Wicked Folk (Witchy World Book 2)

by Jamie McFarlane

  "Baltazoss?" the ghrelin roared as a fresh bolt of lightning grounded itself through Thea's body.

  "You were told to leave my family alone."

  I breathed deeply and pushed my right hand out to Thea and the ghrelin, willing as much destructive force as I could into the powerful being. For once, the darkness I'd so often felt within myself didn't take over as I became a conduit of energy. For several minutes the three of us stood, locked in a deadly embrace. Finally, Thea's form began to shake, as if two bodies were trying to share the same space.

  Shimmering, as if caught between two states, the much larger ghrelin demon pulled away from Thea only to be snapped back into place. Each time it did, Thea cried out.

  "You may have won today, but you lose, Baltazoss." The ghrelin grasped for Thea's body. "The Synod will reward me for outing you. I hope this was worth it."

  "A woman will risk everything for her family," she replied, smiling. "And where you're going, I doubt even your Synod will find you."

  The ghrelin looked confused for a moment and then slipped away from Thea – its form translucent, sailing toward the house.

  "Felix. Sevena." Mom ran across the drive and fell between us, pulling us to her, tears falling down her cheeks as she kissed my forehead.

  I breathed in, recognizing the familiar and pungent smell of wild lavender as her hair brushed my skin.

  Headlights fell across us once again and old brakes squealed as a heavy vehicle rolled to a stop. I felt the tension rise in my mother's arms and I painfully laid my arm across hers.

  "No. Friends," I managed, as consciousness ebbed from my body.

  Finale

  Warm, dappled sunlight streamed through tall windows and I rolled lazily away, not wanting to awaken. By lucky coincidence, my hand came to rest on Gabriella's hip. Instinctively, I pulled closer and allowed my hand to follow the curve of her body until it rested on her abdomen. She murmured sleepily and pushed back into me with her legs, her bottom coming to rest against my growing affection.

  She must have become too warm while we slept as the white coverlet had been thrown back, giving me a perfect view of her as she slowly awoke. Over the years, I'd had my share of girlfriends, each beautiful in their own way. Gabriella however, was beyond anything I could have imagined. Certainly, she was gorgeous by any definition, but for me it was much more than that. Gabriella had given herself to me emotionally as I had to her. The bond we shared was much deeper than anything physical we might share in the future. For now, however, I simply reveled in our closeness, breathing her in as I kissed her back, just below her neck.

  "I'm glad you're finally awake." She turned beneath my arm and brushed her hand down my face. The length of my beard surprised me. Deftly, she popped a small mint leaf into my mouth and followed it by bringing her face close to my own, her lips meeting mine.

  "Careful," I said, when we separated for a moment. "You're starting things you won't be able to stop."

  With her knee, she rolled me onto my back and slid on top, still kissing me. Her silky nightgown lifted as she straddled me and I eagerly encouraged the gown's progress with my hands. There's something about a smile from my partner whilst kissing that I find particularly engaging. It's not actually conducive to kissing, but I enjoy the communication of happiness and mirth.

  "You are mine," Gabriella said, sitting up and teasing the gown over her head. "And I am yours." She reached back for me and helped us intimately join. I reached for her and pulled her nakedness to me, running my rough hands down to her hips.

  For what seemed both like eternity and precious few moments, we gave ourselves to each other. Finally, lying back on the bed, exhausted, I lay my leg across her waist and stared into her eyes, stroking her silvery hair.

  "Thank you for waiting for me," I said.

  Gabriella smiled. "I love you, Felix Slade."

  We both jumped as the bedroom door was abruptly opened, slamming noisily into the wall, dislodging plaster dust. In the doorframe stood Maggie. "It's about time! Now maybe we can move on with our lives without you two always mooning after each other. It's like I live in a damned, teenage vamp movie. 'Oooh, Felix, will you ever love me?'" Maggie mimicked Gabriella, dramatically spinning around.

  Gabriella quickly pulled the twisted coverlet up to her body, attempting and failing to cover herself.

  "Maggie, get out of here." I threw a pillow at her, which she easily dodged.

  "Look, Rumpelstiltskin, I heard you were awake and thought maybe you needed help," Maggie said. "You've been in bed for almost a week."

  I turned quickly to Gabriella, who'd finally found enough material to cover her critical bits, alluringly leaving broad patches of brown skin that weren't ordinarily viewable. The events of the last weeks flooded my mind. One of the last things I remembered was the sight of the ghrelin being dragged, ethereally toward Tenebrius Manerium where we now sat.

  "The demon," I said. "My hands." I pulled my hands into view. I'd felt aches while loving Gabriella, but I'd pushed it out of my head.

  "Mom and Willow got you all fixed up," Maggie said. "Amak's been calling every day. I told her you were up and she said she's on her way over."

  "What about Mom?" I asked.

  "Are you kidding?" Maggie asked. "She took off right after Lace ..." She gave a sideways glance. "Maybe we should save that for a moment."

  I looked dumbfounded at Maggie. I'd never known her to hold back anything.

  "What?" I asked, emphatically.

  "There's something you need to see," Gabriella said, stroking my arm.

  "What's going on, Gabriella?" I asked.

  "Trust me, Felix. Let's get a shower and we'll work through all of this," she said.

  "Mom just left me again?" Over the years I'd dealt with a lot of abandonment issues. I felt like the long covered wound had been painfully reopened.

  "She didn't want to, Felix," Gabriella said. "She said that every minute she stayed endangered us all, especially you and Clarita."

  My throat felt tight and I fought back angry tears. I couldn't believe she'd abandoned me again. "I guess that's her thing."

  "That's not fair, Felix," Maggie said. "She was with you every time you needed her."

  "She's the owl?" I asked.

  "Of course she is," Maggie said. "And the panther in the woods."

  "She killed those men," I said.

  "What can I say? She's protective," Maggie answered.

  Gabriella ran her hand across my chest and allowed her cover to drop as she positioned herself directly on top of me. "She was heartbroken, Felix. She only had a few moments with Clarita, who she didn't even know existed. It nearly broke her to leave her family again."

  Gabriella slid her wrist into my hand and I caught a glimpse of an emotional exchange between her and my mother. I pulled away, not able to process the rush of feelings.

  "I thought I'd dealt with that." I said as I looked into Gabriella's concerned face.

  "Felix. It's okay to love your mother," she said. "She clearly loves you very much. Trust me when I say she didn't believe she had another choice."

  "She left a letter for you," Maggie said, pulling an envelope from a dresser near the door, holding it up and walking it over to me.

  "Why don't you come downstairs after you've cleaned up," Gabriella said, climbing off and slipping into her satiny night gown.

  "No," I said, accepting the letter from Maggie. "Stay. This concerns you too."

  "Twenty minutes," Maggie said. "Amak is on her way and you're not going to act like a nutter at breakfast, so pull yourself together. Got it?"

  I nodded and ran a finger beneath the envelope's seal. A release of magic tingled through my hand as I pulled the letter out and held it so Gabriella could also see it.

  Dearest Felix –

  Today, I've placed you and your new family in grave danger by once again showing myself at Tenebrius Manerium. I would not have done so if I hadn't believed that by my actions, you might live and that wi
thout, all would be lost.

  The demon, who prefers to be called Lord Gester, cannot be allowed to return to its plane of existence. The knowledge he gained, specifically that I yet live and that my progeny also live, must not make it back to a consortium of evil that call themselves The Synod. Please heed this warning as The Synod will take any and all measures to eliminate the Baltazoss bloodline.

  My heart weeps with both joy and sorrow in meeting my precious granddaughter, Clarita. I mourn the loss of my son and her father, Geoff. His death weighs heavily upon me as it was my trap that he willingly fell into. I had instructed him not to attempt to claim Tenebrius, but I suspect he found this unacceptable.

  I wish we had been able to spend more time together. I will treasure always the moments we had, where I was able to hold both you and your sister, if only for a short time. You cannot know the depth of pain it causes a mother to give up her children. This pain is only offset by the joy I feel when I realize the man you've become.

  Don't pull away from your friends. They are the strength you'll need for what is to come.

  With Enduring Love –

  Your Mother, Atronia

  "That's beautiful," Gabriella said, kissing my shoulder as I struggled to compose myself.

  I sighed and slid from the bed, placing the letter on my nightstand. As I released it, it crumpled into dust.

  "Shower?" I asked.

  Twenty minutes later, I heard the sounds of excited voices as I walked down the stairway from the second floor.

  "Look who the cat dragged in," Amak said, grinning as I pushed through the swinging doors into the kitchen with Gabriella right behind.

  Clarita threw her head back, slid from Amak's grasp and ran over to me, climbing up and wrapping her arms around my neck, kissing my cheek affectionately. "Love you, monkey," I whispered in her ear.

  "Love you," she whispered back. I raised my eyebrows at her response. She wasn't much for talking and rarely expressed emotion when she did.

  "Rawr!" Maggie, who'd just moments before had been in human form had transformed to a panther. It was too much for Clarita who slid from me and chased after her.

  "Amak." I crossed the room and embraced my tall friend.

  "Ooh, you smell good. Like sex," she said, grabbing my butt with both hands. "It's about time the two of you worked that out."

  "Hey now," Gabriella complained, laughing. "Hands off the merchandise."

  "I'm a twenty-first century type of gal," Amak said, releasing me. "I'm willing to be flexible."

  "Your flexibility was never in question. Thanks for bringing breakfast," I said, turning to the already open box of gooey cinnamon rolls.

  "Want to tell me what happened to your truck?" Amak asked. "It looks like you drove through a fence."

  "Maggie did," I said, pulling a roll onto a plate and handing one to Gabriella. "Not really her fault though."

  "Maggie drives?" Amak asked.

  "We’re still debating the subject," I said. "So what's this big surprise you didn't want to tell me about until after breakfast, Gabriella? And where's Lace?"

  "She's in the lab. Standing watch," Gabriella said. "With you out of it, we couldn't let the door shut or we couldn't have gotten back in."

  "Why would you care?"

  "Let's go," Gabriella said. "Amak, you might as well see it too. We're all going to have to deal with it eventually."

  "Ooh, a mystery," Amak said.

  "Not a fun one," Gabriella said. "Trust me."

  I grabbed a second plate, loaded a roll onto it for Lace and followed Gabriella to the basement door which had been propped open with a shoe. I wasn't comfortable leaving access to the lab open and as we descended the stone stairs an uneasy feeling settled on me.

  "What in the hell!" I exclaimed, reaching for the oak leaf that hung around my neck. Amak roared angrily and jumped across one of the lab tables, picking up a steel stool menacingly.

  Lace, who'd been sitting in the leather desk chair, jumped up, spurred by our sudden activity.

  "Felix. No," Gabriella warned. "It's contained."

  The object of my angst sat within a translucent bubble confined by the runed, silver spell circle that occupied the marble floor in front of the fireplace. Within the bubble sat the ghrelin demon, grinning evilly at me.

  "Are you nuts? We can't have this here," I said.

  "Damn, Slade," Lace said. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. By the way, this was your mother's idea."

  "She summoned the demon into the lab?"

  "No. I did that. I know its name," Lace replied. "She said this circle would keep it contained indefinitely as long as we don't break the continuity of the circle."

  "Can it hear us?" I asked.

  "Not according to your mother," Lace said. "But I believe it reads lips quite well. We shouldn't talk here."

  "Is it safe to leave it alone?"

  "This is the first time in days it's been quiet," she said. "Up until now, it's been throwing itself against the circle, trying to find a weak spot. Apparently, we're lucky the ghrelin is so small. According to your mother, your circle wouldn't hold most of the greater demons. They're just too big."

  "Didn't seem small to me when it was breaking my fingers," I said.

  "It's not even a full demon," Lace said. "It's just a sub-demon. But according to your Ma the big boys wouldn't be satisfied in setting up a death cult and milking it for several years."

  "What happened to Thea?"

  "Anderson picked her up a few days ago," Gabriella said. "It was sad; she’s just a shell of the woman she'd been."

  I sighed, my feelings for Thea still a jumble.

  "Your mom left these books," Lace interrupted my thoughts, waving her hands across several leather-bound books. "She wants us to transcribe them so they can be returned."

  "What are they?" I asked.

  "The ghrelin is watching you talk," Gabriella warned.

  "Can you leave the room?" I asked.

  "Certainly," Lace said. "I'm doing nothing that keeps it in there, the runed spell-circle does all of the work. Your mother said you should make sure to keep the stores of energy high within the well. I wasn't sure what she meant."

  For a moment, I felt jealousy at her conversation with my mother, but I let it pass. "I understand. It's something I can see to."

  "This is insane, Slade," Amak warned as we exited. "You can't keep a demon bound for long."

  "According to his mother's books, demons only escape this type of trap when released," Lace answered.

  "You smell of witch," Amak said, invading Lace's personal space.

  "You're not human," Lace replied, tilting her head back to look up into Amak's face, not giving ground.

  "Hold on, ladies. We're all friends here. Lace Faa, meet Amak of the Senwe," I said, stepping between them. "Amak, meet Lace of Clan Eppy."

  "What happened to your arm?" Amak asked, looking at the bandages along her right arm. "It’s a fresh wound."

  Lace had shaved the side of her head where the fireball had melted her hair. While the exposed skin on her scalp was still reddened, there were no obvious scars. Bandages, which started just below her ear, extended down her neck and followed her entire arm to her hand, were more of a concern.

  "The demon attacked," Lace said simply.

  Amak raised her eyebrows. "You are otherwise unscathed?"

  Lace pushed her leg forward, exposing the cast on her left ankle. "Nothing that won't heal."

  "Then you are more than meets the eye, Lace of Clan Eppy," Amak said. "But it changes naught. To keep a demon under your roof is the worst idea I've heard yet. Are you serious, Slade?"

  "I'm just getting caught up," I said, shutting the basement door behind me.

  "She's right," Lace agreed. "I've yet to read of an instance where a captured demon doesn't escape and kill its captors. The stories in your mother's books are all cautionary tales."

  "Then I guess we'll just have to figure it out," I said. "Any ideas?"

>   "I have a couple," Amak said.

  But of course, that's another story entirely.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jamie McFarlane is happily married, the father of three and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. He spends his days engaged in a hi-tech career and his nights and weekends writing works of fiction. He's also the author of:

  Privateer Tales Series

  Rookie Privateer

  Fool Me Once

  Parley

  Big Pete

  Smuggler’s Dilemma

  Cutpurse

  Out of the Tank

  Buccaneers

  A Matter of Honor

  Give No Quarter

  Guardians of Gaeland

  Lesser Prince

  Witchy World

  Wizard in a Witchy World

  Wicked Folk

  Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review at Amazon, even if it's only a line or two; it would make all the difference and would be very much appreciated.

  If you want to get an automatic email when Jamie's next book is available, sign up here. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

  CONTACT JAMIE

  Blog and Website: fickledragon.com

  Facebook: facebook.com/jamiemcfarlaneauthor

  Twitter: twitter.com/mcfarlaneauthor

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  To Diane Greenwood Muir for excellence in editing and fine word-smithery. My wife, Janet, for carefully and kindly pointing out my poor grammatical habits. I cannot imagine working through these projects without you both.

  To my beta readers: Carol Greenwood, Linda Baker, Kelli Whyte, and Nancy Higgins Quist for wonderful and thoughtful suggestions. It is a joy to work with this intelligent and considerate group of people.