Blood Awakening

CHAPTER THREE-1

CHAPTER THREELUCIFER TOUCHED DOWN on what passed for a terrace. It wasn't as accommodating as an angel's landing pad, not nearly enough room, but it did the job. By now, Kissera should be enjoying a second pint of his gift.

Inside her apartment, all was dark. That didn't gel. It was well after midnight. Prime time for a vampire. He pushed aside the sliding glass door outside the living room. It was a tight squeeze between the door and couches bracketing the living area. He sighed. Damn. Lucifer tucked his wings close against his back as he moved through the apartment. Too much clutter. So typical. He made his way to the front door. No sign of disturbance. Everything locked up nice and tidy.

The desire to snoop almost overwhelmed him, but vampires were an obsessive bunch when it came to their lairs. If she thought he'd been here without her permission, she'd flip.

Nothing at home. Next stop? Office.

The outside of Relics looked normal, but through the webbed security gate he spied broken glass and toppled vases. If her apartment was showroom ready, she'd never leave her store in such a state. He placed a hand to the door, and it clicked open. Doors, while useful against mortals and other supernaturals, were a mere suggestion to him. He looked around. A small pool of blood was splattered over the shards of broken antiques. Perhaps she dropped her dinner? Nah. Vampires didn't waste blood. An overturned table by the door and a bouquet of crushed flowers lay amid pieces of shattered crystal. He touched a finger to the blood and sniffed. Human. In the corner, crinkled tissue paper and a crumpled bag. Under the bag, an empty pint of blood. So that's what happened to the gift he'd left her. He spotted a partial boot print in another pool of blood. It looked like a work boot or maybe military. Who would cause her to waste a pint of AB+? Was it the same person who took Angela?

Lucifer's vision shifted to light pink. His gut rumbled and skin itched. The demon inside wanted out. Fat chance. He took a couple of deep breaths. The body antics stopped. All this time and his alter ego still didn't know who ran this rodeo? He hadn't transformed in over two hundred years. He wasn't some ordinary Fallen with little control of himself. He was Lucifer. No one controlled him. No one.

Lucifer exited the store, leaving it exactly as he found it. Whoever did this might come back and he wanted to catch them in the act. He looked around the darkened streets. No need to worry about humans. Many had moved away since the incident five years ago. Still, the area wasn't totally devoid of life. A block away he saw a light on in a fourth floor apartment.

That looks promising.

In front of the building, Lucifer reached out with his senses.

Even better.

Demons lived here. The building's windows were too small for an angel to enter so, the stairs were his only option. Damn these old buildings. By the time he reached the last flight, a handful of feathers littered the staircase. He knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” A cheerful voice said.

“Delivery.”

A bit of scuffling around inside, then the door opened.

“Oh no, not you.”

The Balt came up to Luc's shoulder with two ram’s horns sprouting from his head. A reality TV program blared in the background while three youngsters ran rampant in the living room.

“I'm not here for you,” Lucifer assured him. “Just want a little information.”

“Then you'll leave?”

“Of course. You're Bookie, yes?” He pushed through the door, shoving the Balt aside. “So, what happened down the block?”

“Don't know what you talkin' about.” Bookie glanced nervously at his little ones. All three stopped playing and ran to a back room.

“At Relics? You don't know?”

“I didn't see nothin'.”

“I don't believe you. Why don't you try again?” Any other time he'd enjoy scaring the s**t out of the lesser demon. Tonight, he had better things to do. “What happened at Relics?” He flicked a bit of energy in Bookie’s direction and sent him flying across the room to slam against the wall with such force the plaster crumbled. A flex of his fingers and the lesser demon clawed at his throat as though Lucifer were physically choking him.

“Okay, OKAY!” he croaked. “Vampire cops.”

An unpleasant scenario formed in Lucifer's head. They would have seen his blood gift and probably thought Kissera had killed that human herself. He had to set things straight. Fine. Off to see the vampires. Annoying bastards.

***