Once Bitten Twice Shy notes; chapter 27

Chapter 27

“Hello, Jasmine. My name is Raoul.” Spain bronzed his skin and flavored his accent, but his manner was pure American military.

At last! the nameless voice and Jasmine’s personal saviour has a name and his base of operations is in – Las Vegas?! Huh?
Oh well, a few clues are banded about but nothing that makes any sense. The furniture is in Jaz’s favourite pre-arranged display and it seems this “Raoul” may also be more than just a convenient coincidence in her life. He alludes to both Jaz and David having visited this location before but apparently they’re not supposed to remember this. Why, I wonder. Did Raoul make Vayl aware of her presence, if so, that would mean that certain events in her life are not coincidence or “free-will” but carefully planned & coordinated. And what does this mean for David, does he also have some part to play in capturing the elusive Edward “the Raptor” Samos?

Once Bitten Twice Shy notes; chapter 26

Chapter 26
The final battle is not a poetic thing but a chaotic mess. As it should be. If it had been anything else, I think I would have been disappointed with the author.
There are little pockets of fighting happening all over the room, everyone trying to gain the upper hand while the Tor evolves within the maelstrom. Whatever it was that Jaz did with the sword must have triggered some event that allowed the demon to manifest itself. Jaz would not have been aware of this, only Cassandra might have given some clue but she was otherwise occupied with her own struggles. Worse, the Tor-al-Degan has begun to manifest and it’s not a pretty sight. The procedure reminds me a caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a butterfly but the demon is no pretty fluttery-winged creature.

Once Bitten Twice Shy notes; chapter 25

Chapter 25
The fanatics & Jaz eventually make it into the basement, after some hassle from Assan & his vast, unwieldy sword. Back into the pit doth the poor heroine go, and let the stalling commence.
Thankfully, Aidyn is still in a talkative mood, typical megalomaniac, it’s just unfortunate that he’s distracted by his own genius or Jaz could’ve rung out more time from him. On a plus note, depending on your point of view that is, Liliana helps out by demanding Cirilia once more. Give it up girl, you’ll never get that ring, no matter how good you’re Andy Serkis imitation is. As they attempt to duke it out, it buys Jaz’s relief column more time. Or it would have done if the Kyron hadn’t have picked that moment to point out she/it was hungry.
Enter Derek “Doomsday” Steele, soon to be the starter course,

Once Bitten Twice Shy notes; chapter 24

Chapter 24
Jaz explores the space beneath Club Undead’s wine cellar, only to find a gathering of vampiric acolytes (aka Deganites) and “shades” of the demon Tor-al-Degan.

Must be tough, existing in a couple of different planes at once

The author does a hell of a job describing/introducing the Kyron in so few words and does so with a sense of awe & revulsion from Jaz’s point of view. For Jaz, it must be a terrible sight as she sees the entity with the equivalent of psychic vision, instead of physical eyes. It’s little wonder she eventually flees the room back to Vayl & her friends. Although she has some difficulty reaching her destination. The threads that link her spiritual body to her physical body,

Once Bitten Twice Shy notes; chapter 23

Chapter 23
Why can’t Cole & Bergman see Jaz’s non-corporeal “body” and what the heck is this about Cassandra’s age. Huh?
So. Not only can brother Daniel & sverhamin Vayl see her but so can Cassandra. Wonder if Evie & Albert could also see her in this state. It’s all interesting stuff to think about I guess, it sure as hell beats walking around.
Events need explaining and this is done at Bergman’s safe-house in between Cass & Bergman dealing with his neuroses & prejudices, the two of them bickering like brother & sister over the validity of magic. All things considered, I don’t know why Bergman is bothering, considering the company he’s keeping and the nature of the opposition.
Cassandra finally gets her hands on the pyramid shaped key, which apparently Bergman forgot to inform her about, and now has the clue she needed to unravel the mystery of the demon.