"Let's see," Lilith said. "Your family owes me, and I'm long past due getting paid."
She was close enough now, I could make out Maggie's pupils. The visionary in me reared its ugly head, and I saw past the Demon now occupying Maggie's body to the woman beneath. Below all of the red, there was regret and fear in her eyes. I might not like Maggie very much right now, but I couldn't hate her. She had been a Hunter-cursed Ayers, and she'd done the only thing she knew to survive. Join the ranks of the people sent to kill her. It was a choice she should never have had to make.
"Where are the others?" I asked.
It wasn't humanly possible for Maggie's grin to get any wider, but it did. "I'm Lilith, Witch. They were fools to think they could overcome me. And now the fun part ..." she gestured at the bedroom window. "Tonight, in the Salem Woods, you will sacrifice them all. Every last one of them, except the captured Hunters. They are gone. I let them go and sent them away."
I froze, and Lilith laughed. "That's right. You think that petty little amulet will keep me from you, Monroe, but you're wrong. I created you. I created your magic, your tie to Demons, and I will have your soul. The rest is simply an added bonus. The amulet can protect you from all Demons but me. I know you know I'm right. Your family has shed blood for me, Monroe. It's my power, your connection to me, that makes your little amulet work in the first place."
Maggie snapped her fingers.
"But first," Lilith's voice said. "Let's fix one pesky little problem."
Maggie's hand lifted, and I almost went down on my knees. NeeCee gasped.
"Monroe!" NeeCee called out.
I couldn't answer her. The electricity that suddenly lit up my body was too much, and I stumbled. Bernice caught me, her presence at my back keeping me on my feet, steady.
"I've got you," NeeCee said, the determination in her voice obvious. When it came to family, she did have courage.
The electric tingles died down, but they didn't go away. My magic was back, and NeeCee's powers were gone. Somehow Lilith had reversed the power swap spell.
I clung even harder to the amulet, one finger slipping beneath the fabric I'd wrapped around the glass. It pierced my skin, and I chanted what I'd made Bernice chant before. Lilith said the amulet wouldn't work against her, but I could still hold out hope.
Maggie stepped toward us, her body wavering as it neared mine.
"I'll be going now," Lilith said. "But be ready, Witch. Tonight I come for you, and there will be no way to stop it. Tell my son this is a war even he can't win. Thorns are only good if they come attached to a rose."
And with that, Maggie's body went limp, falling flat on her face at my feet. NeeCee screamed again.
I leaned down, my hand going to Maggie's pulse.
"Is she dead?" Bernice asked.
I closed my eyes, my heart heavy. I felt nothing in Maggie's wrist. Lilith had taken away any chance I had at saving Bernice. I'm not sure I could have actually brought myself to take someone's life, but it had still been an option. Now, Lilith had taken Maggie's spirit and left Bernice and I the only two Ayers witches left to meet her due.
I looked up at Bernice. "She's gone."
NeeCee sobbed.
I stood and took her hand. "Come on, NeeCee. Stay strong. We need to find out what happened to the others."
She nodded, and we raced out of the bedroom, our feet thundering on the stairwell. I heard the clock before I saw the parlor. Tick, tick, tick.
I slowed as the edge of the pool table came into view.
"Belle," NeeCee whisper-yelled, and I shushed her.
"It won't matter," a voice said from behind us. "They won't hear you."
NeeCee shrieked, and I inhaled sharply, my panic controlled simply by the fact that I knew the voice. I'd know it anywhere.
I turned. "What happened?"
Luther pushed away from the wall he was leaning against, his eyes red as he moved toward us.
"I see you figured out a way to make an amulet even before your powers were returned," he said.
I stared at him. "What happened?" I repeated.
Luther looked over my head. "I underestimated her," he said simply. "My mother has gotten stronger since I faced her last. I won't make that mistake again."
I reached out and fisted my hand in Luther's shirt. His eyes moved down to mine.
"Where are they?" I asked.
"Taken," Luther answered.
I think I would have sagged if I hadn't been holding on to Luther's shirt.
"Lilith came to us," I said quietly. "In Maggie's body. She said ... she said I'm supposed to sacrifice them all tonight."
Luther didn't speak, and I went on my toes, my face as close to his as I could get.
"Be honest with me, Demon. Can she posses me? Even with the amulet, can she possess me and make me kill?"
Luther's eyes met mine. "Yes."
I sagged, my eyes going back to the parlor. It was cold inside the house now, and I could hear the wind as it came through the broken window beyond. Sunlight glinted on scattered glass, and the pages of an open book fluttered as the breeze caught it.
My eyes widened. "The grimoire!"
I released Luther and moved toward the book. I didn't have to look to know he followed.
"I'm an Ayers," I said as I knelt, my hands going to the book that had been in our family for centuries. "In the beginning, we were strong witches with our destinies our own." I picked up the grimoire. "I won't be ruled."
Luther's hand found my shoulder. "Good," he said, kneeling just enough to grasp me by the waist. He helped me up. "Then be bad for once, Monroe." My gaze met his, and he leaned forward. "You can't be good and win a battle with Lilith."
My face was entirely too close to his. "You aren't good, and it looks like she beat you."
I could see Luther's bicep tighten, and I knew he was fisting his hand.
"No one is infallible, Monroe. The she-Demon gave birth to me. In the long run, she created me. It doesn't mean she's indestructible, but she can damn sure surprise me. Point one for her. It's all I'm willing to let her have."
I searched his eyes. "And so you plan to defeat her?" I asked. "What does that mean for me and Bernice?"
Luther's hand tightened on my waist. "You were right when you told me I'm not like my brother. I'm not anything like Marcas. I have no plans to usurp my way into power, and I have no desire to be anything other than the Demon I was born to be."
I was confused. "Then you don't plan to fight her?" I asked.
Luther laughed. "Oh no, I most definitely plan to fight her. For one, I hate to lose."
"For one?" I whispered.
Luther grinned. "And for the other, I happen to like you."
My eyes narrowed. "And that means something to a Demon who claims he isn't good."
"Of course it does," another voice cut in.
My head shot up. Lucas. Of course! If anyone could avoid Lilith's clutches, it would be him. The fallen Angel was near the stairwell, his hand on the banister. He looked tired, if that were even possible. Whatever had happened downstairs, Lucas and Luther had put up one Hell of a fight.
My eyes met Lucas'. "And how does liking me mean anything?" I asked.
Lucas' gaze went from mine to Luther's. "Because passion, Monroe, can mean as much to a Demon as hate."
My eyes shot back to Luther's. The Demon leaned close and winked. "Don't get too close, Witch. I burn."
Chapter 21
I dream, and I am consumed by fire.
~Monroe's Totally Wicked Book of Shadows~
It was two p.m., and Luther had left. Where he went was beyond me, and I showered and changed for the second time that day before returning downstairs with the grimoire under my arm, my body stiff from small cuts. I'd only looked at my face once in the bathroom mirror and immediately looked away. It had been as peppered with small cuts as my arms.
In a fresh, plain black sweatshirt and another pair of jeans, I met Ber
nice at the bottom of the stairs, her own clothes fresh and her hair damp. I was out of clothes. Another day here, and I'd need to borrow Henry's washer and dryer.
Lucas was standing near the grandfather clock, his eyes on the stairs, on us.
My gaze met his. "What happened after Bernice and I went upstairs earlier?" I asked.
I expected more of a straight answer from Lucas than I did Luther. The fallen Angel walked toward me, his face unreadable. He really was handsome.
"Lilith faced off against Luther. It was quite a fight. A lot of power passed between them. I did what I could, but even together, it wasn't enough. Funny thing is, Lilith used Maggie's body. Defeating her should have been easy. When a Demon fights through possession, their power should be weaker."
I stared at him. "You forget something, Lucas," I said. "Maggie was a witch. She had her own powers, and if Maggie had summoned the Demon, then Lilith would have had access to both the witch's powers and her own."
Bernice snorted. "I think witches are highly underestimated."
I agreed.
Lucas looked away. "Even so, Luther and I should have held her back."
Lucas stepped away from us, moving silently down the hallway, and Bernice and I followed.
"You think she's hiding something?" I asked.
Lucas stopped inside of a large kitchen with stainless steel appliances and brick accents. A large wine rack sat against the wall, and copper pots hung over a stone island with wrought-iron, padded bar stools.
"Lilith managed to overcome both Luther and I together," Lucas said, turning to face me, one hand against the kitchen island. NeeCee moved to one of the bar stools. "She overcame both of us. That takes a lot of power. And then she took Belle and Henry hostage only to claim they are sacrifices for you. Yes, I think she's hiding something, and I don't like it."
Lucas looked at the refrigerator. "You should eat. Both of you."
I grew green at the gills just thinking about food, but Lucas was right. It wouldn't do for us to get weak now. I laid the grimoire on the bar before moving to the fridge. I couldn't shake Lilith's words from the bedroom earlier out of my head. Tell my son this is a war even he can't win. Thorns are only good if they come attached to a rose.
"Thorns are only good if they come attached to a rose," I whispered as I located some cold cut meats and cheese while NeeCee searched the kitchen for bread.
"Did you say something?" NeeCee asked.
She'd found the bread and had placed a few slices on two plates she'd pulled from the cabinet.
I shook my head. "No, it's nothing."
We ate in silence after that, my eyes going to Lucas where he stood now at a small kitchen window, his hands behind his back. She's hiding something, he'd said. I wasn't sure there was much for Lilith to hide. She owned the Ayers. We'd shed blood for her. Was it Lilith hiding something or Luther?
Lucas turned suddenly, his eyes going to mine. "You should rest now," he said.
I gaped at him. "Rest? Are we really supposed to wait for Lilith to come and take me away?"
Lucas didn't move. "Until we know what she has in mind, there is nothing else we can do."
I stared at him a moment, my gaze full of disbelief, before I finally picked up the grimoire and nodded at Bernice. She slid off of her bar stool and moved out of the room. I wasn't far behind her. At the kitchen's entrance, I stopped.
"Are we waiting now because that's what Luther wants?" I asked. Lucas didn't answer, and I looked over my shoulder. "It is, isn't it? I thought once that you hated him. Why do you follow him now?"
Lucas sighed before running a hand through his hair, his eyes closing a moment before they met mine again.
"Honestly?" he asked. "Because this war with Lilith and her children has been long past due. Luther may have his flaws, but I've learned something about the Craig brothers over the past couple of human years." I held my breath as Lucas took a step forward, his eyes hard. "They have a really skewered sense of justice, but it's there all the same. The only ones who can truly defeat Lilith are her own children. Luther has always been most like her both in personality and in power. Your family made the ultimate mistake, Witch. They called on Lilith. I'm not sure you truly understand what that means."
My arms tightened on the grimoire. "And what does it mean, then?" I asked.
Lucas' eyes were sad. "Your family called on a Demon. It forfeited any right to protection you have from Heaven." His gaze moved from NeeCee to me. "And in this generation, Maggie called on Lilith. You and Bernice belong to the she-Demon now. You are, by right, the sacrifice Lilith claims for the protection she believes she has gifted your family all of these years."
"What are you saying?" I whispered.
Lucas was in front of me now, his blue eyes locked on mine. "Your family sold a soul to Lilith by summoning her. Whatever soul she pleases. It means that by helping you, all of us are breaking the rules. It means that right now, as much as we all hate to admit it, Luther is your best chance."
And with that, the Angel walked away, leaving me standing, my heart sinking.
Chapter 22
I often find myself reliving the kiss the Demon Luther gave me in exchange for an amulet. It was a harsh kiss, possessive despite the fact we know nothing about each other. I've had kisses before. I've had relationships before, one of them serious. It lasted over a year. So why do I keep remembering a kiss from a near stranger?
~Monroe's Totally Wicked Book of Shadows~
Two hours later, and I found myself sitting in a dark living room downstairs, my eyes on a flat widescreen television with an old black and white film off of Turner Classic Movies throwing bright flashes of light against the room's wine-colored walls. The black suede couch I sat on was thick and soft, and I sank into the cushions, my gaze going from the muted television to the glass coffee table in front of me. The grimoire.
"Feeling hopeless?" a voice asked.
I closed my eyes. "And if I am?"
The couch cushion next to me shifted as Luther sat down. "And you accused Demons of feeling lonely and afraid," he said snidely.
I opened my eyes. "Aren't you?"
Luther laughed. "I'm not. You're only what you allow yourself to be."
I shrugged one shoulder. "Then I'm allowing myself to feel hopeless."
"Liar," Luther accused, his mouth turned up into a grin. "I've been inside your head, remember? You don't give yourself much room to feel hopeless."
I was finding it hard not to grin at him. Luther had that effect. I could be downright pissed at him, and he'd still make me smile.
Luther's eyes went to the television, and then back to me. "Old Hollywood. I dated an actress back then," he said with a wink. "Seems more glamorous on the screen than it actually was."
I scowled. "Don't mess with my delusion."
His dark eyes searched my face. "It's kind of hard to watch a movie if you can't hear it."
I had my feet tucked underneath me, and I shifted, letting my toes touch the wood floor. Anger swept through me.
"It's more for comfort," I said, my eyes narrowed on his face. "I'm having a hard time resting when Belle and Henry are suffering God knows what with your mother."
Luther's eyes moved away from my face and down to my lap. I was ringing my hands, not so much out of fear as anxiety. He started to cover my hands with his, and I pulled away.
"Lilith won't hurt them," Luther promised. "If anything, she will wine and dine them. She gets a kind of perverted satisfaction out of giving people the things they enjoy most out of life before killing them."
That didn't make me feel any better.
I drew in a deep breath. "What if I just offered her my soul? Would she let them all go then, including Bernice?"
Luther sat up abruptly, his fingers going to my chin. He gripped it painfully, forcing me to look him in the face.
"You don't know what you'd be offering, Witch," he growled. "If you think being a Demon is such an awful life,
you don't want to be the eternal servant of one. You understand?"
His eyes moved back and forth, and I watched, fascinated as his eyes bled from forest green to red and back again. He leaned in, and I inhaled. Luther smelled like nothing I'd ever smelled before. Like sin should smell. Like chocolate tasted as it melted on the tongue. Like a fire would smell without the smoke.
"I liked it better when I was inside your head," he murmured.
I placed my hand on his, tugging on it as I continued to look at him. Baseball caps. He collected baseball caps. I kept repeating that over and over in my head.
"Why are you so willing to fight your mother for my soul?" I asked him. "You don't know me. Not really. You could be inside my head for years, and you still wouldn't know everything. So I gave you an amulet once that kept Lucifer out of your head? And? Is that why you're doing this? Really?"
Luther let me pull his hand away, but he immediately trapped my fingers in his, his eyes gleaming.
"Maybe I like the idea of beating my mother," he said.
I snorted. "When this first started, we had no idea your mother was involved. Be honest with me."
Luther stared at our fingers. "I'm fascinated by you."
His answer surprised me, and I fought to pull away from him.
"That's it?" I asked. "Your fascinated with me?" I laughed. "You would fight your mother for my soul out of fascination?"
Luther shrugged. "Look at me," he said, and I did. "I live my life out of want rather than need. If I want something, I take it. It's the truth. I don't try to hide it. But I'm only half-Demon, Monroe. I do have the tendency to care about people. I don't like it. Hell, I hate it, but it's there. My brother, for one. For him, I would do much. I owe my brother and your friend, Dayton, a lot. I like you. I'm fascinated by you. And I hate my mother. That's enough for me. If you are looking for something deeper, you won't find it."
His gaze had me hypnotized. "I wasn't looking for anything deeper," I argued.
Luther brows rose. "Weren't you? Isn't that what women do? Try to change what they believe is bad?"
I shook my head again. "You can't change what doesn't want to be changed."
Luther grinned. "Exactly."
I looked at Luther, and like I did with Bernice earlier, I really looked at him, at his cocky grin, at his muscled body and black t-shirt, at the way he held his shoulders back with a confidence most people never find. He was comfortable with himself. He was mischievous, even bad at times, but he was honorable enough to repay those he owed. He didn't pretend to care about people, but he didn't necessarily destroy people either. I certainly didn't want to be his enemy. He genuinely liked who he was, and there was something sexy about that.