Demon Child

by Kat Cotton

  The regular venue security cleared a path to the victim. An edge of panic went through the crowd. Nic’s thrall no longer held, and he wasn’t strong enough now. This would turn into a mass panic.

  Thanks, Mayor.

  Bob hadn’t been distracted by the Demon Child, though. He’d gotten back to his feet and closed in for another attack on Nic.

  Nic staggered, not seeming to be able to focus.

  He punched Bob in the face, but Bob barely flinched. It was a weak-as-piss punch.

  I grabbed the other chair. Nic would never be able to fight that guy off. He was so weak that he could barely stand.

  I couldn’t hit Bob like that, though. There’d be hell to pay with the Demon Fighter Council. But what was the alternative? Let him finish Nic? No way.

  I swung the chair, getting Bob in the head. He crumpled to the floor in a heap. I grabbed the stake out of his hand and put it in my cleavage. You’d never know when that would come in handy.

  “I told you,” I said to Nic. “You needed me to save you, and I’m wearing this dress.”

  Nic had become too weak to even snap back.

  “Get off the stage,” I said to Nic. “There’s some kind of spell sucking your strength.”

  He nodded but didn’t say anything. He looked even paler than usual, if that was possible.

  Soon the place would be crawling with police and ambulances and media. We need to get to the Demon Child, and we needed him out of here fast. If Nic couldn’t walk, I’d carry him.

  Chapter 35: Virgin

  I put my arm around Nic’s waist and let him lean on me. He could barely walk down the stairs even with me supporting him.

  By the time we got to the bottom, he could stand on his own. He shook me off. Of course, he wouldn’t want to look pathetic in front of his audience.

  Without the vampire thrall to calm them, hysterical screams and wails from the remaining crowd filled the building. Amongst them, the tinny sound of news reports from phones. The mayor had his wish. This had become a news item.

  Even if Nic was okay, even if he used his thrall, he couldn’t contain this. Not with people live-posting to social media.

  At first, Nic’s steps were tentative, but by the time we got to the center of the room, he’d straightened up and I struggled to keep up with his purposeful stride. The crowds with their noise and their panic didn’t distract him. And he wasn’t wearing ridiculous heels, although I had a feeling he’d walk better in them than I did.

  I exhaled, relieved that he’d recovered so quickly.

  At the back of the room, well away from the crowd, the Demon Child struggled against the pack. Two of the vampires held him, one on each arm. The others surrounded him, providing backup. I wasn’t sure how long they could keep him under control. The five of them had vampire strength, but the kid had super strength. I’d seen that in action. The pack had the added challenge of not wanting to reveal themselves in front of the human crowd. Too many people had their phones out. As far as the crowds knew, the pack were just extra security workers.

  The regular security ran around, talking to walkie-talkies. Had Kisho opened the other doors? If the word got out that the mayor hadn’t allowed people to get to safety, it would ruin his reputation. Maybe.

  As Nic got closer to the back of the room, people quieted.

  His gaze locked onto the Demon Child, and nothing swayed him. We moved down the center aisle. Around us, a few chairs had been overturned in the rush to get out.

  “So cute,” Nic said, in a low voice filled with awe. “Unbelievably cute.”

  “I told you.”

  He’d said I was fucking stupid for believing that the Demon Child was innocent because of his cuteness, but it seemed Nic wasn’t unaffected by it either.

  It’d be extremely petty to pile on the “I told you sos” after this, but it’d be hard to hold back.

  “Unicorn,” Nic said.

  A woman ran down the aisle to Nic.

  “Save us,” she pleaded.

  She tried to grab him, but he sidestepped her.

  “Please, just calmly make your way out.” He smiled and she nodded. He didn’t look at her, though. He only looked at the kid.

  By the time Nic reached the end of the rows of chairs, it seemed like the crowd had even stopped breathing. Many of them watched him instead of trying to shove their way out the door. The news reports had been silenced. Rather than wanting to escape, people watched. Several of them had their phones out to record.

  Where was Kisho? Didn’t we need him? He was the virgin, the virgin needed to tame the Demon Child. Without him, the Demon Child could attack at any time. Surely he was pivotal to the whole plan.

  I wanted to ask Nic, but Nic seemed in a daze, the lure of the Demon Child reeling him in. Did he understand the danger? I’d warned him. Kisho had warned him, but still, he seemed oblivious. Too sure of his own strength.

  We got closer, close enough to see the frenzy in the kid’s eyes. He had a whole luxurious dinner laid out in front of him. He couldn’t understand why he was being held back from that.

  Even before we got to them, Nic’s hand extended. I could do nothing but follow behind him.

  When we got to the child, Nic smiled.

  This was my moment, though. I needed to be the one to control the kid since Kisho wasn’t around to work his virgin magic.

  I touched Nic on the arm, letting him know I’d handle this. Then stepped forward.

  I don’t know how other women walked sexily in heels. I was like a baby fawn taking my first tentative steps. Only a lot less cute and lot more clumsy. I tried to turn up the sex appeal in my smile. I’d make that kid forget I’d ever tried to stake him. Teenage hormones overruled common sense every time.

  I got almost close enough to touch him. From there, I could balance on my heels without tottering. Again, I dug deep inside me. I shot the beam of my sex eyes at him, ignoring his childish cuteness. Like Kisho had said, I didn’t have to go any further than that. Just enough to compel him.

  The Demon Child yanked hard against the hold of the pack. He wanted to get to me, but did he want me or want to feed on me?

  A nasty snarl answered that question.

  I had no power here. Maybe I just hadn’t tried hard enough.

  I swiveled on the heels. Full eye contact. I dug as deep into my libido as I could go. I thought of all the sexy things. Kisho’s kiss. Kisho getting out of the shower—I hadn’t meant to look, I’d just—oh hell, it’d been on purpose. That time we’d sexy-danced at the club. I scraped deep down. The caning.

  All that was dredged up from inside me when into one intense look. I flaunted every last dreg of sexuality from my being.

  Nothing.

  Just another snarl.

  “You don’t have it, Clem Starr.” Nic sighed as though I was the ultimate disappointment.

  My body slumped. What now? We could try to drag the Demon Child out of here by force, but that was the worst option. Already, the pack looked like they’d tired, and even though Nic seemed recovered, that spell must’ve zapped him.

  Nic pushed me out of the way.

  “Let him go,” Nic said.

  “No, you can’t. He’ll feed. He’ll…” I swept my hand to indicate the people around us. Surely Nic wouldn’t.

  Again, I wondered why Kisho wasn’t here. Then the other doors burst open.

  “This way,” Kisho yelled to the crowd. “Move to the other exits.”

  People ran to the other end of the venue, flooding out of the place. Soon, the venue would be empty.

  “Let him go,” Nic said, more forcefully this time.

  “Wait,” I said. Surely Nic wanted everyone out first.

  A couple of the pack members stepped to the side. They didn’t argue. But one of them, the tall one, raised his eyebrows. At least he had some ability to think for himself. The others blindly followed Nic’s orders.

  Nic glared, and Tall Vampire pursed his lips but let go of the kid’s a
rm. Pack rebellion only went so far.

  I waited for the kid to bolt, for a feeding frenzy to begin. But the kid’s gaze locked onto Nic’s.

  He smiled at Nic, his eyes sparkling. In those eyes, there was no longer frenzy, no longer bloodlust. Just the reflection of Nic’s face.

  He walked to Nic and leaned his head on Nic’s shoulder. So gently. He didn’t barrel into him like he had me, didn’t grab onto his neck.

  Let me repeat that. He walked to Nic and gently laid his head on Nic’s shoulder. Like he was a goddamn kitten and Nic was his owner. The damn kid almost purred like a kitten, even.

  What the hell was that about?

  Nic stroked that shiny black hair.

  I wondered why I’d even been needed here. Apart from a few punches to McConchie, I’d done nothing. I hated feeling useless. The kid totally ignored me. I was no longer “pretty lady.” I’d become nothing. It was all Nic now.

  The two of them just stood like that. A center of calm in all the commotion.

  But what about Kisho? What about the virgin thing?

  Oh. My. God.

  Kisho wasn’t the virgin.

  “Nic?”

  He didn’t answer. He just stroked the Demon Child’s hair. The two of them stood like that as the calm rainbow aura vibrated from them.

  It had to be, though. All the legends and myths. Even Ray had said it. The unicorn could only be tamed by a virgin. Ray had also said most unicorns didn’t find humans attractive, but Nic, he was way beyond pretty. He shimmered. He was moonlight. A moonlight virgin!

  “You’re a… a virgin? You’ve never… no way… no fucking way.”

  Nic nodded his head slightly.

  He was a virgin! All that sexuality he radiated, all that hotness, was that a lie? I blinked and tried to work this out in my brain. My brain just exploded into uselessness, though. Nic, Nic of the piercing sexuality, a virgin.

  “But you’re a four-hundred-year-old vampire! You must have the world’s worst case of blue balls.”

  Nic turned slightly, the Demon Child still leaning against him.

  “Clem Starr, you are so crude. There are things you don’t understand in this world. Things other than sex. One day you might evolve enough to know them.”

  “Yeah, right. You’re just saying that because you’re a virgin.”

  This situation was way too serious for me to laugh. I couldn’t laugh. It wasn’t a laughing matter.

  I laughed.

  The tall vampire started to snicker, then caught himself and slapped a hand over his mouth. I grinned at him. If I ever had to work with this pack, I’d need an ally against Nic.

  “Does that answer your question?” Nic asked me.

  My question? Oh, my question. They weren’t doing it.

  Also, something else…

  “That’s why I can’t glam you.”

  Nic ignored that.

  But even if he was technically a virgin, like he’d never put his dick in, he wasn’t pure. How could he be? All that play with Kisho, that had sexual overtones even if they didn’t finish. The feeding, that had been a bit sexed up too. You can’t be a unicorn-taming virgin on a technicality. Maybe it was more complex than I’d first thought. But still, virgin?

  “Okay, let’s get out of here,” Nic said.

  He held the Demon Child by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. The two of them locked like that.

  “I’m going to look after you now, you understand that?”

  The kid nodded, for once solemn.

  “We’re going somewhere safe.”

  The Demon Child grinned. Nic grinned back.

  He let go of the Demon Child’s shoulders. The two of them faced each other, then Nic held out his hand. The kid put his little hand into Nic’s. He looked up at him with some kind of weird look in his eyes.

  I’d seen that expression somewhere before and tried to place it.

  When I’d taken Hellhound home from the warehouse, for the first day he’d trembled and howled. I’d given him food in a little red bowl, but he hadn’t gone near it. I’d tried to give him water too, but he hadn’t touched it.

  The next morning, I’d filled that bowl up with more doggie food.

  Right then, he’d looked up at me with the same light in his eyes. He’d known I was his person and that he’d get food from me.

  Until Nic stole him.

  Nic led the Demon Child out of the venue, hand in hand, as easily as if he was leading a tame animal.

  I followed.

  Around us, the crowd had cleared. We headed to the backstage exit where our vans waited.

  And through all this, it just proved what Nic had said. I was useless. I’d done nothing at all to help them. My heart clenched. I was a fighter. I was born to fight, but this was one case where my abilities just didn’t work. I might as well hand back my demon-fighting license. Well, I might not even have to do that. Not once word got out to the Demon Fighting Council.

  I thought of slipping off alone. I didn’t need to go back to the lair. I didn’t need to have Nic gloat and tell me how useless I was. I’d go somewhere. Maybe leave town. I could go to the zoo and pick up my car, if it was still drivable.

  I should be glad that we’d won, even if it was Nic’s victory, not mine. But to me, the victory was nothing without winning the fight.

  There were a few bright sides to this. Like, we’d won. And my name would be cleared, but that was a small mercy. Nic had his pet unicorn now, but for how long? The mayor and the Vampire King wouldn’t let him keep him that easily.

  And even though Nic thought he could tame the kid, I wondered if maybe the kid had some kind of hold over Nic. Nic just seemed a little too fixated.

  Kisho slipped his hand into mine. Oh yeah, and the other bright side. Kisho was mine to pursue. No relationship with Nic gave me free rein. That made me all fuzzy inside.

  “This isn’t over yet,” he whispered.

  My heart clenched. Did he mean the Vampire King? In the heat of the moment, I’d forgotten all about that guy. Maybe it was better to be useless and gain a victory than fight that fight.

  Chapter 36: Vampire King

  The passage led to the parking garage. Just a long narrow corridor with scuffed walls and a weird smell of plastic. There were a few turns, but mostly the passage went straight down to the bowels of the building.

  Nic walked in front with the Demon Child. Kisho and I walked behind him and then the rest of the pack.

  One of them, the tall guy, pushed past us to talk to Nic.

  “And we move into the new place once we have the Demon Child?” he asked.

  “No. You move nowhere. You go back into hiding. This is a one-day-only thing. Until the Child is tamed, you stay well away. I don’t want you near the hunter either. Even if she’s not pretty, she’s dangerous.”

  I grinned. I like being dangerous. The tall one fell back in behind.

  Suddenly, Kisho’s grip on my hand tightened. It really tightened.

  Then Nic stopped talking. The rest of the pack went quiet. Knowledge of the inherent danger ran through the pack like telepathy, but I’d sensed no change. We just had to get around the next corner, then through the glass doors, and we’d be back at the van.

  “Quick, we have to get out of here,” Nic said. His voice had an edge of panic.

  The vampires ran and I struggled to keep up. Kisho kept hold of my hand, but I fell behind.

  “Just leave me,” I panted. After all, there was no need for me even to return to the lair with the vampires. I could get out some other way, and they wouldn’t be held back.

  “Don’t leave her behind. Whatever you do, don’t leave her,” Nic shouted.

  Kisho swept me up into his arms. I laced my hands behind his neck. With my body pressed against his, I felt safe.

  We could do it. We’d get out of here, without confronting the Vampire King. We’d get in the van and go home and have coffee and cake and live happily ever after.

  “Stop!�
� The voice seemed like a whisper in the wind. Had I even heard it, or was it in my head? This day had twisted my brain.

  Nic rounded the corner. We weren’t far behind, and when we turned, we ran slap-bang into him.

  Why wasn’t he moving? The idiot.

  Kisho dropped me from his arms.

  That voice had been real.

  The rest of the pack also froze. Not frozen like statues, but as though they lacked the will to move.

  Nic had almost gotten to the glass doors leading out to the parking garage. On the other side of the door, you could see our van parked. Mere yards away.

  There was one thing coming between us and those vans.

  The Vampire King.

  His image through the glass was distorted, but I knew it was him.

  Power radiated from him. Evil power. This was not someone we wanted to mess with. Why hadn’t we turned and run? How much control did the Vampire King have over them?

  Before I could move, the Vampire King swept his hand in a half-circle and the doors shattered. Shards of glass covered the beige carpet at my feet and the concrete outside. He might be menacing as fuck, but that was totally cool.

  A scream grew in my chest, but I managed to push it down.

  He wore a dark suit but looked so old-school vampire that he really should’ve been wearing a cloak with it. The air around him chilled and quivered. Everything proved his oldness and his evil. Or maybe not evil, just a total lack of humanity.

  The power emanating from him said that he could crush me like a bug. Not just me either. Nic and the rest of the pack.

  My ring flashed like crazy. That old witch knew about the Vampire King and had been terrified. She wasn’t wrong in her fear.

  I grabbed Kisho’s hand again and squeezed it tight.

  “Clem Starr, this is up to you,” Nic whispered.

  My heart raced. This had been the entire point of the dress, of the fancy shoes, the makeup. It wasn’t about being onstage, or the Demon Child. Nic’s plan for me had been to distract the Vampire King. The enormity of that only just hit me with him standing in front of me.