Caprice

Chapter 2 - Running-2

“Get in!” Tremayne growled. “We haven't got all night.”

Lightning flickered and thunder crashed around me. I screeched. Leaping toward the open car door, I landed on black leather seats beside Tremayne. They practically folded around me in a most sensual way. The new-car smell tweaked my pleasure centers. There was something terribly sexy about a new car smell to me. This wasn't any car, either, but a high-end Mustang. My heart raced with anticipation.

I belted myself in automatically.

“Buckled up?” Tremayne asked.

“Yep.”

I looked back to Rick. He hadn't buckled up yet.

“What about him? Shouldn't he get his seat belt on? You know there's a new law about it.”

Tremayne gave me a withering look. “Really, Sabrina? You're worried about a leprechaun?”

“I'm fine, sweetheart. Don't listen to him,” he said in a mild tone.

“What's his problem?” I asked Rick over my shoulder.

“Aw, he's been grumpy all night.”

Tremayne turned the key in the ignition. The engine started up with a loud snarl, then evened out to a low growl, making my heart pound a little harder. It sounded like a tiger spotting a gazelle, about to pounce.

“Holy s**t!” I said, feeling my adrenaline jump. “What's under the hood?”

“It's a Ford Racing V-Eight,” Tremayne said with a smirk.

“Eight hundred horsepower with 590 pound-feet of torque. It's got dynamic adjustable dampers, lowering springs, turned stabilizer bars, and front strut tower brace,” Rick rambled off like he was a car dealer. “I call it his babe car.” I had no idea what he'd just said, or what any of it meant, but I was impressed on the looks alone, and the sound of the engine.

Tremayne chuckled.

“Wow.” My eyes studied the steering wheel wrapped in black leather. The hand break and shifter separated the two front seats—and what was wrong with me thinking that looked sexy? Tingling sensations began in my lower regions. Holy crap, down girl!

When the lights came on, the dash lit up like a Christmas tree. The tachometer was huge and I watched the needle jump with the revving of the engine. My heart throbbed in time with my lower parts. I wanted to drive this baby myself. My hand itched to touch the shift leaver, feel the thing growl in my hand. Tremayne released the hand break, and shifted into reverse, backed up, and then revved it up, making it growl deeper, and bumped out of the drive, and onto the gravel road, the tires trying to grab for purchase like a cat clawing its way out of a jungle. He took it slow over the gravel roads, but like a race horse, this thing wanted out of the cage—I could feel it.

“It should be called Tremayne's Vamp Mobile,” I joked, turning my head to give Rick a wink.

“Just wait until you see what this thing can do on the open road,” Rick said.

Was it me, or did Rick suddenly sound like he was getting along with the big vampire? That was really odd.

“What I don't get is how you knew to come to my brother's place,” I said.

“A little birdie told me,” Tremayne said before a chuckle rumbled from him. “I've got spies and snitches everywhere, sweetheart.”

“When you left your house you ran the risk of being attacked because you're not protected, girlfriend,” Rick informed. “Your brother's place had no ward on it until now.”

“Leprechauns know when you've moved out of their range of protection,” Tremayne explained, looking back and forth between the two of us.

“I'm surprised you didn't figure out something odd was going to happen,” Rick said.

“Well, I did feel something weird was happening with Grandma. But I didn't expect her to be a frigging demon.” Or, maybe I'd always suspected she was at least part demon. It was unfair of me to think that way. But really, the old woman had always been nasty and hard to get along with. However, it went to reason that a demon had chosen her as his pattern to imitate. She had taken an issue with my dad and I after my mother died when we quit going to church. For five years she had not spoken to us. Then my dad died, and she was at the funeral. She barely said anything to me, but she had given me a hug. Didn't it say somewhere in the Bible to forgive trespasses, or something? (Oh, duh, the Lord's Prayer was where I remembered that from. Whatever.) Not only that, but I knew she never liked my mother. According to my abilities, she had not wanted them to marry. Hard to keep that from me whenever she was around.

“What happened to my real grandma?” I wondered. Of course, only because she was family, I was worried.

“Can't you get a read on her?” Rick asked.

“No. We weren't… close.” I would have to get to the bottom of things at some point later on. I'd had no reads about it, which scared me. “I'm not getting anything. I'd need something of hers in order to know where she is.”

“Why don't you call her tomorrow?” Tremayne suggested.

“I will,” I said. If I called her out of the blue, she might react negatively to my wondering how she is, and on the day after Thanksgiving. I wasn't close to her at all, and really never was. She had said nasty things about me and my abilities. I was certain she was afraid of me.

“Where are we going?” I asked after we headed down the gravel road in the general direction of my house.

“First to your place,” Tremayne said. “You'll pack a bag of everything you need—”

“A bag! You mean as in traveling?”

Tremayne glanced at me. “Yes. I explained this in the house. You're in danger if you stay at your house or anywhere.”

“Why?”

“They know where you live, sweetheart,” Rick chimed in behind my head.

“But I thought I was protected,” I argued. “You put a super duper ward on my house. You said yourself not even a flea could get in.”

“That's just it. The house is protected. If you step out, go to the store, that's where they can get you,” Rick said.

I frowned. “Even if I have protectors with me? My ring? My dagger?”

“So, you're saying you'd want to explain how your dagger wound up into someone's heart who looks like their grandmother?” Tremayne asked.

My head dipped in resignation. They were right. The demon-grandma looked every bit like Grandma Rose, and sounded like her—to a point. But the disguise was flawless. Until the wig fell off, that is.

“Ba'al demons can look like anyone they want,” Rick said.

“Hey, wait,” I said. “I thought the blood of a Ba'al demon burns like holy hell?”

“Yes,” Tremayne said. “It does. I broke its neck. No blood was shed.”

“So, couldn't any vampire protect me from a Ba'al demon?”

“You were lucky it was only focused on you, it didn't see me coming. I was able to sneak up behind it. Not many vampires can sneak up on a Ba'al demon.”

“How did you sneak up on him, oh wise one?” Rick said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Tremayne smiled. “I can move from one place to another very quickly. Not only that, the vampire has to know what they're up against. They cut off the demon's head, not knowing it's a Ba'al, then they've just kissed themselves goodbye. One drop of their blood on the skin can kill a vampire.”

“And there are other types of demons. If you don't know how to recognize it, you'll fall for its disguise, or won't know how to properly kill it,” Rick added.

“Besides, it won't only be demons after you. Other vampires will be hunting you.”

I was beat down. Convinced my life, which had taken on real darkness in the past few months, sucked worse now.

I also wondered what had happened to Bill. Did he have something to do with the demon being there? No. That didn't make any sense. He realized there was something wrong with Grandma, that was why he gave me a significant look when I sat down and he touched my hand. But where had he gone? Did no one else see him get up and leave? I was too confused, and bringing this up now was simply too much to get into at this point. I actually wanted to quit thinking about it—everything—and get away.

Within ten minutes, Tremayne pulled into my drive. I had remembered to leave the porch light on when I left earlier so I could see to get in. We all hopped out of his wild car and trekked up the steps. A bit of paper had been wedged into the screen door. I pulled it out and unfolded it.

“Love notes from your many admirers?” Tremayne asked sarcastically.

I threw him a scowl, and then held the note up to the light to read it.

Sabrina,

The pack and I went hunting a few weeks ago, and we brought down more than enough deer to last through the winter. Hope you like venison! I put 50 pounds in your freezer in the shop. If it's not enough, let me know.

Hobart

“Oh, it's from Hobart. My werewolf friend,” I said, and left it at that. “He said he left me some venison in my freezer. I didn't know it was on.” I frowned. The chest freezer was kept in my father's shop. I thought it would have been locked, but apparently not. I hoped he'd made sure it was plugged in and turned on. But he would probably know to do this.

“Hobart?” Tremayne asked.

“Yeah. He helped me with getting Dante out of your office when he shifted down into a mouse a few weeks back.”

“I see,” he said, and didn't make any further comment. I didn't know if it was because he knew Dante had died, and didn't want to upset me, or what. I was then reminded I had not given him an update on Dante. Did I want to? Not really. Besides, I hadn't seen Dante since I had been busy in a parallel world called The Black Veil, about a week ago. I wasn't sure if Dante had been able to follow me back, or not. Why bring up something I couldn't explain, anyway?

Not wanting to delve into old news—or worse, my emotional backlog—I located my key from my purse, unlocked the door and pushed it open.

“I'm just going to use the loo,” Rick announced and chugged inside ahead of us. He knew where it was, as he'd been in my house before.

I replaced the key and turned around to find Tremayne still standing at the threshold. It dawned on me he'd never been to my house. A vampire needed to be invited inside. Rick had been the one who'd invited Tremayne into my brother's house. I realized this now. I thought it had to be someone who lived in the house, but apparently they somehow got around that. It didn't matter. I was happy they had acted quickly. It sank in right then: Tremayne had indeed saved my life. Again.

“Please, come on in, Bjorn,” I said.

“Thank you, don't mind if I do.” He took one of his giant steps with those snake skin boots, and now he stood inside my house. Somewhat jittery about that new development, I closed the door. Vasyl would take exception to this. It surprised me he wasn't here in Tremayne's face.

Tremayne looked around, taking in the rooms that he could see.

“Nice tall ceilings,” he said. Yep. I could see where a seven foot man would feel right comfortable under nine-foot tall ceilings.

Moving toward the living room, I flicked lights on. “Just make yourself comfortable.” The envelope door to my bedroom was half-way open. When closed, it actually didn't look like a door, but a wall panel. Made of solid oak, it was six feet wide and seven feet high and hung on casters, hidden inside. Gazing into the room with trepidation, I checked to make sure my bed was made. It was. With a thought, I turned to see Tremayne's head brush the threshold of the living room only a few feet away. “I think there might be some Real Red in the fridge, if you have need,” I offered, hoping to get him at least one or two rooms away from me. It didn't matter that my mystic ring was exposed, the master could make my insides twinge. I didn't like that he'd had my blood—several sips, in fact. That was not a good thing for the human. I was certain this was not going to be a relaxing trip for me—wherever we were headed.