Demon Revealed (High Demon Series #2) (14 page)

My credit chip did cover what I bought, and it was substantial.
Teeg paid extra to have it packed up and delivered to his address later. Then
we went shopping for shoes. Teeg was very fussy over dress shoes. "Just
the right amount of heel," he said. "No sense in killing yourself or
damaging your toes." I paid for twelve pairs—Teeg paid for another six. Those
were the ones he liked and I didn't have any use for. Those would be delivered,
too.

"Now, let's get the best food on Campiaa that doesn't
come from Reah's kitchen," Teeg hugged me against him as we walked down
more cushioned sidewalks.

The best food turned out to be a tiny restaurant that took
your order at the counter and then shouted out your name when it was ready. Self-service,
for the most part. I understood the logic—there wasn't any room to put tables
and no room to place wait staff—the outer area was filled with tourists waiting
for their food or waiting to order.

"This is good," I lifted my sandwich, wrapped in one
of the best flatbreads I'd ever tasted. The sandwich was filled with beef, onions,
sour cream and a sauce I liked very much.

"See?" Teeg grinned at me as we sat at a tiny table
in a nearby courtyard to eat. I'd gotten fruit juice to go with my sandwich;
Teeg had ordered a mixed drink.

"Thank you," I said. Teeg ducked his head and lifted
a crisp he'd gotten with his sandwich. He knew what I meant—he'd worked hard to
get the morning's horror out of my mind. We went back to Teeg's apartment when
we finished eating.

The delivery van arrived almost when we did, and boxes and
bags were hauled inside Teeg's spacious apartment. I got what we'd left on the
floor out of the way and everything was placed on Teeg's kitchen island. He
didn't have a table—the island served double duty.

"This is your bedroom," Teeg showed it to me after
the deliveryman left. The suite was very nice—the bed was big enough for two or
three people, the closet held everything with plenty of space left over and I
had my own bath.

"The apartments are all built that way—in case tourists
want to rent them instead of staying at one of the casinos," Teeg
explained as we tucked the last of the shoeboxes inside my closet. "I
stocked you with towels and sheets," Teeg smiled. "Let's get in the
spa."

"You have a spa?"

"Out on the patio. All the upgraded apartments have
one."

"I didn't know you had a patio."

"I do. Put that swimsuit on, Reah, so I can see how
knobby your knees are." He was laughing at me. I swatted at him but he
moved away easily.

The swimsuit had been Teeg's idea and he'd managed to get it
into the pile of clothing even after I'd put it back. Twice. We carried a
bottle of wine to the spa on Teeg's patio. A high fence surrounded the small
patio and a few tropical plants placed in the corners kept it from appearing so
empty and stark. Teeg looked more than fine in the small suit he wore. I had to
keep myself from staring.

"Here," he poured a glass of wine for me after I
slipped into the bubbling water. "Now, tell me where this came from."
He touched the spot on my shoulder where Nods had shot me. The swimsuit he'd
picked out was strapless—he could see my shoulders just fine.

"Got shot a little while back." I sipped my wine.

"Ah. Did it hurt?"

"More than you know." I wasn't about to tell him
what happened
after
I got shot. That was between Tory and me.

I was wrapped in a towel later as I put something together for
our dinner. Teeg had stocked a few things. I was going to the market as soon as
I could to get everything else we needed.

"See, good things can come from nannas that are almost
overripe," I said, slicing off a piece of the sweet bread I'd made. Teeg
took my hand holding the piece of nannabread and ate it from my fingers. I
think he sucked on the fingers, too, before he was finished. I stared at him.

"It is good," he agreed. He kissed my hand and gave
it back to me with a smile.

I was ready to tell him it would be even better with a vanilla
sauce I made and a particular type of wine, but that thought flew right out of
my head, followed quickly by the breath from my body.

"I don't want to move too fast," Teeg murmured. "If
you want more, let me know." I stared after him as he walked down the hall
toward his bedroom. I heard his door close a few ticks later. I got my breath
back and swallowed with difficulty.

* * *

First day, worst day
went through my mind as I walked
through the gate in the wall. One of the guards nodded to me—I'd worn new
clothes today—a pair of slacks and a pretty blouse I'd gotten with Teeg's help
the day before. New, comfortable shoes were on my feet, too. It never made
sense to wear anything else while cooking. Teeg had given me a quick peck on
the cheek before I'd gone out the door.

"Reah, I'd like something good for breakfast," Arvil
plopped down on one of the barstools on the far side of the island. Who knew
that killing people would work up an appetite? I made something good for
Arvil's breakfast and set it in front of him. Delvin came in with Milus and they
got the same thing.

"Why don't you check those fields on Twylec," Arvil
told Milus as he sighed happily and pushed his plate toward me. Arvil was lying
again. Did he think he was going to catch me that way? Did he test all his
employees like that? I just placed his dishes in the dishwasher as if I hadn't
heard anything.

"Is that carpenter doing you all right?" Delvin
sounded snippy.

"The
contractor
is fine, thank you," I
snapped right back.

"Just make sure he keeps on being fine." Delvin stalked
out of the kitchen.

"Don't pay any mind to him," Milus said. "He doesn't
know what he wants. Spends his nights with those twins, if they're here,"
he added. "Food was good, Reah." Milus handed his plate over and
left.

"Reah, are you all right?" Xiri walked in and tied
an apron around his waist.

"Yeah. I was going to ask you the same thing," I
said, giving him a quick hug. I'd had to hug his middle—he was too tall for
anything else.

"Dinner wasn't that good last night," Xiri muttered.

"Well, it never is if somebody dies in your
kitchen."

"Two somebodies," Xiri nodded.

* * *

Two things happened that afternoon—Haral came back from his
errand and Arvil received guests.

"I don't know what they are, but they're not all
humanoid," Xiri hissed as we put dinner together for an extra eight guests.
The housekeeping staff added leaves to the dining table, making it considerably
longer. Xiri had seen at least two of the guests when he'd gone to relieve
himself. He didn't describe them to me—Jazal had come into the kitchen
demanding that a snack be brought to him, Anith and the twins out by the pool. Must
be nice to wave imperiously and get whatever you wanted.

Tiny sandwiches, fresh fruit and drinks were placed on trays
and Xiri's two assistants and I hauled it out to the pool. I'd never seen
Arvil's pool before—it was huge, with a wide flagstone patio around it, a
waterfall at one end and a spa on the opposite side.

Jazal had stripped down to a tiny suit, which he shouldn't
have purchased. If you had that kind of paunch, then you were better off buying
something a bit larger and more concealing. Anith looked quite good in the
sea-green suit she wore—it went well with her blonde hair and eyes. Kita and
Lita went for basic black and dark glasses.

I served fruit drinks—all of which were liberally laced with
rum. Snacks were placed by each lounge chair. "Bring another round of
these," Jazal demanded after sipping his drink. I nodded, lifted the drink
tray and went back to mix another batch. They had three drinks each before they
were done. Honestly, they were all better people when they were drunk.

"This ox-roast very good." Arvil's guests appeared
to be part reptile. That's what they looked like to me. Their faces were
humanoid, but they had slitted eyes, just as a snake did. Their nostrils, too,
were a bit on the narrow side and they sounded slightly short of breath when
they spoke—as if they were hissing. The one who seemed to be in charge was
complimenting my food.

"It is a pleasure to serve it to you," I gave a
slight, respectful bow. I hadn't been introduced to any of the guests, so I couldn't
give an honorific to his name. I'd served the ox-roast wrapped in mushrooms,
sauce and pastry, in addition to baby vegetables, the soup Arvil loved, crispy
rolls, salad and dessert.

"Master Arvil, I like this served at my home," the
same guest spoke again slowly, as if he were thinking carefully about each word
before he spoke.

"Perhaps something might be arranged," Arvil smiled.
Jazal was still drinking and didn't speak. It was probably better that way. Anith
was talking animatedly with another guest, who was politely ignoring her. Lita
and Kita sat on either side of Delvin. Well, he was making his bed. At least
Arvil didn't get homicidal when somebody slept with his cousins.

"We'll bring two more assistants from The San
Gerxon," Arvil told me inside the kitchen later. His guests had gone to
Arvil's media room with Jazal and the others. Our current assistants were there
pouring drinks. Xiri and I were doing our best to clean everything up.

"Thank you, Lord Arvil," I nodded to him. Xiri was
doing the same.

"Next time, I'll try not to shoot the garbage inside your
kitchen, Reah." Arvil walked out, heading toward the media room and his
guests.

"He needs a new woman and fast," Xiri muttered. I agreed.
I didn't want Arvil San Gerxon to come anywhere near me. At times, he was
polite and congenial. Until he decided to kill you, that is.

* * *

"We have eight new houseguests, plus the brother and his
crew," I sighed as I sat next to Teeg on the sofa. He'd been watching news
vids when I arrived—Campiaa had pirated feeds from the Alliance.

"Who are they?" Teeg casually stroked fingers
against my temple.

"No idea—they look humanoid for the most part, but their
eyes are slitted like a snake's and they have small nostrils and hiss a little
when they talk," I closed my eyes; Teeg's fingers were sending me to
sleep.

"Come to bed, baby." Teeg's voice was soft as he
lifted me and carried me down the hall. I wasn't awake when he got me into bed.

* * *

The pounding on Teeg's door in the middle of the night had us
both off the bed in less than a blink, only Teeg was growling as he pulled on
his pants. I didn't have time to wonder or worry over being in his bed to begin
with. I was right behind him when he flung his door open after checking the
security camera on the wall. Delvin was outside, waiting for us to answer the
door.

"Arvil wants both of you to come and come quick, we're
getting away from Campiaa—tonight."

Teeg and I were flinging clothing, shoes and toiletries into
bags that Teeg pulled out of his closet. Delvin was tight-lipped when Teeg
asked him where we were going. A hover-limo waited for us outside; the driver
helped Teeg fling bags into the back and we were at Arvil's palace in a
fraction of a click. The other thing that surprised me, in addition to my being
wakened like that, was that there were no less than six females I didn't
recognize who were going with us.

"Arvil employs them—they service his best guests,"
Teeg whispered when nobody was listening to us. The amount of luggage for
Arvil, his brother, wife and cousins, the wizards, all eight of them and the
houseguests was staggering. Xiri's gear, with that of his two assistants, was
much more modest.

"I wouldn't have taken you, Teeg, but we have to keep
Reah happy," Arvil tapped the top of my head. My hair was growing back
some—I no longer looked like I'd been shaved.

"I'll do my best to keep her happy," Teeg said. Arvil's
wizards folded us away, bags included.

Chapter 7
 

"Welcome to my home." The guest who'd spoken the
night before was giving us a formal greeting now. His home was a large,
single-story in a plantation style. Tile and wood floors were everywhere, and
it was spotless. He had a good housekeeping staff, looked like.

"We not properly introduced," our host took my hand
and bowed over it slightly. He had skipped over some of his words. I noticed
that the others did the same, whenever they spoke. "Fine cook is rare. I
am Farzinalek, but please to call me Farzi." That was easy to remember; it
sounded a lot like Marzi—another person I would never forget. "Of course,
Master Farzi." I nodded respectfully.

"Where are we staying?" Anith's voice was annoyingly
whiny. Teeg was pulling me away from Farzi even as he thought to address the
problem of his other guests. Arvil, his family and his wizards all got rooms
inside the main house. Teeg and I were given a guest bungalow a few steps away.
Xiri and his assistants got the bungalow next to ours. Farzi looked as if he'd
prefer to send Jazal and Anith to a bungalow, but that would offend Arvil so he
didn't.

"Reah, you and Xiri will be helping with the cooking
here, since we are imposing on Farzi," Delvin informed me. I nodded before
we were led out the door and shown to our bungalow.

"Baby, I wanted you in my bed before, but I wasn't going
to do anything." I listened to Teeg's words as we both stared at the wide
bed inside the only bedroom in our bungalow. "I'll sleep on the sofa if
that's what you want," he added.

"No. Let's just go to bed—I'm tired and I don't know how
much they'll expect me to do in the morning," I muttered.

"Come on," Teeg pulled me with him. Our bags had
been left on the floor, Teeg and I stripped to our underwear and crawled into
bed like that. When the aud-alarm went off in the morning, I found myself
pulled tightly against Teeg and his body was angled over mine. He didn't want
to let me up, either, but let me go after a few kisses and protests.