KAIDAN’S COLOGNE
We kept our thoughts to ourselves as we entered New Mexico. The abrupt change in landscape filled my mind with relief. Flat Texas plains had morphed into expanses of gently rolling hills and small mountains, patchy with shrubs. The Southwest was wide open. I was amazed how far I could see.
Kaidan slowed to exit as the sun drooped low in the sky. We parked at a fast-food place and got out to stretch our legs. The absence of moisture made the air feel thin in my lungs. I was accustomed to choking on humidity.
We ordered meals and ate them in silence, sitting in front of the glass wall that looked out at the parking lot. The setting sun caused a robe of deep pink and orange to spread itself over the landscape.
“Nice country you’ve got. Very diverse.”
“It’s gorgeous,” I agreed, pushing the other half of my chicken sandwich toward him. He finished it while I nibbled the last of the fries.
“We’ll go a few more hours and then stop for the night,” he said. “I’ll wait to fill the tank until morning.”
I nodded and cleared away all of the trash to get ready to go. The thought of another night together made me nervous.
As we climbed back into the car and continued down I-40, the beauty of the Old West emboldened me. Kaidan’s gaze brushed over me as I turned toward him, pulling my bare feet underneath me.
“There’s someone else I need to see in L.A., besides my dad.”
He nodded for me to continue. I told him the story about the angel visiting Patti, and how she came to be my foster mother. Then I told him that the nun, Sister Ruth, had requested that I come and speak to her in person.
“I just can’t imagine what she needs to tell me that she couldn’t tell Patti.”
“Huh. I haven’t heard anything about angels coming down and speaking directly to humans in recent history either.”
“I’m worried she won’t live much longer,” I told him. “I think that’s the only reason Patti let me come on this trip with you.”
“We’ll get there in time.”
I hoped so.
“I want to know everything you know about the demons,” I said.
He cleared his throat and began, matter-of-factly.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of the seven deadly sins: wrath, sloth, gluttony, envy, greed, lust, and pride. Pride is said to be the sin from which all others arise. So here’s how their rankings work on earth: there’s one demon in human form assigned to each of the seven deadly sins, except sloth and gluttony; those have been combined under one demon, since they often go hand in hand. There are six additional sins as well: lying, murder, hatred, theft, adultery, and substance abuse. That makes twelve dark angels in human bodies. They’re called the Dukes, and they’re the bosses of evil on earth.”
“Our dads are two of the twelve Dukes?”
“That’s right.”
It was strange listening to Kaidan talk. His accent took on a roguish edge when he was excited or angry, but then there were times, like now, when he sounded like a refined schoolboy giving an oral report. I realized he could transform himself to suit his audience. Kaidan could play the part of a gritty bad boy or an educated gentleman as needed. But who was he really? I reached back to rub my neck, which had begun to prickle.
“So what’s the difference between a Duke and the other demons, like the one in the restaurant today?”
“In spirit form they’re the same, but Dukes are the only demons allowed to possess human bodies. Each Duke commands a legion of demon whisperers who haunt the earth. The whisperers are called the Legionnaires. We sometimes just refer to them as spirits. Between the Dukes and the Legionnaires, there are six hundred and sixty-six demons on earth.”
A prickly chill of disbelief coursed through me.
I did the math. “So, twelve Dukes, six hundred fifty-four whisperers, or Legionnaires... where do the Nephilim figure in?”
“We’re just a by-product. We don’t count as human, but also don’t qualify as being part of the demon Legionnaires. We work for our fathers and keep our mouths shut. That’s it.”
All I could do was nod, feeling sick as he continued.
“There used to be more Dukes. At one time there was one for each of the Ten Commandments, in addition to those that cover the seven deadly sins, but many of them became obsolete. They change as necessary. Lies and adultery are the only two of the Ten Commandments still represented. The Dukes specialize during each lifetime based on the state of society they’re in at that time. My father specializes currently in pornography.”
I held a bottle of water in my lap, forcing back the nausea that crept up as he spoke.