Author: N. L. Hoffmann
Category: Vampires
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“Help me,” I heard someone groan alongside the building.
Turning to look around the corner, I pulled my gun from my waistband and started to creep down the alleyway. I didn’t see anyone immediately, so I began to wonder if my imagination was playing tricks on me. As I made my way around some boxes, I heard a moan. I saw two figures on the ground, a woman hunched over a man.
“Don’t move,” I ordered, aiming the gun at her.
She looked up, her eyes glowing yellow. What the hell? Are those fangs? They weren’t the same as a vampire’s. They were larger, reminding me of a...tarantula.
It was her.
“I’ve been looking for you.” I slowly walked closer, afraid I might spook her into attacking me.
“Help me, please,” the man beneath her moaned.
She started petting his head, running her fingers through his hair. Her fangs disappeared back into her mouth, replaced by a smile that revealed perfectly white teeth. Her yellow eyes met mine. She was Asian, her hair up in a fancy bun, loose tendrils framing her face. She was beautiful.
“My name is Ming-Na. You must be the vampire’s pet.”
“I’m no one’s pet.”
“I can smell him all over you, hunter.”
Grinning, I stopped about five feet from her. “So, you know who I am.”
“Nothing more than a weak human. Luckily for you, my tastes are more of the...male variety.” Ming-Na ran her hand down the man’s chest. “I would have liked to enjoy him more, but my hunger became too much. I couldn’t wait.”
“Why are you outside Cathal’s home?” I thought it odd. Did she follow him here? Did they have some kind of friendship and he didn’t tell me?
Ming-Na placed her hands on her thighs. “I came to speak to Cathal, but I caught your scent. I thought it best we meet under different circumstances, but it appears my meal was a little noisy.”
I motioned toward the man with my gun. “Is he dead?”
Shaking her head, Ming-Na stood. I stepped back, ready to pull the trigger. I wasn’t sure silver bullets would work on her. Before I left the house tonight, I had changed my ammunition choice. Good thing, too, because wooden ones didn’t seem like the better option.
“He’s alive...for now.” She walked around his body, looking me over.
“Why are you killing people?” I asked, curious.
She shrugged. “I’m hungry. There are so many flavors in this city. Werewolves are my favorite, but humans are easier to attract...and catch.”
“What about vampires?”
“Are you worried about yours?” She smirked. “He will be okay. We have a truce. I stay away from him, and vice versa. So don’t expect him to come save you when we go at it.”
Raising an eyebrow, I smiled. “Are you saying you and I are going to fight?”
“That’s why you have the gun pointed at me, isn’t it? Go ahead. Pull the trigger.”
Her fangs elongated, eyes turning a brighter yellow, arms and legs changing into spider legs. It stunned me at first, then I squeezed the trigger several times. The shots echoed in the alleyway, but she dodged them, scrambling up the walls of the buildings.
Irritated, I pointed the gun at her again, squeezing the trigger. I got her in the leg, but it didn’t even slow her down. She started in my direction, making me scramble backwards.
More shots went off, but not from me. The spider screeched, taking off in the opposite direction, disappearing over the roof. I spun around, seeing Seth.
“What the fuck was that?” he demanded, gesturing toward the roof with his gun.
“That’s who’s been killing. She’s called a jorōgumo, a woman who can turn into a spider.”
Hurrying over to the body, I checked the man’s pulse, feeling nothing. Seeing a shadow, I looked over to find Cathal hiding in a side doorway of his building. He disappeared before Seth could see him.
Seth sighed. “He’s dead, isn’t he?” When I nodded, he swore. “A spider woman? What kind of fucked-up supernatural shit is that? I’ve never heard of anything like that.” Frustrated, he ran both hands through his hair, making it stick up in different directions. “This night just keeps getting worse and worse.”
I stood up straight. “How’d you find me anyway?”
He showed me the screen to his phone, a map showing a blinking blue dot at the exact spot we stood. He’d tracked me? I swallowed hard. If that was the case, he might know how long I had been in the area.
Nodding, he forced a smile. “Oh yeah. You have some explaining to do.”
I feigned innocence. “What do I need to explain?” I started walking toward the street, but he grabbed me by the shoulder, spinning me around.
“You’ve been at this location for nearly an hour. Why?”
“I was hunting.” I gestured to the body.
Shaking his head, Seth shoved his phone into his pocket. “If you’re lying to me, so help me, we will have a fucking problem.”
Taking a step toward him, I jabbed my finger into his chest. “If you don’t learn to lay the fuck off, we’ll have a problem either way. You don’t have to know all of my business.”
“Is it a man? Did you meet someone?”
“What does it matter to you?” I demanded, placing my hands on my hips.
“It matters because we’re hunting a damn vampire who is trying to kill our family!”
I looked up to the sky, counting to ten. “If he was trying to kill our family, why hasn’t he done it yet?”
Seth opened his mouth, then closed it, frowning. “That’s a good question.”
Throwing my hands into the air, I started back out to the road. The taxi waited, so I let him know I found a ride, paying him money for coming out. When Seth walked over to me, I sighed, feeling exhausted.
“Just think about it, Seth. It looks like this spider bitch is the one taking people out. She uses some kind of webbing to bind their hands and feet, but it disappears. Her fangs pierce the skin just as a vampire’s would. I’m betting if we examine the victims closer, we will find some differences.”
“Well, it doesn’t appear wooden bullets work on her.” He frowned, rubbing his chin.
“Or silver. I had those in my gun.”
Motioning me to follow, Seth headed to his SUV. “We need to do research. Call Will and see what he can find out. I want you to do your own search when we get back to the house, too.”
I groaned. “Can’t we stay in a motel or something?”
He frowned. “Why? Bear has been kind enough to let us stay there.”
“Well, you guys can stay there. I’ll stay in the city.” I climbed into the passenger side, Seth settling in the driver’s seat.
“Jesse pissed you off pretty badly, didn’t he?”
“He tried to force himself on me, Seth. What do you think?”
He chuckled. “I’m shocked he’s not dead.”
I looked at him. Why didn’t I take him out? Was I getting soft? Shaking my head, I glanced out the passenger window. “We would have a war on our hands if we killed a Collins. Plus, I think he got the point.”
“Oh, he definitely will after I speak with him.”
I placed a hand on his arm. “Just let it go. We don’t need problems with one of the families when we have a vampire and a spider woman to deal with.”
“Fine, you can stay in the city, but I think you should take Ruby with you. I don’t like the idea of you being alone with that freaky bitch roaming around.” Seth ignored my glare, trying to show me his word was final.
“No. I will be fine alone.”
“Are you trying to separate yourself from us?” Seth demanded, glancing over at me.
I could tell it was bothering him. His hands gripped the steering wheel and he was probably going ten over the speed limit. Turning away from him, I rubbed my temples to try and stave off an oncoming headache.
“Maybe. We’re always together, Seth. I never get any peace. We always have to do what you say and can never hav
e any freedom. I know Ruby and Blair feel the same. We need to be able to do things on our own, not just in your perfect little bubble. Danger is out there, there’s no denying that, but you can’t protect us all the time. At some point, we need to live our lives.”
“Are you saying you want to hunt on your own?”
Did he just ignore everything I said? I clenched my teeth. “No. But I will stay somewhere without you up my ass. I need some space.”
“You want to be alone with a spider freak running around? That’s ridiculous!”
Maybe, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going back to the house. I pointed to a motel. “I’ll stay there tonight. You can meet me in the morning if you want.”
“We’ll all come to the motel.”
“I want my own room,” I said quickly.
“It costs more money. And it’s better if two of us stay in a room in case something happens.”
Taking a deep breath, I slowly blew it out. “Dude, you need let go a little bit. We must give each other space every once in a while. Deal with it.”
As soon as we came upon the rest of the group at a nearby park, I scrambled out of Seth’s SUV and headed toward mine. Jesse immediately started in my direction, but Troy yanked him back with a glare. They pushed each other several times before Eric stepped between them. Troy must have figured out what happened. Maybe Jesse had done it before.
Ruby and Blair hurried over to the SUV before I could open the door. I sighed. “What?”
Blair crossed her arms over her chest. “We’re going with you.”
“You guys are going to collect our stuff from the house. We’re staying at a motel tonight.” I started to climb into the SUV, frowning at the food wrappers everywhere. Looking at Ruby, I glared, gesturing at the mess.
“I was hungry!” she cried.
“There’s a garbage bag in the back seat for a reason!” I shook my head in disgust. “Now it smells like cake in here.”
“The ones with cream in the middle are freaking delicious! I saved you some.” Ruby nodded at the box on the center console.
Lifting the lid, I looked inside. “There’s only one.”
Shrugging, Ruby placed her hands on her hips. “Helps me keep my curves.”
“Whatever. I’ll see you guys at the motel. And stay away from Jesse.” I gave them a serious look, hoping they realized the gravity of the situation.
Both nodded, understanding. Closing the door, I started up the engine and drove away. Relieved to finally get out of there, I smiled. One more step toward freedom.
Chapter Thirteen
Opening my laptop, I started my search on the cup. I pulled it out of my coat and stared at it, examining the beautiful designs. I was still surprised Cathal gave it to me. It was obvious whatever was going on between us was rocky at best. So why would he gift something so precious to me?
I tried several different keywords to try to find information on the cup, to no avail. Deciding to try looking up Cathal, all I saw were random vampire sites. There were a lot of vampire fans, most of them obviously having no idea they truly existed. Finding one that seemed to be most accurate with its information, I decided to read the short article on Cathal. It told how he was a benevolent king for whom his people were willing to do anything. The day he was changed into a vampire was the day most of them turned their backs on him. At least until they needed him. He defended them until another king came along, forcing him into a dungeon.
Shaking my head, I couldn’t believe the story. It described how they would allow the sun to peek through holes above his cell, his screams echoing through the village. They tried different things to see what would harm him the most.
He’d been tortured for years until a witch came to the prison one day, releasing him. The article didn’t explain how, but before leaving him on his own, she gave him a cup. She said the cup would be given to his true love, who would know all there was to know about the supernatural. Together, they would join forces and become something no one had ever seen before.
Frowning, I searched the website for more information, finding nothing else. What did that mean?
Sighing, I closed my eyes. My siblings were probably already asleep after sending me their usual “made it back” text, which meant I seriously needed to go to bed. But I wanted to learn more. Did he think I was his true love? No way in hell would I become a vampire’s lover.
You almost did.
I slammed the laptop closed, deciding to look up the spider woman when I got up. I would have plenty of time after I rested.
Picking up the cup, I ran my fingers over the designs. Maybe the story was a complete fake. Cathal had been trapped in the cave for so long, he probably believed fairy tales. Or maybe the spider woman got to him.
Shrugging, I shoved the cup back into my jacket and placed it under the bed. I knew I would eventually have to get answers from him.
I crawled under the covers, looking around the room. It was small, but comfortable. The décor was tacky, sixties flowered wallpaper and pea green bedspread, but as long as I was alone for a while, I wasn’t picky. My thoughts wandering to Cathal, I wondered if I would see him again. Part of me wished I would, because he made me feel good. The other part hoped he stayed away, because I didn’t want to fall for a damn vampire.
Turning off the light, I closed my eyes. Just as I did, something brushed my cheek. I sat up, looking around. “Cathal?” I whispered. But there was no answer.
“SO, ANY CREEPY MEN sneak into your room last night?”
Dropping my sandwich, I looked at Ruby, eyes wide. “What?”
Ruby raised her eyebrows. “I was only kidding. What the hell is wrong with you? Did Jesse stop by?”
“Oh.” I picked up my sandwich and took a bite. “No, thank God.”
Blair, Ruby, and I were eating homemade sandwiches outside of a local restaurant. Those were my favorite. I liked fresher foods, not the fast food we were usually forced to eat. Maybe with Seth lightening up a bit, I could enjoy more of the local businesses in the areas we visited.
“Hey, ladies!”
We all glanced over to find Troy walking toward us. I rolled my eyes, taking another bite. When his hands grasped my shoulders, I stiffened and scowled at my sisters, who tried not to giggle.
“What are you doing here?” Blair asked, popping a chip into her mouth.
Troy took a seat next to me, his leg brushing against mine. Then I felt his hand on my thigh, making me jump. These boys were persistent, I’d give them that. Shaking my head, I tried to brush his hand off, but instead, he snagged my hand and intertwined our fingers.
“I decided to leave for a while. Jesse and his dad have been fighting all morning.” He looked at me. “Seth told Bear what happened.” Shaking his head in disapproval, Troy squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry about my cousin. I hope that doesn’t make you think worse of me.”
“Aww, don’t be silly, Troy. You’re the perfect gentleman.” Ruby patted his other hand.
I coughed, grabbing my drink. “Yeah. Perfect gentleman.”
Laughing, Troy squeezed my hand again. “I try. I just love the ladies.”
I shook my head before taking another bite of food. “You can go now, though. We’re having a sisterly lunch.”
Blair shot me a look, brows furrowed. Troy just laughed it off, seemingly liking my crankiness.
I sighed, sitting back in my chair. “Why don’t you order something to eat?” I suggested.
“Good idea.” Troy raised his hand to signal the waitress, who quickly came over to take his order.
I wanted to spend all day in the sun. I was usually a night person, but for some reason, there was something soothing right now about the sun and the slight breeze. Too bad we needed to start hunting again in a few hours. First, I wanted to get back to my motel room and look up some information on that spider woman. I hoped Troy didn’t try to follow me back.
“Seth told us about what you guys saw last night. Are you sure you weren’t ju
st seeing things? I don’t believe anything like a spider woman exists.” Troy accepted his drink from the waitress and took a long drink.
Licking the mayo off my finger, I couldn’t help but grin when Troy’s eyes tracked the movement. “We didn’t imagine it. She even spoke to me. The woman is a fucking spider. We shot at her, but neither silver nor wooden bullets worked.”
“So now we have to worry about both the vampire and her?” Troy exhaled. “We have our plates full.”
“The vampire hasn’t killed anybody,” I pointed out. “All the victims we’ve found are because of this spider.”
“How do you know he’s not making a plan to take us all out at once?” Troy asked. “I don’t see him letting this go.”
Frowning, I grabbed my drink. I really didn’t see him letting it go, either. He told me he wouldn’t kill, but would he really forget about them trapping him inside a cave? Wouldn’t he want some kind of revenge?
I stood. “I have to do some research. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
As I headed to the SUV, glad my sisters decided to wait for Seth, I could hear someone rushing up behind me. I rolled my eyes. The man didn’t give up. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the attention. I wasn’t allowed to have much fun, especially with Seth hanging over my shoulder all the time.
“Demi, wait!” Troy caught up to me just as I opened the door to the SUV.
Turning to face him, I leaned against the vehicle. “Yeah?”
“Do you want company? We can do research, then have a small dinner before we go out to hunt again.”
I opened my mouth to reject him, then closed it. It would be nice to have some company. Somebody I wasn’t related to. Though I had a feeling it might lead to something later. Thinking about Cathal, I sighed. He was a vampire. What better way to forget about something you couldn’t have than by latching onto something you could?
I nodded. “Okay. Follow me back to the motel. Do you have a laptop?”
He grinned. “Yep. I always come prepared.”
“Let’s hope so.” Just as I said those words, my eyes widened slightly when I realized they could have double meaning. Troy chuckled, then jogged back to the restaurant to get his food to-go.