Of Shadows and Ash

by Dana Marie Bell

  Gideon came back in the door, carrying Selena’s groceries. He must have heard what they were talking about, because he quickly explained to a confused looking Ash what would have to happen. “We’ll have to burn the house down and keep anyone else from building here, then purify it every time the activity starts up again. And it still might give us problems if it’s strong enough to move to another home in the area. We have to contain it as much as possible, no matter if it’s attached to Selena or the land.”

  “We can banish it if it’s attached to me.” There were rituals, religious rites that demons just couldn’t stomach. It would depart if those rites were performed by a strong enough witch or priest.

  “Let’s do some research. I think there might be a way to contain it if it is attached to the land.” Gideon set the bags on the counter top in her kitchen. “We can trap it in an object, then place that object somewhere safe and sanctified.”

  “Like a dybbuk box?” Selena had heard of such things, but she’d never attempted something so bold herself. Usually she battled spirits on the spirit plane, but without her powers that was impossible.

  “Exactly.” Gideon looked pleased that she knew what he was talking about.

  “What the fuck is a dybbuk box?” Ash settled next to her on the sofa but wouldn’t let her hands go.

  “A dybbuk is a Jewish term for a demon, a spirit trying to escape punishment for its crimes.” Selena briefly thought about trying to free her hands, but she was calming down just from his touch so she let him continue to hold her. “It finds a resting place within a host, causing that host to behave in bizarre, often hostile ways. The host will speak languages he or she doesn’t know, will lash out at those around them and will exhibit odd behaviors and convulsions.”

  “If it is a dybbuk, it will eventually leave on its own after accomplishing some task with the aid of the host. If it’s a demon, however, its task is to corrupt or devour the soul of the host, often leading toward the host’s death.” Gideon settled on her ottoman. “Either way, whether it’s a kind of dybbuk or a demon, the creature strikes at someone who is weakened in some fashion.”

  “Like I was after my capture.” Selena shivered.

  Ash nodded. “So it would be like taking Terri’s ashes and putting them in separate jars so she couldn’t reform.”

  “Not quite, but close. Terri was a physical entity. This is a spirit. We can’t burn it and put it in Mason jars.” Selena shrugged. “We can, however, do something that’s close enough.”

  “The only problem being that if someone found the dybbuk box and opened it, it would release the spirit back into the world.” Gideon shuddered. “That would be...bad.”

  “So how do we trap it?” Ash’s hands tightened around hers, almost to the point of pain.

  “We research what we’re up against, for starters. Once we determine what kind of demon we’re dealing with we’ll have a better understanding of what the best method for trapping it will be.” Selena stared at Gideon. From his expression, he knew what she was about to suggest and wasn’t any happier about it than she was. “We have to set up a séance and speak with it.”

  “Fuck no.” Ash stood with a scowl. “That could bring it closer, bind it tighter to you.”

  “And it might be the only way to discover what we need to know in order to defeat it.” Gideon stood toe to toe with Ash. “I don’t like this any more than you do. Selena is ours, our witch doctor, and I protect my own with every breath I have. But sometimes the cure is worse than the disease, and in order to save her life we’ll have to risk it.”

  Every plant in the yard began to lash out as Ash snarled. His silver sword appeared in his hand, the point resting at Gideon’s throat. “We are not risking my mate.”

  “Do you want this to end? Do you want Selena to heal?” Gideon didn’t move, but neither did he back down. “Because we can either allow this to run its course and pray she survives, or we can fight. Your choice.”

  Selena held up her hand. “I call bullshit.”

  Both men turned to her with a frown.

  “It’s my choice, not his.” She stood, putting her hands on her hips. Ash might be her mate, but that didn’t make him the boss of her. “And I say we set up the séance with as many safeguards as we can muster. We bring in Greg and Brian, we make sure Parker and Amara are here, and Dragos and Mina. Hell, call in Noah. Maybe he’ll sniff something we don’t. Set it up for this weekend, so no one has to miss work.”

  “Agreed.” Gideon backed away from the tip of the silver sword. “I’ll have some of the witches patrol outside during the séance. They might catch a glimpse of what we’re combating, or sense something we miss.”

  “Good idea.” Selena kept her gaze on Gideon, aware Ash had dismissed his sword.

  That didn’t mean the man was happy about their decision, however. He was scowling at them both and muttering under his breath.

  “We also need to figure out if what they injected me with is what’s disrupting my powers.” Selena laid bare her worst fear. “They injected me with gunk while I was there. I’m scared that might have something to do with it, that it might have been demon blood.” To get demon blood, you had to have someone who was either so possessed their blood no longer counted as human, or have somehow gotten to the spirit world to collect a vial. Such a thing required a massive magical ritual that included a human sacrifice.

  “If that’s so, we’ll figure out how to reverse the effects. If it’s the demon, banishing it should restore your powers.”

  Gods, she hoped so. It was getting old not being able to use her gifts. Already the urge to help people was becoming overwhelming. “Then let’s get this done so I can get on with my life.”

  “Our life.” Ash pulled her against him, his hand warm on her hip.

  She nodded. “Our life.”

  Ash looked far too smug at her agreement, but what could she do? He was right. Her life was changing, and part of that change, a large part, was him.

  “I want protections around Selena until the demon is dealt with.” Ash’s gaze challenged Gideon to argue with him.

  “I agree.” Gideon held out his hand. “Believe me, I want Selena well almost as much as you do. I’m not doing any of this lightly. We all want our witch doctor back, and not just because of what she is. She’s precious to us too.”

  Ash sized Gideon up for a moment before slowly taking his hand. “If she dies, the coven will be looking for a new leader.”

  Selena jabbed her elbow into Ash’s side as hard as she could.

  Ash barely winced.

  Gideon smiled. “You can try, dryad. But I promise I’m harder to kill than you think.”

  “You’d be surprised, witch.” Ash’s smile was brutal. “You won’t see us coming.”

  Gideon’s brows rose. “Us?”

  Ash shrugged. “Just make sure Selena is safe, and we’ll have no problems.”

  “I’ll do my best.” Gideon hugged Selena, ignoring Ash’s scowl. “Take care, Selena. If anything else happens, call me.”

  “Thanks, Gideon.” She hugged Gideon back, then stepped once more into Ash’s embrace. “And don’t worry about anything. The big lug will look after me.”

  “Damn straight.” Ash hugged her tight. “Nothing will happen to her while I’m here.”

  Ash couldn’t promise that, but if it made him feel better Selena wouldn’t call him on it.

  She walked Gideon to the door, closing it behind him. Without turning, she spoke. “You have to trust me that this is the best way to handle my problem, Ash.”

  Ash’s answer was a grunt, but he followed her into the kitchen without complaint. She would take that for a victory, and pray that things would get fixed quickly. She didn’t think either one of them could take much more than they already had.

  * * *

  Ash put the last of the groceries away, watching the way Selena still shook as she helped him. There was little he could do to ease his mate’s mind, and it was driving hi
m insane.

  “I’m going to call Greer over.” It was killing him that she was terrified. “I think he can help.”

  Selena smiled weakly. “Thanks, Ash.”

  “For what?” He couldn’t stand it any longer. He pulled her into his arms, holding tight when she put her head on his chest.

  “For being here. For not letting me push you away.”

  Never. “You needed time to get over Dragos.” And hadn’t that chapped his ass? His queen’s mate had been his mate’s crush. But there’d been nothing he could do about it but let her work it out on her own. It had tried his patience something fierce, but he’d managed it, and now he was reaping the rewards. She was trusting him, allowing him in, giving him access to that bold heart of hers.

  She went stiff. “You knew?”

  “Of course. I saw how you watched him, how Kate’s presence hurt you. Then he mated Mina, and was forever out of your reach.” He’d hurt for her, but was thrilled that Dragos had mated someone. It had forced Selena to get over her feelings for the half dragon, half vampire mayor.

  Now she was ready for Ash to stake his claim, or so he hoped. The fact that she hadn’t pushed him away recently gave him hope that their mating stood a chance.

  “Shit. Well, that’s embarrassing.” Selena sighed. “You know I really am over him, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “And I adore Mina.”

  He nodded. “Of course.”

  “I’m happy for both of them. They’re perfect for each other.”

  “Yes, they are.” Just like Ash and Selena were perfect for one another.

  “Does Mina know?” Her voice was small, almost too soft to hear.

  “Not that I’m aware of, and I don’t plan on telling her either.” Mina could be fierce when it came to Dragos. Telling her that Selena had once had feelings for her mate would make her very snarly, something Ash wouldn’t tolerate against his mate. “It’s not like either one of us is coming to this mating a virgin, Selena. We’ve both had other partners.”

  “First off, I never slept with Dragos.” She glared up at him. “Second, so not the time to mention that.”

  That little spark of jealousy had him rock hard. It gave him hope that she’d accept what was happening between them sooner than he’d thought. “I thought it was the perfect time.” He chuckled as she punched his arm. “I’m just saying we’ve both had feelings for other people. I’m not going to hold Dragos against you, Selena, any more than you’d really hold someone else against me. You cared for him before we met, and you got over it afterward.”

  “You’re more understanding than I gave you credit for.” Selena put her forehead against his chest once more.

  “Did you think I was going to rush out and challenge my rival to a duel?” Not that he hadn’t thought about it. Briefly. But Mina’s mating with Dragos had quickly killed any such ideas.

  “Pfft. Sorry, Captain Planet. I think Dragos would win that fight.”

  “You might be surprised, little witch. I have a few surprises up my sleeves.”

  “Got any ghost-be-gone hidden up there?”

  “I wish I did.” He stroked her hair back from the side of her face. As much as he missed the long hair, the quirky style she’d had it cut into was growing on him. Tough yet fun, it suited his little witch to a T.

  She snuggled against him, her brows furrowed. “Tell me it’s going to be all right.”

  Most women would have sounded frightened. Not his Selena. Oh, no. What should have been a request sounded more like a demand. He smiled at the familiar tone. She was doing better than he’d thought if she was already making demands. “It’s going to be all right.”

  She grunted. “You don’t really believe that.”

  “Neither do you. But I can say it will get better, especially if Gideon’s ideas work.”

  “If we manage to contain it there’s always the possibility it will break free. Most...entities like this one are very difficult to keep locked up.” He could hear the frown in her tone. She was working the problem, that quick mind going over everything that had happened since the moment she came home from the Van Helsing compound. “And if it’s tied to the land, that’s where it will return if it frees itself. If you moved the dirt, dug a deep hole, whatever, it will stay in that spot, returning to it over and over again.”

  Selena had been this way from the moment he met her. He could picture her as a child, analyzing magical tomes and algebra problems with the same focused concentration. He wondered if their child would have her focus, her drive, or his need to defend those weaker than him. If their son or daughter had the best of both of them, they’d be an unstoppable force for Maggie’s Grove.

  “We’ll deal with that if it happens.” He ran his hands up and down her back, hoping to soothe her. “No matter what, you’re not alone anymore.”

  She jerked as if she’d thought of moving away from him. As if he’d allow that. “If it’s inside me you need to go.”

  He put her at arm’s length. “First of all, stop trying to make me jealous.”

  She choked on a laugh.

  “Secondly, let’s get one thing straight.” He narrowed his gaze, aware of how she was going to react and not really giving a damn. She was crazy if she thought he was going anywhere. “I’ll leave you alone when hell freezes over.”

  She scowled up at him. “I won’t have you getting hurt, Ash.”

  How adorable. She was trying to protect him, the one tasked with protecting everyone else.

  Apparently, laughing was the wrong answer, because she slugged him in the stomach. “I’m not kidding, Ashton.”

  Uh-oh. She was using his full name.

  “Right now I can’t heal you if you get hurt. If I tried I could do more harm than good.” Her scowl became impossibly ferocious. “You hear me, Ashton? No getting hurt.”

  “Stop it.” He shook her gently, wanting to get his point across but refusing to harm her. “There are only two things that will get me out of this house and away from you. The first is if you move to the Throne with me, in which case I won’t be away from you.” That was the scenario he hoped for, that they’d be able to confirm that it was the house that was the problem, not her. “The second is if we burn this house to the ground and you move to the Throne with me, in which case, well, you know the answer.”

  She blinked, her lips twitching as she fought a smile. “What makes you think I’ll move to your place?”

  “Because I’m a dryad, and I can’t be separated from my tree forever.” Hell, after about a week he would begin to feel the need to at least visit it, touch it and reestablish his bond with his ash. After a month it would become unbearable. It would slowly transmute to physical and psychic agony until both he and his tree began to die a slow, torturous death. It was the price that all dryads paid to be one with the land.

  Selena bit her lip. “I love my house, Ash. I’ve had it since forever. It was my parents’ home, the one I grew up in. It’s mine.”

  “I know, sweetheart.” He couldn’t imagine being forced to leave his home. A dryad’s tree couldn’t be moved without causing damage to both the tree and its dryad unless both were extremely young. A sapling could be replanted with greater success than a full grown tree. Besides, as a ruling dryad, Ash’s tree needed to remain in the Throne, granting strength and protection to the other dryads of Maggie’s Grove. “We can move as much of your stuff to my place as you like. We can establish a place for you to worship, either in our home or outside it. I’ll do whatever you need me to do in order to ensure that you feel my home is yours as well, but you know as well as I do I can’t live outside the Throne.”

  She studied him, obviously considering everything he said. “Will you let me bring my white and red furniture?”

  Since Ash sort of liked it, he had no objections to her bringing her sofa, chair and ottoman. “Can I keep my recliner?”

  She chuckled. “It depends. Have you slept naked in it, or eaten potato chips in it?”


  He sighed dramatically. “Damn. Never mind then.”

  She actually giggled. He didn’t think he’d heard her do that before. The sound enchanted him. He tugged her close again. “It’s going to happen sooner or later.” Sooner, if he had anything to say about it. “You’re going to be mine.”

  She sobered immediately, that stubborn, protective streak of hers coming to the fore. “Not until the demon is gone, Ash. I won’t have it in the Throne. Especially with Iva healing there. We don’t know what would happen if it affected her. She’s too weak to fight back.” She fingered a lock of his hair. “Trust me. Please. I know what I’m doing.” She grinned cheekily. “After all, I am the witch doctor.”

  He grimaced. He’d let it go, for now. She’d eventually give in...or he’d kidnap her. He was flexible. “How can I argue with that?”

  “You don’t.” She caressed his cheek, her expression affectionate. “Ash. What you feel for me? I’m not quite there yet.”

  It hurt to hear her say that. They’d known each other for months now. He’d hoped she’d at least begun to feel warmth toward him. She’d accepted kisses from him, worked with him to save their town. She couldn’t have faked the way she looked at him.

  She smiled as if she could hear what he was thinking and thought he was being silly. “But I’m getting there. You being here, helping me, trying to protect me?” Her smile became so sweet it turned him inside out. “It means something.”

  That she’d admit that said a lot. Selena rarely let her guard down, but she’d been doing so more and more around him. “I would do anything I have to in order to keep you safe.”

  That earned him another frown. “You shouldn’t have to.”

  He growled. “Bullshit. You’re my mate, and you know exactly what that means.”

  She nodded. “Which is why I won’t move in with you until I feel the same way you do. You, of all people, deserve that.”

  Fuck.

  Fuckity-fuck.

  He pouted, hoping it didn’t look as real as it felt. “I don’t like you anymore.” Damn it. Why did she have to go and make sense, when all he wanted to do was tear her clothes off and claim her?