Accidentally Demonic (38 page)

Her eyes were wild, her pulse hammered beneath her skin.
“What?”

“Listen to me. Clay sold his soul to Hildegard. She’s going to Hell, but she’s taking the one thing she’s always wanted with her—Clay.”

“But—I thought . . .”

“I know what you thought, honey. You thought Clay was a means to an end, a meal, so to speak, but that’s not what this was about. It’s about Hildegard’s wish to make him hers. That bitch was Clay’s sister- in-law. She killed her own sister and turned her niece because she’d always wanted Clay—he just didn’t want her. In her fucked up mind, she believes her sister Dagmar stole Clay from her. Now, in an effort to spare you, he’s sold his soul to save Naomi and
you
.”

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, hard waves of prickling anger racing along her spine. “I’ll kill him! Do you hear me, Wanda? I’ll kill him. Stupid, stupid, lame, dumb- assed, difficult man. Where is he? I swear, when I find him, I’m going to do something horrible to him. I’ll make him eat a rosary—lick a plateful of garlic!”

Wanda shook her head. “That’s the problem. We don’t know where he is, Casey. He disappeared just before daybreak after meeting with Greg and the others, and no one can find him.”

Oh, the hell he’d get away with this. She’d stalk his ass in Hell. If he thought life with Hildegard was purgatory, juuuuust wait. “Where could he have gone, Wanda? It’s not like I know where his favorite places to hang out are!”

Archibald poked his head around Nina’s shoulder. “Oh, Miss, surely you remember Master Clay telling you he can feel you as well as that horrid piece of rubbish, don’t you?”

His face was aloof and undisturbed. “If you only knew the things I hear, Miss Casey.”

“So what does that mean, Arch?” Wanda asked.

“I would think it means that because Master Clayton is mated to her, it’s a two-way street.”

“But I don’t feel anything,” she cried.
Other than the need for his neck in a headlock between my thighs.

Archibald put his hand over her eyes. “Close your eyes, Miss Casey. Summon his image. All that’s required is that you grease the wheels of your new gifts. They’re rusty from lack of use.”

Grease the wheels of her gifts. That was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever . . . ohhhh, he didn’t. She shook Archibald’s hand away. “He’s at a pizzeria called Angelina’s in the village. He loves the smell of pizza. Angelina’s is abandoned. I get the feeling he thought he could go there and no one would find him but the one person he wants to find him. Hildegard could do her dirty deed with no interference.”

Wanda was all organization and orders. “Archibald, get the men on the phone. Tell them to meet us there. Hurry. Clay’s only been asleep for an hour. If we time this right, we can beat the bitch at her own game. Nina—crack your knuckles. Marty, sharpen your canines. We have demon ass to annihilate.”

Casey struggled against Nina and Marty, fear blazing to every screaming nerve in her body. “No.You can’t do this. Please, Wanda. Please, please, don’t do this—none of you. I know what can happen. Greg said you could all be shunned, lose everything. Please, just let me go alone.”

“Oh, fuck that,” Nina rasped. “Like I give a shit about a castle in Staten Island? It’s a fucking big, drafty dust ball I spend more time Swiffering than I do enjoying. The clan can bite my skinny ass. Now shut the fuck up, and let’s go.”

But at all costs, she was prepared to keep them from coming. “Nina? Don’t make me hurt you,” she growled low.

Nina let her shoulders slump in tired defeat. “Are we gonna do this shit again? C’mon, already. I’ll kick your ass from here to Coney Island. You caught me off guard the first time you nailed me, but it ain’t like that anymore. And trust me when I tell you, I’ve sharpened my vampire skillz—unlike you. Now could we just do this without a fight? I’d like a fucking good day’s worth of sleep, something I haven’t had since I met you and your fireballs. I sure as fuck don’t want to do caffeine-laced blood anymore so I can keep daylight hours because it makes me hinky. So lay off already, and let’s rock.”

Casey balled her fist, raising it high in the air with the threat of imminent flaming.

Marty yawned, obviously bored. “Oh. No. Look,” she said, wooden and bored. “Nina and Casey are going to fight. We—are—all—surprised.”

“Ladies!” Archibald hollered, demanding their attention. “Please, no more fisticuffs. Honestly, if you knew the amount of time I spend clearing away the debris Miss Casey alone creates, surely you’d take pity on an old man. Now, we must hurry if we’re to make the mating on time. Miss Wanda, call Master Heathcliff and have him gather the forces. Miss Casey, there’ll be no more talk of shunning and interference in the matters of mating to that lowly serf. Of this I can assure you, Master Greg and the others will find Clayton whether he likes it or not. They are vampires and in an emergency are sure to use their powers of the mind to locate him despite Master Clayton’s wish they leave him be. Now, do you wish to allow the men in your lives to be ambushed, or would you think it wise to find our Scooby-Doo mobile and lay in wait with the element of surprise?”

 

 

“I don’t see him. Do you see him, Wanda?” Casey asked. The windows of Angelina’s were boarded up. Not an ounce of daylight seeped through them. The musty restaurant was as dark as a tomb. And that made perfect sense for someone like Clay.

“I don’t see him, either,” Nina added. “Where the frig could he be in a pizza joint?”

Frustration and fear for Clay’s safety made her yell, “Don’t you two have super eyeballs? What good are you if you can’t see in the dark?”

They’d made a human, er, paranormal chain in an effort to stay together, putting Casey between Nina and Wanda. Wanda gripped her hand hard. “Casey, hush. Why don’t you just give Hildegard a ring-a-ling and tell her that we’re here? Or maybe you’d like a megaphone. I know how badly you wanted to be a cheerleader. You can live out your dream while you lead our hunter right to us.”

Instantly, Casey was remorseful. “Sorry. It’s my nerves. They make me edgy.”

Nina bumped shoulders with her. “And loud. Knock it the fuck off and shut your trap. Just keep walking and don’t let go of our hands.”

“Nina?”

“Marty?”

“Stop dragging me. I have heels on, for the love of God. If I trip and rip this dress, I’m going to pull your fangs out with a pair of old pliers.”

“Oh, my God, if the two of you don’t shut the hell up, I’ll beat you with
my
shoes,” Wanda hissed. “Now hush, and let Casey focus. Casey, honey—do you feel Clay?”

Feel him. Yeah, she felt him—everywhere. She just couldn’t pinpoint it in any one direction. It was like he was all around her and nowhere at all. “I can’t explain it, but it’s like he’s everywhere. Ever since Arch told me to grease my wheels, they’ve just been spinning. I can feel him, but not in any one particular place.”

“Well, for fuck’s sake, use more grease. I see nothing but a bunch of goddamned tables and chairs and a row of pizza ovens,” Nina complained.

“Speaking of Arch, where is he?” Marty said from behind.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks.

Nina gripped Casey’s hand harder. “He was holding your hand, Marty. Don’t fucking tell me you lost him. Jesus, dumb ass, he’s a human—an old one at that. Left on his own, that nut’ll flay him alive. Heath will kill us himself if we let anything happen to Arch.”

“Why is it that everyone’s always calling me a nut? I’m so disappointed with the impression I’ve given you all. I prefer evil genius, thank you kindly, and what a drag you all showed up. It’s my anniversary, for goodness’ sake. Don’t any of you have a romantic bone? I can’t properly celebrate with my mate if you’re all here, now can I? Or do you girls swing that way?”

Each of them stood rooted in place, but Casey felt the tense tug of both Nina’s and Wanda’s hands, keeping her close. They could all apparently see Hildegard. Casey’s eyes just didn’t have that ability—not yet anyway.

Until a snap of Hildegard’s fingers switched on the lights, that is.

Hildegard, dressed in jeans and a boob- hugging sweater, held Archibald by the scruff of his neck. He dangled like a rag doll, but his eyes, though they should have been frantic, sought hers with warm reassurance—one Casey didn’t understand, and promptly dismissed. Nothing was going to be all right. Everyone would die because of her.

“Put him the fuck down, you ozone suck,” Nina ordered. “Or I’ll snatch every hair off your blindingly blond head with my teeth while I smash your face in.” Nina bared her fangs with a hiss, balling a threatening fist.

Hildegard strolled toward Nina, each step a sway of confident hips. Archibald wafted to and fro, but his eyes stayed on Casey, riveted. “You are the most vile-mouthed creature. Uneducated, uncultured. I would have expected Casey to have more worldly friends—as boring as she is.”

Boring this, you pissy bitch
. Yet, Casey refrained from screaming her panicked wish. Maybe this could be solved calmly—so no one would get hurt. The struggle to keep her temper in check was on. “Put him down, Hildegard. Please. He has nothing to do with this.”

Her eyes flashed to Casey while her free hand created a ball of fire she played with between her fingers much like magicians do with quarters. “Now why would I do that, darling? We were supposed to have a deal. Imagine my surprise when I showed up and found all of you. I have a sinking feeling you all aren’t here with cake and champagne. Pity, too. I so love cake.”

“Where are the damn men?” Wanda muttered under her breath, looking in Nina’s direction.

“Who gives a shit?” Nina muttered back. “We can take her. She’s just one floozy demon.”

Marty sighed, her eyes looking beyond Hildegard’s shoulder. “Weeeelll, not so much. And damn it all. I just know I’m going to lose a perfectly good pair of shoes in this. These are one of a kind. I can’t believe I didn’t think to change them before we rushed out the door to demon bang.”

Each pair of eyes assessed the situation.

Oh.

Wow.

Casey tried to remember if there was something in her catechism class that expressed what she was seeing. A word that meant a lot and was associated with demons.

Legions.

Yeah, that was it.

A legion of demons.

That described it.

To. A. Tee.

“Look, Wanda. The Jolly Green Blonde brought friends,” Nina crowed, her sarcasm echoing around them.

Casey looked at Nina and whisper- yelled out of the side of her mouth, “Yeah, she brought friends. And she has way more friends than we do. Jesus! Aren’t you afraid of anything? They’ll mutilate us. Don’t provoke her.” Swarms of demons in every scaly shape and size flocked toward Hildegard’s side. Oh, this was bad. Where the hell was everyone? More important, where was Clay? He was the one they had to keep Hildegard from getting to. They’d never be able to take on so many—it was like four against four million as far as Casey was concerned.

Hildegard draped Archibald over her shoulder like a coat, and he offered no resistance whatsoever. “So who’s going to be the first to apologize for ruining what was to be a lovely evening with my mate?” Her eyebrow cocked and her toe tapped with impatience.

“Fuck you,” Nina seethed.

“Is it me, or do you feel a little outnumbered, Nina?” Hildegard drawled, looking around her at the forces she’d gathered. Forces comprised of hissing, horned, slimy demons, all just waiting to do Hildegard’s bidding. They climbed the pizzeria’s walls, breathing as one mass, the low thrum of their hatred vibrating in every corner. Webbed fingers clung to the ceiling above them, their bodies pulsing, waiting.

That flaming fireball Hildegard had been holding turned into a bolt of lightning she hurled at Nina’s feet, cracking the ground open and leaving a sizzling line of charred pavement, making Nina jump back. Casey fought a scream as a demon latched onto Nina’s leg, swirling around it like a lithe snake. It opened its mouth wide and snapped it shut around her leg so fast there was nothing but a blur of flashing teeth. She roared her fury, reaching down and snatching the creature up with a fist, and threw him to the ground. Marty was at her side instantly, stomping a heeled foot into its protruding belly as it screamed.

Wanda shoved Casey behind her protectively.

But Casey pulled from Wanda, taking caution as she approached Hildegard. Fear drove her footsteps. Prudence drove her words. “Okay, so I jumped the gun. Went all cocky on you. I’m sorry. What was I thinking? Let’s just do this the way we planned. I’ll take your place in Hell, and you feed from Clay. Nothing changes. Naomi’s safe. Same dealio.” She stuck her hand in Hildegard’s direction, offering it to her to shake on it.

Nina yanked at Casey’s sweater, and Wanda made a move to stop her, but Casey shrugged them off.

Her smile, red and glossed, was sly. “Nah. I like the new deal much better. Clay’s mine. Not just sort of mine, but mine. In
every way
. The way he should have been before my sister came along and stole him from me. She knew I wanted Clay, and that didn’t stop her. So instead, I stopped her. Now I can have what was rightfully mine centuries ago. So forgetaboutit.” Then she laughed. Kinda crazy.

A shiver of terror spread from Casey’s toes to her skull, filled with disgust for this woman. Filled with distaste at the idea that she’d be able to touch Clay with her filthy, jealous paws.

Nina rocked from foot to foot, her leg healing before Casey’s eyes while Wanda cracked her neck and Marty rolled her shoulders, but Casey held up a hand to them. Maybe she could reason her way out of this. Use her people skills. “But think of all the things you’ll miss in Hell. You can’t shop in Hell. Oh, and you can’t play with Bendy Bob. . . .”

“Bendy Bob?”
her sister and her friends repeated in sync.