Demigod Down by Kim Schubert

surprise. “Yes, it is,” I replied
levelly.
    He nodded as the song ended. We parted, still
watching each other closely, each of us seeing a challenging
opponent.
    Blake interrupted our staring contest.
    “If you will excuse us, Gabrielle,” he said
with a slight bow, before rushing us out of the ballroom.
    I was careful to keep silent and dampen my
emotions as best I could. I was trying to let Blake ride out his
family problems, but I did not like being kept in the dark.
     

Chapter 7
    I woke in cold sweats, panting as another
horror movie from my past played before my eyes. Pulling deep
breaths, I searched the bed for Blake but came up empty.
    I was a big girl and I could handle this
alone, I told myself, forcing the visions out of my head as I swung
the covers off to use the bathroom.
    Splashing cold water on my face helped ease
the tension in my chest, and my worry for Blake was a quick way to
distract myself from my own unresolved issues. Easing out his
bedroom door, I padded on soft footsteps toward the glow of light
down the hall in the library. Pushing open the door, he smiled at
me surrounded by ancient texts.
    “Nightmare?” he asked softly rubbing his
hands over his weary face before holding them out to me.
    I nodded, going to his open arms and curling
into his chest. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” he whispered, kissing my
hair. “I couldn’t sleep.”
    I shrugged. “Not your job to keep the monster
at bay,” I told him, wanting a quick subject change. “What are you
doing in here?”
    He sighed dejectedly. “Wasting my time
honestly, I am trying to find a case or a mention in vampire
history of a vamp pet being set free by someone not in the
clan.”
    Rubbing my eyes, I moved a few books giving
myself room to work. “This isn’t English.” I held up the first book
I had opened.
    He gave me a small smile, “No, here” he
pointed out more modern text, “try this one.”
    “Much better.” I cracked open the first worn
pages.
    I felt his eyes on me for a few long moments
before I turned, head supported in my hand and raising an eyebrow
in silent question.
    “This isn’t what you enjoy.”
    “If you are not going to let me kill the
source of the problem, than the least I can do it help you with
this stuff.” I shrugged. “Besides I don’t like sleeping alone so
much anymore.” I returned to my book feeling slightly vulnerable
with that confession.
    Leaning closer, he nuzzled my neck, “Olivia,
the greatest Executioner ever to live, doesn’t like being alone in
bed?”
    Pushing him away, I put a book in his hands.
“You have shit to do.” A smile tugged at my lips.
    We worked in silence most of the night,
gentle touches between us as we shifted for a more comfortable
position or for the next text, but still we found nothing as the
morning light flittered through the windows.
    Heaving a sigh, I stood up stretching. “I’m
going to get something to eat.”
    He nodded, looking around the room
dejectedly. I squeezed his shoulder. “I can make some calls and see
if there are any other texts we can check.”
    Blake shook his head, “This has to stay
quiet.”
    Heading toward the kitchen, my mind mulled
over the pet problem. Vampire pets were essentially slaves to their
masters. They lacked the strength to free themselves from the
powerful predators, but time had evolved the practice. Many had
places of honor within the clans as they could move easily in human
society able to achieve goals that the vampires couldn’t do on
their own. Especially now that the existence of vampires had been
revealed to the general public, their rights as citizens hadn’t
been defined. Owning homes, voting, and having drivers’ licenses
were all now subject to the government’s approval or
disapproval.
    I was so glad that they didn’t know about us
yet. Taking on the human government gave me a headache just
thinking about it. The last time Hash and I had been in the same
room, for business reasons, one of us