Demon's Dance

by Keri Arthur

  And I wouldn’t like to bet our lives on the secondary line of defense Belle and I had created....

  “Right, then.” Monty flexed his fingers. “Keep everything crossed that this works, people.”

  He took a deep breath, and then magically reached through our containment spell and picked up the closing thread of his. After gently unpicking it, he exposed the main part of the spell and carefully began to weave additional threads through his network of magic. But these new threads weren’t strengthening the current ones; instead, they were constricting them. He was not only drawing the spell back in on itself, but also on the soucouyant. Her fire twisted and bubbled, a storm of unhappy energy that just wanted to kill.

  Monty’s spell continued to contract. Sweat poured down his face and dampened his shirt, but inch by hard-fought inch, the soucouyant was being contained in an ever-decreasing net of power. Smaller and smaller it got, until what hovered above the ashy remains of the old hut was a churning, furious conflagration of heat and fury that was little more than the size of a basketball.

  Monty dropped to his knees, his breathing a harsh rasp and his skin almost gray. “Liz, can you wrap a secondary layer around mine? And if you can entwine the wild magic around the spell as well, all the better.”

  “I’ll try.”

  I closed my eyes and imagined a cage of wild magic encasing Monty’s sphere—one that not only contained and protected his spell but was also self-nourishing. The last thing I needed was it to be drawing energy directly from me. When the image was complete, I cast the spell.

  The wild magic responded. I had no idea whether it came from within me or if the connection I’d formed with it simply reached out and grabbed the wilder energies that haunted this reservation, but the spell was cast exactly as I’d imagined.

  Weakness washed through my limbs, and I wavered slightly. Belle grabbed my arm, holding me steady as I opened my eyes.

  The two spells were now entwined around the soucouyant, containing not only her but also the rolling waves of her heat. There was no danger now of the grass catching alight, let alone any of us.

  Belle and I deconstructed our shield, and then she rose to collect our spell stones. I took a deep, wavering breath. “What do we do now?”

  Monty wiped the sweat from his brow and then slowly climbed to his feet. “I wove a tracer through the containment spell, but there’s no way known we can use it now. It’ll probably take all five of us to deal with the older soucouyant, and we’d better be in peak form before we attempt it.”

  “I don’t know about you, but it generally takes me more than a night to recover magically.”

  Monty grimaced. “Yeah, though I hate the idea of leaving the hunt for too long—it only gives her the chance to kill someone else.”

  “I think that’s a chance we’ll have to take,” Aiden said, as he walked up. “I’d rather one more soucouyant victim than five dead witches. I rather suspect neither the council nor the witch high council will be pleased if that happened.”

  “Especially given it was only a month ago that their Heretic Investigations witch was killed here,” Belle said.

  “Not to mention the fact that Ashworth almost lost his life as well. If anything else happens, they will come to investigate.” My gaze returned to Monty. “So please take note and don’t get dead.”

  His smile flashed. “I can assure you that isn't currently on my agenda—and won’t be until I at least reach the ripe old age of ninety.”

  “Glad to hear it.” But I hoped fate was listening and made it happen.

  “Shall we meet at the café around four?” Monty said. “That gives us all enough time to recover, and still leaves enough daylight to deal with the soucouyant if we do find her.”

  “What are we going to do with that sphere in the meantime?” Aiden asked. “Is there anywhere safe to actually store it?”

  “I suspect not,” I replied, before Monty could. “If the two soucouyants are connected, then the older one is going to know what has happened to the younger, and she’ll be out for blood.”

  And probably skin.

  “Which is a very real possibility.” Monty’s growing weariness was evident in his voice. But then, he probably hadn’t really flexed his witch “muscles” this much in years. “It’d be best if we keep it well away from both us and inhabited areas in general.”

  “What about the reservoir?” Belle said. “I know it’s not salted, but given this soucouyant reacted so violently to Baker hosing it, it’s possible any water will be out of bounds to them.”

  “Good idea,” Monty said. “And it just might have the added bonus of preventing communication between the two.”

  “Will the water affect this one, though?” I asked. “I’d hate to have gone through all this effort only to kill the bitch before we find the other.”

  Monty hesitated, his gaze on the floating sphere. “It might. Ranger, have you any kind of waterproof container in your truck? One large enough to contain that sphere?”

  “I’ve got a large jerry can in the back of the truck,” Tala said, as she approached. “The lid’s not large, but it is a screw top, so it should keep the water out.”

  “That’ll do,” Monty said. “Now that she’s contained by the two magics and not emitting any heat, we should be able to manipulate her form and get her into the container.”

  Tala nodded and continued on to her truck.

  “Bring a rope, too,” Aiden called after her. His gaze came back to us. “It’ll save either of you having to run some sort of magical leash to it.”

  “The only problem with a rope is the fact anyone could pick it up and draw her back to the surface,” Monty said.

  “We’ll attach it to a buoy in the no-go section of the lake and I’ll assign someone to keep a watch from the shore.”

  “Just make sure to tell them that at the first hint of flame, they’re to jump in the water and stay there.” Monty accepted the already opened container from Tala and then glanced at me. “Ready?”

  I nodded then reached out magically. Once I’d snagged an outer thread of the net wrapped around Monty’s sphere, I tugged it toward the container. The soucouyant twisted and churned, but her force was muted by the two spells. Every movement she made echoed through the lines around her, but all her anger and all her fire had little effect on the spells.

  Monty’s energy joined mine and, after a little bit of manipulation, we forced the soucouyant into the jerry can. Monty quickly did the lid up then staggered back, and would have fallen had Belle not grabbed him.

  “Tala, I think you’d better get these three back—”

  “Belle and Monty can leave, but I’d better stick around until the jerry can containing our flaming friend is fully submerged,” I cut in, “just in case the other one does something unexpected.”

  Like attack.

  Aiden frowned. “How likely is that, though?”

  “Not very, but two sets of eyes are always better than one, especially when one of those sets is psychically attuned to evil,” I said. “We have no idea if this whole water thing will work or not, remember. I’d hate to see you or anyone else crisped.”

  A somewhat wicked light briefly gleamed in his eyes. “It wouldn’t exactly be ideal for any future plans I have.”

  My pulse skipped up a notch. I licked my lips and tried to ignore the images skittering through my mind. “While I might not personally be able to counter an attack, the wild magic certainly can.”

  “And you’re the only one who can call it.” Aiden scraped a hand across his chin. “I guess that means the two of us will submerge the soucouyant while Tala runs Belle and Monty back.”

  He didn’t look happy at the prospect, but then, he’d already admitted to having overprotective tendencies.

  Which is always nice, Belle said. Up to a point, anyway, and he’s shown no signs of going over that point. Are you coming home tonight or staying at his place?

  He hasn’t actually asked me to stay
—

  Belle snorted mentally, the sound echoing loudly through my brain. That man will take you any which way—even if it means doing nothing more than holding you in his arms for the night while you sleep and recover.

  If he holds me in his arms, I doubt there will be much sleep happening. Tiredness does not outweigh desire. I paused. This time, anyway.

  “Who do you want me to call up for watch duty, boss?” Tala asked.

  Aiden hesitated. “Byron and Jaz. I don’t want anyone flying solo out here, just in case.”

  “It might be wise to put in a call to Ashworth and maybe even Eli, as well,” I said. “They’re both at full strength magically and looking to be in on the action.”

  Aiden snorted. “As I said, you’re all damn mad.”

  But he gave clearance to give them a call, and Tala immediately hustled Belle and Monty toward her truck. Once they’d departed, Aiden picked up the jerry can, tied it into the back of his truck, and then helped me into the cabin. We drove around the blackened remains of the hut and down the other side of the hill. A six-foot wire fence divided the farm from the reservoir; to our left was a large gate.

  “That’s padlocked,” I commented.

  “And we rangers carry bolt cutters.”

  “Farmers must love you.”

  He grinned. “Some certainly do.”

  I looked at him, eyebrow raised. “I have a suspicion you’re referring to the female of the species when you’re saying that.”

  “Could be.”

  He climbed out of the truck and very quickly took care of the lock. He swung the gates open and then climbed back into the truck and headed left. The sun had now dropped below the horizon, and the shadows were beginning to creep across the landscape. There was no one out on the lake, and the water looked dark and moody.

  I shivered, though why I wasn’t exactly sure. Maybe it was just the fact that I wasn’t the world’s greatest swimmer and preferred to keep my feet firmly on the ground when it came to rivers and lakes.

  “Cold?” Aiden said instantly.

  I shook my head but nevertheless rubbed my arms. “It’s just a delayed reaction, I think.”

  He grunted and turned up the heat anyway. “It’ll take Byron and Jaz an hour to get here. Why don’t you nap in the truck while I borrow a boat and drop the soucouyant in the water?”

  I frowned. “Did you not hear that whole thing about two sets of eyes being better than one?”

  “I did indeed. But I’m also aware—having been woken a number of times by it now—that your psychic radar for evil is rather sensitive, and can–and has–woken you from a dead sleep.”

  “Doesn’t mean it will this time.”

  “I’m willing to take the risk. I’d rather you not push yourself to the point of exhaustion yet again.”

  My lips twitched, even as his words warmed me. “There wouldn’t happen to be an ulterior motive in that desire, would there?”

  He rather dramatically clapped a hand against his chest. “I’m totally wounded you’d think such a thing.”

  I raised my eyebrows, my amusement growing. “So you don't want me to come back to your place tonight?”

  “I never said that.”

  I laughed and then leaned across the seat and quickly kissed him. “Go. And be careful.”

  He climbed out, retrieved the soucouyant’s jerry can, and then moved down to the shore. The gathering darkness meant I rather quickly lost sight of him but no fear rose, and the psychic part of me remained silent and unconcerned.

  Despite my best intentions, my eyes closed and I drifted to sleep. It was the arrival of several trucks and the banging of multiple doors that woke me.

  I wearily rubbed my eyes and glanced at the clock on the dash. It was nearly nine—I’d been asleep for over an hour.

  Not enough by half, but more than I should have had given the situation. I shoved the door open and walked across to join the others.

  “How secure is the magic that contains this soucouyant?” Jaz asked, her expression a touch dubious. Not that anyone could blame her.

  I hesitated. “As secure as Monty and the wild magic can make it. But given she’s also dunked in water, I think the only problem you’ll have is if the other one attempts a rescue.”

  “I doubt it will,” Ashworth said. “But we’ve brought along a couple of surprises if she does.”

  “I hope they’re damn powerful, because dealing with this one wiped me, Belle, and Monty out. The other one is far older and far stronger.”

  “Strength isn’t always what matters.” He glanced across at the two rangers. “Shall we go get set up somewhere?”

  He didn’t bother disguising the anticipation in his voice. Eli rolled his eyes and tagged after them.

  My gaze went to Aiden. “So we’re free to go now?”

  “Yes. Do you want to pick up some takeaway on the way home?”

  “Sure, but will anything be open at this hour? Argyle isn’t exactly Melbourne when it comes to trading hours.”

  He touched my back, his fingers warm against my spine as he guided me back to his truck. “The burger shop will be open. They do a roaring late-night trade thanks to hungry werewolves coming back from runs.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “I’m betting it’s not just running that makes you lot hungry.”

  He laughed. “I think you could be right.”

  It took us just over half an hour to drive across to Argyle, and another fifteen for the burgers and chips to be made. Thankfully, his home was only a few minutes away from there.

  And the burgers were definitely worth the wait.

  I stole the last couple of chips and then leaned back in the chair and rubbed my belly. “I’m full to the brim and have never felt better.”

  “I’m happy to hear that.”

  “The only thing that could possibly make the night more perfect is a nice hot shower.”

  “Not so happy to hear that.”

  I raised an eyebrow and then rose, undid my shirt, and tossed it onto the table. “Really? And here I was thinking your shower was big enough for two. Such a shame you don’t feel the need to join me.”

  I turned and continued to strip as I headed upstairs, so that by the time I reached the bathroom, I was naked.

  Aiden was only a few steps behind me, and also sans clothes.

  Once the water was hot enough, I stepped under and then turned and smiled at the man behind me. “Are you coming in, or are you just going to stand there and admire the view?”

  He wrinkled his nose, his expression thoughtful. “Tough question.”

  I laughed, grabbed his hand, and pulled him under the water. His arms went around my waist and then his lips came down on mine. We kissed, long and hard, as the water drummed our skins and slid down our bodies, tickling and teasing.

  After a deliciously long while, he reached for the sponge and began washing my body. And oh, it felt good. More than good. Tortuous, even.

  When I couldn’t stand the teasing caress any longer, I grabbed the sponge, soaped it up, and returned the favor. His beautiful body gleamed in the bathroom’s bright light, and the water reverently caressed every muscle. I followed its lead, washing every marvelous inch, until he was quivering as badly as me.

  “Enough,” he growled.

  He grabbed the sponge and hooked it back over the tap. I grinned and wrapped my arms around his neck, my kiss fierce and demanding. He groaned deep in his throat and pressed me back against the tiles, his body hard against mine. Desire and heat burned through us both; even the very air we breathed seemed to be boiling.

  He slid his hands down my sides then cupped my butt and lifted me with little effort. I wrapped my legs around his waist and, a heartbeat later, he was in me. It was such utter heaven that neither of us immediately moved. We simply enjoyed the sensations and the heat that rose with this basic joining of flesh. Then that heat became too great to ignore and he thrust deeper—harder—into me, his body moving slowly at first and the
n with growing urgency. It was a dance as old as time, and it was crazy and electric and utterly perfect. Desire flooded me, consumed me, a force so strong it threatened to tear me apart.

  And then it did tear me apart, and it was intense and violent and absolutely glorious. A heartbeat later, he followed me over that cliff.

  For several seconds, neither of us moved. Then he leaned his forehead against mine, his breathing harsh against my lips. “Damn,” he said. “That was certainly worth the wait.”

  I laughed softly. “It was indeed. But I am, unfortunately, feeling utterly content and ready for sleep now.”

  “Sleep is never a bad thing.” He cupped his hands either side of my cheeks and kissed me softly. “And there’s always the morning.”

  “I’d be disappointed if there wasn’t.”

  “Good. And I’ll even make you breakfast, if you’d like.”

  “Done deal, Ranger.”

  “Good.”

  And it was.

  After yet another busy day in the café, Belle flopped down into a chair and accepted the coffee I handed her with a weary smile. “You know, we might have to start thinking about employing extra waitresses—even if only part-time.”

  “The finances are certainly strong enough to handle it now.” My reply was somewhat absent. Now that I had time to actually sit down and think, a deep sense that something was about to go very wrong was growing.

  “Which could just be your natural tendency to worry,” Belle said.

  “Or it could just be a signal that everything is about to go batshit crazy.”

  She snorted. “Our life basically did that the minute we decided to settle in this reservation.”

  A reluctant smile tugged at my lips. “But there are various degrees of crazy, and this is feeling like the ‘our life is on the line yet again’ type.”

  “Oh, fabulous,” she said. “In which case, maybe we’d better do something about strengthening the spells around the café to include the rejection of fire and fire spirits.”

  “Except I’m not entirely sure how we’re going to do that.” I grabbed a teaspoon and scooped up some of the froth from the top of my hot chocolate. “Monty hasn’t yet got around to teaching me the shielding spell he used to protect us when the soucouyant’s fireball exploded.”