Prologue
Raxx took a sip from the flagon in his hand, wincing as the bitter spirit it contained burnt his throat. The young demoness who was perched in his lap reached out and carefully pried the cup from his grip. She shot him a sultry smile before raising it to her lips. With his hands free, Raxx rested one palm high on the girl’s thigh and used the other to smooth a thumb over the small of her back.
This tavern, Lady of Fortune, was a regular haunt for him and the home to one of the largest witch covens in Banesteppe.
Witches were majborne demonesses and applications were by invitation only. Whether you wanted to heal a boil, brew up a love potion, or curse your competitor’s first-born child, there was nothing witches couldn’t do for the right price.
Raxx’s mother had been an honorary member of this very coven, until a business deal had gone disastrously wrong. She lost her life to a King’s Guard raid many years ago and, as a young lad on the cusp of adolescence, Raxx had found himself orphaned. That was when hemet Tabitha. Though she was now the coven’s harbinger and proprietor of the Lady of Fortune, when they first crossed paths, she had been a lowly witch’s apprentice. Sensing Raxx’s majick abilities and owing his mother a debt of thanks, Tabitha had agreed to take the shadow demon in and tutor him.
Raxx glanced across the dim, hazy room. This evening, Tabitha had taken on the guise of a tall, slender demon woman, with dark skin and a shock of long crimson hair. Tabitha was rarely the same person twice. The demoness was able to take on any form she wished and Raxx had seen the powerful witch transform into all manner of disguises. The only aspect of her appearance that never changed were her vivid yellow eyes.
Tabitha was fearsome to most, but she and Raxx shared a strange kinship, of sorts. They often traded favours and she was one of the few people on the whole of Hestaesia the shadow demon truly trusted.
Tabitha’s luminous yellow eyes pierced through the darkness as she sensed Raxx’s gaze on her. The witch shot him a wide grin, flashing bright fangs and Raxx smirked back at her. She was sat with one long leg crossed over the other and a vast expanse of smooth thigh on show. An enthralled demon man knelt beside her, gazing up at her in admiration.
“My, my – she’s a pretty little thing,”Tabitha’s voice spoke to him from inside Raxx’s head. Telepathy was one of her many talents, something that had been jarring at first, but Raxx had grown to accept.
“Jealous?”he asked, silently raising a brow.
“Very. I don’t suppose you’d be keen to share?”
“Get your own.”
Tabitha laughed aloud and brushed the enamoured demon man from her side. He stared after her with a forlorn expression as she strode away, swaying her hips sensually. The dress she wore barely hid her modesty - a scrap of material made up from tiny metal plates, like shining scales.
As Tabitha reached Raxx, she leant forwards to tuck the demon girl’s hair behind her ear. The girl looked up at the strikingly beautiful witch with wide eyes. Tabitha lowered her ruby red lips to the girl’s ear.
“Pardon my intrusion, my sweet. Could I borrow your friend here for a moment?”
Seemingly bewitched by Tabitha’s allure, the girl nodded and got to her feet, stumbling away into the darkness of the room.
Raxx sat forwards, but Tabitha slid herself into the girl’s place on his lap and hooked her arms around his neck. He laughed and relaxed back into the chair once more. Men all around the room watched him with a mixture of fear and envy. Raxx knew Tabitha could turn him inside out with the snap of her fingers, but he trusted her implicitly not to.
“I’ve got a knee for each of you,” Raxx teased.
“But I want thewholething,” Tabitha purred. She leant in as if to kiss him and the shadow demon pulled away.
“Keep those poison lips to yourself, witch.”
“You’re such a killjoy, Raxx.” Tabitha pouted playfully.
“I’m in no rush to become one of your mindless admirers.” Raxx jerked his chin in the direction of the dejected-looking demon across the bar.
“He’s not mindless, just… Distracted.” Tabitha licked her lips.
“What do you want? I take it you didn’t interrupt my fun for no reason?”
“Can’t a girl drape herself over her favourite demon on the whole of Hestaesia and not need a reason?”
“Sure, she can – but you can’t,” Raxx teased.
“Fine, down to business then. Come, to my office.” Tabitha rolled her eyes and got to her feet, holding out a hand for him. “I’ve got something to show you.”
Tabitha led Raxx behind the bar, pulling aside a heavy velvet curtain and heading into a dark corridor. Though the front of the tavern looked like any other, these secret back rooms were where the coven did their majick trade. They passed some heavily muscled goons. The men nodded their head at Raxx, who acknowledged them in return.
The hallway was enchanted and majick buzzed all around them. Raxx was certain that should someone, say a member of the King’s Guard, ever make it this far into the tavern something unpleasant would happen to ensure they didn’t get much further. As it was, the shadow demon was welcome here and arrived in Tabitha’s office unscathed.
As candles burst into flame and the room brightened, Raxx was surprised to see the witch’s appearance had changed again. Tabitha’s tall, dark and crimson visage was now that of a pale, porcelain-skinned woman with straight, jet black hair to her waist. She wore an elaborately decorated silk gown, with two splits up either side that went to her hips.
