by Unknown
“I think that’s a great idea.”
“I think it’s a terrible idea,” Larry said. There was a bit of worry in his eyes that he couldn’t hide on his best day. Not from me. Maybe from Barry. But not from me.
“Barry, would you extend an invitation to your demon that he come back here?”
“K... What are you doing?”
“I don’t know,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m making this up as I go along.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t do that. Something like this probably calls for a bit of planning and finesse of execution.”
“Yes, it probably does, but we don’t have the luxury of planning and finesse. We have a demon who has my magic. It’s quite urgent, I think.”
“He was rather handsome,” Broo added.
“Which is part of the problem.”
“Didn’t seem like one. He carried himself and his handsomeness well. He was even polite.”
“Maybe you should go out front to see if the other witches need help,” Amir suggested with a smile.
“But that doesn’t sound like any fun.”
“Since when did you get brave?”
“I have no idea.” Broo sounded confused and I couldn’t blame her. “I think maybe I’m feeding off Kandy’s energy. She’s full of bravado right now and it’s palpable. For me, anyway.”
“You still haven’t convinced me to bring him here.”
“All I’m asking for right now is for you to extend the invitation to him.”
“Barry, just go do it, will you? She’s not going to let this go until you do.”
“You’re so bossy, Larry.”
“He’s always been bossy,” I said. “Always.”
“One always is quite enough, K.”
I shrugged. “Please, Barry.”
After a moment, Barry huffed and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. The spot on the floor where he’d been standing was empty. There was no sign or signal that Barry had ever even been there.
“Huh. I was expecting a swarm of flies or something to take him, not just a poof and he’s gone.”
“Now, what do you plan to say to this demon if he graces us with his presence once more?”
“I have no idea.” It would probably do me good to rehearse a few things to try and break the ice and some things to get right to the point. But in all honesty, I was usually better on my feet than people gave me credit for. If I planned, things never work out the way they should, if they worked out at all.
No, I would do exactly what I was doing with all this... I’d wing it. It hadn’t turned out any better, granted. But what other choice did I have other than to go ahead and—
“He said no,” Barry said, popping back into the room.
“Well, that was quick.”
“He wasn’t busy.”
“Why did he say no?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. He just said no.”
“That doesn’t help us any, Barry. You need to go back and ask.”
“No, he doesn’t. He needs to find out what the alternative is. Other than you going to him. Because leaving the jar of magic with a demon is a no-go.”
“Go ask, Barry. Please.”
“You’re a demanding witch,” he muttered a second before disappearing again.
“I’m not demanding.”
“You kinda are right now.”
“I don’t mean to be. That demon isn’t being very helpful.”
“I didn’t know demons were supposed to be helpful. I thought that was one of the things about them.”
“When can you go home?” I asked Larry.
“I don’t know. Every time I’ve tried to walk out the door, I am pushed back in by an invisible force.”
“Has he taken care of you?”
“He’s fed me and provided every comfort of home, if that’s what you mean.”
“I’m glad he has.”
“Okay,” Barry the Cat said, re-entering the room. “He will agree to meet with Kandy alone. No one else.”
“Oohhh... Wow. Kandy’s bravado slipped just then. Did anyone else feel that?”
“Only you, Broo. That’s kind of one of your powers.”
“Okay, well, that was weird. I haven’t felt a shift that powerful since the Wicked Shitz. I mean, it was pretty much... Boom. One second she was riding a wave of invincibility and the next, it dropped like a stone.”
“Are you finished?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.”
“She’s not going alone.”
“I’ll go.”
“She won’t.”
“I will.”
“Not.”
“Will.”
“K... For the love, woman. I’m trying to protect you and keep you safe. You will not go walking into Hell to meet with a demon alone. I forbid it.”
“You forbid it?”
“Wrong choice of word.”
“I should say so.”
“But you’re still not going.”
“Larry...”
“He doesn’t live in Hell, in case anyone was really interested. He has a beautiful penthouse apartment.”
“Of course he does.” Why was it that evil always lived in luxury? Not that I had any complaints about my house and all, but that was beside the point. “Do you think you could ask him to let me bring one person with me?”
“He’s gonna zap me for coming back with all these questions.”
“Tell him it’s my fault.”
“Better yet, tell him it’s Larry’s fault. And Barry, if you’d like, I can zap you, too, so you know what to expect.”
“Uh, no.”
“Why is it my fault?”
“Because you’re the one who continues to tell her she can’t go,” Broo said with a loud, irritated sigh. “She’s trying to get her magic back and you’re just throwing up roadblocks.”
“What’s wrong with wanting her to be safe?”
“Maybe you should’ve thought about that before letting your brother trick you into getting yourself locked up.”
Larry the Cat growled and lay his head on his outstretched front paws. Broo wasn’t wrong. “Just this one last question, Barry. Please. Your demon isn’t giving me much to go on.”
He didn’t respond. He only disappeared into thin air.
“This isn’t a good idea, K.”
“I know.”
Barry returned as quickly as he’d left. “He’ll allow you to bring one other and desires you to be at his penthouse within the hour.”
“Alright.”
“I’m ready when you are,” Larry the Cat spoke up.
“But you agreed.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to know you’re all right and safe.”
“Who then?”
“Amir.” I turned to him. “Would you mind?”
“Not at all. I’ve faced off with many warlocks in my time, but never a demon.” He looked to Broo. “You’ll be fine, yes?”
“Yep. I guess I’ll look after Larry the Cat and help with Leon.”
“And you won’t blow up anything?”
Broo shook her head. “Like you don’t even trust me...”
“You, my dear one, I trust. Your magic, on the other hand, no. I do not.”
“Maybe that’s why my magic acts up. No one wants it around.”
“No, I don’t think that’s what it is.”
“It was worth a shot.”
I turned to Barry. “Whenever you’re ready. We can go.”
“I can only ferry one of you at a time.”
“Oh no. That’s not how this is going to work.”
“No, it isn’t. I must insist you allow my magic to align with yours so you can transport both Kandy and me at the same time.”
Barry seemed disgruntled, but nodded.
“Were you hoping to trap me there and everyone else here?”
“No. Not me. Him.”
“Well,
that’s not going to happen. We’re both coming with you.”
Chapter Six
One second, we were in the room at Leon’s, and in the next breath, we were standing in the foyer of a penthouse apartment, exactly as Barry the Cat had said.
Marble floors.
Even some marble walls.
Golden details everywhere.
I could see a wall of glass around the corner from where we stood. It looked out over a city I’d never seen before.
The penthouse was rich and lavishly decorated, but it was also gaudy and totally not my style.
“Hmm... I am terribly disappointed you don’t like my home.”
I didn’t dare breathe. I didn’t dare look at him, the demon.
My gut clenched hard and my thighs tightened against each other.
His voice was liquid heat, even more so when I wasn’t looking at him.
“I see you’ve brought the warlock with you. I don’t like him.”
“You don’t even know him,” I burst out saying, suddenly giving validity to Barry’s argument in favor of the demon.
“Ah, there’s that pretty voice. Wonderful. That will make these negotiations go much more smoothly.”
“These aren’t negotiations. And oh my Goddess, will you show yourself. I don’t like talking to the air.”
“Touchy, touchy. I thought you didn’t want to look at me, afraid of... something.”
The way he said the word something caused me to tremble in fear and... desire? Noooo... I didn’t have feelings like that. Heck, I’d never so much as kissed anyone.
“Oh, that is a shame. We will have to remedy that very soon.”
“No, we won’t.”
Amir took my hand and began walking us out of the foyer, but a shock of light zapped our hands apart and shoved Amir against the wall.
“What did you do that for? It’s not necessary for you to be mean.”
“I’m a demon,” he replied, as though that said it all, and maybe it did. For him.
“So... Barry said you were a good guy, but I can see he lied.”
“He said that? That I’m a good guy?”
I rolled my eyes, then looked over at Amir. “Are you okay?”
“A little bruised and caught unawares, but yes, except...”
“Except?”
“I can’t move.”
And it was then I really looked at him. I saw his muscles twitching as he tried to pull away from the wall, but he made no progress. “Damn, Broo is so going to be pissed that you’re using your powers against her mate.”
“Who is Broo?”
“A witch who has zero control of her magic. Blows up stuff all the time.”
“She can’t touch me here.”
“Magic leaves traces. Let him go, please.”
“I don’t like my things being touched.”
“Then let him off the wall.”
“I don’t mean the wall, my dear. I meant you.”
“I’m not your thing. I’m not your anything.”
“Oh, that is where you are so very wrong.”
He did step into view then... “Fudge a monkey,” I muttered.
His smile was the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen and the brilliance of his deep dark chocolate eyes pulled me toward him... Until I couldn’t move another step.
“Two can play the not moving game,” Amir said from the wall he was still stuck to.
“Let her go.”
“Nope.”
“Warlock, do not test me.”
“You’re a demon prince, yes? I’m a warlock prince. Pretty evenly matched, I’d say. Shall we go a few rounds?”
I didn’t know if it was bravado on Amir’s part or if he was serious about the evenly matched thing, but I didn’t want to find out. “Can’t we all sit and talk this out like adults? Please?”
“Certainly, my dear. This way...”
All of a sudden, I could move and so could Amir. We settled on a large L-shaped couch that faced the wall of windows. “Where are we?”
“We are anywhere I desire us to be.”
“How is that possible?”
“It is one of my many talents.”
“Unhelpful. What if I wanted to see Paris?”
“Texas or France?”
“France.”
A fraction of a second later, the Eiffel Tower appeared along with the city of Paris. It was all laid out before us. The windows, which were actually doors, opened, and a lovely Autumn breeze wafted through the room. I could smell breads and chocolates and hear people talking and the leaves of trees rustling.
I stood and walked out onto a balcony that hadn’t been there before and gazed down. “Is this really Paris?”
“Yes.”
“How... I don’t understand.”
“I would say it’s an illusion, but if we are really in Paris, then I cannot even begin to explain it,” Amir replied, still inside with the demon. He almost sounded in awe of the power, but it could have also been fear.
I tugged myself from the balcony and rejoined them, sitting on the other side of Amir, away from our host.
He chuckled as though he knew I’d taken the seat purposely. “I possess powers there are no explanations for,” he said. “I understand their limits. I can manipulate them to a point, but as to why I possess them or how they inherently work, I do not know.”
“Th-thank you,” I said. I didn’t know why he’d told us that, but perhaps it was a bridge, a peace offering of sorts.
Again, he inclined his head and offered a kind, benign smile. I didn’t trust it for a second. “Barry tells me you’d like your jar of magic back.”
“Well, yes. Please. It is mine, after all.”
“That is true, but as it happens, I am not interested in giving it back to you without a deal in place.”
“What sort of deal?” Amir asked, his tone wary and worried.
“Your input, Warlock, is not required. This is between Kandy and me.”
“You really do need to work on your manners,” I suggested. “You leave a lot to be desired in the way of hosting and just general niceness. And... Barry said it wasn’t your idea to steal the jar. That it was a... Wicked?”
“My apologies. I shall endeavor to improve my manners for the next time we meet.”
“Oh, there isn’t going to be a next time. This is a one and done meeting between us. Now, what sort of deal did you have in mind?”
“Barry was correct, by the way. It wasn’t my idea to steal from you, but now that I have the magic, a deal seems a good way to make us both happy.”
“I don’t see how, but I’ll humor you. What do you want in exchange for my jar?”
“You.”
Well, that brought me up short and put a halt to my thoughts. “So sorry... What?”
“You. You are my price.”
“Okay, well... Nice meeting you. I’ll give your regards to Baba Yaga and let her handle you.”
“Aren’t you even the least bit curious as to why I want you?”
“Nope.” Although, I really was. He was a demon. I was a candy making witch. My purpose was to make others happy. His wasn’t.
“Hmm... Are you playing hard to get? Or do you not realize it, yet?”
I shook my head and looked to Amir, who glanced from the demon to me and back again. “I...”
“I bet your Warlock friend here does.”
“Amir?”
He sat focused on the demon for so long that I didn’t think he was going to answer and then I thought the demon had him under some sort of lock down again, but Amir’s shoulders slumped and he reached back and took my hand for a brief second and squeezed. “You set this up,” he said to the demon. There was no accusation in his tone, only resignation. What was going on?
“No. That is the truth. I didn’t. I had planned to do so, yes. With help. Just not in this way.”
“How was she going to help you?”
“She owed me a favor.”
“W
ho?” Though I wasn’t sure anyone was listening to me, but the demon’s eyes lifted from Amir to me and all the breath whooshed out of my body. Something powerful and potent was going on between us.
He smiled, gentle, indulgent. “You were right earlier, sweet witch.”
Earlier... I was right earlier... And then it dawned on me like a sunrise. “Baba Yaga? She owed you a favor? Is that what was going on in my kitchen between you two?” The sequences of events began snapping in place inside my brain. The looks they passed back and forth before they both disappeared, the lack of alarm when they were in the same room together... “Was she your source?”
“For the sour ones, yes. I needed a way to meet you, so she passed a few of them to me. They were truly sour, and it was then I knew something was up.”
“Can someone shed a little light on things for me?”
So, I did. I shed all the light on it that Amir needed before realization lit his eyes up from the inside.
“Do you wish to tell her as you’re her friend, or shall I?” the demon asked Amir.
“I don’t care who tells me.”
“He’s your mate, Kandy.”
“What do you mean mate?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, but I need it to mean something other than what it usually means because I... I can’t... I... Nope. I want to go home now.”
“This is your home.”
“Oh no, not it isn’t. I have a really lovely little fairy cottage in the woods. You’ve seen it. You’ve been there. It’s not a flamboyant penthouse that can travel in the blink of an eye.” I admit I was a little freaked out. Okay, maybe a lot freaked out. I wasn’t happy with this turn of events and I didn’t know how to handle it. My magic going wonky was a thing that... “You said she owed you a favor. What favor?”
“A little thing that found its way into the good and decent magical realm and decided to play havoc with some of the magic of witches and warlocks and other manner of creature.”
“But what did that have to do with you?”
He shrugged and leaned back into the cushions, casual and gorgeous and oh my Goddess what was wrong with me? Other than the sheer fact, he was devastating. “Being that the Wickeds’ magic came from the depths below, only a demon could handle it. I happened to available at the time.”