Demigod Down (29 page)

Lorraine just huddled in the corner making
nonsense noises. Why was I always stuck with her when shit hit the
fan?

Lorraine screamed and I turned to see the
baseball bat connect solidly with my head.

Mother fucker.

Nari had me strapped with leather bands to
the plain wooden chair. My wrists bound by my hips, my legs spread,
and secured to each leg. It wasn’t a new torture technique for me
as I watched him through lowered lids.

The blow he had given me was beginning to
wear off, but I wasn’t foolish enough to announce my lucidness. I
made that mistake once, not again.

To my left, I could see the water drops I
could only hear earlier in the large cavern the Loki wanna be had
deemed his liar. The child of the God of Chaos was bent over
reading from a worn text support by an immense stone pedestal.

Behind him there was a four poster bed with
hand carved humans heads with varying facial expressions of love to
pain stacked upon each other. Heavy tapestries enclosed the top
from the cool air in the cave while thick black curtains hung tied
back at each corner.

A groan next to me caused Nari to jerk up
with a wicked grin as he looked beside me. I recognized that
groan.

“What do you want with us?” I asked,
diverting his attention away from Kass. That’s right psycho I am a
much better play toy.

He altered his direction coming towards me,
the dagger in his hands gently resting against his cheek.

“Why my dear girl, information of course,” he
responded, bending at the waist to come even with me. “You are a
divine specimen Olivia, well trained, homicidal, intelligent, and
loyal. I want to know how to make more of you.”

“I don’t know the answer to that,” I spat
out, hating my past being brought up while I was tied up.

“Who created you?” He asked, still toying
with the dagger.

I kept my mouth shut. The less information he
had, the better.

“Oh, come now,” He teased, strolling over to
where Kass was still regaining consciousness and pulling her head
up violently by her spiral hair, pressed the dagger against the
soft flesh in her neck.

The blood drained from my face as I watched
him toy with Kass and her unborn child’s life. The psycho was
nothing if not observant.

“Answer,” he demanded, his voice echoing in
the cavern.

“Selena,” I answered quickly.

His mood changed quickly back into glee as he
released Kass. I felt I could breathe again.

“That wasn’t so hard,” he stated, pulling up
an empty chair to straddle. “Now, where can I find Selena?” He
continued, cleaning his nails with the dagger.

“She is dust,” I replied softly.

“Oh, dear that does portend a problem, who
killed her?”

“I did,” I answered.

“Tell me about Selena,” he commanded, his
eyes never leaving my own.

Shifting as much as I could in the bonds, I
wobbled the chair, testing its strength.

“She was a bitch,” I informed his watchful
face. “A clever, creative, powerful bitch.”

He rested his head against his palm, clearly
waiting for me to elaborate.

“She claimed her start came in the dark ages,
when magic and religion warred for answers, she was born to a
worthless vampire with nothing. She learned from him all she could
of her new lifestyle and killed him eternally once she was finished
with him,” I continued, glad not to be talking about myself.

Nari struck out forcefully an open palm
against my cheek, rocking my head to the side.

“I want to know how she made you,” he growled
at me, slowly sitting back down.

Cracking my neck, I tasted my own blood, as
Kass’ fear skyrocketed. “I was lab created,” I replied. “Succubi
were her favorite pets and she believed with the proper training, a
pure blood, would be the perfect solider.”

“Solider for what?” he asked.

“World domination. She wanted everyone to
kneel to her,” I responded, having heard her rant time and time
again.

“How were you able to defeat a semi-crazed,
elder vampire?” he boomed, clearly stumped.

“Simple,” I whispered through my bloody lip.
“She confused obedience with patience,” I answered, my breathing
ragged.

“I tire of your games, succubus! Answer me!”
he yelled.

“That’s the trick, learning to play the game
better than my enemies. No matter the battle, it’s always the
same,” I answered, leaning heavily against my bonds.

“That is ENOUGH!” He screamed, pulling on his
hair coming at me with the dagger.

One mistake Nari had made in tying me up was
he left my long legs touching the ground. With a groan, I pushed on
the balls of my feet, leaning my body backward to keep from
toppling as I gained height before pushing forcefully with my quads
and landing painfully on my hands and back.

The chair I had been a prisoner in
disintegrated under the pressure, releasing my hands and feet. Nari
was still coming at me, the blade raised high, his eyes unstable I
scrambled to my knees throwing off the leather bands around my
wrists before launching myself into his torso.

He was stronger than before, insanity
heightening his powers and didn’t budge against my weight or
momentum. Rolling away quickly, I avoided the downward thrust of
the blade by inches.

Shit.

“You can’t kill me! I am the son of Loki!” He
announced, holding the wide curved blade high over his head puffing
his chest out.

He was a demigod, I would grant him that, but
he wasn’t the first psychotic child with an overabundance of power
I had killed, nor would he be the last.

Eyes glowing with a mad light, he charged me
again. Light on my aching feet, I braced for him on the edge of the
rock ledge, diving left as the blade went to cut across my torso,
it nipped into the delicate skin of above my hip, cutting deep.

Nari, unable to recognize the limits to his
insanity-fueled fighting, tumbled over, the sword flying away from
him.

Grinding my teeth together, I leapt off after
it, rolling once before I managed to drag my feet underneath me. I
ran to close the distance between myself and the blade, my only way
out of here.

Nari latched onto my ankle twisting it
painfully as I went down to my knees with a grunt, fingers
stretching. I brushed the red leather hilt with just the tips
before I latched onto it, flinging myself to my back and plunging
it into his chest as he clamored on top of me.

My breathing was labored as I watched the
light in his eyes dull out blood sick between our bodies, “No, I am
the son of a God!” He whispered.

“You are also the son of a human,” I reminded
him pushing him and the blade away with my last bit of
strength.

From the side of the caves, I could hear the
shifters fighting to get to us, I considered for a brief moment
just sitting there, but one look at Kass’s back and I changed my
mind hauling myself up, limping on my injured ankle to the rock
ledge, I pulled myself up carefully. I took a brief moment to let
the dizziness of my blood loss equalize before pulling my legs
underneath me.

Freeing her hands first, I sat down as she
rubbed her wrists fighting with my black spotted vision to get her
feet free as well.

“Who is coming?” she hissed at me.

“The shifters.” I told her, releasing her
other ankle as she stood striding closer to the door as two of the
largest lions I had ever seen burst through the cavern walls.

“Darren” Kass whispered as one of them leaped
easily onto the stage nuzzling her close. Falling to her knees, she
wrapped her arms around his neck burring her face deeply as she
cried.

The other lion, Logan sliced off Nari’s head
with a claw, watching it roll across the dirt floor. “We need to
burn the body as well,” I told him as he turned to me, stalking
across the floor he cleared the ledge in one graceful leap. Damn
cats.

He shoved his overgrown nose at the wound in
my side, bleeding freely around my fingers. “Yeah, I know, the
fucker was faster than I thought,” I sighed, “Help me up.”

Logan pushed his head under my ribcage and I
stood, unsteadily, bracing my free hand against his shoulder.

“Come on love birds,” I called to Darren and
Kass as the other shifters filled in, “Let’s get the hell out of
here.”

Kass rubbed her eyes clearing her tears,
“Olie you need to ride Logan,” she informed me sliding easily on
Darren’s wide back.

“Not happening,” I informed her stumbling
along slowly.

“Olivia you are injured, losing blood, and
limping heavily, you will get onto his back now,” she commanded
me.

“You are fucking lucky - all of that is
true,” I muttered looking down at Logan who was looking up at
me.

“Not a word of this, to anyone,” I warned
him.

He chuffed in response, grinning. Carefully I
hoisted myself onto his back and it wasn’t long before I found
myself draped over him as my blood loss took its toll.

Warm blankets wrapped around me as I rushed
into a vehicle and I inhaled a familiar scent. “Blake,” I
whispered, knowing it couldn’t possibly be.

“Easy, Olie.” I heard his voice in my
confused brain. “We are almost to the hospital.”

…

It took me three days to heal and it was an
annoying three days of idleness. I refused to stay at the hospital
and instead ended up parked on Darren and Kass’s couch.

Kass was busying making dinner with the news
turned on while Hannah and I played with her toys.

“Olivia,” She called out, “You have to see
this.”

I padded into the kitchen watching the small
TV she had set up. Governor Hash was being led away in handcuffs
into a police cruiser.

“It is unclear exactly how the Governor was
caught on tape, but this footage shows him hiring the services of a
prostitute and the use of illegal drugs.” The news reporter
announced as grainy night vision footage of Hash and one of
George’s girls filled the screen.

I smiled widely, enjoying the show.

“Grams is going to have a fit,” Kass said,
returning to her cooking.

I shrugged, not making a comment. It couldn’t
have worked out better.

After dinner, I tagged along with them to the
local shifter gathering for the full moon. I was grateful for the
distraction and fresh air.

Kass stood on the edge of the clearing
fidgeting with the hem of her soft shirt. The bump of the baby had
just started to bulge out at ten weeks.

Reaching out, I touched her arm gently. “You
don’t have to do this,” I reminded her.

She exhaled a broken sound, tears
threatening, “Darren thinks it will be good for me to be with the
pack on the full moon,” she said with a shrug.

“You are filling an important role in their
society as a mated pair. I understand his thoughts, but if you
aren’t comfortable, we don’t have to,” I said, wrapping an arm
around her shoulders.

“They’re all so beautiful,” she whispered a
tear escaping down her cheek.

I looked out to catch glimpses of the
shifters chucking their clothing, laughing, and joking under the
full moon glow. Their tan bodies were etched with muscle and not an
ounce of fat on any of them.

“Do you think Darren is only marrying me for
the baby?” she asked softly, turning toward me.

Shock blasted through my system, “He better
not be,” I answered before I remembered myself. “Why would you say
that?” I asked, trying to get myself together.

She shrugged, “Everyone keeps saying that
behind my back.”

“Who?” I asked.

Kass smiled, “You can’t kill them, Olie,” she
reminded me.

“HA, watch me,” I answered, wishing I had
more than my silver knives hidden.

“You really are my best friend,” She said
leaning her head against my shoulder, soft tears shedding from her
eyes, “Not even Darren would offer to kill someone for talking
trash.”

“Yes, but he also far more stable than I am,”
I informed her.

She shrugged, “Who the hell needs
stable?”

“I never seemed to,” I admitted, holding her
close. The interaction was foreign to me, I cared for Kass and her
wellbeing. I knew being a shifter/succubus pair was a difficult
road, but I would stand beside them each and every step of the way.
She was happy and maybe in some long dark corner of my heart, I
thought someday I could have that same happiness.

My mind drifted to Blake and I wished he was
here, but two succubi, shifters, and a vampire was probably a bad
combination.

“Do you love him?” I asked, softly hearing
the same question echoed in my own heart.

“Yes,” she answered easily.

“Does he make you feel loved?” I asked,
rocking her gently.

“Always,” she answered pulling away to dry
her eyes.

I shrugged. “Then fuck the haters,” I said
with a smile.

She nodded. “Let’s get by the fire I am
freezing,” I told her moving toward the group of shifters, who
honestly had probably just heard everything we had said, at least
from the way Darren approached us in only a pair of low slung sweat
pants, he had.

Wrapping Kass in his arms, he kissed her
deeply cradling her face with his palm before whispering something
too low for my hearing.

Settling on a log, a naked shifter plopped
ungracefully next to me, stretching out. “Alec,” I greeted him with
a smile on my lips.

“Hey Olie, didn’t know you were out here
tonight,” he said, clearly unperturbed by his nudity.

“Kass needs some moral support with you
hippies,” I answered, trying not to laugh.

“What? Are we that terrible to look at?” He
said standing, putting his packing at my eye level.

Covering my eyes, I laughed. He plopped down
next to me again. “Seriously not cool to laugh at that move,” he
scolded me.