Jesse left his hideout and continued through the woods on foot. He thought about the man who was partly responsible for his existence, and felt nothing at all, other than a keen urge to end his life.

His father was not an honorable male. Nor was he particularly fond of his one and only son. Daughters were rare and not worth the time to raise them according to djinn culture. Which is how his sister, Ryan, was lucky enough to get away from the bastard.

Jesse was not so fortuitous. But he carried only half of his genes. The other half had come from his mother, a Moss witch, whose beauty and magical allure had bewitched the djinn from the moment he’d seen her.

Much how Jesse felt about his traitorous vampire.

But all the things that had attracted his father to his mother had also made him grow to despise her, for she had been an extremely powerful witch. The most powerful the coven had ever known. And she had sent his father back to the djinn shortly after Jesse was born. Or so he’d been told. He didn’t know the exact reasons why, though he could well imagine. His mother had made it a point never to speak of the male who had sired him.

When Jesse had matured into a young man, his father had returned, summoned by a young witch enthralled by the stories of him. His father killed his mother, taking over the position of High Priest of her coven and sucking the magic contained within it like an ominous leech. Over the years, it had made his father strong and the witches weak.

Except for those who’d managed to escape.

For many of the coven had run as soon as he’d arrived, rather than stay and fight, and Jesse had seen the wisdom in that. He had been nowhere near strong enough to take on his father at that time, and couldn’t help the ones who’d decided to stay. So, he ran like the others, and promised himself that one day, he would return and send his father back from whence he came. And he would destroy the book that tied him to this world.

Over the years, Jesse had watched and waited as his own magical strength grew in leaps and bounds. He spent his time alone, with very little contact with others, for it took him awhile to learn to control the sorcery within him. It wasn’t until he came out of hiding and re-entered the world that he discovered, quite by accident, that he was stronger than any other creature in existence.

When he felt he was ready, he began to ingratiate himself into the world of the supernatural, and eventually found himself working with Leeha. She was a foolish female, but his only focus was doing whatever he had to do to get what he needed to defeat his father. He had no sympathy for the creatures he hurt, or worse. He felt nothing at all.

Everything changed for him the night he had met Shea.

He’d found himself unable to concentrate, distracted by the seductive lure of his vampire. He couldn’t stay away from her from the moment he’d first sensed her aura, and more than once he’d caught himself just before making a fatal mistake.

The fixation had only grown now that they shared a blood bond.

He heard a raven call high above, and glanced up through the trees to see Cruthú circling above. She refused to leave him, much as he’d begged her to stay near their home. He was on his way to meet with the demons. Not at the altar, as he knew everyone would assume the ritual would need to take place, but at a place much more suited for what he needed to do.

As he watched the raven’s graceful flight, a light rain began to fall. Jesse picked up his pace while wiping the moisture from his eyes. The spot where he needed to be was about twenty miles or so from the mountain where he had brought forth the demons, and he was able to make the trip in just under a quarter of an hour. Jesse slowed down as he approached a large rock formation, circling around until it was on his left and a steep drop-off was on his right. During the day, he knew the view would be beautiful. Miles and miles of unspoiled forest as far as the eye could see. He’d come here quite often when he’d needed a little time away from Leeha and her insanity.

Cedar, cottonwood, and pine trees towered above him, blocking out the stars except for the circle of sky directly above the clearing where he now stood. It was necessary to be in that particular spot to do what he was about to do, for a series of the earth’s ley lines connected directly in the center. The perfect spot for a spell this intense to work.

A deep croak sounded above him, and Cruthú disappeared, only to reappear a few moments later flying in what Jesse termed her “panic mode.” Someone was coming, and it wasn’t someone the raven considered a friend.

Jesse breathed in the scent of rain and trees and crisp, chill air. However, it didn’t work as it always did, calming him and focusing his thoughts. A feeling of unease trickled down his spine.

Something was wrong.

A few seconds later, he heard them: twigs snapped and pine needles crackled as a large group made its way through the trees. From what Jesse could tell, it appeared to be at least thirty demon-possessed vampires heading his way. And from the stench that drifted toward him on the slight breeze, it was none too soon. With a flick of his will, he lit the small fires interspersed throughout the clearing. The strong scent of burning firewood chased away the smell of rotting bodies and cleared the air.

As he waited for them to arrive, Jesse walked the area, finding and marking the exact spot the ley lines connected by listening to the vibrations in the earth. There he kicked away the weeds and debris that had fallen from the trees, and drew a large circle in the dirt. He connected the ends, sealing himself within the protection of the circle with a few spoken words. He didn’t fear the demons; the chances of them being able to overtake him were practically non-existent.

But he trusted his instincts, and he wasn’t taking any chances.

The first row of the demons strode into the clearing—the leader, Mammot, front and center. He stopped when he saw Jesse standing within the circle and held up one rotting hand to halt the others behind him. Eyeing the warlock, he did a sweep of the area. Searching for what, Jesse couldn’t be sure. A trap, perhaps?

Cruthú swooped in, loudly voicing her displeasure, and the demon leader gave her a scathing look. “What are you doing here?”

Jesse raised one eyebrow. “As I am the only one who knows the ritual, I would think you would want me here. Where is the blood?”

Mammot, or Steven, laughed without humor. “So, the son is more honorable than the father.”

It took Jesse no time at all to figure out he had accused the wrong vampire of betraying him. Thinking it over, he wasn’t surprised. As a matter of fact, he’d been expecting some ruse or other. Demons could not be trusted.

But Jesse could play this game, too. As a matter of fact, he excelled at this game. “And you’re surprised?”

Mammot came closer. “Your father told us you were lying. He told us he was the only one who knew the spell to reunite us with our original blood.”

“My father is a djinn. It is common knowledge they will say or do anything to get whatever it is they crave. If you haven’t figured it out by now, he had an ulterior motive, other than saving his own skin.”

“Perhaps that he’d misjudged the threat you pose.”

Jesse shrugged. “Perhaps he shouldn’t underestimate me.” He paused. “And perhaps neither should you.”

The demons caught the veiled threat, and moving forward as a group, they surrounded their leader. Thirty demons. In such close proximity to each other, they fed from each other’s energy until the air began to hum with their combined energy.

Jesse waited to see what they would do.

“We have the blood,” Mammot finally told him. “The real blood. Not the fake shit we gave your vampire whore. Let’s get on with the spell.”

The mention of Shea gave him pause for a moment, but Jesse quickly recovered. “You betrayed me to my father, and yet you assume I will still do this spell.” All eyes turned to him. “What if I’ve changed my mind?”

Mammot marched up to the edge of the circle. Sticking one bony finger at Jesse, he growled, “You will do it, warlock. We had a deal.”

“A deal you broke by involving my father in all of this.” He didn’t bother to state the obvious, that his father should not have known about them at all. “If you let my father in on this, he won’t rest until he destroys me. You see, I am the only true threat to him that exists. And once I am gone, he will suck the energy from you until you are weak, at which time he will enslave you. You will be his own personal hosts for his parasitic ways.”

“He came to us—” Mammot began.

“And told you I was just like him, too caught up in my lust for power. He told you I didn’t mean anything I promised, and that once I had what I wanted from you, I would break our deal and send you back to where I found you. Or something similar?” They didn’t deny it, and Jesse threw back his head and laughed. “You, Mammot, of all creatures should know when you’re being fucked around. It is a specialty of yours. Is it not?”

One of the others glanced nervously at his leader. “How do you know this?” he asked Jesse.

Mammot growled at the one who had spoken. “Do not respond to this one’s ramblings. He’s only trying to save his own ass.”

Ignoring him, Jesse responded to the question. “Because he is djinn. It is what we do.”

“If that is what you do,” Mammot reasoned. “Then who’s to say you wouldn’t do the same thing to us? The way I see it, is we need to get rid of both of you as soon as possible.”

Jesse wasn’t so easily fooled. He’d known all along these things couldn’t be trusted, and had been expecting some such twist in the game. “Was this not your plan to begin with?”

Mammot made a sound that resembled a snort, but didn’t come out quite right. “If you’re so smart, warlock, then why did you bring us here?”

Jesse told him the truth. “Because between thirty demons and my father, you are the lessor of the two evils to release upon this world.”

“Ah. The sentiment warms my heart.” Mammot put his hands on his hips and scowled up to the sky, where Cruthú continued to keep a watchful eye on things. “Unfortunately, you were correct in your assumption that we planned to get rid of you. We did. We also planned to get rid of your father. By betraying you and bringing him into the deal, we were hoping to have you both right where we wanted you. We won’t share this world with a djinn, or even a half-blood. However, it seems your father is the more intelligent of the two of you.” He looked around dramatically. “He was smart enough not to show up.”

Jesse cocked his head to the side, trying to understand the logic of the demon by confessing his treachery, rather than just playing along with the original plan upon seeing Jesse was the only one there. Perhaps he thought they were safe, now that things had progressed this far. Perhaps he thought Jesse would have no qualms about going back to the original deal since he was the one who appeared to be holding to his end of the bargain. He was genuinely curious now, and couldn’t resist asking, “You admit all of this straight to my face, while you stand here waiting for me to perform the ritual that will allow you to become yourselves again. Are you not concerned at all that I will refuse to do it and chain your souls back to the altar instead?”

One side of Mammot’s mouth turned up in a morbid semblance of a smile. That feeling of unease again rippled down Jesse’s spine. “Maybe it is you who should not underestimate us, warlock.”

Jesse should have known by the gloating look that came over the demons’ rotten faces. He should have suspected by the way the rest of the group snickered like schoolgirls.

Raising his hand, Mammot quieted the others. “I don’t think you’ll be giving us any problems, warlock. Your vampire whore is on her way to upset your plans as we speak, and I would think you would like her to arrive in one piece. Am I correct? I left a few friends behind to escort her here. You know, so she doesn’t get lost.”

Jesse became perfectly still. He felt strangely calm, even as his gut churned with the urge to let loose his sorcery and take the entire group out where they stood. “You lay one rotting finger on her, and I will send you all back to the altar and bury it under hundreds of miles of earth. You won’t be able to stop me.”

That gruesome smile returned. “It’s a good thing there is another who knows the spell then. If you don’t want to do it, I can guarantee that she will.”