Chapter 4

October 1, 2001

Its been four hours since he got off the phone with Liz, he can almost swear she's frightened but he's not entirely sure if it's him nervous about their upcoming phone call or if he really was feeling what she was. Cole can't believe that she's Jeffrey Parker's daughter, it just makes becoming attached to her that much more dangerous and stupid.

To the outside world and even his family, Jeff Parker is nice normal guy who runs a themed restaurant, and can get a little testy if a man shows interest in his daughter. However underneath that veil of normalcy is a deep dark secret, Jeff Parker is a demon.

Not just any regular demon either, if there is such a thing as a regular demon. No, Jeff was the King of the Shapeshifter and Ticatra Clans; the two Clans were enemies for centuries until Jeff's mother, Ticatra Clan, and father, Shapeshifter Kin, married in secret. From their Union Jeff was born, he would come to rule the two families and bring them together creating the most powerful group of supernatural beings known to the demon world.

Both Clans had a human form; the Shapeshifters have different classes for the various types of creatures in their unit. The Upper Class or Gentry's are the best and most powerful in the family, the creatures in this class could change into anything and/or magically manipulate a lower class shifter to cease changing.

Next is the Middle Class or Bourgeoisie's, this class was for the shifters who couldn't change into everything however they had mastery over their chosen animal/demon and possibly had a basic knowledge of other magic's.

Lastly is the Lower Class or Humble's, these are the shifters that didn't have control of their animal/demon shape, ones who never got the full power they should have or just never tried to advance. The other two classes look down on this group; they are seen as not worthy of the gifts they were born with.

The Ticatra Clan is a very elemental magic based family of demons. Similar to the Shapeshifters they have seven classifications of magic you can become a part of. There is Fire, Earth, Water, Metal, Air, Spirits, Wood, and then there was a mixture of any of those seven.

Both Families are neither good nor evil, but more neutral. There are of course the occasional periods of time or demons/shifters that go one or the other but most in the families are centered in the middle.

Liz after she becomes initiated and receives the majority of her abilities at 18 will begin to train to follow in her father's footsteps. If Cole knew Jeff and he liked to think he did at least somewhat, Jeff won't let his daughter become involved with a demon he thinks is only after power.

Cole can understand his concern; he is concerned with power, what demon isn't? But his feelings for Liz overshadowed his desire for power and prestige. In that week of knowing her he knew whatever he felt towards Phoebe paled in comparison.

Shaking Liz out of his thoughts for the time being he continues with the second to last file that he had to finish before he called Liz again. It wasn't long before wind blew around his penthouse; he hadn't left a window or door open so it had to be something else.

In moments Jeff Parker is standing in front of him an expression of utter fury gracing his aging face. "To what do I owe the pleasure of having the King of the Shapeshifters and Ticatra's enter my humble home?"

"You stay away from my daughter Balthazar, I will not have my line soiled by your filthy blood." He hisses venomously. "You will never get my throne. My daughter is to be betrothed to the leader of the Eygon Circle."

The Dream Weavers, they could get into anyone's dreams, read your darkest and most private desire and make you act it out. Some can even keep you in a deep sleep where you live over and over again your most horrible nightmares and only they can break you out of your trance. If Liz was given to the leader he could do anything he wanted to her, make her think what he wanted her to, have her lose herself.

How could Jeff think the leader of the Eygon Circle was worthy of Liz and his throne? Cole doesn't say anything just continues to listen to the father's tirade, he fights the urge to clench his fists in rage and strike against Liz's father. Saying something right now to the King would most certainly make him suspicious of what happened while Liz was in San Francisco.

"Do you understand Cole? My daughter is off limits to you, if I hear you touched her I will command my best warriors to rip you limb from limb and I will sit back and watch with utter enjoyment." With a snap of his fingers the wind picks up again and he's gone, as quickly as it came the wind dissipates and papers fall helplessly on the floor.

Ok, so Liz hasn't said anything to her father about her time with him. From what he understood from his brief conversation with Jeff was that Liz wasn't betrothed yet, which means she's not eighteen yet. In the Clans Liz has to be eighteen before she's betrothed to a member of a different Tribe, sixteen if she was to marry within her Clans.

Which means he had the most wonderful night and morning of his life with a minor. Now he knows why Liz didn't say a word about their time together to her father, since she thinks her father is 100 human she thinks he'll call the police on him no questions asks and have him arrested.

He really should have asked her age sometime during the week. But would that really have stopped him from making love to her, he doubted it, he's no saint and he's not one to ignore his desires, and he desires Liz. This definitely complicated things.

TBC