Daemons and Demons Book One.

Chapter One

Anyone's life is not for granted. Of course it’s taken for granted and mortals live their lives like nothing could ever go wrong until proven otherwise. Everyone is immortal until proven not, was the type of mindset most humans took. Which is why Iver found them absolutely fascinating.

Humans were fascinating. For him especially. In his nineteen years on this remote, forbidden planet humans had never ceased to amaze him. They could go through trauma most shifters struggled with and bounce back. Wounds that would take shifters days to heal could take humans months, and they took it all within their stride. 

And humans didn’t need the formality of living in communities. Of course they followed commands as easily as a dog, living under a government and royal family, but they didn’t have pack mentality like so many other species. Species that humans didn’t even know existed. Hidden in their lives, classes, work places, living with them. 

It amazed him.

“Daydreaming again?”

The young voice made him jump from where he watched the humans from the roof. He ignored the voice, turning back to who he was meant to be watching. Distractions would get you killed.

The vampire blended well into the stream of humans, even if what he wore was out of place. Iver followed from the rooftops as he went around corners only to disappear down an alley.

“Always alleys.” He complained.

Hiding in the shadows he looked between the buildings. Stood at the base of one, not looking too out of place was a large man, to any human a homeless person. To anyone else, the bouncer to a club, a market. And from the sigil painted on the outside wall, not just any club, one of Kali’s.

“What are you thinking Hannah?” Iver turned his attention to the jackdaw that followed him. “Ogre?”

“Nah.” The bird flew a little closer before returning. “Half ogre. The rest human.”

Another thing that amazed him, human’s ability to breed with literally anything. Which so far seemed to be almost everything.

“Have you worked a way into there yet?”

Iver gave the bird a smile. He dropped down the side of the building, his cape dancing behind him. The ogre stood sizing himself up against the hooded figure. Hannah followed, shifting into a large lioness form with a blinding flash. She hissed and growled while the ogre stood unimpressed. The sight of a morphing demon normally caused men older than the ogre to soil themselves, but he didn’t even bat a grim eyelid.

“I’m here to meet with Kali.” The ogre's face stiffened. “She says she has another assignment for me. Rumour states she’s getting rid of bad security.”

The guard stood to the side, Iver patted his face as he, with a lion in toe, walked past. Hannah morphed to sit on his shoulder as a falcon as they surveyed the room. It worked every time. One mention of that name had men cowering.

Scents hit Iver’s nose that even his specially designed mask didn’t block, he tried his best to not let it affect him. Drugs and smoke filled the air, the scents sweet yet sharp. Other scents he didn’t dare linger on too long from piles on the floor, but it wasn’t that he cared about. 

Vampires were easy to identify by their decaying scent. As the demon in the human body began to eat away after days without meals. It’s why vampires had to eat almost daily or risk killing themselves. However hunting was dangerous, it’s how most vampires died.

He sat at a position in the bar, ordering himself a drink. A place he could watch and listen until he found that vampire again. He couldn’t leave it walking around for too much longer.