That Old Black Magic

Andy shrugged. “She’ll be back any second. If she hadn’t destroyed her stupid BlackBerry we could give her a quick call.”

No, something was very wrong. “I need to break this door open.”

“Do you know how much it costs to fix something like that?”

“I’ll repay you.”

“With what? Uneaten donuts?”

But Darrak had already grabbed a chair. Another wave of pain shuddered through him as he slammed it against the door. It would normally be more than enough to shatter the glass.

But nothing happened. It barely rattled.

He swore under his breath.

“It’s the spell,” he confirmed. “It’s working exactly how Maksim told us it would. But where’s Eden? Why would she do this already? Doesn’t she know that it would trap me in here with you? We don’t have time for games.”

“Not good.” Andy sounded worried. “You’ll be trapped in here with a werewolf. A potential werewolf.”

“Believe me, Andy, you turning furry is the least of my worries at this exact moment.” He moved toward the phone on Eden’s desk, grabbed the receiver, and pecked out the numbers to Maksim’s house. It went directly to voice mail.

“Damn it.” He slammed the phone down.

Fine. He would just be strong for as long as this took — until Eden returned. But he felt the sun slip fully behind the horizon moments later. He knew when it happened since the pain blossomed out from inside of him.

Light and dark. Just like what was going on inside of him. The light helped. The dark hurt.

Based on his history, it seemed like the wrong order to things.

Andy moaned, a long sound that ended in a tiny wolflike howl. He clamped his hands over his mouth. “Oh shit! Was that me?”

“This is not good,” Darrak muttered. “You’re starting to shift. Go with it, Andy. Don’t try to fight it.”

“Like what you’re doing?”

“I have no choice. I have to fight this. I have to wait till Eden gets back. Where the hell is she?” He went to the glass door and pounded on it. “Eden! Damn it! Where are you?”

“So if she doesn’t get here soon, if you’re trapped in here and can’t get out because this place is sealed up tighter than a nun’s panties”—Andy’s voice shook—“you won’t be able to possess her.”

Darrak’s jaw clenched. “Exactly.”

“So what then?”

“Then… then I’m in serious trouble.” He gasped for breath. “Why would she do this to me? Did she say anything to you?”

“No, nothing!” Andy shook his head violently. “Something must have happened to her.”

Yes, of course something happened. Her mother is what happened. She’d wanted to get rid of Darrak from the first moment she strolled her shiny new body in here. Caroline had known what Darrak was without asking any questions or being told anything at all. She’d just known he was a demon.

Was Eden okay? Was she hurt? Had Caroline done something to her? Maybe convinced her to get rid of Darrak once and for all?

No, that couldn’t be it.

Fury rose in his chest that Eden might be hurt right now, unable to return to him, but anger wasn’t going to help him. There was no way he was escaping from this room. The spell had worked perfectly. Nobody was getting in, and nobody was getting out. It had been meant for a werewolf, but it worked on a demon just as well.

Just what kind of a spell was this?

Andy began to shift to werewolf, but he still looked more worried about Darrak. His nose grew longer, turning into more of a snout. His fingernails became long and sharp. His ears bigger and pointier. A thick layer of fur sprouted on his cheeks.

“Darrak—” His voice was a half growl now. “Possess me, if you need to. It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

Darrak’s throat felt thick. “I appreciate the offer, but shifters can’t be possessed.”

“Maybe I’m not…” Andy looked down at his hands. “Oh crap. It’s true!” He looked at Darrak. “I’m so sorry.”

Darrak gripped the side of the desk. “You’ll be okay, I swear it. Just do me a favor.”

“What?”

“Tell Eden…” He shuddered and slid down to the floor. “Tell her that I—”

But it was too late. He couldn’t hold back another moment. His solid form morphed to the swirling mix of black and white smoke as his curse kicked in as it did every single night. His weeks of being able to take form half the time had been a gift. He’d quickly gotten used to it and taken it for granted.

This was who he really was now thanks to that centuries-old curse. This formless creature who couldn’t speak, couldn’t touch anything and was only able to possess and feed and drain and kill.

And he was trapped in a room with no way out. He instinctively moved toward Andy, even though he knew it wouldn’t do any good, and was immediately repelled, glancing off the shifting werewolf’s skin like a tennis ball thrown against a brick wall.

Andy continued to shift form. He howled and fell to the floor, his eyes still filled with a strange mix of fear for himself and for Darrak. Andy had never seen Darrak in this unnatural, incorporeal form. Maybe he’d thought that Darrak was someone to trust as much as a human, as evidenced by his little speech a couple of minutes ago.

But Darrak wasn’t human. He was nothing close to human — even with the recent angel infusion. He had a great deal of humanity in reserve, but that was as close as he got to the real deal.

Would that humanity last? Or would it be taken from him along with everything else?

He already knew the truth. Everything would be taken. Everything that he thought he resented, everything that he thought he didn’t want. The Void would strip away everything and leave nothing behind. Nothing at all.

All gone. His humanity, his emotions, his memories, even his angel side. Funny, it didn’t seem so bad anymore. It was embarrassing for a former archdemon who’d laid waste to many a town in his existence, a former incubus who’d personally helped stock Lucifer’s harem full of willing souls for him to sate his many hungers.

Part angel.

But now he wasn’t even that. Now he was only smoke swirling around a magically sealed room.

He tried the door, tried to seep through the tiny cracks in the walls, the heater grate, anything.

Nothing worked.

Andy now raced back and forth in full werewolf form, claws scratching against the floor, looking very much like a large wild dog, his eyes still so much like Andy’s, full of concern, full of fear.

But Darrak knew Andy didn’t fear for himself anymore. He feared for Darrak.

Darrak always knew it was only a matter of time before this would happen — he’d just thought it wouldn’t be quite this soon. Quite honestly, this was for the best. Eden would finally be free of him. The dark and light that fought within her would have one less daily struggle.

She’d be better off without him.

But he’d miss her. So much.

An exorcism could have harmed her. This way, she wouldn’t have to feel a thing.

That was one of Darrak’s last thoughts as he began to dissipate. This form could only last so long without a human host, and his time was finally up.

The last thing he heard before he vanished completely was the sound of a werewolf howling very loudly.

Nice puppy. Stay and take care of Eden for me. Keep her safe.

No… he thought. I don’t want to go, not like this. There’s still so much I need to—

And then he was gone.