Page 31 of Witch's Rite
"You know what it means, right?"
"Remembrance," I answered tersely. "In the age of Google, is there anyone who doesn't know the meaning of their name?"
"Little spitfire," he drawled. "You sure you're an earth witch?"
"Scorched earth, maybe," I sneered, setting my drink down. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going."
"Leaving already?" Juno asked with a frown.
"Yeah, sorry," I said, pulling her into a hug. "I have an early morning at the shop tomorrow."
I said my goodbyes to everyone else, including Diana after confirming she'd have a way home, and stepped out into the chilly night air.
A single raven cawed from where it sat on a telephone pole, then took flight in the direction of my apartment.
"Wouldn't mind having that power myself," I muttered, hurrying down the street to the train station.
My leg bounced with anxiety the moment I sat down. It was only a ten-minute ride but seemed to take an eternity before I reached my stop. When I was finally walking again, my legs couldn't seem to move fast enough.
I finally burst through the door of my apartment to find Sal and Raum sitting on my couch. It didn't even bother me that they waited in my house anymore. I was getting used to it, and maybe even found it comforting. But under these circumstances, all I could feel was panic.
"Where's Ash?" I demanded, breathless. "I need all three of you here."
Sal approached me first, his face a calm exterior over the fire within.
"He still wants to give you space, beautiful. Until you remember your original name."
"What the fuck?" I cried, exasperated and my heart aching for him. "I'm over the name thing, okay? This is important. I need to see him."
"He knows you're not angry," Raum said from the couch. "It's not you. It's just that he doesn't trust himself to keep it from you."
I speared my fingers through my hair and let out a frustrated groan. Didn't he know how much I missed him? How could he keep avoiding me like this? This was life or death and he was hung up on my stupid memories.
"What's wrong, beautiful?" Sal grabbed my waist and tugged me forward. His lip curled into a threatening snarl and I could already feel his rage rising.
"There's a demon hunter here," I said. "His name is Seth. He's part of the local coven."
Sal cocked an eyebrow. "No one I've ever heard of."
"I have. He's nobody," Raum said in a bored tone.
"What do you mean?" I demanded. "He hunts demons!"
"He destroys the bodies of lower demons, which doesn't actually kill them," Raum explained. "Their souls are sent back to Hell, where they wait to inhabit another body."
"Are you sure?" I asked skeptically. "My friend said hunters are elite witches and have dangerous jobs."
"‘Cause they're so incompetent, they get killed more often than they actually kill." Sal scoffed, tightening his hold on me and bringing his mouth close to my ear. "Trust me, beautiful. He's no match for the likes of us." Abruptly he pulled away just enough to look at me. "But if he gives you any trouble, make no mistake. We'll hang him by his scrotum."
I snorted a laugh but couldn't fight the heat pooling in my body. I leaned into his chest, his strength. It absolutely killed me how he could be so sweet and so vicious.
"Other than that, how was the witch party?" Raum asked, his clever grin widening.
"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?" I mocked. "I'm glad you two are so nonchalant, but I had to keep my cool while talking to someone who I thought was going tokillyou guys! I could've had a heart attack on my way up here!"
Sal made a growling noise into my neck and all my frustration seemed to melt away.
"It's so hot that you're protective of us," he murmured. "And we'd do the same for you, beautiful."
