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  Demi's at Stake

  King Immortal Series

  Book One

  N.L. HOFFMANN

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Demi's at Stake (King Immortal, #1)

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Demi’s at Stake

  Copyright © 2019 by N.L. Hoffmann

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return it to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1979, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the author.

  Cover Art: Ammonia Book Covers

  Editing: Kim’s Fiction Proofreading & Editing Services

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to thank my beta readers...Amy, Ruth, Tanner, Maria, Christy, Christie, Amanda, Pamela, Trista, and Wendy...for dedicating their time to reading my books. Your constant support means a lot to me. Without it, I probably would have given up a long time ago. I know I repeat myself in every book, but I want you to know how serious I am.

  Thank you to my editor, Kim, for your patience and ability to understand my ramblings. You’re amazing, and I hope to work with you for many more years.

  I would also like to thank my friends, Virginia and Kylie, for believing I have the ability to succeed. It brings a smile to my face every time you mention not to forget you if I become famous.

  It’s also important to me to thank my readers and reviewers. Your support means a lot to me. Thank you for being there over the years.

  To my readers...

  Chapter One

  “Ugh! He’s drooling on me! Can someone please get this asshole off?” I asked, struggling with the vampire on top of me. He was rabid, which sometimes happened when they hadn’t eaten in a long time. I almost felt bad for him because he was extremely thin, his skin slowly turning a deathly gray color.

  Suddenly, his body went stiff, his mouth open, revealing his fangs. When he collapsed on top of me, I cried out in disgust, something wet beginning to soak my shirt.

  “Get...him...off,” I grunted, shoving with all my might, to no avail.

  I heard laughing next to me and turned my head. My sisters, Blair and Ruby, stood there, grinning, as I struggled with the dead weight. Rolling my eyes, I put all my strength behind it and finally rolled him off.

  As I stood, I grumbled about them being bitches. “This is my favorite shirt! But now it’s ruined!” I gestured to it with both hands. “What the fuck? You guys suck.”

  “What did they do this time, Demi?” Seth, our brother, asked as he came around our car, a stake in his hands. It was covered with fresh blood. He would have helped me. He always had my back, unlike my sisters. They usually ganged up on me. They were lucky I loved them; otherwise, I would have kicked their asses a long time ago.

  Noticing my shirt, black with an angry unicorn on it, he turned to Blair and Ruby, shaking his head. “You should have helped. If I were you, I’d watch your backs.”

  Both looked at me, grins quickly fading. Yeah, they knew payback was always a bitch when it came to me. Grinning, I glanced down at the vampire they’d just killed. He lay awkwardly, his neck bent unnaturally, a stake protruding from his back. At least he was in a better place. Who knew how long he had been starving...but why was he starving? It wasn’t like food was hard to come by in Columbus, Ohio. We were just passing through when we saw a group of vampires surrounding some women who looked like they were out for a night on the town.

  That was how we caught some of the supernatural beings. Other times, we’d watch the news, talk to people, or receive phone calls, then follow the trails.

  Walking to the car, I popped open the trunk to dig through my bags. Finding a shirt, I quickly changed, listening to my brother scold my sisters, telling them they’d have to buy me a new shirt. That they should know how superstitious I was. That they were gunning for trouble.

  At thirty-six, Seth was the oldest, most responsible one. He became our guardian at eighteen when our mother was placed into a mental institution. It was then he realized life was changing. But since he was already part of the family business, there wasn’t too much he had to learn.

  Slamming the trunk, I looked around. The area was dark and secluded, a great hiding place for vampires. We’d found six. Seth took out two, and we handled the rest. Well, sort of. That last guy almost got the best of me. I needed to focus more on the task at hand rather than my own problems. Mom wanted to see us, but none of us were keen on that. It was hard enough worrying about her from a distance, let alone sitting in her presence.

  “Are you going to help with the bodies?” Blair asked, tossing back her long, dark hair.

  Nodding, I headed in her direction. We had to pile up the bodies, then set them on fire. Because it might draw attention, we never stuck around for long. Helping Blair lift one of the vampire bodies, I almost didn’t notice the grin on her face. She was trying to hide it, her lips twitching, but I knew my sister was up to no good. Didn’t she hear Seth?

  Shaking my head, we took the body over to the pile Seth had started. Then I walked over to help Ruby with one she was struggling to drag over. We were strong, but it was hard to drag dead weight, especially when it was a large male. Seth, on the other hand, pulled over two at a time, earning raised eyebrows from us.

  He grinned. “You guys are too slow. We have shit to do.”

  “Oh yeah? Like what?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

  Seth motioned for Blair to pour gas over the bodies. She went to work, making sure to cover everything. We all stepped back, waiting for Seth to light the match.

  “We have to visit Mom.” He lit it and tossed it onto the pile.

  Flames flared up. We shielded our eyes, watching for a few seconds before making our way back to the vehicles. Going to see Mom wasn’t something any of us wanted to do. It was hard watching her waste away. Most of the time, she wasn’t there mentally. Every so often, though, she would surprise us with something she remembered from our childhood, but that was only during her more lucid moments, which had gradually become few and far between. The last time that happened was over a year ago.

  “Why do we have to go there?” Ruby asked, running her hands through her shoulder-length black hair. The youngest at thirty, she was shorter and stocky, like an athlete, wore red lipstick most of the time, and never had any problem telling you what she th
ought. If she was thinking it, you would know about it soon enough. She also had no impulse control. Even if we went into a situation blind, the pain in the ass was the first one in.

  Blair was the second youngest at thirty-two, had olive-colored skin, straight, dark hair, almond-shaped eyes, and long legs.

  Then there was me. Thirty-three, short somewhat thicker than them, dark hair down to my waist and dark brown eyes.

  Seth stopped to look at all of us. He towered over us at just over six-three, always looking down at us with his intense blue eyes. He had shaggy dark hair, just like the rest of us, even though we were all adopted. Actually, Mom was a virgin. Everyone in “the family”, those of us in the hunter community, called her Virgin Mary.

  There were several families, but just a few that had been hunters for generations. Our family, the Kings, was one of those. Even though we were respected, we’d become the butt of jokes due to our mother. My siblings and I lived in the same foster home as kids. Mom came in looking for one child, ending up adopting us all. Funny how our foster parents and the state didn’t do a background check on her. They would have found out what she did for a living.

  “Because she called me earlier, asking when we were coming by. She has something important for us to do. And when Mom is lucid, we go.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Especially when she asks.”

  “She actually asked?” That surprised me. She never wanted to interfere with our lives, thinking the world needed us more than she did.

  Blair sighed. “I guess we have to go. I wanted to hang around the city, visit a few clubs.”

  “We aren’t partying.” Seth narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you being serious right now? You’d rather go find some random guy to fuck instead of seeing Mom?”

  Clenching her fists, Blair glared. “I want to have some fun! All we do it work our asses off, and for what?”

  “To save people.” Ruby sighed. “It’s our job.”

  “We don’t even get paid for it,” Blair growled.

  “This is the life. If you don’t want it, there’s the door.” Seth pointed away from the vehicles. “We aren’t forcing you to do anything.”

  Huffing, Blair crossed her arms and stomped to the first SUV. She climbed in without another word. We all watched her, knowing how she felt. It was hard being a hunter because you had no social life, but we did it because no one else could. Hell, a majority of people didn’t realize the beings we hunted even existed. We didn’t want anybody to know, either. Supernatural beings preferred to stay in hiding, but just like humans, some preferred to break the rules. That was where we came in.

  Seth motioned for us to get into the SUVs. “It’s time to go. We have a long way to drive. The sooner we go to see Mom, the sooner we can take a break from this mess.”

  Ruby gasped, grasping his arm, eyes wide. “A break? For real?” When he nodded, she threw her fist up in the air. “About fucking time.”

  “Be sure you watch your mouth around Mom.” Seth sighed. “You girls are still too young to be swearing like that.”

  “I’m thirty. Old enough to fuck. Old enough to swear.”

  Seth groaned, putting his hands over his ears. “Ugh! Holy fuck! Don’t say that again. I don’t need those images in my head of my little sister.” Seth climbed behind the wheel of the first SUV, Blair in the passenger seat. I climbed into the back one, Ruby sliding in next to me.

  Seth pulled out onto the main road, me following, leaving the pile of blazing bodies behind. I watched in the rearview mirror as we drove, the glow fading. The beings were probably relieved we were leaving. As with every family of hunters, the paranormal community knew us by name. From the moment of their change, they were warned about us. We didn’t care about the life you had before. We didn’t care if you tried to walk a righteous path. In the end, you were dead. There was no escaping a hunter.

  Chapter Two

  It was a beautiful day, so I was sure Mom would be outside. They could spend some time in the sun, right? As much money as we paid, they’d better let her enjoy some freedom outside.

  Where our family’s money came from, none of us knew, but it was always there when we needed it. Seth kept control of it, which was usually why Blair was aggravated over not being paid. She thought we deserved some kind of compensation, but Seth said we had too much to do for us to earn money. We were given allowances, and I had found out that he put money away for us, just in case.

  Parking in the hospital lot, we walked around to the back, looking around. It didn’t take long for us to see her sitting on a bench next to a pond. Dressed in a white robe, she smiled at the ducks and swans that came up for the treats she had to offer. I didn’t really care for birds, so I stayed back.

  I looked her over. She was so pale, but had always been light-skinned. Once she moved here, her light brown hair had been cropped short due to maintenance reasons. She was beautiful, but never had any interest in finding a man, saying we were all she needed.

  Glancing up, Mom smiled, standing so she could give hugs, mine awkward because of the birds waddling up the bank.

  Mom pulled away, chuckling. “They won’t hurt you, Demi.” She played with my long, dark hair, curling it around her finger. “Your hair has gotten so long.” She looked at us. “All of you.” She examined Seth for a second. “Yours needs to be cut.”

  Chuckling, Seth ran a hand through his hair. “After we’re done visiting, we’re going to take a small break. I’ll get my hair cut then.”

  Mom’s expression suddenly fell. “I don’t think you will have your break any time soon, kids.” She sat down on the bench, staring at the water again.

  Seth sat down next to her, grabbing her hand. “What do you mean? We need a break. I promised the girls.”

  My mother smiled, patting his hand. “You’re such a good brother.” Blair rolled her eyes, making Ruby snicker. “The reason I asked you here is because I have some very bad news. It is something my father warned me about before he passed away, his father passing it on to him. Now I pass it on to you-”

  “You’re dying?” Blair gasped.

  Annoyed at being interrupted, my mother shook her head, scowling. “No, Blair. Now quit interrupting. I’m trying to explain something here.”

  I leaned against the bench, waiting. What could be so serious that we had to drive all this way? Mom never asked us to come out immediately. Whatever she had to say must have been important.

  “I’ve had a vision.”

  Shocked, I sat down on the ground in front of her, suddenly not caring about the birds foraging behind me. “You haven’t had one in years. I didn’t think you got them anymore.”

  Running her hand over my head, my mother nodded. “I know, which is why I know this is really important. You must heed this warning, or it could be the end of our family.”

  She motioned for Ruby and Blair to come closer from where they stood. “Back in 1812, there was a vampire named Cathal. He’s thousands of years old and has killed many people, even wiping out complete towns. He used to sneak into homes, quietly killing the women while the men slept. The vampire was sadistic. Thought murdering an innocent was an art and wanted to be well-known for it. Then along came your great-great-great-grandfather. He was a renowned hunter in those days, everyone knowing him just by his last name. He found Cathal and put him down, thinking he killed him. Little did he know the vampire was difficult to eliminate. He was the oldest one to roam the Earth. So you could imagine how strong this fucker was.”

  We all gasped at her language, but Mom didn’t bat an eye. She leaned forward, her gaze seeming far away.

  “It took all the main families to capture this vampire and bury him in a cave inside the mountains of Colorado.” She shook her head, a tear falling down her cheek. “He lay there undisturbed...until yesterday. Someone let him out. I’m sure for their own gain. He roams free as we speak.”

  “The oldest vampire is on the loose?” I asked, scrambling to my feet. I couldn’t sit down anymore. My
body wanted to move. This was serious. Why hadn’t we heard this story before? Why was it kept a secret?

  Nodding, my mother sighed, leaning back on the bench. She looked worried, her usually smooth face drawn. “The location of this cave was to remain a secret, only one person from each family knowing about it. When I had my vision this morning, I realized we were all in danger. The vampire had vowed to pay back the families for imprisoning him. You must find and trap him. No one knows how to destroy him, but that’s the only option. You need to alert the other families. Even though Cathal will need time to recuperate after his time in the cave, he’ll be killing innocents. Even an injured vampire is stronger than the strongest human.”

  Seth swore, earning a look of disapproval from our mother. Blair grinned, despite this information. The way she went after jobs, I was sometimes convinced she had a death wish.

  It looked like there was no break for us. It would be business as usual. Or would it? I had a feeling this vampire would be the most violent encounter we’d ever had. I just hoped we came out of it alive.

  LYING IN BED, I STARED at the ceiling, afraid to go to sleep. It was silly, considering all the scary shit I had to deal with in my lifetime. But the story my mother told ignited a whole new fear in me. The kind where you wanted to hide under the bed or in a closet. Seth told me I was being ridiculous, but when I had a feeling, it was usually true.

  Turning onto my side, I looked at the window. Seth and I shared one motel room, Ruby and Blair another. Part of me thought maybe we should all stay in one room, but they all said I was absurd. I hoped so. But I had an overwhelming feeling we should all be more careful.

  It was at that moment I felt like I was being watched, the hair on the back of my neck standing up. Tears pricked my eyes. Was he here now? Could he be planning when to sink his teeth into our necks?

  Pulling the covers over my head, I took a deep breath, then chuckled. Why did people feel safer under the covers? As if nothing could just pull the covers off?