by KD Jones
He didn’t look too pleased with that. “How about you stay over on the weekends?”
“One weekend a month.” That way if she wanted to pick up weekend shifts, she could still do that.
“That would be acceptable.” Abraham typed something into his computer, then looked up at her. “One more thing. I would like for you to date Maxwell.”
She narrowed her eyes. She would not allow him to dictate who she could and could not be with, like Ari’s parents did. If this was a deal breaker, she would have to find another lure demi-demon to help her. “No.”
“Would you consider it?”
Easy, keep your anger in check. “No, my personal life is my own. I won’t be manipulated into an arranged relationship or be used for someone to gain power. I decide who I date.”
“Very well. I will have something for you to sign in two days before you start work.”
“No, get it ready today. I want it signed and witnessed before I walk out the door.”
Instead of being pissed off as she expected him to be, he chuckled and smiled with pride. “You have a bit of my blood in you after all, my dear.” He continued typing, then stood up. “Come with me.”
She followed him back out to the reception desk. “Rita, do you have the contract I just sent you?”
“Yes sir, it’s right here.” Rita pulled out a couple of sheets with the company’s letterhead on it.
Abraham didn’t even read it, just signed the three pages. He then handed them to Cass. She wasn’t as trusting of him. She read each line on each page before signing. She didn’t see anything hidden, but she did want another person to look over it.
“Is there a time limit in which I could back out of the deal?”
Rita answered for her. “Yes, here on the second page in italics it says that you have two days to void the contract. It’s a standard inclusion we put in all our contracts.”
“Even though I’ve already signed it?”
“Yes, of course. Let me sign as the witness and then make you a copy.”
Cass thanked her and turned to face Abraham. She shouldn’t have to say it, but better to keep him happy for now. “Thank you.”
“To be honest, I was expecting you to come here sooner. I underestimated Ari.”
“He didn’t tell me about the contract and just last night told me about your deal.”
“I know that you trust him, but as your grandfather, I must warn you. He has not been completely truthful with you.”
She was offended that he would say anything negative about Ari. “I have known him for years, I think I would know more about Ari than you.”
“Very well. Don’t forget that you promised to come Sunday evening for dinner.”
“I’ll be there.”
Rita came back with the copy of the contract. “Here you go.”
“Rita, help Cassandra fill out the paperwork for her work as a full-time employee with full benefits.”
“Yes sir.”
Cass watched him go back to his office with conflicting emotions. She was angry at him for not holding up his end of the deal with Ari, but at the same time, he did sound like he was trying to look out for her. She just didn’t know what side of him she could trust.
“Miss Knight, if you’ll fill out this information, I will file it with payroll.”
Cass started to fill out the hire documents. “I don’t have a bank account. I’ve always gotten paid under the table or from tips. My apartment is in Leeza’s name and I’ve never lived anywhere that required a deposit or anything.” She must have stunned Rita, because she stared at Cass for a moment, before clearing her throat.
“I can issue a physical check for you.”
Cass felt heat in her cheeks. “I don’t have a license or any kind of identification. Living on the streets most of my life has made it pretty hard. I’m sorry I’m causing so much trouble.”
“You’re no trouble at all. Let me open you up an account through our bank and have your paycheck deposited in it directly. If you go down to the first floor, our bank is on site. They can set you up with an account and your paycheck will be deposited automatically.”
“Thank you.” Her phone vibrated. She checked the caller ID and saw that it was West. She ignored it and put it back in her pocket. “Did you say the first floor?”
“Yes. Did you need me to take you there? I don’t mind.”
“No, no. I can find it. Thank you.”
“Have a great morning and I’m looking forward to working with you.”
After an hour with the bank manager, who insisted he take care of her personally, she walked out of grandfather’s business with an ID, a new bank account, and a contract she couldn’t wait to show Ari.
Her phone started ringing, so she pulled it out. It was West again. He had texted and called non-stop. She was going to have to tell him to stop or block him.
“West, what do you want?”
“Hello, mein Haustier.”
Her heart stopped beating and she felt like someone punched her in the gut. “Karl? What have you done with West?”
“Your lover want-to-be is safe for now.”
“Let him go. I’ll do whatever you want, just let him go.”
“Meet me and then I will set him free.”
“Fine.”
“Come alone or I will drain him just as fast as I drained the woman from last night.”
“Tell me where you want me to go.” She prayed she wasn’t too late to save him.
Chapter 21
Ari paced back and forth inside Cass and Leeza’s apartment. Leeza sat on the couch, watching him with a frown while pulling up an app on her laptop. “You’re going to ruin our carpet.
“I told her to stay here. Why doesn’t she ever listen to me?”
“Because she’s Cass, she never does what other people tell her to do. Why are you acting so worried?
“There’s a full blood demon out there who’s older and more powerful than anything she’s been expecting to face. She can’t fight him alone. Hell, I don’t even know if I could take him on alone.”
There was a knock at the door and Ari practically knocked a chair over to answer it. Michael and Father Raphael were standing in the hallway.
“We came as soon as we could. Have you heard from her?” Michael asked worriedly.
“No. I even checked to see if she had gone by her grandfather’s business, but all they would say was that she had an appointment earlier. Nothing else,” Ari told them.
Father Raphael sat down in a chair. “How long has she been missing?”
“Since this morning. She was supposed to remain here but didn’t.”
“Tell them about the demon,” Leeza encouraged Ari.
“What about the demon?” Michael narrowed his eyes at Ari.
“I was watching over the club looking for the blood demon, but he had another demon lead me on a wild goose chase. Evidently while I was gone, Cass came to the club. The demon killed another girl and had his hands on Cass. I got there in time, but the demon is old and very strong. I was told earlier by someone who knows him that this guy has set his sights on Cass.”
“Was Cass injured?” Raphael leaned forward, worried.
“Minor scrapes and bruises. I treated her and stayed with her until it was morning. I only left because I needed to find my contact to see if this guy had any weaknesses that we could use against him.”
Michael stiffened where he stood. “You stayed all night...with Cass?”
Leeza interrupted, preventing Ari from answering. “I’ve been trying to track her cell phone. She must have it turned off. I have her location history. Three locations show up for today and the last known location is...that’s weird.”
“What is it?”
“I think it’s West’s dorm.”
“Is it far from here?” Raphael asked Leeza.
“No, just halfway across campus. I can show you.”
Ari held up his hand to stop her. “You and
Father Raphael need to stay here. This demon is extremely strong and you two…”
“Are a liability. I agree,” Father Raphael said, reaching into a pouch he had in his hand. “Take this with you.”
“What is it?” Ari took a small bottle full of liquid.
“Enhanced holy water. We used to use this to fight the older demons in my day. I hope that it will help.”
“I hope so, too.” Ari turned to Michael. “Come on, bird boy, let’s go get our girl.”
“Ari!” Leeza called out as they rushed to the door.
“Yeah?”
“Bring her home.”
“We will.”
*****
Cass felt like her heart was pounding so hard it would break out of her chest. Walking into the boys’ dorm, she thought she would draw a lot of attention, but the boys were having a party so no one paid any attention to her coming in and going upstairs.
When Karl told her to come to West’s dorm room, she couldn’t get there fast enough. She also turned off her cell phone. She knew Ari would be looking for her and she couldn’t let Karl kill both West and Ari.
Standing in front of West’s door, she checked to make sure her knife was under her coat cuff so that she could pull it out easily. Her first priority was to get West out of there alive. Fighting the demon hand to hand was no good, he was too strong. The only two things that might help was the blessed blade and her unreliable celestial glowing powers.
“Stop standing out there and come in, my dear. Join us!” Karl called from inside the room.
She took a deep breath and opened the door. Walking inside, she assessed the room quickly. West was tied up and gagged, lying on his bed while Karl sat in a desk chair facing her. West immediately grunted and she could make out some of the words he was saying: “Get out, run.” Even in such a dangerous situation, West was still trying to protect her. He never should have been placed in this situation. It was all her fault.
“I’m here. Let West go.”
The blood demon shook his head and motioned for her to close the door. “Not yet. I want to get to know my competition for your hand. West here is young and goes to school with you. That’s a point for him. I, however, am walking history. You could learn so much more with me, and I would be only too happy to be your personal instructor. So that would be a point to me. West has only had two sexual experiences, so he’s a novice at lovemaking. That’s a point taken away. I, however, have had centuries to perfect my skills. Another point to me. It seems that you would do much better to stick with me.”
She bit her lip, glancing from him to West. Antagonizing him right now would mean West’s death; she had to play along. “There’s no comparison. You win. Now let him go.”
Karl stood up and walked over to the bed, where he ran his fingers over West’s head. “He has been very courageous. He asked what I wanted, and when I told him I wanted you, he begged me to leave you alone. That shows quite a lot of devotion.”
Oh no, he was going to kill West no matter what she said. Distraction and surprise were her only hope. She walked over to the window and looked down. She placed the knife on the windowsill, standing where she blocked him from seeing what she was doing. She then took her jacket off and laid it on top of the knife. She pulled her hair up, exposing her neck, and used the rubber band on West’s desk to put her hair up in a ponytail. She could feel Karl’s eyes on her neck. Oh, she had his attention.
She reached for her coat and snatched the knife up, keeping it hidden as she held the coat close to her body. She turned sideways to look at him. At least he was moving away from West.
“I have a question for you.”
“Ask away, my dear.”
“How is it that you are out in sunlight? I thought blood demons had to remain in the dark.”
“Younger blood demons are more affected, but since I am older, I can stand the sunlight for longer periods of time. Also, I make sure to feed frequently to replenish my strength.”
“Aren’t you due back to your demon circle?”
“I plan to return today with you by my side.”
Cass fought the urge to look away. He was clearly used to using intimidation to get what he wanted. She wasn’t going to give in to him. She got a tingly sensation and knew somehow that Ari was close by. He must have figured out something was wrong and come looking for her. He couldn’t help her with this demon, maybe no one could. She had to keep Ari and West safe.
The demon must have sensed Ari was close, too, because he looked at the door. Just as the door was kicked in by one pissed off demi-demon, Cass grabbed Karl and launched both of them out of the window. It wasn’t high enough to kill the demon, but maybe it would slow him down a bit.
The impact jarred her body and pain shot up through her spine. The demon also looked stunned for a moment as he lay prone.
“Cass!” Ari yelled down from the window. He looked like he wanted to jump, too.
“Stay there and take care of West!”
The demon recovered quickly and got to his feet. “Well, that was surprising. Not sure I approve of that.”
“Too bad, demon breath. I’m not here for your entertainment.” Cass felt the air moving around her and knew Michael was landing behind her. She hoped nobody was recording that. She didn't want to see an arkangel in a YouTube video.
“An arkangel, too? Is he your daddy?”
Cass made a disgusted expression, “Good gosh, no!”
“Cass, are you okay?” Michael asked.
“Yeah, just fine.”
Karl looked at her with even more interest. “How many males do you have following you around? You could have succubus blood in you.”
She hoped not. Reaching for the knife, she caught sight of people walking by staring at them. Ari was going to have to do a lot of memory tampering later. Somehow she had to get him out of view of everyone. “Let’s take this behind the building.”
Karl shook his head. “Sorry, it’s time I go home.” Then he turned and misted away.
How did he do that? Even if she chased him, she couldn’t do anything until he was in solid form. She glanced over at Michael. “Now what?”
“He’s heading for the closest portal, which just re-opened up in the park.”
“You fly and I’ll run. Whatever you do, don’t confront him alone. He’s really strong.”
Ari leaped down from the window. “I’ll take my bike.”
Cass wanted to know why he didn’t stay with West, but she couldn’t do anything about that right now. They had a demon to catch.
“Let’s go get him.”
Chapter 22
Cass used her super speed but still couldn’t catch the mist, just a few steps behind the whole way. Karl didn’t even try to evade her; it was like he was leading her there.
Once inside the park, she found the portal door open, so she stopped and waited. Sure enough, he appeared before the portal. If he went through, she would have to wait until he returned, which could be days, weeks, months, even. That couldn’t happen.
“Come with me, I can show you things that you have only fantasized,” he promised her.
She had one thing left that could help. Taking out the knife, she twirled it. “No thanks, I like it here just fine.”
Karl smiled. “Are you going to throw that at me? I would be inside the portal before it ever left your hand.”
Cass smiled, “That’s not what this is for.” She cut her palm and allowed beads of blood to bubble up. She figured if she had irresistible pheromones, then her blood would be irresistible to blood demons. She was right.
Karl’s smile faded and his eyes grew dark with need. “You smell...divine.”
“Come and get it,” she said as she waved her bloody hand. He was hooked. She took off running, away from the portal, knowing that he was following her. Looking up into the sky, she caught sight of Michael. “Close the portal now!” She kept running, but Karl was much faster, or maybe it was the blood loss that slowed her do
wn, but he caught up and leaped for her, taking her down to the ground. She knew that she was in real trouble when she couldn’t move, he held her down so tightly. He used his lengthened claws to stab her in the thigh to prevent her from running.
“Mine.” He brought her hand up to his mouth and licked her blood. She shivered in disgust.
“Let me go!”
“Now that I have your taste, I will never let you go.”
She wasn’t sure whether it was the close skin contact or the fact that he had taken her blood, but she was picking up on images of all his victims, how he mutilated them and made them suffer before draining them. She was going to throw up.
Suddenly his weight lifted off of her. She rolled to her back and looked up to see Ari attempting to fight the blood demon. She needed to shake the horrible images so she could fight, but it was hard.
Michael showed up and jumped in to help Ari fight the demon. Taking Karl one-on-one would never work, he was too strong. It was clear it would take all three of them to defeat him.
Cass got to her feet feeling weak-headed. She limped from the deep stab wound in her thigh and was losing a lot of blood. She moved toward the fight. Karl was slowing down, so at least the boys were wearing him down. She closed her eyes and imagined her celestial glow. Her whole body seemed to tingle and then a glow formed all over her. Concentrating despite the pain, she focused on the glow, moving it to the center of her open palms, forming fireballs. Looking up, she saw that Michael and Ari were trying to pull Karl to the ground.
“Move out of the way!”
They jumped away right as she launched the first fireball, then the second. She stumbled, almost losing her balance. Ari threw some liquid from a vial at the same time and the demon was hit hard. The fireball lit him on fire. As an older blood demon, he burned up a lot quicker than his younger counterparts. Guess that was a point against him.
Cass felt her head spin and all the weight she had on her one good leg finally caused it to fail her. She started falling to the ground. Luckily, someone’s strong arms caught her before she impacted. “We got him, yay.” That was her last thought.
