He wasn’t wrong.
“Fine. We don’t have time to go interrogate the witches. But I still need to follow up on the witchweed.”
I muttered under my breath as I pulled away from the curb. Vas was deep in thought, his brow furrowed as he shifted his wings uncomfortably and stared out the window.
As soon as his attention was elsewhere, I focused on the knot of tension in my chest. The problem was that not only was I terrified of the demon and resentful of the fact that I was currently his witch-lackey, but he also did something unusual to my stomach.
Something that felt suspiciously like butterflies. Flesh-eating butterflies that rampaged through my body.
I didn’t know exactly why Samael made everything feminine inside of me sit up and take notice. But it was likely something to do with the gold mark winding up my arm.
That was it. I’d always been wary of demons and resentful of the way they wielded their power. I wasn’t the type to fantasize about one of them. The bond was doing something to me.
My hands shook and my pulse pounded in my ears. I was going to teach Samael all about why he shouldn’t bond people against their will.
Wait until I learn how to use my fae powers, Samael. I’ll make you pay when you least expect it.
My mom had always been closed-lipped about my dad. She told me he was passing through Durham and they’d had a brief affair, but it never would’ve lasted. She never specifically said he was a human, but she’d implied it.
Why not just tell me what I was? Was she planning to tell me one day, but died before she could? And who would suppress my magic? Mom seemed like the obvious answer, but she’d always been… disappointed by how little magic I had. While Evie was able to do basic spells from a young age, and had an instinct for magic that charmed and wowed everyone in her vicinity, I was the opposite.
For me, using my power had always felt like pulling teeth. When I couldn’t even raise a ward, mom had shaken her head sadly. It was one of the few times she’d been disappointed in me.
And yet, she’d always made it clear that I was never to use my blood for magic. Was that because I was dark fae?
If I strained my memory, I could picture the fae man… could hear his gruff voice as he talked to my mom. I was so young that I must’ve only come up to his knees, and I remembered him ruffling my hair as I gazed up at him. I shivered. I knew nothing about the dark fae, other than the fact that on the power hierarchy, they were right up near the top.
I didn’tfeellike dark fae, but what would I know? My magic had been suppressed all these years. And it sure as hell felt dark when I attempted to use it.
“Danica?”
I jolted. I’d driven on autopilot, and the car was parked outside Beatrice’s house.
“Sorry. Here, take some of this.” I reached for the jar Gary had given me, and Vas narrowed his eyes at it.
“What is it?”
“Myrtle balm. It protects you from forget-me spells. I don’t know if they work on demons, but let’s not risk it.”
I smeared some of the balm on my forehead, and Vas did the same, wrinkling his nose at the smell. I couldn’t blame him.
“Okay. Let’s go see what this witch has to say for herself.”
12
Danica
Beatrice lived in Trinity Heights, a few blocks from Tataka’s apartment. I knocked on her door a few times, and her ward licked warningly at me. If I broke it, Beatrice would feel it, and she’d know someone was onto her. On the other hand, if she was cooking up forget-me spells, I needed to report her to the Mage Council ASAP.
Choices, choices.
“I’m going to break the ward,” I told Vas. “She might have it booby trapped. You should probably move back.”
Unsurprisingly, Vas wasn’t at all pleased by suggestion. His brows came together and his chin stuck out stubbornly. “Bodyguard,” he rumbled.
I closed my eyes, searching for patience. “It’s witch magic. You can’t protect me from any tricks she’s got up her sleeve, but if you don’t get hit, you’ll be around to help if things go wrong.”
He stepped back and I tilted my head. “More.”
