Demigod Down (6 page)

He was just as comfortable here as he was in
the kitchen, relaxed and in control as I slid into the steel-framed
chair behind the glass and metal desk.

“This will only take a moment.” Alfie said
behind his desk, absorbed in adjusting his electronics.

True to his word, I was out and headed toward
the manor, on time. Shocking.

Parking in the circle driveway, I checked my
knives before heading toward Jerry and Kass on the manors
steps.

“Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle, are you
actually on time?” Jerry asked.

“Ha.” I informed him, hugging him in
greeting.

Rubbing his hands together, he grinned
foolishly. “I do love taking you shopping, Olivia.”

I grunted a reply as I slipped into the back
seat, giving Kass the front.

“Kass, is moving in with someone really a
huge big, monumental deal?” I asked, leaning between the seats,
living dangerously without my seat belt.

“Typically.” She said guardedly. “Why?”

“Something Luke said, that moving in together
was followed by marriage and kids.” I muttered, cracking my neck
uncomfortably.

“I think that is true in the traditional
sense, but nothing about you is traditional, Olivia,” Jerry chimed
in.

“Why?” I asked without thinking, “You know
what? Never mind, I actually don’t want the answer to that
question.”

Jerry cleared his throat and Kass shifted,
“So weddings are themed usually, right?” I asked, changing the
topic.

Kass picked up the topic change easily, “Yes,
you are going to be wearing eggplant.”

“The vegetable?” I asked with a raised
eyebrow.

“No,” she said laughing, “the color.”

“We should probably change your hair color,”
Jerry said, analyzing me in the rear view mirror.

“Maybe I could match the dress.” I offered
helpfully.

Kass shrugged her shoulder stiffening, “Or
not.” I amended, it was going to be a long damn day.

We were in our third store and I had lost
count of how many dresses I had shoved my curvy figure into.

We were all losing patience when the
saleswoman came back with a dress Kass instantly said “no” to.

“Just have her try it on dear. I think
everyone will agree on this one,” she said, her smile strained.

“Fine,” Kass accepted reluctantly.

Stepping carefully off the stage into the
dressing room, the sales lady pulled the curtain as I shimmied out
of the latest nightmare of a dress and into the silk plum dress she
had in front of me. She was right. I did like it.

The slit up the side stopped just blow my hip
giving me plenty of room to run or fight and with the sleeveless
top cut low in the front that wouldn’t hinder my upper body
movement at all.

Hauling myself out of the dressing room, I
watched Kass’s eye me warily. “I like it,” I said, trying to fend
off a fight. We needed to feed her fast.

Huffing, she shoved herself up, coming to
pull at the fabric that sat at my natural waist. “The slit is
really high, Olie,” she said, rubbing her neck. “What if you flash
someone?”.

I laughed. I said, “If I do than it’s because
I am attacking or being attacked.”

Her look of horror had me regretting those
words instantly and I said quickly, “Which will not be happening at
your wedding.” The sales lady drifted away as Kass stared daggers
at me.

“I’ll think about it,” she huffed, “Get
dressed. I am starving.” She gathered her things.

I was halfway out of the dress before I made
it to the fitting room, not bothering to pull the curtain.
“Olivia!” Jerry hissed at me.

“What?” I asked, shoving my arms through my
top before buttoning my jeans and throwing my shoes on.

“Not everyone wants to see all of you,” he
reprimanded me.

I shrugged. Shame about my naked body was
something I had drilled out of me from a young age. I forgot others
didn’t.

“Come on,” I said, happy to be fleeing the
dress shop, “Let’s eat!”

Interlocking my arm with Kass, I patted her
hand as we walked over to a sandwich shop in the same parking lot.
“I’m sorry to be a pain, I am certain we will find something,” I
said. She rested her head on my shoulder with a sigh.

I waited to spring my second question about
relationships until Kass had eaten her full. “Is it wrong if I spy
on Blake?”

Kass’s eyes narrowed as Jerry looked between
the two of us, “Why?’ she asked warily.

“He’s in trouble, but he won’t tell me what’s
going on. He won’t let me help,” I said, sadly shrugging.

“Did you offer to help?” Kass asked.

“Yes,” I said with a shrug.

“What did he say?” Jerry asked, leaning
forward.

I sighed, “No.”

“Leave it at that,” Kass warned me.

I looked to Jerry for his opinion. “I’d spy
on him.” he said honestly. “But to answer your question, most would
find it morally repugnant to spy on your significant other.”

“Unless you thought he was cheating,” Kass
added.

I shook my head, “No, I don’t think he is
cheating.” I said, chewing on my bottom lip thoughtfully, there was
something I had never considered. “It feels more life
threatening.”

“If he finds out you are spying on him, he is
bound to not feel trusted by you anymore,” Kass said, killing my
plans instantly.

I sighed. “There goes that idea,” I
huffed.

I had just finished my dirty, greasy meeting
with the human pimp George who was none of my business but I made a
point of checking him and his girls now and again. I also demanded
free rides, in exchange for handling his supernatural problems when
I felt someone watching me as I got to my car. Stopping, I surveyed
my surroundings. Across the street, half hidden from the light of
the street lamp was a leather-wearing thug.

“Mother fucker,” I cursed, slamming my SUV
door before storming over to him.

He had the good sense to flinch slightly as I
approached, but made no other movement.

“What the fuck do you want?” I asked turning
him around roughly to see the same sugar skull with rose eyes
emblem on his jacket.

Shoving him against the wall, I waited
impatiently for an answer.

“Our leader has requested a meeting,” he
stated in a deep voice. He was muscled across his chest, but his
darting eyes betrayed his fear and insecurity.

“When and where?” I demanded, denying myself
the pleasure of slamming his head against the brick building behind
him.

“Now. Follow me,” he said, walking stiffly
away to his bike.

Growling, I made my way back to my car. I did
not like being given orders, but I would take this opportunity to
kill the rest of the biker clan.

Logic and common sense would have me calling
into the manor for backup, but I wanted to do this one alone. These
assholes had attacked me and my establishment, following me from
the manor. If that stupid sleazy kid Rose fired had anything to do
with them, he was next on my list.

I followed him in a fit of fury, Twenty
minutes later, when we pulled up to an empty warehouse, I drove
into the bay doors and jumped out of my SUV annoyed as vampires
popped out of hiding places in the shadows.

“So fucking creative, a warehouse,” I
muttered, knowing they could all hear me.

Walking to the front of my SUV, I leaned
against the hood and demanded, “So which one of you pathetic
excuses for a supernatural is the self-proclaimed leader of this
tragic organization?”

“You got a mouth on you girl,” said a voice
to my left still half hidden in shadows.

“I can’t hear you over the cowardice of
hiding in the shadows,” I informed him loudly. Fuck these assholes.
I had gone into George’s packing. The ten vampires here posed a
perfect chance to work off some of my aggression.

I had plenty to spare.

From directly in front of me slid a salt and
peppered, long haired, biker who had been turned far later in life.
Deep wrinkles lined his face and sagging earlobes as he grinned at
me with a cigar in his mouth and looping his thumbs through his
belt loops under his beer belly.

“I admire a bitch with spirit,” he said. His
version of a compliment? I thought.

“Then you’re going to fucking love me,” I
warned him. Based on his widening smile, I don’t think he got what
I meant.

“Pretty little thing - all we are after is
some information,” he drawled out.

“About what?” I asked, wanting to figure out
who exactly I had pissed off to put these assholes on my tail.

“Your lover vampire,” he snarled.

Leaning forward, it was my turn to smile.
They should have been terrified, the fact they weren’t was almost
insulting to my reputation. “You looking to spice up your bedroom
life?” I taunted.

He spat, losing his grin as he pointed at me.
“Listen here slut, I want the details on your boyfriend’s security
along with the Centennial House,” he demanded, growling at me.

“That’s what this is about Blake and his
house?” I asked, tilting my head. “Why?”

“That isn’t your place to know.” said a voice
to the left.

“You don’t know,” I mused. “That is smart of
whoever hired you, knowing you are disposable once the job is
complete, and spreading around the information keeps me from
knowing exactly what is going on. Very smart.”

“Bitch, we know everything,” snarled the
voice to my left again. The big and ugly guy in front of me was
silent and I could see in his eyes he hadn’t thought it out that
far ahead.

“Give us the information,” he growled again,
having decided he was more interested in whatever his bosses had
promised him than his actual life.

“Make me,” I taunted, smiling.

Unlike the other night, the leader came at me
first thinking to pin me to the SUV by rushing me. The blade
slicing his twin hearts proved he was wrong.

Pulling it out, he sunk down before exploding
into ash. I smiled, “Next.”

Unlike the other night, they didn’t wait
their turns. Arms, legs, and mouths reached for me all at once,
only to be sliced or shot off. Like I said before, I was packing,
with two guns under my jacket that were loaded and extra clips on
my belt, not to mention the long blade strapped to my thighs or the
throwing daggers lining my boots.

Some asshole got a lucky shot in and my gun
went flying as my back slammed against my SUV hood. “I want a
taste,” the idiots growled, biting into my neck again.

“I’ve really had enough of being bitten by
newbies,” I grunted before pulling my legs up to kick them off.

Pulling out my long blade on my thigh, I
sliced the offending bitter’s head off, spinning to my left to dive
my blade under the rib cage of another before pulling it up to
cleave both hearts.

My original count of ten had to be off, as
bodies kept slamming into me. I had cleared a space using my
throwing knives and I launched those as fast as my fingers would
fly, less accurate than my knife, but they slowed down the flood of
hungry vampires approaching me.

Ducking under a punch, I sliced the vampire
in half before stabbing through both hearts. Still crouching, I
took off the arm of another who came at me with a crow bar. I
missed the asshole behind me, again, as the breath forcefully
removed from my lungs and I fell, sprawling down on the dirty
cement.

“Fucker,” I wheezed, slamming my head into
his nose as I bucked him off before pulling to my knees to chop his
worthless head off with a powerful swing. Pushing to my feet, I saw
the last one standing there, the same one at Kitten who had gotten
away. He watched me for a moment before darting away.

Blowing out a breath, I checked to be sure no
live bodies were lying around, waiting to surprise me before
gathering wallets and cell phones.

The back of my head throbbed and my newly
healed neck was bleeding open. Great. Pushing my discomfort aside,
I heaved myself back into my SUV heading for the Centennial
compound. Someone knew something and I needed to get in the fucking
loop.

Mal was not impressed with my haul. “Why are
you bringing them to me?” she asked as I piled everything onto her
desk.

“Because I can’t find Blake,” I informed her,
irritated.

“Right,” she muttered careful not to make eye
contact.

“Someone hired those goons and I would like
to know who,” I told her, sitting on her desk and in her personal
space.

She shrugged, trying hard to avoid looking at
me.

“What did they want?” she asked, daring a
glance.

“Intel on Blake’s house and the compound.” I
told her as her eyes riveted to me.

“What did you tell them?” she asked,
worried.

I scoffed, “I killed them all.”

She relaxed in her chair. “I am insulted you
even had the nerve to ask me that.” I didn’t actually kill them
all. I groaned in sudden realization.

Mal cleared her throat, “I’ll have to clear
all of this with Tate.” Her voice was timid. “But let me have
someone look at your neck.”

“Don’t fucking bother,” I dismissed her,
storming out.

Back in my SUV, I called Blake again, pulling
out of the underground parking. His voicemail answered again on the
first ring.

“I just took out an entire biker gang who
wanted you. Call me the fuck back or I will find you,” I warned,
ending the call.

…

I didn’t want to end up at Blake’s after
tonight’s incident, but I needed to let Alfie know what had
happened and one look at my wounds and he was not letting me go
without first aid.

“Ten. You’re certain?” He asked cleaning the
bite in the kitchen.

Winching, I answered, “I think, maybe
more.”

“Dispatched by yourself?” he asked again
shocked.

“Yep,” I told him again.

“Impressive,” he muttered under his breath,
bandaging the wound.