How to Date a Demon

by Rose Pressey

  The soul collector’s expression turned even more sour. My time was running out with him. Movement caught my attention and I looked to my right.

  The soul collector let out a loud groan. “See, there goes a spirit now. Look what you’ve done.”

  The male ghost peeked around one of the tombstones, made eye contact, then glided in the opposite direction.

  “I’ve been trying to get that one all night.” He threw his oversized arms up in the air.

  “Oops. Sorry about that.”

  His eyes turned even darker and I didn’t think that was possible, so I took that as my cue that it was time to beat it.

  “Okay then, I guess it’s time that I got out of your hair.” I glanced up at his few pieces of hair.

  He growled and I held my hands up in surrender.

  “I’m leaving, I’m leaving.”

  Soul collectors could be so touchy.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  How to Date a Demon, Rule #27

  Show your date a good time or there will be hell to pay.

  I hurried away from the cemetery with the other book tucked securely under my arm. Not surprisingly, I’d had a hard time getting answers from the soul collector. But he’d given me the location and I did have the book. Maybe I’d learn more from it. Looking at it was worth a shot and about the only option I had left.

  Earlier I’d thought I’d wanted to have someone around, but now I realized it was nice finally not having anyone tagging along. I thought I’d needed someone with me to help, but I’d be fine on my own. The peace and quiet with my thoughts would be a welcome reprieve.

  It wasn’t meant to be though. When I made it a block down the street, someone grabbed my arm.

  I yanked it away and whirled around. Cole stood behind me.

  “Why do you insist on grabbing me like that? Haven’t you ever heard of being gentle?” At least he hadn’t kissed me again.

  He nodded for me to look in front of us. The demons we’d seen earlier were headed our way. Their eyes glowed red in the darkness.

  “I’m here to save your ass. It’s a good thing I found you just in time.” He scoffed. “And you were totally clueless that anyone was even behind you.”

  My eyes widened. Had he really just saved me?

  “Let’s run.” This time I grabbed Cole’s arm.

  “There isn’t time,” he said. “We’ll have to fight them.”

  “What? We? What the hell? I’m not a demon hunter. I can take on werewolves and the occasional vampire, but I don’t do demons.” Panic rose from my feet and settled in my stomach.

  “You’ll have to,” he said as the demons approached.

  They were practically on top of us. There was no choice but to change into my werewolf self. It would be tough to do while I was fighting though.

  They didn’t say a word. They just started grabbing and punching. Men fighting a woman? This wasn’t cool. They had height and weight on me, not to mention the whole devil thing. How would I even begin to fight them? Did they have demon-killing bullets? If so, I needed to look into getting a gun.

  One demon grabbed me around the neck, pulling me to the ground, while the other had Cole in a head-lock. What did he typically do to fight the demons? What was the secret to being a big bad demon-hunting tough guy? They had strength beyond what I’d imagined. I had to fight dirty just like them. I’d sprouted hair on my arms, but because of the fighting, the change was taking longer than usual.

  Not that I was sure even my werewolf strength would be a match for this demon. I wiggled around, trying to break his hold. His breath was hideous. He might have been good-looking, but whatever was going on in that mouth of his, even a whole container of Tic-Tacs wouldn’t make a dent. Something told me he didn’t much care about his dental hygiene. I needed some kind of distraction. It would be my only hope of breaking free of his grip.

  That was when I remembered my keys. I didn’t know if my plan would work, but it was the only plan I had. If it worked, I’d have to run. There would be no stopping to help Cole. He would be on his own. I wouldn’t be any help to him here. I could go for backup if I needed to. After all, he was the demon hunter.

  Who knew that demons would resort to hair-pulling during a fight? I guessed I shouldn’t have expected them not to fight dirty though. I fumbled as the demon was choking me and managed to pull the keys from my pocket. The necklace the priestess had given me broke and fell to the ground. Finally, I broke free. I lifted my arm back and jammed the key right into his eyeball. He yelled out a sound unlike I’d heard before. I guessed the demons weren’t so tough after all. He released his tight hold on me.

  I ran without looking back. I had no idea if Cole was still under attack, but I assumed that he was. After a few seconds, I heard heavy breathing beside me. Oh God. The demon had caught up with me. My running speed had slowed. I was in a transition phase unlike I’d ever been before and my speed was greatly hampered.

  I’d heard about this before. When changing under attack, it screwed something up sometimes. Things were just not going my way lately. I continued to run, but I had to chance a glance to my side. Cole Palmer was running along beside me.

  “It takes a demon attacking you to slow you down?” he panted as he ran beside me.

  “How the hell did you get away?” I asked.

  “It wasn’t easy,” he said with a slight smirk. “Let’s just not look back,” he added.

  “I don’t intend on it.” I stepped up my pace.

  Things certainly had spiraled out of control. Where had I taken a wrong turn in my life? Could I make a U-turn?

  “I lost you earlier. Where did you go?” Cole asked.

  “The better question is where did you go? Lily said she saw you with Jennifer. Did you find her earlier?” My anxiety churned while I waited for his answer.

  “I don’t know what Lily is talking about because I never saw Jennifer. I certainly didn’t drive anywhere with her.” He avoided my stare.

  I eyed him suspiciously. Was he lying to me? If he was keeping the truth from me, then where was Jennifer now? And why would he be back here?

  “I promise I haven’t seen her. If I had seen her all of this would be over,” Cole said.

  I let out a sigh. Yeah, now I was suspicious. But what could I do? If he said he hadn’t seen her then I had to accept his word.

  “We have to get to the portal. We’re losing time.” Cole grabbed my hand.

  “You know which demon had Jennifer?” My heart hammered in my chest. This was it. We were really running out of time.

  He beamed. “I know which demon has her.”

  I wanted to cry with joy but there was no time. We had to save Jennifer. There would be time for tears later.

  We’d made it just another block when I saw another familiar face approaching me. Actually it was two. Jack and Quinton were marching toward us as if they were on a mission. This was not going to end well. It was like an ambush.

  They didn’t speak as they approached. In the blink of an eye, Jack picked up my upper half and Quinton grabbed my legs.

  “What the hell are you all doing? Have you lost your mind?” I wiggled, trying to break free. “Put me down.”

  “Rylie, we’re doing this for your own good,” Quinton said as they hauled me down the sidewalk like a sack of potatoes.

  “Hey, come back here,” Cole yelled after us.

  They dumped me in the backseat of the car. The seatbelt was smashed against my face as I slid across the leather. I was so not happy.

  I watched out the back window as Cole ran after the car. It was no luck. He’d never catch us. They didn’t slow down for Cole.

  “I can’t believe you all just did that. What were you thinking Jack?” I asked as Quinton started the car and sped off.

  “We got rid of him,” Quinton said, glancing back through his rear-view mirror.

  Jack nodded. “Good job, man.”

  I expected them to fist pump at any moment. Apparently,
they were happy that their mission was a success. Quinton steered the car around another turn and I slid across the back seat of the car again.

  “Can you slow down long enough for me to put my seat belt on at least?” I snapped.

  “There’s no time.” Quinton didn’t take his eyes off the road.

  “Okay, but if we’re in a wreck, it’ll be your fault when I’m stretched out on the ground, broken and in a bloody mess.”

  “We’ll be there soon, I promise,” he said.

  “Yeah, that’s reassuring. Thanks. Your driving sucks by the way.” I leaned forward to make sure he heard my complaint.

  He steered around a curve and I slammed to the opposite side of the car. “Quinton, I’m going to kick your sorry vampire ass. Why are you speeding? Is there a fire? Do you think Cole will be able to run after the car and catch up with us? Because call me crazy, but I am guessing that you all are trying to keep me away from him.”

  Jack and Quinton gazed straight ahead.

  “Well, you all should be quiet. You should be ashamed for this foolish behavior.” I leaned forward in the middle of the seat, glaring at both of them.

  What a couple of knuckleheads. Quinton was starting to rub off on Jack.

  “Rylie, I’m sorry,” Jack said softly. “I told you that guy was bad news. He was trying to take you back to hell. We had to get you away from him.”

  “He is not a demon. I don’t know where you got that information from, but you’re wrong.” I didn’t try to conceal the irritation in my voice.

  They didn’t respond. Quinton kept his eyes on the road and Jack looked out the window.

  “Can you at least tell me where you are taking me? I know I’m a kidnap victim but could you be so kind as to tell me where we are going?”

  “I’m sorry, Rylie, but after listening to Quinton, I felt we had no choice.” Jack ran his hand through his mussed hair. Dark circles ringed his eyes.

  “That was your first mistake. You listened to Quinton.”

  I watched Quinton quirk an eyebrow in the rear-view mirror. “Hey, I give solid advice and we’re doing this for your own good. If you insist on hanging out with that dude we have to stop you.”

  “Oh, so I need to be saved, huh? Poor little werewolf in distress,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “It’s not like that, Rylie. You’ll see that we had no other option,” Jack said as he turned around to look at me.

  For the first time since they’d kidnapped me, I got a good look at his face. He looked tired, stressed, or worried. Maybe it was all three. He looked… haunted. I studied Quinton’s appearance in the rear-view mirror. He looked the same. What was wrong with them?

  Quinton pulled the car into a parking lot and pulled into a spot up front. The building was huge, like a big convention center. How many vampires were in there? Jack held the door open for me as I climbed out from the backseat. I glared, shooting a dirty look from Jack to Quinton.

  “Why do you want me in here so badly?” I asked.

  They walked on either side of me as we approached the building. Were they guarding me to make sure I didn’t get away? The closer we got to the building, the more uneasy I felt.

  A blast of cold air hit me when we opened the door. We traveled down a long corridor until we reached the door at the end. Quinton opened the door and Jack took my hand. I eyed him as I reluctantly walked over the threshold with him.

  Red fabric was draped around the ceiling with crystal chandeliers spaced around the room, adding an elegant ambiance. It looked more like a vampire’s wedding reception. Were werewolves even allowed into this shindig? I mean, no one had stopped us at the door and asked for my credentials, but I didn’t see this crowd wanting to hang out with the furry types. They looked a little snobby if you asked me. They stood around with their blood cocktails and fangs gleaming under the glow of the lights. Wait staff moved around the room with trays of bloody drinks.

  We took a seat in the middle of the room, but at the outer edge next to the fire exit. I was thankful for that because I was pretty sure I was going to have to make a quick getaway. The vampires at the table next to us stared. I guessed I wasn’t exactly dressed for the occasion in my jeans and sneakers. Jack and Quinton had their best suits on. Did the vampires know I was a werewolf? Probably. I bet they sensed my lupine blood from miles away.

  If someone would have said I would be sitting in a sea of vampires by the night’s end I would have never believed it. I couldn’t get over how strange Jack and Quinton were acting. Quinton’s behavior might not be that surprising, but Jack never acted this way. What was going on with them? It was unlike Quinton to be this quiet too. He always had his motor mouth running.

  “So, why am I here again?” I asked, looking from one to the other. Since they hadn’t answered before, I wasn’t really expecting an answer this time. My anger mounted with each passing minute. “I’m not in the mood to listen to a presentation on the best blood-sucking techniques.” I gave a mirthless chuckle.

  Quinton shook his head as if I’d just told the worst joke in the world.

  “What? It’s the truth,” I said.

  “We need to talk with a certain vampire. He can tell you all you need to know about the demons and where to find Jennifer.”

  “Why didn’t he just tell you where to find Jennifer? And then you guys could have kidnapped her instead of me.” I folded my arms in front of my chest and shook my head.

  Why were they being so clueless? They were smart men, but their actions weren’t showing that level of IQ now.

  They looked at each other as if light bulbs had just gone off.

  Quinton shook his head. “There’s more to it than that. He needs to tell you what he knows about this demon first. Look, we had to stop you from going anywhere with Cole.”

  “Why is Cole so dangerous?” It was more of a demand than a question.

  “We told you before, he is a demon,” Jack answered.

  Talking to them was like talking to a wall, the same old story with no answers. Why were they so convinced that Cole was a demon? He’d done nothing to make me think that of him. If they had information that suggested otherwise, then they needed to let me know.

  “Where is this vampire?” I asked, scanning the room.

  Quinton pointed across the room. “That guy standing in the corner talking to the brunette in the blue dress. Do you see him?”

  “The one with the cape? Are you serious? You are going to listen to a guy who wears a cape? This is not Interview with a Vampire. It’s not 1791.” I snorted.

  As if the vampire heard me talking about him from across the room, he looked over at our table. Quinton nodded and motioned for him to come over. He weaved through the crowd and made it to our table. The vampire who claimed to know so much approached the table. He had a smarmy look on his face and I instantly didn’t like the guy.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  How to Date a Demon, Rule #28

  Show your date that you’re full of the devil.

  The vampire sat down without saying a word, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. Was he trying to intimidate me? Did he think I gave a rat’s ass if he was a vampire or if I was surrounded by vampires who could suck me dry? Did he think I’d care if I was the only werewolf in the room? Wait. I was the only werewolf. Gulp. No, I wouldn’t let them scare me. I’d successfully fought off vampires in the past and I could do it again. Plus, I had to trust that Quinton and Jack wouldn’t bring me into a dangerous situation.

  Quinton tapped his fingers nervously against the table and Jack shifted in his seat. The tension in the air ratcheted up and I knew it was coming from this vampire. Was he a bad vampire like Sophie? I was beginning to have suspicions that the answer to that question was yes.

  Finally, he stretched his hand toward me.“Rylie Cruz, I’ve heard so much about you. My name is Shane Bast. I’m glad Quinton and Jack were able to convince you to come here tonight.”

  I didn’t shake his hand and he d
idn’t appear to be pleased by my lack of manners. Again, I didn’t care what he thought. I didn’t want to be here in the first place. Shane’s gaze traveled to Jack and Quinton and they nodded with pride. This vampire had asked them to bring me here? What business was it of his? What did he care if I ever found my friend?

  I looked at Quinton and Jack. “Yeah, I’m glad they could convince me too.”

  I didn’t want to waste any more time. I needed to get this conversation over so I could get back to the search for Jennifer. According to Cole, I had precious little time and I didn’t know if I could make it. But would I be able to find Cole now and locate Jennifer? He hadn’t told me where to find her.

  Had Cole gone to the location to save Jennifer without me? I hoped he had. Did he think I’d given up on Jennifer just because these crazy vampires had taken me away?

  “So why am I here, exactly? You have some information about the demons and how I can find my friend?”

  He nodded and leaned forward. “This man who is offering to help you isn’t safe. It’s in your best interest to stay as far away from him as possible. Of course you know we have your best interest at heart.”

  Did he have my best interest at heart? He didn’t know me and I didn’t believe him. Had this vampire had a face-lift? He had unnaturally taut skin. His cheeks were pulled back and his expression didn’t change much. Maybe he should ease up on the Botox injections. I didn’t know if he was smiling or leering at me.

  “And why is that?” I clucked my tongue.

  I couldn’t wait to hear their lame excuse. What reason could they possibly have for not wanting me to be near Cole? This demon business wasn’t cutting it. Until they showed me proof, I wasn’t buying it. I looked from Jack to Quinton. Their expressions were surprisingly blank. I felt like snapping my fingers and asking if anyone was home. Their eyes were transfixed on Shane as if he had them in some kind of trance. Could vampires place spells on other vampires? I couldn’t remember, but I thought the book I’d gotten from Marcus mentioned something about vampires having different powers.