8: angels and Demons
SAVANNAH
It was Sunday evening and rather than finishing my homework, I was intoxicated by my mothers’ journal. It was interesting to see how her writing changed as she became older. Before her ascension, she had been a normal witchling. After her ascension, she became addicted to her power.
It was strange to read about my birth and the years after. She was a completely different woman from the one I knew. She almost seemed loving, when she wrote about my birth and the first time I walked.
It was late and I could barely keep my eyes open. The words kept blurring together. I was beginning to fall asleep with the journal propped on my pillow, when my eyes caught sight of the word demon. As I read, I learned that my parents had researched the journals from our lineage and read about us being descended from Nephilim. They focused on how our line way unique after drinking the blood of a demon. It didn’t take long for them to develop a theory about how Demonic blood mixed with Angel blood was a key ingredient to gaining power.
Once they discovered the common denominator, they began researching how to capture and angel and a demon. It didn’t take long for them to realize that it was a foolish plan and was likely to get them killed. Instead, they decided to capture a fallen angel. Demons and fallen angels were alike and yet vastly different. Demons were truly evil creatures. However, fallen angels had once been ordinary angels, who had fallen from heaven and now possessed demonic power.
I had processed more than enough information for a single day. I wisely decided to push the journal away and felt into a comatose-like sleep. I dreamed that I was running through a forest, while being pursued by the demon. Its eyes were bright yellow and they floated towards me on the waves of darkness.
The next morning, Willow and I filled Izzy in on everything she missed the previous day. She looked worse than I felt. Her eyes were bruised and puffy and her skin had a grayish sheen to it. She claimed it was a simple cold, but I became more concerned when I saw her that afternoon walking through the halls like the living dead.
After school, the three of us went to my house and I showed them my journal. Willow scrutinized the sections I told her about, while Izzy slumped against the pillows on my bed and nodded absently at everything we said.
“Your parents were even crazier than I thought! They wanted to summon a fallen angel?” Willow leaned towards my sitting place at the edge of the bed. “Did they ever try it?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. I haven’t read that far yet and no you are not going to read it before me.” She gave me the puppy dog look, as if it would implore me to hand over my mother journal. “I’m guessing that they did. Otherwise, why would the fallen angel have been in the box? It had to get in there somehow. My guess is that my parents put it there.” I shrugged.
“Don’t you want to know why the thing is stalking you?” Izzy’s normally bubbly voice was now a raspy whisper. “What your parents did or didn’t do doesn’t really matter. It’s in the past. What matters is why this demon thing showed up in your bedroom. What does it want from you?”
“Any great ideas on how to find out what it wants?” Willow and Izzy exchanged awkward looks. “That’s what I thought. The only clue I have is this stupid journal. Whatever it wants is most likely related to my parents’ scheme.”
“Um, I have one idea.” Willow ducked her head and her cheeks brightened. She didn’t normally take the lead in our group and was more likely to follow our plans, not the other way around. “Well, we could take the time to read the journal, do a bunch of research, and mostly likely still be completely clueless. We would probably get ourselves killed in the meantime, or… We could summon the demon and find out what it wants on our own territory.”
Willow smirked, but I could feel my courage plummet to the ground. Summon a demon and not just any demon, but a fallen angel? I didn’t think I was that desperate.
“That is a horrible idea.” Izzy voiced, before I choice say the same. “What if the demon decides to eat us or something? Are you two powerful enough to take on a freaking demon?” Izzy had a look of complete horror on her face.
“Well, no. Just listen a second, Savannah is going to go through her ascension this weekend, which means she will have full use of her power. I may not be powerful, but I can be of some help and even you can do minor magic.”
“I can do magic?” Izzy’s color came back at the tidbit of information.
“Yep, and we can put protection spells in place to confine the demon to our circle. It won’t be able to touch us. We can even pull on the elements to give the circle that extra boost of power.” Willow jumped to her feet and grabbed her tote. She pulled out a few books from the meadow falls library. One of them was about demons, while the others looked like spell books.
“How do we pull on the elements?”
Willow was busy looking for something in her books, which meant I was the designated tutor. “Everyone has an affinity for at least one element. Usually there is a specific element that is strongest. In Ash’s case, he is strongest in the fire element. Willow is strongest in Earth. We are going to need to find out which elements respond to you. That way we will know which elements you can pull power from.”
“How do we do that? Wouldn’t I know if I could do magic?”
“Nope. The average human has no idea how to use magic and the type of books at places like Barnes and Noble do not teach the correct methods.” Izzy nodded, while the crease that resided on her forehead gained ground.
“Tonight, I’ll do some research on how to summon a demon safely. Can you work with Izzy to find out which elements respond to her?” Willow pushed her books back in her bag, and stood impatiently.
“Yeah, I’ll work with Izzy. I still don’t think I like this idea though.”
Willow left and Izzy soon followed. She was too exhausted to do anything else today and I completely understood. That night I went to read my mother's journal, when Ash came into my room. His face was dominated by an irritated expression he rarely used.
“When are we going to talk about the other night?” His tone was much lower than normal and I could see he was restraining anger.
“The sleepwalking? I didn’t think we needed to. I mean, there isn’t really anything we can do about it. Thank you for stopping me from leaping to my death.” I laughed. “That could have been awkward.”
He sighed. “That’s not the part of the night I want to talk about and you know it.” When I stared in confusion, he moved forward to stand in front of my bed. He leaned over and placed one hand on the footboard of the bed and the other around the pole.
“You’re going to stay in denial then?”
“Denial, about what? Stop being cryptic and just tell me what you mean!” I couldn’t figure out what he was talking about. I racked my mind thinking about past few nights and the only things I could think of were the fight with Liam and my sleepwalking.
“The kiss.” He growled more than spoke.
My mouth widened in surprise. “How did you find out that Liam kissed me? Did I talk in my sleep or something?”
“He what?” Ashes eyes blazed until they looked like fire pits and his hands tightened on the bedpost.
“Oh, you didn’t know? That what kiss are you talking about?”
“Ours.” If I was shocked before, I was now astounded.
“We haven’t kissed.” My hands began to lightly shake when I remembered my dream from the other night. It was right smack in the middle between my nightly reminder of my past and the visit from the demon.
“We kissed the other night when you woke up from your nightmare.” He blew air out and his eyes lightened. His hand brushed through his hair and a short laugh escaped his lip. “Figures. I spend all this time fighting my need to kiss you and when I finally give in, you don’t even remember!” He moved backwards to sit in the chair near my desk. He leaned his elbows on his knees and covered his face with his hands.
My heart broke.
I thought the kiss had been a dream and now I find out I really kissed Ash. I wasn’t certain how I felt about it, but I could see that he was shaken. I moved forward, knelt down, and pulled his hands from his face.
“I thought it was a dream. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s my own stupid fault.” He stood suddenly and almost knocked me over in the process. I darted towards the door and flung it open.
I followed quickly behind him. “Ash just listen to me. It’s okay. I’m not angry and it’s my fault too.”
He stopped suddenly on the stairs and turned to face me. His crimson eyes settled on mine and I saw that the veins surrounding his eyes were blazing red. He wasn’t angry; he was furious.
“Your fault too, huh? So, why is it okay for you to kiss me in your dreams, but not when you’re awake?” His fangs lengthened, which only occurred when he was threatened or the one doing the threatening.
“That’s not what I meant. I only meant that you kissed me and I kissed you back. I just didn’t want you to be angry with yourself.” I tried to touch his face, but he grabbed my wrist in an iron grip.
“Yes, you did. Why did you?” His smile turned mocking.
“Why did I kiss you back?” How was I supposed to answer that? I started panicking.
He used his grip on my wrist to pull me down the steps, until I was on the step before him. “I don’t know. I was scared and I needed you.”
“You needed me? Did you need Liam too? Or are you just going to start making a habit of kissing all the men in your life?”
That pulled me back. I was shocked and hurt by his accusation. However, I was mostly horrified by the realization that Ash was pulling away from me. I could see the connection between us shattering. It was a bridge I relied on ever since I came to live with him and Maye. I knew I didn’t make it easy for people in my life. Ash had always been my safety net. He made me feel safe and the natural bond between us saved my life. He was the one person I could not live without.
“It’s not like that. I don’t know what is happening between me and Liam. What happened between me and you was different.” Ash let go of my wrist and turned to leave. “No, don’t go!” Tears welled in my eyes and began to fall. Ash looked up to see them and his face drastically altered.
He moved back to his previous position and tilted my chin to brush away my tears. “That’s not fair. You know I can’t stand to see you cry.” His voice became a soft melody.
“I love you. I don’t want to lose you.” I grabbed his face and pulled it to mine. He tried to pull away from my kiss, but I protested. “Let me try.” His original protest evaporated at the touch of my lips. He ground his to mine and turned to push my back against the wall.
I had issues with claustrophobia, but with Ash, I was fine. He melded his body to mine and I pushed to be closer still. Feelings I never acknowledged came to the surface to break free. A low growl came from deep in his chest and he grasped my thighs to pull me higher. I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed harder. I moaned, and he stilled.
I opened my eyes to see him staring at me. “Are you kissing me because you want to or because you’re afraid you’ll lose me?”
My mind was foggy and it took a few minutes to process what he asked. During that time, Ash lowered me to the ground and let go of my thighs. He put some distance between us. “Well?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I enjoy kissing you, but I never really thought about you in that way before. I didn’t know it was an option.”
He groaned. “Okay, well now you know.” He smiled, and leaned towards my face. Instinctively, I raised my face to meet his kiss, but he moved away to kiss my forehead. “Let me know when you figure out what you want.” He pushed away from the wall and jogged down the steps.
I stood in place and attempted to evaluate my feelings. Confusion didn’t even begin to weigh on how I felt in that moment. I wanted to run after him and make him finish what he started, but then I thought about my kiss with Liam. What was wrong with me? Why did I keep kissing people and who did I want to keep kissing?
LIAM
It wasn’t difficult to locate Savannah’s aura, but it was surprising to find her in a bookstore designated for witches who participate in the dark arts. Most pagan stores were owned by humans and contained spell books that would never work. However, the stores owned by witches tended to have books by real witches. On occasion, a store would be designated for ordinary humans, but would have a back room or a basement for real witches. The Black Raven was the type of pagan store that masqueraded as an ordinary store. Inside it contained spell books that were as useful as a magic wand. However, behind the desk was a hallway that led to the actual store. It contained everything a practicing witch would need and was dominated by books on the dark arts.
I found Savannah sandwiched between bookcases designated for demonic spells and one for vengeance. I briefly wondered which of the two she favored when I saw her move towards the section about demons.
“Did I miss something? When did you go from despising the dark arts to shopping in a store dedicated to it?” Her startled reaction was rewarding.
Savannah smoothed her hair away from her face, which was a feminine trait that announced that she cared what I thought of how she looked.
“Um, hi. I couldn’t find what I am looking for at my covens’ library.” She shuffled her feet and avoided looking at me.
“Why are you looking for a book on demons? Isn’t that a little out of your league, princess?”
“I was reading my mothers’ journal and discovered that the royal lineages are descended from Nephilim, but that the Cross family also fed on the blood of demons.” She shrugged. “I got curious.”
I could feel that she was holding something back, but it was never a good idea to push someone who was standing on a cliff. “You learned about that, huh?”
She blinked in confusion. “You knew?”
I laughed. “Of course, I knew. My whole coven knows. The Cross family wasn’t just part of the Meadow falls coven. The Cross family was the founding family of the Sacred Moon coven too.” Her brow furrowed. “Sacred Moon is my coven.”
“Oh. How come my coven never told me then?”
“I would guess that the Cross family never told them. It’s not exactly something they would be accepting of.” She nodded absently and looked down at the book in her hand.
“If you want to know more about it, you should talk to the elders in my coven. They could tell you anything you want to know. They could tell you more about your parents too.” Savannah nibbled on her lower lip, while she considered my offer.
“How much do they know about my parents?”
“After they left the Meadow falls coven, your parents joined mine. When my coven discovered some of your parents’ intentions, they were removed from our coven. You were born while your parents were still a part of the Sacred Moon coven.” That startled her.
I pulled the book from her grip and paged through it to see what she was researching. The book detailed information about fallen angels and how demons could increase a witch’s power.
“Are you curious about fallen angels or increasing your power, princess?” I raised my eyebrows and she rolled her eyes.
“Nice.” She attempted to grab the book back, but I held it out of her reach.
“You want the book and I want an answer. Care for a compromise?” I rested against the bookcase with the book held high over my head.
Savannah moved forward with her eyes locked on mine. “Well, I don’t know.” She leaned her body into my chest. “What type of compromise were you thinking of?” She smiled, tilted her face, and when I leaned in to kiss her, she grabbed the book and danced away. “On second thought, I don’t think a compromise is in order.”
“Proud of yourself, princess? Using sexual wiles on me to get what you want.” I sighed. “That’s typical of a woman.”
“Hey!” She smacked my arm with
her book and looked at me shyly. “Do you really think that your coven could tell me more about my parents?”
It didn’t take long to convince Savannah to meet with my coven. I waited while she purchased her book, and she rode with me in my car to the estate where the elders lived with my mother. It was a generous estate. The main house was a miniature model of a lord’s estate from England with an adjoined barn that seemed out of place.
Savannah gazed around in wonder at the inside of the hall. “This is where you grew up?”
I followed as Savannah walked from room to room in amazement. When she neared the study, she stopped at the sound of voices from within. From the tones, I knew my mother was one of the parties inside and I guessed from the other voices that a handful of the elders were arguing with her.
“Don’t worry Princess, it’s just my mother.” I walked in front of Savannah and opened the door. “I see you’re up to your usual; nagging everyone in sight. Is there any way I can convince you to take it easy on poor Savannah’s ears?”
My mother turned at the mention of Savannah and her face brightened. She exchanged a proud look with me and hurried over to take Savannah’s hands. “I have heard so much about you! My son won’t stop talking about how wonderful you are!” She smiled.
“You got all that, from me talking about the little minx being immune to my charms?” I winked at Savannah and walked over to the others.
I introduced Savannah to the members of the coven. My mother managed to convince Savannah to stay for dinner and spent the entire time trying to charm her. It seemed to be working, because Savannah's color brightened as the day wore on. After dinner, the elders left to pursue their own activities and my mother motioned for Savannah and me to follow her back to the study.
“My son tells me you have some questions.”
My mother sat in the only chair, while Savannah sat on the love seat. I didn’t want to make Savannah uncomfortable and choose to stand near the fireplace. Silently, I allowed Savannah to lead the conversation.
“Yes, I recently found out that I have the blood of angels and demons in my veins. Is that true?”
“I’m not sure what answer you would like, but yes it’s true.” My mother leaned back in her chair to study Savannah’s face. “I suppose you hoped it wasn’t true?” Savannah nodded. “In any case, I don’t see why it matters. All it means is that your line is extremely powerful. It doesn’t mean you’re demonic or angelic. You are a witch, pure and simple.”
“Why would they have chosen to feed on the blood of demons?”
My mother snorted. “Why would your parents or why did your ancestors?”
Savannah gave my mother and me a startled look. “You knew about my parents plan?”
“That’s what you really wanted to ask about, isn’t it?” She was silent for a moment, and then turned to me. “Liam, I think that we are going to need some refreshments if we are going to have this chat. Could you see to it?”
I walked from the room in a daze. When I came back, it was to find my mother telling Savannah about her infancy.
“I was there the night you were born. Your mother was so happy. She cradled you and I could see in her face that you were the most important thing to her.”
“I find that hard to believe. The mother I knew did not care about me.” Savannah looked up at my approach and her face reddened.
“That only changed when they began to pursue their plans to gain power. Magic can be like any other drug. The more you have, the more you crave until nothing can sate your craving and you’re willing to give up anything, to have more of it. Your mother loved you, but that love deteriorated in the face of her addiction.”
The housekeeper came in with a tray of cookies and tea. She set the tray on the coffee table and handed a cup of tea to Savannah and my mother. Savannah grabbed a cookie and nibbled on it absently.
“Can we not talk about her? Could we just talk about their plans for the demon?”
“Of course, but I don’t know very much about that. When we learned that your parents planned to summon a demon, capture it, and increase their power… Let’s just say we weren’t too keen on their plan and removed them from influencing our young.”
After that, my mother told Savannah embarrassing stories about my childhood and Savannah spent most of the evening laughing, which I was grateful for. We left my mother and I drove Savannah home. I pulled into the driveway and turned to Savannah.
“Is there any way I could convince you to go out with me again? Do something that doesn’t involve frustrating family members or demons?”
Savannah reached into her bag, scribbled on a paper, and handed me her phone number. “That’s my cell. Give me a call and I’ll give you an answer.” Her cheeks reddened.
“Is this a compromise?” I laughed, and tugged on a stray hair that was hanging in her face. “Alright Princess, I’ll give you a call, but you have to promise to answer.”
“A counter offer… I like it. I promise to answer or to at least call back, okay?”
She climbed out of the car and made her way towards the house. A panicked feeling built in my chest and before I knew it, I was out of my car and jogging to her. She turned when she heard my approach. “I forgot.”
“Forgot what?” She leaned forward, waiting for my answer.
“This.” I grasped her waist and pulled her into my body to claim her mouth. She started to speak, but my lips silenced her. It was a chaster kiss than I was used to, but I was aware of her house behind her. If her guardian was inside, I didn’t want Savannah to feel any embarrassment at trying to explain the kiss. I pulled away to see a surprised expression cross her face and watched as she touched her lips.
“Oh.”
“See you later, Princess.” I got in my car and drove home.
ASH
I looked out the window when the car pulled into the drive. I thought it was Maye, but I watched as Liam kissed Savannah. I wanted to rage at the touch, but turned towards the kitchen and forced myself to heat up a slice of apple pie. I took my anger out on the it as I forked eat bite.
A few minutes later, Savannah came into the kitchen and hesitantly approached. “Hey.”
I looked up with a bite in my mouth and nodded. She walked forward, opened a drawer, and pulled a fork out. She came close and speared a piece of the pie to eat. I watched her, silently.
“I ran into Liam at the bookstore today.” She didn’t look at me as she said this. My hand tightened on the fork. “He brought me to see his mother and when he dropped me off, he kissed me.”
“You’re telling me this why?”
Savannah looked up and shrugged. “I didn’t want you to think I was hiding it from you.”
“Did you want him to kiss you?” I regretted the question the moment I asked it.
“I don’t know.” She moved to put her fork in the sink and turned to look back at me.
“It seems like you don’t know a lot of things lately. Like I said before, let me know when you figure it out.” I pushed the empty plate towards the sink and moved to leave the kitchen.
“Ash, he asked me to go on a date. Should I go?” I paused at her question, but I refused to turn to look at her.
“Do what you want. It’s not up to me.” I walked away and stayed in my room the rest of the night.
The next day I managed to avoid her at school and I went out with Griffin that afternoon. I came home to find Maye in the living room.
“I don’t know what is going on between the two of you and I don’t want to.” She came forward to kiss my cheek. “She came home this afternoon and announced she was going on a date since you don’t seem to care one way or another. She’s been in her room trying on every outfit under the sun. Did you really tell her you don’t care if she goes on a date?” I nodded.
“Well, then I have to tell you that was the most asinine thing you have ever said. We both know you care and once you see what she is wearing on this da
te, I have a feeling you are going to care even more.”
“Why? What exactly is she wearing?” Maye gave me a knowing smile and left the room.
I hurried upstairs and didn’t pause to knock before entering Savannah’s room. I stopped short when I saw what she was wearing. Her dress looked like a satin slip with flimsy straps that would break if tugged the wrong way. Her hair was loosely piled on her head with curly strands hanging down.
Savannah turned to face me with a daring smile. She wanted me to notice the way she looked. I could see in her expression that she expected a battle and knew she wanted one. I swallowed back my fury and smiled back at her.
“You look nice. Where are you going?”
Her smile faltered, and she gave me a sly look. “I have a date with Liam. Do you think this is too revealing?” She spun in a circle to give me the full effect of her dress.
I shrugged. “It looks fine to me.”
Savannah’s face changed into a look of anger. She grabbed her hair brush from the dresser and threw it at me. I ducked into the hall laughing. She sounded agitated as she slammed the door in my face. Although, I didn’t want her going out with Liam and I definitely did not want her going on a date dressed the way she was, I enjoyed her reaction. I feigned disinterest, but was secretly thrilled that it bothered her.
SAVANNAH
I wanted to scream and tear apart my room. I would never understand men. One minute, Ash is jealous enough to pummel a guy I was talking to, and now he was encouraging me to go on a date dressed in lingerie? What was wrong with us?
I didn’t know why I went out of my way to get a reaction out of Ash, but I knew it wasn’t my normal behavior. Maybe all those kisses were beginning to go to my head. I looked down at my outfit and groaned. I was counting on Ash making a big deal of it. I never really intended to wear it out of the house. I felt naked and I wasn’t sure that feeling would send the right message to Liam. Now, if I didn’t wear the skimpy outfit, Ash would know I only wore it to bother him.
The door bell rang and my stomach churned. I thought about my kiss with Liam and then immediately thought of Ash. I didn’t know which one I wanted and wasn’t even sure my emotions were reliable right now. It was like my hormones were raging out of control and Liam and Ash were the unfortunate bystanders, who were caught in the storm.
I knew I shouldn’t even be thinking about dating with the whole demon mess going on. However, my birthday was this weekend and I thought for once, I deserved to have a small piece of my world be my choice. My entire life I had been swept away on everyone else’s wave and now I wanted to ride my own.
That evening, Liam was a gentleman and choose not to mention by risqué outfit. Although, I did notice that his eyebrows had risen and he hid a smirk. My date with Liam went smoothly, but I was disappointed that Ash didn’t come to see me off. Liam brought me to the movies and straight home since Maye warned him I had a curfew. When I got home, Liam walked me to the door. When he leaned in to give me a kiss, Maye opened the door with a sour look and dismissed him.
“Maye, what was that for?” She pulled me away from the door by holding onto my upper arm.
“Isn’t he a little old for you, darling?” She sounded like she normally did, but her eyes were like steel.
“No, he isn’t. Besides, age shouldn’t matter. He’s nice and he makes me laugh. Plus, he’s not afraid to flirt with me. I don’t see what the problem is; you didn’t have a problem with him when we left. What changed?”
She walked into the living room without looking back. “Maye!” I angrily followed her into the room, but calmed when I saw Josephine sitting on the sofa. The room smelled of Frankincense and Myrrh, which told me that Josephine had one of her visions and it wasn’t a good one.
“Aunt Josephine, what’s wrong?” I rushed to her, knelt on the ground in front of her, and took her hands in mine. Her hands were shaking and ice cold.
“Oh dear, I don’t mean to worry you. I’m sure it’s nothing.” She patted my hands and looked at Maye.
Josephine was a close friend of Maye’s, but was at least ten years her senior. She was on the elder council and a prominent psychic in the witch community. Witches traveled across the world for her to read their cards. She was strong with divination tools, such as tarot cards, runes, and reading tea leaves. However, she was more potent when a vision overcame her without provocation.
When Josephine was taken by a vision, she was often left weak afterwards. I worried for her. As she aged, the visions took more out of her, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. Josephine saw them as a divine gift that should be cherished.
“What did you see?” I moved to sit next to her and pulled the blanket from the back of the sofa to wrap around her frail body. She took it with a thank you.
“It wasn’t very clear, child.”
“Josephine, just tell Savannah what you saw.” Maye’s voice was laced with irritation.
“I will. I will, just give me some room to breathe.” She waved her hand at Maye and turned to face me. “My visions aren’t as clear as they once were. It’s rather like wearing prescription glasses when you don’t need them. All blurs.”
“Just tell me what you could make out. You’re here, you must have thought it was important.” I spoke softly the way I would to a wounded animal or frightened child.
“I was watching television at home, when it happened. I fell against the cushions. Thank goodness I wasn’t standing.” She coughed into her palm and cleared her throat. “I saw that boy and Ash, there was so much darkness.” She grabbed my wrists with all the intensity of her words. “You and your friends are surrounded by death. You need to remove yourself from your current path or death will come.” Tears flooded her eyes and her body slumped into a deep sleep.
“She’s exhausted. You don’t know what it took for her to remain awake long enough to talk to you.” Maye moved forward and ushered me away to put Josephine’s legs onto the couch and covered her with another blanket.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“She wouldn’t let me. This was your first date and neither of us wanted to ruin it for you.”
“What makes you think that Liam is the cause of this darkness? What if I am the cause?” I thought of the demon and knew Liam wasn’t the one who was bringing evil into this community.
“Liam is new in your life and has set you on a new course. It makes sense that she would have this vision when he comes into your life. I just want to protect you. I can’t tell you who to date, but I want you to be careful.” She kissed me on the cheek and walked towards her bedroom.
I wanted to go after her, to tell her everything, and for her to tell me it would be okay. Josephine’s vision was confirmation that the demon was not going away. My ascension couldn’t come soon enough. I needed the power to protect my loved ones and I would not allow them to be harmed. If I had to raise hell to protect them, I would.
9: AScension
After school the next day, Izzy came to my house. I gathered everything I would need to discover her elemental affinity and we walked to my covens circle. Izzy stood awkwardly and waited while I lit the candles placed on each boulder.
I was surprised by Izzy’s acceptance of this part of my life. Willow and I kept Izzy separate from the world of magic, but now I was actively carrying her into it. She stepped through the shield that bars humans from our world. Her eyes had been opened and I vaguely wondered if she would regret it.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Come here.” Izzy stepped fully into the circle and sat on the cloth placed on the ground. I sat across from her.
“There are five elements; earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. Most witches excel at one affinity, but are proficient in all of them. In the case of someone who isn’t a witch, they can affect the elements a bit. Usually a non-witch will only have a single element that barely responds to him or her.”
“If it’s barely going to r
espond to me, what’s the point in helping? Wouldn’t you guys be just as well off without me?”
“Um… not really. Even though you aren’t a witch, you strengthen the circle. Look at it this way; you know the game Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board?” She nodded. “If a single person tried to use their fingertips to lift someone, it wouldn’t work. The more people who join in the game, the more likely they will succeed at lifting the person.”
“Great, so you guys need my fingertips.” She smiled. “How do we figure out which element is my ticket to taking over the world?”
I laughed, took objects from my backpack and placed them in front of Izzy. I placed a candle, chalice, a bowl filled with dirt and a hidden seed, and a feather.
I motioned to the object between us. “Okay, each of these objects represents one of the elements. Now…”
“Wait, there are only four objects. What about the fifth?”
“The fifth element is spirit, which is more of a metaphorical element. You don’t usually use an object for that element. However, if you were religious I would suggest a symbol of your religion.” I grabbed a bottle of water from my bag and poured it into the chalice.
“Oh.”
“Alright, I’m going to test you the way witches normally test their children. First, I want to show you what it will look like when the element responds to you.” I was an expert at directing the elements. Simultaneously, I lit the candle, caused the water in the chalice to spin like a whirlpool, ca small bud to grow within the bowl, and made the feather float.
“Oh my God, that is so cool!”
I let go of my control and the elements reverted to their inert state. “Now, since it would take too long to teach you to do this on your own. I am going to merge our minds so that I can pull on your power and show you how to direct it. If you close your eyes it’s better, because you won’t be distracted.”
Izzy nodded and closed her eyes. I tuned my inner self to focus on my surroundings. I reached out to touch the life forces nearby. Tiny specks of energy flittered, but I was focused on the bright beacon within my circle. My aura enveloped me with a silver sheen. I hesitantly directed a small portion of it to reach out towards Izzy. The silvery strand connected with Izzy’s bright orange aura to create a bridge between us.
Izzy gasped at the bond, but she didn’t fight it. The bridge between our auras sparked with electricity, while it strengthened. Concentrating, I allowed my conscious to merge with hers and led her to the pathways within her. She became a maze of intricate paths, but I turned her towards concentrating on the ones that led outside of her body.
I guided Izzy to sing her energy into a spun web, which expanded into delicate strands she could pluck and project towards the objects in front of her. Through those strands, she would be able to manipulate the objects.
Silently, I encouraged her to direct her will, which would cause the element to respond. I let go of the reins and separated our auras. Watching her with my eyes, I could sense her struggle to use the barest amounts of magic. The objects didn’t move, flutter, or spin; they simple were.
I was about to tell Izzy to pull back, when the feather twitched on a breeze and floated in the air. Izzy opened lost concentration when she opened her eyes. The feather plummeted to the ground, but we were done. The element that responded to her was air. That was all we needed to know.
The next few days went by in a whirlwind. Willow prepared the ritual we would use to summon the demon, Izzy practiced manipulating air to affect the world around her, and I stayed home from school. My ascension was close and it felt like it was taking over my life.
My hormones were out of control. Each time I saw Liam, I felt an invisible pull that was harder to ignore. Ash deliberately avoided me and his easy acceptance of mine and Liam’s growing relationship bothered me. Ash hadn’t tried to kiss me again, but at night when I wasn’t having nightmares about the demon, I dreamt of his kiss on the stairwell.
The evening before my ascension Izzy and Willow came over. Their visit was meant to cheer me up, but it only worsened my discomfort when they came with bad news. Jessica, a girl who I had calculus with, died in her sleep the night before. The doctors couldn’t figure out what caused her death, but she had been weakening over the past week and a half. If that news wasn’t horrible enough, Willow came to my home with a theory.
Willow’s research turned up some interesting information about demons gaining power. Her theory was that the demon was trapped in the bloodstone box, long enough to weaken him, and now he needed to resort to stealing the life force of others. Humans were easier prey than witches, which is why Willow though he killed Jessica.
“Willow, I love you, but I think you are jumping to conclusions. Why would his first victim occur now? Wouldn’t he have done this sooner?” Willow nodded at Izzy’s logic.
“I guess so. I’ve been reading about demons too much. I think they are rotting my brain.” Willow sat on the bed, next to me, and across from Izzy.
“We can’t have that! You have the best brain in our trio! If yours goes, who is going to keep us from doing something stupidly dangerous?” I nudged Willow and the three of us settled in to a girl’s night filled with movies, popcorn, and a mini spell to appease Izzy.
Izzy watched the movie, The Craft the night before and got it in her head that changing her hair or eye color would be a fun activity. Willow and I schemed, and when Izzy looked in the mirror, she stood in horror at the spotted leopard print hair on her head.
“Oh my God! This is so not cool! Turn it back!” She threw her pillow at Willow, while I laughed so hard my abs became sore.
“Okay, come here. We’ll fix it.” Izzy hesitantly came forward with a distrustful expression. When we were finished, she no longer had leopard print or her normal dishwater blonde shade, but instead she was a gorgeous platinum blonde.
Izzy wanted all of us to change something about our appearance, and giving into her excitement, we agreed. Willow made her hair curly and added a red tint to her chestnut brown shade. I was hesitant when my turn came. I knew it was merely play and that I could revert back to my normal appearance at any time, but I had difficulty accepting myself as it was. If I changed my appearance, would I ever want to change back? Instead of following my friend’s examples, I choose to add something rather than alter myself.
“Done!” I smiled at them, while they examined my face, hair, and skin for my transformation.
“You didn’t change a thing!” “Did you forget how to do it?” They spoke at once and I laughed.
Standing up, I lifted my shirt to show them the new addition to my naval.
“You pierced your naval! Why didn’t I think of that?” Izzy poked at the miniature cross and pentacle hanging from my naval. “Isn’t it a little weird to put those two together? I mean, a cross and pentacle are completely different religions.”
Shaking my head, I explained. “The pentacle stands for what I am and the cross stands for who I am.” I winked. “Besides, they may be two separate religions, but they have a lot of the same beliefs and morals. I don’t see anything wrong with either. Plus, that’s not the only thing I changed.” I let go of my shirt and turned around. Pulling my hair over my shoulder, I showed them the tattoo between my shoulder blades.
The tattoo was the physical representation that demonstrated my acceptance of my lineage. It was a tattoo of wings with black and white feathers. I couldn’t hide who I was. When I went through my ascension tomorrow, I wanted to believe in myself and be proud of the blood in my veins.
Izzy and Willow went home early the next morning, while I prepared for my ascension. Maye performed a cleansing ceremony to purify me, which included using incense to banish negativity and body oils to lock in my natural essence. Ash brought me a lilac dress. The skirt of the gown fell to the floor, but the slightest brush of air would bring about a romantic elegance, while the dress floated on the wind. It was the most beautiful gown I had ever seen.
Willow came over later that afternoon with the elders. While they created a circle around me, Willow painted inscriptions across my exposed skin. The inscriptions were the most important aspect of the pre-ceremonial activities. Painting the inscriptions was one of the highest honors a witch could bestow on another.
Willow used an instrument, which resembled a calligraphy pen to paint inscriptions in silver, blue, and purple. She would paint six main symbols connected by scrollwork. Willow could work more inscriptions into the scrollwork, as personal gift from her to me. The symbols on my skin would represent the many cultures witches descended from. The symbols on the top of each foot would represent protection and power. The ones on my hands would be for life and transformation. The symbol on my head would represent wisdom, but the inscription on my chest was the most important, because it represented the five elements.
Once Willow was finished applying the script to my skin, she took a white robe etched in silver and placed it on my shoulders. It was soft against my skin. We waited for the elders to close the circle before stepping out. I waited in the hallway, while everyone left the house to prepare for the ceremony.
I turned to see Ash approach me. I expected his usual coldness, but instead he gave me a warm smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”
How did he always know the right thing to say? “I don’t feel fine. I’m scared. Ash, what if the power is too much and I turn out like my parents?”
His moved forward and used the tip of his finger to brush against my neck. “You could never be like them. Have faith; I have faith in you.” He leaned forward and brushed a delicate kiss to my lips. I pulled him forward and kissed him deeper.
“Promise me. Promise me, that if I turn out like them, you’ll take care of me the way the coven took care of them.” I searched his eyes, but they remained warm.
“I promise, but only because you will never be anyone other than yourself. Despite the evil you have encountered you remained pure. I know you believe they tainted you, but they never did. You are the most loyal and caring person I know. You put everyone else before you and ask for nothing in return. You soul is a star that blazes to warm those around you. You guide them towards the light and make them want to be a better version of themselves. You’re a beacon for us to follow and you will never lead anyone off course, because you will remain on the honorable path you have always chosen. I love you and I’m telling you that you have nothing to worry about.”
My heart flipped and a tear slid from my eye. “You’re going to make me mess up all of Willows work.” I laughed awkwardly, while he brushed the tear from my cheek. Ash walked around me, but turned back to deposit a kiss on my nape. I leaned back into him and he wrapped his arms around my middle. “Thank you.” I whispered and he left.
When I walked into the circle, it was mere minutes until the 16th anniversary of the moment I was born. I stood in the center, surrounded by the Meadows Fall coven and their sister covens. In front of each of the five boulders, were five people I chose to represent each element: Willow for earth, Alice, who was Willow’s mother for air, Ash for fire, Maye for water, and Josephine for spirit. They would ground me during my ascension.
I brushed my hood back from my face to reveal the delicate scrollwork and symbol for wisdom that Willow had painted. I faced Josephine to await the inevitable. I was terrified and hoped no one could see my hands shake. I knew what to expect; Maye spent years preparing me for this, but hearing about it and going through it were two separate things.
The joined members began to sing a high pitched song in Gaelic. It was a song filled with hope, love, and the acceptance of change. Their voices were melodic and calmed my anxiety. I drifted into a waking sleep; until my skin tingled and I opened my eyes to see a cone emerge from the coven. It was a cone of power and would serve as protection from outside influences.
My ascension tore into me suddenly.The cone eclipsed the world around me in an icy mist. I screamed; begging someone, anyone to hear my pleas, but my voice had been extinguished and left me with a slight wheeze from what little oxygen I had. I could glimpse the field of energy, as it shrank through the safety of my circle to envelop me in a blazing grip. I was alone; unbearably separated from my haven.
The cone shuttered, as though it were pulling against an invisible force that refused to allow it purchase. It began to fold into my physical self by plying my skin and sinking through my pores, nourishing its hunger on my soul. It burrowed through my barriers, until it found my core and coiled around my essence. I was consumed; each of my senses extended to their limits.
I was no longer me; my energy merged with everyone and everything around me. The oxygen I had been deprived, exerted pressure and dug its way into my chest. The world blazed brighter, as if taking its own breath. My feet became the roots that ground the trees; my hands were leaves that extended towards the sky; my skin was each and every member of the Meadow Falls coven. Here there were no secrets; here we were one. Being able to sense my coven and hear their voices once more, calmed me.
The covens magic pulsed into one purpose; one conscious goal, to merge my essence with my inner power, while building a bridge to my mental self. My power was held within me. Until now, I had been unaware of the electric blue fire at my core. My youth had protected me from irresponsible use of my power, but now it would weigh me down with each choice I made. I would be confronted by temptation to use my powers for personal gain; it was in my blood. My parents had proven that to me; I had seen what unlimited power could do to a person.
The pain came in waves. At first, I felt miniature pin pricks against my temples, but then my skin felt like it was being scraped raw by sandpaper. I could feel each layer of skin burn away. The small ball of energy within me had grown to the size of a softball. I could feel the worry emanating from the coven. I knew that it wasn’t normal for my power to increase to the extent. It shouldn't be this intense; this overwhelming, and yet it was. It strained against the chains that bound it within me and raged when it could not be freed.
Confined to my petite frame, the power was enraged and pulled against my taut skin. Growing bolder, it tore through to lay flat against the outer edge. It solidified and lengthened to mold itself to my frame and contained me in a transparent cocoon.
My fingers flexed against the waxy surface, while I panicked. I was cut off from my coven now; their thoughts distant echoes. Concern showed on their faces, as I fell onto my side; convulsing within my cocoon. A seizure racked my body, while I blended into the agony. I was going to die; the old saying was true, children do pay for the crimes of their parents. I was going to be exhibit A in that time old trial.
ASH
I desperately wanted to go to Savannah, but I knew it would be foolish. Every member of the coven needed to remain in place or Savannah’s life would be in jeopardy. We had to hope that she would come out alright in the end. The elements would overwhelm her if even one of the five representations of the elements moved. The other members were joined and if they broke the circle, hell would rain down on Savannah's vulnerability. To protect her, we needed to allow her ascension to finish, even if it meant watching her scream in anguish.
I couldn’t watch Savannah any longer and instead looked at the other witches. Willow held a hand over her mouth, while tears streamed down her face. Maye’s arms were crossed and I could see her fingernails digging into the skin of her arms. The expressions on each face contained worry, distress, and horror. Watching everyone else run through the emotions Savannah’s pain evoked, was as bad as watching it myself.
I looked back at her. The strange substance coating her skin kept me from hearing her screams, but I could see them. She lay on the ground, while her body was taken by wave after wave of power; enough to shatter bones. The coating hardened and gained pigment. It terrified me that she was no longer visible. My only confirmation that she remained alive was her movements within the cocoon.
After the ascending hour had passed,
we closed the circle and immediately rushed towards her. I knelt at her side to touch the object coating her skin. It felt like a bats wing; a hybrid of leather and wax.
“How do we get her out?” Willow knelt at my right and I looked up to see Maye and Josephine on the other side of Savannah.
“I don’t know. Does anyone have a knife?” I looked around, but Josephine protested.
“You have no way of knowing how deep this goes. You might cut her. Besides, since we don’t know what this is, we can’t risk removing it. What if it’s protecting her somehow?”
I ground my teeth. “What if it’s hurting her somehow? Have you thought about that?”
“Here man.” Griffin came to my shoulder and handed me his pocket knife. I flipped it open and touched the cocoon with it. Pressing gently, I tried to ease the knife in, but before I could slice my way through, the cocoon began to stretch. I could make out two hands pushing against the substance, try to claw their way through the layer.
“Move back!” Maye pushed everyone away from Savannah and we all watched as she emerged.
Somehow, I expected her to be coated in slime, but instead she her skin was decorated with a golden sheen. While that was stunning, I still wasn’t prepared for the other changes. Savannah stood completely nude, but it was no longer the Savannah I knew. Her hair was long before, but now it hung to her thighs in wild curls. Maye placed a robe around Savannah’s shoulders, but it had already seen that her body had matured. The silver in her eyes was almost blinding and her face had sharpened. Savannah had always looked young for her age, but now she looked exotic and womanly.
Maye ushered her back into the house, while the rest of us stood outside in shock. I sat on a boulder to wait for the other part of the ceremony, but I really wanted to take Savannah away and protect her. Everyone else stood around gossiping about the ascension, but Isis, Griffin, and Willow came to stand near me.
“What happened?” Isis proposed the question all of us were afraid to ask.
“I don’t even like Savannah and that scared the hell out of me. You okay? You look like death.” I looked up at Griffin's voice and tried to allay his fears with a forced smile.
“I’m fine. I don’t know what that was, but I have never heard of something like that happening during an ascension.” I looked over at Willow, who was staring at the house with wide eyes. “Willow, she’ll be okay.” I grabbed her hand to offer comfort and she looked down at me in grief.
“What if she’s not f-ine? What if what happened to her has chang-ed her some-how?” Willow’s voice broke several times, but I understood her fear.
A short while later Maye exited the house with Savannah at her side. Luckily, Savannah was clothed in a sundress that hid her body, but I knew it would be engraved on my mind for the rest of my life. The problem was that I knew it would stay with every guy in the coven too.
Savannah offered us a smile, as she entered the circle. Willow ran and threw her arms around Savannah; nearly knocking her over in the process. Savannah pulled Willow back, “I’m okay, really.” She then wiped the tears from Willows cheeks and sat on the stool someone had placed in the center of the circle. The inscriptions had been washed from her skin, but it still glowed with an inner light.
Matthew, who was Josephine’s husband, came to sit behind Savannah, while Josephine brought him a kit. He took the objects out and placed them on a cloth. The objects were to give a witch the symbol of her lineage on the day of her ascension. Today, Savannah would receive a permanent tattoo that only a member of the Cross family was allowed to wear. Matthew would use the ink that I had taken from the passageway. It was a mixture of blood from the founders of the Cross family and some other ingredients, which only a member of the Cross family was allowed to know.
Savannah didn’t flinch when the boned needle pricked her flesh. She remained with her head slightly bent forward, and her hair tossed over her shoulder, while the symbol was tattooed onto the back of her neck. When Matthew was finished, Maye came forward to perform a healing spell to seal in the ink and prevent infection.
10: Summoning
SAVANNAH
Willow wanted to perform the summoning a few days after my ascension, but I didn’t feel up to it. Instead, I lazed around the house reading and practicing my magic. Now that I was more powerful, I needed to be more subtle when I tried to do something or I risked it spiraling out of control.
Liam came over every day to bring flowers, chocolates, and entertainment to keep me from boredom. While I appreciated Liam's efforts, whenever Ash saw him in the house, he went to Griffins. This meant I barely saw Ash, while I recovered from my ascension.
Willow and Izzy frequently dropped by after my ascension. Willow was filled with energy at solving my parents’ mystery, but Izzy looked exhausted. I used deductive reasoning and figured Izzy was tired of Willow’s enthusiasm. It wasn’t exactly something to be excited over.
The night before the ritual would take place, I had a terrible dream. The demon was there. When he touched my skin, I could feel my essence flowing into him, while I became weaker and weaker. I was grateful when my cell phone woke me up. The clock said it was two in the morning, but I didn’t care. Whoever was calling at this hour had saved me from a horrific nightmare.
“Hello.” My voice was groggy, but I pushed to remain awake and sound coherent.
“Sa-van-nah…” The voice on the other end was pushing through tears. The sobs were loud and heavy.
“Izzy, what’s wrong?”
“My mom died tonight.” My entire world came crashing down in that moment.
“Are you at home?”
“Yeah…” The sobs continued. I climbed out of bed with the phone to my ear and threw on some clothes. I then walked through the bathroom to bang loudly on Ash’s door.
The door clicked and Ash looked around it. “What is it?” He sounded concerned and then confused when he noticed the cell at my ear.
“I need you to drive me to Izzy’s. Her mom passed away.” He nodded and closed the door.
“Iz, I am coming over okay? Call Willow and stay on the line with her until I get there, okay?” Izzy was silent. “Promise me you will call Willow.”
“Promise.” The sobs had abated, but Izzy’s voice sounded dead.
Ash was determined to get me to Izzy’s as quickly as possible; he ran stop signs, the occasional light, and went 15 over the speed limit. He asked if I wanted him to come in with me, but I told him it was better if I went alone.
I thanked him and rushed to the door of the apartment building. I climbed the stairs and opened the door to Izzy’s apartment. Once inside, I stopped in confusion. The apartment was unnaturally quiet. Izzy lay alone on the sofa, with the phone against her ear.
“Where is everyone?”
Izzy sat up with her arms tucked around her knees. “Take your pick; Dad’s at the hospital filling out paperwork and Aunt Jen took the others back to her place. I didn’t want to go anywhere until I got a chance to talk to you.”
I nodded and sat beside her. She turned to sit with her back propped against the arm of the sofa. I could tell she had something important to say, but was reluctant.
“Izzy, it’s okay. Just tell me what you want to say.” She turned the phone off and placed it between us.
“I saw it.”
“What did you see?” I looked in her eyes, while she searched for words.
“The demon was here.” My eyes widened and before I could speak, Izzy motioned with her hand for me to remain silent. “I’ve been having these nightmares lately; about the demon. I thought it was because you and Willow were telling me about them. Tonight I got out of bed and saw a shadow moving in my mothers’ room. My Dad was at work and my mother wasn’t big enough to have a shadow that large. When I looked in the room, I saw it…” She broke into sobs.
I pulled Izzy into my arms and soothed her hair away from her face. “It’s okay. I’m not going to let it hurt you.”
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“Savannah, it took something from her. This white smoke came out of her mouth and flowed into its mouth. I think Willow is right and the demon is feeding on people to gain power. It killed my mother and I bet it killed Jessica. Plus, a lot of other people in the surrounding towns have been dying mysteriously too.”
Oh God. I couldn’t stand to think that I was responsible for their deaths. I was the clumsy one, who tripped over the box. If I hadn’t knocked the lid off, those people would still be alive. Izzy’s mother would be alive. How was I ever going to fix this?
“Willow’s coming over. She wants to do the summoning tonight. She’s bringing the supplies.”
Izzy sounded calm now. The summoning gave her a small portion of control in the face of this horrible event. I was not going to take that away from her, which is why I didn’t protest performing the circle tonight. I thought it was a bad idea, but reasoned that the sooner we learned everything, the better we would be.
Willow arrived an hour later. We moved around the dining room furniture to create a clear space on the wooden floor. Izzy sat in one of the kitchen chairs, while Willow and I prepared the circle. Candles were placed to represent the five points of a pentacle. Symbols were etched into the wax of the candles to provide protection. Willow took a jar of dirt and poured it in a circle to connect the candles, but left an opening for Izzy to walk through.
Willow drew a pentacle within the circle, while I used an athame to slice open my palm. Witches rarely used blood in a ritual, but it was powerful and we needed protection from a demon. I allowed the blood to drip into a chalice, dipped a brush into the blood, and began drawing symbols within the star of the pentacle. We places object that represented the five elements at each point of the star to draw on for extra power. The outer circle would be for us, while the demon would be confined to the inner one.
“Izzy, were ready.” Willow spoke in an absentminded voice, while she paged through her notebook.
Izzy took her place by the representation of air, while I closed off the outer circle. I then sat between spirit and water, which I would draw power from. Willow sat between earth and fire.
“Okay, what we need to do is clear our minds of outside influences. Your mind needs to be completely focused on the elements, my voice, and our task.” Willow looked at Izzy as she spoke. I already knew the way to do a ritual, but Izzy was new at this.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing. When it was a steady rhythm, I sought my orb of power and encouraged it to spin. As it spun, I grasped threads and braided them together. I made three braids and sent one towards the spirit element and the other to the water element. The moment the braided strands collided with the elements, they lit up as bright as a star.
The end of the braids were attached to the elements, while the roots remained attached to my core. I grabbed the elemental braids, pulled to make them longer, and braided them with the third braid. I tied them into a lasso and I sent it out to wrap around the inner circle.
My braid of magic was like an electric blue current, while Willows was a soft green. Izzy’s was barely noticeable against ours, but it was a pale orange. We exhibited some pressure and our braids expanded and spun to form a whirlpool. Willow began to speak the spell in Gaelic. Gaelic was a language of power, which was used for the most powerful spells. Her voice rose as the whirlpool gained speed and the apartment filled with a roaring sound.
A spark glimmered in the center, but it continuously shorted out before it could build enough power to remain stable. The spark resembled a lighter that had run out of lighter fluid, but created minor sparks when the metal was rolled. I willed more of myself into the braids and watched as the spark brightened to a constant glow. The eyes glowing within the whirlpool paralyzed me. It was watching us; it could see us. Panic set in, but I knew it was too late to turn back. Soon, the demon would step through the portal we had created. We were on a course that could not be broken; the point of no return.
A loud crack shook the apartment, making me think the demon was breaking through the circle. My chest tightened, while the crack changed to a shuttering, and suddenly a large portal appeared out of the wall behind Willow.
A terrifying sight stepped through the hole in the wall. It was a woman with flaming hair, flying behind her in an angry battle. Her eyes took in our circle, while she opened her mouth to let loose a high pitched howl. I had to cover my ears to prevent the sound from destroying my eardrums. The black hole behind her transformed into a vortex. Her howl heightened, while she stretched her arm toward the whirlpool, and her hand slowly clenched. The whirlpool abated in sync with her hand until only a small portion remained. She gestured and the energized whirlpool was pulled into the vortex behind her.
“What in the nine hells are you three doing?”
With the whirlpool gone and the circle disbanded, I could make out what she was saying. I was grateful that she stopped howling, but it still took me a moment to process what she said. Willow had moved to stand with Izzy against the wall. They both stared in shock at the redhead.
“Who are you?” She looked familiar now that her hair had quieted and she was no longer shrieking.
“Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is why you thought it would be intelligent to summon a demon?” She crossed her arms, reminding me of Maye when she was angry.
I looked to Willow and Izzy for help, but they weren’t helpful. I straightened, looked the redhead in the eye and prepared myself to speak. “Not that it's any of your business, but that demon was trapped in a box my parents hid. I accidentally unleashed it and now it is killing people. We didn’t know what else to do. ” I took a deep breath. “I answered your question, now answer mine.” Crossing my arms, I attempted to look intimidating.
She sighed. “My name is Kali and I just stopped you from getting yourselves killed. Demons do not like to be summoned, but what you were summoning was far worse than the average demon.” She walked over, grabbed a chair, and straddled the back of the chair.
“Wh-what was it then?” Izzy spoke, but her question came out as a squeak.
“Do any of you know the story of the fallen angels?” Silence greeted her question, while we exchanged glances. Kali rested her arms on the back of the chair and propped her chin on them. “The angels who fell from heaven became the rulers of demons. Most of the fallen became generals of the demonic armies, but the original fallen became the rulers of the nine circles of hell. Are you following?”
“I think so. So, the fallen angels became like princes?” I shuddered at the thought.
“Yes. There were many different types of angels within heaven. Above all others, the archangels were the most powerful and dangerous. think of them as heaven’s soldiers. Archangels, being the most loyal to heaven remained at their post. However, a single archangel fell. His name was Asmodeus, but he is known by many names. Asmodeus was given the rank of arch demon is the highest ranking prince of hell. He was the one you were summoning.”
“What? You have got to be kidding me!” I felt sick, but forced myself to hold it together for Willow and Izzy.
“Your parents entrapped him when you were just a babe. Do not try to summon him again.” Kali stood.
“Wait! How do I fix this? How do I stop him from hurting everyone?” I was desperate. I ran and grabbed her arm. She turned back to look at my hand gripping her and looked into my eyes. At first, she seemed angry, but the anger seeped away and kindness took its place.
“I know you feel responsible." Kali sighed, and looked away. "I would guess that you need to figure out what your parents did to him, other than trapping him. Figure out why he is sticking around, when he could leave and gain power elsewhere. Oh, and try not to deliberately piss him off; unless you have a death wish.” She snorted and left through the door.
Izzy, Willow, and I barely discussed Kali and Asmodeus during the following days. We were more concerned with the death of Izzy's mother, but the demon haunted our every
move. The community experienced more deaths and they weighed on us.
11: deals in seduction
LIAM
Against my mothers’ wishes, I gave Savannah her space the week after Izzy’s mother died. It seemed wrong to try to seduce her, while her best friend was grieving. After a week, I decided it was time to cheer her up.
My mother hosted a small gathering of the leading members from the coven. I brought Savannah as my date, but my mother stole her from my arm, and introduced her to the everyone. It irritated me to see my mother show Savannah off, as though she were a prized jewel she recently purchased. I stopped watching them after a while. I knew that my mother considered me bringing Savannah here, as my duty. Though, I would rather be anywhere else right now.
“Liam, if you continue to wear that sour expression, Savannah may begin to believe you’re not enjoying her company.” My mothers’ voice startled me. I had been so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear her approach.
“How could she think that? You have kept her from my company the entire night.” I sipped my whiskey, grateful for the numbness that spread throughout my body. It made my mother's company less hampering.
“Perhaps, if you were more social you would have remained with her. You can’t avoid your responsibilities forever. It’s time to be welcomed back into the fold. Tonight, would be the perfect time to start.”
“Mother, you can be so charming sometimes.” My voice was laced with sarcasm. “Did you forget why I left?” I glanced at her through my peripheral vision. “Just be glad I brought her and leave me be. I could always complain of a headache. Savannah would leave with me then.”
“You wouldn’t do that, because you know that if you did, I would make your life a living hell.” She sighed and shook her head. “Make certain you don’t forget why you are spending time with her to begin with.”
“I could never forget. You remind me every chance you get. Besides, there is no way Savannah will choose our coven over her family. She loves them too much.”
“If you gave her an ultimatum she might.”
She didn’t leave me room to respond and walked quickly towards the group surrounding Savannah. I wanted to shout obscenities at her back and maybe use a glass to knock some sense in her. Women did not like ultimatums and I would never ask Savannah to choose between me and her family. It’s wrong. That’s why I hadn’t tried to take our relationship to the next level. The truth was that I didn’t want her to end up in a coven where she would be unhappy.
Savannah looked at me through the mob of people surrounding her. It was a pleading gaze, telling me she was overwhelmed. I grinned and shook my head to signal she was on her own. She made a pained expression and I decided to take pity on her.
“Excuse me. I need some time alone with Savannah. I promised her we would take a walk in the gardens.” Reluctantly, the crowd parted and Savannah dashed through.
“Thank you. I couldn’t breathe.” She spoke in a whisper, as we walked through the terrace doors and down the stairs. “Are they always like that?”
“Just for you, princess.”
“I’m the lucky guinea pig, huh? I feel so special.” She gazed around at the extensive gardens. “It’s beautiful here.”
I looked over at her, while she walked ahead to trail her fingers against the petals. In the moonlight, her hair was the color of the night. Soft blue highlights gathered in her curls where the light touched them.
“After our walk in the gardens, we will meet everyone in the barn for the circle.” I was hesitant to mention the circle, because Savannah hadn’t been thrilled about the idea during the ride over here.
“I’m kind of nervous Liam. I know you said Diamante wants it to be a surprise, but I don’t like it. You can’t expect me to overcome the stereotypes about dark covens this quickly. Can you please just tell me what we will be doing?”
I smiled. “I don’t think so. It’s more fun to keep you in the dark. I promise it won’t be anything bad, the coven just wants to give you a gift; something special.”
“But does it have to be a surprise?" Savannah made a puppy dog face, but I only laughed. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Fine,” Savannah muttered as she looked around.
We walked through the sprawling gardens, along a path lined with tulips and carnations. The terrace beside the garden was covered in roses that climbed the walls.
A barn emerged from the twilight, as we rounded a path. “Is that where we are going to meet everyone?” Savannah asked, as she looked up at the rustic red barn.
“Yep, everyone should already be inside.” We walked up to the door and Savannah reached for its handle.
“Before we go in, you have to promise me you won’t get scared.” I thought about my mother's plans and knew it would be easy for Savannah to make the wrong assumptions.
Savannah’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why, is there something in there I should be afraid of? If this is something that can hurt me I don’t want to do it.”
“No, it’s nothing like that, but if you have never seen this kind of magic before it can be a bit startling.” I hurriedly grabbed her hands to soothe her.
“And you’re sure nothing in there will hurt me?” She narrowed her eyes.
“I would never do anything to hurt you.” I kissed her, and she looked into my eyes with a dazed expression.
“Promise?”
“I promise,” I said, while chuckling.
“Alright then.” Savannah said, as she reached out and pulled the doors open.
SAVANNAH
The barn was well lit with rows of candles set in braces. Members of the Sacred Moon coven were standing around talking. A few farm implements had been moved to the side of the barn, away from the main group of people, and near the hay. The floor had been swept to clear the piles of hay.
In the center of the floor was a large crimson circle. I ignored everything else, when I saw what was lying in the center of the circle. It was the largest black feline I had ever seen. It was a black panther.
I started to back away from the large cat, but Liam put his arm around my shoulders and whispered, “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you. We’re keeping it calm.”
“You said that nothing in here would hurt me! Why is there a freaking panther in the middle of the floor?” I demanded angrily. Several scenarios were spinning through my mind, but the worst was that they might want to sacrifice the animal.
“He’s part a gift to you from the coven. We wanted to surprise you. Before you even ask, we’re not going to hurt him.”
“Then why is he here and what exactly am I supposed to do with a panther? Maye would flip if I brought it home and that’s assuming it doesn’t rip my throat out first!” My fingers lifted to my throat. I had never considered it before, but I would really like to keep my neck intact.
“My mother will explain.”
“Ah.” called a voice from the group, “There you two are. I was beginning to worry.”
Liam’s mother, Diamante strode forward in one of the most beautiful dresses I had ever seen. A flowing emerald colored gown, which fell off the shoulders in layers of a darker green. The dress was embellished with emerald stones around the waist and neckline.
“We have been waiting for you.” Diamante said, as she stepped towards Liam and gestured to me.
“Why is there a panther in the middle of the floor?” I forced the question before I lost my nerve.
Diamante smiled. “He is a gift for you. He will help to show you the world, as you have never known it. There is no need to be frightened. He will not harm you, and he knows that he is with friends”
“Who…what are we going to do?” I stammered.
“We are going to bond you with a spirit animal my dear,” replied Diamante. “Come, we must begin soon.”
“What does that mean?” I turned to Liam and asked, as Diamante led me to the circle.
Diamante replied softly, as she moved me into the circle. “This beautiful creature will be with you always, as your friend and protector. Once you have bonded, you will be able to take his form.”
A warm tingle of excitement ran down my back, as I knelt down besides the panther’s head, but ice quickly followed. “What happens when he dies? Will I die too?”
Diamante shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. He is already close to death. This is called a bond for a reason. His spirit will become a part of you, and his soul will live on inside you.”
Diamante held out her right hand, palm up and white smoke wisped from her finger tips. The smoke twisted together, tore apart into strands of smoke, which extended to transform into wings. Finer wisps merged into the shape of a head and beak.
In a matter of seconds, a falcon make of smoke appeared above Diamante’s hand. The falcon’s eyes were deep green to match the stones on her dress. “This is Celeste.” The falcon opened its beak, and although there was no sound, the air vibrated with its call. Diamante closed her hand and the falcon faded into mist.
I reached out to brush my fingers down the back of the panther’s head and he shifted to lay his head in my lap. I smiled as I stroked his fur, and a deep rumbling grew in his chest.
Diamante spoke at my ear. “Excellent, he likes you.”
“Will this hurt him?” I asked with worry building inside me.
“No, you will be easing him from pain. He lived a hard life before he came into our care.”
“What happened to him?” I asked and looked up.
“You will see.” Diamante said softly, as she motioned for the rest of the coven to take their places around the circle. “Remain calm Savannah. I promise you this will not hurt, but it will be like nothing you have ever experienced before.”
I looked down into the big cats eyes, and murmured, “What’s his name?”
“Kit,” replied Diamante before beginning a slow chant. One by one, the rest of the group matched her rhythm.
I remained looking down into the panther’s dark eyes. They grew larger, until his eyes filled my field of vision and my world went black. Seconds creped by and a speck of light appeared. It expanded until it was all I knew.
I reached out to touch the colors within the light. Suddenly, I was being taken from my mother to be placed in a box. When I tried to jump free and run back to my mother, something grabbed my neck and pushed me towards the darkness.
I jerked my hand back from the colors. What I had just felt, were Kit’s memories and he had been terrified. I knew what it was like to be young and afraid, but Kit’s yearning for his mother was unfamiliar to me. I sank my fingers into the colorful array once more.
I was trapped in a cage, while each day new people came to stare at me. When all the people had gone, the man with the stick would hit me, before throwing a few meager scraps of meat into my cage. I was hungry and tired.
A tear trickled down my cheek at what this poor animal had endured. I knew what it was like to be caged and tortured each day. I could relate to feeling lost and alone, while being surrounded by a darkness that threatened to consume me
I was in Kit’s cage and could barely move. I had no energy and my body ached. A tall woman handed the man with the stick a thick envelope and walked over to the cage. She knelt down and looked me in the eyes. I saw the woman’s compassion before she spoke.
“You are safe now, little one. My name is Diamante, and you will be part of my family now. No one will ever hurt you again.” My chest rumbled, but for the first time in my life it was not because of fear or anger. It was hope.
My hand dropped to my side and tears fell freely down my cheeks. The light faded, and distant chanting grew louder. The darkness faded into color and I was again within the circle. Kit's body was gone, but his memories were imprinted on my soul.
LIAM
I opened the door and Savannah walked through before me. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Um, do you have any soda?” I nodded and headed to the kitchen to grab a sprite. When I came back into the living room, I found Savannah fidgeting.
“Afraid I might bite? Please tell me you don’t think I’m some kind of monster that is going to pounce on you?” Her silence confirmed her worry. “Princess, I have never needed to pounce on any female. They usually pounce on me.”
“What females?” She gave me a sour look and I had to laugh, which seemed to anger her.
“Princess, how could you believe that there are any other females in my life right now? It’s just you.” I deposited a chaste kiss on her lips.
I meant to restrain myself from anything other than friendliness, until I knew for sure that she wasn’t still hurting over Izzy’s mother’s death. However, having gone an entire week without her, I couldn’t help myself. I pulled her into my arms and ravaged her mouth. I rained kisses along her neck and back to her lips, but when I moved my hand to caress her breast, she stiffened.
“I’m sorry. I should have asked.” I wasn’t in the habit of asking, but Savannah wasn’t a promiscuous woman. Kali was right, when she said that Savannah was not the type of woman I was used to.
“It’s not that. It’s…” She paused. “I’ve never done anything more than kiss a guy. I don’t know what I am supposed to do.” Her brows furrowed and she looked embarrassed. “I want to, but I just don’t know how.”
Grabbing her face, I looked her directly in the eyes. “You don’t have to learn how right now. We can take it slow. I don’t want us to do anything you aren’t ready for.” I kissed her forehead and smoothed back her hair. “I’ll be right back.” I walked into my bedroom, closed the door, and attempted to pull myself together. I wasn’t used to reining myself in, but until I gained my composure I needed to take a breather.
SAVANNAH