Page 35 of Witch's Dawn
My head swam as I popped the cork and watched the ruby liquid flow into theglass.
"I made out with three guys today," I said to the bottle as I set it on the counter. "Two of them right in front of eachother."
The bottle didn't seemimpressed.
"And get this," I continued. "They're all friends. Like the three musketeers, only they're demons and have been friends for thousands ofyears."
Still no response so I sighed and went to my windowseat.
The sky was unusually clear for San Francisco, although the light pollution hid many of the stars from view. The moon hung round and full, casting silver light on the streetsbelow.
I wondered if witches did anything special for the moon cycles, and made a mental note to ask Diana about that nexttime.
A small pang of guilt hit me as I remembered her warning. I'd done the exact opposite of what she suggested. I threw caution to the wind, started developing feelings for all three of them, and for some reason, hung onto every word they said like an infatuatedteenager.
I placed my chin in my hand, blankly watching the traffic and pedestrians on the street below as I tried to make sense of the swirling, conflicting thoughts in my head. I still had so much to learn and unlearn. But trying to categorize it all into neat little areas was like untangling six balls of yarn that had somehow converged together into one tightly compactedknot.
Everything, from my sense of right and wrong to who I should listen to and trust, felt like it was in the center of that massiveknot.
How does your body feel when these thoughts enter yourhead?
My brain chose that time to recall the words of my first and only yoga teacher, during my short stint when Nona talked me into going withher.
Before I started shaking in misery in downward dog and other equally uncomfortable poses, we did a short meditation. She asked us to observe the thoughts floating through our head as we breathed and take note of what we physically felt in thatmoment.
At the time I just tried to keep from yawning and fidgeting, but maybe it'd be a good exercise to trynow.
I closed my eyes and took a deep inhale, picturing each of my three handsome demons in mymind.
Well, I’m already referring to them as mine so that'ssomething.
As their unique but striking faces floated through my mind, my limbs relaxed and my body grew warmer. My fingers and toes tingled pleasantly, and my pulse picked up just slightly, awakening a throbbing sensitivity between mylegs.
I was so relaxed, my head leaned back to rest on the window frame and a smile formed on my lips. This was how they made me feel. Relaxed, safe, andsexy.
I then thought of Diana, and a different kind of warmth spread throughout my body. The warmth and comfort of family, and having someone older and wiser to guide me through this new, uncharted territory. But recalling her warning made me uneasy. I felt the tension and fear that gripped me from how she erupted in fire when I asked how witches originated. Maybe she meant well but my gut was clearly not ready to trust all of her opinions without a huge grain ofsalt.
"I saidno!Stop followingme!"
My eyes snapped open, thoughts interrupted by the sound of yelling and commotion just outside my window. Not too unusual in San Francisco but someone right under me sounded really distressed. I opened the window and stuck my head out to investigatefurther.
A young woman had her back pressed against the wall of the building next door. Moonlight illuminated her blonde hair like a halo, although I couldn't see her face because of the man caging herin.
His whole stance was aggressive, with his hands on either side of her head and he spoke close to her face. I couldn't hear his words but his tone sounded just as aggressive and threatening as hisdemeanor.
The woman turned her face to the side, facing me, and my blood froze at the distress on her face. She was crying and trying as hard as she could to put distance between herself and this man, but he wouldn't backoff.
He said something else and pressed the whole length of his body against hers, pinning her to the wall as he began to fumble at herclothes.
"No, no, please!" the woman cried as she struggleddesperately.
My whole torso leaned out the window now as I searched the streets eagerly, looking for someone who was surely coming to her aid. But no one did. People stared straight ahead and hurried their pace as they walked past the assault happening in plain view on the sidewalk. A slap echoed along the walls and the woman's cries lowered to softwhimpers.
Fuck, fuck. This isbad.
My knuckles were white as I gripped the windowsill, blood pounding in my ears. I couldn't just sit back and watch this happen. I could call the cops but how long would they take to get there? The damage was already beingdone.
My mind made up, I pulled away from the windowsill and raced out my front door and down the stairs. Only when I stepped out onto the sidewalk and the man's broad back came into my view, I realized I had no weapon and no plan. But I had no time to think about myself at thatmoment.
