That Old Black Magic

being so damned uncertain and go after what she wanted.

“You’re right.”

“About what?”

“We need to ask for directions.” She pushed her fears away and approached the next demon she spotted who was in human form. He was tall and handsome with broad shoulders and dark hair.

For a split second, from behind, she could have sworn it was Darrak, and her breath caught.

But it wasn’t.

“Excuse me.” She caught his arm to slow him down and he looked at her curiously.

He cocked his head. “Let me guess. Succubus, right?”

“Me?” She swallowed. “You guessed it.”

“I can spot them a mile away. You’re too beautiful to be anything else.”

Andy groaned.

Great. Just what she needed right now. A pickup line from Hell.

The demon glanced at Andy. “Nice hellhound.”

“Thank you,” Eden said.

He reached his hand out to her. “The name’s Stefano.”

After a slight hesitation she shook his hand. He felt warm and human, even though she was sure he was anything but. “Eden.”

“What an adorably ironic name. Tell me, Eden, are you bearing delicious forbidden fruit?”

She cringed. “And this is Andy.”

Stefano released her hand after one more squeeze and glanced at the hellhound. “Are you protecting your mistress from any unwanted attention at the market today? Are you a good hellhound? Yes, you are!”

Andy growled, low in his throat. A line of drool slid off his jowls and dribbled to the ground.

“Not so friendly, is he?”

“You’re an incubus, aren’t you?” Eden said.

“How did you know?”

Good-looking and not too smart. Dead giveaway. “You remind me a little of somebody — somebody I’m looking for.”

“Name?”

She hesitated. “Darrak.”

He pursed his lips. “Never heard of him. If he doesn’t show up, I have a little bit of downtime. I’d love to get to know you better, Eden. You and your hound.”

“Is this loser for real?” Andy asked.

Luckily Eden was the only one who could hear him.

Stefano looked down at Andy with surprise. “Your hellhound talks?”

Okay, maybe Eden wasn’t the only one who could hear him.

“He’s, uh… special. Look, Stefano, I’m hoping you can help me with something very important—”

“A talking hellhound. That’s incredible!” He crouched down and braced his hands on his thighs. “Say something else, boy. Speak!”

Andy blinked. “I really don’t need this right now. But, woof.”

Eden had to take control of this situation again. “Do you know how to get to the Void from here?”

Stefano froze and slowly looked at her before rising back up to his six feet plus of height. “The Void.”

“Yes, it’s a place of endless nothing where demons go when they’re destroyed.”

“Oh, I’m well aware of what the Void is. I’m just wondering what a beautiful succubus like yourself and her talking hellhound would want with a place like that.”

Her stomach churned. “Forget it. Obviously you don’t know.”

“I don’t know precisely. But as soon as one leaves the safety of the market you’d be able to feel its pull. It’s not far from here.”

She felt the first pinprick of hope since she’d arrived. “How do I leave the market?”

“Wait a minute…” He was silent for a moment, studying her. “You’re not a succubus at all, are you? I was wrong.”

She didn’t like the look on his face. It was suspicious, searching, and the flirtatious friendliness from a minute ago was fading quickly.

“I need to get out of this market,” she said firmly. “Tell me how to do that.”

“There’s a mild spell on the entire area to keep the customers shopping for as long as possible. You have to really want to leave before you can break away from it.”

“Trust me, I really want to leave.”

“So you can go to the Void.”

She kept her mouth closed. Andy began to growl again.

Stefano drew closer, inhaling. “I smell something sweet.” His eyes narrowed. “Something that shouldn’t be here. What are you really, Eden?”

“A visitor.”

“Whose visitor?”

“Lucifer’s.”

Stefano flinched at the name, but he didn’t look as if he believed her. “I smell angel. An angel in the Netherworld. Not a very good idea. Much too dangerous a place for a sweet little thing like you.”

Before her very eyes, he shifted his form until he grew taller, broader. His skin became leathery and the red of bricks, his horns long and curved and shiny black. His lips peeled back from sharp yellow teeth. “Maybe I should have a taste of that sweetness. I hear angels are delicious.”

He grabbed hold of her arm. Andy clamped his teeth into the demon’s shin.

And Eden summoned magic into her hands and blasted the incubus back from her. He landed on his back ten feet away, looking up at her, dazed.

She looked down at the demon. “I’m not that sweet anymore.”

“What the—?” He tried to get up.

Eden held out her hand to stop him. “Follow me and you’re going headfirst into the Void. Hear me?”

He stayed on the ground. “Yes, ma’am.”

“That’s more like it.”

She touched the cold surface of her amulet, but didn’t risk looking at it. A little black magic was worth it sometimes when she could avoid being a demon’s snack.

“We’re out of here, Andy. Come on.”

“You got it.”

Stefano said she had to really want to leave the market. This time she walked out with purpose, with no hesitation, and with every ounce of determination she could summon. There was a slight pulling sensation as she reached the outer breaches of the crowd and noise, but then with a small pop, she broke through.

Out here there was darkness, silence, and a look over her shoulder now showed the market far in the distance even though she’d only taken a few steps away from it.

“I hate this place,” she whispered.

“Me too. But I have good news.”

“Yeah? I could use some of that right about now.”

“He said that once we were out of the market we could feel the pull of the Void.”

She shook her head. “I can’t feel anything.”

“Well, I can. I bet Lucifer made me into a hellhound for that reason. I can guide you there.”

Eden let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding and nodded. “Then lead the way.”

“Well?” Theo asked. “Not to hurry you along, but I do have stuff to do.”