Page 216 of Castings & Curses

With that advice, a few tips, and an apple, they had sent me back out into the woods to seek my adversary.

“Apple apple aim it true. Done to me, now done to you.” I smashed the apple that was in my hand against her temple and we rolled. Now I was the one on top and I was not going to get up and run. Unlike that baker’s son who was simply angry at me for winning best baked pie at school that day, this succubus was going to kill me. No, worse. She was going to become me. Which just made me wonder. “Are you in there? Whoever you are, whoever you were. Before me. Are you in there?”

“Don’t you dare try to summon—”

Another little spell my moms taught me came to mind. “Guiding light, guiding true. Follow the light and find peace for you.”

The succubus I was choking with my hands seemed to be choking on whatever it was rolling up her throat. I was afraid to let go. Afraid to hold on, but if there was something, someone inside of her trying to escape, I wanted them to help me. I wanted them to be free. I wanted to stay free.

I turned my head as I loosened the grip, but did not let go as she essentially vomited out an ethereal being. I said, “Whoa shit.”

And then another rolled up and out, and another behind that. I felt a tickling at my shoulder and looked at a girl about my age. Well, looked through a girl about my age. She said, “You can let go now. They are coming. We are leaving.”

“They?” I asked and let go as the succubus on the ground writhed and wriggled as one after the other the victims of her abuse pushed out of her lungs and into the air. When I looked at her shriveled up form on the ground, she looked nothing like the fierce adversary that had tackled me. I gulped and asked, “Rose?”

“There can be only one.” She looked at me with haunted, hollow eyes. “You must, my Peach. You must.”

“Must what?” I asked.

“Kill her.” A male voice interrupted the whole scene. “You must kill her.”

I wasn’t exactly sure about that now she looked as though she were dying anyway. Only, that old crone on the ground, reached her hand toward him and began to suck in air.

My warlock professor had clear grey eyes. “Peach, help me.”

I looked at her and she was gaining form again. “He’s so powerful. Just like his great great grandfather was.”

“Help him!” the spirits around us cried. “Help him!”

Shit. How did I kill a succubus? I thought back to the book and moved quickly, while her corporeal body was still frail and weak. I punched into her chest and removed her tiny black heart. I crushed it, watched her turn into spiritual dust as she screamed no.

I didn’t blame her. As soon as she was on their plane of existence, all of the glittery energy from the women she had murdered and consumed and become throughout many lifetimes had the ability to choose peace and evaporate into the atmosphere or…like fireflies with light speed, chase her into the night.

I looked to the left and found my warlock professor crumpled on the ground, holding his chest. I moved closer and asked, “Are you all right?”

He shook his head and said, “No. I…was reading in my office. And…how did we get here?”

Oh shit.

CHAPTER7

I was notable to summon the house spirits to make him tea, so I had to figure it all out in that giant kitchen on my own.

“Professor.” I handed him the cup and took a seat in the chair next to him. “How did you know I would have to kill her?”

“Right before you came into my office I met with Professor Larson. She was insistent that I be careful with my visitors today. I’ve…been feeling off to be quite honest. Since the semester began, I’ve felt like there were two people at war in my head.” He sipped the tea. “I should be ashamed to admit such a thing, but…you saw me and you witnessed the creature that had traveled in my mind leave my body to return to its own.”

“What?”

“The woman. The succubus. Your mother, by all accounts. If her thoughts were correct, and I could be muddled here, mind you. She was reproducing an heir when she began to feel weak. When even her mate would falter to bring her strength. Another daughter to destroy. Another mate to live with until she was bored. She would have killed me straight away. I’m sure of it.” He shook his head.

“So all that…cold, detached speech about us…”

“What speech?” he asked. “What about us?”

“You don’t remember any of it?” I asked. “Not the pencil or—”

He scoffed. “I don’t use pencils. What are you talking about?”

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