by Kat Cotton
“If this is about your car, then forget it.”
Damn. I was pretty sure that getting my car back would sort this situation out. Or at least help.
“What we need is UNITY!” The mayor actually shouted that. And thumped the podium. Like unity could be more unified with emphasis.
“If you turn to the second page of your handout, you’ll see the outline of my plan for—”
Before we could turn the page, before he could flick to the next slide of his presentation, before he could even continue, the doors to the meeting room burst open.
I knew that smell. Totally demonic. I stuffed the remaining mini cupcakes into my mouth, then sprang into action.
Chapter 3: Stupid Demons
About ten demons burst into the meeting room, with a heap more behind them. I got a couple of them before they even got through the doorway, but then one of the bastards got me around the neck and shoved me backwards. I knocked into a row of chairs, sending them flying, and landed on my back. I kneed him in the balls, getting him off me, then knifed him in the chest.
I jumped to my feet and dusted myself off. There were plenty more of these suckers to dust.
Portia jumped on her chair, screaming. Those fusty old academics looked like they wanted to join her. Ha, they could write a dissertation about this.
The Germans grabbed axes and beheaded demons as they pushed through the doorway. The rest of the pack finished off the ones who got through. What the fuck were these demons thinking? Attacking a roomful of demon hunters? Not their smartest move.
To be honest, those Germans looked pretty damn hot with their muscular bodies and sexy ax-swinging moves. I couldn’t be distracted by that, though. Not with another demon coming at me. This one had fire in his eyes and a hunger to kill.
“Come at me, big boy!” I yelled. I’d work my sex aura on this one.
I focused on sexy thoughts, getting that demon worked up. That fire in his eyes turned from a desire to kill to a whole other form of desire. I’d got him in my thrall. That made it only too easy to kill him. He hardly even noticed my knife plunging into him.
“Woo-hoo!” Andre shouted. “The sex aura. I’ve been dying to see that.”
“You’ll be dying literally if you don’t keep your eyes on the fight.”
As I said it, Andre spun around and kicked a demon to the floor.
So far, we had piles of dust and about five undusted bodies. Still more demons piled into the room. A few took one look at their dusted friends and tried to run back out, but the Germans got them with their axes. One of the heads flew right at me, hit the floor, then rolled across the room.
The ones fighting were the Germans, Andre, Jeb, Luis and Shelley, Kisho and me. Harry McConchie kept trying to get into the fray but didn’t seem to get much of the action. We dusted the demons before he could even get to them.
Nic stayed near the back of the room. He didn’t like to fight unless he couldn’t help it. He hated getting his clothes dirty. But I wondered if there was more to it. After almost being bested by Lucio, he might’ve lost his confidence.
Portia and her academics had rushed over and huddled near Nic. One of the academics was taking photos with his phone. Useless.
I had no idea where the mayor had gone. No time to look for him as another demon rushed me. Jeez, I wished these guys would just quit.
“Whatever you do, don’t use your zap-zap power,” Kisho said as he got close to me.
As if I would. Especially here. Showing that power, the one I’d accidentally borrowed from the Vampire King, would raise a whole lot of questions that I didn’t want raised in this group. Anyway, I didn’t need it to fight off these schmucks. I barely needed my sexual aura. I just needed to keep stabbing. They had no fighting skills and no sense.
I dusted one, then spun around and dusted another. I barely even broke a sweat. I added in a few kicks just to get in the practice.
One of the demons flew past me. He lunged at the crustiest of the academics. The old man squealed like a girl. Yeah, all that research and talking about demon-slaying methodology had done him a lot of good. Oh, the temptation to watch the old man sweat was so strong, but I really should help.
I dusted the demon in one swoop.
Finally, they stopped coming.
“Coast looks clear,” one of the Germans said.
“I’ll go out and check,” said the other.
There was nothing but dust left now. Demon dust. Mucky, horrible stuff.
The mayor crawled out from behind his podium.
“Well, that was unexpected,” he said. He brushed down his suit.
The German came back. “That’s the end of them.”
Portia rushed to the German, threw her arms around him and sobbed. “You saved me. Thank you so much.”
“I helped,” Andre said. “Don’t forget, I was in there fighting too.”
Portia gave him a sweeping glance, then turned back to the German. I didn’t blame her. Much better choice.
The mayor and his secretary rushed around, putting all the chairs back in place.
“Now that’s been sorted out, we can get back to our meeting,” the mayor said.
Damn, the remains of the cupcakes were covered in demon dust. I picked up one, wiped the dust off the frosting, and popped it into my mouth. Still tasted good.
“Well, Mayor, I think this little distraction proved one thing. Only half the people here can actually fight. The rest should just be used as cannon fodder.” I glared at the academics just in case my point had been missed.
“I think we can all agree that we have different skill sets. Not all of us are fighters.”
Nice answer, Mayor. No wonder he was in politics.
“Yeah, well, I don’t think we need any book-learnin’ for this. All the theory in the world won’t help us.” I stood with my hands on my hips.
“I think we need to get back to our agenda.”
Luckily, the projector hadn’t survived the fight. That meant no more boring presentation. All the handouts had been destroyed, too. Damn, that’d ruin the meeting.
“We lost our handouts,” Portia said. “I think I can smooth mine out, though.”
“There are some spares at the back of the room if you need them,” the mayor said. “Now, let’s get this meeting back on track. I’m sure we all want to get home after that.”
The mayor then went into a lot of detail about his safe house program, a place for rounding up any humans left in the city until they could get away from danger. I figured the mayor hadn’t done a lot to make the meeting a safe place, so this safe house wouldn’t be any better. It was a good idea, though. Better at least than people quivering in their homes, waiting to die.
“Who’s running this program?” McConchie asked. “Because some of us have our own businesses to run.”
He was still running his business? Who was paying him? I needed to check into that. I’d assumed that, when evil took over the city, the regular demon-fighting business, stuff like getting rid of incubi or those possum demons, had fallen off. You’re hardly going to worry about a pesky incubus when the city is falling down around your ears.
“We have our own thing to deal with, too,” Nic said. “Pack business.”
The mayor looked at Portia. Good plan. She and her crusty team would be perfect for chauffeuring around civilians. If they had the sense of direction to do it.
“We have our troops, but I want you all to keep things in mind. If you find anyone who needs protection, call on us to rescue them. We also need to coordinate our efforts so we’re not doubling up.”
They got into all the boring logistics of it. None of it sounded very interesting to me. So long as I wasn’t volunteered for any of their team activities, it was fine.
Finally, the meeting finished.
As I walked to the door, Harry McConchie sidled up beside me.
“Have you been in contact with the Demon Fighters Council, Starr? I’ve heard they really want to talk to you.”
Shit, I really did not want to hear that.
Chapter 4: Sexy Times
“Come on, Nic. You know how I get after a fight.”
It wasn’t like Nic would actually say no. He just wanted to play hard to get.
“Didn’t we agree, the whole sex thing was over between us?”
“Yeah, but just this once isn’t going to hurt. It’s just sex. It’s not like there’s any more to it than that.”
I’d gone to his room after everyone had either gone out or gone to sleep. Well, Andre had gone out. This state of emergency didn’t stop his man-whoring. Shelley and Luis had gone to bed. I imagined Jeb was sitting in his room planning ways to overthrow Nic’s leadership. Even though the pack knew we were still screwing occasionally, I didn’t need to broadcast it.
I looked out Nic’s window, not wanting to face him. He walked up behind me and pressed his lips to the crook of my neck. The slightest sensation there sent shivers through my body. I wondered if he ever had the temptation to bite me. He’d never tried it. Maybe because he cared too much about me; maybe because he didn’t think I was worth feeding on. Who ever knew what he was thinking? It wasn’t like I wanted him to bite me. I just didn’t want to think I wasn’t bite-worthy.
He wrapped his arms around my waist. He wanted this as much as I did.
“Why don’t you go to Kisho?” he asked.
What?
I spun around to face him.
“Because I want you,” I said. “Obviously.”
He cupped my face. “There’s no ‘obviously’ about it. And I know why. Because you’re scared.”
I pulled away from him. Why would I be scared of Kisho? He was the gentlest man I’d ever met, human or vampire. I wasn’t scared of Kisho at all. I wanted Nic. That was the only reason.
“Don’t be stupid.”
“I’m not being stupid,” Nic said. “You know I’m right. You’re happy snuggling with him on the sofa or holding hands like a schoolgirl, but you’ve never taken it any further.”
“I’m taking it slow.”
“Glaciers are faster. And seriously, you’re not the kind of girl to hold back. You go for what you want.”
He wasn’t wrong about that, but he didn’t understand. I couldn’t push things with Kisho. If I did, I might end up pushing him right away. I’d overwhelm him, crush him with my feelings. Kisho wasn’t the kind of guy I could push.
“Don’t you ever get jealous?”
Nic scoffed. “I have eternal life. In a blink of an eye, you’ll be in the ground, the worms eating your body, but Kisho and I will still be here. You have to put things into perspective. Bros before hos.”
“Watch who you’re calling a ho, there, buddy.”
“You’re terrified. You know it will be much more than just sex. It will involve feelings. Lots of messy, horrible feelings.”
Instead of talking, I kissed him.
There was something fundamentally wrong with what he’d said, but I didn’t want to tease it out. Kissing Nic drove other thoughts out of my head. Kissing Nic sent sensations right down to the soles of my feet. Sensations beat the hell out of thoughts and feelings any day.
He flipped down the strap on the peach-pink satin camisole he’d given me and ran his fingers over my shoulder. For a man who’d spent three hundred years as a virgin, he sure learned fast. Or maybe not. Even if he’d not done the deed, he sure knew how to toy with people.
Nic broke the kiss and took my hand, then led me to the bed.
He could protest all he liked, but the physical thing between us was too good to deny.
My body trembled in anticipation. I began slowly removing my camisole. Nic liked to watch me undress. I tried to maintain eye contact with him as I inched the top over my belly, but something on the bedside table caught my eye.
A riding crop and wrist cuffs. He’d been playing with Kisho?
I froze. Part of me screamed for me to look away, to pretend I’d not seen it and keep getting on with the sex. But my heart sank like a dead weight. Heavy and painful and hard. I couldn’t not look. I couldn’t ignore that. Those toys meant one thing only, and I had to wrap my head around the meaning of it.
Nic had been playing with Kisho. The two of them. Behind my back.
My jaw clenched. I tried to unclench it, but it held tight. I didn’t want to be jealous. I sure as hell didn’t want to look upset in front of Nic, but icy fingers squeezed my heart.
Who was I jealous of? Kisho or Nic? Both of them together without me?
I had no idea when they’d been together. Before the meeting? Or earlier? Maybe they hadn’t done anything yet but were planning to. Or maybe Nic had just set that stuff there to fuck with my head. That wasn’t something I could rule out, either. I wouldn’t ask. I didn’t want to play his games.
The sex had been so good between us that I’d ignored that side of Nic: the side that liked to fuck with people. He confused the hell out of me. He’d been encouraging me to go to Kisho when he’d been doing that? He could play with Kisho and keep that completely separated from anything else?
He followed my gaze. “But you knew, right? That’s what we do.”
The slow grin spreading over his face made me want to punch him.
Of course I’d known it. I’d seen them. Nic had made me participate, even. But that had been then. I’d thought things had changed. I hadn’t even considered the two of them together since I’d started screwing Nic.
I didn’t want to talk about what Nic and Kisho did without me. It soured everything.
I stared down at him on the bed and waited for him to say more. Of course I’d never expected things between us to be exclusive or long-lasting, so why did I have this aching inside?
“I have to give my pack what they need.”
I inhaled. “Do you? Or do you just tell yourself that?”
Nic picked up the crop. He held it in his hand, staring at it.
“None of my pack were turned by me. That’s unusual. I gathered them all up, or they came to me like stray, broken puppies. They came because they needed something. Do you understand that, Clem Starr?”
I knew what he was saying was true, but right now, at this very moment, I needed time to readjust my thoughts. I wanted to get this lead weight out of my chest.
I knew one thing. No matter whom I was with in this pack, Nic or Kisho, the pack would always come first, and I’d always be an outsider.
“A little. So, what about you, Nic? What do you want?”
I could only hear his breath, then he answered so quietly, I could barely hear.
“A family.”
I returned to my room after that, all desire in me gone. I wanted to sleep and forget that conversation. I liked things light and breezy, but that lightness had gone. Maybe I’d never have sex with Nic again, or maybe I would, but the whole basis of our relationship had changed.
Chapter 5: The Prince
Kisho had already started making coffee when I got out of bed. I loved that guy.
“Morning, Prince,” I said. “You could’ve been the star of the show last night.”
Kisho just grinned.
“Have you ever thought about it?” I asked. “You could have all the power. Just feed, then kill the King. It sounds too simple to me.”
The dark shadow that crossed over Kisho’s face made me wonder if I’d said the wrong thing. Saying he had daddy issues was the understatement of the century. Even being in the same room as the Vampire King made him quake like crazy. That man had broken him in some way. Surely there must be another means to kill the Vampire King without involving Kisho.
“Sorry,” I said. I rubbed his arm. “No one will expect you to go that far.”
Before I could say more, Nic came into the room.
“I’ve got a present for you, Kisho.” He held out a tiny golden crown. “A gift for the Vampire Prince.”
I thought that would freak Kisho out, but he pinned it on his head. It perched at a precarious angle.<
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“That’s so cute,” I told him.
He smiled in that sweet way that always made my belly flop. The way that made the dimples at the sides of his mouth turn into tiny circles.
Shelley came into the room. “What’s up with the crown?”
“Vampire Prince,” Nic said.
“I’m no prince,” Kisho replied.
“I don’t know,” I said. “There’s something very prince-like about you.”
I stretched my arms out over my head, then took the coffee Kisho had made for me.
“We need to have a pack meeting,” Nic said.
“Will there be cake?” I asked.
“I said pack meeting, not ‘pack and Clem Starr meeting.’ You’re not part of the pack.”
I reached over and caressed his face. “Nic, you know I’m coming to that meeting. You’re going through the motions of acting like a tough nut, but you know you want me there. So, will there be cake?”
“There will be cake.”
“I’ll wake the others,” Shelley said. “Although I did like it when we used to be creatures of the night. This early morning stuff is not for me. And it sure as hell isn’t for Andre. He’s like a bear in the morning.”
By the time I had showered and dressed, the rest of the pack had gathered in the living room. There was nowhere for me to sit. Andre, Shelley and Luis took up the entire sofa. Nic, of course, was sitting in the wingback chair near the bay window, and Kisho had the armchair on the other side of the sofa. He still had the crown on his head. Jeb leaned on the back of the sofa.
Before I could tell the pack to bunch up on the sofa, Kisho grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap. Okay. I could sit there. He put his arm around me, resting his hand on my thigh. It seemed totally out of character for Kisho to be so assertive, but maybe he needed some comfort with all this talk of him being the Vampire Prince.
I leaned against his chest. I’d become so used to Nic’s icy-cold vampire body that the warmth of Kisho surprised me.
If he fed, would that warmth vanish? I hoped not.
“Are you two quite comfortable?” Nic asked.
