In the Company of Witches

“You should thank me for telling you how to kill Mikhael. It’s always good for a woman to know how to get rid of a man, because they all become irritating.”



Speaking of irritating. Coming back into painful consciousness, Raina tried to cling to the memory of Mikhael’s voice, but it was no use. Erica never got tired of hearing herself talk. In all fairness to the psychotic demon, she didn’t get much stimulating company, since her base of operations was a hole in the middle of nowhere, a rabbit warren of sorts. Plus she was surrounded by thugs who couldn’t speak, just grunt and drool.



Raina had no idea where they were, because she’d been put in a sack. To thwart any of Raina’s attempts to use magic to track her whereabouts or leave a trail, Erica had taken other measures as well.



Raina had bitten down on the instinctive panic as the fabric tightened around all of her, immobilizing her arms and legs. The suffocating feeling was alleviated only by the small hole Erica cut into the mouth area, managing to slice Raina’s lip at the same time. “Are you familiar with the principle of the iron maiden?”



Raina cried out as it felt like her body was speared in a hundred different places by sharp, short spikes. “A very real illusion, one of my favorites. No bleeding out, but oh so deliciously painful. It keeps your mind on things other than causing me problems. Here we go. I’d say hold on, because it’s a bumpy ride, but you can’t hold on to anything, can you? Entirely at my mercy.”



One of the thug demons had thrown her onto his shoulder, his ham hands handling her like a bull juggling china. That was when she lost consciousness, because whatever vortex they’d gone through to get to Erica’s hiding place had caused her head to hit something hard and unyielding. Rock, she thought, now that she was getting her bearings. She was no longer in the sack. She was in a cramped cage, naked. There was a steel collar on her throat and cuffs on her wrists, both spelled the way Elceus had done it to keep her succubus powers from working.



It was like waking up back in time, a time that still caused her nightmares, as Mikhael well knew. Erica had intended it that way, so Raina fought the fear, fought it with everything she had. She wasn’t a victim. She was never going to be a victim again.



Mikhael was right; she did love movies, and now she remembered The Man in the Iron Mask, Leonardo DiCaprio declaring: “I wear the mask. It does not wear me.”



She had a problem Leonardo didn’t have, however. She was weak from blood loss and getting hungry. In short order, she’d be headed into ravenous, and it wasn’t the human side of her that wanted to feed.



Erica gave Raina an appraising look. “Salivating a bit, aren’t you? The pain helps accelerate that. But you’re not quite hungry enough. I want you so hungry you’d drain a baby if I gave it to you.”



Raina’s gaze narrowed to slits and Erica laughed. “Before you can give one of those tiresome speeches about how you’d never do such a thing, don’t worry. I’m not going to do that. I need your help with an experiment. I’m a student of your Craft myself, and I think, with your gifts, you can kill an incubus the way you can kill a human male. Your unique blend of witch and succubus magic will not only suck him dry, but make his power yours. You could become far more powerful than you are now, perhaps able to drink life energy with merely a look. You’d serve me far better that way.”



Fucking hell. Yes, in her studies, Raina had suspected the ability to do what Erica described lay within her grasp. For obvious reasons, she’d never pursued or honed it. However, both the Underworld and heavens were aware of the potential, which was one of the many reasons Raina knew they both kept a close eye on her relationship with her sex demons. When Isaac ran to her sanctuary, Erica had done her research, probably torturing an Underworld archivist. She’d discovered there was more of value at Sweet Dreams than Isaac. Raina and Mikhael had both focused on Isaac at her target. Now Raina and Isaac were both in the demoness’s hands, and she was wanting to play mad scientist with abilities no one should ever use.



When the she-demon looked pointedly at the far wall, Raina saw Isaac there, tethered by chain and collar, the chain bolted to the floor. The young incubus had been badly beaten. Not enough to be unconscious now, but possibly earlier. He was staring at Erica, his body rigid with terror. At Raina’s searing look, Erica shrugged.



“He was cooperative enough, telling us when you were both away from the house so I could set up my ambush. But when I was going to let my demons have their way with you while you were out, he got very difficult. Fortunately for you, they expended their sadistic cruelty on him while you had your nap. Kept them occupied and out from underfoot.”



Raina met Isaac’s gaze, though it was a little difficult, since his eyes were nearly swollen shut, his nose broken and mouth torn. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice a rasp. Even that sent him to coughing blood.



“Oh, enough about you.” Erica gave him a kick as she went by. Isaac didn’t make a noise; he just became paler and shuddered.



Raina made herself look away, take note of her surroundings. It was a large cavern, uncomfortably warm, thanks to a gaping pit in the center that emanated heat.



“Do you like my fire pit?” Erica caught her scrutiny. “A direct drop through the Underworld to the Earth’s core. It goes on for miles. I’ve thrown creatures down there, just to see how long I can hear their screaming. It takes a couple moments for that short, lovely shriek of death to reach my ears, long after they’re already burning.”



Raina didn’t respond. She saw other tunnels leading off from this one. Escape routes, or rooms for more supplies? Erica’s demons would be coming and going eventually, giving her intel on what lay beyond this chamber.



“In your pathetic attempt to determine your escape options, you haven’t noticed my newest acquisition. Other than you, of course.” Erica nodded to the far wall, where what looked like a silver flute with elaborate markings and scrollwork was laid in brackets. “With that, I can take a soul, hold on to it, make the body do as I desire. Forever. The power that thing holds will enhance my own considerably. I can use it as a battery charger. Even better than a vibrator, something I’m sure you know a great deal about, with your tedious attempt to suppress your succubus power. You won’t be doing that anymore.”



She would happily shove that thing where a vibrator would go, just to see Erica yelp. But Erica was on to another topic.



“I’m sure you’re worrying about the Dark Guardian. Don’t waste your concern. That particular male is very affirmative action. He likes his pussy as diverse as I like my weapons. You were just his latest notch. But don’t get down in the mouth about it. No one wants to be an angel’s chosen. There’s no divorce for them. They only choose one love, ever. He never has, though. Almost thirteen hundred years, if you can believe it. Too much human to him, too much darkness.”



“You can save your breath,” Raina said. “Succubi don’t look for love. He was a great piece of ass.”



“Your tongue is sharp enough to be entertaining. That’s good. The day it’s not, I’ll have it cut out. Or split. You’d look good with a forked tongue. I like altering my acquisitions, sculpting them to please my eye.” Erica glanced at her four minions, explaining their grotesque appearance. They seemed bloodlust sated, logy and almost comatose. Probably a trance spell to store their energy until she needed them. “Of course, since you’ll be serving me as a succubus, I’ll keep you intact. Best to let your looks do the work, rather than wasting that tasty energy, compelling my intended targets.”



Raina shifted to a squat, with effort since the cage was so cramped. Her flesh was pressed up against the four sides, so she couldn’t get away from anyone poking at her from the outside. When she tentatively reached out with magical senses, an unpleasant frisson of electricity sizzled through her finger joints. Shit. Erica had also put up a ward against her non-succubus magic.



The cold in the pit of her stomach was fighting to become fear, outright panic, and she viciously clamped down on it. She would never be afraid again, no matter what she faced. It was her Scarlett O’Hara oath to herself, the underlying symbolism of “I’ll never be hungry again.” I’ll never let anyone determine my destiny again. You have me now, but no one stays on guard forever. As Elceus had proven.



She wanted to believe Derek could find her. He had a long reach. He also had Ruby and Ramona for backup. Then there was Mikhael. Her heart clenched as she envisioned him on the ground again, and then before that, their…disagreement.



She knew Mikhael was right about that as well. Damn know-it-all. Her fear had been the war between wanting him to take over, to surrender to him, and how it connected to her past. Not a fear of him mastering her. All the dark chambers of her heart, mind and soul had known it, hungered to call him Master. The resistance, the fighting it…That was the way it was between them. If they pursued any kind of relationship together, it would be as much about those fights as it was the sex. They liked that about each other.



If she wasn’t so cold, so dirty, stiff and in pain, and basically at the mercy of a demon psychopath, she might have smiled over it. As it was, her eyes got that achy feeling they did when she wanted to cry but couldn’t, thank goodness.



Oh, Mikhael. She wanted to touch his face, hold him, feel his strength. She remembered what he’d said, the night she’d woken from her bad dream.



No more nightmares getting past me.



Well, you fell down on the job, Dark Guardian, so I expect you to treat me to ice cream sundaes for the rest of my life. With nuts. Hope you have deep pockets.



She felt his life spark from the blood she’d taken, but she didn’t know what that meant, if he was even conscious. She didn’t know how long a recuperation he would need from an injury that severe. Though she could feel him, it was very faint. She told herself that was geography, not a reflection of his condition. They were deep underground.



Whether or not Mikhael would try to come after her, Erica was too smart to leave any kind of trail. So Raina needed to focus on her own wits. This type of situation required being hyperalert, 100 percent attention at all times, so no opportunity would be missed. It was a macabre form of Zen. There was no past or present, only the very horrific now.