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"Demon magic." West's words were cut and dry, and the healer nodded before opening his bag. He pulled out a few vials, shifting them around in his hands before selecting one. He uncorked it, letting the strong scent of frankincense hit the air before he poured it on the bruising, rubbing it around.
With that done, the healer scanned his hands over her throat and neck, his eyes going stark white as he worked. He didn't say anything, and each second that passed had my patience waning. As he continued to let magic dance between her body and his hands, her breathing deepened and evened out. It lost the awful rasping, replaced by soft, gentle puffs. I'd never been happier to watch someone take a fucking breath.
Now that the worry had lessened, anger took over completely. Now, letting West handle it was far from my mind. I wanted retribution. Anger filled me as he rubbed another ointment on her throat, and I saw red, my control snapping completely. I growled, harsh and menacing, before stalking out from behind the counter and grabbing the demon by his throat. I lifted him with one arm, ignoring my straining muscles. He blinked open his eyes, the solid black orbs widening at the sight of me.
Good. You should be afraid.
"Take him to the sheriff," West called. I squeezed even tighter around the demon's neck and carried him outside. He was bound by the chains West had conjured and could do little more than shout out obscenities that only added to my growing fury. The moment I reached the top of the hill, I threw him down, arms bound and all. He groaned and shut the fuck up as he rolled down the icy surface, stopping at the bottom in a heap.
I took my time joining him, savoring the way his eyes filled with pure loathing. He was trying to access his magic, but there was something about West’s spell that the demon couldn’t break. I grabbed him by the chain, forcing him to walk toward our destination. It took every ounce of self-control not to kill him, but the elders of our species didn't allow such attacks, and I knew he'd rot in prison for nearly killing an unarmed omega. I planned to track the sheriff’s every move; if there was even a hint that he was going to be let free, allowed a chance to come back and get some kind of revenge on my omega, I would break whatever rules needed to get rid of him for good. I was stubborn, yes, but I could be patient if I had to.
Without warning, the chain snapped. The demon fell to the ground, lashing out with a sharp slap of magic, but I was quicker. My instincts kicked in, and I slammed a burst of magic at him, a ball of concentrated energy that made a crater of his chest. Blood and tissue covered me and the snow around us while I blinked in surprise as my mind caught up to my instincts.
The demon burns on my arms stung, but it was the least I deserved after letting my mate come to harm. Not to mention they'd speak to my argument of self-defense. The demon's eyes were blank stares now, and the snow was painted in deep red blood. Unwilling to leave the crime scene, I pulled out my phone again, calling the sheriff.
Avi arrived before the cops, his face serious as he placed a hand on my shoulder. My tension calmed a fraction.
"She's okay, resting now," he told me as he stared down at the man. "I take it he overtook the chains?"
I held out my arms, showing him the magical cuts. "Yes, but I was quicker, and he was disoriented."
"Glad he's gone," he said bitterly. "He didn't deserve to live, not after trying to murder our mate and who knows how many countless others."
"My thoughts exactly," I said as red and blue lights filled the air. "Let's hope they agree."
Avi
Farren had been unconscious for hours at this point. Kane was still at the station giving final details and fake names. They didn’t ask for ID, so I hoped that it was still going smoothly. Niko and Levi were helping West in the lobby, making it my turn to watch over our mate.
She didn’t stir or try to wake up, and it looked like she’d been sleeping dreamlessly so far. My eyes ran over her throat again. The marks were starting to fade, thanks to the healer’s concoctions, but they still had an uneasy feeling settling inside of me. Even from here, the dark aura clung to the wound, vague enough that most would miss it, but not me.
Every single time dark magic popped up, I had to fight to keep memories at bay. This time was no different, and because it was someone I cared about, it hit so much harder. The others might not be familiar with demons, but I knew them well. They had frequented my childhood coven house, stalking the halls and filling the place with nightmares. If you were scared, you were weak. And the weak, well, it didn’t end well for them.
My fingers traced a deep scar on my wrist, one that I kept hidden with a mix of leather bracelets. It was from my initiation—when my parents let the High Priestess cuff me to the walls. They watched on in sick glee, happy to see me suffer as they had before me. They performed horrors upon me, using anything from demon fire to blades, anything to make me “stronger.” If I screamed, I’d die. If I fought back, I’d die. Compliance was a strength to them, and I was a mere beta, outnumbered against the onlookers. Except I didn’t buy into their bullshit like they thought I did. I was holding on to my anger and biding my time.
Before the ritual, I’d once asked my parents why we caused so much harm and pain. My mom had cackled at that, like I’d told a funny joke. Her next words were ones that I never forgot.
“We take the darkest parts of the world and relive them so we never fall prey to weakness.”
I used them as a reason to fight against everything my coven was. Abusers, narcissists, delusional, and a toxic drain on our society.They saw everyone else as far below them. How they could look around at our coven house, a converted apartment building, and still think that was unfathomable to me. The alphas would rut omegas through their heats, abusing and taking them however they saw fit with no care to their wellbeing. Babies were ripped away from their mothers, children forced to endure hell, and no one was allowed to escape.
I’d played my part well, earning the right to join in on our supply runs. Then I’d locked the others in a barrier and went straight to the authorities. I’d saved enough evidence to warrant an investigation. The coven was taken down the next day, and I was long gone, not looking back once. But scars like that… they never faded. I still carried that shit around with me all of the time, and the smallest triggers brought me right back to that place.
“Hey.” Kane’s face appeared in front of mine. I was startled, but his strong hands held me in place so I didn’t wake our mate. “Where are you? I’ve been trying to get your attention.”
“I’m fine,” I lied, forcing my breathing to calm. “Did the station go okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s taken care of. They’re calling it self-defense, and they wrote down fake names,” he promised before focusing back on me. “Was it the demon?”
Sighing, I nodded. Kane was the one person who could relate, even if not on the same level.
“It was,” I said. “That and the dark aura. Demons prowled my old coven house just as much as the witches. Influencing, reveling in the awful things going on.”
“Fuck, that’s terrible,” he said as he rocked back on his feet, plopping to the ground at my feet. He shifted so his knee was resting on my leg, offering me a safe place to get it off my chest. We might not have started as friends, but over the years we’d created a bond that was unshakable. I had no fear in telling Kane about my past, knowing he wouldn’t hold my worries or fears against me or see them as a sign of weakness. That was the beauty of being as close as we were; we’d already seen each other at our best and worst.
“It was,” I agreed. “I’ll never unsee the things they did, and I’llneverbe like them.”
“Of course you won’t,” he said, studying me with surprise. “You know they have no bearing on who you are, right? You’re stronger than they could ever be. You’re a good person, Avi.”
