Sleeping with Monsters

by Amelia Hutchins

  “You could have told us,” I whispered through the thickening in my throat. “What if we’d changed? What if we’d formed a darkness inside of us and had to hide it to remain here?” I asked.

  “Then we’d have handled you as well,” my grandmother answered coldly. “No witch can be born of darkness without being evil. It’s written from the beginning of the tales of witches, Lena. Those born to darkness will destroy us all. They cannot fight the evil within their veins and souls for more than a few years, but as children it’s worse. They are the truest form of evil, and why the humans have tales of evil witches from the dawn of man. Understand this: Benjamin should have been drowned to purify and release his soul, yet we didn’t have the strength to do it. So we let him live, and not a day has gone by that we have not wondered what kind of monster we allowed to live. He is of our bloodline, which means he is very powerful, and with his father driving him, there’s no telling what he has done.”

  “You think he unleashed the demons on us?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Who else would have done this?” my mother finally asked.

  “Benjamin is mortal,” I announced. “Mortals do not hold enough power or magic to unleash Hell on earth. He didn’t do this. He is darkness, but he is not what you think. He pulled me from the wreckage and did his best to keep me alive. He allowed me to leave without any argument.”

  “But not before he filled you with discord. He told you who your father was, and he probably told you a million other lies. Of course he let you go, Lena. He made sure you were questioning things before he did so, didn’t he?”

  “What he said to me made sense,” I replied. He’d shown me proof, which one of those things had already been proven to be correct.

  “He isn’t what you think, granddaughter,” my grandmother whispered. “He’s tried to turn you against us, do not let him win this fight. He showed up right before the gates opened and allowed a few more demons out, and now again as the gates have failed. That is a truth as well. Now, tomorrow we will hold a dance for the new witches and ours to become united in a cause worth fighting for. You will be in attendance, and you will cease leaving this place, do you understand?”

  “But I—”

  “Enough!” she shouted and glared at me. “I’ve been patient with you, Lena. It ends here. You are not to leave here anymore. You will stop forcing Kendra to join you and taking her from the safety of this place in her condition. It’s not safe for either of you out there.”

  “I didn’t want to leave, she did!” I snapped, and both regarded at me as if I was losing it.

  “Kendra reported less than an hour ago that you forced her to leave here three times. I was also told that you were just witnessed in the club glaring at her as Lucian showed her attention and then we find you and him together, arguing. If you continue, you will be confined to the room you are staying in.”

  “Yes ma’am,” I said, spinning on my heel as I exited the room. That bitch set me up! Maybe she didn’t have a devil’s trap on her body, because this shit? This shit was low, and no matter what had happened, I didn’t deserve it from her.

  I made my way through the heavily crowded club, full of witches. Once I’d taken a seat at the bar, Spyder pulled up the stool next to me and glared at me. He rapped his knuckles on the bar and I smirked as I gave him my attention.

  “You want to explain what the fuck that was?” he demanded as the bartender approached. I shook my head as I gave Vlad a small smile.

  “Get me drunk,” I said as Vlad gave me a lopsided smile.

  “Now why would a pretty girl like you want to get drunk?” he asked, pushing his long black hair away from his face as he watched me.

  “Because I just kissed Spyder, got berated by the High Priestess, and because some people have lost their integrity,” I muttered as I stared him down in open challenge. “So get me a drink, please. Something strong,” I frowned as I turned back to Spyder, deepening the frown. He had a black eye, which wasn’t healing as fast as his other injuries had before. “Someone hit you?” I asked, wondering if I was misjudging it, or if the shadows were playing games on me.

  “I ran into a fist,” he said before he swung his glare to Vlad. “Jack Daniels, on the rocks,” he grumbled as he turned to face the crowd. There was no music playing, which seemed off. Every time I’d been in here the music had been bumping.

  I dismissed him, observing Vlad as he poured two fingers of Jack into the glasses and then pushed them in our direction. I took the cup and tipped it up, swallowing it in one gulp before I set it back down and pushed it back.

  “More,” I said, ignoring the two sets of eyes that stared at me.

  After the fourth, I slowed down and turned, taking in the witches who mingled or flirted. There were so many of them that I didn’t even know who was who anymore, or which coven they were from. My head swayed as I tipped the glass and swallowed deeply.

  “You’re not going to drink it away, kitty,” Spyder said as he surveyed me with hooded eyes. “That pain of betrayal, it’s not going anywhere.”

  “I wasn’t betrayed,” I stated, watching him as his lips tipped up, forming an alluring smile. “I never said anything about being betrayed.” What the fuck, did the walls have ears?

  “You didn’t have to,” he laughed as Vlad nodded.

  “Girl drinks like that, she’s either hiding something or she’s hurting. Sometimes, it’s both,” Vlad tossed in.

  “What if the girl just wants to get drunk?” I pointed out defensively.

  “Girls don’t get drunk without other girls,” Vlad countered.

  “Then there are things like clothes coming off, hooting and hollering, and the fun starts. You’re not doing any of those things, and you’re drinking with me,” Spyder retorted as his forehead creased as he struggled not to laugh at the disgruntled look I gave him. “Go to bed, kitty. Before I end up with another black eye,” he warned.

  “Fine,” I grumbled as I pulled out a few dollars and started counting change.

  “I got this,” Spyder announced as he pushed the money back into my pocket and gave me a gentle push in the direction of the sleeping quarters.

  “He shouldn’t have hit you,” I said.

  “It was fucking worth it.”

  “If you say so,” I muttered as I started to walk away from him.

  “I say so.”

  Chapter 27

  I strode down the hallway, oblivious to everyone and anything happening around me as anger simmered to the front of my mind. I hadn’t wanted to leave the club or the security it offered, which was absolute. Lucian was a sure bet against Lucifer, and yet Kendra kept throwing it in my face that I owed her for what she’d endured for me.

  The worst part was, I’d thought we had been making progress on fixing what we’d broken, but we hadn’t. The first chance she’d gotten, she’d thrown me under the bus. Kendra had forced me to go and then turned it around and made it look as if I had been the one pushing it. On top of that, she’d made a move on Lucian, which I knew I shouldn’t care about, but I did.

  Watching them together had made me feel eviscerated, sickened to the point that I wanted to physically hurt her, my own flesh and blood. It shouldn’t ever be like that, and yet the red hot rage as her fingers traced Lucian’s hand had made my magic unfurl from deep inside of me. As if it wanted release to do harm, which white magic never did.

  I slammed into something solid and stammered as I righted myself, holding onto what I had hit. Emerald green eyes watched me as I lifted mine to see what I’d run into.

  “Whoa there, little lady,” he said with a soft laugh as he held me up. “Not that I mind being ran into by something like you, but you might want to pay attention when you’re walking,” he joked and I stepped back, away from him. His touch felt oily, as if he was tainted.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled as I tried to sidestep
him, only for him to block my way as I did so. “Problem?” I asked as I gave him a curious look.

  “Weren’t you beat up the other day?” he asked as he slowly slid his gaze down my face to my breasts which were pushed up by the top I wore. “Damn, girl. You’re beautiful.”

  “What was your name?” I asked as his smile faltered.

  “Falcon,” he announced as he held out his hand. I accepted it, shaking it as I felt a spark ignite the moment we touched. It was nothing like the one when Lucian touched me; no desire unfurled or unraveled inside of me. It was something else, as if I knew him and yet I couldn’t place him anywhere before the day we’d all come to Club Chaos for sanctuary. “And you’re Magdalena Fitzgerald, in the flesh. You’ve caused quite the stir of chatter with your power in the community. One of the strongest witches in the bloodlines to date, or so some are saying.”

  “Is that what they’re saying?” I asked, wondering why this guy’s vibes were giving me the creeps and hitting all of my alarm bells.

  “And that you’re single and unmated,” he replied smoothly as he grinned impishly. “Tomorrow I hear we will have a mixer and your grandmother had made it known that she’d like you to be considered as a mate to those of us who hold power, real power,” he continued pointedly. “I plan to place my hand in that pool for a night with you, or longer.”

  “She is telling people that?” I quizzed as I tilted my head.

  “Seems she doesn’t much care for the one who you fucked, and would prefer you pick from your own species,” he replied with a hint of something in his tone.

  “Species? I thought we were all human here,” I returned.

  “Are we?” he countered as he bowed and walked away, leaving me to puzzle over his cryptic words.

  Great; so my grandmother, who had begged Lucian to bring us here, was trying to hook me up with some magical dick. Kendra was carrying Lucifer’s child, and it was widely known. I was the last Fitzgerald available to carry on the line at the moment, until Kendra birthed whatever she was carrying.

  My feet moved as I considered how to get out of my grandma’s scheme, which she hadn’t bothered to inform me of, when someone stepped out from around the next corner and blew something into my eyes. I coughed as my face burned with liquid fire.

  Pain erupted as whatever it was continued to burn as my legs gave out and I hit the floor on all fours. I looked up, seeing Kendra with a male as they watched me. I tried to ask her what the hell was going on, but nothing came out other than a stifled sob.

  I rolled to my side as pain burned through me, enveloping my mind until I felt it, a darkness rising inside of me. It fought to save me from whatever was happening to me. Voices began shattering from inside my head, and popping erupted in my ears as if I was rapidly rising in altitude. The voices grew louder, clearer, and then, as the darkness rescinded, so too did they. I lay there on the floor until the whispered voices became further and further away from me.

  I pushed off of the ground, touching my face as I sat on my knees in the middle of the hall floor, blinking as my vision swam with the fading silhouettes of my attackers. I used the wall for support as I held myself up, leaning against it as I wiped at the filmy sand that they’d used on me. My hands came away clean and I swung my face towards the laughter that sounded from the end of the hallway.

  “Kill them before they kill you,” a small voice whispered, and I looked around, peering down the hallway in both directions.

  “She is safe from you,” a female’s voice ran out, echoing inside my head. I clapped my hands over my ears as my eyelids closed.

  “We protect her!” another shouted, and I doubled over.

  “Who will protect it from me? You cannot save them both,” a small voice whispered, and nausea swirled inside my stomach as they chanted.

  “Stop!” I screamed and then listened as everything grew silent inside my head. Fucking hell, the grimoires I’d managed to hold silent were now active in my head? How? I’d bound them to be silent, to be unable to communicate, which was why I’d ignored Synthia’s warning. I wiped at my nose as something ran from it, drippling over my lip.

  I stared at my hand as red flowed from my nose onto it. It flowed steadily, and with effort I managed to push from the wall and head in the direction of my room. My hands dropped as I swayed precariously on my feet, slowing as the wall gave way to another hallway. I stumbled, collapsing onto the floor, and began crawling.

  When the wall was back, I grabbed on to it and made my way back to my feet before I heard footsteps approaching. I paused, unsure if I should bolt or if I even could. I turned towards the wall, resting my head against it. Slowly, I crumpled and hit the floor hard.

  “Kitty, what the fuck?” Spyder’s deep baritone voice filled my ears, forcing me to clap my hands over my ears as his voice echoed inside my head, piercingly loud. I managed to rise again and leaned against the wall. I started to fall backwards, unable to hold myself upright, and felt his hands catching me before I could make it back to the floor. He hefted me up against his chest as he started walking. His hand moved and then he spoke. “We got a fucking problem, meet me in your room, now,” he ordered and then pushed his phone back into his pocket.

  It took him seconds to reach the room I’d been stumbling so hard to reach. I was placed gently onto the bed, and he loomed above me. His blue gaze stared down into mine with a look of horror as he turned from me as the door opened.

  “What the hell was so bloody important… Lena?” Lucian’s words trailed off as he took in the blood gushing from my nose continually. “What happened?” he demanded of Spyder, who shrugged and stepped back.

  “I found her in the hall by following a trail of blood,” he said softly. “That’s a lot of fucking blood, and it isn’t stopping, Lucian.”

  “A spell?” Lucian mused as I tried to move my head to look at him, only I couldn’t. My strength was waning, and even though I was on the bed, everything was spinning. “Get Vlad in here, now,” he demanded as he knelt beside me. “Hold on, Lena, I’ll fix this.”

  Chapter 28

  I awoke to someone touching my face. My eyelids felt weighted but I managed to pry them open. I stared up at a young man, who peered down at me with curiosity. I could feel that my nose had been packed, and Vlad sat beside me, an IV hooked into his arm as he stared at me, smirking.

  “You had us worried, pretty girl,” Vlad explained.

  “Why is there an IV attached from your arm to mine?” I mumbled through the cotton in my mouth. I sounded like shit. My nose had been packed with gauze, and everything sounded off. I brought my free hand up to my ear, finding it packed as well.

  “You were bleeding from your nose, ears, and eyes when Spyder found you in the hallway,” Vlad murmured as his hand intertwined with mine, holding it still. I started to sit up only for the man who had loomed over me to push me back down.

  “You’re not well,” he stated firmly. “We have yet to figure out what caused this to happen to you.”

  “This is Eliran, a friend of mine, Lena. He’s skilled in healing and one of the most treasured healers of Faery. He saved you, let him do his job.”

  “Faery?” I muttered at the man working around me. Unlike the others, he didn’t have the rings around his irises and he looked exhausted. According to legends, the Fae never aged and yet he looked exhausted, older than the others I’d encountered, including the ones I’d met here.

  “Aye, from Faery,” he supplied as he grabbed my wrist and took my pulse. “She’s stable, but until we know what caused her to bleed so much, she should remain in bed.”

  The door opened and we all turned to watch as Lucian, Spyder, Ryder, Synthia, and a ton of others poured through it. I swallowed as Synthia’s electric blue gaze searched mine. I’d discovered she could change them at will; either that, or they were triggered by her moods. I still hadn’t figured her out, or what she w
as yet.

  “She’s awake and recovered?” Lucian asked Eliran and I snorted. “Lena, what the fuck happened?” he demanded as his body swung in my direction, changing course. He dismissed Eliran before he could even answer the question.

  “I don’t remember,” I lied. “I was walking and then everything just went haywire.” I wasn’t throwing Kendra under the bus; I no longer trusted her, but until I knew why she’d done it, I would keep that tidbit to myself.

  “You were leaking blood from every orifice on your face when Spyder found you. If he hadn’t discovered you when he had you’d be dead right now,” Lucian snapped angrily, as if he could force me to tell him what happened. “This happened inside my club, where I vowed you would be safe, Lena.”

  “That doesn’t change the fact that I can’t remember anything happening,” I growled as I fought against Eliran to get up. After a few moments of struggling, Lucian traded him places and pulled me up carefully, allowing Vlad to adjust the flow of the blood he was so graciously donating.

  I settled into Lucian’s body as I stared at where the thick blood disappeared into my vein. Eliran moved to his supplies, drawing my attention back to him and the silent room who watched as he brought a chest over to Vlad and set it down beside him. He withdrew the needle from his arm, softly placing a pad of gauze on his arm before he did the same to mine.

  “Apply pressure for a few moments,” he ordered firmly as he slowly backed away and placed his hands behind his back, as he began to explain what he’d found. “As far as I can tell, she’s fine other than the loss of blood. She has no other symptoms that I can find, or any telltale signs of it being a spell. Whatever happened, it hadn’t been meant to kill her; harm her, yes. Murder, there’s no proof of; more to the point, it could have been a spell she did herself that went awry. My worry is, without knowing what caused it, or which spell was used, we cannot prevent it from reoccurring.”