A Match Made by the Council

A Match Made by the Council by Kara Larson

Torquere Press www.torquerepress.com

Copyright ©2008 by Kara Larson First published in www.torquerepress.com, 2008 NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email, floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to others. This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons.

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A Match Made by the Council by Kara Larson

Josh was going through a funk; there was nothing else to it. He was riding his horse in a rut, an endless circle, and he needed to find his way out. He had a great job that included lots of travel and the occasional need to lash out and kill something. He had a nice little house that he could almost afford—in a "getting better" part of town. If he squinted with binoculars, he could almost see the ocean from the five-story office building down the street from his house. His grandmother always said that a change was as good as a vacation, or at least a new sexual position, but since the sex thing wasn't exactly happening now, he'd have to make do with the next best thing. He'd get a roommate to help pay that mortgage he could almost afford. How was a knight supposed to look for a roommate? "Seeking non-smoking person to share two bedroom, one bathroom house in South Bay. High-speed internet and washer/dryer included. Don't touch the swords." It wouldn't be an issue if either of Josh's jobs actually paid enough to keep the place by himself. But Faire gigs never paid much, and the Council was still in the Dark Ages when it came to compensation plans, much less having comprehensive medical and dental. It was hard enough to be a knight, period, in the twentyfirst century. His horse was stabled a few blocks from the house, in one of the last areas of South Bay still zoned for livestock. Swords counted as weapons in nearly every penal code that he'd ever studied, and God only knew how many 3

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concealed weapon citations he'd talked his way out of. At least great coats were in fashion again, even if he did look a little silly wandering around in one in the middle of high summer. And the emergency room would only take "Fell down the steps" so many times as an excuse for another set of broken ribs. The EMTs knew him on a first name basis by now anyway. But generations of his family had served the Council, working to do their part to keep the boundaries between the world of the Fey and the human world separate, and ensuring that the Unseelie Court of the Fey was kept in check. It didn't help that technology seemed to blur the boundaries a little more as each year passed. Maybe it was the greater usage of iron and other derivative metals that seemed to melt the carefully-wrought barriers. Or maybe it was the fact that nature was tired of keeping the two realms separate, whether or not the realms wanted it that way. At least the Council had granted him a small leave to fill the vacant position in his house. He couldn't exactly run off to the north to prevent some river kelpie from slipping through in the middle of an appointment to show his house. And while he could very well turn the duty over to one of those roommate-finding services (the Council even probably controlled one or two, not that the close-lipped bastards would ever tell him), it didn't seem right. The last two roommates, Brian especially, had clearly been mistakes. Luckily for all parties involved, they both lasted about two months before suddenly deciding they had obligations elsewhere. At least he wasn't home all the time. Traveling on 4

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Council business and jousting at the different Faires kept him on the road a good portion of the time. It was still nice, though, to have a friendly face to meet him when he got home, someone he didn't mind sharing his living space with. Someone he wouldn't necessarily fall for. There was a knock on the door. He couldn't help feeling flustered, almost as badly as he had the first and last date he'd gone on. It wasn't like this was a lifetime commitment, but this was someone who was going to be sharing his sanctuary with for at least as long as he was in town... Suck it up, Josh. He took a deep breath and opened the door, expecting—not expecting the skinny blond on the other side, startled blue eyes staring at him as he opened the door. He knew he was a little intimidating because of his size, but he hardly thought of himself as scary... "Kai?" The blond nodded. "Kai Llewellyn. You're Josh?" "Josh Korinthos." He held his hand out to shake, but Kai only stared at it. The guy turned red when Josh frowned a little, taking the offered hand and giving it a quick swing. "Sorry," Kai stammered slightly. "The whole touching thing..." Germaphobe or victim of some violent crime—Josh couldn't decide which, but decided to go with it. The guy's hands were smaller than his, but then again, so were most everyone else's. He couldn't help it if he was built like a baby hippopotamus, something his mother never got tired of reminding him of. 5

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"It's cool. Uh, come in." He closed the door behind Kai, noticing the way Kai twitched when he noticed the entertainment center in the living room. Kai actually flinched outright when they passed by the cabinet that housed the TV and DVD player. Josh added technophobe to his list, coming closer and closer to cutting off the interview before it got too painful. "Nice place," Kai commented, relaxing once he got past the DVD player and TV. He touched one of the large bookshelves that flanked the entertainment center. "It's empty." Josh shrugged. "If you're gonna live here, it'll be your home, too. You might as well get your share of space." He nodded toward the full bookcase on the other side of the entertainment center. "That's my half." He didn't want to mention the fact that his last roommate had "relieved" him of a good portion of his DVD collection—not that he was ever home enough to enjoy it. Kai moved around the room, seeming uninterested in any comments Josh might have to make. "It's ... neat," he finally commented, seeming surprised. "Are you a neat-freak, or are you just not home a lot?" He grinned at Kai. "Not home. Faire keeps me on the road for a couple weeks at a time." "Faire?" There was actually what looked like a spark of interest in Kai's eyes. "Renaissance?" Josh picked up one of the pictures on the bookcase, showing him in full plate armor as he attacked another 6

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knight. "One of the Knights of the Realm. We travel from May to October—Faire season." Kai actually smiled back. Josh couldn't help noticing that the expression lit up Kai's whole face. Josh squirmed. Falling for another roommate was strictly out of the question, especially as neurotic as this guy seemed. "I'm a magician— stage magician," Kai said, correcting himself. "It runs in the family, so..." Llewellyn. The only Llewellyn Josh could think of was—"Are you related to Morgaine Llewellyn?" The Daughters of Avalon were famous on the Faire circuit—legends, almost—if only because they had actually made it to the big-time, the occasional Vegas show and all. "My mum," Kai said softly. His look was a mixture of pride and jealousy, something Josh knew far too well. Josh grinned. "Yeah, I'm fourth generation knight, so I know the feeling." He felt the first stirrings of something like kinship. "So you're a mage, huh? This might be a match made in heaven." "Magician," Kai corrected quietly. He seemed thoughtful. "There are definite ... possibilities." All in all, Kai seemed pleased with the place. He didn't make any comments about the sheer number of weapons in Josh's room, but he looked appreciative when it came to the size of the kitchen. Which was fine with Josh, since everyone knew that his cooking skills were limited to anything involving an open flame and a pit. Kai seemed especially relieved that the stove was gas, as if the thought of an electrical oven both 7

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offended and frightened him. Score another point for Josh's technophobe theory... "What's the rent again?" Kai asked, after one last look at the second bedroom. It was on the small side (of course, so was the house), but it had a good amount of storage space. And Kai mentioned absently that he liked the fact that it faced east—whatever that had to do with anything. "Four hundred and fifty dollars, including utilities." That covered the portion of his bills that Faire and Council didn't, which mostly consisted of stabling his horse. "Four hundred, and I'll cook," Kai countered in his quiet voice, smiling slightly. Josh grinned at the challenge. "Deal. When do you want to move in?" **** Josh was called away on Council business just before Kai was scheduled to move in. The Council thought that the Unseelie Court of the Fey was plotting something, and since the Seelie Court, the (arguably) benevolent half of the Fey, refused to get involved, Josh was dispatched with a couple other knights to take care of the problem. At least this one only involved a rogue shellycoat who had taken to harming the travelers that dared cross his river instead of just frightening them. Luckily, Kai had also been called away on some sort of family business, so it was easy enough to postpone the epic day of the move. When Kai did move in, he brought what seemed like an endless stream of boxes that Josh wasn't allowed to touch. 8

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Nor was he allowed to watch Kai open them, as if the life of a stage magician were some sort of secret cult that he wasn't privy to. But Josh noticed that cooking implements he couldn't even begin to imagine the usage for took residence in the kitchen, and rows of much loved books soon took up the empty shelves to the left of the TV. Kai never seemed to use those books, as if the very presence of the television spooked him and contaminated the books, but they did at least give the place a scholarly air that it hadn't had before. Kai was as neat as he appeared to be. His side of the bathroom was never cluttered, and everything in the kitchen had its own specific place. Even his books and knickknacks— the ones that Josh was allowed to see—were neatly grouped by classification, size and color. The books were arranged alphabetically by author within genre-specific sections. And the knickknacks, which seemed to be an aging collection of apothecary bottles and wares, were arranged by color and size. Josh had only been neat because of the sheer lack of time that he spent at home. For Kai, it seemed like it was a religion. All in all, Kai was a good, if quirky, roommate. He avoided anything involving electricity like the plague, including Josh's electric razor, the television and the DVD player. Instead of a computer, he used a clunky old typewriter whenever he needed to type anything. But there were no groups of obnoxious guests, no infringing on Josh's space, and best of all, no parade of significant others to rub in Josh's solitary face. That had been his biggest peeve with the last one, even after Josh got over his lust for Brian's incredibly fine butt. Not 9

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that "Dude, I'm straight" Brian would have anything to do with him anyway. The quirks were forgivable, at least. He'd walked into the kitchen on Kai's third day in residence to find his roommate pleading in a low voice with the microwave. It seemed like the microwave was holding something hostage—fondue, chocolate, butter, some ingredient that Kai needed for whatever he was concocting in three pots on the stove. The poor guy gave Josh such a shamed look when he walked in. And his only response to Josh's question of what was wrong was a feeble "Nothing, thanks," that wouldn't convince anyone. But in the next couple weeks, as Kai's furtive conversations with the microwave seemed to get more and more involved, the appliance seemed like it was finally behaving. It was the only electronic device that Kai would use, for whatever his reasons. Maybe he was one of those Amish guys who'd escaped on their rite of spring or whatever it was. Kai was secretive, for sure. Still, it was hard not to like the guy when he kept putting heaping plates of food in front of you. Josh wasn't even sure he could identify half of it, since neither of his parents had been home enough to really cook. Maybe they didn't hang out like roommates should—at least, according to all the sitcoms. They weren't two guys and a local café or restaurant. But it was nice to know that sometimes, when he got home from whatever hell the Council had sent him off to, there'd at least be someone at the house when he got back. Someone he could watch bad movies with and mock how historically inaccurate every quasi-medieval 10

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King Arthur flick was. Someone who made badass caramel corn—from scratch. Someone who actually asked about whether or not his horse had gotten over colic yet and produced some old wives' remedy involving bourbon, canola oil and some bran. Kai had a quiet wit, if you took enough time to listen for it. It helped that he seemed to genuinely care about Josh, which meant more than Josh could really say. Especially since he didn't date with any regularity. It was hard to keep a relationship going when he disappeared on a whim for what was often a week at a time. He was lucky that there were enough alternate knights to take his place in the Faire troupe if an assignment for the Council carried over. But since secret identities were a thing of the 90s, and even Clark Kent couldn't keep his two lives separate, it just seemed like a better idea to forgo the whole relationship thing. Life was easier if it was just Josh and his hand. Lonelier, yeah, but easier. Kai wasn't the most observant of roommates, sticking to his own little world of whatever he did. Josh had his doubts about the whole stage magician thing since Kai didn't seem to have the patter and flamboyant personality that most of the performers Josh knew from Faire oozed. Kai was quiet and tended to stay in his own room if he wasn't concocting something weird in the kitchen. His hours seemed as odd as Josh's sometimes, and he didn't bat an eye when Josh came back a little more battered than he should be from stage combat. But Kai obviously wasn't a drug lord or anything, 11

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since he seemed to be having the same struggles that Josh had each month to get the bills paid. It leant his roommate an air of mystery that intrigued Josh—and attracted him, even if he didn't want to admit it. There was something about the skinny blond guy, something about how much intensity Kai seemed to put into everything he did. They did have fun together. It took some convincing, but Kai actually had sat down to watch a couple of the Harry Potter movies with Josh, even if he complained bitterly about how shoddy the system of magic was, especially since it seemingly had no limits or drawbacks. "Ooh, unforgivable curses. Just saying a spell is unforgivable won't actually stop anyone from casting it," Kai had muttered. "No drain on energy, no nothing. Where are they getting all this power from?" Kai still disappeared on a regular basis, though. Almost as often as Josh himself did. In fact, it had been just shy of four days since he'd seen Kai. The microwave had been out of sorts, the cooking times that Josh was so used to not working anymore. It was almost as if the microwave was ... pouting or something in Kai's absence. Granted, the guy actually cleaned it after every use, to the point where it almost looked like something sexual. Under Josh's care, the microwave was lucky if it got cleaned once a month. He was just about to settle down with his somewhat rubbery microwaved pizza when the phone rang. Kai had casually exchanged the cordless phone in the kitchen for one of those old-fashioned corded jobs. Since Kai spent most of 12

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his time in the kitchen when he was home, Josh figured it wasn't worth it to make a fuss, especially since he could just grab the phone from the living room if he needed to pace or reach something out of range of the cord. "'Lo?" he answered around a mouth of nuked cheese and desiccated crust. "Kai?" The man's voice was vaguely familiar, even if Josh couldn't place it. "Kai's not here right now. Can I take a message?" Josh answered cautiously, maneuvering around to pick up the pen and paper that lay next to the phone. "He's not?" Now the voice sounded worried. "How long has it been since you last saw him?" Maybe it was a concerned ex. It's not like Brian's exes hadn't been calling every five minutes, trying to give his former roommate a piece of their minds. "Um, probably Monday was the last night he was home. He left to go on tour or something." At least, that's the excuse Kai had given. Maybe his roommate was involved in some terrorist organization or something. Or he was on the run from something. There was the sound of soft cursing on the other end of the phone. "Thanks," the voice said before hanging up. Josh couldn't shake the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. ****

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The call came two days later. Unfortunately, it came in the middle of the night, interrupting one of those dreams ... "Josh?" "Yeah?" He rubbed at his eyes, squinting at the alarm clock next to his bed. "It's 3:30 in the morning, Alex. It better be good." "One of our mages is missing." Josh sat up, awake now. "Mages? Since when does the Council have mages?" Mages were better adapted to take on most of the creatures that tended to stumble through the barrier, since few succumbed to mere force alone. Rumor had it that the last real mage had died years back, which was one of the reasons why the barriers between the two realms were so flimsy, but then again, rumors also said that the Council had pirates and ninjas on their payroll. Knowing how the Council paid, pirates and ninjas were probably too expensive. "This isn't like that wild goose chase they had us on a few years ago looking for that goat, is it?" Alex chuckled. "Not like the goat, I swear. Hank's still bitter over that one. Anytime anyone mentions the word 'minotaur,' he just starts muttering about how we should've trusted him..." "So this mage..." Josh tried to wrap his mind around it. "What happened?" "He was out on assignment, something about a splinter Unseelie faction trying to recruit mortals to their cause," Alex said. "Might be demons, might be any number of things. The mage was assigned to the case after some of the undergrads up at the college disappeared." 14

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Josh groaned. "So we've got missing persons, a missing mage, some potential demons..." He threw open his closet doors and began rummaging through it. "What's the rating on this one? Full-plate, or just some leather and mail?" He could hear Alex consulting with someone on the other end. "Leather and mail, since the full-plate's too clunky," Alex finally said. Rummaging through the closet, Josh found his hauberk and coif. "Mail, check. I think my greaves are in the car. Sword..." Piling his armor on the bed, he reached for his bastard sword. "Maelstrom looks clean enough." He touched the edge, happy to see it draw a thin line of blood across his finger. "Sharp enough, too." Alex laughed. "Just get your ass in gear ASAP, brother. Kai needs you." Josh dropped his sword. Then he swallowed, a huge lump suddenly blocking his throat. "Kai?" There was silence on the other line. "Why, you know one of the mage corps?" Alex asked. "Um, maybe. If he's a skinny blond guy." Mage, huh? That might explain Kai's issue with the toaster. Or why he talked to the microwave. "Yeah, Kai Llewellyn. One of the best new mages in the corps." Shit. Josh grabbed a few more daggers for good measure, shoving one down each boot and making sure a third and fourth were tucked in to the small of his back. "Demons?" At 15

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least Father Abraham had re-blessed his weapons last week. "Where do I need to be?" **** He felt extremely silly, standing outside what looked like any other dorm on campus. Smelled like any other dorm, too, after he caught a whiff of what had to be fresh vomit just outside one of the windows. It was hard to imagine that anyone actually missed college. "Josh?" His hand tightened on his sword-hilt. "Yeah?" he said cautiously. A tall, skinny guy with floppy brown hair and wirerimmed glasses stepped out of the shadows, a gorgeous black-haired guy behind him. The brown-haired guy held out his hand. Josh looked at it dubiously, one hand still on his sword-hilt. "I'm Adrian," the guy said, eyes never leaving the three plus feet of bastard sword strapped to Josh's side. "The Council sent me as your contact." "And him?" Josh nodded toward the far-too-pretty blackhaired man, trying to ignore the familiar tightening in his leather pants. God, leather pants chafed at the wrong time. "Bael." The second man's voice was a light tenor, the kind of voice that you'd do anything for. Especially when combined with those big yellow eyes and the long black eyelashes. You might even want to worship those honey-golden, amberbrown, molten eyes. Not that Adrian was bad looking—on the contrary, especially if you liked that boy next door look. But Bael... 16

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Shit. "Demon!" His sword was out and at the demon's throat almost before he'd finished the word. Said demon, instead of attacking, looked like he was going to faint. "Easy!" Adrian said, pushing between Bael and the heavy blade. One of Adrian's hands petted Bael's arm soothingly. Uh-huh. So that was how things were. "We're on your side." Josh could only raise a dubious eyebrow. Damn, he was proud of that talent. "No, really." Adrian pushed the blade away, careful to keep his hand on the flat of it. Josh had to be impressed with that. Scholarly and dorky as he looked, Adrian had obviously been around blades before. "Look, we're here to help you get Kai back." Josh looked around. "You sure we should discuss this here?" Only the inherently evil discussed their plans in public. Everyone knew that. Adrian sighed, running a hand through his mousy-brown hair, though Josh did detect hints of coppery-red, when he looked close enough. Not that he was, mind you. "My apartment's not far." There was a twist of pain in Josh's stomach. He could almost feel the bitter burning of nerves and stomach acid. "But Kai—" "Your mage is okay," Bael said, still eyeing Josh's sword warily. "For a little while." ****

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Adrian's apartment seemed like the typical student place. "I'm a TA at the university," Adrian said as he let Josh in the apartment. "Doesn't exactly pay much." "But working with demons does?" Josh asked, looking around with interest—and to gauge where any potential exits might be, in case something happened. The Council didn't exactly fit its knights out with emergency teleportation devices or anything. "That's not working, per se," Adrian said, filling an electric kettle with water and plugging it in. "Tea?" Josh stood where he was, one hand still on his sword-hilt. "How about you tell me where Kai is?" Adrian put back one of the mugs he'd set on the kitchen counter. "That would be a no then..." He exchanged a long look with Bael, who, in the fluorescent light of the kitchen was even prettier than Josh had first thought. Damn demons. Damn taken demons who stole the only potential boyfriend he'd had in months. A sigh came from Bael's direction, and the demon shuddered a little. What Josh had thought was just a black cape unfurled to become a large pair of red-membraned wings. Demon wings. Just like the Council had always described them. "So, you're working with a demon?" Josh prompted, suddenly noticing the small black horns that Bael's hair had hidden before. "And the demon has what kind of incentive to defect from the Unseelie?" Not that anyone was exactly clear on how close—or not—the ties were between the Unseelie Court and the demon realm. It was another one of those 18

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fuzzy issues that the Council liked to avoid talking about. Kind of like the whole mage deal, which made the theory that there really were pirates and ninjas on payroll only sound more plausible. "I'm not working with him," Adrian said flatly, his fingers finding Bael's. So they'd be fucking then. "And he's not working with—or against—the Unseelie Court." Josh resisted the urge to beat Adrian's face in. "Then, what's the deal? You know where my roommate is, he's obviously in trouble, and we're wasting a shitload of time here." He was beginning to feel really impatient. Really, really impatient. Bael's eyes widened a little, but the demon seemed to stand his ground. "Some of my old ... partners, I guess, decided to have a little fun," he said. "Hell always wants new recruits, and since college kids seem to be so—" "Stupid?" Josh supplied. Not that he was that far from college graduation himself, a lot of good that history major had done him. Adrian rolled his eyes. "The Dean prefers the word 'gullible.'" Well, if that's the way the Dean wanted to play it... "So some of your brothers managed to grab a few dumbass freshies, and Kai got involved, and now we've gotta rescue him," Josh said, the desire to hurt or maim or just do anything to get Kai back almost too strong to fight. "Which is why we're here to help." Apparently all this bull was even starting to tax the demon's patience. Bael looked like he was one step from rolling his eyes and stomping one 19

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foot. Josh couldn't help wondering if it really was cloven, like all the textbooks said. "So a demon and his, um..." Josh eyed Adrian, trying to figure out exactly what to make of him. "His TA are going to help me spring a Council-trained mage from a demon trap?" "I'll have you know that I trained as a knight," Adrian said, flushing red. "You're not the only beefcake who owns armor in this room." The dubious eyebrow went up again. Josh couldn't help it. "Okay, maybe not the same kind of training you had," Adrian amended. "And maybe I was as lousy with a sword as I am at this crap, which is probably why your Council didn't contact me until after I'd taken up with the failed demon." Even Bael's wings seemed to droop. Josh sighed. That meant two people with inadequacy complexes. This night couldn't get any more fun. "So you know where Kai is?" he asked, trying one more time. Bael's yellow eyes brightened, and his wings actually seemed to perk up. "It turns out," the demon said, "that I actually do know what their nefarious little plan is..." **** The world of the Fey had its patterns and predictabilities. The Seelie Court preferred flashy magic and anything that took an exorbitant amount of energy. The Unseelie side tended to be a little bit more subtle, but they took such pride in their detailed plans that they tended to brag about them to whoever would listen. Not that it was hard to spot a Fey 20

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creature, Unseelie or otherwise, in a place where it didn't belong. The demons, however, seemed to be a breed apart. There were arguments about exactly what had happened during the Great Schism, and how it had or had not affected the Fey Courts on the other side of the veil. From what Bael said, it all seemed to originate in a lover's spat, and just spiral Hellward from there. Evil, chaos and the Unseelie had always been attractive to mankind, so it wasn't really that much of a surprise to Josh. Dealings with the demonic world itself had always been limited—even more limited than the rumors Josh had heard about mages, pirates and ninjas. So he was flying by the seat of his leather leggings, and hoping that his trust in a demon wasn't misplaced. He hoped that word never got back to his father about this. Adrian, it turned out, had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bad at every physical aspect of knighthood, Josh could see why the Council had never contacted Adrian to join their forces, since the side of Right and Might always needed an extra hand. "Mum and Da always said I was born for great things," Adrian said as he hustled Bael and Josh into his battered Honda hatchback. "I doubt they meant being a demon's minion." Adrian's face fell, his brown eyes looking momentarily depressed. "Guess we can't all live up to our parents' hopes or whatever." Josh shrugged as best he could, chain shirt chinking as he did. "We all do what we can to fight the good fight." Damn, 21

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did that sound as pompous and cheesy every time he said it? "And, at least you're doing your bit tonight by helping me." If any of those demons laid a hand on Kai, Josh would tear them limb from cloven limb. "Yeah, well..." Bael reached from the backseat to put a hand on Adrian's shoulder. Adrian leaned into the touch, which made Josh's stomach squirm in something that tasted like jealousy. "We'll get your mage back," Bael said softly, now looking at Josh. "Demons might be powerful, but most of them aren't that bright." The miserable tone in his voice sounded like it spoke from experience. They were silent for the rest of the drive. Josh thoughts were tangled up in webs of temporarily-defecting demons, failed knight wannabes, and a mage who had gotten caught up in something he shouldn't have. Josh didn't doubt that Kai could take care of himself; he was a Council mage, after all. It just hurt to think about what might happen to him and what the demons had planned. "Demons don't ... eat people, do they?" Josh asked, feeling really stupid when the question popped out of his mouth. He heard a gasp of surprise from the back seat. "Not in my memory," Bael said, sounding hesitant about it. "But I might not be the best one to ask." A black-clawed hand came up to squeeze Josh's shoulder this time. "This close to All Hallows, they probably just want your mage to boost their own power. Any bit of mischief they cause automatically grants them more of Hell's favor. If they harness the innate power of a mage, it would be doubly so." 22

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Josh groaned. "And of course, the Council had the brains to send a mage after power-hungry demons." Adrian stopped the car, turning it off. "We're here," he said. Josh almost expected thunder and lightning, or at least a bit of ominous music. Of course, they'd send him alone to something like this. He almost wondered if the Council itself was trying to get rid of him sometimes. That, though, was a conspiracy for another day. The building that they parked in front of looked like a typical warehouse. The old industrial part of town was full of them, most either used as storage or as the occasional sound stage for what was left of the indie movie industry. At least the area was clean and didn't smell of pee, though. It seemed a little disused and more than a bit creepy at this deserted hour of night, but it was a lot better than some of the parts of town the demons might've chosen. The warehouse looked deserted, but since Josh didn't really have much of an idea if demons had any sort of abilities the way Fey did, he wasn't sure how to build his plan of attack. He eyed Bael, wondering how deceptive that prettiness was. The wings were an obvious asset, as they seemed large enough to actually carry Bael in flight. Strength-wise, though, he was a complete unknown. Which is why Josh chose to bull-rush Bael, knocking the demon to the ground. Bael fought back, the muscles and tendons in his arms like steel-wire against Josh's mail gauntlet-enhanced grip. Josh's arms strained against his bracers, and he gritted his teeth, barely managing to keep 23

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Bael down. The demon thrashed a bit before finally going limp in Josh's arms. "Does that answer your question?" Bael asked in a quiet voice. "You could've just asked." Josh let him go, blushing under his coif. "Um, yeah," he muttered. Strength and speed were definitely superior. They'd probably have to go for the surprise approach. "Sorry about that..." At least Bael smiled a little at him. "I can understand a bit," the demon said with a sidelong look at Adrian. Josh nodded. "In that case, what if we do it this way..." **** Josh followed passively behind Bael, his arms loosely bound. Adrian hung on Bael's arm, looking every bit the idiotic minion. Adrian even went so far as to coo in Bael's ear. Josh wondered how many swishing Hollywood actors the TA had had to watch to pick that up just right. Josh carried some of the Council's flash bombs in his hand, some mage concoction of bits of flint and what smelled like the caps from those cap guns everyone had as a kid. They wouldn't do a whole lot of damage, but they'd at least provide a distraction, if their combined acting capabilities weren't enough. He had to have faith, though, since that was about all he had at this point. Subtlety and tricks weren't exactly his strong point. Tactics and brute strength, however... "Bael?" The guard at the end of the hallway seemed surprised. He was the more lumpy, squashed sort of demon that Josh had always envisioned, complete with green, scaly 24

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skin and rank breath that Josh could smell even from yards away. At least, he hoped that was the demon's breath. "Af! We brought the new recruit. Thought we could put him in with the other bucks." Bael nuzzled Adrian's head, while Adrian fawned appropriately. "Nearly lost my pretty one here, but, well, you know the price." Af eyed Josh suspiciously. Josh tried to look as vacanteyed and demon-thralled as he could. "Big one, ain't he? What if he breaks out of the cage?" Bael snorted, sounding more confident than Josh had heard him. "This guy'd be willing to swallow even your spunk, Af. He's playing for our team now." The other demon seemed to consider this, looking back and forth between Josh and Adrian. "You do know how to pick 'em," Af said slowly. "Iblis mentioned how talented your pretty minion's mouth was." Josh's stomach sank. Oh, God, please don't let it come to that ... He didn't even want to imagine what demon penis looked like, unless it was Bael's. He felt Bael's hand on his back. "We might have to do a bit more ... convincing to swing this one that way, Af. He's almost successfully resisted my looks, so we can't exactly account for how he'd react to yours." Josh put on what he hoped was an idiotic smile, fawning just as Adrian was. Af seemed to mutter for a moment. "Yeah, well, Heosphoros always did like you better." The demon nodded. "Throw him in with the others then." 25

A Match Made by the Council by Kara Larson

Bael shoved Josh through the doorway, and Josh tried not to gasp as he caught sight of what the room contained. It was dimly-lit (of course), but he could still make out the large cell that took up most of the far corner. In the dim light, Josh could just make out the blond head of Kai, surrounded by about fifteen empty-eyed young men who were probably the missing students from the college. Kai's eyes met his, and he could just make out his roommate mouthing "Josh?" He shook his head minutely before looking back at Bael with an adoring smile. "We'll come back for you later, my lovely," the demon said, trailing one long black nail down Josh's cheek. Adrian leaned over and pecked Josh quickly on the mouth, as if promising things to come. "So pretty together," Af said in a hungry voice. "You're sure he wouldn't..." Bael snorted. "Not even Heosphoros has that much power." Then he flounced out of the room, Adrian on his arm. As soon as Josh was pushed into the cage, he slid his right hand up his left sleeve to activate the amulet he wore on his left wrist. His obvious armor—chain mail, coif, greaves and gauntlets—had been left in the car, but he still had a dagger or two stashed in the waistband of his leather pants. The amulet was another Council invention, the automatic distress beacon that alerted someone at Council that you needed assistance. If Council actually thought he could accomplish this alone, they were far stupider than Josh had ever thought. If they even knew that this many demons were involved. They had sent Bael to him, but one turncoat demon wasn't 26

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exactly useful against what was apparently a brainwashing army. Josh eyed the others in the cage. Most of the men seemed to be built along his lines, big and sturdy, which added to the theory that the demons were building some kind of army. They moved about the cage in a vague manner, probably thrilled in the same way Josh supposedly was. He didn't want to think about how many might have had to service Af. That was a thought that would haunt his nightmares for a while. Several other demons lounged about the room, all of them the same lumpy-bump variety as Af. Unlike pretty, delicatelooking Bael, there was nothing deceptive about the strength of these guys. What Josh especially didn't like was the armor plating they wore as if it were as light and flexible as cloth. That could prove problematic. But if he could formulate some kind of a plan with Kai, at least until help arrived... "Josh?" his roommate muttered, finally working his casual way over toward Josh. "What're you doing here?" "Rescuing you," Josh muttered back, brushing his lips against Kai's cheek in a deceptive attempt to get closer. "The Council called this morning." He could see the wheels turning behind Kai's blue eyes. Kai's face brightened, a vacant smile dominating it. "Alex," Kai said softly, moving closer to Josh. Josh's arms automatically went around Kai, going along with the whole play-acting just as Kai was. "Hey!" one of the demons said. "Dammit, Bael thralled this one a little too much. He's starting to hump the scrawny one." 27

A Match Made by the Council by Kara Larson

Out of the corner of his eye, Josh could see Af moving closer to the cell. The demon stood on the other side of the bars, watching him and Kai carefully. It seemed like there was more in interest than in disgust, though. "Let them hump," Af said. "Might as well get a show out of this." Josh noticed Kai's eyes widen slightly. He hoped that this wouldn't be too distasteful to his roommate. Not that he'd wanted his first kiss in mutter-mutter months to be like this, but... "Kai?" he said softly, touching Kai's pale face with a gentle finger. "You okay?" Kai moved closer, trying to get as fully in Josh's embrace as he could. He nuzzled into Josh's neck the same way Adrian had with Bael. Josh could feel lips tasting and nipping at the collar of his gambeson. "You taste like sweat," Kai said. "And you stink of mail. You left your armor in the car?" Josh moaned slightly. "Yeah." He shifted so that he could do a little attacking of his own, threading his hand through Kai's chin-length blond hair and pulling Kai's face back for a kiss. Kai's mouth seemed hesitant at first, but then attacked with a volition of its own. This close, Josh could smell the sweat and musk of Kai's body, taste it in Kai's mouth. He couldn't wait to get Kai home, throw him in the shower, and ravish him useless on the bed until— "Break them up before they start tearing each other's clothes off," a new voice said. Josh opened his eyes, trying 28

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not to stare in shock at the newest addition to the party. This was no low-ranking demon. "Holy crap," Kai muttered into Josh's mouth, now actually shaking. "Holy..." "I heard that," the demon prince said, pushing the other demons aside. "Not quite." Josh's jaw actually dropped at the sight of the crocodileheaded demon. Leathery green skin almost glistened in the dim light, making it seem like the demon was moving slowly through water. "Tannin," he muttered. He'd heard of this demon, at least. Tannin's sharp-toothed jaw actually widened in a grin. Never smile at a crocodile, a kid's song reminded Josh in his head. "You've heard of me." He had to think fast. "Bael spoke of you, oh great one," he said quickly. "He spoke of your all-knowing, all-seeing eyes, and the might of your jaw and—" "The quickness of your strike," Kai added, blinking longlashed blue eyes. "Mighty one." Josh could hear Af sigh in the background, muttering something about fairness. Tannin preened a little, coming closer to the bars. "Speak more," he urged. Josh could actually smell the rotten fish pong of the demon's breath. "Swift in the water, bite of death," Josh said, thinking frantically. He'd done a report on crocodiles in the fourth grade.

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"Lizard of the Nile," Kai said, arm tightening around Josh's waist. "Thunderous lizard, king of demons because of your speed and grace." A low rumble came from the demon's throat, almost as if he was purring. "Oh, pretties. You must be my own pets, my own loves to sing such adoring words to me. I must thank Bael." Tannin moved his fingers and the door to the cage swung open. "Come to me, my song birds, so we can make more music together." Josh's hands gripped the flash bomb as he moved toward the cell door, Kai in tow. He could only hope that help came at the right time. "Always, Master Tannin," he said, forcing himself to coo just as Adrian had. "Always." He brought his face close to Tannin's, trying not to wince at the foul breath that met his. "Always." Then he shoved one of the flash bombs down Tannin's throat. **** Chaos. Utter chaos. Josh stabbed, sticky ichor dripping from both his knives. At his back, Kai threw what looked like balls of light at the approaching demons. Josh could hear the pounding of feet in the hallway and knew it was reinforcements, though he couldn't say for whose side. Tannin writhed on the ground, smoke and light pouring out of the new hole in his throat. Josh didn't have time for the demon, though. His job was to get the other captives out, as intact as possible. 30

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He noticed a window on the far side of the room. They hadn't come up any stairs, so he could only hope it was as ground level. Making his way toward the window, he threw his last flash bomb at it. It wouldn't blow a hole in the wall, but it would at least get rid of the glass. The glass shattered outward, leaving a jagged hole in the window. Josh yelled at the other captives, who seemed like they were just starting to wake up. "Run! Toward the window!" One particularly alert guy made for the window, not even checking to see if anyone was behind him. He jumped through, and Josh waited for a yelp of pain and a crash of bones that never came. "Everyone! The window, now!" As the next boy jumped through, the door burst open and an entire legion of knights poured through. At least that answered the question of reinforcements. "Alex!" Josh cried, holding his hand up. Alex grinned, then drew a short sword from his belt and lobbed it at Josh. The blade landed hilt-side up in his hand, and Josh grinned. "Attack!" Kai at his heels, Josh ran into the fray, hacking at the demons that seemed to pour in out of thin air. He wasn't sure of numbers, but he could see bodies beginning to pile up on the ground. The demons were tough, but Kai's spells seemed to help. They distracted the demons while Josh laid into them with his sword. Sweat dripped into his eyes as he dodged the demons' long arms. Few Unseelie actually had reach on him, and these demons numbered among them. If the demons could even be 31

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called Unseelie. He'd debate that with some of the higher-ups in the Council later. The demons bled the same black ooze that many of the lizard-like Unseelie seemed to bleed. Their screeches as Josh's blessed dagger (blessed by priests of every deity and religion he could think of, just to be safe) bit into their knobby flesh reminded him of wyvern, but none of these seemed to spit acid. Just as a demon's claws arched toward his face, a blacktaloned crimson hand shot out, grabbing the arm and twisting it with an ease that made Josh jealous. He looked to the right and saw Bael, fighting just as fiercely as the next demon. The only difference was, Bael seemed to be on their side. "Thought you were undercover!" Josh shouted over the noise of the fray. "Y'know, they probably won't take you back after this." Bael just grinned at him, fangs gleaming in the wan light. "Heosphoros might understand this time. Besides, you can't hold on to old love forever." As Bael's crimon-winged form darted past Josh, he almost had to think about that. Except the demon brandishing a chair leg at him reminded him that he could ponder unrequited demon love later. The Council would definitely be glad to have Bael on their side, no matter what team he'd played for previously. Josh dodged, he ducked, he blocked and slashed. Black ichor burned at his skin, leaving behind red rashes that he knew were going to itch like hell tomorrow. His sword dripped demon gore, and he'd almost slipped several times in piles of he didn't want to know what. Every so often, he'd catch sight 32

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of Kai, grinning as he sent what looked like bolt after bolt of Force lightning at the diminishing demon horde. Then it was over. The room was all but shattered, bits of demon and weapon and cell lying about the cluttered floor. The other knights clustered around Alex, their unit commander, while a Council healer quickly checked Kai over. Alex had only given Josh a nod, which meant he'd get a debriefing later. Kai seemed to get a clean bill of health, as he was dismissed without much ceremony. From the healer, Kai made a beeline straight for Josh. Josh's arms automatically engulfed Kai's skinny body, squishing him against the gambeson Josh wore over his chest. "Hey!" Kai almost squeaked in protest. "You're crushing—" He dropped Kai, his arms falling to his sides. "Um, sorry," he muttered, staring at the tops of his heavy boots. Kai's hands ghosted along the sleeve of Josh's padded shirt. "I didn't say I didn't like it," Kai said hesitantly. "Just that you were squeezing me to death." That slight smile appeared on Kai's face. "And it would probably suck if you went through all that effort to rescue me, and then you accidentally suffocated me." Josh could feel his cheeks get warm. "Um, yeah..." God, he felt like an oaf, especially surrounded by the excess of skinny (but really pretty) men. This time, Kai's arms grabbed him. "Not that I don't appreciate the rescue," Kai said softly. "Not that I don't hate myself for needing one." 33

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Josh touched Kai's face lightly, tracing the rainbow of colors and tender flesh surrounding Kai's right eye. "Eh, it's not like we're all trained for physical battle," he said, grinning in Adrian's direction. "Some of us are just better at fighting with our hands than others." "Fighting isn't the only talent you can have using your hands," Kai said, that little smile on his face again. Josh's grin grew sly. "Like what? Cooking?" he asked cheekily. Kai's hand came up to cover Josh's. "I might be able to show you how good I am with my hands," Kai said, his smile widening slightly. Someone coughed. "Um, before you decide to try out that theory..." Adrian spoke up. "We've got, um, places to be." Josh looked over his shoulder to find both Adrian and Bael staring at him, and then at each other, hungrily. "Yeah..." Josh stared back, not sure what to do—and not willing to let go of Kai anytime soon. "Thanks?" Bael coughed. "We'll call you." He grabbed Adrian's hand before Adrian could say anything else, pulling his lover toward the exit. "Have fun!" Josh could only grin back. "You, too!" Then he turned back to Kai. "So, about these talents..." **** To their credit, they made it back to the house without hands straying too far. Josh wasn't exactly sure how, but at that point, he didn't exactly care. They could've passed by a dancing hermaphrodite on the corner of Hollywood and Vine, 34

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and he wouldn't have noticed. He'd gotten Kai back safely, and that's all that mattered. Until they got home and he could tear all of Kai's dirty clothes off. Josh's hands actually shook as he struggled to fit the key in the lock. And somewhere, from the depths of the small house, he could hear an insistent binging noise. If he didn't know better, he would've sworn that it sounded like the microwave. Not that he needed to consider the implications of that just now. With one last wrench of his wrist, he forced the tumbler on the lock and hustled Kai inside. "You smell," he said flatly, hurrying Kai toward the bathroom. "We should probably fix that." Kai nodded furiously. "And you'll probably have to help," Kai said, tugging at his dirty jeans and ragged T-shirt. "What with me being a recent hostage and all. I'm terribly fragile right now." Josh grinned. "Lead your faithful servant on, my dear mage." This time, Kai actually grinned. Kai had to be distracted at this point, especially by Josh's lips fastened on his, because he didn't insist on folding their clothes as they shed them on the way to the bathroom. In fact, Josh didn't remember much of the walk to the bathroom at all, just that Kai tasted a little stale and a little coppery and a little like that breath mint he'd snuck on the walk back to the house. As if Josh hadn't noticed, since he'd barely let Kai out of arm's reach since they'd broken Kai out. 35

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"Mmm," Josh moaned, especially when Kai's talented tongue seemed to stroke the very back of his throat. That warm mouth pulled back, replaced by teeth that nipped at his lips and nibbled at his throat. "Should I call you mage or vampire?" "Vampires are Unseelie," Kai muttered, licking and tasting the strip of skin under Josh's right ear. "Or at least demonic." "Like those damned pirates and ninjas," Josh breathed back, grabbing Kai by the nape of the neck and bringing his face down for another hungry kiss. Kai pulled back. "You know about them?" Which meant Kai wasn't nearly distracted enough. Warm, minty mouth, thin fingers pressing and touching and caressing the warm, hairy bits between Josh's legs, and a rush of hot water hit him square in the back. Josh groaned at the sensory overload, especially when he noticed Kai beginning to kneel down on the shower tile. "Kai—" Heat engulfed his cock, sucking and nipping it into full-fledged erection. Josh could almost feel the blood draining from every part of his body and heading straight to his dick. God. Hell. Oh ... "Kai!" Wet arms wrapped around his waist, pulling his hips closer. That tongue circled around his cock, tickling his balls and tasting his perineum. Josh tried to resist the urge to fuck that sweet mouth, to drive his penis back in between Kai's lips for more and more of that explosive sucking. Never mind what they both smelled like. Never mind what they both probably tasted like. All Josh could think about was the image of Kai, kneeling between his legs, and the most 36

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talented mouth this side of the Court wrapped around his dick. He'd side with the demons if it meant more of this. He'd give in to the whole Unseelie Court if it meant a lifetime of this. A soap-slicked finger worked its way into his hole, sliding and slipping until it found the magic nerve, and Josh swore he saw that Nirvana that Buddhists were always talking about. Screw meditation. Enlightenment came by way of blowjob, especially when it meant blowing your brains out through your dick as you came in your boyfriend's mouth. "Ung," was the closest he could come to words as his world momentarily darkened. God, that had been the first non-manual orgasm in how long? He leaned against the shower wall, grabbing anything he could. Hopefully, the showerhead would hold his weight. This time. The water gradually cooled, bringing Josh back to his senses. He stared down at Kai, who looked up at Josh with those blue eyes. "Have I said thank you?" his drenched roommate asked, blond curls plastered to his forehead. Josh fell to his own knees, pulling Kai close and kissing Kai as hard as he could. "Just don't do it again," he muttered against Kai's saltytasting mouth. "I can't—" Kai nodded, suddenly serious. "Me either." That was enough melancholy for the night. Josh picked up the soap and quickly began swabbing Kai down, careful to avoid the raging hard-on poking up between Kai's skinny legs. It was a nice-looking dick, long and uncut, nested in a 37

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beautiful little tangle of blond curls. "Natural, huh?" Josh asked with a grin. "Yeah," Kai answered, sounding a little distracted. "Um, clean?" Josh leaned in, sniffing Kai's wet body. "You smell clean to me." Without another word, he threw Kai over his shoulder and dragged his roommate out of the shower. "We have business to attend to." "Debriefing?" Kai squeaked as Josh bounded into his bedroom. "Debriefing," Josh confirmed, tossing Kai into the middle of his queen-sized bed. He moved toward the bed-side table, rummaging for any rubbers he could possibly have left. The Council made everyone get a detailed physical every six months, but that still didn't mean flying naked, no matter how long it had been since either of them had done ... anything. He eyed Kai suspiciously. "You're not..." Kai had the decency to look aghast. "I know I'm a little ... out of touch, but I'm not that bad," Kai protested. "I've been around the block before." Josh sighed with relief. "That's one less thing to worry about." Which meant he could move on to his next concern: that pretty, purply cock waiting just for him. He knelt between Kai's legs, lightly tracing the soft foreskin with his tongue. Kai wiggled his hips, but Josh flattened any attempt to buck with one large hand. "My way," he said, licking once again. "You had your turn." Kai nodded, a glazed look in his feverish blue eyes. 38

A Match Made by the Council by Kara Larson

Josh licked Kai's cock again, following the same path Kai had traced around balls and down Kai's perineum. It didn't take much to move from perineum to crack, tickling the edge of Kai's soapy-tasting hole. He poked and prodded a bit, grinning slightly at each gasp that came out of Kai's mouth. Damn, Kai was sensitive. So responsive, too... He tongued Kai's hole, slipping deeper and deeper with each thrust. Kai's wriggles grew until Kai was all but bucking against Josh's hand holding him flat to the bed. "Josh," Kai said, one step from a whine. "Please..." Kai's legs over his shoulders, Josh's fingers fumbled with the condom, shaking as he rolled it onto his dick. A few squirts of not-yet-expired KY, and he was ready to enter Kai. Those squirts had almost done him in. He doubted it would take long, even with the edge off thanks to Kai's blowjob. They groaned in unison as Josh slid in. It was tight, but Josh slowly wiggled his way further in until he was fully sheathed. "God," Josh breathed, clenching his jaw tight with the effort not to come. "God." Kai smiled slightly. "Close enough." Then he pushed his hips down, somehow taking Josh's cock even deeper. Damn mages and their endless tricks. Josh rocked slowly, hips picking up the rhythm as Kai moved in counterpoint. Their bodies met and fell away again, coming together faster and faster until Josh could almost feel the veins in his dick pulsating in one giant beat. "Fast—fast—" Kai chanted breathlessly. "Josh, I—" The lights flickered, and Josh heard his clock radio crackle. Not that he was going to worry about that right now. 39

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They crested together, Josh's cock spasming within Kai and Kai's own dick painting Josh's stomach white with come. Josh slumped over Kai's thin body, panting as he slowly regained his breath. They lay there for a little while, just staring at each other. Josh slowly pressed his lips to Kai's pale chest, shuddering slightly as he realized how close he'd come to losing his roommate. His friend. His lover. "Kai—" Kai hushed him with two fingers pressed against Josh's lips. "No words," Kai said, his eyes serious. "No words we might regret, or said in haste." Josh nodded, not trusting his voice. That soft smile appeared on Kai's face again, suddenly making him look incredibly wise. "We're at a crossroads here. The edge of the world, about to catapult off." Josh kissed Kai's finger. "I'm ready, if you are," he said. A mage would be an awfully useful partner to have at his side, especially with all the crap the Council neglected to tell him. Kai's smile widened again into a rarely seen, but beautiful grin. "Bring it on." Which brought up another question. "Kai?" Kai looked up at him sleepily. "Hmm?" "Where'd you find the listing for the house?" Blue eyes blinked at him, confused. "The house?" Kai's voice was muzzy. "Um, the Council." Damned interfering old bastards. He wondered if he should send them flowers or chocolates as a thank you. 40

A Match Made by the Council by Kara Larson

"And the whole electronics thing..." One look at his clock radio confirmed that it was fried out of its little electronics, circuits probably scorched given the small spiral of smoke coming from it. Now Kai looked a little more awake, blushing slightly. "Um, we don't really get along so well." Which was probably the reason for the typewriter and Kai's absolute avoidance of the entertainment center. "The microwave?" He swore he had heard it beeping almost longingly the minute they'd stumbled through the door, but that had implications he really didn't want to think about. "We have an ... arrangement," was all Kai would say. They had time to discuss that later, though. Kai distracted him with another kiss, which led to one thing and another and another until Josh forgot everything but the feeling of Kai's warm, lean body against his. Demon and minion allies, mage lovers and roommates who could cook; Josh didn't need a team of pirates and ninjas to tell him that the years ahead suddenly looked a lot brighter. Just as long as he didn't have to worry about the microwave as a romantic rival. The End

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