Мишель Роуэн - The Demon in Me

Every word burrowed into Eden’s brain. Everything Selina said started to connect and make sense — and then it hit her like a thunderbolt of clarity.

Eden had willingly had sex with Darrak. Very willingly.

“So this means…” she began.

“You’re now a black witch as well.” Selina smiled without humor. “Welcome to the family.”

There was silence at the table. The coffee bar around them continued to buzz with activity. The warm smell of baked goods still pleasantly hung in the air. The cash register dinged as someone made a purchase.

And Eden’s entire existence took a graceful swan dive into a swimming pool full of crap.

“So, demon,” Selina continued, “if you’ve really changed as much as you’re trying to make me believe, it goes without saying that unless you decide you want to corrupt more of this poor woman’s soul, you can never touch her sexually again. Hope that won’t be a problem for you.”

“Break the spell, Selina,” Darrak said darkly.

“What about your curse?”

“One thing at a time.”

The amber glow she’d all but forgotten about when she and Darrak had been together physically…

It was the magic settling over her, entering her, changing her. Making her into something different.

Eden was a black witch because she’d had sex with Darrak.

If Hell had created an STD, this would definitely be it.

“What do I do now?” she asked, stunned.

“Can you feel it?” Selina asked, searching her face. “The magic inside you now?”

Eden shook her head. “I don’t feel anything.”

“Concentrate.”

She did. And she sensed a bit of that electricity she’d felt earlier. A warm flush of power permeating her skin. “I think I can feel it. And it feels kind of… good?”

Darrak swore, gripped the edge of the table, and looked ready to tear it apart with his bare hands. “It’s not good. Nothing about this is good.”

Selina looked at him skeptically. “You mean you had no idea this might happen?”

“I–I didn’t know this would happen.”

“But you thought something bad would happen, right? And yet you did it anyhow.” Selina shook her head. “ Men . Always thinking about pleasure before practicality.”

Eden looked blankly at the both of them.

Selina laughed. “I can barely believe you’re the same archdemon I summoned. I’d think you’d be thrilled to have corrupted yet another human soul.”

Flames entered his gaze. “You need to fix this.”

Her smile disappeared. “I can’t. What’s happened to Eden isn’t a spell I can break. It’s the result of a spell. Just like what happened to me.”

Eden’s brain was flailing about, attempting to piece everything together and also trying very hard not to freak out over this life-altering avalanche of news. “So anyone Darrak would have — would have been with would become a black witch?”

“My spell was specific to someone with my level of psychic ability.” Selina gave another one of those humorless smiles. “I guess we have more in common than I thought we did.”

“Only I didn’t ask for the ability to do black magic. It really wasn’t on my list of must-haves this year.” There was an edge of barely restrained hysteria in her voice.

Selina squeezed Eden’s numb hands tighter. “You haven’t used the magic inside of you yet. If you never use it, maybe that will keep your soul from any damage.”

Eden tried to stay calm, but it was a losing battle. “I’m seriously going to be sick right now. Right here.”

Selina curled her hand around her wrist and Eden felt a strange calming sensation move through her that helped settle her stomach.

“Try to breathe,” the witch suggested. “I’ll put my book tour on hold for a few days and stay here in the city to help you. I feel a sisterly bond with you now.”

A weak glimmer of hope moved through her in this otherwise hellish scenario. “You’d do that?”

She nodded. “Just try to be in control of your emotions as much as you can. I do yoga daily and take frequent meditation breaks. Scented candles are also very soothing. Anger will automatically bring the dark magic to the surface where it becomes very tempting to use.” She touched her pendant. “As a black witch, our magic is at our fingertips in a way that makes it much easier to use than through books or verbally cast spells. It’s a lot like being a drug addict, actually. The only way to defeat the desire to use the black magic is to ignore it.”

That didn’t sound very good at all. “And there’s no way for me to get rid of it?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

Eden gulped. “Are there any perks at all to this condition?”

“Well, there is the chance to live forever.” Selina smiled. “Just make sure you move and change your name every ten years so people don’t realize you’re not aging. Botox can only account for so much, you know.”

Eden looked at Darrak to see the demon was furious. Selina turned to him as well.

“You’re upset over this,” she observed.

“You’re brilliant.”

“At me or at yourself?”

“Both. This never should have happened. I should have known. Should have predicted it.”

Selina cocked her head to the side. “Are you playing games, demon?”

“I wish. Games are fun. This? Not so much.”

She studied him for a moment longer. “The archdemon I summoned would never blame himself for something like this. You really have changed, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I have.”

Selina’s expression remained skeptical. “But that doesn’t mean it will last. You’re weakened right now. If you were to regain your power, these feelings will slip away and you’ll return to how you were before.”

He shook his head. “I won’t.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do.”

She pursed her full red lips. “If you were human once I might believe it. But you weren’t. So you need to stop acting so naïve.”

Eden shakily took a sip of her now lukewarm hot chocolate. It slithered unpleasantly down her throat. “I don’t think he’s being naïve. I believe Darrak’s telling the truth.”

“You think so, do you? After everything he’s done to you?” Selina’s green eyes flashed. “You need to see something. Now that we share this power inside us, I can share other things as well.” Her grip tightened on Eden’s wrist.

“Wait, what are you—” But the next moment the words were ripped out of Eden’s mouth. The coffee shop shimmered away before her very eyes, and suddenly she was standing in the middle of a small grassy meadow surrounded by trees. It was night and a full moon hung heavily in the dark skies above.

A cool breeze moved past her. She could smell pine needles and wildflowers.

Where was she? What the hell was going on?

“Release me,” a dark voice said from behind her. She spun around and gasped at what she saw.

It was Darrak, in demon form. Tall, huge, and horned. Golden flames licked at the surface of his entire body, lighting the darkness around him, and he stood in the middle of a ring of white powder. His voice was harsh, raspy, and pissed off.

“Release you? Why would I do that?” The words left her lips and she sounded like Selina. She was Selina. It was Selina’s memory she was currently sharing.

“I’ve given you what you want.” Beneath the flames, she could see the demon’s lips curl. Inside the magic circle he couldn’t tempt her by shifting to his human form — a form she did find very tempting indeed. As a human she could pretend that he was only handsome and charming and irresistible, but he wasn’t. It was only an illusion. In the binding circle there was no hiding from what he truly was.