Page 91 of Strike It Witch

“Lookat this thing. Whatever this is, it’s no low-caste demon, Betty.”

“Banish it.” Once again, Margaux stormed up beside me. Like Ida, she stayed outside the circles.

Oh, the names I wanted to call her. “Get back, Margaux.”

“This isn’t what you meant to summon, is it?” the coven mother asked nervously. “There’s no way you’d—after Lila—send it back now, before it’s too late.”

“After Mom what?” I started to turn around, but Ida snapped me back to attention.

“Donottake your eyes off this creature.” Her voice held the magic of her necromancer. “I don’t like the looks of it.”

I refocused on the dark figure, and it on me. Holy smokes, Ida was right. No way was this Gnath. This being had power the former highway demon only dreamed about.

Inside the circle, an explosion was brewing. Thunderclouds formed ten feet above him, sparks showered onto his shoulders, each place it touched turning from black smoke to flesh.

It was changing form.

“Give me your name,” I commanded, trying hard to sound bored.

Demons were heavy into showmanship, and it was important to look unimpressed, even if your eyes were bugging out of your head in shock—and Iwasshocked. I’d dealt with a lot of lower-caste demons in my work and had never seen a trick like that.

Fleshy upper shoulders and half a human face was now visible. The demon was taking on the appearance of a male, his flesh the color of burnt-clay brick, hair the silver of a royal platter.

“I am Belial.” Power thundered through every syllable. Belial was his true name, and though I kept my cool, I was astonished he’d allowed me to learn that. It showed he had no fear of me.

To keep him from noticing how badly my hands were shaking, I made a rolling, “go on” gesture.

“Are you intimating that you do not know my name?” the demon roared as the sparks revealed more of his human form.

“Not ringing a bell,” I said.

Another lightning flash.

“Listen, sorry to waste your time, Lyle?—”

“Belialis my name,” the creature thundered.

“—but I didn’t mean to summon you. I’m looking for a highway demon. So, could you maybe step aside and let him through? I’m trying to wind up a business deal here.”

His upper half was human now, from his hips to the top of his head. I had to send him back before the rest of him took shape.

Distantly, I overheard Ronan telling his father that I had everything under control, heard Ida assuring Bronwyn and Margaux of the same.

Everyone was lying. I didn’t have this under control. I wasn’t sure Icouldcontrol this creature.

I picked up the sound of a Lexus engine turning over.

That bookseller was no dummy. She’d probably seen something like this before. I couldn’t be the only witch who’d tried to use a demon to thwart a book curse.

“Ida.” I waved her over without taking my eyes off the demon. “Do you have your phone?”

“Uh-huh.” I heard her patting her pockets but didn’t dare turn around to see.

“Take a photo of this thing.”

“Pretty sure only the top half will show up,” Joon said from somewhere to my left.

“That’s fine.”

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