Beyond the Black Mist (The Familiar Curse Book 2)

by C. L. Bright

  “Do you think they made all of that stuff up?” I asked Serena. “No one else mentioned anything about demons.”

  Serena looked thoughtful. “What they said would explain a lot.”

  “It would?” I asked.

  She nodded. “The spells used on the bracelets are strange, and we’ve always suspected there was some other type of magic involved, but no one could identify it. The family who makes them is very secretive about their methods.”

  “But that doesn’t mean demons are involved,” I pointed out.

  “True,” she agreed. “Not a lot of Azureans believe in the existence of demons. It could be another type of magic, or it could just be some spellcaster magic other families aren’t familiar with.”

  “How about you?” I asked. “Do you believe in demons?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I do. I got lost when I was very young. A witch found me, and she had a dog with her that she claimed was a demon.”

  “And you believed her?” I asked.

  “I know it wasn’t a dog,” she explained. “There was something about the power emanating from this creature. Of course, I was a child, so no one believed me.”

  “Was the witch an Azurean?”

  “I don’t think so,” she replied. “I never saw her again. I’d better go. The children want me to play hide and seek with them today.”

  “All right,” I agreed. “I’m supposed to help Alaric gather firewood. He’s probably wondering where I am.”

  She waved as she took off to where a group of children was gathered.

  It didn’t take me long to find Alaric carrying a large load of firewood.

  “Let me take some of that,” I offered.

  He scowled. “Where were you? You said you’d meet me about half an hour ago. I went by your cabin, but you were nowhere to be found.”

  “I stopped to talk to some of your older residents about the spellcasters in the woods, and they had a lot to say,” I explained. “We kept trying to leave, but they just had more stories to tell.”

  “Who did you visit?” he asked.

  “Hazel and Saxon,” I replied.

  He laughed. “Yeah, they’ll talk your ear off if you let them. Okay, I can see why you’re late.”

  “Have you ever met a demon?” I asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “That’s not much of an answer,” I complained.

  He shrugged. “It’s the truth. I’m not sure I’d recognize a demon if I saw one. That is assuming demons are real.”

  “Hazel and Saxon believe in them,” I told him.

  “They love to tell stories, so I wouldn’t trust everything they say,” he argued.

  “Serena thinks she met one when she was a child,” I added.

  He snorted. “I get the impression Serena believes a lot of silly bedtime stories.”

  I frowned. “Stop treating Serena like a child who doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

  He looked taken aback. “Since when do I treat her like a child?”

  “You don’t do it so much when she’s around,” I replied. “It’s when you’re away from her that your feelings come out.”

  “What makes you think I see Serena as a child?” he demanded angrily.

  I snorted.

  “I don’t think of her as a child,” he argued. “Though she does have an innocence the rest of us lack.”

  “Hah! That goes to show how blind you are when it comes to Serena. She is far from innocent after all she’s suffered. She’s a fighter and a survivor. I made the mistake of underestimating her when we first met, but I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for her.”

  “I know she’s a fighter and a survivor,” he replied quietly as he looked away from me.

  That’s when I realized why he was so determined to view her as a child. Alaric was doing his best to avoid acting on his attraction to Serena.

  “You’re an idiot if you think that by convincing yourself she’s a child or that she’s some kind of victim in need of protection, you’ll be able to keep your feelings for her in check. You need to stop lying to yourself,” I told him.

  “How am I lying to myself?” he demanded. “I don’t think of Serena as a child, despite what you seem to believe. That doesn’t change the fact that she is fragile in a lot of ways. Serena needs my protection more than anything else.”

  I shook my head. “No, she doesn’t. You’re trying to keep your emotional distance, and we both know it. I’m not judging you since I was in your position with Dante. I was afraid to get closer at first. Now, I regret not taking advantage of my time with him from day one. He is the other half of my soul.”

  He snorted. “A warlock? Do you truly believe that?”

  “Yes, why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because you’re a shapeshifter, and he’s a warlock,” he replied with an exasperated huff. “It’s unnatural.”

  So much for trying to coax him into accepting his feelings for Serena.

  What a jerk!

  “I see.” My tone was clipped.

  “What do you see?” he asked.

  “You still see Serena as an enemy like all other spellcasters,” I accused. “You’re embarrassed to feel anything for her because you think it will cause your people to think less of you.”

  “That’s ridiculous! I never said anything of the sort.”

  “You don’t have to say anything.” Serena emerged from the trees. A sad smile played on her lips.

  “Serena,” Alaric began in a ragged voice.

  She shook her head, her smile becoming more forced. “It’s okay, Alaric. I know all about the hatred between our kind. You don’t need to explain anything to me.”

  “Serena, I don’t want to hurt you,” he insisted.

  “You haven’t,” she lied. “Since I got here, you’ve been very kind. I thought you might have had a change of heart about spellcasters, but I was mistaken. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m playing hide and seek with some children. They’re doing a very good job of hiding this time.” Her smile was more genuine when she talked about the game.

  “Can we talk, Serena?” Alaric asked as he took a step toward her.

  Serena stepped farther away. “I have to go.”

  She turned and raced off into the trees.

  When Alaric moved to follow her, I caught his arm.

  “I need to make sure she’s okay,” he practically growled.

  He seemed to blame me for Serena being upset.

  “You’re the last person she wants to talk to,” I told him. “She’s embarrassed and hurt. Unless you plan to go after her and tell her you want to be more than her protector, you’ll only make things worse for her. Let me handle this.”

  I had a sliver of hope he’d insist on going after her so he could tell her it didn’t matter that she was a witch. It was a silly romantic notion that I blamed on Dante. I’d never been the romantic type before meeting him.

  He nodded. “Yes, you should go after her.”

  “You are such a moron,” I grumbled before I hurried after Serena.

  Catching up with her was easy since she hadn’t gone far.

  I sat beside her as we both leaned against the large redwood tree. “He’s an idiot.”

  She turned toward me with a shaky smile. “He’s no different from everyone else. The hatred between shapeshifters and spellcasters has existed for hundreds of years. Not everyone can be as lucky as you are with Dante.” Her cheeks heated. “I meant lucky that he was willing to risk his life for you after only knowing you a short time. That came out sounding wrong.”

  “I understood what you meant, and something tells me Alaric would do the same for you,” I stated.

  “You may be right,” she agreed. “I’d risk more than my life for him. I’d risk my heart. That’s the biggest difference between him and me, isn’t it? Alaric will never give his heart to a witch.”

  “Would you be as willing to risk your heart if you were still in Azuredale? Could you take that leap
with your family watching?”

  It was a harsh question, and I didn’t know why I was bothering to defend Alaric.

  “Sorry,” I whispered. “That wasn’t fair.”

  She waved off my apology. “It’s okay. You’re right to make me think about it from Alaric’s perspective.”

  “No, I’ve changed my mind,” I replied. “I don’t want you to feel bad for him. He’s a jerk, and you should be mad at him.”

  Her laugh was weak, but I still counted it as a victory. “He may be a jerk, but I still like him. His situation is very different from mine. My family already considered me an outcast. I’m not sure they would have thought less of me.”

  “Alaric isn’t worth your time.”

  Her smile was sad. “You’re right. I’m not going to waste my time fantasizing about something that won’t happen.”

  “You’ll find a male worthy of you,” I told her. “You are one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, and you deserve someone who is just as amazing. If Alaric can’t move past his issues, he isn’t good enough for you.”

  “Thank you, but I’m fine with never finding someone,” she insisted. “I resigned myself to being alone because everyone thought I was too strange in Azuredale. Why should I think they would consider me any less strange here?”

  I patted her arm. “You aren’t strange. You’re unique and beautiful. So, are you still playing hide and seek?”

  Her eyes widened, and she jumped to her feet. “I need to find the children.”

  I laughed as I stood. “How about if I help you?”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be helping Alaric?” she asked.

  “Screw Alaric,” I replied. “He can handle the firewood alone. Let’s go find those children.”

  Chapter 18

  We hadn’t gone far when the screams of children alerted us to trouble.

  Serena didn’t wait for me to react before racing ahead to help them. Those who had believed her a coward were fools.

  I ran after her, terrified of what we’d find. The cries for help and blood-curdling screams sent chills down my spine.

  Nothing could have prepared me for what we saw as we made it to the clearing where the children often played. Three hairless creatures with slick black skin and long sharp teeth were attacking. One held the lifeless body of a tiny child.

  I froze as I took in the horror of the scene.

  Serena let out an angry screech and sent a blast of magic that knocked the creature holding the child to the ground before turning her attention to one chasing a child into the woods.

  I shook myself out of my shocked stupor and focused on the threat. One monster had a child grasped in its claw-like hands. The child screamed in pain as blood ran down his side.

  “Hey!” I shouted, not sure the creature could understand my language but hoping to get its attention away from the child. “You spineless worm! Look at me!”

  The creature dropped the child and turned toward me as another shapeshifter arrived to join the fight.

  “Get the children out of here!” I shouted at her.

  It would have been nice to have another fighter since I had no clue what I was up against, but someone needed to get the children out of the area. They were in the greatest danger, and they were also a distraction.

  “You are not going to hurt any more of these children.”

  “You think you protect food? We stronger. You no match us. Go back home. Let us eat.”

  This wasn’t the monster’s first language, but it could speak and understand it well enough.

  I caught the creature off guard with a roundhouse kick that knocked it back. Drawing the knife Alaric had given me to walk patrol with him earlier that week, I lunged and tried to stab the monster’s heart—or what I thought to be its heart. That was always a problem when dealing with an unknown species; I had no way of knowing how to kill it.

  When I pulled the blade out, it was covered with a sticky black substance that started to solidify around the blade. The monster lunged clumsily at me, probably hoping to rely on its strength to take me down. This time, I stabbed its right eye.

  The creature howled as it swiped at me. I made the mistake of trying to pull my knife out before jumping back, and its claws raked across my belly. The scratch burned like fire, and I barely remained on my feet.

  Luckily, the creature seemed too distracted with the knife in its eye to attack me again. It continued to scream as it tried to get its claws around the hilt. It couldn’t make a fist small enough to grasp it.

  I looked around and saw that the creature Serena had knocked back with her magic was on its feet again. The shapeshifter was trying to fight him off while carrying an injured child. She was at a disadvantage with a child in one arm. She’d been able to keep the creature from going after the others, but she needed help if she was going to get away with the injured child.

  I threw a rock at the monster, catching him on the side of the head. I hoped to get him to look my way so I could toss another stone at his eye since going for an eye seemed effective.

  All I needed to do was give the children time to get out of the area and wait for the other shapeshifters to arrive to help us. Serena might also be back soon. At least, I hoped she was okay.

  I tossed two more rocks but missed both times. The burning pain from my injury, combined with blood loss, were affecting my aim. I began backing away, needing to grab more rocks.

  The monster’s burst of speed caught me off guard as he rushed me and tackled me to the ground.

  It was much stronger, but I still managed to break free and scramble to my feet. It stood, and I was able to shove it back before it could strike. It lunged again, and I leaped to the side to avoid its claws.

  I needed help.

  My back-up came in a surprising form.

  Suddenly, my link to Dante fully opened again.

  First, I sensed his relief at feeling the touch of my mind. That reaction quickly changed when he sensed the danger to me.

  I felt his power flow through me. I’m no witch, so I can’t cast spells or send bursts of magic out. I don’t even know the words to any spells, or so I thought.

  “Asna haria fireno!” I shouted with my hands out and my palms pointing toward the creature who was lunging at me again.

  Blue flames shot from my hands and slammed into the monster. It screamed and fell back onto the ground, writhing and twitching as the fire consumed it.

  Once there was nothing more than a pile of black ash on the ground, I looked at my palms.

  “How did you do that?” Serena asked in awe as she approached me.

  I shook my head. “I don’t think that was me. I don’t even know the meaning of the words that came out of my mouth.”

  “The magic came from you, and you cast the spell,” Alaric stated.

  I hadn’t noticed him, but when I looked around, several other shapeshifters had also arrived.

  “I know it came from me,” I snapped before taking a deep breath. “Sorry. This wound is making me irritable. I don’t know what happened. I can’t cast spells. That’s not possible.”

  “It’s one of Dante’s spells,” Serena remarked as she regarded me with a curious expression. “What made you decide to use that one?”

  I shook my head. “I already told you I’m not even sure what I said or why I said it. No, that’s not exactly true. My connection to Dante opened, and I simply acted. I know who I can ask.”

  “Dante? Can you hear me?”

  “Yes, and I can’t tell you how good it is to have you back in my mind. I’ve missed you.”

  “Was that your magic I used?” I asked.

  “I suppose it was, though I’m not sure how that’s possible,” he admitted. “I was thinking that I knew the perfect spell to deal with those monsters and wishing I could send my magic to you.”

  “Well, apparently, you can.”

  “What was that thing you just killed?” he asked.

  “I was hoping you’d kn
ow since you were the one to figure out a spell to use against it,” I replied. “Those horrible things came after the children. At least one of them died today.”

  “I’ve never seen anything like that,” he told me.

  “Where are you? I’ve been so worried since I lost contact with you. I was afraid you’d been captured or killed.”

  “Sorry for worrying you. The place I was staying had powerful magic that made it impossible to contact you,” he explained. “I’m heading your way, but it will take me several days to get there. I’m traveling with a demon, and we need to avoid running into demon hunters or anyone from Azuredale.”

  “You’re traveling with a demon? Is this demon your friend?”

  “Yes, at least, I think she’s my friend,” he replied.

  “Juliet?” Serena called out. She sounded extremely upset, not that I was surprised, considering how close she was to all the children. The loss of any child bothered me, but I knew it hurt her more.

  “I have to help Serena,” I told Dante. “This has been upsetting for her.”

  “I understand,” he assured me. “Sin, the demon with me, says I need to focus on our surroundings, so it’s probably just as well.”

  “I miss you so much.”

  “I miss you, too, Juliet.”

  I felt a moment of panic as our mental connection went silent before realizing it wasn’t like the last time. Dante hadn’t disappeared; I still felt him in the back of my mind, and I could reach out to him. That knowledge allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief.

  I turned and placed a hand on Serena’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “No,” she admitted, “but I’ll be fine. Were you using your telepathic link with Dante?”

  I nodded. “Yes. It’s probably how I was able to use his magic. He’s not completely sure how it worked for us, but he thought of the spell and wished he could send his magic to me right before I used the spell.”

  “That’s not possible,” Alaric argued. “A spellcaster can steal energy from a shapeshifter, but they can’t give any energy back.”

  “That can’t be true,” I insisted. “I’m not a witch, and that was Dante’s spell. I’ve also channeled his magic to activate a healing spell before.”

  “I can feel remnants of his magic in the air,” Serena stated as she looked around. “It’s as if he’s here with us.”