Blood Prize (Bloody Dance #1) (4 page)

FIVE

This was a dangerous game I was playing. I needed to tell the others about Kenji being there. If Shu knew about Kenji, he would make this mission about the Blood Demon. Maybe it was just a one time thing. Maybe by the time we made it to Dragun, Kenji would be gone.

I wanted to get them all back home. When we left, I promised Amy that Shu was coming home. I always promised her, he would make it back. So far, I always kept that promise and brought him home. I couldn’t let Kenji hurt Shu.

I still didn’t understand why Kenji was even with Maya. As I laid in the back of the truck, my hood was up. I had a blanket over my face. I appeared to be asleep to all the others. Instead, the third eye was open as I watched Maya’s movements.

Watching her made me understand her powers better. When she sang the men in the room succumbed to her. Her voice was beautiful, but it seemed to put humans in some kind of trance. They fell under her power and who knew what she would do with them after that. I would need to tell Dante and Shu to use the earplugs we have. Aya and I should be safe.

Right now, Maya was in a hotel room. She was sitting in front of a mirror when the door opened and we both shifted our eyes. The Blood Demon came in. Why was he here again? What was his connection with her?

The two of them were speaking, but I couldn’t hear their words. From the look on Maya’s face, I didn’t think she trusted the Blood Demon. That was probably smart of her. You shouldn't trust a man like Kenji.

Maya jumped up, getting into Kenji’s face. They seemed to be in a heated argument when they both suddenly stopped. I held my breath as Maya slowly turned towards whatever made her and Kenji cool their heads. Sitting in a chair looking as beautiful as every memory I ever had of him was the bane of my existence.

“Ban,” I whispered his name as the third eye closed. Why was he there? What was going on? Who was Maya that she was hanging around the Blood Demon and the Great Demon Ban? What were they planning for two S-class demons to come along?

It made my chest tighten; it made my stomach twist in knots. We were going to die. If we went on this mission, all of us would die. There was no way that we could take on two S-class demons and Maya. She was a B class demon. That was between of the two most powerful classes and two weakest.

It also meant that Maya herself wouldn’t just be an easy kill. I didn’t see how we could win this battle. So then what were we suppose to do. Sitting up, I pulled the blanket off my face. Pushing my hood down, I looked around the truck.

Aya was turned around in her chair looking at me. Dante was doing the same from the passenger seat. My eyes shifted to the rear-view mirror as I locked them with Shu’s. What would he do if I told him about this? Would he do the right thing, the sensible thing? What was the sensible thing in this kind of situation?

On the one hand, this is as good a chance as Shu will ever get at Kenji. Demons have no honor. If we went for the Blood Demon, Maya and Ban probably would just sit back and watch us. What if they didn’t? I knew if Ban saw me he would attack. Was Shu, Aya, and Dante strong enough to take on Kenji without me?

On the other hand, Shu could turn this car around and run back home to his wife and daughter. He would be safe and sound in his home surrounded by people who loved him. This was Shu; he was never going to run from a chance to fight Kenji, to kill the Blood Demon.

Then there was Aya and Dante. This was their lives as well. We would be putting them in danger. They were Demon Hunters. They knew the dangers that came with this job. Tomorrow wasn’t promised together.

I sighed pushing my fingers through my hair. We all must make our own choices. I could only tell them what I knew. If Shu went forward, I would follow him to the end of the Earth and back. The others would have to make their own choices.

“Stop the car, we all need to talk.” I could see Shu giving a quick nod of his head. A few minutes later he pulled off to the side of the road. We each stepped out of the car. I stood in front of our small group. This wouldn’t be the first time that I knew things that no one else should.

“I had a vision.” That was how I always explained these things away. “Kenji and Ban are with Maya.” There was no need to sugar coat it or beat around the bush. Aya gasped stumbling back as if I told her they were in front of us.

I could smell her fear. It was sour with notes of earth tones. Was she scared of Ban or the thought that both of the demons were together? I knew it wasn’t for Maya or Kenji. We’ve gone after Kenji and she was never so . . . scared before. Turning from Aya, Shu was my biggest worry. His answer was my answer.

“So we finally get a shot at him.” His fingers were clenched into a fist. I inhaled a sharp breath before letting it out. I already knew what his answer was going to be. It didn’t actually come as a shock to me. Still, I think a small part of me was hoping Shu would be smart about this.

“I’m in,” Dante said, “taking on two of the greats. We’ll go down in history if we pull this off.” Was it sad that I didn’t think we could pull this off? Maybe we could kill Kenji. I knew that if the other two weren’t around Maya was as good as ours. Ban was the wild card. We couldn’t beat him.

“Are you all crazy?!” Aya yelled drawing our attention to her. “It’s the Great Demon Ban. He’s with the Blood Demon. No one has ever beat either one of them alone. And you all want to take them on together. With a third demon in the mix. It’s . . . It’s suicidal.” She was right, of course.

“Aya,” Shu spoke her name as softly as he would have done Rai. “You’re still young. No one is asking you to come. You have your whole life ahead of you. You have to decide what’s best for you.” If she chooses to come, her death will be on her. She needed to be willing to fight for her life. That was what being a Demon Hunter was about. Always fighting for your life.

“What about you, Zero?” I could feel their eyes on me. What about me? What would I do? What was my choice?

“I’m going with Shu. I’m going to meet Ban again.” I couldn’t avoid it. A part of me even looked forward to it. It’s been a long time since I last saw Ban. Forty years was a long time to go without looking at someone. It was about time we met up again.

Aya made this defeated sound. She was pushing her fingers through her hair again. Her eyes were on me before she nodded her head. What did that suppose to mean? She was in?

“If Zero is brave enough I can be too.” I shut my eyes against her words. She wasn’t me. I had died already. I didn’t have any reason to fear the death that Ban could give me. Aya just thought I was some brave kid. I wish I could tell her. I wish I could make her understand she shouldn’t base her choices on me. I was so much more than she could comprehend.

It was night when we made it to Dragun. Standing in front of the trunk we checked our weapons. The club that Maya was inside was across the street from the parking lot. I could already see a line of men and women gathering, waiting to get in.

Carrying weapons into a club was common practice. There were dangerous people, dangerous monsters all around us. You were crazy if you didn’t walk around with some kind of protection. I knew for a fact that most of the people in the line had weapons. Yet still we were all going into the wolf’s den.

Three demons were inside waiting for their prey. I haven’t seen them kill anyone yet though. I’ve kept my third eye open for the ride to Dragun. So far, Maya sang, Kenji spoke a few words. Ban didn’t show his face. So what were they doing? We were about to find out.

Moving across the street we all fell in line with the others. At least an hour had passed before we were close enough to see the bouncer at the door. Standing outside of the line talking to the second bouncer was three people. I could . . . smell them. They smelled sweet, like flowers and . . . hope.

Two of them were males and then there was a woman. Even though the woman was pretty, it was the smallest of the group that drew my eyes to them. He was . . . beautiful. The kind of beauty that I’ve only seen in Ban before. Unlike Ban his beauty was bright; there wasn’t any darkness inside of him.

Long strawberry blonde hair stopped at the center of his back. He was so tiny, petite even. When he turned, his eyes locked with mine. They were a soft blue color and I could see the power he held inside. It wasn’t the elemental kind of magic like Aya, nor was the black magic demons possess.

This boy had the rarest of all magic. White magic meant that his soul was pure. That he was untouched but all things evil in this world. This boy had no sins, he was unblemished. A dark part of me wanted to taint his pureness. A darker part of me wanted to drink the sweet blood that rested in his veins.

When he looked at me, I felt something. Something inside of me called to him. Something inside of me knew him. That was . . . impossible. He didn’t look older than fifteen, sixteen at the most. How could I know him? I was with Shu and his family for the last forty years. Turning away from him, I looked to the boy beside him.

This boy had blackish-blue hair. His eyes were a dark green. He was tall, built, maybe in his twenties. He was looking towards me as well. There was a frown on his face as he glared. Who were these people? They looked at me as if they knew my secret. Could they? Could they somehow guess that I was a demon? How?

Turning from the two boys my eyes shifted to the woman they were with. She seemed old enough to be both of their mothers. As pretty as she was she paled next to the pure boy. She was talking to the bouncer. Maybe trying to get the under-aged kid inside of the club.

Why were they here? What were people like them doing here? Maybe they were Demon Hunters too. I could see the sword on the black-haired boy’s hip. If you’re going to wear a sword, you better know how to use it.

There was power inside of the woman as well. Element powers like Aya. I could smell the blue magic inside of her. Water base magic always smelled like the ocean. That was the scent that came from her.

“What’s up?” Shu asked and I shook my head turning away from the group. I didn’t know what to make of them. The best thing to do was to ignore them for now. If they didn’t get in our way, then it didn’t matter. Maybe if they were Demon Hunters having them in the club with us would improve our chances making it out alive.

“It’s nothing,” I told him. I could feel a nervous energy around Shu. This was his big moment. This was the closest that we’ve ever gotten to Kenji. “Don’t forget your earplugs.” I didn’t want Shu to fall under any spell Maya was going to cast over the people inside.

“Don’t forget yours either.” I didn’t need them. I outclassed Maya. I would still make a show of putting my earplugs in so Aya and Dante couldn’t question it. I watched as Shu's eyes shifted around the crowd falling on the strange trio. I noticed a lot of people were looking at them. They had this pull about them. I was surprised that alone didn’t win them a ticket inside of the club.

“Are you ready for this?” Shu asked me and I shook my head.

“We’re about to take on three demons. Two of which are S class. Sure, what’s not to be ready for.” Could he hear the sarcasm in my voice?

“I wish we knew what they were planning.” That would have been a lot of help. If we knew what they were planning then, we could come up with a plan as well.

“To do evil things,” I offered. Shu gave me a look that said I was stupid. Of course, they were going to do evil things. They were demons after all. “No matter what they are planning we have to be smart about this, Shu. We can’t let our emotions blind us.” He couldn’t see Kenji and attack without thought.

“I know,” Shu said as the last set that was in front of us past into the club. Our turn was next. My eyes shifted to the odd group again. The woman was still talking to the bouncer. The two boys were looking at the crowd of people waiting in line. Once again, my eyes locked with blue ones.

“Zero, come on,” Aya called me as she walked into the club after flashing a fake ID for the two of us. She grabbed my hand pulling me behind her as I kept looking at the pure boy. Who was he? What was he to be so . . . perfect?

SIX

Like a beacon in my moments of clarity, I returned to the city I was born in, the city I died in. It had been twenty years since my brother shunned me and ran away. Twenty years since the night, I lost my family, since I lost myself. This was the first time the hunger didn’t nag at me. It was the first time the fog that normally kept me in a drunken haze cleared away.

Twenty years and the humans finally accepted that they were no longer alone in this world. That demons walked among them. They chased them around; they made them their meals. For the first time in who knows how long humans weren’t at the top of the food chain.

I didn’t need to think to know where my feet was taking me. It was the only place in this city worth going. The home that I was raised in. The house that I died in. Now my brother lived here. His wife and two daughters lived here.

Standing outside of their window I could see them holding hands as they bowed their heads over their dinner. Lots of people turned to God when they learned demons walked the Earth. The end of days were here they said. I can’t remember ever praying before a meal with my family. My brother had faith now. Seeing the dead rise can do that to a man.

“How sad, I missed one.” A voice that was burned into my mind spoke. It was a voice that I haven’t heard in twenty years. Whipping around the breath left my lungs as I came face to face with a demon. He was still as beautiful as the memories lead me to believe. He stood there with a smile on his lips.

My feelings were all jumbled inside of me. The two sides of myself wared over the appearance of this man. On the one hand, I wanted him to take me like he had the day I died. I wanted to feel the same pleasure that only he seemed to bring me. On the other hand, I wanted to rip his throat out and get the revenge my family deserved.

“Ban,” That was his name. I could feel the rage inside of me bubble and boil. I could feel the new found powers being a demon brought me awaken inside of my veins. I wouldn’t just lay down and take his beating this time. I was no longer a weak human. I had the power I needed to fight back.

His fingers combed through my hair. The touch made me close my eyes as shivers trickled down my spine. He gripped my hair roughly and I could feel my fangs pressing down from my gums. I was ready for a fight if that was what he wanted.

Ban’s mouth smashed against mine. His tongue encouraged me to part my lips and let him inside. I could feel his controlling kiss and I pressed into his body. Lost in the lust that his kiss brought I could remember the way he touched me. I wanted him to touch me again.

He pushed me back against the side of the house. I sucked in a sharp breath when his fingers pushed into the front of my pants. Turning my head to the side I closed my eyes as his fingers wrapped around me. I could feel the pressure he implied as he stroke me.

I stopped the moan that was coming by biting my lip. There was pain as sharp fangs poke through the soft flesh of my bottom lip. I could feel the way my blood ran down my chin. Ban leaned forward. Pressing me against the wall more as his hand worked my lower half.

His tongue flicked out as he cleaned away the blood. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth. He drank from me. How was that possible? I didn’t think demons drank from each other. Wasn’t my blood as poisonous as his? Did it not burn like acid the way his burned me?

My fingers moved to my belt unfastening my pants so that Ban could touch me more. What was I thinking? This was the man that killed my family. This was the demon that killed me. We were right outside of the home he slaughtered everyone I knew and love inside. The home home my brother and his family were inside of. So why was I letting him touch me? Why did it feel so damn good?

I could feel the way he teased me. Slowly stroking me and then going faster. My fingers twisted in his shirt as I begged for more. Twenty years was a long time to go without another’s touch. Did it have to be his touch? Why was his touch the only one I remembered? I knew I was human once. I just had no memories of any day but my death. As if everything had been replaced by Ban.

He was kissing my neck. His tongue traced patterns over my flesh. His hand drove me closer to the edge. The moans I had been biting off was slowly breaking free. My hips rocked against his hand. I could see the way his black eyes watched me. The lust they held was mixed with something I didn’t understand. Why me? Why was he doing this to me again? Ban was the kind of man that could have anyone he wanted. So why did he want me?

“Get out of here,” the very tone of the voice made my heart ache. Turning slowly I looked upon the face of my brother. I knew it was my brother, even though his face was blurred in my memories. He had to be my brother. He looked just like our father after all.

His gray eyes narrowed as he looked at us. I could see the recognition in his face. He stumbled forward for a moment but stopped in his own tracks when he watched Ban pull his fingers from my pants. Run, I wanted to yell it to him, but my voice was trapped in my throat.

“Zero,” my brother’s voice trembled as he said my name. Ban stepped away from me. He had this twisted smile on his lips. It was as deadly as it was sexy. It meant awful things were going to happen. Awful things always happened when Ban was nearby.

“Our car just broke down and my damn cell phone died. Do you mind if we use yours?” Ban spoke the same words he had spoken twenty years ago. He pushed his way into my brother’s house pulling me along behind him.

The faint scent of blood hung in the air of the dimly lit club. We all sat at a table far from the stage. It was still a good view as the band banged away on their instruments gaining mild interest from few people.

It was clear that the people here came for one thing only. They wanted to hear Maya sing. The demon was the lure and these humans were the lamb ready for the slaughter. Looking around the room I searched the faces of the crowd for Kenji or Ban.

So far, the only demon in this room was me. Where were they? Was Ban hiding somewhere in shadows? Were they waiting for the perfect moment to strike? Hiding wasn’t really Ban’s style. If he were here, he would be front and center.

The song the band was playing ended. I could head a few people clapping, but that was all they got. My eyes were on the stage as the band packed up taking their things and walking to the back. Once the humans cleared the stage, a new person walked onto it. Shu reached for his gun, but I grabbed his wrist. The Blood Demon Kenji was here.

“Not yet,” I whispered to Shu. This was what I was talking about. We needed to be smart about this. Attacking Kenji right now was just a bad idea. There were too many humans in the room. If we went on an all out attack a lot of people were going to die. Their blood would be on our hands.

“Why wait? We can take him.” Dante hissed and my eyes shifted over to the bigger man. If Dante wanted to get himself killed, I wouldn’t stop him. Shu and I needed to be smart about this. I had to get Shu back home to Amy and Rai. That meant waiting for the perfect chance.

“Zero’s right. We need to wait.” Aya spoke and I could smell the sour and earthy notes of her fear again. I could hear the sound of all three of their hearts racing. I could see the way the veins in their neck pulse. Sweat had gathered on their brows and I had a feeling it had nothing to do with how hot it was inside of the club. Our table was alive with energy. Could Kenji sense it?

“We’ll take them after the song.” Maybe Kenji would be gone by then. I was hoping that he would be. Then we could send Maya back to hell and go home. Shu would be upset he missed his chance. I would promise him there would be another. Tonight was just too dangerous.

Shu looked towards me. I didn’t know what he was reading in my eyes. Maybe he wanted to know what I was doing. Maybe he wanted to know why I wanted him to wait. I just didn’t want him to die. Shu was my best friend. I can’t remember if I had one of those when I was human. I did know that Shu had been my best friend since the day I met him. He looked past my demon parts and saw me.

“Welcome,” Kenji spoke into the microphone. “We all know what you came here for.” A quick look around the room showed me he had everyone’s attention. Did these humans not know they were in the presence of the Blood Demon. Or did they just not care their lives were in danger.

“You want to hear her sing.” There were loud cheers from nearly everyone in the club. They wanted Maya to come on stage. “You want to bathe in her dark light as you fall deeper into her words. You want to be devoured by her song.” There were more cheers, but this speech sounded more like a demon’s way of saving grace before their meal.

I could smell the blood in the air even before it was spilled. Just like you could smell the April shower before the rain came. I swallowed, my eyes shifting around the room. He had these people under his spell. Or maybe this was Maya. Just how powerful was this demon? Had I underestimated her?

“How sweet your blood will taste when infused with her powers.” There was a fang tooth grin that he gave these people. He was going to slaughter them all. Shu came to this realization too. His finger was going to his gun again my hand was still on his wrist. Now wasn’t the time.

Kenji's eyes shifted around the room. I could see him sniff at the air. Could he smell the demon in the room? Or was it the bloodline that so boldly hunted him that he was smelling. Maybe it was both that drew his eyes to our table.

“I won’t waste any more of you time. After all, I'm famished.” With that he walked off the stage. At this point, Dante and Shu put in their earplugs. I made a show of putting mine in as well. I didn’t turn them on. I wanted to hear her sing. I wanted to know how her song was going to affect these people. Maya walked onto the stage and the whole room went crazy as she stood at the microphone. Could they not see the horns on her head? Did they not see that their pretty little singer was a demon?

She probably had them all glamor. It was a low-rank magic trick for demons who didn’t possess a human form. They could make the weak willed them as humans and not the demons they were. I knew that everyone at my table saw her for what she truly was.

The song that Maya sang wasn’t in any language I understood. Yet I could feel the power in her words. It was a soft, sad tone that had men and women sitting on the edge of their seats. They were all . . . memorized by her. I miscalculated her powers. With just a few notes, she had power over this whole room. I thought her powers only worked on men, but the women were just as caught up.

Aya was crying, I didn’t warn her to wear earplugs. I didn’t think she would need them. Now she was under the spell that Maya was casting. Shit, we walked into their trap. We needed to kill Maya and run.

Kenji walked back onto the stage. I watched as he whispered something into Maya’s ear. She only nodded her head before Kenji walked away again. She looked towards our table and the demon’s eyes locked with mine. The tune of her song changed. I could feel it ripping through my soul like a wave breaking down the walls of a dam.

My fangs pushed down, my nails grew, my black hair turned white as it flowed down my back. At last my wings burst free. Her song brought my demon form to the surface. How? How did some B-Class demon lure me into her trap?

“Zero,” Shu’s voice was breathless. It had been at least fifteen years since he seen my demon form. His eyes weren’t on me. He was looking across the table. My eyes followed him to Dante. I could see the pure rage on the bigger man’s face. Aya was still listening to the demon’s melody. She was completely under Maya’s control.

“You’re a demon,” Dante spoke slowly. “You are a demon.” He broke his words downs as if they were easier to understand this way. The hatred in his eyes for me erased the last few months we have hunted together, ate together, lived together. Now all he saw was red.

“Ban doesn’t leave survivors.” It was as simple as that. I told them all that Ban attacked me. Ban kills his prey. I just didn’t stay dead. I wanted to live too badly to remain dead.

“You lied to me.” I could hear the hurt in his voice. Dante felt as if I betrayed him. I didn’t betray him. Even if I had what more did he expect from me. I am a demon. Still I shook my head. I could feel the tension in the air as Maya continued her song. Dante hasn’t moved yet, but everything was coming to a head.

“I didn’t lie. Not once did you ask if I was human or not.” I was both human and demon. Or maybe I was neither. I exist somewhere between humanity and damnation.

“You son of a bitch!” Dante yelled jumping across the table. He had gone insane if he thought to attack me this way. Shu reacted before I could. Drawing out his gun he put two bullets in Dante's chest. I watched as the bigger man dropped onto the table breaking it into pieces. I could smell his blood as it pumped out onto the floor pooling around our feet.

Aya like all the other humans in the room didn’t take their eyes off of Maya. Dante was dead and Aya couldn’t kill least. I bit my lip as I watched the blood. I should have felt guilty about Dante’s death. It was him or me. Shu chose for the both of us.

“Kill the demon, Zero!” Shu ordered and I sprung into action. Leaping across the tables between us and the stage I could hear the tune of her song change again. The human’s heads all snapped towards me. Like puppets, they rose from their chairs. The ones that were carrying weapons all drew them out. I bared my fangs my fingers curling as my nails extended longer.

Those closest to me came forward. Swinging my hand, my crawls sliced through the man’s neck. Warm blood sprayed into my face and I smiled as I licked my fingers. I remember this feeling. It made my heart race and my blood pump faster.

Like a dance, I moved through the humans. Swinging and kicking I was surrounded by the splashing of their blood. It made the beast that I truly was roared. Grabbing a girl by her hair I bit into her neck. Her blood was sweet and sour in a pleasant way. Like eating a green apple.