She trailed off when his hands drew back and she noticed something had been left around her neck. Demi reached for her neck and found a beautiful silver necklace with a sapphire pendant on the end. It was stunning.
Now that’s more like it, Demi thought as she ran her fingers over the teardrop-shaped sapphire.
“Happy birthday,” Mike said. “Do you like it?”
She turned around to face him. “I love it. It’s . . . amazing. How did you afford something like this?”
“It wasn’t easy,” he admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I had to borrow some money from my dad. I’ll probably still be working it off on your next birthday. But that’s not important. As long as you’re happy with it, then I’m happy.”
“I’m very happy. Thank you so much.” She kissed him again. “It’s amazing. I really mean that.”
Just as he looked like he was about to say something else, they heard the bell ring.
“I guess I have to go,” Demi said, closing her locker. “I’ll see you after first period?”
“You bet.”
One more kiss, lingering a little longer for this one, Demi then went on her way, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. A brand new car. A beautiful necklace. This birthday was off to such a perfect start. She doubted that the day could possibly get any better than it already was, but she would be more than happy to be proven wrong.
Chapter Two
“AND SO WHEN PRESIDENT REAGAN met with Gorbachev in Washington . . .”
Demi was hardly listening to a word of Mr. Muldoon’s rambling. The history teacher was as old and crotchety as any human being Demi had ever met, and his lessons were nothing but him pacing in front of his desk while spouting off as many facts as he could recall about the history of the United States in a somewhat coherent and linear fashion.
Even worse, he would chastise anyone who tried to interrupt him with questions. He delegated just the final five minutes of class to questions, but by that time no one cared enough to ask when it meant being subjected to another of his longwinded sermons.
Demi almost felt sorry for anyone who was forced to pay attention in class—they were doomed—but it mostly made her feel better about the fact that she had smart girls who did her work for her in exchange for a few beauty tips. Although she was pretty sure that most of them would be happy just to spend some time in her presence.
Stifling a yawn with the back of her hand, Demi’s eyes drifted to the window to her left. The only nice thing about the classroom was that nearly one entire wall was made from glass, providing her with a great view of the woods on the edge of the school grounds.
There was usually nothing more to see than trees and the occasional bird or squirrel, but at least it made the room feel less claustrophobic.
While she stared out the window—at nothing in particular—her mind wandered to all sorts of places, each one of them more interesting than where she was at the moment.
She thought about all the stores she would go to when she went shopping after school, about her birthday dinner with her family, and about spending the whole upcoming weekend with Mike.
Suddenly, those thoughts were interrupted when she saw a flash of movement outside. She thought she might have just imagined it at first. But when her eyes searched the evergreen trees, she caught a glimpse of it again.
And it was clearer this time.
Poking its head out from behind a thick-trunked cedar was a huge dog with shaggy gray fur. It was hard to get a good look at it from a distance, especially when she could only see its head.
Demi leaned towards the window in her seat and tried to get a closer look, but then just as quickly as it appeared, the dog vanished. It happened in the blink of an eye. One minute it was there, and the next it was gone. Demi waited a few moments, not taking her eyes off the tree, knowing the dog had to still be hiding behind.
But it never showed itself again. Even when she tried to lean further out of her seat to get a glimpse around the side of the tree, she still saw nothing.
“Miss Van Horn, is there a reason for your unusual behavior?”
Demi’s gaze shifted to Mr. Muldoon and found him looking at her with eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed. A short chorus of laughter spread throughout the rest of the gathered class, but the old teacher put a quick end to it with just one scowl.
Demi sat up straight in her seat and put on the most dignified expression she could manage, refusing to allow anyone in on the fact that she was actually quite embarrassed.
“Not at all,” she answered Mr. Muldoon’s question. “I’m sorry. My mind was just . . . wandering. It won’t happen again.”
“Be sure that it doesn’t,” he said gruffly before clearing his throat and picking up where he left off in his remarkably boring lecture.
Demi even humored her teacher by trying her best to pay attention, but that only lasted about a minute before curiosity got the best of her and she took another look out the window to again search for the dog. She had never seen a dog that big before, and she was curious where it had gone to so quickly.
Why do I care? That thought popped into her head after looking out at the trees for a couple of minutes. It was just a stupid dog, and she had way more fun and interesting things to think about.
It was her birthday after all.
***
After finally leaving class, Demi stopped just outside of the classroom and looked around for her boyfriend, who always met her after every class.
When she spotted Mike through the crowded hall, she started to head towards him, but stopped when she noticed that he wasn’t alone.
He was leaning against a wall, talking to a perky freshman girl with sandy-blonde hair and entirely too much confidence for her own good.
A fire erupted inside of Demi as she clenched her fists and stared daggers across the hall at the girl who dared to flirt with her boyfriend. This girl had to be either ignorant or just plain stupid.
“Hey, Demi.”
She looked over her shoulder and saw Amelia and Liz approaching. They were all smiles until they saw the sour look on her face. Then, as they always did, they instantly changed their own moods to match hers.
“What’s wrong?” Liz asked.
“Yeah, shouldn’t you be happy today?” This from Amelia.
“Look,” was all that Demi said as she pointed at her boyfriend and the freshman girl who was chatting him up.
“Oh hell no,” Liz said. “Is that girl out of here mind?”
“I don’t know,” Demi said, “but let’s go remind her who she’s dealing with, what do you say?”
Both her friends nodded their approval and then Demi led them towards Mike and the unwanted pest. Her green eyes locked on to the freshman as if she were the only person in the entire hall. When she noticed Mike reach a hand out and touch the girl’s hair, Demi’s blood really started to boil.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Demi said as she placed herself between her boyfriend and the freshman girl, crossing her arms over her chest. “Can I help you with something?”
The girl looked confused. “W-who are you?”
Demi smiled at the girl’s ignorance. “Who am I? I’m someone that you really don’t want to mess with.”
The girl still looked confused. She tried to look around Demi at Mike as if he might help her somehow.
“No, don’t look at him,” Demi took a step forward, forcing the freshman to retreat a step. “He’s not going to help you. You’re dealing with me now.”
“I think I would rather just leave.” But when the freshman turned around, she found her path blocked by Amelia and Liz, both with arms crossed and threatening glares.
Turning to look at Demi again, the girl shrank back with eyes wide. “I don’t understand. Is Mike, like, your boyfriend or something?”
“Oh, you figured that out all on your own, did you?” Demi smirked. “Maybe you’re not as stupid as I thought.”
Th
e girl opened her mouth and looked ready to retort, but then stopped herself, most likely thinking better of it. That was a smart move.
“We were just talking,” Mike spoke up. “Let it go, Demi.”
“I’ll handle this,” Demi said in the sweetest tone possible considering how angry she was with this girl who dared to flirt with her boyfriend.
“He’s right, you know,” the freshman girl said. “We were just talking. Besides, I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”
Demi was not about to excuse her just because she claimed to be ignorant. If she did that, word would get around, and then other girls would think that they could get away with trying to seduce her boyfriend.
That was not going to happen.
“What’s your name?” Demi asked the freshman.
“Um, Chelsea.”
“Well, Chelsea, let me explain something to you.” Demi continued to advance, and her friends followed suit, forcing Chelsea to withdraw until her back was against the wall.
“My name is Demi, and I don’t tolerate little sluts like you coming around, flirting with my boyfriend. If I ever see you around him again, I’m going to make things very difficult for you. Do we understand each other?”
Tears welled up in Chelsea’s eyes as she stared up at Demi with a quivering lower lip. But she didn’t respond.
“Do we understand each other?” Demi repeated her question louder this time, taking a threatening step towards Chelsea.
“Yes,” Chelsea yelped. “Yes, yes, I understand.”
Demi smiled, feeling like she had made her point. She glanced over at her friends and nodded to them. They cleared out of the way. Then Demi looked at Chelsea again. “What are you waiting for? Get out of here.”
Chelsea scurried away in a hurry, wiping tears from her eyes as she pushed her way through the crowded hall.
Demi watched her go before turning to look at Mike. She could tell even at a glance that he wasn’t happy with her, but she could change that quickly enough. She reached out and took his hand. “You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”
He sighed, not making eye contact with her. “I don’t know why you have to do that. It was no big deal.”
“I know that,” Demi said. “I trust you. It’s girls like her that I can’t trust. But you’re not really that mad, are you?”
The pouty face was deployed again.
And when he looked at her at last, he smiled and shook his head. “No, not really. I mean, I get it.”
“Good.” She matched his smile with one of her own and then kissed him. “I’ll see you later at lunch then. Okay?”
“Absolutely, babe.” He kissed her again. Then he turned and walked away.
Demi’s smile faded as she watched him leave. Deep down, she knew that Chelsea wasn’t really at fault, but she was too afraid of Mike leaving her to confront him.
Better to pretend like I’m in control and keep my boyfriend than to admit that I’m not and lose him forever. . . .
***
Pulling her corvette into the driveway and parking in front of the garage, Demi spared a quick glance at her phone, noticing she was about fifteen minutes late. It wasn’t much, but still likely enough for her aunt to give her a polite reminder of the importance of punctuality—a quality she possessed in spades.
Demi took the keys out of the ignition and placed them in her blazer pocket before she opened the door and got out of the car. She then took a step back and paused a moment to admire her birthday present. She could still hardly believe it actually belonged to her.
How many girls her age in the world could say that they owned such a fast and expensive car? She didn’t have an answer, but she was sure that the number was very low.
Opening the passenger side door, Demi reached in and collected her purse and the six bags of clothes and shoes she bought when she went out shopping with Liz and Amelia after school.
She probably bought more than she should have, but driving such an expensive car had put her in a mood to spend. It was her aunt and uncle’s money anyway, and she was sure they would understand considering it was her birthday.
With her purse slung over her shoulder and the bags gathered up in her hands—three apiece—Demi shut the door with her hip, and then made her way up the brick path to the front door.
“I’m home,” she announced, entering the house and slipping her shoes off. She headed from the foyer to the kitchen when she was greeted by nothing but silence. There was no sign of Gloria—the cook—but there were dirty pots and pans in the sink and other obvious signs of a meal having been prepared.
“Hello?” Demi set her purse and shopping bags down on the island in the center of the kitchen and then started towards the dining room. “Uncle Henry? Aunt Patricia? Where are you guys?”
She found it annoying that no one was around when she should be having her birthday dinner right now.
“If this is one of your lame jokes, Uncle Henry, then it’s not fun—” Her sentence ended in a gasp when she entered the dining room and beheld a gut-wrenching sight.
At first glance, everything was just right. A picture perfect dinner was spread out over the long table—fresh bread, Caesar salad, roasted golden potatoes, smoked salmon, and more. Candles were lit, and there was even red wine poured in three glasses. Her aunt and uncle were there, seated at either end of the table, but they were not enjoying the wonderful food or talking cheerfully about their day like they usually did at the dinner table. They weren’t doing anything.
They were dead.
Chapter Three
HORRIFIED RIGHT TO HER CORE, Demi stood in the doorway between the hall and the dining room, her feet glued to the floor. Her eyes drifted back and forth between her aunt and uncle.
Both had their throat ripped out.
The longer Demi stared, the sicker to her stomach she felt. Her knees weak and her head dizzy, she had to steady herself by placing her hands on the doorframe.
This can’t be real . . .
But it was very real. They were dead. Someone had killed them. And only when that thought dawned on her did she recognize the fact that her own life might be in danger. Whoever killed her aunt and uncle could very well still be in the house.
Waiting to kill her too.
I have to get out of here, Demi thought. And I have to call the police.
But as she was backing away, her back collided with something solid. She knew the layout of her house well, so she knew she couldn’t have bumped into a wall.
It had to be something else.
Slowly turning around, Demi found herself looking up at the tallest man she had ever seen in her life.
He gazed down at her with piercing yellow eyes before smiling to reveal a mouth filled with sharp teeth like something you’d find in the mouth of a carnivorous beast. The teeth were stained pink with what Demi hoped wasn’t what she thought it might be. His widow’s peak hair, sticking up straight and adding several inches to his already impressive height, was light brown and sprinkled with silver.
“Going somewhere?” the man asked in a raspy voice, reaching one of his calloused hands out towards her face. His filthy nails were long and sharp. “I was wondering when you would show up.”
Demi was too terrified to move. Even as his nail traced a line down her cheek. She had no idea what this man might do if she tried to run.
“That’s enough, Hugo,” a new voice spoke up from behind Demi.
She looked over her shoulder and saw a young man dressed all in black enter the dining room from the living room. His wild mop of curly hair was blond, and there was stubble on his chin and cheeks. Just like the big man, whose name Demi now knew to be Hugo, this new arrival’s eyes were yellow and possessed a predatory glint. Like they were looking at her more as if she were prey rather than a fellow human being.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” The young man gestured to a chair beside her dead aunt. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Demi opened her mouth to respo
nd, but she was too afraid to get any words out. So she just stood there, mouth agape while staring at the mysterious young man.
His soft chuckle told Demi that he found her failure to form a response amusing.
“What’s the matter, Demi?” He grabbed a glass of wine from the table. “Is there something that you would like to say? Come now, out with it. No need to keep anything from me.”
Demi swallowed the lump in her throat and then made another, more concerted, effort to speak. “W-who are you?”
The man drained the entire glass of wine in one gulp before licking his lips and setting the glass back down on the table. “My name is Korver, and your father is a close friend of mine.”
“My . . . father?” Demi rarely thought about her father. To her, he was just the man who abandoned her mother shortly after Demi was born.
“That’s right. He’s been worried about you actually. He sent my friend Hugo and I to find you. And, well, here we are.”
Demi’s eyes drifted to the bodies of her aunt and uncle again before shifting back to Korver. “Y-you killed them . . .”
“Me?” Korver looked shocked. “No, of course not. Why would I do that? It wasn’t us. Isn’t that right, Hugo?”
“Right,” the big man said in his raspy voice.
Korver smiled at Demi. “You see. It wasn’t us. They were like that when we got here. I don’t know what happened. It’s a crazy world out there. All kinds of whackos and dangerous people, just waiting to kill for nothing more than the thrill of it.”
“I . . . I don’t believe you.” Demi shook her head, heart beating rapidly in her chest. She was sure that these men were going to kill her . . . or worse.
Grinning, Korver started to walk around the table. “We don’t know each other very well, but frankly I’m surprised at you, Demi. I mean, imagine if you were in my house. Would you like it if I accused you of being a murderer?”
“Then . . . who?”
Korver came to a stop a few feet from her. “I don’t know. Let’s let the police worry about that. We have more important things to talk about.”
Half-Wolf (The Alpha's Daughter Book 1) Page 2
