Chapter meeting with demons

Modern Times... over a year later.

Woods looked at the call coming in from a number registered to a pack in the center of the country, but the location was geotagged as only a few hundred miles south. It was the same number that reserved the Inferno Room in the Second Circle Club; a room destroyed by the Alphas of Des Rues. He clicked on a voice changer to have a cheerful female voice as he recorded the call.

"Thank you for calling Western Queen Investments, how can I help you?"

"Alpha Helios Des Rues would like an appointment with Lady Anjael today," a man's voice announced.

"May I ask the nature of the requested appointment?" Woods said through the voice changer as he texted Anjael.

"The Alpha believes that Lady Angel who supports the Lost Mine pack claimed some property the Solrues Pack claimed when they took over the Water Moon Pack," the assistant's words made Woods sit up straighter.

"Which pack did you say you were from? Solrues is not a registered pack."

"Solrues is a new pack for the second son of the Des Rues Alpha family. Does Lost Mine realize they are going against the largest, strongest pack in the country by seizing the Water Moon Pack and High Mesa Pack's property?" the arrogant reply made Woods sweat a little, but Anjael leaned over his shoulder and said, "Please hold." Knowing the voice changer would hide the identity of whoever spoke.

She leaned back, contemplating while drumming her pearly nails on the desk, then unmuted the mic and said through the voice changer, "Lady Anjael agrees to the meeting tonight. Tell Alpha Des Rues to come to the Luxor and ask for Concierge Dario. He may bring one additional guest."

"I will let the Alpha know." He hung up without saying goodbye.

"How rude," muttering, Anjael rolled her eyes. "Woods, tell Dario to reserve the entire dragon floor and put them in the most fire-resistant suite and talk to Jake about loading the fire suppression system with something that will quench something like dragon fire." She clenched her fist. "And tell Dario to be prepared to evacuate the wing of the hotel if the dragon floor can't contain the Deva indwelling the halfling... I need to talk to Ouroboros about the war against the ones in ancient Egypt." She started to leave then stopped and looked back. "Find out everything you can about this new pack and send all the information to the Delphi. I am going to help Dart compile the records of the Water Moon and High Mesa pack investments to prove the foreclosures are legal and binding."

"My queen, they can be here in six or seven hours if they are at the tag location," Woods warned. "We don't have much time."

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Concierge Dario stood next to Anjael and her adopted human son Jake while he explained how the different types of fire suppressants worked.

"I don't feel comfortable with you staying on this floor while that thing is in the next room. If we lost containment..." Anjael worried aloud.

"Momster, I have a suit rated for walking on lava beds, it will be fine, just figure out how we can kill that Deva. I still have nightmares about what it did to the Nahuatl people after killing their Sun Deva," Jake refuted her as he shuddered.

Dario's phone chimed. "It seems they have arrived." Anjael followed him out, leaving Jake to continue working.

"I'll be with Woods, watching everything." Her voice had a angry hissing quality.

"He displeases you so? Can you not just kill him as you did the vampires who took my daughter?" Dario asked.

"If it was that simple, I would just skin him and be done with it, but this wolf-witch hybrid has bound himself to something even my kind struggles to slay," she revealed. "Remember, don't lie to him or he will smell it. Tell him to stay in his suite."

Dario stepped out on the first floor, while Anjael went back up to the third to top floor. Walking through her uncle's quarters, she joined Woods in watching the Alpha and his companion.

Suddenly, she leaned forward and zoomed in on the companion's neck, then she started chuckling. "Oh Del, you clever shewolf."

They listened as Dario took them to their suite on the level of the hotel built for dragons. He stated the information in a tone that revealed it was not a request. "The owner has comped your suite and will see you this evening. Dinner will be delivered at nine. Do not wander off."

Alpha Helios nodded. "Please tell Lady Anjael, I look forward to meeting her."

Dario smirked for half a second before his passive mask returned. "Forgive me, Alpha, but no one facing her displeasure looks forward to meeting her. Please call the number by the phone if you require anything." He bowed his head slightly and backed out closing the door. He glanced at the camera then went back down to the lobby office.

Anjael studied the assistant named Lettesara "Lex" Smith as she took out her computer and began working. "Alpha, I have the financials from the Water Moon Pack..."

"Ky'awe Yachunne," Helios interrupted as he stood staring out at the city.

"Beg your pardon?" Lex looked at him in confusion.

"The name of the pack was Ky'awe Yachunne from the language of the first people who lived here. They used to trade with my ancestors until a priest of the Sun took offense to the trade prices they demanded and sacrificed them all. A small boy escaped and ran all the way home in the form of a fox. After that, their people killed any of ours who traveled north."

In the observation room, Anjeal listened to her uncle growl and felt the same sentiment. They shared a look of realization; it was the same Deva they had faced in the past.

"Alpha, your shirt is smoking." Lex sounded terrified, as her words drew their attention back to the screens.

Helios flickered a flame along his fingertips and sighed, "I love the feel of silk shirts, but I forget how easily it burns." He went into his room and threw his shirt away then returned to the sitting area. He gave Lex two cases filled with ingots as they talked. Lex called the concierge to bring lunch then began tallying the worth of the platinum and gold.

Anjael texted Dario as he took the lunch up, "Find out what they want to do with the ingots." She continued to watch the cameras.

When Dario went into the suite, he looked at the table and raised an eyebrow. "Does the Alpha wish to establish a line of credit at the tables?"

"No, the Alpha wishes to exchange these for cash," Lex announced then she fingered the bone bead on a chain around her necklace before asking, "Do you know who would give us the best exchange rate? My... job as Beta depends on it if I am to stay in the Alpha's good graces."

Eyeing her unusual necklace, Dario realized what it was and inhaled slowly before he introduced himself and offered a solution, "I'm Dario... I believe Lord Ouroboros finds such manner of wealth appealing. How much is there?"

"Fourteen pounds of platinum and twenty-five of various carats of gold," Lex revealed.

As she spoke, Woods entered the measurements into the Treasury Commodities Commission website. Ouroboros looked at the numbers and wrote an amount.

On the screen, Dario was sending the information in a text message. A moment later, Woods sent a message back with the offer.

"Seven hundred, ninety-five thousand, six hundred twenty-one dollars as of close of market today. The lord offers eight hundred thousand because he likes even numbers."

"And untraceable currency," Lex smirked then took a drink of her lemonade.

"The lord has not lived five thousand years without discovering the value of portable, untraceable wealth."

Choking, Lex stared at him, "Five thousand?"

"Give or take a few centuries. You wear a tooth, you didn't know?" Dario raised an eyebrow.

"It was a gift," she whispered her words as her hand flitted to her neck then her eyes slid to the door to Helios's rooms.

In the observation room, watching her reaction, Anjael sent Dario a text to bring Lex to her at the spa. She wanted to meet this female Lycani.

"Enjoy your late lunch, and do you want the payment in cash or electronically deposited?" Dario was asking as Helios opened the door.

"I will ask the Alpha," Lex answered.

"Ask me what?" Helios looked between them.

"Alpha Des Rues, as one of our special clients, the ownership has offered to purchase your investment," Dario announced smoothly. "At market value plus five thousand for your discretion and consideration to purchase any other pocket change you have lying around."

Lex turned her computer to show the treasury commodities web site with the base calculations. Helios considered it as he ate then looked at Dario. "One million and I will include the twelve pounds of Spanish Isabell Doubloons in my safe."

Dario raised an eyebrow. "The lord was a personal friend of the queen; I accept your offer on his behalf. How would you like your payment?"

"I prefer cash, I am sure your lord and lady understand," Helios negotiated.

"I will have the funds prepared." Dario bowed slightly, "Enjoy your afternoon, Alpha. Beta Lex, may I offer you a complimentary spa half-day?"

Lex was about to refuse but Helios waved her away. "Go, Lex. Now that this is taken care of, you have the afternoon off."

"Thank you, Alpha." Lex obediently packed the ingots back in the cases.

"May I put these in the vault for you, Alpha or would you rather keep them in your room safe until payment is made?" Dario asked.

"I prefer them with me," Helios answered.

"Of course, Alpha. Please follow me, Beta." The concierge led Lex out. They rode the elevator in silence then he guided her into a changing room for the spa.

When Lex came out in a robe, Dario led her to a room where another woman was getting a massage then asked, "Who gave you the tooth?" His friendly demeanor vanished.

Anjael sat up and she could smell that Lex's wolf didn't know whether to fight or to cower in submission. She appraised the shewolf, then she smiled with pointed teeth. "Easy, Dario, she is not a threat. In fact, I believe she might be a spy. Tell me, who gave you my tooth, Servant of the Moon?"

Lex looked terrified then narrowed her eyes. Her tone and scent became fearless. "The Acolyte Delphi when the Delphi asked me to infiltrate the Sunwolf's pack after the Temples fell." Lex looked troubled as she admitted, "Alpha Lothaire has me checking in monthly and when I hear things."

"How did you survive? Did Ainsley give you a drawing?" Anjael laid down and motioned for Lex to do the same.

"Yes. I was able to intercept and beat the crap out of a group of Helios' hunters and joined his pack after turning over a small renegade coven who were killing and trafficking children. The Augur Vampyr found them and gave me their location. Their own goddess abandoned them for their crimes." Lex wanted to groan as the masseuse worked her tense muscles, but she kept talking. "I turned them in for the bounty and Helios was so impressed that I subdued and brought them in without witchcraft that he made me a warrior trainer." She scoffed, "His warriors are pathetic, and his hunters have to use witchcraft to catch anything more than fleas!"

Her remark made Anjael laugh. "So you're saying that if I skinned them, the pelts would be useless."

"Not unless you want mange too." Her voice held a sardonic note, making Anjael snort in amusement.

"Tell me everything you know about not-your-Alpha and that pack."

They continued to talk for a while longer then Anjael excused herself to let Lex have some relaxation in a safe space. Reassured that the demons of Las Vegas wouldn't hurt her, the shewolf's scent had remained cautious and Anjael knew it was Lex's wolf's instincts in the presence of a predator. Something in Lex's scent, something different from the pack scent, reminded Anjael of someone from her uncle's memories.

Going back up to her uncle's floor, Anjael sat down and looked through all the memories of her lineage. As far as she could discover, the only way to kill a Deva was to wipe out its worshippers but Devas could persist for as long a Cruor and could always expand their influence as had happened several times in the memories of her lineage. As the Black Death Devas had returned to cause World War Two, the burning Deva who almost destroyed the Nahuatl and Mayan people had returned to cause a war in this era.

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1517, travelling to Spanish Kingdom territory claim-Nahuatl Empire...

After over a month on a boat, Anjeal was happy to be on land. Her anxiety and the fear of being thrown into the sea kept her awake for the entire trip. She had spent most of her days in the chapel cabin, praying, and most of her nights flying between ships or as high as she could looking for land.

Cardinal Francisco Ximénez de Cisneros sent by Queen Isabel patted her arm after morning communion. "Lady Wasi, your devotion is greater than our queen's. Surely your constant prayers kept us safe."

"Fallen ones are more devoted than humans and Wicce, Cardinal Cisneros. We have far longer lives that you but we have to atone for the sins of our lineage back to Eden," Anjael gave the answer her uncle often did.

Ouroboros, often wearing the heavy robes of a monk would spend his days in the chapel with its leaded glass window or below deck treating the sick by candlelight. He had made a paste to cover his hands, head, and feet to protect his skin from the sunlight. There was a barrel of it hidden in the hold.

Dartanian walked in and knelt to one knee, head bowed, "Cardinal, Captain Borne of the Fairweather Enterprise has requested Lord Ouroboros and Lady Anutari bring you and the captain to dinner this evening."

Francisco put his hand on Dartanian's head. "You should not have risked flying in the sunlight, my son."

Dartanian smiled without showing his teeth, "Like my queen, my duty is to serve the needs of the church, and while on this voyage, you."

The cardinal smiled and went out. As soon as they were alone, she clicked and whistled in their language, "What is wrong? Why has Captain Borne asked us to come after rejecting my uncle?"

"He had been having the dreams... He... he wants to talk to Ouroboros." Dartanian answered then through the ship, they heard Ouroboros reply in clicks and whistles, "I will accept his choice."