by Holly Evans
I woke up tangled in the witch’s arms and sheets; an unfamiliar warmth and relaxation had spread throughout my body. I rested my head on his broad chest and listened to his steady heartbeat and breathing before he stirred, his hand slowly running down my back. I wriggled against him, wondering what my chances were of a repeat performance. His scent of warm bread and clary sage filled my nostrils, and the spell was broken. I wanted the scent of hot metal and petrichor. He must have sensed the change in me; his arms pulled back from me, leaving the cool air to lick at my exposed skin.
His thumb ran along my bottom lip, his eyes slightly dulled. “You really love him, don’t you?”
I tilted my head and frowned, trying to figure out whom he meant. His smile came so easily.
“The witch is originally from Iceland, she comes from an ancient bloodline with more power than I’ve heard of from anywhere else. She’s cut-throat, cold, and there’s a rumour that she’s turned from the crone.”
Seemingly satisfied, he wrapped his hand around the back of my head and pulled me into a deep kiss; my body leant into him while my mind wandered. We got dressed with only mild embarrassment and discomfort. I did my best to tidy up the mess that had once been my beautiful mask of make-up before we left with a light hug. I told myself that I didn’t regret it, that I felt better for the entire experience. Admittedly, my body felt looser and my mind clearer; unfortunately, my mind wanted only one thing.
The sun had long since risen and the air was crisp and fresh. The cool breeze tickled my face and tugged at my hair, adding further tangles and knots. I thrust my hands into my pockets and wished away the thoughts of Lysander, yet they only came harder and firmer. A burning sensation bloomed in my chest and slowly swept outwards, tingling down my arms until I felt as though I were on fire. The people around me were bundled up in thick coats and tall boots, yet I had to strip down to my thin shirt and skirt. I couldn’t bear it. The heat prickled my skin. Imaginary flames crawled up my spine, my breath became shorter and more difficult. My vision blurred around the edges. Thoughts slowed to a sedentary pace. There was nothing but the feeling of burning, of becoming nothing more than fire.
My heart thundered in my ears. Strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me to a firm chest, the familiar scent of hot metal and petrichor surrounded me. My muscles relaxed and air flooded my lungs. Thoughts re-emerged. Lysander’s breath trickled down my neck as he whispered soothing words with no meaning past the sensation of safety. I pressed tighter to him willing away the tears and the fear.
Once I’d calmed, he wrapped me back up in my coat and guided me onto the next tram home, his arm remaining around my waist keeping me close. I curled up and leaned on him, taking sanctuary in his presence. I had no idea what had happened, what was happening, but I couldn’t deal with it. I couldn’t face it alone. He stroked my hair and soothed my thoughts once more.
“We’re almost home,” he said in a soft whisper.
I forced myself to be calm. I was being foolish and overreacting to something that was no doubt normal.
He held me in his arms on the sofa while I collected my thoughts and finally asked, “What happened?”
I searched his face for some easy answer.
“I’m not sure. You connected to my fire somehow. I haven’t experienced this before.”
His thumb traced my jawline before he nuzzled my neck. “I’ll keep you safe, Evelyn.”
He could tell no lies.
Once I'd calmed and returned to some semblance of normalcy, Lysander wrapped his fingers tenderly under my jaw and held me firm, forcing me to look at him.
"Do you always hide from your problems, Evelyn?"
There was no hiding from the growl in his voice, no running from his touch. I set my jaw and glared at him.
"I was not hiding. I explained that I needed time and space."
His eyes narrowed.
"You jumped into bed with the witch."
He spat the last word.
I wanted anger to bloom, to override my shame and guilt. It refused to form. The witch's words echoed in my mind, 'you really love him don't you?'.
"I'm scared," I whispered.
His touch softened. "I am not used to... sharing."
"You're making some big assumptions,” I growled.
His hand fell away.
"Evelyn..." Exasperation trickled through the syllables.
I curled up, pulling my knees to my chest. I wasn't ready. I couldn't do it.
I squeezed my eyes shut. "What if I lose you?"
He tilted his head to one side, his brow furrowed.
"Life happens Evelyn, are you willing to risk never living?"
"Please understand," I pleaded.
He opened his arms and gently pulled me to him, his head rested on top of mine. "I do not share, Evelyn, but I will give you time."
I sighed softly. Any other man would have been told to get out of my life for such pushing, but he knew my heart. He knew me like no other could. I settled into his embrace and tried to settle my distressed mind. I'd choose to fight an army of demons over falling in love. Every time. I knew where I stood with demons.
Memories of Christian mingled with the night before, and my levels of distress and frustration gathered once more. The sensation of fire burst from my chest and engulfed me. I was coated in invisible flames that flickered and danced along my skin. I could feel the motion, the burning heat, but there was nothing visible. Panic welled up within me. Once again, Lysander held me close and stroked my hair, whispering soothing words. I crawled into his lap, tears tumbling down my cheeks while I tried to come to terms with what was going on.
"You're ok, Evelyn, I'm here. Breathe."
Slowly the fire sensation slipped away, leaving me trembling and crying in Lysander's arms.
"What's happening to me?"
He kissed my forehead tenderly. "The bond is deepening, I can't tell you more than that. You won't come to any harm. I'm here. I'll always be here."
His fingers brushed away my tears and he kissed slowly down my jaw, whispering soothing, calming words between each kiss. I slowly relaxed and accepted his attentions. My breathing eased. It was just another part of the bond. I could deal with it.
I took a deep breath and said, "We need to set some boundaries and guidelines."
His thumb trailed along my jawline, his lips pursed, but he said nothing.
"I need time, and space. I'm not ready to dive into a relationship."
"I will not share, Evelyn. Hounds are a very territorial species, it's not in my nature to share."
I sighed softly. "You're assuming I'm yours."
The corners of his mouth quirked upwards. "I'm not assuming anything."
His eyes glittered with amusement. I was beat and I knew it.
I cursed the bond under my breath before I stood and said, "Fine."
My phone buzzed with two texts; Quin said the celestials were hassling Kadrix, and he was out-numbered. I wasn't overly keen on the elf, but I wasn't going to stand by and allow celestials to bother him. I changed into sensible clothes while shouting the scant details I had to Lysander. I hopped through the living room, pulling on my second boot before I slipped my blades into their sheathes and ran out the door.
We stormed into the workshop. If Quin was concerned enough to call in back-up, then I saw no reason not to go in all guns blazing. Lysander was hot on my heels. He quickly snarled when we saw the celestials clustered around Kadrix. Quin was standing half in front of Kadrix, but he was out-numbered. I barged past the books and knocked over a bottle of something on my path to Kadrix. The celestials didn't acknowledge our presence until I pushed Tiel back and put myself between them and Kadrix. Lysander rooted himself at my side, forming a clear barrier between them and the elf. The expression on Zair's face soured as he looked over my head to Kadrix.
"This does not involve you, Evelyn."
"You're hassling my twin's lover, it concerns me."
His hand moved dow
n to his hip. Lysander was on him in a flash. There was a blur of motion mixed with snarling and shouts in a tongue I didn't recognise. It ended with Lysander pinning the larger creature to the floor by the throat, with Zair's eyes narrowed and his hands balled into tight fists. Tiel laughed and gave a little clap of amusement.
Ioel simply said, "Really?"
Zair's eyes flashed gold when Lysander's grip tightened around his throat.
"Hound," I said softly.
Lysander pushed off from Zair's throat as he stood, leaving a nice bright pink mark and causing Zair to cough a few times while Lysander returned to my side.
"Why are you bothering my alchemist?" I said coolly.
Zair brushed himself off and shot Lysander a look that I'm quite sure he wished could kill. "You really should train your hound."
I smiled sweetly. “He's perfectly trained."
I felt Lysander stand a little taller, preening.
Tiel's mouth spread into a delighted grin. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time, I'd have come down to this plane sooner had I have known."
"Answer my question,” I snarled.
"Evelyn, it's nothing to concern yourself over. They have what they want,” Kadrix said.
I ignored him and continued to glare at Zair.
The celestial gave a small shrug and made a show of inspecting his nails. "You heard the elf."
"And I asked you a question," I said.
He pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. "It is nothing to do with you."
Tiel stepped a little closer to us, causing Lysander to snarl once more. "Actually, Quin and Evelyn are at the heart of everything."
He watched our reactions with a delicate smile. I resisted the urge to punch his pretty mouth.
"Stop baiting us and tell us what you know, and what you want."
His eyes held mine. "And where would the fun be in that?"
I smiled as sweetly as I could manage. "You'd keep your balls for one..."
He laughed. “What a quaint threat. Don't lie to yourself, Evelyn, you wouldn't be able to resist doing far more fun things should your hands slip that low."
Lysander punched him.
Tiel rubbed his jaw and said, "Possessive little thing, isn't he?"
Lysander began snarling and went to punch him again.
I held up my hand. "Enough."
He growled under his breath, but put his hand down. Zair muttered something about uncivilised beasts.
"Answer our questions. Why are you bothering Kadrix, and what was that shit about Quin and I being at the heart of things?"
Zair gave me a smirk and vanished; Ioel vanished with him.
Tiel sighed melodramatically, the smile still fixed on his face. "Looks like you won't be getting those answers. Sorry."
He vanished, too.
I spun on my heel, crossed my arms, and fixed my darkest glare on Kadrix. "Well?"
Kadrix had refused to say anything, simply waving me off. Quin gave me a hopeless look. I was left with no choice but to let it go, for the moment at least.
Lysander wrapped his arm around my waist, cleared his throat, and said, "What do you know of the bond between hellhound and... mistress?"
Kadrix looked between us, his lips pursed, before he took a step closer and said, "I've done quite a lot of reading, why? Is this where you ask me to witness your consummation?"
My cheeks flushed bright red; Lysander and Quin both laughed.
"Kadrix!" I managed to squeak.
He looked at me with a mix of boredom and amusement. “Yes?"
Lysander choked down the rest of his laughter and said, "Evelyn has been experiencing hellfire."
The elf's head tilted to one side, his eyes lit up. He reached out to touch me. I stepped back.
"No, do not look at me like some specimen."
He pouted and huffed before he waved his hand. "Fine. My reading suggests that it's not unusual. Your hound will walk you through it."
With that, he turned his attentions to Quin, and they began talking about alchemical things. We had clearly been dismissed. I glared daggers at the elf's back but turned and left the workshop. After all of that, we had nothing other than the fact that Kadrix was clearly hiding something, and that was hardly news.
We blinked in the bright sunlight; I cursed the sun for hanging so low in the sky. Something small and red fled past me before it disappeared down the short alleyway. I glanced at Lysander, wondering if I was imagining things, but he was tense and focused intensely on the alleyway.
"Did you...?"
He gave a short nod. We jogged down the alleyway, built into the old buildings as a short passageway through to the next street over. The city was riddled with them. The narrow road on the other side looked much like all the others in Malastrana, heading up towards the embassies alongside the pastel coloured facades and over-priced trinket shops. We stood and looked around for the potential small creature, but nothing caught our eye. I frowned. Perhaps it had been a small child playing a game.
Matyas jogged up the street, panting. He stopped in front of us.
"Have you seen a pair of imps?"
I looked to Lysander, who paled. Imps meant the Sidhe were correct in thinking there were problems with the boundary to the infernal realm. I squeezed my eyes shut and asked the moon goddess for patience.
"Perhaps, we saw something run through here."
Matyas sighed and leaned back against the dark-green lamp post while he caught his breath. "I've been chasing them around the city for the last two hours."
"Had you thought about catching them?" Lysander said with a smile.
Matyas glared at him and turned his focus back to me. "They're making trouble, little things. They stole one woman's coffee, tripped up a businessman. Imp things."
I looked up and down the road once more, wondering how on Earth we were supposed to find them.
"Tell me you have some alchemy or something to find them... You don't expect us to wander around listening for screams and giggling do you?" I said.
The hunter held his palm out with a small compass on it, a delicate affair, made from bronze with elegant swirling designs around the edges.
"This points to infernal things."
He looked pointedly at Lysander.
"He's with me," I said coldly.
His head drooped. Lysander held out his hand to take the compass. Matyas looked between us; I took the compass and handed it to Lysander. He turned it over in his hand a few time before he shifted a single sharp claw. His face creased in concentration as he slowly altered a symbol on the back of the compass with small, slow, movements of his claw. Seemingly satisfied, he dropped it back in Matyas' palm.
"Now it won't point to hounds."
The arrow spun wildly for a few seconds before it pointed straight up the road, away from Lysander.
"Thank you, hound," Matyas said.
Lysander gave a small nod and pointed up the road. "Let us catch these imps."
We slipped around a slow-moving tour group with a bored-looking tour guide holding her stick with a bright yellow ribbon up high. She droned on, clearly going through the familiar script that she spoke every day. The tourists pointed at varying buildings and details with giddy smiles. It must have been quite an experience to explore new cities and cultures; I wondered if I'd ever get the chance. The road split in two, and the compass wavered from left to right, refusing to settle. We soon saw why; the imps were prancing across the roof of the café in front of us. I sighed and wondered why creatures couldn't have the decency to make things easy.
By some stroke of luck, no one seemed to notice them, until they jumped down onto the ground in front of a small cluster of tourists. They looked down at the little red-skinned creatures with their stunted horns and devilish grins. I had to respect them, they remained rooted as we ran up to them; no one screamed. A man looked between us and excitedly said something about it being a street performance. I flashed them a grin and ran with it. If it kept t
hem calm, then they could believe as they pleased. Lysander and I worked as a seamless team. He split right, lowering his body and stalking around the back of the tourists; I moved straight ahead while Matyas paused. I gestured wildly for him to get behind the imps, who were dancing a merry little jig for the tourists.
They stopped dead and gave us cold glares when we closed in on them. I grinned at them and held my arms out wide. They hadn't noticed Lysander coming up behind them.
"Here little impy, impy," I sang.
They tilted their heads and gawped at me in confusion. They weren't the most intelligent creatures. Lysander swooped down and grabbed one by the back of its neck. It let out an awful screeching sound that one tourist echoed. Its friend tried to run between Matyas and I; we both dove on it. We clashed heads, but caught the little shit. They squirmed and screeched as we carried them away somewhere quiet.
The tourists whooped and clapped; I had no idea what they thought they'd just seen, but they were calm, and that was what mattered. The little foot-tall creature flailed and struggled against me every inch of the way. Lysander held his up to eye level and glared at it; it shrank back from his gaze. Apparently he still had some sway. I grew tired of mine constantly struggling against me and handed it to Matyas to deal with. Once we were safely hidden behind a building, away from prying eyes, we slit their throats. Their bodies disintegrated into nothing more than red powder.
Matyas gave me an apologetic smile. "Thank you. Both."
"I trust you've been well?" I asked.
Quin had been telling me I needed to maintain more connections; it seemed like a reasonable time.
Matyas shrugged. "It's been quiet. Dimitri left the city, he couldn't do it anymore. I work alone for now."
I held out my hand. “If you need help again, you have my number."
He grinned. "Thank you, Evelyn."
My good deed for the day had been done.
I peered around the door to Elise's church, hoping that she wouldn't be busy that time. She practically bounded towards me; I stepped into the room and pulled her into a deep hug. A grin was plastered to her face.
