Caged in Darkness

by J. D. Stroube

  I watched Liam retreat into his room. I couldn’t believe how understanding he was being. It was a relief, because as much as I wanted him, I wanted to figure a few things out before our relationship progressed.

  I walked over to the coffee table and picked up the soda, Liam had left there. As I took a sip, his phone beeped, and his mothers’ name lit the screen. Worried that it might be important, I lifted the cell phone from the table to see what the text said. My soda dropped from my hands, while I reeled from the content of the extremely detailed text.

  I hope you plan to take my advice from earlier. She has already gone through her ascension. It won’t be long before the coven will want her to take her initiation vows. If we have any hope of luring her into our coven, you need to seduce her now. You can’t keep putting it off. I know that you didn’t want this assignment, but the Cross girl is powerful and an alliance with her will be mutually beneficial. Seduce her and give her the ultimatum. Once she has joined our coven, you can go back to sleeping with as many humans as you would like.

  I was shocked. Liam had been pretending this entire time? I was an assignment? I tossed his cell phone on the table and looked back at the door to his bedroom. I felt torn. One piece of my soul insisted on confronting him, while the other desperately wished to flee. I felt raw and betrayed. How could I have thought I meant something to him? Why had I been so stupid? I left the apartment and ran down the street before opening my cell to text Izzy.

  Izzy picked me up a short while later to take me home. I knew she could see how upset I was, but for once she didn’t push me to talk. She let the silence soothe me and I was grateful for it.

  Izzy stopped in front of my house, and said, "Savannah, if you need anything or just want to talk… call me, okay?” I nodded and bolted from the car. My feet couldn't move fast enough to propel me towards the house. I was fleeing a tsunami that threatened to wash away the safety net I built around my core.

  I ran into the house with tears streaming down my face. I came to a quick stop in the hall, when Ash bared my path. Backing up, I tried to avoid him, but he wouldn’t allow it. His arm snatched out to grab me around my waist and lifted me into his arms, to cradle me.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I struggled in his arms, kicking my legs and wiggling to get free. When that failed, I started pounding on his chest with my fists. “Let me down!”

  Ash laughed. “Well, this seems familiar!”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” I crossed my arms and pouted, while giving him a cold stare.

  “The first day we met I carried you into the house and you struggled just like this. Remember?”

  I became more pliant and my tears stopped. “Put me down, Ash.”

  His face became serious as he lowered me gently to the ground. He kept his arm wrapped around my waist and my body pressed to his. His body protected me from the rogue wave that massaged my emotions in a turmoil. The safety net Liam endangered was now more solid than ever before. Ash held it together, he pressed the rope, and maneuvered it to a placement that allowed me to breathe once more.

  “I’m not letting you go until I know what’s wrong. Did Liam do something to you?” My face froze. Ash’s arm dropped and he growled. The house shuddered as the noise echoed against the walls. “I’m going to kill him!”

  Ash pushed past me. I rushed to stop him, but he spun around to push me away. Throwing my arms around his neck, I massaged his lips with mine. At first his body was still, but then he relaxed and pulled me closer. He was like a starved man, using my mouth to sate his hunger. It was an passionate kiss fueled by his anger. My blood simmered at the contact, forcing my body to be instinctively wanton. Ash tried to slow the kissing, but I pressed harder and gyrated against his hips in a sensual dance. He groaned and backed me up until my heels hit the staircase.

  Ash didn't falter at the inconvenience the stars proposed. He lifted my legs to straddle his waist, climbed the stairs, while kissing me with renewed passion. I couldn’t think, breath or deny the electric charge between us. Suddenly, every aspect of myself was desperate to have him; all of him.

  Ash kicked his bedroom door open, slammed the door behind us and pushed my back against it. His hands slipped up my thighs to gently push my dress up a few inches. This evoked a purr from deep within my chest.

  Against my lips, Ash spoke. “Did you just purr?” I laughed, and pressed my breasts against his chest. I held onto him, chaining him to the fervor, forcing him to succumb. The rhythm of my heart beat faster to match his. I didn't want anything between us; I just wanted him.

  Tearing at Ash's shirt, the buttons scattered across the floor. His shirt soon followed. His lips moved away from mine, but before I could protest the lost contact, he rained kissed down my neck to my shoulder. He slipped the strap down and held it to reveal my milky skin.

  I felt overwhelmed and pulled him back to my lips. My hands skimmed across his chest to lay flat against his firm abdomen. He groaned, while I nibbled on his lower lip. My hands lowered to unbutton his jeans, but he pulled away. I grabbed his neck to pull him back, but he took my hands to pry them away with a determined intensity. “Maye will be home any minute.” He took my left hand and kissed the palm before putting more space between us.

  I stood still, trying to understand what had just happened, and failing to dispel the energy surging through me. Ash's face was flushed and his chest gleaned from our efforts. I had an urge to lick the moisture that trailed down the planes of his stomach.

  “What did Liam do?” I shook my head to beat out the sexual thoughts and focused entirely on his words.

  “Ugh, I don’t want to talk about it.” I walked to the adjoining bathroom, but he pulled me back against his chest.

  Whispering in my ear, he said “If you don’t tell me what he did, I am going to assume the worst and hunt him down. The way I promised him I would if he hurt you.”

  “Fine!" I jerked my body away from Ash. "He was dating me, because his mother ordered him to. They wanted me to join their coven.” My voice caught on the last word. Ash spun me to face him, with a concerned expression on his face.

  “It’s their loss. You wouldn’t really have left us, would you?”

  “Of course I wouldn’t. I just feel so stupid.” I covered my face with my palms, as though hiding my embarrassment, but I knew it was futile.

  Ash leaned forward to gently kiss the tip of my nose. “Don’t. They’re the stupid ones. Besides, it’s going to be nice not seeing Liam anywhere near you.” His right side of his mouth quirked up in satisfaction.

  I smacked his shoulder and danced into my bedroom. I didn’t hurt anymore. Ash had healed the crater Liam had left in my heart. It merely took a frenzied make out session to erase the emotional decay that had eaten at me earlier.

  I was beginning to feel fickle, but the truth is that even when I was with Liam, I had wanted Ash. Now that Liam was out of the picture, I ached marginally, but Ash bared me from any further pain.

  It wasn’t long before Maye came home to find me lying on my bed. I remained on my back with my gaze fixated on the ceiling. At least, that is what it would look like to everyone else. I was actually sorting through Kit’s memories. It was interesting to look at the world through the eyes of a cat. They processed their memories differently and relied heavily on senses rather than emotions. Emotions were developed over time, but once they had grown, they remained firmly in place. A feline could love with an intensity that humans couldn't match.

  “Darling, how was your date with Liam?”

  I turned onto my side and propped my head up with my hand. “Let’s just put it this way, you were right… he’s bad news. I should have taken Josephine’s vision more seriously.” I allowed my head to plop back onto my pillow with a vengeance.

  “I take it that means you won’t be seeing him anymore?” Her voice sounded annoyingly optimistic.

  “You guessed right. Please, just don’t ask for more details.”

  �
�Alright, child. If you decide you need to talk, you know where to find me.” Instead of leaving my room, as I expected, Maye came forward to sit on my bed. “Is there something going on between you and Ash?”

  I sat up straight and scooted as far from her as possible. I racked my brain for the right thing to say, but the truth was that I didn’t really know what was going on between me and Ash. We hadn’t defined the changed between us or what it meant for the future. How could I answer Maye’s question, when even I didn’t know the answer?

  “I don’t know.” I said, decisively.

  “You don’t know or you don’t want to say?” I remained silent, because it was a little of both. “Child, I love you and Ash. I’ve watched your relationship grow. If you have feelings for one another don’t worry about my acceptance. I want the best for both of you. Now, give me a kiss. I’m going to bed.” I kissed her cheek and she laughed, as she exited the room.

  “Well, that’s a relief.” I was shocked, when Ash pushed the door open.

  “You were eavesdropping?” My pillow hit him square in the chest.

  “The door was open and sound carries in this house. You expect me to ignore your conversation when I am the subject of it?”

  “Yes, no, I don’t know! It’s just rude! What if we were having a private conversation?” Ash could be so frustrating sometimes, but he was also strangely adorable.

  “Well, if that were the case, I would recommend closing the door and talking in a whisper. Otherwise, it’s impossible for it to be private.” He laughed and moved forward. “So, what is going on between us?”

  I couldn’t look him in the eyes. I felt bare in front of him. My other pillow lay on the bed in front of me; I grabbed the pillow and wrapped my arms around it. “What do you think is going on between us? Other than all the kissing…”

  Ash sighed, “I think you like kissing me and I think that you shouldn’t be kissing anyone else.” His eyebrow raised to question how I felt about it.

  “I do. Like kissing you, that is… Now that I know the truth about Liam, I don’t plan to be kissing anyone else anytime soon.” I shrugged and avoided his eyes. Instead, I focused on my quilt.

  “Ever. You don’t plan to kiss anyone ever again.”

  The dangerous possessiveness I had seen at the bonfire was back. Ash’s intimidated me when his back straightened and his pupils melted to an acidic fire. I half wanted to flee the intensity that filled the room, but the other part of me…yearned for him? The feeling began in my throat, trailed along the side of my neck, and rushed down my spine to pool in the lower half of my body.

  This was something new. Evidently, I am the type of woman who likes a possessive alpha male …Huh, who would have thought?

  “Ash, I can’t promise that and I am not going to lie to make you feel better. I can promise that you are the only guy I want to be kissing, now.” I nibbled on my lip in uncertainty, because I knew this conversation was going to change the fabric of our relationship. It was as though we had spent years sewing a quilt and now we were removing the stitching to start over.

  “S, we can’t do this half way. You know that, right? I mean, you are either mine or you're not. Half and half won’t work, because it would ruin our relationship.”

  I nodded. I had been worrying over the same thing. We stood balanced on a teeter totter. Once small move on either part could leave one or both of us sprawled against the sandy ground. “Let me sleep on it. I’ll give you my answer first thing tomorrow. Okay?”

  Ash nodded. “That’s reasonable, but S?” I looked up. “Make sure that you are certain about your decision, okay?” He didn’t wait for my response, but closed the bathroom door firmly behind him.

  I watched the door for what seemed like forever. I was afraid of what it would mean to make the decision, because it would impact our relationship forever. I wasn’t even certain I should be making a decision like this given everything that was going on. I just got out of my first relationship and still felt betrayed. Plus, the demon was still out there and I hadn’t figured out what to do about that.

  Something moved within me and Kit appeared in spirit form to pace around my room. His fur was silvery blue and his lengthy form took up most of my room. He sniffed the perfume on my dresser and sneezed; shaking his head in agitation. I laughed, when he pawed at the bottle, pushing it away from him. His eyes were curious as he paraded around to examine every corner of my bedroom. Once he was satisfied, he fell to the floor on his back, and wiggled his body in contentment. He kept his eyes on mine, while rubbing his back against the floor.

  It was amusing to watch a panther cavorting like a kitten, but I needed to get some rest. I changed into a white satin slip, climbed under the covers and patted the blanket. Kit jumped onto the bed to lay his head on my legs with the rest of his body squeezed against my side. I thought he would be heavy, but the pressure was no more than the weight of a feather.

  I remained awake, thinking about everything that had happened to me in such a short time. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do about Ash, but I didn’t think I could avoid kissing him. I couldn’t kiss him and keep our relationship as it had always been. Ash explicitly stated that it was all or nothing. I would have to choose all, because I couldn’t face being left with nothing.

  My decision was made. Sensing my peace, Kit raised himself over me and his spirit sank back into my flesh. We became one again and I was reassured by his presence. At least there was one amazing gift Liam had left me. I would cherish Kit for the rest of my life, however long that would be.

  12: Divine Energy

  In sync with my recent dreams, the demon plagued my every vision. I worried that he might be really affecting my dreams. I reasoned that if he could haunt me in person, why would he choose to terrorize my dreams? Wouldn't reality be worse than fantasy?

  Asmodeus's face swam into my vision and I struggled to get away. His arms grasped me to squeeze the air from my lungs. I tried to pull away from the darkness, but it smothered me, pulled me down into its oceanic depths. I began to hyperventilate, while crying for someone to help me. Did my thoughts lure him to my dreams? Had he come to finish what he started?

  I forced myself to be still and breathe evenly. Blackness permeated my eyesight, but my other senses sharpened. I squirmed in an attempt to escape my assailant until I breathed in the smell of wildflowers. A cool breeze tossed my hair into my mouth, and I heard leaves flutter. I was in the forest. This was my territory. I knew this forest and I could easily find my way home once a chance to escape presented itself. Willow and I had built a fort here when we were younger. I usually sought it when I was troubled and thought it would make a wonderful hide out.

  My attacker stopped to set me against a tree trunk. The wood rubbed my shoulder blades raw through the satin fabric of my nightgown. I felt vulnerable. A rush of air collided with my frame, but before I could kick my abductor; he took off my blindfold.

  My eyes swam with tears, but focused enough to see Ash smiling at me. I slapped him. “What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy?” I smacked him, as he laughingly danced out of reach.

  “You said you would give me an answer first thing tomorrow. It’s midnight, which is first thing tomorrow.” He held his hands in front of him, as if expecting me to launch an attack.

  “Ash! I meant after a night’s rest! How could you do that to me? I thought you were someone trying to kill me!”

  Ash cleared his throat and looked around, causing me to take in my surroundings. My jaw dropped. We were standing in a place of divine energy. Places of divine energy were inordinately powerful and hidden from ordinary humans. Witches had to cross a threshold of power to access them. There were only certain times, when we could cross the threshold. Witchlings weren’t allowed to enter these places, but I wasn’t a witchling any longer.

  Divine places had been described to me many times, but never had their description lived up to the reality. I was standing in a field surrounded by a forest. A full moon brigh
tened the star in the sky. Colored lights, which resembled the aurora borealis glistened across the inky blanket. The moon highlighted the azure flowers that pollinated the field. Everything had an dream-like inner glow. Animals weren't afraid of us here; a deer grazed in the far parts of the field near the foliage of the forest, while a falcon watched from a nearby branch.

  “It’s beautiful.” I walked into the field of flowers and trailed my fingers against them. Tingling started in my fingers and quickly spread to the rest of my body. The sensation intoxicated me. Laughing, I spun in a circle with my arms stretched wide.

  Ash stood a few feet away and watched my excitement with an amused smirk. “There is a reason why they call this a divine place.” He nodded towards the flowers. "Taste the petals." I looked at him in digust.

  “Ew… I don’t make a habit of eating flowers. I’m more of a meat and potatoes kind of girl.”

  “Nothing in this place is as it seems. Seriously, try it.” He picked a flower and handed it to me.

  I looked around and realized that he was probably right. This placed looked, felt, sounded, and even smelled different. Why wouldn’t it taste different? Shrugging, I plucked a petal and hesitantly placed it onto my tongue. It didn’t taste the way I expected. Instead, the taste was like pure emotion centered on my tongue. The petal liquefied as I rubbed it between my tongue and the roof of my mouth. The petal went straight to my head and intensified my emotions.

  “Oh my God, this is amazing!” I looked at the flower in shock and back at Ash. “Is everything like this? I mean, do the leaves taste like this too or is it only the flowers?”

  “Everything tastes different, but I don’t recommend eating bark; it's a little too tough and I don’t think you would enjoy having splinters in your tongue.”

  Kit could feel my joy and emerged from my body to run across the field. The deer looked up at the intrusion and hurriedly went back to eating.

  “What the hell is that?” Ash jumped back several feet and looked at Kit in horror.