Fox Among the Demons

by Trudie Collins

  “Fox,” she said softly and he began to stir. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. The relief on his face was unmistakable, but she couldn’t understand why. Nothing had changed; they couldn’t be together so why did he look so pleased to see her?

  He leaned forward and kissed her. Unable to stop herself, she put her arms around him and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. All too soon he drew away from her. As if she was contagious, he moved away from the bed, putting as much distance between them as he could, and turned his back on her.

  When he turned around again the relief was gone. It had been replaced with what? Anger? Why would he be angry with her? Because she had kissed him? He initiated it so it was his fault not hers.

  He ran his hand through his hair, a gesture she had never seen him do before. “Damn it all to Hell, Nat,” he shouted, using a phrase he had heard her say many times. “Why in the name of the Creator did you do this to yourself?”

  Natasha turned her head away so he wouldn’t see how much his words were hurting her. “Don’t Fox. I had enough of that from Komi. It’s no big deal.”

  “No big deal? You think trying to kill yourself is no big deal?”

  She snapped her head back to look at him. “You know I would never do that.”

  “But you did.” There was pain in his voice now. Something had severely shaken him, making her think it was not her weight loss that had him concerned.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You slit your wrists in the shower. If I hadn’t sent Komi in to check on you, you would be dead.”

  What Fox was saying made no sense. Natasha knew she would never try to take her own life. She couldn’t do that to Lucy. She couldn’t do that to Fox. She looked down at her wrists and found they were bandaged up. Frantically she pulled one of the bandages off and stared at the faint scar that ran across it. “I didn’t do this,” she murmured. Then she looked at Fox. “I didn’t do this,” she repeated, loudly.

  Fox looked like he wanted to argue. Instead he went to the door, opened it and called for Komi. “If you don’t believe me,” Fox said to Natasha, “maybe you will believe him.”

  Komi seemed as relieved as Fox first had when he entered the room. “Thank the Creator,” he said.

  “She doesn’t believe that she tried to kill herself,” Fox told him. “Tell her what happened.”

  Komi sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand. “You did,” he said gently. “There is no other explanation. You were alone in the bathroom. I would have known if there was anyone else in the house.”

  Natasha pulled her hand away from Komi and moved away from him. “Stop this. You’re scaring me.”

  Komi looked at Fox, who nodded. He stood up and left the room.

  “Where is he going?” Natasha asked.

  “To get Lukine. Something is going on here and we need to know what.”

  “Fox,” she said, her voice trembling. “I know we should be keeping away from each other, but I really need you right now.”

  Before she had finished speaking, he had crossed the room and joined her on the bed. He took her in his arms and held her until she had stopped shaking. “What’s happening to me?” she asked.

  “That is what I am here to find out,” Lukine said as he strode into the room. “First, I am glad to see you alive. It was touch and go there for a while.” He smiled at her, but she was unable to return it. “Are you up to answering a few questions?”

  She wasn’t, but she wanted to know what had happened to her, and why. She nodded her head.

  Fox settled down on the bed next to her and put his arm around her, not caring about what anyone else thought. Lukine frowned at him, but nothing Lukine could say would make him leave her side.

  “Since you were last here, has anything strange happened?” Lukine asked. “Anything out of the ordinary?”

  “To be honest, I have been living in kind of a daze so I’m not sure it would have registered if anything had.” She didn’t look at Fox to see his reaction, but he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

  “May I?” Lukine asked holding out his hand to her. She placed her free one in his and he began to speak quietly in a language she didn’t understand. He closed his eyes and continued speaking.

  “Is she supposed to be glowing blue?” Komi asked, causing Lukine to open his eyes once more.

  “Yes and no. Yes, because it means the spell is working. No, because it is indicating that she is under some sort of enchantment.”

  “Are you saying,” Fox asked, “that a witch or wizard has put a spell on her to make her kill herself?”

  “No. All I am saying is that she has been enchanted. I have no idea who by or why or what the enchantment is supposed to do. But we can find out.”

  “How?” Natasha asked.

  “It’s impossible for one of my kind to put an enchantment on someone without them knowing, however, we can make them forget.”

  “You told me that wasn’t possible,” Natasha said, remembering back to when she had first found out she was a demon.

  “It’s possible for a magic-user to make you forget you met them, but nothing else. I can help you remember, like the way I helped you to remember your parents.”

  “Do it,” Natasha said.

  “Are you sure you are up to this?” Fox asked. “You lost a lot of blood and nearly died. Maybe you should rest first.”

  “No, I’m okay,” she said. She squeezed his hand tight. “You won’t leave me though, will you?”

  “Not while I still have breath in my body.”

  Lukine glared at him. “I need you to move away. Nat should be laying down.”

  “No problem,” he said and moved position so he was lying prone on the bed. He held out his arm and Natasha snuggled down beside him. “Satisfied?”

  “No, but I guess that’s the best I’m going to get.” He turned to Komi. “Go and get Bo. She should be here for this. It will save us explaining later what happens. Also call Trey and tell him everything. I know he is away with his new girlfriend, but Lucy needs to be told what has happened and I think she will take it better hearing it from him.”

  “Actually, they’re together,” Natasha said.

  Lukine rolled his eyes and Komi grinned. “I suspected as much. Back in a minute.” He had his communicator to his ear as he left the room.

  “Are you really sure you want to do this?” Fox asked Natasha.

  “No, but I have to.” She longed to tell him how much she had missed him and how good it felt to be in his arms once more, but she knew she shouldn’t. She would have to leave him again soon and letting him know how she felt would make it that much harder.

  Bolene frowned at Fox when she arrived, but she refrained from commenting. Natasha understood that Bolene thought it was a bad idea for the two of them to be so close, but she needed Fox to help her through whatever was about to happen.

  Like he did the last time he put a spell on her, Lukine told her to listen to his voice as he spoke the words of the spell. Natasha closed her eyes and felt herself slipping away.

  “The enchantment has been on you for four days, so think back to last Tuesday. Did anything odd happen? Did you go anywhere different? Did you meet any strangers?”

  Natasha was about to say no when an image formed in her mind. “Yes,” she said. “I had completely forgotten that I had an unexpected visitor. I was about to go to bed when someone rang the doorbell.”

  “Walk us through what happened,” Lukine said.

  In her mind, Natasha relived the event. She opened the door and could not believe who was standing in front of her. It was her mother, her real mother, the woman who had given birth to her. She looked a lot older, but there was no mistaking who she was.

  Natasha didn’t hear the exclamations that filled the room as she continued to describe the scene. Joonie introduced herself and asked if Natasha would let her in. Natasha wanted to contact Fox, to have him by her side when she confronted her mother, but
she couldn’t bring herself to take her communicator out of her pocket.

  Natasha wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t know this woman and had no idea if she meant her any harm. The woman grabbed her arm and said something she couldn’t understand. Suddenly she found herself inviting her in.

  Joonie spoke about the night Natasha had disappeared, how she had woken to find both her baby and her husband gone. She talked about how she had searched for them, week after week, month after month, but there was no sign of them. She had no idea if they were still alive. Then she said how pleased she was to finally find Natasha.

  Natasha wanted to ask her questions, like how did she find her, how did she know she was on Earth, how did she even know she was alive, but she was unable to speak. She wanted to move, but found she couldn’t. She was forced to listen as her mother told her that she needed her. She had found a spell to bring the love of her life back to her, but she needed her daughter’s help. All she had to do was go to Yong on Alignment day and help her with the spell. Natasha was a witch and it was about time she learned how to use her power.

  Natasha didn’t want to go to Yong. If she couldn’t have Fox, she didn’t want to go anywhere where there were demons. Somehow she managed to voice her thoughts.

  Joonie became angry. She told Natasha that she would never be happy again while she was on Earth. The loss of Fox had left a hole in her heart that could only be filled by visiting his homeland. She no longer had family on Earth, so why stay? Nobody on Earth loved her and nobody could help her.

  Natasha felt the words washing over her, compelling her to agree, but an image of Lucy filled her mind and she knew the words were lies.

  Joonie told her that she would change her mind and before leaving, told Natasha to forget they had met.

  “Joonie plans on bringing my father back,” Fox said when Natasha fell silent. “Can my life get any worse?”

  “Necromancy,” Bolene said and shivered. “It’s outlawed in Yong for a good reason. It’s not only unnatural, it’s dangerous. It requires a blood sacrifice.”

  “Is that what Joonie needs Nat for?” Komi asked. “To kill her?”

  “We have no way of knowing,” Lukine said. “We don’t know how the spell works. It’s possible that it has to be performed by two witches who are related by blood.”

  “This still doesn’t explain why Nat tried to kill herself,” Fox said. He wasn’t interested in why Joonie wanted Natasha because he was not going to ever let her have her.

  “Then let’s ask her,” Lukine said. “Nat. Please cast your mind back to when you saw Komi earlier today.”

  “I knew he was there,” she said. “I could sense him watching me. I have sensed him before, but this time I felt strong enough to speak to him. I always carry my necklace with me, just in case, so I put it on.”

  “Skip forward,” Lukine said. “You are now in your house, in your shower. What are you thinking?”

  “It felt good seeing Komi again. I have missed him. But it made the pain of not being with Fox even worse. Something told me that I would never be happy on Earth again and I should go to Yong if I wanted to fill the hole that was inside me, the hole which was beginning to consume me. I couldn’t bear the thought of being there and saw no way out. I wasn’t aware of breaking my razor to get the blade until it was in my hand.”

  “Stop,” Fox said. “You don’t have to say any more.” He didn’t want to hear her describing cutting herself.

  Lukine brought Natasha out of the spell he had her under and she opened her eyes. “So I did try to kill myself.” She sounded distraught.

  Fox put his hands on either side of her face and moved her head so she was facing him. “No, baby, no. You didn’t. You were not in control of your actions. Joonie’s enchantment had hold of your mind; you were not able to think rationally. This is not your fault. Do you understand?”

  A tear trickled down her face as she nodded. “Good girl,” he said then turned to his family. “She has to stay here. Joonie got to her at her house and we can’t risk that happening again.” He then turned his attention back to Natasha. “I know you want nothing to do with us, but things have changed. I need to know you are safe. I need you to stay here. Say you will, for me, please.”

  Natasha nodded her head again. She was scared and staying with people who could protect her sounded like a very good idea.

  “Thank you,” Fox said and kissed the back of her hand. She longed for him to do more, but knew that he wouldn’t. “If it’s alright with you, I will move into your place. I know you won’t want to be around me.”

  Natasha gripped his hand tight. “No. Stay. Please. Neither of us have made a good job of surviving while apart. Maybe seeing each other and becoming friends will be easier.”

  “Well it can’t be harder,” Fox said. He looked at those assembled in the room. “Any objections?”

  Nobody had. “She will need protection,” Lukine said. “I will make sure I escort her everywhere she wants to go.”

  “There’s no need for that,” Natasha said hastily. While she got on with Lukine well enough, she didn’t want to spend that much time alone with him.

  “I will be there as well,” Komi said. Natasha noticed he glanced at Fox, silently asking for permission.

  “I don’t want to put you out,” she said.

  “You won’t be,” Lukine said. “If Joonie comes anywhere near you again, Komi and I will be able to take care of her.”

  “It will only be for a few months,” Bolene said. “If what your mother said is true, then she will have no use for you after Alignment day.”

  Natasha shivered. It felt wrong having this strange woman who had tried to harm her referred to as her mother. “Please don’t call her that,” she said. “As far as I am concerned, I have no parents. And I don’t need any. I have Lucy and my sister and you guys. What more do I need?”

  Poison

  The first few days were hard. Seeing Fox and not being able to be with him was painful. Numerous times she found herself reaching out to him and having to pull her arm back. It didn’t help that he was doing the same.

  She started her lessons once more, both with Fox and Komi. Komi made her go easy. She had lost a lot of blood and it would take her a while to regain her strength. As they had promised, Lukine and Komi escorted her everywhere; to her work, to her dance classes, even to her house when she went there to collect some things.

  Fox found the nights harder than the days. The first night he had been woken by her screaming his name. He went to her door, but could not bring himself to knock.

  Komi arrived and Fox backed away from the door. “Go to her,” he said. “Give her whatever she needs.” He prayed that she needed comfort, nothing more. Fox didn’t think he would be able to cope if Natasha and Komi became intimate.

  The next morning, Trey and Komi were at the dining table when Fox entered the room. “What happened last night?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking.

  “I held her until she had cried herself to sleep.”

  Fox winced. “Maybe making her stay here was a bad idea.”

  “It’s not this place,” Trey said. “She screams out your name most nights. You get used to it after a while.”

  Fox had no intention of getting used to it. As soon as he had eaten his breakfast, he set about moving all of his things from his room to a spare one at the far end of the hotel. From there he would not be able to hear anything that happened in Natasha’s room. It meant that he would have no idea if Komi went there again, but he trusted him to do the right thing.

  A few days later, Bolene took Natasha aside. “How are you coping?” she asked. “Being around Fox.”

  “Seeing him is hard, but not seeing him was harder. I keep thinking it will get easier, but it isn’t. If anything, it’s getting worse. I dream of him every night. Every time I am with him I want to feel his arms around me. We should be together. It isn’t fair that we can’t be.”

  Bolene didn’t know what t
o say. Natasha and Fox were both suffering, but there was nothing she could do to help them.

  Their conversation was interrupted by the front doorbell ringing. Komi answered it and when he saw who was on the doorstep, he called out that Bolene should stay with Natasha.

  Hearing this, Fox left the library. When his eyes fell on Joonie, it took all of his self-control to keep his hands away from her throat.

  “What do you want?” he asked, putting as much distain in his voice as he could.

  She didn’t react to his unfriendliness. “I want to see my daughter.”

  “She doesn’t want to see you,” Komi said.

  “That’s for her to decide, not you,” Joonie snapped at him. “Now get out of my way.”

  Grinning, Komi stepped to one side. He watched as Joonie strode forward and walked into an invisible barrier. “Lukine put a spell on every entrance to this hotel. Nobody can enter unless they are invited.”

  “Then invite me in.”

  “Now why would we do that?” Fox asked, barely able to control his rage. The woman who was responsible for Natasha nearly dying was standing in front of him, acting as though she had not done anything wrong.

  “I have the right to see my daughter.”

  “You lost that the moment you made her try to kill herself.”

  Joonie took a step back. She looked like the verbal slap Fox had given her had been physical. “That was not my fault. I never wanted any harm to come to her. I need her alive.”

  “Actually, it is your fault. You put a spell on her. You made her feel like she had nothing to live for.”

  Joonie glared at Fox. “I am Natasha’s mother and I want to see her. I want to take her away and look after her.”

  “Over my dead body.”

  Joonie laughed. “Stay with her and it might be.” Komi had to grab hold of Fox to stop him stepping out of the house and attacking her. “Tell her from me that I will see her in Yong on the evening before Alignment day. Whether she wants to or not, she will be there.”