Fox Among the Demons

by Trudie Collins

  She sat up. “I think so. Just a little bruised.”

  “Can you get any light in here?”

  “Sure. That’s one of the few spells I have mastered. Maylan started me on the essentials; making the healing potion, creating ‘doors’, defending myself.” She then spoke a spell and a ball of light appeared in her hand. She released it and it rose upward, casting its light around the room. “And creating light.”

  The room appeared undamaged by the lightning attack, as did the altar. Lukine’s body remained untouched, the knife still sticking out of his chest and blood staining his skin. Natasha shivered.

  “Don’t look,” Komi said. “And remember, this was not your fault. You were not in control when this happened. Joonie killed Lukine, not you. You were just the tool she used. You are no more to blame than the knife is.”

  “Thanks,” Natasha said. “But that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  They turned their attention to Joonie. Unwilling to touch her, Komi nudged her body with his foot. She didn’t react. Bracing himself, he knelt down and rolled her over. She was definitely dead. There was a hole in her chest, the edges of which had been burned by the lightning. Just to make sure, Komi placed his hand on her neck. There was no pulse.

  “She’s dead,” he said. Until that moment, Natasha didn’t realise that she had been holding her breath. She exhaled noisily. “Can we go home now?”

  “Do we have to?” Komi asked. Natasha gave him a questioning look. “Fox is going to be pissed at me. I lied to him. I told him that Trey was coming back to help us.”

  “He’ll get over it.”

  “He’s going to be mad at you too. We made plans without telling him.”

  “Don’t worry about that. We agreed to disagree in regards to him always putting me first and me risking myself for others. We’ll argue. We’ll sort things out.” She smiled. “The make-up sex is going to be great.”

  Komi chuckled. “Let’s get out of here.” He took her hand and they walked over to the ‘door’. He looked her up and down, then grinned. “This is really going to piss him off,” he said and swept her up into his arms. “Clear your mind,” he said and stepped through the ‘door’.

  Fox was waiting for them on the other side, pacing. He had been given another dose of the healing potion and the bruising and swelling on his face had disappeared. His ribs had mended and, other than aching muscles, he had completely recovered from his ordeal.

  Komi gently lowered Natasha to the ground and braced himself. “You I will deal with later,” Fox said. Then he approached Natasha. He took her in his arms and kissed her so passionately that Komi had to look away. “Never do that to me again,” Fox said when the kiss ended.

  “I’m making no promises.”

  Fox took her hand and led her into the lounge, where everyone else was waiting for them. Zem had his arm around Maylan and Lucy was cuddling in Trey’s arms. Bolene was seated next to them. She looked a lot different to when Komi and Natasha had last seen her. She even had a welcoming smile on her face. Maylan had put a spell on her, the same one Lukine had used night after night without her knowledge. She knew that he had hurt her, badly, but she no longer had any memory of what he actually did.

  “Is she dead?” Zem asked.

  It was Komi who answered. “Yes. Maylan’s plan worked.”

  “And Lukine?” Bolene asked.

  Komi glanced at Natasha as he answered, hoping she would not contradict him. “Joonie killed him. She used him as the sacrifice.”

  “Good.”

  “So what actually happened?” Trey asked. “What was the plan and why wasn’t I told about it?”

  “Hold on,” Fox said. “Are you up to this?” he asked Natasha. She nodded. He took her to a spare sofa and placed a comforting arm around her as soon as they sat down. Komi waited for him to nod, then told them everything that had happened.

  It had been Komi who had approached Maylan, asking if there was any way Joonie’s magic could be used against her. There was, if Natasha was prepared to do it. Though nobody had ever got it to work, most witches or wizards knew the necromancy spell. With a few altered words, Natasha was able to change it from a spell to take the soul of the newly departed to one which offered up the soul of the living. As soon as she said Joonie’s name, the spell took effect and her soul was ripped from her body, leaving behind an empty corpse.

  It had been a risky thing to do. Nobody knew that Joonie was going to kill Lukine, so Komi and Natasha would have had to find a way to deal with him, but they saw it as their only way to survive. They also had no idea how powerful the spell was; they were both aware that they might be killed by the aftershock.

  They needed to know that Trey, Fox and Bolene were safe before they could go ahead with their plan, so they kept Fox and Trey in the dark, letting them think they could return to Yong to help out.

  Trey was angry and told Komi and Natasha what he thought of them and their plan, saying words that shocked Bolene. Zem was not annoyed that he had not been told of the plan. He said that he had no right to interfere in his daughter’s life and, had he been told, he would have done nothing to stop her. Bolene was also not pleased at the two of them risking their lives, but she said she understood their reasons.

  Everyone was expecting Fox to explode, but he didn’t. He said that everyone was safe and that was all that mattered. He did, however, say he would be discussing this later with Natasha, when they were alone.

  They talked about everything that had happened for a while longer, then Fox announced that it was late and that he and Natasha were going home. They went through the ‘door’ that she had yet to close, using it to return to the hotel. Natasha shut it down immediately afterward. If anyone wanted to join them, they would either have to get Maylan to use her magic or catch a cab.

  They materialised inside Fox’s bedroom. “I suppose you want to talk now,” Natasha said.

  “No. That can wait. I have something more important to do.” He laid her on the bed and slowly undressed her before stripping off his own clothes. They showered together, touching each other intimately, exploring each other’s bodies as though it was their first time.

  When they finally made it to bed they made love. It was soft and gentle, yet still full of passion. “I love you,” Fox said as Natasha lay dozing in his arms.

  “I love you too,” she said sleepily. Fox smiled and closed his eyes. He was happy and content. He had no idea what the future might now hold, but that would wait until the morning.

  Resurrection

  It was late in the evening on Alignment day and everyone was on Yong. Joonie’s death had broken the enchantment she had placed on Maylan, meaning that she could use ‘doors’ once more. Most of them had gone into the city to join in the celebrations, but Natasha and Fox had opted to be alone.

  They sat on the top of a hill, looking up at the stars. Fox was leaning against a tree, Natasha sitting between his spread legs, leaning back against him. His arms were around her waist and she had linked her fingers through his.

  Fox told her about the three moons, each clearly visible in the sky. When he finished, he kissed her neck. He loved holding her like this. It felt like she was his and nobody could take her away. Initially he had wanted to stay on Earth and enjoy some private time with Natasha, alone in the hotel, but now he was glad she had persuaded him to go to Yong.

  It was a perfect night. It was warm, but not uncomfortably so, there was no trace of clouds in the sky and they were miles away from civilisation. He could get used to using her magical talents to transport them places. They were in a place he used to go when he was young and wanted to get away from everything. It always took him a long time to walk there, but it was worth it. The view was spectacular in the daytime and the sense of peace it gave him could not be matched. He was glad he was able to share it with the woman he loved.

  They sat in silence, enjoying just being together. They didn’t need to speak; everything had already been said. Whe
n they were alone she had told him the truth about Lukine’s death. He agreed with Komi. She may have physically stabbed him, but it was Joonie who was controlling her so his blood was not on her hands. They didn’t argue about her making plans without telling him. Everyone they cared about had survived; nothing else mattered.

  They had discussed magic and how it had affected Natasha. She believed that some magic was evil and should never be used. Fox agreed and informed her that, on Yong, the spell that Joonie had used to control her was illegal, as was necromancy. The one she herself had used against Fox, and later against Lukine, while not banned, was frowned upon and was only allowed to be used in self-defence.

  The spell Lukine had used to wipe Bolene’s memories was still up for debate. While it could be used for harm, as Lukine had demonstrated, it could also be used for good. Maylan using it on Bolene had helped her a great deal.

  Natasha had decided to move in with Fox at the hotel. Now that she was single once more, Bolene offered them the suite. It held too many memories of Lukine for her to be comfortable in it. Instead she moved into one of the spare bedrooms, close to Komi and Trey.

  Lucy would stay in Natasha’s house, though everyone knew that Trey would be spending most nights there. He would keep his room at the hotel, and Lucy would occasionally stay over, but nobody was under the illusion that they would spend any more time apart than they had to. He would still attend ‘kills’, along with Komi and Bolene; he would just meet them at the required location. He agreed to give Lucy the space she needed to study.

  Natasha had also decided to give up work. She didn’t need the money and it was too far to travel from the hotel each day. She would continue to write her books, but the rest of her time would be spent learning. Her lessons with Fox and Komi would start once more and there was a lot more magic she wanted to know.

  They had talked about moving to Yong, but finally decided against it. Fox had been offered a permanent teaching job at the school he had been helping out at, as had Komi, but he turned it down. Komi wanted to continue hunting down and killing supernatural creatures, as did Bolene and Trey, and Fox didn’t want to leave them. Also, it would be hard to find a replacement teacher for the children stationed on Earth, especially one who was so good at making weapons.

  With Lukine gone, they were in need of a magic user and Maylan had agreed to fill the gap until Natasha became fully trained.

  “Are you happy?” Fox asked Natasha.

  “Yes,” she said. “Happier than I ever thought I could be. I am sad for Bo, but we will all help her get over Lukine.”

  “And you’re not concerned about leaving your house in the hands of Lucy and Trey?”

  “No. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I want to be sure that this is what you want. I have you now and I never plan on letting you go.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  Fox pulled her tighter to him. He was suddenly overcome with a need to make her his in the eyes of everyone. “Marry me.”

  “What?” Natasha pulled away from him so she could turn around and look at him. His face held no mischievous smile and his eyes didn’t sparkle the way they usually did when he was joking with her. They contained nothing but love and honesty. “You’re serious!”

  “I have never been more so.”

  “We can’t get married. We haven’t known each other long enough.”

  “So? We have been through more together already than most couples do in a lifetime.”

  “True.”

  “I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Can you say the same?”

  “Of course I can.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  Natasha was unable to answer. Instead she leaned forward and kissed him.

  “Is that a yes?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said and threw her arms around him. “Yes, yes, yes.”

  It took a while, but eventually they settled down to just cuddling once more. “Do you ever think about how different your life is now compared to a year ago?” Fox asked. “You were dating someone you rarely saw, you didn’t know that vampires and werewolves existed and you believed you were human.”

  “Sometimes. But I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

  “I wonder what will change over the next year.”

  “I don’t know, but I’m looking forward to finding out.”

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  The man opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. Sun was streaming through the windows, illuminating the room.

  He was lying on the floor on his back and he rolled over so he could stand up. The first thing his eyes fell on was the altar and the dead body tied to it. It answered at least one of his questions. Someone had used the necromancy spell and had managed to get it to work.

  He walked over to the altar and looked down at the body. The man was older than when he had last seen him, but he could not fail to recognise his son. He felt no sadness. Though he despised Fox for the fact that he was not his son, he still thought more of him than he did Lukine. While Fox had spirit, courage and a real sense of right and wrong, Lukine had an evil streak in him. He could never see his own shortcomings and constantly blamed others for his failings. He would never admit it to anyone, but the man actually admired Fox. No matter how badly he was treated, he never gave in, he didn’t break.

  He turned away from the altar and saw the second body. Pain coursed through him when he recognised her face. “Joonie,” he said softly. “No, please no.” He rushed to her side and took her in his arms. He said her name over and over again as he rocked her back and forth.

  When he released her so he could examine her, he saw the gaping wound left by the lightning and he knew that it was her soul which had been sacrificed in order to bring him back. She would not do this to herself, so someone had murdered her. He looked around the room once more, as though trying to see who was responsible.

  There was no indication that he was not alone, so he gently laid Joonie’s body on the floor and closed her eyes. He folded her arms across her body, hiding her injury, so it looked like she was merely sleeping.

  Then he spoke to her. “I am so sorry my love. This is not how things were supposed to turn out. You were meant to bring me back so we could be together.” He stroked her cold, lifeless face. “I swear to the Creator, I will find out who did this to you and when I do, I am going to make them pay.”

  From Trudie:

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  Also by Trudie Collins

  Diary of a journey through Hell

  Diary of a journey through Hell

  Diary of a Journey Through Hell - Kris's Story

  Tor's Quest

  The Guide

  The Maze

  The Bard

  The Pendant

  The Assassin

  The Beginning

  Vampire Hunters

  Vampire Hunters

  Greater Vampires

  Standalone

  Kwin

  Soul Eaters

  The Tor's Quest Saga

  Fox Among the Demons

  Sentinel

 

 

 
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