Demons of Desire (31 page)

“I’ll be too weak to do much at the actual battle.” So would he. It made me feel guilty to know my abstinence had drained him, weakened him. If he was hurt, if
any
of us was hurt, it would be my fault. “I’m a pretty decent shot, so maybe I can get a gun. Or if I can find enough sexual partners I can use electricity.”

“I don’t want you to fight. Your job is to fix as much of these magical faults as possible, then stay safe.”

His words … stung.

“Amber, I haven’t been able to persuade you to have sex with anyone but me, your vow a few moments ago aside. I know I’m not going to sway you into actions that most likely will kill a human being.” He caressed my arm as if he understood and forgave me my inability to come to terms with the demon inside me. “I’ll fight in your stead.”

A vision of him dead and bleeding on the top of the seawall rocked me. I could never stand by while my friends died before my eyes. I could never stay safe and watch him die.

“I’ll fight. And I’ll do whatever I need to prepare for it. Women, married people, guys with sandals and socks.”

He didn’t even crack a smile. “I’d rather you stay safe. It’s okay, Amber. You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do. How am I going to live for ten–thousand years knowing that I hid while those I cared about died? That I could have made a difference and chose not to?”

“You’d rather live with the guilt that you tied unwilling humans to you? That you killed?”

His voice was as soft and gentle as his hand on my arm.

“Yes. I’ll live with that guilt. These people are relying on me to help them. A whole city of people, their livelihoods as well as their lives, rest in our hands. My ethics are fucked either way. I’m choosing the path I’ll best be able to live with — the one that will let me sleep at night.”

His eyes met mine, warm with a note of concern. I thought he was about to say something, but a shout from Kristin took our attention.

“Guys! Jordan isn’t answering her phone or texts.”

30

W
e were all clustered in Irix’s house. The faint scent of opium lingered from the night before, but no one remarked on it. We were all too concerned about Jordan. Irix leaned against the leather–inlaid hunt table, arms crossed as he watched us with hooded eyes. I wished he’d take control of this. I hadn’t the foggiest idea what to do. All I could think of was Jordan’s burgundy hair in the sunshine as we broke the spells along the levee. She was smart, cautious, a skilled witch. Where was she?

The front door slammed, and footsteps sounded in the hallway. “Not at her house,” Ourson announced almost before he’d turned the corner to enter the living room. “Nothing to indicate a struggle.”

“This isn’t like her,” Stu insisted. “She’d have checked in by now, even if her phone died.”

What should I do? I looked at Irix imploringly, but he refused to rescue me.

“We’ve got a list with the names of some of their members,” Ourson said. “They take one of ours, we take five of theirs. Maybe even that Basteau guy.”

We already had one of theirs, and I doubted Basteau was defenseless against vampires or demons. There wasn’t enough proof that Crimson Moon was to blame for Kristin’s disappearance to go to the police. I doubted they’d take a vague threat from a man at a cemetery to be substantial evidence of foul play or intent to harm.

“What if they kill her in retaliation?” Kristin’s sunburned face was pinched with fear.

They all turned to me for guidance, and I scrambled to come up with a plan.

“They haven’t contacted us yet to make any demands. Let’s continue to break the spells on the levee until they do. We’ll stick together so they won’t be able to take anyone else.”

The demand came late afternoon. We’d just finished with the last of the spells on the levee when I got a text from Jordan’s phone. My initial excitement fell abruptly as I saw the message. We were to cease all magical activity on the levees and bayous, and let Mr. Wilcox go. I was instructed to banish the two demons to Hel in Mr. Wilcox’s presence. If he returned and reported this was done, they would release Jordan unharmed. If not, she would be killed.

Odd. They seemed to think I was one of the Wiccans and not one of the demons. That gave me hope that Jordan was okay and had some kind of plan in place.

“I don’t know how to banish demons,” Kristin said, tears in her eyes. “I explored some other paths in my past, but I’ve been Wiccan for years now. I’ve never summoned a demon before. We don’t do that sort of thing.”

Evie and Stu both nodded, adding that none of the now twenty defected members of Bon Nuit knew anything about summoning or banishing demons.

“Why did they send this to me?” I mused. “Why not send it to Bev or Jason?
They’re
the leaders of Bon Nuit, and as far as they know, the coven is the one doing this.”

Stu looked thoughtful. “It’s late. I wonder if they sent it to Bev and she told them to stuff it. Jordan may have convinced them that you were a witch with enough power in the coven to put together a coup over this.”

“If so, maybe we can fake it,” Evie interjected. “Somehow lie that you both were banished and that Bon Nuit has backed off.”

It was a good idea, but as much as Mr. Wilcox seemed to appreciate my intervening on his behalf with the vampires, I couldn’t trust him to lie to his own order about our banishment. I turned to Irix and saw the scroll in his waistband. It only transported one to Hel, but maybe we could work some kind of sleight of hand and make them think we were banished.

“Kristin can you make up a fake ritual? Maybe with enough smoke and mirrors, they’ll think both of us were truly banished. People believe that David Copperfield and Criss Angel guy. No reason Mr. Wilcox won’t believe us if we plan it right.”

Kristin’s pink skin turned ghostly pale. “I can do a fake ritual, but I’m not an illusionist. If we screw it up and their guy doesn’t believe us, then Jordan is dead.”

I eyed the scroll again, wishing we had another.

“The button,” Irix announced. His eyes were hard topaz and his mouth tight. I had no idea what this button was, but the incubus clearly didn’t like the idea of using it one bit. “The man captured by the vampires last night had an elf button. It transports one and any other being or thing that is touching him or her. Kristin can do her fake ritual, and I’ll secretly activate the button. As far as the human is concerned, we were banished.”

“But we’ll be in Hel,” I protested. The thought of leaving the witches and vampires behind to deal with the Crimson Moon group and their elven–taught mage sent ice through my veins. Jordan was already in danger. How many more of my household would suffer without my protection?

“Not for long.” Irix smiled, although his eyes remained cold and hard. “Banishment would mean we couldn’t return here unless summoned. The gates would no longer work for us. Utilizing a button means we can find the nearest gate and be back here in record time.”

I opened my mouth to protest and snapped it shut. We had no idea where the button would take us, and the nearest gate back from Hel could put us halfway across the world from New Orleans. By the time we managed to convince a Korean airline to fly two people without passports seven–thousand miles, New Orleans could already be underwater.

This was the best option on the table, the only one that would keep Jordan alive. I had to trust Irix, put myself and the fate of all those I cared about in a demon’s hands.

31

M
r. Wilcox was once again duct–taped to a chair. He was looking slightly better than the last time I’d seen him, although his pallor led me to believe that Ourson had taken more than his usual pint of blood.

Our spectator was against a brick wall, well away from the chalk circle and runes that covered the cement floor. Bliss hadn’t been appropriate for our theatrical deception, so the vampires had arranged for us to use an old warehouse in the commercial district. Kristin, Evie, Stu, and five other Wiccans were busy getting candles and incense in order while we stood by. I walked over to Mr. Wilcox, who was regarding it all with bewilderment.

“They have one of our friends,” I told him. “They’ve threatened to kill her unless the Wiccans back off. You’re to witness our banishment then report back to your order that we’ve complied so they let Jordan go unharmed.”

Mr. Wilcox had the grace to look ashamed. “I’m sorry. I know I owe you my life, and hate that it’s come to this.”

“You can repay me by making sure Jordan comes out of this alive.” The thought that we’d be unable to help from Hel was more worrisome than my journeying to that dangerous place. I was a half–elf — an abomination in the eyes of my kin. If any of them knew I was still alive, the death sentence I’d once had on my head would be renewed. Still, none of that weighed as heavy in my mind as Jordan’s safety.

“I will.” The man seemed to wrestle with something then looked up at me, his eyes earnest. “Tell me your names, and I will summon you back as soon as I am able. Maybe in a few decades, I’ll be able to call you back and negate the banishment.”

I only had the one name, and I wasn’t sure how summoning and banishing would work with me as a half–demon. Besides, Irix and I intended to be back here tomorrow.

I shook my head. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be okay.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. Sex demons — someone’s always summoning you. Other demons can grant riches, power, and revenge, but everyone wants to summon the demon that will give them passion.”

“That passion comes with a hefty price,” I reminded him.

“Every demon’s gift comes with a hefty price.” He looked up at me, a sheepish smile on his face. “Some things are worth the price. One night of mind–blowing sex is definitely worth it.”

I felt the trickle of attraction, the curl of pheromones that slid seductively toward Mr. Wilcox. It was kind of creepy, given how much he looked like my high–school chemistry teacher, but my monster was willing to overlook that.

“Amber. We’re ready.”

I reached out a hand and cupped the man’s face, my thumb caressing his cheekbone. “What was your name again?”

“Steve. Steve Mulligan.” His voice was a whisper. I moved my hand to trace the corner of his mouth with the tips of my fingers.

“Goodbye, Steve Mulligan. I hope to see you again, preferably under better circumstances.”

His eyes flashed, and I could tell he was imagining all those ‘better circumstances’. “Me too. Me too.”

I reluctantly dropped my hand to my side and turned to join Irix in the circle, careful not to smudge any of the runes around the edge of the line.

“You okay?” he asked, taking my hand.

I looked at Kristin carefully placing candles at the four quarters “I’m worried about them. What if Crimson Moon doesn’t keep their end of the bargain?”

“Eloise said the vampires will keep an eye on things and step in if they don’t let Jordan go as promised. Remember, they have that list of names and won’t be shy about using it.”

Ourson and his group were interested in a mutually beneficial relationship with the Wiccans, but I couldn’t imagine the potential of a few spells in the future would equal their sticking their necks out like this. I glanced over at Irix’s shadowed face and wondered if he’d offered Eloise a favor in return. It would be unlike a demon to do that to protect a human he hardly knew, but Irix seemed to be full of un–demon–like behavior lately.

“Besides,” he continued, “we’ll be back by tomorrow. As soon as we land in Hel, I’ll transform into my winged form. Once we figure out where we are, I can fly us to the nearest gate. Then it’s just a matter of catching a plane back to New Orleans.”

I hoped it all went as smoothly as he thought. We fell silent as Kristin began the ritual. It all followed the structure of what we’d done in the swamp, except instead of the raspy scrape of Wiccan energy, I felt nothing. It was like watching it all unfold on a movie screen. Kristin gave us a discrete nod and Irix gathered me to him, burying my face against his chest. His chin rested on top of my head. I heard Kristin intone the words that would supposedly banish us back to Hel until summoned.

“
Glah ham, shoceacan,
” Irix whispered into my hair, and I heard a faint ‘snick’.

My stomach lurched, and I felt like I was tossed into the center of a tornado. I clung to Irix, digging my face into the softness of his shirt and breathing deep. It was over in a fraction of a second, but the vertigo continued to spin me around for minutes after my feet were on solid ground. My body felt odd. It stretched and pulled, as if my skin were accommodating changing bone structure.

“You eventually get used to it,” Irix murmured, stroking my back and holding me upright against him. “The first time’s a real bitch, though.”

Indeed. I reached a hand up to rub against my tingling face and felt the ridge of cheekbones and elongated ears that rose through my long hair into unfamiliar points.

“You truly look full elf now, little half–breed.” Irix reached out to run a finger along the point of an ear, and I caught my breath at the sensation. “Your demon half might not have a huge range of forms, but you are very skilled at blending into your surroundings.”

Great. I was the half–breed chameleon. Well, at least with the pointy ears, I wouldn’t be mistaken for a human and enslaved, or discovered for the half–breed I was and murdered.

I breathed deep, lifting my head from the safety of Irix’s chest and looked over his shoulder. We were in a surreal woodland, an unbelievable mix of rainforest and northern–European plants living side by side. The bird song was accompanied by a harmonious mix of what sounded to be insects and amphibians. The brush beside us rustled. I tensed, relaxing as a small, furry animal darted out. It paused a few feet from us, short nose twitching under luminous brown eyes.

“Durft,” Irix said. “They’re pretty tasty if you can catch them.”

I couldn’t imagine killing something so cute. Extending my fingers, I made kissy noises at the fluff ball. Its jaw unhinged, and fangs the size of my pinkie extended down as it hissed. I snatched my fingers back.