"I made it pretty clear," he assured her
"Tactfully, I hope."
"I called her Lilith. Can't get much more tactful than that."
The lady on the phone snickered. He took a little pleasure in that. In the year he'd known her she had smiled so little. When he really thought about it, he wondered what she would've had to smile about.
"Does she know what you are?"
"I doubt it. She can't get past the fact that I'm not drooling after her."
"To be fair, she is gorgeous," the woman said. He could hear the defeat in her voice. "I've never once seen her look anything less than beautiful."
"Babe, she looks that way because of what she is. Real beauty, the kind you have, is there because of who you are. Your beauty is timeless. Hers is bought. Paid for by the sins she commits. The day she dies, is the day she truly pays the price."
The phone disconnected. He sighed and put his phone in his shirt pocket. One of these days she was going to believe the things he said to her. It might take time, but that day would come. Hopefully tonight would help. She had a plan and he was going to do his best to see that it got carried out.
As he sat absently looking at the menu another smell hit him. This was one he simply couldn't ignore. The awful odor of death. And it was coming from somewhere above him. A sudden chill ran down his spine. Bad may have just gone to worse.
Cain quickly followed the directions a waiter had given him to the bathroom, but stopped short when he saw a staircase just a few feet away. The odor was getting stronger. His anxiety heightened. Climbing the steps cautiously, he hoped the underlying scent didn't belong to the person he thought it did.
As he stopped in front of the door, his eyes closed. He begged to be wrong. Knowing there was a body behind the door was enough. Finding out it could possibly be his niece would be so much worse. Behind him the steps creaked. His eyes shot open. He stepped into the shadows and waited for the were to make his move.
Talon's heavy footfalls marked his ascent up the stairs. Over his shoulder he carried a heavy roll of plastic. He stopped cold on the top step, his nostrils flared. Cain knew his own scent had more than likely hit him. Keeping to the shadows, he tried not to give away his position. Taking the guy out quietly would be in his best interests.
"I know you're up here," Talon said, impatiently. "And you know you can't win."
"You say that like you almost believe it," Cain said stepping out of the darkness. Talon dropped the plastic and smiled.
"What? You think just 'cause you're young you can beat me? Boy, I got more fightin' experience in my little pinkie than you do in your entire body."
"That may be," Cain said coolly. "But revenge can be a pretty good motivator. What say you open that door and we see if I walk away or kick your ass?"
"Whattaya say we don't?"
Cain knocked Talon against the wall, lodging his elbow in the older man's neck faster than Talon could comprehend the movement. Gasping for air, he groped at his pockets, clawing for the key.
"Hurry up, old man," Cain growled. The more he smelled the scent behind the door, the more convinced he became. All he needed now was confirmation.
"Why should I?" Talon asked between gasps.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?" Cain wedged his elbow further into the man's neck. "Let me enlighten you. I'm the one your kind calls on to get rid of rogues." Talon's eyes widened. He stopped struggling. Fighting a Hunter was useless. "That's what I thought."
"Here," Talon croaked, thrusting him the key.
Cain took the key and opened the door, keeping a firm grip on Talon's shirt. They walked into the room. Talon flipped on the light. In that moment, Cain's worst fears were realized. There on the floor lay his niece, her eyes open, and two puncture wounds in her neck.
"Why?" Cain asked, tears welling up in his gray eyes. He'd been searching for her for two years now to no avail. The only reason he'd settled in this town was because this had been the last place she'd been sighted. "She never had a chance."
"Callista needed blood," Talon said, grinning down at the corpse. "I needed to get laid. She turned up outside my kitchen door looking for scraps." He shrugged and looked at Cain, a coy smile on his face. "What would you do?"
In a moment of blind rage Cain pulled Talon to him and snapped his neck in one swift movement. That grin had been too much, but it was his reasoning that pushed him over the edge. As the were's lifeless body hit the floor Cain's anger grew tenfold. It took everything he had to keep from going after Callista himself. As much as he wanted to, he refrained. Someone else needed it far more than he did.
Instead he knelt beside his dead niece, took her hand in his and cried. She'd grown so much since he'd seen her last. But he could tell living on the streets had taken its toll on her. Her weight, or lack thereof, would have made it impossible to shift when she needed to, making her easy prey. Whether her predator had been human or supernatural wouldn't have mattered. She lacked the nourishment to fight anybody.
Once again he took out his phone. This time the call was to inform his parents that he'd been too late to save their only granddaughter. The painful tone in their voices only strengthened his resolve to see Callista pay for the pain and torment her whorish ways had inflicted on so many lives. As long as she got her "fix" she didn't care who got hurt in the process.
"Make sure she pays, son," his father said flatly. "And bring Journey's body home. She deserves to be here with us."
"Consider it done," he promised. The time had come to be the Hunter he'd trained so hard to be. "What about her parents? Their actions drove Journey here."
"Eva will pay," his father promised. "So will Nick. I'll call a counsel first thing in the morning. The elders will surely side with us. By the time you return, Eva will be nothing but a bad memory."
Cain hung up the phone prepared to do whatever he deemed necessary to see Callista pay for her misdeeds. He closed Journey's eyes, kissed her forehead, and silently promised to come back for her.
Poker Face
Cain put on a calm face and slowly walked back downstairs. As he entered the dining room he saw Callista staring down a couple seated at a table close to the kitchen. They were smiling proudly as members of the staff drifted over to ogle over their sleeping child. Her pale face actually flushed when the waitress who had seated him earlier made her way to see the baby.
Interesting. Now he knew who was protecting and no doubt helping Callista hide her wicked nature from the rest of the world. He reseated himself and patiently waited for her to come back over to take his order. He had a plan. Either Callista would reveal herself or he would make her. If he had to use her underlings, he would.
"Have you decided what ya want, sugar?" Marie asked placing a glass of water on the table beside him.
"I'll have the steak," he said pleasantly. "Medium well, with fries."
"That all? You look like you could eat two or three of 'em."
"I'm sure." He smiled at her and handed her the menu. "Let me ask you something. How long have you worked here?"
"Five years," she said. "Hardly seems like it though."
"Why's that?"
Marie nodded towards her boss' table and smiled. "Callista's easy to work for. She demands little and pays extremely well."
"I'm sure she does," he said stealing a glance at her.
"I saw her with ya earlier. Personally, I think you're outta your mind to turn her down. She may be flighty but if she likes ya enough you're set for life."
"That right?"
"Yes sir. Thanks to her, my daughter and I have no worries. You can't imagine how good that feels."
"Must be nice. How old is your daughter, if I may ask?"
"She's nineteen." She nodded at a woman at another table. "Be back in a bit, sugar. Think about what I said. You won't be sorry."
He smiled and looked back over at the vampire sitting two tables over. To his pure delight her gaze was still fixed on the young couple.
For once, the shoe was on the other foot. He waited for her to look away from them and then waved her over. A sly smile spread across her lips as she sauntered her way to his side.
"Change of heart?" she asked.
"Maybe." He saw the man at the table she had been watching tense. He put his hand around her waist. The man's eyes hardened. "Tell me who he is."
"Nobody," she said sliding her hand down the back of his shirt. The warmth he put off felt amazing against her cool skin. "He's just a silly little man who makes more out of nothing than he should."
"Mind translating that for me?" He kept his eyes on the man while his hand slipped down her slender thighs. "I don't sleep with anybody unless I know what I'm getting into."
Her face practically lit up. She smiled at the man across the room, pressing her body against Cain's. "Never mind him, love. Let's take this upstairs."
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who he is," he said.
"Fine," she said with a heavy sigh. "He's my fall guy. I only keep him around for the nights I can't find better."
"Seems harsh," he said.
"Maybe, but he's married. Sometimes he gets tired of the same old thing. Poor girl just had a baby, too."
"Poor girl? She looks pretty good from where I'm standing." And she did.
"Well, I'm sure she looks a little different naked. You know how babies stretch everything out."
"Maybe she's one of the lucky ones?" And she was.
"Honey, I don't think that's possible. Children ruin women. I don't care what they say to the contrary. Why are you so interested anyway?"
"I told you. I want to know what I'm getting into."
"If I'm lucky," she whispered in his ear. "The answer is me."
"What are you looking at?" Anne asked, craning her neck to look behind her. Her husband couldn't keep his eyes, much less his attention off whatever was going on behind her.
"That guy," Dalton answered pointing directly behind her. "I've never seen him here before."
Anne turned in her chair to see a handsome man talking to an equally gorgeous woman. "The one with Callista?"
"Yeah."
"Looks like they know each other very well," she said shrugging her shoulders. "I'm sure she has quite a few admirers you've never seen. You do spend most of your time in the kitchen after all."
"True, but he bothers me. I can't put my finger on why yet, but I don't like him."
Anne looked at the man and then at the baby sleeping beside them. "Honey, I hate to say this, but do you really think she cares what you think?"
"Maybe she should."
"What's good to eat here?" she asked, trying to pull his attention back to them. It had been his idea to have a night out after all.
"Anything as long as I cook it." He winked at her. For a moment she saw the man he used to be. Then his eyes moved past her again. "Honestly Anne, anything's good. Just pick something."
"Why don't you tell me what's really going on." Enough's enough. She knew he'd been having an affair. It had only been recently that she'd discovered who the other woman was.
"What do you mean? I'm simply concerned for my boss's safety. You said it yourself. She's gorgeous. Some men won't take no for an answer."
"And some don't know boundaries."
"What are you talking about? Boundaries for what?" He watched Callista take the stranger by the hand and lead him to the stairs. Or was he forcing her to go? "No means no. Period."
"What do vows mean?"
"Huh?" Obviously, he had more to worry about than her silly questions. "Look, we'll talk about this in a sec. I gotta go check on something." Dalton got up before she could stop him and disappeared into the kitchen.
"You're right to worry," the waiter said. He handed Anne a glass of wine and gently squeezed her shoulder. "She's had him wrapped around her finger for a while now."
"But why?" she asked him. "She knows we're married."
"Listen, Anne. Cali gets what she wants when she wants. It just so happens the thing she wants is sex. Dalton wanted her. She obliged."
"So she's a whore," Anne said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "What right does that give her to steal another woman's husband?"
"As far as she's concerned she's only borrowing him. When she's tired of him she'll send him on his way and he'll come back home to you. Give it time. You'll see."
"Give it time?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You think I'm gonna stay with him after this?"
He looked at the baby and then back at her. "Well I just figured. With the baby and all. You know, try to make it work?"
"I don't want my son to have to play second fiddle to anybody."
"Pardon me," the waiter said, cowing slightly. "I'll just leave you to your thoughts then."
"Please do," she said.
Dalton stood outside her office door listening. He didn't want to believe what he was hearing. She was actually coming onto the guy! She was practically begging him to sleep with her. Listening to her, one would think she'd been celibate for years.
"You know I want you," she was saying. "I've already told you I'm not looking for a commitment. I'm just a gal looking for a sweet time in bed."
"There's nothing sweet about you," Cain said. Dalton's legs gave out. His body slid down the wall outside the door as he listened. "You still haven't told me everything."
"I told you that man means nothing to me," she purred. Dalton's heart lurched into his throat. How could he have been so stupid? "He's a lapdog. I say cum, he says when and where. I say no, he goes home to his wife."
"And the other man?" Cain asked.
"Talon," she said with a giggle. "He's my plaything, too. If I want it rough, I call him. End of story."
"You were with them both tonight, weren't you?"
"I'm with them both nearly every night, silly. Sometimes there's two or three more stuffed in there as well. Why just tonight there was even a woman." He stopped kissing her neck, shocked. "Don't look at me like that. I like sex."
"Obviously," Cain mumbled.
Dalton's stomach turned. He thought back to all the nights he'd wasted with her. He'd risked his marriage to be with her. He'd risked his job. Now to find out it meant nothing to her? And on top of that there were others. Even people he worked with?
He listened as pleasurable moans filled his ears. That voice he'd come to love hearing at night so much never moaned for him. It was for the act itself. What he thought was lovemaking was really nothing more than fucking.
He couldn't take anymore. He leapt to his feet and ran straight for the bathroom. The whole situation made him sick. After he'd reduced himself to dry heaves he slumped against the stall door and cried. From now on he would be faithful. Anne and his son were all that mattered.
As soon as the bathroom door closed, Cain turned on her. He pushed her down on the desk and forced her to stay still.
"Oh my," Callista said coyly. "Are you going to be one of my wilder lovers? Shall I pretend to fight? Maybe kick a little? Should I act scared for you?"
"You've ruined enough lives," he growled. His gray eyes turned silver. That's when it hit her. He was a shifter. But that wasn't all. There was more. "That's right. I'm a Hunter. I hold the right to kill you on sight if I have enough evidence."
"You have squat," she spat at him. "So I sleep around. That doesn't make me dangerous."
"You kill innocent people."
"Prove it." She struggled to get loose, but couldn't. Damn them! Why did they have to give Hunters so much power?
"The girl you drained earlier." Her eyes went wide. "Oh yes, I know and you should be scared. She was my niece."
"But Talon—"
"He's dead," he growled. "I caught him before he could get rid of her."
"One body," she screeched. "You only have one body!"
"Killing isn't the only thing they monitor. You've crossed a line. You've stopped caring about anyone but yourself. You've been on their radar for a while, Callista. They want yo
u gone."
"It's just sex, you asshole. SEX!"
"It's attention they don't want or need. One day you're liable to arouse suspicion and end up revealing your true nature. When that happens you endanger us all."
"My secret is perfectly safe. Marie would never tell a soul what I am." She closed her eyes quickly, realizing she'd just sealed her fate.
Cain smiled coyly. "You've betrayed them already?"
"I needed somebody to help me."
"Your hunger for men has made you careless," he said firmly. His silver eyes turned gold. A figure faded into the room, handed him a long silver sword and then disappeared again. "For that the penalty is death."
"No, please," Callista begged. She looked at the sword and then at him. "I can stop. I can take one lover and be happy. I'll kill Marie and her daughter. Nobody ever has to know they knew."
"But they do know, Callista. No doubt they know about the werewolves as well."
She tried to squirm away but he was too quick. The sword plunged into her chest. Blood oozed from the wound. Her eyes rolled back into her head. As her body convulsed he pushed the weapon in further until he felt it pierce through her back. Her heart, as slow as it was, finally quit beating.
As he removed the sword from her body, the figure appeared again. "You've done well," it said. "As you know, the job is not yet finished."
"The woman?" he asked already knowing the answer.
"Aye. The daughter must go as well."
"If she's innocent—" he protested.
"How do you think your sweet niece found her way here?"
"When?" he growled. The figured put a calming hand on his shoulder.
"Not tonight. It will attract too much attention," the figured advised. "Besides the girl is recuperating from her unfortunate encounter with the monster. Let her heal and then you may carry out the order."
"What of the other lovers?"
"She was careful," the figure said. "They may live. All of them." He took the sword from Cain and waved his hand over the dead vampire's body. As she faded from view, so too did it. "For now focus on the mother and child. In them is your destiny."
Seven Deadly Sins Page 12
