Charms & Demons

by Kim Richardson

  I’m going to pass out. I’m going to pass out. Please, let me pass out!

  Plop. Plop. Plop. Three more leeches wiggled their way around my wound until their tiny mouths fastened onto my flesh, sucking out the poison like miniature vacuum cleaners. I gagged. It was the most disgusting sensation I’d ever felt.

  Oh, God, I’m going to barf.

  “Breathe, Sam,” came my grandfather’s voice behind me. “It’ll be all over soon.”

  I clenched my jaw until it hurt, not trusting my voice, especially all the foul things I wanted to call my grandfather.

  I’m going to throw up. Then, I’m going to punch my grandfather in the face.

  “I’ve gotta see this,” said Poe as he leaped in the air, his wings fluttering, and landed on the kitchen island somewhere behind me.

  I scowled. “Glad you’re enjoying the freakshow, Poe.”

  “That’s disgusting,” said the raven, after a moment’s hesitation.

  “Poe. I’m going to make a stew out of you,” I threatened through gritted teeth.

  The bird was quiet after that.

  I swallowed hard, flinching at the rhythmic suctions. The little bastards were drawing in my blood in harmony, like vampire worms. With my hands fisted, my breathing slowed and steadied as I fought to bring the terror under control.

  “So, Logan bailed you out of jail, eh?” said my gramps. I knew he was only trying to distract me so I wouldn’t jump off the counter, screaming like a banshee.

  “More like busted me out,” I answered, my voice tight with tension, sounding shaky. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and it felt like every inch of my skin was covered in goose bumps.

  “Why were you there in the first place?” inquired my grandfather, his voice tinged with worry.

  I took a breath and recounted the events leading up to my arrest, including what happened with the dark witch court.

  “Well, you’re not going to like what I have to say,” declared my grandfather, his tone grim, like he was about to give me bad news.

  My breath hissed out. “I’ll probably like it more than the leeches.”

  “There’s been another death,” he said. “Another witch died this evening while you were... indisposed. And from what you’ve just told me, it appears to be from the same vampire. Vera’s description was quite vivid, to say the least. The body was... well... dried up, if you will.”

  Vera Wardwell was a witch and my closest neighbor. She was nosier than a bloodhound on a trail. If there was information to be had about the murders, Vera was all over it.

  The sickness that rose in my throat had nothing to do with the leeches this time. “At this rate, there’ll be no more witches in Mystic Quarter at the end of the month if we don’t stop him.”

  Poe cursed. “Then we better find him.”

  “I just wish I didn’t have these higher demons on my ass. I could do my job and not have to look over my shoulder the entire time.” A leech gave a tug on my skin, and I winced.

  “Blasted higher demons,” said the old witch, his voice rumbling behind me. “I don’t like that. I don’t like that one bit. Why do you suppose they came after you?”

  “It has something to do with a demon named Vorkol.” I hated what these bastards had done to me. And now I had to suffer leeches because of them.

  “Vorkol,” repeated my grandfather, his tone pensive and his feet shifting on the floor next to me. “Never heard of him.”

  I shook my head. “Me neither. But if he’s out to get me, I want to know why.” I wasn’t going to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. I was going to find out who this Vorkol was. And I knew just how to do it.

  “There,” came my grandfather’s voice. “All done.”

  My heart leaped as I turned my head and looked at my grandfather. “Really? The leeches are gone? And the poison? It’s over?”

  The old witch gave me a shrug and spoke to the floor. “Unfortunately, I’d be lying if I said all the poison was gone from your system. The blade’s poison can never truly be removed,” he said and quickly added at the frown on my face, “but enough of the poison was removed that you’ll never even notice it’s there.”

  I clamped my mouth shut. I wasn’t sure how I felt about still having that demonic poison in me. But he was right. I felt good, better than good, and had no more pain. I could live with that.

  My grandfather gave me a nervous smile. “How do you feel?” His voice had held a faint ribbon of worry at the revelation of some of the poison remaining.

  I pulled my shirt down, swung my legs off the counter, grabbed the still-warm grilled cheese from the stove and took a bite. “Ravenous,” I said between chews. I let out a moan. “God, that’s good.” I was surprised I was actually still hungry after the ordeal with the leeches. I looked at the jar in my grandfather’s hand, seeing the dark leeches wiggling at the bottom.

  I took another bite. “You got all of them out. Right?”

  My grandfather made a face as though I’d just insulted his new batch of gin and held the jar for me to see. “Of course I did. Who do you think I am?”

  “Good.” I pushed the last piece of the grilled cheese in my mouth, making Poe laugh, and darted for the stairs.

  “Samantha Beaumont! Wait just a minute. You haven’t told me how you feel?” called my grandfather.

  “Like spelling some demon’s ass,” I called back and climbed the stairs two at a time.

  Like hell I’d let myself get jumped by higher demons again. No. This time I was going to be prepared. This time I was going to fight back.

  A smile reached my face.

  Showtime.

  12

  I knelt on the floor, my heart slamming against my ribcage as I finished drawing the Goetia triangle with my chalk. I drew the unique sigil of the demon I wished to summon and wrote its true Latin name in the center. Taking a calming breath, I stood up and stepped in the Circle of Solomon.

  Poe, perched on the chair next to my cauldron, tutted at the name I wrote. “He’s going to think you enjoy his company,” lamented the raven.

  I let out a sigh and pocketed my chalk. “You’ve got a better idea?” I countered.

  “Yeah,” said the raven. “Logan. I think we should call him.”

  I frowned at the bird. “What is your obsession with the angel-born? He shouldn’t even be involved in this. But unfortunately, he is.”

  “He did save your ass from jail. Give him some credit.”

  Ouch. “One time,” I said. “But he can’t help me now. Besides, the higher demons were after me, not him.”

  “I’m with Poe. This is perplexingly stupid, Sam,” said my grandfather, his voice scornful and winning an approving caw from Poe. With his arms crossed over his bathrobe, he leaned against his work table. “The more you summon the same demon, the less power remains in the circle that keeps him in submission until it won’t hold him anymore. You won’t even notice his knife at your throat until it’s too late.”

  “He won’t do that to me.” God, I hoped I was right.

  My grandfather let out a frustrated breath. “You’ve only just recovered from your ordeal with the higher demons. Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”

  I shook my head. “It can’t. If it hadn’t been for the rising sun, you wouldn’t have a granddaughter anymore. They’ll be back. They’re going to try again, to finish what they started. Only this time I’ll be ready for them.” I needed ammunition. I needed to know why Vorkol was after me, and how to kill these higher demons. And I was going to find out how.

  “Besides, I have a job to do.” Like finding the ancient vampire who was killing off witches in New York City and killing him. “I can’t exactly pay the bills if I’m dead. Now can I? I’m running out of time.”

  The whole fiasco with the dark witch court’s revelation of why they hired me in the first place had my stomach twisting. It hurt, damnit. And whatever plans I had would have to wait. Sunrise was just three hours away, too short a
period of time to do much of anything if this should fail.

  My life had quickly gone from bad to worse in a matter of weeks. Not only had I nearly been killed in the hands of the Greater demon Vargal, as he’d tried to raise a pagan God Nergal by sacrificing a few psychics, the dark witch court had been lying to me all these years. I felt like a fool.

  My dream of a simple witch life, a few paranormal cases thrown in, with the steady dark witch court paychecks had vanished.

  Everything was different now. There was no going back.

  I took their silence as my cue to begin the summoning. I pulled the energy from the circle and triangle, channeling the magic.

  “I conjure you, Farissael, demon of the Netherworld to be subject to the will of my soul,” I chanted, focusing on my will, the circle and triangle. Yes, I was taking a risk summoning him again—and for what I was about to ask him—but I had no other choice. “I bind you with unbreakable adamantine fetters, and I deliver you into the black chaos in perdition. I invoke you, Farissael, in the space in front of me!”

  There was a pop of displaced air as the lights flickered and went out. A wind rose, lifting my hair around my face and shoulders.

  When the lights flickered back on, a man stood in the triangle before me. Tall and fit, he had a pleasant face and striking dark eyes framed with thick lashes over an olive complexion.

  And he wore nothing but a pair of tight red briefs.

  Holy hell.

  Faris the mid-demon smiled, like the devil himself had just been awarded the prize of the century. His dark eyes met mine and he said, “What’s the story, morning glory?”

  I rolled my eyes. Here we go. “Faris,” I said, in way of greeting. “Where are your clothes?”

  Faris’s smile widened. “My dear, sweet, edible, Sammy. You do realize I have a life outside of this—” he looked down at the floor, “—confinement. If you must know, I was in the process of pleasuring the Barbie twins with my—”

  “Stop!” I shouted, doing my best not to picture it in my mind. “Don’t want to hear about it.”

  “Why ever not, dearest?” Faris moved his hips in a sexual manner, making me flush. “Jealous? Don’t worry, Sammy baby. There’s enough of me to go around.” He made a show of his chiseled, tanned, and hairless chest, and finished with a wink.

  Cauldron help me. It didn’t help that I had seen what those tiny undies were trying to cover and doing a piss poor job of it, I might add. It was hard to keep from staring.

  As a mid-demon, Faris ranked higher than a lesser demon but not quite up the demon ladder to be comparable to a Greater demon.

  “You better watch yourself, demon,” said my grandfather, his tone suggesting the demon’s behavior was grossly inappropriate, if not outright impolite. He pushed off his work table and came forward, his fingers moving in a spell. He would have looked threatening if he wasn’t wearing a bathrobe. Now, he just looked mad. “That’s my granddaughter you’re speaking to,” he growled.

  “What? You’re going to smother me with that hospital gown?” chided the demon with mock surprise.

  “Bathrobe,” corrected my grandfather.

  Faris twisted his face in a sour expression. “Yes, well... for all our sakes. Please keep it on.”

  “Grandpa, it’s fine,” I told him. I was used to Faris’s antics. Poe, well, he was quiet. Too quiet as he watched the scene unfold, eyes on the mid-demon. “Let’s focus on the real issue here, okay?”

  “Yes, let’s.” Faris dragged his gaze from my grandfather. “Sammy baby,” declared the mid-demon. He lowered his eyes and said, “you look like shit.”

  “Thanks.”

  “What happened to you?”

  I took a breath and looked at the demon. “Faris, you have something I need.” Damn. I knew that was the wrong thing to say by the way Faris was looking at me.

  His lips curled into a sly smile, and I swear I saw a star twinkling on his teeth. “Why, you wicked, wicked witch. It’s about damn time.”

  “Information,” I blurted, though the damage was done. Shit—I glanced at his crotch again. “Something happened to me last night.”

  “That’s putting it lightly,” grumbled Poe, and Faris’s attention snapped to him.

  The mid-demon’s gaze flicked back to mine. “Sam, darling. If you’re going to tell me you had sex with someone else and didn’t invite me,” he said, hands on his hips, “I’m going to be a little disappointed. I’ve acquired some new toys, and I think you’ll appreciate the soft—”

  “I was attacked by higher demons,” I exclaimed, impatience making my voice rise. Lack of sleep with a handful of leeches sucking on my flesh would do that.

  Faris’s smile faded a little. “What are you talking about?” He barely reacted, pausing to glance at my grandfather before looking back at me.

  “I’m talking about those black-eyed, clone bastards,” I told him. “That’s who.”

  Faris raised a brow. “I know the type. How many?”

  “Three.”

  He watched me with rapt attention for a beat longer. “You’re alive. Why is it that you’re alive if—like you say—three higher demons attacked you?”

  My heart pounded at the memory of how close I was to dying. “The sun. The morning sun appeared and they took off.”

  Faris made a soft whistle. “Yes, that should do it,” answered the mid-demon, the faintest bother in his expression as he took in my disheveled appearance again. He sighed and said, “This is all very exciting, and I’m glad you’re not dead, but what’s it got to do with me? I have the Barbie twins waiting for me back at my apartment,” he added smugly. “They get pretty nasty if they don’t get their weekly... release.”

  “I get it,” I said. I never had imagined him having an apartment in the Netherworld. I’d never really imagined the Netherworld having any kind of structures. I’d always pictured it like any version of hell—endless fire pits, burnt rubble, millions of demons torturing human souls, all the clichés. Perhaps I’d been wrong.

  Damn. His crotch was in my line of vision again. Damn. Damn. Damn. I pretended to be interested in his feet. Turns out they were meticulously manicured.

  “Barbie twins,” said Faris again and gave me an exasperated look. “Unless you have something other in mind,” he said and his smile widened, “I really must go.”

  “The higher demons were sent to kill me by a demon named Vorkol,” I said and saw the recognition of the name flash in Faris’s eyes. “You know who he is. Don’t you?” My pulse raced and I shifted, nearly stepping out of my circle. “Who is he? Tell me, damnit.”

  Faris slid his hands over his perfectly styled, short black hair. “You know how this works, Sammy darling. You can ask, but I don’t give information out for free.”

  Crap. This again. I let out a long breath. “I know.”

  “What’s in it for me?”

  “So you do know him?” I asked. When he didn’t answer I pressed. “I need to make sure.”

  The demon gave a nod of his head. “Yes. The name rings a Netherworld bell.”

  I met my grandfather’s shocked look—part worry, part anger, part disbelief.

  “He could be lying,” accused my grandfather. “You can’t trust him.”

  Yup. All true. But I had no one else to turn to.

  “Relax, you old bag of witch bones,” said Faris. His eyes found mine. “It’s simple.” He smiled like a man who knew he had me. “I know who Vorkol is. But the question is... what will you give me in return?”

  Cauldron be damned. I knew he was going to ask this again. “I’m not sleeping with you.”

  “Can’t blame a demon for trying,” purred the demon. He sighed dramatically. With his hands on his hips he added. “I want another night off of this triangular confinement. If there are higher demons after you, you’re going to need my help.”

  I watched Faris, seeing the underlying plans behind his eyes. “What about the Barbie twins?”

  Faris flashed me a smile
. “They can wait.”

  My jaw clenched, seeing I could never truly trust him. “Why do you want to help me?” I asked, knowing full well he wasn’t doing anything for me, but for him. There was something in it for him. Always was.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” said the mid-demon, a smug smile on his face. “I happen to like my nights out of my confinement. If you die, who’s going to give me my free passes to the mortal world? I like it here,” he added, looking around. “And the mortal women happen to enjoy my company. I’d rather not lose that.”

  I knew he was lying. That couldn’t be the only reason, but I also knew there was a bit of truth in it. Plus, I needed all the help I could get. If Faris was willing to help, I’d take it.

  “Done.” I knew I shouldn’t be trusting this demon, but so far, Faris hadn’t let me down. However, my chest tightened in sudden doubt. Faris was a demon, after all, and he could easily kill me.

  Oh, god. What was I thinking?

  My grandfather let out a cry of outrage, but he quickly squelched it at my scowl.

  My heart pounded in anticipation. “So? Who is he?”

  Faris smiled at me with seductive delight. “Vorkol, my dearest Samantha... is not a he, but a she. And she’s the Greater demon Vargal’s wife.”

  13

  How do you catch an ancient vampire skilled with magic? With bait. Want to guess who the bait is? Yours truly.

  Okay. So this was at the top of my stupidest plans list, but I didn’t have much else to go on. I was desperate, and guilt gnawed at my gut.

  Witches were being murdered because of me.

  As I connected the dots, it was all making sense now—the recent murders of female witches, the higher demons trying to kill me. The two were connected. I was sure of it. I just didn’t know how exactly.

  This all had to do with Vorkol. Somehow, she’d hired a vampire to kill me too.

  I’d killed the Greater demon Vargal, and now his demon wife was out to get me. Fantastic. I could add that to my list of accomplishments. I’d pissed off a creature of the Netherworld while trying to save human lives. What else was new?