My Demon Saint (2 page)

Ume dragged herself out of her private pity party and lifted an eyebrow. “What kind of news? Were these baby pictures smoothing the way? Did more happen in Scotland than just dirty inspiration?”

Julie blushed and pushed on Ume’s shoulder playfully. “Ha ha. No babies. But it does have a little to do with my inspiration. My last ebook just became the bestselling paranormal romance of the year. My editor tells me its breaking sales records left and right.”

Ume squealed and Julie blushed deeper, looking down at her hands. Ume rolled her eyes. “Don’t give me that good little daughter expression. You deserve to be proud. If your parents didn’t have to be kept in the dark about what you do for a living, I’d shout it from the rooftops. Luckily for you, neither one of them knows how to use a cell phone, let alone a computer.”

Julie giggled. “Which is one of the main reasons I decided to write online.” She glanced up at Ume through her lashes. “It
is
exciting.”

Ume nodded forcefully. “Yes. It is. And just think, all of this because of your secret obsession with those online webisodes. Now that I’ve read your story, I really wish you’d tell me more about your time up there. I mean, the parts I wasn’t watching live, of course. Did you ever find out how they did it?”

Julie’s brow wrinkled. “How they did what?”

“All those special effects.” Ume waved her hand expressively. “The ghosts, the strange goings on. How did they do all that live?”

“They’re real, Ume. That’s how they did it. I told you that.”

Julie sounded so confident, so certain, that Ume didn’t laugh—though she didn’t,
couldn’t
believe. There lay a slippery slope, believing that magic was real. A slope her mother had fallen down long before her death.

Julie seemed to have a similar imagination, but she’d made a career out of hers. The hardest part was Ume wanted to believe it too. Wasn’t that why
she’d
become obsessed with that ridiculous game around the same time Julie had started watching
Shifting Reality
?

Julie was still studying her. Waiting for her reaction. “So what you’re saying is, that werewolf in your story is real? Cause he was
hot
.”

Her cousin stood so quickly she almost spilled the drinks in front of her. “You’re changing the subject. But, yes. He’s real too.”

There was something in Julie’s voice. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Julie shrugged, her smile not quite disguising the regret in her eyes. “There’s nothing to tell. Because I wasn’t brave enough to take what I wanted. Story of my life.”

Ume reached for her cousin’s hand, her heart aching at her words. “Jules, don’t say that. I’ve never known anyone braver than you. You put yourself out there every day. You wanted to write, and you succeeded. You flew to Scotland to be on camera, having no idea what you were letting yourself in for.” She smiled charmingly. “And you’re the only one who can deal with me when I get all maudlin and bitter. If you’re not brave I don’t know who is.”

Julie squeezed her hand. “You are, Ume. If you’d been there, if you’d seen the man you wanted, you wouldn’t have hesitated. You would’ve jumped in with both feet and never looked back.”

Ume’s smile wavered. “Yeah. Look where that got me.”

She thought about Julie’s last abusive relationship, the controlling man who’d convinced her family he was the perfect suitor. And Ume had had her own brush with a wild, uncontrollable hellion who loved to drink more than anything. Including her. Ume may have deserved her fate for being so reckless, but Julie didn’t. She deserved to have someone love her passionately. Someone who didn’t want to change her.

Too bad the world was full of jackasses.

A few hours later, she leaned back against her pillows, emotionally worn out. Werewolf or not, it was obvious Julie had feelings about a man she didn’t believe she could have. Ume’s protective instincts had come out full force. If she knew where he lived she would drag him to her cousin’s house herself, and wrap him up for her in a neat little bow, shifter or not.

It boggled Ume’s mind. Julie truly believed in all of it. In shifters and vampires, ghosts and demons.

Oni
was the name her mother used for the demons she was constantly trying to protect Ume from. But in her stories the evil spirits never looked like the one from
Shifting Reality
. Saint.

When she’s seen him on camera, he’d always been looking down at some device, his dark hair swooping across his forehead, concealing his eyes. But from what she
could
see, he was gorgeous. Nothing like a troll or monster. Nothing that would kill you or steal your soul. The worst that beautiful creature could do was break a heart or twelve.

She had to admit, at least to herself, that seeing him in a link from one of Julie’s emails was what initially had her looking up the online role-playing game he’d created.
Demon Saint
.

Usually she preferred her entertainment to be active, out of doors, somewhere in nature. But being confined for the last few years had gotten her a little too involved in soap operas, reality shows and online games.

When she saw how big the world of
Demon Saint
was, how challenging…she simply couldn’t resist. Nothing had helped her pass the time between therapy sessions, or deal with her never-ending insomnia, better than the online quests.

Just thinking about it gave her a burst of energy. She opened her laptop and quickly typed in the password to enter the game. On the screen she could see her character statistics and the quests, or storylines, she was currently involved in.

She also saw Plum, the name she’d given the figure that she controlled within the confines of the game. Plum was the English translation for Ume, and she had to admit, she had fun bringing her character to life.

The creation of her avatar had taken days, and it was a masterpiece in her opinion. Just the right combination of warrior and mystic to be a sought-after player.

Maybe she’d gotten her mother’s imagination after all. Plum was nothing if not an homage to her mother’s beliefs. A female
kitsune
. A fox spirit with the ability to appear human and magic enough to fight the different demons the game created to challenge its players.

Ume had also created a talisman for her character. A necklace with a single, perfect pearl. A
hoshi no tama,
a star ball, believed to be the energy of the
kitsune
spirit, as well as protection against evil.

Her character was everything her poor mother believed Ume was. Special. A defender against the
Oni
. Powerful.

It was, without a doubt, the height of escapism. But she was addicted to this game. And, she reached up to grasp the teardrop pearl around her own neck, it reminded her of her past. Of her mother’s stories.

If only her mother and Julie were both right. If only it were real.

Chapter Two

What in Hell was going on?

Scratch that. He knew exactly what was going on in Hell. The stereotypical slashing and shattering of hopes and dreams. Sex, drugs, rock and roll and the occasional sacrifice. And that was just the first level. What Saint really wanted to know was, what was going on with
him
?

Liam was on his way to San Francisco, armed with a Bluetooth and the promise of help from a demon. Half demon, but it meant the same thing. Saint was as bound to that promise as he was to his next breath. Especially since it would get him what he wanted in return.

Ume.

He was like a junkie, terrified and longing for the next fix. He’d touched her life for an instant, and now he couldn’t wait to get back. So why hadn’t he? Why was he hesitating?

He’d felt something, a jolt, a connection that he’d never felt before. It was as though a ghost had reached in to grip his heart. Among other things. Almost as if she’d touched him back. Connected to him without even being aware of it herself.

How was that possible? She was related to Julie Wu. And Julie was one hundred percent human. From that swift influx of feeling and information he’d received, Ume was too. But then, how had she affected him so strongly?

There was nothing to do but reconnect. Find the answers he needed. He wouldn’t be able to relax until he had them.

He caressed his phone and opened his laptop, feeling the energy from both of them. Through these portals lay the life force of a billion souls crying out to be heard, to be seen in the darkness. They pulsed with desires. They resonated in his mind, a symphony of secret sins, a carnal cacophony of greed and lust, envy and fear. And hope. That one refrain that always set humans apart. Hope in the face of uncertainty and the knowledge of their temporary natures. It brought the rest into harmony. Gave it purpose.

But he didn’t want to listen to their music tonight. He only wanted to hear one voice. Hers.
Find Ume.

With a thought he was there. In her home. In her life. Invading every facet without remorse. This was an unknown entity. This was war. He felt the heat of her body as though she were beside him, and he knew it was true. She was different. If the feeling wasn’t enough, irrefutable proof appeared right in front of him.

She was playing his game.

When he scrolled through her stats and found the date she began playing, his jaw dropped. Months. Closer to a year. She had leveled up dozens of times, been online nearly as often as he had, and he’d never noticed her.

It wasn’t possible.

If he was just a man, maybe. The world of
Demon Saint
was large, even by serious gamer standards. For a normal man it would be tantamount to finding the proverbial needle in a mountain of hay.

Saint was not a man. This was his game. It was a part of him. He hadn’t just developed the code—he
was
the code. He created as he went, for individual and group desires, with demons to challenge each avatar’s strengths and weaknesses. He
was
Demon Saint. And the only way she could have slipped past his notice would be if she had some sort of magical protection.

Her character wore a pearl necklace enchanted to ward off evil. But every character gave themselves imaginary protections. Those only worked within the confines of the game. And only when Saint wanted them to.

He stood up and started pacing. Was she a trick? A test from his paternal side? A Trojan horse with Helen’s allure custom made to reel him in? But no, she wouldn’t be. His father had no time for him. That sick sod had only one purpose. Seduction. He had no patience for games or vampires or any of his bastards. He was too busy making them.

Saint went back to his chair and tried to relax.
Tried being the operative word. With no roommates to stop him, he was about to do something stupid. He had to have more information about her. Had to talk to her.

He was going in.

He gave himself a human warrior character he’d used before. One just strong enough not to draw attention. After insuring the penthouse was protected from any unwanted visitors, he left his physical body behind, his consciousness streaming seamlessly into the avatar.

Saint had walked through his creation before. Interacted as if he were one of them out of boredom or curiosity. It amused him to no end to talk about himself in the third person. To listen to the players postulate or brag or outright lie about run-ins with the Demon King, Saint.

This time he was on a mission with only one mantra in his head.
Find her. Find her.
A few tweaks to the code should do it. He’d take her out of the countryside where she was protecting a group of whining villagers with her friends and put her in a more…conducive setting. She would give in to him. He would find out exactly what made her tick.

And then he’d wind her up.

What in Hell was going on? Ume stared at her laptop, utterly disoriented and confused. Her character
had
been fighting off a small horde of disgusting-looking little hobgoblins with a group of gamers she enjoyed playing with, having a blast, then the screen changed without warning.

A familiar cut scene appeared around her. The short movie showed her character walking into a crowded bar. She’d been here before. It was a rest stop, a gathering place between quests. All types of creatures, all skill levels, were welcome here to make friends, flirt and trade. It was a place out of time, one part medieval tavern, one part modern nightclub. A popular band was even playing on stage, so if her character wanted to ask the bespectacled bison with the giant guns to dance, she could.

It didn’t make any sense. She still had her
kitana
sword drawn. When the movie clip ended and her character was allowed to move again, she turned to exit, determined to head back to her friends.

Someone was blocking her path. The avatar of a tall, stunning warrior. He was gorgeous, with a dark swoop of hair and eyes nearly as black as her own. He’d outfitted his avatar in tight brown pants, boots and a leather vest that left his muscular biceps bare, giving Ume a clear view of his weapon of choice. His left arm. It was covered in some sort of biotech that looked really impressive. That was one of the things she loved about this game. There were no limits. If you could imagine it, the creator had put it in the game, from
kitana
to futuristic weaponry to—she noticed the small earplug in his ear and smirked—mp3 players.

A chat window appeared beneath his image.

Sinner: That’s a dangerous sword for such a beautiful
kitsune
. I could use someone at my side with your unique skills.

Ume’s eyes rolled, ignoring the thrill running up her spine. This was a virtual world. In reality, she had a feeling this warrior, this Sinner, didn’t look like
that
. But he
was
clever.

She started typing.

I’m impressed. You’re the first person I’ve met that knows what I am.

He responded immediately.

*Reaches behind you to run my palm along your fur* I thought these three beautiful tails kind of gave it away.

Ume shivered. She’d felt that. A hand caressing her backside. How strange. Or maybe not, considering how long it had been since anyone had touched her in more than a medical fashion.