Sabine made a living off trading favors and making illicit deals. She’d come to the conference more to network than learn anything she didn’t already know. Hell, she’d forgotten more about magic in the past three hundred years than most of these pathetic magir might learn in decades.
“Are you certain you will meet your end of the bargain this time?” Paz asked as he settled back on the bed and brought her to sit on his lap.
“I am.” She had just mentally checked in to Belyy Zamok and found her wards in place, her spells still set. No problems to speak of.
“I can’t give you any more leeway or Hanbi might ask questions.”
Hanbi, king of the underworld demons in the Babylonian pantheon and god of all evil, didn’t mess around. The stories Paz had shared about his father still gave her nightmares. But the power such evil wielded... Yes, she’d been tempted. And she’d already failed once thanks to her clueless daughter.
Sean, Kaia’s weak ex, had of course been too nice for her. As a child born of a human and an angel, the nephilim’s soul would have been a real coup for Paz, something to brag about. But Kaia had to go and ruin things.
Annoyed yet understanding she’d failed as a mother, Sabine had no one to blame but herself for Kaia’s deficiencies. She loved the girl, so pretty and smart. Kaia was an honest reflection of Sabine’s potential, minus the power that made Sabine the White Sea Witch. Just as well, or Sabine would be forced to kill the kind little bitch. Kindness. Ugh. So cloying, that condition. No matter how hard she’d tried, Sabine hadn’t instilled in Kaia the lessons she herself had learned at a young age.
That power was all that truly mattered.
But Belyy Zamok had finally paid off. The honey-trap of an island filled with magic and sexual temptation had scored her dozens of mermen and lycans, powering her through blood sacrifice.
The vampire had been a true prize, though. Unexpected yet incredibly fortunate. Necessary not for his soul—which many still argued did not exist—but for his bloode, for which Paz and his family had great use. With Orion’s bloode, they could return to the mundane plane. Just as Hecate and her annoying family walked among the humans, so too could the king of all evil. Pazuzu’s line would become a plague for everyone, mortals and gods alike. Only those who pledged their loyalty, like Sabine and her friends, would see real benefit.
Sabine did have real friendships, mostly with warlocks and sorceri, beings who felt as she did, that darkness and chaos were to be celebrated, not feared.
Warlocks weren’t witches turned bad, and neither were sorceri mages who turned to evil. They were powerful magic users who didn’t like using celestial or terrestrial magic when they could power spells through blood and sacrifice and gain status in the blink of an eye.
She hissed when Paz’s serpentine cock nipped at her hip, leaving a bloody bite.
“Pay attention, Sabine. You chose well with the vrykolakas blood-drinker. The water in your veins and in his stirs dark appetites. Elemental destruction, elemental preservation. My father is intrigued enough that he’s in talks with those who mourn Abaddon’s death. Hanbi pledges to return to show the world who truly rules this plane and welcome the Darkness that comes.”
She’d been hearing about some big bad evil coming for decades, and though the demons put great stock in a chaotic apocalypse, she didn’t buy it but would never say so. “Those petty gods and humans have no idea what’s in store for them. Your kind will soon rule this world.”
“Yes, we will. But Sabine, we had an agreement, and you are overdue in your payment.” He bit her several more times before showing the pleasure he could also wield like a weapon and had her panting like a bitch in heat. “We will have the death-bringer or we will have you. And you look tastier the more I see into your bleak vessel, your soul dark though your power is rich with pain.” His wings fluttered. “I’m excited to have you either way, sea witch.” He moaned and began to feast.
She knew real fear as Paz ate her energy, snapping up her reserves in payment for her failed attempt with Sean. Pazuzu could only come into this world through her dreams, manifesting using her power, hence her need to refuel with so many dead bodies on the island.
Granted, Paz had given her more energy than she could hold, but he’d also showed her how to tap into the demonic line to bring him forth, and thus made herself that much more powerful. Something she’d always wanted, to rule over everyone who’d ever looked down on her.
And everyone did. Sea witches, in particular, were more disdained than their cousin sea nymphs. And she had both heritages inside her.
She felt each agonizing pull as Paz ate her magic and filled her with his acidic essence, the sex still good though incredibly painful.
Sabine took her deserved punishment and repaid the demon god who would make her into so much more, perhaps even a queen to rule at his side. As soon as this blasted conference finished, she would return home and finish draining the vampire dry, a true offering made to Hanbi through Pazuzu at the next blood moon.
And gods and demons help her daughter if the little shit interfered again.
Orion insisted on driving them in the car he’d stolen, since her car could be traced. Kaia knew where she’d like to go but didn’t think it would fit Macy’s idea of keeping a low profile. So no spas for them. Instead, they traveled to a tiny vacation hamlet on a lake a half hour outside her boss’s hometown just outside the city.
She hadn’t realized she’d dozed off until he tapped her shoulder.
“Kaia? We’re here I think.”
She blinked her eyes open and stared at a fairytale house that looked more like something built for hobbits than people.
Orion shook his head. “Are you an LOTR fan?”
She blushed. “Kind of. My boss told me about this place. It’s weird but private, and we have it to ourselves for the next week, so there’s that.”
“As long as it’s not too small.” He eyed the sloped roof. “But if you like it, I like it.”
She swallowed a sigh. He’d been saying things like that, subtle reminders that he right now had no will of his own. If she remained quiet, some of his personality would come back, opinions about human food or places to visit in the city he thought she’d like. But if she commented, he’d revert to anything to please her.
Fortunately, exhaustion had allowed her to avoid the Kaia-pleasing aspect of the trip while asleep.
She got out of the car and followed the directions she’d been given, punching in the keycode to remove the key affixed to the doorframe.
Inside, the small home was delightful.
Plush furniture, a colorful but not too vibrant palette of decor, and a large kitchen dominated the first level. The one bedroom suite above had a large hot tub on the outside deck overlooking a small lake. Only one home sat across from them, far enough away not to be a bother.
They’d passed the closest town ten minutes ago, so it would be an easy trip to swing back and pick up something to eat.
But the best part of it all was the root cellar where the owner kept a “magical” space for wine tasting. Cold and damp but protected from the sun, the spot where Orion could rest without worrying he might burn up and die looked ideal.
Kaia yawned and glanced at the time. Just after nine at night. “I need a nap.”