Free Demon Blood: A Demon Soul Prequel (The Caine Brothers) by Christine Ashworth

Chapter 1
    T he night was dark , with even the moon resting before starting anew on her cycle of growth.
    Santa Monica, California was quiet this hot summer night. The bars were closed, and the streets were empty. Jimmy Carter had been sworn in as President of the United States, and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing presided over France.
    Marie-Therese Gosse stretched her calves and quads before heading down the cement stairs to the beach. It was her favorite time to run, whatever continent she happened to be on. She’d been told it was the best time and place to meet Gideon Caine. A difficult man to track down, but she was determined to find him. Seeing as how she’d come here from France to ask him for help, she hoped her informant was accurate, as the run tonight had a dual purpose.
    Find Gideon Caine, and get him to teach her how to close a portal to the Chaos Plane.
    She took the last few steps at a leap and landed on the sand. She breathed deeply of the fresh ocean air and marveled at the beauty of the night. The sand stretched far on both sides, and the froth of the waves seemed to glow in the darkness.
    She shook her arms out while jogging in place. “Stop stalling,” she muttered, before sprinting for the ocean. Once she hit the wet, hard-packed sand, she turned south toward the pier.
    Not even a mile into her run, sweat gathered between her shoulders, causing her skin to itch under the leather harness on her back that held her knives.
    Need and nerves grew stronger the further she headed south. Damn it, where was Caine?
    As she drew closer to the pier, she stopped, sneezed, and stared. Only one thing made her react that way. The scent, reminiscent of moldy cheese mixed with the ashes of a liar, always signaled demon.
    Ahead of her, the demon – looked like a Boargan - and a man were locked in battle. A noise prevention spell had to be in place because no sound came from the two as they fought.
    She watched the Boargan attack. Twice the size of a wild boar, its body was covered in coarse brown hair. The spiraled tusks, protruding from its snout, secreted a deadly poison.
    The noise-canceling spell prevented her from hearing its high-pitched squeal as the man’s blade disappeared into the base of its skull then was pulled free. Blood dripped from the steel tip as the man danced gracefully out of the Boargan’s way.
    He had to be a hunter, like her. A Warrior Fae. His bare chest and jeans were splattered with demon blood. Must be Gideon Caine, she mused. He was easily half a head taller than her six-foot frame.
    Her muscles flexed along with his as the Boargan rounded about, then charged.
    He leapt high into the air, coming down hard on the beast’s back. Starlight flashed across the blade as the hunter sliced the demon’s throat ear to ear. It stumbled and fell to its knees, swaying in pain. Blood spread over the sand and the demon collapsed in a heap. The hunter brought out a book of matches, struck one and flicked it onto the demon. Flames engulfed the creature.
    Her skin had flushed watching the show. It had been a while since she’d fucked, and the exhilaration of seeing the fight made her hot, as always. The man made her hotter. She edged forward into the light of the dying fire before forcing herself to stop.
    A slight pop sounded as the bubble of silence vanished. The waves rushed the shore. The demon-fire burned out, a gust of wind scattered the ash, then everything stilled. It was time to meet the he-man.
    “Gideon Caine. You’re a difficult man to find.”
    The man stilled. Took a moment before turning to face her. “You’ve found me, though.” He plunged his knife into the sand several times, cleaning it. “What do you want?” He straightened, slid his knife home into the holster strapped around his waist and tied to one strong thigh.
    Marie-Therese tilted her head and studied him. “You have a good way with a blade.” He also had a rough quality to his voice that melted her panties. It had been