“Wait. Four?” Blanche gasped. “You can see me?”
“Only from the front,” she informed my dumbstruck friend, her eyes twinkling. “Oh my stars, sorry for walking through you the other day. Your back was to me.” She winked and left the room, going to what I assumed was the kitchen.
“I’ll help you with that, dear,” Miss Evelyn told her as she followed Rhonda out of the room.
“How in the Hell are they human?” Blanche quietly hissed at me.
“I don’t know, but they are. I think,” I said, bewildered and unnerved. “I can sense a Demon and now that I’ve been around Elijah, I can sense an Angel. They’re neither.”
“What else could they be?” Blanche sounded freaked out, which did nothing for my state of mind.
“You’re supposed to know this stuff.” My eyes narrowed in disgust. “You’re the direction book, for Satan’s sake.”
“I’m your fate, dumbass. I do not have all the answers,” she huffed. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. “Do you think we’re in danger?”
“No, we’re safe here. Eden is neutral and even if it wasn’t, Miss Evelyn would never harm us.”
“You’re sure?”
“Very sure.” I knew I was right. I could feel it in my gut. I knew it the same way I knew Elijah would never hurt me.
“Something is burning.” Blanche sniffed the air and pointed toward the kitchen.
“It smells like it,” I agreed. “But it smells good.”
The scent reminded me of a bonfire of sugar or a mountain of slightly burnt cookies. It was definitely coming from the kitchen.
“They’re going to come back in here, grind us up and turn us into baked goods,” Blanche informed me solemnly.
“You so did not just use the term baked goods,” I groaned.
“I did.” She smirked. “And I’m serious.”
“Sweet Baby Satan, you’ve been reading too many fairytales.”
“Possibly, but this place is weird.”
“Yep.” I nodded. “But I like it.”
Miss Evelyn and Rhonda came back carrying a tray of lemonade and cookies. Blanche eyed the
baked goods
and raised her eyebrows as high as they would go. It was all I could do not to laugh. Rhonda put the tray down and I swear there was a tendril of lavender smoke floating out of her nose. I blinked and it was gone. Now I was seeing things—first, Miss Evelyn as a young woman and now Rhonda as a smoke snorting cookie dealer. Great. I needed a good night’s sleep. Today had simply been too much.
“So, what have you ladies been up to?” Miss Evelyn asked as she served the lemonade.
“Nothing,” I muttered as I took a huge gulp of my drink and hoped she couldn’t tell I was lying. How on Earth could I possibly explain being chased by what I thought was a killer Angel and healing from wounds that would kill a mortal ten times over?
“Same ‘ole, same ‘ole,” Blanche added, quickly shoving two cookies into her mouth.
Miss Evelyn sat back on her loveseat and watched us, clearly amused by our pathetic attempts at deflection. “Hmm, sounds kind of boring.”
“It is,” Blanche agreed as she tried to swallow and talk at the same time. “Totally boring. Nice bracelet,” she added, steering the conversation toward the delicate piece of jewelry on Miss Evelyn’s arm.
It wasn't just a nice bracelet. It was a beautiful bracelet. There were three burnished gold strips woven together like braid and set in breathtaking pink diamonds. An intricate scroll covered the bands that I assumed was decorative, but on closer inspection I realized they were words. Words of a language I didn’t know. . .how odd. Miss Evelyn was one big mystery after another.
I leaned forward pretending to examine the bracelet, but really trying to cover up the pieces of chewed cookie that had flown out of Blanche’s face when she spoke with her mouth full.
There were definitely words on the jewelry, and I definitely didn’t understand them. I glanced up and caught Miss Evelyn’s eye. She winked and put her hand back in her lap, effectively hiding the unfamiliar language from me.
“So,” Miss Evelyn turned the tables back on us while graciously ignoring Blanche’s cookie crumb explosion. “Tell me about yourselves, girls.”
Damn, I was a bad liar, but Blanche was worse. I decided to take the reins.
“Well, we just moved here a couple of weeks ago,” I said as I tried to figure out how to bypass the particulars.
“From a tropical area,” Blanche volunteered.
“Yes. . .um, very tropical,” I cut her off before she announced we were from Hell and Miss Evelyn asked us to leave. Rhonda sat quietly and watched. I kept stealing glimpses at her to see if any more smoke floated out of her nose. Nothing. I was losing it for sure.
“What do your parents do?” Miss Evelyn inquired as she kindly reloaded Blanche’s baked goods plate.
I almost choked.
“Well, you know. . .um, my dad runs kind of. . .well, I guess you could say, um. . .a corporation of sorts. And my mom—I don’t know my mom,” I mumbled, wondering why in the Hell I told her that.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sure she would be quite proud of you if she knew you.”
“Well, maybe.” I shrugged my shoulders. “She didn’t want me.”
“Did your father tell you that?” Miss Evelyn asked sharply. Rhonda huffed and rearranged all the cookies on the tray. It was getting a little bizarre here.
“No,” I quickly replied. I’d clearly hit a sore spot with the ladies. Maybe they’d been abandoned too. And my dad never said she didn’t want me. He just never said anything. Period. “No,” I repeated. “He never talked about her.”
She shook her head sadly. “That’s too bad.”
“Did you get dumped by your mom too?” Blanche asked as she pocketed a few cookies and fed several others to Steve. Where in the Hell did she learn her manners? In a barn?
“No!” Miss Evelyn was taken aback. “Why do you ask?”
“You just seem a little wonky about the whole no mom thing.”
“Oh.” She shook her head and laughed. Her laughter sent happy shivers of delight through me. “I simply find it unfortunate that families these days can’t find ways to stay together.”
“Do you have a family?” I asked. A zing of jealousy shot through me as I imagined Miss Evelyn with a bunch of beautiful, well-adjusted children and a handsome husband.
“I do.” She sighed happily and clasped her hands to her chest. “I have two lovely daughters."
Envy set fire to my insides and I exerted great effort for my eyes to remain gold. I needed sleep badly. This was ridiculous. I felt like crying about not being included in a family of people I didn’t even know.
“Do you see your daughters much?” Blanche asked as she held out her glass out to Rhonda for more lemonade. I idly wondered when she’d last eaten. Hell, I didn’t even know she could eat.
“Occasionally,” Miss Evelyn answered. “It’s some of the most precious time I spend. It brings me true joy.”
That was all I could take. The walls closed in around me and I needed to breathe fresh air. “We have to go.” I stood abruptly and gave Blanche a look.
“We do?” She was surprised and clearly not ready to leave.
“Yep, we do,” I insisted tightly, letting her know I meant business. “Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Evelyn and Rhonda,” I blurted. “But I have homework and stuff.”
“Can’t you stay a bit longer?” Miss Evelyn asked.
“No,” I bit my lip so I wouldn’t cry. Steve whimpered in the corner and Blanche stood up uncertainly.
“Dixie,” she pouted while pocketing a few more cookies. I wanted to deck her for her hideous etiquette. “I want to stay.”
“Well, you can’t,” I snapped.
What was wrong with me
? I knew I was being rude, but my need to leave was overwhelming.
“It’s okay, Blanche,” Miss Evelyn said gently. “You can visit again soon.”
“With all due respect, Miss Evelyn,” I stated firmly even though my insides quaked. “I’m quite sure we won't be back.”
“Dixie,” Blanche gasped. “What is wrong with you?”
That was an outstanding question. My behavior was appalling. I only knew being around Miss Evelyn and Rhonda made me want things I could never have. Things I’d longed for my whole life. . .things I would continue to long for. Always. I couldn’t be distracted by this. It was consuming me and making me weak.
I was a Demon Princess. Daughter of Satan and I was here for a reason. I was here to find The Balance of Chaos, The Sword of Death and to kill Rogue Demons. Processing that thought made my stomach roil.
I was not here to turn an old woman into a mother figure, flirt with Angels who have agendas or make friends with mean mortals. I was a Demon. I thrive on chaos, anger, hatred and pain. Acceptance of my nature would only make me stronger.
The regret I felt about ending a relationship with Miss Evelyn was physical, but I wasn’t here to be happy.
“It’s all right, Dixie.” Miss Evelyn’s voice was soft and soothing. My body involuntarily leaned toward her warmth and light. “I will be here if you’d like to visit again. You are always welcome.”
She gently took my face in her hands and pressed her lips to my forehead. I stiffened and backed away. I didn’t think witches existed, but the spell she had cast on me felt unmistakably real.
Blanche tentatively stepped to her. “Will you hug me goodbye?”
“Of course.” Miss Evelyn smiled. Her eyes lit up and she took my friend into her arms.
“I need to touch your face,” Blanche told her.
Miss Evelyn hesitated and put an arm’s length between herself and Blanche. It was a bizarre standoff and I was lost. Rhonda moved to Miss Evelyn’s side with a grunt.
“No, Rhonda, it’s necessary. I invite you in,” she told Blanche.
What in the Hell was going on? My feet were rooted to the floor as I watched a surreal episode of
The Twilight Zone
unfold. Something bad was about to go down, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what. The danger was real. I was unsure if it was life threatening or life changing, but I’d already had a shitty day and one more bit of crazy was not going to work for me.
Rhonda and Miss Evelyn definitely had some magic hoodoo going on. It wasn’t Demonic or Angelic, but I was now positive it wasn’t mortal either. The simple fact that they could see Blanche was a dead giveaway.
Why didn’t I listen to Blanche? These crazy old women were probably going to grind us up and turn us into brownies. My gut screamed to tell Blanche not to touch her, but my mouth stayed silent.
Rhonda took my friend’s hand and placed it on Miss Evelyn’s cheek. Blanche’s skin began to glow and a silver mist swirled around her. Her sharp intake of breath, followed by violent shaking ended my silence.
“No,” I shouted as I tried to pull her away.
Rhonda blocked my path as Blanche continued to convulse.
“Stop it,” I screamed and clawed at Rhonda. “You’re hurting her.”
Miss Evelyn stood serenely with her eyes closed while she killed my friend. Rhonda’s grip on me was insane. She was a Mack truck. My fury spiked and I fought Rhonda like a rabid animal. Sparks of red and lavender flew from my fingertips mixing with Blanche’s silver mist, creating an alarming light show of magic that should have scared the old women to death. They ignored it.
I wanted to kill them. However, somewhere in my subconscious I knew that was wrong.
Blanche collapsed at Miss Evelyn’s feet. Her body still convulsed. A fury like I'd never felt consumed me and a chant in a language I didn't know flowed seamlessly from my lips. Hot flashes of rage burned in my gut and the chant turned vicious. Much to my shock and delight all several hundred pounds of Rhonda went flying across the room. She slammed against the wall with a sickening thud and I threw my body over Blanche’s.
“Don’t any of you touch her,” I ground out through clenched teeth. “She’s done nothing to hurt you. If you touch her again I’ll. . .”
“Dixie.” Blanche was shaken and her voice was weak. “Stop. They’re not hurting me.”
She began to fade away.
“No, no, no.” I shook my head as tears threatened. “Don’t you dare disappear on me now.”
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “Miss Evelyn is good. Weird, but good.” A small laugh escaped her lips. “We’re not going to end up as baked goods.”
“Blanche.” I pressed her transparent body to my own. All thoughts of anyone else in the room ceased to exist. “You can’t leave me. I need you.”
“Dixie, I’m your fate. I take you where you need to be. Trust me, you’re supposed to be here. You are so much stronger than you think. Believe me.”
“If I’m supposed to be here, you have to stay with me,” I insisted desperately. The tightening in my chest made it hard to breathe.
“I will be back very soon.” Her voice faltered and she shook her head sadly. “These women are important. And guess what?” She grinned. “We were right—they’re not quite mortal.”
“What are they?” I looked up and locked eyes with Miss Evelyn.
“Everything will reveal itself when it’s supposed to. Don’t even say it,” she cut me off before I could explode. “There are too many rules in this damn game.” She giggled faintly as she began to fade away. "Stay true."
She was gone.
I sat motionless on the floor and stared at the spot where Blanche had been, willing her to come back. She knew who or what Miss Evelyn and Rhonda were and she couldn’t tell me. And I’d bet my eternally damned soul these ladies weren’t going to talk.
“I don’t know what Blanche meant,” I said cautiously as I ran my fingers through the glittering silver dust on the floor. “But if she trusts you. . .I will give you the benefit of the doubt.”
I raised my eyes to Miss Evelyn’s and a sense of peace washed through me. Rhonda helped me to my feet.
“Are you okay?” I asked Rhonda, worried that I may have broken some of her bones or cracked her skull. “I thought you guys were, you know. . .killing her.”
Rhonda gave me a big toothy smile. “I’m fine, child. That was one heck of a body slam though,” she grunted and rubbed her neck.
How she wasn’t dead was beyond me, but Blanche said they were not mortal. What in the Hell were they? They were old, so they couldn’t be immortal. Clearly there was another species I didn’t know about. That would explain the language on Miss Evelyn’s bracelet.