Page 33 of A Second Roar for Love

Her body became weightless as she floated into the air. She only had half control to look around and move her limbs. She felt like a marionette being pulled along by the strings. Damn, this wasn’t looking good for her.

Her hand she didn’t control created a ball of light and threw it at one of the businesses in the town square.

“Hey,” she screamed at half of herself, “what are you doing? That building never did anything to you.” The demon only laughed.

Ellie refused to let this go on. She would find a way to get the evil spirit out of herself and protect the people. After all, she was a magical guardian responsible for guarding the town. Right now, she was failing at her job.

Ellie focused her mind, concentrating on kicking out the intruder in her head. She thought about Reed and how much she loved him. How much he loved her. There was no question they were born to be together. She let that love flow out like a waterfall diving over the top of the cliff.

“Do your best, little witch,” the beast snarled. “We’re going to take over the world one town at a time.”

She hovered several feet off the ground in the town square where the demon was using her power for destruction and harm. She could only watch as her magic was slowly drained.

A loud sound like a firecracker came from behind her. Her head twisted around to see Reed, Kade, Luna, and Celeste gathered. Reed held a smoking pistol in his hand and a bullet was on its way to her head. It happened so quickly, she doubted the demon could react fast enough to prevent the inevitable.

Time slowed and relief ran through her. She couldn’t stop the demon, so her mate would do the job for her. Damn, she loved that man. She only wished she could say good-bye to him.

Just before the deadly missile reached her, she was blinded by a dazzling streak of white and silver light. Her body recoiled, flipping backward through the air.

When she could see again, she stood on the ground and an angel with a white scimitar in its hand wrapped the other hand around her throat and yanked.

Then to her amazement, the demon came out in the angel’s grasp and dangled by the scruff of his neck. Even though a thousand questions swirled in her head, she was speechless.

“Who are you? Are you an angel?” Luna asked. Thank God someone still had their wits about them.

I am no angel. Your people know me as the White Scimitar came the reply with no movement of lips or mouth detected.

That name was familiar.

Many Earth years ago, I entered into a witch’s pact whose outcome would depend on the consequences of their descendants.

The non-angel was talking about her grandmother. Now she remembered the vision where her grandmother signed her name in blood with the White Scimitar. Holy shit. And Ellie thought all that was a bad thing.

“We don’t understand,” Celeste answered. “What pact? Why?”

Still dangling off the ground, the demon wriggled in the beautiful creature’s grip. “Shut up, you overgrown Goody-two-shoes. They don’t need to know.”

The being of light shook the beast. “It matters not. The time has come.” The being swished its free hand through the air, and before them, a scene appeared like a movie playing on an invisible screen.

Kade leaned closer to Celeste and whispered, “Now that’s a neat trick you need to learn.” His mate elbowed him to be quiet.

In the scene, the town stood, but it was very different than today’s version. The buildings were much smaller with hand-painted signs out front of a bakery, tavern, and bathhouse. The men were dressed in breeches, some with waistcoats, and the women were in simple dresses, many with muslin aprons.

The town was created on this spot to provide a protective barrier against the inherent evil this ground held. Whispering Pines is not the first, but it will be the last to secure this intersection with the veil.

The veil? Ellie glanced at Luna who nodded at her as if to say “Yes, the veil that separates the mortal plane from the spirit and magic dimension.” Everything was making so much more sense now—the ley lines and her grandmother’s house being located smack dab in the center of them and her and her family’s role in guarding the opening of the veil. That was why this place drew so many dark magic wielders and cultists.

Long ago, Mograth found a way to cross the veil.

Ellie gasped. The demon’s name was Mograth.

The village scene showed a dark cloud-like mass slither into existence from thin air and soak into the ground. Mograth was the beast locked in the cellar.

For generations, humans have tried to remove the evil but were unsuccessful in eliminating it?—

“And they never will,” Mograth growled in a child-like pout.

The Scimitar continued, ignoring the rude interruption. —until Witch Theren, Witch Rowan, Witch Greer, and others were strong enough to imprison him. These witches were wise enough to know the magical binding would not hold Mograth forever.

---