Fireballs & Familiars
Page 8
The voice behind him made his skin crawl. He turned to face another demon. This one was his brother. “Where is Father, Stolis?” He didn’t bother with niceties.
“He’s out. Not that he’ll see you anyway.” He moved around to the front of his brother. “What do we have here? Are you bringing him a gift, so he’ll let you back in?”
“Hell no! She is mine!” Balan let his own demon out and made sure Stolis knew not to mess with her. “I will skin the first demon who touches her and wear his hide as a belt.”
Stolis knew better than to try his brother, so he backed off. “Father is off seeing one of his many mistresses. Good luck figuring out which one.” Then he laughed and ran off into the gloom.
Balan carried Jenna into the palace and went to his room. He knew his father would have left things the way they were. He’d always been the favorite—or was, until he left for the human realm. He encountered several lesser demons along the way, but none approached them. He lay his little witch across his bed and made sure she was settled, then he went looking for his father.
Chapter Twenty-two
Balan finally found him in the last place he thought he’d find him—with his mother. He walked into the castle where she resided and discovered them sharing a meal. “Hello, Mother and Father.” He didn’t waste any time. “I need your help, please.”
Apollyon stood and approached his son. “You come home unannounced after being gone for years and expect us to help you? Why should we?”
“I’ve found my mate, Father, but she’s hurt,” he told them.
“Oh, my beautiful son. How glorious that you finally found her.” Satrina, who’d also gotten up and moved closer to Balan, gave him a huge hug. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Mother, please help me save her.” Balan was begging, and he knew it.
“What happened and where is she?” Satrina asked.
“At the palace in my room.”
“You left her there unprotected? Have you lost your senses since you’ve been gone so long?” Apollyon took his wife’s hand and grabbed his son’s arm. One minute they were in his mother’s house, and the next, they were standing outside his bedroom at the palace. “Come on.”
Balan shoved the doors open and found Stolis standing over her. He screamed and rushed his brother, knocking him back into the wall.
Stolis slid down and didn’t get back up.
“You will die if you ever get near her again!”
“Stop it, both of you.” Satrina stomped her foot and glared at both of her sons. “This isn’t helping your mate.”
Balan knew she spoke the truth. “Please help her.”
Satrina and Apollyon approached the bed and looked down at the sleeping woman. Satrina knew immediately who and what she was and smiled. She reached for Jenna and placed her hands on either side of her face. “Wake up, little one. My son loves you and needs you.” She waited, but nothing happened. “We need to call in the others,” she said to her husband.
He groaned. “Must we?”
“Yes, for your son’s sake. And hers,” Satrina replied and looked at her son. “It will take a while to find them all, so stay with her until we do.”
He moved closer to the bed. “All of who?”
His father muttered, “You’ll see.” And they left, taking Stolis with them.
“Jenna, please wake up. I need you more than I need to breathe.” He leaned over and kissed her, but she continued to sleep. He felt tears sliding down his face at the thought of being unable to do anything. “I love you, my beautiful witch. My soul mate. My twin flame. Come back to me.”
A short time later, his parents returned with several women he’d never seen. “Who are they?”
“This is part of the lineage that created your mate.” Satrina introduced them and stepped back while they approached the bed. She motioned for Balan to follow, but he refused to move.
“Tell me what to do,” he told the women.
“You can do nothing other than hold her hand and keep contact with her. She’ll need you as a ground to come back to,” the oldest of the group stated.
“Are you sure you’re up to this? She will need you for the rest of her natural life if we’re to bring her back,” another said.
“If she will have me, I’ll never leave her side,” Balan said, with such conviction that everyone there easily believed him.
“Then we begin.” The four women gathered around Jenna and Balan and started chanting and linked hands. Their voices rose and fell in cadence as the room shifted with the surge of power they were drawing in. The oldest woman leaned over and kissed Jenna, blowing the power into her. The room went dark and silent.
“What happened?” Balan asked but received no answer. He flicked his hand, and the lights came back on. The first thing he saw was his mate standing beside the bed. He noticed her feet never touched the floor, and she just stared at him. “Jenna?”
“You said you loved me. Did you mean it?”
“With everything in me, I meant it,” he told her.
She smiled and jumped on the bed, tumbled him onto his back, and straddled him. “You do realize you’re stuck with me forever now, right?”
“Then I will be a very happy demon indeed.” He laughed and pulled her down for a dizzying kiss. “Damn, you’re good at that.”
“That’s not all I’m getting good at.” She giggled, and using her newfound powers, given to her by the lineage women, she stripped them both and spent the next several hours showing him.
They lay in the giant bed, wrapped around each other, and just enjoyed touching. Balan wanted to ask questions but was afraid of breaking the spell of contentment surrounding them.
“You want to ask what happened, don’t you.” Jenna wasn’t really asking.
“Yes.”
She sighed. “When I blasted Khobrel that last time, it fried me too. I used too much power but had enough juice to shut myself down before it killed me.”
Balan felt like kicking his own ass for harming her. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry for feeding it to you.”
She leaned up, propped herself on his chest, and looked at him. “You didn’t give me all that. I’m able to pull earth magick on my own and redirect it when needed. Between the energies I’d already taken in and the bit you fed me; it was too much.”
“You can never do that again!” he demanded.
“Actually, I’m stronger now and can take in a lot more.” She laughed at the look on his face. “Never fear, I know my limits, thanks to my ancestors.”
“Is that who they were? Why are they here, in Hell?”
“Balan, I’m a witch, remember? My ancestors can choose where they want to spend eternity.” She moved over him again. “I’m tired of talking. Let’s play again.”
“Sounds like a great plan to me.” He was happy to give her whatever she wanted.
Epilogue
Balan looked out of the tent and saw his parents sitting in the front row, along with the four lineage women. They’d already made it well known they weren’t going to miss the event for anything and had kept the residents of Hell in a tizzy as they helped with decorations. He turned when he heard footsteps.
“Are you ready for this, old man?” Marshall asked when he and Darrell came in to check on the groom.
“I think so.”
“Here, we got you this,” Darrell said and handed him a small box.
Balan opened it and started laughing. “I think it’s a bit too late for these.”
“You’re kidding.” Marshall and Darrell both clapped him on the back. “Congratulations.”
Marshall asked if he was going to return to work after the wedding.
“Of course. I just won’t be sleeping with any of the women anymore. Jenna has already said she doesn’t mind me working there as long as I don’t do anything she wouldn’t do. That alone made me realize there was no way I’d be touching another woman in lust again.” He handed the condoms back to Darrell. “J
ust the thought of another man touching my mate makes me angry enough to fry their asses.”
They parted ways, and the music began to play. He went out and met his wife as she came from another tent. She was so beautiful; she took his breath away. “I can’t believe you’re all mine.”
“Only for an eternity.” She smiled softly at him. “And a day.”
***
Khobrel stood off to the side, making sure not to be detected. After all, there were some extremely powerful beings there. He watched the wedding and growled under his breath. Enjoy it while you can, demon. She will be mine and bear my children. He slipped away and disappeared with the breeze.
Acknowledgment
I want to thank my husband, Darrell, for always being there and being so supportive of my writing journey. He is my rock! My sweet friend, Wanda Looney, for her help naming the adults only room (Sinsational Sweets) of Jenna’s Novelty Candy Shop.
About the Author
T. Elizabeth Guthrie is the mother of two lovely grown daughters, BamMaw (grandma) to two handsome young grandsons, one beautiful new granddaughter and happily married to her best friend. She loves to read and write just about anything, along with making jewelry and building furniture alongside her husband in a small family owned business. She also has a penchant for remaking old dolls into fantasy creations and playing dress up at the local Renaissance Faires.