86 Coven III : Lukas The Devil 2

THE PIT

WHITE DISTRICT

NIGHT WRAITH HEADQUARTERS

XASEAH THEOLHEIM COR.

I couldn't believe I was back here. I wasn't sacred or anything, is just that I never once imagined I would be coming back not as a slave, but as a potential business partner. I've come a long way from the enforcer I once was, it's not as if I knew who I was now, but at least in a way I was now free to decide my own destiny and fate. I found love, twice as much than was expected, and I was happy for it. I drew strength from them, and I was sure that Lukas would find me a very different woman than he expects.

We made our way into the tower amidst stares and hushed whisper as we drew everyone's attention to ourselves. The night wraith gang is the stomping ground of not just employed vampires, but every criminally disposed race on Shearath. While the gangsters within the gang did not care one bit for numbers or any thing official, it has been discovered that the Night wraith gang was the most racially diverse and populated gang in the whole pit, with an estimated 124 different species of varying numbers living and working from the tower.

I didn't have to mince words with a lot of people, even though I had spent five years here, I was not that close to anyone but my partner Bob, but he seems to be on assignment, since I could not see him anywhere in the lobby. I made my way towards the elevator at the periphery of the tower, and went in with Asha and Varsessa unhindered.

I knew he moment I stepped foot in the white district, Lukas already knew I was coming. So no one bothered to stop us,either did I bother anyone with announcing our presence to Lukas.

The elevator ride to Lukas's office was rather bland and none eventful, it created a nervous air around us, but I suspected that I was the only one feeling that way. I looked at my right, stealing a glance at Asha before facing forward. She was so strong, so focused, so calm.

It was taking all of my concentration to not tap my feet in anxiety, yet she was standing there, solid and unshaken. I was envious of her strength.

I felt her grab my hand, startling me out of my thoughts. Then I heard her voice in my head.

[I get nervous to Xaseah, the trick to it is knowing and imagining that none of the people beyond that door is as harass or dangerous as you. After all, you're a lioness, a queen among beasts and monsters. Do not seek for confidence my love, command it.]

Her very words were like fire on my skin. The confidence she gave me was such that I've never experienced before. She made me feel like I could bring the world crumbling down to it's knees. This was more than just confidence, it was borderline arrogant with a severe case of entitlement. But I loved her none the less, she knew exactly what she was capable of, and took great pride in it, like a true lioness.

The elevator doors opened and we were met by two rows of guards standing on each side of a long hallway.

Seems like Lukas has doubled his security, I wonder what he'safraid of. We made our way right through their middle, and to be honest it took great courage for me to not do one of two things, first is start screaming as I shoved my finger into someone's eyeball, or kick one of these men in the balls, maybe the small one over there...…oh wait!That's a woman.

The thing about me is that, I would be nervous when people stared at me or paid attention to me. I would shiver when I have to stand in front of a crowd and deliver a speech.

But put me in a room full of guys no shorter than five foot eight, packed with muscles and each of them capable of snapping my neck in a second.....I don't run, I don't squirm, I don't shiver, I kick ass. They say there's a fight or flight response when someone's scared. But I think I was born deficient, I don't run, I never run...….I fight.

We went on ahead an opened the two double doors eating for us at the end of this hallway. Lukas was there, sitting in the same position he was when I had last seen. He had the same posture, gait, grace and tried tilt of his shoulders. The moment he saw us, he quickly jumped up to his feet to welcome us in.

"Elder Asha, lady Xaseah and....please forgive me as I'm quite unfamiliar with this beautiful lady. But none the less, welcome to my humble abode, what can I d for you all?" He asked as he sat back down.

We all sat down opposite him, Asha with more grace thanVarsessa and I could muster. I wanted to say what I wanted to, get to the crux of the matter and get the hell out of here. But Asha beat me to the punch as she spoke up first.

"Good day to you Lukas I hope you've been doing well?" She said to him in a warm tone.

"Yes elder Asha, we've all been doing quite fine this last few months, and that's mainly due to the generous donations of Lord Kael. It's a shame what has happened to him, is there no change to his situation. If you like, I can have my best clerics and doctors take a look at his condition, maybe we can figure out a way to wake him up." Lukas said as he pushed himself forward to the edge of his seat.

"You don't have to worry about that Lukas, we can manage. However we need to talk to you about some really sensitive information, so please do me a favor and send out your guards, both those hidden and the ones we can see now." Asha said to him as she leaned back and crossed her legs, exposing a little bit of skin from under her simple dress.

Asha was thinking ahead again, I never even considered the fact that we had to speak with Lukas privately. Even though we were not going to be given him a whole lot of information and were just extending an invitation, any sane person can read between the lines and know we're up to something. And one careless comment to friends or a partner, could bring us under more scrutiny that we're already under.

"Ah! Elder Asha, my guards are trustworthy. They're here to ensure my safety, in case some of my visitors get a little upset. They're here as a deferent." Hesaid politely.

But even through his politeness, I could see he had just refused. But the way he did it surprised me. He didn't outright say no, instead he circumvented the situation and placed himself in a position of weakness.

It might look like he was making excuses but what he was really saying would be something like 'Say what you have to Say. I don't trust anyone of you enough to speak to you in private.' If that was all he had to say, then why in Gods name did he have to be so shifty about this. That's why diplomats and politicians scared me, every word and action the say and make, just had to have one layer of scheming after another. And Asha seems to be a master of it.

"Please don't be rude Lukas, we're three helpless and sealed women. What kind of threat can we pose to a big strong devil like you. What we have to say to you is very important and concerns the future of your operations in the pit. It's not for unworthy ears." Asha said to him.

She was putting him on the spot, manipulating and maneuvering him into a position where she could poke and prod at his ego. If he insists on keeping his guards, he would be admitting that he was somewhat scared and wary of the women in front of him. Such a decision no matter harmless it might seem to others, would hurt his image in the eyes of his subordinates.

Fortunately Devils were mostly driven by the sins greed and pride. And Asha just called his pride into question, and placed words that would incur the attention of his greed. There was no way he could win, he lost the moment Asha stepped into this tower.

"Very well, as you wish." Lukas flicked his sleeves as the four guards behind him, and surprisingly eight others who just seemed to appear out of thin air made their way outside his office. Then he turned to Asha and said.

"Elder Asha, I've done as you asked. Now can you tell me what it is you want to say."

"When I said all of your hidden guards Lukas, I meant all of them which includes the two vampires of the Shadower rank hiding within your shadow."

Lukas's eyes widened to twice its size as his tail quivered and swung erratically behind him in abject shock and surprise. But he quickly washed the look of his face and said to her.

"My congratulations to the Elder on her full unsealing, it seems it would be futile and stupid to hide things from you. Very well then, I will do as you ask."

Their entire conversation has been a negotiation from the start, a war off words that put Asha on equal standing with Lukas based on reputation alone. However the tables turned when he discovered that she was fully unsealed and had complete access to her abilities. If she wanted to kill him, she didn't have to send all his guards out. She would have done it at the snap of her finger.

Lukas's shadow shook and flickered a little before it finally settled. Then he gave a nod to indicate he had sent the vampires out. Then he gestured for us to speak. Asha gave my leg a tap asking me to take over.

But I was still a little shocked about the sudden knowledge that there were unsealed vampires in the pit, and some of them were even serving Lukas. What the hell was going on here? Either way as all things with the pit, it would be exposed eventually, though it might take a few to almost a dozen years at most. I needed to put my head back in the game.

"Lukas I can'tsay it's a pleasure to see you again, so I'll cut the bullshit and get straight to the point. My master wants to see you within the confines and protection of his tower within two days. You're to come alone and in secret. I hope you honor this invitation, both of our futures in the pit depends on your compliance. Not to mention coming for this meeting would probably make you rich beyond your wildest dreams."

I ignored both Varsessa and Asha's wide eyed look from my sides. I might have come off as a little overbearing. There was no tact, and I knew I hadjust lost control of my emotions due to my previous history with Lukas. 'oh my God what have I done!' I actually just imposed myself and practically gave orders to an existence that ran thirty percent of the Pit's economy. We're screwed.

"Well I would have used softer words if I was the one rendering an invitation, but I'm quite familiar with your character Xaseah so I won't take offense. Very well, I accept you invitation, tell my friend I will come see him two days hence for our discussion. And extend my congratulations to him on his waking up from a coma." Lukas said in level voice.

I nodded my head and was about to jump to my feet before I said something else that threw everything else into jeopardy, butVarsessa had words of her own too.

"Please Mr. Lukas, I hope we don't need to impress upon you the urgency of this invitation and the risks we took to get it to you. Please keep this meeting and all of your subsequent dealings with our master a secret. Thank you." Lukas nodded and got up to his feet as he escorted us out of the entire tower itself. I don't think I started breathingnormally until the teleportation platform sent us to the entrance of the blue district. Well we've done what we sent out to do, now we just had to wait for Lukas to show up.