Read Online Raw Power: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Demon-Hearted Book 1) by Ambrose Ibsen - Free Book Online

Awesome. One minute I'm getting possessed by a demon. The next, I'm getting shaken down by murderous cops. And now it's time to punch the clock and pretend that none of that happened.
    There was a knock at the door.
    “Come in,” bellowed Kubo.
    From the hall there entered two individuals. First was a girl, very thin and slightly hunched. She was dressed in a bizarre outfit; it looked like a burlap sack with a hood sewn onto it. There were some designs embroidered onto the rough-looking fabric in black thread, but they were chaotic and bespoke an unpracticed hand. Long, black hair escaped the edges of this hood and framed her youthful face. Glassy eyes looked into the room, blinking rapidly. Though she looked rather young, perhaps a teenager, she stooped and ambled about like an old woman. She said nothing, but slowly navigated her way to a seat. Then, sitting down, she began to twitch and mumble to herself.
    The other individual, a young guy, looked like a greaser straight out of an old movie. His brown hair was swept back with a thick layer of pomade, and his thin frame was draped in a well-worn leather jacket. A pair of ratty jeans, a pristine wife beater and a pair of black boots with pointy, silver tips completed his ensemble. I could see a switchblade tucked into his back pocket. He leaned against the other end of the table, nodding to Kubo and appraising me frigidly. “Who's this guy?” he asked, clicking his tongue. “He reeks of piss, chief. You hiring hobos now?”
    Kubo smirked. “Sit down, Joe.” When Joe had splayed out into his seat with a sigh, Kubo stood and pointed at me. “This is Lucy. He's a new hire. The Demon Heart you've both heard about.”
    My face reddened as the three of them squared me up. I had to admit, though-- “Demon Heart” was kind of a badass title.
      Joe picked at a hole in the knee of his jeans and snickered. “ Lucy, eh? The hell kinda name is that? They gave this pussy the demon's heart? Woulda made more sense to put it in Isabella over there, don'tcha think?”
    The twitching girl with the glassy eyes turned to him, cocking her head to the side. “Isabella doesn't want a demon's heart, thank you.”
    Either Isabella wasn't presently in the room or this weird-ass chick referred to herself in the third person. The latter seemed most likely.
    “So, you're Joe,” I said, nodding to the greaser, “and you're Isabella?”
      The two of them nodded, except that Joe had to take exception to something, assert his dominance. This would become a common theme with him, I could sense it even then. “Actually, the name's Fire Joe. But maybe I'll let you call me 'Joe' someday.”
      I held back a chuckle, but my grin betrayed me. “ Fire Joe? Why's that?”
    Pulling a silver Zippo lighter from his pocket, Joe gave it a flip and switched it on. A small flame danced about, and to my horror, he held a fingertip over it for several seconds. When he finally drew his finger away, he reached out and took hold of my arm with his other hand, slowly tracing a line against the cuffs that still hung around my wrists. One after the other, the cuffs fell noisily to the table, the metal sheared apart easily, as if it were paper. It was incredible. The small line glowed, had been super-heated by his fingertip. It was like he'd gathered up the heat and then focused it in one spot. He was a human blowtorch. Rubbing at my wrists, I sat back in my chair. “H-how did you do that?”
    Joe reclined, giving a toss of his shoulders and donning a satisfied smirk.
    “We'll worry about that later,” said Kubo, crossing his arms. “You can get to know each other on your own time. I've called you all here to discuss something far more important: The details of a new case. This team has been assembled by the leaders of the Veiled Order, and I have been chosen to lead it on this mission to track down the coven of Mater Agatha. Pay close attention.” Fishing out a remote from a nearby cubby, Kubo dimmed the