Taming the Demon - Book 1 (Completed)

Chapter 11 - Kadis

After a few hours of sleep, I head back to the library. Finishing looking through the remaining books took me another 6 hours, but it was worth it. Sitting at my desk dusty and tired, I lay out the eight books I managed to find that showed the most promise on any information pertaining to demons. I am almost vibrating with excitement. Here is where I will find out the mystery surrounding Jane.

Jane.

Her name rolls around in my head like a boulder, picking up speed. It scatters my thoughts and I rein them in before I fall down the rabbit hole. Picking up my phone for the first time in hours, I see that she still has not called. Clenching it in my hand, I decide to clean up before diving back into my research. I will have to come up with another plan on getting Jane to see me later.

If she doesn’t call…

Maybe I wasn’t clear enough in my intentions of taking her on a date.

Well, at least my initial intentions.

Chuckling to myself, I think that if Jane knew my true intentions, she would probably run far away. By the time that happens she will be so entangled in wanting and lust, she will be begging to stay. And that therein is the key. She must be willing, of her own free will, to be marked. Demons cannot ensorcell or ‘trick’ humans into servitude. Oh, we can use everything in our power to tempt them. We can make them lust us, desire us, even fall in love with us, but it must be their choice. We can only tell them the truth, but we don't have to volunteer information. Humans are notorious for only ‘seeing’ what they want to see. And the ones that do ask us something important, we have our ways of twisting meanings without outright lying to them. Half-truths and missing information are our weapons against this. Questions have to be very specific and worded just right in order to get a demon to answer it in full. Kind of like the old adage concerning deals with Djinn, ‘Careful what you wish for.’

The Djinn, a mid-power demon who can conjure material possessions in the human realm, are the masters of twisting vague words and questions. They can wiggle out of almost any question without giving the full truth. No wonder human and Djinn interactions are riddled with ‘wishes gone wrong’ stories. They take everything quite literally, to the letter, no more, no less. Even other demons have to take care when talking to them, especially the lower caste demons. While I'm not as good as a lawyer as a Djinn, I have had a lot of practice. I have to be, because of the way I want to learn about my pets first. It's inevitable that they will ask their own questions during this time.

Getting out of the shower I put on comfortable clothes and check my phone once again. Nothing. But I find that I’m okay with this for now. I have work to do.

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“Kadis!”

Looking at my watch I see that I’ve been reading for hours. I can hear Jaed calling me as he knocks loudly on my door. Stretching, I get up and let him in.

“Kadis! What have you been up to? I haven’t seen you in days! Mind you, my mind has been on other stuff lately... and my hands… and my… other things”

Giving a lewd wink, Jaed walks right on by and heads directly to the fridge. Giving a look of disgust he slams it closed, then leans against it with his arms crossed.

“So, did you get her?”

The look on my face tells him everything. Sighing, he sits down at the table.

“Please tell me you at least have coffee?”

Putting a pot on, I take a seat as well.

“You put way too much thought into this Kadis. Just woo her and mark her. I promise to stay away until you do.”

Smiling at the sentiment, I shake my head.

“I can’t. There’s something about her, Jaed. I can’t tell you anything right now, because I don’t know myself. There is something about her, something more than ….. just human. It’s the best I can explain right now.” 

“Well there must be something to her to make you go all gaga.”

Getting the coffee we sit in comfortable silence for a minute.

“How’s Mikkas? Have you tired of him yet?” I tease Jaed in order to change the subject.

“Oh no, not yet. I’ve introduced him to my pets and we’ve been getting along fabulously. Fawn has taken him under her wing. You know, showing him all the good stuff I like and such.” A far away look crosses his face. “Oh, he is such a fast learner.” Looking at me again he grins, “And he even managed to teach Jon a thing or two.”

Jaed goes on about his escapades of the last few days. I listen enough to give the proper responses when necessary, but my mind is already going back to the books sitting on my desk.

"Kadis! Are you even listening? No, I suppose not. Seriously you need to get over this. I’m telling you, mark her now. Don't wait anymore, if she is that special how long do you think she will stay that way?"

Finishing his cup he stands up and waves his hand vaguely.

"I hate to go, but frankly Kadis, right now you're just not as exciting as my other ….. friends." Patting me on the shoulder he takes his leave and portals out, finally leaving me alone to my search.

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I've finally narrowed it down to four possibilities. One, she has an artifact that allows her to see demons. But it has to be a powerful one to allow full contact and interaction. A lot of them just allow sight or partial sight. That theory should be fairly easy to determine. It must be on her at all times for it to work.

There are stories concerning humans with supernatural abilities that had been gotten by inter-being relationships, but mating between human and other realms has been nullified for a millennia. It is impossible to break the curse that was instilled to prevent human hybrids. This is the second possibility, that she is Maji. Maji are reputed to be the offspring of Nephilim and humans. This is less likely as the race of Maji disappeared long ago after the curse was set in place. There has been no indication that any of them have survived, even in secret.

Third is the chance that she bargained for permanent sight with another demon. This could be a real possibility. One that may be impossible to prove. Another theory I came upon is that she is a sensitive. These humans have innate abilities to see the world around them differently. They are often labeled as mediums, fortune tellers, empaths, witches, and psychics. Most are charlatans, but there are few that are the real deal. Though there is no mention of one being able to see demons without permission, that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. If she is a sensitive, she is a powerful one.

Now it's just to figure out which theory she fits into.

I just have to think of a way to get her to meet me without looking like I’m trying. As ideas swirl in my head, my phone vibrates. Not recognizing the number, my adrenaline spikes. It has to be her! Hitting accept, I answer the call and hear her voice float through in response.

“Hello?”

“Hello. Is this Kadis?”

“Jane! How have you been? I’ve been waiting for you to call. Are you ready for that coffee?”

“Uh, yeah. I wasn’t sure if you still wanted to go or not.”

“Jane, I gave you my number because I want to see you. So please, do me the honor of meeting me in an hour. Where would you like to go? Your choice, my treat!”

“Umm, how about the Starbucks on 50th and 87th? Do you know where that is? Is it near enough to you? I can go farther if you need?”

“That’s perfect Jane. I will see you in an hour.”

“Okay, see you then.”

I wait for her to hang up and then rush to go shower and dress. It's time for some hands-on research.