Page 6 of The Other Side

“I’m sure it won’t come to that. Now, are we done here?” She laughed, gripping my hand tighter, her cloudy blue eyes fixated on me.

“No. Not until we seal the deal with a kiss.” A kiss? My cheek flushed at her sentence.

Cypress slowly leaned in, her midnight lips closing over mine as she eagerly kissed me. Her cold essence tasted of danger, the very kind you experience when you linger on death’s door. It was a taste that could drag any human to insanity, gripping your entire being as it toyed with your emotions—a dangerous rush of adrenaline.

Our clenched hands pressed into our chests as Cypress kissed me harder, my heart racing. The world around began to spin as hellfire flared from the ground, wrapping its cold flames around our bodies and engulfed us. Everything began to blur and melt together as she moved her tongue along mine. It felt as though a fever swept over me, my restraints absent as I matched her enthusiasm and continued to kiss her back, drunk in the moment. A tightness began to build in my chest as my body pressed into hers, breathing her in, gasping for more of her fire. Time crumbled around us as if I was stuck in this moment, frozen in it, until she suddenly broke away, leaving me in a drunken haze, gasping for air.

No. I had to peel my eyes open, saddened by her absence.

“Wait,” I quietly begged, swallowing what was left of her. The sounds of nightlife filled my ears, the smell of fresh rain and wet earth clogging my nostrils. I stumbled back as I realized I was now back in the swamp, the cave and her burning fire no longer present. It was as if neither had ever existed. I desperately looked around for Cypress, but she and her hellfire were nowhere to be found.

Was it a dream? Was any of it real? Was she real? It couldn’t have been…could it?I clutched my head, feeling woozyand different as I waddled to the muddy bank.It had to be real. Or was it…a trick?

“Cypress?” I called out, stepping through the water at the edge of the swamp, my skirt flowing around my knees as my head raced. I felt lightheaded, as if something was wrong. My skin began to itch and burn, the feeling of ants crawling beneath my flesh, as I fell to my knees. Water splashed my now-heated face as I clawed at my skin, frantically trying to stop whatever was infesting me. “Cypress? Cypress!” There was no answer.

I cried out in agony, the pain engulfing me, as if fire was searing through my nerves and flooding my veins. It swelled up in my stomach and forced its way through my esophagus. I tried to fight it back, the contents of my stomach flooding my mouth, forcing me to my hands and knees as I hurled into the swamp. Hellfire poured from my mouth, its cold, acidic taste forcing itself from my body into the murky water. My eyes watered and burned as it seemed to empty from me, leaving me panting. I wiped my mouth, staring back at the now-glowing blue water, two eyes staring back at me.

The water rippled as I shot backwards, watching as Bastien emerged. His hissing presence answered my many questions, confirming it was all real. She was real. The alligator waded through the swamp and stalked towards me. He climbed onto the bank as I stood and gently rubbed his scale-covered head against my side. The size of him was astonishing, his head nearly reaching my hips. The alligator stopped, his eyes staring like he was waiting for me to—pet him? My hand shook as I slowly reached out and stroked his sage-colored scales. He released a bellowing purr, his eyes burrowing into mine as Cypress’ voice played in my mind.

Protection.

Of course. As promised, Cypress had given me protection. More specifically, she had given me Bastien. I looked back at the dissolving hellfire in the swamp, the very same I had thrown up.

Magic. It had to be.

I glanced around, spying a nearby stick in the mud. I took a deep breath, my hand raised as my fingers flexed, silently commanding the stick to me. Aside from my normal flickering sparks, nothing happened. I looked down at Bastien as he released a low growl that somehow felt like he was telling me to try again. Nodding, I turned back and tried again, only this time, I reached deeper into myself and felt something flicker to life.

My temples bulged as I twisted my wrist, blowing life into my eternal flame. Maroon fire sputtered from my palm as it slowly grew, transforming into larger flames, the color changing to a deeper mulberry. “Fascinating,” I whispered. I silently commanded the fiery magic to extend from my palm out towards the stick. It obeyed me and slithered from my body, taking hold of the object and raising it into the air.

Now, come to me.

The stick lunged in my direction, landing in my grasp. I held it tightly, sighing with satisfaction. A devious smile formed along my face, excited by my newfound magic. It smoked and sparked in my hands as I did so, surrounding me in a storm of itself.

“Wonderful,” I exhaled. I wiggled the simple branch as smoke covered it, transforming the mere branch into an elegant, sleek black walking stick topped with a deep, cloudy crystal sphere that swirled as if Cypress’ hellfire resided within it. I spun the walking stick, magic seeping from it as it moved.

“Well now.” I admired my new magic closely, feeling it surge from my hand in the form of both fire and smoke. “That’swhat I call power.” Bastien growled faintly as I looked down at him, tracing the crystal with my fingertips, suddenly understanding his animalistic sounds. “You’re right, Bastien. If I’m going topossess such magic and power, I might as well look the part.” I twirled the walking stick as smoke surrounded me. My skin began to heal itself, my clothes transforming from muddy, torn rags into an elegant black dress that hugged my body and flared from my waist to the ground. I waved my fingers, cutting slits into the fabric, allowing my bare legs to move with ease as I continued to sway my hand, my locs tightening and changing as charms and colored strands formed across my head. My arms became adorned with bangles and bracelets, matching the beaded crystal and bone jewelry that now hung from my ears and around my neck. I stood, admiring my new self. I felt empowered and unstoppable, no longer the bayou’s mistress, but instead, its enchantress.

“Let’s show this town a real bayou witch, Bastien.” He snapped his jaw in agreement as I flicked my wrist, smoke forming a large top hat lined with burgundy velvet, completed with a matching coat stretching along my arms and body—the final touch. My arm spun the walking stick as it flawlessly transformed into an umbrella, protecting me from the gentle rain as we stepped from the muddy bank towards the lively town, fueled with a hunger to show everyone my newfound power.

“Who's weak now?” I grinned with excitement over my new abilities. Bastien hissed in agreement.

Do not forget, Iris-Marie: you owe me.

Chapter

One

CYPRESS

“Power suits her, does it not, Tuft?” I gracefully turned my head, meeting his heedful gaze, his golden eyes like liquid gold as they lowered in submission. Rightfully so. My lips curled ever so lightly, a gentle laugh brushing past them as I glanced back at the fiery glimpse into the human world. Iris-Marie, that fiery little trickster, was dazzling yet another wandering soul, displaying her abilities as she used her new magic to lift the tarot cards from her hand and read the spectator’s fate aloud. It had been many years since we first made our deal, and I could still recall that very day as if it had just occurred. I licked my lips, reminiscing the delicious taste of her lips still imprinted on my brain.

Such a yummy memory.

“You would never know the very woman before us was once nothing more than a weak, desperate little thing, craving something she didn’t even know she needed.” My smile grew. “Something onlyIcould give her.” My sight was fixated on her, watching as she entertained the pedestrian, flicking her magic around in the air, glowing in a beautiful contrast against her face. Seeing her move so eloquently as her power flowed fromher body—my power—oh it excited me. It’d been such a long time since another human made a deal with me, and she was by far the most enticing of them all.

“Does it not bother you that a human is openly displaying their dealt gift?” The growing animation in my face stopped, my smile fading as I turned to face Tuft, standing only a few feet away from me.

“I’m sorry, but did I ask for your opinion?” I raised a brow, my arm raising while my voice split and began to alter. “I may have grown fond of your melancholy existence, dwelling alongside me here in my home, but do not forget yourself, Tuft.” Shadows ruptured from my flesh, crackling towards him as it took hold of his large frame, constricting around his pale body. He wriggled and groaned, fighting my strength as I slowly approached him.

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