BloodWitchInferno (6 page)

“We all make mistakes.”

He looked back at his father’s smile, took a breath and
nodded. Knowing his father had handled him as deftly as Cronus had handled Ferr
previously, Karnon left to carry out the orders.

* * * * *

Mira’s eyes were gritty from the constant tears that
streamed down her face, her nose swollen with snot. She had sworn to be strong,
but curled up inside a hanging iron cage, with nothing but angry or curious
stares to keep her company, she broke. She swore if she ever got free she would
never have a pet that lived in a cage. At least Ferr was leaving her alone, a
surprise. When he had returned and stood near her, she had thought he’d
returned to torment her. Instead he had kept the steady stream of onlookers
from getting too close. A demon brought her food but no one spoke to her. She
wondered where Karnon had gone, which brought fresh tears. She caught Ferr’s
uncomfortable sideways glance.

“What, didn’t think a blood-witch can cry?” she asked before
she could stop herself.

His jaw twitched but he didn’t respond.

She curled her knees up against her chest and let the tears
come. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there crying—long enough that she dozed
off.

She was startled awake by a commotion in the room. Her heart
jumped at the sight of Karnon in the swarm of demons around her cage. The crowd
parted as he made his way to her. She shrank back when she caught his
expression. Whatever came next for her, she would find no help from him. It was
confirmed when she sensed the subtle pull of power locking her energy. He had
trapped her.

Her insides shriveled and she went limp as her cage door
opened and a demon grabbed each arm. Shackles were locked around her ankles.
This was it, they were going to execute her. As she was dragged through the
halls of Hell she wondered if anyone would be looking for her back home—maybe
Tink. But no blood-witch would know she was gone, as most of them didn’t know
she existed. She had a fleeting moment of anger at her grandmother before it
faded to pity for herself. This was her own fault. At least she had found her
mother, even if only to lose her again.

They brought her to a big cavern that resembled a courtroom,
its massive length filled with demons. The atmosphere was so tense she could
taste the anticipation. They awaited her. A pathway down the center led to a
magnificent throne at the far end instead of a judge’s seat. The most imposing
demon Mira had ever seen sat on the throne. Bigger than Karnon, steelier than
Xander, she knew she had come face to face with—Satan, lord of Hell.

Her escorts dumped her before the dais. At least she did not
cry out as her knees hit the stone floor. She slumped forward, trying to hide
behind her hair from all the staring eyes. Karnon was near, she could sense it,
and it took all her willpower not to look at him.

“You are charged with a grievous crime and if found guilty
will be sentenced to execution.”

She looked up to see a young demon standing below the
throne, holding a long staff, filling the role of herald. He recounted her
charges, and unable to bear thinking about the fact that she was shackled,
naked in chains, about to be sentenced to some horrible way to die, she focused
on the herald, finding his sharp, angular face familiar. It tugged at her, as
if she knew the younger demon. He was obviously a relative of Satan and Karnon
but he resembled someone else also, but she couldn’t put her finger on who.

“Do you have a defense for the crime you have committed
here, blood-witch?” Satan’s voice boomed through the cavern, interrupting her
trance. The crowd twittered.

She blinked and swayed, trying to gather her scattered
thoughts. They were going to let her speak! She hadn’t thought they would.
Unsure where to start she looked around. Cold stares met her wild looks.

“Speak, witch. Or be condemned,” Satan said, his voice heavy
and stern. But there was softness behind the steel. It gave her hope.
Involuntarily her gaze traveled to the left where Karnon stood and stared at
her with an intensity that made her skin burn.

“My mother,” she whispered, staring back at him.

“Louder!” the herald said, slamming his staff on the floor.

Mira hunched back into the floor, breaking eye contact with
Karnon.

“Enough, Pharic, let her speak,” said Satan.

Pharic bowed his head in response, an angry glint in his
eyes.

“What about your mother?” Satan asked.

“When I was a little girl something happened to my mother,”
she began. As she told her story and they listened, she felt her words grow
stronger, gain weight. She straightened her shoulders and didn’t blush as she
recounted the part where she performed the Calling on Karnon. She ignored him
and the growing murmurs of the crowd and pushed on to tell them about Xander’s
secret prison.

“And when I came to, Xander was dead and the other witches
had disappeared,” she finished.

Silence, before the crowd erupted with babble. Pharic banged
his staff on the ground, attempting to quiet the noise. Satan watched her but
she looked straight at Karnon, daring him to respond. At least she had had a
chance to tell the truth.

He looked back at her, his expression unreadable.

“Quiet.” When the Lord of Darkness commanded, everyone
listened. Pharic, who had been desperately trying to get the attention of the
crowd for the past few minutes, looked annoyed and relieved.

“You understand, all we have in your defense is your word?”
Satan asked.

“What about the other witches?” Mira knew they were her only
hope. “If we find them they will tell you. Actually they won’t have to. All you
need to do is find one of them and you can see for yourself what Xander did to
them.”

“If what you say is true then the others will have been
returned to wherever they came from upon Xander’s death, as they were Called by
him.”

The euphoria of finding her mother safe did not last,
because that meant the only way she could prove her story would be to let her
go back home to her mother. She knew her chance was slipping away.

“I am afraid we cannot take the risk that you might trap
your escort and we cannot let you go back alone either. But you are too
powerful, too dangerous to have here.”

She could hear the sorrow in Satan’s voice as she closed her
eyes. He was their leader, he couldn’t risk his people. A tear trickled down
her cheek.

“Please,” she whispered.

“I am sorry.” Satan clapped his hands. “Return her to her
cage and ready the knife.”

Mira sobbed as they lifted her up again.

“Wait.”

The room went still. She dared to look up, not believing her
ears. Karnon had spoken. He didn’t look at her, his attention focused on the
throne.

“Father, I will escort her back to prove her story.”

Satan turned to his son. “And if she is lying?”

“That’s the point.” Karnon’s voice was thick. “I will wait
for her in the pentagram to bring her mother to me, to show me proof of Xander’s
crimes.”

Karnon looked down at Mira. “If she is lying then I will be
trapped. But it is a risk I am willing to take. For if we wrongfully execute
her then all hope of reconciliation with the witches is lost.” He turned to
speak to the hushed crowd. “As angry as many of you are, there is no denying
since the rift between demons and witches occurred that we have been lacking.
If what she says is true then we are equally at fault for believing we’re
superior and that one of our own would not do to them what they did to us.
Without communication and trust who knows how many more of these kinds of
things could happen? How many more of our kind or their kind will be betrayed
and trapped before we do something about it?”

The crowd murmured. The tight band around Mira’s chest
eased. The gleam of pride in Satan’s eye as he watched Karnon address the crowd
surprised her. She would have expected him to be angry at his son for speaking
out against his orders. She wondered if Karnon was Satan’s choice to be the
next Prince of Darkness and felt strangely sad about it.
It shouldn’t matter
what Karnon does with his future
, she chided herself. All that mattered was
that she could go home where her mother needed her.

“And so I will stand by the witches. To a new beginning!”
Karnon shouted.

The crowd exploded into chaos. Some cheered, others booed.
Pharic banged the staff on the ground again. Satan just leaned back with a
small smile.

Mira took a breath. She wouldn’t die today. Tears streamed
down her face and she met Karnon’s stare. Gazing into their depths, she
realized she was falling for this demon.

The Sins of the Father

Her fingernails clawed at his back. Her body was on fire,
cold fire. She would take him, take this demon and ride him until he was hers.
She brought her hands up to his neck and into his hair, yanking it back, as she
swept her tongue over his earlobe. He growled in response. They sank down to
the floor.

Mira pushed Karnon onto his back and climbed on top of him,
kissing his neck. Her breasts hung down and she trailed her nipples along his
stomach before reaching his hardened cock and sliding her tongue around it. He
groaned, lifting his hips to meet her mouth. She pushed him back down and
sucked harder. He cried out.

She stopped abruptly and stood up. He watched her with
depthless pupils as she walked to his head and kneeled down, lowering her pussy
onto his mouth. He licked her wet slit and she threw her head back in ecstasy.
He swirled his tongue and she grabbed fistfuls of his hair while moaning from
the jolts of pleasure his tongue sent through her body. Her back arched as she
orgasmed, his mouth plundering her clit.

When the last spasm finished she slid down his body, letting
her wetness trail on his stomach. Without warning she lowered herself onto his
cock and rode him. Pinned beneath her, he grasped her hips and thrust until he
exploded into her.

They collapsed together, sweaty and breathing hard until the
magic of the Calling lust faded.

As the spell lifted she rolled away from him, unsure what to
think or say, her stomach in knots. Now that she knew her feelings, her tongue
flopped in her mouth.

He sat up and crossed his legs, watching her without
expression. All the playfulness from their first encounter had gone. His face
was a mask.

Her shyness threatened to engulf her speech. She cleared her
throat.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Go find her,” he responded.

Taken aback, Mira brought her knees up to her chest. “You
want me to leave?”

He nodded, still not betraying any emotion.

“But I would have to leave the circle. You would be trapped.”
She said it out loud to hear the truth of it. He was risking his life for her.
He cared about her.

“If I made the right choice, after your mother speaks with
me, you will release me to go back to Hell,” he said.

His words landed like a blow. He wanted her to send him back
to Hell after they were done. He wasn’t here for her, he was there for justice,
for his duty. It wasn’t his fault she wanted more. He had not played with her
emotions, if anything he had been more than honest with her. The Calling was
all there was between them. She nodded and stood up. On her feet, she wavered.
Should she at least say something? Maybe it wasn’t just the Calling. She opened
her mouth to speak but a banging on the other side of the door interrupted.

“Mira! Are you in there?”

It was Tink. Mira ran to where her shirt still lay
discarded.

“Just a minute,” she called back.

“Thank god! I almost called the police. I’ve been worried
sick. Let me in.”

“Just a second.”

As the pounding on the door continued Mira frantically
dressed herself.

“I found some poor skinny woman passed out downstairs, does
she need a doctor? Who is she?”

Mira froze and met Karnon’s eyes. It may have been her
imagination but there seemed to be a hint of relief in them. She looked down
and realized she had already stepped outside the salt circle.

“Go,” he whispered.

“Tink, can you run down and check on her? I’m right behind
you, just looking for something.”

Mira blew out a breath of relief when Tink begrudgingly
agreed and the pounding stopped. She looked at the demon in the middle of the
salt pentagram one more time.

“I
will
be back.”

* * * * *

“A stupid move.” Satan paced back and forth in the empty
courtroom, his feet silent on the black rock.

“Yes sir.” Karnon stood before the Prince of Darkness, hands
clasped behind his back.

“She could have trapped you, drained you. She could have
killed you!”

“But she didn’t.”

Karnon watched his father mutter and pace, trying to keep
the smile from his face. Satan’s condition had improved quickly since Xander’s
death, making the connection between his illness and Xander obvious, even to
the most pigheaded. News had spread quickly about Karnon’s return and it had
quelled most arguments against the proposed new treaty with the blood-witches.

“Even so, you must be able to resist the weakness of the Calling.
It is nothing more than a spell. I saw the way you watched that witch.”

“I did my duty. She represented what our future could look
like. We need the blood-witches, just like they need us. And if I had not seen
the state her mother was in and felt the residue of Xander’s power on her with
my own senses, then this treaty would never have been a possibility.”

Satan grunted and Karnon did allow the smile to reach his
face this time.

“And I understand the difference between the feelings of a
Calling and knowing a person. Something more told me she spoke the truth,”
Karnon said.

Satan paused his pacing and looked hard at his son. “Something
more?”

“Yes sir.”

“Why didn’t you stay with her, then?”

Karnon stared blankly at his father. The thought had never entered
his head.

“You need me here.”

The Prince snorted. “Like hell I do. Cronus is making up for
lost time and we all know he’s going to be the next Lord of Hell. Although, you
did show some superior leadership skills during the trial.”

Karnon stiffened, praying his father was not about to say
the words he had been dreading.

Satan looked at him curiously. “Do you want to be chosen to
be my heir?”

His mind racing, Karnon tried to think of the right answer.
He did not want to lead. He wanted to go back to that cozy house where a
formidable blood-witch with wild hair and creamy hips lived.

“She is quite lovely,” Satan interrupted Karnon’s thoughts.

“What?”

“I may have to see if I can’t arrange a Calling with her in
the future,” his father mused.

Karnon’s insides twisted. He swallowed a retort, forcing
himself to calm down. “With all due respect she’s a little fragile for that,
sir.” He looked at the ground.

“Oh really? Well she will heal in time, and can you imagine
the power our little ones would have? Maybe I’ll just drop by and mend some of
the damage done.”

“No!” It was out before Karnon could stop it.

“No? Are you telling the Prince of Darkness no?”

“Please,” Karnon whispered.

“Why not?” Satan had moved closer, close enough that he
stood inches from Karnon.

“Because I love her!” The words burst out of him.

Satan moved back. “I thought so.”

“Sir?”

“I am sorry, my boy, but I had to be sure. Otherwise the
spell won’t work.”

Karnon’s heart came back to life. “Spell?”

Satan smiled. “I used it once, on your mother. It’s a spell
that will allow you to live with your blood-witch in their realm.” He retrieved
something from behind the throne.

“But if that exists, why not give it to everyone?”

“It is only for lovers, true lovers. Once you admit your
love for each other, the spell will go into effect. However, if one of you
drinks it and the other does not return the love, then the one who used it will
suffer grave consequences.” Satan held out his hand with a vial filled with a
thick green liquid.

“Consequences?”

“You will pass on.”

Karnon took a deep breath and reached for the vial but Satan
pulled his hand away. “You cannot tell her, you will not be able to speak more
than her name. Once you drink this, when she Calls you, you will not be under
the Calling spell. It must be love. If she does not return your love, does not
say it, you fade away and become a lost soul forever. Use this only if you
believe in her.”

Karnon stared down at the vial, heart pounding. He had
trusted Mira once, but that was different, just his physical body. This was his
heart, his soul. Could he trust her again?

* * * * *

“Come on, Mira. This one is cute, I promise!” Tink, whose
bright-green hair had a blue strip on one side, was trying to convince Mira to
go on another date.

Mira shook her head. Her last few attempts had been
miserable over the past year. “Sorry, Tink, I just want to be on my own and
share time with my sister.” Because Mira’s mother’s appeared too young, Mira
told people she was her long-lost sister. Tink had acted understanding for the
first few months but after Mira’s mother began to regain her health, Tink had
pushed Mira to get out of the house more, setting her up on too many blind
dates. Apparently the punky woman had given up on the Wiccan scene and was now
into setting her friends up. Tink couldn’t know that Mira spent her nights
feverously learning about her blood-witch powers from the one who should have
taught her in the first place. Mira’s mother had been horrified to discover
that her mother, Mira’s grandmother, had banned magic and was trying to make up
for it. As Serena grew stronger, the lessons became more challenging and Mira
had less energy for other activities.

“This one is a really great guy, I swear.”

Mira sighed. Maybe she should have another go at dating. It
had been almost a year since the Calling with Karnon. It all felt like a
surreal dream but thinking about it still made her face burn. Her one attempt
at sex since then had been lukewarm. She had been tempted to perform the
Calling more than once, especially after her mother had received word about the
treaty between the blood-witches and demons. Pride had stopped her. Karnon didn’t
want her, so she wasn’t about to Call him into her world.

“I’ll think about it, Tink.”

Mollified, her friend bounced away. Mira stared out the
doors of the library, her mind filled with images of horned men and black
obsidian.

That night she found her mother cooking in the kitchen. Her smile
warmed Mira’s heart, as it always did. It made Mira happy to see her mother at
peace. Even if her mother rarely left the house she filled her time with
hobbies, such as cooking, gardening and weaving. She had gained some weight but
she retained the almost-skeletal look, appearing to be made out of glass. She
didn’t practice magic either, except to teach Mira, and only then when she had
the energy. From the worn expression on her mother’s face Mira could tell her
mother would be too tired for any lessons tonight.

“Tink wants me to go on another date.”

Her mother lifted an eyebrow. She quieted whenever Mira
mentioned Tink and when the two of them were in the room there was always a
strange tension. Mira guessed it was because Tink had been the closest person
to her before her mother had come back into the picture and that her mother was
jealous of it. Whatever the reason, Mira chose to ignore it, hoping the tension
would fade in time.

“Do you want to date?”

“I don’t know.” Mira sank down on a dining room stool and
watched her mother delicately chop vegetables. “Sort of. I feel like something
is missing. I mean it’s wonderful to have you back and I couldn’t be happier.
But I would like…” Mira paused. She almost said, “to have someone to share a
bed with” but she remembered the last time her mother had shared a bed it had
been with Xander. If her mother noticed Mira’s stumble she didn’t react, her
knife chopping away. Her mother had yet to talk about her experience in Xander’s
prison and Mira didn’t want to force her.

The sizzle of oil and the smell of frying onions filled the
silence.

“I found Yima,” her mother said, suddenly.

“One of the witches was trapped with you?”

“Yes, the eldest. The one who helped you find your power.”

Her mother did not say anything more, her shoulders shaking.
Mira stood up and wrapped her arms around her mother’s slender frame. Secretly
she was pleased. If anyone could help her mother work through some of her
trauma it would be Yima. She remembered the strength and wisdom of the older
witch and it overjoyed her she would see her again and be able to thank her in
person.

* * * * *

Later that night Mira climbed the stairs to the attic. When
her mother had talked about reconnecting with Yima it had filled Mira with a
longing for Karnon. She fought the compulsion to Call him. Why put herself
through the torture of seeing him when she couldn’t have him? After her mother
went to bed, Mira with a bit of a wine buzz had to admit she missed him, and
seeing him briefly, even under the influence of the Calling, was better than
nothing.

Standing in the attic, her cheeks flushed from the
half-bottle of zinfandel, she whispered one of the first chants her mother had
taught her. She sensed the spell settle into place like netting around the bare
room. The enchantment would prevent the sights and sounds within from being
seen or heard on the outside. Normally she was supposed to do it as a
precaution, tonight she did it so her mother would not hear what would occur.
She wasn’t sure how fragile her mother was and the last thing she wanted was to
reawaken the trauma of Xander with lustful sounds of the Calling.

She poured the salt into a pentagram. Tink’s spell book
still sat on a shelf in the attic, forgotten by its owner, and Mira had no wish
to return it. She retrieved the book and as she spoke the words, she marveled
at how easily she performed the spell. She reveled in her power. Her mother’s
training showed.

The candles extinguished, leaving the room in darkness. Mira
waited, cross-legged on the floor, breathing regularly. The sensation was
different than she remembered, calmer. When the ball of light appeared, her
heart beat quicker.

The light faded and she smelled him before she saw him.