by Rose Pressey
“He is not a demon hunter and he is just trying to lure you into his web. Of course he claimed to know where you could get Jennifer. He was taking you there so he could take you back to hell with him.” Shane measured his words, staring me straight in the eyes.
It felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach. Could it be? Sure, I hadn’t trusted Cole at first, but he’d finally started to grow on me. I’d thought he was sincere and telling the truth. No, I didn’t believe this vampire.
“We’re sorry we had to do what we did, but now you can see we just did it to save your life,” Jack said as he squeezed my hand.
Quinton nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, I guess so.” I sighed and blew a strand of hair out of my eyes. This was taking some time to wrap my mind around. I’d go along with their little game until I could get out of there. I knew Cole wasn’t capable of such a trick.
Music played and vampires danced. This was like one giant party and I was pretty sure I wasn’t even supposed to be there. Jack seemed to break out of his daze for a moment and looked at me. He smiled and it was the old Jack whom I knew. Would he stay with me? Or fall back into that weird vampire trance? Now I needed to rescue Jack too!
Shane stared at me and a chill ran up my spine. He smiled ever so slightly, as if he could read my mind.
“Would you care to dance?” he asked.
Now was my turn to stare at him. Was he serious? He couldn’t possibly think I’d want to dance with him. Not even if it was a fast song. The thought of standing close to him made my skin crawl.
“No, thank you.”
His expression didn’t falter and his gaze didn’t leave mine. That was it. I didn’t care what Jack or Quinton thought, it was time for me to get out of that place.
The men began chatting about some upcoming vampire activity. At least they were finally not watching me. As I sat there listening to the three of them speak, I knew one thing: I had to get out of there. But how would I get away? We were in a room full of vampires. They were probably just waiting to make me their dessert. I had to devise a plan of escape quickly before it was too late. But my new bodyguards had their super senses on full alert.
“Well, all of this information is a lot to take in,” I said. “The fact of the matter is I still need to find Jennifer. You said he could help me find her.” I pointed at the vampire.
He folded his hands in his lap. He was wearing black fingernail polish. I thought he wanted to be in a band. Or maybe he was a groupie.
“How do you know so much about the demons?” I narrowed my eyes.
This vampire didn’t seem on the up and up.
He paused for a second as if he was selecting just the right words. Or maybe he was making up a story in his head or didn’t want to answer at all.
“I’ve had years of experience with them. I was overtaken by a demon, then I spent time making sure they couldn’t do this to anyone else.”
“Well, no offense, but you haven’t done a very good job with that mission.”
Maybe this vampire was just full of it. In fact, this whole place reminded me of some kind of cult. Sure, I had the pack meetings, but it was more like a family reunion slash barbeque slash excuse for the werewolves to get drunk. The vampires in this place looked like they were taking this stuff very seriously. It was like some kind of strange cult convention. Did they have elected officials? I needed to get Jack out of there before they put any more crazy ideas in his head.
Maybe the vampires were just telling us these stories. Maybe they were in with the demons. Jack seemed to be under their spell though. He’d probably believe anything they told him at this point. They could be so manipulative when it suited their purpose. Okay, technically they were claiming to be protecting me. But I really wasn’t buying it. I didn’t trust this vampire. I felt like there was something else behind his motives.
He tapped his fingers against the table as he glowered at me. Did he expect me to say something else? I wasn’t sure why he kept staring at me. I felt the urge to cover my neck. I hated to leave Jack there, but it was the only way right now. We would have to work out this problem after I found Jennifer… if I found Jennifer.
I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. Was Cole calling me? I had to check. Maybe it was Jennifer. Oh please, let it be Jennifer.
“If you’ll excuse me please, gentlemen, I need to visit the little girls’ room.” I plastered the sweetest smile I could muster on my face.
Did anyone even say that anymore? I was probably being blatantly obvious. Maybe what they said about Cole was right, but I had to take my chances. I couldn’t give up on Jennifer and they weren’t offering any real solutions as to how to find her. Until they did, I was on my own. I knew they would try to stop me from leaving, so sneaking out was the only way. I didn’t want to hurt Quinton, and especially Jack. That could really damage our relationship.
I stood from the table. They all stood with me. Did they want to escort me to the bathroom too? This was going too far.
“I’ll walk with you,” Jack said.
“That’s okay. I don’t mind. It’s just at the back of the room.”
I could have sworn that vampire nodded that it was okay for Jack to let me walk alone. Had I slipped into a Scientology meeting by mistake? This was weird. If Jack started acting like Tom Cruise, then we had serious problems.
I made my way across the room while getting some serious gawking from the crowd. It was either my attire or the werewolf thing. Maybe it was both. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed that all the men at my table were staring. Creepy with a capital C.
I glanced to my left and right and saw vampires staring at me. Soon all eyes would be on me. They’d be ganging up on me. I couldn’t fight off hundreds of vampires. I’d be lucky to fight off one or two. Would I make it out of this place alive? There was only one way to find out. Glancing over my shoulder again, I realized they were still staring. Just then, Shane stood and moved toward me. He didn’t take his eyes off me. He knew what I was doing.
Shane drew closer as I hurried across the room. When I reached the hallway where the restrooms were located, his hand wrapped around my arm. I looked down and saw a gold ring on his hand. I gasped, all of the air escaping from my lungs. He had the same ring on his finger. It was the same demon symbol. I yanked my arm free and ran. Luckily, he was no match for my speed.
Rushing forward, I grabbed the door and swung it open. I slid into the bathroom and locked the door. It rattled from the other side and I knew it would be only a matter of time before he broke it down.
I leaned close to the door and listened.
“Hey, boss, what are you doing here?”
“I have the subject for Obiclin.”
What the hell were they talking about? Was I the subject? Was that the name of the demon? I had the book with me, so I hurried and pulled it from my purse. I might get dragged around this town like a rag doll, but I never lost my purse. It was a talent, really.
I flipped to the index and sucked in a breath when I saw the name, Obiclin. That had to be the demon that had Jennifer. It even listed the location of his portal. It was near the spot that the soul collector had mentioned. I had to get there right away.
I looked around for a window. There were three stalls, but luckily no one else was in there. Thank goodness this time I didn’t have to strip off my clothing and shift into my furry self. The smell of vanilla air freshener made my nervous stomach turn. I had to get out of there quick.
I was also thankful that there was a window. Now to get it open so that I could jump out. Luckily, we were on the first floor. I could usually handle a jump from the second floor, but beyond that got a little dicey. I heaved the window open and slipped my legs over the ledge. There was a short jump to the ground. This vampire cult needed better security. Suckers. Who did they think they were messing with? An amateur?
Just then, an alarm sounded. Damn. The noise pierced the night air. Did it really need to be that loud?
It was like I was the convict and the hounds would be called out to sniff me out at any second. Would Jack be angry with me? Maybe he wasn’t meant to be with a werewolf? I had too much baggage anyway. Sure, he was a vampire now. He’d probably find some hot vampire who didn’t always have to climb out of windows.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
How to Date a Demon, Rule #29
Tell your date they’re so hot they make the devil sweat.
I ran away from the building as fast as my legs would take me. The vampires were a lot faster than the demon hunters so they might actually have a chance of catching up to me. If the soul collector had been correct and I’d really heard the name of the demon from Shane, then I was very familiar with the area where the demon was taking Jennifer, but it wasn’t the easiest place to get to from my current location.
My legs ached from all the running. Just when I thought my lungs would collapse, I spotted the street sign. I was just a couple blocks from my home. Who knew there was a portal to hell that close to my house? I pushed myself to go just a little further. There was no time to pass out now. When I finally caught my breath, I dialed Cole’s number.
“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” I said.
He didn’t answer. Now what would I do? I left a message and told him to get to the location now if he didn’t want me to report his ass to the demon hunter boss in charge. Whoever the hell that was.
I finally approached the location where they demon was supposed to appear. The portal to hell was allegedly there too. All I saw was a brick alleyway and a few lost tourists in the distance. Would the flames appear out of thin air? What did the portal to hell really look like? I wasn’t exactly excited to find out. If this wasn’t the location, then I knew it was all over. There would be no hope of saving Jennifer. I didn’t even want to think about it.
Cole had said there were different portals around the world for different demons. With so many demons, it seemed that there weren’t nearly enough of the demon hunters. Perhaps they needed to hire a few more. I’d never given too much thought to where hell was actually located. All I knew was that I never wanted to visit. The heat in New Orleans was bad enough. There was no way I could deal with the scorching temperature of hell. Plus, the demons with pitchforks didn’t sound like much fun either.
Anyway, there I was standing near the portal to hell, praying that I didn’t get sucked in. My heart thumped and my stomach ached. If I didn’t time things right, Jennifer would get swooped away. If I wasn’t able to take down the demon, Jennifer would get swooped away. No pressure there. What kind of best friend would I be if I let her get carried off to hell? Plus, it was my fault she was in this situation in the first place. I brought the paranormal creatures around. If not for me she’d be safe at home wearing her bunny slippers and watching an episode of Ghost Hunters. Luckily, I’d devised a plan for rescuing her. Was I a little worried that it wouldn’t work? Of course, but I had to remain positive.
Was the portal supposed to be at the end of the alley? Apparently, the hole would appear right there in the air and the demons would just slip through the other side. Was that how this thing was supposed to work? The smell of smoke permeated the air. It reminded me of the odor at Anna Maria’s house. No one appeared yet, so I stayed quiet as best as I could. The only sound was the thumping of my heart in my ears.
It was hard not to fidget. I wanted to pace while I waited. Watching for them to approach was torture, but it was keeping me on my toes. I was super-sensitive to my surroundings. I’d hear any little noise if it approached. Werewolves had great hearing. My parents always had thought my hearing was off, but I could say at this moment without a doubt that they had been very wrong.
“Did you think we wouldn’t miss you?” The shuffling of feet made me whip around. It was Jack and Quinton.
I let out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t care, honestly. You all were creeping me out with that weird vampire.”
“I’m terribly sorry that I creeped you out.” The weird vampire stood to my left.
Great. They’d brought Shane with them. Well, I didn’t care. He needed to know that he was weird. Maybe then he’d stop doing it. I had to tell Jack what I’d overheard at the convention.
“How did you know where I was?”
“We told you that vampire knew about the demons. He told us where the demon would be bringing Jennifer.”
Hmm. If he had that information, then why didn’t he tell them sooner?
While we were yammering on, Jennifer and the demon had approached the portal. To say that she looked distressed was an understatement. It looked as if the demon life was finally getting the best of her. I wanted to jump out and grab her right then, but Jack pulled me back when I made a move.
“We have to wait until just the right moment.” Jack’s eyes darkened and the tips of his fangs poked out of his mouth.
“When is the right moment?” I blew the stray hair out of my eyes.
I couldn’t wait until she was getting ready to be dragged through to hell.
“I’m so glad you made this easy for me.” The demon flashed his diabolical smile at me.
Shane Bast stepped forward, fully exposing his fangs. “We used Jennifer to get you here. She was vulnerable at the time. We knew you’d follow her here. It was quite easy, really.”
See, I knew that vampire was creepy. Not only that, but he was evil. But would Jack and Quinton listen to me? No. What did they have to say for themselves now? I knew that was the demon symbol I’d seen on his ring. If we ever got out of this mess, they had some serious apologizing to do.
“Well, this is a fine mess you’ve gotten us into,” I snapped. “Look at the great vampire guy now. He’s one of the demons.” I pointed at Shane.
Quinton snorted. He knew when he was wrong, but he hated to admit it. At least Jack and Quinton were acting normal again. Well, normal for Quinton was still a little weird, but I digress. How had they broken the weird trance?
“What do we do now, genius?” My panic level reached its limit.
“Just give me a second.” Quinton waved his hands.
“I really don’t think we have a second. We’re all out of time here. You know what we need? We need the freakin’ demon hunter that you all chased away.” I pointed at Quinton, letting him know this was all his fault. “With any luck, he’ll get my message and come save our asses.”
“I don’t need a demon hunter to save my ass,” Quinton barked.
“Well, it looks like you do from this angle.” I poked him in the chest for emphasis.
The air around us changed. A burning, charred stench assaulted my nostrils. It made me want to gag. Jack and Quinton coughed from where they stood behind me. Speaking of which, why were they standing behind me? What was I, a werewolf shield?
Jennifer’s gaze met mine and for a split second I saw recognition in her eyes. How did I break this spell the demon had on her? The only way was to get rid of him permanently. She looked even worse than she had when I saw her last at the party. Her hair looked as if she’d been though a hurricane. Her dress was torn and dirty. Her shoes were missing. Had she been in a fight? Or had someone attacked her?
I moved forward but swayed when I stepped on a stray rock. My legs wobbled and I stumbled forward but caught myself with the palms of my hands. They burned from the scrap of the concrete.
“You fell right into our trap.” The demon cackled as he stared at me with his glowing red eyes.
My skin prickled and for a split second I wanted to run. But then I looked at Jennifer again. She squirmed in his arms. Was she coming back to us? Was his hold on her fading?
“Let her go,” I ordered.
My voice cracked. My skin tingled again and I felt the familiar pull. I knew I’d change soon, but this was one time when I didn’t mind. It was the only chance I had to save Jennifer since the men were standing behind me and apparently frozen in time. Had Shane cast the spell on them again? This was getting ridiculous.
“Come here,” t
he demon demanded.
I didn’t answer. Did he think I’d just walk over and let him have me? Not in this lifetime. Loud noises sounded from behind me and I spun around. Quinton was in a battle with Shane. Jack was trying to break up the fight. They struggled on the pavement. My instincts made me want to jump in and help Jack, but I knew I couldn’t get involved this time. And there wasn’t much they could do to help me at the moment either.
“Need a little help?” the male voice asked.
I whipped around.
Cole stood behind us. Okay, I hadn’t heard him approach. Maybe my parents were right. My hearing sucked. I had never been so glad to see Cole though. Now if only Jack and Quinton would listen to him without trying to start a fight.
The demon’s mouth twisted into a smirk as he looked at Cole. “You are what they sent to get rid of me? What a joke.”
The demon’s expression changed. He wasn’t as good-looking. The color of his skin was changing right before my eyes. Was it a trick? He took on a red glow. Now standing before me wasn’t the man who I thought was the demon, it was the true image. What had been on the inside had been revealed for the whole world to see, except the whole world wasn’t looking. His formerly muscular physique had turned to that of a decaying corpse. Jennifer stood with her eyes transfixed. She was there on the outside, but on the inside she was out to lunch.
Up until now all the demons had looked like supermodels. But this demon was changing right before our eyes. A swirling black cloud surrounded the demon. It covered him like a protective bubble and I wondered what would happen if I tried to pop it. His skin turned to a putrid gray color with raised bumps covering his skin… skin that was now thick and scaly like a lizard. So that was what had been hiding under that good-looking exterior.