Demigod Down by Kim Schubert Page B

another
question.”
    “Is the clan in St Anne?”
    “That would make it simpler if they were. No,
they found some damn loop hole that allows them to practice the old
ways about 100 miles outside the city in rural farm county.”
    “Why?”
    “Why, what?” He cast me a glance as we
returned to an easy pace.
    “Why did she take Blake’s family?” I stopped,
suddenly pieces coming together. “Blake and Tate are related, they
did this to get Tate not Blake.”
    Alfie kept running and I sprinted to keep up
with him. “She’s after both of them. I don’t pretend to understand
exactly why, but I know neither of them are willing to let the
bitch keep their family member and equally not willing to agree to
her terms.”
    I nodded. “Do you know much about the older
cast of vampires?”
    Alfie turned a corner and I kept up with him
easily. “Nothing pleasant.”
    “They hold to the rules and laws of the their
clans with religious fanaticism, if Blake and Tate can find a loop
hole she will release their family member.” I sighed. “But if Blake
and Tate haven’t found a loophole, it’s quite possible one doesn’t
exist. The foreign bitch would have known her laws intimately.” I
groaned. “I wish he would just let me kill her. But even that
wouldn’t solve the problem, I’d have to kill the entire clan.” I
sighed.
    “And then the vampires could come after
you.”
    “The vampires would love to come after me.” I
groaned, seeing no good options as we ended up back on Blake’s
street.
    I felt the air cool before I saw actual
danger approaching. I grabbed Alfie by his shirt and forced him
down to crouch beside me.
    “What the hell, Olivia?” He jerked out of my
hold as I scanned the deserted street. We were four doors down from
Blake’s, but in this neighborhood with huge yards and equally
gigantic houses, it was too far to run.
    No one was watching from any of the windows I
could see, but we were out in the open. This was not a defensible
position. It was an easy place for an ambush.
    I was silent, balancing on the balls of my
feet, listening and waiting for whatever had caused the sudden drop
in temperature.
    “Why is it so cold?” he asked, rubbing his
arms.
    “I don’t know,” I muttered. “But I am certain
nothing good will come of it.”
    Alfie pulled out his cell phone, speaking
rapidly to security as I scanned the area and pushed slightly out
of my crouch to see above the perfectly groomed hedges to my
left.
    “I told you he wouldn’t be happy,” said a
voice from behind us. Dammit.
    Pivoting on the balls of the feet, I threw
out an arm to push Alfie behind me, he annoyingly didn’t move.
Slowly I pushed up into a standing position, drawing the attention
of my opponent.
    “Sleazy mother fucker,” I hissed at the
slumped shoulder greasy asshole Rose fired from Kitten. My anxiety
decreasing significantly, I could handle this one.
    His face turned red as he spat out his next
sentence, “Bi-bitch, you will re-respect me,” he ordered. Wind
sucker punched me in the stomach, launching both of us off our feet
and over the hedge. Landing solidly on our backs and into the
grass, I turned on my side, sucking in a deep breath and coughing
from the sudden lack of oxygen, watching Alfie’s worried
expression.
    “What is he?” Alfie rasped next to me,
pushing halfway up.
    “Witch or demigod, I’m betting on the latter
given how fast he is throwing that shit,” I said as another gust of
wind pitched us back another five feet, my hip slid over the
manicured lawn leaving a dirt rut where I had traveled.
    “How the fuck do you kill either of those?”
he wheezed, rolling onto his side.
    “When all else fails, I usually go with
beheading,” I answered shrugging, looking around for a weapon on
the previously pristine lawn.
    “Who is the he you are referring to?” I asked
wind boy, suddenly worried there might be another psycho
hiding.
    “He is the God of Chaos, the creator of the
trickster