Chapter 1

I knew he was there. Not because I could sense him, because I couldn't, even with my abilities. No, it was the very lack of presence as well as the faintest trace of moisture coming from behind me and slightly to the left. I would have shrugged it off had it not been following me for the last two blocks.

"Last I checked," I said aloud, "water doesn't usually shadow people." There was no response as the presence vanished completely, not that I'd expected one. Not from him.

I continued walking, the sinking sun and tall buildings along Main Street combining to make the early evening darker, though not too dark for my eyes. Cats see very well in the dark and my vision is better still.

I hadn't even made it to the next building when a darker shadow moved forward, detaching itself from its fellows as I drew nearer, materializing out of nothing.

The man that fell into step beside me was almost six feet tall, skin a dark tan that could never be accomplished by lotions or tanning beds and clothes that practically swallowed him, giving him the appearance of a small, scrawny build; an easy target. It was difficult to see the rest of him, the shadows seeming to cling to him like a heavy blanket, defying even my keen eyesight.

"Nice night for a walk?" I asked as we continued down the street, his speed slowing to match my easy stride.

"Maybe." His voice was smooth and without infliction, controlled. It always was. He slid his hands into his pockets and tilted his head, damp hair cut just below his shoulders sliding forward to further shadow his face.

I smiled. I always enjoyed exploiting his tiny mistakes, mistakes that, if I hadn't known him for four years, I never would have noticed. Mistakes that wouldn't have happened had he been hunting.

As it was, it was a test. He did that from time to time, keeping me on my toes, as it were. "Enemies are everywhere," he would tell me; "you never know when they'll strike, so keep watch." Even for a Demon he was paranoid. But old things don't become old otherwise; just ask a Vampire.

"Any plans for tonight?" I asked, turning down one of the numerous side streets that littered downtown Murdoc. Street lights cast a golden glow upon us, helping to light the way for others as we made our way past restaurant patrons dining out under the newly-risen stars. The evening air was cooling, but still nice to me despite the taint of car exhaust.

"I'll probably just pick up something to eat and hit the sack. I'm tired as hell." Passing directly under a light, the shadows receded enough that I could see the lines of weariness around his mouth and eyes.

He'd been gone all week on business, suddenly appearing in the middle of my martial arts class. He wasn't even in my class; he was a more advanced student who liked to work with us occasionally. I think it served to remind him that he'd once been less-skilled and that the only way to get better and stay better was with all the hard work he put into it.

I never asked what he did when he left, what kind of business he owned that required him to travel the world, despite my curiosity. I figured he'd tell me if he wanted to. Besides, there weren't too many things a 1,700 year old Demon couldn't do if he put his mind to it. His relative wealth meant little; when you've lived as long as he has, riches accumulate, or so I've been told. Myself, if it weren't for the fact that one of my families had given me the small chunk of land that my equally small house sat on, I would be very poor, indeed.

"There's left over chicken casserole in the fridge," I told him as we rounded the final corner and my car came into sight. Whenever he was away, I'd go over to his huge house and keep his man Marcus company.

Marcus reminded me of Alfred from Batman. He wasn't really his servant; he kept charge of his projects while Talon was away, guarding his house as well as keeping it up. He was more open than Talon, talking freely of the places they've traveled and experiences they've shared. He didn't reveal anything about themselves that wasn't common knowledge, or at least nothing that could compromise either of them.

He often asked me over to give my opinion on various things, from new recipes to redecorating, not that he needed it; the man had excellent taste. For the most part, it was just him and Marcus in that house, though cleaning crews came by about once a week, and I knew he was lonely. I was, too, sometimes, so I'd go over and we'd keep the bad spirits of melancholy at bay.

"New recipe?" Talon asked, sliding in the passenger seat of my beat up little blue Toyota. He had a whole garage full of vehicles, mostly high end or recreational, but, unless he had somewhere to be after class he generally hitched a ride with me back to my place and walked home from there. Considering his house was across the pond and up a cliff from mine, it made sense; don't ask me how he got into town without a vehicle.

"No, actually, I made it for dinner last night," I told him, pulling out of the parking lot and making my way down Hope Street, avoiding the busier Main Street we'd just come from. "Aunt Gene and Aunt Annie went to help with a Meet." I shrugged. Aunt Gene and Aunt Annie were Witches, fairly powerful ones at that, and could be called upon for almost anything. A Meet was a gathering of Witches, pretty much a get-together they held periodically. It was also where initiates came forth for apprenticeship and apprentices were deemed qualified to practice on their own. "A few of the council couldn't make it, so they stepped in. Since they'd had to leave before it was done, I went up to your place to share with Marcus."

"Did it go okay?" he asked, his ever vigilant eyes surveying the area around us. I liked to think he was watching for the ever-present danger of wildlife and not enemies. Ignorance is bliss, so I never asked.

"Yeah, it went great. Billy is now on his own and they acquired two new apprentices." Billy had been Aunt Annie's apprentice for six years, specializing in Healing. She loved to teach, so she'd been more than willing to accept more students immediately instead of taking a break. "How was your trip?"