Demon's Game

by Katherine Bogle

  Was everything he’d said true? Was he a vampire? Was I a demon, or a Reaper? I didn’t understand the difference, but everything he’d said about what I was had come true. I’d used a scythe to murder those people. I’d wanted to eat that girl, to feast on her blood and flesh. I’d wanted to claim her soul, though I don’t know exactly what that meant.

  “Just breathe,” Ryker continued.

  I closed my eyes and did as he said. Despite the thoughts swirling through my head, I slowly calmed down. “How is this possible?” I whispered. My throat was sore, but I somehow managed to get the words out.

  Ryker sighed, but didn’t stop rubbing slow circles between my shoulder blades. “There’s a whole world you don’t know about yet, Clara. But I can explain it to you. It’ll take some time, but we can get all of this under control.”

  I shivered. I didn’t want to have to get myself under control. I didn’t want any of this. I wanted to go back to just before the party with Gloria and Jamie. I wanted to fake an illness and stay home and watch RomComs all night, blissfully unaware of the shit storm I’d just landed myself in.

  “How am I supposed to live like this?” I asked. “I-I killed people.”

  Ryker paused, his hand still on my back. “You’ll find a way.”

  For the first time in years, I wanted my mom. I didn’t want to face all of this alone. Instead, I wanted to curl up in her arms and forget it. I wanted her to sing me to sleep, and whisper to me that everything would be all right. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t be some kind of monster.

  “Remember, someone woke you to this, Clara,” Ryker said stiffly. “Let’s find out who did it. Maybe they’ll have some answers for you.”

  I froze. Eli. That’s who we’d been looking for before all of this happened. I couldn’t see how Eli would be involved in this, but I wanted desperately to find her. Something odd was going on with her too, and maybe she was in just as much trouble as I was.

  “Eli,” I murmured. “We’ve got to find her.”

  I slowly straightened and wiped my mouth. My hand came away bloody. My eyes widened as I rubbed my hands on my shirt, only my shirt was sticky and wet too. I looked down to find myself covered in blood.

  My legs wobbled, and stars flashed before my eyes.

  “Easy.” Ryker held my elbow to keep me steady. “Before we go anywhere, we need to get you cleaned up.”

  I nodded numbly. I was covered in blood—the blood of people I’d killed.

  It didn’t compute in my brain, so everything shut down. I stared at the red smudging my hands, unable to register what it meant any longer.

  Ryker sighed. “What’s your address?” He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket before pulling off the coat as well. He laid it over my shoulders. It was heavy, but large enough to cover the blood on my clothes.

  I told him my address and pulled his coat closer. By the time he looked it up in his phone, I was freezing. A chill worked its way into my body and made me tremble from head to toe.

  “Let’s get you home.” Ryker swiped his thumbs across my face, then swung me up into his arms. He walked back to the street and hailed a cab.

  It wasn’t until I was back in my own home that the numbness started to lose its hold. It felt it like tiny cracks in the surface of my façade, breaking apart pieces of me until I came undone.

  Tears streamed silently down my cheeks. Ryker sighed, and gently set me down outside my bathroom. He left me in the hall while he fiddled with my shower. The pipes squealed and Ryker cursed. A few moments later, the hiss of water filled my ears and Ryker appeared beside me.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said. He guided me into the bathroom and took his coat from my shoulders, tossing it into the corner.

  “I-I can do it,” I said. Some sense of self was slowly returning. His fingers paused at the edge of my t-shirt. We’d only just met yesterday, and I wasn’t about to get naked in front of him. “Turn around.”

  Ryker smiled softly and nodded. He turned around and waited patiently as I stripped off the bloody rag. I tossed it into the trash next to the toilet, along with my bra and panties. At some point I must have lost my stilettos, as my feet were strangely bare.

  I didn’t think much on it. Instead, I climbed into the steam filling the shower and closed the glass door. I could barely see him through the steam inside. It relaxed me to know if I couldn’t see him, then he probably couldn’t see me either.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. I turned into the water pelting the tiled floor. Heat sizzled across my skin. I pushed my head under, blocking myself off from the world. I ran my fingers through my hair, then laid my hands on my shoulders, hugging myself.

  This morning, I’d thought I was crazy. Now, I could only pray it was true. Because if I’d just killed people, I wasn’t sure I could go on. Whatever I was, I couldn’t let it win. What if I hurt one of my friends, or even mom? A sob caught in my throat and I slowly sank down into a crouch.

  What if I hurt my mom?

  My mother meant the world to me. She’d raised me by herself. She’d taught me everything she knew and more. She was stern, and quiet, and caring. She made me the independent woman I am today. And if anything happened to her because of me, I’m not sure I could live with myself.

  “Clara?” Ryker asked tentatively.

  “Yeah?”

  “We’ll figure this out.”

  I pushed the palms of my hands against my eyes, but nothing was going to hold back the tears spilling out of me. I hoped he was right. I hoped we’d figure something out and everyone would be okay. Because if we didn’t, I’m not sure I could live like this.

  Chapter 10

  When the tears finally stopped, I scrubbed myself clean. I stayed in the shower far longer than I normally did, scrubbing my entire body until my skin was raw. Only then did I exit the shower and dry off.

  Ryker disappeared into the kitchen. I heard him fumbling around with my things, but I didn’t care. I went to my bedroom and changed into jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. It wasn’t until I began brushing my hair out in the mirror that I realized something was off.

  I looked different—not a lot—but enough that it gave me pause. Instead of the grey-blue my eyes had once been, they were now a more striking cold blue with silver veins. Yellow ringed my pupils, and flecks of gold were scattered through my irises. My eyes weren’t the only things that were different. My hair was thicker, and longer. My cheekbones were sharper, as were some of my teeth. The dimples in my cheeks were more pronounced, and the freckles across my nose had vanished.

  I blinked at myself in confusion. I still looked like me, but a polished, glamorous version of myself.

  “Hello?”

  I jumped at the sound until I realized it was just Ryker answering the phone in the other room. I sighed and ran the brush through my hair one last time before grabbing a fall coat and slipping on a pair of boots.

  When I returned to the kitchen, I caught the tail end of his conversation.

  “You found her?” Ryker asked. “The Westmont Hotel? All right. Got it.”

  He hung up and turned as I stepped into the kitchen.

  “You found Eli?” I asked. Hope sent my heart racing. Thank God! If someone found her, it meant she was all right.

  “Yes,” Ryker said. He looked me over, as if inspecting for injury.

  “I’m fine,” I said.

  “You should eat something.”

  I scoffed. Right, like I could eat anything with the bloody memories swirling in my head. “No thanks.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “It might help with the cravings.”

  I froze. Did he mean what I thought he meant?

  “Your blood and flesh cravings,” he clarified.

  Yep, exactly what I thought he meant. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You really think it’ll help?”

  He shrugged. “It couldn’t hurt. Clearly you don’t need to consume anything but regular food to sur
vive.”

  I nodded. Though I didn’t feel like anything, I also didn’t want to go off the rails again. “Okay.” I plucked a granola bar and a banana from the cupboard. “I’ll eat on the go.”

  “Good enough.” Ryker flicked off the hall light and opened the front door for me. Before I could slip through, Ryker stepped into my path.

  “What’re you doing?” I asked. I looked up at him to find his nostrils flared and his eyes wide. “What’s going on?”

  Ryker grabbed me around the waist and towed me back into the apartment. He slammed the door shut behind us and didn’t set me down until we were in the living room.

  “Ryker!” I snapped. My heart raced as I watched him blur through the room. Oh my god. He really is a vampire.

  He stopped at the window furthest to the right. It led out onto an old metal fire escape only used in case of emergencies. “Here.” He grabbed the window and jolted up. The locks snapped as he forced the frame up.

  “What are you doing?” I growled. I would have to replace those!

  “Vampires are coming,” he said quickly. He grabbed my hand and yanked me over to the window. He practically pushed me through before climbing out beside me. The next thing I knew, he was grabbing my wrist and pulling me down the stairs.

  “Vampires?” I gasped for breath as we wound down the steps at breakneck speed.

  We reached the last landing, and without breaking pace, Ryker pulled me into his arms and vaulted over the railing. I would have shrieked if Ryker hadn’t covered my mouth. We hit the ground, and Ryker straightened before taking off down the alley.

  “You might have messed with the wrong vampires,” Ryker said through clenched teeth.

  My mind swirled with dizziness as his pace increased, and then increased again. Suddenly, buildings were flying by in a blur. I clung to his neck and buried my face against his chest. It took everything I had to combat the rising nausea filling me.

  Fucked with the wrong vampires? Just add it to the list, buddy.

  Ever since I’d woken up, shit had just kept piling on top of me until I was drowning in it. If I didn’t have Ryker helping me, I’m not sure what I would have done. Probably massacred people without a clue as to what I was doing.

  Once we were I don’t know how far, Ryker finally slowed. I didn’t let go of him, and he didn’t release me.

  “Is there anywhere else you can stay?” he asked.

  I began to say yes, but stopped myself. I could stay with my mom. She’d never put me out on the street. But if I had angry vampires after me, I didn’t want her to get hurt. She was not someone I was willing to risk. “No.”

  “What about your mom?” he asked, as if reading my damn mind.

  “No,” I growled. My fingers tightened around the collar of his shirt. Anger burned through me. No one was hurting my mom.

  He chuckled softly. “Okay. Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out.”

  My hold relaxed and I nodded.

  We didn’t walk for much longer. Only a few minutes of silence passed before Ryker stopped in front of a huge, lavish hotel with a crystal chandelier dangling in the white marbled entryway.

  “Um, is this the hotel?” I asked.

  Ryker nodded. “I’m going to have to put you down now.”

  I stiffened. It’s not like I liked being carried around by a handsome man—okay maybe I did—but being with him made me feel safe. What if he ran off on me? What the hell would I do then?

  Ryker slowly set me down. He held onto my hips until I got my feet under me. My legs still felt like jelly, but after a few moments I could stand on my own.

  “We’ll go to the front desk and get Eli’s room number,” Ryker said.

  I raised an eyebrow. Hotel staff wouldn’t just hand over her room number. That had to be against hotel policy.

  Ryker took my hand and led me through the front doors, which a doorman pulled open. I said a soft thank you, and the man nodded to me. As soon as we were inside, I was overwhelmed my golden light and sparkly things. Even the staff were dressed in full suits, including the women.

  I was extremely underdressed. I flushed and tucked my hair behind my ear. While I toyed with the edge of my jacket, Ryker beelined to the reception desk. He didn’t seem to care that the staff were dressed like they belonged at a swanky party while he wore only jeans and a black t-shirt.

  I scurried after him until I heard the ding of the elevators. Something warm skated across my senses and tugged on my insides. I stopped halfway to the reception desk to look at the elevator doors as they opened.

  Eli stepped out of the golden elevator with a sexy smile on her cherry lips. Her red hair curled around her face like a fifties movie star, and her golden gown clung to her every curve like liquid gold had been spilled across her flesh.

  I stared with wide eyes until Eli met my gaze.

  Her lips parted in a surprised ‘o’. “Clara-dear?”

  So I wasn’t imagining things. “Eli? What are you wearing?”

  Eli’s lips twisted in a sultry smile as she made her way across the lobby to meet me. “Don’t I look stunning? It’s been so long since I could wear something so nice.”

  “You look amazing,” I said before I could stop myself. “What are you doing here? Where have you been?” All the anxiety I’d been pushing aside suddenly shrivelled up. Eli was alive, and safe, and looking glam as hell. This entire time I’d been scared we’d find her dead in a ditch.

  “I’ve been around,” Eli said. She shrugged her narrow shoulders. “Why don’t you come up to my penthouse and we’ll have a discussion?”

  Damn right we’ll have a discussion.

  I began to nod when Ryker appeared at my shoulder. His hand squeezed my hip in an effort to pull me back, but I stood strong. Why was he trying to pull me away from Eli? She’s what we were here for. “Okay.”

  “Clara,” Ryker warned.

  “What? This is Eli.”

  Eli looked between us. “Who is your friend, Clary? Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

  “This is Ryker,” I said. “Ryker, this is Eli.”

  “A pleasure.” Eli smirked. “Why don’t you join us upstairs?”

  Without waiting for an answer, Eli turned on her heel and sauntered back to the elevator. The doors remained open, and she stepped inside.

  “Come on,” I said. I pulled Ryker with me into the elevator. Only once the doors closed, did I see the look of confusion in his eyes.

  “I’m glad you found me, Clara,” Eli said. “There’s so much I have to tell you.”

  “Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “Maybe like how you can afford this place on our salary?”

  Eli chuckled. “Among other things.”

  The slight motion of the elevator stopped and the doors dinged open. A floor of white, marbled with silver and gold opened up before us, and the smell of blood assaulted my nose.

  I inhaled sharply, and took a step back, right into Ryker’s chest.

  “Come on in, Clara-dear!” Eli singsonged as she stepped out of the elevator and into what I was sure would spell my doom.

  Chapter 11

  My mouth watered the longer I smelled blood. My head swam and I bit down hard on my inner cheek. I had to get a hold of myself. I couldn’t let my inner demon take over again.

  “Cla-ara!” Eli sung. “How have you been, dear? How was the party?” She flashed a smile over her shoulder, but froze when she realized I wasn’t following.

  “Hey,” Ryker said softly. “It’s okay. Breathe through your mouth.”

  Eli placed her hands on her hips as her eyes lit with joy. “It worked.” My eyebrows furrowed, and before I could ask her what she meant by that, she shook her head and continued on. “I’m so sorry, Clara. I had a vampire friend over before your arrival. If I had known you were coming, I’d have cleaned up for you.”

  I took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator. I had to know what was going on here. Something was wrong with Eli. Though she looked the same
, her sincerity was gone. “What’s happened to you?” I asked through clenched teeth and what the hell did she mean by ‘it worked’?

  Eli smiled and flipped her hand over her shoulder. “Nothing, dear. I’m the same as I’ve always been. Only now, I get to be my truest self. I don’t have to hide anymore.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. My eyes darted around as I took a few more steps into the penthouse. The smell of copper was thick, though I didn’t see any blood yet. I clamped a hand down on my stomach, suddenly wishing I hadn’t dropped my snack during our flight.

  “Oh, right,” Eli said on a laugh. “Silly me. I haven’t properly introduced myself.” Eli walked over to us and extended her hand. “I’m Elizabeth, daughter of Lucifer.”

  Ryker gasped. His arm tightened around my waist, inching me away from Eli. “You’re a Princess of Hell?”

  “Of course,” Eli said. She had a predatory look about her as she eyed Ryker.

  “A Princess of Hell?” I looked at Ryker over my shoulder. His teeth ground together and his eyes were wide with fear. “I thought you called them Princes.”

  Eli scoffed. “Like my brothers could forge anything as beautifully lethal as my Reapers.”

  My body went cold. It was then I finally realized what they both already knew. Everything Ryker had said was true—only it wasn’t a Prince of Hell that had created my species, it was a princess.

  “How is this possible?” I whispered, unable to help myself.

  Eli tilted her head like a cat stalking prey. She began to circle us, walking slowly, her heels clicking on the marble floor. “When I found out one of my children had gone against my rules and started a family, I had to find you. Only when I did, I realized you were more human than demon.” She scowled. “But I needed to know if a Reaper laid inside of you. So I inserted myself into your life to figure it out. If you were just a human, I’d let you be. But I had to know.”

  “It was you. You set this all up. You’re the reason people are dead!” My voice rose with my accusation.

  Eli stopped in front of me and shrugged. “Of course. I had to do something to trigger your demon.” She smiled as she stepped forward and cupped my chin. “You can’t imagine my delight. I want to hear everything. You’re one of my children now. Or like a grandchild I suppose.”