Familiar Beginnings

by Alice Winters

  “Good. Baron wanted help trying out a new recipe, so we whipped it up.”

  He eyes the pie sitting on the counter as I grab a plate and fork. “What’s in it?”

  I glance back at him and give him an evil grin. “Secret.”

  He leans over my shoulder, setting his chin on it as he gazes down at the pie. “I’m not always into secret ingredients.”

  “I’m the one who threw the secret ingredient in,” I say as I cut out a slice and slide it onto a plate.

  “Ohhh…” He even cringes a little. “That makes me even more worried.”

  I grab a forkful before turning around. He presses his body against mine, pinning me against the counter as I aim the fork toward his mouth. He opens up and bites down while holding my eyes.

  “Hmm… the secret ingredient is… love,” he settles on.

  I snicker, which makes him laugh.

  “It’s delicious.”

  “Thanks. Baron made the crust, and I did the rest.”

  “Making food is too difficult. I’m glad you can cook,” he says as he leans in.

  I press in for a kiss, but he raises an eyebrow, making me hesitate.

  “I want more pie.”

  Such a cocky little ass. “You’re evil.”

  He gives me a huge grin, knowing exactly what he did. “Maybe. But that pie won’t hang around as long as you will.”

  I cock my head while questioning how I ended up with someone so evil. “Are you saying you like pie more than me?”

  “Not exactly, but while I’m going for the pie, you have Gina as an option. She definitely wants you after I told her about the way you can do this touch that’s so soft it’s almost a tease, yet hard enough it makes my penis want to explode.”

  “That doesn’t even make sense!”

  “I’m complimenting you, so I think that deserves more pie.”

  I shake my head but aim another forkful toward his mouth. As he goes to bite it, I pull it away. “It’s not nice to be teased, is it?”

  He cocks his head and gives me a look that makes me want to keep teasing him. “The difference between you and me is that I can manhandle you.”

  As he reaches for my hand to “manhandle” me, I grab onto our magical bond and say, “Stop.” Just like that, his entire body is forced to stop and his eyes narrow.

  “You’re the worst cheater I’ve ever met.”

  I grin at him. “Why, thank you,” I say as I slide the fork into my mouth with a moan. It really is quite good. I can see why he’s more interested in it than pleasing me.

  Then, as he watches, I slide my tongue over the fork, cleaning up any last bit I might’ve missed.

  “Ooh, that’s so good. I might just… have to eat it all by myself,” I say as he’s forced to remain stopped by my command. Because I’m playing and not serious, he’s manipulating the command some. He keeps pulling at it until his hand begins sliding forward to reach for me.

  “You know you want me,” he purrs.

  “Oh, but this pie… I think I want it more.”

  “Than me?”

  “I mean, you’re handsome and everything, but this pie just won’t hang around as long as you will,” I say, throwing his words back at him.

  “How’s it feel to be sexy and an asshole?” he asks teasingly.

  I take another bite and moan. “Almost as good as it feels to eat this pie.”

  He starts laughing and I drop my hold on him before directing the next bite to his mouth. He grabs my waist and hoists me up onto the counter before pushing forward so he’s between my legs.

  Havoc leans forward and kisses me softly. “Does it ever amaze you that we’ve been together for so long and still like each other? I mean… I know we didn’t get along as well as we do now, but we cared for each other.”

  “It makes me happy. I know that if I can handle three hundred years with you, I could handle at least a few hundred more. If you straighten up, that is. You’ve been getting kind of sassy lately.”

  “Straighten up? How could I get any more perfect than I already am?”

  I twirl the fork around. “This reminds me of when we were younger.”

  “Me pinning you against a counter and you feeding me? I don’t remember this in our past, but do tell,” he says.

  “Feeding you. Remember? I would sneak food to you. While it would take a long time for you to actually starve to death, Geoff definitely wasn’t too generous with the food. It seemed like he’d go weeks at a time without feeding you. I’d take food down and toss it into the circle for you.”

  He reaches out and slides his fingers through my hair before tugging on some gently. “I remember. You always were too kind.”

  “I wasn’t too kind. I wanted to use you,” I say as I watch him closely.

  That doesn’t appear to bother him. “You seem to remember things differently than I do.”

  I cup his cheek with my hand and use my magic to push my memories into him.

  Geoff has had the demon for years but he refuses to do anything with him. Does that mean he’s afraid of him? I really hope he’s afraid of him. Because if there’s something Geoff is afraid of, I want it, and I’m going to use it to destroy him.

  “Is this your favorite pastime? Do you enjoy staring at me?” the demon asks.

  “Strangely, I want to care about you when I see you chained up, bleeding, hurt, and alone. Then you speak and I realize that I don’t care about you all that much.”

  The demon is barely clothed, only a pair of ragged pants to cover him, even though it’s cold down here. But Geoff wants to make sure the demon is not comfortable or cared for in any way. “How odd. I think I would actually enjoy you more if you were chained up as well! I seem to have a fetish for humans being tortured.”

  “Depending on the human, I might agree with you,” I say as I open a folded-up cloth I’d stuck in my pocket. The demon is surrounded by a magic circle which he can’t pass through, but I can toss things through it. Hell, I could walk through it if I wanted him to crush my skull. Instead, I toss a chunk of bread. He catches it, making his chain rattle. “It’s like going out and feeding the birds.”

  He snorts. “So it’s amusing feeding me?” he asks.

  “More amusing than talking to you.”

  He gives me a wicked grin filled with fangs. I used to fear that look, but someone can only bare their fangs so many times with nothing else happening before I get bored of it. Instead, I’ve strangely started to think that he looks kind of handsome when he wears that look.

  I shudder.

  That thought fills me with disgust. And desire.

  Mostly disgust.

  Dammit.

  “What do you think you’re getting out of feeding me?” he asks. “I mean… you do know that if you’re caught, you’ll be beaten or worse.”

  “The goal is not getting caught, obviously.”

  “Yes, but your luck must run out one of these days, and I can’t wait until it does.” He rubs his hands together excitedly as I glare at him. His favorite pastime really is wanting me to suffer.

  “Really? Then no more food.”

  He shrugs like he doesn’t care, but I know he likes my company. Even if he’s a stubborn asshole. “Are you a strong little mage yet? How about you kill that disgusting monster and then we could talk.”

  “Talk while you pick your teeth with my bones?”

  He looks aghast. “How rude do you think I am? I’d at least wait to see what you could do first. You could be entertaining. Although, honestly, I’m getting bored of looking at you. Do a trick. Step into the circle and see what happens.”

  I walk across the dank basement to get closer to him. “Someday, I will. And what’s going to happen is I’m going to make you mine and you’re going to tear that wretched man apart piece by piece.”

  “Ooh, I like the way you talk. The piece by piece part, not the being yours part. It’s almost like you’re in love with me. How flattering.”

  I snort
. “That would never happen. I would have to put myself out of my misery if something like that ever occurred.”

  “How about I do it for you? Would you like to choose how you die? Head pop right off? Dismemberment? A good strangling ought to do the trick, your neck is like a chicken’s.”

  “Hmm…” I pretend to think about it for a moment. “I have always been interested in a good strangling.”

  “Great. I’ll keep that in mind. Want to try it out? We could practice. Come on inside my circle.” He motions for me while giving me a fang-filled grin.

  “I don’t know…” I say as I toss an apple which he snatches midair. “I feel like you might be lying to me. Hell, what’s it hurt?”

  He bites into the apple as I stand up and walk toward the circle. He stops mid chew and cocks his head. A look of amusement crosses his face as my toe touches the edge of the circle. “Ah, neither the guts nor the balls—”

  I step right into the circle. I know at this point he could kill me. Everything inside the circle is his and he has no reason not to. He despises humans, and how could he not? We’ve chained him up, tortured, and abused him because we can’t control such a strong demon without our devices of torture. He’s too smart. He has too much power. But he’s also a demon and demons think so differently than humans.

  At least that’s what I once believed. Now… I’m not so sure.

  Before my foot even touches the ground, he’s on his feet and has my throat in his hands. The grip is crushing, but he’s not squeezing the front, which he’d need to do if he was planning on choking me easily.

  “Oh, and I mistook you for smart.”

  He’s taller than I am, towering over me. He looks massive up close with muscles and strength that could destroy me in an instant. And here I am, willingly letting myself climb right in. He drags me the rest of the way inside and throws me to the ground. I hit hard as he sets a foot on my back and pushes me down and my instincts are telling me that he’s going to kill me, but still, I don’t try to run.

  I push myself to my hands and feet but he kicks me down again. The thing is, he hasn’t killed me. I’ve seen him attack Geoff. I’ve seen Geoff make a mistake and this creature tear him apart. Instead, he’s kicking me and pushing me, but with no real venom. It’s like he’s trying to scare me, but he should know that I live with the scariest of monsters.

  I push myself up again and this time, I manage to get to my feet before he tries to toss me back down. But before he can, I set my hand against his chest and let my magic flow from my body. I close my eyes and let blue tendrils of magic run down him, touching and learning. I want to know about this bond, I want to know how to break it and how to conquer it. I might not be strong enough yet, but someday, someday I’ll free him.

  And then I hit Geoff’s hold on him. Geoff’s dark magic slams into mine, eating at it as pain tears into me. I yank my hand back and hit the ground on my ass as I hold my throbbing hand against my chest like I’ve been burned. Is it the markings Geoff put on me? Is it the strength of his magic?

  I look up at the demon who is watching me intently. He kneels down before reaching out and setting a hand on my forehead.

  “No wonder why Geoff likes you so much and hates you in the same breath. You’re quite powerful, aren’t you, little mage? And Geoff knows you’ll be more powerful than him some day.”

  “I want you as mine,” I say.

  “Then you need to work a little harder.”

  “What’s your name?”

  He raises an eyebrow. Every demon knows that the only way to create a demon circle to summon a demon is by using their real name. A name they hold close and never tell. Or at least they try not to. The stronger mages can force the demons to tell them their names while some give up their names easily for power.

  I know this demon has no reason to give me his name, but with it, I could be one step closer to Geoff’s destruction.

  “Geoff is home,” he says, and I start, knowing that he’ll beat me if he finds me anywhere but in the library.

  But before I go, I have to know. “What’s your name?”

  “Do you understand what you’re asking for?”

  “Yes. Knowing your name, I can enslave you. But I could also get free from Geoff and I have to think you’d want to be free as well.”

  He continues to stare at me, and I know that every moment he wastes is a moment that Geoff gets closer to knowing that I’m not where I should be.

  “Havelocke.”

  And with that, I’m onto my feet and running for the door.

  I pull my hand away from his face, breaking away from the memory as Havoc watches me with a smile.

  “You’re really going to tell me you were evil and just using me?” he asks.

  “Yep.”

  He shakes his head and gently kisses me. “I might’ve acted like a dick and acted like I hated you… but those days… those years I spent in that room with nothing was worse than any torture Geoff inflicted on me. It made me bitter and angry. It made me hate everything, and some days it made me want to die just so I didn’t have to stare at that fucking brick wall for one more day. And then you started coming. And at first, I was angry. I was angry at everything. The world, humans, everything. But at some point, I started waiting for you to come, begging for you to come. Every time I heard footsteps near that door, I’d plead that you would come down to give me something, even though you were a mage, the one thing I hated most about the world.”

  “I… I didn’t realize how much you cared about it,” I say. “You were my few moments of reprieve from that man. I never realized the feeling was mutual.”

  He brushes my hair back before tipping my chin up and kissing me again. “You were the only thing I managed to care about. I’ve made your life difficult, I’ll admit that, but humans had lied to me and gained my trust so many times that it took me a long time to realize you were different. You were worth caring about. And only now do I realize how much I care about you. Even if you occasionally irritate me or sass me.”

  I snort as I set my head against his chest. “I like sassing you.”

  “I’m aware. And I hope you never stop.”

  Chapter Four

  I feel like I look a little suspicious as I walk into the store that the receipt came from. I’m supposed to be inconspicuous and see if I can figure out anything about the place that the police might’ve missed when they asked about the receipt.

  But instead, I have Havoc, in his raven form, on one shoulder, since I thought that would be less suspicious than bringing a horned demon inside. And then, weirdly, I have the cat on my other shoulder. He’s currently digging his claws in as he stares at Havoc who doesn’t look pleased. Havoc puffs up his feathers and glares at the cat.

  “Cat, can you stay outside?” I ask.

  He digs his claws in deeper in response.

  “You freaking menace. That’s what I’m naming you. Menace.”

  The cat flicks his tail back and forth. I’m not sure if that means he’s going to claw my eyes out or he’s pleased with his new name, but I pass through the door into the clothing store.

  A woman looks up and smiles at me, completely unaffected by my beasties, which means she’s probably a witch and used to it.

  “Good morning. What can I do for you?” she asks.

  “Just stumbled upon the store, thought I’d get a better look,” I say as I take a look around. Sam was right, the place is… unique.

  “Well, come right in. A man with your build would look very nice in this jacket here,” she says as she leads me over to a jacket that looks like a peacock’s tail. It’s hideous but Havoc caws.

  “Very sexy,” he jokes. Thankfully, only I can hear his words in my mind when he’s in this form. The only problem with it is that I have to speak out loud to answer him, which I can’t do when others are watching unless I want to be thought insane.

  The cat jumps down and begins weirdly rubbing on my ankles. I nearly trip on him as I reach for
the jacket to pretend I’m interested in it. While examining the coat, I let my magic feel the room over. The shop itself doesn’t have many magical elements to it. I can sense a book of magic on the desk, but it clearly belongs to the woman who’s a witch. It would be stranger for her not to have a book of lesser magic. What I do feel is a magical barrier on the place that isn’t around the shop but on the floor.

  A basement?

  So what’s in that basement?

  “This is nice, but I think the brown will clash with my black raven and red cat.”

  Her eyes get wide. “Very true!”

  Suddenly I’m flooded with fashion advice as she goes on and on about what colors would complement my animals. I wander a bit, trying to figure out where the barrier is the strongest, but I can’t get far without the woman watching my every move.

  Havoc discreetly hops off my shoulder when the woman is looking the other way. “The cat found something. It’s not completely useless. Do you mind if I peck his eyes out? Silence means no.”

  I try to glance over to them, but I’m not quite sure where they went, so I pick up a gaudy black shirt with rhinestones all over it to look like I’m at least doing something while my creatures run amok.

  “That would look amazing on you,” she says.

  “Are you sure? You don’t think it’s too much for someone like me?” I ask. I think the only way this shirt could be of use is during a good torturing. I could threaten to put it on anyone, and I guarantee they’d talk right away.

  “Oh, heavens no!”

  “Can I try it on?”

  She looks very pleased by this. “Of course, right this way,” she says as she leads me to the back.

  “Keep her over there, I’m going to shift and see if I can tell anything about the door. We won’t be able to open it without disrupting the barrier. Is it hers?”

  I feel the barrier again, but it’s immediately apparent the magic is different, so I shake my head. The woman ushers me into a changing room.

  “Is this your place?” I ask before she can turn away.

  “It is! I’m very lucky to be able to afford it. I make all of the clothes myself, so if something doesn’t fit, I’ll make it in your size.”