Demi's at Stake

by N. L. Hoffmann

  Alarmed, I straightened my spine. “Did you kick his ass?”

  “Fuck yeah!” Ruby nodded. “He left here bloody as hell.”

  Panicked, I entered my motel room, seeing everything in disarray. My clothes were strewn everywhere. The bedding hung off the bed. That asshole. It was a good thing I took the cup to Cathal. Why would he search my room, though? There were so many angles to consider, I had trouble deciding on the best move.

  Walking back out, I exhaled. “We should go to another motel.”

  “What difference will that make? I don’t understand how this all went south. We were working fine with the Collins family, then they’re suddenly against us because they suspect you’re working with the enemy. Something doesn’t make sense.”

  I leaned against the vehicle. “Troy said Cathal was the one who backed into the SUV. That he’s closing in on me. I didn’t even realize it was him!”

  Hiding it from them would get me nowhere. Troy would mention it eventually, then they would be angry I didn’t say anything, getting even more suspicious.

  All three of my siblings turned to me. “Hold up.” Ruby crossed her arms, focusing her attention on me. “Cathal was here and you’re just now telling us?”

  “Well, I didn’t realize it until Troy told me.”

  “Why the fuck didn’t he kill you?” Seth asked. “And why in the hell didn’t you mention this before?”

  “I don’t know.” I looked away, starting to feel guilty. “Maybe he’s not after us. I mean, we are adopted. So we’re not really associated with the families that imprisoned him.”

  “Does he know that? Would it make a difference?” Blair asked, smiling.

  Seth shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. He’s a killer. We have to put him back in that cave.”

  Yeah, a killer I almost slept with. “So, let’s change motels, then go hunt.”

  “Which reminds me... They found another body a few miles from here.” Seth turned to Blair. “Get dressed. You and I are going in with the F.B.I.” Luckily for us, we had friends within law enforcement who could bring us into cases.

  Watching them leave, I turned to Ruby, who stared at me. I raised my eyebrows in question, waiting.

  “I didn’t realize you were seeing someone. Why would you hide that?” She sounded slightly hurt, disappointed I wouldn’t confide in her.

  “It’s nothing. I don’t need to tell you guys everything,” I huffed, heading into my room. I started picking up my things and shoving them into my bags. If I ever saw Dante again, he was going to suffer. That man had invaded my space one too many times already.

  Ruby followed me, kicking some of my clothes in my direction. “At least tell your sisters, who aren’t getting any. We need some juicy details.”

  I glanced up, laughing. “I think not. Go get your stuff so we can get out of here.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Not telling.”

  “What does he look like?”

  I shook my head. “Again, not saying.”

  “Is he good in bed?”

  I hesitated, which she jumped on.

  “You haven’t slept with him? What the fuck is really going on?” Ruby followed me around the room until I made eye contact with her. She gasped. “You like this one.”

  “Whatever.” I moved past her and into the bathroom. Grabbing my personal hygiene products, I shoved them into the bag. When I walked to the door, she blocked me from moving farther into the room.

  “Spill.”

  “Just drop it, Ruby. He’s just a guy.”

  “So you admit it.”

  “I thought we were past this.”

  I shook my head in disbelief and scooted past her, grabbing the rest of my things. Walking to the SUV, I opened the back and tossed them in. “Can you grab your shit so we can go?”

  “You can’t hide forever, Demi! I will find out,” she sang, leaving me to regret ever saying anything in the first place.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The four of us sat in a booth at an almost empty diner down the road from our new motel. We ate in silence, waiting for Seth to spill the details on the new murders. He had yet to say anything about them. Impatient, I stared at him until he finally looked up.

  Annoyed, he took a bite, then put his sandwich down and brushed off his hands. “They were spider bites,” he said around the mouthful. “The victims still had webs on their hands and feet.”

  Getting a glimpse of the food in his mouth, I scrunched up my face in disgust. “God, Seth. Swallow your food first.”

  “You wanted answers. Take them how I serve them.” He stuck out his tongue, showing his food again.

  All of us groaned, looking away. The waitress came up to our table, chuckling as she replaced our drinks. When she walked away again, he continued.

  “I did notice one thing about the victims.”

  “Victims? How many were there?” I asked.

  “Three. We thought there was just one, but when we arrived, they had just found two more nearby,” Blair explained, shaking her head. “I feel bad for their families.”

  Seth picked up his sandwich again, glancing across the table at her. “Don’t. They were werewolves.” When I opened my mouth, he glared at me. “Are you going to let me explain before you ask questions?”

  I grinned, gesturing for him to continue. He was so easily aggravated. There were times I enjoyed pissing him off, but I was actually interested in the murders. Bouncing my leg up and down impatiently, I widened my eyes at him.

  “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I noticed the bodies all had the same tattoo on the neck—a crescent moon. I called Will, asking him to do a search on it. You know how he was building that supernatural database?” I nodded, having completely forgotten about his new project. “He had information that the tattoo belongs to a pack in the area called the Night Wolves. Since spider bitch seems to have a thing for werewolves–”

  “You think we should go talk to the pack leader,” I finished.

  Scowling at me, he nodded. “I was about to say that.”

  Ruby dipped her french fries into ketchup and brought them to her lips. “They aren’t going to be welcoming if we barge into their territory.”

  “That’s why we go talk to him when he’s in public. Good thing the pack leader is a well-known official for the City of Denver. He makes it a habit to go to local events. The newspaper mentions an event in the park to encourage adoption of shelter pets.”

  Ruby snickered. “A wolf trying to get dogs adopted.”

  Seth stared at her, not finding the humor in it at all. He was especially moody lately. “The event is tomorrow, so I think it’s a good idea that we attend.”

  “All four of us?” I asked.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Do you have plans?”

  My sisters turned to me at the question, munching on their fries, waiting expectantly.

  “I might...”

  “It won’t take long. After we finish up there, you can do whatever you want...” Seth pointed a fry at me, “as long as you answer your damn phone.”

  I thought it about time I confronted my auntie about my adoption. Maybe Cathal would be willing to come with. Did I want her to see him? Would it matter?

  I picked up my BLT to take another bite. Looking at Seth, I winked. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  After we left the diner, my phone rang. I glanced down at the screen to see an unknown number. Walking away from my siblings, I answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Well, hello, beautiful,” Troy said.

  “How’d you get my number?” I asked, frowning.

  “Seth.”

  “Figures.”

  “You don’t sound very happy about it. What’s up?”

  “Nothing. We just have a lot going on right now.”

  “I want to see you tonight. Maybe we can hunt together. I stopped by your motel, but they said you had checked out already.”

  Frowning, I stoppe
d in front of my motel room. “Dante broke into my room. If you had anything to do with that, Troy, so help me–”

  “Whoa. Hold up. I had nothing to do with that. Did he take anything?”

  Seth watched me as he inserted his keycard to his room. By the annoyed look on my face, he knew something was up. He would get an earful from me later for giving out my number.

  “Not that I know of,” I finally responded. “Look, I have to go. Maybe we can catch up another time.”

  Hanging up before he could respond, I marched toward Seth’s room. I pounded on the door, looking down at the ground as I debated about how much I wanted to yell at him.

  Opening the door, he raised his eyebrows. “What’s up?”

  “You know what’s up! You gave Troy my number?” I jabbed him in the chest. “I didn’t give my permission for that.”

  “You guys flirt all the damn time. I thought you wouldn’t mind.”

  “Flirting doesn’t mean anything. If I wanted him to have my number, I would have given it to him.”

  Before he could speak, I turned on my heel to head to my room. I shoved the keycard into my door again and stepped inside, slamming the door and pressing my back to it. When my phone dinged with an incoming text, I looked down, seeing a message from Troy.

  Figured out where you’re staying. We should talk.

  Shaking my head, I set my phone down on the table next to the bed. The room wasn’t bad. It was nicer than the last motel. The dark green curtains were better at blocking out the sunlight. The bedspread didn’t appear to be from the sixties, so that was another plus.

  Walking over to the TV, I turned it on, flipping through the channels to find the news. Sitting on the bed, I watched as the visibly upset newswoman gestured at a warehouse, though I couldn’t understand why at first. Then it hit me. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

  When somebody knocked on my door, I opened it, seeing Seth standing there. Before he could say anything, I nodded. “I know.” I motioned for him to come in so we could watch the news together.

  “The police say there have been ten bodies found so far. They won’t go into details, but one officer was overheard saying it was gruesome, the worst thing he’s ever seen in his career. We’ll update as we learn more. Back to you at the studio.”

  “I just got a call from the detective. He said it doesn’t appear to be the same M.O., but since we’re in town, he thought we might be interested in the investigation.” He stared into my eyes. “I’m betting it’s the vampire.”

  I shook my head. “Why would he suddenly kill so many people after being quiet the last week?”

  Seth stood and paced the room. “I don’t know. Blair and I are leaving in a few minutes to check it out. Be on alert. If it’s him, who knows what his plans are.”

  When he walked out and closed the door, I glanced at my phone, wondering if I should call Cathal. Was it him or the vampire pretending to be him? Why would he kill random people like that? It didn’t make sense. I needed answers. I tapped his contact information and dialed. When he didn’t answer, I frowned and sent him a text, telling him to call me as soon as he could.

  If he was avoiding me, did it mean it was him? Maybe he fell off the wagon. If that were the case, I’d have no choice but to put him back into that cave. Maybe drinking from the cup was my only option to save the rest of the world.

  A FEW HOURS LATER, Seth called. He didn’t sound happy. In fact, he sounded worse than he did before they left. Ruby had come to my room to wait, so I put it on speaker.

  “So, it’s worse than I thought,” Seth began. “Two families have been murdered.”

  My eyes widened and I swallowed. “What do you mean families?” I already knew the answer.

  “Hunter families, Demi. The other two families that were involved in putting that vampire in the cave. According to Troy, Bear brought them in to help with the hunt. Dante had been tracking the vampire when they cornered him at the warehouse. Well, you can guess what happened from there.” Seth blew out a breath. “It’s a mess. I’ve never seen anything this bad.”

  “Is Dante dead?” Ruby asked. “Or any of the Collins family?”

  “No. Looks like they managed to get out. Just appears to be the McGregor and Fisher families.”

  “How would they manage to get out? Seems a bit weird to me.” I frowned, trying to figure it all out.

  “You think they had something to do with this?” Seth asked. “Seems a bit extreme. Plus, they could have been guarding the outside, making sure he didn’t escape the warehouse. There are other possibilities to consider.”

  He was right, even though I would like to assume the Collins family and Dante were behind this mess. I was sure about one thing, though. They were definitely up to something. Why would Dante search my room? It had to come down to that cup. They wanted all the supernatural knowledge they could get, but at what price?

  After Seth hung up, I frowned. What was the big deal if they learned all the supernatural secrets? I knew it would be bad for Cathal, but why would it matter to me? Did I want them to have all the power? Were they the right family for that? Was I okay with them draining Cathal?

  Ruby crossed her legs, examining my face. “You care about this vampire, don’t you?”

  Surprised, I looked up at her. “What are you talking about?”

  “Aw, come on, Demi. I can tell something is going on here. You won’t tell us who you’re seeing, you disappear mysteriously, you deny he has anything to do with the murders...” She nodded. “Yeah, it’s the vampire.”

  Annoyed, I shook my head. “I wouldn’t protect a vampire. I’m a hunter.”

  “A hunter who’s falling for a vampire.”

  I stood up, angry. “I would never do that.”

  “But you already have, sis. You can keep denying it, but the truth is written all over your face.” She shook her head, crossing her arms. “You’re sitting here worried that these recent murders are because of him, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ruby. I don’t like the vampire!” Glaring at her, I clenched my fists. “He’s a killer we’re trying to put away.”

  “But you know him as something different. See something more in him. The last person I thought would go for a supernatural creature was you. Blair? Yes, but you? Hell no. Especially one considered so dangerous.”

  “Get out.”

  Ruby shook her head. “No. It’s the damn truth.”

  Unable to control my emotions, I let out a sob, dropping down onto the bed and hanging my head. “I’m a traitor, Ruby. A fucking traitor.”

  “Have you slept with him?” When I shook my head, she sighed. “You’re not a traitor. Unfortunately, I can’t see what you see. But maybe, just maybe, it’s not him killing people.”

  I shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. He won’t answer his phone.”

  She snorted. “He has a phone? Well, that’s new.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “He’s adapting really well.”

  “If he’s the one killing, he must be destroyed, Demi. You know that.”

  “Yeah, but what if he’s not?”

  She grinned. “Then I want to be there when you tell Seth you’re dating a vampire.”

  I rolled my eyes. “We’re not dating.”

  She waved me off. “Whatever.”

  A knock at the door had us both looking at each other. Ruby’s eyes widened as she clapped her hands. “Maybe that’s him! Do I get to meet the killer vampire?”

  “Shh! You can’t talk like that. Someone will hear you.” I shook my head. “Plus, he doesn’t knock. He just...appears.” Standing and walking to the door, I glanced through the peephole. Groaning, I looked over at Ruby, who had a questioning look on her fairy-like face. “It’s Troy.”

  “Love triangle! More fun!” Ruby clapped her hands some more, earning a dark look from me. Grinning, she stood. “I’ll leave you two alone. Blair and Seth will probably be on their way back, and I want
to be in on that discussion.”

  Opening the door, I gave Troy a small smile. Ruby hurried past him, turning around to blow air-kisses at me. Shaking my head, I focused back on Troy. He pushed back his hat, smiling.

  “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” He gave his voice a little bit of an extra twang.

  Motioning him in, I stepped back. He looked around the room, nodding his approval. “This is a little nicer than the one you were in.”

  “Yeah, it is.” I leaned against the door, deciding it was too risky to get closer to him.

  Smirking, he walked over to me, placing his hands on my hips. “I’ve missed you. It sucks not having you out at the house.”

  “Yeah, well, apparently I can’t trust any of you.”

  I pushed his hands off me and moved away from him. Even though I was developing some feelings for Cathal, I didn’t know if I could stop myself from succumbing to Troy. He was far too tempting, though his ego was a bit larger than I would normally find attractive. I hadn’t been with a man in a long time. Who knew if I would ever get past the fact that Cathal was a vampire? Hell, he was our number one enemy at the moment, along with the spider bitch.

  Troy set his hat down on the table and frowned. “Look, there’s a reason I usually stay away from my family. They’re two-faced pricks. You can trust me, Demi. I promise.”

  My phone started ringing, and Troy glanced in that direction. Realizing he might see Cathal’s name on the screen, I hurried over, snatching it off the table. Sure enough, the vampire was calling me back. Pressing ignore, I shoved the phone into my back pocket.

  “Do you think we can talk about this another time? Seth is going to be here soon, and we’ve got a lot to discuss.”

  “I want to help you guys hunt the vampire.” When I shook my head, he put his hands on my arms, staring into my eyes. “My family can take care of themselves. They don’t need me.”

  “You realize you’re a Collins, too.”

  “Sweetheart, I haven’t been a Collins in a long time. When they wrote me off, I went in my own direction. The only reason I came back was because Franny begged me to.” He brushed my cheek with his knuckles, smiling down at me. “I think we would make a great team. You can use all the help you can get.”