The Living and the Dead (Tyler G Book 3) Read online

  That probably meant it was Lucy doing it. A thing that he'd never really noticed before, but that almost had to be a part of his whole life. He was basically a meat puppet after all. A toy, in a way. The surrogate child of a woman that had wanted one, but who couldn't have her own.

  Greater Demon women couldn't. Only the men reproduced, for some reason. Normally with Human women, which was interesting. It probably meant that Greater Demons had been Human, originally. Or the other way around.

  Otherwise breeding with them wouldn't be a thing.

  Ginger didn't wait, pulling a sleek silver cell phone from her handbag, after hopping up and going across the room to where it was sitting on a side table. The handbag was blue, to match her skirt. That she was dressed like that probably had to do with her new job, rather than personal choice. She was the Assistant Ambassador for the area after all. It was an important job, and she was really young for it.

  It wasn't just her looks. She'd been turned, against her will, when she was fourteen. That meant she looked that age still. True, at the moment she seemed a bit older than that, but it was down to makeup and how she was dressed. She was actually almost twenty, which made her two years older than Tyler was. They were dating, so that kind of thing came up.

  Still, six years dead was a baby as far as Vampires went. Rebekah would have been a medium level Vamp, given her age and that she wasn't able to stay up all day. Scotty wasn't even that, and each of them was over a hundred and sixty years old. So for Ginger Harris to have her position was a statement. Part of that was nepotism, and the fact that Tyler had set it up for her, because they were together.

  The Vampire Council had let it stand though, because baby or not, the girl had power that had to be respected. She'd gone from a half wild thing that everyone had thought wasn't going to make it, being killed for her lack of self-possession, to a Master Vampire inside of months.

  Because Eve had trained her to be that way.

  She was even younger as a Vampire than Ginger was. Like Lucy had told them though, she was different. A power in her own right already. Tarsus, The Librarian, who was practically the leader of the Greater Demons, as much as they had one, had told Tyler flat out that she was, essentially, a Greater Demon herself. Only, she wasn't. Not by birth. A new thing that was more than what she should have been, made that way through her own work and effort.

  He'd never thought about it before, but nodded to himself. If she could do that, could someone, something, like him do the same? Or possibly take a different path that would also lead to greater abilities. It would depend on what was needed, of course.

  Across the room, Ginger spoke openly.

  "Hey Eve! Can you get a few weeks off to come to Sparks? Rebekah and Scotty want to try your training course. I was thinking we could tack Evan into that as well? He's pretty solid, as far as the council goes... I don't know about that... One sec." She looked at the room and stared at Rebekah directly. "Will you back the Council if it comes to it? In war, or ruling, even if you don't like it?"

  There was a slow bow toward the woman.

  "I will, within reason. I'm not planning to leave my music career at this time, but do stand with the current Council. I can't speak as to how I'll feel in the future."

  Scotty murmured something similar. There was a sense of a real conversation going on that Ty was barely aware of, but after a few moments Ginger smiled.

  "Cool. Thanks E. I think you can stay here. I need to have a chat with Evan. I'm sure he'll be thrilled and excited to hear about what he'll be doing. It will probably mean he ends up moving." There was a shrug then, but she said goodbye and turned to the room as soon as her phone was back in her bag.

  "There! She needs to get the time off, but Edom is willing to help out, even if it means working almost twenty-four hours a day for two weeks, himself. You should send him a blood basket." There was a happiness to her though, as if the whole thing wasn't just good, but a big deal.

  In fact, it seemed almost like she was happy to have gotten it set up on a level that was a bit self-important. Finally, Ty just looked at her and wrinkled his nose.

  "What?" It wasn't very exacting, but she got it and looked a little sheepish.

  "Technically no one can set this kind of thing up without the Council signing off on it. I mean, Eve is allowed to teach anyone she wants, but there are still rules, you know? So for me to set this up and not be called on it means that everyone just accepted that I'm important."

  Rebekah nodded, and then looked away, speaking softly.

  "I don't suppose that you could get that cleared with the higher ups though? I'd really hate to look up one day to see Bey's fist vaporizing my head."

  "Aahhh..."

  Tyler tilted his head as the others went silent.

  "Why not call and ask about it? I mean, people trying to set things up like this that are willing to do it openly like that at least probably aren't going to be a big threat to anyone in power, right? Even if you run for office, or however they do it, later."

  No one seemed to think that was a good idea, but Ginger, a bit slowly for a girl that could move so fast you couldn't see her, went to her phone and made the call. For some reason that Scotty didn't get in particular she tried to get in touch with Bey. She got someone named Gene.

  "Hello? Sir? This is Ginger Harris, you don't know me... Oh? I didn't know that. Well, it isn't a big thing, but I have some people, Vampires, that want to try the daylight training, and... Um, Rebekah and Scotty? Also Evan, he's a local guy. No, he works for us directly. I mean the Council. Yep! I asked and everything. They both agreed. Okay..." She stopped, and didn't do anything for a while, just looking wide eyed and like her world was about to end, but then she smiled. "Really? Thanks. I'll let everyone know that. Bye, sir."

  Rebekah and Scotty both beamed, looking happy, so Ty was able to work out that no one was being put to death or anything. Other than that he didn't have a clue as to what was going on.

  Ginger included him, after a bit.

  "He got several of the others to sign off on it. In fact they're going to let five of us do the training. I get to pick. These two, Evan and two others. They'll probably be sent off after they learn to do it, but it's still really huge. I need to go and... I should probably visit. I..." She looked at him, and then took a forced seeming breath. "No, I'll do it later. In a few days. Or on the phone. Tyler needs me."

  That got him to smile.

  "To make me soup? I'll be fine. These two will help out with food, so that my leg will grow faster, right guys?" He didn't know if either of them could cook or anything, but both of them still nodded, so he'd at least get crusts of bread or whatever was under the kitchen counter. As long as it wasn't flesh, he'd be fine.

  Rebekah smiled then, hugely, which was impressive when she did it.

  "We have him for now. You can set things up with the others. This is great."

  Ginger stood then, and moved over to him, leading with a leaning kiss, avoiding his stumpy right leg.

  "Yeah. Until you do it. After about five or six days though it really isn't that bad. I mean, it will always hurt during the day, but you can both kind of manage that. It's not getting tired that's the hard part. You do wake up at night, so it isn't that bad. Doing it in the summer... Well, I'd pick the winter for it personally, if you wanted to do it the easy way."

  Scotty laughed.

  "Right. Well, the not eating part will both be nice and probably the hardest for me. That part of things is really intense. I'll get some Human style food going. You don't eat meat, right, Tyler?"

  "Right. Thanks. Talk to you later, Ginger?"

  "Yep. I'll probably be back in a few hours. Less than that, if Felicia has a short list as to who she wants to fill the slots with."

  Then, as she often did, the girl vanished. It was just her moving fast, but in a way that was a lot more than running. He'd traveled that way, being carried before. It wasn't just jogging quickly, or even sprinting. It was a blur of color
s, making a rainbow of the world. The process also made it impossible to breathe while it happened. That, as it turned out, wasn't a big issue for him, personally. A regular individual might just have a problem that way.

  Rebekah settled into Ginger's chair, since it was directly across from him.

  "This will really help, if we can do it. Being asleep part of the day is a pain. Not that I can't do better than I have been. I'm old enough that I could push it to about two hours, right around noon. I probably should now. Anyway, we were on the One Legged Boogie? We should practice everything once Steve get's home from work. That Mage, Lisa... She's been working him so hard and often that I wonder if she has designs on him? I've met her a few times. She seems a bit old for him, to be honest, but some men like that these days." It was small talk, rather than a demand for instant action on his part, it seemed.

  "Lisa's cool. Lesbian. I think that she just really needs the help." It was in a candle shop. One that was also the Mage embassy. Steve was doing the sweeping and shelf arranging part of things however, as far as Ty knew.

  The words didn't get any kind of reaction from the Vampires, but Scotty hopped up, moving quickly.

  "So, you wanted soup? Or I could do up some sandwiches for you? Nothing special, but I won't let you starve. Just remember this though, if I ever need help getting something to eat."

  Tyler got the joke about feeding him, but it wouldn't work, personally. He was as dead as the Vampire was. They just fed in different ways, and had slightly different abilities, with Scotty being cooler.

  "Sound good, actually. Mom said I should eat more, earlier. At least until I finish healing. Maybe something with protein? Milk or soy?" He didn't want the man to get confused and bring him a steak or anything.

  "Right. Let me see what I can get for you?"

  Then he moved away, flapping his arms a bit, like he wanted to take off and fly. Since that was, with a bit of shape shifting, a thing he could manage for real, that made sense.

  Then, as if it weren't a joke, Rebekah and Ty played with the "One Legged Boogie" for a while. It was a fun enough thing to do, even though it didn't go with their current sound in the slightest. Just as Scotty was coming with a tray of food that seemed a bit ambitious for one person, the front door opened.

  They were in a room that was a bit down the hall, but a voice called out, letting them know who was there. It wasn't Steve.

  "Hey everyone! It's me, Zack. Steve is here. I'm just returning him."

  When the two men got there the other man, who looked a little younger than the Greater Demon and who had coppery red hair ran at him. It was a happy thing, he thought. It ended with a careful hug, so he took it that way.

  "Ha! I told them you weren't going down that easy. Zack said the leg will be back? That's pretty special. If I get my leg eaten off like that it just stays gone." He winced and shook his head. "Too soon?"

  Ty made a face, but it was a considering one. Then he actually thought about how he felt on the matter.

  "Nope? I was dead at the time, and it kept a little kid alive, so even if I remembered it I wouldn't be whining about it. I mean, I told him to do it. There comes a point where you have to take responsibility for what you do and say, right?" That was a bit too deep it seemed, since he just got pounded on the back a few more times and let go of again.

  Steve looked at all the food.

  "Oooh. Dinner. Good plan. Great plan... I didn't eat all day. Lisa had to go off somewhere, so I just ran the place. By myself. Yeah, I know, you all have to be thinking... Did he burn the mall down? But no, I kind of ruled the whole thing. Not the mall, just the sweeping and shelf straightening parts."

  Tyler took a sandwich, which was mainly cheese, mustard and mayo, with a single lettuce leaf for color. It was oddly good, for all of that.

  "That's impressive. Being in charge like that. I don't get to be in charge of anything hardly. Just the Coalition of Nations. Speaking of which, I should call and check in with everyone. Tomorrow though, so I can do it early. People love being woken up at dawn to answer questions about things they don't really care about, don't they?"

  That got an eye role from Zack, who stole a sandwich and ate a bite before saying anything. It was on white bread, but he didn't seem to mind.

  "That's a bit bitter sounding for someone so young. Yeah, people aren't lining up to kiss your behind yet, but they do tend to form in a sort of collection around you already. Keep up the good work and in a decade or so your behind will be chapped on a regular basis."

  That got a snort in return, as Ty looked at the Greater Demon.

  "On the good side you won't have to cut my arm off and eat it to get me to not trust Demons. I get that one on a nice deep level now." He really did. Not that it would help him in the end.

  After all, as much as he loved his adopted mother, he couldn't be free of her. Ever. Not without eating people to keep going, which was a thing that he wasn't going to allow. Everyone should have figured that one out at least. God got it, he bet.

  It felt weird thinking of the deity as being real. Worse when he considered that the poor fellow, if he was a guy, had watched every bowel movement he'd ever had. Also seen what he did in the shower. He decided to treat it like he was his boyfriend, rather than a creepy stalker.

  For which, no doubt, he was going to burn in hell for a long, long time.

  Or he would, if dying was an option. That didn't seem likely for him. He wouldn't let Lucy die, and other than doing that, the only way he was going to end was if she let him go. No doubt she'd order him to not feel sad or suicidal, and then he'd simply go on, until she was done with him.

  Not that he wanted to die yet. One day it would be time. In a hundred years, or five hundred. It would, eventually, happen. On that day, what would be said, he didn't know.

  For now though it was probably enough to eat sandwiches and not let the Greater Demon in front of him touch him, or figure out that he wasn't totally happy with life. It might not be perfect, but it was how he felt, and that was worth something. To him. It wasn't perfect and glowing all the time, but there was an honesty to it.

  Zack smiled, like he was reading his mind, and finished his food.

  "Well, all and sundry, I need to be getting on now. Try not to be eaten up like this, next time? I know that Lucy was very upset when we found you. She nearly killed Henry. The boy? For eating your leg. Thank god you told him to do it. That was the only thing that saved him. That was..." He looked ready to take him to task for it, for being stupid or too slow to save them in that situation, but then shook his head. "That was incredible, Tyler. Good thing that crack opened up like that, and let in some water. It shouldn't have happened, you know that right?"

  Tyler did, but didn't know if the Greater Demon in front of him would be able to work out what had really happened.

  "Yeah. I prayed. It worked."

  The man tilted his head, and nodded.

  "The thing there is that I don't think God answers prayers. Not like that. My guess is that you made that happen. Henry didn't." He glanced around the room, and shrugged. "Yeah, God is real. Also very different than what you think. I wouldn't count on him, or his Angels for anything in particular. Or talk to the other Greater Demons about it. They can't remember that it's real, being sane like they are. So, score one for being a wack-job, right? I seem to be the only one of us that can do it without major problems. Go figure."

  Rebekah grinned at him, one filled with teeth, which turned up cutely at the sides.

  "I know that one myself. I always wondered why that was. The whole God thing. It's so hard to remember that one as more than fiction. Anyway, we should get to work, after the boys eat. See you tomorrow?"

  Zack smiled in return, and then winked at her.

  "Yep. I'm bringing Jonas in at ten, your time. I hear that you're going to be awake to see him? That will be fun. See you then."

  There was a nod for each of them, and then the skinny, half Japanese looking man walked out of the ro
om. Leaving a sense of himself in his passing.

  Chapter three

  The night went well, though Steve had to go to sleep earlier than everyone else. They did get a few solid hours of practice in however, and started to re-work what they wanted for the first album, which was really fast for that kind of thing. So much so that Rebekah kept grinning about it all when she spoke on the topic.

  About the time Steve was fading, she stood, stretched and shook her head.

  "Next week? We can have the studio at any time, since Keeley owns one in the area. Then... Well, it either works or not. We'll get the advertising we need and if we don't suck too much, our stuff will be played on the radio. That's one of the perks of working with Demons. Stuff gets done."

  Scotty sighed, drummed on the pad in his hand a few times and then looked up at the decently tall all white woman.

  "I suppose. Is it worth the cost in the end however? We owe her so much already that to add to it is foolish. One day she'll be coming around to ask us for repayment. What would a being like her wish for, when it happens? I doubt it will be for hugs and cuddles." The tone was dismal, with a slight hint of fear and anger underneath it all. Scotty's eyes were generally all black, or more exactly a deep brown color that was a bit too close to black for most to bother noticing.

  Now they were all red. It was a Vampire thing, Tyler thought. Some, like Rebekah, had that going on all the time. The orbs were solid red, with no whites. Others, like Ginger and Scotty went back and forth between normal and horror show, depending on their mood. Generally if you saw red, someone was in trouble.

  That thought got him to look around, and oddly enough feel a little worried. Ginger wasn't back, and it was after midnight by several hours. Steve didn't have to work the next day, so had stayed up later than was normal for him. Still, he'd figured that the others, Calley and Ginger, would have been back by then.

  Before he could mention any of that, his cell phone rang. He couldn't even hear it, since it was upstairs, in his room. Far away from himself. Left there by one of the others at some point, so he could rest. Rebekah ran to get it, and was talking on it, holding the black thing to the side of her head as she scurried back.