Demon Revealed (High Demon Series #2) (27 page)

Lendill nodded, not sending a reply. He considered sending
mindspeech to Reah but held back. His last communication with her hadn't gone
very well. Had he known it, Reah was less than half a tick away from him at
that very moment.

* * *

"We worry about two fields," Farzi informed me as we
selected fruits and vegetables to buy for the plantation.

"Why?" I turned to him while sniffing a melon. I
could always tell the ripe ones if I did that.

"They dry out—plants look brown though we water
often," he said.

"You don't know why it's happening?" I placed the
melon in a basket Nenzi held out.

"We have not the explanation." Farzi was eyeing the
potatoes. I gathered several large ones and added those to the basket.

"I'll bake these for you," I promised, getting a
smile from Farzi. We picked up butter and plenty of sour cream, all the
vegetables and fruit we needed, plus several kinds of meats. The only thing
truly missing here was good, fresh fish. Frozen could be had readily, but what
they passed off as fresh fish wasn't. I bought some frozen shrimp, though. It
was probably a good idea to keep Arvil as happy as we could and the soup he
liked might be a good start.

"Can I come to the fields with you tomorrow?" I
asked Farzi. He seemed to be Arvil's expert on growing crops.

"Of course," Farzi seemed pleased that I'd asked. I
wanted to see these plants for myself. Perhaps there was some sort of blight,
insect or animal that was responsible. If nature could give a helping hand in
taking out the drakus seed crop, all the better.

"Farzi, what do you know about what we're growing?" The
time had come to find out.

"Powerful drug. Should not be used," Farzi muttered.
"Arvil wants, so we do. He give me home on Urdolus after first successful
crop. I hope then he leave us there to live. Not to be," Farzi sighed. "Now,
all gone."

"I'm sorry you lost your home, Farzi," I hugged him.
We'd lost more than that. Xiri had died there, as had Arvil's remaining family.

We were unloading our purchases into the kitchen later when I
learned that Arvil had been folded to Campiaa to take care of business. Astralan,
who'd moved Arvil, Ry and Tory to Campiaa, had brought Teeg back with him as
Arvil's replacement.

You didn't even give me a warning?
I sent mindspeech to
Tory. I could feel his mental shrug.

No time, it just happened
, Tory replied. Teeg stood in
the doorway to the kitchen, a huge grin on his face as I cut off the mindspeech
with Tory. Honestly, multiple mates definitely had its downside.

Farzi, Nenzi and my other reptanoid bodyguards stood aside as
Teeg swept me up in his arms and kissed me breathless. I wrapped my arms around
his neck and buried my head against his shoulder. Farzi and Nenzi would have to
sleep in the rooms with their brothers while Teeg was there.

Chapter 13
 

"This steak sauce is exceptional." Stellan was fond
of steak, it appeared. I'd found some thick cuts at the market that looked
fresh and tender, so we were serving those with a sauce and Farzi's baked
potatoes, plus a green vegetable and a nice dessert.

"I'm glad you like it," I said, cutting into my
steak. I'd cooked a smaller portion for myself. Teeg was busy eating—I think
his mind was on what he intended to do as soon as he could get me away from the
table.

* * *

"Planning to get me drunk?" I asked. Teeg held a
bottle of wine and two glasses in his hands when he slipped into my bedroom
later. I think the kitchen had been cleaned in record time. I'd showered and
dressed in my nicest lingerie while I waited for Teeg to have a brief meeting
with the Hardlows and their warlocks.

"Absolutely," Teeg gave me a heart-stopping grin. "This
is nice," he trailed a finger along the black lace covering my breasts.

"You picked it out."

"I have exceptional taste." We didn't even open the
wine; it wasn't needed. Teeg's hands are strong and firm and he takes his time
at first until he makes me crazy. After a certain point, I want him so badly
that he could do anything he wanted with me and it would be all right,
including nipping my inner thighs. That gave me a climax, all by itself.

"I know what my Reah wants," Teeg whispered against
my mouth as his body slid over mine. He did. As much or more than Aurelius or
Tory.

* * *

Teeg had to worry with Wilffox, Wilffin and the warlocks while
Farzi, Nenzi and the others took me to the drakus seed fields the following
morning. "See?" Farzi lifted a branch of one of the drakus plants. The
leaves were dry and brittle, as if they hadn't been watered. Except they had. In
fact, the ground was still damp from the watering earlier.

"None of the other fields are like this?" I peered
into the distance—it would take half a click just to walk to the opposite end
of this field.

"One more on other side," Farzi pointed in front of
us. I started walking through the field with Nenzi, Farzi and six other
reptanoids following me. It wasn't particularly hot this early in the morning,
but the farther I walked along, the hotter I felt until I thought my insides
would melt. What did this mean? I stopped still and looked at Farzi. "Farzi,
do you feel hot right now?" I asked, my voice sounding breathless.

"No, our Reah. Are you not well?" Farzi came and put
a hand to my forehead. "Your forehead does not feel like fever."

"I don't feel like a fever either—not there,
anyway," I said. "I feel it, here." I pointed to my chest. "There's
no pain," I was holding Farzi off; I think he was about to fling me inside
Nenzi's hovercar and rush me back to the plantation. "It just feels really
warm." More than anything, I wanted to contact Gavril and ask him what he
thought. Bouncing ideas around with him often led to better conclusions. He
never looked at me as if I were crazy when I said something, and this was
definitely sounding crazy.

"I want to walk a little farther," I said. Farzi
didn't want me to; I could see that right away. He didn't argue with me, moving
along beside me silently as I strode farther and farther into a field of drakus
seed that stretched as far as the eye could see. I knew immediately when I
reached the warmest spot in the field. The plants were almost completely brown
around me, but even without that visual confirmation, I would have known. Closing
my eyes, I concentrated on the heat itself.

"Our Reah, are you well?" Farzi eventually reached
me from where I'd gone.

"Farzi," I smiled at him, curling my hand around his
neck and drawing him close.

"Reah, I say again, are you well?"

"Yes, Farzi, I am well," I assured him. "Now,
you said before that you knew I was different when you met me."

"Yes. We not know how, but we know." Nenzi had come
up beside me to give me a hug.

"Then I ask you not to be frightened when I show you what
I am. I promise that I also recognize my friends and enemies when I turn."

"I'll be big," I warned before undressing and
concentrating on the turn. I sat on the ground to make the change so I wouldn't
tower over my friends.

Eight faces were turned upward as my larger Thifilatha loomed
over them, even sitting down. "Our Reah," Nenzi was breathless as he
gazed at me in wonder.

"I won't hurt you," I promised. "Ever," I
added, smiling down at him.

"Stretch out wings?" That was Hirzi asking. I
stretched out my wings. The sun glinted off the gold of my scales and the
membranes of my jointed wings.

"What is our Reah?" Yanzi knelt down before me.

"High Demon," I said. "Those things that come
and attack us are not demons. They are the young of a monster. I would know if
they were demons." I concentrated on turning back to myself. Nenzi helped
me dress. "Were you afraid?" I asked him.

"No," he said. "Our Reah is a queen."

"No, Nenzi. I'm not a queen," I shook my head. "But
I thank you for the compliment."

"Your skin scaled—like ours." Farzi seemed happy
about that.

"Yes it is." I smiled at him.

"We are kin." Perzi wanted that more than anything,
I think.

"We are kin," I tapped his chest. "Here, if
nowhere else."

* * *

"What did you learn?" Teeg asked as soon as we
walked into the kitchen. He'd been waiting on us. I barely had time to put
lunch together.

"Some of the plants in two fields look like they're
dying, as if they're not getting enough water," I said. "But they are.
The fields around those two are doing fine. The ground is damp and still the
plants are brown."

"Only two fields, not a lot to worry about unless it
spreads," Teeg brushed it off. I left it at that. I didn't tell him about
my other feelings regarding the dying fields I'd wandered through earlier. I
hadn't even told Farzi and the others what I was thinking. That was a secret I
was holding onto as long as I could.

* * *

Berthias Tayde swallowed hard as the Director and
Vice-Director of the ASD watched him squirm in his seat. "So," Norian
Keef finally said, "you weren't aware that drakus seed was about to be
funneled through your station?"

"N-no. Not at all," Berthias was shaking his head
violently. Berthias knew if he were convicted of transporting drakus seed, he'd
never see freedom again. They'd pulled Berthias in first, but Windelin was
waiting outside, chained to a steel bar. Nothing would get either of them out
of this.

"But you admit to allowing the poppy drug to go through,
in addition to a few other illegal items, such as wizard's charms, stolen
artifacts and such?"

"Y-yes."

"So, you thought that was all right, did you, allowing
illegal substances to spread across the Alliance?" Norian's arms were
crossed angrily over his chest.

"I th-thought it was harmless."

"Poppy drug harmless?" Lendill Schaff asked.

"W-well, mostly harmless."

"Ah. And how much were you paid to think it was mostly
harmless?"

"Not enough." Berthias wished he'd never heard of
Grish or any of his heirs.

"The first truth he's given us so far," Lendill
observed.

"What are you going to do with me? Or Windelin? He has a
family."

"Not anymore," Lendill pointed out.

"Unless," Norian stroked his chin a little, watching
Berthias with a speculative expression on his face.

"Unless what?" Berthias pleaded. "Please tell
me there's a way out of this."

"Well, a lighter sentence might be arranged, as long as
you do everything we say." Lendill grinned nastily at Berthias.

* * *

"Reah?" Astralan walked into the kitchen as I was
preparing breakfast.

"Lord Astralan?" The honorific made him smile. He
was handsome when he smiled, but I wasn't going to say that. I didn't know what
to think about the warlocks most of the time. After all, Celestan and Galaxsan
had gone to the city nearby and placed a well-aimed power blast at a natural-gas
junction, killing fifteen people. Maybe they'd hit most of the traitors Delvin
rounded up for his revolt, but I had no way to determine whether that was true
or not. Either way, I didn't understand it.

"Reah, it's too bad Arvil found you first. Wilffox would
have paid you whatever you asked if you'd come to work for him."

Wanting to ask him if that's what it took—a really big payday
to do what he did, I just stared at the warlock for a few moments instead. "Well,
what is it they say about being in the wrong place at the wrong time?" I
shrugged.

"Or the right one at the right time." Astralan was
still smiling.

"I suppose it's all a matter of perspective," I said.
"What do you want for breakfast?" Breakfast had turned into an
informal affair, with people wandering in whenever they rose for the day. I was
thankful the servants had their own quarters and took care of their own meals.

"Astralan." Teeg walked in, nodding to the warlock.

"I'm glad you're here, Teeg—I was thinking about going to
the slopes somewhere. Want to come along?"

"That sounds good. Reah?"

I looked at Teeg before heaving a sigh. I didn't want to leave
the reptanoids alone. Not with the Hardlows and any one of their warlocks.

"I can tell by looking at you that you won't even
consider it," Teeg said.

"You should go, I know you like snowboarding," I
said. "I need to get some things done around here."

"She won't go without Farzi and the others," Teeg
said, making me want to throw the stack of hotcakes I'd just placed on the bar
at him.

"Bring them," Astralan was laughing now.

"Only if they want to come," I had my hands on my
hips. That made him laugh harder. That's how we ended up on a ski slope
somewhere, Teeg, Astralan, Stellan, all eight reptanoids and me.

"I never do anything like this before," Farzi was
watching Teeg go down the slope on his board. The two warlocks had skis and
they were adept at going down the hill.

"I've only done it once before and I fell more often than
I stayed on my feet," I said. "But you're really quick and limber—I
think you can do this," I encouraged Farzi. The poor man had probably
never had fun in his life. I'd seen him smile only a few times since I'd met
him. Nenzi and the others, too. Actually, Nenzi was watching all the other
skiers and snowboarders in fascination.

"Just watch your ankles—that's what gave me the most trouble,"
I said. Farzi nodded, hopped his skis to the edge like an expert and then dropped
over it. I watched in amazement as Farzi went down the hill—he didn't fall once
and before he got to the bottom, he looked like a professional. Well, something
to be said for snake shapeshifters, I suppose. Nenzi and the others followed
Farzi down, with almost the same results. They were all good, right from the
start. I was learning all over again and Teeg was laughing after I fell the
second time just before I reached the bottom.