By: Savannah Hottinger

Chapter Two:

Kadeem was one of the very few demons who were allowed the power to travel in the light of day. Only the demons under servitude of their masters were given this gift. This is why Kadeem was traveling with me at 7 am toward Angela’s house before I went to work.

Finally, I was fed up with the silence.

“Hey Kadeem, has Angela seemed different to you lately?” I asked. I was desperate for conversation.

Though I’ve known Kadeem since I was still in my mother’s womb, He still freaked me out sometimes. He’s safety to me but he was still a demon and he still has seen more horror than any human. He was around long enough to have witnessed the Trojan War.

“Yeah, you mean the big vamp bite on her neck?” Kadeem answered. I slammed on the brakes. The honking of my fellow commuters was background music to my dilemma.

“What?” I screeched. Kadeem stared at me with one eyebrow raised.

“You’re telling me you haven’t seen that sucker?” He asked incredulously. (No pun intended)

“No, I have not seen it!” I said through gritted teeth. I began racing to Angela's house.

“Slow down Cat!” Kadeem yelled. Why? It wasn’t like he could die.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He said. Jeez, was I an open book or what?

I slowed my car and drove the speed limit. I would remain calm until I got the answers straight from the horse’s mouth. This mantra soothed me until we arrived. When we reached her house, I wasn’t surprised to see a vampire there. He got out of his car as we pulled in the drive way.

“See, Catalina, I told you I’d be seeing you again.” Damien commented when he saw me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, too shocked to think of anything else. His step faltered at the tension in my voice. He cocked his head a little to the side.

“What’s wrong, Cat? I like Angela. She’s delicious.” He replied. Oh dear God, why? I leapt immediately and without warning, and tackled him to the ground. His head smacked into mine and the sudden pain caused us to roll apart and stand.

“Well, you seem angry.” We circled each other and I fought back a scream. What nerve!

“Of course I’m angry you bloodsucking monster.” I said in a low, dangerous voice. Kadeem was in front of Damien the second he moved. Damien stepped back immediately and visibly blanched.

“A demon, Catalina? Is that really necessary?” He asked, gulping. I made a noise that strangely resembled a growl.

“What’s going on?” That was Angela’s sweet voice. I turned so fast that for a moment I was dizzy.

“Angela! What’s this I hear about feeding vampires?” I accused. She took a step back, a pained expression on her face. She wouldn’t look me in the eye and my heart jumped to my throat.

It couldn’t be.

“Why?” I asked, my disappointment palpable.

“I’m so sorry Cat. I found myself vulnerable and feeding Damien was my only option.” Her voice cracked as she finally turned away, ashamed.

“Why didn’t you come to me? Why not your father? Why not Kadeem?” I asked, horrified that it was true . That she really willingly fed a vampire. Why did it have to be Damien Steele?

“Um, do I have a say in this?” Damien asked, stepping from behind Kadeem. I shot him the deadliest glare I could muster. It wasn’t hard. Damien walked slowly up to me, invading my personal space. This guy was asking to get staked. Even Kadeem was getting irritated.

“Catalina, Angela was in a bad spot. She needed help and I provided that. Kill me and she dies.” He whispered smoothly in my ear. A shiver went up my spine. He was right of course. Humans who regularly fed vampires were bound to them by blood and so harming the vampire also harmed the human host. I couldn’t kill him or it would hurt Angela.

Man, I wanted stake that sucker right then and there.

“This isn’t over Damien.” I warned and with that I dragged Angela and Kadeem into the house and slammed the door behind us. He could wait.

Later that day at work it occurred to me that this was my favorite time of the day aside from sleeping. The smell of the office made me happy. Printers running, coffee making, crime stopping, keys typing and other sounds were my favorite greetings and since today was already stressful, it felt wonderful to sit down in my office.

A file was on my desk when I sat down. A new case awaited me. As I flipped it open, it was hard not to fall out of my seat.No way.

Damien Steele. The vampire thought to have killed Senator John Horton and scientist Pamela Starter. A vampire who, if rumor was to believed, was also Logan Alexander’s successor. Making the vamp sucking on my best friend the second strongest vampire in the city. No way! Angela was in more trouble than I thought. Kadeem popped up in my office. He didn’t do that very often so naturally, it scared the crap out of me.

“Kadeem! Jesus Christ! Make some noise why don’t ya!” I yelled.

“Sorry Catalina. But we have a bit of trouble.” He answered.

“Does it involve Damien Steele and Logan Alexander?” I asked. His silence was I’ll I needed. We were in way over our heads. Damn.