“What the hell happened to her eyes?” Oliver took a step forward, but Silvia grabbed his arm and yanked him back.
“You cannot interrupt,” she chastised. “Cassandra is in danger while the demon remains inside her. Let the spell take its course and she’ll be perfectly safe.”
I suspected Silvia’s and my idea of ‘perfectly safe’ differed quite considerably, but I kept my opinion to myself and continued to watch Cassandra’s face contort. Her head rolled around limply on her shoulders like she were a ragdoll being shaken violently by a cantankerous child. Connor was watching in open-mouthed astonishment. Even I was surprised by what I was witnessing. None of the summoning spells I’d watched in the past had turned out anything like this.
Cassandra’s face was twisted with ugliness—no, with evil. She threw her head back and laughed riotously, but the voice that came out of her mouth wasn’t her own. It was low and unnatural—chilling. I felt like I was watching a scene from The Exorcist. If her head began to spin on her shoulders or she started to walk on the ceiling like a crab, I would be out of the door quicker than you could say possession. A shiver ran down my spine and goosebumps rose on my arms. Even Oliver’s two henchmen were shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably, reaching inside their jackets for their respective weapons. They took a step forward, looking to Oliver for direction.
“No,” Silvia hissed. “This is normal. Stay away from her!”
Connor leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “I hate to break it to her, but this is anything but normal.”
I’d have laughed if I wasn’t shaking in my shoes. I’d seen some things in my time as a hunter, but this topped them all. The laughing stopped abruptly to be replaced with an eerie silence. Then the moaning began, or was it whining? The second time that goosebumps rose on my arms it was for a different reason entirely.
The tone of voice I recognised instantly because it belonged to my partner, Matt.
“Help me,” Cassandra moaned in Matt’s deep voice. “Help me, Raven, please.”
I pulled my eyebrows together in a frown. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that’s really Matt?”
I knew better than to ask questions, especially if Cassandra really was channelling a demon because they rarely told the truth, but hearing Matt’s voice had made me damn well angry. I wanted to believe that this was all part of some elaborate plan by Oliver and Cassandra, that he’d told her about my partner, but I couldn’t fool myself on that score. There had been no mistaking Matt’s voice and neither Cassandra nor Oliver would know how he sounded.
Cassandra let out another creepy sounding laugh then stared at me with those unblinking, colourless eyes. “We have Matt,” she croaked.
“You’re lying.”
Another laugh. “Believe what you want, hunter.”
“Where is Barbatos?” Connor asked. At least someone had remembered why we were there. It was a good thing Connor had come along because I was evidently not firing on all cylinders. I needed to concentrate or I would be in no position to help.
“This is getting boring,” I remarked around a loud yawn. “Come on, Connor, let’s go. This was obviously a waste of our time. There’s no demon here.”
“You’ll leave over my dead and rotting body!” Cassandra screeched.
I began walking towards the exit, tugging Connor along behind me.
“No!” Cassandra shouted again in that low, unnatural voice that was anything but human. “Nooooooo!”
She fainted.
Silvia ran to her and knelt down at her side. Her face was filled with alarm. She checked Cassandra for a pulse and spoke to her in hushed tones, as though she could coax her back to consciousness with encouraging words alone.
“Is she okay?” I asked.
Silvia nodded. “She’ll be fine.”
Connor and I shared a dubious glance. She didn’t look fine.
A short while later, a small moan escaped her lips and her eyes fluttered open. It took a moment for the evident grogginess to dissipate then she sat up and stared at each of us in turn, her eyes wide and unblinking.
“I know where the demon is hiding,” she said. “Club Majick. You’ll find him at Club Majick.”
Cassandra had barely finished the sentence before she passed out again.
Chapter Ten
“Huh?” Connor looked from Oliver to me and back again while Silvia fussed around Cassandra’s prone form. “Club Majick? What the hell is that?”
“It’s a club,” Oliver replied dryly. “You know, people go to them to drink, to dance, to have a good time?” He looked at Connor expectantly then shook his head and addressed his next comment to me. “Life with him must be a laugh a minute, huh?”
Connor stepped forward until he and Oliver were nose to nose. “I could do something that would guarantee I’d have a good time, but it would involve spilling blood and none of it would be mine.”
Oliver’s mouth curved up into what could only be described as a sneer. “Really? Why don’t you put that theory to the test?” he goaded. “And we’ll see whose blood is spilled because I assure you that my bite is every bit as ferocious as my bark.”
“Christ, give it a rest, will you?” I snapped, losing my patience with the both of them. We were there to find the demon, not argue amongst ourselves. “Silvia, is Cassandra okay?”
She studied the young witch for a moment before replying, “She will be.”
“Do you know where Club Majick is?”
“It’s downtown,” she said over her shoulder while she undid the top button on Cassandra’s shirt. “A couple of warlocks own the place.”
“Warlocks?” I groaned inwardly. Our situation was getting worse by the minute. Warlocks were only a step up from demons. They loved to cause trouble—particularly with humans—and were always right in the thick of it. It made sense that Barbatos would hide out there. Maybe he was working with them in some way. I hoped that wouldn’t turn out to be the case. Warlocks were incredibly powerful and the demon was going to be difficult enough to get to without him having extra magical aid.
“Is it a supe-only club?”
When she’d finished adjusting Cassandra’s clothes, Silvia turned and met my gaze. “No. It’s mixed. The clientele are mostly humans, but a few supes go there too. It’s kind of a supernatural theme bar.”
I frowned. “A theme bar?”
She nodded. “You know, painted in black, fake cobwebs, filled with Edward Cullen wannabes. It’s mostly students, but a few goths and emos show up. It’s popular with the younger crowd.”
It sounded like my idea of hell.
“Can you tell us where to find it?” Connor asked.
“Sure, but you won’t find anyone there yet. It doesn’t open until six, stays open until the early hours.” She checked her watch. “Just closed in fact.”
For an older woman, Silvia seemed to know a lot about a club that was popular with the ‘younger crowd’.
“Do you go there?” I asked.
Her eyes widened. “Heavens no. But some of the younger witches in my coven do. They told me about the place.”
I nodded to Cassandra, who was still out cold on the floor and made no sign of moving. “Does she go there?”
Silvia shrugged. “I guess so—from time to time, sure.”
I looked at Connor and smirked. “Well, well. What do you know?”
“You think that’s how the demon really found out about the book?” he asked.
“I’m thinking she gave him the book.”
“No,” Silvia interjected. “No way. Cassandra wouldn’t do that. She told you how she lost the book. She wouldn’t lie to me.” Her brow creased and she looked down at the witch as if she was wondering that very thing.
“Do you know where the warlocks who run Club Majick live?”
“No, but I know where the warlock headquarters are. The building is close to my coven.”
While we’d been talking to Silvia, Oliver had crossed to the far side
of the room to talk quietly with his betas. They kept their voices low so that neither I nor Connor with his highly sensitive wolf hearing could hear what they were saying. When they’d finished talking, Oliver headed towards the exit.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you get to that book before me,” he said as he pulled open the warehouse door. Turning to his betas, he nodded. “You know what to do. Kill them all.”
Connor growled. “You two-faced, goddamn son of a—”
“There’ll be time for insults later,” I chastised, watching the betas advance.
He turned to watch the two men cross the room and winced. “Great.”
“Yeah, that about sums it up.”
Oliver was still chuckling as he slipped out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.
“I never trusted that man,” Silvia hissed, trying in vain to wake Cassandra, who was still out cold, her complexion sallow. “I always thought he was a snake.”
“You can’t beat me in a fight,” Connor said to the approaching betas. “I’m far stronger. If you walk away now, I’ll let you live.”
Both wolves chuckled throatily in reply. “Quite the comedian, aren’t you?” the shorter of the two remarked. “I’m going to enjoy killing you.”
Connor straightened his back so that more of his impressive six-foot-five frame was on display. “That isn’t how this is going to go down,” he warned. “This is your last chance to cut out.”
More laughing. I bent down and helped Silvia drag Cassandra to the side of the room. It was obvious that the fight was about to get ugly. Cassandra didn’t stir while we moved her. She wasn’t going to be happy when she woke up to find that Oliver had double-crossed her. I’d be pretty pissed off, too, if it was me.
“What are you waiting for, fleabag?” Jacob goaded. “Lost your nerve?”
The shorter wolf whom Oliver had introduced as Rick chuckled. “Come on, Jacob, let’s finish this.”
Connor turned to check that the two witches and I were at a safe distance from him and the wolves.
“Don’t worry about them,” Jacob snarled. “We’ll get to them when we’re done with you—might have ourselves a party with your little woman.”
When Connor snarled the wolves laughed harder, their eyes flashing amber. They turned to me and Jacob goaded, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, sweetheart?”
“Dream on, loser,” I retorted, reaching into my inside pocket to pull out my stake. It wouldn’t be much use against a fully shifted wolf, but if they stayed in their human forms, I knew I could hold my own.
Connor inched closer to the betas, making sure his large frame shielded me.
“Over my dead body,” he promised, the dangerous glint in his eyes indicating that he meant every word.
Both wolves grinned broadly, exposing bright white, razor-sharp teeth—wolf teeth. “Exactly what we had in mind,” Jacob said, his eyes flashing amber.
As Connor edged forward, keeping his eyes on the wolves who had begun to circle him, Cassandra started to stir, her eyes fluttering open. She looked dazed as her head turned to take in the sight around her. But I had no time to explain. Without any further warning, Jacob lunged at Connor. His fingers shifted into claws and he struck out, the sharp weapons missing Connor’s throat and chest by mere inches. Spinning around, Connor retaliated, hitting out with a blow of his own and his own claws slashed against Jacob’s back, slicing deep. Jacob yelled and fell to his knees, but before Connor could take advantage of his weakened position, Rick attacked.
Holding out my stake, I rushed forward to flank Connor, but he shouted at me to get back. His strong, right hook caught the wolf between the eyes and he too screamed out in frustration, stumbling backwards. By this time Jacob was back on his feet.
“Raven, there’s no time to waste,” Connor said over his shoulder while keeping his eyes fixed on the advancing wolves.
I knew what he meant, but I was torn. My every instinct told me to stay with Connor, to help him fight the wolves, but logic told me that I had to go after the demon and I couldn’t let Oliver get his hands on the book. I knew that Connor was strong enough to fight off the two betas even if I couldn’t stand to watch the fight play out.
“I’ll be right behind you,” he promised.
“Silvia, will you show me where the warlocks’ headquarters are based?” I asked in a rush.
She furrowed her brow, her gaze swivelling from Cassandra to me. “I can’t just leave her here.”
“Connor will protect her,” I promised. “But this is important. I have to stop the demon from using the book and we can’t let Oliver get his hands on it.”
She took one more look at Cassandra, who was beginning to come around, then nodded, her expression determined. “I’ll help you.”
The fight was in full swing when I grabbed hold of Silvia’s arm and led her around the room to the exit.
“Connor!” I shouted as we reached the door.
He got in a couple of good punches before lifting his gaze to mine. “Be careful,” he pleaded.
I nodded and tried to lift my mouth into a smile, but I think all I managed was a wince. “You be careful.”
Right before the wolves got their footing again and lunged at him, Connor said, “I forgive you, Raven. Don’t bail on me again.”
I pulled in a great big lungful of air and closed my eyes, overcome with emotion. I swallowed down the lump in my throat before replying. “If we get out of this alive, I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
Connor’s smile was radiant. “You’d better.”
Despite the life or death situation I was about to face, my heart felt light and I was happier than I could remember being when I slipped out of the door and joined Silvia outside. Before it closed behind me, the sounds of fighting reached my ears.
* * * *
“How come you’re so protective of Cassandra?” I asked, as we headed back towards the city centre. I took my eyes off the road for a brief moment to study the witch’s reaction. “I know she’s younger, but there has to be more to it than just being in the same coven. Are you related?”
Silvia shook her head, her expression stoic. “She’s my god-daughter. Her mother Elena and I were friends—best friends, actually. She was a great witch, terribly powerful. More talented than some of the elders in our coven. I always looked up to her. But even with her abilities she wasn’t able to fight off the cancer that finally claimed her life.
“Right before she died Elena made me promise that I’d take care of her daughter. Of course, Cassandra was already a grown woman by then. She could look after herself, but I agreed anyway. How could I not? Elena knew what her daughter was like, always getting into trouble, always needing to be bailed out. Despite all that, she loved her. She always saw the good in her.” Silvia sighed regretfully and shook her head. “Do you really believe she gave the book to the demon?”
I shrugged and took a right, following Silvia’s earlier directions. “It does seem like the most logical explanation. Especially after what you’ve just told me.”
“Yes,” Silvia agreed. “I think you might be right. Take a left here. The club is just a couple of streets farther on.”
I did as instructed then pulled up next to the sidewalk and cut the engine. On a hunch, I had decided on our way there to stop by the club before we headed to the headquarters of the warlocks’ coven. I couldn’t be sure, but I suspected that if the warlocks that owned the club had been helping to hide the demon, they’d been doing so without the knowledge of the rest of their coven, which would be filled with elders—older warlocks who made and upheld the laws. Even though warlocks were known for causing trouble in the human world, to freely associate with a demon would bring them unwanted attention from the watchers’ council. And Cassandra had said that the demon was hiding out in the club. So here we were. I only hoped my hunch was right because I didn’t have time to waste. Oliver had a head start on me.
After Silvia gave me directions to get to the club b
y foot, I told her to wait in the car and to call the council if I hadn’t returned within half an hour. She might be a powerful witch and could take care of herself under normal circumstances, but we were searching for a demon—about as far from normal as you could get.
Demons don’t have access to the same type of magic as witches, but they like to get inside your head, like to mess with you. They know your deepest, darkest secrets and how to exploit them to their advantage. It was going to be difficult enough fighting off my own demons in Barbatos’ presence without having the added stress of trying to keep someone else out of harm’s way.
Just as I expected, the front entrance to the club was locked so I circled around back and found that the fire door had been left ajar. I took a deep, calming breath, pushed it open and slipped inside. Instantly, I knew I’d come to the right place because Oliver’s body was lying on the floor just inside the door. His eyes were wide and unblinking. Kneeling down, I checked for a pulse, but I knew what I’d find. Even though there wasn’t a visible mark on his body, it was clear that Oliver was dead. Pulling a stake out of my jacket pocket, I stood and stepped around him. Peering into the dimly lit corridor, I took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the low light. I couldn’t hear any sounds coming from farther inside the club, nothing that indicated that the demon was still inside although it was unlikely that Oliver had scared him off. Cautiously, I crept forwards as quietly as I could, my stake raised shoulder height in front of me.
There was one door to the right of the corridor. When I pushed it open, it revealed nothing but an empty storage room. A further door on the left opened into a small office, which had a security monitor sitting on the desk. A brief look around confirmed that it, too, was empty. When I pushed open a third door at the end of the corridor, it led directly into the large open space of the club.
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