kate storm 04 - witches dont back down (13 page)

My heart was still racing. I wasn't sure my legs could continue to hold me up. And my eyes burned.

I'd rather be the scowling witch than the weepy one any day.

Ash set his hand down on the counter in front of Al. "You called Kate?"

Al scratched at one ear with his hind leg. "I did. She needs to know what's been going on."

My legs wobbled. Désirée grabbed my arm with the hand holding my wand and I ordered my knees to lock in place.

"What do you mean
what's been going on?"
Damn it. Was Ash keeping secrets from me again?

I pulled my arm out of Désirée's grip and my wand out of her hand. I pointed my wand at Ash.

"Were you injured or not?"

Ash eyed my wand then me then sighed. "Yes. But it wasn't anything serious."

Al snorted.

I decided I needed to view Ash close up. My eyes were no longer burning and I was somewhat confident I could both walk and stand next to him without falling apart.

I walked slowly over to the bar, running my eyes up and down his body the whole time. I still couldn't see anything. His vest and pants were unmarred. His skin smooth. He looked like he always looked.

Then Ash turned to face me fully.

I gasped.

His tattoo was moving. The lines of his sin writhed and twisted as if in pain and the red flame marks glowed.

Shit. This could only mean one thing. "You're going? You have to leave now?"

His sin was calling him back to Hell. Any second now he'd vanish from my life forever and I didn't know if I would ever see him again.

I didn't take my eyes off him. I branded each and every inch of him to memory. Searing him into my brain. Lodging him into my heart.

His exposed gray horns. His beautiful amber eyes. His incredibly body.

His furious glare at my Chihuahua.

"See what you've done?"

Ash stood and pulled me into him. "I'm not going anywhere, Kate. Don't worry."

How could he say that?

I know magic. His sin might not be all magic or even a type of magic I was familiar with, but it behaved like my magic did.

I knew the signs.

His sin was reacting to a force. Like when I cast a protection spell and my wand vibrated in response to something trying to get through my protection.

Magic is not a nebulous thing. It’s organic and it reacts and responds to nature and other magic.

Or in this case Hell.

I was wrong. My mortality wasn't going to be the vessel for the curse to take effect.

Ash's sin was. His sin hadn't given us any warning. It was going to take Ash from me right now.

I wrapped my arms around Ash's shoulders as tightly as I could. Maybe if I held on, his sin would take me with him.

The moment I touched his sin, I yelped.

The markings zapped me. Sent a shot of electricity right through me. Like touching a live wire.

I wanted to scream. How could his sin reject me now?

It wasn't fair. It wasn't . . .

Oh, shit no.

I pulled back until I stood in front of Ash with several inches separating us.

I moved my hand towards his sin once more.

The moment I touched the writhing lines, I was hit with another zap.

Son of a bitch.

I looked up at Ash. "How did this happen?"

Ash regarded his shoulder with disgust. He rolled it as if trying to dislodge an irritating ache. "It happened when I opened my truck door."

I froze. "When you left my apartment?"

Ash shook his head. "No. Al and I went to look at a piece of property we thought would work for our shop. Phil and Drake met us there. They both want in. The property is perfect. Drake and Phil had just left. I'd already put Al in the truck and when I went around to open my door that's when I got hit."

I started to breathe again.

Slowly and painfully, but I could breathe.

I tried to take comfort from the fact it hadn't happened at my apartment. That had to mean something good.

Because everything else was bad. Very, very bad.

Ash had been hit with black magic.

A timed trap fixed to his door or a lucky bolt finding its mark. I didn't know if it was anything more.

Like actual knowledge of Ash's physical whereabouts.

I really, really hoped it was luck and not knowledge.

Nina Georgette might be using black magic, but no matter how I tried I couldn't see her doing this.

More's the pity. I knew I could count on Nina to come back to Love Required. She wanted to use me for something.

Me. Not Ash.

I only knew of one witch who used black magic and had it out for both Ash and myself.

Ash because he broke his deal with her and me because she was evil and mean and very thorough.

Morgause.

16. A Little Less Panic

"
What does Phil want in on?" Désirée Norma-Sue walked over to stand next to me. "He hasn't said . . . Oh my." Désirée leaned forward as if to touch Ash's shoulder. Abruptly she pulled her hand back. "Sugah, that's as bad as bein' dragged behind my Uncle Ray-Bob's truck. That's black magic."

She turned to look at me. "You don't think Nina . . ."

I was already shaking my head no. "It's not Nina. I touched her. She's using black magic, but it's for a specific purpose. Like your ex-fiancée, Derek, when he tried to use me to find you. It's a little creepy because it is black magic, but it's not like this. When I touched Ash's shoulder I felt something more than black magic." I swallowed convulsively. "I felt rage and cunning and evil."

"Nina isn't evil," Al stated. I ignored him.

Ash pulled me into his side, away from his active sin. "It can't hurt me, Kate." He rubbed his hand up and down my side. "Morgause can do her worst, but she can't hurt me with black magic. Demons are immune," he reminded me.

"I know, but your sin is different." I tried to peer around his chest. Ash held me firmly in place, as if out of my sight would be out of my mind. "It's part magic, part curse, part pure sin."

I have never understood the exact origin of sin. I know the basic foundation of Christianity, just not all the details. We witches have pretty much stayed away from bibles and crosses and pitchforks since the Salem Witch Trials. You know the old adage: never trust a colonist with a bible in one hand, a pitchfork in the other and a crazy look in their eye.

Frankly, I've never seen anything wrong with being accused of witchcraft.

Ash and Morgan have both told me that sin has been around since the get go.

It's a cosmic balance thing: You can't have the good without the bad.

I know sin was created in Hell. And that Ash has been forced to carry his sin since he became the King of Demons. All demon lords have their own sin.

It's that same good and bad thing. The demon equivalent of winning their title and receiving their prize:

And behind door number three your sin is .
. .

I knew some but not enough and I couldn't find out the exact answers. Damn demons and their lack of records.

"It's my sin, Kate. I carry it. I own it. It can't hurt me." He jostled me. "Morgause can't hurt me."

"But can she manipulate your sin into forcing you back to Hell sooner?"

"It's my sin, Kate."

And that wasn't an answer either.

Ash might own his sin. He might control it. But that didn't mean it wasn't susceptible to other magic.

Its agitated lines were proof to my point.

"I can handle it."

I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn't care for the demon reassuring the little witch attitude Ash was spouting. Did he really expect me to buy it?

Ash tilted his head and smiled down at me.

I sighed. Ash wasn't being an overprotective demon. He's the King of Demons. Dominant, confident and fully capable of handling whatever came his way.

"Morgause knows where you are?" Désirée Norma-Sue wrapped her arm around my waist and peered around the bar as if Morgause might be hiding underneath one of the tables.

"No. She knows Ash is in Dominion now. But she can't be sure about me." I squeezed Désirée's hand.

"How can you be sure?" Désirée continued to check out every section of the bar.

"Cause she'd be dead." Al licked a drop of bourbon off his mouth.

"Oh." Désirée jolted then looked at me.

"I'm still alive," I assured her.

"She's stayin' that way too." Al wrinkled his nose and lifted his upper lip, showing just a hint of tiny teeth. "Morgause ain't gettin' anywhere near Kate. She'll have to go through me first."

I shuddered. Both Ash and Désirée tightened their hold on me. Al was devoted and fearless and completely oblivious to reality.

Sweet Spirits, I loved him.

"So Morgause is basically flinging pot shots of black magic and hoping it will find its mark?" Désirée looked up at Ash. "And one found you?"

Ash grunted. I nodded. "That's the way I see it. She must be getting closer to Dominion." I made a conscious effort not to shudder again.

I wanted Morgause to find me. I needed her to so I could confront her. But I also wanted to be ready first. I wasn't ready right now. I wasn't even sure what I needed in order to be ready. I just knew I needed a little more time.

We were all silent for a few minutes. Contemplating the various ways Morgause could attack and how soon it might happen. At least that's what I was contemplating. I figured the others were too.

I should have known better.

Hitmen have one track minds.

"Hey, Désirée?" We all looked at Al, sitting on the bar counter, head cocked to the side. "Whose body did your Uncle Ray-Bob drag behind his truck?"

****

I called my Aunt on our way back to Love Required
.

She needed to know what was going on. To keep her guard up. And to make a protection amulet.

I planned to make one for Ash, Désirée Norma-Sue, Al, Morgan, Drake and Phil when I got back to my office. And myself, of course.

My Aunt didn't answer her phone. I left her a message.

As far as I knew, my Aunt didn't have anything scheduled today. And she usually brought her phone with her.

Unless she didn't want to be disturbed.

But she always told me if she was going to a nude sun goddess ceremony too.

I'd tracked her down once when I'd been a young witch. We'd both learned a lesson.

Talk about
awkward.

I gathered my magic and sent it out. I couldn't feel anything bad. Or evil. Morgause wasn't in town yet.

My Aunt was safe.

She simply wasn't answering her phone.

I placed a call to Morgan next. She didn't answer either, but I figured she was busy. I left her a message and passed along the same warning.

I also told her I needed to stop by my Aunt's house after work. I hoped it would keep me too busy for karaoke. Of course, I didn't use the word
hope
with Morgan. I said probably.

I really meant hope though.

Ash had called the real estate agent about the property for the shop and then he called Phil and Drake. They made an appointment to meet with the agent and purchase the property. He and Al had left the bar at the same time Désirée Norma-Sue and I had.

All four of them were really excited about their business venture together. Al practically shook with excitement.

I was still shaking myself.

"It's gonna be okay, Sugah. Ash can handle himself." Désirée reached over and patted my shoulder.

"Did you see the way his sin was moving, Désirée?"

"Yeah." Désirée stopped patting me. "That didn't look too good."

"And you understand Morgause is getting closer, right?"

"Yeah." Désirée shuddered briefly.

"And I told you I still don't have a plan to face her, break the curse and stay alive, right?"

"Ah."

"And don't forget Nina Georgette is also using black magic for reasons we still don't understand," I reminded her.

"Right. And someone is trying to undermine your business and Lana Jacobs is a nightmare and can't wait to tell everyone what a terrible matchmaker you are if you can't find her the right match."

"There is that, too." I patted Désirée's hand which was now squeezing my shoulder.

Désirée Norma-Sue sighed heavily and frowned. She was such an optimistic fairy. It was hard for her to be negative.

She brightened. "Well, Ash can take care of himself."

I had to smile. There was that.

He might have taken a direct hit, but he wasn't letting it get to him.

Ash and Al were headed to a leather shop a few towns over to buy a leather jacket before he met with the real estate agent. That was the only concession Ash planned to make in regards to his writhing, visible sin.

Whether he really wasn't bothered by it or he was simply determined to show me he wasn't bothered by it, I couldn't say for certain.

Either way, his attitude calmed me. Which was exactly what Ash intended.

Spirits, I loved that demon.

"Oh, look at the time!" Désirée squealed.

I sat up, thinking hard. I must admit, thinking clearly was not coming easily to me at the moment. I've been trying really hard to get over my duck and dodge instincts. And for the most part I've been succeeding. However, old habits are hard to break. My brain hasn't quite shifted to the
onward soldier
mentality. Useless circling appears to be my default.

Useless circling is not a good default to have. You tend to circle a lot.

"I don't have any appointments today, Désirée." I sat back. I had enough to worry about without accidentally forgetting appointments as well. My plan was to work on finding matches for Ant Leroy and Lana this afternoon.

"I know, Sugah. But it's almost one. We can still make Charles Clayton's book reading and signing."

I'd completely forgotten about the author.

I looked at the time. If Désirée dropped me off at Love Required
she'd be late to the reading.

I didn't have any appointments and a book reading by a self-defense author sounded like it might come in handy given certain aspects of my life at the moment.