by Erin R Flynn
Okay, I might need to ask someone about normal.
I woke when there was a tingle up my spine, groaning from my hangover and annoyance that there were so many problems. I made my phone appear just as the text came in with the address. It was earlier than normal, so I realized I was the only one awake. I climbed out of bed and stared at Hunt and Brax a moment.
One had betrayed me, and yet I was letting him closer to me than any man before. One I didn’t trust, and his “family” was a threat to me, and still I was allowing this farce of a potential mating candidate or whatever to continue.
Was I really that stupid? I shook my head, wondering if I was setting myself up to fail or maybe giving myself what I’d needed.
With no answers and only more questions, I made my bag appear and used my power to dress, popping over to the newest crime scene. I flinched when I heard a very clear thought from the group I came in behind, the chief of police not knowing I had arrived.
“Let’s find out, shall we?” I purred, out of patience with all of this shit.
He spun around and gave me a look of horror when he met my gaze. “What did you hear, witch?”
“What you’ve been hiding, asshole,” I seethed. I flicked my wrist and put tape over his mouth, a continuous stack of them he’d have to take off again and again. I went over to the mayor and dipped my head in respect, glad it was so early we had next to no one to go through. “Good morning, Mr. Mayor.”
“Thank you for coming, Ms. Devil,” he greeted, giving me a nervous look. “Even after the way you’ve been treated as of late.”
“We might have an ending to that situation,” I muttered, glancing pointedly at the chief of police. “Let me get through this, and then we shall see.” I didn’t wait for his answer, throwing up the barrier and setting the spell before heading to the body. I squatted down and nodded to the officer to pull back the sheet. My heart hurt as I gazed at the young woman who stared at nothing, her eyes cold, lifeless, and dead. “You poor lass. I will end this.”
I stood and got to work, glad there were so few layers of chi to pull back and match up. I glanced at the mayor, and he nodded it was because of him, not just the morning. Apparently he’d put his foot down and said if there was one more crappy, crazy crime scene with forty tons of traffic, he would start firing people.
About bloody time.
I got to the last of the chi, seeing it was the same person and not anyone there. I looked at the police chief—who was still struggling with the magical tape as if he could win—and pulled out a few images. I focused on the man and brought his cousin to the scene, freezing him when he reached for the gun on his hip.
“The chi is a match,” I told the mayor. “This is your killer.” I ignored his shocked face and went over to the police chief. “I believe it’s time you resign, as your cousin has been murdering innocent humans you swore to protect to try and smear supes, my company, and my fucking coven, and you suspected him and said nothing. So you retire or whatever and end this bullshit, or I will have my attorneys eat you for breakfast to pay for what you’ve done.”
He gave a slow nod, glancing from me to his cousin with sadness. He might hate me and supes, but this was never a line he’d wanted to go over in the fight. Well, that was the problem with hate and bigotry. It spiraled and blinded people to the point they lost themselves and in the end they lied to themselves because if they were honest, they could never look at themselves in the mirror.
“Am I leaving this in your hands, Mr. Mayor?” I asked, my tone making it clear that should be the answer, as I was tired of the crap as I ungagged the police chief.
“Yes, I will handle all of it and be in touch with your offices, Ms. Devil. Thank you for your help and patience.” He gave some orders to a few officers that he clearly trusted, and I released the cousin from my power once he was disarmed.
I gave him a hard look before swiftly nodding. “I was serious that I had faith in Chicago and we can get back on the right path, but I will not risk my coven. New York is begging us to move our coven there along with all the income we would bring. Do better by your constituents and don’t force me to make that decision.”
He apologized again, and I left feeling lighter and thinking maybe Sangria was right. I had too much older issues weighing me down and needed to get some of them gone. The situation in Chicago wasn’t just gone now that I’d found the killer.
When I got back, I undressed and crawled into bed, wanting another hour of sleep before we finished out the tribunal.
Hunt snuggled against me and then pulled me into his arms, giving a soft snore to let me know he was still sleeping. “Always come back, Soraya. Please always come back to me.”
Maybe I could? Maybe life was meant to be lived that way, that no matter what you went through, you just went back to the people who needed you, loved you, and healed you.
Maybe it was time to see if I could live that way?
The End
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To say THANK YOU for taking the few minutes to review (and all the reviews to my other books I hope you leave), here is an extra chapter delving into Soraya’s past. Go review and there will be one on the next book, hee hee. So please go review any and all of my books!
Love,
Erin
Extra Chapter
Early 1900’s, Belgium
“Tonight’s the night, sweetie,” my “boyfriend” Louis greeted me, giving me a smacking kiss as he groped me. “Tonight they’re having the party, and I’ll take you for your first recharge. Didn’t I promise you I’d come through?”
“You did,” I purred, using my magic to make him think I dropped to my knees and sucked him off. The caster was nasty, and even faking that I ever touched him made me gag. He also had not a drop of power, too lazy and dirty to bother trying to get some from celestial events or as other casters do.
Then again, it worked for me because he had no idea I used a translation spell so we could understand each other. He had no idea he’d never had sex with me and I never did all the shit he wanted as he thought. The idiot was completely clueless that I was using him to get to his buddies that threw parties now and again to “charge up” casters.
It had taken me months to get this close, as it wasn’t the only problem I was looking into, but also these guys might be low level, but they were incredibly careful. They had a whole network of contacts that only spoke to one of the group so information was cut off. Louis only talked to one guy in the group unless at a party, and I hadn’t been able to get him to make contact, as that would raise suspicion.
Of course I would have with my magic, but magic didn’t also handle the ripples from what it did, so I had to do this slowly. At first it had seemed like it was the typical caster network that slaughtered a bunch of cows or even humans for power. But they liked to show it off. This was different, and even the guy I was using didn’t know where the power came from and instead was allowed to charge up off totems if he paid.
Louis finished, and I saw what he wanted in his head next, rolling my eyes at how petty he was. He was so starved for power, not believing he should have such a low station, that it was all he cared about. I used my magic to make him think we had all the sex he wanted while I pulled more information from his tiny mind.
“Sweetie, one day you and me are gonna be living in the big houses and have everything we ever want,” he told the air next to him where he thought I was. “I’ll make an honest woman out of you, and we’ll have all the babies you want.”
“You’re so good to me,” I squealed, rolling my eyes. Yeah, right. He planned on fucking me as long as my looks held out while focusing on tricking a woman of wealth and prestige to marry him. That was what he was using his power for.
All while he thought I was stealing from men for us.
“Will you do the thing for me if I show you what I got? Please, please?” I giggled, knowing half of his bluster was that I begged and he thought himself a stud.
“Depends what you got for us?” he challenged as he moved over where he thought I was, but really it was just a pillow. “Did you let another man touch you? You didn’t whore yourself, right?”
“No, never!” I gasped, sounding hurt and upset he would ask. “I only did it that one time you told me to because you were hungry. I picked the locks at a place I found and cleaned them out.” I sniffled to sell it. “I’m no cheat. You asked me to do it that time.”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t doubt you,” he murmured. “Aw, don’t cry now. I just have to ask now and again because I love you so much. I get jealous because you’re so damn pretty.”
“Yeah, but I’m good to you,” I rasped. “Ain’t I good to you? Don’t I treat you better than any other woman? I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t love you.”
“You are the best,” he agreed. “Let me show you and do the thing.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. I love doing it to you, you know that.”
I squealed and made him think I flipped over. I rolled my eyes as he spanked the pillow over and over again, the spell making him think it was me. Then we had anal sex, which no woman had let him do before and part of how I’d snagged him into this ploy originally.
Once he was spent, I made him think I rolled over and brought a purse onto the bed. “Look what I got for us.”
He opened it right up, laughing when he saw all the gold and gems inside. In truth, I’d made them with my magic, but he didn’t need to know that. I never told anyone I could make gems and gold because I wasn’t stupid like that.
After he took about ten minutes to gloat and brag like he’d done something fantastic to earn the money, he moved onto the dinner I’d brought to meet up with him. He made a comment about it being cold, and I almost broke character and snapped as to why it was cold. He seemed to remember that on his own and said cold food was worth it to please his woman as she deserved.
Uh-huh. He meant he got what he wanted.
Finally after he ate way more than I did, being a selfish prick once again, we got ready to go to this party. It was a bit of a hike to meet up with the horse drawn cart that was taking everyone to the location. The location changed each time too, so as much as I looked into past places he’d been, there was nothing for me to track or work with that might blow getting in this way.
He made sure I got a prime seat as he bragged to the other guys that he’d landed a looker like me and blah, blah, blah.
“She does not even listen to you,” one of the guys ribbed.
“What?” I asked, glancing between him and Louis, realizing I’d lost the conversation in my boredom. I looked down at my lap and leaned into Louis. “You were so vigorous earlier I’m a bit tired. I’m sorry.”
He chuckled with pride I’d admit that to his buddies, moving his arm around me. “I forgive you. Don’t embarrass me at the party.”
“Of course not,” I answered, wanting to roll my eyes. Gross. Yes, I was worried about ruining his reputation when I had to swallow bile just to be this close to him and play the part.
Finally we made it to the cabin the party was being held at. Louis didn’t even help me out of the cart, too excited to get juiced up using what I’d given him. Another man helped me since there weren’t steps and I had to act the part. I thanked him even as he groped me, smirking like it was the payment.
Yes, because simply helping a woman without getting something for it would be ridiculous to these assholes.
The moment I joined Louis by the door, the jerk was forgotten as I felt distressed energy coming from inside.
“We don’t know her,” someone argued, making me focus.
“I cleared it,” he told the man firmly. “She’s my woman and has been for a while now.”
The man at the door focused on me, and I had to suppress a flinch at what I saw in his aura along with the darkness in his eyes. “You keep your mouth shut, or you won’t like what we do to you. If you speak a word of this, Louis won’t be able to save you from us.”
I glanced between them and nodded. “I wouldn’t have anyone to tell, and as long as no one hurts my Louis, I wouldn’t have any reason to say anything.”
“Smart,” he grumbled, waving us in. He made sure to show me the gun he wore though in warning once Louis was through the door.
I wanted to snort. Right, because that would do much against my bulletproof spell.
I followed Louis in and sat off to the side with him, playing the docile role as we waited for others and the party to start. Something irked me about the energy I felt. It wasn’t someone there, but like echoes of distressed energy. Another few minutes and finally I put it together when I caught a thought from the man who seemed to be in charge as he entered the room.
The distressed energy clung to him like the dirt to his body. He’d done something so bad, that energy was stuck to him.
And that could only happen when something horrible was done.
I threw out my hands and froze everyone there, hurrying over to the man and searching his mind. Rage filled me at what I found. They weren’t killing animals or even humans. Oh no, they were draining enchanters. Children. They were pulling energy out of enchanter children and selling the totems with it.
“You’re all bloody fucked,” I seethed, flicking my wrist and taking off the spell that cloaked me and my power as I swiped the bag of totems from him. I made a totem appear and drained the caster, quickly moving around the room to do the same to several more. I left Louis for last, pulling back my power and smirking at him.
“How?” he whispered, his gaze darting around the room. “You’re just some whore I found in the gutter.”
I snorted. “I’m the Enchantress, darling. I’ve been tricking you from the moment we met. And for the record, you never touched me. It was all my magic.” I rolled my eyes as rage filled his aura. “Yes, that you get mad at. Give my love to Hades, and enjoy your stay there.” I made another totem appear and drained him.
Once they were all dead, I set fire to the cabin and popped over to the place I’d seen in the man’s head… And into one of my worst nightmares.
Tears filled my eyes as I found five dead enchanter children, drained of their magic and already passing. Several who were alive were crowded in the corner in fear, but one was crying over a body, completely oblivious to my arrival.
“The men who did this to you are dead, and you are safe now,” I promised the children. I went over to the boy and squatted down next to him, trying to not drown in his grief and pain. “I’m so, so sorry I did not get here sooner.”
He wiped his eyes and looked at me. “Can you bring my sister back?”
“No, I’m sorry, I cannot,” I rasped, my heart aching that I would fail this poor boy twice. “But I will keep you safe. I will protect all of you no matter what, and I have punished the men who did this.”
“And our mother?” he asked, glancing from me to the door.
I did a double take, my eyes going wide when I realized what I had been missing and how the casters had gotten so many enchanter children.
They were breeding them.
“She will receive her punishment as well,” I promised.
“Good,” he whispered, looking back at the girl younger than him. “It was supposed to be my turn. I tried to get them to take me instead, but they planned to sell me to vampires, and the price was higher for someone older and stronger. They wouldn’t take me instead.”
“It is not your fault,” I told him gently, using my magic to clean him and the others up, as I couldn’t stand it anymore. I waited until he looked at me. “The guilt is not yours, but mine. Blame me. Blame them and your mother, but never yourself. You are but a child and did all you could. The rest is on the adults. Hate me, not yourself.”
He gave a slow nod. “Would
you have come sooner if you had known of this or how to?”
“Yes.”
“Then I cannot hate you. I cannot hate myself either because my sister would be angry at me for that.” He looked at me again. “Is she safe at least?”
His eyes begged me for answers, so I did what I never did and took off the charm that protected me from souls and those departed. I looked around and saw none. “She has passed to the other side if none are here so soon after death. Children could never be sent to Hades, so she is in the afterlife with your ancestors who will take care of her.”
“Good, that sounds nice,” he muttered. “What happens now?”
“Now I punish your mother, and then I will bring you someplace safe and we will put to rest your sister and the others as enchanters.”
He gave me a confused look. “I do not know what that means.”
“I will show you,” I promised. “It’s beautiful. You will see that those who die are not troubled by death but only us who are left behind.” I waited until he nodded. “What is your name?”
“Thomas,” he whispered, touching his sister’s hair. “She called me Tommy.”
“Tommy, my name is Soraya. I’m the Enchantress, and I’ll take care of you from now on, but right now I need you to keep the others over there while I go do adult things.”
He nodded, getting to his feet and wobbling a bit from malnutrition. “Will she be in pain?”
“I will not torture her, no, but believe me, she will suffer for all eternity with what waits for her.”
He looked at the door again, anger filling his eyes. “Good.” Then he went over to the others and told them they were going to be okay.
I went to the door and found five enchantresses lying in beds, high on opium or whatever the men were giving them. Luckily none were pregnant at the moment because in my rage I was having trouble not killing them all instantly, but at least I kept my head to make sure. Moving to the first, I saw in her garbled and drugged mind that they had been paying enchanters on the run to impregnate these women, knowing what happened to the children.
