Later that day, I was on my way to face off with the Supreme High Witch of the Angel City coven in the Viper. My stat board told me I was only moments away from the hundred acre wildlife preserve where the coven had its headquarters. Not for the first time I wondered how the witches had managed to gain the rights to build in that area. I decided they must have friends in high places and made a mental note to ask Raoul about it the next time I saw him.
The air in the Viper changed and I turned to find my Dialle sitting in the soft leather seat beside me.
He smiled and my traitorous heart went pitter-patter.
“Dialle.”
“Astra. You’re looking particularly yummy today.”
I grinned. I couldn’t help it. “Aren’t you just the consummate suck up?”
He arched a perfectly shaped, black eyebrow and turned to face me.
I’m perfectly willing to instigate sucking up again with you Astra. Our first foray into the activity proved extremely pleasurable.
His voice in my mind was pure, indecent invitation
.
I shivered.
Heavily lashed blue eyes assessed my reaction, not missing the shiver of anticipation his words had created in me. That extremely sexy gaze seared me from above deftly sculpted cheekbones and a lush, sensuous mouth that was perked upward at the corners over an extremely masculine, squared off jaw.
I felt warmth pooling between my thighs.
I gulped and tried to look away. Forcing myself to stare at the stat board rather than my yummy passenger. I was so screwed when it came to this particular royal. Even if I managed to get my mind under control my body would always react to him. I knew then that, whatever I felt for Emo and despite the accusations he’d made against Dialle, I was going to pursue a relationship with my devil. And hopefully soon.
I pressed my legs together desperately and decided the best defense would have to be an offense. I turned back to him.
“Nice work destroying Demonica, Dialle. I’m sure that will make things clearer for all involved.”
His grin widened. “I’m not sure that is the case, Astra but it
was
a lot of fun.”
Just then the Viper sounded an arrival tone to indicate that we’d reached our destination. I had to swallow a sharp retort and turn back to the controls so that I could guide us through the part of the preserve that was not on the computerized maps.
I dropped the Viper down into a vehicle alley that had been cleared through the dense blanket of trees. The alley led to the lone building in the preserve. As we dropped to within a few feet of the ground the light fell away from the day and night seemed to descend on us prematurely. I don’t think I’d realized until that point how dense the trees were in that preserve.
The only other time I’d been in the preserve I’d gone to the place where the witches performed their masses and the trees there, being on the edge of a meadow, hadn’t been quite as thickly layered.
We followed the alley for a few miles, dodging upward a couple of times to avoid colliding with some extremely large deer and one hungry-looking blaven, a bearlike creature that walked upright and had claws the length of my hand. Rumor had it the blaven was the sasquatch of human legend.
When we finally came in sight of the witches’ coven headquarters I turned to Dialle. “Before we face off with the High Supreme Witch, I need to know where we stand. Does the destruction of Demonica mean that your father has formally declared war on the demons?”
Dialle snorted elegantly. “My father’s view is that the demons aren’t worthy of a formal declaration. Demonica was meant to be only a reminder to them that we could take them out any time we desire.”
“Well, since Alcott appears to have the human press on his side I’m not sure how effective taking out Demonica was. The news has been filled all day with how your father is trying to bully poor, misunderstood King Alcott. I think his action last night is going to have serious unintended consequences.”
Dialle reached to tuck an errant strand of hair behind my ear but didn’t respond.
I dropped the Viper into hover in front of the large, low-slung ranch type building that housed the Angel City coven. Turning to my devil I gave him a look. “I think you’ve proven your point. Hopefully Alcott didn’t take your ‘reminder’ as an incentive to kill all the remaining hostages.”
Dialle shrugged, appearing not to care one way or the other. “That would be an unfortunate outcome of course but unavoidable in this case. “
I stared at him for a long moment. My interaction with the human fireman that morning popped into my head and I realized that I felt differently about the human victims of this situation than did the royals. In the royals’ view humans were little more than cattle to be used as necessary and protected only where it suited them.
A few human deaths would mean nothing to King Dialle and his court unless it caused them problems. I decided right then and there that I would have to make sure human deaths caused them problems.
“I’m sure the Angel Council would take a dim view of those humans dying unnecessarily, Dialle.”
Again he shrugged. “Then let us go speak to the woman who is responsible for the humans’ current predicament.”
I couldn’t very well argue with him on that point, since that was the reasoning that had brought me to the coven in the first place.
We exited the Viper and I sent it into the air and engaged security. I led the way toward the front door. The coven headquarters seemed deceptively serene and harmless. Very human. I knew the power that resided behind those doors was an awesome thing and far from harmless.
As we reached the door it opened inward. At first I thought it was magically induced, then I saw the extremely large shape lurking behind the door in the dim light of the foyer.
“I am Astra Phelps. I’ve come to request an audience with the Supreme High Witch.”
The bulky shape behind the door motioned for us to enter. The door swung shut behind Dialle and the very rotund woman who had let us in stood silently, short stubby fingers clasped at her round belly and peered expectantly at Dialle.
He gave a slight but formal bow and quirked those yummy lips upward as he introduced himself. “Prince Dialle, madam witch. Dark Blessings.”
The woman’s perfectly round face slid slowly into a lecherous grin that made my skin crawl. She returned Dialle’s nod in a slightly negligent way that made me mad. As next in line for the royal devil throne, Dialle deserved more respect from a mere witch. Her attitude told me volumes about the coven’s current mood.
“Welcome Astra Phelps and Prince Dialle. If you will follow me. The Supreme High Witch has been expecting you.”
The rotund witch ambled ungracefully down a long, dimly lighted hallway, her stout, sensible shoes clicking slightly on the highly polished dark wood floors. I slid a glance to Dialle and he met it with a dark, unreadable expression.
He hadn’t let the witch know in look or manner that her insolence had affected him one way or the other. But the look he gave me showed just what he thought of it.
I shivered slightly. I hoped the coven knew what it was doing. Going up against the court of Dialle the First was stupidity at its finest. However, I doubted the witches, at least the coven members, knew the full extent of their overreach. I suspected the Supreme High Witch, whoever she was, was aware of the danger and would probably lie low until her purposes had been attained, leaving her minions to bear the brunt of the king’s anger.
We were shown into a large room that looked like a combination library and greenhouse. The long wall directly across from the door where we entered sported an enormous fireplace, built of sparkling white Angel City limestone. Despite the relative warmth of the early evening outside, a raging fire crackled and snapped in the depths of the enormous fireplace.
To the left, a wall of windows bowed out over a short expanse of bright green lawn and hovered over an exorbitant mixture of herbs and flowers. I recognized many of the plants as being useful for witch’s brews and magical incantations. The coven was growing Iris for communication, Coneflower for strength and protection, Fern for invisibility and Foxglove for protection and poisonous purposes.
The witch who had shown us into the room gave us a small nod and left, her wide posterior swinging rather haughtily toward the door.
I looked at Dialle but he was looking toward the furthest end of the room, where the sun from the greenhouse windows couldn’t reach. A tall shape stood among the shadows there.
Before the shape or I could speak Dialle said, “We were expecting the Supreme High Witch.” His voice held anger and the temperature in the room rose slightly.
The figure in the shadows stepped forward and I nearly gasped. She was beautiful in a nearly angelic way. Her soft golden-white hair flowed down her shoulders and arms and touched her tiny waist in shiny waves. Her form, under the long, silky robes, was slight, with just the softest rounding at the breast and hips. Her face was heart-shaped, with finely made features. Large gray eyes with dusky gold lashes swept her peach-tinted cheeks when she lowered her gaze and gave Dialle a proper bow of respect. Then, standing upright again, she smiled at us and her only physical imperfection was revealed. She had just the tiniest overbite on her small white teeth, making her look, if possible, even more beautiful because it made her real.
“I apologize, Prince Dialle. The Supreme High Witch truly wanted to be here. But she has been unavoidably detained.”
My devil stared at the angelic-looking specimen before us and she stared back at him. I started to feel a change in the air and squinted to check for signs of magic in the room. I saw nothing. What I was feeling was pure, old-fashioned instinct, beating me about the head and shoulders.
They stared at each other, not speaking, for several moments.
Uh, hello? Anyone see the little Tweener with the long auburn hair and a really kickass pair of new, brown leather boots on?
Finally I cleared my throat and spoke. “And you would be?”
The woman finally turned to me. “I’m so sorry. My name is Astis. I am the Supreme High Commander of the Angel City Coven.”
I grinned. “Commander?”
Her lips joined me in my smile but something in the eyes warned me. This one was not at all what she seemed. “I am the second-in-command, Mx. Phelps. I assure you I am up to the task.”
This last was said with just the tiniest bit of aggression. I supposed that, like me, people were always underestimating her because of her looks. Too small to kick ass. Too pretty to kick ass. Same general principle.
I nodded slightly in acquiescence. “I have no doubt of that, Astis. I meant no disrespect. The title is just very warlike and you aren’t.”
She chuckled at that and it was a lovely sound. “You of all creatures should understand, Mx. Phelps. Do not let appearances deceive.”
Dialle shivered slightly at the sound of her laugh and my gaze jerked to him. He still stared at her as if bespelled.
My heart jerked in my chest. Holy shit he was bespelled!
I touched his arm and he jerked, turning toward me.
Dialle, snap out of it!
My voice in his head seemed to wake him from his dazed state. He scowled at me and gave a terse,
yes
, in my mind. Then he turned to the woman and his arm shot out before I could stop him. She flew across the room, her large gray eyes round with surprise.
Her lithe, agile body hit the wall behind her with a painful-sounding thunk and she hung there, like a bug pinned to a board.
Then, amazingly she smiled.
Dialle stalked toward her, the temperature in the room rising dramatically with every step. He touched her chest with one finger and she cried out, writhing against her invisible bonds.
Her gown started to smoke, tiny flames erupting at the hem.
I ran to him and grabbed his arm but he shrugged me off. “Stay out of this Astra. This one needs to learn her place.”
I raised my hands and stepped back. Conceding him his right to address her lack of respect. “Just don’t kill her please. I still need to talk to her.”
He stared hard at the writhing witch for several beats and then gave me a curt nod.
Dialle’s finger moved and the woman screamed. It was a horrible scream, filled with exquisite pain and tinged with fear. She screamed for a full minute and then stopped as Dialle removed his finger from her heaving chest. She hung there panting, her eyes closed and her body still writhing in the aftermath.
People were pounding on the door and calling out for Astis but they didn’t seem able to get in. I figured Dialle had locked it magically and they weren’t getting into that room until he wanted them to.
Dialle leaned close to her and spoke into her ear. I couldn’t hear him at first but then I pulled my power forward and used it to enhance my hearing. He said, “Do not ever presume again to try and bespell me witch. You are the merest worm beneath my feet. I will squash you into jelly if you touch me psychically again. Is that clear?”
The witch shivered and when she finally opened the gray eyes they were filled with lust rather than fear. As I watched she ran the tip of a pink tongue across her dry lips in a very suggestive manner. Dialle scowled and gave her chest another jolt. This time I recognized the writhing for what it was, sexual heat, rather than pain. The woman apparently got off on pain.
Go figure.
Dialle seemed to realize that at the same moment I did and stepped away from her. It was useless to try to punish a pain addict with pain. As he walked back to me the woman’s body suddenly dropped from the wall and she hit the floor with a jarring finality.
Just like that we were in a different place, surrounded by soft music and gentle things.
The witch looked around in horror.
The ground she lay on was soft and fluffy. Cloudlike in its substance. The air around us was a deep, almost purple blue and filled with soft, calming music. In the distance I could see rolling hills of green and softly waving trees. The place was like a hologram of a real place, nearly real but not completely.