Demigod Down (5 page)

I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck, “Yep.”
I answered. “Think you can keep up?”

He laughed, shaking his head. “Same Olivia.”
He muttered.

The couple I was watching, approached,
gleaning with sweat and smiling, “Now tonight is more of an
interactive event, Rose doubled the entry fee since the diners will
have an opportunity to dance with us tonight.” she said,
smiling.

I nodded. “That means behave,” Luke whispered
in my ear and I attempted to elbow him with a grunt as he danced
away laughing.

“Who do we have?” I asked as the couple
looked over the list of guests.

I watched both of their faces pale, “We
should probably switch you.” The male said, casting a worried
glance at me.

His dance partner hissed, “We can’t. They
paid extra.”

“Who is the couple?” I asked, annoyed.

“Governor Hash and his wife.” Luke said,
reading over their shoulders.

“What did the pay extra for?” I asked,
tilting my head.

“Expert dancers.” The female said,
cringing.

I shrugged. “They certainly are getting
that,” I muttered, “and so much more.”

“Enough, with the worried faces.” I smiled.
“This is going to be fun!”

“Shit,” one of them muttered.

Governor Hash at Kitten was not something I
ever expected. His stern and judgmental outward appearance had me
thinking he found Kitten a disgusting brothel and not
entertainment. I wondered if attending was his wife’s idea.

Peeking out from the heavy curtains along the
back wall, added for tonight, I couldn’t help smiling as I watched
for Hash.

Luke sighed heavily next to me. “So, how are
things with your boyfriend?” He asked trying to distract me.

I smiled, thinking of Blake. “Wonderful,” I
told him, not averting my gaze.

“I hear you guys have shacked up.” He tried
again to distract me, this time successfully as I turned toward
him, letting the curtain fall back into place.

“I guess, I don’t really have a permanent
residence when I am in town and my stay isn’t typically for long,”
I informed him warily. “Why?”

Luke regarded me for a moment. “Moving in
together is a pretty strong signal that things are serious between
you two,” He said.

I shrugged and said, “They’ve always been
serious,” and moved the curtain aside to look back out.

“Right,” Luke continued, not feeling he had
conveyed what he needed. “But moving in together is a long term
move, right before marriage and kids.”

I turned, looking at him and forgetting the
curtain, my expression shocked.

“See the importance of it.” He gloated.

“You’re done talking.” I was not taking
relationship advice from Luke. I would have to ask Kass if he was
correct though.

Did it really matter? I asked myself.
Marriage was a human concept. Mating was a supernatural one. But
that thought terrified the shit out of me.

Shaking my head, I smiled when I realized
Hash had walked in, looking almost relaxed in his suit with his
wife on his arm.

“They’re here,” I whispered with evil
glee.

Hash was a terrible dancer, but that wasn’t
why he was here. He was lucky, ever so lucky to be dancing with
me.

If I had heard from the other dancers here
what he was doing and what he was after, I’m fairly sure I would
have killed him. They didn’t deserve to have their asses molested
repeatedly or their breasts pinched.

Just because we were succubi did not make us
whores.

My anger had become cold and calculating. I
couldn’t kill him here. Truthfully, I didn’t think killing him was
the right approach, but public humiliation - now that I could get
behind.

I spun back into Luke’s arms, my eyes not
leaving Hash’s drunken gaze as he licked his lips. Maybe I’m wrong
about killing him.

“Don’t,” Luke whispered softly.

“Silence,” I commanded, completing the dance
in perfect harmony.

Luke wisely kept any additional comments to
himself.

I kept my smile plastered to my face as we
exited back to the dressing rooms. Fuming I sat in a chair, staring
at my reflection a silent war raging inside of me. Should I kill
him or not? I silently weighed the pros and cons of ending his life
as the dressing rooms emptied. Con - the devil that I knew was far
better than the one I didn’t and while Hash had proven to be a
power hungry, narrow-minded asshole, he feared me and that worked
to my advantage. Not to mention all the time and resources Gram’s
had spent on him.

Pro, it would make me feel a hell of a lot
better.

I blinked as the lights shut off hoisting
myself out of the red leather chair changing quickly, not bothering
with a shower as I left for Blake’s.

The door slammed shut behind me as I stood
dumbfounded on the stairs staring at Hash’s limo. I hadn’t yet made
the decision to kill him or not, but I knew I couldn’t do it at
Kitten.

Stepping stiffly down the stairs in the damp
night, I watched as the back door opened and he stumbled out, his
wife yelling at him. Unbelievable.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” His voice
slurring as he smiled at me.

Slowly, I approached the car, anger and
disgust clouding my features, my arms crossed over my torso to keep
myself from striking him, I stopped at arm’s length in front of
him. “You don’t recognize me, do you?” I asked.

He shrugged, his eyes closing in a long
drunken blink, “Pfft, all you bitches look the same.” Grinning like
a fool.

“I could report you for this,” I said softly,
knowing that was far too lenient a punishment for him.

He shrugged and said, “For what? A dance and
a ride home?” He laughed. “Trust me, I’ll make it worth your
while.” He leered at me.

That was exactly what it took for me to close
the distance between us, slamming him against the limo. “I am
Olivia, Executioner of the Council,” I informed him as his mouth
gaped open in astonishment, “and you are banned from this
establishment. If I ever hear of you approaching one of my kind
again, I will slit your wrists and watch you bleed out.” I hissed,
slamming his head against the limo roof.

Backing away, my anger clouded my vision as
Hash threw himself into the limo, turning back to glare at me,
before taking off into the night, probably after easier prey. I
felt bad for the human woman that would be sharing his bed, but
that was not my domain.

Blowing out a breath, I turned, heading for
my SUV and stared directly into the amber gaze of a vampire.

“Hello beautiful,” he crooned.

“What do you want?” I groaned, angry with
myself for allowing him to sneak up on me.

He grinned widely, revealing crocked and
missing teeth, clearly having overheard my discussion with Hash.
“We need you to deliver a message,” he said still grinning like a
confident fool.

“No.” I said, stuffing my hands in my back
pockets just below my hidden knives on the small of my back.

His smile vanished as his curly blond hair
bobbed into his eyes and quick as lightening, he grabbed my pinned
up hair in his fists, yanking my hair as pain shot through my head.
He demanded, “You would do well to do as you’re told, bitch.” He
sneered at me.

“I am so fucking done.” I answered him,
kicking out a kneecap and pulling my knives in one smooth move.

He screamed in pain as the bone reknit
itself, leaning heavily against the building. He snarled, “Get
her!”

Wonderful, I had again been so focused on my
primary target I had forgotten all about my surroundings. Idiot, I
berated myself.

The first ran toward me, hissing, his fangs
descended and without any other weapons. That was certainly a
foolish move. I took the hit, bringing my knives under and up into
his chest and through his double hearts as we landed hard on the
asphalt. The hilts dug into my chest and I smiled into his shocked
face.

This is just what I needed.

He exploded to ash and I was quick to get off
the ground into a crouch waiting for the others, who could only
stare at me dumbfounded. “Come on boys!” I chided, “I don’t have
all night.”

The blond leader shoved another one at me. He
was large, but young even in life, he hadn’t gained full control
over his strength and in death it was a burden and not yet an
asset. Having watched and learned from his companion, he circled
me, the amber in his eyes a response from violence.

“I’ll let you have a taste if you can subdue
her,” the leader taunted and the babe in front of me smiled,
revealing his fangs as he lunged at me.

I danced away but not before I sliced a
decent gash along his wrist. He was stunned by the cut for only a
moment before it began healing. Shaking out his wrist, he glared at
me, “You’ll pay for that bitch.”

“Yeah, yeah, come and make me,” I taunted
him. His face would have flushed with color as a human, but as a
vampire, his cold pale skin stared back at me. It was unnerving as
we began circling once again.

I watched his eyes track movement over my
shoulder and I was ready when I felt the air swoosh by my shoulder.
Crouching and turning, I thrust my blades deep into his buddy’s
belly pulling the hardened metal upwards until it sliced through
both hearts. Two down, two to go.

Turning back to the young one, he looked at
me shocked before launching at me with unnatural speed. I took the
hit hard landing several feet back on the asphalt, the air expelled
painfully from my lungs and knives pinned between our bodies.
“Shit!” I yelled, pulling in a breath.

He smiled above me, his fangs dropping into
my neck. I fucking hate newbie bites! The movement of his body
toward my neck had released my hands and I shoved my blade down
into his back, slicing through both hearts as he bled me
oblivious.

The fucker turned to dust on top of me before
I could shove him off. Great, now my neck wound was bound to be
infected.

Stumbling up, I looked around for the final
part of this act, finding the alley deserted. Sighing, I leaned
heavily on the brick wall. I needed to check the clothing for clues
as to identities, figuring out who I had pissed off now.

None of their jackets or pants had anything
helpful in it. The only clue to their identities was the matching
leather jackets with the sugar skull with rose eyes on the back. I
sighed looking it over before shoving all of it into the trash. I
couldn’t remember pissing off anyone with that insignia, but I piss
a lot of people off. It was likely.

Making my way to my SUV finally, I headed to
Blake’s house and a much needed shower.

I awoke to pressure on my neck wound. “Ouch!”
I complained, batting Blake’s hands away.

Blinking blearily, I peered at Blake outlined
by the soft moonlight.

“Who bit you?” He hissed at me, his eyes
ambered with anger.

“I don’t fucking know,” I answered, sitting
up in his bed and swatting away his hand again.

“He was a newbie and it hurts,” I whined at
him as he tried again to peel the bandage off.

Putting himself in my face, he warned, “I can
find him by scent alone.”

I laughed. “Really? You can track dust?” I
taunted him.

He blinked, pulling back his eyes turning
into dark blue globes. “You killed him?” He asked shocked.

“Yes, he and his two flunkies.” I said,
rubbing my neck, “The damn leader got away though.”

“Who were they?” he asked, moving next to
me.

I shrugged, sleep beckoning me. “I don’t
know. They didn’t have any ID and their matching sugar skull
jackets aren’t something I remember seeing before,” I answered with
a sigh.

“Sugar skull?” Blake asked, stiffening next
to me.

“Yeah, they had roses for eyes,” I said,
settling back down in the covers.

“Where was this?” He questioned, stroking my
back.

“At Kitten. Such a weird night,” I muttered
before slipping back off to sleep.

When I awoke next, the bed was empty. I
suppose since I hadn’t expected Blake back yet, I shouldn’t feel
the sinking disappoint in my chest, but I did.

Groaning, I puttered around pulling out
freshly washed clothing from the neatly folded pile on the chest at
the end of the bed, before I padded downstairs, shoes, and knives
in hand.

Blake had hired on a new cook, and I missed
the plump African American woman who made an amazing grilled
cheese.

“Hey Alfie.” I said, giving him a half-smile
as he set a plate in front of me for breakfast.

“Good Morning Olivia. I trust you slept
well.” Alfie dictated regally to me in his British accent. Alfie
doubled as cook and head of security now. There were no longer any
more innocent bystanders in the crossfire. Blake had spent a great
deal of time in making the decision. We had spent hours on the
phone, reviewing applications.

I was sold when Alfie stated he enjoyed
cooking immensely.

I smiled, digging into the eggs and French
toast greedily. Alfie stood watching me, gulping down some orange
juice. I smiled, “It’s great.” I said, thinking he was waiting for
a verdict.

Leaning against the kitchen island, he
regarded me closely still. Shoving another bite into my mouth, I
watched him warily, cleaning off my plate quickly.

I wiped my mouth with a napkin. Raising an
eyebrow, I finally asked, “What, Alfie?”

“Has Blake informed you of the latest
headache he is dealing with?” Raising a blond eyebrow.

“No, and that is his decision,” I informed
him.

He nodded, “I need to program your voice and
fingerprint into the security system. Now that you are here in
person, please follow me.” He ushered me out.

Wistfully, I looked back at the kitchen. I
could eat more, but his retreating back didn’t give me much of an
option so I followed him into the security office.