Author: N. L. Hoffmann
Category: Vampires
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/n-l-hoffmann/page,11,534269-demis_at_stake.html
“Drink from the damn cup, Demi. It will solve your problems.”
“You just hope what the witch told you is true.”
He shrugged. “Maybe I do. I’ve lived a long time and have seen love grow between people. For many years, I’ve wished the same thing for myself, but I never found the one who was worthy of that cup...until now. Demi, you’re the one.” He touched the side of my face, staring into my eyes. “I can feel it in here.” He hit his chest with his fist.
“There’s something wrong with you,” I whispered, not moving away.
Pulling me into his arms, he lowered his mouth to mine for a gentle kiss. “I guess that’s why we are perfect for each other. There’s something wrong with you, as well.”
I laughed. “How romantic.” I slid my fingers through his hair. “This is wrong on so many levels and might get me disowned by my family.”
“Do you think I want this? Do you think I want to fall for someone who’s a member of the very family that took away so many years of my life?”
“I was adopted.”
“What?”
I pulled away from him. “I was adopted. We all were.”
Cathal frowned. “They lied to you?” At my furrowed brow, he sighed. “Your brother and sisters are adopted, but technically, you aren’t. Your adoptive mother is your aunt. I had my assistant help me discover this information. I sensed something was off about your siblings. When she investigated, she discovered you came from the same foster home. Your real mother, your adoptive mother’s sister, placed you up for adoption the very day you were born. Years later, your aunt decided to look for you. When she discovered where you were, she chose to adopt all of you.”
Shaking my head, I glared at him, pushing him away. “That’s a lie.”
“Why would I lie to you?”
“Why the fuck would she hide this from me? It doesn’t make any sense!”
He shrugged. “That’s something you’d have to ask her.”
Shit. Like she would be lucid enough to answer questions.
“Or your mother. She may be able to help you.”
I swung my eyes to his. “She died years ago.”
“She’s alive, Demi.”
I gasp, my hands flying up to my mouth. “No... You have to be lying.”
“I’m not. If you don’t believe me, I will take you to her myself.”
I began to pace the room, trying to sort through the information in my brain. This couldn’t be true. Did Seth know? Wouldn’t he have said something? I didn’t know. I wanted to find out, but I had to be sure what Cathal said was true. I couldn’t confront my brother without one, getting all the facts, and two, revealing the source of my information.
I sighed. “You know, ever since you’ve come into my life, everything has been upside down. Why couldn’t you have just left me alone?”
Cathal opened his mouth, then closed it. He reached out for me, but I stepped away. “Truthfully, I planned on killing you the first night I saw you, but I couldn’t. There’s something about you that prevents me from doing so.” Shaking his head, he held his hands out to his sides helplessly. “My life feels better with you in it, even though you fight me. I feel like something has changed for the better.”
Rolling my eyes, I leaned against the wall behind me. “Sounds like you’re talking about love again, Cathal.”
“If you would stop fighting me, you would see! You’re so hardheaded. I know you feel the pull between us.” When I opened my mouth to respond, he shook his head. “Don’t you dare lie to me.”
Huffing out, I looked away from his penetrating gaze. “It’s all wishful thinking.”
Walking over to me, he brushed the side of my face with his knuckles. “It’s true. Don’t fight me anymore, Demi.”
Chapter Fifteen
Looking up at Cathal, I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what it would be like if I just let everything happen. What if we did become lovers? Would my family hate me forever? Did Cathal have bad intentions? Was this a trick to get me to drink his blood so he could control me?
Fear clenched my heart. No matter what, I didn’t see a favorable outcome. I couldn’t risk everything on the possibility of this becoming something more. Something real.
Shaking my head, I sighed. “It’s too big a risk, Cathal.”
Slumping his shoulders in defeat, he nodded. “Then I won’t bother you any longer.”
I grabbed his arm, staring up into his handsome face. He lowered his head, pressing his lips to mine. I sighed, my eyes closed, as he pulled away.
“I want to see my mother,” I whispered.
He wrapped his arms around me. It suddenly felt like I was flying through darkness, clutching onto Cathal’s neck for dear life. He was obviously a lot more powerful than I gave him credit for.
When we reappeared, I stumbled on my weakened legs. He reached out to steady me as I took a deep breath. We were no longer near the mountains. Judging by the smell of salt in the air and the sound of waves, we were somewhere near an ocean.
Cathal took my hand, leading me out from behind a building. “Where are we?” I asked.
“Miami,” he replied, stopping in front of the building.
I looked up at the sign, seeing it was a bar. Music spilled out of the open door. It was crowded, everyone laughing, some dancing. Women were dressed in skimpy clothing, drinking, as the men leered, probably waiting for their opportunity to take advantage of one. I shook my head, disgusted. I’d been in far worse places when hunting, but I wasn’t in the mood for it tonight. Though I had a feeling there was a reason he brought me here.
Pushing through the crowd and finding one open spot at the bar, Cathal motioned me to sit. He looked more at home here than he did at the café. The vampire knew how to adapt. I guessed that was what happened when you lived for so many years.
The bartender came over to us, batting her eyelashes at Cathal, completely ignoring me. But I didn’t blame her. I was still dressed in my boxer shorts and tank top. I knew I really looked out of place.
“What can I get you, honey?”
Cathal looked at me, raising his eyebrows.
“Just a beer,” I told him, turning on my barstool to scan the area. I just couldn’t shut off the hunter in me.
When our drinks arrived, Cathal took a sip of his, which looked like whiskey. “Your mother’s one of the waitresses.” He nodded to a woman with dark hair, who laughed at something one of the patrons said. She didn’t even look the right age.
“She’s the same age as I am. That’s not my mother.”
He leaned over to whisper into my ear. “She’s a vampire, Demi.”
Eyes wide, I took a huge gulp of beer. I couldn’t believe what he was telling me. Would he go to any lengths to get me into bed? “How do you know?” I challenged.
He raised is eyebrows at me. “Take a look at her. It’s obvious you get your looks from her.”
Just as she turned around, I felt like I was looking into a mirror. “Wow...” When I started to get up, he grabbed my arm.
“Let her see us first.”
“But how will she know?”
“Believe me, she will know.”
Just as he said that, my mother glanced over and made eye contact. She froze, ignoring the customers calling out to her. With a frown, she strode up to us, looking at Cathal with narrowed eyes.
“Why have you brought her here?”
Surprised, I looked at Cathal, not realizing they already knew each other. He took a sip of his drink and shrugged. “Cynthia, she deserves to know her real mother. Living all these years with only knowing the lie your sister told her...” He shook his head in disappointment.
“I asked you not tell her for her own safety. Now they’ll know she exists.”
“Who?” I asked, finally finding my voice. I knew I probably should have been surprised she didn’t want to see me, but shockingly, the rejection didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. Was I disappointed? Yes, but what co
uld I do?
My mother looked at me, shaking her head. “People you don’t want to know.”
I raised my chin defiantly. “I can handle myself.”
“These vampires are old. Ones I used to hunt before I became pregnant with you. I managed to go into hiding for the duration of the pregnancy. After you were born and I put you into foster care, I disappeared, hoping to lure them away. They caught up to me eventually and changed me into this...” She snarled and looked down at herself, “blood-sucking monster.”
Cathal sighed. “It’s not that bad. You’re immortal.”
“I live to make sure my daughter stays safe.”
“She’s a hunter. She’s hardly ever safe.” Cathal motioned for the bartender to bring him another drink.
“But now you’ve put her at risk. If they come to spy on me, they’ll figure out who she is.”
Looking between her and Cathal, I asked, “How do you two know each other?”
“The better question is why in the hell are you hanging out with a vampire? You should have tried to kill him already. I would have...if he wasn’t stronger than me.”
“So I’m guessing you don’t know who he really is.” I wondered if she was told the story my mother knew.
Hell, what did I call her now? My mother? My aunt?
“Just another vampire who doesn’t know how to mind his damn business,” Cynthia growled angrily, her fangs revealing themselves. People would eventually begin to see the tension between us, and I couldn’t let that happen.
“Maybe we should talk somewhere more private? When do you get off work?” I asked, grabbing my beer.
She looked at her watch. “In about thirty minutes.”
Nodding, I spun around in my barstool toward the bar. “Well, we’ll talk when you’re done.”
Frowning at my distant response, she nodded. “Fine.”
After she walked away, I turned to Cathal. “We shouldn’t have bothered her at work.”
He shrugged. “She deserves much worse for abandoning you.”
Shrugging, I looked around the bar, impressed. It was nicer than the bars back home. If I lived in Miami, I would probably visit the place almost every night. It was busy and possibly had great food. Feeling my stomach rumble, I debated if I should order something while we waited.
Cathal, obviously hearing my stomach protesting, raised an eyebrow. “Let’s see if the kitchen is open, shall we?” He motioned for the bartender and asked. She nodded and reached for a menu, handing it to me before she walked away to help another customer.
“Everything looks good,” I groaned, my mouth watering. Deciding on a burger, Cathal ordered it for me. It was kind of weird being out with him, almost as if we’d done it before. I felt comfortable in his presence, even laughing every once in a while. His hand slid up my bare thigh, which sent shivers through my body.
I drank the rest of my beer and set the empty glass back down. Another one sounded like a good idea. As if reading my mind, Cathal motioned to the bartender. Laughing, I turned in my barstool and leaned back on the bar, my elbows resting on the edge. It felt good to be out, not a care in the world. The last time I actually went to a bar to have fun was when I turned twenty-one.
Feeling more at ease, I leaned against Cathal and sighed. “This is great. I’m so glad you brought me here. Well, to the bar. Not sure about my mother yet.”
Cathal kissed the top of my head and ran a hand down my back. “Me, too. Now, eat.”
I turned back around, seeing the bartender setting a plate down in front of me. Lifting the burger to my mouth, I took a large bite, humming my approval. It tasted amazing.
I swallowed, then took a drink of my beer. “I could do this every night.”
“When you’re done, we can leave,” Cynthia said, coming up to us.
Nodding, I hurried through my burger and beer. After Cathal paid, we left, strolling down to the beach. I took a deep breath, digging my toes into the soft sand.
“I like this. This is great.”
Cynthia lit up a cigarette, nodding. “To a point...until you get to know all the monsters that crawl through this city.” She took a drag, blowing out the smoke. “I can’t believe you came here with a vampire. My daughter is a hunter who hangs out with a bloodsucker.” She glanced around, suddenly nervous, as if sensing something. “This is a bad idea. You have to leave.” She turned to head back to the bar.
I grabbed her arm before she could get too far. It was amazing how much we looked alike. Her hair was long, like mine, but it had more wave to it. She had darker, wider eyes. We could have been sisters.
Taking a deep breath, I dropped my hand. “What are you so scared of?”
“This isn’t a good night for this conversation.” She turned and walked off, yelling over her shoulder, “Come back in two days, but meet me after this place closes.” She disappeared into the crowd.
I turned to Cathal, my mouth hanging open. “What the hell? We just got here. She’s just going to blow me off?” Angry, I grabbed his hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I think she’s trying to protect you. Something strange is in the air. I can sense others nearby. Other vampires.”
“I’m sick of people trying to protect me. I can decide things for myself.”
With a sigh, Cathal wrapped an arm around me, tucking my head into his shoulder, whisking us back to Denver and my motel room.
I would never get over my amazement about how he could do that. It had me wondering just how many vampires we missed because of that ability. The younger ones weren’t able to do much, but Cathal had me worrying we missed a lot of the old ones.
Pulling away from him, I ran a hand through my hair. “Thanks for taking me to see her, even though it was a complete waste of time.”
He got a distant look in his eyes. “We should probably look into her situation further. Something seems very wrong.”
“You think? She basically blew us off because she’s paranoid.”
Cathal shook his head. “We were being watched.”
Frowning, my apprehension began to ramp up. “Should be go back to help her?”
He shook his head. “No. We will return in two days.”
“What if they attack her? What if something happens?” I started pacing.
Cathal sighed. “We must do as she asks, Demi. She knows her situation better than we do. If staying away for two days makes things easier to deal with, that is what we’ll do.” He glanced at the door. “Your brother is coming. I will see you later.”
“Wait!”
But he was already gone.
Annoyed when Seth knocked on the door, I stomped to it and flung it open. He opened his mouth, shutting it when he saw the expression on my face.
“What’s wrong?” He eyed me carefully.
“You’re disturbing my sleep.” I crossed my arms over my chest, looking past him, then to the right and left of the door. I felt Cathal and I weren’t finished. There was more we had to say to each other, but I didn’t know what.
“Franny was attacked by a vampire claiming to be the one from the cave. Get dressed.” Seth turned to head back to his room. “And get rid of the attitude. No one wants to deal with it tonight.”
Closing the door, I hurried to change. Cathal couldn’t have attacked Franny...could he? When did it happen? Before he came to see me? My hands shook as I threw on clothes. I didn’t want to believe he still planned the families’ deaths.
But he wanted revenge, and I needed to face facts. Cathal would always be a killer.
Chapter Sixteen
We had to drive out to the house in order to find out all the details on Franny’s attack. I groaned when it came into view. Seth shot me a look that warned me to behave. I didn’t know if I could promise that. Knowing what that family was up to, I wanted to tell Seth all the dirty details. Unfortunately, I couldn’t because the reason I knew anything at all was due to Cathal!
Feeling my anxiety level rising, I had to calm down.
If I didn’t, I would snap someone’s neck. Taking a deep breath, I looked at the house as we pulled up out front. The door opened, Bear and Jesse standing there. I scowled.
Seth grabbed my arm before I could climb out of the car. “I know you want to kill Jesse, but try to stay calm, okay? His father is dealing with it.”
“He deserves to have his balls cut off.”
Ruby and Blair leaned forward, both agreeing. “Since when do you hold back, Seth?” Ruby asked, eyeing him. “Especially when it comes to one of us.”
Sighing, Seth opened his door. “We need them.”
“Not really. I think they’re up to something. I feel like we’ve only gotten half the story from them. Like they know something we don’t.”
“I think you’re paranoid.” Seth looked out the windshield, frowning. “Let’s go.”
Stepping out of the car, I waved to Bear, who responded in kind. He motioned for us to come into the house, so we followed him to the living room where Franny lay on the couch. She turned to us and glared.
“I told you not to invite everyone. I’m not some circus attraction.”
Jesse came in behind us, staring at his sister. He appeared to be annoyed. “Like I said, they need to know the details.”
“A phone call would have sufficed,” she snapped as she sat up, hand to her throat, a bandage underneath it.
Eric stood behind the couch, hands gripping the back of it. “When I find that bloodsucker, he’ll pay for what he’s done. Luckily, we were able to scare him off.”
“I highly doubt you scared him off.” I pressed my lips together, immediately regretting my words. “I mean, the vampire just seems to be the type who has no problem fighting off more than one person. If he were out to kill us, he would have just taken out all of you.”
Bear pointed a finger at me. “I’m glad you see this as no big deal, missy. My daughter was attacked by him.”
“How do you know it was him?” I asked.
Seth scowled at me. I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I just want to make sure you have the right guy. Maybe there’s another one causing trouble.”