Witch's Betrayal

by Crystal Ash

  Deja's knees suddenly buckled under some unseen weight. By the time she plopped down onto her cute little ass, I was crouched and tense. With my head low and my teeth bared, my vision turned red as the male witch ran over to her with concern on his face. Once he saw that she was okay, his expression returned to that of a smug asshole.

  "You wobble like a goddamn baby deer," he told her.

  "Yeah well you didn't warn me about getting dizzy," she shot back, brushing grass and leaves off her pants.

  His eyes lowered to her ass as she dusted herself off and a growl escaped my throat, louder than I intended. They both looked up with startled expressions toward the brush where I hid.

  "What was that?" Deja asked.

  "Sounded like a mountain lion," he answered. "They hang out in these woods sometimes but don't get close to people. We should be safe."

  I would've laughed had I been in human form. Oh, she is certainly safe. I can't say the same for you, witch boy.

  They resumed the lesson without any incidents triggering a growl from me. Raum also remained silent from where he roosted but I knew he was there. While he had a better vantage point, his raven vision did not see nearly as well as mine in the dark.

  As they wrapped up and started heading back toward the house, I slunk off through the trees, silent as a shadow. Just before reaching the edge of the treeline before it met the road, I shifted back into human form and lightly jogged out under the streetlights. Anyone who saw me would figure I was a runner taking a shortcut through the woods.

  You still got eyes on her? I asked Raum, slowing to a brisk walk.

  Yeah, she's going out the front door now. She's alone.

  Good. My temper simmered down to embers knowing the male witch wasn't walking her to the train station. He'd already gotten too close for comfort.

  My human sight and hearing weren't nearly as strong as in animal form, but still better than the average humans. Raum's wings fluttered as he settled on top of a telephone pole in the distance, right at the midpoint between me and Deja. After a few moments, I saw her dark head of hair turn toward the station, her amber eyes looking almost golden in the streetlight.

  We're good, Raum. I got eyes on her now.

  Good, because I can't see shit now. See you both at home.

  I walked briskly until I caught up with her. She had just purchased a new ticket at the kiosk and inserted it into the fare gate. Barely any humans were around at this hour but I still cloaked myself in shadow as I followed her onto the platform.

  Stalking me, mountain lion? she asked, amusement in her mental voice.

  Watching out for you, I corrected. And damn, you're progressing fast. You know I'm here and already talking through your aura.

  I felt that was you in the woods, she said. I heard Raum up in the air, too. I thought ravens didn't fly at night?

  Well, unfortunately, he can't turn into a bat.

  The next train approached and zoomed past before slowing to a stop. The doors opened to an empty car and I took the opportunity to show myself again as we stepped on.

  "So what did you think of your lesson?" I asked, sliding into the seat next to her and brushing my hand under her hair. She visibly relaxed when I caressed the nape of her neck and leaned into my shoulder.

  "Annoying," she muttered into my shirt. "Apparently he's the best person to learn shadow work from, but he's a total ass. And on top of that, he'd kill you guys if he could."

  "Which he can't." I kissed her forehead and rubbed the knot in her neck. "What about the actual magic part? Is it coming to you as easily as everything else?"

  She shook her head. I could see the frustration in her knitted brow and held back a smile. It looked adorable on her.

  "No, it's the hardest thing I've done so far. It's really disorienting. Like I'm swimming through mud and I don't know which way is up or down. I can just barely sense where I need to go to reach sound and light but it's so exhausting to get there."

  "You'll get it," I reassured her, squeezing her shoulder. "The shadow side of everything is a deep and murky world. It's no wonder humans have such trouble reaching their subconscious. Even witches find it difficult." I tilted her chin up so her honey-colored eyes met mine. "But if that fucker even looks at you the wrong way again, I swear to Lucifer I'll tear him from limb to limb myself."

  She smiled up at me, making my backward beating heart race.

  "You're sweet, Sal. I'm glad I keep you around."

  "Me too," I chuckled, brushing a kiss across her forehead. Only she would call my murderous habits sweet.

  I was conceived in Hell as a manifestation of bloodlust and violence. Lucifer took human aggression and a lion's predatory instincts and blended them into a single soul. When he put that soul in a body, he created me.

  When I first saw her sitting at the feet of Ash's throne, naked and seductive with his serpent around her shoulders, I found my purpose. I would protect her, no matter how many throats I had to rip out along the way. I lost count of how many I killed in her name. I started and ended wars just because some stupid fuck looked at her the wrong way.

  The way she nuzzled her head into my shoulder, pulling my arm to wrap around her tighter, reinforced everything she did for me in return. She was the calm in my chaos, the one person who could take my guard down and remind me that I wasn't a simple killing machine. When I had nothing left after a long day on a battlefield, she did far more than wash the blood away from my body. She returned me to my humanity.

  The human side of me longed for balance, a break from the senseless aggression. After getting my fill of death and destruction I wanted soft hands holding me. I wanted my woman to climb in my lap and kiss me until I felt human again. I wanted to watch her face contort in pleasure as she used me like a toy and fucked all the aggression out of me.

  And I was forced to live centuries without her.

  Imagine a man being locked away for a life sentence, never being able to see or communicate with the woman he loves. He knows she's out there. He can still feel her in the depths of his black heart. He knows she'll come back to him one day. Now multiply that by a hundred lifetimes and it would touch a fraction of what I felt without her.

  But now here we were, riding a high-speed train together in the twenty-first century. Her head on my shoulder and my lips against her temple, our fingers intertwined. Simple moments like these, not the ones that necessarily changed the world, were the ones I missed the most.

  Her body shifted against me, wrinkling her nose in an adorable expression of disgust.

  "I think I got some mud up my shirt when I fell," she said. "Probably gonna need a bath when we get home."

  My heart soared at her referring to the house as our home. At another time, I'd have to bring up moving her in with us officially.

  "Need someone to scrub your back?" I brushed my lips against her ear. Her breathy little gasp made me harden instantly.

  "I promised to spend time with Ash tonight." She gave me an apologetic look. "Tomorrow?"

  "Sure, beautiful." I kissed her temple. "Only If you want to. Don't feel obligated to see me if you and Ash need to catch up." I brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "And that wasn't innuendo. I honestly meant I could just scrub your back in the bath."

  She sighed, closing her eyes softly. "I do want to see you, more than anything. But..."

  "You want to see them just as much as me," I smiled. "I get it, honestly."

  "I just want to be fair to all of you," she blurted. "I mean I care about you guys so much. I don't want anyone to feel like the odd one out."

  "The only one you have to remotely worry about, and that's still not very much, is the one you're seeing tonight," I assured her. "Raum and I know we satisfy certain needs of yours and we have zero problems if someone else has your attention for a while. Ash on the other hand," I chuckled. "For being such an ethereal, perfect creature made out of sunshine or whatever, he has some very human flaws."

  "I kind of like t
hat about him," she admitted softly. "I mean I'm still human, too. Knowing that he gets a little bit possessive kind of keeps me grounded."

  "See, Raum and I don't understand that at all," I said. "But I'm glad he gives you something that we can't."

  "And that's why I'm so lucky to have you." She traced my jawline with her finger as the train slowed for our stop. "You're so selfless."

  "What? It's not because I'd annihilate an entire army for you?" I demanded in mock anger, then pressed a kiss to her cheek.

  She laughed and pulled away, keeping hold of my hand as we got off the train.

  "Yeah, that might have a small part to do with it, too."

  6

  ASHTAROTH

  The creak of the door opening yanked my attention away from my book. The sight coming through it took my breath away.

  Deja gave me a shy smile, her wet hair sleek and shiny as the firelight cast a warm glow across her face.

  "Busy?" she asked, holding the lapels of the terrycloth bathrobe she wore.

  "For you, never." I snapped my book shut and yanked my glasses off. "Have a nice bath?"

  She nodded as she stepped into my study and closed the door softly behind her. The heat from the fireplace didn't hold a candle to the fire that raged through me as she came closer.

  I held my arms out to her and she accepted my embrace, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as I pulled her legs across my lap. Her kiss that followed was the sweetest thing I'd tasted all day. I held her tightly and savored her, drawing the kiss out long and slow until we had to come up for air.

  "What were you reading?" she asked when our lips parted.

  "The Merging of Blood and Shadow." I held up the heavy tome for her to see. "You wanted to know details about your mother's death. The answer is likely in here."

  Her eyes widened. "But Raum said it most likely wasn't a demon that killed her."

  "He's right. This," I set the book down on her lap. "Was written by one of the first dark witches. She invented her own brand of magic, which later came to be known as blood magic."

  "Why is it called the Merging of Blood and Shadow?"

  "Shadow magic is where demons source most of their power," I explained. "Some witches are skilled with it but it's incredibly difficult. The author of this book was the first known non-demon shadow master. She used it to fuel her blood magic." I gave her a look. "Your demon hunter friend is one of the few contemporary shadow masters in the witching world."

  Deja scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I do not want to talk about him right now." She pulled back the cover and began turning the ancient, weathered pages carefully. "I don't know what any of this says," she mused.

  "That's because it's written in ancient Greek," I told her and closed the cover, running my finger over the author's name. "Efimia, daughter of Democedes. Do you recognize that name?"

  She shook her head and I couldn't help but smile.

  "She was one of our great-granddaughters, and a real bitch from everything I've read about her."

  Her eyes widened again before relaxing with a soft chuckle. "That's right. I keep forgetting," she said sheepishly. "All witches have directly descended from me."

  "Yes. And the beauty of it is you're reborn in a different body with the same soul. So you pass on your magic ability but different DNA to every generation."

  "I never thought of that," she mused, tracing over the cover like I had. "So what are you learning from Efimia's book?"

  "Well, for one thing, a blood magic spell is incredibly difficult to cast. It requires a blood sacrifice of the same species and blood type which you're casting the spell on. Casting during a blood moon increases the chances of success. And even then, Efimia only had about a fifty percent success rate." I flipped toward the back of the book and opened to where a crude chart laid out across two pages. "She practiced on stray dogs and half the time ended up killing the target's pup or littermate."

  "How skilled was she in other types of magic?"

  "Incredibly," I said, flipping more pages. "She was one of the most powerful witches of her time. From what I can gather, her element was fire."

  "So it had to be someone at least matching her level of skill that killed my mother." She looked deep in thought, raking her fingers through my hair. "Who could that be?"

  "Honestly, anyone," I said. "The spell can be cast over a great distance. It's just easier to do when in close contact because of the specific blood you need."

  "But in this day and age, whoever it was could've just found out my mom's blood type somehow, then steal the matching type from a donor bank or something."

  "That would definitely make it easier to cast," I agreed. "But the sacrifice is still needed and murdering humans isn't taken lightly, I hear."

  Deja let out a chuckle before she sighed and leaned her temple against mine.

  "Is this weird to you?" she asked.

  I turned and kissed her temple. "Is what weird?"

  "The fact that I'm trying to avenge my mother's death," she said softly. "I mean since you don't have parents and have seen so many lives go by. I know death is not a big deal when you're immortal."

  "Hey." I cupped her chin and gently turned her to face me. Her golden irises danced in the firelight as they searched through mine.

  "It's not weird at all," I told her. "I may not have had a childhood or parents, but we've been parents. We've raised hundreds of children together. Don't you remember?"

  "Of course I do," she smiled. "I loved seeing the three of you dote on our kids more than anything. And it's amazing to think about the witch gene being passed on for this many generations because of us." Her smile faded. "It's just been so long."

  "I know." My arms tightened around her. "And when we're ready, we'll create the next generation of witches. But just because we live outside the cycle of life and death, doesn't mean I don't cherish life." I nudged my lips across hers in a soft, brushing kiss. "And I cherish you. This is important to you, so I'm making it my mission to help you get to the bottom of it."

  A smile crept back onto her face as she stroked my beard. Her aura glowed with warmth and appreciation.

  "Thank you, my angel," she whispered before kissing me deeply.

  With a low moan, I pulled her across my lap until she straddled me. The book slid off the love seat to somewhere unknown on the floor.

  "Fuck," I groaned upon realizing she was completely naked under the robe. My cock strained against my jeans which we pulled down eagerly, giving her something softer to rest her bare vulva on.

  She gasped as she sat astride my shaft, growing thick and hard by the second as she rubbed herself on my boxer briefs. I kissed a slow, hot trail along her jaw, making my way down her neck as I pulled the robe off her shoulders. I took my time kissing her soft heated flesh, moving along to her collarbone and shoulder as the robe fell lower down her arms.

  The fabric eventually fell away as I kissed her throat, my hands gripping just underneath her breasts. I had to pull away and look just for a moment at the gorgeous woman sitting on me.

  She gazed at me with large, hungry eyes as the firelight danced over her bare skin. I couldn't even begin to fathom how lucky I was. She was always beautiful, no matter what body she inhabited. Sometimes her hair was blonde. Sometimes she was tall and leggy, other times shorter and with voluptuous curves. But she always had those same golden eyes and she was always gorgeous.

  I pulled her close again, sliding my hands up her slender back as my kisses went lower, grazing across her pert nipples. She whimpered as she ground her pussy into my lap, coating my cock in her wetness. Her soft lips traced the contour of my shoulder, nipping me gently which drove me wild. With an uncontrollable groan, I pulled her hips forward, dying to sink into her.

  The friction of her body against mine rolled my briefs down with no hands to assist. We were too busy with our hands on each other. Only a slight shift and wiggling was needed for her to lower herself onto my shaft. She paused as I pressed against her
hot, slick entrance, my hands holding her waist as I brushed kisses along her ribs.

  "You are absolute perfection," I whispered against her skin. "No matter what century it is or what body you're in."

  "I swear we were made for each other," she rasped against my ear. "The first rebel human and rebel angel. Who knew we'd be such a force to be reckoned with."

  I gave her my agreement with a hard kiss and pulled her down, impaling her on my cock at the same time. We moaned in unison, a shuddering pleasure filling me as I was sheathed in her perfect pussy. She raised and lowered herself onto me, soft whimpers and sighs escaping with each movement until she lowered herself all the way. Being inside her was more heavenly than the kingdom in the clouds I lived in eons ago.

  Our eye contact was only broken by our kisses. I matched her thrusts as she rode me, creating a seamless rhythm of pleasure for both of us. When her orgasm started building, hugging my cock on all sides, I sat up tall on the edge of the loveseat. Her skin grew hotter, her movements more frenzied from the added pressure on her clit.

  "Yes, my love," I purred into her neck, holding her thrashing body tight against my chest as the orgasm overtook her.

  Deep moans escaped my throat as she convulsed around me. I wrestled for control as she quivered in my arms, whimpering, cursing and begging incoherently. Finally, she relaxed and melted against me, panting with exhaustion and her pulse racing.

  I covered her neck, shoulders, and face with kisses as I shifted our position, picking her up and laying her on her back. Moonlight from the window mixed with the firelight on her skin, making her look as if she was made of half fire half ice. I took my time to kiss her and feel every inch of her with my mouth and fingertips. I wanted to memorize this beautiful body she was in long after she discarded it and found a new one. This was the vessel she occupied when she finally became whole and returned to us.

  Goosebumps covered her flesh, despite being covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Her hands caressed my scalp as I dragged my mouth across her belly and hips.