I ran my fingers through his hair, which was probably the only part of his body that didn’t hurt. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” I said, hoping I was right, infinitely grateful he’d stayed for the shower. He’d saved my life. Again.
My mom joined me. “Oh, my,” she said, looking down at him. “I think I have some Band-Aids upstairs.”
He shot her a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding glance, but didn’t answer.
I stood and helped mom to her feet, Diana as well. The griffins and witches were all starting to recover— more or less. At least no one appeared seriously injured. I wasn’t feeling too steady myself, when Mom pounced on me with a surprise embrace.
She managed to catch me on the side. “You have an awful, awful job,” she sniffed against my shoulder.
“It’s not usually this bad,” I lied. I hated that she had to see this.
She pulled back. “Someone wants to kill you!”
I couldn’t argue with her there. It happened more often than I cared to admit.
Melody was over opening windows. I was glad to see Dimitri had decided to sit up. That’s when Frieda burst in the room.
“Sweet Jesus!” The blond biker witch spun on her heel. “I knew it.” She turned to holler at someone behind her. “Get in here! I told you I smelled magic.”
Ant Eater swore under her breath when she saw the mess.
She side-stepped Frieda as the other witch began helping people into chairs. “You can’t hear a thing inside this latest Cave of Visions,” Frieda muttered to herself.
Ant Eater was more interested in me. “What happened?”
“Demonic attack,” I said, lifting the shield from the ground. There had to be at least five dozen tiny curses embedded in the bronze shield, any one of which could have pierced my flesh.
The gold-toothed witch inspected the mess. “Those are the poison kind.”
“How can you tell?” Dimitri asked, staggering over to join us.
“They have tails that curl back, like a scorpion,” Ant Eater said, tracing the spine of one with a lime green polished nail. “That’s how they sting you.”
“Damn.” He shook his head. “I didn’t get a good look at them. I was trying to—”
“Dive in front of them,” I said, finishing his thought.
He at least had the courtesy to look properly chastened. “I was betting they didn’t want me.”
“That’s a big bet.” One that could have left me without a fiance. “I’m glad it worked out.”
He shook his head. “You and me both.”
Someone wanted me bad.
Ant Eater shook her head. “I’ll let your Grandma Gertie know.”
“They were in the pink box with the doves.” I glanced at my mom. “Did you see who put that one in the pile?”
Her eyes were wide as she shook her head, ‘no.’ I wasn’t surprised. The person who wanted me dead wasn’t stupid, just determined.
Dimitri hefted the armor from me as the griffins gathered around it. Griffins were known for their loyalty, as well as their strong and ancient protective magic. I was incredibly grateful for both.
Ophelia led the pack, clucking over the damaged armor. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I am so very glad you could use your wedding gift.”
I supposed that was the ultimate goal.
She ran a hand over the damaged bronze, careful not to touch the curses. “Do not worry, momo. We will fix this up so you can wear it on your wedding night.”
“Thanks,” I said, not about to argue.
Dimitri stumbled backward, and it took both Diana and Dyonne to keep him upright. Darn it. He was hurt worse than we’d thought. His shoulder was bloody and he looked pale. Ophelia rushed to him and placed the back of her hand on his forehead. “Those vile creatures did not waste their stingers on you, but it seems they robbed some of your energy. It’s best you rest.”
Dimitri locked eyes with me.
“I’m not going to do anything risky without you,” I said quickly.
“Famous last words,” he answered, without a trace of humor. Okay, so he had too much experience dealing with me.
“I know I need you,” I added. “At full strength.”
I smoothed back his hair and went to give him a sweet kiss on the forehead. He dipped his head and countered with a blazing kiss that rocketed through me.
It was exactly what I needed after the horror of the evening. All too soon, he broke away with a saucy grin. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Too late,” I muttered to myself, he walked up to his room, on his own power.
This entire week had been a mistake. I never should have placed everyone I loved in one location. It was easy pickings for a demon. I didn’t know what I was thinking.
That was the problem. I wasn’t thinking. Instead, I was trying to have a normal life, to pretend I wasn’t charged with killing the spawn of Satan. Now it had come back to bite me. I was the Demon Slayer of Dalea, whether I liked it or not. There were some luxuries I simply couldn’t afford anymore.
My mom let out a gasp behind us, and we all turned. But it wasn’t another attack. She drew a silk dress mannequin upright and about cried when she saw what remained of the wedding dress she’d displayed—her dress. The skirt was ripped down the middle. It had burn marks from the battle. Glass from several spell jars had ripped holes through the delicate fabric.
“It’s ruined,” she sobbed.
“I’m sorry, mom,” I said. Even though I never would have worn that dress, I hadn’t wanted it to end like this.
Mom nodded, wiping at her tears. “If this is the worst that happened…” she trailed off, unable to say anymore.
I knew. We all did.
Frieda stood with her hands on her hips, surveying the mess. “Now we really need to go into the Cave of Visions.”
It appeared as if she’d been working hard on it. Her lemon yellow jeans were dirty at the knees and she wore her hair tied back in a scarf.
“When will it be ready?” I asked.
Frieda gave a desperate sigh. “Come on. I’ll show you,” she said.
We headed out into the hall and back toward the kitchen. “Now mind you,” she said, “there’s no pet store within fifty miles, so I suggested we catch lizards.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you know how hard it is to catch a lizard?”
I didn’t even want to know.
“How long of a walk do we have?” I asked, hoping it was a good distance.
I should have specified that we be far, far from the evil center of the property. I hadn’t. I’d overlooked that part. Still, even if the witches didn’t know about the dark mark inside the house, I had to believe they’d feel the disturbance on some level and choose to avoid it.
We stepped out onto the back porch, and Frieda led me around the side, toward several trellises of purple rose bushes.
“Here we are!” She said, stopping at the entrance to an old root cellar that led directly into the basement.
“Oh, frick.” I didn’t need to crack open my powers to know this felt wrong.
Frieda’s face fell. “It feels dark, doesn’t it?” She glanced down at the hole. The weathered wooden doors had been thrown open, and we could see several witches down in the pit, weaving wards. Frieda shook her head. “I told Grandma. Ant Eater said it. Hell, I think we all said it at one point.” She trailed her hand over the quartz crystal choker at her neck. “Still, you know your Grandma has the final word.”
As if she’d heard her name, Grandma began climbing the old wooden ladder out of the cellar. “Limit those
