Wicked Magic (7 Wicked Tales Featuring Witches, Demons, Vampires, Fae, and More)

by Deanna Chase

  He looked up to see a man approaching him. It was another angel with dark spiked hair and wings of pure white. He looked down at his own wings with their swirling colors of cream and taupe. The scars were barely visible after all this time. He could feel them though, aching deep beyond the muscle and bone to the spirit part of him. It had been so long ago, but the scars still felt like fresh wounds.

  “Brother,” the dark haired angel acknowledged as he walked up to the seated figure.

  Gregory rose. “Brother.”

  The dark haired angel shuddered slightly as he took the offered hand and clasped it. Shimmering, he shifted into a female form, although still with the short dark spikes of hair.

  “Female?” Gregory asked.

  The woman grimaced. “You’re very much to the right at the moment, and it is uncomfortable not to have balance between us.”

  Gregory frowned. Was he? He was often accused of being too far to the right, but not so much that he caused such discomfort that others to feel the need to change. It was her. She was so very far to the left, and he’d just gotten used to balancing in her presence.

  “Brother, what are you doing?” the woman asked, sitting down on a large rock. Gregory sat too, in a silent agreement that this would be an informal family meeting and not a confrontation.

  “What kind of horrific binding did you do with that demon? Why didn’t you kill her? And now you’ve killed Althean. Brother, you are creating enemies left and right. You’re lucky everyone is too scared of you to take action.”

  Gregory smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile. He was well aware that his three remaining brothers were happy to stir the pot and spread doubts about his competency, about his sanity.

  “I’m also lucky that I have such loyal brothers to watch my back,” he said

  “Seriously,” the woman urged. “Why didn’t you kill her?”

  Gregory shrugged. “I thought she’d be useful in hunting Althean. They have skills. I think I may use her in some other projects before I kill her. I might as well since I took the time to bind her.”

  At least he lied better than that irritating cockroach of a demon. She’d surprised him, acted very un–demonic in protecting her human toy by jumping on him and smacking his head on the ground. It made him curious about her. No, it made him wonder with a fleeting hope if maybe there was some spark in them, something left of the angels they used to be. It was a whim he’d indulged in, with horrible consequences.

  “Brother, there are rumors about the binding. Rumors that it is too in the flesh, tied to sensation, that it binds you as much as it binds the demon,” the woman said.

  “She was not easy to bind,” Gregory interrupted. He paused, realizing that he sounded defensive. “I haven’t bound a demon in ages, and I was very angry at that moment. Yes, the binding is flawed. I will fix it as soon as I have the time.”

  Angry was a mild word for what he was at that time. It wasn’t the first time he’d let his temper get away from him with disastrous results. He’d always struggled with anger. And pride. It seemed over the ages that he been giving in far too much to sin and too less to virtue. Funny how that happens.

  “But if you, too, are bound, Brother?” The woman let the question hang in the air.

  “No. She’s just a baby, and far too Low to have any idea of how to use a bound angel,” he insisted.

  But she wasn’t Low. All that raw energy, and that perfectly formed human flesh with her spirit embedded deep and tightly contained. Such potential hiding in a dirty little cockroach. It was a shame she’d not live long enough to realize that potential. Not that it mattered. Even if she did somehow manage to survive, she’d never bother to expand her knowledge and skills. Demons only wanted to roll around in the muck of sensation, and play frivolously in the physical world. Such a waste.

  “Besides,” Gregory added. “I don’t plan on having her live more than a year or two.”

  “What? You don’t plan on walking her around Aaru on a leash, like a pet?” The woman laughed.

  “She’d just pee on the carpet,” Gregory said, amused.

  The woman waved her hand. “Enough about this filthy creature. Why have you not formally reported on Althean’s death? The longer you wait, the more the factions accuse you of wrongful murder.”

  “As soon as I am able,” Gregory assured her. “I gave Althean a chance to return on his own, or be banished to Hel with the demons and he refused either option.”

  The woman laughed. “You seriously gave him the option of being banished with the demons? Like he was going to choose that? Wow, you must have been pissed. Still, I can’t believe you actually killed him.”

  Gregory couldn’t believe it, either. Again, it was anger. Blinding, white hot anger — not that Althean attacked him, but that he’d so injured the little cockroach. Just thinking of it brought up the urge to pulverize something, smash it into the rocks.

  “Althean attacked me,” he replied.

  “Come on.” The woman grinned. “You could have subdued him, taken him down. You dusted him.”

  “He would not back down,” Gregory insisted. “I had no choice. He was determined to be a martyr for his cause.”

  Probably. Not that Gregory had given him a chance.

  “Was it the demon?” the woman asked. Gregory stiffened. “Did she kill Althean? Are you covering for her?”

  “No. I told you she is Low,” he said.

  They sat in silence for a few moments. The dark haired angel let her eyes trail along Gregory’s outstretched wings, shifting her own white ones so they swept the red dust in a pattern of lines. Picking up a wing, she admired the red dust clinging to the bottom edges.

  “We cannot go back in time, Brother,” she said sadly, affection in her voice. “Even if we could, I’m not sure it would be right. What’s gone is gone. They are not angels anymore, they are demons, and we cannot bring back our loved ones by indulging in reckless fantasy.”

  Gregory nodded, looking out along the shore. His brother was right, but encasing himself in stone, trying to petrify the hurt inside hadn’t helped either. Still, something deep inside him felt like it was chipping away at the hard edges. Like it was trying to get out. He wasn’t sure if he should let it. When he meditated on it, he saw a laughing imp playing with lightning, or sometimes his younger brother, also laughing and playing with lightning. But she was not the brother he still mourned. That was foolish thought.

  The red haired angel stood and stretched his wings once more.

  “There will be no reckless fantasy,” he assured his brother before gating away.

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  Influential Magic

  Deanna Chase

  New York Times bestselling author, Deanna Chase, brings you the first book in the Crescent City Fae series.

  It’s tough being a faery in New Orleans, a city fraught with vampires… especially when their very existence drains your life-force.

  Willow Rhoswen, owner of The Fated Cupcake and part-time vampire hunter for the Void is having a rough week. Four years after her twin brother’s mysterious death, Willow’s life is threatened and the director saddles her with a new partner—her ex-boyfriend, David. To her horror, he’s turned vamp, which causes her physical pain whenever she touches him… and any other specimen of the undead.

  In order to save Willow’s life, David agrees to turn double agent against the most powerful vampire organization in New Orleans. Or so he says. And she’s convinced they know something about her brother’s death. Unsure where David’s loyalties lie, she turns to Talisen, her childhood crush, to help her solve the mystery.

  Caught between two gorgeous men and a director who’ll stop at nothing to control Willow’s gifts, she’ll have to follow her instincts and learn who to trust. Otherwise, she risks losing more than just her life.

  Chapter One

  The ugly
concrete building loomed before us, making my body itch with unease. I gritted my teeth and tried to mentally prepare for the long flight ahead. There was a reason faeries hated airplanes. Metal had an unfortunate way of draining our energy.

  “You didn’t have to walk me in,” I said to Talisen, my brother’s best friend and the guy who’d just spent five hours transporting me from Eureka to the Sacramento airport. “I would’ve been perfectly fine if you’d dropped me off at departures.”

  “Are you kidding?” Talisen draped a casual arm over my shoulders and made a show of stretching his legs. “One more minute in the truck and my limbs would’ve seized up.”

  I eyed his lanky but muscular body. Tall, broad-shouldered, and tan from his long days of working outdoors in my mother’s nursery. He’d dressed nicer than usual today. Gone were his faded blue jeans, scuffed work boots, and pop-culture T-shirt, replaced by olive khakis, a short-sleeved, button-down shirt, and black canvas shoes. “I think you could’ve survived until you hooked up with your lunch date.”

  He pulled the glass door open for me. “Date?”

  “Yeah. Yesterday I heard you tell a client you weren’t available this afternoon because you had a date. I assumed that’s what this was about.” I waved my hand up and down, indicating the change in his wardrobe choice.

  He laughed. “I was talking about you, Willow.”

  “Oh.” I smirked. “Sorry excuse for a date. Is dropping your best friend’s sister off at the airport the best you can come up with? Maybe you need lessons. Remind me the next time I come home to set you straight on what a normal twenty-four-year-old would consider ‘dating.’”

  “Ha! Look who’s talking. You didn’t even so much as look at any other dudes this summer, let alone go out with one. Pathetic, really. No, thanks. I’ll get my lessons elsewhere.”

  His words hit a sore spot in the middle of my chest, and I was grateful we’d reached the ticket counter so I wouldn’t have to continue our regular banter. David, my ex back in New Orleans, had dumped me right before I’d left my store, The Fated Cupcake, in the hands of my trusted assistant so I could run my mom’s shop while she recovered from an accident. Other than missing New Orleans; my dog, Link; my shop; and my best friend, Phoebe, it had been fun and distracting, hanging out with Talisen nearly every day.

  David had become a distant memory. Almost.

  I paid the extra fee to check my bag and met Talisen near the security gate.

  He held his arms out and sent me a rueful smile.

  I tilted my head and eyed him suspiciously. “You don’t expect me to fall for that, do you?”

  His smile widened. “Get over here.”

  Wrapping my arms around his waist, I buried my head in his shoulder. “Thank you for this summer,” I whispered.

  He placed one of his large hands on my head and gently stroked my hair. “There’s nothing to thank me for.”

  Hot tears burned the back of my eyes. I squeezed them shut, forcing the emotion down. “Beau…” My breath caught on a silent sob.

  “It’s all right, Wil. He’s been with us. He’s with us every day.” Talisen squeezed me harder, and I knew we were both picturing my brother on that fateful day four years ago. He’d been smiling and laughing only a few hours before we’d found him lifeless in my mother’s lavender fields.

  I pulled back and nodded.

  Talisen eased his grip but didn’t let go. His deep green eyes bored into mine. “Don’t stay away so long this time.”

  “I already promised Mom I’d be back for Christmas.”

  “Good.” He laced his fingers around a lock of my hair. “Your hair looks nice, lightened by the sun.”

  Warmth spread to my belly. All the time spent outside this summer had left streaks of gold in my wavy mane. “I’ll get highlights for December.”

  “Don’t. Natural’s better.” Faeries didn’t usually mess with chemicals. And I wouldn’t, either. But there were natural hair dyes. Still, Tal knew the one quality I really loved about myself was my long, slightly curly auburn hair. “Text me as soon as you get there.”

  I grimaced and patted my pocket for my phone.

  He rolled his eyes. “You didn’t leave it at your mom’s, did you?”

  “Um…” I plunged my hand into my purse, frantically searching for the iPhone I never used. My fingers wrapped around something hard and cool. “Got it.”

  Talisen took it from my hand and pressed the on button. “Your battery’s almost dead. Try to charge it before you get on the plane.”

  I snatched it out of his hand and tossed it back into my purse. “Yeah, yeah. You’re worse than Phoebe.”

  “She’s just given up on your lazy ways. Promise you’ll let me know when you land.”

  I nodded.

  “Good.” His expression turned serious and he seemed to really look at me. Then he leaned in as if to whisper something, but instead brushed his lips lightly over mine, lingering slightly longer than a casual goodbye kiss. “Stay safe,” he said against my lips and then turned and walked out of the airport. I stood still, stunned, my hand against my tingling lips as I watched him go.

  Where had that come from? Flustered, I headed for the security gate.

  One layover in Houston and seven sleepless hours later, I stumbled off the jet and into Louis Armstrong airport. I’d thought of nothing but Talisen ever since I’d left California. What in damnation was that kiss about? We’d been flirting with each other relentlessly for the past nine years, but because of Beau we’d never acted on anything. Not to mention Talisen’s constant stream of revolving-door girlfriends. Now, with Beau gone, if I lost Talisen due to some stupid relationship problem… it was too hard to even think such a thought.

  No, we were just friends. More than that. We were family. And that’s the way I intended to keep it. I whipped out my phone and powered it on. The tiny red battery light mocked me. So I’d forgotten to charge it. Whatever. I only needed to send one text.

  The phone buzzed with an incoming message from Phoebe. Vampire sighting at Saint Louis Cemetery. Meet me there are soon as you land.

  Dang it all. I hadn’t even had time to pee. I sighed and typed out a message to Talisen. Not two seconds after I hit send, the phone died.

  ***

  Standing in front of New Orleans’ Saint Louis Cemetery, I checked my watch. Twenty minutes and no sign of Phoebe. Just perfect. What was I going to do, wait all night? Clutching the handle of my suitcase, I squared my shoulders and strode through the gates, dragging my suitcase behind me. I might’ve laughed at the absurdity of the situation if it hadn’t been for the very real threat I could pass out at any moment. Faeries never—never—spent time in cemeteries, and if they did, they sure as hell wouldn’t bring half their wardrobe.

  The moldy dampness mixed with the stale, rancid stench of decay turned my stomach. I kept my mouth clamped shut. Tasting death would only kill me faster. I scanned the rows of tombs and cursed myself for forgetting to charge my cell… again.

  Where the hell was Phoebe?

  Darkness swam at the edge of my vision and panic sparked a healthy dose of adrenaline through my veins. Time was up. If I didn’t want to check into death’s hotel permanently, I had two options: find Phoebe or get my ass out of there. It wasn’t much of a choice. If I’d known where the witch was, I would’ve found her already.

  Damn it! I’d never bailed on a job before. With a grunt of disgust, I fled.

  My mind turned hazy, my thoughts jumbled. A second later my limbs went numb, and I stumbled. Forcing myself up, I struggled to place one foot in front of the other. My eyes never wavered from the exit. If I could just make it to the street, to one of the giant oak trees, everything would be fine.

  My head would clear and feeling would creep back into my limbs. Life would flow again. Ten more feet and I’d be free, hugging the old oak, my body sucking up the life force it needed. Almost there.

  A thick, honey-like sensation skimmed my bare skin. I froze.


  Vampire.

  Shit! I had to warn Phoebe. It was my job. I turned, intending to run back into the heart of the cemetery. But my feet wouldn’t move. The death sealed within the tombs had sucked too much energy from my body, robbing me of the ability to take one more step. I sank to my knees, still clutching my suitcase as I stared at the front gates. Maybe I could crawl my way out.

  A shadow fell over me, blocking the moonlight. My breath caught. I didn’t need to look up to know what towered over me. Vampire. He was there, inches away, his presence pinning me to the ground. My strange vampire-sensing ability prevented me from moving.

  Slowly, I raised my head. My vision swam and all I could make out was a double vision of a tall, dark-haired vampire. This was it. Another moment and either his death energy would suck me dry or his fangs would. I prayed I passed out before I had to endure either one.

  A low, vicious growl sounded behind me, followed by a blur of white fur as a wolf leapt over me, landing with his hackles raised and teeth bared. My heart pounded with fear and relief. My mind continued to buzz in confusion, but I knew one thing. Link, my wolf, was there. Maybe I wouldn’t die.

  Footsteps pounded on the bricks, and a shout rang out, followed by a commotion. A moment later, all the action stopped, and the vampire energy faded. My limbs started to tingle and my mind cleared. “Phoebe?” I asked, glancing around.

  “Right here.” She appeared by my side and helped me up. “Come on. You need a tree.”

  The moment she propped me against the large oak, life energy rushed through my veins, clearing all the cobwebs and revitalizing my energy. I sighed in relief and reached a hand out to pet Link.

  He licked my hand and then shimmered with gold right before he morphed into his normal Shih Tzu form. He jumped into my arms, lavishing me with tickling kisses.