The Lover

“He loves me. He loves me not.”

I hadn’t played this game since I was a young girl, and I wasn’t sure what inspired me to behave so foolishly today. Love had a way of bringing out my frivolous side, making me act young and carefree.

“He loves me not.” As I plucked the last petal from the flower, rage bubbled up inside of me.

“He loves me not!” My shrieks echoed off the walls of the empty room. It’s not as though I needed a stupid flower to tell me the truth. I wasn’t a naïve little girl who believed life was like some stupid romance novel. What had me so angry that I wanted to hunt the bastard down and carve out his heart with a spoon, was the message he’d left, canceling our date. It was an old message, but I still listened to it from time to time, just to hear his voice when I was alone.

“Why can’t you see we belong together?” I breathed out, staring at his picture on my phone. Trevor had a reputation for chasing after every witch who smiled at him. He’d been with more witches than I could count, so one would think I’d want to steer clear of him, but I was the one for him. Unlike those other witches who tried to weasel their way into his life to elevate their status with the Council of Witches, I didn’t need Trevor to move up with the council. I wasn’t using him for power or money. I loved Trevor. I was the only woman who could make him happy.

“I’m supposed to be your one true love,” I murmured, running a finger across his beautiful image on my phone’s screen.

They say time heals all wounds, but that’s a lie. In the months since Trevor ripped my heart from my chest before thrusting the tattered remains back in my face, the wound had festered, until I thought the pain would kill me. That pain forced me to consider drastic measures. Here, in the basement of my home, I’d spent hours thinking of ways to make Trevor suffer for hurting me.

“I should kill you, my love,” I spat at his image. “Of course, I could never do that. No, you’ll be punished for hurting me, but then I’ll forgive you, and you’ll spend the rest of your days making up for the pain you’ve caused.”

My panties were wet from thinking of the many ways I’d make Trevor suffer and beg for my forgiveness.

“Such a bitter little witch,” the demon reclining on the sofa observed in a bored tone.

“When did you get here?” I demanded. I hated her, but I needed dark magic to get Trevor. The demon had long blonde hair, eyes that changed colors based on her mood, almost androgynous features, and a lithe figure. She was a lower-level demon, so I knew this was her true form. To humans, she would appear different, but it took a lot of power for a demon to hide their true appearance from other preternatural beings—power this demon didn’t possess.

I didn’t know the demon’s name, but it didn’t matter. I needed to purchase one item from her, and then I’d never have to see her again.

She shrugged a bony shoulder. “I’ve been here long enough to want to puke from your mooning over the warlock. Why not go find another one? There are many warlocks with fabulous cocks to help you forget this one.”

“I would think you’d be more concerned with me paying you than offering me unsolicited advice,” I snapped at her.

Her eyes turned a shade that could only be described as molten gold, and she looked offended. “Not all demons are as greedy as you might expect. Listen, I’ll sell you the potion, but I can’t help thinking you’d be better off finding a different warlock to focus your attention on.”

“I love him,” I whined, annoyed that I sounded so pitiful, but unable to hide my pain.

“Whatever,” the demon scoffed, sounding exasperated. “Like I care what you need this for.”

Holding out a vial, the demon smiled, revealing pointy fangs. “You know the price, right?”

“The money will be transferred to you after I have Trevor,” I insisted, meeting her eyes, which were now an icy blue.

She let out a cold, humorless laugh. “I don’t think so. There’s no money-back guarantee on this potion. If you follow the instructions, it’ll work. If not, that’s your problem.”

When I hesitated, she slid the vial back into her jacket with a shrug. “Fine,” I relented, and walked across the room to get the envelope of cash from my purse. After I handed her the cash, the demon placed the vial of bubbling purple liquid on the table.

“How does it work?” I asked, allowing my fingers to trail across the cork lid.

“Like the fairy tales, give it to him and then kiss him. It’s best if you add it to his drink, but don’t put it in a hot drink. The potion reacts poorly to heat. After you kiss him, he’ll be yours. There’s a little something added to the potion to make him more susceptible to sexual advances. Just make sure he doesn’t end up getting too friendly with another woman or he’ll be hers. If that happens, don’t come running to me for a fix.”

“No true love clause to worry about?” I asked, only half-joking.

The demon considered my question carefully before responding. “There isn’t technically a true love clause, but it could be a problem if he falls in love. That sort of bond can mess with the results.”

“Don’t worry. He’s not in love with anyone,” I assured her. “Once I have Trevor under my control, I’ll never let him leave me again.”

“One more thing,” she began and then hesitated.

“What is it?” I demanded. “Is there a problem I should know about with the potion?”

“It’s not that,” she assured me, looking somewhat nervous. “If another woman should become an issue, I may know of a way to get rid of her.”

“All I need to do is give him the potion and kiss him. What could go wrong?”

“I’m just offering you a back-up plan,” she said with a shrug. “If you don’t want to know, I’ll leave.”

“Wait!” I called out quickly before she could transport herself back to the demon realm. “What is the other option?”

“There’s a demon by the name of Zahrel. If you summon him, he’ll help you get rid of any woman in your way.”

“Why would he do that?” I asked suspiciously. From what I’d heard, no demon did anything without a price.

“Zahrel is looking for a woman to keep him company in his prison,” she explained. “He’s also looking for a short reprieve from his prison. Just make sure you tell him Ari referred you to him. I don’t want to miss out on my finder’s fee,” she added before transporting herself out of the room.

“Zahrel,” I murmured, wondering why I was bothering to memorize his name when I wouldn’t need his help. I had the perfect place to get Trevor under my control.

With a contented sigh, I reached for another flower.