Page 20 of Dark Captivation

However, the only stories she shared so far were centered on just about every demon in the kingdom except the one I was interested in most, Malek.

Ferina elaborated about a demon named Greenwich and how he got drunk and leveled the Demon City’s largest movie theater last week.

She told the story as theatrically as she could, simulating the sounds of crackling concrete with her mouth. My eyes diverted to Malek.

His gaze caressed the skin along my midsection and thighs. He’d long stopped paying attention to Ferina’s story. He was so captivated by my thighs you’d think there was a tv screen there.

Suddenly his head jerked to face Ferina and he scowled at her, with one brow arched high. “Of course you’d tell her that. Anything to bring your brother down a peg.”

“Well, isn’t that a little sister’s job? It’s my prerogative to make my big brother uncomfortable sometimes,” she shrugged innocently.

“Wait, what did you say about him?” I asked.

“Father of all Demons,” she boasted, puffing out her chest and pointing at Malek. “That’s what they call Mally from the Pacific to the Atlantic. But that’s just flattery.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, he did create most of the demon horde in the underworld and almost all of the demons in Demon City. But he didn’t create all demons. Our parents are the ones who created many of the most powerful demons, and that was thousands of years ago.”

“Are you satisfied now?” Malek shook his head. “Now that you've made me sound less impressive to my bride?”

“That makes sense though, someone had to create both of you.” I surmised, turning my head from one sibling to the other. “Were your parents also Demon Gods? Are they still around? And exactly how old are the both of you anyway?”

Malek gave his sister a warning look and she seemed to consider just how far she was willing to push her brother’s buttons today. A bead of sweat rushed down her face as Malek’s expression grew more rigid.

There was a silent agreement between them, things they agreed not to discuss, at least not in front of me.

“Well, is it five already?” Ferina took a quick look at her watch. Pouring herself a final glass of wine down her throat with one large swallow, she said, “I promised Pauletta I would help her move her new couch onto her upstairs veranda before sundown.”

Ferina started to leave but after glancing at some nearby trees, she changed her mind, sat back down and returned her legs to where they were folded a second ago.

“Paulette can wait a few more minutes.” Ferina rubbed her hands together as a male butler wearing a black and white suit, popped out from behind the trees. He dutifully walked toward the blanket, carrying a covered silver tray in front of him.

“That’s strange, I thought we’d already gotten everything I ordered.” Malek perused the blanket. “That’s right, we didn’t get the teaberry ice cream yet. That must be it now.”

“Is that the ice cream?” Malek asked the butler, but he didn’t answer.

“Did Sam send you?” Malek asked, and once again, his question fell on deaf ears. But this time, the butler speeds up his pace.

Malek sniffed the air and angry ridges formed on his nose as fury blazed in his eyes. He grabbed my arm, gripping it tight and drawing me closer to him.

“Ferina, do you smell that?” Malek’s sharp fangs now peeked out from between his lips as he stared down the approaching servant.

“What’s going on?” I didn’t smell anything strange, but I wasn’t exposed to as wide a range of scents as Malek or Ferina given our age differences and my isolated upbringings.

Ferina’s eyes went wide as realization seemed to set it.

In an instant, the strange scent hit my nose with full force and Mellow went on high alert. It smelled like a mixture of magical hyssop, valerian and comfrey. Plants used by mages.

“I’m guessing that’s not the ice cream,” I said.

Malek’s answer was to pull me into the protection of his chest and bark at the stranger, “What’s your business here? Put the tray down and don’t come a single step closer or it’ll be your last.”

The stranger removed the silver cover from the tray, tossing it aside. A small, purple, sparkling rock sat on the plate. He halted six feet from the blanket’s edge and I thought he meant to throw the stone at us, but instead, he tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it. “I have a message from the Grand High Mage. Go back to the underworld, Demon!”

Hearing more than enough, Malek shot to his feet, sweeping me up into his arms. Ferina moved so quickly her feet made a blur as the three of us scrambled away from the stranger.

Stretching out his open palms in front of himself, the stranger rendered a radiant blast of purple energy. The beam spewed from his palm like water from a hose, and it was headed for Malek and I.

“Malek, look out!” Ferina screamed.

Everything happened so quickly, I didn’t have the time to shift. Even if I did, I couldn’t outrun a blast with that kind of force behind it.

---