I rolled my eyes and faced the door again. Deep breaths, Christi. Like a band aid, just get it over with.
I straightened my back and stalked the last few steps to the door. Without allowing myself to think about it, I turned the knob and ripped the door open.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, could’ve prepared me for the absolutely agonizing mind fuck I was faced with when entering her room. No amount of bleach could clean the images from my brain.
“Oh, my Goddess! Mother!” I shouted, slapping my hands over my eyes at the sight of her writhing beneath a pile of naked men. Four of them to be exact.
“Oh! Christi! Hello, darling,” she said casually to me, as if greeting me during a pleasant, Sunday brunch.
At this moment in time, I’d gladly be burned at the stake if it meant I could erase the last two seconds of my life from of my memory.
“This your daughter, Emma? She’s cute.” One of the men in the room said.
Fucking gross.
“Seriously, Mom? What the fuck is this? Some kind of sex crazed cult? Cause if it is, you’re on your own,” I shouted at her; my hands still tightly covered my eyes.
“Oh, quit being so dramatic,” I heard her reply. The sound of clothes being put back on greeted my ears. Thank the Goddess. “You know very well what this is. Not my fault you didn’t knock.”
My mouth fell open. “Are you serious? I knocked twice and shouted your name! If you weren’t so busy playing the four-man tango, you’d have heard me!”
This was just getting worse by the second. I could hear Button muffling a laugh behind me, obviously getting some sick fascination from my torture. I really wished he was solid right about now. I needed to punch someone.
Hands pulled mine from my face. My mother gave me a slight eye roll and walked over to the mini bar she had set up in the corner of her room, pouring herself a glass of champagne. I glanced over at the men to see them finishing putting their clothes on. It didn’t surprise me that they were all just a bit older than me. Mother was a cougar. Then again, with how old she really was, basically every man who wasn’t a warlock was far too young for her. Mother knew all the best concoctions that helped slow her age progression. She was nearing ninety-years-old, yet still only looked just around mid-forties. Some said I was a carbon copy of her.
She had the same crystal blue eyes and long, flowing white blond hair. Only hers had a bit of a wave to it, rather than board straight like mine. She was an inch shorter than me, and had slightly bigger boobs, but all around, our body types were similar. But while she was more on the tan side, I was perpetually pale. We were mistaken for sisters more often than not. And she loved it. She used her youthful looks to her advantage and actively worshipped the Goddess Voluptas. Pleasure was her forte.
Emma Craft had the exact life she wanted. Magic more powerful than most would ever dream of having. Men who fell at her feet, begging for just one night. Respect of the witching community. Well, mostly respect. Can’t say many agreed with my mother’s lifestyle, but it’s not like they had any say. My father was the only man she had a serious relationship with. When he left her for someone else, she was a changed woman. And you know that age old saying, ‘Hell hath no fury like a Craft scorned’? Okay, I improvised some of that. But it was true. Mother became a woman to be reckoned with after that. It took everything in her not to turn to black magic. My Aunt Tilly, Mother’s older sister, used to tell me that I was the only reason she stayed on the path of light magic. That didn’t stop her from becoming a more free-spirited witch though.
“Would you all please give me and Christi some privacy?” My mother stated to the men in the room. “It shouldn’t be long. She never stays for extended visits anyway.”
I didn’t let that little dig get to me. She knew very well why I didn’t stay to visit long.
As the men began to make their way towards the door, I held a hand up to halt them. The idea of talking to her about something serious in this room, grossed me out.
“Actually, can we please go somewhere else to talk? I can’t even deal with what I just saw, let alone stay in here right now.” I didn’t even give her a chance to answer, before I strolled quickly from the room. My skin crawled as I treaded down the steps, trying in vain to erase everything.
“So, I gotta say it. Your mom is not what I expected,” Button said with a laugh.
I glared at him as we made our way into the living room. I grabbed all the burning incense and snuffed them out, not wanting to clog my sinuses with anymore of the smell.
“Well, she’s exactly what I expect every time I come here. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to unsee that.”
Button scoffed, and his eyes widened with disbelief. “Oh, Goddess. You’re a prude, aren’t you?”
I rounded on him, anger blatant on my face. “I’m not a prude! Would you like to see your mother in the throes of passion with not one – but four men? I want you to really think about that imagery before you answer.”
He went still. I watched his expression morph from humor, to disgust, to horror in a span of five seconds.
“Yeah. That looks about right,” I stated, flopping myself down on the couch and kicking my feet up on the coffee table.
He slowly floated down to sit next to me, his face still pulled in a look of absolute terror. “I hate you so much. Now I can’t get rid of that.”
I snorted. “Imagine if you saw it in real life. Double what you’re feeling, and you’ve got me. Trust me. The fact that she’s with four men doesn’t concern me. It’s seeing it happening that has me traumatized.”
“Touché.” Was his only response.
“I would ask you who you’re talking to, dear daughter,” my mother’s voice filtered in behind me, making me jump in surprise. “But, I have a feeling I don’t really need to. Spirit I presume?” She asked as she walked around the couch to sit; her red, silk robe pulled tight around her.
She set her champagne glass on the table and sat back, waiting.
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
She sighed. “Well, for one, I know that if you’re talking to yourself, you’re not doing it because you’re crazy. And two, I can sense him.” She tapped her nose. “Spirits bring a slight ozone smell with them.”
I gawked at her in surprise. “Really? How come I can’t smell it?”
“Well, I guess that probably has to do with your dulled power. Being able to pick up the less obvious signs of spirits is usually a big trait for Craft women. You just can’t because your power suffers.”
Yet another reminder of how bad of a witch I was. Even my Spill magic had seemed to be weaker in the last few weeks.
“Do you ever question why my powers are so weak compared to yours?” I asked her.
“Of course, I do. What mother wouldn’t?” And just like that, she evaded a real answer. Every time I brought this up with her, it was as if she wanted to steer away from the subject. She would evade with an answer that wasn’t a lie but wasn’t exactly full of truth either.
Sometimes, it felt like she knew more about my magic than she was saying. But with how badly she wanted me to be just like her, why would she hide that from me? Wouldn’t she want me to reach my full potential as a witch? It was a double-edged sword.
“So, what information have you come for this time? You only visit me when you have questions. Sometimes, you don’t even drop by. You call. Obviously, this is important,” she stated.
It bugged me how perceptive she was. But at least I didn’t have to beat around the bush.
I slipped the Labradorite stone from my pocket and handed it to her. Her eyes lit up with interest and she sat straighter as she took it. Her hand ghosted over the gem, and her eyes fluttered closed. I watched as her palm began to glow a fuchsia color as she passed her hand over it back and forth.
“Mmmm, this is powerful magic. It’s barely there, but I can just make it out. Binding spell for sure. But something is different about it.” Her eyes popped open and she handed
the stone back to me.
“What’s different about it?” I asked, slipping it back into my pocket.
“Does your ghost remember anything about its death,” she asked, ignoring my question.
I shook my head. “No, he doesn’t. Just maybe the morning before, then suddenly being in my shop. Turk had purchased the stone with a bunch of other gems. But, when I had him look through the computer system for the sale, it wasn’t there.”
Milo had suggested I try tracing back who the seller was, but we came up empty handed. Whoever had brought them, made sure to erase the file. That part confused me, though. How had they managed to do that?
“Oh, he huh? Did he give you his name?”
“Beauregard Arlington.” I felt Button ease closer to me when I said his name. The hairs on my arms raised with the chill that spread over my body.
Mother’s eyes seemed to pick up on that. “Ah, the son. The Arlington’s are very powerful fae. I’ve met Isadora several times and use her makeup. Beautiful products. Then again, fae were always amazing at using natural products to make something even better. Her husband, Gerald, however, is not very outgoing. More of a business man than anything. From what I’ve heard, he fancies women who are of the more demon variety and had several affairs. Quite a scandal, actually.”
Ha! Button is fae! I had a feeling I’d be right about that. That last part about the affairs gave me pause though.
I glanced over at Button and saw his face masked with confusion.
“Did you not know this?” I asked him.
He slowly shook his head, staring at the ground and swallowing hard. “I knew he and my mom weren’t the happiest of couples, but I’d never heard about Dad having any affairs. Especially with demons. He’s too involved in his business. When would he have the time?”
“I take it he had no idea,” Mother said sadly.
“Nope. Says he was too involved in business. When would he have the time?”
Mother let out a humorless laugh and zeroed her gaze over my shoulder, probably able to sense exactly where he was. “Dear boy that was a long time ago. Probably only months after you were born I’d say.”
At the look of betrayal on Button’s face, I waved my hand. “This doesn’t have anything to do with what happened to Beau, so let’s just move on.”
Button’s face snapped up to mine when he heard me use a shortened version of his actual name, rather than my usual nickname. I kept eye contact with him, keeping my face schooled. I hadn’t meant to say his name, but I could see by the look on his face he enjoyed that. The corner of his mouth turned upwards a bit.
When he wasn’t being a total asshole or getting angry, he was quite attractive. I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t have ogled him had I known him when he was alive.
“You’re right. It doesn’t. But then again, it may. That stone was made by Gerald.”
My eyes left Button, and my head whipped around to look at my mother. “I knew it! He told me how his father was a master at Alchemy. Something told me he made that stone. How did you know, though? Does it have like a signature mark on it or look like his work?” I couldn’t stop the questions pouring out of me. I felt a bit proud of myself for speculating about the stone. To find out I was right, felt pretty good.
“Not exactly. I can feel his essence embedded inside. One of the many things I surpass most witches and warlocks in, is the ability to sense other’s magic. Almost like a dog memorizes and can pinpoint specific smells it’s come in contact with. That’s how it is for me and magic. For example…”
She made a gesture with her hand at me, then appeared to be pinching at something with her thumb beneath her four other fingers as she pulled her hand away from me. Suddenly, little, translucent streams of crimson red and cerulean blue flowed out of my body and towards her. They shimmered and swirled as they flew right into her. She inhaled, and her eyes lit up.
“I know you were recently intimate with an Incubus; his magic lingers faintly around you. And…” she paused, seeming to mull over the other magic. I knew what she’d find.
A knowing look spread across her face. “Well, well, well. Milo James. You liked that boy even as a child. I can practically taste your desire for him on the tip of my tongue. For both of them actually. Why are you denying yourself these men, darling?”
My cheeks flushed crimson. “I’m not here to discuss my love life, Mother.”
She laughed boisterously. “On the contrary, that’s just half of what you came here for. I’m afraid I gave you the only info I know about your stone and your ghost. The rest you’ll have to ask them. You’re a smart girl, Christi, and far more powerful than you realize. One day, you’ll figure it out on your own. But, I want to help push you in the right direction for that.”
“Okay, one, how do you suppose I talk to his parents? I can’t just pop over and tell them their dead son is speaking to me. Especially if they’re the ones who killed him and trapped his spirit. Fae aren’t exactly prone to being questioned. They like their secrets. And two, I don’t think I like the idea of you pushing me in any direction. What is with you and other people telling me I’m more powerful than I realize?” I started to stand and shook my head. “No. I don’t want help realizing anything. Everyone keeps telling me I’m powerful. You’re wrong. If I was, then life would be a helluva lot easier for me.”
I motioned with my head to Button that it was time to go.
“Christi, wait. I can get you in with the Arlington’s,” she said.
I stopped my retreat to the door and turned, arms folded with impatience.
She folded her hands together in front of her. “I know that Gerald can’t help but want to touch and observe priceless and powerful gems. You know how Fae are with their gems. I can give you something of mine that he won’t be able to resist seeing. I’ll arrange the meeting and you can bring it with you under the guise that I sent you in my stead and you can just subtly ask questions. It’s that simple.”
I nodded, realizing that it would help having an excuse to be there. “Okay. Thanks. That would help a lot.” In the back of my mind though, I questioned why she desired to help me so badly. Emma Craft wasn’t the type of witch to help anyone for free. Even her own daughter.
She took a few steps towards me and enveloped me in a hug. I almost jumped in surprise at her warm embrace. My mother never hugged me. She used to when I was a kid, but nowadays, she kept her distance. What is going on with her?
She placed a kiss at my temple as she pulled away but stopped to whisper in my ear.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for wh-…” I was about to ask but was hit with a blast of power from behind.
Colors exploded around me and warmth seeped into my skin. My legs trembled, and my heart raced. What had she done to me?
She pulled away and smiled sadly. “I had to, Christi. I don’t want you making the same mistakes as me. You can’t fight the emotions you have inside of you. You need to act on them, otherwise, you’ll be far more lost than I ever was.”
My bones quaked, and my breath heaved. “What have you done, Mother?” I knew there would be a price for her assistance. Hecate damn me!
She shrugged. “It was a simple Seduction Spell. You’ll have long enough to get home before the spell takes full effect. And when it does, trust me, you’ll want to use it to your advantage.”
I shook my head, trying to clear out the onslaught of colors that seemed to be flashing behind my eyes. The world around me was far brighter than it should’ve been. Button looked on at me with a mixture of concern and amusement. He must know exactly what this was.
“What is going to happen?” I said through gritted teeth.
“Ohhh, you’ll know. I suggest you get moving, though. Don’t want this creeping up on you while you drive.” She spotted Toast hiding on the top of one of her china cabinets and swished her hand at him. He let out a hiss as he levitated in the air. She pushed him to me and I grabbed him as he fell from the air. Th
en, she flicked her hand at me and I felt the world shift.
Suddenly, I was sitting in my car with Toast freaking out in my lap. He let out a feral meow and dashed over my shoulder into the back seat. Button immediately popped into the passenger seat, eyes wide on me.
“Your mom is a fucking bad ass. She just vanished you and Toast like it was nothing!”
I turned the engine over in my car and grasped the steering wheel hard, the warm pulses of power still radiated through me.
“What did she do to me?”
Button laughed. “Oh, man, Crafty! You are going to be so mad. You should really start driving.”
I threw the car into drive and sped from her driveway; my foot hit the gas pedal hard as the car veered onto her street.
“Answer the question, Button!” I shouted at him, starting to freak the fuck out. Was this going to kill me? Why is it so hot in here? I clenched my thighs together as a sensual sensation rocked me to the core. What the fuck was that?
“Okay, so basically, you’re going to want to have sex. Like badly. If you don’t, the spell will only hit you harder and harder, to the point it’s almost painful. It’ll only go away when you gain release.”
My jaw dropped so far down it almost reached the floor of the car. “You’re fucking kidding me, right? Why the fuck would she do something like that to me?”
Button shrugged with a shit eating grin on his face. “No clue. She’s your mother.”
“I’m so going to kill her,” I growled, pushing my foot down harder on the gas pedal.
Eight
“Cryptic Words and Seductive Spells”
I wasn’t going to let my mother get the best of me. I was going to fight this fucking hex. Prove to her that I didn’t need her help with my sex life.
Goddess, everything burns…
I was still five minutes from home and the spell was hitting me harder. My breath came out in pants and my belly swirled with butterflies. And not just regular butterflies, but giant radioactive ones with wings of fire.
Jinxed_Toxic Bitchcraft Book One Page 8