The Demon Dealings

I don’t know how he knew where to find me but Cade showed up with little more than a phone call and the expressed desire to see him. It didn’t occur to me at the time that I hadn’t told him where I was or who I was with and that he shouldn’t have known where I was because he didn’t know Matheas.

He didn’t say anything when I opened the door and I just looked at him. He stepped forward and embraced me in a hug. I couldn’t feel anything. I wanted to cry but nothing would come out. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around him. I fisted his shirt in my hands, clinging for dear life. Almost.

I don’t know how long we stood there like that for but after a while I could feel my fingers starting to tingle from the cold and my tight grip so I slowly let go and stepped back. I took a deep breath and stepped away from the door to allow him in.

He watched me, concerned for a moment but said nothing as he stepped inside. There was an awkward silence crowding us in the foyer. I side stepped him and went to the living room slowly.

The awkward tension, silence followed with Cade.

“I’m sorry.” Cade said after several moments of silence.

“Don’t be.” I spat. “There are things we have to do that will sort this out.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Let’s just… Let’s just figure this out.”

“Sure…” He said softly. I rolled my eyes at his look of concern. He cleared his throat. “What do you want to know?”

“I want to know what you know. We’ll get the rest from Carys and Matheas.” I didn’t look at him when I said it. I simply waited for him to respond.

“I…” Cade paused. “I’m not sure where to start.” He admitted somewhat hesitantly.

“The beginning. Tell me about her. Your first meeting. Your parents relationship with her… Her demeanor. Anything.”

“Um… I can’t remember when I met her. Things are different for people like me… like us.” He paused. “I guess you could say that she was always a pleasant person unless you rubbed her the wrong way.” He stopped.

I looked at him emotionlessly as a signal to continue, that I was not amused and expected more from him.

“I never knew what happened to those people. They would disappear for a time and if they showed up again they were always… different.” He took a deep breath, “I suppose that doesn’t help much.”

“It’s fine.” I replied.

“Look what you need to know about her is that she isn’t one for humans, she tolerates them. She’s very… orderly and meticulous.” He said more determined.

“We’ll play on that.” I replied to him, slowly forming a plan in my mind.

“What do you mean?” Cade asked cautiously.

“I mean that Carys and Matheas are looking for an in. We’re going to get in, find her weakness, get out.” I knew there would be more to the plan once I had heard from Carys and Matheas.

Cade was silent for a moment, “I just don’t… know if you should go.” He stuttered.

“I need this Cade… You have known her for much longer than I but I can get in her head. I can look into her memories. I have to do this Cade. There is no one else.” I told him.

We sat there silently for several moments. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

~*~*~

It was 4 in the morning when Carys and Matheas stepped through the front door. The duo looked slightly disheveled, with bags under their eyes. Matheas’ hair, slightly greasy from the amount of times he had run his hands through it.

“We have your in.” He said blatantly as he poured himself a glass of orange juice in the kitchen.

Carys sat on the couch with a sigh, “We do but I’m not sure I like it.”

“What is it?” I asked her.

“Dinner party.” Matheas answered instead. “Her and some pals are having a dinner party. Its perfect.” Matheas informed me.

“And I can get in with Cade…” I trailed off, thinking aloud to myself.

“Well it sounds like his folks are invited.” Matheas took a sip of his juice as he leaned against the kitchen door frame.

“Looks like we have a party to crash.” I said to a very stiff, awkward looking Cade. “Cade?” I raised an eyebrow at him slightly.

“Maybe we should call it a night and talk details in the morning?” Cade suggested.

There was a short silence. Carys and I watched Cade. There was something up. But Matheas let it go with a nod and “yup” he exited the living room.

“Yeah… I guess we’ll talk about it when we wake up…” I said slowly and stood and glanced suspiciously at Cade who remained tense.

“Look, you obviously have something you need to say to her.” Carys said to him. “I’m going to go so you can say it to her.” She quickly left the room leaving me standing awkwardly and Cade sitting tensely.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you.” Cade admitted.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “She’s not a family friend is she?”

“No.” He said bluntly. “She’s…” He gulped. “She’s my mother.”

Everything in me shit down at the words. This was not ok. “This isn’t ok.” I said deadly calm. “But I need you so we’re going through with this. I’ll decide what your role with us is after this is over.”

I didn’t let him say anything more as I walked away with every intention of getting some for the day despite the fact that I knew it would be impossible with the bomb Cade had dropped.

I lay down in the bed in Matheas’ guest bedroom. Seven and a half hours later I was still in the same position on my back staring at the ceiling. There were only two ways this would end either way I knew that I would never be the same.

I got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom attached to the guest room. I quickly took a shower and got dressed in some random clothes someone had left in the room for me and made my way to the kitchen.

Matheas sat on a stool at the bar attached to the island in his kitchen. I ignored him as I got some cereal, not wanting to fuss with anything more.

“How do you do it?” I asked him as I poked the cereal floating in my bowl.

“How do I do what?” He asked with an eyebrow raised.

“How do you just… not care? How does none of the effect you?” I looked at him hesitantly.

“It hurts less if you don’t pick at it.” He deadpanned and stood from his stool. He made his way to the sink and set the dish down and walked out of the kitchen leaving me to contemplate his words.

My cereal was long since forgotten and soggy. Once I realized this I followed Matheas’ suit and dumped it down the drain leaving the dish in the sink. I let out a breath and turned around to find Cade standing in the door way.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t tell you.” He said.

“Don’t say you’re sorry. It doesn’t mean anything to me.” I said vehemently.

“I just… Do you remember what I said about trust?” He asked me.

“Of course I remember! You just said you wanted me to trust you and now this?!” I threw may hands up in frustrations and took a deep breath.

“Please trust me when I say I didn’t tell you to avoid this. You didn’t need to know! I didn’t want to put this on you.” He said quietly.

“It’s already on me! All of this! I can’t trust you but I have to! Do you know what kind of position you’ve put me in?” I was frustrated but somehow I couldn’t feel it. It was buried in me somewhere.

“You just… you have to trust me. I never knew about this. I never knew about any of this!” He ran a hand through his hair. “Please believe me when I say that.”

“We have a party to get ready for.” I said coldly and left the room.

I took a deep breath outside of the kitchen. I tried to tell myself that everything would be alright that it would work out in the end but I knew better. Expect the worst hope for the best, I always told myself but the hope was slowly fading with each new horror.

“Matheas?” I asked as I knocked on his door.

“Yeah?” He called. I took that as an invitation and opened the door to find him sitting at his desk writing. “Nash.” He acknowledged me.

“I wanted to talk strategy real quick with you so you can tell the others what is going on.”

I knew that I would have to pose as Cade’s date to this dinner party. We would go in together and I would be introduced to her and have a little search in her mind. If I found anything I would connect to Spiros and inform him of my findings. If anything went wrong Spiros and Matheas would be waiting outside to help me get away.

I hoped it would work and Matheas hoped the same.

So when I stood in the living room waiting on Cade to go through with the plan I couldn’t help but think; I can’t do this. I can’t do this… but I have to do this. There is nothing else I can do. I have to do this. I have to.

“Are you sure you can do this?” Spiros asked quietly.

“I have to.” I whispered. “I have to do this.” I said much louder and more determined. “I don’t want to see her face but I have to. I don’t want to pretend like everything is ok but I have to.”

Spiros looked at me in concern but did not say anything.

“Who knows,” I looked away from him, my eyes unable to focus on anything. “Maybe I’ll start believing it.” I took a slow deep breath and let it out.

“You shouldn’t have to.” Spiros told me. He gently placed his hand on my arm and suddenly everything snapped back into focus. I turned to look at his hand.

“But I do. You of all people should know that.” I gently pried his hand away from my arm. “I have to finish this no matter the outcome. It’s the only way I know how to move on… to survive.”

I stepped away from him and next to Cade who opened the door, allowing me to exit the house without a word. I barely heard the door close behind us as I made my way to his car. He opened the passenger’s side door for me and I stepped in as he slowly closed it behind me.

The silence was tense when he got into the car.

“You look… beautiful.” He commented but I didn’t feel like saying thank you.

“Let’s just… not play this game.” I told him stoically.

“I’m not playing any games. I never have been.” He seemed sincere but I ignored it.

The remainder of the ride was silent as I contemplated everything and nothing at the same time. I almost didn’t notice when we came to a stop in his drive way. Long, gravely, fancy. It was everything that I had expected it to be.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Cade asked me after he’d turned off the ignition.

“I have to do this.” I responded determined.

He opened his mouth to respond but thought better of his answer and stopped. “Ok.” He said finally and stepped out of the car.

I took a deep breath and followed. The gravel crunched beneath my feet as we made our way to the door. Cade opened it slowly, allowing me through. I was slightly surprised to feel the weight of his hand on my back as he guided me to the dining room.

A number of guests had congregated in the large dining room furnished with a large oak table set with red candles and fine china. There was a chandelier lighting the room and large windows that faced a well-kept garden.

Cade and I sat near the foot of the table, his mother and some of the other guests looking at us curiously but said nothing. I had a feeling we were late but did not comment on it.

“I don’t know about you but I thought that young one was quite delightful.” One of the older men, a vampire, said as he sipped his wine nonchalantly.

“You would think that Vlad.” A younger looking vampire teased in a cocky manner only known to vampires.

“What is that supposed to mean?!” Vlad asked in a deadly calm voice.

“Gentlemen.” Stated Lorna, I could see the resemblance between her and Cade when I looked hard enough. “We’re not here to argue about the state of your… snacks.”

“We’ve gathered you here for a specific reason.” The man who I assumed to be Cade’s father stated.

“Yes, do tell us what you have planned. We’ve been dying to find out.” One of the men said and the rest chuckled lightly.

“While I’m sure that is the case, It would not be very useful to us, your death.” Lorna smirked and took a sip of her wine.

“We’ve devised a plan,” Cade’s father interjected, “You see, we’ve been growing in population and not only have we been getting larger,” He smirked and I tried my hardest not to pull a face so Cade wouldn’t pull one as well. “But the other races have been as well.”

“This has been happening for years, what is different now?” Someone at the other end of the table asked, obviously not impressed.

“We’ve been speaking with the other night walkers; we’ve had a council of sorts and have decided it’s time.” He looked far too smug for my liking when he said that.

Time for what? I asked Cade but he seemed a little too stiff, a little too still for my liking. You’re not worried… are you?

There’s more at stake here than we originally thought. He thought monotonously, almost as if he were afraid to say anything to me.

“It’s time? How do we know its time? There has to be more than just this population growth.” One of the few females in the room asked Cade’s father.

“And that is where our plan comes in. We’ve known for some time that our time would come so we’ve been preparing.” Cade’s father was being far too slippery for my liking. I wanted to punch him.

“It’s not like we can just walk into the White House and take over… So how have we planned this thing?” The same female asked again.

“Ah, but we can. We’ve got strategically placed people everywhere. And it’s not just us. The demons have a hand in this-“ I looked pointedly at Spiros, “Shifters, witches and warlocks just about every night walker all over the world has a hand in this.”

“I think the more important question here is how do we continue to take souls?” Asked one of the demons. “If we can’t force the humans into deals why would they make deals when we take over?”

“At first they will come because they think it is the only way out but soon they will realize that they can be strong that they can get everything they want. And when we have their souls there is no turning back.” She smirked, “There is also a metahuman. Once we have her, she will get into their minds and turn them to our side. We won’t have to trick them into selling their souls, we won’t have to trick them for food. She will do it all for us.” The supernaturals seemed quite pleased for a moment.

“Holy shit.” I muttered before I knew what I was doing.

Everyone in the room turned to look at Cade who I made scowl at them but it only made them more suspicious. I cringed on the inside.

“Cade, do you have something to add?” His father asked him, completely ignoring my presence.

He was suspicious; the look on his face gave it all away.

“I was just going to comment on the…” Cade paused, he was sweating. I could feel it almost as if I myself was sweating.

Something’s wrong. Cade did not answer either myself or his father. They know I’m not one of you.

“Son?” Cade’s father asked him with an eyebrow lifted almost as if on cue.

“I’m alright dad; I just want us to think of this at all angles.” I said quickly for Cade in attempts to cover our tracks but it was too late, that much as evident.

“We’ve been doing this for quite some time we know all of the variables. You should know this, Cade.” His dad gave him a look, a look to me that said he knew what was going on.

Something is very wrong. I thought outwardly to Spiros, who was sitting outside the window with Matheas. I think they know.

“Why did you bring the metahuman?” Lorna asked him point blank.

“I know you. I know what you’ve done and I will end this for you.” I deadpanned.

Lorna laughed dryly. “You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into girl.” She smirked. “I’ve known you for quite some time, yet you do not know me.”

“I know you.” I said blankly. “And I will end you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” She looked down the table at the vampires surrounding us. “Vlad.” She nodded at him.

Vlad rose from his chair and began walking towards me. I don’t know how I did it but he stopped, blood dripping from his eyes slowly and then his nose and slowly began leaking out of his ears. He touched his face, surprised.

“What the-“ Before he could say anything else he dropped to the floor.

“This isn’t over.” I said and walked out of the dining room, leaving Cade and the vampires behind.

I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. Spiros and Matheas met me at the gate with the car. I silently got in and we drove away. My mind wandered to the conversation we had just had. I needed a plan.