Betrayal Bites (Tales of Sydney Sedrick Book 2) (7 page)

The Judges were the ones to keep naughty vampires and werewolves, so afraid of experiencing the wrath of the Judges, in line. Blake said the threat of the Judges being dispatched upon them made it so that there were rarely ever such severe crimes committed among their kind that warranted the Judges’ notice. It was sort of like not getting presents from Santa because he knew when you were naughty, except in their world Santa was a big bad demon with black or oozing green skin that liked to torture and kill the little ones.

It was said the Judges didn’t mind serving the vampire king. They liked their assignments. They found enjoyment in what they did.

The two demons standing in front of me didn’t exactly live up to all the hype. I had to admit, if only to myself, I was a bit disappointed. Kasdeya was more like a rotten, temperamental super-protector to the royal vampire family than a demon shrouded in smoke and mirrors, cruelty and vengeance. I never thought I’d meet them. Truth was, I kind of hoped that I wouldn’t.

“Ah, yes. Damas, meet Sydney, the Selected who has everyone abuzz.” She twirled her long, black index finger in the air, showing off a pointy nail that looked capable of slicing a person’s abdomen open with the slightest flick of her wrist. It’s not that she made me want to run out of the club, screaming for my life, but she didn’t instill warm and fuzzy feelings, either.

I was glad Michael was keeping Brianna busy, out of sight from the demons. Was it Kasdeya or her demon companion controlling everyone in the club? Blake and I were the only ones looking at them. If the humans in the club saw them pass by, they’d definitely be gawking, or trampling each other while running for their lives.

Blake interrupted her obvious attempt at intimidating me with her overly long claws.

“Is there a reason you’re here? And why is your friend looking at my woman like he wants to eat her?” Hearing the challenge in Blake’s voice, Damas stepped closer to us.

The demon puffed his chest out, exposing the skin, or whatever it was, covering his chest. As I stood there and watched, his skin began to crack and separate. Thin, black, plant-like tendrils began to seep through the openings. It reminded me of the nature channel on TV, when they show little seeds sprouting from the ground over a hastened period of time. The little plants slithered halfway toward Blake’s face. A clear liquid formed jelled beads at the tips as they grew longer.

Kasdeya laughed. “Enough posturing boys. Damas, put those away. Blake, one drop of his toxin and you’d be no more than a whining pup, whimpering on the floor, in a matter of seconds.”

Damas looked at Kasdeya with surprise but remained quiet. The deepening creases in his forehead told me he didn’t appreciate being reprimanded by anyone, especially not in front of another male who he seemed to want to do more male domination maneuvers with him.

When Kasdeya smiled, the strobe light glinted off a mouthful of sharp, chrome-colored teeth. Okay, maybe I was wrong in my first impression of her. I may just be getting too desensitized to the bizarreness of what was fast evolving in my very interesting life.

“Of course, you silly wolf. I don’t do anything without a purpose. I wanted to see if you found anything out about what is going on in that compound you were snooping around since I last saw you.”

It could be advantageous for Blake to make the female demon his ally. He could give her a small tidbit to keep the connection between them. She had information no one on this planet had that could help us remain safe. The problem was, she also came with dangers no one on this planet knew of, or wanted. Developing a relationship with her could be as risky as it was beneficial.

I was thinking like a politician. I didn’t know I was capable.
Huh, imagine that.
It must be the toll on my body from having a rogue so close and being whipped in and out of those visions. Normally, in situations like this, I’d be shaking inside, like a brittle little leaf ready to fall off the tree. I wasn’t known for my calm demeanor under stressful situations. Maybe being the Selected was helping me evolve into a more calm and collected person? No, I didn’t really think that was what was going on. It had to be everything I had just experienced. I’d most likely freak out about the encounter with the Judges at a later time.

Blake looked into Kasdeya’s blood-red eyes. “No. We haven’t found out anything new other than what you already know. If we do, I’ll get in touch with you.” Blake didn’t budge. He didn’t flinch one manly eyebrow from having Damas standing ever so close to him.

Kasdeya assessed us. Her squinting eyes unnerved me. Either one of the demons could snap us like twigs, and that said a lot, considering Blake’s werewolf status.

“Fine. But remember, wolf. You are not as invincible as you might think. Neither is your precious father. Especially if one such as I were to become upset with you, or think you are betraying me.” Kasdeya had a mischievous glint in her eyes. I could tell she enjoyed toying with Blake by the crinkling creases of her jet-black skin around her eyes, making her cheekbones raise just a touch.

Damas chose that moment to say, “Sydney. I have been desiring the opportunity for myself to meet you.” The demon took a deep breath in, closing his eyes.

Then I felt it.

An alien pressure, dark and murky, pushed at my skull.

Chapter 8

Like someone uninvited trying to enter.

“Stop it!” I ordered.

Damas’ eyes flew open and focused on me. After he narrowed his gaze, the pressure in my head increased ten-fold.

Blake took an aggressive step toward the demon.

Kasdeya put a hand on Blake’s chest, immobilizing him.

“You let me go, demon. What is he trying to do to Sydney?”

I could feel the air warming around me with Blake’s increased agitation. I loved the heat he gave off. The stronger the emotion he was feeling, the hotter he got. Literally.

Damas stepped closer to us in our now tight circle and looked me over, assessing me. “Don’t worry, Selected. I was going to see what makes you a person. Humans have always intrigued me. Their minds are very chaotic, and I have yet to elucidate why they make the choices they do. Humans are not logical beings, like we are. I was curious to see if I could detect a difference in you, how your mind works. You, as the Selected, are of special interest to all of us. I am only curious to see if your Selected abilities are manifested in your brain, or if you are changed in a deeper fashion.” The demon’s voice boomed through me, yet no one else seemed to notice the bass from his words was heavier than the music coming from the six-foot high speakers around the club.

Reaching his arm outward, Damas put his hand to my face. I flinched, but there was no avoiding it. Being touched by a demon wasn’t a good idea. I’m going to add that fine tip in the book I planned on writing for my offspring, the future Selected. That was if I survived as the Selected long enough to find a man to father my female children.

The feel of the demon’s touch was like a man’s, but his fingers were longer than any human’s I’d ever seen. The skin covering his fingers was normal flesh-toned in color, unlike what covered his chest.

Kasdeya slowly pulled her hand away from Blake’s chest, and Blake gasped for air. Had she stopped him from breathing?

“Wolf, you should take care when addressing one such as Damas. He doesn’t see your role in protecting the girl important or necessary. He sees you as dispensable. The Selected is different from all others near the king, but she is not immortal. That confuses us. Why she was not made vampire upon maturation? But it is really no matter to us.” Kasdeya tilted her head to the side, like she was truly contemplating the matter as if it were important to her.

I couldn’t help but ask, “If Damas is a demon, why would he see me as interesting? I’m sure there are a lot more demons out there with really cool tricks they can do. Honestly, I’m not all that special. Just ask my parents.” I tried to lighten the mood. That’s what I do in times of stress, besides hyperventilate and find a place to sit down so I wouldn’t pass out looking like an imp. That, or cry, and I didn’t want to cry in front of these demons, or a club full of people that had no clue what, or who, was amongst them.

Kasdeya smiled, like I’d said something funny.

“Silly girl, you are the Selected. If you are the one capable of enabling the vampires to walk in the sun, then you are the one that is of most importance. Even to us. You see, that is part of our contract. If you give your blood freely to a designated vampire, if they are able to walk in the warmth of the sun, then we are to be set free. Contract fulfilled.”

“What?”

I never heard that the contract binding the Judges to the vampire king could be broken, not for any reason. I really didn’t want them hoping I would be the one to donate my blood, letting them roam free on the planet. They would no longer have invisible leashes keeping them under control at all times like they did now by the king. That was yet another reason not to give my blood willingly to any vampires. I will not be responsible for the entire human population being tortured by bored demons who decided to use humans as fun playthings.

Damas leaned over while he spoke in a deep, fatherly voice. “Don’t worry, Selected. We are not able to harm you and coerce you in any way that would aide us in achieving our freedom before the contract time has ended.” Damas leaned his head to the side and plastered the oddest smile on his face that I’ve ever seen. He looked even more alien performing that human expression than the vampires did. Although, vampires were all once human, weren’t they?

Vampires had an advantage over the demons in fitting in with humans. Physically, vampires only had to hide their glowing red eyes from humans when they wanted to adapt and not be noticed. It was true; vampires exuded utter hotness. I hadn’t met an unattractive vampire yet. Demons, on the other hand, were completely different. Besides their unnatural movements and the way they spoke, their appearances shouted that they were clearly not of this world.

Kasdeya’s black skin with moving silver symbols roaming her body as she stood in front of us would never allow her to blend in unnoticed. I wondered if that bothered her, or did she love the attention she would get if the demons released their control over the club and allowed the club-goers to focus their attentions on them? For surely they would freak out, which would end with the humans probably screaming into the night, hiding under their covers in their beds, and praying to whatever higher power they believed in for forgiveness from whatever transgressions they committed in the past.

I think the demon, Damas, was trying to comfort me, saying he wouldn’t hurt me. It was nice to know the Judges weren’t able to have a hand in making the prophecy come true. If they were, I was pretty sure the vampires would have already been able to walk into the sun without getting so much as a mild sunburn, and then the world would be overrun by demons creating chaos and mayhem worldwide.

“Thanks. But what happens if somehow I’m the cause of the vampire king getting hurt? What would you do then?” I really wanted to know.

Kasdeya became agitated at that question. “We’ve talked enough about us.” She glared at Damas, signaling for him to shut his yap and not answer anymore of my questions. Figures, it was like getting together the border of a puzzle and having to hunt all around a big house for the inner pieces, which all seemed to be located in very good hiding places. I was getting tired of having to pull teeth to get any type of real information, from anyone. I was the Selected. Shouldn’t I be the one who knew pretty much everything? Yes, I should be.

I surveyed the club. People kept dancing all around us, not giving Kasdeya’s odd-looking skin and glowing red eyes a second thought. I was filled with a dark fascination that even Damas’ large hooded figure didn’t draw inquisitive glances one bit. I was sure if Brianna had seen me talking to them she’d definitely come over and start asking some questions. I know I would.

It bothered me that the demons were controlling my sister’s, and possibly Michael’s, minds, keeping their attention on anything but what was going on with us, but there was no way I was going to expose Brianna’s identity. I didn’t want the Judges to know I even had a sister, let alone that she was conveniently located across the dance floor, totally ignorant that vampires, werewolves, and demons existed. Grandma said the wolves and vampires may use her against me to get what they wanted. There was no way I was going to hand her over on a silver platter for them to do just that.

Now that I knew the demons would also gain big, as in their freedom, if I fulfilled the prophecy, I didn’t want them to think they could use Brianna as their pawn against me. Damas said the Judges weren’t able to cause me harm or coerce me to give my blood to the vampires. He didn’t say anything about the Judges using my baby sister to make me do just that.

Blake ran a large hand through his thick, dark brown hair.

“I want you to keep that Judge away from Sydney. He gives me the creeps. I don’t like how he looks at her.” Blake put a protective arm around me, pulling me close to his side. I agreed. They both gave me the creeps, too. Being around them was like standing in our own little universe, the rest of the world oblivious to what was going on. The warmth radiating from Blake soothed my aching body and throbbing head, but nothing would beat lying in my comfy bed, with the lights on at full blaze. Yep, I’d be sleeping with the lights on in my room, again. I’ve been doing that a lot since moving to Kenosha.

“Aw, Wolfy. Don’t worry yourself sick about us. You don’t have anything to be upset about where we are concerned regarding your precious Selected. Damas hasn’t been in your dimension as long as I have. He tends to forget we don’t own the humans who inhabit this place. He is used to doing as he pleases with whatever, or whoever, he fancies. For a very long time he was a favored one.”

Damas lowered his head. A symbol branded the flesh covering the crown of his skull. A cold dread started to lazily cloud my head. That same symbol was one of the ones I saw in my first vision. Recognition must have shown in the expression on my face, because Kasdeya’s eyes narrowed to little red slits when she saw my reaction to it.

“What are you keeping from us, mangy animal?” she demanded and stomped her foot as she placed her nose a mere centimeter from Blake’s. “If I find out you are withholding information from us, potentially withholding data that could help us in keeping the king safe, I will kill you myself, prophecy or no prophecy.”

“I’m not betraying you, demon. We both want to make sure nothing happens tomorrow. If I hear anything, you’ll be one of the first to know.”

She turned her head, nodded at me, and then continued to speak to Blake.

“You should take better care of your charge. It is foolish to have her here, like this, with so many humans around. Humans attract vampires, wolf. In case you didn’t know. Rogues hunt places like this, waiting for stupid, drunk humans to stumble out onto the parking lot alone. It’s a prime opportunity for them to get their dinner handed to them.”

Blake’s chest puffed out, his eyes narrowing into angry slits. He groaned in pain and grabbed his head in both hands. I looked at Damas. His gray eyes were blank, there were no iris’, and they were pointed directly at Blake.

“Make him stop! He’s hurting him!” I flung my hands in the air and tried to get their attention.

Neither demon paid me any mind.

Blake yelled out in pain. He lifted his head, his eyes once again that golden-bronzed, amber color.

“Sydney, you would do better with a more competent bodyguard. I will have to discuss this with Kieran, the Kenosha coven leader. He will no doubt be more sensible where your welfare is concerned. This wolf clearly is not competent in taking care of you. What could he have been thinking, bringing you here, to such an open and populated place such as this?”

“Mind your place, demon. Don’t tell me what to do with the Selected. And if you continue to make threats, then I will just have to make sure you don’t fulfill your contract. What would happen if you broke the contract, demon? Would you be forced to go back to the hell you came from?”

Kasdeya didn’t seem bothered in the least by Blake’s hostility. I could tell by the roll of her eyes. The shrill of her voice cut the air when she laughed. No, he didn’t scare her at all.

“Wolf, do you want to know what I did to the last person to threaten such things to me?” The silver eyebrow over her right eye lifted in question. When Blake remained silent, she continued with, “That’s right. You don’t want to know. It wasn’t for the faint of heart. So I suggest you never mention the contract that binds me again, or I may treat your words as a direct threat against the vampire king. You know what that would mean. All Judges would hunt you down, and they wouldn’t be able to stop until they fulfilled their mission. All they would be able to think about would be your death.” She pointedly focused her gaze at me with that last bit.

Blowing out a deep breath, Blake lowered his hands from his head and stopped groaning, but his chest still heaved. I glanced at Damas. His eyes were now focused on me. He had released Blake’s brain from whatever vise he had him in.

“Don’t be displeased with us, Selected. We are not here to make you trouble. You are special to us, to me. You are also important to the vampires we are bound in serving, to protect for a very long time. You will rest easy that our presence can only add to your safety.”

I really didn’t like the way he was assessing my body from head to toe. I couldn’t explain it, but I was pretty sure the demon was lusting at me. It was that, or he wanted to dissect my mind with his abilities and explore what made me, well, me? Either way, he gave me the creeps.

It was even more creepy when Damas duplicated Blake’s posture, trying to imitate his mannerisms. I was quite sure he was trying to appear attractive to me.

Yuck.

“I’m just fine with Blake taking care of me. There doesn’t need to be any discussion with Kieran about my well-being. Trust me, Blake is more than competent in making sure I’m all right. He’s by my side all of the time.” I’m not sure if it was clear from my tone, but I really meant all of the time. He was a hard guy to shake.

Neither Blake nor I said anything as they stood assessing the crowd in the club. I really didn’t want to piss either of them off. Making them mad didn’t seem like a smart thing to do, or a safe one. I hoped they didn’t know my only sister was out there in the crowd, dancing with Blake’s werewolf cousin. They could definitely use her against me.

Kasdeya faced us. “I would take the Selected away from here and never bring her to such populated areas, full of humans ripe for the picking. Now that we have spoken, we will take our leave.”

Blake stared at her, eyes still burning with anger and annoyance at their audacity to publicly reprimand him in front of me for his lack of good judgment in bringing me where rogues could show up and attack at any second. I have never seen him so mad.

Damas bowed his head in salute. He didn’t acknowledge Blake as he said, “Goodbye, Selected. If you should need of anything, we are here for you.”

“Bye.” I couldn’t help myself. It was just rude not to say anything to them before they left. I mean, they did take care of the rogue vampire. Although, their egos were big enough to fill the entire club with hot air, and then some.

Kasdeya nodded toward me.

“Selected, until tomorrow.”

The demons exited as they had entered. The sea of dancers parted a path while none looked their way. Not one of them. Watching the demons control all the people’s actions, making sure no one paid attention to Kasdeya’s alien-like skin, or Damas’ hooded body, was incredulous. Their power must be wickedly strong to be able to do that. Kieran said it was draining when a vampire tried to control a human’s mind, let alone an entire club packed full of them. The demons didn’t seem any worse for wear after controlling an entire group of people for a good twenty minutes or so.