The sister’s grimaced. “We believe that the demon after you is trying to kill you in order to satisfy her end of the demonic pact she made with Karr.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
The sisters shared a glance. Chloe said, “Telal believes that if he does succeed in killing you, which he won’t, then Karr will be resurrected.”
“And if he doesn’t kill me?”
“Then its end of the bargain will be unfulfilled and it will go back from where it came,” Lily said.
“How do you know that?” said Willow.
“Because I did my research. When a revargen isn’t kept then things resort back to where they were. Dura the demon will go back to its magical shell.”
“Have you had any dreams about this,” Willow asked, unable to mask the hope in her voice. Her sister shook her head grimly.
“But I did have a dream about you and that girl in the bathroom. The demon spoke to you didn’t it?”
Willow nodded as she remembered that moment; it sent cold chills down her body. “She said that I’ll die next and the baby will become a demon.”
“Have you told Lyonis?” Chloe said. She ran an agitated hand through her hair that only made the thick mass knotted.
“How could I? I didn’t know if he’d think I was nuts. I don’t want Stephanie to get into any trouble. I didn’t know what to do.” Admitting she didn’t know was as painful as having her teeth pulled, one by one.
Lily wrapped a comforting arm around Willow’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, sis. I have a spell made up for you and a weapon. I enspelled it with magic. We’ll take care of that pesky demon.” She talked about it as if it were a little cockroach.
“Did that work for you, Chloe?”
Her sister hesitated. “Well...kind of.”
Willow’s stomach churned with unease. “Tell me.” She was beginning to sound like Lyonis giving out orders.
“When I was attacked at the castle, I didn’t have time to grab the spell. I had it memorized though and when I finally thawed out from fear I started chanting it.”
“And what did the demon do?”
“Laughed.” Chloe saw her sister’s crestfallen face and quickly added, “But not at first. It stumbled away.” She frowned, her eyes getting a faraway look to them. “It seemed like it was weakening it or hurting it in some way. When I finally axed its head off, I was still saying it.”
Gaping, Willow stared at her sister.
“What?” she said defensively.
“You axed the demon’s head off?”
Her sister grinned, her chin coming up. “Sure did.”
Willow couldn’t help it—she laughed. She’d never been more proud of her sister than she was in that moment.
“God I wish I could have seen that.”
Lily sighed. “If only we’d gotten it on tape. She’d be a YouTube sensation. Viral I tell ya.”
They all howled with laughter. When the chuckles finally stopped, Willow felt better than she had all day.
They spent the rest of the night until the early hours of the morning talking and laughing. Lily gave her the same enchanted spell she’d given Chloe. Go back whence you came, I unsummon thee demon! Apparently she’d had the same response Chloe’d had when she first heard it—it was the stupidest spell she’d ever heard.
Lily gave her a small dagger that she’d enchanted with white magic. “It should help to counteract the demon’s dark magic. Plus it’ll slice him up good.”
Willow frowned at the dagger. It wasn’t even as long as her arm but the hilt was made of leather and felt comfortable when she wrapped her hand around it.
“I feel a little odd sitting in my living room holding a dagger.” She set the blade down. The bolt of pain didn’t hit her until she realized what she said. My living room. It didn’t feel like her home now. It was strange, she realized, to think that she had thought of this as her home. Now, she looked around at the room and felt only pain and distance.
“One last thing,” Lily said, grabbing a clear bottle with a dark foggy grey liquid inside. “This is the potion. It too is enchanted to vanquish the demon. I even had a white witch friend of mine enchant it with me. It’s doubly powerful.”
Willow took the flask from her. It had a cork as a stopper and the liquid inside looked thick like motor oil.
She brought her nose to the cork to sniff the contents out of curiosity, but Lily jumped forward to snatch the bottle away.
“Trust me,” she said. “You don’t want to smell that.”
“Noted,” Willow said wryly.
When a knock sounded at the door, Willow answered it. A part of her hated herself for hoping it’d be him, but then why would he knock at his own house? A courtesy, maybe? She swung open the door but it was Tyrian.
He looked past her. “Ready?”
Chloe and Lily came forward and they exchanged hard, long hugs and kisses. Lily made her repeat the spell back to her then told her again how to use the potion and dagger. Toss the liquid on it; stab it.
Done. How simple.
Willow watched them go and had to bite her lip to keep it from wobbling. Another guard appeared and together they dissolved before her eyes. A hard lump was in her throat as she turned away and closed the door.
That night she went to bed alone. When she was still tossing at the crack of dawn, she finally gave up and went downstairs. How could she possibly sleep with his scent wrapped around the covers and pillows? It seemed not an inch of them hadn’t been dowsed in Lyonis’ smell.
Lyonis didn’t come back until late that night. By then Willow almost wished he hadn’t.
Chapter 33
Four hours after she boarded the Amtrak from Oklahoma to California, Lucinda had finally given up on caring about the stares she received. Okay, almost given up.
She couldn’t help it, the constant quick glances made her feel like a sore thumb. It reminded her of the time back when she was almost too young to remember and learning the ways of a frimar.
One night she’d snuck out and gotten drunk with a local vampire boy. When she’d discreetly, or not so discreetly, gone back home her mother had been waiting for her, suspicion written in the lines of her face. That was the first time she’d ever lied. She’d smiled and fibbed saying she’d gone for a walk, nothing else, even as she’d stumbled into the wall. She’d tried to act as natural as possible to hide her drunken state but still her mother watched her with knowing eyes.
She felt the same feeling now. Like she was trying to hide what she really was among the humans. It was like they knew something wasn’t right with her.
Her family prided her on her unique position in the clan. Not just anyone could be a frimar. One had to come from a special bloodline that allowed the female to give blood without requiring it to feed.
She sort of existed...just like she did while living with Master Tyrian. Lucinda smiled and mentally corrected herself. Tyrian was not her Master anymore. The smile quickly died.
Now she had no Master. Not even the warrior Draven. Her chest constricted and she looked out the window, blinking fast to keep the hot tears from falling. How silly she’d been. Even now her foolish heart wanted her to get off this train and go back.
She’d barely been his frimar for a month but already she’d felt herself growing, strengthening—something she’d never felt before. It was with this new strength she’d found in herself the ability to yell at Draven, to even complain. And now she wanted more.
Her mother had warned her of this sin. She stood on a treacherous slope. To open a few doors as she’d done, might lead to more and more until she was out of control.
Giddy excitement made her heart race. She peered down the hall to a couple facing her. The girl was young, human. She wore a provocative amount of makeup and a pair of shorts so short, Lucinda was sure her bottom showed when she walked. It was scandalous...wrong. Yet the girl had no qualms about it, in fact she embraced herself in a way Lucinda envied deeply.