Ronin’s face was tight in anger, and I could tell he was hiding something. “Maybe. But to kill everyone? That’s crazy.”
I shook my head, a feeling of unease washing over me. “Not really. You have no idea how crazy people can get.” My eyes moved over the summoning circle. “That’s the demon’s name. In the center there, written in Latin. If I knew how to summon and control demons, with its name, I could have sent it back to the Netherworld.” I was getting a little ahead of myself, but somehow I felt as though I could, if given the chance and the means.
Ronin dipped his head, his brow furrowed. “I’m not a witch or anything. But… isn’t that Dark witch magic? I thought you were a White witch. You know… dandelions and mushrooms, dancing naked under the full moon? Did I mention naked?”
“Dandelions and mushrooms?” I stared at his cheeky grin. “Magic is neither White nor Dark. Magic is magic. Someone years ago made two separate covens, a Dark and a White. But we’re all just magical practitioners. It’s all about stringing things together, pouring your power into them to make something happen.” I’ve always known this, or rather, felt it to be true. Maybe not all witches thought about their magic this way, but I did. If we could do both, why the hell not. Right?
One thing was for sure, I would up my knowledge of demons tonight. If more demons were going to show up—and I was sure they would—I needed to know what I was dealing with. But mostly, to save my ass.
“Well, the demon’s long gone,” I said after a moment. “Let me blow out the candles first. You know. Fire hazard. We are in a library.”
“Ah, yes,” said Ronin grinning. “The scholastic achievement of others. Wouldn’t want those to burn.”
I rolled my eyes and made for the nearest candle.
Behind me, something like the sound of nails scratching the wood floors drew close. Then I heard a swift, rushing sound of something large moving toward us.
I stiffened, and all the muscles in my body went taut.
“What the hell was that?” came Ronin’s low voice.
I turned my head slowly, gathering in my will as I looked to where I’d heard the sound and tapping into the surrounding elements. A power word sat on the edge of my lips—the only one I could remember in my moment of panic.
I listened. Again, I heard the scuffling sound of nails on the hardwood. Then there was a quiet sound, a thump of something large taking a step.
“Maybe it’s just a dog,” whispered Ronin hopefully, the whites of his eyes showing in the dimness.
“It’s not a dog.” Unless the dog weighed five hundred pounds.
I could hear the sound of breathing in the room somewhere behind us in the shadows of one of the bookcases. The room dropped into dead silence. No moving. No breathing. Nothing. I waited, tense and ready to run as fear iced through me.
From behind a bookcase stepped a creature of nightmares.
It stood ten feet high if not more with a set of glowing red eyes perched in the middle of an abnormally large head. Ram’s horns curled around its head and its gaping mouth was full of shark teeth. Its twisted and corrupted body sported way too many arms and too many legs to make it anything I was familiar with. The already enormous demon began to swell, growing in mass as its skin thickened and an extra set of limbs swelled out from its sides. It moved, undulating darkness and shadow moving with it, as it shifted from its solid form back to a liquid shadow. And it was blocking our exit.
“You’re a shadow demon,” I muttered, terrified and amazed at the same time.
“Uh, Tess,” Ronin blurted. “I’m glad you two are getting acquainted but—we need to get the hell out of here. Right now.”
“Right.”
We vaulted into motion.
We ran over the summoning circle and across the library toward the back of the building, praying we’d come across a back exit. Ronin, once again propelled by his vampire speed, was way ahead of me, which totally annoyed me. I put on a burst of speed, trying to catch up.
A flashing red sign above a hallway that disappeared into more shadows read EXIT. Well, at least we were running in the right direction.
My left leg jerked, and something yanked me back.
Not something. The shadow demon.
I flew across the library floor like a rag doll, screaming all the way of course, and smashed, back first, into one of the bookcases. Ouch.
My breath escaped me as I fell to my knees, blinking the pretty little stars that danced in my vision, only to be ruined by the vision of a giant, twisting shadow that was heading my way.
Letting my instincts drive me, I pulled on the elements and hurled all my will into the power word and bellowed, “Accendo!”
A ball of fire sprouted from my open palm and shot forward. It was beautiful as it soared through the air, lighting the library in hues of golds and orange. I smiled to see my aim was spot on. Yay for me.
The shadow demon shifted so its body was just a mist of black cloud as its solidity vanished.
And my pretty ball of fire went right through it, exploding in a shower of ambers and flames against the wall behind it.
“Oh shit.” Not what I was expecting. It was more clever than I’d first thought.
Ronin was next to me in a flash, his arms around me as he helped me up. “Okay, so the big, bad demon has a few tricks up its ass. At least your aim was good this time.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.” I stood on shaky legs, my back throbbing.
The shadow demon shifted, revealing its solid body once more. I knew what that meant.
“I’ve got this.” Ronin arched back, lifted his right leg and twisted his body. In a blur, the vampire pitched the stapler like he would have a baseball. The stapler flew straight and true.
It hit the shadow demon in the face, and then it fell with an echoing clang on the floor.
Ronin looked at me and shrugged. “What? It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
The shadow demon roared and came at us like a twisted, humongous centipede-fish-dragon.
“Great, now you pissed it off,” I muttered.
Its massive maw opened, waiting to devour us like it did Mrs. Bright.
I don’t think so.
I planted myself and said, “Vinti… uh… Volent? No, that’s not it… Ventu!” I let out a nervous giggle. Crap. That wasn’t it either.
“What the hell are you waiting for?” cried Ronin, a bewildered expression on his face. “This isn’t funny! Do something! I’m too pretty to die!”
“You remember the power word for wind?” I asked Ronin, shaking out my hands, as though somehow that would help get my magic juices flowing again.
He looked at me like I’d just insulted his manhood, his eyes wild. “Why the hell would I know that? You’re the witch.”
“Worth a try.” Damn it. I couldn’t remember. It was hard not to panic in a situation like this—when the big, bad, ugly demon was about to eat me.
The ground shook beneath my feet as the giant shadow demon barreled toward us.
“You better witch something fast,” yelled Ronin. “Can’t you just pull out your wand and blast it?”
“Ventu…” I was not going to be eaten by the overgrown slug. “Ventur,” I tried again, seeing Ronin backing away, which was what I should have been doing too.
“Tess! Let’s go,” I heard Ronin shout, his voice further away from me. “Let the Unseen deal with this. I’ve got a date tomorrow that I would really like to be present for.”
Something in me clicked. If I let the Unseen handle the demon, maybe I didn’t deserve to be part of the Merlin Group. I had to defeat this ugly sonofabitch. I had to show everyone that I could handle myself when facing imminent death. But mostly, I had to prove it to myself.
With a new rush of determination or pure stupidity, I steadied myself, the stink of sulfur and rotten flesh almost making me gag.
I can do this. “Ventem…” I tried again.
The shadow demon howled as its red eyes flash
ed with hunger. It was so close now, the stench of carrion burned my nose. If I wanted, I could reach out and touch it.
I was dead…
A word flashed in my brain.
“Ventum!” I shouted, barely getting the word out in time. But I did.
A rush of power overflowed my aura. And then I let it go.
A blast of wind shot through my outstretched hand with the force of a hurricane.
The shadow demon, having either recognized the power word or just the magic, shifted into its shadow self.
It was a stupid demon.
The wind hit the cloud of black mist and shadow and propelled it across the room, smashing into the wall. The demon shifted back to its solid form, black blood seeping from multiple breaks in the skin. My bad.
I limped toward it, putting on speed as I went and drawing forth all the power I could muster.
It turned its head at me, hatred flashing in its red eyes. The shadow demon began to shift back into its shadow form.
But I was faster.
A surge of energy poured out of me. “Accendo!” I shouted and hurled my ball of fire straight at it.
It hit the shadow demon and exploded on impact. Shrieks of alien agony rose in the air toward a breaking point. The fire rose high above the demon, enveloping it like a great big bonfire.
I took a step back, feeling the heat against my face.
The stink of burning flesh rose as the shadow demon thrashed in a demonic frenzy. And then it fell, writhing on the floor until the fire was out and all that remained of the demon was a pile of gray ash.
Ronin swore, appearing next to me. “Damn, girl. Now that’s a barbecued demon.”
A gasp slipped from me as I felt like I was being poured out of myself. A wave of dizziness swam up, and I had to take a breath to steady myself. That last power word had taken a huge chunk out of my energy. I didn’t think I could do more magic until I had a rest and maybe something to eat, possibly Ruth’s homemade brownies.
“We need to tell my aunts about this,” I said, swaying on my feet with a cold sweat breaking all over my skin.
Ronin reached out and grabbed my arm, steadying me. “You okay? You look a little pale, and that’s saying a lot coming from a half-vampire.”
“I’m fine.” I shrugged it off. “I just need to eat something.” Movement caught my eye.
A tall, slender figure in a black robe, black cape, and black hood appeared from behind a veil of black mist, standing at the mouth of the hallway that led down to the exit.
“Who’s that?” asked Ronin.
I glowered. “The one who summoned that demon,” I answered, knowing it to be true. I was going to fry that SOB. This bastard was mine.
I yanked my arm free from Ronin’s grip and staggered forward like a drunk.
“Tess, wait!” cried Ronin.
But I was running on the last of my adrenaline, anger fueling my thighs as I rushed forward. It was stupid, I knew, especially when I was drained of my magic. But I still had the use of my fists, or better yet, a big ol’ kick to the balls. Because, when in doubt—go for balls.
The robed figure spun and rushed down the hallway.
I was right behind it.
“Why are you running? I just want to talk!” I panted. Yeah right. I was way past a chitchat.
It hurt to run. I’d admit it. I felt weak, like my legs were about to give out at any second. Shoving all that out of my thoughts, I forced myself to breathe steadily and gather whatever strength I had left for this final push.
The robed figure wasn’t as fast as me, which was really surprising. The only explanation was that using his power on the ward had drained him. That would work.
I was nearly there, just a few more seconds, and that SOB was mine.
The figure ran straight ahead and then took an abrupt turn to the right at the end of the hallway.
I was right behind him. I reached the end of the corridor and pulled right—
A whimper caught my attention to my left.
I staggered at the sight of a small head with blonde hair. Next came the tiny body cradled on the floor in a fetal position. Her head came up at the sound of me, her nose and lip bloody and her face wet with tears. Sadie.
I had a split-second thought about going after the mysterious robed figure, but the little girl’s whimper tore at my heart.
My maternal instincts were a strong force of their own. Nothing else mattered as I rushed over to her, fell to my knees, and pulled her up on my lap, cradling her. She let out another whimper as she turned around, her little arms wrapping around my neck and her tiny body shivering as she held on tightly.
I almost burst into tears as I held her tighter. That little girl had seen something terrible. And someone, that robed figure, had tried to kill her for it. But I got to her first.
I am going to kill that SOB. I swear it.
Things that attacked little girls deserved to die.
“It’s okay,” I soothed, rubbing her back as I stood up with her in my arms. “I gotcha.” She weighed practically nothing, just skin and bones. “It’s over now. You’re safe.”
Ronin stepped into my line of sight, his face pulled in worry and deep anger. He kept shaking his head.
And when I looked back down the corridor, the figure was gone.
17
I shoved a fifth piece of Ruth’s famous chocolate brownie in my mouth, my taste buds exploding like fireworks as I did my best not to moan. Funny how chocolate made everything better. And hers did some serious magic to ease the pain in my joints, get rid of my nausea, and boost me with new energy and renewed strength. I wasn’t back to my normal, post-power-word self, but I felt a lot better.
“What’s in these?” I asked Ruth, who was standing across from me from the kitchen table. “They’re super good. My taste buds are having a party in my mouth.”
Ruth beamed. “I can’t give away all my secrets.” She laughed as she went back to a simmering pot on the stove. The smell of rosewater wafted to my nose.
It was eleven at night by the time Ronin and I got back to Davenport House, having left Sadie with a frantic Martha. It took longer to calm the older witch than the little girl, and only when I agreed to have highlights put in my hair did Martha finally stop crying and throwing a fit.
I threw my gaze around the kitchen. My aunts had been quiet after I’d told them about the demon in the library. And when I got to the part with the ward, energy had buzzed in the air, wisps of their hair floating about them like they were in some hair commercial. The three witches looked like they were about to blow.
Something was happening in this town. And I was about to find out what.
“Did you call Marcus?” asked Dolores as she paced around the kitchen. “He should know about the library and what happened there.”
Ronin choked on his beer, leaning back in his chair, and I shot him a hard look.
The thought of speaking to that hateful man made me want to throw my brownie across the kitchen. No way was I going waste a brownie on that guy, though.
I grimaced. “I don’t work for him. I don’t have to tell him anything.”
Dolores spun and faced me. “Maybe not. But as part of this family, you have an obligation to inform the chief of any crimes committed in this town. He has to clean up the mess. Has to alert Mrs. Bright’s family. That’s why the town elected him as chief. You might not get along, but he is very good at his job.”
Ronin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his chair balanced on two legs. “Let the Unseen take care of it. It’s what this town’s paying them for, right? You gonna eat that brownie?”
I pushed the plate the brownies over to Ronin. “You’re lucky I like you. I don’t share Ruth’s brownies with just anyone. Vampire.”
Ronin laughed. “Thanks, witch.” He leaned forward, his chair miraculously still balancing on two legs, and snatched up the brownie before I changed my mind.
Dolores’s eyes bore into mine, the corners
pinched. “Tessa,” she commanded. “You need to call him. Right now.”
“Fine.” I reached for my phone and texted Marcus. Skipping the part of the robed figure we saw and just sticking to the essentials. He’d get the picture once he got there. I read the text over twice, checking for typos though I didn’t know why I cared, and pressed the send icon.
“There. Done.” Dropping my phone, I picked up another brownie. I could practically feel the weight gain as I swallowed another large piece. I smiled. Bring it on, weight. I just don’t care anymore.
“How did you get the Unseen to leave?” asked Ronin as he took the last swig of his beer. “Red-beard seemed pretty determined to get the house.”
It was a question I’d wanted to ask as well.
Dolores straightened. “With persistence,” she began, and then she dipped her head. “And a good ol’ smackdown.”
I laughed, imagining Dolores holding that redhead in an armlock. “That red-bearded one was pretty special.”
“Specially stupid,” commented Ronin.
“What was his name again? Emmet? And a witch too.”
“Witch or not, the man was vile,” said Beverly as she shifted in her chair. She patted her hair and tucked a strand behind her ear. “Wild, that one. No manners. A big ugly beast. He’s more of a caveman than a delicate witch. With those big, hairy arms and hard, muscled chest and thick thighs…” Beverly fanned herself with her hand. “Is it getting hot in here?”
Ronin laughed. “Think they’ll try to take the house again?”
“They can try.” Dolores smiled wickedly, her eyes churning with some unspoken spell. “And we’ll be waiting.”
That I wanted to see.
The room fell into silence except for Ruth humming to herself as she stirred her simmering pot, only breaking now and then to sprinkle in some herbs.
“That poor child.” Beverly stared down at her cup of tea, looking a little disheveled, her perfect hair not so perfect. “She’s probably scared to death. She might never recover, you know. Some children never recover from their childhood traumas.”
Shadow Witch (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 1) Page 12
