A Wicked Night

by Kiersten Fay

  “Let me out of here,” the spirit beseeched of Sara. “I will find your granny’s murderer and make him suffer a thousand hell-fire deaths for you.”

  “Quiet down, witch,” Mace growled, looking to have recovered from his confliction. He speared Sadira with a caustic sneer.

  Sara wasn’t sure what to think. “Maybe I should be heeding the advice of the only other witch in the room rather than a vampire.”

  Mace turned on her, nearly hostile, panicked, but more desperate than anything. He once again gripped her by the shoulders. “She will never help you. She is a liar, selfish, cruel, a murderer herself. If you help her in any way, she’ll make you regret the day you ever met her.”

  Sara squirmed in his hold. Mace seemed to realize how tightly he was gripping her and eased up.

  “Why should I believe you?” she demanded.

  “Yes, Mason darling? Why?” Sadira smiled, but there was no kindness in it.

  “Because I regret the day I ever met her.”

  ——

  Knox stomped around the witch’s place, shoving items into a black duffel bag. He couldn’t believe he was actually conspiring with one witch to save another. But between Cora and Sadira? Well, what was that they said about the lesser of two evils?

  As he stood now, he’d rather be under Cora’s thumb, than Sadira’s plaything.

  Besides, if it came to it, Cora would be a lot easier to kill. He’d not be controlled. Not by anyone. Not even a doe-eyed blond that feigned innocence with such ease as to nearly have him believing her.

  Cora wasn’t innocent. Couldn’t be. Because for a moment there, before Sadira had reappeared, when Cora’s eyes had turned pleading, and she’d begged him with that soft, feminine voice of her, he had almost wanted to give in.

  Almost.

  Too bad she’d been begging for the life of that sod Mace, when only minutes before she’d been rewarding him with the sweet fragrance of her arousal.

  The girl was good. He had to give her that. Playing them both like well-tuned instruments.

  The sound of footsteps drummed in his ear just before the front door swung opened. Damn, he’d forgotten to lock it.

  “Oh.” A young man stopped short. He checked his watch. “I was looking for the owner, Saraphine.”

  “Girl’s gone home for the night,” Knox grunted and resumed his task in a silent dismissal.

  The stupid git took a few steps forward. “Home? You don’t happen to know where she lives, do you?”

  Annoyed, Knox shouldered the duffel. “I might be a son of a bitch, but I’m not in the habit of giving out young girl’s home addresses to complete strangers.”

  When he turned fully around to face the idiot, he was surprised to find the man standing no less than two feet from him. The fuck? No one got the drop on him like that.

  The man’s gaze was cold, threatening.

  Knox stepped closer, aggression filling his veins. “Is there something I can do for you, pet, or are you just looking for a kiss goodnight?”

  The man didn’t back down. “Just want to make sure my friend is well.”

  “She’ll have to tell you that for herself at a later date.” A warning darkened his words. “Now get out. We’re closed.”

  Several heartbeats passed. Knox wondered if the dolt was about to attack. But finally, after eyeing each other with contempt, the man strolled out the door.

  “Smartest thing you ever did, mate,” Knox muttered under his breath and then finished gathering the necessary items for Saraphine’s spell.

  As he left the shop, he thought to himself, one day I’d like to come back here and raze this place to the ground.

  Chapter 5

  Sadira laughed, a low throaty sound. “You expect this child to contend with moi.”

  From where she sat on the floor, organizing the supplies Knox had fetched, Saraphine shot her a disgruntled glare.

  Cora hoped Sadira was just bolstering, as she had been even before Knox’s return. She had seen how powerful Saraphine could be. For all she knew, the young girl had fully mastered the craft—or she could be only slightly more adept than Cora was. There was no telling at this point.

  On the other hand, Sadira seemed to be doubling in power the longer she latched on to Cora’s body. The strong electrical currents that skimmed along Cora’s skin now clung to the walls of her every cell. It was like a second set of bindings, draining her. She was growing weary just trying to stay conscious while Sadira gained in strength. How long would it take for her to fade completely?

  With white chalk, Saraphine drew out a set of twelve symbols that meant nothing to Cora, encircling Sadira’s small cage.

  Though Sadira mocked Saraphine, Cora could tell she was getting nervous—because Cora was too. Their emotions seemed to be syncing up. That couldn’t be a good sign. More than once since Knox’s return, Sadira’s gaze had been drawn to him. Cora felt the sense of unmitigated desire to own him body and soul. To see him kneel at her feet and hear him call her master. And when Sadira glanced at Mace, Cora was filled with superior triumph to have bested him once. She could easily do it again.

  “Almost ready,” Saraphine mumbled to herself as she sprinkled a bright orange powder into the cauldron she had set atop a portable gas stove. She’d been systematically adding items to the brew for the past two hours, chanting every now and again as she dropped something into the boiling water.

  Knox stood in the far corner, clearly uncomfortable to be in the same room while all this was going on. Mace waited patiently, leaning against the wall. He eyed Sadira every now and again, probably hoping to see a hint of Cora in her cruel gaze.

  He went disappointed, not that Cora wasn’t trying to get through. Sadira was unyielding.

  “Is this going to take all night?” Knox complained.

  Saraphine merely glared at him.

  “Knoxy, baby,” Sadira coaxed. “Let me out of here. If you do, I promise I’ll be good to you. Like old times, remember?”

  “There were no old times,” Knox hissed. He approached, looking as if he’d like nothing more than to shove her through a wall.

  “Don’t say that, my love.” She stuck out her bottom lip.

  He threw his hands up and returned to his original position.

  “I’m nearly ready,” Saraphine announced. “Are you both aware of your roles?”

  Mace answered, “Knox is to break the binding circle, and I’m to hold her still while you do…whatever it is you’re going to do. Exactly what are you doing?”

  Saraphine slapped her hands together and rubbed with eager anticipation. “Magic.”

  “Shouldn’t I be the one to hold her?” Knox said. “Lover boy here might be too worried about mussing up Cora’s hair.”

  “Oh, do let Knoxy hold me,” Sadira purred.

  “I will do it,” Mace replied in a tone meant to end the discussion.

  “That would be better,” Saraphine agreed, “because you are emotionally connected to her, and she you.”

  Knox rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

  “Don’t underestimate that,” she said. “That kind of connection can prove to be the most powerful magic of all.”

  “Don’t be a sap,” Sadira giggled. “Powerful magic is the most powerful magic of all. Who taught you this drivel, child?”

  Saraphine glanced up. “A better woman than you.”

  “Don’t count on it.”

  To Mace and Knox, Saraphine asked, “Ready?”

  “Let’s get this over with.” Knox stepped forward and, with his foot, swept away a section of the white circle that held Sadira at bay.

  Cora hadn’t realized how ready Sadira was to spring.

  She had once met a boy obsessed with snakes. He was always hunting them, caging them. If you met him on the street, you could bet he had at least one or two little ones in his pocket. They were all he could practically talk about, especially the death adder: the fastest striking venomous snake known to man. From a strike positio
n, a death adder can envenom their prey in a fraction of a second.

  Sadira was a death adder.

  Before Mace could grab hold of her, she shot an energy-filled bolt at Saraphine—her greatest threat.

  Saraphine’s eyes widened with the fear of knowing she couldn’t possibly dodge. Instead, she crossed her forearms and braced herself, taking the blast full force.

  Her body slid backwards several feet, the power nearly driving her into the boiling cauldron behind her. Mace lunged, grappling Sadira to the ground in a policeman’s hold.

  Saraphine stumbled forward and let out a harsh breath, then trained a sharp look on Knox as if he were to blame. “Which witch are you trying to get rid of, huh?”

  He shrugged. “I just did what I was told.” With that, he crossed to the cell door and unlocked it. Before exiting, he called back, “Three for one doesn’t sound like a bad deal.”

  The door closed tight behind him.

  “Is he locking us in here?” Saraphine asked, incredulous.

  “He’d better not be,” Mace muttered, mostly to himself. A little louder, he said, “It’s all this magic. Make’s him uneasy.”

  Sadira struggled under him, growling out a frustrated screech. “Release me, you brute!”

  “Hurry, Sara!” Mace ordered.

  Saraphine nodded. Starting an incantation under her breath, she tossed a sprig of something into the boiling cauldron and a misty substance bubbled over the edges.

  Cora delved into an all-out panic as the resulting fog rolled along the floor toward her. Not me panicking. Sadira.

  She frantically tried to peel her own thoughts away from Sadira’s, to keep herself from buckling under the fear of defeat, the desperation to fight, but while Sadira watched with horror as the thick, milky cloud inched closer, building in density, it was impossible. They were as one.

  The mist crawled, almost as if alive, as if solid claws dug into the hard floor to pull it forward.

  “Stop it! Stop it! Let me up!” Speaking together, they sounded truly scared now. A volt of electricity began permeating over their skin. And with every panicked heartbeat, the voltage turned up a notch.

  Mace let out a gurgled sound, but tightened his grip on them.

  “Saraphine,” he warned. “I wasn’t joking when I said to hurry.”

  “When I say now, let her go,” Saraphine instructed confidently.

  “What? Are you nuts? She’ll fry us both!”

  “Just wait for my mark.” Saraphine turned back to the caldron and belted out a couple of powerful phrases.

  All sound in the room leached away. Smoke filled the room, saturating every corner. A moment later, the liquid in the cauldron exploded skyward in a churning melee that resembled lava.

  Saraphine fell back from the shock wave. “Now!” She screamed, scrambling toward an edge of the room.

  Reluctantly, Mace released them.

  They turned on him with a monstrous sneer and shot a bolt of power into his chest. They managed to get out a succession of dark words along with it.

  Mace was launched through the air, slamming into the wall before he dropped lifeless to the ground.

  Her mind rebelling against what she’d just done, Cora let out a shriek. Then so did Sadira as Cora desperately tore her consciousness away. It was like fighting against thick mucilage, sticky tendrils clinging between them, snapping Cora back into place.

  Then the mist was upon them, digging into their pores like tiny drills. It invaded their nostrils and shoved down their throat, burning a path through their esophagus.

  Lava found vein, traveling at an agonizingly slow speed, crippling them in the process.

  Their mingled screams cut off as fire ate away flesh, inside and out. Their body seized and convulsed, unimaginable pain now the center of their universe.

  The tendons at Cora’s neck strained so badly, she thought they might rip free of skin. Something in the back of her head did just that—at least that’s how it felt.

  She screamed again.

  The sensation of blades scored the inner workings of her brain, sparking an agony so painful she swore bits of brain matter had to have been wrenched away.

  She writhed on the floor, her fingers gnarled into frozen claws. Her jaw clenched so tightly, teeth threatened to fuse.

  Then, like water dispersing over the edge of a table, the pain began to lessen till it drained away completely.

  Cora’s body went limp. She heaved for breath, feeling as though she’d been without air for several minutes. Her mind spun wildly, screwing with her vision, but she was pretty sure she stared up at the ceiling.

  A shroud of dark hair curtained a bit of the light as Saraphine crawled into her line of sight.

  Cora tried to speak her name, but only a stuttered S sound came out.

  Saraphine smiled. “Hi, Cora. Nice to have you back. Do you know your jackass pack of vamps knocked me out and kidnapped me?”

  Cora blinked.

  “Yeah,” Saraphine continued, almost blithely. “They couldn’t just ask me for help? I might have, you know. Knox threatened me, too. I don’t think he cared if all of us died in here by the way. You lied to me about him being locked up. You’re lucky I—”

  “Too loud,” Cora managed, raising a shaking hand to Saraphine’s mouth.

  Saraphine sat back on her heels. “Talking already. Good for you.”

  “Mace?” Her voice was sandy and harsh.

  Saraphine looked to her right. “He’s, uh. I think he’s been knocked out.” She stood and disappeared from Cora’s vision. Yet her voice still abraded Cora’s eardrums from across the room. “He’s breathing, though, don’t worry. I expect some serious compensation for this.” Saraphine reappeared, looking adamant. “You’re going to have to decide which side you’re on. Are you going to be loyal to your own kind, or are you with the vampires?”

  Cora shook her head, the movement intentionally minuscule to avoid a tsunami of dizziness. “Not on a side.”

  “But he murdered my gran…” Saraphine closed her eyes as if pained. Then she sighed. “You’re weak. I’ll let you recover before pressing you.”

  Mace groaned. The ruffle of clothing indicated he either rolled over or stood up. Cora couldn’t tell which until another groan, low to the ground, indicated he was still down.

  “Mace?” Cora called, her voice coming stronger now.

  “Cora? That you?” More scuffling sounded, and then Mace appeared beside her.

  Oh goddess, he looks terrible.

  His hair was scruffed and slicked with blood that also trickled down his forehead.

  She mentally scoured her mind for any trace of Sadira. “I think it’s only me in here.”

  He cupped her face and gently kissed her lips. “How do you feel? Are you able to move?”

  She tried to lift her arms, finding them about fifty pounds heavier than normal. “Not easily.”

  Mace scooped her into his arms. “Saraphine, were you able to send Sadira back to her dimensional prison?”

  “Hm? Oh, yeah. Yup. Mm-hm.” She twined her arms behind her back. “Mission accomplished.”

  Mace stilled, eyeing her suspiciously. “Thank you. You have no idea the kind of damage a monster like that could do if left to roam free, even as a spirit. I’m truly grateful.” There was more of a warning in his tone than gratitude.

  Saraphine’s eyes darted. “Are you grateful enough to hand Knox over to my coven?”

  “Are you sure Sadira is no longer a threat?”

  Her lips pursed.

  “I didn’t think so,” Mace replied, then started for the door.

  “Hey, what about my justice?”

  “You should have finished the job.”

  “You can’t expect me to condemn one of my own kind when I’m not sure she did anything wrong in the first place!”

  Mace rounded on her. “Ditto.”

  Saraphine’s mouth dropped, flabbergasted.

  Adjusting Cora in his hold, Mace test
ed the door handle. She felt the tension in him ease when he found it unlocked.

  Outside, Knox leaned against the opposite wall, one leg bent with his foot perched casually under his buttock. He crossed his arms, not bothering to conceal the Glock dangling in his right hand.

  He ran a dubious gaze over Cora. “All’s well in witchland?”

  Mace replied, “I believe Cora is no longer possessed, but Sadira is most likely still free.”

  Knox cursed and pushed away from the wall to pace. “I thought the kid was better than that.”

  “Kid?” Saraphine scoffed, appearing next to Mace. “Who are you calling a kid?”

  “You, of course. You said you could do it.”

  “I did do it. Cora’s back to normal, isn’t she?”

  “How the hell should I know? Where’s the wraith?”

  Saraphine crossed her arms and inclined her chin. “How the hell should I know?”

  Knox’s arm shot straight out, the barrel of the gun targeting the space between her eyes.

  Saraphine dropped her arms, her body going stiff.

  “Enough posturing,” Mace scolded while at the same time angling Cora away from the barrel as if fearing Knox would turn it on her next.

  Knox ignored him, staring hard at Saraphine.

  Cora snapped. “Stop this, Knox. You’re not the only one who’s pissed. I just got mind-fucked by some strange witch-wraith thing and then exorcised by way of the magical version of a vivisection. I feel like shit, and you’re being a prick. You can’t blame Saraphine for being loyal to her own kind when both you and Mace are doing the same.”

  For the life of her, Cora couldn’t understand why Mace put up with Knox. But then, they were of the same clan, of the same sire, and possibly, she suspected, related by blood, if their similar appearances had anything to say about it. Though, neither had admitted to such a connection. Not that she’d asked. A part of her didn’t want to know, because that could mean she might never be rid of Knox.

  “Besides,” she continued, “Saraphine volunteered to assist us when she didn’t have to.”

  “Volunteered?” Saraphine huffed sarcastically.