Demon Child Read online

  At the back of my mind, I had a horrible feeling they were expecting me to do just this, and it would be a horrible ambush. I could deal with that. It’d only take five minutes with this Nic guy and he’d be falling at my feet.

  Just to make sure of it, I’d dressed in my most compelling outfit. Well, the most compelling outfit that still let me move enough to kick some butt if I needed to. A long figure-hugging t-shirt over tights. It showed off my boobs and made me look taller. The kick-ass boots helped too, even if they were a bit high to be practical.

  I’d put on my favorite cross necklace too, hoping that would give me some protection. I’m not sure that a cross from a chain jewelry store had the same power as an actually churchy one, though. The metal burned my skin at times, but that wasn’t from some mystic magic, more like the cheap metal.

  From the outside, the lair looked like a normal inner-city home. Solid stone in a row of townhouses, neat garden out in front. A bay window with white trim dominated one side. Luckily, the curtains were drawn, so there was no chance of me being spotted. The bright red front door was the only thing to distinguish it from the other houses in the strip.

  I tiptoed up to the front door, thinking maybe there’d be a crack in the curtains and I could see inside. When I got closer, though, I realized that would be impossible. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to try the door.

  Hell, if people left their front door practically unlocked, then they were pretty much inviting you inside. By practically unlocked, I meant that it only took a fiddle with a bobby pin to get it unlocked. The dark hallway led to a light-filled room at the back.

  I’d just take a peek. I’d be as furtive as hell and they wouldn’t even know I’d been there. Not even with that super vampire hearing. Sure, this was dangerous and foolhardy, but I needed to know more about these vamps.

  The room at the end of the hallway was a large sunroom. Well, it would be a sunroom if the sun could penetrate those blackout blinds. All the light came from spotlights on the rafters across the ceiling and directional lights on the walls.

  This place was a hipster’s paradise. All white and turquoise with raw wood. Little twee knickknacks on the bookcase. A big sofa with turquoise throw rugs. A few hints of muted red broke up the blue and white. Oh boy, I hoped that deer head on the wall wasn’t real. I guess vampires don’t care about things like that. A top hat carelessly hung off one of the deer’s antlers. By carelessly, I mean in that way that probably took hours to get right.

  There were no candles burning that I could see, but the place smelled like one of those expensive candle shops.

  On either side of the sofa was a velvet wingback chair.

  At least there was no one in the room. But then I got no sense of what this Nic guy was like either. The place had a generic upmarket Airbnb feel to it. Stylish but not personal. I needed to know more.

  I walked through into the kitchen. Expensive coffee machine, clean counters, a fridge with only milk, juice and some really expensive cheese in it. I broke off a corner of the cheese.

  That was some good cheese.

  As I spun around, I knocked my head on a low-hanging light. I froze, hoping no one had heard that. The place seemed quiet, though. Maybe they’d gone out for fun vampire romps. Maybe I should inspect the bedrooms. First, though, I broke a bit more of the delicious cheese off the block.

  A whimper from another room made me jump. I wasn’t alone in the house. I held my breath, hoping I hadn’t been heard. Another whimper. Someone was in pain.

  Did those vampires have someone held captive here? I’d have to save them.

  I crept toward the noise, putting one hand in my inside pocket so I had easy access to my stake. The door to the room was open and I snuck inside.

  The room was a lot darker, lit up by candles only. That’s where the expensive candle shop smell had come from.

  It looked much more like a lair than the other room, but still a fancy lair. It took my eyes a while to adjust. A four-poster bed stood in the middle of the room. Something—no, someone—had been tied to the posts.

  Kisho.

  Leather cuffs held his arms in place. The red light of the candles flickered over his body, highlighting his back, every muscle taut to the straining point. Veins raised. Sweat glistened on his skin. His breath ragged.

  I gasped.

  He still wore the same jeans he’d worn to my office yesterday. How long had he been hanging there? All night?

  His body looked strained, weakened. Yet beautiful. So beautiful.

  A man stood with his back to me, seeming to glow in the light. I recognized him from the YouTube videos. Nic.

  Those videos had done nothing to prepare me. The air vibrated. The hairs on my arms stood on end. This was no ordinary vampire.

  He wore a black smoking jacket that would’ve looked laughably theatrical on anyone else. The lushness of the fabric called to me. Although he wasn’t tall, his presence seemed huge and his stance gave him an undeniable authority.

  He ran his fingertips down the naked torso. Kisho flinched under his touch. I didn’t want to look, but oh my God, I wanted to look.

  There was a velvet chair near the door, similar to the ones in the other room. While Nic focused on Kisho, I tiptoed in and hid behind it. The lure of this scene become undeniable.

  Nic turned and I ducked down, but I got to see him face-on.

  His short brown hair had a slight wave and flopped down to almost but not quite cover his left eye.

  The most overwhelming thing about him, though, was his skin. It had a luminosity that was most definitely not natural. I wanted to touch it, to know what that skin felt like. He radiated something. Not the normal vamp thrall, but something else.

  Made of moonlight. That was the phrase that came to mind when I looked at him. It wasn’t like he was perfect, it was more like perfection was redefined by him. While Kisho had an earthly hotness, way too human for a vampire, Nic radiated ethereal beauty.

  He moved closer to Kisho. He seemed to shimmer, but that must’ve been a trick of the candlelight.

  I waited for his next move as the room darkened.

  As he licked a line down the fold of Kisho’s back, the light danced. A noise rose from the depths of Kisho’s being. I couldn’t tell if he enjoyed this or if it was some kind of twisted torture. Those noises, were they whimpers of joy or of pain? Both?

  I knew how to kill vampires, but I had no idea about how they lived. Lifestyles of the rich and undead was not my area of expertise.

  I’d stupidly not considered that Kisho was gay. He and Nic were lovers? It made sense, but he’d flirted with me. Or had he?

  Even if I wanted to leave now, I wasn’t sure I could. I’d folded to the floor, on my knees, behind the chair. My chin leaned on the arm, the fabric soft and yielding. My body weak with need.

  Nic picked up a riding crop.

  Hell no.

  Hell yes.

  I dug my fingers into the soft fabric.

  Nic trailed the crop down Kisho’s back, the movement gentle yet possessive. The sound of my pulse pounded in my ears as blood rushed through my body. That simple movement held so much. Then he trailed the crop down Kisho’s chest. I heard a whimper, but I wasn’t sure if it was Kisho or myself. My body trembled. I had to be quiet. I couldn’t draw any attention to myself.

  Nic moved the crop in circles. I couldn’t see but could imagine the motion over Kisho’s nipples, the nipples hardening despite himself. My own nipples hardened in response.

  Swish.

  Crack.

  Kisho flinched as the end of the crop cracked against his skin. He didn’t scream, but the way he recoiled contained the screams he held back. A scream without a voice.

  Nic’s self-satisfied grin repelled me. He enjoyed this, but without being able to see Kisho’s face, I had no idea if he was a willing participant.

  Another crack of the crop, the leather ringing against the sweat-soaked skin. Again, Kisho recoiled. As the flick of the crop b
ecame more frequent, he arched his back and whimpered. I watched, powerless to stop. Well, not exactly powerless, but frozen.

  I wanted to run. This game repelled me. But I also wanted to move closer. I wanted to see Kisho’s face, to watch his eyes as the crop struck him.

  I stuffed my fingers in my mouth so I didn’t make a noise. I pressed my face against the soft velvet of the chair but didn’t hide my eyes.

  The crop hit his skin again and the whimper turned to a sob. The part of me that wanted to watch also wanted Nic to unbuckle Kisho’s belt. Wanted to see his pants drop to the ground and that crop strike against his buttocks. As much as I hated watching this, something inside of me became very aroused.

  I’d never been into kinky stuff. Sure, I’d done a few things as part of my job, but I hadn’t enjoyed them.

  I waited for the next flick of the crop, but instead, Nic ran his hand down Kisho’s spine. The sobs continued. Those sobs broke my heart, but my panties were soaked.

  I pressed my legs together, not wanting to feel like this. That pain, and those sobs, turned me on more than I’d ever been turned on in my life. God, I ached to move my fingers into my panties and relieve the pressure building up inside. That throbbing ache. I tried to hold on to the sliver of common sense that said getting caught breaking into a vampire lair and watching their kinky sex scenes was bad enough, but being caught masturbating while they did it was a million times worse.

  As it was, my hips humped against the chair.

  This was not me. This was not how I acted. I controlled the sex. I didn’t writhe around like a creepy Peeping Tom.

  Now Nic caressed Kisho’s chest. Kisho’s back arched, his head began to slump, but Nic grabbed a handful of hair, wrenching Kisho’s head forward. As he did, he pressed his lips against Kisho’s, the kiss so hungry and urgent, I imagined that was what he was like when he fed.

  That seemed so much worse to watch than the whipping. So much more intimate.

  As he broke from the kiss, Nic’s gaze hit me. Hit me like a bullet so that I recoiled from the impact. He looked at me as though he’d been aware I’d been in the room watching the whole time. He drew me in with that gaze, reading my thoughts. He knew exactly what I wanted.

  I wanted to be the one holding the crop. I wanted to be the one making that sweet boy cry.

  Nic unbuckled the leather cuffs, and Kisho slumped to the floor. Nic knelt down beside him, pulling him into his arms.

  Surely now they’d get into it. I imagined them on the bed, humping like crazy. Did vampires bite during sex? When they screwed each other, did they sink their teeth into the skin? Vampire on vampire, it’d have to frenzied, violent, even. No holding back.

  God, I hoped I’d be able to see Kisho’s face as they did it. I wanted to watch him writhe in ecstasy.

  I sunk down with my butt, resting on my heels. This scene was fast becoming more than I could handle.

  I waited for something. Something more than I’d seen. They had to feed or fuck. But the two of them just sat, entwined on the floor, Nic stroking Kisho’s hair, his body. Kisho slumped against him. Nic whispered into his ear. Kisho’s face crumpled as the tears ran down it. Any other man crying would repel me, but Kisho just became more attractive as he became more vulnerable.

  The intimacy between them locked me out. They bonded in a way that I couldn’t share, but then Nic looked up, straight at me. The smile on his face was cruel and flinty.

  He stood up and threw a shirt at Kisho.

  “Get up, we have a guest.”

  That couldn’t be it.

  It wasn’t hard to see that Nic was not the type to do anything without being fully aware of what he was doing, without considering it from all angles. He liked to play games.

  Did I really want to get involved with someone like that?

  Could I avoid it?

  I’d walked into an ambush alright, and it was far more dangerous than anything I’d ever anticipated.

  Chapter 9: Nic

  He didn’t speak but beckoned for me to follow him to the living room. He stood in a spot where the light hit him to the best advantage. I was sure he’d set the lighting up to do just that.

  Those eyes, the intensity of color made me draw in my breath. But there was something a little off-putting. I had to keep loo

  king at him because of that, then I realized they were most likely colored contact lenses.

  Was he going to talk or just stand like that posing so I could admire his perfect skin and his amazing eyes? If normal vampires were vain, this one had it ramped up to eleven. I had to say something to break the silence. After all, I’d just watched the guy have—not sex, but something so totally erotic that it’d rocked me to the core of my being. Surely I could get out a simple hello.

  “You’re shorter than I expected.” My mouth, sometimes it said things my brain didn’t intend.

  Though, it was the truth. He was taller than me, but that didn’t say much. I was wiry and fast. Not tall.

  “You aren’t as… anything as I expected,” he replied.

  I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. What had he been expecting? How much did he actually know about me? I didn’t like the way he stared. That look burrowed under my flesh, trying to pry out my insides.

  “Rumor has it you have some kind of sexual aura that lures demons to their death.” He screwed his face up. “I don’t see it.”

  I didn’t like rumor having anything on me. Too many people—well, too many demons—knowing about my powers, and my work would be a boatload more difficult.

  Honestly, I didn’t get it either. I was plenty hot. I’d checked myself out before I’d left home. Perfect eyeliner, perfect crimson lips. But it wasn’t the kind of hot that should have the impact that I had. I wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but that was literally the effect I had on demons sometimes. Falling at my feet, dying of lust for me. The others, I just lured into bed and killed them there. Sure, the sexual aura thing was strange, but I just accepted it. Like some people are good at baseball or knitting. Only my special skill was much more useful and made me money.

  Even if I didn’t understand it myself, it was damn rude of him to point it out.

  I put my hands on my hips. “I have plenty of sexual aura, buddy.”

  “You aren’t fully human, then.”

  The bastard. How could he suggest something like that?

  “I’m all human.”

  He’d better watch himself. I’d decimated demons for lesser things than that. There was no way I was anything less than one hundred percent human. No one had ever said anything like that to me before, but then most people, or demons, who knew about it didn’t last long enough for a conversation.

  “Impossible. It’s got to be a thrall of some sort. Think about it, you aren’t exactly anything special.”

  This guy was going the right way about getting his balls busted. There was not one single paranormal thing about me.

  He walked in a circle around me.

  “Your legs are kinda chunky, your left eye has a slight squint, and you definitely aren’t wearing the right foundation for your skin tone.”

  I wanted to smack him out, but he’d moved behind me and ran his fingers through my hair. Hell, that felt good. The shivers ran from my scalp to my toes.

  “Are you trying to grow out those layers in your hair, or is your hairdresser just clueless? Overall, you just look a little messy.”

  I turned to him, hands on my hips so my tits angled forward. I put everything I had into drawing him into my power. Full beam of sexual power. The sex eyes, the tempting smile, the inviting body.

  He gave me a half smile as if to say, “Nice try.”

  I hated that vampire.

  “Yeah, well, you… you…” I had nothing. Other than the height thing, there was nothing about this guy I could criticize. His hair, his face, his body, all pretty much perfect. Then he smiled and that shot arrows straight to my heart. Well, maybe my heart, maybe my lady parts, maybe both. Som
ewhere in the woozy area.

  What was going on with me? I hated vampires. I did not get attracted to them, and now it was two in two days. Maybe my period was due and I’d entered that pre-period time when you’re so horny that anything on two legs looks good.

  No, I’d just had my period, and this guy was something special. I hated him.

  “Are you one of those vampires who sparkle in the daylight?” I asked with a sneer.

  “I don’t go in the daylight.”

  “You know you can. That whole ‘no daylight’ thing is a myth.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Have you noticed my alabaster skin? There’s no SPF strong enough to protect this.”

  He waved his hand near his face in case I hadn’t noticed his perfect skin. I had good skin, but this guy, his skin was on a whole other level. Seriously, I’d known him all of five minutes and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to fuck him, stake him or cut off his face and wear it as a mask.

  “You can’t actually get sun damage either.”

  “I’m not testing my luck on that.”

  I had nothing else to say, but his comments stung. Especially the one about my stumpy legs. That was a really rude thing to say. They weren’t stumpy, they were muscular. I looked him up and down. There had to be some flaw.

  “Also, you’re a bit girly.”

  He ran his finger down my cheek. A move that made me shudder. I hated people touching me. Unlike Kisho, he was definitely cold. Vampire cold, as cold as the grave he should’ve been in.

  “Your arbitrary gender roles mean nothing to me. When you’ve been around as long as I have, those things no longer matter. Gender is fluid.”

  Had he just wanted me to come here so he could get snarky with me? Nice political correctness and all, but I was a busy person. I had no time to discuss gender roles. Although, I was tempted to discuss the whole BDSM thing that had gone on in the bedroom. Not to the point of actually bringing the subject up and letting him answer those questions that brewed on the edges of my mind, though. Some ambiguity could be good rather than having a firm “Kisho is off-limits.”