Demon Child

by Kat Cotton

  That’s the stupid thing about evil. It’s never that simple. I understood what the mayor said. I could see that he thought of himself as a swell guy. He just didn’t understand that a war between humans and vampires was one he couldn’t win. The streets would never be clean.

  “Clementine, believe me, I have your best interests at heart. You’ll be lucky to survive. If that vampire has to choose between protecting you or protecting his pack, you’ll be the first to go. He doesn’t care one bit for you. He can’t. He has no soul. Remember that. He’s not capable of deep feeling.”

  All I’d ever wanted in this world was to be left alone to do my job and make some money, but it seemed like I was being pressured to join forces with someone either way. I couldn’t dispute a thing the mayor said. I wasn’t stupid.

  Before I could answer him, Kisho knocked on the door.

  “I’m up,” I said.

  “Think about what I’m saying. I’ve got to get out of here, but I’ll be watching on the TV in the car. Don’t let me down.” He smiled and raised his fist in a sign of solidarity. “Team Human.”

  Chapter 33: Stage Fright

  Kisho led me to the stage. I now totally understood stage fright. They say to imagine the audience in their underwear. Imagining them without pitchforks and hate in their eyes would be enough to settle me.

  I wiped my sweaty palms on my dress, hoping they wouldn’t leave marks, then reached for Kisho’s hand. He squeezed my hand tight. That helped. We walked up the steps to the stage. I’d wait in the wings until it was time to be announced.

  The suit Nic wore made him look so authoritative. He’d looked great before we’d left the lair, but up there, onstage, his persona seemed to electrify. Something inside him came to life onstage. The way he moved, the way he talked, it all seemed larger than life. I so wasn’t a larger-than-life onstage person. I hated attention, while Nic thrived on it. Of course, it’s much easier when the crowd loves you than when they want to tar and feather you.

  “You’ll be fine,” Kisho whispered in my ear.

  I wasn’t so sure.

  From the side, I could see the crowd out there. To them, it would look like I was attacking the kid again. Adding to my violent reputation. At the moment, they all seemed to be totally entranced by Nic. He spoke in a soft, calm voice, telling them they could be anything they wanted to be. If that “anything” was an angry mob trying to kill me, then I wished he wouldn’t make them believe that.

  My hands had become sweaty again. I shouldn’t even wipe them on this stupid dress again. Damn this outfit. Even if the crowd didn’t kill me, I’d probably trip and kill myself just trying to walk on that slippery stage floor in these heels.

  “Do I look okay?” I asked Kisho.

  “You look beautiful,” he replied.

  He turned his head away, blushing.

  His gesture made me wonder if it was worth destroying what we had between us.

  Watching the crowd, I tried to pick out the rest of the pack. They blended in easily. They’d come straight to the venue, and I hadn’t met them. Nic told them I’d just be a distraction. I really had no idea what Nic even expected me to do here, apart from go onstage and act as Demon Child bait. I had no idea what to say out there or what he wanted. I couldn’t just stand onstage and bat my eyelashes.

  “This plan is stupid. The whole thing is stupid. We can’t do this.” I turned to leave. I wasn’t sure where I’d go or what alternative I had, but this would not work.

  “Trust in Nic. If he says he can do it, he can.”

  That was easy for him to say since he was all starry-eyed over Nic to start with. I wasn’t so sure. If my doubts had been bad before, the mayor had just added an extra edge to them. Trusting in Nic was the last thing I wanted to do. He’d said if I needed to distract the Vampire King, he’d get me out of there. Would he, though? Maybe I’d be left behind with a sexed-up ancient while the rest of them fled to safety. That seemed a real possibility.

  I glanced at the stage. Nic stood up, holding a microphone, but there were two folding chairs set up. Behind him, a giant banner declared in silver and red that this was the “Live your Dream” lecture. There was nowhere to hide on that stage.

  At that moment, Nic called me. The crowd hushed. Then a few people booed.

  “Quiet. We need to let Ms. Starr tell her story without judgment.”

  Oh my, if the situation hadn’t been so serious, I’d have choked at those words. Without judgment! I’d like to see Nic do that.

  Kisho gave me a push toward the stage. I forced myself to walk out. I tried to focus on Nic and ignore everything else around me. If I looked out at those people, I’d panic. Nic smiled, but that did nothing to reassure me. If anything, it made me want to run. Instead, I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other without falling on my face.

  What the hell was I doing here? None of this made any sense. The dress twisted in a weird way. I wanted to adjust it, but too many people watched me. Instead, I rubbed the orb on my necklace. It reassured me.

  “Take a seat,” Nic hissed in my ear as he handed me a microphone.

  Oh yeah, I couldn’t just stand there, looking like an idiot. Even some basic microphone training would’ve come in handy. Nic hadn’t thought of that.

  Nic kept talking, then I realized he’d asked me a question. What had he asked? I couldn’t answer. My throat closed up. What was I supposed to say anyway? Nothing would make this crowd stop hating me.

  Luckily, at that moment, someone in the crowd screamed. Well, lucky for me, not for them.

  The attention turned from me to a commotion near the back of the room. I couldn’t quite see what happened, just a flurry of movement.

  Was it the Demon Child or something else?

  I craned my neck, wanting to know what had happened.

  Security guards rushed through the crowd. The vampire pack moved faster. The camera that had been on Nic had turned to the back of the room.

  The screams got louder, others joining in. I wasn’t sure if the Demon Child had attacked again or if everyone had panicked. I couldn’t see a damn thing.

  If this went to air, then all we’d done to keep the Demon Child hidden would be wasted.

  A blur raced through the crowd. The Demon Child. So fast. I wasn’t sure the vampire pack could catch him, but with five of them, they were able to split up. Before long, a shout came out.

  “Got him.”

  The other vamps rushed to help contain him.

  This was my chance. I needed to draw him to me.

  I took a deep breath and crossed my legs. I had to ignore everyone else in the room. The Demon Child was my target.

  “Focus,” Nic whispered.

  Like I hadn’t been doing this all my life.

  I turned my body toward the area where the commotion had started and smiled. I put everything I had into that smile. All the sexual frustration built up in from last night. That was a helluva lot of frustration, to be honest. I shot a sex beam over the crowd, straight to the Demon Child. He just looked in my direction and snarled.

  Nic touched my arm. “Don’t try so hard. You just need to get him up here, onstage.”

  That was okay for him to say. The Demon Child’s crush on me was over. That tends to happen when you try to stake someone.

  The vampire pack had hold of him, dragging him toward the stage. A murmur went through the crowd, fear or disapproval, I couldn’t tell. I wasn’t sure how many of them had seen what happened. There was one person down. The kid had definitely attacked before the pack stopped him.

  If he got free, he’d attack again. Every single person in that room was in danger. I tried focusing my sex beam again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw security take the victim from the room. Around them, people rushed to get out of their seats. They knew enough to run.

  “Okay, everybody, it looks like we have a situation,” Nic said. His voice sounded so reasonable, so calm. “Starting from the back rows, can people begin
leaving the venue quietly? Don’t panic. Don’t rush the exits.”

  Even though Kisho had said he never used his vampire thrall, I was sure he used it then. People obeyed him, moving in a calm way. Slowly and politely shuffling toward the exit. In a normal situation, they’d rush for the doors, fighting and shoving to get out first. Hell, people were bad enough trying to get out of a place without the added risk of a vampire attack.

  I tried to ignore the people leaving, focusing on the Demon Child.

  Several of the pack held him. They couldn’t restrain him for long. He was way too strong for that, even with three of them. Maybe if I rushed to them, I could help.

  Before I could do that, though, Kisho yelled.

  I spun around. Two men rushed from the wings. One of them was Harry McConchie. The other was Bob Kelpie. Both had stakes. Both rushed for Nic.

  The mayor had set him up. I knew this would happen.

  Chapter 34: Motivational

  Nic turned to the hunters and smiled. He really was too cocky. He wouldn’t be able to use his vampire thrall on them. They’d be protected against that. Even McConchie wasn’t that stupid.

  They kept running at him.

  Stupid move. It gave him way too much warning. I’d have approached him all friendly-like, pretended I was a fan, then gotten out the stake and bam! Surprise is your best friend when you’re fighting demons. Of course, McConchie wouldn’t know that. He thought he was a hero, but he was just a dick.

  I worried more about Bob. He wouldn’t be defeated easily.

  Nic moved out of their way and they both stumbled past him. He wouldn’t attack. Not before the entire crowd left the building. His image was too important to him. He could duck and dodge them until they tired out, but did we have time for that?

  Most of the crowd still jammed the doors. Surely there were other doors to this place. Why hadn’t security opened them?

  The mayor. Of course. He’d want everyone corralled in so that the Demon Child could feed. We needed to get those people out of here. I called out to Kisho to get the other exits opened.

  I couldn’t just sit around watching. Nic needed help—and this would give me an opportunity to punch McConchie.

  “I told you,” I hissed at Nic as I rushed for McConchie. “Don’t trust the mayor.”

  I grabbed McConchie around the neck. I couldn’t kill him, but I could sure slow him down. I pressed my forearm tight against his neck, but it didn’t shut him up.

  “Working for the vamps, Starr? That will go down well with the Council.”

  I kneed him in the nuts. McConchie yelped and hunched over in pain.

  I’d wanted to do that for a long time. I tried not to grin, but my face muscles couldn’t help it.

  With McConchie down, I turned to Nic. Bob lunged at him. A clumsy move that Nic would have no trouble avoiding.

  Except… Nic moved so slow.

  Huh?

  He ducked, not with his usual grace but enough to evade Bob. The hunter sprawled onto the floor.

  Bob had done something. Damn it. How could Nic let him? He needed to be at full capacity. We all did.

  “Kick him!” I screamed. “Get him while he’s down.”

  He might’ve been my mentor, but he’d turned to the other side. I couldn’t afford sentimentality.

  Nic just turned to me in a daze. As I got closer to him, a weird smell struck me. Some kind of charm? Something that would sap Nic’s strength.

  “Nic?”

  He smiled, to let me know he was okay.

  “Nic!” I yelled this time. Bob rushed at him again. That stake got awfully close to Nic this time. Not his heart, but his face.

  “Do not damage this face,” Nic said, but he was visibly weakened.

  I couldn’t identify the smell. It wasn’t just garlic or any of the usual vampire repellents. But anything stronger than that, and these hunters had to be working with something way off-limits. That was like the second worst rule you could break, messing with the black magics.

  We had to get off this stage so Nic could regain his strength, but that wasn’t possible without dealing with these hunters first.

  Before I could rush in to help Nic, McConchie got to his feet. He barreled in, grabbing me around the waist and knocking me to the floor.

  My head bashed against the boards. Pain flooded my skull. Damn McConchie.

  I struggled beneath him. I could outfight him, I knew it. But it was damn hard with him on top of me.

  “I didn’t know you cared, McConchie.”

  I let my body go limp. If he thought I wouldn’t fight, I could outmaneuver him. That was much smarter than wasting energy when I couldn’t land a decent punch.

  He snorted. “The mayor said you were on our side,” he said in my ear. I’m pretty sure there was a decent amount of spittle mixed in with those words.

  “Yeah, that’s right. But Nic has to think I’m his friend.”

  The fool fell for that. That’s why I always win the awards and he doesn’t. I fought back my triumphant laugh. That could wait until later.

  He rolled off me. I jumped to my feet, then stomped on his hand as he tried to get up. Boots might be better for fighting, but that heel made a nice dent in McConchie’s hand. It might’ve even broken a bone.

  He screamed, looking up at me in disbelief.

  “Idiot.”

  I kicked him in the face. That kick would’ve been a lot more effective in boots. Even better if I wasn’t wearing a tight dress and could get a good swing at him. This was not an outfit for fighting in.

  “Take that, McConchie.”

  I’d keep him down for good. As he rose onto his hands and knees, I hitched up my dress and kneed him in the face.

  I’d wanted to do that for a long, long time.

  Then I rubbed my knee. That had really hurt. His nose looked worse, though.

  Someone in the crowd cheered. Shit, they were watching this.

  McConchie reached out for my ankle. I stomped his hand again. I think I got his thumb. He yelped, like a little bitch.

  “Kisho,” I called. “Get Nic off the stage.”

  But Kisho had gone to open the other exits. Hell, there was only me to help Nic.

  If I got him out of range of that spell, his strength would come back. I needed to do that. I needed to do that before the Demon Child got free of the pack! I could only hope they could hold him.

  Bob had Nic around the neck, stake in hand. Nic gripped him around the wrist, strong enough to hold the stake away from his body, but not strong enough to fight the hunter off. The stake trembled as they both struggled to get control of it.

  Fuck Bob. He couldn’t stake Nic. Blood rushed to my head. I had to protect Nic. I hated that vampire, but he was my vampire to hate. I rushed as fast as the stupid dress let me and knocked Bob off him.

  Bob might’ve been a better fighter than me, but he wasn’t that young anymore.

  That stopped the hunters for a moment. But what the hell was the Demon Child doing?

  I looked out over the crowd. They were thinning out, but not fast enough. The pack held the kid, but the kid fought hard. One of the pack members had left the Demon Child, rushing to help Nic.

  “No!” Nic screamed. “Hold him, I’m fine.”

  Nic’s vampire stopped in his tracks, looking confused before heading back to the Demon Child.

  I’d help Nic, but McConchie got to his feet again. That pissed me off.

  “You want to be covered in my shoe prints?” I yelled.

  I kicked him again. He groaned but didn’t fall. Hate burned in his eyes, but that was nothing new.

  “Starr, you’ll suffer for this.”

  “Whatever.”

  Whenever McConchie opened his mouth, I suffered. Just his voice pained me.

  He thought he could get me, but I went for him with a right hook, smashing into his jaw.

  A few hoots came from the crowd. Yeah! Some people were on my side, at least. Or maybe they just loved watching a
chick bust someone’s balls. I dusted my knuckle and gave them a wave. The indent of my wolf ring would stay on McConchie’s face for a while.

  I needed to get him down, though. A few more punches, just for good measure. He dodged, then attacked, but I blocked him and got one in on his nose. Another to his jaw again. Then the nose. A broken nose would suit him.

  I wanted this over with and needed more than punches.

  I picked up one of the folding chairs and swung at him, all wrestler style.

  “Stay down,” I yelled as the chair crunched into his chest.

  McConchie staggered, then fell.

  A gasp went through the room.

  “He’s a bad person,” I yelled. “He’s a misogynist. And he wants to kill Nic.”

  Then someone screamed. It wasn’t that bad. McConchie writhed on the floor, but he wasn’t dead. Nothing to scream about.

  But it wasn’t that. In the blur of the crowd, people had cleared a space. Sometimes had happened. Something bad.

  I looked for the pack. The Demon Child had escaped them. The pack raced for him, but he’d already attacked. For the second time.

  He’d jumped on someone in the crowd, his fangs fastening on their neck. While the victim screamed, a few people had their phones out.

  Damn millennials. Help a person out, don’t Instagram it.

  “Hey, Demon Child,” I yelled, hoping I’d get his attention. “Hey, kid.”

  The kid sunk his teeth into the victim’s neck. Frantic and hungry, like a ravenous dog. He hadn’t fed in over two weeks. The bloodlust overruled all. If these stupid hunters weren’t making things difficult onstage, then I’d rush to stop him. They should be fighting that instead of going after Nic.

  The pack got to the kid, dragging him off the victim. But that shit had been filmed, and the victim fell to the floor. Still alive, by the looks of things, but bleeding badly. And the smell of that blood only added fuel to the Demon Child’s crazy.