Curses, Fates & Soul Mates

by et al Kristie Cook

  I used an extra piece of glass to rip the pillowcases, wrapping the resulting fabric around the outside of the spelled glass shards.

  NeeCee jumped up. “The blinds! We can use the cords from the window blinds to tie them around our necks.”

  I smiled. “That’s my girl.”

  NeeCee tried giving me a stern look but ended up laughing instead.

  I grinned wider as she cut down the blind cord before handing me a good piece of it. “It’s nice to feel empowered, isn’t it?” I asked.

  Neither one of us said anything as we knotted a piece of cord around the fabric-wrapped glass, and then used the remaining cord to fasten it around our necks.

  Our eyes met.

  “Blessed be,” we whispered simultaneously.

  As soon as I dropped the glass to my shirt, I felt the difference. My head was suddenly lighter. Empty.

  NeeCee laughed again. “It worked, Monroe. I still feel the Demon, but he’s not inside any more!”

  I grinned. “As long as you have my power, you’ll feel him, but you’re right, he’s not possessing us now.”

  She sat down, her hands coming to mine, her eyes turning serious. “We’re it, Monroe. We’re this generation’s sacrifice.”

  My eyes searched hers. “Yes ... yes, we are. But we’re also the first generation of Ayers that didn’t call to Lilith.” I gripped her hands. “And even if she was summoned by the Hunter, we can fight this. We both don’t have to die.”

  The tone of my voice was obvious, and Bernice’s eyes widened. “What are you saying, Monroe?”

  I leaned forward. “I’m saying that if Lilith’s sacrifices must be met, there is still a Hunter-cursed Ayers who could die in your place.”

  NeeCee gasped. “Monroe! You wouldn’t!”

  “I won’t,” I agreed. “I won’t if I don’t have to.”

  “Monroe,” NeeCee whispered.

  I shook my head. “No, NeeCee. I won’t make any promises. I’d do anything for my family. You are family.”

  NeeCee sat up, her head falling to her chin.

  “I love you, Roe,” she said.

  I grinned. “Right back at ya!”

  There was a knock at the door, and I dropped NeeCee’s hands, my back straight as I turned to face it.

  NeeCee gasped. “It’s a Demon. The shock is not as strong with the amulet, but it’s still a Demon.”

  I scowled. “I figured it wouldn’t take Luther long once we kicked him out of our heads.” I stood. “Not now, Luther!” I called out.

  NeeCee stood next to me, a frown on her face.

  “Monroe,” she whispered. “Something’s wrong.”

  I stiffened, my eyes on the door.

  “Don’t tell me what I think you’re going to tell me, NeeCee.”

  A small sob escaped her, and I knew she’d been overcome with fear.

  I moved in front of her. “NeeCee ...”

  She sobbed again. “I don’t think it’s Luther,” she whispered.

  The knock came again.

  I stepped forward, my hand going to the amulet, my eyes narrowed, my lips moving quietly. The protection spell was a simple one, and it calmed Bernice as it wrapped around us, but if it was who I thought it was, it wasn’t going to do a damn bit of good.

  NeeCee’s hand went to my sweatshirt, her fingers clenching the fabric just as the door suddenly swung open.

  NeeCee screamed.

  CHAPTER 20

  I stood at the railing facing the river today, and when I was sure the coast was clear, I climbed on top of it. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing in the world to do, but I needed a closer connection to the Goddess than I could get from the ground. It was like flying. The wind was strong, so I stood carefully, without moving until I felt confident enough to close my eyes, but when my lids finally fluttered closed, I was flying. I was part of the wind, part of the air. I’m not an elemental witch, so I know I don’t have a particular talent for an individual element, but water is reassuring right now. With all of the dreams I’m having of fire, water is keeping me sane.

  ~Monroe’s Totally Wicked Book of Shadows~

  The woman on the other side of the door wasn’t Maggie anymore. It was a wild shell of a woman, her blonde-braided hair tangled and sticking up haphazardly around her head. Her skin looked sickly, almost yellow, and the grin on her face was manipulated, her lips way too wide to be real. Her eyes were blood red.

  NeeCee was still screaming, the shriek broken intermittently by sobs, and I reached behind me to grab her hand. She calmed but barely.

  “Miss me?” Lilith’s voice asked.

  NeeCee hiccupped.

  I stayed in front of Bernice. “What do you want, Demon?” I asked.

  Maggie’s body moved into the room, her movements graceful. The elegance was odd when mixed with the Hunter’s appearance.

  “Let’s see,” Lilith said. “Your family owes me, and I’m long past due getting paid.”

  She was close enough now, I could make out Maggie’s pupils. The visionary in me reared its ugly head, and I saw past the Demon now occupying Maggie’s body to the woman beneath. Below all of the red, there was regret and fear in her eyes. I might not like Maggie very much right now, but I couldn’t hate her. She had been a Hunter-cursed Ayers, and she’d done the only thing she knew to survive. Join the ranks of the people sent to kill her. It was a choice she should never have had to make.

  “Where are the others?” I asked.

  It wasn’t humanly possible for Maggie’s grin to get any wider, but it did. “I’m Lilith, Witch. They were fools to think they could overcome me. And now the fun part ...” she gestured at the bedroom window. “Tonight, in the Salem Woods, you will sacrifice them all. Every last one of them, except the captured Hunters. They are gone. I let them go and sent them away.”

  I froze, and Lilith laughed. “That’s right. You think that petty little amulet will keep me from you, Monroe, but you’re wrong. I created you. I created your magic, your tie to Demons, and I will have your soul. The rest is simply an added bonus. The amulet can protect you from all Demons but me. I know you know I’m right. Your family has shed blood for me, Monroe. It’s my power, your connection to me, that makes your little amulet work in the first place.”

  Maggie snapped her fingers.

  “But first,” Lilith’s voice said. “Let’s fix one pesky little problem.”

  Maggie’s hand lifted, and I almost went down on my knees. NeeCee gasped.

  “Monroe!” NeeCee called out.

  I couldn’t answer her. The electricity that suddenly lit up my body was too much, and I stumbled. Bernice caught me, her presence at my back keeping me on my feet, steady.

  “I’ve got you,” NeeCee said, the determination in her voice obvious. When it came to family, she did have courage.

  The electric tingles died down, but they didn’t go away. My magic was back, and NeeCee’s powers were gone. Somehow Lilith had reversed the power swap spell.

  I clung even harder to the amulet, one finger slipping beneath the fabric I’d wrapped around the glass. It pierced my skin, and I chanted what I’d made Bernice chant before. Lilith said the amulet wouldn’t work against her, but I could still hold out hope.

  Maggie stepped toward us, her body wavering as it neared mine.

  “I’ll be going now,” Lilith said. “But be ready, Witch. Tonight I come for you, and there will be no way to stop it. Tell my son this is a war even he can’t win. Thorns are only good if they come attached to a rose.”

  And with that, Maggie’s body went limp, falling flat on her face at my feet. NeeCee screamed again.

  I leaned down, my hand going to Maggie’s pulse.

  “Is she dead?” Bernice asked.

  I closed my eyes, my heart heavy. I felt nothing in Maggie’s wrist. Lilith had taken away any chance I had at saving Bernice. I’m not sure I could have actually brought myself to take someone’s life, but it had still been an option. Now, Lilith had taken Maggie�
�s spirit and left Bernice and I the only two Ayers witches left to meet her due.

  I looked up at Bernice. “She’s gone.”

  NeeCee sobbed.

  I stood and took her hand. “Come on, NeeCee. Stay strong. We need to find out what happened to the others.”

  She nodded, and we raced out of the bedroom, our feet thundering on the stairwell. I heard the clock before I saw the parlor. Tick, tick, tick.

  I slowed as the edge of the pool table came into view.

  “Belle,” NeeCee whisper-yelled, and I shushed her.

  “It won’t matter,” a voice said from behind us. “They won’t hear you.”

  NeeCee shrieked, and I inhaled sharply, my panic controlled simply by the fact that I knew the voice. I’d know it anywhere.

  I turned. “What happened?”

  Luther pushed away from the wall he was leaning against, his eyes red as he moved toward us.

  “I see you figured out a way to make an amulet even before your powers were returned,” he said.

  I stared at him. “What happened?” I repeated.

  Luther looked over my head. “I underestimated her,” he said simply. “My mother has gotten stronger since I faced her last. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  I reached out and fisted my hand in Luther’s shirt. His eyes moved down to mine.

  “Where are they?” I asked.

  “Taken,” Luther answered.

  I think I would have sagged if I hadn’t been holding on to Luther’s shirt.

  “Lilith came to us,” I said quietly. “In Maggie’s body. She said ... she said I’m supposed to sacrifice them all tonight.”

  Luther didn’t speak, and I went on my toes, my face as close to his as I could get.

  “Be honest with me, Demon. Can she posses me? Even with the amulet, can she possess me and make me kill?”

  Luther’s eyes met mine. “Yes.”

  I sagged, my eyes going back to the parlor. It was cold inside the house now, and I could hear the wind as it came through the broken window beyond. Sunlight glinted on scattered glass, and the pages of an open book fluttered as the breeze caught it.

  My eyes widened. “The grimoire!”

  I released Luther and moved toward the book. I didn’t have to look to know he followed.

  “I’m an Ayers,” I said as I knelt, my hands going to the book that had been in our family for centuries. “In the beginning, we were strong witches with our destinies our own.” I picked up the grimoire. “I won’t be ruled.”

  Luther’s hand found my shoulder. “Good,” he said, kneeling just enough to grasp me by the waist. He helped me up. “Then be bad for once, Monroe.” My gaze met his, and he leaned forward. “You can’t be good and win a battle with Lilith.”

  My face was entirely too close to his. “You aren’t good, and it looks like she beat you.”

  I could see Luther’s bicep tighten, and I knew he was fisting his hand.

  “No one is infallible, Monroe. The she-Demon gave birth to me. In the long run, she created me. It doesn’t mean she’s indestructible, but she can damn sure surprise me. Point one for her. It’s all I’m willing to let her have.”

  I searched his eyes. “And so you plan to defeat her?” I asked. “What does that mean for me and Bernice?”

  Luther’s hand tightened on my waist. “You were right when you told me I’m not like my brother. I’m not anything like Marcas. I have no plans to usurp my way into power, and I have no desire to be anything other than the Demon I was born to be.”

  I was confused. “Then you don’t plan to fight her?” I asked.

  Luther laughed. “Oh no, I most definitely plan to fight her. For one, I hate to lose.”

  “For one?” I whispered.

  Luther grinned. “And for the other, I happen to like you.”

  My eyes narrowed. “And that means something to a Demon who claims he isn’t good.”

  “Of course it does,” another voice cut in.

  My head shot up. Lucas. Of course! If anyone could avoid Lilith’s clutches, it would be him. The fallen Angel was near the stairwell, his hand on the banister. He looked tired, if that were even possible. Whatever had happened downstairs, Lucas and Luther had put up one Hell of a fight.

  My eyes met Lucas’. “And how does liking me mean anything?” I asked.

  Lucas’ gaze went from mine to Luther’s. “Because passion, Monroe, can mean as much to a Demon as hate.”

  My eyes shot back to Luther’s. The Demon leaned close and winked. “Don’t get too close, Witch. I burn.”

  CHAPTER 21

  I dream, and I am consumed by fire.

  ~Monroe’s Totally Wicked Book of Shadows~

  It was two p.m., and Luther had left. Where he went was beyond me, and I showered and changed for the second time that day before returning downstairs with the grimoire under my arm, my body stiff from small cuts. I’d only looked at my face once in the bathroom mirror and immediately looked away. It had been as peppered with small cuts as my arms.

  In a fresh, plain black sweatshirt and another pair of jeans, I met Bernice at the bottom of the stairs, her own clothes fresh and her hair damp. I was out of clothes. Another day here, and I’d need to borrow Henry’s washer and dryer.

  Lucas was standing near the grandfather clock, his eyes on the stairs, on us.

  My gaze met his. “What happened after Bernice and I went upstairs earlier?” I asked.

  I expected more of a straight answer from Lucas than I did Luther. The fallen Angel walked toward me, his face unreadable. He really was handsome.

  “Lilith faced off against Luther. It was quite a fight. A lot of power passed between them. I did what I could, but even together, it wasn’t enough. Funny thing is, Lilith used Maggie’s body. Defeating her should have been easy. When a Demon fights through possession, their power should be weaker.”

  I stared at him. “You forget something, Lucas,” I said. “Maggie was a witch. She had her own powers, and if Maggie had summoned the Demon, then Lilith would have had access to both the witch’s powers and her own.”

  Bernice snorted. “I think witches are highly underestimated.”

  I agreed.

  Lucas looked away. “Even so, Luther and I should have held her back.”

  Lucas stepped away from us, moving silently down the hallway, and Bernice and I followed.

  “You think she’s hiding something?” I asked.

  Lucas stopped inside of a large kitchen with stainless steel appliances and brick accents. A large wine rack sat against the wall, and copper pots hung over a stone island with wrought-iron, padded bar stools.

  “Lilith managed to overcome both Luther and I together,” Lucas said, turning to face me, one hand against the kitchen island. NeeCee moved to one of the bar stools. “She overcame both of us. That takes a lot of power. And then she took Belle and Henry hostage only to claim they are sacrifices for you. Yes, I think she’s hiding something, and I don’t like it.”

  Lucas looked at the refrigerator. “You should eat. Both of you.”

  I grew green at the gills just thinking about food, but Lucas was right. It wouldn’t do for us to get weak now. I laid the grimoire on the bar before moving to the fridge. I couldn’t shake Lilith’s words from the bedroom earlier out of my head. Tell my son this is a war even he can’t win. Thorns are only good if they come attached to a rose.

  “Thorns are only good if they come attached to a rose,” I whispered as I located some cold cut meats and cheese while NeeCee searched the kitchen for bread.

  “Did you say something?” NeeCee asked.

  She’d found the bread and had placed a few slices on two plates she’d pulled from the cabinet.

  I shook my head. “No, it’s nothing.”

  We ate in silence after that, my eyes going to Lucas where he stood now at a small kitchen window, his hands behind his back. She’s hiding something, he’d said. I wasn’t sure there was much for Lilith to hide. She owned the
Ayers. We’d shed blood for her. Was it Lilith hiding something or Luther?

  Lucas turned suddenly, his eyes going to mine. “You should rest now,” he said.

  I gaped at him. “Rest? Are we really supposed to wait for Lilith to come and take me away?”

  Lucas didn’t move. “Until we know what she has in mind, there is nothing else we can do.”

  I stared at him a moment, my gaze full of disbelief, before I finally picked up the grimoire and nodded at Bernice. She slid off of her bar stool and moved out of the room. I wasn’t far behind her. At the kitchen’s entrance, I stopped.

  “Are we waiting now because that’s what Luther wants?” I asked. Lucas didn’t answer, and I looked over my shoulder. “It is, isn’t it? I thought once that you hated him. Why do you follow him now?”

  Lucas sighed before running a hand through his hair, his eyes closing a moment before they met mine again.

  “Honestly?” he asked. “Because this war with Lilith and her children has been long past due. Luther may have his flaws, but I’ve learned something about the Craig brothers over the past couple of human years.” I held my breath as Lucas took a step forward, his eyes hard. “They have a really skewered sense of justice, but it’s there all the same. The only ones who can truly defeat Lilith are her own children. Luther has always been most like her both in personality and in power. Your family made the ultimate mistake, Witch. They called on Lilith. I’m not sure you truly understand what that means.”

  My arms tightened on the grimoire. “And what does it mean, then?” I asked.

  Lucas’ eyes were sad. “Your family called on a Demon. It forfeited any right to protection you have from Heaven.” His gaze moved from NeeCee to me. “And in this generation, Maggie called on Lilith. You and Bernice belong to the she-Demon now. You are, by right, the sacrifice Lilith claims for the protection she believes she has gifted your family all of these years.”

  “What are you saying?” I whispered.

  Lucas was in front of me now, his blue eyes locked on mine. “Your family sold a soul to Lilith by summoning her. Whatever soul she pleases. It means that by helping you, all of us are breaking the rules. It means that right now, as much as we all hate to admit it, Luther is your best chance.”