Demon Lover - Marian Tee

Prologue

THERE USED TO BE A time when we lived in harmony with all living beings. The humans called us sybils while the otherworlders used another term. Soul seers, they called us, and it was this name our hearts chose for us.

In those days, living beings sought our visions for the greater good.

But those days didn't last.

The Demon Duke of Sulphur, having learned of the prophecy of his death at his own son's hands, sought to decimate our numbers. A handful would be spared their lives, but they shall only live to feed the demon and him alone, their visions to be used to turn the world into his playground.

It was then we decided to scatter, and we learned to hide in constant motion.

Day after day, always running away, desperate to avoid being caught, but still the demons found us, still they killed our kind, one soul seer dying after another.

Until there's only you that I can trust.

My darling daughter Zari.

The pain and grief in my heart is immeasurable. This is not the future I dreamt for you, but I have no choice.

To save your life and give you the future you deserve, your heart must break again and again, and only then will your shoulders be strong enough to carry the burden of our entire race.

I wish I could be there to see your soul shine, but I know the end is nigh, and the only thing I can do now is to give you one last gift.

A shield, my brave and beautiful child, one that I will carve in my final moments, infused with all the love that your father and I have for our most precious girl.

This shield will be with you to the end, yours alone to wield, and so powerful it will be that not even the fires of Hell can burn through its armor.

The City That Never Sleeps

Chapter One

THE KEY MOARTE INFESTATION Scale. 22-year-old Zari Baltimore absently tested the words out in her mind as she got off the 5 train at Bowling Green and sprinted towards the nearest exit leading up to The Battery. From there, it was a few minutes' walk to her destination, one made even shorter because of her brisk pace...which everyone else around her easily matched.

It was just one of the many things she loved about the city, and with 449 days of residency now tucked under her belt, Zari was pretty much convinced that New York City was her spirit animal. The City That Never Sleeps might not be her forever home, but for now, it was what she needed.

With millions of people around her every minute of the day, she never had to worry about faking anything. She could be sad if she wanted, bawl out her miseries like a kid, and no one would notice. Everyone was just too busy and stressed, just too much in a hurry to go through their to-dos to care about anything else.

And that was exactly how Zari liked it, both for her sake and her job's.

Speaking of which...

Zari's steps came to a silent halt as she peered up the century-old building that AGNEX had assigned her to inspect for paranormal activity. Registered historic site, warehouse turned restaurant, Jazz nights on Thursdays, and spoken poetry on Saturdays.

Today, however, was Tuesday; it was that one day of the week the place was closed, and by the looks of it, even security seemed to have been given the night off.

After taking a couple of photos with her phone, Zari circled to the back and used the card key she had been given to gain entry.

A couple of seconds passed, and the scanner showed no signs of green-lighting her passage. While waiting, she tried to get a better feel of her surroundings. It was darker here, with no street lamps to cast away shadows and all the other things that went bump in the night. A lot more quiet, too, and - despite its unparalleled access and views of the Hudson River - remarkably empty of people. No tourists contorting themselves to capture the best night selfies, no homeless person camping out on the pavement - just nothing except this terribly oppressive silence that was marred only by the sudden beeping sound of the card reader.

Finally.

Zari shoved the card key back into her pocket and gave her arms a quick rub down to get rid of the goose bumps. While her mind had long adjusted to the otherworldly aspect of her work, the rest of her