Rylie Cruz 3 - How to Date a Demon (25 page)

“
It’s not like that, Rylie.
You’ll see that we had no other option,” Jack said as he turned
around to look at me.

For the first time since they’d
kidnapped me, I got a good look at his face. He looked tired,
stressed, or worried. Maybe it was all three. He looked… haunted. I
studied Quinton’s appearance in the rear-view mirror. He looked the
same. What was wrong with them?

Quinton pulled the car into a parking
lot and pulled into a spot up front. The building was huge, like a
big convention center. How many vampires were in there? Jack held
the door open for me as I climbed out from the backseat. I glared,
shooting a dirty look from Jack to Quinton.

“
Why do you want me in here
so badly?” I asked.

They walked on either side of me as we
approached the building. Were they guarding me to make sure I
didn’t get away? The closer we got to the building, the more uneasy
I felt.

A blast of cold air hit me when we
opened the door. We traveled down a long corridor until we reached
the door at the end. Quinton opened the door and Jack took my hand.
I eyed him as I reluctantly walked over the threshold with
him.

Red fabric was draped around the
ceiling with crystal chandeliers spaced around the room, adding an
elegant ambiance. It looked more like a vampire’s wedding
reception. Were werewolves even allowed into this shindig? I mean,
no one had stopped us at the door and asked for my credentials, but
I didn’t see this crowd wanting to hang out with the furry types.
They looked a little snobby if you asked me. They stood around with
their blood cocktails and fangs gleaming under the glow of the
lights. Wait staff moved around the room with trays of bloody
drinks.

We took a seat in the middle of the
room, but at the outer edge next to the fire exit. I was thankful
for that because I was pretty sure I was going to have to make a
quick getaway. The vampires at the table next to us stared. I
guessed I wasn’t exactly dressed for the occasion in my jeans and
sneakers. Jack and Quinton had their best suits on. Did the
vampires know I was a werewolf? Probably. I bet they sensed my
lupine blood from miles away.

If someone would have said I would be
sitting in a sea of vampires by the night’s end I would have never
believed it. I couldn’t get over how strange Jack and Quinton were
acting. Quinton’s behavior might not be that surprising, but Jack
never acted this way. What was going on with them? It was unlike
Quinton to be this quiet too. He always had his motor mouth
running.

“
So, why am I here again?” I
asked, looking from one to the other. Since they hadn’t answered
before, I wasn’t really expecting an answer this time. My anger
mounted with each passing minute. “I’m not in the mood to listen to
a presentation on the best blood-sucking techniques.” I gave a
mirthless chuckle.

Quinton shook his head as if I’d just
told the worst joke in the world.

“
What? It’s the truth,” I
said.

“
We need to talk with a
certain vampire. He can tell you all you need to know about the
demons and where to find Jennifer.”

“
Why didn’t he just tell you
where to find Jennifer? And then you guys could have kidnapped her
instead of me.” I folded my arms in front of my chest and shook my
head.

Why were they being so clueless? They
were smart men, but their actions weren’t showing that level of IQ
now.

They looked at each other as if light
bulbs had just gone off.

Quinton shook his head. “There’s more
to it than that. He needs to tell you what he knows about this
demon first. Look, we had to stop you from going anywhere with
Cole.”

“
Why is Cole so dangerous?”
It was more of a demand than a question.

“
We told you before, he is a
demon,” Jack answered.

Talking to them was like talking to a
wall, the same old story with no answers. Why were they so
convinced that Cole was a demon? He’d done nothing to make me think
that of him. If they had information that suggested otherwise, then
they needed to let me know.

“
Where is this vampire?” I
asked, scanning the room.

Quinton pointed across the room. “That
guy standing in the corner talking to the brunette in the blue
dress. Do you see him?”

“
The one with the cape? Are
you serious? You are going to listen to a guy who wears a cape?
This is not Interview with a Vampire. It’s not 1791.” I
snorted.

As if the vampire heard me talking
about him from across the room, he looked over at our table.
Quinton nodded and motioned for him to come over. He weaved through
the crowd and made it to our table. The vampire who claimed to know
so much approached the table. He had a smarmy look on his face and
I instantly didn’t like the guy.

How to Date a Demon, Rule
#28

Show your date that you’re
full of the devil.

The vampire sat down without saying a
word, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. Was he trying to
intimidate me? Did he think I gave a rat’s ass if he was a vampire
or if I was surrounded by vampires who could suck me dry? Did he
think I’d care if I was the only werewolf in the room? Wait. I was
the only werewolf. Gulp. No, I wouldn’t let them scare me. I’d
successfully fought off vampires in the past and I could do it
again. Plus, I had to trust that Quinton and Jack wouldn’t bring me
into a dangerous situation.

Quinton tapped his fingers nervously
against the table and Jack shifted in his seat. The tension in the
air ratcheted up and I knew it was coming from this vampire. Was he
a bad vampire like Sophie? I was beginning to have suspicions that
the answer to that question was yes.

Finally, he stretched his hand toward
me.“Rylie Cruz, I’ve heard so much about you. My name is Shane
Bast. I’m glad Quinton and Jack were able to convince you to come
here tonight.”

I didn’t shake his hand and he didn’t
appear to be pleased by my lack of manners. Again, I didn’t care
what he thought. I didn’t want to be here in the first place.
Shane’s gaze traveled to Jack and Quinton and they nodded with
pride. This vampire had asked them to bring me here? What business
was it of his? What did he care if I ever found my
friend?

I looked at Quinton and Jack. “Yeah,
I’m glad they could convince me too.”

I didn’t want to waste any more time.
I needed to get this conversation over so I could get back to the
search for Jennifer. According to Cole, I had precious little time
and I didn’t know if I could make it. But would I be able to find
Cole now and locate Jennifer? He hadn’t told me where to find
her.

Had Cole gone to the location to save
Jennifer without me? I hoped he had. Did he think I’d given up on
Jennifer just because these crazy vampires had taken me
away?

“
So why am I here, exactly?
You have some information about the demons and how I can find my
friend?”

He nodded and leaned forward. “This
man who is offering to help you isn’t safe. It’s in your best
interest to stay as far away from him as possible. Of course you
know we have your best interest at heart.”

Did he have my best interest at heart?
He didn’t know me and I didn’t believe him. Had this vampire had a
face-lift? He had unnaturally taut skin. His cheeks were pulled
back and his expression didn’t change much. Maybe he should ease up
on the Botox injections. I didn’t know if he was smiling or leering
at me.

“
And why is that?” I clucked
my tongue.

I couldn’t wait to hear their lame
excuse. What reason could they possibly have for not wanting me to
be near Cole? This demon business wasn’t cutting it. Until they
showed me proof, I wasn’t buying it. I looked from Jack to Quinton.
Their expressions were surprisingly blank. I felt like snapping my
fingers and asking if anyone was home. Their eyes were transfixed
on Shane as if he had them in some kind of trance. Could vampires
place spells on other vampires? I couldn’t remember, but I thought
the book I’d gotten from Marcus mentioned something about vampires
having different powers.

“
He is not a demon hunter
and he is just trying to lure you into his web. Of course he
claimed to know where you could get Jennifer. He was taking you
there so he could take you back to hell with him.” Shane measured
his words, staring me straight in the eyes.

It felt as if someone had punched me
in the stomach. Could it be? Sure, I hadn’t trusted Cole at first,
but he’d finally started to grow on me. I’d thought he was sincere
and telling the truth. No, I didn’t believe this
vampire.

“
We’re sorry we had to do
what we did, but now you can see we just did it to save your life,”
Jack said as he squeezed my hand.

Quinton nodded in
agreement.

“
Yeah, I guess so.” I sighed
and blew a strand of hair out of my eyes. This was taking some time
to wrap my mind around. I’d go along with their little game until I
could get out of there. I knew Cole wasn’t capable of such a
trick.

Music played and vampires danced. This
was like one giant party and I was pretty sure I wasn’t even
supposed to be there. Jack seemed to break out of his daze for a
moment and looked at me. He smiled and it was the old Jack whom I
knew. Would he stay with me? Or fall back into that weird vampire
trance? Now I needed to rescue Jack too!

Shane stared at me and a chill ran up
my spine. He smiled ever so slightly, as if he could read my
mind.

“
Would you care to dance?”
he asked.

Now was my turn to stare at him. Was
he serious? He couldn’t possibly think I’d want to dance with him.
Not even if it was a fast song. The thought of standing close to
him made my skin crawl.

“
No, thank you.”

His expression didn’t falter and his
gaze didn’t leave mine. That was it. I didn’t care what Jack or
Quinton thought, it was time for me to get out of that
place.

The men began chatting about some
upcoming vampire activity. At least they were finally not watching
me. As I sat there listening to the three of them speak, I knew one
thing: I had to get out of there. But how would I get away? We were
in a room full of vampires. They were probably just waiting to make
me their dessert. I had to devise a plan of escape quickly before
it was too late. But my new bodyguards had their super senses on
full alert.

“
Well, all of this
information is a lot to take in,” I said. “The fact of the matter
is I still need to find Jennifer. You said he could help me find
her.” I pointed at the vampire.

He folded his hands in his lap. He was
wearing black fingernail polish. I thought he wanted to be in a
band. Or maybe he was a groupie.

“
How do you know so much
about the demons?” I narrowed my eyes.

This vampire didn’t seem on the up and
up.

He paused for a second as if he was
selecting just the right words. Or maybe he was making up a story
in his head or didn’t want to answer at all.

“
I’ve had years of
experience with them. I was overtaken by a demon, then I spent time
making sure they couldn’t do this to anyone else.”

“
Well, no offense, but you
haven’t done a very good job with that mission.”

Maybe this vampire was just full of
it. In fact, this whole place reminded me of some kind of cult.
Sure, I had the pack meetings, but it was more like a family
reunion slash barbeque slash excuse for the werewolves to get
drunk. The vampires in this place looked like they were taking this
stuff very seriously. It was like some kind of strange cult
convention. Did they have elected officials? I needed to get Jack
out of there before they put any more crazy ideas in his
head.

Maybe the vampires were just telling
us these stories. Maybe they were in with the demons. Jack seemed
to be under their spell though. He’d probably believe anything they
told him at this point. They could be so manipulative when it
suited their purpose. Okay, technically they were claiming to be
protecting me. But I really wasn’t buying it. I didn’t trust this
vampire. I felt like there was something else behind his
motives.

He tapped his fingers against the
table as he glowered at me. Did he expect me to say something else?
I wasn’t sure why he kept staring at me. I felt the urge to cover
my neck. I hated to leave Jack there, but it was the only way right
now. We would have to work out this problem after I found Jennifer…
if I found Jennifer.

I felt my phone vibrating in my
pocket. Was Cole calling me? I had to check. Maybe it was Jennifer.
Oh please, let it be Jennifer.

“
If you’ll excuse me please,
gentlemen, I need to visit the little girls’ room.” I plastered the
sweetest smile I could muster on my face.

Did anyone even say that anymore? I
was probably being blatantly obvious. Maybe what they said about
Cole was right, but I had to take my chances. I couldn’t give up on
Jennifer and they weren’t offering any real solutions as to how to
find her. Until they did, I was on my own. I knew they would try to
stop me from leaving, so sneaking out was the only way. I didn’t
want to hurt Quinton, and especially Jack. That could really damage
our relationship.