The Queen of Witches

by Brandi Elledge

  I quickly grabbed the key out of François’s hand. Then I rummaged in his mustard-colored trousers and found the blade of Abadiar. As soon as my skin made contact with the blade, I yelped in pain. I dropped the blade and looked at my burnt hand. Welts covered my fingertips. Kneeling down, I waved a hand over the blade, freezing it into a block of ice before picking it back up. Making sure I didn’t disturb the salt, I stepped out of the circle, carrying both objects. Once I was clear of the demons, I released my hold.

  Jamison leaned over and kissed me on top of the head. “Good job.”

  “What just happened?” François demanded.

  “We gave you the key,” I said. “But then we took it back. I also took your blade. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “Why you little—”

  Wes wagged a finger. “Now, now, François, it’s not nice to insult a lady. Especially when she has you by the balls.”

  “Fine, you win that round.” François clapped. “It looks as if your little witch has been holding out on us. A power like freezing time is scarce. Can you imagine what a hit she will be in the Underworld? Who knows? I might even let her rule by my side, if she proves herself to be worthy.”

  The tension in the air was thick. “That will never happen,” Jamison growled.

  “I’ll have to disagree with you, Prince,” the demon said.

  “Over my dead body.”

  The demon grinned as he looked over at Wes. “What do you say, Undertaker? Does your new-found friend have an expiration date above his head?”

  “No. But you have one above yours. I wonder how you’ll die, François? Hopefully, I’ll be right there to claim your soul, so that I can re-send you to Hell. I can almost taste the power I’ll have harvesting an under lord.”

  Whether Wes was bluffing or not, I wasn’t sure, but François showed a moment of alarm, before he masked the fear on his face. “I won’t forget this. In fact, I—”

  Jamison sighed. “Can’t you make him go away?”

  Wes laughed. “It seems you’ve bored everyone, François. I command you to return to the Underworld.”

  François’s shouts were incoherent as he went back to wherever he came from faster than the eye could track. Good riddance!

  “Sweet.” Wes came over and took the block of ice from me. “I’ll be adding this bad boy to the collection of cool stuff I’ve confiscated so far. Um, could you unfreeze it, though?”

  I waved a hand over the blade. The water hit the floor, and I waited for my brother to drop the blade in pain as I did. But that never happened. He turned the blade over and over in his hand, examining it. Ugh, so not fair.

  Jamison’s nose flared. “You’re hurt.”

  “Obviously the stupid blade has a different effect on me than it does on dear, ol’ brother.” He took my hand in his, and within seconds it was feeling better. “Thank you.”

  He responded by kissing my hand.

  Tandi rubbed her arms. “Will they be back?”

  “Maybe,” Jamison answered. “But if we kill an under lord without being attacked first, we would have entered in a war against the Queen of Demons. And just so that we’re clear, Undertaker, I’ll be the one taking François’s life if he comes anywhere near Charlie.”

  “As long as he dies a slow death, I couldn’t care less who delivers the final blow.” Wes winked at Tandi. “Come on, girl, let’s go watch some of your vampire shows on Netflix.”

  Poor Tandi was exhausted, but she put up a brave front. “I do have a thing for vampires.”

  “I’m totally knackered,” Sammy said. “I’m going to find a warm bed to sleep in. Don’t disturb me, or I’ll cast a spell on the lot of you.”

  I studied Sammy as his chubby little legs walked up the steps. My gut told me he couldn’t cast spells, but I made a mental note not to wake the little man just in case. My familiar was a cranky thing.

  Jamison was studying the key he now had in his hand. Several different emotions flitted across his face as he rotated the black object in his palm. As soon as Tandi and Wes had left the room, I asked, “What about the key? Where will you hide it? You should probably hide it quickly before we lose it… again.” I was halfway joking. Kind of.

  “I have the perfect place for it,” Jamison said. “Let’s rest a bit, and you can help me put the key where it belongs.”

  I smiled as I put my hand in his. He made it seem as if we were still a team. He could have taken the key and left. That was why he came here to begin with, but instead he was still here, holding my hand. My heart squeezed, and I was sure stupid pheromones were releasing from me left and right. My body was a traitor. We stood there staring at each other before one corner of his mouth lifted into one of the sexiest grins I’d ever had the pleasure of witnessing. He gave my hand a little tug, and I followed him into the living room.

  Tandi had exchanged her fancy dress for a pair of Wes’s sweatpants and an old high-school basketball shirt and was now sprawled out in a recliner. “Wes, once a demon is dead, does it just return to Hell?”

  “To live? No. Everyone goes to an afterlife. If the demon is evil, it will return to Hell, but not to rule or be ruled. Dead is dead, no matter what being you are.”

  “Awesome,” I said. “So if he attacks us and we kill him, then we’ll never have to deal with him again.”

  “Right,” answered Jamison as he flopped on the couch next to me. “Here’s to hoping he attacks.”

  Tandi grabbed the remote. “Question, are vampires in the real world as hot as they are on television?”

  Jamison wore a look of disgust. “Did you really just ask two dudes that?”

  Tandi huffed. “Hmm, I think I got my answer. If they were butt-ugly, y’all would’ve said something about them being hideous creatures and then fist-bumped each other to show your hot male superiority.”

  Both men laughed, and there we all sat, resting for the first time in what seemed like ages in a living room that looked like it had survived a mild earthquake. I was curse free. Wes had a blade to add to his collection, and most importantly we had the key. It was a long, hard road, but we finally had the key, and the icing on the cake was we were all alive to brag about it.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  At some point, I must have dozed off on Jamison’s shoulder. The doorbell rang, startling me out of a deep sleep. I wiped my mouth silently, cheering when there wasn’t any drool. I shook Tandi awake, and now all four of us looked at each other. I finally broke the silence. “What kind of hellfire and brimstone demon uses the front door?”

  Jamison cocked his head to the side. “It’s not a demon, love. It’s a vampire.”

  He got up from the couch and opened the door, and I had an image overload. I don't know what stunned me more, the gorgeous man or the beautiful girl standing beside him.

  Jamison nodded to both of them. “I recognize the neck biter, but you are?”

  The girl dressed in all black stumbled in through the doorway, mumbling something about how she wished Ariana had kept her mouth shut, and how she wasn’t meant for swampy territory. “Jolene. My nickname is Jo.”

  The gothic-looking chic was otherworldly beautiful, but was acting crazy as she not only asked herself questions, but then answered them. She was five feet two with jet-black hair that was cut longer in the front, framing her heart-shaped face.

  Her electric blue eyes widened as she noticed her audience staring at her. She gave me a frustrated smile. “Sorry, I know my manners are bad, but where I’m from, there are no mosquitoes the size of my hand, humidity that clings to you like a vine, or reptiles lurking in all bodies of water. This landscape is enough to make a girl mental. Plus, I have the gift of sight, so I’m already a tad mental. Buuuut I’m trying to learn how to control it, even though right now it’s like a Tsunami of visions hitting me. One right after another.”

  Jamison pulled me closer to him. I was ninety percent sure he thought the girl just escaped the loony bin. “I’m Jamison, and this is Charlie.”
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  I gave a little finger wave. “Hello.”

  She shooed us with a hand. “Yes, yes, I know. I have sight, remember?”

  The vampire wasn’t paying any attention to the strange girl. He reached out a hand to me, and I studied the man in front of me through my eyelashes. With his brown hair and dark chocolate eyes, he looked every inch of a Calvin Klein advertisement.

  “My name is Stephan. And you are an extraordinary beauty.” I thought he was going to shake my hand, but instead he flipped it over and kissed the back. I had a feeling his charming demeanor was all part of an act.

  Jamison growled, “Get your hands off of her before you get staked.”

  I could have sworn Stephan was taunting Jamison. Pulling my hand away from the vampire in hopes of deflating the hostile environment, I cleared my throat. “Nice to meet you,” I heard myself saying because “why the heck are you here?” seemed so rude.

  Jolene rolled her eyes. “Please ignore Stephan. He likes to rile Jamison and his brother. I guess when you’re one of the oldest vampires in the world, you get bored easily if you’re not creating havoc everywhere you go.”

  Sammy came bounding down the steps. “Thanks for telling me we had company.” He stopped on the last step. “Annnnd that’s a vampire.” He rubbed a hand down his chest circling a nipple once. “Tell me fanger, does this appeal to you?”

  The vampire looked disgusted. “Not even remotely.”

  “Cool, mate. Just checking.” Sammy went over to where Tandi was sitting. “What about you beautiful?”

  Tandi was quiet for a second. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you really expect me to answer that?”

  Stephan moved toward her like a lion stalking an antelope. His nose flared as he reached out and tugged on a golden strand of her hair. His eyes roamed over every inch of Tandi, as his brows raised an inch on his forehead. She stood stock still as he gazed at her with such intensity it even made me uncomfortable. He muttered something I couldn’t hear but had Jamison and Wes shuffling their feet.

  “Um… this is awkward,” Tandi said, laughing nervously.

  Jolene yawned loudly, tapping her foot. “Stephan, please step away from the girl. You’re kind of giving off the creepy, yet hot vibe. Dial it back a bit.”

  “Dang vampires, can’t take em’ nowhere,” Sammy said. “Bloody wanker.”

  Wes stood up and put himself between the vampire and Tandi. Stephan finally shook himself out of his thoughts long enough to glance at my brother. “Well, what do we have here? The Undertaker, himself.”

  “Should I start wearing a name tag?” Wes addressed the whole group. “I’m not really much of an entertainer, partly due to the fact that I don’t like people. It’s the main reason I never invite anyone to my house, and the last time I checked, I didn’t send out invitations, so why are you here, and what’s the fastest way to get you both to leave?”

  “Excuse my brother.” I gave him a ‘please don’t be rude’ glare. “He has social anxiety problems.” I glanced over at Jolene because the crazy girl was easier to look at than the intense, hot vampire, who was still studying Tandi with a puzzling expression. “Why are you here exactly?”

  Jolene smacked her forehead, and the mumbling began tenfold, then her eyes cleared, and she sighed. She tapped a finger to her head. “Jeez, I wish I could turn off the switchboard for a second. Did you ask a question? Yes, I remember. We’re here because Ariana—the one who’s training me—the head honcho of soothsayers and sight bringers told us that it was imperative Stephan and I be here tonight.” She nibbled on her lip. “I’m going to be totally transparent. I don’t really have any control over my visions as of yet, so I’ve only seen bits and pieces of what’s to come. Until I learn more control, all the voices in my head kind of make me a little batty.”

  “You don’t say,” Wes said.

  I cut him another glare. Not that it would do any good.

  Jolene clapped her hands. “So, you got the key?”

  Jamison’s arms tightened around me, and I looked up into my angel’s face. He smiled at me, showing dimples that made me weak in the knees. “Yeah, we secured it. Charlie here actually did it all by herself. She also stole the blade of Abadiar from an under lord.”

  “You’re joking?” Stephan said.

  Jamison laughed at the perplexed look on the vampire’s face. “Nope. She’s something else.”

  “That blade is thousands of years old. I was actually there when it was made.”

  Tandi’s mouth fell open. “Are all of you freakishly old, too? I mean, does anyone here know Moses?”

  The vampire chuckled. “Jolene is not that old, are you, Jo?”

  We all looked at Jolene, who was currently staring off into space. It was like her body was here, but her mind was far away. I heard Sammy mumble, “Oh crap,” right before Jolene’s body convulsed.

  The vampire was quick to catch her before she hit the ground. He carried her over to an armchair. After several minutes, Jolene looked slightly embarrassed as she asked, “Sorry. Did I miss much?”

  “What did you see, Jo?” The vampire asked.

  She swallowed. “There are many coming. They will be here before dawn.” She glanced at all of us, one by one until her gaze stopped on Tandi. “Some of us will not make it.”

  “You mean, Tandi?” I shouted.

  “I am so sorry.” Jolene walked over to where Tandi sat on the couch, taking the seat next to her. “Even if we try and hide you someplace safe, François will find you. You were here when Charlie outmaneuvered him at his own game. It hurt his ego that he was bested. He knows killing the Prince and the Undertaker is almost impossible, but he has already formulated a plan of action—one that has both of you girls caught up in the middle of all of this.”

  Tandi cupped her ear with her hand. “I’m sorry, girl. I don’t think I heard you right. Are you telling me that I’ll be dead soon?”

  My voice shook. “No. There is no way that we’re going to just give up and die.”

  Jolene gazed at me with pity. “I didn’t say that I foresaw you dying, Charlie.” Her eyes jerked to Tandi once again before settling back to me. “Some things are worse than death. You will have your own problems, Charlie.”

  My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. “Well, I’ll be damned if I just sit around and let my best friend die. Or let some demon torture me.” I swiveled to face my brother. “And wouldn’t you of all people know if Tandi was about to die?”

  “It appeared an hour ago,” my brother said sheepishly.

  “Damn it to hell, Wes. When did you think it’d be a good time to tell us?”

  “After I figured it out! I’m not carrying her soul over, and I’m not letting anyone else take her either.” He started pacing the floor.

  Jamison spun me around. “I need you to trust me. Do you think you can?”

  I tried not to blink, afraid the tears would roll down my face and never stop. I nodded. “Yes. I do.”

  He smiled at me like my answer was imperative to what he was going to say next. “Great. Listen to me when I say we will not be burying your friend anytime soon.” I felt my heart squeeze. “Charlie, I know how much you love her, and because of that alone, I promise you that she’ll stay on this side of the ground.”

  There was something in his words that made my gut loosen. He meant what he said, and because of that, I believed my friend would genuinely be all right.

  The vampire said, “We need to go and secure the perimeter.” The way he said it made it sound like it was a code word for something else entirely. I made a mental note to ask Jamison later what that was all about.

  Jamison kissed me lightly on the top of my head before following my brother and the vampire out of the house.

  Jolene sighed. “And so it all begins. No sense in fighting it. One by one, we will all eventually lose bachelorette-hood to love.”

  “Yep,” Sammy nodded. “Definitely batty.”

  Tandi was in shock. “This might be my last
night alive, and I’m more depressed over the fact that I didn’t buy those cowgirl boots that cost an arm and a leg than I am over the loss of a possible future lover.”

  Jolene laughed. “Those must have been some boots.”

  Tandi wiped a tear from her eye. “They were. No more crying. Tonight, we’ll party like rock stars. We’ll eat everything unhealthy that there is and not worry about calories or having to work out the next day.”

  Trying to make her laugh, I said, “Seriously? Tandi, you’ve never been on a diet in your entire life, unless you count that time you went on an all-fruit diet, but I don’t think that counts because you coated everything in chocolate first. And the only time I ever got you to go to the gym with me, you drove us around the block for thirty minutes, waiting for a parking spot to open up closer to the gym entrance because you didn’t want to walk far.”

  Tandi huffed. “Well, it’s true that I would rather drink Mexican tap water than work out, but it’s rude for you to point it out when I’m practically on my deathbed. And for the record, I know that I would be the first to die in The Hunger Games, not because I couldn’t make a kill, but because all that running and hiding just wears me out thinking about it. I could accept death, as long as I have pie first.”

  “Ugh, people?” Sammy pointed at Jolene. “I think she’s rechecked out of reality.”

  Jolene’s beautiful pixie face looked around the room before her gaze settled on me. “I did it again, didn’t I?”

  Tandi, never being one for subtlety, said, “Yep, honey, you went around the bend, but you’re back now, and that’s all that matters.”

  Jolene gathered my warm hands in her cold ones, and the look in her eyes made heat travel up my back, causing sweat beads to form. “What is really isn’t. You are going to be faced with so many choices. Don’t try to decide your own fate. I’ve seen you throw out the welcome mat for death and long for its embrace. You have to fight the shadows, Charlie. Fight the temptation.” She came out of whatever memory she was wrapped up in and leaned back against the cushions, her pretty face pale.