by Kat Cotton
Kisho had become very touchy-feely with me. Which was something I never minded, but I wasn’t sure what that meant either. When he snuggled up beside me, was it trying to start something, or was it nothing more meaningful than when the puppy curled up on my lap?
“There is something we could do,” Kisho said.
“Is it make coffee? That would be perfect.” I smiled at him.
“No, it’s even better.” He smiled, then stopped. “Oh, it’s probably a stupid idea.”
“More stupid than making a bloodthirsty killer into your pet? Because I doubt it even comes close to that level of stupidity.”
“Just tell us,” Nic said. “You always do this thing where you go on and on about your ideas not being good enough until I made you tell me. It just wastes time, so spit it out now.”
Kisho blushed.
“We could organize an event of our own. That would draw out the Demon Child. Why should we sit back and be all passive about this? Let’s put the ball in our court for a change.”
He looked at Nic. At first, I thought he was after approval, but no. Nic was the event. I couldn’t deny the brilliance of the plan. After all, why have a semifamous motivational speaker in the room without using them?
“You want me to prostitute my art to be bait? No way.”
“Firstly, you’re a motivational speaker. It’s not exactly an ‘art.’ And secondly, you want the Demon Child as your pet, you’ll do it. But, before anything else, we need to make sure you have somewhere secure to keep him. It’s not like the Demon Child will be willingly tied up to your four-poster bed.”
Kisho pulled away from me. I pulled him back. He was warm and lovely. And he shouldn’t be ashamed of his kinks.
Nic snorted. “Hardly. This will be serious training, not games. There is nothing erotic about training a new vampire.”
I was glad he said that, because I’d been having doubts about his motives.
“Wow, this is one of the best ideas I’ve ever had,” Nic said. “I’m brilliant.”
I looked at Kisho. He just shrugged. I’d have killed Nic for that, but Kisho didn’t seem to care.
“What are you doing?” I asked Nic. He’d picked up his laptop.
“Looking for a new Airbnb. This one doesn’t have a dungeon. I need a dungeon to house my new unicorn.”
Chapter 29: Event Planning
After that, the vampire lair became a flurry of activity. I guessed planning events was usual for them.
“What can I do to help?” I asked, for the millionth time.
“Stay out of the way,” Nic replied for the millionth time. “You have no people skills and no business skills. All you have going for you is your mythical sexual aura—”
“It’s real. I’ve seen it,” Kisho said.
“Have you been sexual aura-ing Kisho? Because you can’t do that.”
He actually glared at me. It wasn’t like Kisho was his personal property, and also, I’d never do that in my private life.
“No. He just likes me for myself.” I smiled at Kisho and Kisho smiled back.
“Yeah, he’s like a puppy. Well, not like your puppy because he dumped you for me.”
“Whoa, sick burn. Anyway, I can do photocopying or something. I’m bored. I’m used to working.”
“We don’t photocopy. We do things professionally. You can’t even take the dog for a walk or run errands because you can’t be seen. And you can’t cook. What are you good for, Clementine Starr?”
“I can cook. I cooked dinner the other night.”
“It was full of garlic!”
“Well, at least it wasn’t stake.” I put my hand over my belly and laughed.
Nic wasn’t amused.
I couldn’t even argue with him because he was right. It drove me crazy. I was sure I had some kind of skills that could be used, but even I could think of nothing. Between them, they’d booked a venue and set up advertising, all within a few days. It amazed me.
“Since you have so much spare time on your hands, you could spend it on self-improvement,” Nic said. “You’ve turned into a total slob since you moved in here, and you weren’t exactly that good with personal grooming to begin with.”
“Well, I never leave the house. What’s the point? It’s not like I need to be decorative for you.”
“I like her like this,” Kisho said. Because he was awesome and not all judgy like Nic.
Nic snorted.
“Your skin looks terrible.”
“I’m not here for my looks. Don’t objectify me. You might like swanning around, looking all perfect, but I’m keeping a low profile here.”
“At least do some training. You’re going to be totally useless if it comes to a fight.”
He wasn’t wrong about that. I should be training every chance I got. I couldn’t exactly take on the Demon Child, but the mayor—he was human. I could take him down. This plan was so risky, but if I died, I wanted to die fighting.
“Okay, I’ll start training.”
“I have weights. I’ll loan them to you, because I’m super generous like that. You can’t go out running, but I’m sure you can find some cardio workouts online. Actually, I’ll put together a program for you.”
Shit no. I did not want Nic putting together a program for me. It would be a torture program. There was no way he’d go easy on me. I wouldn’t even make it to the event because I’d be a wrecked mess.
“I think I’m fine with my own workout.”
“No. It’s no trouble. I’ll work out with you.” The glint in Nic’s eyes might possibly been the evilest thing I’d seen in my life. “That would be even better.”
I hoped Kisho would stick up for me, but he seemed distracted.
“We should get the rest of the pack here for this,” Kisho said.
“No. They stay out of town until it’s safe.”
“But…”
“No.”
“He’s right,” I said. “This kid has super strength. We’ve thwarted him every time he’s tried to feed lately. He’s going to be in crazy mode. Plus, we have the mayor and maybe the Vampire King to deal with. It’s too much. You’ll be onstage, so limited in what you can do. That leaves me—and I can’t show my face—and Kisho. It’s a very flawed plan.”
Nic sighed. But he sighed in that way that meant he knew we were right and he’d pretend this was all his idea in a few hours’ time. I exchanged glances with Kisho and we both smiled.
With five other vamps working with us, we’d have a much better chance of capturing the Demon Child. There was just one thing Nic hadn’t discussed. To capture a unicorn, even a part unicorn, we needed a virgin. They sure as hell couldn’t use me for that part. That boat had sailed years ago. I’d asked him about it and he just smiled and said he had it worked out. Maybe one of the pack was a virgin.
Kisho?
Chapter 30: Kiss
“Come out to the garden,” Kisho whispered to me.
We hadn’t had much of a chance to talk for the past few days. He’d been running errands for Nic leading up to the event, and I’d been on Nic’s insane training program. When I wasn’t working out, I was hurting. Hurting so bad, I could barely talk.
It was the night before the event, though, and Nic had let me have the day off to recover.
“There’s a garden?” In the whole time I’d been in the place, I hadn’t known that there was a garden.
“Just a small courtyard. You probably never noticed because Nic has the curtains drawn all the time.”
That was true. We slipped out through the kitchen, although I was sure Nic watched us.
In the tiny courtyard, we stood close to each other. Almost too close. It scared me. I’d never felt this nervous around a guy before. Our easy friendship could be ruined by a false move. It seemed weird to be all fluttery like this when I’d been so intimate with him, but that had been different. Out here with him, under the moonlight and the stars, my emotions became raw. All the snarky toughness I used to pr
otect myself disappeared.
Some kind of night flower grew in the courtyard, and its strong, sweet scent filled the air. I had no idea about flowers, so I didn’t know what it was called, but it was easier to look at those blossoms than at Kisho.
Kisho took something out of his pocket. A chain with a small orb hanging from it.
“I wanted to give this to you. It’s a charm, a protection charm.”
He smiled shyly, as though not sure I’d want it. The edges of that smile wavered until I returned it with a smile of my own. I’d been with a lot of guys in my time, but none that had ever cared about protecting me. Even if the charm didn’t work, the gesture of him giving it to me made me quiver.
He moved behind me and fastened the chain around my neck. His fingers against the back of my neck sent delicious tickles through my body. I wanted to stay like that forever, with his body behind mine, warm and strong.
“I’m not sure if it’ll work that well, but it could help. At least if you get attacked, it might slow them down.”
If it was a protection charm against vampires, then it would have been draining for him to have it in his pocket. The closeness of it would have pulled on him the whole time.
“Thank you,” I said.
He turned me around to face him. The moment turned awkward. He looked away.
I grabbed his hand, gripping it tight. I wanted to throw myself into his arms and bury him in my kisses, letting all the passion built up inside me have free rein, but I couldn’t. Beneath his gentleness and hesitation lay something precious and fragile. If I didn’t hold back, I’d smash that into tiny pieces.
The air around us buzzed with a subtle vibration. A gentle breeze blew through the courtyard, stirring the scent of the night flowers and tickling over my body.
My body tensed with the effort of waiting. I never waited, I never held back. The whole basis of my life, and my career, was built on hurling my sexuality as a weapon. But Kisho wasn’t a victim. The force of my feelings would only make him retreat. I had to wait for him to make a move.
I put up a wall inside me, like a dam. A dam protecting Kisho from my lust. I’d let it trickle through in a measured dose.
I moved my gaze to his face, letting myself linger on his lips before making eye contact with him. He put his hand on my arm, a soft sensation, as though he wasn’t really sure if it was permitted. I wanted to tell him I allowed it, I allowed all of it.
His lips brushed against mine, our bodies barely touching.
The lightness of the kiss surprised me. I still held back as the sweetness of him spread through my body. That kiss was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I’d known passion and I’d known lust, but I’d never known anything as precious as this. I wondered if it was something I even deserved.
Before the kiss deepened, the back door opened.
“You can come inside now.”
Nic, of course. Almost as though he’d been waiting for the most inconvenient moment to interrupt. I hated him so much. I’d have told him to go fuck himself, but Kisho jumped at his command and walked straight back inside.
Why? Why did it have to be like this? Kisho didn’t have to obey. Even after the intimacy we shared, he still couldn’t challenge Nic. The bond between us snapped so easily at Nic’s words.
I stood in the courtyard, defying Nic. I wouldn’t go inside just because he’d told us to. Kisho could be his bitch, but I was still my own person. My hands balled into fists, my nails digging into my palms.
Frustration pumped inside me. Why had Nic even done that? He could’ve let us have our moment. I still had no understanding of their relationship. Was I even prepared to deal with all this crap? As long as I stayed with these vampires, Nic would control my life whether I wanted it or not.
Nic watched me from the doorstep. Just standing there, watching like a creeper. Probably gloating that he’d ruined everything.
Maybe there was more to it. We needed a virgin to tame the Demon Child. I suspected that Kisho was that virgin. If that was the plan, why not tell me straight? Secrecy helped no one.
I tried to push past Nic to get inside.
Instead of letting me through, he grabbed my arms, pushing me back against the wall. The stone wall ground into my back, still warm from the heat of the day, but Nic’s body, pressed against mine, chilled me.
“What?” I asked. I was in no mood for his snark. I wanted to get to my room, to be alone to process what had happened.
He didn’t talk. He just stared.
The tension drew tight between us. The look in his eyes scared me a little, so hungry and so intense. I squirmed to get away from him, but he pressed himself tighter against me. His arms, one on each side of my head, held me in.
My heart pounded. I wanted to yell at him, to tell him that this wasn’t funny, but my body didn’t obey. I’m sure if I’d fought, he’d have let me go, but I didn’t want to fight him.
He understood me like Kisho never would. He knew exactly what I wanted.
I finally understood. That was where his power came from. He could look inside you, finding the thing you wanted most, the dream you hid in your soul. That was what he did with Kisho, and that was what he was doing with me. He offered a temptation almost impossible to fight.
He moved even closer, our bodies touching, and I put up no resistance. Then he sprung away with a yelp.
Bastard!
Was this all just a tease?
He clutched at his chest. Then I saw the round mark seared into his skin. The mark of Kisho’s protection charm.
Chapter 31: Warm
“I’m not wearing that dress.”
I’m not sure if Nic had been shopping or he’d taken something from his own wardrobe, but that dress he held was not something I’d ever wear. It was emerald green. A tight, slinky number. You can’t fight in a slinky dress. You didn’t need to be a genius to figure that out.
“If you are immaculately groomed, no one will recognize you. You really need to do something about your eyebrows, for starters.”
I screwed up my face at him. I’d dyed my hair from red to boring brown. Wasn’t that enough?
“I can’t fight in a dress like that. And those shoes?”
Nic had the shoes behind his back, like he was just waiting for me to agree to the stupid dress before showing them.
“Shoes?”
He could try to look as innocent as he liked. I was not wearing those shoes.
“I can see them, Nic. You don’t need vampire senses for that.”
“Well, the dress won’t look right without matching shoes. Clem Starr, you might not know this, but people like you better if you’re well dressed.”
That was not something I cared too much about.
“Even if I wanted to wear it, I don’t have appropriate underwear.”
A sly grin spread over Nic’s face.
“No way. You did not buy me underwear. That is just dirty and wrong.”
Kisho stood behind him, his hand covering his grin. I bet before I was around, Nic would’ve been dressing Kisho instead.
“You really wanted a Barbie doll when you were a kid, didn’t you?”
Nic pouted. “They weren’t even invented then.”
“Wear the dress, Clem. He’s not going to give in.”
“You know Nic, at some point, you are going to be getting your butt busted and need me to help you, and at that moment, you are going to think, ‘Gee, I wish I hadn’t made Clem wear that stupid dress.’”
“If I get to the point where I need you to save me, I’ll have bigger issues to worry about than what you’re wearing.”
He might be right about that, but it still made me feel vulnerable not to have my fighting outfit on.
“Now hurry up, we need to do the sound check before the audience arrives.”
I went to my room with the stupid dress and shoes and underwear.
Even if I had to go to this motivational speaking event, I didn’t see any need for me to
be there for the sound check. I could show up later, when it actually started. I’d planned to have the afternoon free to snoop around the house. That way I wouldn’t go to my grave with unanswered questions.
After I got dressed, I went out to the living room.
“See?” Nic said. “See?”
His eyes popped to emphasize his point.
“I never said I wouldn’t look fantastic in this dress. I said I couldn’t fight in it. I mean, I could sit around all the time in pretty dresses looking amazing, but I’m Clem Starr: Demon Fighter, not Clem Starr: Beauty Queen.”
“Beauty queen might be taking it a bit far. Now come and get your makeup done.”
I sighed. Did I have to go through with this?
“Can’t we do makeup there?”
“I’m not dragging a heap of makeup to the convention center, just enough for touchups. What if we have to make a quick escape? I’m not losing thousands of dollars of product in the process. You have to be practical about these things.”
“Well, if we die, we won’t need any beauty products. That’s even more practical.”
“Let him do it,” Kisho said. “It relaxes him.”
“We need to do something about the accessories too,” Nic said when he’d finished.
I touched the orb Kisho had given me. “The jewelry stays. That’s nonnegotiable. And also, look at this dress. Where can I hide my stake? It’s far too tight and body-hugging to hide a stake anywhere.”
“Why do you need a stake? You can’t kill the Demon Child, and the only other vampires will be us. Unless you’re planning to stake me…”
“I feel naked without one. It’s a security thing.”
Kisho jingled the car keys in his hand.
Kisho drove. I sat in the back, going through the rundown for the night.
“You’re having the mayor introduce you? Don’t you think that’s a bit stupid?” I would never understand Nic. He was way too cocky for my liking.
“The mayor loves me.”
“Are you fucking stupid? Remember that time I told you the mayor offered me money to stake you? The mayor so doesn’t love you.”
