My mouth drops. This man is a leech. I’m not useful to him anymore, he’s onto the next source. I meant nothing to him.
“When I realized I couldn’t open your grimoire, I wasted two years trying to tap into your magic. You were supposed to be my weapon, but you’re nothing but a defective freak!” he shouts. “But don’t worry, I’m not done with you,darling. You’re still good for the occasional fuck.”
My magic spikes and a bolt of lightning shatters the glass in the window across from us. It misses him by mere inches,crashing into the wall next to me. Shards litter the floor and loud thunder shakes the house and the ground beneath us. Hailstones batter the roof, theirpingsturning into a cacophony that sets his teeth on edge.
Caulder slams me against the wall again. My head feels as if it’s going to split open. “Stop it right now!” he bellows.
“No,” I rasp. “Get the fuck away from me. Never darken my life again, or I’ll ruin your engagement. I’ll tell the entire coven how you’d fuck me. The messed up shit you like to do. How you’d come on my face. I’ll recite the dirty shit you said loud enough that the whole world can hear me and make your life a living hell.”
He grabs my throat with a ferocity I’ve never seen in his eyes before, breaking his cool, stony exterior. He squeezes right over my windpipe and I can’t breathe.
“You’ll do no such thing. If you utter one word about us, I’ll put you in a coffin next to your parents.”
His face is set in a dead serious expression. I have no doubt he’d kill me. But I would rather be dead than be caught under his thumb for another minute.
I channel my rage, magic, and fear into the Heartleaf Philodendron plant sitting on the bookshelf, willing its vines to grow. They reach out, winding around the coffee table and over the couch, wrapping themselves around Caulder’s throat. They follow my thoughts, tightening around his neck.
His grip loosens, and I run out of the room, only stopping to take my grandmother’s Grimoire off the bookshelf before I leave.
“Don’t you dare take that book! It should bemine,” he screams, ripping the vines away as he stumbles toward me. I hit him over the head with it, and he falls to his knees. “I’m going to wring your neck and watch the life drain out of you. You can run from me, but I’ll find you, darling.”
He cackles as I burst through my front door into the cool night air.
As I run toward the woods behind my house, I pray into the universe—to whoever is listening—that he doesn’t follow me. Because if he catches me, hurting me is the least he’ll do.
“You’ll regret this!” he shouts from somewhere behind me. I have no clue if he’s following me, so I run as fast as I can, weaving through the trees until I reach a small clearing with a singular tree. It has peeling silver bark and blood-red leaves. It stands out from the other trees in the forest, whose leaves are dying as we near winter. These leaves are vibrant, as if they’re frozen in time.
I collapse at the base of its thick trunk, placing the book on the ground as I stare up at the canopy above me. I’m so angry—at myself, Caulder, and the world. I feel an angry, potent magic simmering under my skin. It courses through me, thrumming in my veins.
I’m so tired of being sad and angry, of dealing with Caulder’s abuse. How dare he use me and throw me away like I mean nothing. He took two years of my life I’ll never get back. He was the only person who made me feel safe and loved since my parents passed. He took away my peace of mind.
An ice cold gust of wind knocks the book open, and the pages turn on their own to a spell in the beginning of the book. An illustration of an angular, handsome face shrouded in shadows sits at the top left of the page. His eyes, the tip of his nose, and his lips are clear, but the rest of his face is lost to detailed, artistic shading. The entry isn’t as long as others I’ve read in the past. The words are a narrow, slanted script and the ink on the page is lighter than the pages in the back of the book, so the spell must be old—from a generation of Stone witches long gone.
The Shadow Demon
Shadow demons are chaotic, devious beings, and can develop a proprietary nature with the summoner if they prove worthy. This sense of ownership can serve as a means of protection, and the demon will protect you by any means necessary. There are no limits or boundaries they will spare in their pursuit to protect their summoner. Beware of summoning shadow demons, as they have a way of bonding with their summoner that makes them difficult to banish.
Powerful, decisive, and dangerous, this being should only be summoned by a skilled witch in dire circumstances for protection or revenge against someone who wronged you. If the shadow demons feel you are not worthy, they see it as an offense and refuse your summoning. In worst case scenarios, they will end the witch’s life …
As I readmy ancestor’s words, a crazy idea takes root in my mind…
All Caulder cares about is power. He’s unhinged enough to do anything to get my family’s grimoire. A shadow demon will protect me from him.
I’m tired of being Caulder’s dirty little secret. Of being the crazy loner guy he was able to take advantage of so easily. I’mdone with his hurtful words and emotional abuse. I refuse to suffer him a moment longer.
From now on, I’m going to be his worst fucking nightmare.
I skim below to the summoning ritual and follow the instructions to a tee. I gather red fallen leaves from the tree in front of me and use my elemental magic to light a small fire. The flames dance in the darkness, casting a shadow on the ground.
Then I take my keys out of my pocket, flicking open my utility knife. I carefully slash my palm and let my blood well up, then drip it into the flames with intention as I envision my end goal. When the flame burns a light blue, I chant the incantation.
“Protect me with shadow and darkness, for I am worthy. Protect me with shadow and darkness, for I am worthy. Protect me with shadow and darkness, for I am worthy. Protect me with shadow and darkness, for I am worthy. Protect me with shadow and darkness, for I am worthy.”
The temperature in the air plummets, with an icy stillness falling over the forest. It seems as if it’s frozen, holding its breath as it waits for what happens next. Bolts of lightning electrify the sky, followed by loud claps of thunder that shake the ground. A silver bolt webs within the darkened sky, then touches down a few feet away from me, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.
When the smoke dissipates, a large male figure shrouded in darkness is left behind. My stomach clenches, then drops. His broad shoulders and massive frame are proof enough that he can end my life if he chooses to—snap my neck like a twig with the least amount of effort. This demon is beyond dangerous. He towers over me like an imposing statue carved from marble, immovable and silent, standing eerily still as he takes me in.
The clouds move, allowing moonlight to illuminate him. Tendrils of darkness curl away from his perfect, angular face to reveal the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. He has lightly tanned skin, jet black hair, and a jaw so hard it could cut diamonds. His high cheekbones wouldn’t seem out of place on the cover of a magazine, nor would his bright gray eyes that sparkle like gemstones in the flickering firelight.
