn’t move for several silent minutes.