Blood Prize (Bloody Dance #1)

by A Muse

  The man came forward and grabbed Soji’s shoulder. He yanked Soji around and the fact that he was touching Soji pissed me off. The man was a meathead, more muscle than brains. He was in the wrong bar. You didn’t need to be strong to hunt demons. You needed to be smart though. If he was messing with us, he already failed the IQ test.

  “You will remove your hand,” Emiko said her voice was low and threatening. Tucking away the page I took down, our next target was going to be the Fear Demon Korku. He was B-Class and the price on his head was four hundred thousand credits. It would be enough to get us a car and back home to Amy.

  Stepping forward I noticed that the idiot was still in front of us. He now had two of his friends that stepped up to join him. What were they doing behaving like this in a Demon Hunter Bar? Maybe they were Bounty Hunters that just decided to hunt demons. They would be dead before the day was out.

  In Bounty Hunter bars, it was okay to get into senseless fights. You could beat your chest and wave your dick around. Shout to everyone willing to listen that you were the big man on campus. Things didn’t go that way in a Demon Hunter bar. You sat down, you shut up, you had your drink, picked your target. Then if you believed in God, you prayed you made it back home.

  “Why don’t you go make me a drink, bitch?” The one touching Soji said. I chuckled just because I hated Emiko so anyone calling her out of her name was fine by me. Still I agreed with Emiko. He needed to get his hands off of what didn’t belong to him.

  I grabbed the hand that was touching Soji. It didn’t matter how strong this man was he was still a human. I could have been in a four-year-old boy and I would still be stronger than him. I pushed the bigger man away before grabbing Rai. I pulled them towards the door. The last thing that we needed was an unnecessary drama that came with these types of people.

  “Who said you could leave?” The big man asked as his goons blocked the path to the door. I sighed; were we really going to do this? He needed to go back to the Bounty Hunter bar with their big guns and their wee little brains. Demon Hunters should know better than to waste energy.

  No one wanted to fight a demon with a broken jaw. It would be like swimming in shark infested tank with an open cut. Once the blood was in the water, you were fish food. These guys were just jokes if they were calling themselves Hunters and starting fights like jackasses.

  “Ya’ll go on now. We don’t be wanting no trouble ya hear.” Fang mocked them by talking like some inbred idiot. My lips twitched to laugh at Fang’s teasing. The man who had touched Soji didn’t have the same sense of humor. He cocked his fist back punching Fang in the face.

  I stepped to the side as Fang stumbled back knocking the board over. I could smell his blood again. Only this time it wasn’t the same scent that it held when I first met him. I could feel Fang’s magic boiling inside of him. It made his blood smell like something rotten. My stomach turned at the scent as I wondered what kind of mage Fang really was.

  Soji went to Fang to offer him aid. His hand glowed white with his powers as he started to heal Fang’s wound. I could see the other men in the bar looking towards us now. A white mage was rare and very valuable. I could almost hear them thinking about the victory they would see if Soji were on their side. The lust in their eyes was . . . annoying. Soji was spoken for; he was mine.

  “We have our target.” There was no need to stay here. Pulling Soji up to his feet Fang had started to rise as well. He rubbed at his nose but other then the blood that was on his shirt he was fine. “We’re leaving.” This time I spoke to the idiots that were in front of me.

  The guy that started all of this nonsense gave us a crooked tooth grin. He was cracking his knuckles as if he was ready for this fight. I didn’t actually want to fight. It was just a waste of our time. We needed to get on finding Korku. “Are you opposed to fighting humans?” I asked and Soji face twisted into a frown.

  “Of course I am.” Of course, he would be. He was a white mage. Soji probably never been in a fist fight a day of his life. He didn’t seem the type that would be. Stepping back his fingers curled into a fist. Could he feel the lust in the air as well? Could he tell it was aimed at him? “I will defend myself.” That was the answer I was looking for.

  “We shouldn’t need your help.” There was nothing like a bar fight to boost teamwork. “Rai, Soji stay back unless you’re needed.” Emiko and Fang stepped up as I spoke. I turned looking at the both of them. They nodded their heads understanding that the only way out was through. How hard of a fight were these men going to put up?

  The first wave of them came at us. I ducked under a swinging fist giving the leader a punch to the kidney. He crumbled under my attack going to his knees with pain. Emiko kicked another one; her boot slicing into their face and making them back away. Two of the men had Fang holding his arms as a third punched him in the gut.

  Ignoring his misfortune I went at another one kicking, and punching my way through the lot of them. The ones of them that somehow got past us were tangled in vines still not allowed to touch the white mage they all lusted for. I smiled slightly proud of Rai for protecting her teammate, for fighting in this useless battle with me, with all of us. Shu would be proud of his daughter right now.

  I caught a fist to the face as my attention was on Rai, and not the fight. Growling slightly I turned to the person that hit me sending a powerful kick to their chest. He flew backward only stopping after he crashed into a table

  We were half way through the bar kicking ass, and taking names later. The ones that were holding on to Fang were finally pushed away from him. After taking a few hits, they went down nice and easy. The ones that weren’t out for the count were slowly getting back up to their feet, and coming at us again for round two. This fight was tiresome, and I could see Emiko losing her steam.

  Her punches and kicks were getting weak and sloppy. She caught a fist to the face her head snapping back as she stumbled away. That punch was followed up by a kick to the gut. I admit I got a twisted sense of joy out of watching Emiko get her ass kicked.

  “Emiko!” Soji yelled and I felt a shock wave vibrate through the place. I hissed as the pure power nipped at my arm. It burned the flesh that it touched. The ones that were surrounding Emiko was knocked away.

  “Sorry.” Soji mouthed when I looked back at him. His face looked sorry enough for me to believe him. There was a loud banging sound, and I flinched pain drew me to my knees. There was a burning in my shoulder as I saw my blood darkening my shirt.

  “Zero!” Rai and Soji yelled at the same time. My nails grew to their full demon length. I dug into my shoulder pulling out the bullet that was inside of me. It sizzled, and hissed angrily in my hand until I dropped the condemned thing. Of course Demon Hunter’s would have anti-demon bullets. It wasn’t going to kill me like it might have a lesser demon, but God damn it burned. I could feel the holy water they hold tainting my blood. My body rippled no longer able to maintain my human form.

  All the hunters in the place backed away from me as they saw my true self before them. I looked up at them my red eyes glowing as I felt a need that I hadn’t felt in years. The pain brought the hunger and I knew with blood I could heal myself. I knew that I would be able to recover once I had blood. Rising to my feet once again I looked at Soji, and Rai. Once I gave myself over to the hunger friend or foe, no one would be safe.

  “Run,” I hissed at them. “Run!” I didn’t know how much longer I could hold it. Soji backed away from me as I bared my fangs at them. The pain was intense, and the hunger matched it. Rai tried to come closer to me, but Fang grabbed her. Backing away they grabbed Emiko and started to make it to the back door.

  “Zero!” Rai yelled trying to break free from Fang’s hold. Trying to get to me, but he picked her up and carried her away. I would have to remember to thank him. I stood still until I heard the back door shut behind my teammates. The other hunters were either standing their ground to fight me or trying to make it to the front door.

  I saw a grou
p of them trying to get out the front so I was there within a blink of an eye. They backed away; some of them pointing their weapons at me. I watched as they shook with fear from facing an S-class demon. Good, their fear only made my stomach growl.

  I laughed at how pathetic these Demon Hunters were. Had Shu been in this bar he would have told them all to get out of his way. He would have shot me, and kept shooting until I no longer moved. That was Shu though; these people didn’t have that kind of courage. Closing my eyes, I allowed the fog to descend on me giving myself over to the hunger until I had my fill.

  When I opened my eyes again, I smiled as I went towards the first of them. Grabbing a hold of the man by the back of his neck I bit into him. His blood was bitter but much better than the scum outlaws I had been feeding on. Not drinking all of him I stabbed my hand through his chest as I moved on to the next one.

  One by one I listened to the choir of their screams as if it was a soundtrack to my meal. Everyone and everything that was in this bar blood were tasted before they were killed. Even after I drank my weight in blood, I killed the others. The blood bath was massive, the biggest fest I had since I meant Shu. My stomach started to hurt from all that I had taken in, the fog lifting as I kneel in a corner puking my guts out.

  Coming back to my senses I looked at the blood, and bodies that surrounded me. I sighed looking down at my blood stained hands. My wounds were healed, but I still felt like shit. I thought I was better than this. I thought I was better than just some demon. I wasn’t that different from the others. I killed and fed just like any demon.

  Sitting on the floor I folded up into a ball laying on my side as the weight of my actions crushed me. I was a demon; their lives meant nothing to me. I wasn’t sorry for their deaths. I would never care about something so petty and insufficient as the lives of a few humans. The guilt that crushed me was because of broken the promise I made to Kaleb. I drank from the innocent.

  I could see night had fallen outside of the bar, and I was still here. I needed to get up, needed to move. The others were probably long gone by now, there was no way they waited around for me that long.

  Standing up I made my way to the back door. I stumbled back when something solid crashed into me. I was ready to attack until I noticed it was Soji hugging me. His face was buried in my chest as the blood on me soiled his clothes. He pulled away but only slightly so he could stand on his tip toes and press his mouth to mine.

  Quickly moving away he gagged and spit as he tasted blood in my kiss. I laughed slightly at his reaction and reached out touching the side of his face. He held my hand there smiling at me. I looked over at Rai, and she rushed to me as well. I could see tears in her eyes, but I hugged her still. She quivered in my arms, and I wondered if she was cold or just scared of me. I would understand if she feared me. Rai has never seen me so inhuman before.

  “Rai . . . I didn’t mean for you to see that side of me.” The guilt felt like a fresh wave. I broke a promise; Rai saw the aftermath.

  “I thought you were going to die.” She sobbed holding on to me as I returned her embrace. “I was so scared I was going to lose you. You can’t . . . You can’t die, Zero. Not after dad died, okay. You can’t . . . You can’t die.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I promised and it seemed that all this time I had been in a tug of war with myself. I didn’t know if I was going to leave after I returned Rai home or not. Just this quickly my mind was made.

  I wasn’t going anywhere. I wasn’t going to leave her. She had been fighting me this whole trip. In the end, she was still just a scared teenage girl who just lost her father. I knew what fear was like. I knew what losing people was like. I watched my father die. At least Rai was spared from that.

  Looking at the others I could see that Soji must have healed Fang and Emiko’s wounds while I was inside. They all had waited for me. I released Rai taking a deep breath. We had fought together, they had waited for me. Still I knew that nothing was fixed. I still hated Emiko and she hated me. We weren’t a real team. Not yet.

  “You need to get cleaned up,” Soji said. I nodded happy that we decided before hand we would stay in this town one more night. Going back to the hotel I went to the bathroom of the private room brushing my teeth. I wanted to get the taste of blood out of my mouth before I took a shower.

  Testing the water after it was just right I stepped in. It felt as if all my troubles were washing away along with the blood on me. I watched as the blood swirled down the drain when I heard the door opened to the bathroom.

  “Shower on normally means someone is inside,” I called as the curtain was pulled back. I looked to see Soji standing on the other side with a smile on his lips and a loofah in his hand. His eyes had wandered over me before he blushed red.

  “I um . . . I could wash your back.” His face was the color of a cherry as he stood there fully dressed. I guess he was too much of a good boy to make his offer already naked. Reaching out, I grabbed his arm and pulled him inside the shower with me. His clothes were soaked within moments and his white shirt became see through.

  Pressing him against the wall I lowered my head so that I could lick his harden nipples through the fabric. He moaned, and I smiled just now remembering how much I liked the sound of Soji’s moaning. Pulling the shirt off of him I trailed kisses down his chest getting on my knees, and unbuckling his belt.

  “No,” Soji said, and I frowned when he grabbed my hand suggesting I raise. Blushing, he shifted so that I was the one that was against the wall.

  “I’ll do you,” he said getting to his knees as he started to lick me. I leaned back enjoying the feel of Soji’s mouth around me.

  His licked and sucked at me with what little skill he had. Grabbing his head, I moved my hips as he bobbed up and down taking all of me in his mouth. I could feel the build coming and Soji moved stroking my length with his hands as he kissed me until I came. Not allowing him to stop me this time I removed his pants and underwear.

  Taking him in my hands I stroke him slowly watching his face as he moaned from my touch. Using my other hand to reach around behind him I rubbed his hole once then twice before I shoved my fingers inside of him. He gasped pressing his body into mine. I leaned down kissing him allowing our tongues to twist around as I started to grow hard again in Soji’s hands.

  “Put it in.” Even with the blush on his cheek he still said the words. That was a turn on. Rubbing my tip against his hole he rocked his hips side to side begging me to stop teasing him.

  Giving in I pushed into him moving slowly as I enjoyed the feel of Soji squeezing around me. Reaching around his front I stroked him as he had both of his hand on the wall. His face was pressed against the wall as he was bent over.

  He moaned my name seductively as I started to move faster. The speed of my strokes matches that of my thrusts. Running my free hand up his back I grabbed a fist full of Soji’s hair increasing my speed yet again. I could feel my built and Soji gave a cry as he came.

  His load ran down the wall of the shower mixing with the water as it swirled down the drain. I grabbed his waist in both of my hands giving him a few fast hard thrust before I shot my load inside of him. Once again, that cry of pleasure came from him just making me want more. I turned him around kissing him deeply before I pulled away.

  “You’re all dirty now,” I said as I watched my liquid run down his legs.

  “Guess you better clean me,” Soji said, and I smiled as I kissed him again.

  NINETEEN

  A thick fog surrounded us the deeper we walked into the ghost town Korku was rumored have taken residence in. They said that Korku killed anyone who was foolish enough to venture into his domain. The bodies and bodies that littered the ground was a testament to that.

  It was impossible to see more than a few feet in front of you. This fog seemed to wrap around us. It clung to our clothes and hung low around our heads. I wanted to clear it away, but I didn’t want to alert Korku to our presence. There was a good chance that
he already knew we were here. There was nothing natural about this fog.

  Hearing steps, I whipped around hissing at the tricks the fog was playing on us. There were giggles that sounded like children. My eyes scanned the area for them, but I could see nothing. If there were children out there, they were probably demons as well.

  “This place is so creepy.” Rai grabbed my hand as she spoke. I could her tremble slightly. She was never good with this kind of stuff. Rai was the girl that watched horror movies from behind her fingers. I wish she were home watching from behind her fingers safe and sound.

  “This fog is unnatural,” Emiko spoke and I rolled my eyes. She was the only one here without a mage gift. Everyone already knew what she just stated. She probably thought she was smart and clever to be the first to speak it. There was no need to speak what was already understood.

  This fog was of Korku making. With each step, we went deeper into his territory. If we weren’t careful, we would be joining the bodies of those that was under our feet. The scent of death was masked by the fog. It made me wonder if Korku was actually a B-Class demon. This seemed more like A-Class magic.

  “Soji, purify this place. At least then we will be able to see.” I growled at Emiko just for suggesting that Soji purify anything why I was still in the area. Of course, she probably wanted him to get rid of me. It’s been two weeks since I fell to the hungry. Two weeks of walking just to make it to this town. Someone was still bitter about her arm.

  “Zero will hurt if I cleanse this place.” He didn’t mention the effect it would have on him. Could his body even handle cleansing a whole town? Did Emiko even care? She only saw Soji as a tool for their church to use, for his father to use. She didn’t give a shit about Soji the boy.

  I could feel Emiko rolling her eyes even though I couldn’t see her. She didn’t care if I lived or died either. She probably would prefer the latter. I wouldn’t care if she died either. Or maybe I would; I knew how much her death would hurt Soji. I didn’t want him to know the pain of lost.