Wicked Tales Anthology

by Brandy Slaven

  He caught me in his icy gaze as I did my best sexy catwalk across the empty room, strutting toward him.

  “Hello, Professor Angel,” I greeted.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Ash leaned back in his chair and smiled at me as he removed his glasses. Usually so serious, a smile from my fallen angel was a rare treat.

  “What can I do for you, Mrs. Mother of Witches?”

  I continued my slow, sultry walk until I rounded his desk and hopped up to sit on it, crossing my legs at the knees. His eyes danced with intrigue and desire as they followed my movements. Too bad I wore leggings instead of a short skirt.

  “I have an academic issue with one of my children. Perhaps you could help me solve it, professor.” With a bite of my lip, I slid my knees apart and spread them wide.

  “I see,” he mused thoughtfully, his gaze like cool water on my skin as he drank in the lines of my thighs and hips. “What seems to be the issue?”

  I snapped my legs shut. “She called me Hitler because her father lets her read any damn book in his study.”

  He blinked, his brow furrowing before a snort of laughter escaped his perfect, angelic mouth. “Deidre said that?”

  “Yes, just now when I dropped her off!” I shot a hand toward the door, glowering as the feathers on his wings shook as he laughed. “It’s not fucking funny!”

  “Even you must admit, love, it’s kind of funny. Raum will love it.”

  “Ugh, don’t even talk to me about him right now,” I rolled my eyes. “He and Raven are still doing their hide and seek game with me.”

  Ash chuckled and rubbed my calves in sympathy. “So what brought on this Hitler comparison?”

  “She wants to go trick-or-treating, and I shot it down,” I admitted.

  “Why?” His eyes flashed with curiosity.

  “You know why,” I sighed. “Because all the Halloween stuff just commercializes and waters down our ancient traditions. It became popular because of the same oppressive culture that brings witches running to Voluspa. I don’t want our kids to glorify those who killed their ancestors and tried to rewrite our history.”

  “I understand what you’re saying, love. I really do.” His fingertips paused on my calf muscles. “But they’re just kids. Let them have a night out with their friends and get all sugar-high. They’ll grow out of it eventually.”

  “I knew you would say that,” I grumbled. “And I kind of realize you’re right. I just don’t like it.”

  “I know, love. And I know why it bothers you.” He leaned forward and placed a small kiss on my knee. “But you have to remember not all humans hate us, and not all witches are good.”

  “I know, angel,” I breathed, the memories flooding back as I ran my fingers through his blonde hair. I was betrayed by my first coven and my maternal grandmother. All in all, humans really hadn’t done much damage to my own life compared to other witches.

  “I think Deidre’s old enough to know about the origins of Samhain now,” Ash mused, leaning back in his chair again. “We’ll all talk to her about it, and draw the parallels between the pre-Christian traditions and Halloween now. I think she’ll find it interesting.”

  “Of course she will,” I smirked, sliding off the desk to stand in front of him. “She’s a huge nerd just like her father.”

  He returned my grin. “And with her mother’s beauty and guts, she’s already a force to be reckoned with.”

  Bracing my hands on his chair, I straddled his legs and took a seat on his lap. His icy eyes immediately heated as I pressed my core against the zipper of his dark slacks.

  “We make pretty amazing children, don’t we, Ashtaroth?” I said in a breathy whisper that fanned across his lips.

  “That we do, Lilith.” His hands slid up my thighs to grab hold of my waist.

  “We’ve never made one right here, though.” I grinned wickedly, trailing my lips over the coarse bristles of his beard before pressing my mouth to the hot skin of his neck.

  “Deja,” he groaned, gripping my waist and rocking his hips against me. “I’m teaching a class in ten minutes.”

  “Mm-hm,” I said dismissively, pushing his shirt collar aside to kiss closer to his shoulder. His protests turned to moans as his hands moved to squeeze my ass, pulling me forward to feel him growing thick and hard.

  “You’re gonna get me fired,” he growled, bringing his hands forward to knead my breasts.

  I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “You’re with me, the Mother of Witches, and a goddamn Prince of Hell to boot. Who the fuck’s gonna fire you?”

  “Hm, I guess that would be you,” he chuckled into my neck as his skilled fingers brought my nipples to stiff, aching peaks. “Better make sure I do a good job.”

  Clinging to the last of my resolve, I slid off his lap and out of his reach. His hooded, lusty gaze turned frustrated as I leaned forward to give him a quick kiss.

  “Have a good class, Professor. I’ll be thinking of you until you get home.”

  “You evil witch,” he moaned, straightening his clothes. “I can’t believe I fell for that again.”

  Grabbing my travel mug, I laughed as I headed for the door then paused.

  “Love you, angel.” I blew a kiss at his glowering stare and left just as his students began filing into the classroom.

  ***

  The morning was unusually warm and scenic, so I decided to walk the long way home. Evergreen trees lined the sidewalk of the hospital as I strolled past it. The hospital was still under construction when Deidre was born, so I gave birth to her at home with the help of my friend Astrid, a fox shifter who turned out to be an amazing, supportive midwife.

  I followed a trail to the western perimeter of Voluspa, which kept us protected by a barrier spell cast by me, my lovers, and my first friends here. Seth, the master of shadow magic would be out here maintaining the spell and checking for any threats, as he did every day.

  My relationship with him was the newest, seeing as we had only fallen in love in this lifetime. With the three demons, our love ran deep and held strong across our trials with humanity. It held through hundreds of betrayals, murders, wars, and exiles. I had been a queen in ancient Egypt, a priestess of the Norse gods, a Celtic warrior in pre-Christian Ireland, and so much more. In some form or another, Ash, Raum, and Sal remained with me. Our love was truly eternal.

  With Seth, I always felt a thrill of excitement, like he was still a new boyfriend, even though we’d been together for ten years. The beginning took some adjustment, but now he got along seamlessly with my unholy trinity. And my children were every bit his as well as theirs.

  I spotted him sitting cross-legged and shirtless on a boulder, the sigils on his skin pulsing with a faint blue glow. My own sigil tattoo of Set, his demon ancestor, pulsed faintly at the base of my spine as I walked closer to him.

  His tousled dark hair fell across his forehead. Only the whites of his eyes were visible, meaning he was searching through shadows. Most witches and demons had to touch another person to access their shadows, the deep, hidden subconscious desires that people often didn’t even realize were there. But as a shadow master, Seth could touch someone only once and continue to access those shadows across great distances.

  Before we got together, when I thought him my enemy, he was part of the coven that betrayed me. While pretending to be on their side, he got permanent access to their shadows, which he searched through every day to see if they intended to come after us again.

  With a deep shuddering breath, he blinked a few times, and his stormy grey irises came into view, focusing on me.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” he said in that low, husky voice I loved as he slid down from the boulder.

  “Hey, handsome,” I returned, accepting a sensual kiss from him. “See anything interesting?”

  His lips tightened and his brow furrowed as he slipped his shirt over his head. “Actually, yes.”

  My heart stopped for a moment as hundreds of worst-case scenarios flashed throu
gh my mind. Did my old coven create a spell to get through Voluspa’s borders? Had any demons or witches turn up dead from angel-kissed weapons?

  “Don’t look so calm,” he teased, stroking my cheek. “Nothing from our old friends, but this morning someone dropped off a young girl at the border. About six years old. Just abandoned by human guardians, we’re assuming.”

  “Witch?” I asked.

  “Yeah, but her abilities are… interesting.” He gave me a look. “She sees ghosts. Or at least, she claims to.”

  “Very interesting,” I agreed, drumming my fingers on my travel mug. “Astrid has her now?”

  He nodded. “She’s expecting you.”

  “Thanks.” I tugged him forward by a handful of his shirt for another kiss. He answered by pulling me tightly against him, and stole my breath away with a dance of his tongue with mine.

  “See you at home,” he murmured huskily when our mouths parted.

  “Can’t wait,” I whispered back, running a finger along his smooth jawline. “You better beat Ash home if you want me first.”

  “Naughty minx,” he laughed, swatting my ass before we untangled. “Up to your witchy tricks again?”

  I winked at him before heading off to Astrid’s office.

  “That’s my kind of trick-or-treat.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Sweetie, I don’t care that there’s an angry, headless lumberjack behind me. He can kiss my furry red tush.” Astrid looked up as I entered the room, her wild red hair sticking out in all directions. “Ah, nice of you to show up, D.”

  “Sorry I’m late.” I set my coffee down on her desk and crossed my legs to sit on the floor across from my fox shifter friend and the young girl with haunted eyes. “Hi, my name’s Deja,” I said to her with a friendly smile. “Can you tell me your name?”

  “There’s an ugly old woman and a pretty younger woman attached to you,” the girl ignored my question, looking straight through me with eyes darker than Raum’s. They were jarring on her ghostly pale skin and tangled blonde hair.

  “Oh really?” I glanced up at Astrid who gave me a small, tight-lipped nod. “What can you tell me about them?”

  “The old woman is angry. She hates you,” the girl continued in a flat tone. “She’s burning with hate. She’s in chains.”

  I nodded knowingly. “What about the other woman?”

  “She’s the opposite. She loves you. She’s full of light. She’s so happy.” The girl looked down, absently playing with wooden block set in front of her. “The old woman hates her too, but she doesn’t know she’s there.”

  “Can you see one better than the other?”

  The girl returned her dark gaze up to me, squinting in concentration. “The young woman. She looks almost solid. The other one is barely there. I can see right through her.”

  “Thanks, sweetie.”

  I looked up at Astrid and jerked my head to the next room. She asked a staff member to watch the little girl, and quickly followed me.

  “So you know what that’s all about?” she grilled, folding her arms once we were alone.

  “I have a pretty good guess.” I drummed my fingers on the desktop, already eager to talk to Ash about theory, since he knew almost everything. “She does see the dead but it’s not ghosts in the traditional sense. The old woman she saw is my grandmother, whose soul I know for a fact is not on earth. She’s suffering in Hell for her crimes.”

  Astrid’s eyebrows raised. “She saw her in chains. Burning in hate.”

  “Right. So she’s seeing Diana in her current state, which is interesting.”

  Astrid paused before speaking again. “And the other woman?”

  “My mother,” I said with a slight hitch in my breath. “She remains on earth. As a witch, her soul returned to the pulse of the natural world. Her essence is in the magic we use.”

  “That’s beautiful,” Astrid responded with a small smile. “And that’s why she saw her clearly and your grandmother faintly? Because your mom is here and grandma is down there?”

  “To put it simply, yes,” I said. “Who’s the angry lumberjack?”

  “The trophy hunter who killed my family.” Astrid’s lip curled. “He wanted our pelts to decorate his walls. Mine was the last one he needed for his sick collection.”

  “You killed him?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

  “Blew his fucking face off,” she said proudly.

  “Why am I not surprised?” I laughed.

  Astrid used to be one trigger-happy little vixen. When we first met, she fired a shotgun at me before I could properly explain myself. Thankfully I stopped it with my magic just before I got riddled with holes, and we’d been close friends ever since.

  “That asshole might legitimately be a spirit haunting me,” she said in a low voice. “He hated shifters, said the Devil created us.”

  “He’s not entirely wrong,” I chuckled. Shifting was a rare ability among demons and even rarer among witches. Raum and Sal could shift, but we never expected any of the kids to inherit the abilities. Imagine our shock when Raven began crawling one minute and the next, a fluffy, chirping actual baby raven sat in her place.

  “But if he was as sadistic as you say, he might be in Hell too. Somewhere near my grandma probably.”

  “I hope so,” Astrid growled. “I regret killing him so quickly. It was too kind.”

  Before Voluspa ever existed, Astrid ran an underground rescue operation for shifters. She saved dozens from being hunted and persecuted, taking no prisoners while doing so. Now, she still did the same work but in a more official capacity and in a less trigger-happy way. Her office took in all refugees coming to Voluspa and decided the best course of action for them.

  Unfortunately, abandoned children like today’s girl were becoming increasingly common as well.

  “Have you found a foster home for her?” I asked.

  “Not yet.” Astrid ran a hand through her mass of red curls. “I wanted to see if you knew anything before I placed her somewhere.”

  I chewed my lip, thinking for a few moments.

  “Let me bring her home for a couple of weeks,” I said. “Ash might understand her best, especially if she has a connection to Hell like I suspect.”

  “Four dads and three siblings?” Astrid grinned. “This young lady is about to be spoiled.”

  We walked back into the room where the girl remained, playing with her blocks while Astrid’s staff member sat practically glued to the wall across the room. She was a coyote shifter from what my senses told me. Some shifters still acted uneasy around witches.

  “Relax, Jen, she’s not gonna bite you,” Astrid chided.

  “She says weird stuff,” Jen muttered, her face white.

  “Kids say the darndest things,” I quipped, kneeling next to the girl again. “Hi honey, let’s try this again. Do you have a name?”

  She hesitated before mumbling, “Dani.”

  “Dani, I have a daughter about your age named Raven. I think you could be friends. Would you like to meet her?”

  She looked up at me with wide, dark eyes and gave a hesitant nod. “I never had a friend before.”

  My heart tightened uncomfortably in my chest but I put on my most easygoing smile for her. “You’ll be staying at my house for a bit if that’s okay with you. We have lots of space to run around, games you can play, and we have ice cream.”

  “Ice cream?” her dark eyes brightened. “Do you have chocolate?”

  “You bet we do, miss Dani.”

  She still looked hesitant. “Are you gonna leave me somewhere like mommy did?”

  I exchanged a look with Astrid that said, what the fuck is wrong with people.

  “No, sweetheart. We’re going to become friends and get to know you. Then we’re going to find you a family that will never leave you anywhere. Does that sound good to you?”

  She nodded again and placed her small hand in mine when I held it out.

  “I’ll start interviewing
some witch families on our adoption list,” Astrid stated as she walked us to the front door. “Want me to include demons as well?”

  “Yeah, any amount of demon or witch hybrid should be a good place to start,” I said. “They might be more open to what she sees.”

  “Sounds good.” She wrapped me in a quick half-hug. “We’ll see you at Samhain for dinner, if not sooner. Jacob’s doing so well on his hunts,” she beamed proudly.

  “I’m not surprised. He’s got the baddest vixen I know for a mom and three badass predators for fathers,” I winked. “See you, Astrid.”

  ***

  Raum and Sal were intrigued by the young girl I brought home in tow. Dani seemed painfully shy in Raum’s presence, but she gravitated toward Sal.

  He kneeled next to her, smiling gently and making his voice soft. Watching them together just made me melt. Around all children, he became the most easygoing and patient. A stark contrast to his fiery temper and thirst for violence when it came to anything that threatened me or our family. Like his mountain lion shift, he was a fearsome predator while also fiercely devoted to his family.

  “There’s so many around you,” Dani said, her voice in awe as her dark eyes darted all around Sal’s aura. No doubt seeing every now-dead person who crossed his path.

  “I’ve lived a long time,” he said gently. “All of us have.”

  He settled her in with some homemade chocolate ice cream and some picture books while Raum and I talked quietly in the next room.

  “Have you seen anyone with similar abilities before?” I asked.

  “Demons, yes. Not witches.” He stroked the dark stubble on his jaw, deep in thought. “She’s got some hellion in her heritage for sure. I’m not sure what else.” He turned to me with a knowing smirk. “Raven is going to love her.”