Page 13 of Stolen By the Demon

With his vampires between him and me, I couldn’t reach him until we decimated the last of his army.

It only took a few minutes for my demons and me to quickly dispatch about half of Jonathan's vampires before he called the surviving ones back and took off through my ruined front door.

“Shall we pursue?” Vasili asked.

I shook my head. “I'm sure they have their retreat covered.”

“Well, at least they're beaten,” Faro remarked.

“This was just a foraging unit to get a feel for our battle abilities. They’ll be back with more vampires soon,” I predicted darkly. “Vasili, find more troops because the next battle will be ferocious.”

“Yes, boss.”

I opened my phone to call Cantor to bring the humans back up. The castle was safe for the time being. I would wipe my servants' minds, and they would never remember why the front door needed to be repaired or why they had to find refuge in the basement.

In the meantime, my demons would dispense the vampires’ remains, which would be easy work once they were peeled out of their clothing. In the bright morning light, they would only leave a pile of dust.

Impatiently, I waited for Blanche to appear, and only when I could lay my eyes on her and was sure she was safe, did I allow myself to breathe freely again. I pulled her into my arms, needing to feel her nearness, and she allowed it.

“What happened?”

“Your father retreated, but he’ll be back.” I filled her in.

“How did they know we were here? This place isn’t on any map.” Vasili scrutinized me, suspicion drew his brows together.

He was right. I had been playing a game, a dangerous game. I had lured Blanche’s father here for our final battle.

“This. It holds a tracker,” I said, holding up the large diamond hanging on a necklace around Blanche’s throat. It had caught my attention the moment I got over my shock of seeing her again. My Blanche had always worn a crucifix, which somebody, probably her father, had taken off her before or after they turned her into a vampire. This diamond necklace was too shiny and showy for her, she would have never picked it.

“What the hell Devon?” Vasili erupted, to Brock’s and Cantor’s snickers as always when he used that particular phrase.

He threw them a dark glare, but neither man was impressed or tried to subdue their laughter.

Vasili’s face was turning a dangerous shade of red. I didn’t want him to change into his demon form in front of Blanche, so I explained to pacify him.

“I wasn’t sure, but now I am. This is good. Jonathan will return with an army to take Blanche back and we’ll fight him here, on our terms, our turf.” I tilted my head sideways, challenging Vasili, “I thought you were looking forward to a good fight.”

“A heads up would have been nice,” he retorted, unknowingly throwing my own words from earlier back at me. But his coloring returned to normal and a slight grin spread his lips, “Since when will vampires give a good fight, though?”

Cantor high fived him at that and I had to suppress a chuckle on my own.

“He has to know he can’t fight us, no matter how many vampires he brings.” Brock warned.

“Then why did he come in the first place?” Cantor asked.

“He needed to find out who he is dealing with and now that he does, he can make his plans. Don’t underestimate him, last time my brother helped him, I wouldn’t doubt if my father himself gets involved.” I explained and cautioned.

“Why does he want her so badly?” Vasili scrutinized Blanche.

Why indeed? It was a question I’d been asking myself for hundreds of years and still didn’t have an answer for.

“I don’t know.” I admitted.

“He said she is the last of her kind,” Brock recounted Jonathan’s words.

I turned my head toward Blanche, but her blank expression only told me that she didn’t have any idea either.

“Can’t we just leave, please? Go somewhere else?” Blanche asked, fingering her necklace.

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