Page 41 of Dark Desire
On the second verse, I felt a shift in the air. The wind howled, and dried leaves circled the space as my eyes glowed golden. Thousands of voices echoed on the breeze, chaotic and urgent, too many to decipher as I reached the peak of the incantation. I tried my best to block them out, to only focus on my spell.
“I call to thee from root and bone. Witches of St Wythren’s Cove, aid me in my plea. Stand with me. Lend me your power, your wrath, your will. Flow through me in blood and breath. Not as your servant but as your kin in death.”
The wind whipped through my hair, blowing my curls across my face as the flames on my candles turned black. Five ghostly figures appeared around me, their white cotton dresses billowing around their ankles and hair dancing in the breeze. I recognised them as the five witches who I nearly burned at the stake with. They each stepped forward, and a cold, phantomtouch peppered my skin as they each placed one hand on my shoulders and arms. A combined power surged within, leaving me breathless but full of might. Abruptly, the wind stopped, the figures disappeared and everything fell still again.
I fell forward, panting heavily in a daze. Oh, my gods. They came. I had the power of six. It may not be the same as an entire coven, but surely it would be enough to summon a demon from the Underworld?
My hands shook as I reached for the five rocks and painted the demonic symbols I remembered from the spell book onto their surfaces with my blood. I didn’t know how long I’d have the witches’ powers flowing through my veins, so I didn’t want to waste a second.
The sound of rustling behind me caused alarm bells to sound in my head and I turned just in time to see the blur of a male form speeding my way. I attempted to dart sideways, but he was too fast and had me pinned to the ground by my throat. My eyes bulged as he crushed my windpipe and I stared up at a vampire with blonde hair, red eyes and vicious fangs. Shit. Another seeker.
The power within me surged forwards as I slammed my hands into his chest and sent him soaring through the air. He landed a far distance away in the forest, giving me time to scramble back to the spell circle and chant the ancient Latin to summon a demon. Cutting into more of my hands so my blood coated the inner circle, I was barely through the second verse when the seeker collided into my side with such force, the air was knocked from my lungs. My head hit something hard, a tree perhaps and my vision blackened, but I refused to be defeated this close to the end. I sent a blast of dark magic his way, which smashed into him and dislocated his shoulder. He hissed through his fangs and zoomed towards me in a blur, throwing me against the treeas I screamed in agony when his fangs stabbed into my neck. It was violent and painful, unlike the times Zoran had bitten me.
He drank endlessly as I tried to fight him off with my magic, but I knew I needed to save enough energy to complete the demon spell, and the lack of blood was affecting my focus. When I was on the verge of passing out, he pulled away from my neck, blood marring his chin, and snarled at me.
“Where’s your mate, witch?” he hissed. “I can taste him in your blood.”
Mate? My head lolled as I tried to regain my strength and understand what the hell he was saying.
Suddenly, my body slumped down the tree when the vampire’s vice grip on me vanished. A brutal, jarring collision of bodies assaulted my senses; their movements were too fast to follow. I didn’t have time to worry about what the hell was going on because I could feel the witches’ power within me wavering.
Remembering what I needed to do, I crawled forward on my hands and knees to the spell circle and panted out the final part of the spell, using the last of my energy and power to open the veil to the Underworld. I rolled onto my back when it was done, staring up at the starry sky. If that didn’t work, I knew I’d never find the raven. My time was up. A vicious battle between two vampires echoed through the woods, emphasised by the sounds of breaking trees and savage roars. The wind picked up again and the sky darkened to pitch black as a dark mist swirled in the middle of the spell circle. I found some energy from somewhere to scramble back as adrenaline spiked.
Holy crap, I’d done it.
The mist cleared to reveal the most terrifying creature I’d ever seen. The sight of long, black horns twisting from a skull-like head, wreathed in venomous-looking vines, sent a chill down my spine. His towering height and thick muscles, covered with black shadows and similar vines covered every inch of his body.He had sharp black claws instead of hands and feet. Huge wings unfurled behind him, ending in pointed talons, while the soulless void of his glistening black eyes peered down at me. When he flashed his menacing smile, revealing two rows of razor-sharp teeth like a shark, I couldn’t help but gasp in horror.
What the fuck has my crazy ass done?
He cocked his head to the side, studying me.
“Human?” His question felt like icy liquid sliding over my skin. He bent down, wiping his talon against one of the rocks to gather my blood. A long, forked tongue slithered out of his mouth and lapped at it. His haunting eyes sparkled with excitement. “No. Witch. My favourite. What is it you need from me?”
Pushing down my fear, I tried to find my voice. This suddenly felt like the worst idea I had ever had but it was too late now. “I-I need your help. To find a raven.”
“A raven?” He tilted his head to the other side.
“A demon. Like you. But different. I cursed him into a raven to save him from death and I can’t find him to change him back. I thought, being a demon yourself, you would be able to locate him easily?”
A dark cackle echoed through the air as he stood up straight. I scrambled to my feet too, taking another step back when he stepped out of the spell circle. The way he glared at me suggested he would happily eat me alive. Shit. Suddenly, he lifted his chin and sniffed the air, glancing subtly over his shoulder into the dark forest. His slow, chilling smile sent a fresh wave of unprecedented fear through me.
He turned back to look at me. “I’ll help you find your raven. But you must give me something in return.”
I swallowed. I expected this. Nothing came for free when dark magic was involved and especially when making a deal with a demon. “What do you want?”
He moved forward again, his long legs closing the distance. I staggered back, a silent scream choking my throat. “Your soul to start. For all eternity.”
Oh, fuck. What choice did I have? I was about to die anyway. Even if giving my soul to a demon of The Underworld meant I’d be trapped in hell as his slave for eternity, I’d at least know I died making things right.
I opened my mouth to speak, but a bone-chilling roar shook the trees and made me jump. My eyes widened when I realised it hadn’t come from the demon in front of me. Another slow, malicious smile spread across the demon's face as he stared at me, unfazed by the roar of aggression behind him.
“Oh, look what we have here,” he sneered without looking behind him.
I peered around his massive frame to see Zoran standing between two trees, breathing heavily with his fists clenched at his sides. He was glaring at the back of the demon’s head with his rage-filled red eyes, as if he was ready to send him back to hell. His shirtless torso was covered in fresh blood, matching his hair that fell loosely around his face. He looked furious, menacing, and absolutely delicious. His lethal gaze darted to me, and my heart seized in my chest.
“She’s mine,” he growled, his voice so deep and primal, my legs turned to jelly and I started to sweat.
The demon chuckled, slowly turning to the side so he could look between us both. “She hasn’t given you her soul. She’s still up for grabs.”
