Jane The Nymph: The Boxed Set (The Circle Series Book 2)

by Naomi L Scudder

  At first, she didn’t think it was Gunnar. The ill-fitting, ugly trench coat the man wore was by no means the quality clothing Gunnar usually chose. But the platinum hair and hard square jaw could be no one else.

  “I’ve been waiting a long time for you to show up, Jane.” Gunnar’s polite, smooth voice irritated Jane to no end.

  “Go away, Sasquatch.” Jane tried to force her way past the giant man but stopped before she looked too stupid.

  Gunnar grabbed her arm, his huge hand encircled the entirety of her bicep. “You’re coming with me. You’re going to close the magic back up whether you like it or not.”

  Jane wrenched her arm away from him. “Oh get a grip, Gunnar. Even if I wanted to there’s not enough blood in my body to even come close.”

  Gunnar smiled at her, and slow, terrifying smile. “That’s where you’re wrong.” He opened the offensive trench coat to show Jane bags and bags of blood, all lining his jacket. “I only need the smallest bit of your blood, Jane. These will take care of the rest.”

  “Are you out of your mind?” Jane said. “What would The Garrison say if they knew about this?”

  “What do you know about The Garrison?”

  Nothing. Jane knew absolutely nothing about the tribunal of practitioners who were the law of the “magical” land, so to speak. She had no idea Gunnar and his Corporation had been reprimanded several times and were to cease all genetic research. Or, that they’d forbidden him from interfering in the day to day lives of those in The Circle.

  They’d also ordered Gunnar to release the long-trapped magic.

  Jane was unaware of all of that. She’d only overheard Theron say it while the demon had control of her body. But she didn’t let Gunnar know that.

  She’d lean on him even harder.

  “I’d bet they wouldn’t be pleased, would they. Just what do you think it would take to get them out here?” Jane leaned in slightly, putting herself in Gunnar’s personal space.

  Gunnar grabbed for Jane’s arm again, but she jerked out of the way. “Back off,” she said, and in that moment, Jane felt something she’d never felt before.

  A click, sort of. Like a lock releasing, she now had access to not just the demon’s well of power and magic, but the wherewithal to wield it, too.

  Jane’s pale green eyes went all black, reverting to their demon color.

  Gunnar took a step back.

  Before she’d fully thought it she’d conjured a protection rune from the ether. The glowing rune barriered the space between her and Gunnar, making her untouchable.

  Gunnar smiled, the same slow, frightening smile. “Who do you think you are to use my magic against me?” Gunnar’s tone, polite and quite belied the menace on his face. He reached through her beautiful, glowing rune as if it were nothing at all, and strangled it, extinguishing the magic in his fist.

  “Rune’s are my magic. Not yours, witch. Even with that thing within you enhancing your power, you could never defeat me using my own ancestral magic.” He grabbed at Jane’s arm again but she side-stepped him.

  Please, she whispered and through her hands, the demon within her conjured an alchemical transmutation circle.

  Demon magic. Alchemy at its finest.

  The strange geometric patterns coalesced between Jane and Gunnar, forming a new glowing amber barrier. “I won’t help you Gunnar. The magic belongs in the ether, whether you like it or not.”

  Jane floated above the sidewalk, putting her at eye level with the giant man. “For the last time, Gunnar. Leave me alone!”

  Shapes flash behind Jane’s black eyes and she watched them rearrange to form a new complex geometric pattern. She couldn’t read the script in the corners of the demonic alchemy spell, it wasn’t English and it flashed by too quickly. But as soon as the symbol disappeared behind her eyes it reappeared in front of her and the amber glow of the shape knocked Gunnar two blocks down her street.

  She’d conjured pure concussive force.

  Or the demon did through her.

  Jane waited on the street to make sure Gunnar didn’t come back for more. As she did the sun rose on the horizon and the purple in the sky burned away as the light touched it.

  The magic had found its homeostasis and Jane smiled at the sky.

  She watched Gunnar limp away and realized how much she’d learned about herself.

  She housed a demon.

  And she had no qualms about using its power. Not if it would help her kill the fucker who put it there.

  The Nymph's Revenge

  Naomi L Scudder

  1

  “It’s about time!” Jane reached under her skirt and tugged at her black lacy undies.

  Theron pressed her against the brick wall in the alley of the coffee shop Jane worked at. “Are you sure it’s OK?” the vampire asked as he searched the alley for onlookers. Satisfied with the lack of voyeurs, his beautiful violet eyes locked with Jane’s, “I don’t want you to get fired.”

  Jane stood on her tiptoes, lengthening every muscle so she could reach the vampire’s mouth. “Shut up and fuck me. I’m gonna be late,” she said against his lips.

  Jane’s recently brokered deal with the demon inside her was too new to test. She wasn’t going to break the deal just because she woke up late and couldn’t feed at the normal time.

  She needed the demon too much to test her limits. Jane wouldn’t jeopardize everything because she forgot to set her damn alarm.

  The Ouroboros tattoo on Jane’s arms writhed and slithered. The physical representation of the demon whose soul was bound to hers anticipated the buffet of energy Theron was about to provide.

  The vampire’s muscles bunched and flexed as he lifted Jane’s slight frame onto himself. Her undies slid off the toe of her boot, falling to the pavement as she settled herself around him and lifted the metaphysical wall separating her from the demon within her.

  Hungry, animal desire ripped through her as the demon fed off the sexual energy Theron provided. Saturated with lust she rode Theron like a wild thing until she came so hard her legs shook with the effort.

  All this in about three seconds, Theron hadn’t even moved. “More?” he asked, peering deep into Jane’s blackened eyes.

  Jane nodded, tilting her head to one side to expose the flesh of her neck. Theron needed no further invitation. He braced Jane’s shoulders against the wall and sank his teeth into her neck. His hips rocked against her teasing another orgasm from her. Jane pressed her lips together to keep herself quiet as the second release crashed over her. She writhed against him as the demon within her corralled the energy into her well of power.

  That’s what this was all about. That well held power so much greater than Jane’s own green magic. That’s why Jane was fucking in the street again.

  Jane had gotten a taste of the power the demon had after Gunnar drugged them and she was sure demonic magic was the key to Droshin’s undoing.

  So she made a deal. Jane would keep the demon fully sated with sexual energy and the demon would continue allowing Jane to access her alchemical magic.

  Simple enough. Except when you oversleep and can’t stop by your fuckbuddy’s house before your shift.

  Jane rested her head against the brick wall as the last shivers of pleasure ran their course. Her eyes cleared to their natural pale green and Theron set her back on her feet.

  “Better?”

  Jane nodded. “Thank you. I’m sorry, I forgot to set my alarm.”

  Theron waved her apology away. “It’s no bother,” he said as Jane retrieved her undies from the pavement. “Here,” he said handing Jane a new pair he’d fished from his pocket.

  Jane smiled at the unexpected, greatly appreciated gift. “How thoughtful, thank you.”

  Theron kissed the top of Jane’s head. “You’re welcome, Little One.”

  “I hate to fuck and run, but I’m about to be late for my shift.”

  “Well, you mustn’t keep the angry hordes of under-caffeinated people waiting.�
�

  Jane rolled her eyes. “Heaven forbid.”

  Theron left and Jane chucked her pavement panties in the garbage. She had a short shift today because today was special.

  It was Hunting Day.

  They day she’d kill the psychopath who’d shoved a demon in her in the first place and set the twelve other girls he kept as his personal feeding cattle free.

  It was going to be a good day.

  And it was. Even the snarkiest, pickiest customers couldn’t get under Jane’s skin. Not today.

  “Things went really smoothly,” Jane’s boss Frankie said as she emerged from the office. “I got all my paperwork done early,” she brushed her hands off. “Quarterly sale tax always take me so long, thanks for kicking me off the drink bar so I could get to them. In fact, it’s pretty quiet, you can leave early if you want, I’ll close up.”

  Jane smiled. Frankie played right into her hand. Jane worked both stations, taking orders and making drinks for most of the day, just so Frankie would let her go early.

  Frankie would have let her go if she’d asked but Jane wanted to make sure the sweet woman got her taxes sorted.

  Plus, Jane liked making sure her con skills were still sharp.

  “Thanks, Frankie. I think I will.”

  The round woman took Jane’s hand. “I know tonight is important to you but I want you to be safe. Hear me? Come back in one piece, or I’ll have no one to kick me in the ass when I need to get my taxes in order.”

  Jane looked into her boss’s eyes and squeezed her hand. “I will, Frankie.”

  Frankie knew the bones of Jane’s situation. It was more practical to let her in on Jane’s demon secret than to keep her in the dark, even if she was a non-magical practitioner.

  Jane grabbed her things from the back and walked back to her shitty studio to wait for her favorite driver to pick her up.

  “Hey, cutie, need a ride?” Xan cat-called from the limo.

  Jane smiled at her blue-haired fae friend, and got in the passenger seat.

  “Tonight’s the night, huh? How ya feeling?” asked Xandrie as they headed toward Theron’s mansion.

  “Confident,” said Jane. But as soon as she walked through Theron’s front door all of the ease and flow from her workday fell away.

  Jane was not confident.

  She was scared shitless.

  2

  “Quit pacing, you’re making me seasick.”

  Jane caught Theron’s smoldering violet gaze. “I can’t,” she said and walked the length of the great room, boots thudding on the hardwood floor. “Not until Jake gets here and we’re on our way.”

  For three months Jane had been training for this, both physically and mentally and the day was finally here. Tonight they’d release the girls Jane left behind and end the life of the vampire who’d enslaved them.

  Droshin.

  The oldest vampire on the eastern seaboard. The one who’d imprisoned Jane six years ago. The one who used The Nymph’s Curse to hold her and twelve other girls as captive feeding cattle. Blood nymphs. Food.

  That’s all they were to him.

  Jane promised each girl she’d come back. She’d looked each one in their haunted, hollow eyes and told them she’d save them. She meant it. Tonight Jane would make good on her promise.

  “Wanna go over the plan again?” Xandrie asked.

  “I know the plan, just let me worry, OK?”

  It was a big deal, and Jane had every right to pace a hole in the floor if she wanted. Tonight was the night. This was everything she’d worked toward. Jane chewed on her nail, a new habit she acquired as Hunting Day drew closer. She’d whittled them all down to the bed and now chewed at the skin around the nail.

  “You know that’s really gross, right?” Xandrie said with an exaggerated sneer. “I mean, it’s not like this is the biggest night of your life or anything. Honestly, I don’t understand why you’re so nervous.”

  Jane smiled at Xandrie’s sarcasm and shoved her hands in her pockets where she continued to fidget and pick at her cuticles.

  As she did the enormous front door opened and through it came an equally enormous man. “I’m sorry I’m late. I got held up with wolf stuff,” said Jake.

  “Jesus, Jake, what did you run here?” Xandrie fanned the air in front of her and held her nose.

  “As a matter of fact I did, Xan. Take a good whiff.” Jake smiled and waved the air in her direction.

  “Knock it off you two,” Jane said. “We don’t have time to dick around.” Jane took a breath and lowered her voice. She hadn’t meant to yell. “Did you bring the box?”

  Jake nodded and patted the backpack that was not only slung over his shoulders but also clipped around his waist. Presumably to keep it in place when he shifted into a giant silver wolf.

  “Mind if I check it?” asked Jane.

  “Have at it,” said Jake and handed Jane the backpack.

  Jane unzipped it and pulled out Jake’s ancient apothecary box. She whispered the release spell Jake had taught her and the box popped open. Inside its velvet lined and padded walls were three potions. One to summon daylight, one to summon fire, and the third in case everything went to shit and she couldn’t free the girls.

  The poison contained in the third vial was so potent curls of smoke danced inside the glass.

  If she couldn’t free the twelve remaining girls, she’d offer each one a drop of poison. They’d fall asleep, peaceful and easy. Their hearts would slow, brain function would stop and the girls would die in their sleep.

  “Are you sure about that last one?” asked Jake nodding toward the smoking vial of chartreuse liquid.

  Jane nodded. “If someone had offered this to me when I was there I would have taken it. I just hope it doesn’t come down to that.”

  Jane recast the locking spell on the box and handed it back to Jake. “Xan, do you have your pearl?”

  “It’s not a goddamn pearl, Jane. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

  Jane shrugged. “It’s how the demon knows you, ‘Xandrine Holder of the Pearl’. It’s stuck in my head like that.”

  “Are you still in the creature’s mind, Little One?” Theron asked.

  “Yup, and I don’t want to hear any of your nonsense about how it’s dangerous, OK? It’s my choice, and I need all the help I can get.”

  Theron lowered his eyes and nodded once at Jane. “As you wish, Jane.”

  Jane refocused on Xandrie. “Did you bring the pendant?”

  The blue-haired fae nodded and patted her chest. “It’s spelled to stay put. No one can take it from me as long as I’m alive.”

  Jane nodded. “And you Theron?”

  “I’ve done everything you asked of me.”

  “What about you,” Jake asked. “Did you feed it, or is it gonna come busting out and make a mess of things?”

  “I fed her.” Jane checked the Ouroboros tattoo on her upper arm anyway. It was still and unmoving. Just as it should be.

  Jane reached out with her mind to the demon within her. I’ve kept my end of the deal.

  It was close this morning, I might not-

  Jane cut her off. NO. You WILL keep you end of this deal, demon. Or I’ll have no issue starving you.

  The demon laughed in her mind. You know what happens when I get hungry, little witch.

  Don’t fuck this up, demon. You die, I die. Remember that.

  The demon’s magic was a serious power boost to Jane’s native green witch magic and she couldn’t risk the demon cutting it off. She knew when it was time to meet Droshin, it would be the demon’s magic that ended him, not her own or any of her friend’s magic, potions, or spells.

  In fact, the only reason they came with her was because Jane couldn’t convince them otherwise. She couldn’t very well tell them she had it in the bag without also telling them she’d sort of made a pact with a demon.

  Jane had the feeling they wouldn’t be too keen on that idea.

  “Let’s go,” Jane
said.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” asked Theron. He handed her the scabbard and katana he’d gifted her three months ago.

  “Thanks,” Jane said and grabbed the surprisingly easy to maneuver sword from the vamp. Not that she planned on using it, but she would keep up appearances for as long as possible.

  As hard as she and Theron trained with the sword, Jane honed her skills wielding the demon’s magic even harder. Every chance she could she saw the burning symbols and shapes behind her eyes. She rearranged them in her mind, reordering the innate structure of each alchemy circle until she understood exactly how it worked.

  It wasn’t a concrete understanding. Jane couldn’t spout off the different meanings behind each symbol or arrangement. It was more like she’d grown accustomed to the feel of each symbol and could intuit which pattern would cause which action.

  The first time she’d figured out a transmutation circle she turned her recliner into a peacock.

  A real, strutting and squawking peacock.

  She paid an uber driver to take her and the aggressive bird to the zoo where she fed them a line about rescuing it from some asshole’s yard.

  Then she bought a new chair because while Jane was certain she could figure out how to transmute the peacock back into her recliner, she didn’t feel right about giving something life, and then taking it away.

  That was the last time she’d fucked with transmutation circles.

  The foursome left Theron’s mansion and piled into his SUV.

  Xandrie drove through Warren Forest, silent and focused on the road. Jane fidgeted in the passenger seat. Theron sat statue still and Jake opened his window for Xandrie’s benefit.

  Jane’s heart ratcheted up a few notches. Memories of the last time she was in this part of the forest pushed their way in. Thorns scraping her ankles, dead branches snapping as they caught in her hair, and her toes sinking into moss and dirt.

  Jane shook her head and refocused on the road ahead.

  “There,” Jane said after twenty minutes of winding back roads through the thick, dark forest. “It’s just over that hill. Pull over and we’ll walk the rest of the way.”