Page 14 of Soul of a Witch

I was trapped in here — stuck between monsters.

Crack!

The door was splintering. At least a dozen pairs of silvery eyes stared at me through the crack, their shrieks and cries like the howling of wild dogs. Vicious hands clawed for me as they tried to squeeze through — pushing, piling on top of each other, howling ravenously.

As the door fractured and the wraiths poured in, a dark form flew over my head. I was wrenched backward by a hard grip on my shoulder, and I landed on the bed. There was a flurry, like the beating of wings, and what remained of the doors burst outward in a massive explosion that sent the wraiths flying back. The sounds coming from the mass of smoke and shadow were unlike anything I’d ever heard: disturbingly beast-like but terrifyingly human. There was a metallic screeching, like sheets of iron being torn apart.

All the noise abruptly stopped. Only the dust and darkness remained, swirling and settling like milk drifting through coffee. The wraiths were gone — destroyed or vanished, I couldn’t be sure.

Only a single tall figure remained. He peered at me over one outstretched wing, fixing me with a gaze that snatched the air out of my lungs.

His eyes were black. Solid black, like the deepest voids of outer space, sprinkled with tiny pinpricks of silver stars.

For a moment, nothing moved except the slowly drifting dust.

Then the demon grinned, baring a mouthful of sharp glistening teeth. He lifted his hand; my eyes tracked it as if it were a weapon he could throw at me.

“Don’t run,” he said.

The deep baritone of his words rumbled in my chest. My heart was pounding erratically, fluttering like a hummingbird’s wings. Frozen on the bed, I didn’t move a muscle other than to rapidly blink.

The demon was still smiling, wide and excited. His chest was heaving as he sniffed the air, tipping his chin up like a dog on the trail of a scent. His eyes rounded, and his claws scratched on the floor as he turned toward me.

He took a single step, and I leapt up from the bed. My sudden movement made him dart forward, faster than my eyes could follow. He stopped, crouched just inside the broken doorway, panting, as he stared at me.

“I’m warning you, Everly,” he said, the words spoken from between tightly clenched teeth. “Do. Not. Run.”

There was so much pressure in the air, like I’d sunk to the bottom of a deep pool. Not daring to look away from the demon, I made quick, frantic glances toward my only exit.

“How do you know my name?” I whispered, almost too terrified to speak.

The demon’s expression shifted from rapid excitement to irritated confusion.

“Who else would you be?” he said. He rocked slightly on his heels, still crouched. It took me a moment to realize he was dancing, swaying to the beat of the gramophone. “Everly. Dear sweet Everly.” He spoke as if he was savoring the words, consuming them, luxuriating in the sounds. “So…very…sweet.” His teeth parted, a forked tongue flicking out to swipe hungrily over his lips. “The very last Laverne witch alive. Only you…only youcould be here, in this house. You see?”

He spread his arms, as if he’d explained everything. But I didn’t see. I didn’t understand at all, and I shuffled another inch toward the door.

The demon lowered his head, his eyes fixed on me as he rose slowly to his full height. I was a tall woman, five foot eight inches without shoes. But he towered over me. His presence expanded beyond his physical form.

“I’m going to leave,” I declared firmly. My mind was churning chaotically, running through every iteration of how this scenario could play out. Unless one commanded very powerful magic, there was no outrunning a demon. No hiding. No fighting back. But an archdemon…I’d never seen one before. I’d never even dared to think it was possible to encounter one.

He shook his head. He was still swaying to the music, eyes half-closed.

“Mm…no. No, I think not.” His eyes were fully closed now, his head tipped back. His fingers moved, twiddling in the air, as if flying over invisible piano keys. Moving as slowly and silently as I could, I kept inching toward the doorway.

Where could I go? Where could I possibly hide?

“Sweet as sugar,” he mumbled, though only fragments of his words reached my ears. “Holy ambrosia…so fucking soft…”

Finally reaching the doorway, I was closer to him than ever. Trying to keep my eyes on him, while simultaneously watching for any debris I could step on, proved impossible. With one quick step, I sent a splintered shard of wood skittering across the floor.

The demon opened his eyes.

“Drenched in blood,” he said softly. Like it was a prayer. “You’re too beautiful. It’s a sin. A curse. It’s fucking poison.” He inhaled sharply, deeply, such a massive breath it seemed physically impossible. “Dangerous woman, aren’t you?”

His grin returned as I kept backing away. It was wicked. Playful. Like a cat about to pounce on an injured bird. His constant movements were unnerving, but it was far more frightening when suddenly, he went perfectly still.

“I think you should run now, Everly,” he said. “Run for your fucking life.”

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