Forrest set his Hunter box on the bar, unlatched it, and flung the top over, revealing some of his vampire hunting gear. He grabbed several bottles of holy water, two globe-shaped bottles of pure garlic juice, and shoved them into his pockets.
Ian and Gunner grabbed stakes out of the box as fur slowly covered their hands, even though with their jagged claws they didn’t need the weapons. But during the blur of aggressive melee, extra weapons came in handy.
Forrest glared at Jinn. “I thought you said that she wasn’t here.”
“I’m being straight up with you. I didn’t know that she was. If I had seen her, I would have told you. She must have come in through the Founders’ door. Recently.”
“Never trust a demon,” Forrest grumbled.
“Hey!” Cassie said with a glare.
“You’re the exception,” Forrest said.
“And I’m not?” Jinn’s voice indicated his hurt for not gaining Forrest’s trust.
Forrest grinned, handing two stakes to Jinn. “Like I said earlier, prove yourself.”
Jinn held the two stakes and smiled. “If that vamp bitch shows herself, I’ll ram a stake through her heart. I might just miss by a few inches on purpose the first time to make her suffer.”
“No,” Forrest said. “Don’t give her any chance to escape.”
“I owe her payback from the last prank.”
“Trust me. Turning her to ash is punishment enough.” Forrest eyed Jaclyn. “Take the other two witches through the front door. Check on Titus. Make sure he’s okay. Afterwards, get the Hell out of here. Perhaps you could go to Micah’s magic shop to perform the ritual to locate your mother. I’m going after Flora.”
Jaclyn nodded. She placed her hand upon Forrest’s right wrist. “Be careful. It might be a trap.”
Forrest waited until the three witches had crossed the dance floor and made it out the door. He looked at the others. “Let’s find her.”
Ian and Gunner lowered to all fours and moments later, they completely altered into their shifter forms.
Cassie walked along the edge of the wall. Somehow, she had veiled herself in shadow and had almost become invisible in the areas where the darkness prevailed.
Forrest peered around the empty dance floor, hoping to catch a glimpse of Flora. He needed to find her. He couldn’t allow her to escape. If she had heard their conversation, they had lost their advantage and every opportunity to catch the demons off guard. “Ian, go tell Micah and Ashley that Flora’s here.”
Ian huffed and scampered across the floor toward the stairs, obviously angered to not be pursuing Flora. He enjoyed vampire slaying better than most actual Hunters.
“Hunter! Do you like games?” Flora asked, her voice echoing.
“Show yourself and let’s get this over with, Flora.”
“No reprieve?
“Your pardon has ended.”
“Well, since you’re the Hunter, that means I’m the prey. Let’s see how good your hunting skills are then,” Flora said in a haunting whisper.
“I should have killed you ages ago,” Forrest said, firming gripping a sharp stake.
“And yet, you didn’t.” The whispered words came near his ear. The iciness of her breath pricked his skin.
Forrest turned and slashed the stake through the air, hoping to strike her before she moved outside his radius, but he wasn’t fast enough.
Flora’s laughter drifted higher, echoing in a pleasant tone. “Close, Hunter! But not on target. Are you getting old?”
Forrest growled at her mockery.
“I take it you’re fond of me,” Flora said.
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
Her laughter billowed. Ah, now Hunter, you’ve known for over a century where I have resided, but you have allowed me to live. Surely that’s affection at its purest, is it not? If I truly were your enemy, you’d have sought me long ago and driven a stake through my heart before my strength magnified even more with age.
Forrest held a stake in each hand, slowly turning in a circle, listening and looking, trying to get a glimpse of her.
You can’t kill me because you still desire me. A part of you still wonders how it could have been between us, how surrendering yourself to me and fulfilling your lusts might have changed your life forever. I remember. I wanted it, too.
“Old age has made you delusional,” Forrest said through gritted teeth.
Is that so?
“Definitely. You do realize I was only nine years old when we first met?”
Silence.
Forrest chuckled. “I realize that you didn’t know.”
You lie.
Forrest shook his head. “No, it was part of my being chosen as a Vampire Hunter. My body might have been that of an adult, but my mind was still maturing, trying to catch up. So stop flattering yourself. What you remember is far different than my memories.”
Flora’s laugh was soft and filled with flirty charm. You can deny your desires with these fantasized excuses, Forrest, but I saw the longing in your eyes when you held up the stake and made it appear to the others that you were going to stake me. There was that flicker of warmth and compassion, making you remember what you had felt long ago. The eyes reveal the soul, Forrest. And I saw the instant relief in your eyes when Kailey begged you to spare me and you pretended to acquiesce. I know you. No amount of pleading could persuade you not to kill a vampire when you had the undeniable opportunity to do so. Your passion for me is still there, although it’s buried deeply.
“You’re a fool.”
Tsk. Tsk. I allowed you to slay Nicodemus because he had been the one who prevented us from being together a century ago. He only disapproved of our union because you had killed our father, but you can have me now. He’s no longer an obstacle.
Forrest laughed. “Your glamour and compulsion have no grip on me, so you can quit trying.”
I have no need of either with you. Your heart cannot hide its ache for me.
Forrest took a sharp breath and swallowed hard. Sweat cropped his brow. His frustration increased. “If you truly believe that, appear before me. I’ll show you how little I desire you and how much you repulse me.”
Not here. Not now. You’re not being honest with yourself about me, us.
“There is no us.”
Forrest, yield to your desires. Allow the old memories you’ve buried to resurface. Do so, and Kailey will be spared. I’ll call Raven off and make her never harm Kailey again.
“Blackmail? You’re the one who has deceived yourself for more than a century. As I recall you were scorned because you were unable to compel me into having sex with you. I rejected your every attempt to seduce me. Like you’re trying to do now, but it didn’t work then and it certainly won’t work now. You want to know why?”
There was a long pause before she replied. Why?
“You’re not only cold because you’re undead; you’re cold because you don’t have the capability to express love. It’s not something you’ve ever known, nor have you ever given it. It fleets from your presence like light dispels the darkness. I could never stomach the thought of being with you because there’s no way I’d ever give myself to a heartless bloodsucking corpse.”
How dare you!
“Is that enough proof for you?” Forrest shouted, looking toward the rafters. “Show yourself and I’ll end your delusional misery!”
We shall meet soon enough, but only after I’ve destroyed everything else that’s precious in your life. I will fill your life with sorrow unlike you’ve ever known. Another time, Forrest!
She shrieked at such a high decibel that several of the overhead lights burst and showered down bits of glass.
Forrest stared at the floor. Her threat, for the most part, was meaningless. He didn’t believe his sorrow could ever be greater than the losses he had already suffered during the early years of his life. Of course, she was threating to kill his current friends, but she’d never succeed if he figured out where she was hiding.
As the last of the raining glass fragments settled, Micah and Ashley descended the stairs from the werewolf VIP. A disgruntled Ian followed behind them.
“Flora did this?” Micah asked, looking at the lights and then to the floor.
Forrest nodded. He turned toward Cassie and Jinn. “Let’s go! She’s gone!”
Micah stared at Forrest. “You’re sure she’s gone?”
“I am. She’s up to her usual taunting, cousin. And since you’re my family, I can only ask you once more to reconsider what we discussed earlier. I cannot protect you if you remain inside Nocturnal Trinity. The situation is getting grimmer. You won’t be spared. Sadly the same fate will befall Ashley. Are you willing to sacrifice her for your stubbornness?”
Forrest didn’t wait for Micah to reply. He turned and walked to the bar to gather up his box and slaying tools.
Cassie stepped up beside him. “She’s really gone?”
Forrest nodded, latched the lid on the box, and slid the box off the bar.
“How do you know?”
Forrest smiled. “She told me she was leaving, but with her chaotic plans, she won’t be gone long. The shattering lights indicated her theatrical exit, which is something she enjoys. We need to find Eva and return to the tunnel to discover what’s there. After that we locate Flora and slay her.”
Cassie responded with a curious frown. “Did she speak to you like she has Kailey in the past?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“I’d rather not talk about it. But we cannot waste any more time here.”