Melina

With the dampening spell, and Gryph unconscious, I was fucked when it came to fighting a werewolf. At least, that’s what I’d thought before realizing the dampening spell was designed to work on witches, not demons. That meant I wasn’t completely helpless. The problem I had was that my demon and witch magic were intertwined. I would need to feed my demon side, which would bring out my demon form. Much as I hated my demon form, I had no choice.

“Poor little slut,” Sage mocked. “Looks like you lose.”

“Trevor is my warlock,” I insisted calmly. “Nothing you can do will change that.”

Sage laughed, but I could feel her anger sizzling through the air, and I drew it toward me, feeding on her negative energy.

“Did you honestly think he wanted to be with you?” Sage taunted. “If it weren’t for the demon potion I slipped Trevor at the reception, he would have never even considered screwing an ugly cow like you.”

“Trevor didn’t drink that potion, and we both know it,” I shot back. “He wanted me because I’m his witch. We took an affinity test, and our magic is perfectly matched. He wants to marry me. The only way you could ever get Trevor is with a potion.”

Her anger was swirling around like a black cloud, and I continued to draw the hateful power into my body. It was so potent that I felt my claws sliding through the tips of my fingers. My hands remained curled at my sides so Sage wouldn’t see them. Most people didn’t even know that my body held both demon and witch forms. My demon form wasn’t scary. It was actually annoyingly cute, but it was definitely going to be a surprise to Trevor. I just hoped it didn’t freak him out to find out about it this way.

“Even when Trevor thought you were in danger, he called to tell me he loves me,” I added.

“No! No! No!” Sage screeched. “He’s mine!”

“Sage,” Trevor began in a weak voice. “I don’t know where you got this idea, but I’m not yours.”

“Lies!” Sage shouted. “That demon bitch ruined everything!”

She was preparing to lunge at me, and I was almost ready. My claws were fully extended, and I was sure my eyes were pale blue and glowing with an unnatural light. I knew my skin would soon have a pearlescent glow, and my hair would be a pale shade of pink. I was the first to admit that my demon form looked a little like a Fraggle Rock character.

“Would you stop with your hysterical fits?” I spun to face the man who’d spoken.

Stunning was the only word to describe the demon. He stood more than six and a half feet tall, with black hair flowing down his back. His obsidian eyes sparkled, and his nearly hairless, toned body was on display as he stood before me in nothing more than boxer briefs. The curl of his full lips proved he’d noticed my appraisal. “That’s right, my sweet. Look all you want. I’m gifting you with my true form, and you’ll soon have an eternity to enjoy it.”

My snort of laughter made his eyes narrow. “Try not to be too humble, asshole.”

“Humble?” He seemed genuinely confused by my words.

“Stupid slut!” Sage spat out. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? You’re my payment to him for helping me get Trevor. I thought he could do much better, but for some reason, he wants you.”

“You are both out of your minds,” I scoffed.

I heard the demon’s voice, speaking in my mind this time. “I can kill her for you, but not until you’ve agreed to bind yourself to me.”

If anything, his voice was even smoother and more seductive in my mind. Before Trevor, I might have been tempted by this demon, even knowing he was evil. That’s the power a demon could have over you. They could make you want them, make you forget all the horrible things they’d done.

“Can you imagine the wicked things I could do to your body?” he purred in my mind. “I will also rid you of this bitch.”

“No,” I said out loud.

His seductive voice floated through my mind again. “I can’t kill her until I have what I want. As soon as her heart stops beating, I’ll be returned to my lonely prison, and I have no intention of going back there without you. You can’t save yourself, but you can save the warlock."

No one wanted to be stuck in a demon prison. When I’d gone through a short rebellious phase in my teen years, my dad had taken me on one of those scared straight tours. Only, I didn’t get to see the human prisons, or the much more civilized witch prisons. Instead, I’d gotten a tour of what demons considered Hell. No two prison cells were the same. Each could change to create the most frightening thing the demon inhabiting it could imagine. While some had been comical, like the demon forced to endure hours of his mother telling him how disappointed she was in him, some had been truly horrific, like the one where a demon’s skin was flayed off daily. Summoned demons always came from these prisons. If the person summoning them wasn’t powerful enough, they could be possessed by the demon they hoped to control.

The demon before me was an incubus of some sort, but not the traditional type. Most incubus and succubus were fairly weak. This demon was strong, and I was certain he fed on death magic. His version of Hell would involve no sex, and I’d guess they made it impossible for him to masturbate. I’d seen one such demon with hooks in place of his hands.

“I’m gonna have to pass on the demon prison,” I told him, sure there was a way to rescue Trevor without sacrificing myself. With any luck, my father and Demetrius would be here soon. I’d told Demetrius I was going after Trevor, because I was positive he had tracking spells on most of my possessions.

“I promise you won’t suffer much,” the demon spoke out loud this time.

“Because of my father,” I finished for him.

His laughter flowed through my mind before he answered out loud. “Yes, I am also hoping your father will make my time imprisoned more pleasant, if for no other reason than to make his daughter more comfortable.”

“Gee, you make it sound so tempting,” I remarked dryly, which earned me a scowl from the demon. “What’s your name, demon?”

“Zahrel,” he replied and then waited for my reaction. Apparently, I was supposed to know who he was. “You’ve never heard of me?” He sounded almost hurt.

“Nope,” I replied. “Clearly, you’re some low-ranking demon scum who hopes to use my father to gain power.”

This part of my impromptu plan was a little riskier because I was trying to get the demon to react with anger, but not attack me. I was also hoping he didn’t know I was feeding off the negative energy in the room.

Zahrel’s face remained calm, but his anger swirled around me, and I drew it into my body. “I’ll teach you manners soon enough,” he snarled before speaking into my mind again. “This is your last chance to save your warlock. If you come with me willingly, I’ll kill the crazy werewolf. If you refuse, I’ll give her the power to bind him to her for all eternity. Your precious warlock will be little more than a mindless slave.”

With the power flowing through my body, I had a choice to make. I suspected Zahrel wanted an excuse to kill Sage, so I had no doubt he’d follow through if I gave him what he wanted. Looking over at Trevor, I realized I would do anything for him.

“I love you,” I told Trevor.

“No!” Trevor shouted. “Whatever deal he’s trying to strike with you, don’t agree.” He had caught on to the fact that Zahrel was speaking to me telepathically, while Sage had not.

“Deal? What is he talking about?” Sage demanded, moving toward Zahrel. Her face contorted with rage, and I was suddenly drowning in the power of their negative energy.

It felt like boiling water was filling my lungs and lava was flowing through my veins. I would have screamed if I weren’t so consumed with the power overwhelming my body. I could no longer hear the arguing in the background. The power insulated me so much from everything around me that I suddenly felt Trevor’s magic, the part that resided in me. As my power glided along his, I knew what to do. My own power wove through the threads of his inside of me, and then I sent it shooting out of my body. Black and crimson threads slammed into Trevor’s body, making him arch off of the bed and scream.