Shea was the first to come. I felt him spasming in my tightness as he started moving in and out faster as his cum turned me into a sodden mess. That was enough to bring Dar to the brink as he exploded inside me, filling me and dripping out over Shea.
"Do'vorth h'maal belen da, vokuth dormal di'edra," he mumbled as he filled me with his seed. I invoke the fourth rite as is our right. The words filled my mind and my ears as my brain translated his words.
"Melan prtu viie p'al vodru b'lek," I answered. This is the choice we have made.
"P'daal gotru s'med boraan, molak da'bor ju." From this day forward, we are one, he answered.
Just as Ellis erupted between our lips.
Hot salty wetness splashed my tongue and infinite pain shot from my body, exploded through my mind, and then lashing out toward the universe. There wasn't a clock in the fucking room, but the tick tock came from somewhere as time slowed and everyone stopped moving. Everyone but me. Shea flared beneath me as a blue miasma from his tattoos enveloped me, wrapping me in light, and lifting me from the bed beneath me.
I gasped as they were pulled from me as I floated in the middle of the room. A tiny mewl escaped me. Naked and afraid, I had no idea what was going on as a thousand shadows burst from me and encircled me in a swirling mass of blackness.
My back arched as spines erupted from between my vertebrae, piercing my skin and filling the room with my cries of agony. My fingers locked as claws burst from the tips, wicked and curved. My gums bled as agony enveloped my mouth as fangs ripped through, lengthening, and threatening to cleave my bottom lip. All of that almost equaled the agony of having wings shred my skin as muscles and bones reknit themselves as they started flapping behind me, alleviating some of the strain on the magic keeping me aloft.
The shadows burst apart soundlessly and then stretched in every direction. Three of them aimed low, piercing Dar, Ellis and Shea through their chests and lifting them up beside me. Closing my eyes and praying to anyone and everyone that I wasn't hurting them, the remaining shadows burst through the walls of the bedroom.
In my head, I saw the first one find Yuki. She tried to run, but it caught her in a moment, much faster than her vampiric speed. She was skewered, lifted, and closed her eyes.
Chief was driving and managed to pull off the road and slam it into park as he was dragged from the Jeep.
Jason sat at his desk and every light in the bookstore sizzled as the filaments snapped and the LEDs fried.
Jimmy was picking up his phone, smiling as he dialed my number.
Dennis was asleep in his bunk at the firehouse.
All of them shut down as they were hoisted into the air silently. I was flung back into myself and something snapped inside me, clicking into place. The smokey tendrils of shadows flared as the tattoos etched on Shea's flesh began to bleed blue and copy themselves in lines of text through the shadows.
Looking down at my wrists, I saw the tattoos encircle my pale white flesh. Fearing the same was happening to the others, I sent my consciousness back down the lines as the runes appeared on each of their wrists, matching mine in design and color. When the last one filled in, they flared to life and disappeared, fading under their skin.
There was an echo from the clap of thunder that exploded around us as the shadows melted and lowered us to the bed. Everyone passed out but me as I writhed in agony while my flesh knitted itself back to normal. After it finished, I joined them in oblivion.
Chapter 12
I didn't wake up until the next day, Shea lightly tapping my cheek with the tips of his fingers.
I winced as Yuki's Master echoed in my mind for the trillionth time. It felt like I had a hangover on steroids. What? I groaned and opened my eyes to see a very relieved looking shadow walker hovering over me.
What the fuck did you do? I could feel Yuki's pain through her voice.
Don't fucking ask me. Ask blue boy. Without looking, I pointed at the sleeping demon beneath me, even though she couldn't see him.
Don't ask me, either. I'm dead.
You're not dead, you're talking, you dumb fucking dog. Yuki was a little pissed.
If I'm not dead, would one of you be so kind as to kill me?
There were muffled other voices in our conversation, but I couldn't make out any of their words. Somebody turn off the voices.
You hear them, too? Yuki sounded spooked.
"We can hear you. All of you. That might be the others trying to respond." Dar groaned.
I lifted my head from Dar's chest and instantly regretted doing it. The light from the window was blinding. Waving my hand, the shadows created willowy drapes blocking most of it.
"How did you do that?" Shea asked in awe.
"Bright light." I covered my face in my hands and rolled over, burying my face in the pillow.
I am starting to feel better. Ellis' voice in mind-speech was unmistakable. Lifting my head again in surprise, I blinked at him.
You can hear me?
Yes.
We all can, came a cacophony of voices.
Hold up. Yuki?
Yes?
Dar?
Yes.
Ellis?
Aye.
Shea?
Lady?
Chief? Chief? Jimmy? Dennis? Jason?
Muffled rumblings, but no speech. They could hear me, just not respond. "Well, I guess that answers that. How come Shea and Ellis can answer me now?"
"Dark elves," Dar answered. "Spheres. Can we go back to dead now?" He groaned and rolled over, sobbing silently.
Shea appeared with a tray of glasses filled with water and a bottle of pills. He was also dressed.
"What's that?"
"Advil."
"You have Advil?" Witches didn't get headaches. I didn't have any at my house.
"No, but the drug store on the corner does."
Nodding, the scene played out in my head. As soon as he saw the state we were in, he shadow-walked to the pharmacy, stole the biggest bottle of pain reliever he could find, and came back. Greedily, I popped four of them in my mouth and washed it down with a bit of water. Being the considerate little assassin he was, he shadow walked all over town, dispensing medication to everybody who had been caught up in the metaphysical backlash. He knew where they were just by feeling around for them in his head. The same way I had seen what had transpired the night before.
"Does anybody need anything?" An annoyingly chipper sounding Ellis asked as he lifted himself from the bed, found his pants, and got into them.
"A shower." I was…gross.
Dar lifted his hand and pointed at the bathroom door beside the bed.
I shook my head. "I'm going home."
"Come, my lady. I will carry you," Ellis answered reverently.
That sounded about as appealing as listening to Skrillex.
Calling the shadows, I felt their coolness as they slipped under me. Once they had gathered enough, they swallowed me up and spit me out in my own bed at my own house. I'm sure anybody in the room would have seen me rising from the comforter like some ghostly apparition. It was a cool, handy new talent, and one I would explore further once my head stopped throbbing and my ass was squeaky clean. Figuratively and literally. No more metaphysical sex. Ever.
I'm home, I let everybody know and slammed a mental barrier up, praying it would keep out the voices. It seemed to work as I was bathed in silence.
"You okay?" Yuki practically fell into the room.
"I will be as soon as the planet stops spinning and I have a shower."
I heard her clothes hitting the floor as she stripped and then took my hand, hoisting me up off the mattress. She got her shoulder under my arm and practically dragged me into the bathroom, turning the water on as she waited and kept me from falling to the floor.
"That was some party."
"I'm too old for that shit."
"Come on, Nana. Let's get you clean." She giggled, lifted me up, stepped over the edge of the shower, and stuck me back firs
t under the spray of water. "Let me know when you can stand. I'll wash your hair and stuff. You're washing your own butt, by the way."
I giggled and wrapped my arms around her shoulders to hang on, resting my cheek against her shoulder. "Sorry for all that."
"It was Dar?"
"Not entirely. He pulled that binding shit again, and it exploded. Goddess knows why." I had a feeling, but I wasn't sure, and I had no intention of talking out of my ass. "Water feels good."
"You smell different."
"Bad?"
She sniffed the crook of my neck. "Stronger."
"Bad?"
"No. Not at all."
"You smell yummy," I said dreamily and nibbled her neck.
"You're hungry, aren't you."
"I could eat. A steak sounds yummy."
"I meant blood," she answered warily.
As soon as she said the word, my eyes snapped open and my mouth started watering.
"I'll take that as a yes." She chuckled, feeling me tense in her arms. "Go ahead. Gently. And just a little bit. Find somebody who doesn't need blood to live to feed off, though."
I nodded, bit her neck, and was rewarded with a splash of blood that tasted a thousand times better than Shea's reduction sauce.
"Tone it down," she gasped, and I focused on the taste instead of the happy feelings welling up from my very sore parts.
"Woah."
"What?" I asked after pulling my mouth from her flesh.
"You shut it off."
"What?"
"The feeding frenzy. You know. The bow chicky wow wow that comes with it."
"Is that good?"
"I'm more comfortable with pain compared to that. If I'm being honest with you." She pulled back and blushed at me.
I kissed her forehead and leaned back into the spray, a little more stable on my feet. "I got this now. Thanks for the snack. I feel almost…human again. Pardon the expression."
"You've got a bit more color in your cheeks, too. I'll wait on your bed. Holler if you need me."
"You'll be the first to know."
She slipped out of the shower and I could see her toweling the excess water off her skin as she walked out of the bathroom, leaving me alone with my guilt, shock, and fear. Still uncertain as to what exactly happened in Shea's apartment, I knew only one detail. I didn't want to know. My back still cringed at the feeling of the wings that had torn through my flesh. Of all the things that had happened, that freaked me out the most. Dar didn't have wings, why the hell did I suddenly sprout a set of flappers?
Catching myself starting to doze under the spray of the shower, I shook my head and soaped up before I collapsed in a melted puddle of Dot.
By the time I got out of the shower, Yuki was fast asleep in my bed. I covered her in the comforter and threw on a pair of jogging shorts and a T-shirt.
I made myself a cup of coffee and sat in silence on the couch avoiding the world outside. And inside.
∞ ∞ ∞
"You look like shit."
"Morning, Jay," I said and stuck my tongue out at him. He was behind the register and unable to retaliate in any way, shape, or form.
"Is the reason you look like crap the reason that half my employees didn't show up for work this morning and I feel like I woke up with three hangovers after spontaneously orgasming while floating in my office?" He cocked an eyebrow at me.
"Maybe."
"Could you give a guy some warning next time?" He was playing, but I still felt guilty.
"I will, next time I'm conscious."
"Oh, shit." He looked at the two noobs still running the one register together. "You guys have the desk. I'll be back shortly. If you get into a jam, just scream really loudly."
"Yes, Sir," They answered in unison, both shooting me shy glances. They weren't vamps, but I could still feel the fear coming from them. It made me wonder what horror stories Jason had been telling them about me behind my back.
"Come on," Jason said as he walked around the counter and put his hand on my back. "I'll buy you a cup of coffee."
The store was busy, but not packed. It was after noon but not quite evening when things would pick back up. Even the coffee shop was a little slower than usual. The line was only five people deep, which saved me an extended period of Josie's nervous glances. At least Candace had her back to us while she was slinging espressos. She probably would have taken one look at me, abandoned her post, and run over to me to give me a hug. She did turn around when Josie asked if I'd been run over by a train.
"Sort of." I blushed.
She sputtered at my response. "Not your first train wreck, how come you look like death?"
True to my musings, Candace wandered around the back of the counter and wrapped my stomach in a hug before wordlessly going back to the espresso maker.
"Beats the hell out of me."
"It looks like it already did." She leaned over the counter and pulled at the bags under my eyes.
She eyed the line behind me. "Tell me later."
"I will." I nodded for emphasis.
"What'll it be for you today?"
"I'll have a cup of caffeine, please."
"Make it two," Jason said with a chuckle and pulled out his wallet.
"Put that away," Josie told him and nodded at Candace.
We moved to the waiting counter so the lady behind us could order and watched Candace as she grabbed two paper cups off the stack, flipped them into the air, and slammed them down on the counter. She set the espresso machine to brew four shots, poured coffee into the cups, filling them halfway full, waited a moment for the espresso, and then dumped two of them into the coffee. Greedily, I held out my hands, but she gave me a dirty look as if I was interrupting her performance. She flipped a bottle of vanilla syrup over one handed like a bartender, splashing a swirl into the brew before flipping it back into the stainless-steel rack. Then she committed the ultimate sin, she poured milk into a frothing pitcher and jammed it onto the steam spout, twisting the spigot and filling the air with an angry hiss.
I opened my mouth to protest and debated jumping the counter to stop her madness, but she held up her hand in a preemptive measure. Once the milk was heated, she stuck the end of an electric frother inside and whipped the ever-loving shit out of it. My lip quivered as she brought the pitcher over the cups. "Please, no," I whispered.
She grinned and stuck a long spoon into the milk and extracted a puffy cloud of foam and dolloped it on top of the coffee. Please be done. She couldn't hear me, I knew, but I hoped my inner pleading reached her ears somehow.
She wasn't. She slammed a shaker of sparkling powder against her wrist, shaking it over the froth.
Now?
She took a squeeze bottle and nested a jewel of caramel on top.
I just want some fucking coffee!
She used her thumb to trace an intricate pattern on her forehead with one hand and held the other over both cups and muttered something in her native language. I could have sworn her hand glowed pink and then the froth glistened iridescently like unicorn barf.
She looked up, smiled, and nodded, passing both cups over the glass partition. "Enjoy," she whispered.
"Can I get a lid?" Jason hesitated before taking the coffee.
He withered under Candace's disgusted glare.
"Never mind. This is quite beautiful. What is it?"
"It's not on the menu. I call it a Witch's Tit."
"That explains the caramel nipple." I stared blankly at the cup in my hand, unsure if I could handle all the floofiness. There was no way to drink it without snorting milk mush.
I'd made up my mind. The whole damn thing was going in the trash. The diner had real coffee. I lifted my head to shoot Candace a fake grateful smile, but she was leaning over the counter, watching me expectantly, shifting her gaze between the cup in my hand and my face as she waited for me to take that ever-important first sip. It was the doe eyes that did me in. She could have handed me a cup of molten lead and I probably wou
ld have drank it if she looked at me like that. It was impossible to say no. Josie was in trouble for the rest of her life.
Hand quivering, I brought the cup to my lip and parted the sea of foam with the tip of my tongue, hoping to actually get some coffee in the first sip. If it still tasted good, maybe I could flick the shit off the top and still salvage my drink.
Never judge a book, or a coffee, by its cover. As soon as my tongue tasted the floating confection, I was hooked. The shaker must have had crack in it. Candace smelled like sunshine; the fucking coffee in my hand tasted like sunshine. I could feel its warmth on my tongue as sweetness shined down from the heavens on the earthier flavors beneath.
For the first time in my life, I licked my coffee like a goddess damned ice cream cone. Candace giggled at my indiscretion. I was an addict and I probably looked strung out as caramel dangled from my lip down my chin.
"Holy shit."
"Good?"
I moaned in response and tried to guzzle the overly hot beverage, burning my lip, tongue, and throat, but not caring in the slightest.
"I'd like to change my order," said the woman beside us. "I want one of those!"
Jason nudged me to get going with his hip. "Come on. There's something I want to show you."
"What?'
"That would be telling you. I want to show you."
"Okay, Mr. Surprises." I huffed and let him lead the way back to the store and into the office. He took a sip of his coffee and set it down on the edge of the desk. "Holy shit."
"I know right?" I almost set mine down, too, but that would have made it hard to keep drinking.
"That's really good," he said and pulled a printed sheet of paper off a stack of others. "This is what I wanted to show you."
"What is it?" I took it with my free hand and looked at the extraordinarily large numbers.
"Profit and loss. The first column is how much in sales we've brought in. The second is what we spent, not counting the initial investment and stocking costs. The third column… That is your profit."
My eyes widened and I whistled in surprise. It was almost ridiculous. I'd almost made enough in the first few weeks to pay off the renovations to the building. In a month or two, the initial stock would be paid for. His calculations included rent and all the other operating expenses. By the end of spring, we might actually be pulling a profit. It was astounding and…unnatural. The store was always busy, but just looking at the numbers almost each and every person that came into the store walked out with a hefty purchase. "Woah."
Seventh Seal: A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 7) Page 11
