by G. Bailey
The sneeze escapes me and echoes around the room like a thunder.
Oh, my sweet holy fuck.
Piercing yellow eyes open and latch on to me.
“Looks like the nyxies are awake, Caspian.”
And my bagpipe theory was wrong.
“Yeah, no fucking shit!” Caspian bellows, releasing his sling.
A magical net made of water shoots out and ensnares one of the nyxies. The demon lets out a loud shriek while the rest of its herd jumps off the barrels. Hooves hit the ground, expelling ice everywhere, and I dodge to the side, narrowly missing a jagged shard.
“I hope you’re good at ice skating,” I shout, freeing the sling.
The net hits me in the face, briefly taking my breath away. Water veils my vision, and my hair floats around me as if I’m under water. A pop echoes in my ears, and the net vanishes, allowing me to take in lungfuls of air.
“The fuck, songbird?” Caspian growls, gathering another nyxie. “I hope your ice skating is better than your shooting. You nearly fucking drowned!”
“I—I’m okay,” I assure him between gasps, taking aim again. “I’m all right.”
“Fucking hell,” is Caspian’s only reply, and I stifle a giggle.
I release the sling, this time catching the tip of a nyxie’s swishing tail. It’s enough to drag the creature off the shelf. The moment the magic touches the demon, the net pops into a bubble and the target disappears, taking it back to Hell where it belongs.
“Yes! Only four more!” I dive behind a crate, my entire body pounding with adrenaline. A deafening whinnying echoes around the room. “Caspian, above you!”
My partner pivots and shoots. He snags the nyxie clopping against the frosted window but loses his footing in doing so. His arms and legs flail around him as he tries to regain his balance, and I sneeze, releasing my slingshot without looking. The net misses the nyxie on the top shelf, and the demon lunges for Caspian, taking the entire storage unit with it.
Glass bottles and crates skid towards the floor.
I let out a scream when Caspian is almost crushed beneath them, but then I remember my slingshot and I quickly pull it, aiming for the unit. The net wraps around every item of stock, including those damn flowers, and freezes everything within its grasp.
Caspian slips onto his backside, but thankfully remains uncrushed and alive. “Thanks for that, songbird,” he calls out, catching the nyxie that nearly killed him with a swift, expert swing of his slingshot.
“You’re welcome.” I aim for another and catch it, but its hoof cuts into me when it jumps past. A tear in my uniform stretches over my arm, instantly drawing blood, but the adrenaline stops me from feeling any pain. “There’s no way in hell either of us are dying on our first day.”
Caspian laughs at that and tries to get onto his feet. To my utter delight, it’s like watching Bambi take his first steps. Caspian eventually gives up and instead rolls on his stomach until he reaches a section of the floor that hasn’t been frozen.
Once we’re upright, the two of us aim for the last nyxie together, and with a shared grin, we capture it. The final pop is like music to my ears.
“Take that, you slippery little fuckers!”
Caspian shakes his head at me and tucks his slingshot back into his pocket. “I take it you’re all right? No injuries?”
“Nuh—nothing bi—!” I sneeze again, nearly dropping my own slingshot. “Nothing big. Just deathly allergic to those damn flowers.”
“Really? I had no idea,” Caspian drawls sarcastically. “Could’ve fooled me with all the sneezing you weren’t doing.”
I tuck my weapon away and follow him out of the room. “Well, you should’ve seen you. You were like Bambi skating on that ice. It was so freaking funny.”
Caspian stops and turns steely eyes onto me. “Who the fuck is Bambino?” he asks in a dangerously low voice, his expression instantly hardening. A crease forms between his brows as he glares down at me. “Don’t compare me to your lame-ass boyfriends, songbird.”
“It’s Bambi,” I correct, unable to stifle a laugh. “And chill, dude. Bambi’s a cartoon character from my childhood. You know, the Disney one?”
“Never watched them,” he mutters, climbing the stairs. “Too busy having a life.”
I pause at the bottom of them and gawk at the back of his head. “Never… watched… a Disney…” I echo. As if jolted by the words, I rush up the stairs and chase after him. “Who the hell has never watched a Disney? I bet even the Prince of Hell himself has watched one!”
Caspian shrugs and shoves his hands in his pockets. I have to run a little just to catch up with him. Damn Caspian and his long legs!
“I think you’re lying,” I say when I fall into step with him. “I mean, come on. Never watched one Disney? Not even Frozen? Everyone and their dog has watched that movie. Actually, it’s quite fitting considering what we went through in the stockr—”
“Oh, for the love of fuck, songbird. Just let it go,” Caspian grumbles, though his voice is laced with a hint of humour that stops me.
“I fucking knew it!” A huge smile spreads over my lips as I chase after him. “You have watched one! You can’t fool this Disney-loving nerd. I bet you’ve secretly got Disney blankets and stuffed toys and everything. The whole Disney shebang!”
His low chuckle echoes down the hallway, and my smile grows even wider.
I decide on a new mission, a secret one assigned only to me: find out when, where, and with whom Caspian Hardling watched Frozen. I bet he knows that song word for word. Everyone does, especially parents. The thought of Caspian watching Frozen in our little room, hating and loving it at the same time, makes me laugh. I would pay good money to watch him sing a Disney song. Maybe that can be the bonus part of my mission.
The tracker in my pocket vibrates, drawing my attention away from him. Caspian must receive the vibration because we both pull our trackers out at the same time.
“Six points. Not bad,” he mutters, stepping into the bar area.
Not bad at all. Six down, only hundreds more to go to reach the top of the leader board. When I enter the bar area, Feargus is pouring three shots of whisky. He motions us over with a jerk of his chin.
“Thanks for getting rid of those wee bastards for me,” he says, pushing me a glass.
“And for not dying,” I quip, rubbing my arm as I make my way over to them.
Caspian notices and reaches out, then retracts his hand and drops into one of the stools. His expression hardens as he stares down into his drink.
“Aye and that,” Feargus says, nodding to the shots. “On the house.”
I slide onto the stool beside Caspian. It appears there’s some perks to being a demon hunter after all. Free booze is definitely a good incentive to me.
“Question. What was with all the flowers?” I ask, picking up my shot.
Feargus huffs through his nose. “I was supposed to be doing a wedding until those little fuckers decided to pay a visit. Flowers are probably all dead now.”
I exchange looks with Caspian. “Err, a little,” I say, lifting the glass to my lips.
Before any of us can take a sip, the door swings open and two men stumble into the pub. Their thick scents are distinct and yet unfamiliar at the same time. They’re definitely some kind of shifter, I’m just not sure what. The tallest male barely peers at the guys: his dark eyes latch on to me like a predator catching sight of its prey.
Caspian visibly tenses at my side, his shoulder brushing mine as he clenches his shot of alcohol. I tense, too, and slide my hand over the dagger clipped to my hip. The tension in the pub is so thick I could cut it in half with the tip of the blade.
“Well, whaddya know?” The shifter stumbles towards the bar, his friend following behind him. Even the male’s accent is strange. He’s not a local, that’s for sure. “Heard there were some… some demon hunters in town.” He yanks out the stool beside me and leans against it, his eyes greedily drinking me in. “Did
n’t think she’d be so damn fffffucking hot!”
“Can’t you fucking read, Matteo?” Feargus grumbles, clenching the bottle of whisky in his big paw of a hand. “We’re closed. Now unless you want this smashed over your head again, get the fuck out of my pub. I barred you last week for being a sleazy old bastard, now get going. Beat it.”
“You know something? I really like this Feargus guy,” I whisper to Caspian, sliding him a grin, but he doesn’t move or take his eyes off ‘Matteo’. If looks could kill, the drunk patron would be dead thanks to my partner.
Matteo ignores the warning and turns to me with a disgusting smile on his face. “What’s your name, bellissima?”
He reaches out a foul-smelling hand and strokes the side of my face. My skin crawls at the contact, and I yank back, seconds away from cutting his hand off.
Before I can do that, however, Caspian punches him in the face.
The male slams against the floor like a ton of bricks, and then a thick silence stretches around the room.
Caspian breaks it when he stands from the stool, brushes a hand down his torso, and says calmly, “I believe the owner said he was closed, asshole.”
I almost burst out laughing at his awesome comeback.
Caspian turns his searing glare onto the other male, who stumbles out of the pub, the door slamming behind him. As much as I love how Caspian handled the situation, I lean down to check Matteo for a pulse, relieved to find he’s only unconscious. I mean, we can’t go around killing civilians on duty, especially not on our first day. I doubt that’s the best way to go about reaching the top of the leader board.
“He’s out cold,” I say, my tone filled with humour as well as amazement. I straighten and playfully nudge Caspian on the shoulder. “Daaang, son. Now that was pretty neat.”
And hot. So fucking hot.
Caspian shrugs, but he can’t hide the grin from creeping onto his face. “Are you really in Scotland if you don’t get into a bar fight?”
Feargus laughs and glides an extra shot of whisky across the bar to him. “Then I’ll be the first to welcome you to Scotland, Ghostbuster.”
Ghostbuster is definitely not the name I thought I’d be called when I joined the Demon Hunting Trials, but it is so much better than half-breed.
Chapter 10
Lilith Thornblood
“That’s better. You look perfect now,” Dove says, clapping her hands in a way that reminds me of Aurelia.
Even though it’s painful to think about her, I briefly wonder what my best friend has been told about me back in Caeli. I doubt she knows I’m alive let alone on the run. The Caeli pack hates scandal and drama, which telling the pack the truth about me would cause.
No, I can just imagine them telling her and everyone at the academy that my family and I were traitors. I think she is the only wolf who will miss me from my pack. I never had an actual home there, I know that, but it’s hardly like I have a home anywhere right now.
I clear my throat and glance in the mirror, away from the book on demons I was reading in my lap. Dove has curled all my dark-red hair which bounces around my shoulders, and she has woven in black glittering flowers into a sort of crown around the top of my head. I’m not one for seeming pretty but I smile at her anyway for her effort. I didn’t have a chance to say no when she burst in here earlier or explain I’d happily turn up at the celebration party in what I’ve worn all day.
“Thank you,” I tell her.
“It’s what best friends are for!”
That forces me to think of Aurelia once more, and my stomach clenches a little. I haven’t known Dove for more than a few days, and the best friend title can’t be given to her that easily. Hell, I don’t think anyone will ever take that crown from Aurelia.
“Are you sure I can’t convince you to wear a dress?”
I snort. “Nope. I’m going to stick with these tight clothes. I kind of like them.”
“Yeah, to be fair they suit you,” she replies, placing her hands on her short black dress that makes her appear amazing. “Right. Let’s go.”
I follow her out of my room and come to a stop when I almost bump into Caspian. He shakes his head before he slowly looks me up and down with clear interest. Dove might as well not be here. He makes it very obvious he is attracted to me, I think, but sometimes I don’t know if he’s doing it on purpose or just as a joke. Like that time he almost kissed me in the alleyway—sorry, ‘close’, in Edinburgh.
Caspian clears his throat and looks to Dove. “Could I have a quick word with Songbird? Alone?”
“Yep,” Dove nods, glancing between us with a strange flash of something in her eyes. “Meet me downstairs.”
“What is that couldn’t wait?” I ask him when Dove has left. I cross my arms, even when it gives me no protection against Caspian.
“You shouldn’t go,” he coldly states. His golden eyes watch me intently.
“Good thing you’re not my boss then,” I reply. “You know what the word partner means, right?”
He raises an eyebrow. “The other hunters are going to try to psych you out. It’s not a celebration party or an introduction meal or whatever the shit they’re calling it, it’s for the other hunters to figure out if they can kill you. That’s it. Because if you’re killed, then you’re out of the trials that only ten people can win. There’s hundreds of hunters desperate to be in that top number, and murdering a pretty wolf would be easy for them.”
“Got it. So you’re saying I should treat everybody like they’re trying to kill me?” I rhetorically question, trying to walk away, but he catches my arm.
“In your case, you literally should see every hunter as someone who is trying to kill you. Scratch that, songbird, the whole world is a hunter trying to kill you because of the alpha chasing your ass.”
“I get it,” I snap, pulling my arm away. “But hiding in here will only make me look guilty of something.”
“Have fun then,” he growls, clearly not agreeing with me. “See you later.”
“You’re not going?” I ask.
“No,” he replies, heading to his room. He shuts the door and he shouts, “But if you like me, you could bring me a plate of food back.”
“I’m not bringing you food!” I shout before opening the door and walking out. “And I don’t like you!”
If only that were true. This damn half-demon knows I like him, have always liked him, and I’m beginning to wish he didn’t. Now he just uses it against me as if it’s all a big joke to him.
Stupid, sexy jerk.
The door slams behind me as I head out of the building and straight down to Dove, who’s waiting outside. She hooks her arm in mine, and we walk straight to the courtyard. The once quiet place now has loud music playing and is lit up by lanterns all the way around the square courtyard, mixing in with the greenery. Down the middle of the courtyard are two massive buffet tables littered with loads of different foods and drinks. My gaze strays towards the prince, once again slouched on his throne, but I quickly snap it away from him.
Everything seems wonderful until I notice all the people standing around the tables staring our way. Each one of the hunters in the trial looks intimidating, to say the least, and I wouldn’t like to try to fight them. It’s nearly all men, except for one black-haired woman who stands out like a drop of white paint on a blank canvas. If the men aren’t peering at us, they all seem to stare at her like she’s the abnormal thing in their gathering.
That woman seems like she doesn’t give a shit, which makes me instantly like her.
This must be Dove’s roommate.
I clear my throat and turn to Dove. “How are we going to beat these massive shifters? They seem like they eat demons for lunch.”
Dove shakes her head before whispering in my ear, “Just ignore that they look tough and intimidating. I try to remember they probably have small dicks from all the steroids.”
“I like your theory.” I chuckle.
“That’s my roommate.�
�� She points over to the other woman.
She stands silently by the table with several other people who appear like they are trying to talk to her, and she just simply stares. She looks hella bored.
“I’m going to go see if I can get her to be sociable. Come find me if you need me,” Dove says.
The second she has left, my eyes snap to the food because it smells amazing and my stomach rumbles. I head straight to the table and grab as much as I can fit on my plate before finding a table in the corner where there’s no one else. I sit and tuck into my food, oblivious to the world until a guy sits next to me, his big shoulder pressing against mine.
There are four empty seats around this table, and he didn’t have to choose the seat so close to me. What the heck is his problem? My wolf instantly growls, and the stranger laughs as I take him in. He’s massively built, like a frigging Viking or something. With soft curly blond hair that falls around his sharp face and expressive eyebrows, he really has the looks of a Viking, too. His bright-hazel eyes hold an ominous glint. He rubs his chin.
The stranger looks straight down at me, locking his eyes on mine. I take in his very unique clothing from the corner of my eye. Something resembling a cloak drapes over his shoulders, but instead, it’s cut into a coat with no hood and it’s red underneath with black leather on the outside. He’s also wearing a tight black shirt, a big belt to hold up black trousers that are tucked into boots. When he rests back on his seat, I spot his cloak is littered with weapons.
“That seat is taken, Viking,” I state before popping a chicken ball into my mouth.
He chuckles low, the sound sending chills through me.
“You’re the woman the alpha is looking for, aren’t you?”
I cough in shock and instantly choke on the chicken ball, seeing his eyes go wide. I try to thump my chest to save myself. This is not how I want to die.
“Fuck,” the stranger mutters and lifts his hand, whacking me hard on my back, and I cough the ball out with a gasp for air. The ball bounces across the floor but I keep coughing, struggling to my feet. The stranger hands me his drink, and I take a desperate sip before realising it’s something alcoholic and very fucking strong.
