by Judith Post
Babet nodded, unable to speak.
"You fear them?" he asked.
She dipped her head again.
"That's wise. That leads me to believe you're ready for them." He walked closer to her, and when Babet looked up at him, the compassion in his expression made her catch her breath.
He looked troubled. "A demon cannot be a worthy father, in the traditional sense. My absence has been due to my love for you, and it's pained me greatly. There are those who'd use you to blackmail me. They'd harm you to hurt me. I couldn't risk it." He smiled. "But now that you're older, you seem quite capable of finding your own trouble, so my worries have lessened."
Babet smiled. This man/immortal/demon did love her. She felt sure of it. And he had deprived himself of the usual joys of fatherhood to assure her safety. "I've often wondered why you never asked about me, tried to see me."
He nodded. "I ask about you all the time. Your mother shares her visions of you with me each and every day. We're connected, even if it's unspoken. It's a bond of mating. The step you're about to take is a serious one, but necessary. Your mother's blood flows through your veins, but so does mine. You need to master both."
"Is it hard to learn yours? I'm in sort of a hurry. I have to help Evangeline meet the dark priest Hamza."
He smiled and glanced at his wife. "You told me she lacked patience. My magic is less about training and more about restraint."
Babet frowned.
"When I unleash your energy, it will pulse through you. It's your job to restrain it, to keep yourself from sucking the life energies from those around you."
Babet remembered the sudden power she'd gained when she threw herself at the demon Jaleel. She'd placed her hands on his flesh and drawn his magic into herself. That power had stayed with her, become a part of her. She was stronger now than she had been then.
Her father closely watched her. "Taking energy from others can become an addiction. You'll need to learn to control your hunger. No one can help you. Another reason I waited until you were older and wiser."
"Can I take power from anyone?"
Gazaar raised an eyebrow at her. "Only if you're stronger than your opponent. Otherwise, he can drain you."
She grimaced. "I don't know how strong the voodoo priest is."
Gazaar's shoulders relaxed. "Test his strength before you touch him. Challenge him in smaller ways. Gauge what you're up against."
Babet's eyes wandered to the long, supple whip coiled at her father's waist. "Do you use your whip for that?"
Another smile. "My whip serves many purposes."
She remembered the fiery whip wrapping itself around Jaleel's body as her father reeled him closer and closer. It lashed around the demon's wrist to jerk him off balance. Her father had many talents, and she wasn't quite ready to learn most of them.
Gazaar's expression turned tender. "I can't stay long. This visit was unexpected. Are you ready?"
"Yes." She wasn't sure what was coming next.
He placed both of his hands on her shoulders. Had he ever touched her before? Not that she could remember. She sucked in her breath, suddenly anxious. His fingers felt like steel bands, firm and strong, but he gripped her gently. He mumbled words she didn't know, in a language that sounded old and foreign, and a surge of white-hot heat traveled to every pore of her body. She gulped to keep from crying out. When every particle and cell of her was imbued with the power, he released her.
Babet almost stumbled. He held out a hand to steady her.
Energy hummed inside her. It felt strange, almost sensual. She licked her lips with enjoyment. No wonder Lillith employed so many succubi and vampires. They were naturally sexual.
Her father chuckled. "That's part of our powers too. An incubus is known for his appeal. When we pleasure someone, we can take more than we give." He glanced at Babet's mother. "But love changes that. Love demands giving by its very definition."
Babet thought of Prosper, and her lust settled, even though she wanted him all the time. She might even occasionally be selfish, but she'd never use him.
Her father nodded, again reading her expression correctly. "Only practice small feedings on those you won't miss if they're gone. Hopefully, you can control yourself, but in case, never suck in energy from someone you'd grieve."
Babet put a hand to her lips, frightened.
Her father shook his head. "You have to choose to drain them. No incubus feeds off someone by mistake."
She sighed. That made her feel better.
With a nod toward her mother, Gazaar glanced outside at the gathering darkness. "I must go. If you need me again, call. I'll hear you, and I'll come."
"How will you hear me?" Babet hated the whine in her voice. She'd needed him, and he'd come. What more could she ask? But there was so much more that she'd like to know about him. So many questions left unanswered.
"You're a succubus now. We're bonded. We need no words."
She expected him to walk to the door, but he slowly dissolved and disappeared. Eyes wide, Babet turned to her mother.
Rowan shrugged. "It takes a while to get used to that, but you will."
"Will I see him more often?"
"Do you want to?"
"Yes." She understood why he'd stayed away. She admired him for it.
Her mother smiled. "He'll like that. I'll like that. It's been such a strain, but for now, you'd better go. Hamza won't wait long for his next attack. Use every power you have to defeat him. Come home to me, Babet. Stay safe."
* * *
When Babet returned to their bungalow, she was almost afraid to touch Prosper, but she wanted him more than she ever had—the succubus in her—hungry and lustful. Evangeline's mini-van was parked at the curb. When Babet opened the front door to step into the small foyer, Prosper's head snapped up and he stared at her, hard.
"You smell different."
Morgana slithered close, her tongue flicking in and out to taste her scent.
"Succubus powers. My father infused them in me."
Prosper stood, but kept a distance. "How does that work?"
"Just like your Were magic. It's there if I call on it." Her whole body shivered. "It's going to feel weird for a while, though."
"Every magic takes some getting used to." He reached for his jacket.
Evangeline shook her head. "Manette hasn't returned yet. She followed Binah when she left the settlement. Mom was sure Binah would go straight to Hamzah, that she'd lead us to him."
"Good, because we have something to do first." Babet went to her bedroom and returned with her own velvet pouch that held her personal Tarot. She looked at Prosper. "Nadine's spirits said that Evangeline and I should battle Hamza alone. I'm asking the Tarot if you can come with us. If they say no, you stay home." She raised an eyebrow at Morgana. "That goes for you, too."
The snake slid across the floor to coil herself close to Prosper. Neither of them looked happy. Babet didn't care. She prepared her cards and asked, "Is it safe for Prosper or Morgana to come with us tonight?" She dealt a quick, three-card spread and shook her head. "You're staying home."
"That's not fair." Prosper's huge hands balled into fists. "If you're walking into danger, I want to be with you."
"Not gonna happen. You have to trust my magic on this one. If it says no, it's no."
His hands went to his hips. "If you don't make it tonight, I don't want to either."
She stared. "That's just plain stupid. Maybe I want you to survive if I don't."
"Maybe I don't want to live with that much pain. I've lived a lot longer than you have. This is the first time I've found a bond mate. What if I don't want to ask myself, over and over, if you'd have made it if I'd been there?"
"The cards would have told me that."
"So what did your cards tell you, other than to send me away?"
"They told me I have a chance of making it out alive tonight. You don't. So you're not going."
He hunched his broad shoulders, paced to the kitch
en and back, muttering to himself, then grabbed his jacket and headed to the back door.
"Where are you going?" She'd never seen him so upset.
"I'm going to the station to bother Hatchet. I can't just sit here and do nothing." He stormed from the house.
Morgana gave her an evil look and slithered to her nest in the hallway.
Babet turned to Evangeline and shrugged. "I hate sitting on the sidelines, too. It sucks."
Evangeline squared her shoulders. Energy crackled around her. "Whatever it takes to defeat Hamza. He messed with my mom. No one does that."
They were interrupted by pebbles hitting the front door. Babet opened it and Manette hovered outside. The spirit sent a hateful glare her way. "I can't enter a witch's house. Your magic stops me."
"A good thing, too." This was as close to Manette as Babet ever intended to get.
Evangeline pushed past Babet to see the spirit. "Did you find him? Where is he?"
"At his favorite spot, near the boat dock at Settlement Park." Manette sneered at Babet. "Close to the place where your witches are buried." Then she sped away, back to Nadine.
Babet growled. "Why does every evil anything that comes to River City get cozy in Settlement Park?"
"You know the answer to that. Too much pain, too many sacrifices. It calls to them."
Babet reached for Evangeline's hand and held it up to look at the ring she'd given her, still on her finger.
"I'm never taking it off," Evangeline said. "Ever. I promise."
"A good thing. I can't remember all the spells I enchanted into it." Babet had done Evangeline's ring at the same time she did Prosper's. If there was a spell that remotely would keep them safe, she'd chanted it.
Evangeline started to the door. "Let's go."
Babet pulled her jacket shut and followed Evangeline from the house.
The drive to Settlement Park was even less wonderful than the drive to the voodoo village. The river, at night, looked sinister instead of lazy. They parked in the visitors' lot, like last time, and began their walk to the dock. Babet could smell the stink of old blood and dark magic before their feet left the asphalt lot.
Overhead lights dimly brightened the path that led to the river banks. Shadows swallowed everything on either side of them. But a nearly full moon struggled to peek through the tree branches that bordered the walkway.
Evangeline stopped before the last curve that led to the river. She took a deep breath. "I don't think I'm strong enough for this."
"I might not be either, but it doesn't matter. Remember what he did to your mom? We'll work together." Babet tried to make her voice sound more confident than she felt. This whole park turned her insides to jelly. Between the scents and graves, it was scary as hell.
Evangeline pulled her power to her in an aura of magic. "If I have to die next to someone, I'm glad I'm with you. You're sort of a sister to me."
Babet wasn't ready to die, but she felt the same way about Evangeline. "We're coven sisters...and more."
Evangeline nodded and crossed herself. "May the saints and spirits be with us."
It always surprised Babet that River City voodoo was such a mix of African and Catholic practices, but it didn't matter. Whatever worked was fine with her.
They turned the curve in the path, and the tall, motion light installed near the dock made them blink. Voices broke the stillness of the night.
"Please, no…."
A dark figure whirled their way, turned back, raised his arm, then slashed it downward. A scream split the air.
What in Hades? They ran closer, then came to an abrupt halt. Binah's body draped over a makeshift altar, her hands and feet bound. Blood spilled from the wound in her chest, dripped to the ground. Hamza's white teeth showed in a smile. He began to chant. Dark energy rose from the fresh blood at the base of the altar and stretched toward them.
Evangeline pushed a hastily sewn doll toward him and chanted her own magic. Energy engulfed them, pushing the dark magic away. Babet raised her arms and called for a bubble of protection. The dark flow spread to cover its entire surface, but couldn't get through. Babet spread her arms, and the shield split, making Hamza's energy flow around them until it dispersed.
Hamza laughed and raised a staff carved with spells. He leveled it at them, and energy shot forward. Babet raised a palm and blocked it, but damn, it hurt. Blisters stung on her skin. His fresh sacrifice had given him added strength. Then she shot energy of her own. Hamza waved his staff, shooing hers away. Her stomach clenched, he made it look so easy.
He reached into his pants pockets and tossed dust in the air. It floated for a moment, then fell to earth. Dark shapes rose from the dirt and limped toward them.
Evangeline reached into a pocket and tossed dust of her own. Shapes rose from hers too, and the two armies met in the middle. Babet pumped extra magic into their soldiers, and after wrestling and struggling, three of theirs survived and headed toward Hamza. His white teeth showed again. He waved his staff through their loose forms, and they scattered to earth. Then he gave a low bow, as though awaiting applause.
Anger rippled through Babet. She felt heat building inside her, along with something else, something new. She kicked off her shoes and dug her soles into the cold earth. Earth magic flowed into her, mingling with whatever else zinged along her nerves and pulsed through her veins.
Hamza threw back his head and laughed. He felt her power and mocked it. His arm shot skyward and he shook his staff while shouting a chant. Evangeline cringed. Babet sensed it more than saw it, but her friend planted her feet firmly and reached for Babet's hand.
A tornado of power blew toward them. Together, they chanted a witch's spell. Their combined energy hit the swirling winds and turned them to whimpers.
Hamza stopped and stared. "So, Nadine's daughter knows witch magic, too, just as I do. But witch magic can't stop this." He reached behind him and tossed bones onto the ground.
A ragged, rotting body sprang from each bone to stagger toward them. Evangeline and Babet shot bolts of energy into their chests, but they kept walking, already dead. Then Babet let her arms drop to her sides. She pursed her lips and sucked air into her mouth.
Hamza tilted his head, watching her.
Trails of energy wisped toward her. It tasted foul, almost gagging her. She sucked in more, and the undead creatures drooped. She took another gulp, and they fell. She swallowed, and they disintegrated. Babet made a face. Her stomach roiled. She'd taken all of their energy.
Hamza's lips turned down in a grimace. No mocking smile this time. He raised his staff and hammered it into the ground. A field of power rushed toward them like the blast of a nuclear explosion. Babet grabbed Evangeline's hand, and they called for power, too. The two magicks collided, and a shockwave shook the area. Trees shuddered. Waters rippled. The women were thrown backward toward the river bank. They hit so hard, Babet's head left an indentation in the muddy bank. Her teeth rattled. Her eye sockets felt sore. She tried to lift herself, but couldn't. Neither could Evangeline. The energy above them flattened out, like a chainsaw blade. It flew horizontally, cutting through anything in its path.
They sprawled in the mud for a moment, stunned. When they struggled onto their hands and knees, they crawled to the top of the bank and looked around them in surprise. Trees had been snapped off. The metal pole that held the overhead light lay broken and bent. They stood and turned slowly. Where was Hamza?
Babet felt nervous energy prickle across her palms, ready for action. They walked forward, past the altar, and gasped in unison. Hamza's upper body lay by its base. His hips and legs, near the water.
Evangeline's jaw dropped. Babet's stomach heaved. Whatever she'd swallowed when she took the undead's energy wasn't agreeing with her. She rushed to the river and vomited her stomach's contents. Black sludge sank under the water's surface to join the other dark magicks lurking there.
Staggering from the effort, Evangeline turned toward the footpath. "I want to go home."
<
br /> Babet nodded. She reached into her jeans pocket and took out her cell phone. "Prosper, it's done. Hamza's dead."
"I'll be in the car park in five minutes."
She frowned. "It's almost an hour's drive from our house."
"I'm not at our house. I'm five minutes away. Hatchet's with me. If you didn't kill the bastard, we meant to. Either that, or die trying."
Tears stung her eyes. A lump closed her throat. So like her Were and his friend. By the time she and Evangeline reached the asphalt lot, they were there, waiting.
Prosper took one look at Babet and pulled her into his arms, mud and all. "You got pretty beat-up this time around."
She nodded. Shallow cuts covered her arms and legs. Her hair had sticks and gunk in it. She felt nauseated--exhausted.
He bent to kiss the top of her head. "We'll take you home. You need some TLC."
His arm around her steadied her.
Hatchet gave her a long, thorough, up and down. "I have cleansing magicks. It looks like you might need one."
"Maybe more." Babet turned to Evangeline. "Are you all right?"
She didn't look much better than Babet, but there was a new confidence to Evangeline's stance, the crook of her eyebrow. She nodded. "I'm going home to tell my friends that we killed Hamza."
Babet and Evangeline hugged each other briefly, then the three of them walked Evangeline to her mini-van and watched her drive away.
Babet sighed. "Hamza's in half. You'll find his parts by the river dock. Binah's there, too. He sacrificed her near the water."
Hatchet reached for his cell phone and made a quick call. "A crew will clean things up. Let's get you home."
"You're not going to wait for them?"
Hatchet shook his head. "The men who work the supernatural unit have dealt with pretty much everything—part of the job. They've seen worse."
Babet let the two men take the front seats, and she sagged against the door in the back. Morgana curled at her feet. Babet shook her finger at the snake. "You were supposed to stay home."
