Page 5 of The Slayer Seduction

The wheel of fortune card slaps down on top of the death card and I’m doing my best to hold it together as Izora clicks her tongue.

“Death takes many forms indeed. Fate can not be stopped.”

“What do you mean? Fate can’t be stopped. Is Ember safe?”

She holds her hand up, her wand careening through the air as it lands in her hand. “I’ve given you all the information that the cards are willing to give.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? That’s all you have for me?”

“No. I also have an invoice I’ll send you for the last card. Gentlemen.” She snaps her fingers and before I know it, massive hands are squeezing my biceps and I’m all but being manhandled out of the mansion. Scarlett bites the one guy’s fingers clean off and the moment we’re on the porch I grab her in my arms and portal us back to my apartment.

We both pant as we land on my bed, and I’m not sure if I was better off before that reading or after.

One thing is clear. Something is coming for me and possibly Ember.

Scarlett makes an irritated noise, spitting the finger on the floor before frantically pacing along the hardwood. Her chin is covered in blood, which isn’t uncommon for her. She often comes home after a hunt looking like that, but knowing it was a guy’s finger grosses me out.

“I knew going to a swamp witch was a bad idea. You can never trust a nomad. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Plus, she was tacky,” Scarlett tries to soothe me, but it’s not working.

As if the universe knows that I’m struggling, my vision goes blank. This vision is a recurring one, and yet I still don’t know what it means.

I can’t see anything, there’s no smell, no feeling in this place, but this time there’s a woman’s voice. She has an accent I can’t decipher as she speaks. “A worthy sacrifice, indeed.”

I’m trying to look around, but don’t even get a chance as I’m dragged right back into the present.

Scarlett’s bloody snout is right in my face.

“Gross, Scar,” I tell her, lightly shoving her away.

“I don’t tell you that you are gross when you do weird witch things,” she says and I plant my hands on the side of my head, another migraine plaguing me. “What did you see?”

“The same thing I always do. There was a voice this time, though. She said something about a worthy sacrifice.”

“I do not like this. I do not like this,” she says, unable to control her body as she gets the zoomies around the room.

“Scarlett, settle down. We’ll figure it out, alright?”

“Of course. Yes. You are a magnificent witch. If anyone can figure it out, it’s you,” she says.

“Why don’t you get cleaned up for bed? There’s nothing else we can do tonight.”

Scarlett shakes her head, her little fox ears twitching with irritation. “I will go on a hunt. You get some rest.”

I sigh at her but give her a light pat on the head. While Scarlett is an amazing familiar, buzzing with energy and excitement to be helpful, she still has urges as a fox that I’ve learned can not be contained.

She pops out of the room and with a heavy sigh, I fall back onto the bed staring at the exposed beams of my ceiling, wondering what the hell is going on?

What’s the universe trying to warn me about? Can I stop it? Should it be stopped? Visions aren’t inherently a sign of bad things to come, even the death card is not a bad omen.

She said not death, but the purest form is coming for me.

I have no idea what that means, but something tells me I’m sure as hell going to find out.

Chapter 3

Adam

Coming back to my shitty hometown—where nothing good ever happened—was the last place I wanted to be right now. I hadn’t seen my family in nearly a decade, and with good reason.