Page 2 of Tall, Dark & Horny

A mahogany bar stretched along the left wall, bottles lining the shelves behind it in organized chaos. Thomas, my bartender, flipped one behind his back with casual flair, catching it one-handed before pouring a shot for the customer seated in front of him.

A flicker of motion at the far end caught my attention. Two warlocks, both young. Then again, most beings were when you’d lived as long as I had. Brash and full of magic they barely understood, convinced they were untouchable. I used to be like that once. Before the blood, the wars, the gate. Before I earned the scars that didn’t show, earned in the name of my father.

The taller one reached out with a hand that glowed faint gold, and my demon side stirred with interest, whispering darkly in the back of my mind since my guests were forbidden to use magic in The Abyss.

Let me out. He broke your law. Let him burn for it.

I moved.

One breath, I stood at the railing. The next, I was between them.

I only had three rules: no killing, no magic, and every woman beneath my roof had my protection. Demons weren’t fond of rules, which was exactly why I kept them simple—and brutally enforced. Not many assholes tried to test me.

Except for the dumb ones, like this kid.

In the early days, a week didn’t pass without me having to demonstrate exactly why I was the one in charge. A demon running a hotel for supernatural beings was bound to be challenged. Now? Most knew better. My name carried weight. And my punishments lingered in the air like smoke and sulfur.

The warlocks startled.

“No magic,” I said quietly, voice low and unhurried. “No exceptions.”

The taller one sneered. “I was just playing. Didn’t mean anything by it.”

I tilted my head. “Is that what you’d say if someone violated your mind for fun?”

His friend proved he was wiser by scooting his stool back to get out of the line of fire. Literally.

But the one who’d broken my rules didn’t follow suit. Instead, he argued, “I didn’t even use my magic. Not really.”

“You didn’t get the chance. And now you never will.” My eyes burned black, hellfire rippling just beneath the surface. The flames weren’t visible yet—but they would be. “You used your power without consent. In my domain.”

The glyphs in the walls flared red again.

The taller one dropped to his knees, clutching his chest. His friend lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. Smart. Possibly salvageable.

I grabbed my prey by the collar, lifting him easily. Fire crackled at my fingertips, not quite touching skin. Yet.

“The Abyss has many floors,” I murmured. “But only one direction for people like you.”

I dragged him toward the back hallway, nodding once at Lyra as I passed. She pressed a rune beneath the desk. Stone slid open beside her—revealing a staircase descending into darkness.

“Want help escorting him?” she asked, flashing me a hopeful look.

“I think I can handle this one on my own.”

Her shoulders slumped at my wry response.

As we plunged into the darkness, the air changed. Grew colder. Wetter.

The walls here were older than the ones my guests saw above. The stone pulsed with ancient magic, shaped into corridors by something darker than hands.

I’d chosen this place for a reason. The Abyss was built atop a ley line junction, one of the most potent in the world. A hidden gate to the underworld sat below us, sealed by wards older than names.

The demon in me stirred with anticipation.

Burn him. Mark him. Let them all see what happens when they defy you.

I shoved the warlock into the far cell. Flames licked his coat sleeve, singeing the threads.

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