Page 1 of Bad Demon

Prologue

FERN

SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO

I whimperedwhen Mommy cut my finger with her special knife. I didn’t cry though. Mommy never cried when she made herself bleed, and neither would I. She pressed the cut on her finger to mine, whispering a spell I didn’t understand, then she lifted my sleeves and smeared blood on the inside of both my wrists then across my feet. I squeezed my eyes closed and bit my lip because it hurt really bad. Mommy cupped my cheek, staring down at me. She looked scared and sad.

I breathed heavily because my throat was tight, my eyes were stinging, and my belly hurt. “I don’t feel good.”

“I know, baby, and I’ll give you something to make you feel better soon,” Mommy said.

The sound of the back door in the kitchen opening and banging shut echoed down the hallway.

Mommy spun away and then back to me. “Quick, under here.”

“Why are you scared, Mommy?” I asked, positive I was going to throw up now.

“It’s going to be okay, baby,” she whispered, then pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Promise me, no matter what happens, you won’t move from this spot.”

“I promise,” I whispered back and crawled under the hall table.

“Don’t make a sound, okay?”

I nodded.

She stood, quickly arranging the lace tablecloth in front of me so I was hidden, and rushed down the hall toward the kitchen. The door opened before she reached it—

A monster stood there, his eyes glowing red.

“Get out of my house,” Mommy said, her voice loud but trembling.

“Give me the child,” the monster said.

“Never.” Magic sparked across her fingers.

“Don’t make this harder, Eleanor.”

Daddy!

He was here. I started to crawl out from my hiding place under the table because Daddy was strong. He’d protect us from the monster. But then Mommy lifted her hands, aiming them at him as well.

“You dropped the ward; you let him in. How could you do this?” Mommy said.

Daddy looked angry. “Yes, I let him in. This has gone on long enough.”

“What the hell is wrong with you? She’s our daughter. She’s your—”

“That abomination is not my daughter.”

“How can you say that? You were there when I had her; you held her in your arms. She’s our little girl.” Mommy’s hands were trembling. “She’s still young. Give her time—”

“There’s no magic in that child, no trace of witch. It would be bad enough if it was only your grandmother’s tainted blood running through her veins, but it’s much worse than that, isn’t it, Eleanor? We’ve pretended long enough. I will not have her polluting my family name, or my coven.”

“She is your flesh and blood—”

He laughed, but I didn’t like the way it sounded. “You’re a lying whore. That child has her father’s eyes.”

“Gerald—”

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