Third Charm: A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 3)

by Jacquelyn Faye

  She took in a very large breath and let it out slowly through her nose. "Agreed."

  "Good. Then we can go buy your house and I'll even help you move. And you're taking your door with you, I don't care how you do it."

  She gave me a small smile, lowering her head briefly. She hadn't blasted me into bite-sized morsels. I might have impressed her with my refusal to back down. Then again, I might not have, and she'd make me pay for it later.

  "Candace, put each stone with its translation into separate baggies, please. That way they won't get mixed up."

  Dot…

  Dar was looking up at me from the floor by my feet. Yes?

  Let me go through the portal before you close it.

  What? Why?

  I've given you my reason. I'm afraid for you, but also, I do not belong in your world. Your vampire can protect you, even in the daylight now. You do not need me.

  That may be true, but I like you. I don't want to lose you.

  You are very kind. You have my thanks, but please… Let me go home.

  If that's what you want.

  I do.

  Okay.

  He nodded and settled his head on my foot. I was pretty confident that shutting the gate between two different worlds would sever the familiar bond.

  My phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and a dreadful feeling washed over me as Chief's name popped up on the screen. I let out a little plea to the goddess as I answered it.

  "Hey, Chief…"

  "Yeah. You better get to the center of town. Now. I hope you got a hold of your grandmother."

  "Be there in ten."

  "Make it five, please. All hell is breaking loose down here. And that wasn't a figure of speech."

  "Got it." I hung up the phone and looked at everyone around me. "Guess it's that time. Smoke 'em if you got 'em, I'm going to go put on some clothes. Jason, call every witch in the coven and have them meet us downtown. We're gonna need all the eldritch fire power we can muster."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Chapter 17

  We passed the diner and headed toward the big circle in front of Cedar Falls Town Hall. The closer we made it to the center of town, the darker the sky turned. Yuki frowned halfway. She'd been enjoying the sunlight. Hopefully we'd get through this quickly so she could enjoy it some more. Take out a couple of demons. Close the rift. That was the plan and it sounded like a damn good one to me.

  As soon as we came around the bend before center square, I knew we were going to need a better one.

  "What the fuck?"

  I slammed on the brakes and we skidded to a stop. Jimmy, who had neglected to put on his seatbelt, tasted my dashboard.

  "You okay?"

  He nodded, rubbing his mouth a little. "Are those all demons?"

  The center of town was literally swarming with imps, fiends, and various other species I hadn't seen yet. Chief and Marcus were firing their weapons, but being selective to conserve ammo, I assumed. They shot only at the ones chasing the few townsfolk trying to escape. Marcus got off a nice shot, blasting an imp's head just as it was about to pounce on a mother running away with her child.

  I got out of the car with everyone else. Dar took off running and jumped at a fiend, transforming into a hellhound midair. Josie and Candace walked toward the fray wielding fire, not caring who saw. I nodded. Most of the town was holed up inside the buildings or had taken off running. The few remaining stragglers probably wouldn't be half as worried about a few people wielding magic more than getting eaten by slobbering demons. People did have some common sense.

  Chief looked over his shoulder, saw me, and started backing toward us. "What's the plan?"

  "Kill the demons, close the rift, grab some beers."

  "Dot. There are probably over a thousand demons running around, and more are pouring from the rift."

  "Where is it?" I couldn't see it, and we needed to get closer. A lot closer. "The park in the center?"

  "Yes."

  "It's in the park?"

  "It is the park. The ground opened up and swallowed everything. It's not a rift, it's a pit."

  "Hellmouth," I whispered to myself.

  I hadn't noticed the pit fiend sneaking up on me. Luckily, Yuki did. In a blur of speed, she was in front of me and caught the things arms as it swung them. Yanking on it, she jumped and bashed her skull into the bottom of its chin, its razor-sharp fangs biting through its own tongue that fell to the ground beside them. It howled in pain and rage until she sliced through its throat with her claws. It was the first time I'd seen her fight, and I started to understand just how lethal vamps could be.

  Chief did a double-take and looked at me for an explanation to her being out in the sunlight, even if it was filtered through billowing black clouds swirling over us.

  "I'll explain later. We need to get to the rift."

  "I'm with you," Jimmy said behind me.

  "Jason, you help the girls and get people to safety. When the rest of the coven shows up, have them help. The townspeople are the priority, killing demons second. Got it?"

  "Yes, Lady." He headed toward Josie and Candace, lightning crackling over his hands, flashing out if any imps got too close.

  "Let's go," Chief said and stopped by the Jeep, pulling out his shotgun from the trunk. "Marcus, watch our rear."

  "You got it."

  I nervously palmed the bags of rocks nestled safely in my jeans pocket, making sure they were still there. We needed to hurry and get it anchored. I didn't even want to imagine a hellmouth shutting and reappearing elsewhere, even larger.

  "Shall I help with the demons, Granddaughter?"

  She had insisted on traveling by herself, not wanting to stuff herself inside my already over-packed Kia. Looking up, I smiled as she gently lowered herself from the sky on her broom. I'd never ridden one. It's not that I didn't know how, but seriously…it's a stick of wood. How comfortable could that be? Give me a sedan or SUV any day. Most witches only rode at Halloween in the safety of Ashville. The world was a much different place and the last thing we needed was to end up on Youtube.

  "Yes, please, Nana."

  She dropped off the side of the broom and landed on the ground. She shook the broom once and it became a wicked looking scythe. Now that was a trick I wanted to learn!

  Nana held it in one hand, cleanly slicing through some of the closest demons and unleashing a torrent of fire from her other hand. I stared in awe before Chief coughed and pointed toward the park.

  "Let's go," I said confidently, calling fire to both my hands. We needed to get to the rift, even if I had to burn us a new road to get there.

  I took center, burning a swath through the demons while Jimmy and Chief walked side-by-side behind me, covering attacks from our sides while Marcus' gun could be heard going off every so often behind us.

  Chief yelled behind me and I looked back. A winged monster had landed on his back, clawing frantically at his exposed neck and head. Rivulets of blood were already running down, staining his shirt.

  Jimmy, quicker than I and closer, spun and grabbed the gargoylesque creature and turned it to stone, yanking it off Chief and shattering it on the street below.

  I reached over and rested my hand on his neck. "Leigheas," I canted, pouring a bit of power into the spell. The wounds closed beneath my hand. He could wash the blood off later.

  "Thanks, Dot."

  I nodded, turning at the horde before us. They were gathering, trying to keep us from reaching the portal.

  Dar slipped up beside me, covered in black gore. Your friend is hurt. Her lover is attending her. The humans have been driven from the square by the rest of your coven. Your grandmother scares me.

  Me, too. Any ideas how to get to the hellmouth?

  Luck, Yuki chimed in as she appeared to my right, moving so fast I didn't see her until she was there.

  "This isn't working, Dot. What else can we do?" Chief asked, echoing my familiars' thoughts.

  "I don't know!"

&nbs
p; "Pull back," Jimmy said. "We need to regroup and figure this out. It's just a handful of us against hundreds of these fuckers."

  I hated to admit it, but he was right.

  Turning to agree, a distant sound caught my ear. It was the blessed sound of sirens. Our cavalry had arrived. "Call Dennis!"

  "Good plan," Jimmy said with a smile, knowing my intentions without my having to explain.

  "What plan?" Chief asked confusedly.

  "We got ourselves a battering ram," I told him with a sly wink.

  "What? Where?"

  Chief must have fired his weapon too many times without ear protection. It took him a moment to finally hear the sirens fast approaching. "Oh. That plan," he said and nodded.

  "Get off the street!' I hollered as loud as I could, hoping everybody heard me. The five of us moved to the side, not attacking, just shoring up our defenses as they tried to surround us. Nana worked her scythe and flames, bearing down on us, albeit slowly. At least she wasn't in the middle of the road. Dennis would swerve. Hopefully.

  Jimmy's defenses broke and he was covered in imps in a heartbeat. Yuki disappeared and came back into view beside him, tearing the offending creatures apart. I spared her a brief moment to nod my thanks.

  "Hurry, Dennis," I hissed. They were close, the sirens echoing off the buildings around us.

  Lightning flashed from the pit ahead of us. Fear that it was going to move and swallow up another part of Cedar Falls seized my chest. I couldn't breathe. We couldn't lose… There was way too much at stake.

  Fly, Daughter…

  A voice flittered through my mind, leaving a sense of well-being and an odd calm. A voice that wasn't either of my familiars or family members. I shook my head and smiled, blessed once again.

  "Nana! Need your broom!"

  She gave me a quizzical glance, not nearly close enough to throw it. She shook her scythe and it once again flashed into an archaic-looking broom. She tossed it above her and the demons surrounding her, shouting something that was drowned out by the screaming sound of the imp trapped in Dar's jaws.

  The broom shot at me like an arrow, I grabbed it as it slowed, passing on my right.

  My body became weightless as my hand gripped the broom. One handed, I forced it beneath me, settling it between my legs. It wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. The weightlessness helped immensely. Otherwise I would have had the wedgie from Gehenna.

  Taking to the air, the scene became surreal. A sea of demons stood between us and the pit, which wasn't fading or moving, it was getting bigger. The road that ran in a circle around it, had started crumbling and falling into it. At the edge, a massive demon was clawing its way out and into our world. Black horns sprouted from its head, curling upward wickedly. Flames danced all across its body as fear poured from it like a stench. I could smell it, even fifty feet above, and I was afraid.

  I sent a mental image of it to Dar. What the fuck is that?

  No…

  Dar?

  A balor! Stay away!

  He was too late with his warning. The thing lifted its massive claws. Its piercing black eyes spotted me buzzing above its head and launched balls of fire ahead of me. It was smart enough to lead with its attacks instead of launching them directly at me.

  Pulling back on the broom, I flew straight up, missing the first giant fireball. It sped past me and then reached the apex of its ascent before dropping back down and landing in a throng of demons, exploding and leaving nothing but ash.

  The second one got close enough to singe both me and the broom. I began to question why the goddess had bid me to fly.

  Think, Daughter… What is above you?

  I looked up. There wasn't anything above me but a swirling mass of clouds, looking vaguely like a hurricane…

  I couldn't make it rain unless there were clouds above me. It would negate our fire spells…but it might buy us some time against the flaming behemoth standing just outside the hellmouth.

  I raised the hand not clutching the broom for dear life, aimed it at the sky and screamed, "Fuascail!"

  It started as a drizzle, the droplets stinging my eyes as I made a wide pass back around toward my family. I could see Dennis bearing down the street, driving the rig expertly as it weaved through abandoned cars. When he hit the straightaway, he floored it, the diesel engine whining like the turbine of a jet as it lifted and rocketed down the road.

  It hit the wall of demons and began splashing them away. I cheered as the truck made it over halfway before it started to slow.

  "No. Keep going, Dennis. You can do it!"

  The rain became a deluge and I spun the broom around, watching the flames of the balor flickering and sputtering. It looked down at its arms and roared out over the street in anger.

  I urged the broom forward and swooped down. Just above the roof of the truck, I set my feet down on it as it sped forward, rain and demon guts obscuring my vision.

  I held out my hand at the road in front of me and yelled, "Reoite!" I poured almost every ounce of power I had left into the spell. Blue light shot from my hand, striking the ground in front of us, turning the water that had so graciously fallen from the sky into a thick sheet of ice. The truck beneath my feet hit it and became an unstoppable freight train of destruction.

  Exhausted, I toppled from the roof of the truck, but still managed to hang on to the broom and yell to Dennis to jump…

  Hanging limply above the street, clutching the broom as much as I could, I watched as the truck kept barreling forward, whispering the word, "Jump," over and over again. I started breathing again when I saw three figures jump free, the demons scrambling to get away from their own death, ignoring them.

  I had enough in me for one last spell, Jimmy's accident giving me the inspiration. I slowly lowered myself to the ground and whispered, "Pléascadh," to the heroic firetruck's fuel tanks just as it struck the demon. It ignited, crashing into the balor and continuing on its unstoppable path. The demon and the firetruck slipped over the edge of the hellmouth.

  Even with the broom steadying me, keeping me on my feet, the resulting fireball knocked me on my ass. Many of the demons were caught in the explosion, but not all of them. We were going to have a hell of a cleanup job to do. But, more importantly, the entire way to the hellmouth was completely clear.

  Dar and Yuki slipped up beside me, acting like crutches. I let go of the magic flowing into the broom and felt my weight returning to me.

  "That was fucking awesome!"

  I chuckled down at Yuki smiling up at me. "Not from up there, sweetie."

  She sobered and nodded. Dennis and the other two firemen reached us before Chief and the rest. The two firemen kept staring at Dar.

  "Is that one of them?" The taller of the two finally built up the nerve to ask.

  "No. He's with me."

  "You're Dot, right?"

  I nodded.

  "What are you?"

  "A witch…"

  The both nodded, things they had seen clicking into place. "You saved Jimmy that day…"

  "Yeah. Sorry."

  "For what?"

  "Can you keep all this between us?"

  "Only if you tell me one thing…"

  "What?"

  "Jimmy's like you, isn't he? I mean seriously, beds don't walk by themselves, porn magazines don't just disappear in the middle of inspections, and a fucking Dalmatian can't talk. There's no way it was ventriloquism, either. Its lips were moving."

  I couldn't help it, or deny it, if I wanted to. I was laughing too hard.

  "Yep," the other fireman nodded, confirming their suspicions. Dennis remained wisely quiet.

  "What do we do now?"

  "We close the hellmouth."

  "Where the hell did it come from?" The first fireman asked.

  "Exactly," I answered.

  "Oh. You didn't do this, did you?"

  "No. That big ass demon did," I lied, not wanting to throw my grandmother under the bus. Firetruck. Whatever.
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  "Thank you, then. For saving all of us."

  I nodded, just as Jimmy and Chief walked up.

  "Everyone okay?"

  I nodded at him. "Let's close the portal. I'm covered in demon guts and I want to take a shower." I turned to Dennis and the other guys dressed in yellow. "Stay here."

  They nodded, backing up slowly and carefully on the ice.

  "Let's do this."

  It took a few minutes to finish crossing the small ice sheet in the middle of town. I could feel the heat radiating from the portal as it slowly melted the surrounding ice. I pulled the bag of stones out of my pocket and handed the green one to Jimmy and the blue one to Chief. "You're up first, Jimmy."

  "Do I say it and then throw it or throw it and say it?"

  I shrugged. "Go with say and throw. That way if it doesn't work, we don't have to jump in after it."

  "This is why you're the boss."

  He held the stone in one hand and the paper in the other, his mouth straining to make the phonetic sounds.

  "Il vath duodoth, mil tan thamar."

  Immediately, the stone began humming and glowing. He gently tossed it over the edge of the pit. The ring of concrete around it flared brightly and made a loud chink noise, echoing off the buildings surrounding us. It had been anchored.

  "Il vath tuomoth, dan vil manar," The blue stone in Chief's hand did the same and he lobbed it a little more forcibly. The portal spun clockwise about three feet, twisting the road around it in a thunder of crunching gravel. It had been bound.

  I held the crimson stone in my hand and closed it, turning to look at my familiar.

  I'm going to miss you.

  I know. He winked at me with his giant hellhound eye.

  Fuck it. I'm getting mushy. I squatted down beside him and threw my arms around his neck. He smelled vaguely of sulfur, but it wasn't overwhelming or unpleasant. Take care of yourself.

  You do the same. If you ever find yourself in the plains of Gehenna, call my name.

  More like, scream it as I run for my life.

  It's not all bad.

  Sure.

  I rubbed his head as I stood up, motioning for the portal. He nudged Yuki in her chest with his big head and she scratched his ears. Without another word, he turned around and leapt in.