Page 15 of Tamed By Air (The Nature Hunters Academy 4)

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”

“I need to get into the underworld.”

“Are you stupid?”

Ra shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Wrong,” the witch said dryly. “You aren’t just stupid. You’re completely mad. No one with normally functioning brain cells would want to summon a demon, and they certainly wouldn’t want to go into the underworld.”

Ra clenched his jaw and reminded himself that this woman didn't know him. She was completely unaware of his situation, so she had no idea her words wouldn’t deter him; they’d only make him angry. “My mate is being held captive by Os—”

“SHH!” She cut him off and held up a hand. “Do not speak his name. The last thing we need is to draw his attention.”

Ra fought the urge to release his power and burn the house to the ground. He needed her to focus and understand how serious he was. But that might be a little drastic, and Shelly wouldn’t approve of him causing the witches any more misery after they’d already suffered so much. The witch was lucky Ra cared about his mate’s opinion, or she’d be standing in the middle of a pile of ash, and the rest of her coven would be gone as well. “Speaking his name won’t draw his attention, you foolish girl,” he bit out through clenched teeth. “He is too busy paying attention to my female.” He didn’t allow himself to think about the connotation of those words, or the housewouldcatch fire. “And frankly, I don’t give a damn if it does draw his attention. In fact, I would be glad if it did because then I could face him man-to-man. You wouldn’t need to do anything but get the hell out of the way. Now…” Ra took a step toward the door, and the witch backed up. He stared directly at her. “You are going to tell me what I want to know, or point me to someone who can. My patience grows thin.”

Her eyes widened, and she took another step back. “Who are you?” The witch’s voice shook, and all her previous confidence evaporated.

“That’s of no consequence,” he said. The fear in her eyes caused him a twinge of guilt, but it was necessary.Anythingwas necessary to get Shelly back.

“Your eyes are entirely filled with blackness. I’ve only seen that before in demons. And I’ve never seen anyone bearing runes on his body that light up like a Christmas tree.”

Ra’s eyes dropped to his bare arms. He saw the runes placed by Aviur were glowing. He couldn’t see his eyes, so he’d just have to take her word for it. But he didn’t know why they would be solid black. Filled with flames? That would make sense. Blackness was new.

“There’s no way that rumors of you wouldn’t have made their way through the supernatural world,” she said, her voice growing stronger as Ra began to feel power pulse through the house. “I’ve only ever seen one type of being with those eyes.” The witch raised her hands to her sides and opened her palms, her voice growing deeper as she began speaking in Latin. An incantation, Ra realized. Then she leveled her gaze on him and said, “Give me your name, demon.”

“You think I’m a demon?” Ra almost laughed at the absurdity of it. But then he considered the current location of all his ancestors. He realized he was closer to being a demon than most, simply because of his bloodline. Not that merely being sent to the underworld made you a demon… But then again, who knew what lasting effect his ancestors’ choices might have had on him? And there was one other thing. He’d fought his way through each and every level of hell. Ra had been surrounded by the underworld’s power for longer than he cared to remember. Perhaps there was a part of him that had absorbed some of the demonic power.Was that even possible?He wasn’t sure, but now wasn’t the time to consider it.

“The proof is in the eyes. No other being can have eyes like that.” She pointed to him, and Ra automatically threw up flames around himself. He didn’t trust the witch to keep her power to herself. He was already bearing Aviur’s runes. He didn’t need a witch’s curse adding to his problems.

“Are you dense, woman?” Ra snapped. “Why would I come here asking how to summon a demon if I am a demon? Wouldn’t I already know how to summon a demon, likely having been previously summoned myself? Give me a break. I’m not here to hurt you.”

Maybe he should have led with that statement when she’d opened the door. But even as he said it, Ra wasn’t sure it was true.What the hell is wrong with me?Would he really hurt this female in order to get the information he needed in hopes of getting one step closer to getting Shelly back? He wished the answer to that was no, but he knew that would be a lie. Something inside of him was changing. With every ounce of pain that ripped through him, a part of his own soul twisted into something he didn’t recognize.

“I don’t believe you,” the witch said. “And by the look on your face, I’d sayyoudon’t believe you either.”

“Can you help me or not?” Ra growled, ignoring her statement. He drew his power back, and the flames covering him disappeared.

The witch stared at him for several heartbeats before letting out a breath. Then she pulled the door open and motioned him inside. “I can let you look through the grimoire, but I don’t know if there is anything that will help you. I might have something to get rid of those runes, though.”

“I’d appreciate anything,” he said, not making any move to go farther into the mansion without her approval. Despite the disturbing changes going on inside of him, he didn’twantto hurt the witch, and any sudden movements by either of them might end in bloodshed.

“I’m Penny, by the way,” she told him.

“I’m Ra.” He gave a slight nod of his head. “Are you the only one left in your coven since…”

“The witches got their asses handed to them by the dragons because they foolishly trusted a demon?” Penny finished for him.

“That’s one way to put it.” Ra followed her farther into the house.

“There’s a handful of us left, in this coven at least,” she said. “I don’t know, nor do I care, about the other covens.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Ra said. Penny said nothing as they walked through a room that appeared to be a sitting area. A dark red velvet fabric covered the wall, and a massive black chandelier hung from the ceiling. Two dark chairs and a large black couch occupied the center of the room. Their steps were silent on plush, gray carpet. Ra thought the gothic decor was overkill, but he didn’t bring it up. He wasn’t here for banter.

As if she’d heard his thoughts, Penny said, “I told them that just because we’re witches didn’t mean we had to live in the Addams family house.”

Ra grunted, but said nothing. He followed her into an equally gothic hallway. Dark gray wallpaper bearing human skulls printed in a vertical pattern lined the walls. Every fifteen feet, a candelabra protruded from the wall, complete with burning candles. She stopped at a black door with an ornate, old-fashioned brass knob. Penny pulled a key from the back pocket of her jeans and slipped it into the keyhole. There was a click, and she pushed the door open.

Ra followed her inside, and the smell of stale air assaulted him. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined each wall of the room. Like the sitting room, plush dark furniture decorated the space. Here, though, open books, some stacked ten or more high, rested on almost every available surface, including several ornately carved tables.

---