Santos' men formed a circle around the perimeter of the church. They moved efficiently, holding their weapons outright. Two of them fired a stream of flame above the pews.
“We'll burn this whole place to the ground, if we have to, witch. But I want to give you a chance. Do the right thing, and come on out. No one else has to die. Only you.”
“Don't you dare move,” Victoria whispered
“I won't let you two get hurt.”
“Go invisible, and get Kristin out of here. It's the best way.”
Kevin felt a sudden heaviness in the air, and started to sweat. He thought it was Santos' men at first, playing with their flamethrowers. Victoria also looked puzzled before a slow smile crossed her face.
“Or maybe not.”
“What's going on?”
“Just cover your head, and try not to be scared.”
“Scared of what?” Kristin asked.
There was a low, menacing moan. It was soft at first, and then grew in intensity. The first moan was joined by several others. It almost sounded like animals being tortured, but it wasn't an animal Kevin had ever heard.
The hair stood up on the back of his neck.
Santos' men waved their flashlights around, searching for the source of the noise.
“What the hell is that?”
“Where is it coming from?”
“Listen!” Santos shouted. “That noise isn't real. It's another of the witch's tricks.”
Victoria laughed quietly.
“He's in for a surprise.”
One by one, their flashlights started going out as the moans grew louder. Then there was laughter, although it didn't sound human.
Kevin looked up over the pew.
There was a shout of pain as one of Santos' men flew over his head and crashed into the wall, missing an arm.
They started shouting and firing blindly. They fired at the shadows on the walls, which seemed to be moving. Kevin's eyes met Kristin's, and he could see the terror in them.
A man fell into the aisle, just a few feet away from Kevin. He reached for Kevin, not to harm, but to ask for help. Kevin tried to grab his hand, but the man was pulled away screaming.
Kevin was aware of something above his head. He looked up to see a figure floating near the ceiling. He thought it was a man, at first, but noticed the huge wings keeping him in the air.
“Remember what I said!” the stranger called. “No killing. And don't maim, either. I'm not spending half the night mopping up your mess again. You want to taste a finger or two, fine. But just subdue them, contain them, whatever.”
There were a few moans and screams in response.
The winged creature floated down, its wings beating slower and slower. Kristin tried to crawl away, but Victoria held her.
“Relax. He's a friend.”
“Are you kidding?”
Victoria stood up, Kevin and Kristin right behind her. Kevin couldn't believe what he was seeing.
What looked like fifty or so creatures had the run of the place. They varied in shapes and sizes. One creature had six legs, and was chewing on a man's foot. Another had no legs at all, and tried to crawl its way up someone's chest. One of the larger ones grabbed a man and tossed him across the church like he was nothing.
Kevin instinctively knew what they were.
“Demons.”
Kristin leaned over and vomited.
The demon with the wings landed in the aisle next to Victoria. He looked like a man. Well built, short brown hair. He didn't wear a shirt, only a pair of jeans. He flashed Victoria a smile, and Kevin realized he wasn't a monster.
“Had to be a church, didn't it, Victoria? You know I don't like churches.”
“You sure took your sweet time getting here.”
“Give me a break. I've been flying for almost two hours. My wings are killing me, and I got lost. Had to talk to three ghosts just to figure out where to go. Cindy says hi, by the way.”
“Kevin, Kristin, this is one of my best friends, Alex Teague.”
Alex waved and gave Victoria a hug. First with his arms, then his wings followed.
Kevin was still watching the carnage around him. Blood was everywhere. There were fingers and toes scattered on the floor. The sounds of demons drinking and sucking blood filled the air.
He looked at Victoria.
“And you thought I was the dangerous one that needed to be killed?”
Kevin saw Alex roll his eyes, and in that moment felt guilty. This was Alex, Victoria's friend that she talked about, and he no doubt had his own story.
“You're welcome,” Alex said.
“What kind of witchcraft is this?” Santos shouted.
Kevin turned toward the witch hunter. Santos was on his knees, with two things that looked like zombies holding him by the arms. For the first time since Kevin saw him, Santos looked terrified, and he couldn't blame him. They were surrounded by the stuff of nightmares.
Nightmares that apparently Alex could control.
“What do you want to do?” Alex asked Victoria. “I told my little boys not to kill. But, what now?”
“I'm trying to set an example for Kevin,” she said under her breath.
“You'd better kill me,” Santos said. “Witches have to die. You all know this.”
“I could send them to the demon world,” Alex suggested.
Kristin couldn't take her eyes off Alex. She ran a hand along his wing, feeling the tiny hairs along the skin.
He shivered. “That tickles.”
“Sorry. What is the demon world?”
“You don't want to know,” he said, then looked at Victoria. “So, what's up? Are we committing mass murder here?”
“I'll tell you what we'll do.”
They all turned to face Kevin, who stood in the middle of the church holding his spell-book.
“We're gonna have ourselves a fun little ritual.”
He grabbed a potion from his pack, rubbed it on his hands, and dumped some on a nearby pew. It burst into flames.
Even some of the smaller demons recoiled at Kevin's voice.
“Kevin?” Victoria said. “What are you doing?”
“These people tried to kill me. They've shot all of us here. They destroyed our home, and almost killed my cat.”
“Kevin-”
He cut her off as he grabbed different things from his pack and mixed them in a bottle. With the open spell-book in one hand, he held the bottle to the flame.
“They deserve the nastiest potion I can come up with. Some of the things I've read in this book-”
Victoria approached him slowly as he mixed in some rat poison, then sugar, and a bit of Coca-Cola.
“You have to calm down.”
He took a deep breath and let some blood drip into the bottle from the pew next to him. As he held it to the flame, the potion turned a deep shade of purple.
“I'm not gonna kill anyone,” he said. “Just because I'm mad doesn't mean I'm a murderer. One drink from this, and they forget everything for the past year. They forget me, you, everything. They'll wake up, and not know how they got here. They won't even know each other.”
He handed the bottle over. Victoria turned it over in her hands and studied it.
“Kevin, this is amazing.”
“I told you I had more tricks.”
Victoria handed the bottle to Alex.
“Okay, listen up,” the demon said, his voice no longer sounding human. “I need open mouths. Do not rip their jaws off.”
The demons did as they were told, holding Santos and his men upright with their mouths open. Alex walked to each person and pulled their hoods off, forcing them to drink. After a single swallow, they fell on the church floor, unconscious.
They saved Santos for last.
“This doesn't change anything,” he said. “Others like me will find you.”
“I wouldn't worry about that,” Victoria said. “I'd worry about what Bradley will do to you when he finds out what you di
d here tonight. The funny part is you won't even remember so you can defend yourself.”
Alex poured what was left of the potion down Santos' throat, and took a step back when he fell on his face.
“Your services are no longer required!” Alex shouted.
The demons spoke in one voice.
“We want to kill.”
Kevin and Kristin both shivered.
“No killing tonight. You are dismissed.”
The heaviness in the air lifted as the demons slowly vanished, one by one, leaving only their mess behind. Blood, loose fingers and toes, a few eyeballs, all littered the church.
Alex pulled his wings in behind him, like a giant bat, and Kristin jumped when they shrank into his back.
“Well, looks like my work is done here,” he said.
“Thanks, Alex.”
“Anytime. It's always fun to meet people still trying to figure out what they are.”
He gave Kevin a wink.
Kevin hugged his sister. She was shivering, and it took all his willpower not to do the same thing.
“It's over,” he said.
“Yes, it is, but we'd better leave. This is all for nothing if they wake up and see us here.”
The four left the church and approached Victoria's Porsche.
“So, Alex, what's with you?” Kevin asked. “With the wings and everything?”
“It's a long story.”
Kristin shook her head. “This isn't right. I'm the only one here that's human.”
They shared a laugh.
Chapter 28
Kevin stumbled once again. The blindfold held tight to his face, not letting him see anything. The only reason he didn't fall was Rachel's arm around his waist, which he didn't mind so much.
“Ouch!” Kristin cried.
“Watch your step,” Victoria said.
“Easy for you to say. You put bondage hoods on us and walk us around a strange hotel. You could at least not bump us into stuff. I can only imagine the looks we're getting.”
“They're not bondage hoods. And yeah, you are getting some funny looks.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Kevin shivered as Rachel whispered in his ear. He knew she did it on purpose. She liked his reaction.
“Are you okay?” she said.
“Yeah. Where are you two taking us?”
“I told you. It's a surprise.”
The past two weeks had been difficult. Kristin and he had been staying at a hotel, with Victoria graciously covering the cost. Kevin knew he should be thankful, and he was. He was alive. Kristin was alive. Even Oscar was fine, though he didn't like the confines of the hotel room.
But they had lost everything. Their home, Kevin's favorite jacket, the picture of their parents they kept on the coffee table, all gone. They didn't know what they could do, and Kevin heard Kristin crying herself to sleep a few nights.
The only thing that kept Kevin in one piece was Rachel. She took care of him, even cooking dinner at her place when her parents went out themselves. They ate, watched television, spent time on the couch and her bedroom.
Kevin flinched as the cool night air hit his face. He sensed people around him as Rachel guided him across the sidewalk.
“Victoria can't eat, so we're not going to dinner.”
“Would you stop trying to guess?” Rachel said, laughing.
“Rachel,” Victoria called from a distance. “You're good, right?”
“Yeah. See you in ten minutes.”
“What's going on?”
“Kristin's riding with Victoria. You're with me.”
“Ooh. Mysterious.”
He leaned back in his seat as Rachel drove, playfully grabbing her leg a few times, only to have it swatted away.
“We'll have time for that later,” she said.
“So, I guess this explains all those secret calls you've been having with Victoria?”
She said nothing, only running a hand through his hair.
They arrived at their destination, and Kevin heard a series of car doors shutting. The scent of a charcoal grill was in the air. Rachel helped Kevin out of the car. He took the chance to grab her butt.
“Can we take these stupid things off now?” Kristin asked.
“Not yet. Let's get you all lined up.”
Rachel and Victoria removed their blindfolds at the same time. They looked at Victoria's house in front of them, then at each other in confusion. Alex Teague stood on the front porch, leaning against the door with his arms crossed. He looked much different than the last time Kevin saw him. He looked normal, and not something out of a horror movie with wings and demons surrounding him.
“Uh, wow,” Kristin said. “You took us to your house. But, I will say, Alex is looking pretty yummy up there. Is he for me?”
“Sorry,” Alex called. “I'm already taken.”
“Rachel, that's Alex,” Kevin said. “The, uh, guy I told you about.”
Victoria placed an arm around Kristin's shoulders and slipped a set of keys in her hand.
“And it's not my house. It's yours.”
“What?”
“I'm finally done here. It's time to get back to my beautiful mansion in Baltimore, and leave this shack to you.”
“You're joking.”
“Well, there's a ton of paperwork to fill out. But yeah, it's yours.”
Kristin's knees shook. Kevin had to grab her to keep her from falling. They were both speechless. Rachel held Kevin's hand with a huge smile.
“Victoria,” he said. “I don't know if we can-”
“Sure you can. I know you guys lost a lot in that fire. But this is a chance to make a fresh start. I was gonna keep this house, as a vacation home. So, as long as you let me come down to visit, we're all good.”
“We'll keep the basement just the way it is,” Kevin said.
“That won't be possible.”
Victoria gave Rachel a glance and a smile. Rachel pulled Kevin up the front steps, but Alex stopped the couple before they could walk through the door.
“I've got burgers on the grill on the back deck. Stop on out when you're done.”
Rachel led Kevin through the house and down into the basement. He couldn't believe it was the same place where Victoria and Kevin nearly killed each other.
The basement had been completely redone. A new bed was in the corner under the stairs. The refrigerator where Victoria stored her blood was gone. A large TV was mounted on the wall. A new computer and desk sat in the far corner.
Rachel sat on the edge of the bed and crossed her legs.
“I picked out the bed.”
“Is it comfortable?”
“Come on over and find out.”
They enjoyed each other, and the new bed, for ten minutes, kissing and touching. Kevin could not see how life could get any better.
“Hey!” Kristin called from the back deck. “Dinner's ready. Stop doing whatever you're doing, get your clothes on, and get out here.”
He rested his head on Rachel's bare shoulder and laughed. She kissed him on the lips and reached for her shirt.
“Maybe you should cast a magic spell on her.”
“Speaking of magic, are you ready for the best magic trick of all?”
Rachel sat up. “You've got everything here?”
“In my pack, in your car.”
“Okay. Let's give it a shot.”
*****
Victoria tried to hold in her laughter on two fronts. Alex was telling Kristin the story of how the vampire and half demon met, and that always brought a smile to her face. She could also hear Kevin and Rachel making out in the basement. That was a good sign he approved of his room. He certainly didn't waste any time in testing the bed. The sounds of moaning and skin smacking only stopped when Kristin shouted for them.
She watched Kristin and Alex eat cheeseburgers and hot dogs. Kristin thanked her for the twentieth time, to which Victoria just nodded and waved her hand. Kevin and Rachel joined them on the deck, their
hair a mess. Alex handed them both a cheeseburger and gave Kevin a wink.
She was going to miss them all, but would check in from time to time. Maybe she could even convince them to stay a weekend in Baltimore one day.
Victoria had spent most of her life afraid of witches, of the power they had. Curing the curse of a werewolf, stealing the memories of mortals, Kevin was a powerful full-blooded witch.
She wasn't afraid of him.
“This is so good, Alex,” Rachel said.
He shrugged. “They're just burgers.”
“It's weird you can't eat with us,” Kevin said, looking at Victoria. “I'll serve you up some blood.”
She laughed. “You want to pour me some blood? Check the cooler, near my luggage by the front door.”
A few minutes later Kevin was back on the deck, handing Victoria a filled plastic cup and drinking a soda himself.
“Please tell me you didn't make a mess in the kitchen,” Kristin said.
“I didn't make a mess, Kris. Stop whining.”
“We should have a toast,” Rachel said.
Kristin paused for a moment, and then raised her glass.
“To...very strange family and friends.”
That drew a chuckle.
Victoria didn't want to drink all the blood Kevin poured for her, but didn't feel comfortable giving him a half full cup to dispose of. She enjoyed her new friends for another half hour, talking and laughing. The night was quickly slipping away, and Alex and she needed to drive back to Baltimore.
“Okay, guys. I have to leave. I have a very upset man who's waiting for me back home. I'm gonna have to suck up to him, and suck from him, if I'm ever gonna be on his good side again.”
There were moans and sighs at her announcement. Kevin and Alex helped load her luggage into the car. Alex shook everyone's hand and jumped in the passenger's seat. Rachel actually cried a little as she gave Victoria a tight hug.
“Take care of Kevin,” Victoria whispered. “He may have magic, but he needs you.”
“I will.”
Victoria gestured for Kevin to walk with her down the driveway, out of earshot from everyone else.
“I'm...very glad we didn't kill each other.”
Kevin laughed, and gave her a nod.
“If you ever need anything, just call me. Okay?”
“Yeah. And the same goes for you. You never know when you might need some magical help. Thank you. For everything. Thank you saving me and my sister's life, I don't know how many times.”
A Witch to Live Page 29