by Holly Evans
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
Forty
Forty-One
Forty-Two
Forty-Three
Forty-Four
Forty-Five
Forty-Six
Forty-Seven
Forty-Eight
Forty-Nine
Fifty
Fifty-One
Fifty-Two
Fifty-Three
Fifty-Four
Fifty-Five
Fifty-Six
Fifty-Seven
Fifty-Eight
Fifty-Nine
Sixty
Sixty-One
Sixty-Two
Sixty-Three
Sixty-Four
Sixty-Five
Sixty-Six
Sixty-Seven
Sixty-Eight
End Note
Witch Infernal
Infernal Hunt Book Three
by
Holly Evans
Copyright Holly Evans (2016) ©. All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogue are purely from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is fictionalised and coincidental.
Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.
Dedication.
First and foremost to my dear husband, for his unwavering support and encouragement. Next, I dedicate this to my best friend. He is at the heart of every snarky elf I write, and I love him for it. Last, but not least, my twin (in spirit if not in blood) Mollie. She made me smile during the darkest times and reminded me why I love writing so much. I’d be lost without these three amazing people in my life.
One
I stretched and enjoyed the freedom of having the bed to myself; it was soon clouded by the fact that I did miss Lysander's warm body pressed against mine. A growling laugh came from the living room, soon followed by Quin's voice.
"For alchemy, you're the first hound we've had this opportunity with."
I wandered out into the living room to see Lysander with his arms crossed across his bare chest, a playful pout on his face as Quin grinned at him.
"I've been poked and prodded by you and Kadrix quite enough," Lysander said.
I couldn't help but smile. Quin had really come into his own with the alchemy, and Kadrix was making him happy.
"What is it you want from Lysander this time?" I said with a smile.
The poor hound would have nothing left of himself if Quin and the elf had their way. I understood their excitement, but Lysander was still a living, breathing creature, with tight muscles and a sexy smirk that made me melt.
Quin practically bounced. “We've been playing with Lysander's fire, and if we mix it with nymph essence and a splash of Sidhe blood, then the most amazing reaction occurs."
His eyes lit up with glee. I raised an eyebrow.
"Mhm, do you not have other things you could be doing? You've already collected so many bits from the poor creature."
Quin sighed melodramatically, but flashed me a big grin. "We could use some things from you, as you're bonded to him..."
I glared at him. He laughed, and Lysander joined in the laughter. I wandered into the kitchen, hoping for some breakfast; the city had been quiet and well-behaved since the hellmouth incident, but I didn't want to become lax.
"Come on, Evie... just a bit of breath and some hairs."
I gave Quin a dark look. "You have plenty of bits in that workshop you share with Kadrix. How is Kadrix by the way?"
I feigned innocence when Quin's laughter stopped and he blushed. I'd never seen him blush over any woman; the elf had really sunk his claws into my dear brother.
Lysander pouted at me. “Now, Evelyn, leave your brother be."
I smiled sweetly. “Are you forgetting your place?"
He grinned at me. I let it slide; no one had taught me how I was supposed to handle a hellhound, and we got along well enough, perhaps too well at times.
Quin handed me a muffin. "You were still in bed when I cooked breakfast, so this will have to do."
I squeezed his arm and made eye-contact. “Kadrix is treating you well, isn't he?"
His mouth dropped open. "Yes, he is. He makes me feel like I'm walking on air..."
I gave a small nod. That was all the information I needed. Elves weren't something I would touch, they had a horrible way of dealing in sacrifices. If you wanted anything from an elf, there had to be a sacrifice in return. I didn't want to know what Quin may have sacrificed.
Lysander distracted me from my thoughts, his arms slipped around my waist. "Are we going for a run, mistress?"
That sexy smirk that I loved so much sat on his lips. I stepped back, removing myself from his arms. He was a hound, I couldn't go where he wanted, no matter how much my body disagreed.
I gave a small shrug and said, "Another time; I'm going to visit Elise. I haven't seen her since the hellmouth incident."
She had said she needed time to recover from the ritual; it had clearly taken a toll on her. Still, I missed her, and it was about time that we caught up on everything that had (or hadn't) happened.
Lysander gave me a pout, but soon turned to Quin and said, "Coming for a run?"
Quin dragged his fingers through his hair and gave the hound an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I have plans with Kadrix."
The hound's shoulders slumped. “Looks like I'm running by myself then."
I patted him on the shoulder. “I'm sure a big bad hound like you will survive running around the city by yourself."
He bit his bottom lip holding back his retort. I turned and headed to get dressed before I gave in to my desires.
Two
It was unusual to find someone other than Elise in her church. I thought I'd caught some sexy man slipping out of the door once, but I couldn't be sure. Elise wasn't allowed to settle down or date, not until her lady gave her her final partner, but she was allowed, and from what I heard, encouraged, to enjoy herself. The church was filled with voices when I pushed open the large wooden door; I wondered if perhaps I'd forgotten that she was having a meeting or some such. I peered around the corner, trying to assess if I was intruding or not. Elise was standing near the front of the main room in front of the white altar in her full priestess garb. Another priestess was standing near her in a flowing pale-yellow dress and bright yellow flower in her hair. I hadn't dealt with many of the other paths, but I thought the yellow meant the sun god; as far as I was aware, the sun god and Elise's lady, the moon goddess, weren't on fantastic terms.
My curiosity
had been piqued. I leaned around the corner a little farther, trying to ascertain who else was there. Three tall men had their backs to me, each of them stiff and uptight. Two wore expensive pitch-black suits, the other pale blue jeans and a relaxed white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. My eye wouldn't quite settle on them. They couldn't have been human. Or perhaps they were an unusual form of male witch; male witches were rarely powerful enough to be able to emit such magic, though. I frowned. Elise scowled and glared at one of the suits; the priestess in yellow stood a little taller and matched Elise's glare. Another priest stood on the other side of Elise, clad in soft heather greys, a fellow follower of the moon goddess, perhaps. I really hadn't paid much attention to the deities; Elise had told me they were important, but they hadn't mattered much in my life. I was a hunter, not a woman of faith.
"Miss Hawke, we're aware that you're there," a deep gravelly voice said.
It seemed to come from the guy in the jeans.
I walked out from behind the corner and strode up to them with a small smile. "Am I interrupting?"
Elise smiled. “Of course not, Evie, these gentlemen were just leaving."
"No we weren't," an icy male voice said.
Elise glared at the blond man in a suit. His hair was slicked back, his grooming immaculate. His stance spoke of an experienced fighter, slightly tense, but relaxed and confident. His suit hung beautifully, showing off his hard lines and soft curves just so.
I smiled sweetly. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"
Elise's face hardened. She gestured at the three men with a broad sweep of her hand.
"Evie, meet the celestials."
I raised an eyebrow at her and mouthed, 'seriously?' Celestials came to our plane about as often as demons did. It was a very difficult task for them to come to our plane, and there was some pact in place that stopped them from interfering, supposedly at least. To have three of them standing in Elise's church was no small deal. Elise sighed heavily and gave me a small nod. I ignored them; they had an unpleasant reputation for being arrogant fuckwits.
"And your other friends?" I asked, nodding at the priest and priestess.
Elise relaxed a little. She gestured to the woman in the yellow dress, who gave a small curtsey.
"Petra is a lady of the sun god. Jackson is a priest of the sky god."
I looked the man up and down. His soft grey robes hung a little too loosely to get a proper impression of him, but he had a strong jawline and bright blue eyes that held my attention.
He smiled, an easy expression that sat well on his lips. "We were called here, by the men behind you."
Distaste sang through his words. No one was all that fond of celestials; they weren't as bad as demons, of course, but like most things that wore a suit for any length of time, they weren't much fun.
The gravelly voiced celestial cleared his throat, drawing my attention. I turned to face them; my fingers ran over my blades subconsciously preparing me for violence.
The blond said, "I am Zair, this is Ioel, and that," he gestured with some disdain at the one in the jeans, "is Tiel."
Tiel flashed me a devilishly sexy grin and bowed low before he offered me his hand. His grip was firm without trying to prove something. His deep green eyes held mine.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Evelyn."
I concluded that not all celestials were as bad as they were made out to be.
Zair glared at Tiel, who raised an eyebrow and gave him a small smirk in response. Elise shook her head at us, whereas Jackson looked a little put out. I walked away and stood by Elise, making my allegiances clear.
I said to Elise in a loud whisper, "I thought celestials weren't able to come to this plane?"
Zair crossed his arms and sighed loudly. I tried not to grin.
Elise said, "The hellmouth opening upset the balance, which allowed them to come down and pay us a little visit."
She practically hissed the last two words.
I smiled at her and leaned in a little closer. “Do you want me to rough them up?"
She giggled and finally relaxed. "I think I can manage, thanks, Evie."
I pouted and said, "Spoilsport."
Tiel was smirking at us; the other two, however, wore looks that could kill. They were too easy.
I crossed my arms and said, "I thought celestials were supposed to have great white wings, you look more like businessmen than terrifying warriors of old. Are you the gods' errand boys?"
Zair turned and interesting shade of purple. Huge pure white wings burst from his back and spread out behind him, the wingspan enough that they almost spanned the church.
I gave a small shrug and said to Elise, "Eh... I've seen better. You?"
She shook her head a little. “He's certainly not what I'd expected, with such a pretty suit. It's a little disappointing."
Tiel howled with laughter while Zair huffed and retracted his wings once more.
"We were told that humans were pathetic little meatbags, but you girls are quite fun," Tiel said.
I looked at Elise before she said to him, "Thanks... you're not as unbearably pompous as I was led to believe; your friends only have one stick up their ass."
Zair audibly ground his teeth together, his hands clenched before he turned and walked to the back of the church. Tiel grinned at us and took a step closer; the middle one, with mud-coloured hair, seemed torn. I fluttered my eyelashes and wondered what his buttons were.
Three
Zair had taken a few minutes to calm and smooth this feathers; Tiel had composed himself.
"What brings you here?" Elise said coldly.
Zair sniffed and looked down his long narrow nose at us. "The balance was upset."
I shrugged and waited for them to get to the point. They simply stared at us.
Elise and I passed a look between us before I said, "So you're here to do some paperwork? Are there some forms we need to sign, or...?"
Ioel, the muddy-haired one who'd remained pretty quiet up until then, said, "We're here because the hellmouth opened, and things need to be returned to as they belong."
"The hellmouth was closed. Things are how they're supposed to be," Elise said.
"No thanks to you," I added.
"You screwed up, you allowed demons to come onto this plane, and the balance was upset. It was not our place to step in and save you; you're the guardians, are you not?" Zair snapped.
I took a step forward closer to him and snapped back, “We did not allow demons to come onto this plane. If you were so fucking concerned about it, maybe you should have stepped in to protect your precious balance a little sooner.”
"We shouldn't have allowed you such autonomy in the first place. The moon goddess gave you all too much freedom; our lord..."
"Is too uptight and screwed up," Tiel finished for him.
The other two shot him dark looks. I fingered my blades and wondered how susceptible celestials were to blades made of their own feathers. The image of plucking Zair flitted into my mind. I'd make enough money to buy a small island.
Elise moved to stand at my side.
"Do you have a reason to be here, or are you just going to make shallow remarks?" she said coolly.
"We're here to aid in restoring the balance. Things have not been entirely fixed yet. There is the matter of a witch who has grown too powerful," Ioel said.
"You're so big and fucking mighty, why don't you kill her and move on?" I snarled.
Their attitude was grating on me. I didn't appreciate the idea of higher beings looking down on me at the best of times. Zair sighed melodramatically before Tiel stepped closer to us and spread his arms in a placating gesture.
"We're rather limited in what we can do, as it's not our plane. Thus, we need your help to resolve this little problem."
The front door opened and Lysander strode up behind the celestials, his hackles raised and teeth bared.
"How sweet, your pet has come to check on you," Tiel said with a smile.
; Zair curled his lip. “You could have trained it."
Lysander stalked around the celestials, his eyes never leaving them, his muscles tight and teeth fully bared. He stopped at my side.
"I felt your aggression and came to make sure you were ok, mistress. I see that you need a little help removing the trash."
Zair's mouth tightened; Tiel, however, laughed. "How sweet, he's quite the little guard dog, isn't he? How hard does he bite?"
Lysander went toe to toe with Tiel, the hound's head a few inches shorter than the celestial's, not that he seemed to notice while he snarled at him. Tiel was entirely unfazed, a small smirk remaining on his face. He raised his hand, Lysander smacked it aside and went to grab Tiel's throat. Elise gave me a warning look.
I sighed. "Lysander, back off."
Zair's mouth twitched with a smile; Tiel crossed his arms and puffed his chest out a little. Lysander grudgingly returned to my side.
"You haven't explained what the fuck you want or how we're supposed to get rid of you," I said.
Tiel pouted. "Are you sure you want rid of us? I'm sure we could have some fun."
Lysander snarled. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to rise to such obvious bait.
Zair said, "We need to find the witch and put an end to her plans. There's also the matter of the balance."
He gave Lysander a dark look. I smiled sweetly and trailed my fingers over Lysander's collar.
"As you can see, the hound is mine and will be staying. Anything else?"
Zair ground his teeth once more and said, "Find the witch."
With that, he vanished, taking his quiet friend with him. Tiel blew a kiss at Elise and me before he vanished. Lysander paced and snarled, growling about celestials in a mix of English and what I assumed was the infernal language.
Jacob looked between Lysander and me, a small scowl forming on his face. I ignored him; I'd had my fill of pissy, pouty men for the day.
The priestess, Petra, said in a very light and bubbly tone, "Well, that was awkward."
I raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled broadly and gave a small clap.