Black Magic and Mojitos

by Alexia Chamberlynn

  A spell deflected off my blade but another caught me in the shoulder, which burned like a motherfucker. The demon that’d hit me leered, expecting instant retaliation, but seeing an opening in the defenses of the other one, I spun and lobbed his head from his shoulders. My back was now to the other demon, and as he roared and charged me, I simply drove my katana backwards into his gut, then wrenched upwards, feeling his heartbeat vibrate my blade for just a moment before I twisted and stilled it forever.

  I turned to face the battle before me. Vitoria and Raoul darted back and forth, shooting spells at one another. This was her fight, her revenge, so I wouldn’t interfere unless I had to. And I hoped I wouldn’t, because if anyone robbed her of her vengeance they’d be next on the list. Donovan and Quinn stood on either side of me, and Riley shifted back into human form. Carnage littered the balcony around us: blood, demon parts, chunks of the building. It was so pock-marked with holes I was surprised the ceiling hadn’t caved in. Outside, the music of the festival sounded inappropriately cheerful in comparison.

  A cry cut over the music as Vitoria sank to her knees. Raoul was sucking her powers, like he’d tried to do with me. I started forward, but Quinn grabbed my shoulder. “Wait.”

  “Quinn — ”

  “Just wait!” she hissed.

  From behind Raoul three Nightmares materialized. His eyes widened as they beset him, teeth and hooves and glowing eyes. Vitoria rose to her feet, her fist glowing pale purple. She shoved it into his chest and his body rippled as if turned to molten lava, lines of light cobwebbing into him. With an expression of triumph she pulled back her arm, his heart held in her hand. He disintegrated into a pile of golden ash.

  Vitoria raised her arms above her head, her face a picture of ecstasy as the golden dust that had been Raoul swirled up and around her. Instead of floating away on the breeze, it landed on her body, coating her skin. She started to glow as the dust absorbed into her, and a wave of power pulsed off her like a small nuclear explosion. With a sigh, she lowered her arms, licking the last of the gold dust from her lips with a satisfied smile.

  “Wait — did you just absorb all of Raoul’s powers?” Riley asked, his tone disbelieving.

  A look of mock innocence spread over Vitoria’s face. “Oh — did I not mention that minor detail?”

  “No, you left out that little gem,” I said, my throat tight.

  “Ah, well. What’s done is done. I took what I was owed,” she said.

  I ground my teeth together. She had played us. I mean, I had wanted revenge on Raoul too, but I didn’t like half-truths and games. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it,” I said. We eyed each other warily. “As long as you don’t abuse those powers like he did, we won’t have any problems.”

  “Of course not, Zyan,” Vitoria purred. “I wouldn’t want you on my bad side.”

  Her words sounded innocent enough, but a mocking lilt to her tone made me seriously doubt her sincerity. But there wasn’t much I could do about it today. If she went back on her word, then we’d just have to pay another visit to Rio.

  “No, you don’t want me on your bad side.” I stepped forward and offered her my hand. “Until we meet again, priestess.”

  “Until we meet again.” Her eyes sparked, and flecks of gold stood out amongst the brown.

  I turned and headed for the stairs, my crew on my heels. When we reached the street, I headed south along the parade. If I had to visit this hot hell-hole of a place and fight a bunch of demons and Nightmares, I was damn well going to enjoy the ocean before I left. A half-mile or so later when the surf rolled up against the toes of my boots, I stopped.

  “Do you think Vitoria’s going to behave herself?” Riley asked.

  I started to pull off my boots. “Not sure.”

  “I’d hate to think we stopped Raoul just to put another even more powerful villain in his place. All his powers plus her own? It’s a bit scary,” Quinn said.

  My second boot came loose and I left them both in the sand and waded into the waves. “Yeah, that’d be shitty.”

  “You don’t sound like you really care,” Riley scoffed.

  “I don’t care, at this particular moment.” The water had reached chest level and I dove under, washing away the scent of blood, sulfur and magic. I emerged a few moments later. Riley and Quinn were watching me, and Donovan had pulled off his shirt and was making his way into the water.

  “Today’s battle has been fought and won,” I said. “We’ll worry about tomorrow’s battles when they come.”

  Quinn shrugged and then splashed Riley in the face right as a wave came by. “Hey!” he protested.

  “I thought canines liked water,” Quinn giggled.

  He responded by dunking her all the way under.

  Donovan ignored their play-fight and waded past them. He came to a stop directly in front of me, so close I could feel the heat of his skin even with cool water separating us. “And what about our battle? Do you surrender?”

  I closed the distance between us and snaked my hand around the back of his neck, pulling his face to mine. Our lips met, hot and cool and tasting of the waves. After several moments Riley yelled, “Get a room!” and we pulled back, grinning.

  “I never surrender,” I said, looking up at Donovan with a smile. “But our battle can continue.”

  Need more Zyan Star?

  I knew what it felt like to crave revenge on someone you’d once loved, the burn of it deep in your core. Maybe I’d get a chance to fulfill my revenge fantasy at some point…but that was a story for another day.

  That story for another day starts with

  MARTINIS WITH THE DEVIL

  The first full-length novel in the Zyan Star Series, Martinis will be out in early 2016. To read the first five chapters on Wattpad, visit:

  https://www.wattpad.com/user/aachamberlynn

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  And if you enjoyed Black Magic and Mojitos, please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads! It is greatly appreciated.

  Martinis with the Devil takes place about five years after Black Magic and Mojitos.

  A little aperitif…

  I locked eyes with the angel. “So, what brings a pretty boy like you to Noir? Somehow I don’t think it’s just because you decided to take a walk on the wicked side and mingle with the commoners.”

  He tensed, standing up extra straight. “I’m here on official business for the Holy Representative of Northwest America.” His milky white skin seemed to glow as he said it.

  “Uh-huh. And?”

  “He wants to hire you for a job.” He enunciated each word as it came out, as if I wouldn’t understand him.

  Which actually, I didn’t. “Come again, Wings?”

  “My name is Eli,” he said, with a very angelic glower.

  “Of course it is,” I crooned. “So, Eli, I kind of thought I just heard you say that the Holy Representative, that is, the direct ambassador between Heaven and Earth, God’s right hand man, all that’s pure and holy, etc., wants me, an eternally damned soul sucker who’s technically within the Devil’s jurisdiction, to work for him. Did I hear that right? Or did that extra shot of pixie dust in my cocktail push me off the far edge of crazy?”

  About the Author

  Alexia Chamberlynn lives in Florida. When she's not writing or reading, she can be found playing with horses, eating chocolate and other delicious things, drinking wine, traveling to the next place on her global wish list, or maybe doing yoga. Connect with her at www.alexiachamberlynn.com.

 

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