Demon Hunters 1: Blood Sacrifice (Stand Alone Series) (Demon Hunters.) (3 page)

Alyssa turned her head into the caress that trailed across her cheek, her jaw and then along her throat. She went to reach out with her left hand, but couldn’t move it. The metal of the handcuffs dug into her wrist.

Handcuffs! Alyssa’s eyes flew open. Everything rushed back. She looked up at Nathan who sat beside her on the bed and saw amusement again filled his eyes. She tried to move away from him and he tightened his fingers around her throat. She froze. A bare light bulb in the ceiling above him shone in her eyes, but she couldn’t look away.

His lips twisted into a sardonic smile. “I expected you to be screaming the place down by now. Instead I find you fast asleep. Odd.” He stroked the pulse at her throat. “But you are scared. So why aren’t you screaming?”

Alyssa knew if she started to scream she’d be swamped by blind panic. It didn’t help that every time he smiled more fear rushed through her. She needed to stay as rational as possible. There had to be a way out of this nightmare. But she couldn’t say that. No way was she going to warn him. “Would it help?” The words were a whisper, but at least she managed them without letting free the scream that echoed inside her head.

“So… no little rabbit to run frantically back and forth in front of the headlights. What are you then? No lion either to strike out no matter how futile. What do you think you are?”

Alyssa surprised herself by saying, “How about an ostrich? Head buried in the sand.”

Nathan threw back his head and laughed. He still smiled as he met her eyes. “It’ll be a pity to use you. If I could get a replacement this close I would. I think you’d be worth keeping for a bit. There’s so little in life that’s amusing anymore.”

“Aren’t you too young to think that?”

“Now that’s where you’re wrong. I’m nearly thirty, little ostrich.”

Alyssa wished he’d move his hand from her throat. He no longer pressed against it, but she knew how easy it’d be for him to tighten his grip. “Why me?”

He lifted the lock of purple hair and twined it around his finger, the other hand stayed against her throat. “Many reasons. But basically because you looked like you might hop in. And there weren’t many witnesses around.”

Alyssa forced herself to ask the question she was in two minds of having answered. “What are you going to do with me?”

“I’ve been waiting for that question. How about I make a deal with you? Call your friend and convince her you’re going somewhere without me. Doesn’t matter where. You just need to remove me from the equation. Then I’ll answer all your questions and I won’t hunt down your friend or parents.”

Alyssa knew he wasn’t giving her much choice. She’d ring Erin without the incentive of her questions answered. “I need to use the bathroom first.” After his earlier threats she wanted to make sure he wouldn’t leave her handcuffed to the bed until she wet herself. Even though she knew it was a minor concern, at least it was a concern she could deal with. One step at a time.

Nathan continued to look down at her, his eyes emotionless again. Then he moved off the bed. He took a key from his shirt pocket and unlocked the handcuff from the bed. He let it dangle from her wrist. “Make it quick.”

This time when Alyssa slung her handbag over her shoulder, Nathan didn’t stop her. He stood to the side as she stumbled to the door. When Alyssa glanced at the tray of food, he laughed and she looked over at him.

“It would have made it a lot easier on you if you’d eaten it.”

Alyssa took that as confirmation the food was drugged and the hollow pit in her stomach seemed justified. She hurried to the bathroom, worried Nathan might change his mind. The moment she was in there, she locked the door. As soon as she’d used the toilet, she rinsed and filled the bottle she’d found in her bag earlier. She drank from the tap and then turned it off. The handcuffs hit the metal and she cringed at the sound.

A movement caught her attention and she looked up to stare at her reflection. It felt like she looked at someone else. Even her mind barely registered any thought. Alyssa was glad of the numbness that seemed to settle in. The scream echoed in there, but not many other thoughts surfaced. Or those that did, she brutally shoved away. She couldn’t think. Not without becoming a rabbit. She had to stay calm and in control. Well, as much in control as a person held against their will could be. She looked at the window again. If only it was larger. Pushing that thought from her mind, she forced herself to unlock the door.

Nathan leaned against the wall across from the bathroom. He said nothing. He watched her as she paused in the doorway. She stood there and waited to see what he’d do. He pushed away from the wall and handed her phone to her before he walked back to her prison. She looked down at it then over to Nathan as he stepped into the room. Was she meant to follow? She took a few steps forward. Maybe he was going to let her call her friend without listening in. She didn’t know. It seemed unlikely. So she walked to her prison and stopped in the doorway.

Nathan sat in the armchair. That only left the bed. If she didn’t need to sit so badly she wouldn’t have considered it. But her legs felt wobbly and she knew if she didn’t sit soon they’d give out on her.

Alyssa dialled Erin’s number. She picked up on the second ring.

“What have you been doing all day? I’ve been waiting and waiting for you to call. It’s nearly seven p.m. Over twelve hours I’ve waited. You should’ve called before now.”

“Sorry, Erin. I guess I was having so much fun I lost track of time.” Alyssa glared at Nathan as she said this, and was annoyed to see her words amused him. She could barely believe she’d slept the entire day. Maybe it was from the drugs she’d been given the night before. Another question she couldn’t answer.

“So where are you? What have you been doing? When are you coming home?” Erin fired the questions at Alyssa, without pause for breath.

“Slow down.” Alyssa forced herself to laugh. It was her usual response to her friend’s inability to go slow.

“You know you could’ve invited me along if the day’s been that much fun.”

Alyssa closed her eyes. A wave of relief rushed through her that Erin had been sensible enough not to hop in the car with her last night. Last night! It seemed like it was so much longer than that.

“Allie? You still there?”

“Yeah. Sorry. I was distracted. Hey listen. We went to the beach and I ran into some people that are heading to Cairns. They’ve got a job at a resort up there and one of the girls going with them pulled out at the last minute so I said I’d take her place.”

“You what? Are you totally insane? What about Nathan?”

“Oh, I left him at the beach with his mates and their girlfriends. This was too good to pass up. I’ve always wanted to see far north Queensland.”

“Allie? You sure everything’s okay? You’re not in any sort of trouble are you?”

Alyssa forced herself to laugh again. “Do you think I’d be ringing you to chat if I was? Really Erin, you’ve been watching too many horror movies.”

“And you haven’t been watching enough. You can’t just take off with people you’ve met for only a few seconds.”

“I can’t go home either.”

“Have you told your parents?”

“No. I’m just going to text them. It’ll be easier.”

“Ring me every day to let me know you’re safe.”

“I can’t. My phone’s running low on credit. I’ll text you.”

“How will I know it’s you?”

“Erin! Who else is likely to send you daily text messages from my phone? Get real.”

Erin laughed. “I guess. But this is so unlike you. I nearly died when you hoped in that car. I thought I’d never see you again. Don’t keep doing stupid things like that. Please?”

“I swear I’ll live as safely as an eighty-year-old woman once I get to Cairns.”

“Great. I’m going to hold you to that.”

Before Erin could continue, Alyssa changed the topic. “Did Aiden turn up at the party last night?”

“Of course.”

Alyssa smiled as she let Erin complain about her brother for a bit. She eventually interrupted. “I need to go or I won’t even have enough credit to text you. Bye Erin.” There was so much more she wanted to say. So many things she couldn’t voice without alerting Erin to the fact she was in trouble. The worst trouble she’d ever been in her entire life.

“Okay. Later.”

Alyssa hung up and stared at her phone. She needed to send a text message to her parents. How was she going to word it? She continued to stare blankly at it. No words came to her mind. Pain shot through her as she thought of how her relationship with her parents had deteriorated in the past seven years. Would they blame themselves for her death? How could she make them understand this was her own stupidity?

“You going to send that message? Time’s wasting, Princess.”

She wished there was something she could throw at him. Anything. She wanted to wipe that look of amusement from his face. But there was nothing. The room was almost empty. And she wasn’t throwing any of her things. They were hers. All that was left of her old life. All that was left of her life because it didn’t look like there was going to be a way out of this situation. Alyssa stopped that thought the moment it arrived.

I’ll find a way, she thought fiercely. She opened her contact list to text her parents when it started to ring. It was her home number. She had to admire her mother’s persistence. And yet in her they called it stubbornness and complained.

“Who is it?” Nathan demanded.

“My parents.”

“Answer it.”

“No.”

Nathan rose to his feet, and strode towards the bed. Alyssa looked up at him. A shiver of fear darted through her body as he towered over her. She banished the feeling and tried to regain the numbness of earlier.

“Answer the phone, now.” Each word was spoken softly as his eyes bore into her.

“I can’t. They’ll hear the lies in my words.”

The phone stopped ringing, but Nathan continued to tower over her. She couldn’t look away from him. The image of a rabbit caught in headlights came to her mind and she pushed it away. She was no rabbit. But still she continued to meet his eyes, even though she wanted so badly to look away.

The phone started to ring again and Nathan glanced at it. His lips thinned. Alyssa was relieved to be able to look away. She had felt like a butterfly on a pin board.

“Send the text and get that damn thing off.” He strode to the armchair and dropped into it.

Alyssa stared at her phone until it fell silent. She quickly typed in,
Heading out of town with friends. Will ring in a week or two
, and sent it before they could ring again. As soon as it came up as sent, she turned off her phone.

“Throw it over here,” Nathan said.

Alyssa looked at her phone, then over at Nathan. She shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t throw.”

Nathan looked at her in disbelief. “Too bad. Throw it over. Now.”

“I need you to text Erin for a few days. I don’t want her to worry yet.”

Nathan stared at her for a few minutes before he rose to his feet again. When he stood in front of her, he held out his hand. Alyssa reluctantly handed her phone to him. He turned and threw it so it landed on the armchair. Alyssa held her breath as it bounced and hoped it wouldn’t fall off. She looked up at him when the phone came to rest safely on the armchair. He grabbed the handcuff and pulled on her arm so he could snap it onto the frame of the bed head.

“Please, Nathan? It’ll benefit you. She won’t raise the alarm if she’s getting messages from me.”

“I’d think you’d want the alarm raised as quickly as possible.”

“I’m going to die before dawn, aren’t I?” Alyssa was grateful for the numbness that filled her body. It even helped mute the scream.

“Doesn’t that bother you?” Nathan frowned.

“You’re too fresh in Erin’s mind. Give it a few more days and you’ll be the last person she’ll think of when she no longer receives messages from me.”

“Just like that? You accept you’re going to die so you’ll make sure your friend is protected.” Nathan’s eyes searched her face. “Have you been planning a suicide?”

Instead of answering and risk he’d hear a lie, Alyssa asked, “Haven’t you ever thought of it? Wondered if it might be easier to give up?”

Nathan shook his head. “Never. I’d fight even against impossible odds. I guess that explains many things. But you’re staying chained to the bed. Just because you’re willing to die, doesn’t mean you’ll like our choice of death for you.”

“You were going to answer my questions.”

“You haven’t asked any.”

“Why am I here? And don’t just tell me to die. Tell me everything. Who am I going to tell? And if I understand it, we have a few hours to fill. I believe I’m stuck here till some time around midnight.” Alyssa fought to hold onto the numbness. She needed to learn everything about her situation. Maybe there was something in it she could use to escape. Anything. Hope was sometimes a desperate creature that beat bloody wings against a glass cage while the world outside mocked with its nearness.

Nathan sat on the bed beside her. Once again he stared at her. Alyssa met his gaze steadily. She kept her mind empty and hoped it’d help her achieve the same emotionless look she saw in Nathan’s eyes.

“Brian, my father, and I are in property development. A couple of years ago we hired a manager and left the majority of the running in his and the accountant’s hands. They had impeccable references. I guess you can’t trust anyone these days.”

“What has this got to do with me being here?”

“You did tell me you wanted to hear everything. Have you changed your mind?”

Alyssa shook her head. “No.”

Nathan stared at her for nearly a full minute and it took all her willpower to remain quiet. Anger started to build as he made her wait and she forced it away. Anger was what had gotten her in this mess. The numbness was her best chance to get out of it. She forced herself to relax. There’d be nothing gained by trying to hurry Nathan. He liked being in control far too much.

“It’s not often we’re both fooled. Although I guess when we first hired them, they were exactly as they portrayed themselves. Life can sometimes change people beyond all recognition. I won’t go into all the details. But between the two of them, they nearly bankrupted our company while they lined their own pockets. They’ll never benefit from their theft.” A smile, a mixture of pleasure and cruelty, appeared momentarily. “They left one more problem behind. It’s a large piece of land, which if we can change the zoning, will restore our company. But people are too environmentally conscious these days. So we need to call a demon to change their minds for us.”

“A what?” Alyssa was certain she couldn’t have heard correctly.

“A demon.”

“But demon’s don’t exist.”

“Our manager and accountant wouldn’t think that. Well, that is if they were alive to think.”

Alyssa frantically tried to call back the numbness. As she listened to him speak so calmly of the deaths of others, she wanted to run. And she couldn’t. She was handcuffed to the bed. She forced her mind away from thoughts of death and shook her head. “They don’t exist.”

“Demons are real,” Nathan said softly. “My grandfather was the first of us to learn about them. He was an antiques dealer and came across a book on summoning them. He thought it’d be fun. Instead it turned out to be one of his most profitable finds.”

“They aren’t real.”

“Don’t you believe in God?”

Alyssa shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Nathan grinned. “Perfect. The demon we call will be very pleased with you.”

“Me?” Her voice came out higher than usual.

“What did you think you were here for? Demons need blood sacrifice to bring them into this world and bind them to the task. Living blood sacrifice. You’re the sacrifice.”

Alyssa shook her head. “You’re crazy, they aren’t real.”

“They’re very real. And you can’t conduct business with them without being marked.” Nathan undid the button at the cuff of his left sleeve and pulled it back.

A narrow black line with a hint of red in it slashed across his wrist, as if he’d tried to slit it. And yet it was more like a tattoo, or maybe a burn mark. It was part of the skin, not ink added to it. The mark went from the pulse point in the middle of his wrist and travelled to the outside of his arm where it ended abruptly.

“What-” her voice failed her.

“I believe it’s known as a demon mark. You have dealings with them that are deep enough, or even frequent, then it appears. Not many people tie themselves so closely to a demon to gain a mark like this. Or come in contact with enough to make such a mark. It took three demons to make it this long.” Nathan’s fingers traced the mark. “When you ask them to take lives it makes a longer mark. Calling on a powerful demon lengthens it too.”

“What… how… the blood sacrifice-”

Nathan’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Have I finally got your attention, little rabbit? Have you taken your head out of the sand to see those headlights coming straight for you?”

Alyssa could only shake her head in disagreement. Words seemed too hard to form. The only word she could hear was demon and it caused all sorts of vivid images to appear in her mind. Ones that involved fire, blood, cloven hooves and horns.

“Surely blood sacrifice is self-explanatory. We need your blood, Allie. We’ll cut you so you bleed and use that blood to call the demon. Then you’re all his. And the only use he’ll have for you is dinner.” Nathan’s lips curved. “Demons don’t feed neatly.” His gaze remained on Alyssa.

She refused to give him the reaction he looked for. They hadn’t cut her yet. And they wouldn’t if she had her way. Her eyes dropped to Nathan’s left hand where it rested on his leg. The sleeve had dropped down to hide the demon mark on his wrist. She reached out and lifted the unbuttoned sleeve. Nathan turned his hand so she could see the mark. She ran her fingers over it and wondered if it had hurt. And how had he gotten it? Had it appeared? Had the demon put it there? She wanted to ask, but the words were lost. She didn’t know how to make them form.

“Curious, little rabbit?” Nathan asked softly. “It’s such a pity I couldn’t replace you. I even got Eric and Shawn to take me for a drive while you slept.”

“Aren’t you worried they’ll tell someone?”

Nathan laughed. “I’ve got a lot more I can tell someone about them. Some of it much worse than anything they know about me.” His tone became serious. “The drive was a waste of time. None of the fish would take the bait. And it has to be tonight. We can’t wait.”

Startled by his comment, Alyssa’s head jerked up and she met his eyes. For a fleeting moment she could have sworn there was regret in them. She dropped her eyes. She didn’t want him to see the turmoil in her own. He picked that moment to lean forward and she caught a glimpse of the handcuff key in the pocket of his shirt.

“But don’t for one minute think it was due to weakness. You amuse me. But not even for amusement will I risk our company. You’re not worth losing out on a billion dollar deal.” He whispered the words against her ear where they sounded menacing.

The image of the key that sat in Nathan’s pocket was burnt into Alyssa’s mind. She could think of only one way to distract him and keep him close to her long enough so she could get it. She turned her head slightly and her lips brushed against his. Her eyes met his and she saw the second of surprise before he willingly took what she offered.

She was surprised it was pleasant. Unlike Tim who she’d dated months ago, it didn’t feel like being attacked by an enthusiastic puppy. Nathan knew how to kiss, she’d give him that much. Her hand moved to hover in front of his chest, her eyes focused on his. She’d never kissed anyone with her eyes wide open before and it was disconcerting. Her fingers grazed his shirt and it took all her willpower not to glance down. Her fingers dipped into his pocket and brushed against the cold metal of the key. She caught it between them and started to draw it up and out of the pocket. She nearly had the key out when Nathan’s hand pressed hers against his chest and his kiss turned harsh.

Alyssa tried to pull away, but his hand at the nape of her neck prevented her. Without thought, she bit his lip and she felt her eyes widened in surprise as she tasted blood and he jerked away. The hand at her nape tangled tightly in her hair and drew her head back at an awkward angle. Her hand with the key was still trapped against his chest.

“Better than you have tried to distract me, little girl.”

“I’m not a little girl.”

“I saw your driver’s license. Barely eighteen. It takes more than that to become a woman.”

“Let me go,” Alyssa said through gritted teeth.

“You shouldn’t start something if you’re not willing to follow through.”

“Please.” The word was little more than a breath of air. She stared at Nathan, the taste of his blood on her lips and she wished she had a hand free to wipe them clean. Nathan’s eyes were expressionless again. She could only wait for his answer. Wait and hope.

He moved forward suddenly, his teeth sharp against her lip. She yelped and tried to pull away. His fingers tightened in her hair. Then he let her go and she fell against the metal bars of the bed head. The fingers of her free hand went to her bottom lip and wiped both her own and his blood from it.

“Now we’re even.” Nathan rose from the bed.

“They’re not real.”

“Sure they are, little ostrich. And you’ll find out soon. The demon we call is going to love you. Such sweet blood.” He licked his lips.

“No!” She tugged against the handcuffs.

“What’s wrong, little rabbit?”

The words stilled her instantly. I won’t be a rabbit, she told herself firmly. I won’t! She glared at Nathan. There had to be a way out of this mess. So she’d failed at taking the key. There’d be other opportunities. She’d wait for them. “You’re crazy if you think killing me will solve your problems.”

“Oh it’ll solve them alright. Demons are very good at solving problems, if you’re careful how you word your demands.” He smiled.

Fear rushed through Alyssa and it took all her willpower to remain motionless.

“See. It won’t work on you now.”

“What won’t work?”

“My smile. I asked them to make my smile reassure people. To make them believe what I tell them. I wasn’t specific enough. It only works if you want to trust me. If you want to be convinced.” Nathan pointed at her. “And last night you wanted to believe. Now you don’t. That’s why you feel fear when I smile.” He smiled momentarily. “But it worked when I needed it to. Now it’s another toy to make the game more fun.”

Alyssa wished she’d bitten him harder. This wasn’t a game. It was her life. “Bastard.”

Nathan’s reply was another smile. “I’ll be back in a few hours. You have a date at three a.m. We can’t have you late for that.” Nathan strode from the room and let the door swing shut behind him.

Alyssa curled up in a ball at the top of the bed. “Oh God,” she moaned. She smothered a laugh. God! If there was any time in her life when prayers were needed, this was it. But not a single one came to mind. She’d never attended church and didn’t even know if she’d been baptised. All she could think to say was, “Oh God, help me. If you really exist, I could do with a bit of help about now.” When there was no answer to her whispered words, a shudder went through her. “I’m going insane. Believing in demons and gods.” She wrapped her free arm across her chest and closed her eyes. There was nothing she could do while handcuffed to the bed. All she could hope for was sleep so the time would pass quicker.

Time! How little there was left. And all the things she hadn’t got around to doing. There were so many of them. Alyssa emptied her mind again. She couldn’t think. Not without letting a scream escape. It seemed to be getting louder and more insistent. She thought of nothingness. Black, empty nothingness. She wondered if death would be like that. Her breath caught in her throat. She refused to let her mind wander down that track. Instead she started to count. She brought each number to mind in bright red. The colour of blood. Before she reached one hundred, she’d drifted off to sleep again.