Page 24 of Witch's Rite
"No, I just--" I swallowed, my throat feeling like cotton as I willed myself not to get distracted by his eyes. Or his mouth. Or his arms flexing as they encircled my waist.
"I need to know something. I mean to ask whenever I see you guys but I kind of keep forgetting."
One side of his mouth ticked up into a smirk, indicating he knew exactly how distracting he and the others all were.
"I'm listening, gorgeous."
"I need a serious answer," I said sternly, meeting his gaze. "No riddles, no teasing. This is something important to me."
His smile dropped. His expression turned concerned as he brushed a light caress across my neck.
"Of course. Anything for you."
I took a deep breath, trying to quell the pounding in my heart.
"Do demons make deals with humans?"
He quirked an eyebrow. "You mean in the cliched 'selling your soul for fame and fortune' way?"
"Sort of," I said. "Or maybe killing someone and making it look like a certain cause of death? I'm not sure what kind of exchange that would be."
He remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"It's been known to happen," he said. "We have coexisted alongside humans for so long, some have made transactions like that. But it's incredibly rare."
"Why is that?"
His smirk returned.
"The moment a human wants to strike a deal with a demon, he already belongs to us."
13
RAUM
Deja's amber eyes sharpened as she took in what I said. Her breath still came out in little puffs from when I had her pressed against the door.
"Yes, I suppose that makes sense," she said absently.
Her expression flickered and I missed not a single detail. Something heavily weighed on her mind and compelled her to stop our intimate moment to ask this question.
"Why do you ask, little witch?" I traced a line along her sleek, feminine jaw. "Something else troubling you?"
She chewed her lip as she thought of an answer, and I wished it was my teeth instead of hers.
"My grandmother is convinced it was a demon's magic that killed my mother," she admitted. "She thinks my father made a deal with a demon because he couldn't handle having a child with a witch, and unmarried on top of that. But I keep thinking about it and it doesn't make sense to me. Why would a demon make a deal with a Christian to kill a witch?"
"Smart girl," I said, cupping her chin. "That's because it's absolute nonsense."
"It is?" Her eyes widened.
"Yes," I affirmed. "While it's true that witches and demons have a less than perfectly amicable history, we're often on the same side because the Christ-worshippers see us as all the same-- heathens."
"So it's not likely that a demon had a hand in killing my mother?" she asked. The hope in her voice was endearing and it made me pull her a little closer.
"It's possible, I suppose," I murmured into her forehead. "But yes, highly unlikely."
"But Diana said that was why my aura was so dark. I keep coming back to that and wondering why."
