Page 62 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife

The sorceress looked from her parasite back to me. “Because his kind have been hunted by succubi for thousands of years. Throughout history, sphinxes have protected the phoenixesfrom threats. Without a sphinx protector, the phoenix is more vulnerable to succubi possessions.”

“And yet the council would imprison the last sphinx and try him for murder?” I asked, refusing to hide the bitterness in my tone.

“Rules are rules.” The sorceress shrugged. “But the more I think on it, the more I realize it’s not a coincidence that you two found each other.” She fixed me with a penetrating stare that made my skin crawl. “I would like to run some tests on you, Miss Lovelle.”

Ric fought his restraints again, rattling the chains louder than before. “Don’t trust them, Luci!”

“Silence him,” the sorceress hissed at the crotch-breath wizard.

The very foundation beneath me felt like it was falling as the wizard flew down toward Ric and two minotaurs joined him, gagging him while he tried to bite them. They thought I was the phoenix, yet they wanted to restrain the one striga who was supposed to protect me? Something was wrong. Something wasverywrong.

“No!” I screamed while backing up, pushing Des with me.

I noted how the sorceress’s advisor shielded her ears, crying out when I screamed. Succubi were bothered by loud noises. Shielding the ears was a tell-tale sign of demonic possession.

The sorceress advanced toward me while raising her wand. “Excuse me?”

“I’m not going to be your guinea pig,” I spat.

The hooded figure followed the sorceress’s advance, a shaft of light striking her and revealing a familiar hook nose and beady eyes. Antonio’s wife! The very same woman who’d appeared with three murderous mages seconds before we’d escaped. Now Iknewshe had to be a succubus.

My heart stopped, then took off at a run. We had to get out of here, but how would we reach the portal in time?

The sorceress slapped her open palm with her wand. “You don’t have a choice, Miss Lovelle. If you are the phoenix, we can’t risk you falling into demon hands.”

I aimed my wand at her. “Don’t come near us, or you’ll regret it.”

Ethyl fluttered in my pocket, Des squeezed my shoulder with a trembling hand, and every striga in the room eyed me like I was a prize to be won.

“Leave her alone!” a voice called from the crowd. I looked up in time to see Frederica fighting off striga while trying to reach me.

The sorceress aimed her wand at me, and I fired off a defensive spell. Then an explosion of light, and we were falling through the darkness into oblivion. Goddess, save us!

Chapter Twelve

Isucked in a scream as I fell onto something soft and springy. I blinked up at a familiar stained and cracked ceiling, then looked at Des, whose hand was joined with mine.

I gaped at him.

He smiled at me.

“Des, did you do that?” I asked as I sat up, dropping my wand by my side and rubbing my throbbing temple.

He nodded. “Mama was in trouble.” He opened up his other hand, and I felt a gust of wind whoosh past me. Puffy materialized in a huff, landing on a dilapidated shelf before licking his paw like a cat.

I squeezed Des’s hand and kissed his cheek.My amazing boy.

I swore when I noticed my suitcase was on the floor again. I’d warded the lock this time, but the hinges had somehow come off the back, and a trail of tampons led from my suitcase to the gnome-sized hole in the wall. A maxi pad was stuck above the hole with words written in my favorite lipstick:Wichz, keeep owt!

The little shits. Though they were the least of my problems.

If the Tribunal were unsure if I was the phoenix before, they certainly believed it now that we’d managed to break through their wards. The only problem was, it was clear to me now that my autistic son was the phoenix, and if the succubi ever realized this, they would stop at nothing to get him.

Without a sphinx protector, the phoenix is more vulnerable to succubi possessions.

Ethyl fluttered out of my pocket and transformed into her full size. She fell onto her bottom, a dazed look in her eyes, her rainbow-hued wings sagging behind her. “Luci, no witch in history has ever been able to break the Tribunal’s wards. They’ll be looking for us.”

The sorceress’s words rang through my skull like a gong.More powerful than a dozen combined witches...

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