The Winged Dare [COMPLETED]

Chapter Nineteen

6:00 PM

"You have to find her. That's the point," Caleb growled. "She's got my kid. Both of them," he said.

Lucas nodded. "Trust me, I'm not too pleased about this either. But... I think we only have one option," he said.

"Option?"

"Caleb, I think one of us needs to tell Dracula that she's gone."

8:00 PM

"What kind of person does that to someone?" Ernest Lynn asked as he passed Caleb another beer.

He shrugged. "I don't know. A vampire, I guess," he muttered, tipping the bottle up to his mouth.

"How're you feeling, sport?" Rusty Johnstalk asked.

Caleb looked at his boss and shrugged. "Remember what it was like when we fell? I mean, the nine days it took to get here, that hopeless feeling? The feeling that we would keep falling into oblivion forever? That we'd never actually make it to Earth? That maybe God had just decided to send us to Hell?" he asked.

Shelby Mills and Lily Downs were both amazed by the way he worded the thought. Together, they spoke. "Yeah." They sounded dazed, completely entranced by Caleb's thought process.

"That's how it feels to be without Laura. I don't know if I can get back on my feet again. I don't know if she's coming back. I didn't even get a note. I just got a house that's currently only filled with my shït," Caleb said. "I feel like I'm dying. For the second time since we got to this damned place, I feel like throwing myself off a damn cliff. And if it weren't for the fact that I would still be alive once I hit the bottom, I'd damn well do it, too," he said.

"I could help you forget her," Shelby whispered, her voice cold in his ear.

He shivered, slamming his hand down on the bar, his ring clinking dully against the marble surface. "I don't want to forget her. I love the woman. She's mine, and I'm supposed to be hers. She left, not the other way around. Until she comes back, I'm owned. I am in possession of Laura Rainshot. And until she sends me a divorce paper, I'm hers. She owns my heart, my body, and whatever fücking soul I have left." He pushed his empty bottle back to Ernest. "Another one."

Rusty hit Caleb on the back. "Might as well get him wasted, Ernie. It's the only way our boy will sleep tonight."

"Yes, Boss," Ernest said with a nod, placing a freshly opened beer bottle in front of Caleb.

"Drink up, bud. It's on me," Rusty whispered. After another pat on the shoulder, Rusty headed to the back of the bar where his office sat. He opened the door, stepped into the room, and shut the door behind him. "Ready for a deal?" he asked.

Clawdeen Wolf nodded, tapping her red nails against her leg. "Get on with it," she said.

"I know you're from a different gang, but my boy's hurting. And, believe it or not, we're demons. We're not made for tracking. I need you to find Laura and Kaylee," Rusty said.

Clawdeen popped her knuckles. "What's in it for me?" she asked.

"The problems my gang has with yours? Gone. No more wars, no more killings," he said.

"That's a deal?" she asked. Rusty nodded. "You got it, partner. I'll find her."

"In one piece. They both have to be alive," he added.

Clawdeen nodded, a smile taking over her face. "I steal things, not rip things. You'll get them in one piece," she said.