Author: N. L. Hoffmann
Category: Vampires
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/n-l-hoffmann/page,10,534269-demis_at_stake.html
I frowned, shaking my head. I needed someone with no strings attached. Glancing over at Troy one more time, I smiled. He’d be perfect.
TROY SAT AT THE TABLE and opened his laptop. Just as I did the same thing, a knock sounded. Glancing at him, I headed toward the door, swinging it open. Seth frowned when he caught sight of who I had in my room.
“You sure this is a good idea?” he asked me softly.
“I’m a grown ass woman, Seth.” I felt a sense of déjà vu. I knew we had been through this already. Would he ever get it? “Plus, we’re just researching the spider.”
“Sure.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the doorframe. “I came to tell you we won’t be hunting tonight. If a body pops up, me and one of the girls will go in as investigators to gather information. Hopefully they’ll include us in on what they find.”
“I want to go!” I glared at him. “You know I’m the best actress.”
Seth looked away. “I think Blair can pull it off better.”
“She doesn’t even look like a cop.”
“Neither do you. Plus, last time you got my fake last name wrong and the cop became suspicious. I don’t need any more mistakes like that. Blair is good with details. Unfortunately, you’re not.”
My shoulders slumped. “Fine, but don’t keep me out of the loop.”
“Of course not. I’m not like you.” He grinned and jumped out of the way when I tried to punch him. “Make sure you do some research on this spider creature. No goofing off.” He raised an eyebrow, pointing at me. “I’m serious, Demi.”
I saluted him. “Yes, sir!”
Shaking his head, Seth started up the walkway to his motel room. After he disappeared through his door, I closed mine and turned to Troy.
“Let’s get down to business.”
“I already–”
I cut Troy off by straddling his lap.
He looked at me, surprised, placing his hands on my hips. “Well, hello there. I thought we were going to research?”
Starting to stand, I said, “Well, if you’d rather–”
Jerking me back down, he shook his head. “Hell no.” Then his mouth crashed into mine, devouring me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, moving my hips against him.
This was exactly what I needed. No thinking about Cathal. No responsibility. Just fun.
I bit down on his lip, sweeping my tongue over it to soothe the temporary pain. Troy tugged off my jacket, dropping it to the floor. I moaned when his hands went under my shirt, fingers skimming over my skin.
I pushed my hands under his shirt, feeling the hard muscle beneath. Eager to feel more of him, I yanked up his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it to the floor. He followed, doing the same with mine. I pressed my breasts against his chest, enjoying the feel of the contact. I reached for the clasp of my bra, but he grasped my hand.
“Let me,” he murmured. Just as he placed his fingers on it, there was a loud knock.
I threw back my head. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Troy kissed my chest. “We have all day, honey.”
I climbed off and grabbed my shirt. Pulling it back on, I walked to the door, swung it open...and came face to face with a very angry looking Cathal.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I accidently backed into your SUV. Would you mind coming outside to trade insurance information?” he asked through clenched teeth.
I glanced back at Troy, who was pulling on his shirt. “Troy, I’ll be back. This will only take a second.”
“Want me to come out there with you?”
Shaking my head, I smiled. “No. I’ve got this. Go ahead and start the research.”
Closing the door behind me, I stepped outside. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I growled. “They could see you.”
“I’m just a stranger who hit your vehicle.” Cathal shrugged, leading the way.
When I walked around my SUV, I saw a Lexus backed right into it. “I thought you couldn’t drive?” I gestured to my SUV. “I can’t believe this. Why did you do that?”
Cathal frowned. “I had to do something to stop you. How could you do that to me?”
“How the hell did you get a car?” I couldn’t believe he smashed into my SUV to stop Troy and me from having sex.
“I can convince anyone to do anything. I learned some tricks today. My driving is impeccable.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe you.” I pointed to his car. “You’d better move it before Seth sees it. I’m surprised he hasn’t come out already to find out what’s happening.”
“Your brother?”
“Yeah... How’d you know?”
“I know all the families.” He walked to the driver’s side and climbed in. He put it into reverse again, pushing into the SUV. I winced and started to shout to tell him to stop, but he popped it into drive, parking it in the spot next to me. When he walked back over, he motioned me to follow him around to the other side of the SUV.
Curious, I followed, surprised when he grasped my arms and pressed me up against the vehicle. “You are not to do anything with him.”
I scowled, jabbing my finger into his chest. “I can do what I want. I don’t need your permission. You’re a vampire. I’m a hunter. We can’t be together.”
He looked down at my finger. “Better watch yourself. We may be different, but I always get my way.”
“Just because some witch says some strange things about a cup and true love doesn’t mean it’s fact,” I snapped. “You’ve been in that cave for far too long, dreaming up fairy tales.”
Slamming a hand against the SUV, he leaned toward me. “Don’t forget who put me there. You’re lucky I’m letting you live.”
“No one asked you to!”
Cathal growled, slamming his hand against the SUV again. His lips were barely an inch from mine. “Do not test me. I don’t want you with that man.”
I closed my eyes, confident he was about to kiss me, but he suddenly jerked back, raising his voice a little.
“I do apologize for hitting your vehicle. Just call my assistant and we’ll get the damage sorted out.” He handed me a card.
Glancing down at it, I looked up at him in surprise just as Troy walked around the corner. Taking it, I nodded. “Th-thanks. Accidents happen, but as long as it gets taken care of, it won’t be a big deal.”
“Thanks, Ms. King.” He turned to walk away, glancing back once before climbing into the Lexus and driving away.
“Everything okay?” Troy asked.
I glanced up at him and smiled. “Yep. Peachy.”
Chapter Fourteen
We didn’t learn as much information on the jorōgumo as I had hoped for. The name was so complicated to say that I just kept referring to her as the “spider woman”. It was easier, and Troy was less confused by that.
Yawning, I stretched and closed my eyes. They were starting to burn. I was actually ready for a nap, but that would probably encourage Troy. Now that Cathal had made his point, in a slightly scary way, I didn’t know if I should push his buttons. It annoyed me the vampire was trying to control my personal life. On the other hand, it also pleased me to see his jealousy. It was a major turn-on, and I wanted to go find him. But then what?
Shit, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t about to betray my family by sleeping with the enemy.
Looking down, I scanned my notes. Japanese folklore said the jorōgumo was a spider that had the ability to change into a woman in order to seduce men and feed on them. When I called Will, he said there were no cases in the United States that were similar to the dead bodies we had found. He did find some overseas, but that stopped sometime in the 1800’s. Around the same time Cathal was imprisoned in the cave. How had she managed to get trapped in there with him?
Shaking my head, I ran my fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp. If she were in the cave, why did she wait so long to reveal herself to him? He made it sound like he’d been in there quite som
e time before she appeared. Maybe she was afraid? But that didn’t make any sense. If she was hungry, why didn’t she feed off him? Why was she taking so many lives now when she’d survived so long in the cave without food? She was a spider. Did she eat bugs?
“Getting a headache?” Troy asked.
Nodding, I forced a smile. “I think I need a nap.”
“You know what else helps with headaches?” He waggled his eyebrows.
I laughed, standing. “I think the mood has passed. I wouldn’t be much fun right now,” I lied, walking over to the bed.
Troy got up to follow me. When I glanced over my shoulder, he raised his hands. “I’m only going to lay with you. I promise not to touch. Much.”
Sighing, I untied my boots and kicked them off. I crawled into bed. Troy followed, wrapping his arms around me so I could place my head on his chest. This was okay, right? We weren’t going to do anything else. Taking a deep breath, I let sleep take over.
SPIDERS EVERYWHERE. Crawling all over me. I stifled a scream, shaking my body to get them off, but they just kept coming. Then I saw a large one. It slowly walked in my direction, all her eyes glowing yellow. I was backed into a corner with no place to run.
“My babies seem to like you,” she whispered, coming closer, fangs large and moving as she spoke.
“Get them off me!” I shouted, grabbing handfuls of them and throwing them to the ground.
She changed into the woman, as if trying to provide me some kind of comfort. Her hand swept out and the spiders turned, scrambling toward her. She bent down, allowing them to crawl up on her. “They wouldn’t hurt you without my command.”
“Why am I here?”
Ming-Na shrugged. “We needed to talk without weapons involved.” She frowned. “I have done nothing to you, yet you’re determined to destroy me.”
“You’re killing people. We can’t allow that.”
“They are men. They allow themselves to succumb to temptation. I present myself as a whore and they willingly come to me. What fault is it of mine if they decide to follow the path of evil?”
“So you agree that what you’re doing is wrong?”
She shrugged again. “I’ve come to warn you off. If you attempt to stop me, you will all die. I don’t normally feed on women, but in the end, you all taste the same. Don’t expect your vampire to stop me, either. He has his own agenda, and that does not include having to deal with me.”
Changing back into her spider form, Ming-Na started scrambling toward me, her little pets riding on her back. I backed up against the wall, closing my eyes and screaming.
“DEMI! WAKE UP.”
Shooting up in bed, I frantically wiped at my arms, my legs, my face, trying to get the spiders off me. I jumped out, looking around, shivering. “Where are they? Where are the spiders?”
Troy looked at me, brows furrowed. “Honey, there are no spiders. You were having a bad dream.”
Panting, I walked over to where he stood at the end of the bed, gripping his shirt. “She says if we don’t stop hunting her, everyone will die.”
Stroking my hair, Troy pulled me in for a hug. “It was just a dream. And even if it weren’t, hunters have always been threatened. This is no different.”
When I looked up at him, he smiled and kissed me softly. Pulling away, I shook my head, remembering what Cathal had told me.
“I can’t. The dream was so real, Troy. We need to take this seriously.”
He sat down on the bed heavily. “We are taking it seriously. What else do you want to do?”
I hugged myself, still feeling like the spiders were all over my body. Staring at him, I said, “We need to find the weapon that kills her.”
AN HOUR LATER, TROY left. He offered to stay, but I told him I was just going to lay down and watch TV for a while. The dream scared the shit out of me, and I didn’t like anyone seeing me vulnerable. Especially him. I knew he just wanted to provide comfort, but if he stayed, we might do something I would regret later. Not that I should regret it, because Cathal and I were not together. I just had to keep reminding myself of that. I owed him nothing.
After flipping channels off and on for an hour, there was a knock. Seth stood there, looking angry. I yawned, debating if I wanted to get into whatever was on his mind. Before I could say something snarky, he pushed his way into the room, hands on his hips as he began to pace.
“Who hit the SUV?” he finally asked.
I stared at him blankly, confused at first. Then I remembered. “Uh, I don’t know,” I offered, trying to feign innocence.
“Someone hit my car and ran off. Unfortunately, the motel’s cameras are just for show, so there’s nothing on video.” He threw his hands into the air. “I can’t deal with a repair job right now. We have so much other shit on our plate.”
“Seth, fixing it can wait. It’s just a dent.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. He actually shook with anger. The SUVs were the first things we bought as hunters, so they were his babies. It took him a while to even agree we could drive one.
“I guess.” He sighed heavily, looking down at the floor.
“Good.” I smiled at him, but it soon fell away when he jerked his head up.
“I’ll get estimates tomorrow.” He nodded “Yep. That’s what I’ll do.” He walked back to the door. “Oh yeah. I meant to ask if you wanted some food.”
When I shook my head, he barely spared me another glance as he walked out. I blew out a breath. If he found out Cathal did the damage to his SUV, he would flip. Especially because I already knew about it.
Taking a quick shower, I changed into a pair of boxer shorts and a tank top. Lying down and watching some reality TV sounded like a good idea. I sat down in bed, flipping through the channels.
“Something is wrong.”
Shooting up, I grabbed the stake on the nightstand next to me. Relaxing when I saw Cathal, I dropped the stake onto the bed. “What do you want?” I asked, focusing back on the TV as I sat back down.
“I want to talk.”
“I’m surprised it took you so long to show up. Troy left two hours ago.” I glanced at him, noticing he wore a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. I’d only seen him in suits, so I liked this casual look. I was tempted to put my hands all over him, but I stayed where I was, refusing to give in to the vampire.
Cathal ran a hand through his hair, looking away from me. “I started to, but your brother knocked on your door. I chose to wait, just in case.”
“Did you drive here?” I asked.
“No. I didn’t want them to notice my vehicle.”
I sighed. “Just say what’s on your mind, Cathal. I’m tired of playing games.”
“You seem a little off. Something has changed in you, and I’m not sure how to respond.”
“I had a nightmare about the jorōgumo. She told me you won’t help me destroy her. Is that true?” Was that what bothered me the most? The fact that he wouldn’t be there for me when I needed him? I stood, crossing my arms. “Well?”
Cathal pulled out a chair and sat. He clasped his hands together and looked at me warily. “We made a truce, but if it came down to you and her, I would choose you.”
Relieved, I found myself walking to him, then stopped several feet away. “You won’t help us track her?”
He shook his head. “I cannot. The truce doesn’t allow it.”
Raking my hands through my hair, I growled. “Why won’t you help me? I need you, Cathal. You can find her when we can’t. We have to stop her before she kills more people.”
“Your people still hunt me. Why should I help?”
“Because she will eventually try to kill all the hunter families, which includes me. She warned me off in a dream, but it felt real.”
“Sometimes dreams have that effect.”
I glared. “Do you really think she’ll stand still while I try to kill her? The bitch is going to come at me with all she has.”
Clenching his fists, Cathal’s eyes sparked with anger. “I r
efuse to help the people who placed me in that cave.”
“So you won’t help me?”
“I won’t allow her kill you, either.”
Taking a deep breath, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “How will you stop her?”
Face red, nostrils flaring, he stood up. “If you would just drink from the damn cup, we wouldn’t have this dilemma! You would have all the information you’d need. You wouldn’t need me to save you.”
Looking at my jacket on the floor, I walked to it. The cup was still there. Relieved, I wrapped it back up and shoved it under my bed. “I told you I won’t drink vampire’s blood. Did you also forget you tasted mine just recently?”
He shrugged. “It should be out of my system by now. I’ve had more since.”
I looked away. Just thinking about him feeding on other people pissed me off. “Are they alive?”
Cathal laughed. “The only people I have plans to kill are the ones who placed me in that cave.”
I gasped. “I thought you said you wouldn’t kill again?”
“You expect me to go on as if it never happened? They want to put me right back in there. As do you!” He gestured at me angrily. “I don’t even know why I’m here. Why the hell do I want you, Demi? Why must I be with you? Why can’t I stay away?” he demanded, walking closer.
“Because you have some twisted sense of romance in your head. You believe what this witch told you so long ago. For some fucked-up reason, you think I’m this person who will drink from the cup and be yours forever.” I wanted to shake him until he came back to reality. “News flash. This is life. Love doesn’t exist for me. It’s a waste of time. A good way to avoid being disappointed is to never expect a happily ever after.”
Cathal shook his head. “You’re so damaged. How can you believe such a thing? Love is real. People experience it every day.”
“Just like they do broken hearts. I’ll avoid that disappointment at all costs, thank you very much.”