Page 3 of Hidden Sacrifice
“Still doesn't explain why you’re suddenly so nice,” I laughed.
Jace brought his hand back up to my cheek with a smile, before his gaze shifted into something more sinister. He made my heart race whenever he looked at me like that.
“So, you do miss the collar, and what you’re worried about is that you loved every second of our time together. You have three incredibly powerful, doting demon mates. You don’t need a whipped vampire in your harem.” His hand slid down and grasped me roughly by the jaw.
He tilted my head to the side as my heart hammered in my chest.
“I miss the collar,” I whispered, closing my eyes as sharp teeth dug into my neck. A moan tore from my throat as he pulled deeply, making my head spin. He gave me one deep pull before I heard him chuckle. I felt his tongue against my skin. It licked away what little remained blemished as my demon healing knitted everything back together.
“Feeling better now, darling?” He licked his lips, trying to get the last of my deep red blood.
“Well, now I really want the spontaneous orgy.” There was a steady hum inside me that needed it.
“I can give you an orgy, Fox,” Justice yelled from the other room. Which meant they had heard our entire conversation.
I rolled my eyes, feeling a little lighter. “Guess we should get back in there and start learning how to hunt ghosts with the demons.”
* * *
Ishould have watched more of the true-crime documentaries with Sheila. I didn’t understand how listening to someone talk about a real person chopping someone up into little bits was relaxing. The experience would have come in handy as we all sat around the table with stacks of file folders arranged in piles. Sometimes the folders were primarily empty, just a vague report from a demon or angel about repeat disturbances in an area. Other folders overflowed with descriptions, sightings, backstory on the mortal during life, and charts of known abilities.
These folders were how demons hunted. Packs were assigned cases based on their power level. As I witnessed in the arena, you could also fight for a case if another pack held the rights to it. The more challenging the hunt, the more points the groups would earn. Cases could also become flagged, which would allow any pack access to the files. Points were awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Most of the overstuffed folders were flagged cases.
“We still don’t know who killed me. How many points did Lucifer put up for that one?” I slapped the latest folder down on the table; my eyes were exhausted.
Some girl in an insane asylum, in a shifter realm, kept rambling that she was “The Alice.” She had muttered the words demon a few times and drew a real demon spell on the wall of her room. The case was worth fifty points if she was possessed.
Jasper rummaged around, grabbing different folders before pushing them into a haphazard pile. “Found it,” he smiled before opening it up to scan the text. “Five thousand points for locating the missing human souls and retrieval if they are no longer physically bound.”
“What does that mean?” I thought the case had been about finding the person that killed me.
“We found all the missing humans, and they are still alive, so no soul retrieval. Case closed.” Jasper grabbed his phone and clicked on The Hunt app. Fingers moving with familiarity, he brought up the scoreboard. I saw the number one position belonged toLucifer’s Favorites,with five thousand points.
“Did he do that, or was that you?” My gaze flicked to each of my boys. Maybe Justice was crazy enough to do something like that, but I couldn’t imagine any of the other boys being so crass.
“That was all Lucifer,” Jax grumbled, closing his folder. He was exhausted too. This boring casework and the constant energy supply needed for a primary mental shield were draining.
“It was a high point case. I don’t see why we don’t just pick some small cases and teach the vampires of the pack how to work together before we worry about picking for placement. I’m sure that was Lucifer’s point,” Justice said, standing up from the table. Grabbing his arm behind his back, he pulled sharply, dislocating his shoulder with an audible crack. He groaned as if he had merely cracked his knuckles. I watched in fascination as his arm shifted back into place.
“Probably,” Jasper grumbled, rubbing his face with his hand. It seemed like this was wearing on everyone else as much as it was wearing on me.
“Let’s just pick a case then, and we can work through it from the start,” I said, rummaging around in my pile for one of the smaller folders.
“How about this one?” Jax held up a folder with only a simple report from a demon. “I snagged it when I was trying to hunt solo before you went missing. I haven’t gotten far into the research yet.” He passed the folder over to Jasper.
“Multiple owners are complaining of a ghost in the house. Really, Jax? Half of the time, these are fae tricks gone wrong.” Jasper’s eyebrows scrunched together as his eyes wandered the files on the table, desperate for a better option to propose.
“I think that sounds like a perfect first hunt, and now that’s settled, let’s get some lunch and go out and do something together,” I said, pushing my back against the chair, hearing the satisfying crack as I shook off the stiffness. At least I hadn’t dislocated anything like Justice.
CHAPTER2
JUSTICE
Taking hunting cases slowly worked for almost a whole week. Jasper spent most of the working time compiling a list for when we needed to worry about the scoreboard. Mor didn’t seem concerned about whether we won or lost. Getting to practice using her powers was all she wanted to do.
Jax took the primary focus on researching the current case and then breaking the information down to Mor and Jace, along with how he got his information. Jace and Jax worked well with each other. Even their movements were in sync.
After working on reports, Mor insisted we switch over to physical training. Mor and Jace walked out of the cabin and started warming up in tandem. Once they started fighting each other, I realized that this was something they regularly did while they were together in the vampire realm.
