The Entity Who Came for Christmas: A Holiday Novella (Entity Series) (2 page)

“Morgan’s descendants? Why the hell would you do that?”

“For old time’s sake.”

“You had sex with Morgan and you wanted to have sex with--”

“I did not have sex with Morgan.”

“So you had sex with Pru instead?”

“It wasn’t like that,” Simon said curtly. He got up and started pacing before flinging himself back onto the couch. “I’m not a volatile vampire. I’m rock steady. Nothing throws me.” He’d seen it all and beat it all. He’d killed and destroyed without hesitation.

Despite all that, he didn’t know how to explain the fiery chemistry between Pru and him. He certainly hadn’t anticipated how strong their connection would be or how incredible the sex was.

Yes, he’d gone looking for her. Yes, he’d wanted to seduce her. And yes, once he had her in his bed the results had been unbelievably good. At least the sex had been. Off-the-charts good. Bloody spectacular. So damn spectacular that he’d been shaken to his core. He couldn’t risk getting attached to her. He couldn’t lose his focus, which had to remain on hunting and destroying demons.

He’d hoped that mating with her would change him for the better. Make him a better hunter. It hadn’t, despite multiple tries and multiple orgasms over a week’s time. Merlin had lied when he’d said while training Simon that finding Morgan Le Fay’s descendant in the beginning of the twenty-first century would greatly increase Simon’s power.

So Simon had left. He’d tried to do so without waking Pru, but the witch had damn good hearing. She’d confronted him. He’d told her the truth. That he’d had sex with her because of her ties to Morgan. She hadn’t taken the news well.

“So what exactly is this curse that Pru cast on you?” Damon asked.

“I um … my ability to have sex has been … compromised.”

“What?”

“I haven’t had sex in months,” Simon growled.

Damon took a step back. “How do you break the curse?”

“I was hoping your girlfriend Zoe would help me with that,” Simon said.

CHAPTER TWO

“You had sex with a vampire Demon Hunter?” Zoe stared at Pru in amazement.

“Don’t give me that look,” Pru said. “Apparently you have sex with a vampire Demon Hunter all the time.”

“Yeah, you have sex all the time,” Zoe’s cat, Bella, said.

“I’m still not used to your familiar being able to speak,” Pru said, staring down at the grey cat sitting on the floor. “I’m actually between familiars at the moment. I’ll have to put in a request for one that talks.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Zoe said.

“Yeah, I learned that the hard way with Simon,” Pru said.

“What’s the deal between you two? How did you meet? Did you two cross paths back in Boston?”

Pru knew Zoe and her grandmother from being in the same coven with them in Boston. Pru could still remember the uproar her friend had created when she’d broken the coven’s rule of never telling a human you were a witch. Zoe had told her fiancé at the time. Later he’d dumped her or she’d dumped him, Pru wasn’t sure. She only knew that Zoe and her grandmother had been sent away. They’d come to Chicago and all hell had broken loose. Literally. The Book of Darkness had accidentally been opened, releasing brutal demons from hell.

Pru had only learned about the demon stuff after it was all over. She’d wondered if Simon had been involved but hadn’t been able to ask because she didn’t know about Zoe living with a vampire. “Why didn’t you tell me about Damon?” Pru asked.

“I told you I love him.”

“You didn’t tell me he was a vampire.”

“It wasn’t my secret to share.”

“Are you keeping other secrets?” Pru said.

Zoe nodded before quickly adding, “But none that affect you.”

“How can you be sure they don’t affect me?” Pru said. “We’ve both had sex with vampire Demon Hunters.”

“True.” Zoe nodded. “I’ll bet not many witches can say that.” She paused to hand Pru a Red Velvet cupcake. “Do you love Simon?”

Pru deliberately sidestepped the question. “I
love
this cupcake,” Pru said. “It’s magical.”

“Actually, it’s not. It’s made by my friend Daniella, owner of Heavenly Cupcakes.”

“Mmm.” Pru wiped a dab of cream cheese frosting from her mouth with the napkin Zoe provided. “She’s not a witch?”

“No. But let’s get back to you and Simon. I know you said you hated him, but if that was the case, why did you have sex with him?”

“I forgot how stubborn you are,” Pru said.

“I prefer to think of it as being focused.”

Pru pointed to the Keep Calm and Carry On red T-shirt Zoe was wearing.

Zoe looked down and laughed. “Daniella got me a T-shirt that says ‘Keep Calm and Eat Cupcakes.’ Damon got me one that says ‘Keep Calm and Read a Book.’”

“Do you miss your days as a librarian?” Pru asked.

“I do at times,” Zoe admitted. “But I love my work as a soap maker. Aromatherapy is a powerful thing. Lavender is one of my favorite scents. It’s meant to have a calming influence, while citrus can be refreshing. Even though I’m not using any magic in my Bella Luna bath and body products, they are still selling faster than I can make them.”

“Because she won’t let Gram use magic to create more product,” Bella said, pausing while washing her face with her front right paw.

“Will your grandmother be upset that we ate a cupcake before the Solstice Yule dinner she’s prepared?” Pru belatedly asked.

“Not at all,” Zoe said. “Gram likes having dessert first. She’s prepared our traditional meal of pumpkin soup, roast chicken, sweet potatoes with cranberries.”

“And eggnog with rum to drink?” Pru asked.

“Yule nog? Yes, of course. But getting back to Simon, you hate him and--”

“And I meant to tell you that the table setting looks beautiful.” Pru was deliberately stalling. She was trying to come up with a way to explain what had happened between Simon and her. Instead she pointed to the small yule log and candles decorated with traditional evergreen, pinecones, cinnamon sticks, and mistletoe. “Good job. I see you’ve got the larger yule log as well.” She tilted her head toward the oak log wrapped in red and green ribbon sitting on the floor at her feet. “You and Gram already placed your wish notes on it.”

“We won’t put it in the fireplace to burn until after dinner. You’re welcome to add yours,” Zoe said, handing her a piece of lavender-scented paper.

Pru sniffed the paper before setting it back onto the coffee table in front of the couch. “It smells wonderful. I’ll write something later.”

“Simon’s arrival has distracted you,” Zoe said.

“Yes, it did.” The last time Pru had seen Simon, she’d been naked in his bed and he’d been ready to walk out on her.

“So come on, tell me. Where did you two meet?”

“Remember the trip I took to that homeopathic conference in London almost a year ago?”

Zoe nodded.

“I bumped into him outside the hotel,” Pru said. “I didn’t know he was a vampire until it was too late.”

“He took you against your will?” Zoe looked horrified.

“No. He made me want him so badly that I couldn’t think straight.”

Now Zoe looked confused. “But he couldn’t compel you. Witches can’t be compelled by vampires. Unless Simon is somehow different?”

“Oh, he’s different, all right. But he didn’t use any vampire powers on me. He was just charming and sexy and irresistible.”

“Was he your first vampire?”

“The first I had sex with, yes. I should have stayed home and never gone to London,” Pru said. “Yeah, I learned a lot at the conference. Information that proved helpful in my work at the Spirit Wellness Center.” The natural herbs, mixtures, and remedies Pru used had been passed down through her family. She always made it clear to her clients that her work didn’t replace medical treatment but instead was meant to supplement it. “But hooking up with Simon was a big mistake.”

“Was the fact that he’s a vampire the reason you two broke up?” Zoe asked.

“No, it was the fact that he was only using me for his own purposes. He told me so himself. Practically bragged about it in fact.” Which was when Pru had cursed him with a spell she was not ready to tell Zoe about yet.

“Time to eat,” Gram called from the dining room.

“Before we go to dinner, do you have any advice on dealing with a vampire Demon Hunter?” Pru asked Zoe.

Bella raised her paw. “I do. Get the hell out while you still can!”

*   *   *

Simon stared out the loft window. Streetlights prevented him from seeing stars. The light snow earlier had cleared. He hated standing around doing nothing, but Damon had been correct in saying that no witch would help him if he interrupted their Yule Solstice celebration. So he’d have to wait.

He
hated
waiting. When he’d deliberately bumped into Pru in London, she hadn’t made him wait. She’d responded right away. When things hadn’t turned out the way he’d expected, he hadn’t waited around. Instead of appreciating his honesty with her, she’d turned around and cursed him.

This mess had gone on long enough. Time for some action. If not with Pru, then with demons. He glanced at his watch. It was almost midnight. “We have over seven hours until daylight,” he said.

“Daylight doesn’t bother me now,” Damon said.

“I’m at my most powerful at night.” Simon, too, could tolerate sunlight, but he was drawn to the darkness, for that’s where demons gathered. “Let’s do a little demon hunting. Are you game?”

“Always,” Damon said.

Simon knew he’d trained Damon well. He also knew Damon was a fierce fighter. But he didn’t have the many centuries of experience that Simon did. Nor the scars.

Vampire wounds healed unless you were beheaded or burned to a cinder. Then it was lights-out. But Simon’s scars weren’t all visible. He was cursed in more ways than one. He’d been cursed
before
Pru had cut off his sex life. At least she hadn’t cut off his privates.

His scars went back to his time in Camelot. When King Arthur had asked for Simon’s help, he’d been honor bound to oblige. How could he not? As one of the Knights of the Round Table, Simon was committed to serving his liege. He’d vowed to do whatever it took to protect King Arthur.

Merlin had stepped in, showing off his fangs. Simon had heard the rumors of Merlin’s magic, but he’d had no idea of what was to come. His transition had been rough. Merlin hadn’t used this particular curse, the curse of vampirism, on many before. In practicing it on Simon, he’d left wounds that couldn’t be healed. Some were physical, like the slashes across his chest. Others went deeper, like the memory of being locked in a dungeon and craving more blood so intensely, so
fiercely,
that he’d ripped the iron chains from the stone walls, breaking his wrists in the process. He’d become a feral beast and gone on a killing rampage in a nearby village.

Innocent humans had been slaughtered. That’s when Merlin had almost ended Simon’s life as a vampire. But instead, he’d taught Simon how to hunt and destroy demons. Demons like Mordred, who wanted Arthur’s throne for himself.

Merlin had turned Simon in order for Simon to serve as a better protector. And he had done so for a time. Until the battlefield at Camlann. Legend had it that Arthur had killed Mordred there. But no human, not even a powerful king, can kill a demon.

Simon had been the one who had shoved the spear through Mordred. Even so, despite Simon’s best efforts, Mordred had still managed to wound Arthur, who’d later died from those injuries. Merlin had been furious with Simon and banished him for centuries.

Remembering Mordred filled Simon with fury. Moving at vamp superspeed, he stepped outside and sniffed the air. “I smell the rot of demons.”

“Here in Vamptown?”

“No. Follow me.”

Simon took to the air. He didn’t consider it flying as much as airborne transport. It was fast, so fast that humans’ eyes couldn’t register his movements. It was also efficient and stayed well under the radar.

Maneuvering around Chicago’s famous skyline was no problem. He’d successfully navigated most of the major cities in the world, although there had been one towering 163-floor skyscraper in Dubai a few months ago that had been tricky. But Chicago, like New York City, had skyscrapers close together, which required increased concentration and due diligence. Simon had plenty of both, allowing him to arrive at his destination precisely two seconds before Damon.

“Here?” Damon looked around in surprise. “This is the Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza. An outdoor market. It’s closed now obviously, but we’re in the middle of downtown Chicago.”

Simon ignored the towering Christmas tree with its twinkling white lights in the center of the plaza and instead focused on the rest of the holiday setup. “Quaint, hmm? The way they make the facades look like timber houses in an old European village. Just like the ones that sent out their inhabitants with torches to burn vampires.”

“Probably not what the organizers had in mind when they designed it this way,” Damon noted dryly. “What makes you think there are demons here?”

“This.” Simon drew his specialized dagger as a gang of demons descended upon them. There were at least a dozen. Their horns were protruding and their claws were sharp enough to slice through steel.

Simon used his powers to cut the electricity, shutting off the lights all around him and throwing the plaza into total darkness. He loved fighting in the dark. He could see the glowing reflection of the demons’ eyes and smell their putrid scent. Their snarls told him they were eager for battle.

Simon sliced the throat of the first demon to attack him and then the next. But each time he slayed one, the demon disintegrated and another took his place. These were not normal demons. These were mercenaries who didn’t disappear but left a pile of remainder that would regurgitate into an even stronger demon unless precautions were taken.

“Demon dust,” Simon told Damon, who was fending off a trio of demons. “Now I’m royally pissed.” Reaching into his right boot, Simon pulled another demon dagger out of its sheath just in time to stab it into the malevolent glowing eye of the demon who was millimeters away from ripping him apart.

Moments later it was over as fast as it had begun. Simon looked at the piles of demon dust surrounding him before turning to Damon and saying, “Call your witch. And tell her to bring a broom.”