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“I figured, but I had to ask.” Jessica took another sip of tea and grabbed a cookie. Sabrina wanted one, but her throat was still sore so she settled for drinking the tea, which seemed to be a predominantly lemon with a few other things she couldn’t quite place. Rosehips maybe. Whatever was in the tea, it was good and was soothing her abused throat.

Tilly pointed at Sabrina. “For whatever reason, this…thing is attracted to you. The question remains, what do we do about it?” She finished her tea and set her mug aside. “The gris-gris and the smudging and salt didn’t seem to do much good.”

“I don’t know about that.” Jessica took a bite of her cookie, chewed and swallowed. “I think it might have been worse if we hadn’t done that.”

“Maybe we just pissed it off.” That was the sense that she’d gotten. Whatever had been haunting her dreams had been angry at her attempts to keep it out.

“I need to do some more research,” Jessica announced. “I’ll check my grandmother’s diary.” Sabrina knew Jessica’s grandmother had also been a witch who’d died a few years ago. Jessica’s mother had done her best to deny any part of her heritage, actively discouraging Jessica from pursuing it, which is why she’d finally left home and come to New Orleans.

“You want one of us to stay with you tonight?” Tilly asked.

Sabrina wanted to say yes, but didn’t want to put her friends in harm’s way. “Could you stay while I get a shower?”

Tilly’s dark brown eyes softened. “Of course we’ll stay.”

Jessica rose and went back to her seemingly bottomless bag and pulled out a cake of homemade soap. “I was going to give this to you. It’s lavender. It will help relax you and cleanse away any negativity.”

Sabrina took the soap and held it to her nose, letting the light, delicate scent fill her. She loved lavender. “Thanks.” Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them back. “I won’t be long.”

“Take your time.” Tilly waved away her concern. “We’ll clean up out here while you shower.”

She pushed herself off the sofa and reached out to Tilly. She pulled her friend into her arms and hugged her. “Thank you for being there for me.” Tilly rubbed her hand over Sabrina’s back, offering silent comfort. When they stepped back, both of them gave a watery laugh. Tilly rubbed her eyes and started gathering the tea mugs.

Jessica waited like a silent woodland sprite. Sabrina hadn’t known her nearly as long as she’d known Tilly, but she felt the same way about her. “Thank you,” she whispered. Jessica slid her arms around Sabrina’s waist and hugged her tight, her grip strong and sure.

“We’ll figure this out,” her friend promised.

Sabrina nodded and hurried out of the room, stopping in her bedroom long enough to gather a clean pair of panties and a nightgown. She went into the bathroom, shut the door and stared at herself in the mirror.

Long streaks of red covered her neck and, the more she stared at them, the more they resembled fingers. It looked as though someone or something had grabbed her by the neck. Maybe she’d done it herself when she was choking and had clutched at her throat. It was entirely possible.

The necklace and gris-gris bag hung there, symbols of protection that she wasn’t certain had worked at all. Or maybe things would have gone worse for her if she hadn’t been wearing them. There was no way to know.

She slowly removed both, setting them carefully on the vanity. Her neck was blotchy, but her face was deathly pale, making her eyes seem even greener.

She turned away from her reflection and turned on the water, making sure it was just barely warm. She set the lavender soap in the dish and tugged off her clothing, stuffing it all into the laundry hamper before stepping under the spray.

Tilting her head upward, she let the water wash over her. It felt so good against her sticky skin, cleansing and renewing. Grabbing the soap, she worked it between her hands until she’d built up a thick lather and then rubbed it gently over her skin. Normally, she’d use a cloth or a loofah sponge, but her skin felt too sensitive, as though all the nerve endings were exposed.

She immediately felt better as the sweat and fear was swept from her skin and the healing scent of the lavender surrounded her. Next came her hair. She grabbed her shampoo and squeezed a dollop into her hand. It was amazing how something as simple as being clean could make a person feel better.

As soon as the shampoo was rinsed from her hair, she turned off the water. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her head and then reached for another one. She patted her skin dry and took the time to moisturize before donning her panties and a short cotton nightgown.

Then she unwound the towel from her head, sprayed on some leave-in conditioner and quickly blew it dry. The noise from the hairdryer seemed extra loud, but she knew all her senses were heightened from the experience she’d had tonight. When she was done, she brushed out the thick mass and braided it to help keep it out of her way.

It only took her a few minutes to tidy away the bathroom and slip the two amulets around her neck again. Whether they worked or not was irrelevant. Her friends had given them to her and they offered comfort.

There was no putting off the inevitable any longer. Her friends had to go home and she had to face this night alone.

Hades peered out at the legion of demons that stood waiting on his every mood, every whim. Heat and steam surrounded them, making it difficult to breathe. No human, and not many demons, could survive here. They were deep in the bowels of Hell. These were his toughest, most single-minded demons. They were all tall, all thickly muscled and well trained. They would all, to the last demon, die for him, and they were his to command.

When the time came for him to launch his plan to take over the world, there would be no mistakes. Whether or not Arand joined him or ended up dead remained to be seen.

Agmar, the leader of the group, stood off to his right, his red eyes glowing with anticipation. The seven-foot demon was smarter than most, but not a threat to Hades, not like Mordecai was.

“They are ready at your command.” Agmar bowed at the waist.

Hades liked the demon’s tone and posture. It was one of deference. One that assured Hades the demon knew who was the master and who was the servant. “Good. Keep them training. I want them ready at a moment’s notice.”

He turned and walked away.

Agmar yelled at his men. “You heard the Dark Lord. Begin training.”

Metal struck metal. Yells and the occasional scream of pain could be heard in the distance as Hades passed over a thin rock bridge that looked down upon a fiery river afloat with lost, lamenting souls. He paused halfway across to peer down at them. Such lovely souls, and all his. Soon there would be more.

Mordecai was training most of his troops, but Agmar was in charge of Hades’ elite guard. These were the demons he would take with him when the invasion of the world began. He trusted them at his back in a way he could not trust Mordecai. These demons feared him. The serpent did not.

But that would change. And soon.

Satisfied all was as it should be, Hades continued on to his private quarters, reviewing his plans all the way there.

Chapter Four

A renewed sense of hope filled Sabrina as she made her way home late the next afternoon. Although she’d thought she’d never be able to close her eyes after what had happened in her apartment last evening, she’d slept like a baby—once she’d managed to get to sleep. It had taken her several hours after her friends left before she’d even begun to relax. Every noise, from the creaking of the building to the swish of the wind outside her window had her breaking out in a cold sweat.