Author: N. L. Hoffmann
Category: Vampires
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/n-l-hoffmann/page,3,534269-demis_at_stake.html
Reaching over, he tugged on my hair. “Does that ring any bells?”
Confused, I pulled back and stared at him. “Should it?”
“I picked on you so bad the last time you were here you wanted to leave before dinner was served.” He seemed a little insulted that I didn’t remember him.
Oh right. Jesse.
Yep, he did piss me off like no one ever had. I chalked that up to them being snobby as hell. I forced a smile. “Well, let’s not pull that shit again. I think you were the one who made me switch teams. I prefer girls now.” I hurried toward Ruby, hoping he wouldn’t call me out on the lie.
“I’m Jesse, by the way. Not sure if you remember.”
I jumped and spun, seeing him behind me. Ruby gave me a dirty look as she spoke to the other two men. “I remember. I’m-”
“Demi.” Jessie grinned, leering at me.
Business. We are here on business.
Turning away, I tried to focus on the conversation Ruby and the other men were having about the vampire situation. I had to be in on that or possibly miss vital information. But Jesse kept standing closer and closer until I could feel his body heat. I took a step away, glaring at him. He only grinned in response, obviously finding the entire situation amusing.
“Jesse, stop messing with the poor girl,” the patriarch, Bear Collins, said to his son. He shook his head, smiling at us. “They usually only have their baby sister to fuck with.”
The man was in his seventies, but you couldn’t tell. He had broad shoulders, massive chest, slim waist. His hair was almost white, with specks of gray, but his eyes were dark and intense, making me think of the horrible things he’d seen in his lifetime.
An SUV appeared over the hill. I swore, causing Ruby to glance in the direction of the vehicle, groaning. Seth. Shit was about to hit the fan. Ruby moved to hide behind me.
I grasped her arm and pulled her back next to me. “Hey, you’re getting your ass chewed out just like me.”
“Bitch,” she whispered.
Bear chuckled, heading toward the SUV. When Seth climbed out, he held out a hand and smiled. “Welcome to the Collins Estate. Glad you could make it on such short notice. After your sisters gave us a call, we knew it was time to meet.”
Seth raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You believe the story?”
“We saw the evidence, Seth,” I ground out.
Bear looked between the two of us, obviously sensing the tension. The man was a legend compared to the rest of us. He faced more than Mom and Grandpa combined. It was a privilege to be in his presence. He was in a completely different class than us.
“The story is true, son. My grandfather told me about this vampire when I was just twenty. I’ve only been brave enough to go check out that cave once. You could tell something sinister was inside it.” Bear motioned us to follow him into the house.
As we followed, I looked around the home, impressed. It was huge with a high ceilings and gorgeous chandeliers throughout. I wondered what it was like growing up in a house like this. To have everything you ever wanted.
Just as we entered the large living room, a young blonde woman appeared behind us. She wore all leather, weapons strapped to her hips and shins. That had to be Franny, the daughter. She was more decked out than any of us ever were when hunting.
Bear glanced at his daughter, frowning. “Where are you going dressed up like that, Franny?”
She sashayed into the living room, fluttering her eyelashes at Seth and smiling. “Going to the city tonight.”
“With weapons?” a man asked, eyebrows raised. I assumed that was Eric, the serious one. By his looks alone, I would have thought he was ex-military. Dark hair cut close to the scalp, gray, intimidating eyes, fit body. He was about the same height as Seth, which meant I had to look up to him. That was intimidating in itself.
Franny rolled her eyes, walking to the bar at the corner of the living room. She poured herself a drink and sipped it, earning a dark look from her father. “I plan on finding me some vampires tonight!”
“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Jesse growled, gesturing at his sister. “You’re dressed like some whore.”
Laughing, Franny set her drink down. “That’s the point.” She nodded at Seth. “Who do we have here?”
Bear sighed, giving up on trying to talk his daughter into changing. “This is the King family. They’ve come to talk to us about a situation. It’s best if you stick around so you know all the details.”
Shaking her head, Franny started toward the foyer. “I have places to be. You can catch me up later.”
“You could be in danger. There’s a vampire out there.”
Franny snorted, giving him a confused look. “When isn’t there? What’s the damn problem?”
“You’ll talk to our father with respect, Fran.” Eric glowered at his sister. His expression would have sent me to a corner to hide, but Franny just rolled her eyes, flipping him off.
“Lay off the steroids, Eric.”
He took a step forward, but Bear stepped between them. “Enough!” He pointed at the couch and looked at his daughter. “Franny, sit your ass down. You’re embarrassing me in front of company.” He stared Franny down until she went to sit. She glared back at her father, daring him to do something to her with witnesses around.
Jessie came up alongside me, glancing in my direction. This was starting to feel like high school. Instead of moving away, I ignored him to listen in on the conversation.
Bear walked to the bar and poured himself a drink. “If your mother had a vision the vampire escaped, I will assume it’s true. Especially if you have seen the evidence. Jimmy Landers is dead, so we’ll have to send someone to recover the body.” He shook his head, giving Seth a hard look. “You should have believed your mother.”
Seth sighed. “You’re right. I guess I just didn’t want to believe that one of her more lucid moments was a warning about some fucking vampire. This guy is supposed to be extremely dangerous, but we haven’t a clue how to stop him. How did they get him into the cave in the first place?”
Bear reached behind the bar to grab some papers, which looked like they could have once been a book. He set the pile on the coffee table in front of Franny.
“This is all I have on the vampire, Cathal. Seems they had to get all the families involved. Basically, they got lucky. They also had the help of other vampires, which had never happened before. The details of how it actually went down was left out. They mainly talk about what Cathal’s done and how to get to the cave.”
Frowning, I stepped forward to look at the papers. It was a bunch of chicken scratch, as if they had a limited amount of time to write it down. There was also a map about where the cave was, as well as a rough sketch of Cathal himself. There was a whole page telling how we were supposed to stay away from the cave, but for some reason, Jimmy thought it a good idea to let him out.
Remembering the piece of paper, I pulled it out of my back pocket. Ruby glanced in my direction, widening her eyes, slightly shaking her head. Just as I was about to shove it back into my pocket, Seth grabbed it from my hands.
“What’s this?” he asked, unfolding it, brows furrowed. “Where did you get this?” He turned it upside down, as if that would help. “It’s in another language.”
“Duh.” Ruby sighed, coming over to snatch it from him. “We found it on Jimmy, but it’s in Irish or something.”
Eric held out a hand. “Can I see it?”
Hesitating, Seth finally nodded, gesturing for Ruby to hand it over. “Sure. Maybe you have an idea of what it says.”
Jessie walked over to Eric, looking over his shoulder. “This is old. Jimmy had this on him?” When I nodded, he sighed. “It’s a story about a man who ruled. He was sort of like a king. When he became a vampire, he defeated many armies.”
“You can read all that on there?” I asked.
“I know the story,” Jesse said, giving me a wink.
Shaking my head, I looked at Set
h. “So what do we do?”
Bear poured another drink, silently offering everyone some. When no one took him up on it, he took a sip. “Tonight, I think we should see where he’s been killing, then make a plan.”
Seth laughed mirthlessly. “You want us to work together? Since when have you been okay with that?”
Scowling, Bear shrugged. “You don’t understand how serious this is. This vampire is the worst of the worst. If we don’t work together, we all may be dead by tomorrow.”
“Seth, he’s right. We need to work together or suffer the consequences.” I glanced at Jesse, who grinned. Maybe it would be a mistake. He seemed determined to get into my pants.
Blair nodded in agreement. “I know we’re used to working on our own, but if this vampire is as bad as Mom says, I think we can use the extra help.”
Seth put his hands on his hips, sighing. He gave a sharp nod. “Guess we’ll work together then.”
Jesse clapped his hands together, scaring me. “Let’s fire up the barbecue and talk about it over dinner.”
“You didn’t think you would start this party without me, did you?”
We all spun. I swallowed hard, taking a really good look at the man standing in the doorway. I thought Jesse was good looking, but this guy was off the charts. I didn’t usually stare, but I couldn’t help myself. All but drooling, I glanced over when Ruby elbowed me in the ribs.
“What are you doing here, Troy?” Jesse demanded, his carefree demeanor changing. “Don’t you know how to fucking knock?”
“I thought we were family,” Troy chuckled.
Eric stepped in front of him, raising his hands and stopping him from coming into the living room. “When you decided to go off in your own direction, we decided you were no longer family.”
Troy leaned against the doorframe. “We’re blood, cousin. There isn’t anything you can do about that.” He pulled off his cowboy hat, revealing his slicked-back, dark hair. His blue eyes roamed the living room, landing on me. Something passed through his eyes, but I wasn’t sure what it was.
I continued to eye him, enjoying the way his plain gray shirt stretched tightly across his chest. And those jeans! God, I never thought a pair of jeans could look so good. My heart beat quickly, my face heating. When someone called my name, I tore my gaze away from him, blinking, trying to remember where the hell I was.
“And the one standing like a statue is Demi.” Seth rolled his eyes. “She’s usually more responsive.”
“Sorry. Guess I’m tired. We were hiking all morning.” That excuse works.
Bear motioned for Eric to move so Troy could walk in. “Might as well join us. We could use the extra help. Though I would like to know who called you.”
“I did,” Franny said. “You did say a family meeting, right? He just happened to be in the area.”
“Yeah. When you hear about people going missing, then showing up dead, you tend to think vampires. Then I had to ask myself why the family wasn’t keeping up with the mess? If anything, this area should be clear.” Troy walked over to the bar, accepting a glass of whiskey from Bear. Grinning, he poised the glass near his lips. “The only thing missing is the help of the best hunter out there.”
Chapter Five
“You have some balls coming in here claiming that shit,” Eric growled, clenching his fists.
“What is this? Some kind of pissing match?” Blair asked.
Bear nodded. “Unfortunately.” He looked at Eric. “Let’s just calm down. We have more important business to discuss.” He motioned toward Jesse. “Go start the barbecue. Eric, I want you to set up the picnic table. Franny, how about you whip up some of that potato salad.”
Franny stood, gesturing to her body. “Does this look like a maid outfit? I said I was going out. Have fun.” She waved, strutting out.
Maybe the Collins house wasn’t as perfect as they liked people to think. Deciding I had enough family drama for a bit, I excused myself and walked outside.
Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, I looked around, noticing a large truck parked behind the SUVs. Why someone would want something so gigantic was beyond me. Didn’t seem very inconspicuous. Kind of like Troy’s personality. He was good looking, but he seemed full of himself.
Hearing the door open behind me, I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Troy walk out.
He grinned as he stopped next to me on the porch. “Beautiful out here, isn’t it?”
Nodding, I started down the steps. “Yep, but I’m ready to leave. We have a lot to accomplish to find this vampire.”
“Yeah, Bear was just filling me in. We should probably call in other hunters. I have a feeling we’re going to need the help.” Troy looked down at me, cocking his head. “I can’t believe someone as tiny as you is a hunter.”
I glared, hands on my hips. “I can kick ass as much as the next guy.”
He put his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Hearing the crunching of gravel, I turned, seeing two more vehicles coming up the driveway. I wasn’t sure how Seth would feel about having to deal with so many others. Most hunters were used to working alone. Who was going to lead? My brother hated other people telling him what to do. I had a feeling things were going to blow up in our faces. That this vampire might just use our lack of cooperation to his advantage. People were going to die. The only question was how many?
I PUT MY HEAD IN MY hands, rubbing my temples. They were talking in circles, sometimes arguing. No one could come up with an idea on how to take down Cathal. Some thought a stake to the heart should do it, the rest wanting to use fire. Didn’t they understand those methods had already been tried on him, unsuccessfully? If it were that easy, they wouldn’t have had to trap him in the cave. This had turned into a pissing match, the men not even listening to the women. That was what happened when you were one of the few female hunters. Your voice tended to get lost, your suggestions ignored. Maybe I should take care of this myself. I was scared to death of what could happen if Cathal managed to get his hands on me, but what choice did I have?
With a sigh, I stood up to leave, looking down at everyone with a serious expression on my face. “You aren’t getting it. This shit isn’t going to work. Don’t you think they thought of that back in the 1800’s?”
“We have better technology now. We know what we’re dealing with,” Eric said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Do you? We know next to nothing about this vampire.”
“You have a better plan? Why don’t you share it with the rest of us?” one of the new arrivals said. His name was Dante Wilson, whom I only knew by reputation. The man was a complete dick, drank too much...and was one of the best hunters out there.
“I think we need to trap him again,” I finally said.
Dante threw up his hands. “Sure. It’s so easy.” His eyes narrowed. “We need to put the bastard down, not give him a room of his own!”
My head hurt. I was sick of this man already. “You’ll be dead before you know it. Cathal will tear your head off before you can scream for help.”
He grinned. “Little girl, I don’t need help. Do you know how many kills I have under my belt? The oldest fucker was nearly three hundred. I got this one in the bag,” Dante chuckled, bumping fists with his partner, Alex Gordon.
I laughed. “This vampire is at least two centuries older than that. You have squat. If you guys think a couple wooden stakes will solve the problem, you’re delusional.”
“She has a point, boys. This vampire is pretty old,” Troy said, grabbing his beer. “Maybe we should rethink this.”
“You know what I think, boy?” Dante asked. “I think you want some of that pussy.”
Seth jumped to his feet, reaching for Dante’s shirt. “You’d better watch your fucking mouth!”
Dante hopped back, knocking his chair to the ground. “Did I hurt your sister’s feelings? Maybe she shouldn’t be in a man’s game then.” He started walking toward me. “Got that, bitch? You belong
in the damn kitchen.”
Not even thinking, I swung my fist, smashing him right in the nose. I felt it give, the crunching noise echoing. He screamed out and held his face, blood trickling between his fingers.
“Take that bitch out! She broke my fucking nose!”
When Alex started in my direction, Jesse and Seth blocked his way. “You both should leave. We don’t need you on our team if you’re going to cause discord,” Jesse said
Dante and Alex looked at Bear, who nodded. “You need to leave. These girls are as capable as you of taking down a vampire. Don’t underestimate them.” He chuckled. “Looks like you learned that the hard way.”
“We’ll kill this vampire. You watch.” Dante hurried past us, his hand now covered in blood.
When they left, Seth turned to glare at me. “They could have hurt you! Both are carrying guns, Demi.”
“I’d like to see them try.” Troy pulled his hand from under the table, placing a gun on top. “I had this pointed at them the moment he started mouthing off.”
It had definitely escalated quickly. I hadn’t planned on hitting him, but then again, I’d never dealt with someone who was bold enough to insult me like that. I could take care of myself, even though they had their doubts. Seth always tried to protect me, but I didn’t need it. In fact, in my opinion, he was overprotective. I couldn’t always depend on him, and he needed to know that. Eventually, we would have that conversation. I just didn’t know when.
“Let’s pick this up in the morning. I’ll have breakfast ready, and we can make our plan for tomorrow night. That bastard is still in Denver, wreaking havoc.” At a quiet chirp, Jesse glanced down at his phone, frowning and shaking his head. “Well, two more dead. I wonder if it’s just him or if there are other vampires.”
“My bet is it’s him. He’s been in that cave for a long time and is probably starving,” Seth said, glancing down at his watch. “I’m beat.” He turned to Bear. “Thanks for letting us stay here.”
Bear stood up, holding out his hand. “No problem, son.”