PROLOGUE

 

SAMARA:

 

“Samara, my little goose, I will need you to summon one of your Dead for me,” Lex said lightly. I frowned. I should never have done it the first time, I thought. A few weeks before, I had summoned the spirit of my mother. I had, like any girl in a long-term relationship, wanted my boyfriend to meet her. I realized then that maybe I had made a mistake in showing my demon-shifter boyfriend how strong my powers as a Necromancer were. We were standing in the luxurious living room in Lex’s penthouse apartment. It was sleekly decorated in black leather modern style furniture and gold accent pieces. A Goya was perfectly poised above the black and white mosaic fireplace, which held a roaring fire, as was Lex’s wont. We had just returned from an extravagant dinner at one of the most extravagant restaurants in the city—oysters, champagne, filet mignon, a decadent seven-layer cake. Lex spoiled me rotten.   

“Again? Why?” I asked, trying to keep the alarm out of my voice. Lex was several thousand years old, however he looked to be in his early thirties. His looks were model-level gorgeous. He had angular features, a straight nose, and a razor-sharp jaw. He had thick, dark black hair and deep brown eyes that he used to hide their true red glow. His teeth were white, perfect, even if his canines had a bit of a sharp point to them.  

“I need a little… help on something,” he replied vaguely. My eyes instantly narrowed.

“What kind of help?” I said. He looked at me uneasily. It was obvious he didn’t want to tell me.

“Does it matter?” he said. He was getting cagey. Something was definitely off. I saw a sharp red gleam flit across his warm brown eyes.

“I does, in fact,” I told my boyfriend. I kept my voice light and even, turning my gaze to the large floor-to-ceiling window in his penthouse apartment and looking out over the city. It was night, and the sky was ink-black. The city lights glowed golden and red, lighting up the buildings like an anthill fairyland. I could see my face in the reflection; pale, worried. I relaxed my jaw, hoping that it would be enough. 

“It’s no concern of yours, Samara,” he replied. “Just summon a few for me, please?” The way he said it, it sounded as though he thought it were nothing—a simple favor, like borrowing a cup of sugar. Warning bells were going off inside of me. This was wrong. What could he possibly want? Raising the Dead was not a simple thing. It took real power, and had massive consequences when misused. 

“Actually, any of the Dead that I summon are most certainly my concern.” I continued, slowly, moving forward with caution. “Being a Necromancer comes with much responsibility. You know what happens when a Necromancer abuses her powers.” His face was a pale mask, poorly hiding his…fury? He walked over to me briskly, his studied ease having vanished.

“You did it once,” he snapped, referring to the time when I had summoned my mother in front of him, which was not really an abuse of my powers.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have,” I remarked. “But I thought that you wanted to meet my mother.”

“I wish to speak with her again,” he said, continuing to push his agenda. Did he really think that I was so stupid? Well, evidently. My mother would be one of the strongest Dead, having been a powerful clairvoyant in life. I stepped away from him. He closed the distance, placing a large, warm hand on my shoulder. He attempted to rub my shoulder, instead pulling at the black satin dress that I wore. He ran his finger over the diamond choker that he had given me and looked me in the eye. He smiled.

“Please, Samara,” he said. “I have questions for her.”

“What sort of questions?”

“Ones concerning life and death.” I frowned. He had no concern for either of those things. He was a demon. He could not, technically, die. At least, not like a human could. I cursed myself for not at least reading a bit of demonology. It would certainly have come in handy in this relationship. 

“Tell me exactly what you are going to do,” I said, pretending that I was being coy, when, in fact, I was highly suspicious. I placed a hand lightly on his chest.

“No.” His answer was blunt.

“Then I won’t summon any Dead,” I replied evenly.  

His fist connected with my face in what felt like a horrible explosion. I had not seen it coming. As pain throbbed like a heartbeat within the skin of my cheek, I looked at Lex in shock. This was not what my kind, caring boyfriend would do. His good-looking face was twisted in dark fury. I had never seen him this way. Fear pooled in my stomach in sickening waves. I was one of the most powerful witches in the world, and yet…facing my demon-shifter boyfriend, I was frightened.

“How dare you disobey me?” he yelled, his voice booming. Who was he to demand my obedience?

“Obey you?” I replied weakly, in an attempt to regain my standing. His eyes widened. His hand was moving again, but I was so shocked that I did not move fast enough. His open palm collided with my face. I fell to the ground, limp, like a rag doll. I lay there on the cold black tiles for a moment in shock. Was this really happening? I picked myself up and off of the ground. I studied Lex for a moment. I saw none of the remorse that I had expected. Turning, I fled, my heels clicking on the tile floor.

I should have expected no less of a demon.

 

***

SAMARA:

 

Surrounded by the flames of five large black taper candles, I used my athame dagger to begin to build the protective circle, using the shiny silver blade to draw out a pentacle on the floor. It was around four feet, so large enough to sit within safely. The candles stood at the points where the five-pointed star intersected with the circle. The lines of the pentacle glowed silver. I whispered the proper prayers to the elements, asking for their protection.

My face was still sore from when Lex had hit me. When I had looked in the mirror, I had found that my cheek was bright red, and beginning to take on a purple hue. I felt betrayed and deceived. To Lex, I was evidently some type of pawn to be used for some hidden purpose. I wondered if it had always been so. Our two years of being a couple seemed suddenly a lie.

Finishing the protective circle, I sat down within it, my legs folded in lotus position, and my back straight. My tools were all neatly laid out before me upon my altar—incense, salt, wine, bread. I lit a stick of wormwood incense, letting the sweet, apricot-like scent wash over me. I sprinkled salt around the edge of the circle to strengthen it. I closed my eyes, beginning to chant my spell aloud. I let my powers flow out of me, creating a path for the Dead that I summoned. I felt the door between life and death open and the spirit that I summoned begin to make the crossing. As the spirit entered the material plane, an ice-cold breeze swept through the darkened, candle-lit room.

I opened my eyes. Before me stood the spirit of my mother. She appeared as not much more than a pale contour drawing, her dark hair long and loose about her shoulders, and the sockets of her eyes empty. I could see her bones that had been hidden by flesh in life, just beneath her surface, and I could see her heart beating, a glowing gold pulsation within her chest. She wore the a little clothing; a long, flowing white dress and a flower crown made of white-petaled, yellow centered feverfew upon her head. In Death, my mother wore the funerary garb of a High Priestess. 

“Hail the glorious Dead,” I intoned, lending my mother enough of my power in order to give her strength on the material plane. For a lesser practitioner, this would be difficult, but I was from a long lineage of strong witches. I had been able to summon the Dead since I was a small child. This was but a fraction of what I could do. “Mother, I need your help.”

“I am aware, my child.” She sighed deeply, dry rattling in her chest. “Your demon. I warned you to beware of demon-kind.” I bowed my head. I should have listened to one who had been a clairvoyant. I felt, honestly, stupid. My mother knew. She gave me a knowing half-smile, and waited for me to speak, as was her habit. It was comforting to know that Death had not changed her much.

“What is he planning?” I asked at last.

“He has been courting you in order to gain access to your powers as a Necromancer,” my mother said. “He seeks to use your powers to raise an army of the Dead.”

My heart sunk within me. How could I have not seen?

“Why?” I said.

“He seeks to create a new world order, where the supernatural rule the world.” She paused. “He wishes to rule over both the Living and the Dead. He wishes to bring all of the Dead back, to keep them here as his slaves for all of eternity, that he be king over all.”

“What should I do?” I asked in anguish. “Will the Warden help me?”

“This he cannot do. The Warden’s domain is Death. There he must remain. It is your duty to prevent the demon-shifter from entering that domain.” My mother paused again, then said, “You must leave this city. Seek the leader of our coven. She will hide you until you are prepared to battle the demon.”

“What do I need, mother?”

“To imprison a demon, you must have the answer:

What is given and what is taken.

There at your first breath,

Neither asked, only given, but follows unto Death.”

 

I nodded. The Dead were rarely direct, even my mother, who had been the leader of our coven, and had been rather forthcoming when alive. She stood before me, her form flickering like the lights of the candles. I wanted, more than anything, to keep her with me. But there was no need to do that, except for my own comfort. 

“Thank you, mother,” I said gratefully. “I give you these offerings in thanks for your sacrifice.” I held up my offerings, a bowl of white wine and a crust of bread, crumbling the bread and letting it fall to the floor, and then pouring out the wine. It steamed a bit as it was consumed by the energy that was in the room. I held up my hand.

“I now release you,” I said. I closed my eyes and let my power flow out of my body, lending her the strength in order to walk the path back to the domain of the Dead, and then closing the door behind her. The room immediately began to rise in temperature. I rubbed my hands together, trying to generate some kind of warmth. I felt as though all of my extremities were frozen solid from the cold and sitting still for what felt like ages. My heart was pounding wildly, the sound of my pulse loud and insistent in my ears.

I looked around my apartment. It was obvious that a witch lived here. The room was simple in decoration, with honey-toned wood floors and white walls. Various dried herbs hung from the ceiling, and along the walls were large wooden shelves, stocked with books and lined with bottles of differing sizes and filled with tinctures and essential oils. It was fragrant, redolent of paper, ink, and the dried herbs. I sighed. This was the only place that I felt secure. It was my own. It was the reason why I had not moved into the luxury and excess of Lex’s penthouse. He had been offering, more and more insistently, and now I knew why, thanks to my mother. He wanted to possess me. He wanted to use me.

I needed to see the leader of my coven immediately. So, I packed a small backpack with some supplies and clothing before leaving my humble apartment, possibly, I thought sadly, forever. I shut the door behind me, turning my key in the deadbolt with a click that had the ring of finality.

 

I knocked on the door to the coven leader’s home. It was a slim brick townhouse on the eastern side of the city. The door was painted a bright spring green color. It swung open to reveal McKenna dressed in a long, flowing skirt made of re-purposed saris. It was vibrantly patterned and colored. She wore an orange over-sized sweater over the top, and had a silk scarf wrapped around her head. She had thick, curly hair, and her dark colored skin had a sprinkling of freckles across it. She smiled widely at me. I could feel her power, so strong that it glowed within her.

“Samara,” she greeted me warmly. “Your mother told me that you would be coming.” Of course she did. McKenna stepped aside, holding the door open for me.

“Thank you, High Priestess,” I replied, stepping inside. The interior was bursting with gold trinkets, colorful paintings and damask wall-hangings; large ostrich plumes, an over-full hat-stand with many patched and tattered coats. The carpet was zebra-print, and the walls were a warm orange color. It smelled of frankincense and sage and cooking food.

The High Priestess placed a comforting hand on my back, leading me through a high doorway and into her kitchen, where the walls were painted a lovely cerulean blue. A large pot of water was boiling away on the stove, and there was the sharp and delicious scent of garlic. Another pot beside it seemed to contain a tomato sauce made from scratch.

“Well, I was preparing supper, but that will need to wait,” she said brightly, not at all concerned that she would have to wait for her dinner. Witches only eat dinner after midnight. She waved her hand, whispering something, and the boiling in the pots paused instantaneously. She began to take different tinctures and herbs down from her well-stocked shelves.

“Where will you send me?” I asked. She glanced up at me from her frenzied efforts to put together a spell of transporting.

“It’s best if you don’t know the exact location,” she said. “But I am sending you to stay with my sister, as was agreed to with your mother.”

“You and my mother planned this?” I said. “I didn’t know that you had a sister.” I had known McKenna for my entire life. She was like a second mother to me.

“Oh, yes. My sister is Dora. Your mother and I planned this long ago — before you were born, in fact,” she replied. She bit her lip. “Your mother knew that you would, at some time, require a safe haven. She trusted Dora explicitly. Dora would do anything for your mother.”

I frowned. Why had my mother kept this imminent danger a secret from me? There was no time to ask for the whole story. McKenna was already drawing the glowing pentacle with her athame dagger, gesturing for me to stand within it.  I obeyed, slinging my backpack over my shoulder and taking a deep breath as I felt McKenna’s protective spells surround me, sliding over my skin like a protective sheath.

When finished with the warding, she picked up the bowl containing the proper tincture, holding it over my head and pouring as she chanted. The scent of lavender, thyme, and something else—something woody, wrapped about me. The kitchen began to fade.

“Farewell, Samara,” McKenna said. “Go with the good will of your coven. We will do everything in our power to protect you.” With that, the kitchen was gone, and I found myself surrounded by the reddish, rocky soil of the desert. The night sky was a dark, deep royal blue. I could see mesas and saguaro all about me.

I turned to find myself standing in front of a small white two-story house. It had a wrap-around porch with white wooden rocking chairs on it. A light was on in the downstairs—waiting for me, I realized. It had a sign, made of wood, with two spotlights to light it. It read: Dora’s B&B. In the distance, I could see the scattered lights of a small town. Here and there in the almost pitch darkness, I could see a few cars and their headlights. I sighed, walking in the direction of the B&B, which was evidently my safe house. Although for how long would it be truly safe? I thought to myself as my footsteps crunched in the sandy, rocky desert soil.

 

***

AURORA:

 

“What do you mean ‘she has disappeared?’” Lex hissed angrily. I looked at him with wide eyes. He was a greater demon, and as such, could destroy the entire building in which we stood with the flick of a wrist or the shake of his head. I remained calm. As a Lamia, a child-eating demon, I was useful to him. My bloodlust was second to none, and Lex never questioned my allegiance, although, perhaps he should have.

“She went to the home of the High Priestess,” I replied. “She did not come out, and when I entered, she was nowhere to be found.” He turned away from the flames roaring in his fireplace. They made his pale skin a fiery orange. His red eyes glowed.

“How did you get past the warding spells of the High Priestess?” he asked with surprise. I glanced at my nails, which were crusted with dried blood.

“I…well, you can say that she did not quite expect me,” I replied, biting my nail in order to taste the blood that was stuck beneath it. It tasted of salt and iron. I looked down at my body, clad in tight-fitting black leather pants and a black lacy top—my hunting gear. “She was expecting someone. Just not me. She left to get reinforcements in the middle of our little tiff.” Lex was studying me. “The kitchen reeked of transportation spell. A very powerful one.”

“And you could not tell where it sent her?”

“No. It was too well-warded for that,” I replied. Lex rubbed his chin in his hand as he thought.

“The coven now knows that I have been tracking her,” he mused, mostly to himself. “What would you do next?” He looked at me.

“Find and manipulate the weakest link,” I replied automatically.

“Who would that be?”

“Samara’s best friend,” I said, just like the star-pupil. “She’s softer than a kitten.”

“Meroe,” Lex said, nodding his head slowly. A crooked smile dawned upon the high demon’s face. “Go and bring her to me now.” I nodded. Never a “please.” Just “now.”

I let myself disappear, reappearing with a rush outside of Meroe’s apartment building. I stood in the shadows of an alley across the street. It was beginning to rain, and the alley reeked of garbage and that musty smell that city alleyways tend to get. I was used to it, usually using such alleys in order to hang out and wait for people or supernaturals that Lex wanted brought to him for one reason or another.

I watched for several hours, studying each figure that passed on the street. Finally, I saw a slight figure walking briskly in the direction of the building. She was huddled within a bright purple rain coat, the drizzle being too much for her, I supposed. I shifted into my demon form, and let myself slip into the invisible. I got right up behind her as she unlocked and opened the door, following her right inside.

Upon entering the building, she gasped, then turned and looking right at me. She frowned, but, not seeing me, she relaxed. Big mistake. And yet, I had known that this is how she would act. The High Priestess had been a challenge—I’d had to attack immediately. But with Meroe, I knew that I had the luxury of time to play with my prey. I followed her right up the stairs and right to her apartment door, chuckling smugly to myself the whole way. 

When she entered her apartment, her warding spells kicked in, and  my demon form turned visible with a lurch. Meroe turned and screamed, and I hissed, slapping her across the face so that my long, razor-sharp talons left large and satisfying cuts along the side of her soft, pink, fleshy cheek. She reeled for a moment before recovering and running to get whatever magical aid she believed would be able to stop me.

I laughed at her naïve belief that she could get away from me so easily, shifting so that I disappeared, and then reappeared right in front of her. She screamed again, her face filled with delicious terror as my strong hands clasped her throat, denying her air until she passed out. Mission accomplished, I took her tiny limp body in my arms, and disappeared again.

 

***

SAMARA:

 

I was greeted at the door to the B&B by Dora, a rotund, jovial woman who looked very much like McKenna, with the same wild curls and spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She smiled widely, clasping my hands in both of hers.

“Oh, Samara,” she said, her voice full of kindness. “You look just like your mother. It is so very wonderful to meet you…despite the horrible circumstances. Come in, dear! Come in! I have just boiled some water for tea.” I entered the B&B to find that the two sisters had very different tastes in décor. Whereas McKenna’s townhouse was brimming with ephemera, Dora’s B&B was neat and simple. The light wood floors had a light blue runner covering them, and the walls were painted a bright cream color. There was plain but beautifully crafted wooden furniture that appeared to all match throughout. The wooden table and chairs in the kitchen matched the large desk and bench that were placed inside of the entryway.

The kitchen itself had a large industrial stove and a massive refrigerator. Copper pots and pans hung from a wrought-iron rack that was suspended above a large kitchen island.

“Have a seat, dear,” Dora said, gesturing toward the table. I sat, setting my pack upon the floor and looking about me. There was a clock that was in the shape of a black cat on the wall. Its tail and eyes twitched from side-to-side along with the second hand. It made a calming ticking sound. Dora set a simple white teapot and two tea cups on the table. “How do you like your tea?”

“Just honey, please.”

“Alrighty,” Dora replied, wrinkling her nose as she concentrated on her spell. She stared into my cup for a moment, whispering beneath her breath. She then sighed, smiling, and handed me the cup.

“Thank you,” I said, taking a sip. She had added just the right amount. Witches are good like that. Dora fixed her tea as she liked it and sat down across from me.

“Am I allowed to know where we are?” I asked.

“Arizona,” she replied. “It's best if you don’t know the name of the town, though. Demons, they can get inside of your head.”

“Do you know much about demons?”

“Not as much as you need me to,” she said sadly. “I am not as powerful as my sister. I am, for the most part, a kitchen witch. Hence, the B&B. There is an herbalist in town who has quite the library. Perhaps he may have what you are looking for.”

“There’s a coven here?” I asked hopefully. Dora shook her head, smiling.

“No. He’s a dragon shifter.”

I looked at her with wide eyes.

“Those are super rare!” I said. “Aren’t they dangerous?”

“They are when you make them angry!” she chuckled. “There are two of them here in town. They are both very kind.”

I looked at her, squinting.

“Are they the reason why the safe house is here?”

“No. They came after, seeking a safe haven, as well.”

“What happened to them?”

“I’m going to let them tell you that,” she replied. “It’s not my story to tell.”

I nodded. I was nervous to meet not one, but two dragon shifters. Dragon shifters are a tricky race—they tend to be rather temperamental, and they usually live alone or in very small groups; five, at most. Any larger, and they tend to get into fights that end in massive, fiery destruction.

Dora and I sat in silence for a bit.

“So do I have to come up with a cover here?” I asked.

“That would be best,” she replied. “It is a small town, after all. Everyone is all up in everyone else’s business here.”

I sighed, thinking.

 

“Then, my cover is that I am a relative of yours,” I said. “Adopted. Visiting for a bit.”

“And where are you from?”

“The East Coast,” she nodded. The farthest away from my city as possible. “Maybe Boston?”

“Okay,” she agreed. We finished our tea, talking about ourselves. I felt calm, calmer than I should have felt in the situation. Suddenly, I realized why. I narrowed my eyes.

“Dora—Are you an empath?” I asked. She nodded.

“Yes!” Her voice was bright, glad that I had spotted out her talent. An empath is a witch who has the ability to feel other’s emotions. They can then use their powers to influence emotions. Empaths tend to be very kind as well as easily upset, since they often can feel the emotions of every person who is near them. “It is easier for me to live in a small town, rather than a city. The crowds really get to me, you know.” I nodded.

“Is that why my mother chose you?” I said.

“It may have been a factor. I loved your mother and would have done anything to help her,” she said. “But I also needed to get out of the city. For my own emotional wellbeing.”  

“Well, thank you,” I said gratefully, knowing that the level of my own upset may have caused her discomfort. “For calming me.”

“Not a problem,” she replied, nodding her head. She looked at the cat clock, which read something after three in the morning. “We should get you some rest. I have a room all fixed up for you upstairs.”

 

 

I slept well that night, feeling the protective wardings of my coven all about me. In the morning, I ate a large breakfast of eggs, ham, toast, and coffee before heading out to go to the herbalist’s shop. I needed a good supply of herbs, and I needed to gain access to his books on demonology as soon as possible.

The hot desert sun beat down on my skin. The ground was absolutely baking. I wished that I had known I was going to the desert in Arizona, or I would have packed more appropriately for the climate. I was dressed in skinny jeans and a t-shirt that clung to my skin, already soaked in sweat. I made the short walk into town, which was nothing more than one main street with a few smaller streets off of it, with a rows of houses neatly arranged. I passed a pharmacy, a post office, a grocery store and a book store. I found the herbalist’s tucked in between the book store and an antiques shop. It was a tiny old house that had been converted into a shop. It looked to have been built long ago, with a forest-green paint job on its wooden shingle-type exterior. It had a covered porch on the front, with a yellow door. The sign out front read: Herbs and other Magickal Elements.

A bell tinkled merrily as I opened the bright door. As it opened, a woman pushing a baby stroller was just leaving. She was balancing a large bundle of sage on top of the stroller. The baby sat, its foot in its mouth. He wore a bright blue onesie.

“Oh, excuse me,” I said. The woman smiled. She looked exhausted; obviously a new mother.

“It’s okay,” she said.

“He’s adorable,” I commented, leaning down to look at the baby. He smiled at me around his tiny foot.

“Actually, it’s a she,” the mother explained, laughing. “We’re trying to trick the sidhe.”

“Ah,” I replied, understanding. It was a common practice for witches to trick the sidhe, or fairies, so that witch-children were not stolen and exchanged for changelings. “Well, enjoy your day.”

“Thanks, you too,” she said, and I held the door open for her. The door closed behind the pair with a loud jingle. I looked around me.

It was as packed inside as McKenna’s townhouse. Bundles of herbs were hanging from the ceiling, and displayed on different shelves. Tiny bottles were everywhere. There was a shelf stocked with various tarot packs, and a whole wall filled with books. Different crystals were arranged here and there, not seeming to have any type of organization whatsoever. They might have, but I didn’t see it.

There was a thin, handsome man leaning on the natural wood counter that was right across from the door. An old-fashioned metal cash register sat upon the counter. The man was studying me with his bright green eyes which seemed to glow a bit. I knew, even if I hadn’t been forewarned by Dora, that he was far more than he looked. He smiled, and I saw that his canines were a tad more elongated than that of the average human. My skin tingled, and my heart raced a bit. I was nervous to meet a dragon for the first time.

“Hello,” he said. His voice was soft and smooth. I noted that he was dressed in a well-worn plaid flannel shirt. Strange, for desert-garb, but I supposed that he was stuck inside in the air-conditioning all day. He had long hair, which he wore pulled back in a ponytail, and he had an ample beard.

“Hello,” I replied, uncertainly. I realized that I was looking for scales and a set of reptilian eyes. He was in human form, I reminded myself. 

“Can I help you with something?”

“Yes,” I whispered. I cleared my throat, then said a bit louder: “I am looking for a few basic herbs. For spell work.” He nodded.

“Okay. What are you looking to do?”

“Protective spells. Cleansing. The usual,” I shrugged, not able to tell him that I knew that he was and that I desperately needed a look at his supposedly well-stocked collection of demonology books. One thing at a time, I told myself.

He smiled, baring those canines. But his look was, to my surprise, kind. He had a wide smile, but it was clearly meant well. He stepped out from behind the counter, placing his hands deep in the pockets of his jeans, which definitely looked as though they had seen better days. He led me over to the shelves, where he began gesturing toward bundles of herbs.

“We’ve got some sage,” he said. “Obviously a necessity for cleansings. I have some sea salt in the back if you need that.” He stood very close to me. I could smell his scent. It was clean, like laundry detergent, with a warm, masculine skin smell. I felt butterflies in my stomach—strangely, not from fear of this guy’s true nature. 

“Definitely,” I replied, grabbing a few of the bundles of pale gray sage, which were wrapped in white string. “Do you have any books on demonology, by any chance?” I tried to say it in an off-hand manner, but I suppose any mention of demons is pretty hard-hitting. He looked at me in surprise.

“Is this for fun reading or do you have a demon problem?” he asked, suddenly very interested. He leaned in towards me as he spoke, and I found myself imagining what it would be like to run my tongue over those elongated canines. I shook my head a bit to clear it—I had just gotten out of a relationship, one that I hadn’t known was bad, and here I was, thinking about jumping into something else. He took the shake of my head as a response to his question, exhaling in relief.

“Oh, um. Actually, I do,” I blurted out, for reasons that I couldn’t understand. He looked at me, those warm green eyes wide. “I do have a demon problem.”

“That’s got to be awful,” he said, concerned. He folded his arms and began to stroke his beard as he considered something. He bit his lip, furrowing his brow. “May I…may I ask what happened?” I nodded. I suddenly wanted to tell this stranger everything. Dora had said that I could trust him…didn’t she? I needed access to his library. I owed him some truth.

“I…I was dating the demon,” I began, watching his face take on another wave of surprise. “For two years. He was…he was planning on using me for my powers.” I bit my lip, unsure of how to go on.

“Your powers?” he coaxed kindly.

“I’m a Necromancer.” This seemed to be the most shocking bit of my tale. He glanced at the sage in my hand.

“I’m guessing that you don’t actually need my help in finding your necessary materials,” he pointed out.

“Ah,” I began lamely. He held up his hand, giving me a kindly smile.

“I am also guessing that Dora sent you,” he went on. “And that she told you about my rather well-stocked library.” I smiled and shrugged in a way that I hoped was the tiniest bit endearing. As the daughter of a High Priestess, I wasn’t used to having to ask for things. Things were, typically offered and given to me freely. He nodded, looking around his shop. He laughed a little. “You are…really going to need that salt.”

I hesitated. Was he not going to help me? He noticed my look and laughed, a release of air from his lungs.

“Oh, of course I will help you, Necromancer,” he said. “But you are definitely going to need salt.” He left, briskly walking through a doorway that had a bead curtain which made a clicking sound as he passed through it. He came back out holding a large glass bottle filled with large grains of pure white sea salt. He handed me the bottle. “Free of charge. I don’t typically get anything more dangerous than a wayward ghost hanging out in the kitchen witch’s attic.”

I laughed, relieved, and accepted the salt.

“Thank you,” I said. “You have no reason to help. But you’ve already been so—” He held up his hand.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he said, then offered me his hand to shake. “I’m Ben.”

“Samara.”

“It’s lovely to make your acquaintance,” he said with a sigh. “I wish it were under better circumstances, but…” He shrugged and smiled at me. I smiled back. He seemed to burst into a flurry of movement. “We’d better get going!” He began closing up the shop.

“You don’t—”

“Oh, it’s fine!” he replied brightly. “I don’t actually need the money. I have had a few hundred years to build up quite an adequate nest egg. I just do this to sell the herbs from my garden. Put it to good use.”

“You have a garden in the desert?”

“Oh, yes! Well, it’s a greenhouse,” he explained. “I’ll show you.” His quick movements were dizzying in their speed, reminding me that this was no ordinary human, but a dragon. Although, I should be quite used to this by now, I thought. But then, how much of his true nature had Lex been hiding from me?

“Ready?” Ben asked me, waiting for me beside the door. I nodded, clutching the bottle of salt and bundles of sage in my hands. He opened the door, holding it open for me. The perfect gentleman, I thought.

 

 

***

AURORA:

 

“I won’t tell you a thing,” Meroe spat, although she sounded exhausted. She was breathing heavily, her face in pain. Blood spatters covered the white tile floor. Of all the rooms in Lex’s fancy penthouse, this was my favorite. It was almost clinical in nature, with white walls and tiles, and none of those huge windows. It was…hidden. The fluorescent lighting buzzed loudly above us.

I licked the fresh blood off of my finger. Meroe saw, looking a tad sick. Her face was bruised and beaten almost to a pulp. The colors were bright and beautiful—deep, visceral red, purple so deep as to be nearing eggplant. I grinned at her, and she looked down at the ground. She was seated on a chair.

Lex paced at the far side of the room as I went to work on the witch with my talons. I kept up a steady stream of constant motion, disappearing and then reappearing at another angle. The little witch had long since given up following my movements, giving in, letting my blows rain down upon her. Her cries of pain were glorious.

Lex suddenly walked briskly across the room. I stood back, happy to let him have a try. He placed his hands over hers on the arms of the chair. His skin was turning bright red; a sign that he was physically heating up. Meroe screamed in pain, her voice hoarse.

“TELL ME,” he roared. She shook her head, tears streaming down the destroyed flesh of her face. “TELL ME WHERE SHE IS.”

“Never,” she said, in the voice of someone who is entirely calm. Surprised, I looked at her face. She stared Lex down, a look of complete calm. I had misjudged her, I realized. At her core, Meroe was strong in her convictions. She was ready to die before giving up Samara, and Lex, looking her directly in the eyes, knew it. He screamed, reaching forward with his hands, pushing them into her chest and pulling out her heart in a fantastically bloody motion. I stood there, spellbound. My mouth dropped open.  

* * *

MEROE:

Dying was the easy part, to be honest. When Lex killed me, I just kind of…floated up and out of my body, the pain slowly fading away. I sighed in relief. If I was, supposedly, the weakest in the coven, then they had another thing coming. I might have been dead, but my work was far from over. I needed to warn Samara. For a ghost, finding a Necromancer is a cinch.

I let myself drift, looking for the correct path. I let the scene of my gory death fade away as I concentrated on finding the silver path that led to Samara. I could sense it. It was almost like listening for a bell that sounds at the proper pitch. I reached out in the darkness, grabbing hold of the glowing silver thread, and letting myself go.

It was daylight. Samara was sitting inside, and through the window, light shone through, brightly. The room was enormous, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, stuffed with old leather books. It seemed clean. Just really, really packed with books. Samara sat in a green velvet armchair with wooden claws at the ends of the legs. There was a large, sturdy wooden table at the center of the room and several more green velvet armchairs scattered about. I placed my hand on Samara’s shoulder. She gasped, feeling my presence, then looking right at me, terror-struck.

“Meroe, no—” she began, but I stopped her. She was already beginning to cry.

“Samara,” I said. “They are looking for you.”

“They killed you!” she said, filled with rage and hate. I nodded. “Was it—”

“Awful? Yes,” I replied. “You have to focus here, though. I will get my revenge. I will keep an eye on them. But you have to hurry. It won’t take them long.”

“How are the others?” she asked, hurriedly brushing away tears. She rearranged her features, ever the High Priestess’s daughter. I reached out, touching her cheek with my now not-solid hand.

“McKenna was injured,” I replied. “She’ll be fine. She was able to escape. But Lex had you watched all of the way out of town.” Samara nodded. I looked around.

“What is this?” I said.

“The library of a dragon shifter,” she said, raising her eyebrows.

“A dragon shifter!” I sighed. “You always get the good adventures.” She looked at me sadly. I shrugged.

“You need someone on the inside,” I reasoned. “Who better than your bestie?” She was about to cry. I held up a hand. “Don’t. I don’t want to find out if my tears are as weightless as I am.”

Samara nodded, but her tears came anyway. I honestly did not feel sad about my death. It seemed…a thing of the past. I had too much to do now to think about my death.

“I’m so sorry,” Samara sobbed. I placed my hand on her shoulder and accidentally placed my hand through it. I needed to get accustomed to being not-so-solid anymore. 

“Just promise me something,” I said solemnly, taking my hand away. She nodded. “Do not date a demon. Ever. Again.”

She nodded, beginning to sob even harder. The door opened, and I let myself go invisible. A very good-looking young man walked in. No. Wait. I narrowed my eyes. He was ancient. He didn’t look it, but I could see through to his core. It glowed; a vast, bright thing. It was something that had burned for ages. I could see it like I could now see Samara’s core, which was bright, but new and somewhat faint. I leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. She placed her hand there.

Satisfied that Samara was in far more capable hands than my ice-cold dead ones, I left, letting go of the path and returning to Lex and his nasty henchwoman. I had reconnaissance to do.

 

***

SAMARA:

 

“What happened?” Ben was panicked. When he had left me in the library, I had been fine. Not happy, but definitely within the spectrum of hopeful. When he returned, I was sobbing. 

“My boy—the demon,” I explained. “He k-killed my b-best friend.” I bent over in the chair, placing my forehead on my knees. “Sh-she died because of me.”

“You can’t blame yourself,” he said, placing his hand on my shoulder. He looked around. “Is your friend still here?” I shook my head. I had felt Meroe’s spirit leave. He knelt down in front of me. I looked up and found myself looking into his bright green eyes. My heart began to pound, and I felt warm within my core. It was like he looked straight into me, then said gently, “You didn’t know that he was evil.”

“But I should have,” I began. I sat up all of the way. We were face-to-face. So close. His scent filled my nostrils. I paused, almost not breathing. He gave me a small smile and shook his head slightly.

“No,” he replied. “He hid that side of himself from you.” He stood. “Demons are known for being particularly good at that. Typically, they hide in the guise of children as most people are willing to let their guard down in front of a helpless child. Others take the form of beautiful women, well…because men are very much willing to open themselves up in that situation.” I laughed. “And I am guessing that your demon made himself look very attractive to you.”

I nodded, looking away from him.

“Umhmmm,” he said. I glanced back at him. He was studying me and stroking his beard thoughtfully. “Not many people have the ability to fight a demon. They can get inside of your brain and figure out what your defenses are least likely to withstand.”

“What do I do?” I asked. He grinned.

“Well, I know the answer to your riddle, so there’s a start.”

“You do?”

“Yep,” he stated simply as if it were nothing. “I have, in fact, heard it before.” I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t.

“Well?”

“What is given and what is taken.

There at your first breath,

Neither asked, only given,

but follows unto Death.” He paused for emphasis. “It’s his name.”

“It’s L—” I began, but he held up a hand to stop me.

“Not the one that he calls himself,” he explained. “That would be too easy. No, it’s his true name that we have to find.” He glanced around at the shelves, stuffed with books. “It’s here. Somewhere.” I sank back into my chair. The room was easily the size of my own apartment. This search would take time. Time that I may or may not have, I thought to myself wearily. I stood.

“Well,” I said. “I guess I’d better get started.” He looked at me. I looked back, seeing something in those eyes...

“You’re not alone in this,” he said. That could have killed me. I felt a rush of adrenaline, my heart began to pound in my chest. I had never wanted something to be more true.

“’Sup, kids?” a deep male voice boomed. I turned.  A tall, well-built man stood in the doorway. His face was clean-shaven, and he had dark brown, close-cropped hair. He was muscular, and dressed in a tight white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He was barefoot. He had a broad smile on his face—his teeth were perfect, canines elongated. The other dragon, I thought to myself. 

“Aiden!” Ben said brightly. “Did you get it?”

“Nah, man. I’m close, though,” he replied, holding up a finger. He grinned at me, holding his hand out and walking forward. He oozed masculine confidence. It was sexy. “Hey pretty lady!”

“Hi,” I replied, shaking his hand.

“Did Ben find you?” he asked, winking at me with a smile. “Did he promise you lots of books?”

“She found me, actually.”

“Oh really?” Aiden was immediately interested.

“He promised me lots of books on demons,” I replied archly. Aiden’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He recovered quickly, however, and his flirtatious tone returned.

“Do you like the dark side?”

“Apparently, I’ve been dating it,” I said, keeping my poise. I found both of them attractive. But I was not in the mood to go getting into anything at that moment. Aiden looked at me, arching his eyebrow.

“Is that so?” he asked lightly. I nodded, looking away. My skin was probably blotchy and definitely tear-stained.

“Samara’s been through a lot, dude,” Ben remarked, coming to my aid. “Her boyfriend is a demon-shifter, and he wants to use her necromancy powers to raise an army of the dead and take over the world.”

“That’s all?”

“In a nutshell,” I remarked coolly. I stood, walking toward the bookshelves. As they talked in low voices, I ran a finger over the leather spines of the books. I saw that this was the shelf where Ben kept his grimoires, bloated from use and liquid damage. I placed my finger on one, my skin tingling. The leather was smoother in grain, and yellower than the others. Human skin, I thought.

“Samara,” Aiden said, speaking up from their almost whispered discussion.

“Yes?” I asked, glancing over at them.

“Would you care to have some dinner with us?” he asked formally. I squinted at him, trying to decide whether he was joking with me or not. He seemed serious. I nodded.

“Yes please,” I said. Aiden sketched a low bow.

“You honor us with your presence, Necromancer.”

“And you, I, Dragon.”

“Ah, my friend,” Aiden said to Ben. “She guesses our true nature.”

“Dora told her.”

“Oh.” He sounded disappointed.

 

Dinner with two dragons was, decidedly, less bloody than I would have originally expected. We sat eating a spaghetti bolognese with large glasses of fine red wine at the table in their red-tiled kitchen. The two dragons cooked, joking around the entire time. Trying to cheer me up, I realized. We sat at their massive wooden kitchen table, which had two equally massive benches pulled up beside it.

“So, what do you do, Aiden?” I asked, taking a sip of the wine. 

“I’m a treasure hunter,” he said matter-of-factly. “I collect things for my dragon hoard.” 

“No, really,” I said.

“It’s true,” Ben said. “He keeps it in the shed out back.”

I raised my eyebrow. When Ben had taken me on a tour of his greenhouse, I'd  seen the rather non-descript white-painted wooden shed out in the back.

“You keep it in that rickety old thing?” I asked doubtfully.

“That rickety old thing has a state-of-the-art security system,” Aiden replied. “Anyway, who would look for millions of dollars’ worth of knickknacks and such in a shed?”

“The treasure room is beneath the shed,” Ben clarified for me. He was leaned back in his chair, his wine glass held aloft. 

“Ah,” I replied. “So, you were searching for another thing to bury beneath your shed?”  

“Currently,” Aiden said, swirling his wine expansively, “I am searching for the Mayan Hanging Lady.”

“And what is that?”

“A ritual statue,” Aiden replied. “Used during important sacrifices. From my research, it appears that the Mayans believed it to be a weapon of some kind, gifted to them by the goddess Ixtab.”

“Why do you want it?” I asked. I knew of Ixtab, as any Necromancer would—she was the Mayan patron of those who had died by hanging. She would collect their souls and bring them safely to paradise. The Mayans believed that hanging was a brave way to go, evidently.

“He likes the ladies,” Ben raised his eyebrows in jest. Aiden socked him in the shoulder. “Ow.”

“You get what you deserve,” said Aiden, looking at me. “I want it because it is supposedly made of solid gold and encrusted with emeralds. It will look lovely on the mantel—don’t you think, Benny? Just beside the cursed sword that I found in Aruba. Alas, the Hanging Lady has never been discovered.”

“How do you know about it then?” I asked.

“It is mentioned in the Dresden Codex,” he replied.

“Ah, I see.” I paused, tilting my head to the side as I studied his well-sculpted face. He was the typical All-American type. “What will you do with it?” He grinned at me mischievously.

“Keep it!” I laughed with them.

“No, really.”

“Really.”

“Is that all that dragons do?” I asked, realizing that I was getting pulled in to Aiden’s flirtation. I felt like a fly trapped in a web. I liked Ben, too. I got the feeling, from the way that Ben was smiling at me, he felt the same.

“Is that all that dragons do?” Aiden cried. “Of course!” But I got the feeling, from the way that Aiden’s eyes were traveling smoothly over contours my fitted black t-shirt, that he was very interested. I smiled and glanced down at my wine. I felt conflicted. I won’t come between two friends, I thought. It would, eventually, come to the point where I’d have to choose one or the other, I realized. I’d have to choose neither, or lose them both. I needed them as allies too much. 

 

***

AURORA:

 

Samara’s coven had all gone to ground. All but one, at least. Morton Bingle, proprietor of one of the city’s most run-down herb supply shops. I waited across the street from Bingle’s shop. The building had once been a fancy brownstone, but it had fallen in to disrepair. The shutters were painted a Prussian blue color, and they were tilted at odd angles. The windows were dirty, and the paint on the front door was peeling. The cement steps leading up to the entrance had large cracks in them. Ivy covered most of the building, slowly creeping its way into the structure, adding more cracks to the exterior. Even from the alley across the street, it reeked of magic.

The one good thing about being a demon is that you don’t need to obtain magic. You just have it already. The sharp scent made me feel nauseous. In the street, a young mother walked by, pushing her child in a stroller. I sniffed deeply, inhaling the sweet scent of the child’s flesh. I ran my tongue hungrily over my sharp front teeth. I closed my eyes as my stomach growled insistently, and I hissed in frustration. If I abandoned my post, I would miss my opportunity to take another who could lead me to Samara. The high demon was losing patience. I needed him happy. I needed him to take his rightful place, ruling the masses so that I could feast on fresh flesh.

I remained in the shadows of the alley, watching people pass by. Eventually, the crowds began to thin. The sun sank beneath the far buildings, which scraped the graying sky like broken teeth. The lights in the shop went out. It was time to capture my prey. I waited for him to exit the shop.

The door opened, and a thin bent figure came through it. Bingle was wizened, with leathery skin and long, graying dreadlocks. He wore a trench coat to protect him from the elements. I let myself disappear, reappearing across the street—to find myself blocked. Hissing, I beat my fists against the barrier. The barrier felt cold, soft. I had the sensation of hands grasping me. And then it was gone. The small witch man was gone and the street was entirely empty, except for me.

What was that? I wondered. It some force that I had never before in my eight hundred years encountered.  I stood in the empty street, looking about me. I had the strange feeling of being watched. I hated it. Growling in frustration, I disappeared.   

 

***

SAMARA:

 

Ben and I were working companionably in the library, reading through the books that contained lists of demons and how to identify them. We were trying to find one who matched Lex’s description. The problem was, the demon population of the world was a pretty sizable demographic. Also, Lex had been extremely talented at keeping his true nature hidden. I sighed, gently turning the page of an ancient compendium. It was bound in old leather, and the pages were made of a thick vellum. The manuscript had been written and illuminated by hand. Ben had given me a pair of tiny white cotton gloves to wear while handling the book.

“How old is this manuscript?” I asked him. He was leaning back in his chair, another book in his hands, which were covered in similar white cotton gloves.

“That was made somewhere around 1300,” he replied.

“Wow,” I replied. “How long have you had it?” He squinted and smiled sadly.

“Since the monk who made it finished it,” he said.

“Friend of yours?”

“You could say that.” He sighed deeply. “He wanted me to have protection. Thaddeus was a man plagued by demons.”

“It’s why you grow so much sage,” I guessed. He nodded and looked at me archly.

“It’s why I don’t typically mess with demon-kind.”

“What happened to him?” I said. He looked pained in response to my question.

“The demons took him,” he explained. “He never returned.” Aiden’s heavy, confident steps entered the room. We both looked up. His face was alight with excitement.

“Well, kids, I’m off,” Aiden announced. He wiped his hands together with a clap. 

“Where are you going?” I asked him.

“I’ve a date with a certain lady of solid gold,” he remarked. “I heard from a delightful little bird that my artifact may be entombed with a Catholic missionary of all places.”

“A little bird?” I asked. 

“I have a friend who works in the Black Market,” Aiden explained. “She lets me know when she hears a tip, and I return the favor by bringing her things that she can sell for about three times their worth.” At the mention of a “she” my heart sank a little.

“Good luck,” I said. Ben stood and walked over to him. They slapped a high five.

“Go get her, man,” Ben said.

“Be back soon!” Aiden promised gleefully. He turned and left. We heard a door open and slam closed down the hallway. 

I glanced out through the mullioned window. A large dragon was taking flight. I was surprised at the quickness of the change from man to beast. As a dragon, Aiden was massive, with bright golden scales that caught the late afternoon sun. His massive wings were opened, like lace on the spokes of an opened umbrella. The power, the strength, the contours of his muscles and the play of light on his scales made the sight absolutely breathtaking.

“He’s rather vain about his looks,” Ben commented. I looked over at him and smiled. 

“Not surprising. Is that what you look like?”

“Not quite,” Ben smiled at me crookedly as he sat back down beside me. “I’m a Green. I have a little bit of a different body structure than that of the Gold.”

“Mm-hmm,” I replied noncommittally.

“Would you like a glass of wine?” Ben asked, standing again and stretching. I nodded.

“Yes, please. What we had last night was delicious.” He nodded.

“Aiden got it about two centuries ago,” Ben mused. “From some defunct noble in France.” I raised my eyebrows, impressed.

 

He returned with a bottle and two glasses, pouring me a generous helping. The wine was a deep, almost blood red. Unlike blood, it was clear. The cut-crystal that held it made it look like a precious stone.

“Thank you,” I said, accepting the wineglass from him. I took a sip. My mouth was flooded with the warm, sweet taste of the red wine. Ben sat down beside me with his own.

“So? Have you found anything yet?” he asked hopefully. I sighed and shook my head.

“I’ve gone through all of the lesser demons,” I said with a shrug. “None match Lex’s description, so I’m thinking that maybe he’s one of the major demons and was just able to hide his true nature really well. The descriptions of the major demons are super ugly, though. I don’t know if I’d recognize him.”

“For example?” he asked, sipping his wine. I pulled the book that sat on the table closer to me and read.

“Azazriel. One of the High Demons. Dark-skinned with red eyes and long fangs. Azazriel is covered with excessive scarring from his love of flame. He often breathes it forth. His preferred method of feeding is by burning his victims alive and then eating the ashes.”

“Sounds lovely,” Ben said sarcastically. He sighed. I shook my head in exhaustion.

“I only ever saw him in human form,” I explained. “His eyes would sometimes glow red, but that’s as far as he ever went.”

“Then I would definitely say that he is a major demon,” Ben said. “He wouldn’t have been able to hide it so well otherwise.” I sighed deeply and pushed the book away from me.

“I need a break,” I said. I picked up my wineglass and drank deeply. I looked over at Ben, who was studying me closely. “What’s your story, Ben?” He raised his eyebrows in surprise, then looked away from me and took a sip of his wine.

“Well, I was born, approximately, 1235 CE,” he began hesitantly, as if he didn’t talk about his past much. My eyebrows shot skyward.

“Really? You don’t seem that old.”

“Dragon shifters age slowly,” he explained in a soft voice. “We are children for far longer than a human.” I nodded.

“How old is Aiden?”

“He was born around 25 CE,” Ben said. “He lived in Rome for a while.” 

“Wow.” He laughed at my surprised look.

“Anyway,” he went on, “I grew up with my mother in a small cottage in the woods. It was very quiet, peaceful. This was somewhere around what is now Surrey.”

“You don’t have an accent,” I commented.

“I haven’t lived in England in a very long time,” he replied simply. “My mother was killed by dragon hunters in the 1400’s.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “That must have been hard.” He nodded. “What about your father?”

“We hid from him. He beat her while she was pregnant with me. Some dragons are…rather violent. It’s in our genetic makeup, I suppose. I met him once.” His eyes were far away, a slightly pained look in them. He took a large gulp of wine. “Anyway, I was alone for a long time. I stayed in the woods and grew things. I was a healer for the local villagers. It was quiet.” I placed a comforting hand on his arm.

“You don’t seem violent to me,” I said gently.

“I try.” He shrugged. “You haven’t seen me get angry.”

I laughed, thinking that it would be rather difficult to get the easy-going Ben ruffled.

“Anyway, Aiden found me,” he went on. “This was in the sixteenth century. My quiet life was disrupted entirely. He needed someone good with herbs. We went on adventures.”

I smiled.

“What did you do?”

“Ah, the usual—drinking, fighting, and wenching,” he winked at me, and I laughed. “We collected treasures beyond anything that I could have imagined in my solitary life.” He nodded slowly, musing.

“What was your favorite adventure?” I prompted.

He smiled and began to tell me. For the next few hours, he told me many tales of adventure and treasure. We finished off the bottle of wine and got another. Then another. I was feeling warm and fuzzy inside. I could feel myself leaning in closer to Ben as he told me about himself and Aiden. It was more than that, though—I was gravitating toward Ben, getting wrapped up within his orbit. 

“And then, we ran,” Ben said expressively. “Aiden was having trouble shifting into his dragon because of the artifact—it was repellent to dragons somehow. We ended up destroying it, but in that moment, we just tore out of there. It was the strangest secret society I’ve ever encountered.” He shook his head. His cheeks were lightly flushed. He looked at me and smiled. I could feel my skin tingling and something warm rise within my chest. His smile faltered, and he leaned toward me.

Our lips collided, and I found myself kissing him back deeply. I got out of my chair in a fluid movement. He pulled me toward him, and I straddled his lap in the chair, brushing my hips against his. He exhaled, burying his fingers in my hair and pulling me in closer. Our kisses grew frantic, mouths open. I ran my tongue over his teeth, feeling the points of his elongated canines. I could feel him against my leg, growing hard. His hands were on my hips, then moving upward. His fingers brushed my skin beneath my shirt. With a jolt, I pulled away, gasping. 

“I—I’m sorry,” I said, pulling away. Ben frowned, his eyes were sad. I was drunk, and after hearing all of the stories about the adventures that the two friends had shared over the centuries, how could I come between them? “I—Lex.”

“It’s okay,” Ben said softly. He placed a comforting hand on my cheek. “Take the time that you need.”

“Thank you,” I said, and promptly burst into heartrending, drunken tears. I had never been more conflicted in my life. I wanted him. I wanted him badly. But in the back of my mind, I was also thinking about how attracted I was to Aiden, as well. They were opposites—my desire for each of them pulling me in two different directions.

 

***

AURORA:

 

Hands. I had seen and felt hands pushing me away from the male witch, Morton Bingle, out in front of his shop. It did not take me long to figure that one out. It was Meroe. I had never encountered a ghost before. They usually stay away from demons as we tend to enjoy trapping them on the rare occasion that we can. Demons enjoy perverting the spirits of the Dead. I decided to set a trap for the little mouse.

I returned to the alleyway across from the shop, waiting for the male witch to come out. Meroe would protect him again, and then I could take her instead. I smiled to myself. It was not long before he exited. I could see her beside him. She was a silver wisp, barely visible.

I made my attack. The male witch screamed as I snarled. Meroe’s hands came up to block me, and I grabbed her. She froze, her eyes wide in shock.

“Hello, little mouse,” I said. “Let’s play, shall we?” I vanished, Meroe in tow. We re-appeared in Lex’s penthouse apartment. He was lounging back on his black leather couch, a tumbler of dark liquid in his hand. He cocked an eyebrow when he saw me, holding the ghostly hand of Meroe.

“Look what I caught, master,” I hissed. The ghost of Meroe struggled against my grasp. I looked at her. “You know that demons are not of the real world, little mouse, don’t you?” She looked at me, eyes wide in surprise. I grinned.

“She has probably been to see Samara,” Lex said, standing. Meroe continued to struggle against my hold. Lex’s face began to crumple as he let his human façade slip away. His true nature was suddenly before us. Meroe went slack in my grip. I gasped in awe at what I beheld.

Lex’s skin was rough, scarred. Sigils were carved into his flesh, making him more powerful. They glowed with a power all their own, feeding off of Lex’s life force. His mouth was nothing more than a violent slash in the skin of his face, and his teeth were all sharply pointed. His eyes were flame and darkness. His hair had vanished, leaving a scalp that was broken only by the sigils carved into it. Without warning, his long yellowed talons lashed out at the ghost witch. She screamed in pain as he hit her.

“TELL ME,” he rasped, his voice powerful. The ghost witch looked at him with wide terror-filled eyes, her jaw clamped shut. Facing a major demon, one whose powers were magnified, Meroe was in over her head. I laughed with glee.

 

***

SAMARA:

 

Several days had passed, and Ben and I had stepped around each other cautiously. I didn’t know what to say to him. I felt deeply guilty for leading him on. He said nothing about it, helping me to look through the books and offering me food. He was kind. It was his best trait by far.

I sat in the library, reading through a text with a list of the major demons. The one whose description I was reading, Vail, had a scent like sulfur. Nope. Move on to the next one. Lomak. I sighed and began to read.

“Hey kid.” I looked up to find Aiden looking in at me, a wide smile across his handsome face.

“Hey,” I replied. “How’d it go?” In response, he held up a tiny gold statue, the gleam of emeralds catching the light.

“Mine!” he stated triumphantly. I smiled.

“Congratulations! Have you figured out what it does yet?” He looked down at it, shaking his head.

“No. I’ll keep it around until I do, though.” He slid it into the back pocket of his jeans and walked into the library. He sat down in the chair across the table from me, placing his elbows on the table and cupping his chin in his hands. “Miss me, beautiful?”

“Oh, yes, very much,” I replied sarcastically. I had, in actuality, missed him very much, but I wasn’t about to inflate his ego any more than it already was. “Can I look at your lady?”

He pulled it out of his back pocket and handed it to me. For such a small thing, it was heavy. It was in the shape of a slender, beautiful woman, her hair caught in a breeze. A rope hung from her neck like a necklace, and she held a snake aloft in her hands, as though offering to the person in front of her. It fit in the palm of my hand. I could feel the power emanating from it. I frowned.

“This has great power,” I remarked, turning it over in my hand. Interested, Aiden cocked his head to the side quizzically.

“Can you tell what it does?” he asked hopefully.

“I can try,” I offered. I closed my eyes, beginning a chant of revealing. I kept it whispered, beneath my breath. I had the feeling that the relic should not be awoken. With my mage-sense, I could see a woman inside of the relic. She looked at me with dark sockets for eyes. I felt her intentions—they were dark. Her skin was brown, and weathered, like dried cornhusks. Her hair was jet black, but stringy and thinning. She looked starved. She was trying to tell me something—What? I asked her, and she seemed to growl, baring her blackened teeth. She spoke a different language, but I could sense she was speaking to me. Bring me a gift, Necromancer. I will keep it. She was asking for a sacrifice. I nodded. I understand, I told her, and then carefully backed away. I opened my eyes and looked at Aiden.

“It’s alive,” I told him. “She wants you to bring her a soul.” His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“It’s a she?” his eyes were wide in surprise.

“Yes. She’s hungry.”

“She needs to be fed?”

“Yes. If you want her to remain happy,” I explained. “I don’t think she’s eaten in a while. She looks as though she is starving.” He nodded, eyes wide. I handed the relic back to him.

“Thank you,” he said, looking very overwhelmed. He sighed. “I hate when relics need things. It’s so much upkeep.”

“The scourge of the treasure hunter,” I replied. He smiled.

“I brought you something,” he said, leaning forward. My heart leapt at the same time as my conflicting feelings for Ben caused an ache.

“What is it?” I asked carefully. He leaned across the table, whispering in my ear, his breath hot against my skin. He smelled of spices and aftershave. My heart pounded wildly in lust.

“A kiss,” he said simply. His lips lightly brushed over my skin, and I felt as though I were being set on fire. He was looking me right in the eyes, about to lean in and kiss me, kiss me properly, when Ben walked in.

“I found it,” he announced. Aiden and I pulled away quickly—too quickly. Ben had a strange look on his face. He knows, I thought guiltily, but he smiled his usual, easy smile.

“What did you find, Benny?” Aiden had, of course, recovered entirely. Ben held up a book.

“I found your demon.”

“How do you know?” I asked, and Ben looked down at the massive hardback book in his hands and began to read.

“Malak is one of the greater demons. He has a lust for power that  has been growing since the Dark Ages,” he read, his finger brushing over the page. “He has increased his own powers by discovering the sigils that have the ability to do so. He carved them into his own skin, amplifying his powers tenfold. He has an obsession with power over the Dead and the Living. He walks about in the skin of a man, a man beautiful enough to charm women who have powers that he lacks.”

“That’s him!” I shouted, getting up and racing toward Ben. I wrapped my arms around him tightly. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Anything to help a pretty lady,” he replied.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” I said, pulling away and looking up and into his eyes.    

“You could have. Just not as quickly,” he said confidently. I frowned with sudden realization.

“What do I do next? My mother didn’t say.” My heart sank with the realization.

“You have to find a way to trap him,” Ben replied, scratching his nose thoughtfully. “Since he’s a high demon, it has to be extremely effective. A long-term solution.”

“More reading?” Aiden asked sadly.

“More reading,” Ben confirmed. He headed for the shelves with the grimoires.

“I’ll make food,” Aiden suggested, stalking out of the room.

 

***

MEROE:

 

I faced the high demon. He was strong—too strong for me, I realized with a sickening lurch. The sigils that were carved into his skin glowed against the dark, burnt-looking flesh. They were amplifying his power. A sharp pain, like a knife, entered my head. I fought against it with all of my powers, but I was nowhere near strong enough. It was as though my head exploded into a million tiny pieces. All of my memories played through my mind, forced out by Lex’s enormous amount of power.

My memories spun, images passing by as though they were played on a screen before me. The ones focused on Samara began to appear, in sequence. The night we met, as children, at a coven gathering. Samara and I at school. Samara and I at the playground. Samara, high school-aged, her head thrown back as she roared with laughter. Samara and I taking the initiation ritual into the coven when we were eighteen. Samara the day that her mother died. Samara helping me do a working. No. No. NO! I tried to fight the flow—we were getting too close to the answer.

Then an image of Samara from the last time that I had seen her when I was alive flashed before me. She looked…tired. She was shaking her head, no. Then, I saw silver paths in the darkness. The path to Samara was glowing. I screamed in frustration, but I had lost any power that I might have had. I was dead. My protective spells had all died with me. Samara’s face appeared before me, sobbing.

Lex cried out in triumph.

It all stopped then. There was nothing more. Lex screamed in anger.

“Where…where is she, exactly?” he snarled at me. I smiled slightly.

“You do not know how to travel the Paths of the Dead,” I said. “That’s the only way that I went.” He screamed in a horrible, otherworldly voice. He had no affinity for the Dead. That is something that only a human Necromancer can do. A demon has no comprehension of Life and Death. Thus while he had a rough location for where Samara was, he didn’t have anything exact.

He reached forward, slicing into my insubstantial body. His touch burned. I looked him bravely in the eye. I would not give him the satisfaction of hearing my pain. Demons feed off of that. He looked over at Aurora, who stood in the corner of the room, like a shadow.

“Travel the Paths,” he ordered. Her eyes went wide.

“But—I…I might get lost,” she said.

“I don’t care,” Lex replied darkly. “I know that the only being that you care for is yourself. Find her, or you will lose everything that you hold dear.” He turned slowly to face her, and she flinched.

“Go,” he hissed. Aurora vanished. He turned to face me, a wild look in his eyes.

* * *

AURORA:

I traveled the Paths of the Dead. I could see the silver thread that led to Samara. It was faint. Someone was purposefully obscuring it—no, more than one person. The whole coven was working together. My heart raced—if I lost that thread, I could become lost here in the darkness forever. A demon cannot die, and the Paths of the Dead are many.

Several times, I became lost in the tangle of threads, losing the one that led to Samara. I could feel the power of her coven, seeking to keep me from my goal. My breathing became labored. The glowing string was before me. I stood still, afraid that if I moved, my surroundings would shift, and I would find myself hopelessly lost. Finally, in desperation, I reached out, grabbing the silver thread. I screamed in pain as it burned my hand. Before I could pull away, however, I was sucked in to the place where it led.

I found myself standing in darkness. There were a few streetlamps, glowing orange. It was silent. I looked about me. I was in a small town. It had one main street. There were no signs of habitation aside from the streetlamps and the cars parked by the tiny houses that lined the block that I was on.

I looked down at my hand, which throbbed with pain. There was a bright red, blistering burn across it, as though I had touched a scalding wire. That will not soon go away, I thought to myself. I tore off a strip from the hem of my shirt and wrapped it around the burn before turning my attention back to my surroundings.

The temperature was warm, and the air was dry. I could see the far-off shapes of mesas and saguaros. I was in the desert. What a hiding place—I would never have thought to look here! I would have assumed that the witches would have sent their own to somewhere comfortable—somewhere in the tropics, to wait on a soft beach with a fruity drink. Evidently not. This was far from paradise with its tiny shabby houses and dull dun earth. Suddenly, I felt my senses perk up. This place did have one thing.

Wafting along the breeze, I smelled the soft, delectable scent of a baby’s skin. I looked at the tiny white house that stood on a dirt lawn beside me. No lights were turned on. A window in the downstairs was open. I walked toward it, peeking in.

The crib stood right beside the window. A nasty bundle of sage was above the crib, and a bowl of whiskey for the sidhe was set out upon the sill. The child looked up at me. It was grabbing its feet, its innocent eyes wide. It showed no fear, making a tiny, happy mewling sound. My stomach growled in hunger. I could sense that Samara was nearby. She probably felt safe. We had located her more quickly than even we had anticipated. I reached inside of the window for a quick snack. 

 

***

SAMARA:

 

I continued to page through the grimoire that I had been reading for what seemed like hours, leafing through its section on binding spells. I had the beginnings of a headache clawing at my temples, and my eyes felt dry and gritty. I looked up. Aiden and Ben were standing across the room.

Looking at them, I felt deeply confused. Ben was scruffy, but totally laid back and very sweet. Aiden was clean-cut with toned muscles. He was all confidence and flirtation. Together, they were the whole package. Why couldn’t they just meld together into one person? I thought with a sigh. Perhaps there’s a spell in one of these grimoires…I paused, squinting. The two dragons were whispering to each other, deep into some kind of a debate. Aiden said something, and Ben looked at him, doubtfully raising an eyebrow as he folded his arms. He raised a hand to yank on his beard.

“I don’t know, dude,” I heard Ben reply in an undertone. “She may not want to.”

“I may not want to what?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. They both jumped, not realizing that I had noticed them. Ben looked surprised, but Aiden just smiled, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. He tucked his hands into his pockets and began to easily stroll toward me.

He stopped right beside me. He was close. Very close. I could smell his aftershave. I craned my neck to look at him, but he leaned over, putting his mouth right up to my ear.

“We know you like us,” he whispered, his breath hot on the tender skin beneath my ear. “We know that you’re not just using us for our books.”

“I do like you,” I said, a little confused. “Both of you.”

“No,” he whispered. “You like us.” He pulled away to look me in the eye, his eyebrows waggling in exaggeration. I laughed and gave him a playful shove.

“What are you getting at?” 

“Relax baby girl,” he said. “Let us take care of you.”

“What?” 

“You’re so—contained. Don’t be that way,” he said easily. 

“What do you mean?”

“You think that it can only be one or the other,” he explained, gesturing with each of his hands in turn. “You can have both, babe.”

“You aren’t—”

“Jealous? No,” he scrunched his nose as he said it. “It’s not really sharing, either.”

“You’ll have both of us. At the same time,” Ben explained. “That is what you want, isn’t it?” I was speechless for a moment. My mouth hung open in shock.

“Do you do this often?” I asked suspiciously. They both laughed and looked at each other.

“We may have done this once or twice,” Aiden admitted, his eyes wide and innocent. “But that was back in the fourteenth century, dearest.” He crouched down in front of me, placing a hand on my knee. I felt my body react to his touch. I bit my lip. “Play with us, love. Pretty please?” I sighed and looked at Ben.

“Oh, no,” Aiden said. “Benny is not innocent. He wants to play, too.” Aiden pouted a little, and Ben shrugged a little guiltily.

“Okay,” I said calmly. My insides were screaming out in lust. I wanted them. And I would have them—both.

“Atta girl!” Aiden said excitedly. “You’re in charge. Where do you want us?” He stood up straight. I thought for a moment and looked Aiden in the eye. I gestured toward an armchair in the corner. He grinned at me and stalked over to a chair in the corner. I looked at Ben and beckoned for him to come over to me. I stood and walked around the table to meet him. He reached down, kissing me. His beard brushed lightly against my skin. His kisses were soft, tender. I wrapped my fingers in his beard, pulling him in closer to me. I could feel Aiden’s eyes on us, and it added an element to the action that I’d never experienced before. I glanced over at Aiden as I kissed Ben. Aiden’s eyes were burning with desire. My insides caught fire.

As Aiden watched from the chair in the corner, Ben lifted my shirt, his fingertips brushing my nipples as he raised the stretchy black fabric away from my skin. I raised my arms as he pulled the shirt over my head, and then let it drop to the floor. He leaned forward, licking and then sucking my nipple, toying with the other with his fingers. I closed my eyes, leaning my head back in silent ecstasy. When I opened my eyes, I glanced over at Aiden. His eyes were glowing golden, irises turned to reptilian slits in his lust. As I watched, his skin shifted to golden scales.

I let out a small sigh, then returned my focus to Ben. Sweet Ben, who was gently tugging my shorts down, his fingertips running over my skin. My shorts dropped to the floor. Ben touched me through my panties, his fingers rubbing my slit, a soft, teasing gesture. I felt a pulse in between my legs, a deep throbbing of desire. Ben looked up at me and smiled as he pulled my panties down. He then picked me up, kissing me deeply, yet gently. I wrapped my legs around him, beginning to unbutton his plaid shirt.  He set me down on the table, pushing on my knees, so that my legs were wide open. I sat up straight, back arched and breasts on full display. My nipples were puckered and flushed red.

Ben stood back, looking at me with eyes that spoke of his need—gentle and caring. Aiden sat in the corner, his look dangerous and hungry, desire rolling off of him like flames.

“You’re beautiful,” Ben whispered. Aiden let out a low growl, tendrils of smoke softly curling out of his mouth. He got up on the table, his legs folded beneath him. He pulled my legs up and on the table, placing each over his shoulders. He leaned down, his eyes on mine as he began to pleasure me with his tongue, light touches, exploring. I inhaled and moaned, leaning back on my elbows. I arched my back so that my breasts stuck out, and then looked over at Aiden. I held up a hand, beckoning to him and then closed my eyes

Aiden’s hand traveled along my sternum, his skin hot to the touch. He caressed my breast, cupping it in the palm of his hand. His other hand caressed my hair, grabbing a fistful of it and tugging lightly. I faced him. Placing his index finger beneath my chin, he stuck his thumb in my mouth. I took it between my teeth, then sucked on it. I kept my eyes on his, wanton, hungry. His look was hot—he was all heat and passion where Ben was soft and tender. They were opposites—but each possessed the best of the extremes. Aiden was unbuttoning his black shirt. He took it off to reveal perfect, toned abs covered by taught, caramel-toned skin. I watched him as he took off his jeans. His body was rock hard, toned to perfection.

Meanwhile, Ben’s tongue was driving me over the edge. He licked expertly, adding pressure to places that were particularly sensitive and causing me to pant with desire as I looked at Aiden. He placed a hand on my stomach.

Aiden stepped toward me, and I took him into my mouth. He was rock hard. He placed his hand on my head, guiding me. He exhaled deeply, a thrumming sound echoing through his chest. Ben’s tongue was insistent—my body responded. I came hard and quick, my mouth opening as I cried out. My whole body writhed in pleasure. Ben continued, his tongue pushing me onward. Aiden caressed my head with one hand, the other went to my breast, cupping it, rolling my nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

As I began to come down from my orgasm, Ben stopped. I looked down at his face, poised between my legs. He gave me a small smile, his gaze sultry. He kissed my stomach and sat up. I did, too. I reached forward, unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans.  Sliding off of the table, he removed them for me.

They both stood next to each other, naked, their gaze on me. The hunger and desire in their gaze was clear, and made me feel sexy. They both looked at each other, as though trying to decide who was going to go first. But I had just gotten a large infusion of daring.

“No,” I said. “Both of you.” Aiden cocked an eyebrow with a wicked smile.

“At the same time?” I nodded.

“You heard the lady, Benny.” Ben nodded, motioning that I get off the table. He went to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of lavender essential oil mixed with baby’s oil. He poured some in his hand before he sat on the table and pulled my hips toward him. I inhaled as he slowly entered me. He held me up by the hips, his arms wrapped around my mid-section as Aiden opened my legs wide with the palms of his hands. Aiden looked at me, his eyes dangerous as he placed his cock at my entrance. My body was screaming out for him. He entered me, slowly. I gasped. I had never felt so…full.

Behind me, there was a deep thrumming sound coming from Ben. They both began to move, and I cried out. Ben stopped.

“Are you okay?”

“Don’t stop,” I commanded. They moved in unison, one entering me as the other retreated. I felt as though I would come at any second. Aiden ran his hand over my body, looking at me with heat in his eyes…literally, they looked like twin wheels of flame.

“How much do you want us?” he taunted me in a husky voice.

“Very much,” I gasped. Ben’s hand snaked down over my abdomen, reaching down to massage my clit. I yelled out as Aiden pushed inward. All of my nerve-endings were alive. I was quickly coming to the crisis; my whole body being shaken by an immense orgasm. Aiden placed a finger on my bottom lip. I bit it.

“Come on, baby,” he said. “Let go.” My body reacted on his command, and I threw my head back as I felt the waves of my orgasm crash through me. Ben’s arms held me around my middle tightly, and Aiden ran his hands over me. I panted as it subsided. Aiden rolled my nipple in between his fingers and gave me a naughty smile.

“Again?” he asked. I smiled.

“Again,” I agreed.

 

***

MEROE:

 

I closed my eyes. The demon was still pinning me. His attention, however, was on the place where Aurora had just disappeared. I felt for the silver threads, grasping for them with my spirit—they were my only hope for escape. I could feel myself slipping away from the demon’s grip. I heard him scream in anger.

I rushed along the threads, hearing the clear sound of the one that led to Samara. I found her in the library, where I had seen her last. It was night, and she lay between the bodies of two sleeping men—no, they were something other; their cores shone too brightly. The three of them were naked, their limbs entwined. The scene was clearly post-coital. I arched my brow, impressed. Get it, girl.

Samara’s eyes opened. She gasped, flushing bright red as she sat upright, wrapping her arms across her chest. She coughed.

“Uh—Meroe,” she began. I held up a hand.

“There’s no time,” I replied. “Lex knows, roughly, where you are. You need to get to the safe house. It’s where you will have the combined protection of the whole coven.”

“How did he—” I shook my head sadly.

“He broke in to my memories,” I explained. “I’m so sorry.” My voice cracked.

“You tried,” she said, smiling at me lopsidedly. I nodded.

“He’s stronger than we assumed,” I added. “You need to get to safety now.”

“She is safe,” said one of the men. He had a clean-shaven face. “We can protect her.” I shook my head.

“Not against a high demon. I have faced him. He is more than he seems.”

“We’re dragons,” the man insisted. That explains some things.

“You can come,” Samara said to him. “If I have the strength of my coven combined with you and Ben, think of how strong that would be.” He squinted, considering it, and nodded.

“We should go now, then.” He shoved the other man, who had a beard, with his hand. “C’mon Benny! The demons are coming!”

* * *

SAMARA:

Dora looked frazzled. She raced around her kitchen, preparing tea. Ben and Aiden stood by the door awkwardly. She paused, sighing deeply. She looked at the two dragons.

“Check the perimeter wards,” she instructed them. “I think they’ll hold for a little while, but we will need every second.” They nodded. Ben turned and walked off, but Aiden came over to me, pulling something from his back pocket. He handed it to me.

“Why are you giving me this?” I asked him, looking at the Mayan Hanging Lady, which sat heavily in the palm of my hand.

“In dragon-form, I won’t have a jeans pocket,” he explained sheepishly. He shrugged. “Gotta keep my two best girls together.” He winked at me before walking off and into the building. I placed the statue in my jacket pocket. 

Dora said, “It’s a good thing that I don’t have any guests. I wouldn’t know where to send them. Have a seat, Samara. It’s going to be a long wait.” She brought over the teapot and several cups. 

“Dora? Can I ask you a question?” I asked, biting my lip nervously.

“Anything,” she replied kindly.

“Is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time?”

“Oh, honey, you can love many people.”

“I mean…romantically,” I said. She glanced at the door where the two dragons had exited the room before looking back at me. Her left eyebrow was raised.

“Do they love you too?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive,” I nodded, eyes wide. She thought for a moment, sitting down across from me at the table.

“Well, it’s certainly a different situation…” she mused. “But, if there’s one thing that I do know about love is, that it’s big. It grows to fill all of the gaps if you let it. If you love both of them, and they aren’t jealous, then I see nothing wrong with it. I don't think jealousy will be a problem. I think that after several centuries, a half-dragon, half-man tends to mellow a bit.”

“You think so?”

“I know so,” said Dora. She smiled and winked at me. “Those two are so protective of you. I can just feel the anxiety about your safety just rolling off of them.” She laughed. “What’s life without a few eccentricities?”

“Thanks, Dora.”

“Sure.”

“I’m just…worried for them. I’m essentially asking them to fight a major demon with me,” I paused, worry flooding my gut. “I don’t want them to get hurt.” Dora smiled encouragingly.

“They are doing it because they love you,” she said. 

“I hate this waiting,” I complained. “Why can’t I just go out and confront Lex?”

“Because then you might end up on his turf,” she reminded me. “When you’re here, you have the strength of the coven.” She leaned forward, placing her hand on my arm. I felt her empath's powers flood me with a sense of calm. “You are far from alone, Samara. The coven is, right now, performing a ritual to send you their strength.”

“Why are they doing it?” I said.

She looked at me, her head cocked to the side.

“You’re one of us. You know this. We are all one heart, that beats together,” she explained. “Even the two dragons are part of us, although, they don’t know that.”

I nodded.

Just then, we heard a large crash and a loud, low growl come from the front of the B&B. Dora looked at me gravely.

“It is time.”

 

***

SAMARA:

 

When I arrived at the front of the B&B, the whole front of the building had been ripped open. Aiden’s large, golden form loomed before it, and as Ben stepped forward, his skin shifted to bright emerald scales, and there was a loud crackling noise as his whole frame shifted into dragon form. I looked at him in awe—where Aiden was humongous and muscular, Ben was lean and sinuous. His wings were smaller, but still like stretched lace. His head was triangular, and more reptilian and with a longer snout than Aiden’s, whose head was shaped more similarly to that of a horse. Side-by-side the two of them were breath-taking. Every line of their musculature spoke of power and strength. I felt protected. I felt loved, as well, as they both looked at me. A dragon’s eyes are far more expressive than that of an ordinary lizard. I could see human emotion etched on both of their faces as they looked at me. I inhaled, feeling my heart swell with feeling.

You love us, Ben’s voice sounded in my head, and I looked at him in shock. There was a deep thrumming sound coming from within his massive chest. He turned his magnificent head in my direction, his vibrant green eyes peering into my own. Sorry, he apologized. I am telepathic in dragon form.

Useful, I replied. What happened to the B&B?

Aiden shifted before he was all of the way out of the building. He kind of burst through the door…in the literal sense. Ben made a huffing noise, which sounded like a laugh. Smoke curled out of the corners of his mouth.

Oh. I suddenly wondered if Aiden was telepathic, as well. Is Aiden— Aiden’s head swung toward me, and he lowered his face, so that his enormous golden eye was right next to my face. 

Yep. The other day, I heard you when you called me beautiful. His voice dripped with inflated ego.

Remind me not to think around you.

You totally want my hot bod right now, he boasted, and I shook my head in disbelief.

What happened? I asked, changing the subject. Has Lex found me?

She has come, Ben replied, his voice angry. I looked past him. I could see the wards put up by my coven—they appeared as a bubble of pale blue light around the B&B. Aurora stood with her hands pressed up against them, squinting as though she were trying to see in. My heart clenched uncomfortably—her mouth was dripping with fresh blood, and her hands were covered with gore. She had fed. Very recently.

“Oh, no,” Dora whispered, her hand over her heart. “She’s a child-eater.”

“Yes, a Lamia,” I confirmed. Dora looked at me sadly

and said, “There’s only one child in this town.”

My heart dropped into my stomach like a lump of lead as I remembered meeting the woman who I met at Ben’s shop with her baby daughter, who had been dressed in blue. I had no time to think because there was a loud crack and Lex appeared beside Aurora. His face was alight with triumph.

He stepped forward confidently, and my heart began to pound within my chest. My palms were sweating as he placed his hand on the protective ward that my coven was keeping in place.

“It won’t hold,” I looked beside me to find Meroe’s ghost standing beside me. She looked sad and worried.

“What?” I asked. She shook her head.

“He’s too strong.” I looked back at Lex to find that the protective bubble of warding spells had evaporated at his touch. His eyes flashed bright red fire when he saw me. He opened his mouth to speak, and all of his teeth were sharp fangs.

“Samara!” he said in a deceptively warm tone. “Darling, I’ve missed you.” I didn’t buy it. I realized that the beautiful man whom I had dated did not exist—in his place stood a being with burnt, leathery skin. Bright, fiery sigils had been carved with nasty, jagged cuts into his desiccated flesh. He raised his hand. His nails were long and sharp, yellowed. He cocked his head to the side.

“Do you not still love me, dearest?” his voice was rough. The two dragons roared, dashing toward him immediately. He held his hands up, and both dragons were stopped, mid-lunge, hanging in the air. They fought against his force, snarling wickedly. They began to revolve slowly in the air. Aiden twisted his head, aiming at Lex. He opened his large mouth and let out a gout of flames. Lex laughed maniacally as he was drenched in the firestorm.

“Flame cannot hurt me, dragon,” he cackled, stepping out of the flames untouched. Ben lunged against the force holding him and snapped at the demon with his fanged maw, but Lex was able to hold him off with a wave of his hand. The two massive dragons fought against his unseen force field in pure fury. Their might was awesome, yet no match for Lex…who is also Malak, I thought to myself. I had his name. But I did not have a way to trap him. Lex began to walk toward me. I began to panic, my heart racing in my chest. I felt like I was exposed, naked in the dark, standing alone.

Samara! I heard Ben’s voice in my mind.

I’ve got this, I assured him, glancing to where he and Aiden were suspended in the air. In my mind, my voice sounded more certain than I felt. Ben’s massive, triangular head was contorted on his long, slender neck, so that his eyes were on me. Both dragons struggled against the force that kept them there, clawing and twisting in space as though they were being pulled about on marionette strings, with Lex as the puppeteer. I looked at the being whom I did not recognize in any way.

“Samara, my little goose,” he cajoled. It was a menacing voice that was so unlike Lex’s that it seemed to belong to someone else entirely. “Come here, love.” Dora bravely stood in between me and Lex. With one hand, he brushed her away like a rag doll.

“No!” I screamed, panicking. Unable to go and check on her, I faced down my demon ex. Fear blossomed within me, but I would not let it show. I had his name. I had the ultimate weapon against him. Not only that, the Dead would come to my aid. I began to summon the spirits of my ancestors using my powers as a Necromancer. I closed my eyes as I began to open the silver roads between Life and Death, calling out to all who would come.

As I did so, a presence brushed against my mind. It was familiar, but ancient. The Hanging Woman. I placed my hand in my jacket pocket, wrapping my fingers around the heavy golden statue tightly, feeling the cold emeralds dig in to my flesh. I closed my eyes and answered her.

Yes? I asked her, surprised that she had answered my call, for she was not one of the Dead. I had known from the first time that I had encountered her that she was, in fact, something more. 

I could see her in my mind—yellowing skin, starving look, those dark and dangerous eyes. She reached out to me with her consciousness. She was speaking in a foreign language, which slowly became comprehensible to me.

Give him to me, Priestess, she said.

What will you do with him? I asked her.

Keep him, she promised me, and I could feel her extreme hunger. I will eat him whole.

It’s what you did with the Mayan’s sacrifices, I said, understanding washing over me.

Yes, she replied, and I could feel her pride as well as her ache for what powers she had lost. She was considerably weakened, having become a defunct goddess, but what she had left was still deeper than the roots of the World Tree.

He’ll never go free? I asked, begging for her promise.

Never again will he walk the earth, she agreed.

I nodded and opened my eyes to look at Lex, who was reaching out with his hand for my throat. He was close now, and I could smell him—the scent of fresh blood and burnt flesh. I fought against gagging—to show any sign of weakness at this moment would be disastrous. I looked into the twin red flames, split down the center by irises that were snake-like black slits. In that moment, I realized that I was stronger than he was. I had the only thing that could hurt him.

“Malak,” I said, confidently pronouncing his name. Malak’s face dissolved into terror. “Your soul is my gift to the goddess.”

He grinned, laughing.

“Your goddess won’t take a demon, you idiot,” he spat, assuming that I was talking about the witches’ nature goddess, Mielikki, who I followed. I pulled out the statue of the Hanging Lady and held it up.

“No,” I agreed. “But she will.” The smile drained from his face as a golden rope appeared around his neck. A large golden cloud appeared and evanesced around my hand, and Malak screamed as he was pulled in to the statue. His screams were cut short abruptly. Aiden and Ben fell out of the air with a concussive blow. The ground shook as they hit it. I stood for a moment, holding out the statue before me, waiting to be sure that Malak was truly gone. When nothing happened, I reached out with my power, touching the consciousness within the statue. I felt her satisfaction with her new toy, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

 

I looked around me. All was silent. Aiden and Ben were in the process of shifting back into their human forms, the sound of bone and sinew snapping into place. It was a strange process to behold, and I watched numbly, too exhausted to process it fully. Their scales gave way to tanned human flesh. I almost giggled to see two naked men rushing in my direction. With a start, I turned toward Dora, who lay crumpled on the ground in a heap. I began to run toward her. I reached her first, gently placing my hand on her back. To my relief, Dora rolled over, groaning.

“Oh, I’m too old for this,” she groaned in pain. I hugged her. She inhaled sharply. “Careful, careful!” 

“Sorry—I’m just so glad that you’re okay.” She smiled at me, placing a soft hand against my face. I felt her power wash through me, sending calming vibrations through me. I looked up at Ben and Aiden, who were both deliciously naked. I decided to ignore it… for the moment. “And you two? Are you hurt?”

“We’re unbreakable,” Aiden replied. He looked behind him. “The only problem is…the Lamia was able to make her escape.”

“No—” I looked around, expecting to see her.

“She did,” Meroe said beside me. “Her allegiance with Lex only lasted so long as he had power. The second you mentioned his true name, she was out of here.”

“We need to stop her,” I said, tensing myself.

Meroe smiled.

“Let me,” she said, vanishing. Her last words echoed on the air. “Aurora and I have a score to settle.”

 

***

SAMARA:

 

I woke suddenly. The sun was streaming through the window, warming my skin deliciously. It appeared to be late afternoon…which meant I had slept through most of the day. I was in the luxuriously soft bed in the guest room of the dragons’ house. They had insisted that I come with them. Dora was staying with a friend in town until the B&B could be repaired. It had taken me hours to fall asleep. I had watched through the window beside the bed as the sun rose over the desert, turning the sandy soil from blue to pink to tan. 

“Morning, sleepyhead,” said Aiden. He stood beside the door, his arms crossed over his chest. He was shirtless, clad in only a pair of jeans. He was smiling at me.

“What time is it?” I asked him.

“A little after four,” he replied. “Do you want some dinner?” I shook my head, no. I sat up in bed and stretched, letting the soft white down comforter fall down. He raised an eyebrow as he saw that I had slept naked. I sat up straight, letting him look at me.

“Come here,” I invited him.

“Yes, ma’am.” He walked over to the bed, and I reached for his fly, opening it and then easing the soft, well-worn jeans down over his hips. He placed his hands on either side of me on the bed, leaning in and kissing me. He was being gentler than before. I pulled away, squinting at him questioningly.

“What is the matter?” he asked.

“You’re going easy on me,” I accused him. He cocked an eyebrow in surprise. He nodded, grabbing me by the hips. He flipped me over on my stomach. “What are you going to do to me?” I asked, excited for him to get dirty. He cupped my breasts in his hands as he leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“I am not going to ‘go easy on you,’” he explained in a husky voice. “I am going to make you scream. And then some.” He grabbed a handful of my hair and gave it a gentle tug. Pulling my head back, he kissed my neck. He placed his other hand on my hip, and with his knee, opened my legs. My heart raced and my skin tingled in anticipation. I bit my lip, moaning as I felt his cock slipping inside of my already wet slit.

“Do you like that?” he asked.

“Mhmmm,” I replied. He pushed inward, filling me with his cock. He pulled me close to him, his hand moving from my hip to my stomach, and down in between my legs where he toyed with my clit. My whole body responded, waves of endorphins flooding my bloodstream.

“Are you playing without me?” Ben asked. Aiden let go of my hair, wrapping his arm around my ribcage.

“We were waiting for you,” Aiden said brazenly. He turned me so that I was facing Ben. Aiden was still inside of me. He leaned me forward, his hand on my lower back. He wrapped his fingers in my hair, pulling my face up so that I was looking at Ben. Ben’s eyes were glowing—green fire. His skin shifted to green scales, and he growled, a light rumbling in his ribcage. “Do you want her to come, Benny?” A light smile played over Ben’s lips. He nodded.

Aiden began to thrust in and out of me. I felt as though electricity was surging through my slit. I panted, my mouth dropping open. Ben was looking right in my eyes, hunger evident on his face. I reached for him, and he walked to me. Unzipping his pants, I pulled his member out, taking him into my mouth. I sucked on him, coaxing him with my tongue, traveling his length. He moaned, placing his hand on my head, caressing my hair.

Aiden pulled out of me suddenly. Ben, seeing some sign from Aiden, pulled out, as well. Confused, I stood up, looking at them. Aiden lay down on the bed, beckoning to me, a crooked, mischievous smile on his face. I climbed on to the bed, sitting astride him. He guided me with his hands, helping me lower myself onto his amply-sized girth. I felt Ben behind me, rubbing lube onto the bud of my asshole. I gasped at the cool sensation of the liquid.

Aiden placed his large hand on my ribcage, just below my breasts, as Ben positioned himself on his knees behind me. He entered me, and I cried out in pleasure. I was filled up, poised above Aiden. I held my hands out to steady myself. With his other hand, Aiden pushed a curl of my hair off of my perspiring face.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” he whispered huskily. “Your skin…it’s so flushed.”

“You like that?” I asked, panting. Every one of my nerve-endings screamed out for release. They both began to move, rhythmically surging back and forth within me together. I cried out.

“That’s it, baby,” Aiden prompted. Ben’s face was tucked in beside my neck and ear, his lips and his beard brushing the tender skin. My orgasm crashed through me, my body writhing in absolute pleasure. I yelled out. Aiden surged faster, his release coming soon after, and then Ben, his cries rang softly in my ear.

We all came apart, falling back onto the bed. I lay for all of one second before I turned to Ben, still hungry. I slipped my leg over his slim, sinewy body, and he wrapped his arms around me as I kissed him. I looked at Aiden out of the corner of my eye to find him watching, touching himself. I placed my hand around Ben’s member, tightening my fingers around it, teasing him towards hardness before I lowered myself down onto him. He placed his hands on my hips as I rode him.

Ben studied me, his eyes glowing bright green. His hands traveled my body, his fingers touching me lightly, making my skin tingle from the heat of his. I could feel myself building again. Ben sat up, taking my left nipple in his mouth, sucking on it, teasing it with the tip of his tongue. I threw my head back, and he placed his hand on my collarbone. I felt electric, another orgasm surging through me. Ben pumped in and out of me and I came, the muscle of my core contracting around him. He exhaled, moaning as he came too. I placed my hand on his cheek, feeling so much love for him.

I leaned forward, kissing him gently. I could feel him smiling against my lips. I got off of him; I wasn’t done yet. I turned toward Aiden, who smiled at me, his head cocked to the side. Yet again, my heart soared, full of my love for Aiden. I thought of how confusing this should be, realizing that it wasn’t. I simply loved two men. And they did nothing but love me back. The heart, I realized in that moment, has the capacity to grow, enough to hold more than one. 

“Come here, you,” Aiden said, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me toward him. I found myself on his lap, my nipples touching his warm, smooth skin. He leaned his nose up against mine as he took me. He guided me, up and down in a flurry of motion. I was tired—but not too tired. I ran my fingers through his short-cropped hair, pulling his face close to mine. His kisses were deep, hungry. My body was reacting—on the verge of exploding, catching Aiden’s fire. 

When we had finished, the three of us lay entangled on the bed. I was in between the two of them, on my back. Ben’s arm was wrapped around my stomach, his face tucked within the curve between my ear and my shoulder. Aiden was on his side, his leg entwined with my own.

“What happens now?” I whispered, sitting up and glancing at both of them. “Will you come back to my city with me?” Ben sighed deeply.

“We don’t belong near large groups of people,” he said sadly. He reached up, his fingertips touching my skin and sending a tingling sensation across my skin. I took his hand in mine and kissed it.

“Please?” I asked gently. “I don’t want to be without either of you.” I looked toward Aiden.  

“Our kind is rarely welcome among the general population,” Aiden explained. “We tend to ruin buildings and set fire to things. And anyway, our home is here.” He reached out and caressed my chin with his fingers.

“You’re always welcome here,” Ben added. “With us.” I smiled at both of them. I knew that I had been chosen before my birth to be the next High Priestess of my coven, but I did not want to leave them. I breathed in. I knew the choice that I would have to make. But that choice didn’t have to be made today.

“Do you mind if I stay then, for a little while?” I asked hesitantly. They both looked at each other, then back at me, grinning.

“Of course,” Ben replied. “You can stay as long as you like.” 

“Always,” Aiden chimed in. I smiled and flopped back on the bed, exhausted.

“I’m tired again,” I complained. They both laughed mischievously.

“Well, Benny,” Aiden remarked with pride. “Evidently, the two of us are a match for a Necromancer.”

“Mhmm,” Ben agreed as he pulled the soft down comforter over the three of us, and they both snuggled in close to me, their arms wrapped around my mid-section.

* * *

I awoke a little while later to someone calling my name. It was dark, and both dragons were asleep on either side of me. I looked out across the room, where Meroe's ghost stood looking at me. She beckoned, and I got out of the bed, easing myself gently out from under Ben and Aiden’s arms. I slipped silently out of the bed, wrapping myself in a throw blanket that was folded over the back of an armchair around me. I followed her into the library. She paused, turning to look at me, her smile triumphant.

“I have taken care of Aurora,” she said lightly.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing that she didn’t deserve.” I cocked an eyebrow. She wasn’t going to explain further.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked her, and she nodded. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“And I will miss you, love.” 

I held up my hand toward my friend, releasing my powers and letting them envelop my friend’s spirit.

“Meroe, best of friends, most loyal,” I began, opening up the final path, the one to send her into the afterlife, where she could find the rest that she deserved. “Goddess, let Meroe go. Send her with love. I will walk on with her in my heart forever.” As I said it, I felt Meroe kiss me on the cheek. I felt her spirit leave the material plane, walking along the silver paths and into the light. My heart ached. My friend had been so brave and selfless. I opened my eyes, tears streaming down my cheeks.

A hand rested lightly on my shoulder. I turned and found myself wrapped tightly within Ben’s arms. His beard was rough and wiry against my cheek. I held on to his slim form as snugly as I could, listening to the comforting thrumming noise within him.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I whispered.

“What about me?” Aiden yelled from the other room. Ben and I laughed. I pulled away and looked up and into his eyes.

“You lied.”

“Did not.”

“Then how come he’s telepathic in human form?” I asked and Ben smiled.

“He listens in on everything.”

“I do not!” Aiden hollered. Ben shrugged.

“There are no secrets in this house.”

“None at all,” I agreed.

 

EPILOGUE

 

I sat on the floor in the library…our library. Ben would return home from the shop at any moment. Aiden had gone in search of a new treasure and was set to return from a treasure hunt any day now. The room was lit by three black candles which sat before me. I sat, letting myself be still inside, letting my powers rise within me. I called to the spirit of my mother, feeling her consciousness communicating with me along the silver threads.

She appeared before me, a mist forming a soft contour line with a glowing yellow heart. She tilted her head. Her flower crown looked strangely wilted. 

My daughter, her voice said, although her lips did not move. Like most of the Dead, she spoke without emotion.

Mother, I replied. Thank you for your guidance.

It is as you required.

I am safe now, I said, And happy. I am in love with two dragons, of all people. My mother was silent for a moment. The room grew icy by several degrees. I felt a sudden sense of…wrongness. My mother’s spirit seemed to vanish as another presence filled the room. My stomach grew queasy. The dark presence pressed in around me, causing me to feel claustrophobic. The next time that someone spoke, it was not the voice of my mother.

You are not safe, little goose, Lex’s voice hissed. I could feel his presence pressing in around me like a load of bricks falling on top of my body. He was trying to oppress me. 

Wait, I said, my eyes going to the golden statue on the mantelpiece where we had agreed to keep it. You were imprisoned.

You should not trust things that you do not understand, you fool. Lex laughed. I will come and I will extinguish the fires of your dragons. My minions shall hunt you down, I shall hunt you. You will never have peace. I will come for you and the child that you now carry. 

Fear flooded me, and the lights of my candles were blown out by a fell wind, leaving me in darkness. I placed my shaking hand on my stomach.

 

THE END