by L. L. Frost
The orb vibrates within our tight hold, the Dreamer thrashing as it senses the approach of its death. But its hunger is no match for the snake, cut off from its original creators, a god left forgotten, without the time it needed to reclaim its disciples.
Drones sacrifice their lives to feed their master as we latch onto the orb, sinking teeth into its glowing surface.
We grow bigger, the temptation to consume pushing back reason. Thoughts of hundreds of people, thousands of dreams, call like a siren, promising an end to hunger.
We stretch the bounds of the Between, greater than this small existence. Just past the threshold, millions more lives wait, both in the human plane and in Dreamland. So much wrong with these worlds, with these existences. So much that needs to be put right. And we can do that. Eat and eat until we become one. One being. One purpose.
No circle holds us this time. We passed that point in coming to the Between. We can escape, be free, become gods and heal the worlds by consuming them. No more pain. No more suffering. Just freedom in becoming one being.
Fire pulls at me, followed by the crackle of lightning and ice. They tug at my consciousness, a part of me still held separate from the snake.
Tobias, Emil, and Kellen.
I pull back from the orborous, catching hold of the strings that bind me to my demons. I remember love and heartache, happiness and sadness.
If I stay with the snake, I’ll lose my connection with them. The temptation exists. Everything becomes easier when the struggle of existence is removed. But this hunger that drives us will never be quenched. It will never stop.
Once all life ends, the hunger will remain. An eternity of emptiness that will never be filled.
I latch back onto the oreborous, sink into its being, and stop it from absorbing the glowing orb before it breaks. The Dreamer must remain imprisoned.
Through sheer will, I force the snake back to the rift between worlds.
We crash into the human plane, the witch circle shattering beneath our new strength, and holding the Dreamer’s cage in our teeth, I direct us down through the building, through the earth, to a place that glows with the magic of creation.
The snake zeros in on this new power, the hunger inside us swelling, and we slam into the ley line.
The magic surges around us, unmaking the ouroboros, the cage of power, and the Dreamer. Our energy spreads out, stretched over the map of the world, everywhere at once. The hunger vanishes, the snake losing its hold on itself. It lacks the will to remain whole once its single driving force disappears, and the power taken from the Dreamer spreads out, washed clean by the ley line’s magic.
Freed from the snake, I turn my attention back to the strings that vibrate inside me. They have names, have meaning, and give me a reason to leave.
Painfully, I drag myself back together, collecting the pieces of myself spread out through the ley line. Its magic clings, offering new shapes, new power. It gives as it takes, creates as it destroyed. With the knowledge the ley line offers, I could keep the power, create a body capable of wielding it, walk as a god on earth, more powerful than my demons of destruction. No more worries about survival, able to take everything I need.
Fire burns in my center, a power the ley lines can’t touch, and I know if I accept the gifts it offers, it means giving up my men.
There is no gain without cost.
Before temptation changes my mind, I rip myself free from the ley line.
Once more I fall, a meteor of power, a falling star intent on returning home for good.
“Master, the cupcakes are cooled,” Jessi reminds me for the second time. “You promised to show me kitty witches.”
I give Torch one last pinch around his little tummy before setting him back into the oven. He flickers blue in goodbye before he belly flops into his bowl of wood pellets.
Closing the hatch, I stand and turn, pulling off my heat resistant gloves in the process. I’m a little sad not to be able to hold Torch without the thick gloves for protection, but it’s a small price to pay for returning to the human plane as just a normal, low-level succubus once more.
Jesse dances from foot-to-foot, her chef’s coat hanging well below her knees and a hairnet over her limp, brown ponytail. Her large, liquid brown eyes shine with excitement. As soon as she sees she has my full attention, she scurries to the decorating counter and climbs up on her footstool.
I follow at a slower pace, my gaze drifting around the kitchen. Iris stands at the large mixer, weighing ingredients before she adds them one at a time, prepping a new batch of the pumpkin spice cakes to replace the ones we almost sold out of after the lunch rush.
Through the passthrough, Martha handles the espresso machine like a pro while Kelly takes orders and rings up customers at the cash register. Tally drifts around the main floor, making sure people have what they need. When her path takes her past the table where Xander and Reese work, she lingers, and I look away from their quiet affection.
I hadn’t told anyone about the second spell the witches laid, and we’ve tactically agreed never to speak of it. I escaped the oreborous, and bringing it up after the fact will only endanger them.
We all came out of the battle with the Dreamer whole and healthy, but it was a near thing. Jax was down for a week with a brutal cough, and Aren lost much of his impressive size, though word on the street is that the baku revere him even more now. Apparently, it’s a big thing to expend that level of power without having to give up a piece of himself. He now leads the BBBB in a kind of dream police, making sure we caught all the drones and that no new monsters enter Dreamland.
After the battle, Julian and Landon went into deep sleep to replenish their reserves for a few days. I’d driven Landon home in the middle of the week and deposited him safely on his couch with a bucket of double-fried chicken, a case of water, and the promise to return with a casserole next Friday.
The hag vanished on her scooter before I even returned, unable to leave the Library without a guardian any longer. But an illustrated book on sex showed up a few days later as her way of wishing me a speedy recovery.
Only Emil, Kellen, and Tobias came away completely unaffected, but their worry over me ratcheted up significantly after they had to dig me out of the new crater created by my return home. I don’t complain about the extra snuggles, but I put my foot down on staying away from the bakery once I was back on my feet.
Jesse’s shoulder bumps against my arm, and she waves a tube of black frosting under my nose. “Kitties.”
With a smile, I bend and curl an arm around her narrow shoulders as I study the tray of cakes in front of her. Autumn leaves decorate the top in gold and brown, with little red dots for apples mixed in. The spicy scent of cinnamon apple cake drifts up, making my mouth water.
I nod in approval. “You did well with the bases.”
She rolls her eyes. “I practiced like you said.”
As soon as I brought up Fall Themed ideas, Jesse had been all over practicing with the reward of frosted kittens dangling in front of her.
“So you did.” Expression serious, I take the tube of frosting from her and scoot the plate back far enough to slip a sheet of wax paper in front of it.
I lay out the thin line for the cat’s tail, then the shape of the body and head. Switching to purple, I add the brim and pointed top for the witch’s hat.
Jesse claps with delight. “Magic kitty!”
Laughing, I pass her the black frosting. “Think you can replicate that?”
With an excited nod, she snatches the tube and bends close the wax paper, her tongue poking out as she concentrates.
A few tries later, she has the pattern down and moved on to piping the cats onto the cakes. Then, I show her how to add a few more leaves to hold them in place better. When we finish, we have a dozen festive Halloween cakes.
I nod to the two-way door. “Want to go offer them as samples?”
Her happy face morphs into a scowl, and she pulls the plate closer. “M
y kitties.”
Well, I should have seen that coming. “How is your savings coming?”
I’d promised Jesse that if she proved she could save her money and be responsible, I’d consider her request for a cat.
Her lower lip trembles, her eyes brightening with tears, and she quickly looks back down at the plate of cakes. Her long, slender fingers stroke the edge of the plate forlornly. “It’s okay.”
I bite my lip, wanting to give in to make Jesse happy. But part of my contract with my imps stipulates I prepare them to live in the human world, and she can’t do that if she doesn’t learn to save.
So, instead, I hug her gently. “How about you use these samples to get some pre-orders for the holiday? You’ll earn a twenty percent commission for every order you bring in today.”
She sniffles before her shoulders square with determination. Climbing off the step stool, she carefully takes the plate and heads for the door.
“Master is kind,” Iris whispers as she sidles up to me and wraps me in her baby powder scented embrace.
I pat her, letting her stay as long as she needs to.
My demons of destruction aren’t the only ones who have gotten clingier since my return. When everyone came back from the hospital without me, my imps went into panic mode, fearing what would happen to their contracts with me gone.
Without a guarantor in place, imp contracts go up for auction, and if no one picks them up, the imps are forced to return to the demon plane and start over. While I made sure Julian would take care of them if I was unable to, I never had that conversation with them.
I remedied that as soon as I got out of bed, forcing Emil to take me to their house with printouts of my agreement with Julian. The documents took some wrangling to get from the demon clerk’s office, but it was well worth Emil’s annoyance when I hand each imp proof that they wouldn’t be left uncared for. I would have loved to promise them I’d no longer put myself at risk, too, but with the way life keeps throwing things in my path, I can’t speak those lies, even to ease their worries for a short time.
It’s a promise I couldn’t make to Emil, Tobias, and Kellen, either, but they never asked for one. As demons of destruction, I think they’re used to danger.
The official report that came out after we took down the Dreamer was a leak in the oxygen tanks in the main ward, which resulted in a minor explosion. Over a dozen casualties were reported, but Emil assured me only the humans already killed by the Dreamer were left in the building. It had been the only way to hide what happened there that night.
Even with a demon cleaning crew there to help wipe memories and clean up the mess left from killing the drones, the hospital was too damaged in the main ward to be able to reasonably explain it away.
A rash of the flu explained away the other humans affected by the Dreamer, bringing about the worst flu epidemic the city has seen in years. After three days, though, the news moved on to more exciting things, and the city quieted down.
Tally walks through the swinging door and frowns at Iris. “How are the pumpkin spice cakes coming along? We only have four left in the case.”
Iris rubs her cheek against mine, scent-marking me. “They have another twelve minutes before they come out of the oven.”
Tally’s frown deepens. “Then relieve Kelly at the cash register. He’s due for a break.”
Iris’s arms tighten around me for a second longer before she reluctantly lets go and walks out to the front.
Tally’s arm’s fold under her breasts as she turns the frown on me. “You’re spoiling them too much.”
Unconcerned, I shrug. “They can have another week before I put my foot down.”
She sighs and joins me at the counter to stare out the passthrough. “The Dreamer scared me,” she admits in a quiet voice. “Before I left Dreamland, nothing scared me.”
“The human world is dangerous,” I agree.
Her attention shifts to where Xander and Reese sit, bent over their laptops. “It’s worth it, though. Right?”
I close my eyes, pulling in a deep breath of the sugar-sweet air. With the scent of spices comes the warm rush of happiness humans release when indulging in sweets. It seeps into my skin and curls around my core like a warm hug of welcome. “Yes, definitely worth it.”
“Emil and Tobias will be off work soon.” Tally turns to lean a hip against the counter. “Why don’t I close down the shop tonight so you can have dinner with them?”
I shake my head. “I can’t do that. You’ve already closed the last two weeks.”
“Adie.” Gentle reprimand fills Tally’s voice. “You died hundreds of times and broke through the veil between worlds twice. You’re allowed to take the time needed to recuperate. I can handle a couple more nights of closing.”
Tobias said the same when he saw me getting ready to head into the bakery, but with a lot more anger.
I hug my elbows. “I need for life to go back to normal.”
“What’s normal?” She laughs softly. “We’re demons hiding on the human plane. Normal doesn’t exist for us.”
I glance back out at the bakery. “Normal’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Tally’s mahogany-colored eyes meet mine. “You won’t get that the way things are currently going.”
“Nope.”
Her pink eyebrows lift. “And definitely not if you stay with the demons of destruction.”
“It’s unlikely,” I agree. After a moment, I turn my back on the bakery and all the normality it offers. “I gave up being a god to return here.”
It’s not something I’ve told the guys. I think they’d understand why, but it puts weight on our relationship that it doesn’t need when it’s so new.
“Go home, Adie.” Tally gently nudges me away from the counter and down the hall to the large pantry at the back. “Have dinner with your men. Re-solidify your bonds.”
“Okay, okay.” I pull my apron over my head, toss it into the dirty clothes basket, then grab my hoodie from the small desk crammed into a corner of the pantry. “But you’ll call me if something happens and I need to come back.”
Tally flaps her hands in a shooing motion. “Nothing’s going to come up. And the imps can do morning prep work, so don’t you dare come in before ten tomorrow.”
My steps slow. “I should write a list of what cakes to make–”
“Already done.” Her hand on my back shoves me through the side door.
Out in the alley, I spin around. “Mark down any orders Jesse sells for Halloween. I promised her a cut.”
Tally gives me a thumbs up before yanking the door shut on any more instructions.
Happiness fills me, and my steps turn light as I head to the parking lot behind the bakery where my car waits. The mystery machine blocks it from immediate view, and I hesitate before forcing myself around it. Tally or one of her witches will drive the imps home. They live on the same block, so I really don’t need to go back just to make sure they’re okay with that arrangement. The keys for the colorful van still rest in the drawer of the desk.
I should make a second set to give to Tally since she’s taken on part of my responsibility of carting them around. I need to figure out a good payment for her to absolve any lingering obligation between us. Maybe another girl’s day where I pay for lunch and buy us purses?
It’s weak but will suffice between friends.
That thought warms me. When I left Landon’s house, I never thought I’d have a friend, let alone an entire family to call my own. Maybe I should do something bigger for everyone. A Halloween party where I make all the food.
I like that idea. I’ll have to plan it behind Emil’s back, though. He’s still not over the second destruction of the lawn, and after my cousins invaded the house last time, he threatened not to allow any more people through the doors.
Not that he can stop me. I haven’t told them, but I’ve started nurturing the house, giving it some of my power and leaving offerings at night before I go to bed. I don’t k
now what will come from it, but the house woke when I brought back the ley line and has been slowly groaning to life ever since. In a year, it might even let me claim it, and won’t that just piss off the guys?
I wiggle with excitement at the idea, then scowl when I round the van to find a pink ticket shoved under the wiper on my windshield. Looks like the traffic cops finally noticed I need to renew my tabs.
I yank it off, open the driver side door, and throw it in the backseat to deal with later. I won’t let something like a driving violation kill my mood tonight.
My old car rattles to life after two false starts, then belches out a thick cloud of black smoke. Which is why I haven’t renewed the tabs. No way this pollution machine will pass emissions. Maybe I can bargain another car out of the guys. Or just steal one like I did the Mystery Machine. I should check the toy store for a black sports car and poach Tobias’s baby.
The asshole is still hiding my purple sequin pillow from me. He deserves to have his precious car stolen.
With that thought in mind, I push my old car to go faster. I made a mistake with the Mystery Machine swap, using the wrong model of toy. Kellen let it slip after his initial outcry, but Tobias will be a lot more specific. I need make, model, and year. I might even have to special order one online. But with two-day shipping, I could be in a luxury machine before the middle of next week.
When I pull up into the driveway, I let my car die before bouncing out from behind the wheel and jogging to the garage on the side. But when I poke my head inside, the spot where Tobias’s and Emil’s car usually rests is empty. I check the time on my phone. With traffic, I didn’t make it home before they would usually be here, but they weren’t expecting me for dinner, either. They may be eating out tonight or have a late meeting.
Disappointed, I shut the door and jog back to the front of the house, my neon blue clogs loud on the wooden steps. Silence fills the house when I step inside, and I kick my shoes off under the bench in the entryway before making my way inside. The living room lays in shadows, the kitchen dark. Not even Tac waits downstairs on Emil’s couch like he usually does.
