Witching Hour: Blood Magic Book 3

by L.H. Cosway

  The night my dad was sacrificed.

  A chill crawled down my spine like spiders’ legs.

  Inside the cave, I placed my phone down on the ground, propping it up against a rock to light the space. Edwards pulled off the small satchel bag he’d been carrying and put it carefully on the bed of the cave. Then he zipped open his suitcase and, quite outrageously, began undressing right there in front of us.

  I shot Ethan a questioning glance, but he appeared just as confused as I was.

  “Why are you taking off your clothes?” I queried, seeing as Ethan had no intention of asking him.

  “Clothing is unnecessary for where I’m going. The key is for me to fit in and go unnoticed. If I were to show up in human attire, I’d be spotted immediately.”

  I kept my eyes trained on the upper half of his body, not feeling the need to see the private parts of a seventy-year-old professor, half-demon or not.

  Next, he pulled out a bottle of Lucozade, of all things, unscrewed the cap, and downed it in one go.

  “The sugars help to speed up my change,” Edwards explained.

  “Your change?”

  “Into my demon form.”

  “Oh,” I breathed, glancing at Ethan who seemed just as fascinated as I was by Edwards’s behaviour. I turned back to the half-demon and saw that his face had started to transform, elongating and reshaping itself before my very eyes. I gasped as I stared at him, transfixed.

  Extra skin covered his grey hair and the back of his skull jutted out into a horn. His chin lengthened to a sharp point, his brown eyes turned orange, and his hands curled into claws. His skin was no longer the pale, pinkish hue of a human, but a speckled royal blue, contrasting starkly with his orange eyes. Instinctively, I stepped back, clutching onto Ethan’s arm. Better the devil you know and all that.

  When his transformation was complete, Edwards let out a deep sigh. “Ah, it feels good to be in new skin. This body is younger than my human one. The only problem is that it ages the longer I stay in it. That’s why I keep from changing as much as I can. I only take my demon form in situations of great need, such as this one.”

  My eyes were still wide as I took him in. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’re about to do. Really, I’m forever in your debt.”

  Ethan coughed loudly. “You may need to take back that statement, Tegan.”

  I glanced at him in confusion. “Why?”

  Edwards answered before Ethan had the chance. “Being indebted to a demon is a nasty business. It’s a good thing I’m half-human and have a sense of right and wrong. Don’t worry, my dear, I won’t hold you to what you said. Just be careful of what comes out of your mouth should you encounter any of my kind in the future.”

  “Alright,” I mumbled, feeling foolish. I thought humans could be sticklers for rules, but they had nothing on supernatural creatures.

  Edwards came to stand before me. He took my hand into his strange, clawed one. His blue skin felt weird and scaly. “I’m the one who should be indebted to you,” he said. “I have longed for a mission like this one for quite some time. Rescuing your father will be my final triumph.”

  I blinked back a tear, unable to do anything but nod at him. Even if Edwards did manage to save Dad, who would he be when he returned? Marcel said he’d be changed, but how much? And in what way? Pushing these questions from my mind, I made an effort to focus on the present. Taking a deep breath, I let go of Edwards’s hand.

  “Okay, what now?”

  “Now,” he replied, “I prepare to open the door.”

  He picked up his satchel, swung it over his shoulder, then retrieved the digital clock I’d spotted earlier. He began pressing numerous buttons, as though setting several different alarms.

  “Time doesn’t work the same in hell as it does here. In layman’s terms, it’s not linear. I need to keep close track of it while I’m there. I’ve set alarms to let me know how much time has passed in this dimension so that I can accurately estimate how much time I’ve spent over there. I endeavour to return to this very spot by daybreak, but depending on how difficult it is for me to find your father, it could take longer. There’s also a chance I could return within minutes, there’s just no way to tell.

  “I’d appreciate both of you waiting here for the night until I return. If I don’t come back by morning, then you can take it as a given that there have been complications. But mark my words, come hell or high water, I will be back,” he paused and rummaged in his bag, pulling out a small copper coin. “Take this.”

  I silently took the coin, peering down at it before slipping it inside my coat pocket.

  “That’s my token. It will allow me to open a door to wherever it is should I not make it back to this location, so keep it with you at all times. If I’m not back with your father by morning you may leave, and I will find you by locating my token. Please try to keep it safe. It’s highly precious to me.”

  “I’ll guard it with my life,” I promised him.

  “Thank you,” Edwards said before turning to Ethan. “Mr Cristescu, it was an absolute pleasure.”

  “Likewise. Good luck on your journey,” Ethan replied.

  The two exchanged a handshake. Edwards inclined his head and then, as though by instinct, stepped into the spot where Marcel and his group had opened the black hole. With one clawed finger pointing out, he lifted his hand into the air and drew a circle. The atmosphere seemed to crackle and spark and a gold-coloured opening appeared. Edwards turned to look at us one last time, giving a farewell salute, before stepping into the opening. A moment later, it disappeared.

  “Wow … that was weird,” I said, turning to Ethan.

  “Demons are weird creatures,” he said, leaning back against the cave wall, watching me.

  “He looked so scary with that blue skin, but he was just himself inside a new body really,” I went on thinking out loud. When I looked back at Ethan, he was still watching me. What was up with him? I rubbed my arms against the cold. Even in my thick coat, I was still freezing.

  “You don’t need to stay here with me,” I said. “I can wait it out on my own if you have somewhere you need to be.”

  “I’m staying,” Ethan stated. “And try to calm down, will you? I can practically taste the anxiety in your scent. If Edwards returns with your father, then he returns, and if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. Stop fretting over it.”

  He thought I was worried about Dad, which I was, but I was also anxious about the prospect of spending the entire night alone with him in this cave. “If I want to fret, I’ll fret,” I shot back. “Oh, and stop smelling me, you pervert.”

  At this, Ethan showed a hint of fang. Feeling confident, I did something I never did and called on my magic, raising my hand and flicking a few sparks his way. They didn’t go far enough to hit him though. Ethan stared at them in wary fascination. I turned away because we were in danger of getting into an argument and I just wanted this night to go by as quickly as possible. Picking the flattest rock, I lowered myself and sat down.

  “I’m sorry about Dru,” I said after a while, trying to lessen the tension between us. “I had no idea she’d just up and leave like that.”

  “Why wouldn’t she?” Ethan asked. “She’d barely worked for me a year. That’s not long enough to build a proper sense of loyalty. Lucas stays because he has worked with me for decades.”

  “I just thought vampires were mad into the whole “loyalty” thing. Staying true to the elders and all that jazz.”

  Ethan tilted his head. “We aren’t all the same. We have different principles and ideas, the same as humans. Some of us are all about loyalty, yes, but some vampires only look out for themselves.”

  “Well, I’m sorry for stereotyping.”

  “Apology accepted.”

  If only he’d accept my other apology, then maybe things wouldn’t be quite so tense between us.

  Minutes ticked by. Unable to take the quiet any longer, I whispered, “Do you think Edwards will come back?�
��

  Ethan’s gold eyes flicked to mine. “I’ve never been to another dimension; therefore, I have no way of knowing what kind of challenges he might face.”

  Shivering against the cold, I pulled the collar of my coat up around my neck. Seeing this, Ethan left his spot by the cave wall and came to sit down beside me. Without warning, he scooped me up and placed me on his lap.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, breathless.

  “You’re cold. Let me warm you,” he answered simply.

  His closeness was a comfort, and given we could be waiting here all night, I chose to accept it. He wrapped his arms around me and took my hands into his to warm them. We sat like that for a long time, and I couldn’t help snuggling into him. Eventually, he lay back, his arms still around me as he surrounded me with his warmth, and quite inexplicably, I fell asleep.

  10.

  “Wake up,” a voice whispered, but I ignored it. I didn’t want to wake. My dreams were far too pleasant. I dreamt I’d fallen asleep while Ethan held me in his arms, his scent and heat an intoxicating mix.

  “Leave me alone,” I complained as I snuggled closer to the warmth.

  A hand lightly jostled me, and I realised I wasn’t dreaming. I had fallen asleep while Ethan held me, his large body protecting me from the hardness of the cave floor. I sat up, shifting away from him, embarrassed by how easily I slept with him holding me. I rubbed at my eyes, finding my bearings as I peered around, and noted that Edwards still hadn’t returned.

  “He’s not back yet,” I said, a brick sinking in my gut. It was morning, and light filtered into the cave. If Edwards still hadn’t returned, that meant something had gone wrong. Wait a second, it was morning! The sun was up, and Ethan was still out. Panic set in as I stared at him.

  “You can’t be here. It’s daytime. You’ll … you’ll burn,” I said, getting more freaked out by the second. His hand came to rest on my shoulder, the touch reassuring.

  “Relax. I’m not going to burst into flames. And I’m in shadow right now, so the light isn’t hitting me very strongly.”

  “But won’t you get sick? Why didn’t you wake me sooner? We could’ve left, gotten you back to your place before the sun came up.”

  A flicker of emotion entered his gaze before he looked away, his jaw working. “I fell asleep, too.”

  Oh. We’d fallen asleep together? Why did the idea make my heart pound like crazy?

  “And to answer your question, yes, I will get sick, but not too badly. I’ll just feel hungover for a couple of days. You’ll need to get my car and drive it a little closer to the cave. The windows are fitted with a special filter that blocks out the UV rays, so I’ll be able to make it home in one piece.”

  “Okay, good. Give me your keys, and I’ll get the car.”

  He hesitated, brow furrowing as he studied me. “Are you okay? I’m sorry Edwards hasn’t come back yet.”

  There was genuine sympathy in his voice, and my stomach twisted at the reminder. Pulling myself together, I rummaged in my pocket and retrieved the copper coin he gave me.

  “Edwards said if he wasn’t back by morning that we could leave and he’d find me using this,” I said, holding up the coin.

  “Yes, I remember.” He reached out, running a hand over my cheek. I trembled at the affectionate gesture. “He’ll come back.”

  “You think?” I asked hopefully.

  “I’m sure of it.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered, meeting his gaze. Something passed between us, some strange kind of reconciliation. He hadn’t forgiven me, but he didn’t hate me anymore either. I refused to believe he could hate me after letting me sleep in his arms the entire night and risking exposure to the sun.

  Ethan gave me his keys, and I jogged out to get his car. When I pulled up to the cave, Ethan had his jacket over his head as he used his vampire speed to dash into the car. I was still in the driver’s seat, and various intimate body parts brushed as we switched places inside the car. I fell into the passenger seat, and Ethan drove away from the cave, not commenting on the fact that my boobs were practically mushed into his face mere seconds ago.

  Ethan dropped me off outside Finn’s house and then continued over to his place. Unlike Finn’s, Ethan’s house had a garage attached to the side of it. I watched as the door opened automatically and he drove right in, which was handy since he needed to avoid any more sunlight hitting him.

  Just as I slotted my key in the door, Finn pulled up. He and Ira had returned from their night babysitting Rebecca.

  “Where have you been?” Finn asked as he approached.

  I opened the door and motioned them both into the kitchen, where I made breakfast for the three of us as I filled them in on last night’s events.

  “I hope Cristescu behaved himself,” Finn said, frowning.

  I swallowed down a bite of toast, self-consciousness heating my cheeks as I recalled waking up in his arms. He’d risked getting stuck out in daylight for me and would be under the weather for days because of it. My heart squeezed at the thought.

  “Yes, he behaved himself,” I replied before taking another bite of toast. “So, what are your plans for the day?” I asked, changing the subject.

  Finn dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. “Ah, I’ve to do some training with the recruits down at the compound. It’s a bastard of a job, especially since I didn’t get much sleep last night. I won’t be finished until late this evening, so I’ll bring back dinner for everyone.”

  “Sounds good,” I replied, my mind inevitably wandering to Edwards and my dad. Why weren’t they back yet? Had something awful happened?

  As though sensing my thoughts, Finn gave me a kind look. “Hey, I’m sure this demon fella knows what he’s doing. Rescue missions never go down the way you plan them. There are always complications. All we can do is hope that he gets back here in the end.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” I sighed. “I just feel so useless sitting around waiting.”

  “Why don’t you go out and do some shopping today? Women find that shit relaxing, don’t they?”

  I shot him an arch look. “That’s a stereotype, but you might be onto something. I do need some new boots.” I lifted my foot to show him my scuffed and worn Doc Martens.

  “There you go. Bring Rita and Alvie with you and make a day of it,” he rummaged in his pocket, lifting out his wallet. Opening it up, he withdrew some cash and tried handing it to me.

  I gaped at him. “I’m not taking that. I’ve enough money of my own after Pamphrock paid me.”

  “Just take it. I want to do something nice for you,” Finn insisted.

  I glanced down at the cash. “No, put it back in your wallet and stop acting weird, Finn.”

  We stared each other down for a moment or two. Finally, he relented and put the money back in his wallet. I tried not to fixate too much on why he wanted me to have his money. It was the sort of thing boyfriends did for girlfriends, but it wasn’t that way between us. I groaned inwardly, knowing we were going to have to have that awkward conversation sooner rather than later.

  Upstairs, I took a shower and changed my clothes before heading out to the RV to see if Rita wanted to come shopping with me. She agreed, and Noreen and Alvie ended up tagging along as well. I took the opportunity to tell them all about Edwards and his journey to bring back Dad.

  “This Edwards must be a very brave man,” Noreen commented.

  “Yeah. He seemed to relish the potential danger. Maybe it’s a demon trait. He kept saying how he wanted one last adventure.”

  “Did he talk about any of his previous excursions?” Rita asked, browsing through a rack of dresses.

  “To hell, you mean?” She nodded. “No, everything was all so rushed. I didn’t really have much time to talk to him properly. We basically just collected him from the airport and brought him to the cave. Why do you ask?”

  She grinned at me. “Don’t you find it fascinating, the fact that all of these other worlds exist that we don’t ev
en know about? The possibilities of what they might be like are endless.”

  “I think I’ll stick with good old fashioned earth myself,” Alvie said with a chuckle.

  “That’s you and me both,” I agreed.

  “I don’t know. Someday I’d like to try and figure out a spell that could open up a door to another dimension.”

  “You already have. Remember, when you banished Theodore?”

  “Yeah, but that was a banishment spell. I’d like to figure out something less dramatic. A way of just stepping in and out whenever I like.”

  “Oh, my God, you’re jealous of Edwards, aren’t you? The way I told you how he just drew a circle in the air and a hole opened up.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe. It’d be cool to be able to do something like that.”

  “You can do enough cool stuff as it is,” Alvie pointed out.

  “Not as many as Tegan,” she argued.

  “At least you know what you’re doing when you use magic. Half the time I’m clueless, just going around shooting in the dark.”

  It irritated me a little that she couldn’t just be happy with the magic she already had. I walked away from her and went over to check out some T-shirts. I found a white one with the slogan “Keep Calm and Carry Garlic” written on the front. Snickering to myself, I threw it over my arm and decided to buy it. It’d be funny to see how Ethan reacted when I wore it, if nothing else.

  It was after two when we got home from shopping. I went inside and hung out with Ira for a while. I asked him to tell me about his childhood and what it was like growing up as a shapeshifter.

  We talked for a long time, sharing several cups of tea and some Turkish Delight as we chatted and got to know each other better. I enjoyed talking with him so much that it irritated me when we were interrupted by a knock at the front door.