Black Winged Angel. Amy Blankenship

mean he had to like it. He’d avoided populated areas as much as possible because he had learned a long time ago that it was places like this that bred the worst type of humans. Some of them were almost as evil as the demons he tracked.

      Over the millennia, he’d killed countless demons… but the strongest and the fastest demons had scattered and hid while he was busy killing the weaker ones. All those cold trails seem to converge here… on this city.

      His thoughts darkened, knowing the master demons where now conspiring together, mistakenly thinking their army, mixed within so many humans, could defeat him. Hiding among the humans would not help them. Their auras stood out like beacons to him, looking more like distorted shadows rather than actual living beings.

      Darious’s eyes darkened at the thought. If he had to destroy this city and all the humans in it, then so be it. He owed the mortals nothing. Besides, they knew about the demons and just chose to ignore that fact. All the horror movies were proof, even though they called them fiction. They had ignorantly forgotten that every human legend was based on a small amount of fact.

      Tonight was demon night… the humans called it Halloween. This was the one night where the people would ignore what was right in front of them. He supposed that was one of the reasons humans dressed up like monsters once a year… so the real things wouldn’t recognize them. How ignorant the human race had become.

      With his keen eyesight, Darious looked across the busy road into the glass window of the tall buildings and noticed his own reflection. His eyes narrowed wondering what everyone else saw when they looked at him that made them drag their children to the other side of the street.

      Did they see their own lack of knowledge, fear, or perhaps he was a challenge to their known ignorance. They wanted to remain unaware of the true dangers of the world. He was here to save them and yet they treated him like he was a demon. Only the innocent ever caught and held his gaze… children, as their parents pulled them away.

      *****

      Kyoko stood in the front office, glad Suki was the only one there. She laughed to herself nervously as she made her first cup of coffee. She knew the guys would get her back for what she had done to them last night. She swallowed, remembering the whole floor thumping because it had been so loud, and her running down the hallway trying to make it to her room before they caught up with her.

      She’d heard Toya running after her, yelling every obscenity in the book. They both knew that if he’d actually caught up with her, he wouldn’t have hurt her.

      In her headlong race for sanctuary, she’d turned the corner and seen Kyou standing in his doorway. He had been wearing black silk night pants that were riding dangerously low on his hips, his long silver hair perfect, even in the middle of the night. It was his eyes that had almost made her turn and flee back in the other direction. They were molten gold, smoldering, and fixed directly on her as she ran past him and into her room.

      Kyoko turned in the doorway and shrieked when she saw Toya barreling down the hall toward her. Just as she slammed the door shut, she could have sworn she saw Kyou stick his foot out a few inches, causing Toya to trip and fall on his face.

      She could smile about it now.

      She trusted Kyou with her life and he seemed to take care of everyone who lived and worked within the building. She hardly knew anything about him, but at the same time she felt like she knew him so intimately that it often made her blush.

      The only facts she did have were that he seemed to have more money than god and he made sure everyone had more than everything they needed. He also had an uncanny way of knowing just what paranormal cases to send them out on and what weapons they would need. He was the oldest brother of several of the people who worked here… although she’d never quite figured out their ages.

      Toya was the second oldest, with ebony hair that had silver streaks in it the same color as Kyou’s. Just like all the brothers, he had a body that should have been used for underwear ads. You know… the kind that makes a girl stop and stare.

      Almost every assignment she went out on, it would be Toya who was her partner and she had come to love him dearly for it. How could she not when he had saved her too many times to count, from the monsters normal people had no clue even existed? In many ways, Toya was the closest thing she had to a hero.

      The next brother in line was Shinbe, with long midnight blue hair and amethyst eyes. He seemed to be the enigma of the group, always acting like a pervert and his sense of humor often had her rolling on the floor. But there were times when he would become deadly serious. It was those times that no one in the group took him for granted.

      The fourth brother, Kotaro, was a detective for the police force and in charge of the cases that baffled the local law enforcement. He had long ebony hair and ice blue eyes that could take your breath away. While the rest of the cops were running around looking for a human suspect, it was Kotaro’s small group that would bring it to the attention of the paranormal agency and help track down the demons.

      Surprisingly, once the case was solved the city officials never asked too many questions about it. It was almost as though they didn’t want to know.

      Tasuki and Yohji were two guys that worked under Kotaro at the station. Kyou had invited them to live here, since they worked here more than at the police department. They had also stolen the secretary from the police office and now she worked here. Her name was Suki, and Kyoko loved her like a best friend. Also, Kotaro talked Kyou into inviting two brothers who were psychic… Amni and Yuuhi. They were a lot of help.

      The youngest of the brothers, although she wasn’t quite sure of the age since they all looked to be between the ages of nineteen and twenty-seven, was Kamui. His hair was many colors with the most amazing amethyst highlights. She knew for a fact that his eyes changed colors more than a teenager changed clothes… and that was really saying something.

      He was the computer wiz of the group, and could break into any databank in the world to get them the info they needed. More than once, he’d broken into high government agencies just to mess with their heads.

      Turning with her cup of coffee so she could focus on what Suki had been chatting about for the last couple of minutes; Kyoko almost burnt herself when her gaze landed on Kyou.

      He was once again leaning against the door jam, watching her from the doorway of his office with that same look he’d been wearing the night before. When she met his gaze, it sent a raw, sensual shiver through her very core.

      One of these days, Kyoko was determined to find out exactly how he did that. She’d actually seen women fall over themselves whenever Kyou would, on rare occasion, leave the sanctuary of the office and walk through the streets of the city.

      â€œI take it you slept well?” Kyou asked stoically, though Kyoko could see just the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes.

      â€œYes, actually I did,” Kyoko stated with a smile.

      â€œHmm, I would think it rather difficult, with four males taking it upon themselves to stand outside your room all night arguing over who was, and wasn’t, going to break your door down.”

      Quickly turning away from him to hide her blush, Kyoko gazed out the large window that overlooked the busy city street. Sometimes living in this building could be really hard on a girl’s heart… not to mention her hormones.

      Feeling chills going up the back of her neck, she knew she couldn’t run away so she tried to just let her mind roam. She looked across the street toward the row of buildings facing this one… wishing she were in one of them instead… at least until last night's teen-angst blew over.

      Her lips parted as she noticed a man directly across the road from her. It seemed like he was looking straight at her, but she knew that couldn’t be because of the tint used on the glass… you could see out but not in. Kyoko stepped closer to the window and placed one hand against the tinted glass just beside her vision of him.

      The