Martinis with the Devil, Part One

  Martinis

  with the

  Devil

  Zyan Star Book One, Part One

  A.A. Chamberlynn

  Copyright © 2015 by A.A. Chamberlynn

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For information contact A.A. Chamberlynn at www.alexiachamberlynn.com

  Cover design by Novak Illustration.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  For Gareth

  Dreamer, Mischief Maker, Co-Conspirator

  CHAPTER ONE

  I had just slammed back a cocktail and was happily contemplating my eternal damnation when the angel walked into my bar. Solid muscle, like all the warriors, and with that same self-satisfied, holier-than-thou attitude. It was the set of the jaw. Gave ‘em away every time. He paused just inside the door, scanning the patrons to the right and left of him. After a moment, satisfied his glamour concealed him, he headed in my direction.

  The bar was packed, and no one but me seemed to notice that one of Heaven’s own had just joined the party. I poured a bubbling green concoction into a martini glass and slid it down the counter to a customer as the angel leaned against the black marble of the circular bar. He hooked me in an intense gaze and parted perfect coral-colored lips to speak.

  I flashed him my highest-beam smile. “What’ll it be, Wings? Can I interest you in a Wild Stallion cocktail? Real unicorn pheromones.”

  His smug expression fell and a scowl replaced it. “No thanks. I’m looking for Zyan Star.” His cold tone brought to mind dark, celestial skies, and my name sounded very formal coming off his tongue.

  “Not a lot of heaven’s errand boys come looking for me. I’m not on the big guy’s naughty list again, am I?”

  “You’re Ms. Star?” He leaned forward even more, arms crossed over his chest, bulging against his gray t-shirt. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my fellow bartenders Riley and Quinn staring at him.

  I nodded and pushed a strand of burgundy hair behind my ear. “So, what brings a pretty boy like you to Noir? Somehow I don’t think it’s just because you decided to take a walk on the wicked side and mingle with the commoners.”

  He tensed, standing up extra straight. “I’m here on official business for the Holy Representative of Northwest America.” His milky white skin seemed to glow as he said it.

  “Uh-huh. And?”

  “Is there somewhere private we can talk?”

  I made a sweeping gesture at the room around us, just one big space with the bar dead center. Floor to ceiling windows revealing a star-streaked night formed the perimeter, and the only two exits were the sky door, and the elevator for supernaturals without wings. Not to mention we were a hundred stories up. “Not so much. And I’m a bit busy as you can see.”

  The angel frowned. “The HR wants to hire you for a job.” He enunciated each word as it came out, as if I wouldn’t understand him.

  Which actually, I didn’t. “Come again, Wings?”

  “My name is Eli,” he said, with a very angelic glower.

  “Of course it is,” I crooned. “So, Eli, I kind of thought I just heard you say that the Holy Representative, that is, the direct ambassador between Heaven and Earth, God’s right hand man, all that’s pure and holy, etc., wants me, an eternally damned soul sucker who’s technically within the Devil’s jurisdiction, to work for him. Did I hear that right? Or did that extra shot of pixie dust in my cocktail push me off the far edge of crazy?” I tapped my Twizzler-red fingernails on the bar.

  A muscle in his jaw twitched. “The HR wants you to join his security team. Temporarily.”

  You know, when you’ve lived over two and a half centuries, not a lot surprises you. But this was so surprising as to borderline on hilarious. “Is this a joke? Are angels allowed to do that?”

  “Of course we can. But it’s not a joke.” His tone tightened.

  “Right.” I rolled my eyes to emphasize how ridiculous all of this was. Like my dripping sarcasm needed any help. “Really though, when he’s got a team full of devoted angels that are a hundred times stronger than the whole NFL on steroids, why would he need me?”

  Something moved across Eli’s face that almost looked like fear. He leaned in and gestured for me to do the same. I sighed and cast a quick sound bubble spell to keep our conversation private. We were so close I could feel the warmth coming off his cheek as he spoke in my ear. He was obnoxious, but man did he smell amazing. Like sunshine and sage.

  “There’s been a threat on the HR’s life.” His words vibrated in my ear, tickling my skin.

  “He gets death threats every day,” I countered.

  “This one was different.” He hesitated. “Whoever’s behind it has hired a vamp assassin.”

  I pulled back a little and looked him in the eyes. “Again, with a legion of angels, I don’t see why this is a big deal. You guys are pretty evenly matched against vamps one to one, let alone a thousand to one.”

  “This vamp’s already broken through our defenses twice. We don’t know how he’s doing it, and your reputation as a bounty hunter is unparalleled. We figured with your skillset, you could help us protect the HR and figure out who’s behind this.”

  I stared into his lavender eyes long enough for him to think I was considering his offer. “Sorry, but I’m a bartender and a bounty hunter, not a babysitter. Not to mention I hate religious politics.” I pushed myself back from the counter.

  “Okay, then.” If I’d thought his tone sounded formal before, it was nothing compared to how he sounded now. His feathers looked a bit ruffled though, and I suppressed a laugh.

  “Sure you don’t want that drink now? I can make it taste like ambrosia or flower petals or whatever the hell you angels like to drink.” I smiled again, which seemed to rub him the wrong way.

  “No thanks.” He gave me one last flash of those pale eyes before striding to the sky door and disappearing into the night.

  Riley was on me in less than a second, Quinn a couple moments later. In fairness though, Riley had the advantage of werewolf super-speed, and Quinn was just a plain old witch.

  “What was that all about, and more importantly, who the hell was that fine piece of flesh?” Riley’s brown eyes gleamed.

  “Who in heaven, actually. HR security,” I added. “The HR wants me to work a security detail. Not a big deal.”

  “How is that not a big deal?” Quinn asked.

  “Because I turned him down. End of story.” They both kept staring at me, but over at the other side of the bar I heard some impatient calls. “We can talk more back at the apartment. Thirsty customers await.”

  Quinn opened her mouth to argue, but then just sighed and strode off towards the customers. Riley crossed his arms over his chest and stomped off. Working with your best friends sucks sometimes.

  I turned around a
nd looked out at the city skyline, winking and glittering before me like an undulating dragon. To the north, a pale moon rose up over the Space Needle. In the opposite direction, the newly constructed Angel Tower rose two hundred and twenty-two stories into the sky over downtown Seattle, a tribute to the HR and the angelic forces. Here and there I saw the sparkle of a hover craft zipping through the sky. I took in a deep breath and let it out. It was my Zen moment.

  One of my regulars exited the elevator. A red light flashed across the small metallic bar mounted over the doors, as it scanned and sent his unique DNA signature to the government supercomputers that watched for another non-human population explosion like the one at the beginning of Evo. Not that anyone needed a scanner to tell them this seven foot tall beet-red man was non-human.

  He leaned up against the bar. “Hey, Zy. Can I get a Demon’s Milk?”

  “Sure, Ripper.” I reached for an orange bottle and began pouring the milk into a shot glass. “How’s the night treating you?”

  “Great. But some annoying angel downstairs is about to get his ass kicked by a bunch of demon spawn.”

  “Well, that could make a nasty mess.” I didn’t need demon spawn skulking around my building. Grabbing my katana from under the bar, I slid it into the sheath on my back. “Hey, I’ll be right back,” I called to Quinn and Riley.

  I walked to the sky door and yanked it open. The night air slid across my skin. I looked out over the city again, quiet and peaceful, and then I jumped.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Keeping my arms to my sides and my legs straight, I cut through the air like a blade. Inky night whooshed past me as I fell. The pavement rose to meet me. I landed in a low crouch just a few feet from Wings and the troublemakers, and as I straightened I reached over my shoulder and pulled out my katana. It whistled as it left its sheath and shone hungrily in the streetlights.

  “What’s happening, boys?” I purred.

  The spawn turned to look at me with their orange goat eyes. They were ugly little buggers, similar in appearance to goblins, but with tiny wings on their backs. Five of them stood between me and Eli, whose arms were folded neatly over his chest, the veins popping out along his skin.

  “None of your concern,” croaked the largest one, who stood only five feet tall, almost a foot shorter than me.

  I smiled. “Actually this is very much my concern, as this fine gentlemen is a patron of my bar. I don’t appreciate my customers being harassed.”

  “I didn’t buy anything,” Eli said.

  I rolled my eyes. Gotta love the appreciation. “Be that as it may, I’m here now, and I’m not about to let a bunch of underworld offspring lurk around my establishment.” I pinned my hazel eyes on the leader. “That’s me asking nicely. I’ll only do it once.”

  A slight twitch of a muscle was the only warning the first one gave before launching himself at my face. I brought my blade up before me and watched as his body sliced in half from forehead to groin. Two pieces of black flesh fell to the ground and sizzled into ash.

  “Next?”

  Two more of the spawn leaped towards me, and the other two at Eli. My sword blurred silver in the night, decapitating the first and taking the arms off the second. Eli dispatched his with a blast of white energy. They poofed into the air, little gray clouds that floated off into the sky.

  I leaned down over the armless spawn, who grinned at me like a mental patient. “What’s so funny about bleeding out while your appendages lay beside you?” The tip of my sword pointed under his chin.

  “You can’t stop it,” he laughed. His green blood oozed onto the pavement.

  “Stop what?” Eli commanded.

  “He’s coming. He’s coming! And then we will roam freely.” His smile widened, then he abruptly threw his weight forward, piercing his neck on the blade. “You can’t stop it,” he gurgled through his own blood. A moment later he dissolved into ash.

  “What a drama queen,” I muttered.

  Eli watched me, his eyes unguarded for just a moment before he lapsed back into what seemed his usual scowl. “That sword’s an interesting choice. Not a fan of hand-to-hand combat?”

  “And ruin my nails? Don’t think so.”

  “Why’d you even come down here? Did you seriously think I couldn’t handle five tiny demon spawn?”

  “My turf, my business. Like I said earlier, I didn’t need them hanging around here anyways.” I ran a wash of magic over my blade to clean it and then caught sight of my boots. “Oh, God damn it!”

  “Would you watch your mouth?” Eli snapped. “What’s wrong?”

  “Look at my boots!” I lifted one off the ground and pointed my toe so he could see all the green gooey blood soaked into the black leather. “Now I’m gonna have to throw them away.”

  “You just fought off a pack of demon spawn that spouted cryptic doomsday messages and all you can think about is your boots?” His voice was hard. Like his abs. Not that I’d been looking while we were in the middle of a battle.

  “Come on, you didn’t take that guy seriously, did you?”

  Eli’s jaw tightened. “It is my duty to take threats to the sovereignty of humankind very seriously.”

  I laughed. “Well, you have fun with that.”

  “You know, some of us actually have unselfish reasons for our existence. I’m sorry it isn’t as glamorous as your life.” He lifted his chin, golden hair falling against his jaw line.

  “Yes, you should be.” I turned and strode away, leaving him on the street. “Oh, and by the way, you’re welcome,” I called over my shoulder.

  The hand of the clock on my bedroom wall was creeping towards three when I awoke the next afternoon. A fuzzy beast lay in bed next to me. My German Shepherd, Malakai. I ruffled her between the ears before stumbling to the window and opening the blinds a crack. Typical overcast Seattle weather. A block away, I could see the building that Noir was in. After pulling on a silk bath robe, I headed out to the kitchen, mumbling greetings to Quinn, who was bottling potions at the coffee table.

  I poured my usual bowl of Fruit Loops before sitting down at a bar stool. It didn’t do anything to nourish me, but I liked the taste of them. I wouldn’t need another soul for a few days. Thankfully a couple of those a month kept me alive, and I could find enough rapists and murderers to keep my conscience clean. Though how I’d managed to cling to any morals at all with the immortal upbringing I’d had was still a mystery to me.

  My first spoonful was on its way to my mouth when someone knocked on the door.

  “Can you get that?” Quinn asked. She had pink goo all over her hands.

  I strolled to the door, swung it open and eyed my visitors with a wide grin. “Good afternoon, boys.” I leaned against the frame in my bathrobe. “What can I do for you?”

  Two teenaged boys stood before me, one tall and pimply, the other stocky and sporting carrot-colored curls. Both pairs of eyes widened to a size bigger than the bibles they held.

  “G-good afternoon, m-miss. We’re here on behalf of the Pure Club to ask if y-you’ve embraced our Lord, Jesus Christ,” said Pimples. Sweat broke out on his brow.

  I smiled my biggest smile. “I always wish I’d been born a little earlier so I could have known JC personally. I am a big fan.”

  “S-so, do you attend a nearby c-church?” Carrot Curls asked.

  “Oh, you are a cute one, aren’t you?” He paled, if one can get paler than bone. “No, can’t say that I’ve attended a service in, oh, two hundred years or so. But it’s so sweet of you to ask.”

  Pimples stammered and continued on. I had to admire his dedication. “W-we’d love for you to visit our church. N-newcomers welcome.”

  Since the forces of Heaven and Hell had revealed themselves to humanity, there had been an explosion in church attendance, so it surprised me they even bothered to go door-to-door anymore. “You said you’re with the Pure Club? That’s for those committed to staying human, hmm?” I looked back into the room at Quinn and smirked. “I’m afrai
d it’s a bit too late for us.” I batted my eyelashes. “But would you boys like to come in? I was just getting ready to eat, and I always love company for breakfast.” I giggled at my own lame pun.

  The boys darted glances at each other, and Carrot Curls reached up to loosen his starched white collar. “P-perhaps we’ll just leave this bible with y-you, miss.” He stretched a shaky hand out.

  “Oh, no thanks. It won’t really help with my problem, you know, eternal damnation and all. But thanks so much for stopping by.” I winked and closed the door.