Because I was a woman.
And hell had nofucking wrathlike a woman scorned.
“Prepare the spell jar,” I barked, and my coven leapt into action around me.
“It’s damaging her body,” Luna whispered, her voice tight with concern. I reached for her hand, lacing her fingers through mine and taking comfort in the warm beat of energy that ran up my arm at her touch.
“I’ll have to return the favor,” I said grimly, eyeing the vile thing as it writhed in the circle of witchwood.
“We have to hurry,” Luna said, and I met her eyes. She was pale and scared, and I hated that I couldn’t do anything more to reassure her.
Because she was right.
If we didn’t get this thing out of Willow—and quickly—she very well might die.
This thing had already been feeding off her for days, and if we didn’t free her of the thing that was possessing her, I was worried there wouldn’t be anything left of her to save.
“We’ll get her back,” I promised, praying to the universe that my words wouldn’t sour into an unintentional lie.
Luna nodded, her lips pursing.
“We will,” she agreed, squeezing my hand firmly.
“We have to.”
Alexa play: labour by Paris Paloma
The door opened again. Shemhazai and Gabriel entered, and I glanced at them in surprise. I hadn’t been expecting them, though I had made sure the wards on the house would allow them entry if they decided to come.
Guess my little pep talk worked.
Typically, demons were not welcome in a witch’s home, but I had made an exception for these two, as they were obviously on the right side of this war.
They were both in their usual uniforms of crisp black shirts and matching black slacks. They were effortlessly gorgeous, as all demons seemed to be. It was part of what made malevolent beings so dangerous.
The devil didn’t appear in the skin of a monster. He appeared as something to be desired. It made it easier to corrupt and lull their prey into a false sense of security.
People wouldn’t run from creatures as beautiful as Shemhazaiand Gabriel.
They would fall willingly into their arms, begging them to hurt them before they even realized the trap they had succumbed to.
“Hmm. Seems like the party started without us.” Gabe smirked, and Shem’s green eyes flashed in amusement.
“I prefer to be fashionably late,” Shemhazai purred, and Gabe gave him a lazy, content smile.
He pinched his partner’s chin between his fingers and brushed a soft kiss against his lips. Shem’s entire body relaxed into Gabe’s touch, and my heart melted at how much happier he seemed.
“Better late than never, baby,” he whispered, and I knew he wasn’t talking about this gathering but Shem’s clear reluctance to give in to whatever it was they felt for one another.
“We were just about to get started,” Luna said, her tone still filled with that deep sadness that had been present since we’d trapped Willow in the witchwood circle.
Shem and Gabe approached the circle, eyeing up our friend with matching frowns on their faces.
“Fuck,” Shem hissed. “What the fuckisthat?”
“I was hoping you could tell me,” I replied honestly. “You know Raziel better than all of us. He did something to her. There’s a creature inside her, and we don’t know what it is.”
Shem squatted next to the ring, resting his elbows on his knees and examining my friend as she lay on her side.
