by Kat Cotton
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Contraband
Chapter 2: The Mayor's Meeting
Chapter 3: Stupid Demons
Chapter 4: Sexy Times
Chapter 5: The Prince
Chapter 6: Bob
Chapter 7: Orgies of Blood
Chapter 8: Laneway
Chapter 9: Kids
Chapter 10: Kamikaze
Chapter 11: Ducks
Chapter 12: Groupies
Chapter 13: Mayor
Chapter 14: Mustang
Chapter 15: Failure
Chapter 16: Dog Walk
Chapter 17: Training
Chapter 18: Tourists
Chapter 19: Mouse
Chapter 20: Electric
Chapter 21: Feed
Chapter 22: Feeding Frenzy
Chapter 23: Vampire Riot
Chapter 24: Memorial
Chapter 25: Grown Up
Chapter 26: Rescue
Chapter 27: Magic Happens
Chapter 28: Feeding
Chapter 29: The Mayor Calls
Chapter 30: Clem Takes Charge
Chapter 31: Whiteboard
Chapter 32: Germans
Chapter 33: Fear
Chapter 34: Born Ready
Chapter 35: Rain
Chapter 36: Drowning
Chapter 37: Stoney
Chapter 38: Light
Chapter 39: Love
Chapter 40: Vlad
Chapter 41: Demon Fighters Council
Vampire Prince
Clem Starr: Demon Fighter
Kat Cotton
Published by Candy J Starr, 2017.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
VAMPIRE PRINCE
First edition. October 3, 2017.
Copyright © 2017 Kat Cotton.
Written by Kat Cotton.
Also by Kat Cotton
Clem Starr: Demon Fighter
Vampire Prince
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Also By Kat Cotton
Vampire Prince (Clem Starr: Demon Fighter)
Chapter 1: Contraband
Chapter 2: The Mayor's Meeting
Chapter 3: Stupid Demons
Chapter 4: Sexy Times
Chapter 5: The Prince
Chapter 6: Bob
Chapter 7: Orgies of Blood
Chapter 8: Laneway
Chapter 9: Kids
Chapter 10: Kamikaze
Chapter 11: Ducks
Chapter 12: Groupies
Chapter 13: Mayor
Chapter 14: Mustang
Chapter 15: Failure
Chapter 16: Dog Walk
Chapter 17: Training
Chapter 18: Tourists
Chapter 19: Mouse
Chapter 20: Electric
Chapter 21: Feed
Chapter 22: Feeding Frenzy
Chapter 23: Vampire Riot
Chapter 24: Memorial
Chapter 25: Grown Up
Chapter 26: Rescue
Chapter 27: Magic Happens
Chapter 28: Feeding
Chapter 29: The Mayor Calls
Chapter 30: Clem Takes Charge
Chapter 31: Whiteboard
Chapter 32: Germans
Chapter 33: Fear
Chapter 34: Born Ready
Chapter 35: Rain
Chapter 36: Drowning
Chapter 37: Stoney
Chapter 38: Light
Chapter 39: Love
Chapter 40: Vlad
Chapter 41: Demon Fighters Council
Vampire Prince
Clem Starr: Demon Fighter Book 3
The Vampire King is back, and war is imminent.
According to ancient prophecy, only one person can kill him. Pity that person is the gentlest, sweetest vampire I’ve ever met.
The stakes are raised for Kisho. Kill his father, save the world.
Other books in the Clem Starr series:
Demon Child (book 1)
Moonlight Virgin (book 2)
Incubus – the pre-prequel short story from this series is also available on Amazon.
And, to get a free copy of Sex Demon, the prequel to the Clem Starr series, join my mailing list.
Chapter 1: Contraband
I flew across the back of the van, almost landing on Andre’s knee.
“Whoa, bumpy ride.”
“Sorry, but it’s not exactly a convenient time to get new shock absorbers put on the van,” Kisho said. “I doubt there’s a mechanic working at the moment.”
He wasn’t wrong. We barely saw another car on the road as we drove through the city. No people, either. Most of them had moved out of town or barricaded themselves into their homes. No one knew when or where the next attack would happen.
No one was sitting outside drinking coffee. Hell, the cafes weren’t even open. The place where I used to get my manicures done — boarded up and closed for business, just like every other shop around. The windows of my favorite bookshop had been smashed, and, even with a brief glimpse as we drove past, I could see the place had been trashed.
The only life we saw on the streets were vamps and demons. The city had become a playground for them.
I quit looking out the van window. Back at the lair, I’d known in my head what was going on, but seeing all this made it only too real. I didn’t want life to change. I wanted the reassurance that if I needed a coffee or a manicure or new boots, I could go out and get them. The thing I’d feared the most was coming to fruition.
“This is a fool mission, anyway,” Kisho said.
“It’s crucial,” I replied
The four of us had taken the van: Kisho, Andre, Luis and I. Nic thought we’d be safe, since vamps wouldn’t attack other vamps.
“Why am I going, then?” I’d asked him.
“Because you’re expendable.”
I hated that vampire. We both knew I wasn’t expendable. He was just in denial and liked inventing jobs that got me away from him. I was fine with that. Intense feelings for Nic didn’t do me any favors, either.
It was like when you knew you shouldn’t eat cake, because that cake is no good for you. But the cake just sits there, tempting you with its delicious goodness. Without even meaning to, you reach for a slice. Then, suddenly, the cake is gone.
Nic cake was the most tempting cake of all.
Sure, things weren’t like when we first got together, but we still couldn’t be in a room together without the sparks flying between us. There was no reason, really, why we couldn’t shag like bunnies every night of the week, but deep down, I knew the Nic thing wasn’t meant to be. And, at the moment, we needed to focus on other things. Feelings and sparks wouldn’t help us save the world.
Kisho turned down a narrow alley. A cobblestone alley. That did nothing for my butt, bouncing down that street while sitting on a not very padded seat.
As we got back on the main street, a piano came flying across the road and crashed down in front of us. Kisho swerved in time, narrowly missing it.
“Damn vampires, causing trouble just for the love of it.”
“Actually, that seemed more like something a demon would do,” Andre said.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Demons aren’t known for having a lick of sense. Hey, are we going past my office? I’d like to check that it’s intact.”
“Nah, we’re not going that way, but it should be fine.”
When the troubles started, and I realized I wouldn’t be able get to my office on any kind of regular basis, I’d put a bunch of hexes and things in place to protect it. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been able to move most of my files and b
ooks to the vampire lair.
The city had changed so much in such a short time. The devastation didn’t take long to take hold. The mayor had been on television last night, telling people to keep calm and that it was business as usual, but you could tell he was shitting himself. It looked like he’d actually been in a concrete bunker for the filming. Stupid mayor. He had no idea what he’d unleashed.
As we got closer to the city center, it became harder to negotiate the roads. Overturned car bodies — a few of them on fire — trash and broken bottles, even furniture thrown from apartment buildings, littered the streets.
We stopped at a red light.
“You realize we could just run the light,” Andre said. “Who’s going to stop us? It’s not like anyone else is even on the road.”
“Just because the rest of the world is descending into anarchy doesn’t mean we have to let our standards slip,” Kisho replied.
He sounded like Nic, although when Nic said that, he was usually talking about his skin care routine and not road safety.
While we were waiting, a demon ran in front of the van. He reached out with his talons and scratched the paint work.
Kisho jumped out of the van.
“Why did you do that? That’s just wanton destruction.”
“Kisho, get in the van,” Luis said. “Pick your fights wisely.”
Those words were loaded with hidden meanings. Over the past few days, there’d been murmurings in the pack. A lot of murmurings about how Kisho could stop all this.
The demon snarled at Kisho.
“He needs to learn manners,” Kisho told Luis.
Screw this shit. I wasn’t about to sit quietly though a whole discussion. We had important business to do.
I jumped out of the van, unsheathing my knife. Before Kisho could even start lecturing the demon on manners, I rushed at the demon and plunged my knife into his heart. Goodbye, demon.
“What are you doing?” Kisho asked. He gave me that look, the one that said he thought I’d gone too far.
“Teaching him some manners.” I shrugged and jumped back into the van.
We took off again.
“That was hot,” Andre said.
“Keep your eyes to yourself.”
Like I didn’t have enough to deal with in this pack, what with the lingering sexual tension between Nic and me, along with my complicated and messy feelings for Kisho. Andre didn’t even get a look in. I had no interest in him at all.
“Do you think the Demon Child’s coming back?” Andre asked me.
That wasn’t anything new. Ever since the Demon Child disappeared, we’d had this conversation a hundred times a day.
“Nic thinks so. He’s convinced that ‘see you later’ was a firm promise,” I said. “I don’t know, though. The kid is a menace.”
“I thought he was cute,” Luis said.
“Yeah, that’s what he wants you to think. He sucks you in, then goes through for the jugular. Literally.”
“Still, a shimmering, iridescent portal, that had to be cool,” Luis said.
“A portal to some peasant village in the wilds of Russia,” said Andre. “Nothing wonderful about that. You step through and freeze your balls off. That kid is probably an ice statue now. He’s not going anywhere.”
The kid had come from Russia, and Andre was convinced he’d gone back there.
I didn’t like the way Andre put his arm over the back of the seat. If his hand got any closer to me, I’d sear my silver ring into it. That’d teach him a valuable life lesson about personal space.
I shouldn’t even be sitting in the back. I’d totally called “shotgun” first, but Luis had claimed the front seat anyway. He looked like such a sweet guy with his squishy, pudgy face, but he had an evil streak. An evil, front-seat-stealing streak.
“Maybe his pack called him back,” Luis said.
“What, after decades of wandering the earth? Nice timing.”
“I think they cast him off because he was too wild, and then, after Nic’s training, they decided he was tame enough to return.” Luis had a romantic streak a mile wide.
“Nic should send them a bill for all that training, then.”
“What about all the times he was hibernating? Was it really sleep?” Kisho asked. “No one ever saw him hibernate. He just wasn’t around. Maybe he’d gone through the portal.”
“The ball-freezing portal,” Andre added.
“It’s a unicorn portal,” Luis said. “Maybe unicorns don’t feel the cold.”
I sure did. All Kisho’s cleansing rituals from various world religions helped keep the cold at bay, but I still had to rug up. Since the last time I’d called upon the Vampire King’s power, I’d gotten much worse. I’d be an icicle come winter. Maybe I could join the Demon Child in being an ice sculpture.
“Anyway,” said Andre. “He’s not coming back. That kid has disappeared forever.”
“What’s the address of this place, again?” Kisho asked.
“15a Station Street. It shouldn’t be far.”
We swerved again, and Andre moved closer. I shoved him away. Damn man-whore vampire. He’d hit on anything that moved.
“Is that another explosion?” Luis asked. “Over there in the West?”
“Probably,” I answered. “Vampires fucking shit up. They’re like a bunch of teenagers without adult supervision.”
“Demons, not vampires,” Andre said.
Andre had lot of trouble accepting that vampires could be dicks too.
We drove past a billboard with the mayor’s face beaming down on the city. “Cleaning up the streets,” it said. Someone, or something, had spray painted over the mayor’s face. Not adding anything clever or even a Hitler mustache or devil horns, just a random squiggle. I bet the mayor hated that. He’d wanted the war on vampires, but so far, the mayor had zero wins and a body count piling up. And now, random squiggles.
The smoke from the explosion quickly covered the city.
“The oil refinery,” Andre said.
“Obviously not. If it was the refinery, it’d have been a much bigger explosion. Still, it had to be something big to make this much smoke.”
It was okay for the vamps; they didn’t need to have clean oxygen. Not for me. My lungs burned. Damn it.
Sirens screamed behind us. Then a convey of armored vans nearly drove us off the road into a pile of smoldering tires. The mayor’s forces. Once again, too little, too late. He had a tactical team, but the chaos around us knew no tactics. That was the whole point of chaos. Those vamps had no strategy and no plan. They just caused trouble for the pure thrill of it. They could strike anywhere, any time. The only one with a plan was the Vampire King, and who knew what that plan was? He hadn’t shown his hand yet. Although anyone with half a brain would guess it involved something like pushing Kisho to his limits. Kisho was the only one who could kill the Vampire King, so it made sense for the King to want to lure Kisho into battle. Preferably with Kisho weak and unready.
“This is the place,” Kisho said.
He pulled into a driveway and tooted the horn. Three long toots, two short, three more long. The secret code, which, to be honest, would be easy to work out, since everyone in the neighborhood could hear it. I wasn’t about to question the smarts of bootleggers, though. The garage door opened and we drove in, the door lowering behind us.
Kisho jumped out of the van.
“Got the cash?” a shady character asked.
He lurked in the shadows with a hoodie pulled tight around his face. The stooped stature of that tiny man couldn’t be disguised, though. I rushed over to him and caught him up in my embrace.
“Timon! You’re back.”
He pushed me away. “Clem Starr. Well, I definitely want the cash up front.”
I laughed. He loved his jokes.
“You can laugh, but you still owe me a heap of money.”
The last time I’d seen Timon, he’d been escaping town. I was pretty sure I’d paid him back most of what
I owed him then.
“Hey, Timon, we could all die tomorrow. What does money matter?”
“If it doesn’t matter, you could pay me back.”
I laughed again and punched him on the arm. “Good one.”
Next minute, he’d grabbed a bow and arrow from behind a stack of boxes. That arrow head was pointed right at me.
“Give me the money and take your stuff. And get her out of here,” he said to Kisho.
Kisho handed over a bunch of notes. Contraband goods didn’t come cheap. Timon lowered his bow while he put the money in his pocket.
Luis and Andre loaded up the boxes into the back of the van.
“Any word on the street?” I asked Timon. “You must know something.”
“I know one thing. The Vampire King wants you dead. You have a target on your back. There’s no way you can escape his vengeance, Clem Starr. And I, for one, will not be sorry to see you go. That’s why I want you out of here. I’d have never done business with these vamps if I’d known you were associated with them.”
I patted his hood-covered head, but he squirmed away from me.
“I mean it, Clem. You’re so close to dead that you should be picking out a cemetery plot, except there probably won’t be enough left of you to bury.”
I probably should have been more worried than I was about the Vampire King threat. I mean, I was worried, but not quaking in my boots, running out of town scared. But then, the King hadn’t actually come for me yet. No point anticipating danger before it happened.
“Got everything?” Timon said.
“Yep,” Kisho said. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Just never contact me again.” Timon raised his bow. “Now, get out of here.”
I ran and jumped in the front of the van before Luis could. Ha. The front seat would be mine.
“Wow, that little guy hates you,” Andre said when he got in.
“Timon? Nah, that’s just his little jokes.”
Andre raised his eyebrows. “You sure about that?”
“Yep. He tries to kill me sometimes, stuff like that. It’s all just LOLZ.”
The drive home proved less eventful. The smoke haze had even started to clear from the city. I wasn’t sure if that was the mayor’s efforts or just the strong breeze. The only thing we saw were a few looters. Damn vampires will steal anything. It looked like they’d looted about a dozen umbrellas.
