The Demon Queen

by Brandi Elledge

  Strong arms jerked me below the surface. How had he gotten out of my wisps? We both came up sopping wet.

  His arms locked around me, and I had hair in my eyes. “I’m sorry if that was rude.”

  “Why are you apologizing to me?” I asked. “I’m just a lowly demon.”

  “Are you?” Our wet bodies crushed against one another, and he held me tightly to his chest. His brow wrinkled, like he was trying to figure me out. “Carmen, I came into all of this with a mission. I am supposed to have a clear goal, but you make everything befuddled.” Almost pained, he whispered, “What am I to do?”

  He wasn’t the only one confused. Why did I feel like he was talking about more than just finding the key? And why was he looking at me like he was trying to memorize everything about my face? He wet his lips and my stomach tightened. What was it about this guy that had my head spinning? Yeah, he was undeniably hot, but there was something else. It was a magnetic pull I felt towards him. I was trying to resist, but was losing the battle.

  With one arm, he held me close, and the other raked a hand over my face, removing all the hair plastered against my cheek.

  I let my head fall forward until my lips touched his, and for a moment I forgot this man had every intention of stealing my powers soon. I forgot he was my enemy. When my lips touched his for that very first second, he stilled, almost like he was afraid he would scare me away, and then his lips moved against mine with fervor. His hands tightened on my hips. The kiss quickly became hard. Demanding. Electricity jumped between us, jarring me enough to bring me to my senses.

  The one person who was strong enough to strip me of my powers and leave my helpless, and I enjoyed his kiss. The fire in me dampened. What was I doing? How could I be so attracted to someone who planned on hurting me as bad as my own father had? And why was he kissing a lowly demon?

  I pulled back slightly. “Do you usually willingly participate in a kiss by beings you hate so much?”

  Triumph flooded through me when he winced at my words. When he didn’t say anything and the silence seemed to engulf us both as we floated in the current I decided in that moment that no matter how hot Austin was I couldn’t allow myself to fall for him. He could destroy me.

  The thing about my natural form was it brimmed with power. Power I hadn’t tried out yet, but I knew it was just right there under the surface. Maybe I needed to remind him of what this despicable demon was capable of. I placed both of my hands on either side of his face then I flooded his mind with images of him being trapped in a room while demons tore at his flesh. He jerked back from me. His jaw clenched, and his eyes told me he was fuming mad.

  “Thanks for the reminder.”

  “Any time, cuddle bear.”

  I watched him as he swam back to shore. My heart did a funny little thing. Was that remorse? I groaned as I swam along the shoreline. I was like a sinking ship. I was taking on water, and it was just a matter of time before the whole thing capsized. I had to be better than this. Stronger than this. I was a queen, for fox’s sake.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After my long swim, we had packed up our things quickly. Austin refused to make eye contact with me. Good. Didn’t care. Tally was excited to be leaving, as he did not enjoy his time in the cooler. But the half-eaten fruit and bottle of wine told a different story. I was starting to think that my non-therapist was a slush.

  I donned the cute little sundress over my bathing suit, and with Austin in a T-shirt and his swimming trunks, we looked like typical tourists strolling the streets. Tally was hidden in my cross-body bag, and was currently foxing benching about it. Apparently, it was undignified he had to hide. Austin was wary of me, but he was back to talking with me. Not that I cared. We killed time by going through the market square and admiring all of the craftsmen’s items. I liked this city.

  There weren’t that many homeless loitering the streets, so the down-on-his-luck, older gentlemen begging for change outside of the market caught my attention. A woman dressed to the nines ignored him, as she walked in front of him with a group of her friends. He held up his hat, and she seemed offended the raggedy article of clothing was so near to her person; she swatted a hand at the man, calling him a few degrading names. He dropped his head in shame, as she carried on with her friends laughing at the audacity of the beggar.

  Well, that wasn’t very nice. I quickened my pace. In mere seconds, I found myself behind the snooty woman. She was talking about trading in her Tesla for the newer version. Not only was she rich, but she was flaunting it in front of her friends. I bumped into her hard. With one hand, I gripped her arm to steady her.

  “Oh, my gosh, are you okay?” I asked. “How clumsy of me.”

  Her eyes traveled to my cheap sundress before she clucked her tongue in disgust. “Be more careful next time.”

  I nodded at the slightly older woman. “Yes, of course.”

  I walked back out of the market to where the beggar sat in the hot sun. I squatted down to his level. “Here you go, friend.” I dumped my spoils into his hat. It was a wad of cash I had taken from the nasty woman’s pocketbook.

  The homeless man sputtered. “You … I don’t … Why?”

  I covered my hand over his. “Hey, you need this more than anyone I’ve seen today. Take it. Go get a warm meal and a quiet place to lay your head. Tomorrow is a new day and when the sun rises, remember not all is lost.”

  His eyes watered, and he quickly wiped a hand over his dirty face. “You’re an angel.”

  “Nah. I’m a demon.” I gave him a wink and he laughed.

  I could feel Austin’s eyes staring a hole into my back, so I didn’t dare turn around to meet his gaze. Instead, I straightened and walked back into the market, as I heard Tally mumbling something inside of my purse.

  “If I weren’t a Demon Queen, I would seriously think about living here,” I said. Tally scoffed from inside my purse, causing me to smile. “It’s true. Sure, there was that one nasty lady with her group of rich ash-holes, but for the most part, the people are super nice. I can smell the salt from the ocean, and the breeze brings a waft of the beautiful azaleas planted everywhere. There’s such a sense of peace here.” I could also smell the scent of Austin who was directly behind me, but I didn’t point that out.

  I picked up a beautiful, handcrafted bracelet. Austin came up beside me and was so close his chest pressed into my shoulder. I did my best to act like his proximity didn’t bother me.

  He leaned down and whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “Did you just steal from that woman?” I gave a shrug, as I studied the bracelet. “I want to hear you say why.”

  I almost ignored him, but when I looked into his eyes, there was no condemnation or condescending on his part; he was truly curious, so I answered him honestly. “That man needed it more than her.”

  “Nothing is black or white with you other than your soul.”

  He was right. Even my shell was fifty percent black and fifty percent white.

  “I have never met someone like you,” Austin admitted.

  I wasn’t entirely sure he meant that as a compliment, but that was the way I was going to take it. “Thanks, cuddle bear.”

  I ran my finger over the light blue stone in the middle of the bracelet. The bracelet wasn’t even real silver, and the jewels were as fake as the woman’s boobs beside me, but something about it made me smile.

  Austin looked at what held my attention. “That’s nice.”

  “Yep, it’s the color of your eyes.” I couldn’t believe I just said that out loud. Embarrassment flooded me. I quickly placed the bracelet back down on the merchant's table and headed to a different table away from Austin. Tally snorted, and I gripped my bag until my knuckles turned white. “Whatever your opinions are, bug,” I ground out through my teeth, “you better keep them to yourself.” I swung my purse violently, causing Tally to curse my name.

  I strolled along the vendors, smiling at each one who tried to sell me something. The temp
erature was perfect, especially when the wind would blow a cool breeze. For the most part, the people were friendly, and the town had lots of history. Normally, I wasn’t a fan of the past, but Charleston called to me.

  Austin, who was always right on my heels, asked, “Why are you smiling? Thinking of murdering me in my sleep?”

  I rolled my eyes. “When I take your life, it will be with you wide awake. I want you to have a front-row seat to the show.”

  His eyes twinkled with suppressed laughter. Either he wasn’t taking me seriously, or he thought his impending doom was foreplay. Regardless, the rest of the day I made sure I kept a reasonable distance away from him, even though my mind often lingered on him, and that was never a good thing. He was the enemy, not a potential boyfriend.

  When the sun finally made its retreat, we headed to the historical landmark called The Battery. We arrived a little early, so we staked ourselves out behind two different oak trees. Within two hours, my senses heightened, and power thrummed inside of me. The witches had arrived. Tally flew off my shoulder and settled on a branch above my head.

  Being the Demon Queen, I could sense the witches’ level of power. To say I was underwhelmed and unimpressed would have been an understatement. Sure, they had power, but please. Taking the key from them would be a piece of cake. Which made me wonder how they got a key in the first place. There was no way witches this weak just stumbled upon a key.

  I glanced over at Austin, who must’ve been thinking the same thing, because he winked at me. I almost smiled until I realized this was it. As soon as he had the key in his hand, the objective would change. We would no longer be on the same team, but on opposing ones. I would not allow him to strip me of my powers. Without them, I was helpless and as good as dead. I didn’t want to kill him, but I would do what I must to survive. I just had to keep giving myself encouraging pep talks.

  I studied the witches as they fanned out around what was deemed The Battery. There were only twenty-five in the coven. The women varied in age and low-ranges of power, but they all wore long, black robes, as they skirted around the perimeter of the park. One lone witch stood at the end of the rectangular-shaped field. We were watching from our hiding spots as the witches quickly cast a cloaking spell over the park, deterring any late-night visitors. It was also a silencing spell. That worked out well for me because I wasn’t known to go into battle quietly.

  The leader threw the hood of her robe back. Short, cropped brown hair fell to her chin. With my demon vision, I could tell even at this distance, and at night no less, she had brown eyes and a pale complexion. She looked a tad like Sarah, but her face was more mature and harsher.

  One hand snaked to a pocket in her robe, producing the key. She held it over her head, saying, “Sisters, we come tonight to start something beautiful. Are we tired of the Lux telling us how we must behave and commanding us to follow their guidelines or else be deported to a portal?” Many heads bobbed at her question. “Are we tired of the Degenerates telling us how we must listen to their leaders to conquer the Lux? We are our own people. We need neither group. With the spell that we have worked on for the last few years, we will be able to open a portal and control the beasts crossing over. They will do our bidding. While the Lux and Degenerates are busy killing each other off, we will add to the mayhem and blame it on the other group. Then we will rule the world.”

  I gave Austin a look, as if to say, “Now’s the time, buddy.”

  He mouthed, “Ladies first.”

  Jerk.

  I adjusted the straps of my sundress as I stepped from behind the old tree. I had a fleeting moment of wondering if I should retrieve my crown from my bag, but the truth was it was heavy, and I wasn’t feeling it. I made my way across the grass. My flip flops sounded like a gunshot through the night. The witches gasped as I gave a little finger wave.

  “Beatrice, we have an intruder,” one of the witches said, as she pointed a finger at me. Well, hello, captain obvious, like Beatrice needed someone to point that out. This was going to be a lot easier than I had initially thought.

  “So, hi. Is this an anonymous meeting? Or should I introduce myself?” No one made a move. I flipped my long black hair over a shoulder. “All righty then. I’m Carmen. I like long walks on the beach at night, well, considering today was my first day at an actual beach and I loved it, I assume I would like it at night, as well. I have some anger issues, and then there was that thing with the kitten, so I’m seeing a non-legit therapist, but don’t worry, he tells me he’s qualified, so that should work itself out. And—”

  The head witch interrupted me. “What are you doing here?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know there was a time limit to my introductory speech. Jeez, you all could stand to be a little bit friendlier, and where are the refreshments? I mean, hello, we are in the South. You know you’re cutting down your enrollment by not being very Southern.”

  “Someone shut her up,” the head witch gritted out.

  I made eye contact with Tally, who was currently behind the witch. I had given him enough time to get in place to secure the key. I was really starting to like my bug.

  Black wisps curled from my body, as I zeroed in on a few witches at a time. I smiled at my new power. Before I’d been limited. When I concentrated, one lone wisp would untwine from my body to do my bidding, but now multiple tendrils unfurled from me with barely any thought. My smoke coated their skin, and I laughed at their shrieks. They fought back with balls of fire and some of the more talented sent lightning bolts towards me, but they were no match. This made no sense. I found it hard to believe someone entrusted them with the key, or they took the key from someone powerful. Power oozed from me easily, and the ground trembled beneath me. I had a small group in my grip. My tendrils squeezed them before I threw the witches against the nearest trees. Austin had appeared in front of witches, closing in on my right. My trusted bug was currently keeping his eye on the prize. The key. I made a steady path towards him and the lead witch.

  “Hey,” I shouted to Austin. “If you get your rocks off taking others’ powers, now would be the time to do it. These ladies need to be taught a lesson.”

  I had snagged another four witches and threw them a foot in front of him. With one touch of his hand, they were all left crying on the ground. “And by the way, you’re not really helping a lot. Can you bring anything to the table?” I told him, as I backhanded a witch with my mind and a few mumbled Latin words. “I mean right now, I’ve invited you to a picnic—a feast if you will, and you showed up without a side. Not even paper napkins. But you want a seat at my table?”

  Austin chuckled as he disabled a witch. “I wanted to see if you knew what you were capable of. You could have taken all these witches down at once.”

  Hmm. Maybe he knew more about my shell than I did. I looked over at Tally, who had just sprinkled the lead witch with some dust and currently had the key in his tiny hands. He literally looked like he held up a globe, even though the key was about the size of a lemon. My bug was strong. Whoop-whoop.

  “Okay,” I said. “Stand back.” I concentrated on what I wanted to happen, and then once the image was in place, I flicked my wrist, sending out multiple black smoke whips. I looked like a creature formed of smoke. A bad-ash creature. The witches tried to escape their fate, but my wisps were too strong. They entangled the witches in a firm hold, bringing them down like a cowboy roping cattle.

  Austin appeared awed as he clapped, but then something changed in him. He shook his head, frowning, as if I was the sole reason he had issues.

  “This was super easy,” I said. “I mean they barely put up a fight. Something doesn’t feel right about this.”

  He grunted. Was that supposed to be an answer? I watched him as he stole each and every one of their powers. He gritted his teeth, as if it pained him as much as it did them. When he stripped the last one of their powers, the protection spell collapsed. Now, we were out in the open for any tourist or Charleston native to se
e. There were at least twenty-five witches in robes lying on the ground, moaning. We needed to get out of here quickly. That’s where I made my first mistake. I shouldn’t have been concerned about fleeing. I should have been gearing up for the real battle.

  Tally had just flown onto my open palm with the key in tow as strong arms wrapped around my torso. When the cold biting wind hit my cheeks, I knew it was game over for me. Dang him straight to my homeland! How could I have let my guard down?

  Chapter Sixteen

  I sat at a bar in bum freaking Alaska. Totally powerless. Austin was missing, and my Tally had bailed. There was an old jukebox playing in the corner, and I tried not to shiver in my sundress. What kind of person dropped someone off in Alaska in a sundress? He should’ve just killed me while he had the chance because even without powers, I had decided I would hunt him down and run a dagger through him if it was the last thing I ever did.

  I knew he had planned on taking my powers just like dear ol’ dad had done, and yet I still felt betrayed. I was a foxing moron. I stared up at the big moose head on the wall. Of all the places, why here? There was nothing but lousy music and men in this bar, and by the way they were gawking; it was apparent Alaska’s population was nothing but men. I had been hit on numerous times, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t because they found me attractive, but more because they wanted to breed with me. As if. I tried to zap number forty-two, but when nothing happened, I laughed like a maniac before letting out a sob. I even asked the moose what he thought of all of this. Some of the men scooted closer to me. You’d think my behavior alone would deter them, but with women being a rare commodity, it was obvious they didn’t mind a little crazy.

  Someone sat next to me on a barstool. A thick thigh brushed mine, and I lost my temper. “No, I don’t want to be your baby mama!” I swiveled in my seat to face a smirking Austin.

  “Good to know,” he said.