Set Fire and Burn

Zander…I was making my rounds, checking on customers, making small business talk, and checking in with the employees when the warning went off. I was hit with a gut feeling, a psychic warning that a Demon had crossed the threshold. I glanced at the others who were tied to the alarm as I made my way to the door without drawing attention; they, too, had felt the alarm. Ash stood at the door with a curvy brunette in a green sweater and jeans. Standing next to Ash’s bald, six-foot, broad-built frame, the Demon looked almost childlike, coming only to his shoulder.“Mr. Stone, this is Angelica Steel, she said she’s here to discuss a job,” Ash said in a stiff voice, having felt the alarm as well as picking up on the slight smell of campfire mixed with cobbler.“We spoke on the phone, I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she said nervously. I smiled and inhaled her scent, the scent of blueberry cobbler, of Valkyrie, was almost strong enough to cover the smell of smoke. “Not at all, why d

Zander…I guided her gently over onto her side so that she was once again unconscious on my couch, this time in a deep sleep that would last five or six hours. I looked at Marcus. “How the hell is she a Valkyrie and a Demon?”Marcus let out a sigh. “You can’t deny it, when you said sleep, she fell asleep. The sandman doesn’t have power over Demons like that.”“But how?” I demanded.“You won’t be happy,” he warned.“We both know I’m never happy when it comes to Demons,” I said stiffly.“From what I can tell, her mother was a Valkyrie who was attacked by a Demon, one in this very town,” he tilted his head. “She’s just now setting into her immortality. By the end of this month or next, her transition will be complete.”I closed my eyes. “So, I have a transitioning half Demon in my basement, one which you say I have to protect.”“Yes. Her mother escaped the Demon and ran. The Demon wants his half-breed daughter to mold into his personal weapon. Think of what she may be capable of—both Dem

Angelica…I jumped and looked at the man smiling at me from outside the cab. Another man stood behind him, both had dark hair and dark eyes. The one was short and stocky, with eyes so dark brown they were nearly black. I quickly turned my attention to the man holding the door open; he was tall and lean, with longish hair that suited him. His eyes were nowhere near as dark, being more of a chocolate brown.“Mornin’, Al,” said the cab driver.My head whipped toward the driver. “You know him?”“Sure do, Al’s my boss. If you don’t mind, I need to go. Al here will take care of you,” the cab driver said with a pleasant tone.“What the hell is going on?” I snapped, looking back at the man holding the door, Al.Al smiled like he wanted to laugh. “You’re a feisty half-breed. Don’t worry, I just want to talk. Please, join me for a cup or two. This place really does have good coffee, and excellent muffins.”“Do I have a choice?” I asked, looking at the man behind Al again, then the cab driver.“

Set Fire and Burn Chapter 7 by Ruth Nailo Angelica…He was hundreds of years old? “So, you’re how old?”“A little over 900 years old,” he said as he looked back at his phone and placed my order.“Oh, um, you don’t look your age,” I said, not knowing what to say.He looked up at me with a confused expression. “What is a 900-year-old male supposed to look like?”“Dust and bones, I think,” I said in an uncomfortable voice.He smiled and shook his head. “I’m immortal, remember?”Damn, was he handsome when he smiled. “Right,” I said, feeling like an idiot for feeling attracted to the guy who was basically holding me hostage. Then again, could you really hold someone hostage if you weren’t making any demands? That thought was not a pleasant one.“Don’t think about it if it bothers you,” he said after a moment, and I realized he was watching me.“Shouldn’t you be in a wheelchair and hooked up to a bunch of tubes or something?” I asked sarcastically.There was that smile again, the one that

Chapter 9 Set Fire and Burn by Ruth NalioAngelica…“I’ll have dinner made in about thirty or forty-five minutes. For now, why don’t you sit back and read this book?” Zander said as I followed him through the living room. We’d walked in the door and he’d told me to follow him, and I simply obeyed, figuring I could always run last minute if I needed to, and knowing that nothing I did would do me any good.“What is it?” I asked as I took the old, heavy book that reminded me of the old dictionaries they had in elementary school.“It’s a book about mythical creatures. I have books about specific species, but this one is a basic accounting of them and a few of the highlights.”“Is it accurate?” I asked, wondering if it were something I could pick up at a local bookstore or if it were something he had to get from some sort of black-market underground or something.“I wouldn’t give it to you if it weren’t,” he said, then turned toward the kitchen.“So, what are you making?” I asked, wonderin