by Cara Wylde
Everyone raised their glasses and drank. Sophie saw Alexi and Kain smile and approve of everything the Count had said. They were playing their roles well.
“I have a surprise for you.” Casimir made a short, intentional pause to let the words sink in and build up anticipation. “First and foremost, demons are hunters. There’s nothing more delicious and fulfilling than the energy of a human whose heart is beating wildly, blood pumping adrenaline into their veins, their tender skin drenched in intoxicating sweat after they’ve run for miles only to fall into the predator’s arms.” His guests approved enthusiastically, and the Count’s chest puffed up with pride and pleasure. Yes, this was the best idea he had come up with in ages. “What I have prepared for you is unique and special. To show you how much you mean to me, my friends, and to thank you for making my isolation easier by coming here every year and enchanting me with your stories and adventures, I have built a safe environment in which you can all enjoy a good old hunt.” Cheers filled the room, and Casimir had to wait a few minutes for everyone to calm down. “I invite you all to step outside.”
They didn’t need a second invitation. Some took their glasses with them, while others preferred to leave theirs in the living room, too eager to start the hunt and have some real fun to care about wine anymore. All they could see and smell was fresh human energy floating in the air, beckoning for them to take it. Sophie was the last to step out onto the porch. She should have felt safe here, with Casimir by her side, his hand resting gently on her waist, but she didn’t. She had to hold back a gasp when she saw the small courtyard filled with the prisoners she had seen just a couple of days ago in the cellar behind the chalet. But they weren’t the only ones there. Sophie spotted Leila in the crowd, Petro holding her tightly against his chest. The maids and cooks she had grown accustomed to seeing around at the mansion were there too, fear and confusion dancing in their eyes. They weren’t sure what was about to happen to them, but they knew they might not get out of it alive.
Casimir led Sophie to the edge of the porch, from where they could dominate everyone in the courtyard, humans and demons alike. Sophie saw Irvene standing between the prisoners and the guests. She had instructed the hellhound to follow the Count’s orders for now, except in the case in which he would have asked her to harm someone. She gave Irvene a discreet smile, and she was almost sure the hound nodded back at her.
“Dear people,” started Casimir, his voice dripping with fake concern and compassion. “You must all be so confused… Just a couple of weeks ago you applied for a job in hopes that it would help you find your own way in life, in hopes that I, your devoted protector, would provide a stepping stone for you to finally leave your villages and poor families behind and build a new future for yourselves in the city. I truly hope you’re not too disappointed… The outcome might not be exactly the one you’ve expected. After careful consideration, I’ve decided to give you all a second chance.” The Count spread his arms, pointing to the woods surrounding them and indicating freedom was waiting for those who were determined enough to claim it. “If you reach the edge of the forest and make it into one of the villages, then you are free to go and I promise you you’ll never hear of me again. So go! Go and be free!”
No one budged. Some prisoners were staring at the Count, while others were carefully studying his guests and every move they made. They didn’t know whom they had to fear most. Bored and eager for the hunt to begin, Casimir nodded towards Irvene. Sophie made sure to mirror his gesture, as she knew the Ke’let demon wanted for the hound to scare the humans and force them into the woods. Irvene got the message, turned around and bared her fangs at the prisoners. A couple of barks, growls and snaps, and the people scattered around the chalet in different directions, too frightened and confused to even know where they were going. Deep down, they probably knew there was no escape and this was just one of the sick games the Count liked to play.
“Have fun, my friends!” Casimir encouraged the demons who were intentionally allowing the humans to get a head start. “Make the best of it!”
Sophie saw Kain and Alexi clench and unclench their fists. The wait was killing them, but they couldn’t be the first ones to start chasing after the prisoners. Two painful minutes passed, then two more. Sophie was barely breathing and her chest had started to ache. Then, one of the demons took a step forward and another one dashed right between the trees. The next thing Sophie knew was that Casimir’s guests had left the courtyard, some running, others strolling casually. The hunt was on.
“Come on, lovely Sophie.” He pulled her back inside the chalet. “We have a couple of peaceful hours all to ourselves. It’s time for you to give me all the delicious energy you’ve been taunting me with all these weeks.”
♥
Leila ran through the forest. Her heart pounded hard in her chest and her head buzzed with the sound of her own blood pumping more adrenaline and strength into her exhausted body. She had lost Petro minutes ago, although they had promised each other they would stay together. She jumped over a bush and tried to find some kind of path. She had spent her whole life in these mountains, and still she had no idea where she was. Someone appeared from behind a tree, a tall, broad-chested man with dark hair and even darker eyes. She screamed in fear and ran the opposite way only to bump into someone else.
“You’re okay, you’re okay…”
This man was even taller than the one who had been chasing her. His hair and skin were as black as ebony, and his muscles felt like smooth, chiseled stone under her fingers. He had a good grip on her shoulders, and she knew there was no way she could escape now.
“Please don’t hurt me, please…” Leila started sobbing and slowly sinking to her knees, not because she was trying to beg him harder, but because her legs were giving out and there was nothing she could do about it.
“I’m here to help.” He pulled her back up to her feet and held her there. “I’m Tengu. You’re safe now. No one is going to hurt you, okay?”
Tengu? What kind of name was that? Regardless, she nodded weakly. The way he talked to her… He truly made her believe she could trust him.
The incubus stole a glance behind her, but the demon who had been on her tracks had vanished. There was nothing to worry about, though. The woods around the mansion were filled with Spprigans. It had been difficult to convince Mikal to let him take some of the small, ugly creatures from Lure, but with Lilith’s support, he had managed to force Mikal’s hand and take half of them. The moment a demon got close enough to a Spprigan, the little elf would start draining him of energy, which made it really easy for Tengu, Nyame, and the four cambions they had brought with them to catch the demon. Alexi and Kain were helping with the men and women scattered all over the forest. The plan was working like a charm. The hunters had become the hunted, and they weren’t even aware of it until they were caught.
“You have to do me a favor,” said Tengu. “Go with my friend here. He’ll take you to the other people we’ve rescued so far.”
Leila saw a handsome man with faded blue eyes and medium-length blond hair approach them. “Marquis Andras?” Her heart had started picking up the pace again.
“No, Leila. You remember me… Sophie told you about me. I’m Kain.”
She let out a breath of relief. Yes, she did. She did remember him. “Is Petro all right?”
Kain thought for a second, then he remembered Sophie mentioning this name. He was the guy who had stolen the shaman’s phial. “He’s waiting for you. Come.” He offered her his hand and she took it.
Tengu straightened his shirt and popped his knuckles one by one. “Well, back to work.” They had probably caught over half of the demons and taken almost all prisoners to safety. Giving them a head start had played against the demons. They never had the chance to feed on human energy, so they were pretty weak to begin with. “This is almost too easy.”
He heard Nyame’s voice coming from his right, so he went left. The last thing he wanted was to work with h
er. He saw the demon who had been onto Leila struggling to stand upright while a Spprigan was jumping around him and cheering loudly. Tengu smiled and took hold of the demon’s collar, immediately compelling him to comply.
“What have you got there?”
Alexi’s voice startled Tengu. “I thought you were taking care of the humans.”
“I did. They’re all safe. I counted them.” Alexi stepped closer, wanting to give him a hand with the demon he had just caught. He gasped when he finally took a good look at his face. “Duke Gremory…”
That was when it struck Tengu: Duke Gremory, Alexi’s nemesis. He grabbed the demon’s arm and pulled him back, shielding him with his own body. “Alexander… Don’t do anything rash. We have to take him to Lure Academy to question him, and he has to be in one piece for that.”
Alexi breathed in and out a couple of times, trying to control the urge to launch himself at the demon and rip his head off. Tengu was right: they had to question him first. Of course, not even after that would Alexi be allowed to do anything to Gremory, but at least he knew the demon would rot in a cell for the rest of eternity.
“It’s okay, Tengu. I have more important things to worry about. Kain and I are going back for Sophie.” They didn’t want to leave her alone with the Count in the first place, but they were forced to. Sophie had assured them she could handle him. Taking the prisoners to safety and seizing that entire horde of demons had to be their priority. She was strong enough to resist a while longer until Kain and Alexi could return to the chalet. She had promised them she wouldn’t give herself away, as it would have been almost impossible for one cambion to take on such an ancient, powerful Ke’let demon.
“Go. I’ll wrap things up here.”
Alexi threw Duke Gremory one last glance, then turned around and started running back to the chalet. His old lover was too deep under Tengu’s spell to recognize Alexi, but the cambion knew they would soon have a little chat.
♥
The moment they were back inside the chalet, Casimir had Sophie pinned against the wall, trapped under his weight. He dived down for a kiss, but she kept her lips closed tightly, unwilling to give in and allow him to absorb her energy. His lips moved down her jaw, then stopped on her neck, where his sharp teeth bit her lightly.
“Relax, lovely Sophie,” he whispered in her ear. “This won’t hurt a bit.”
She placed her palms on his chest and tried to push him away gently. “I… I’m not ready…” She doubted he would stop or even slow down because she asked him to, but she had to try. His powerful demon aura had enveloped her completely. With her shield down, she would pass out in minutes, and she couldn’t let that happen. She wondered where Alexi and Kain were right now and hoped they’d soon come for her.
The Count pulled away for a second and looked deep into her eyes. The fake patience and kindness on his face were gone, and Sophie knew she was in trouble.
“I’ve been waiting for this since I first saw you. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to be around you and torture myself with small bites of your delicious energy? Oh, this game is over, Sophie!”
His strong hands grabbed her shoulders, and Sophie gasped at the unexpected pain. Casimir started lifting her up the wall, and soon her feet were dangling in the air. His aura attacked her full force, and she felt her energy leaving her body in waves, as if a powerful vacuum was sucking the soul right out of her. She struggled and kicked at his legs, but there was no way she could escape his grip. Where were Kain and Alexi? She couldn’t think about them now, she couldn’t wait for them to come and rescue their damsel in distress. She was no damsel. She was a cambion with her own demon sigil and her own lethal aura. If she wanted to stay alive, then she had to lift up her shield and fight his attack.
The fresh, sweet scent of cherry blossom took Casimir by surprise. He lost his focus for a second, let go of her arms, and took a step back. The confusion in his eyes was soon replaced by rage.
“You’re no human! You’re a cambion! You fooled me all along!”
Sophie was breathing heavily. She eyed the door, wondering if she should make a run for it or stay here and fight until one of them ended up drained on the floor. The temptation of giving the Count a taste of his own medicine was overwhelming, but she doubted she could defeat him by herself. She was a new cambion, he was an ancient demon of an extinct race.
“You’re no match for me, little cambion,” he said in a low, threatening voice. “Who are you working with? Or has the Pantheon sent you on this mission alone? Either way, you’re dead.”
He launched his aura at her, but Sophie had already recovered and made her decision: she would fight Casimir no matter what. The demon sigil on her stomach burned bright, its glow visible through her dress. She focused her thoughts and emotions, gathered her power and aimed it right at the Count. He was strong, however, and the only thing her aura managed to do for now was to keep him at a safe distance. She would need a miracle to penetrate his ancient shield. If only Irvene were here… She wished she hadn’t commanded the hellhound to keep Kain and Alexi safe and help them catch the demons.
The sound of the door banging against the wall startled them both. Sophie lost her balance and stumbled back, cursing under her breath. “Focus, Sophie… Remember what your mentors told you: don’t let anything distract you.”
“Lure Academy,” shouted Berith, her eyes filled with horror. “They’re here! They seized everyone and they’re coming… You have to run, master. Run!”
The Count forgot about Sophie for a moment, his mind invaded by the image of incubi, succubi and cambions cornering him and draining him of energy until he turned into a sock puppet in their hands. No, he had managed to hide from them for too long, he would not allow them to catch him now. He had no intention to spend an eternity in a cell. He took hold of Sophie’s arm and dragged her after him, out onto the porch, then to the back of the chalet.
“You’re coming with me, little cambion.” He shoved her down the steps of the cellar, then turned to Berith. “Make sure no one follows us.”
The demoness swallowed heavily, but didn’t say anything. She had hoped the Count would take her with him. She had no idea how she would hold back a small army of incubi, succubi and cambions, but an order was an order.
♥
Kain and Alexi met at the edge of the clearing and started towards the chalet with Irvene in tow. The hellhound had helped Kain track down the prisoners and take them to the safe place Tengu and Nyame had prepared for them at the foot of the mountain. The incubus and succubus would wipe their memory of the Count and everything that had happened at the mansion, and then let them return to their homes. The shaman had already recovered his phial, and thanked Kain and Alexi for their help. Now, the only thing left to do was to drain Casimir and take him to Lure Academy.
Alexi saw the door of the chalet open and started running. He had a sinking feeling they were too late. Kain was right behind him, so when Berith’s demon aura attacked Alexi, the blond backed him up. The demoness had no chance of defeating them both. They soon had her begging for mercy, so weak and exhausted that she could barely speak.
“Where are they?” demanded Alexi. “Where did Casimir take her?”
Berith clenched her jaw and refused to talk. Kain rolled his eyes and knelt beside her. His hand went to her throat and he squeezed just enough to make her shake with fear.
“You’re going to tell me where he took Sophie right now,” Kain said slowly, carefully articulating every word and letting it sink in. He didn’t expect the Count’s assistant to betray her master willingly, but he knew she was too drained to resist his compelling. He could practically feel her resolve melt under his blue gaze.
“The cellar,” she rasped. Kain relaxed his fingers around her throat. “There’s a hidden tunnel at the back… it leads deep into the mountain.”
“So he has a secret escape route,” concluded Alexi. He was at the door before Kain even decided what they should do w
ith Berith. “Leave her here,” said Alexi. “Irvene will guard her until Tengu or one of the cambions comes to check the chalet.”
Kain nodded in approval and left the demoness on the floor. She tried to crawl away from the hellhound, but Irvene cornered her strategically, then sat on her hind legs, prepared to wait for as long as it took for someone to come and take care of her ex-master’s assistant.
It didn’t take Kain and Alexi long to find the cellar. They each grabbed a torch and started towards the back of the main gallery, the flickering light painting dancing shadows on the stone walls and iron bars. The cells were empty now, the only sign people had suffered there being the clothes and blankets scattered on the floor. Alexi was leading the way, his attention focused on every little noise. Kain would look back from time to time, not necessarily to make sure no one was following them, but to check every single corner for clues, anything that could tell him if Sophie had, indeed, been here.
“This is it,” Alexi whispered, as if he didn’t want to disturb the silence and stillness of the underground structure. He moved the torch up and down the wall and squinted his eyes. He couldn’t see anything unusual, but he was sure there must have been something about this stone wall. Berith hadn’t lied to them. Under Kain’s spell, there was no way she could have lied.
The blond stepped beside his partner and his palm touched the cold stone. His fingers started looking for dents that shouldn’t have been there, and he soon came across a thin line which he followed a couple of inches down, where it connected with another one. Four more inches to the left and five up, and Kain came to the conclusion that he had found some sort of button which was so well hidden that it was almost impossible to see.