Free Eternal Craving by Nina Bangs

you?”
    Supreme leader? God? Stake resisted the temptation. “Just call me Stake. Not my real name. Only a fool hands out his real name. I like Stake because it reminds me that I have a huge stake in your success.” Always make the workers think you’re doing it all for them.
    “Anyone else want to walk away from my offer?” No one raised a hand. The example of one dumb demon had done the trick. Too bad. The demon hadn’t been any fun. Anything that didn’t involve blood couldn’t be classified as entertainment.
    “Good, good. My people will pass out forms to everyone. Name, address, phone number, that kind of stuff. Fill out the forms and leave them on the small table by the door as you leave. Someone will contact you in a few days. And I’m going to stand by the door to shake every one of your hands.”
    The forms meant nothing. The handshake was everything. As he touched each hand, he’d slip into the worker’s mind and know immediately if he or she was truly committed. Any who were lying or planning to betray the movement would be dealt with.
    He’d let them think they’d fooled him. But once he’d touched them, they were his. They couldn’t run far enough to escape him. He could call them to him, or if he didn’t feel like taking the time to destroy their betraying butts, he could send other workers out to do the job for him.
    And when he’d completed his recruitment duties in Philadelphia and was ready to move on to the next city, he’d use the memory of that touch to gather them together one last time. By then he’d have a well-oiled organization in place to carry on in place of him.
    Once finished with the handshaking, he allowed his thoughts to wander. Fin and the other Gods of the Night had to be dealt with. Gods of the Night? His leader had chosen that name, but Stake thought it gave them a lot more importance than they deserved.
    “What do you want done with the body parts, boss?”
    Stake abandoned his thoughts to deal with the worker’s question. “Move them, then come back and clean up this place. Find a public building and dump them there to be found in the morning. Make sure you smear lots of blood on the walls and floors. It’s time for the real fear to start. Wars are won on many levels. A terrified enemy is an easier enemy to defeat. Philadelphia is about to get its first taste of battle waged on a level it can’t begin to understand. Or stop.”
    Seir stood in the shadows and watched. Perhaps he’d show up at Stake’s next party. Maybe he’d even offer his help. After all, he’d been a big help to Nine. In a twisted sort of way.
    Of course, he was playing both ends against the middle. He’d played the game so long, he’d almost forgotten which side he was really on. Loyalties were a bitch. Oh, wait. He didn’t have any loyalties. That made things a lot easier.
    He watched as they all came out, the ones who had survived that is. Finally, Stake, aka Eight, emerged. Self-satisfied bastard. All eight of them were. Zero was the exception. Zero had his head screwed on right. Could he help it if the hired help was less than he was? Jeez, it was hard to find good immortal flunkeys nowadays.
    The thought dragged a grin from him. His grin died, though, when he realized Stake’s followers were carrying body parts out in big plastic bags. Seir could smell the coppery scent of blood. He scanned their thoughts. Looked like Stake was firing the first major shot in his war against Philly’s human population. The terror was beginning.
    “As you knew it would.”
    The voice in his head startled him. Balan. Seir slid his gaze to the many shadowed places not lit by the lone security light. There. Amber eyes glowed intense and intelligent as the blacker shape of the jaguar almost, but not quite, blended into the shadows.
    Why was Balan here? Seir knew he was the immortals’ messenger, but he owed his allegiance to the head guy. Allegiances could be fluid, though. He should know.
    Balan had