The Demon Lord of California

THE DEMON LORD OF CALIFORNIA Infinity 8 #1 Copyright © 2023 by Bennu Bright. All rights reserved. Second Edition, with added content. Print ISBN: 9798353116516 Ebook ASIN: B0B75WFTHW Cover by: Deranged Doctor Design No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. The Demon Lord of California is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Use of names, trademarks and brands does not imply endorsement. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This book contains LGBTQIA+ romantic and graphic sexual content. Mature readers only. Possible Triggers: Robbery and assault. Mentioned sexual harassment/assault. Mental abuse from a parent. Fire, burning, burning alive (phoenix and fire elementals). Possibly implied: Prostitution. Suicide (by fire from phoenix). Acknowledgments A huge thank you to Morgan Lysand. A friend and fellow author who helped me find my way, and showed me how much fun writing could be again. Go read their stuff. Really. It's awesome. Contents 1. Agustin Chavez de la Cruz 2. The One Who Got Away 3. The Demotion 4. Chocolate and Manipulations 5. A Flame That Was Not His Own 6. The Winghorse Triplets 7. The Fiery Gentleman 8. Show Me Yours 9. Agustin’s Giddy Euphoria 10. Brotherly Banter 11. Harper’s Phone Call 12. Etney 13. Nightmares 14. Good Morning, Mr. Triptych 15. Preparing For Demonym 16. Escape From Demonym 17. Brotherly Support 18. Dual Apologies 19. Reporting To Harper 20. The Back and Forth 21. The Conflict 22. The Second Chance 23. Pre-Negotiations 24. Infinity 3 25. Picking Up The Pieces 26. A Wizard's Familiar Sleeps 27. Phoenix Foreplay 28. Calico Out Of Sync 29. The Gentle Rebuff 30. Reporting To Triptych 31. Unexpected Help 32. Agustin vs Harper Round 1 33. Starting Anew 34. Cooley Landing 35. Negotiations 36. Maars and Etney 37. One Spouse Is An Absurd Idea 38. Meeting Mr. Harper 39. Agustin vs Harper Round 2 40. Re-Negotiations 41. Permission To Be Naughty 42. Agustin and Maars 43. Navigating The Bakery 44. Sensory Overload 45. Settling In 46. The Kiss 47. Psychic Surgery 48. Inside The Curse 49. The Loom 50. Mindless and Empty 51. Calico Wakes Up 52. The Union 53. The Portal Aperture 54. Telepath vs Telepath 55. The Aftermath 56. Agustin Vs Harper Round 3 57. Triptych Protests 58. Missing You Greatly 59. Officially A Couple Glossary About the Author Chapter 1 Agustin Chavez de la Cruz San Francisco, 1900 He was the Demon Lord of California, dammit. His California citizens counted on him for guidance and protection. But here he sat in a stuffy, dark, and nearly empty theater. With peeling wallpaper. Watching the most god-awful vaudeville try outs. The matinee had been half-price due to the open casting call, so he’d ducked inside to seek some relative quiet. Agustin had needed a place to think. To reflect on the life choices he’d made—as well as ponder future obligations to the angelic-run Infinity Corporation. Obligations he never wanted to begin with.And of a more immediate concern, to digest that questionable lunch from an even more questionable eatery. Holding a fist against the fading heartburn, he quietly belched. Thankfully, at his distress, the mundane human waitress had taken pity on him by offering water with a sprinkle of baking soda. He’d tipped her generously.Fidgeting in a chair too small for his size, Agustin didn’t want to dwell on why the floor was sticky beneath his polished oxfords. He really didn’t, for the theater was vaudeville by day, and burlesque shows by night.He made a mental note to burn his shoes before entering his home.He’d chosen the front row against the stained wallpaper because it was the only place suitable for his long legs. Even here in the shadows, he stood out like a peacock amongst plucked chickens. His towering height and perfectly pressed nobleman’s attire were to blame for that. His black braids, brown skin, upside-down golden triangle earrings, and heterochromatic eyes didn’t help matters.The mundanes—the humans—speared him with nervous glances. Unfortunately, he’d wrecked two acts already; the performers couldn’t handle his scrutiny. While Agustin felt guilty over that, he reminded himself actors couldn’t let distractions ruin a show.The exact reason why he was at this matinee had to do with Etney. His Infinity Corporation second-in-command did her job too well. She’d been the one to rally their Infinity 8 team, as well as his entire household staff. They’d informed him it’d be too much of a temptation to think of work if he visited his usual haunts. So he’d been temporarily barred from seeking paranormal places to loiter.They’d all insisted he’d been working himself too hard when that wasn’t the case at all. Still, he’d been mob-escorted—with Etney in the lead—out to the motorcar anyway. They’d ordered him to telepathically shut out the chaotic minds of every San Francisco resident for six hours and just relax. Then, he was chauffeured into the heart of the city and abandoned.He’d been kicked out of his own damn mansion before he’d realized it.Agustin grumbled. Corporation duties always caused his California work to suffer. There were trade agreements and various contracts stacked on his desk, waiting for approval. Laws to enforce. Meetings to attend. Reports to read. Not to mention he was still working to merge his offices with the court of the Demon Queen of the United States—with permission from the Demon Queen of Mexico, of course. The mundane humans had only made California a state fifty years ago. And it’d taken this long to convince Her Mexico Majesty the unification would be a smart move for their kind.However, those duties paled in comparison as to what Harper expected out of him. Infinity Corporation was yet another duty of his dual birthright. One that came with a tremendously heavy burden.Protect the humans from the Amaranth