Page 3 of Magic Unrestrained

Her dagger flashed in retaliation; the silver blade aimed straight for the demon’s ribs. But it was fast—too fast. It twisted, narrowly avoiding the blow, and lunged again. This time, its claws caught her across the shoulder, tearing through her leather jacket and drawing blood.

Savannah hissed in pain but didn’t slow. She pivoted, using the momentum to whirl around and slice at the demon’s side. This time, her blade found its mark. The demon shrieked, itshigh-pitched wail echoing off the alley walls as black blood poured from the wound.

“You’ll pay for that!” it snarled; voice thick with venom.

Before she could respond, the demon raised its hand, and dark energy exploded from its palm. The force slammed into Savannah’s chest like a freight train, sending her flying backward. She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from her lungs as she skidded across the wet pavement.

Gasping, she rolled to her feet, her dagger still clutched tightly in her hand. Her shoulder throbbed where the demon’s claws had raked her, but she forced herself to ignore the pain. She’d been through worse. Far worse.

The demon was advancing again, its form shifting, growing larger and more grotesque with each step. Its humanoid appearance melted away, revealing the true monster beneath. Its skin turned a sickly shade of gray, muscles bulging unnaturally, its eyes glowing brighter with a malevolent light. Massive horns curled from its head, and its claws elongated into deadly weapons.

“You can’t hide behind that fae power forever,” it sneered, its voice now a deep, guttural growl. “Soon, you’ll be just like the rest of them—dead and forgotten.”

Savannah’s eyes narrowed. "I'm not hiding."

She thrust her hand forward, calling to the water in the air around them. In an instant, the moisture condensed, swirling into sharp, icy blades that hung suspended between them. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the shards flying toward the demon.

The creature roared as the icy daggers embedded themselves in its flesh, black blood spilling from the fresh wounds. But it wasn’t enough. The demon charged again, ignoring the pain, its claws slashing toward her face.

Savannah ducked just in time, the demon’s claws barely missing her cheek. She retaliated with a vicious slash of herdagger, driving it deep into the demon’s side. It howled, staggering back as she twisted the blade and yanked it free. More black blood spilled to the ground, hissing as it hit the pavement.

The demon was weakening, but Savannah knew better than to let her guard down. It wasn’t done yet. Its glowing eyes fixed on her, burning with hatred, and it lunged again, its claws slashing wildly. This time, Savannah was ready.

She sidestepped the attack and thrust her hand out, calling to the water once more. A wave of liquid surged from the puddles on the ground, crashing into the demon with the force of a tidal wave. The creature stumbled, momentarily blinded by the torrent of water, and Savannah spun it into the wall.

"Talk," Savannah demanded. "What's a pit dweller like you doing topside?"

The demon sneered, "You think I'd tell you anything, faery? I know what you and your sisters do to my kind."

Savannah removed her pistol from its shoulder holster. She cocked it, the click echoing in the narrow alley. "Last chance. Talk, or I send you back to Hell the hard way."

For a moment, she thought the demon might cooperate. Then its mouth split into a wide, fanged grin. "He's coming," it said, its voice a guttural rasp. "The master. He'll turn this city into a new Hell, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

When they started making threats, it meant the demon in question was not going to go down easy or clean. No matter. The demon's words cut off in a gurgle as Savannah pulled the trigger. The silver-wrapped iron bullet tore through its throat, and the creature dissolved into a pile of foul-smelling ash.

Savannah stepped back, her mind racing. ‘The master… a new Hell?’ What the hell did that mean?

Her gaze drifted to the neon flyer stuck to the wall, its bright colors garishly out of place in the dark alley.

Obsidian Lounge: Grand Opening Coming Soon!

Savannah stared at it for a long moment, the demon’s words echoing in her mind.

Shaking her head, she removed the flyer from the wall, folded it, and tucked it into her pocket. She didn’t have the energy to make sense of the demon’s cryptic message right now. All she wanted was to go home, clean the blood off her shoulder, and collapse into bed. But as she turned away from the alley, she couldn’t shake the sense that something bigger—something darker—was on the horizon.

The mansion was still quiet when Savannah arrived, her boots barely making a sound as she crossed the threshold. She took a deep breath, the familiar scent of jasmine, crepe myrtle, and old wood filling her lungs as she made her way up the grand staircase. The weight of the night pressed down on her, exhaustion tugging at every muscle.

Once in her room, she tossed her gun onto the nightstand and peeled off her jacket, wincing at the sting in her shoulder. The wound from the demon’s claws wasn’t deep, but it still throbbed. She shrugged out of her clothes, wadding them up and tossing them into the laundry bin before padding to her ensuite bath.

Under the warm spray of the shower, she let the tension melt from her body, the water cleansing both her skin and her mind. But even as she stood beneath the cascading water, the demon’s final words echoed in her head.The master is coming. A new Hell is rising.

Savannah scrubbed a hand down her face, frustrated by the cryptic warning. She had fought plenty of demons in her time,but none had spoken of a master. None had left her feeling this unsettled.

Once clean, she wrapped herself in a towel and headed back to her bedroom. She blow-dried her hair and headed to her bed. She lay down, sinking into the soft mattress as her exhaustion finally caught up with her.

But sleep didn’t come easily. She rolled onto her side, pulling the blankets up around her, trying to quiet her mind. She reached out to her nightstand, her hand brushing the familiar grip of her gun, its comforting feel familiar against her palm. It was a reminder of her dual life—graphic designer by day, demon hunter by night.

Her eyes drifted closed, but even in the darkness of her room, the unease lingered. She was supposed to feel safe here, in her family’s mansion, surrounded by generations of the combined fae magic of her sisters and her aunt. But deep down, she knew the hunt was just beginning.

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