Page 6 of Raising Hell: MMF Edition

But apparently, this time… I did. The runes are a perfect match. Relief feuds with the nerves that swarm inside me like ahive of angry bees, and I’m jittery as I realize my last excuse has just flown out the window.

There’s no backing out, not now. Not when life has thrown me this colossal bone, this irrefutable sign that has to mean I’m making the right choice.

It’s destiny. Kismet.

I turn my attention back to the rune, letting my eyes slide over the alien design. It’s old but appears intact because it’s been covered over the years. “Does this mean Granny used this spell?” Shadow mewls from beside me, and I watch as she patters onto the rune.

My phone beeps and tells me I only have twenty minutes remaining to do this, or it all goes bust. “Sugar!” I shout, sprinting downstairs to grab the potion from the kitchen.

I’m careful not to spill a single drop as I carry it up, my heart kicking double time in a dizzying staccato. After I gently place it on the desk, I pull the book out, reading the incantation a dozen more times. Five minutes remain on my timer, and as I set up the spell, the flutters in my belly amplify until I’m surprised I don’t take flight.

The draught goes in the center of the circle, and the dried herbs and flowers are placed in their appropriate spots on the rune. A strange energy fills the room, the very air waves vibrating and dancing around me. It should scare me, should make me stop and pretend none of this ever happened, but it only pushes me further.

Shadow stands in the far corner of the attic, watching with careful eyes and ready to sprint away at a moment’s notice. When the timer chimes, it’s now or never.

I step forward to the base of the symbol with the spellbook in my hand. Clearing my throat, I force myself to annunciate past the pounding in my chest. “Da mihi…” Dust catches my nose, and I take a deep inhale, my eyes widening as Ifight the tickle. “… carmen ad me…” My words come to an abrupt end as I clamp my mouth shut and place my finger over my nostrils, but it’s too late to stop my body’s reactions. “…felicem-aaachhoooo!”

Silence.

Deafening, ear-splitting silence.

The kind of too-quiet stillness that tells you that you aren’t alone, even if you can’t identify the danger. It’s the type of calm when the birds and the insects have gone into hiding, knowing all too well that they’re the prey and they need torun.

All at once, light flares from the rune on the ground, illuminating the room in red. It erupts from the drawn lines, not gradual like a sunrise, but immediate and violent like an explosion. Floors, walls, ceiling… every surface is painted in a blood-deep crimson.

“Okay,” I sputter nervously, squinting my eyes against the onslaught of color, “that’s normal, right? That’s probably…”

The ground shakes so violently that I drop the spellbook, and the pan of draught vibrates with such ferocity that the liquid crashes over the sides of the pot like a tidal wave. “Oh, fuuuuu…” My words turn into a scream as the dried items around the circle burst into flames, dancing orange flickers with touches of purple at the center.

I grab the book and hug it to my chest just as a deep, dominating growl echoes through the room. A pair of eyes finds mine through the smoke and chaos, and terror freezes my limbs, rooting me in place.

Alright.

We’ve made it back to where this story started. If you need a quick recap, here it is:

Evil laughter, lots of screaming, a panic attack, and a solid dose of denial before crafting the terrible idea to run until myout-of-shape legs will no longer carry me. There was even some fantasy-filled plan to swim the Gulf of Mexico to get away from the chaos I’ve created.

My horribly-thought-out scheme was thwarted when I crashed into something.

Up to speed?

Great. Let’s continue.

“Oof!” Air is forced from my lungs as I slam into an unyielding surface that’s strangely soft, and I open my eyes to come face to face with… a set of very defined abs. “Oh,SUGAR!” I shout, as my eyes drift lower to land on an impressively large penis, just hanging out between a pair of muscular thighs.

“Sugar?” A deep voice rumbles, a tinge of amusement in the gravelly tone. “That’s a new one. Can’t say I’ve ever been called that before.”

“A dream… it’s a dream…” I mutter, still staring in front of me, which—don’t judge—just happens to be the abnormally massive dick that’s swinging in the breeze.

“Oh, my precious little human, I can be a dream alright.” A chuckle sounds above me, coasting over my skin with its condescension, and I decide I’ve had enough of men laughing at me.

Defiant, I stare up… and up… and up, until I meet the eyes of the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen in my life. Language abandons me as I take in the pale skin that covers his defined, lean muscles, his obsidian eyes, and sinful smirk. Then my gaze travels higher and catches on the thick head of raven hair that shines red in the fading lights. Two slightly curved horns poke through the locks, no more than six inches long.

When I catch his gaze once more, he has an eyebrow hiked as he watches me with open curiosity. “Who… who areyou?Whatare you?” I finally force out, my voice raspy and strained in my confusion.

He’s sleek like a jungle cat, movements graceful and eyes curious. His head tilts in a very feline expression as he moves a hand to his chin, rubbing over his square jaw as he says, “I’m the one who shall ask questions right now.”

“Wha… what questions?”

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