The Demon Within Page 14

  Denny smiled softly at her. “Thank you for getting me out of there. I didn’t realize I was bleeding so badly.”

  “No worries. I felt something evil and came running.” She glanced at the wound. “Is quick healing because of the demon?”

  Denny nodded. “Yeah. It’s one of the…perks of being possessed.”

  Cassandra rose from the chair she’d been reading in and examined the wound. “Perks. Yeah. Wow. It looks great. At least you get something good from it, eh?” She laid her hands on either end of the wound. They were very soft and warm against Denny’s skin.

  Denny studied her. She was a handsome woman. Not beautiful or pretty, but handsome in a strong-jawed sort of way. “How did you get me out of the hospital?”

  Cassandra bent over and smelled the wound. “What else? Magic. I managed to get both of you out of there without anyone being the wiser. Took a couple of us to get you out, but we managed.”

  “And Iris?”

  “She’s fine. Scared shitless, but everything went smoothly on our end. It was no longer safe to keep her there.”

  “And the demon?”

  Cassandra removed her hands and gingerly sat on the bed “Took off, leaving the doctor no worse for wear. Slightly befuddled, yes, but no harm came to him.”

  “Thank you for not letting me kill him. That…that would have been horrible.”

  “You do need to understand the supernatural world better if you are going to coexist in it. You need to be able to identify a true demon versus a possessed human host. You know so little about demons, so little about witches and the like. It is not enough for you to know just about yourself or your legacy. You need to educate yourself on all of it Hunter, or you aren’t long for this world.” Cassandra placed the back of her hand on Denny’s forehead. “How are you feeling?”

  Denny inhaled deeply. “Better. I lost a lot of blood. He really sliced me up.”

  “Oh, he would have killed you, to be sure.”

  “The Hanta knew his name. Magyar. Do you—”

  “Oh, yes. I’ve just been reading up on your nasty-ass demon. He is a caco for sure, but he has a special job in the Brotherhood. He is one tasked with seeking out seven of sevens to impregnate them. He doesn’t go after just any woman or any witch. Just the hard-to-find sevens. You got to Iris just in time. Had he been successful, terminating that pregnancy would have been nearly impossible. You did well, Hunter. For now.”

  There was a quiet moment between them. Neither of them moved.

  Ever so slowly, Cassandra leaned over and kissed Denny’s lips. Running her fingers through Denny’s hair, Cassandra kissed her long and deep before Denny finally extricating herself.

  “That was very nice, but getting involved with this hunter isn’t a very good idea.”

  Cassandra lightly traced Denny’s eyebrow with her fingertips, pausing over the scar bisecting her eyebrow. “Maybe I like living on the edge.”

  “That edge is razor sharp, Cass. You saw the kind of company I keep.”

  Cassandra kissed her again, letting her lips linger briefly before pulling back. “I’m not afraid of your world, Golden Silver. I am, after all, in the same supernatural neighborhood.”

  Denny took Cassandra’s face in her hands and held her in another kiss. It was deliciously warm and pillowy soft, and she melted into it until her leg accidentally bumped Cassandra.

  “Oh shit…damn that hurt.”

  “Sorry, sorry.” Cassandra pulled away and stood up. “I…uh…I better check on Iris before I do something you might regret. When I get back, maybe we can continue where we left off.”

  Denny barely nodded, her throbbing leg ruining her moment. “Thank you.”

  Cassandra was almost out the door when she turned back around. “I have to say I’m a little surprised Brianna didn’t claim you.”

  “Claim me?”

  “Yeah. You know, mark her territory. ‘Hands off. Keep out. Taken.’ Sorta thing.”

  “Is that a thing with you witches?”

  Cassandra chuckled. “See? This is precisely what I mean about educating yourself. Yes…it’s…something we witches do…but I can share that with you when the time comes. I’m just surprised, is all. She seemed…intrigued by you and your powers. The two of you would have made a strong pairing.”

  “Brianna isn’t interested in me. She’s moved on to...safer prospects.”

  Cassandra grinned. “Is that so? Well then…her loss. Perhaps there’s hope for us yet.”

  ****

  Denny closed her eyes and took a mental assessment of her body. Her leg throbbed slightly now and her hips were a little sore, but she was okay. She would need to be more careful next time. As a higher-level demon, he could have seriously hurt her—and did. Without Cassandra’s interference, she would be dead right now.

  Dead.

  And what was that crossbow thing?

  Denny opened her eyes before lightly touching her lips. Cassandra’s lavender scent still lingered there.

  “Here. This will help with the pain.” Cassandra handed Denny a cup of tea in grandmother-like China with pink roses.

  Denny took the saucer and cup and sipped it. It smelled like mint. She looked up at Cassandra. Forget the lit up crossbow thingie. That kiss was delightful. And dangerous. Getting involved with a witch was a crazy thing to do. Getting involved with anyone was off the table, witch or no witch.

  “You could fall in love with me if you’d let yourself.” Cassandra gently pushed the tea back toward Denny before exiting the room.

  Denny sipped some more tea before setting it down and throwing the covers back. Denny painfully sat on the edge of the bed. Her leg was still throbbing.

  “What are you doing getting up?” Cassandra asked when she returned and saw Denny gingerly putting weight on her leg.

  “I need to talk to Iris.”

  “She’s asleep. Getting her here tired her out. I gave her some Sleepy Time tea with a little kick to it. Better than a sedative. I mixed one of my own personal potions in it, of course. She’ll sleep through the night.”

  Denny felt her head get light when she tried to straighten up. “Oh shit. Damn you, Cassandra.” Grabbing the bed, Denny held herself up as the room started spinning. “You did not just drug me.”

  Cassandra helped her lay back down. “Of course I did. I knew you wouldn’t light for even a moment, and you need to stay off that leg. You need to rest and recuperate. Given the speed with which you heal, that won’t take long if you just rest a moment longer.”

  “Damn you.” Denny fell back to the pillows. “You should have warned me.”

  “You can damn me later, Hunter. This evening, you are going to rest peacefully. You are going to let yourself heal. You are going to let someone else take care if you for a moment. In the morning, you can come down for breakfast where you can talk to Iris.”

  “Bossy...woman. Are all witches…so damn…bossy?”

  A chuckle escaped from Cassandra’s lips. “I am the head of our coven for a reason. As the seventh of seven, I have remarkable healing powers. You are more than physically injured. Your spirit is weary, your aura faint. Sometimes, we rest best when we are not alone and feel safe. You can feel safe tonight, Hunter. I swear. No one will hurt you here.”

  Denny’s eyelids got heavier and heavier. “My spirit...left me...a month ago…”

  “I know, sweetheart. I know.”

  And then she was out.

  ****

  Gazing out the window, Denny realized it was early morning. She’d managed to sleep through the night again.

  And that felt amazing.

  Pulling the covers back, she examined her wound. Cassandra had done a great job of patching her up and it looked like it would be healed up completely in a day or so.

  She doubted she would ever get used to the healing properties of her Hanta.

  Slowly getting out of bed, Denny gingerly tested her leg out when she heard loud voices downstairs. Hurriedly throwing on th
e clean clothes folded at the end of the bed, Denny carefully made her way down the curved staircase and into the expansive kitchen, where she found Brianna and Cassandra in a heated discussion.

  “Brianna?”

  Brianna’s face fell when she saw Denny in the doorway. She cut her eyes over to Cassandra before shaking her head slowly. “Ah, I see. It all makes far more sense now.”

  Cassandra grinned sardonically. “It does, doesn’t it?”

  Grabbing papers from the table, Brianna headed for the door. “We’ll be in touch, Cassandra. This isn’t over.”

  Denny swiveled around. “Brianna, wait!”

  Stopping at the door, she cast a disgusted look at Denny, then Cassandra, then back to Denny. “Like you did? No thanks. The picture is quite clear. You two deserve each other.” With that, she bolted out the door and down the stairs.

  Denny knew she could never catch her, so she turned to Cassandra for answers. “What the hell is wrong with her?”

  Cassandra led Denny to the small table in the kitchen and sat her down. “My guess is she thinks you slept with me last night and is obviously jealous. No woman likes to be dumped for nothing. Cheat on her, sure, but just leave? That’s a cut that reaches to the bone.”

  Denny blinked. “Leave her? We were never together!”

  “Maybe not, but you did just bolt from her life without so much as a ‘no, thank you.’”

  “And that upset her? She can’t have it both ways, Cass. She moved on. So have I. End of story.”

  Cassandra ran her hand through Denny’s bed hair. “We always want what we can’t have. It’s human nature.”

  Denny looked up into Cassandra’s eyes. “I’m not misreading what you want, am I?”

  Cassandra’s lips barely curled. “I certainly hope not. I am usually very clear about what I want from a woman. Now, coffee, tea, or no caffeine at all?”

  “Coffee.” Denny was surprised at her own response. She’d been a tea drinker before the Hanta woke up, but seemed to enjoy coffee more and more. She wondered if that was because of her demon.

  “Excellent. I make a very strong chicory coffee.”

  “As long as you don’t put any more black magic into it.”

  “You needed to rest without tossing and turning. That cut was deep, Hunter. It needed calm. Quiet. Two words I’d never apply to you. I gave both to you. Let me see that cut.”

  Denny pulled her jeans down to show her. “Thank you for washing my jeans, but how the hell did you get all that blood out?”

  Cassandra knelt to examine her handiwork. “Ancient Wiccan secret. If I told you—”

  “You’d have to kill me?”

  “I’d have to turn you into a newt.”

  They both chuckled.

  Cassandra examined the wound. “This...your rate of healing is amazing.”

  “I can’t take the credit.” Denny smiled softly at Cassandra.

  “Maybe not, but it really is remarkable.” Rising, Cassandra pulled a large red bowl from the microwave and handed it and a spoon to Denny. “Witches’ brew.”

  Denny looked down into the bowl. “Looks kinda like oatmeal.”

  “On steroids. That will help clear up the residue from last night’s drug.”

  “So now you’re feeding me uppers?”

  Cassandra laughed. “That’s one way to look at it. Eat up.”

  Denny studied the bowl with a dubious gaze.

  “Oh, for crying out loud, I’ve not poisoned you. Eat up. I promise you’ll feel much better once you do.”

  Denny tentatively tried the oatmeal. It was sweetened with brown sugar and had melted butter on top. “This is really good.”

  Cassandra beamed. “Good.” Pouring three cups of coffee, she set one in front of the empty chair.

  Denny looked at it. “More company?”

  “Iris is awake. She just got out of the shower and will be down any moment.”

  Denny ate some more Witches’ Brew. “How is she?”

  “Better. Once the realization of what she was sank in, she fell right to sleep.”

  “So you told her?”

  “Everything. So much of her life began making sense to her once I explained it all. I believe she was relieved to know she isn’t going crazy, though there was a slight panic once she recognized what it all meant. Her life will never be the same. Ever.”

  Denny heard the echo of Rush’s words.

  Wrapping her long fingers around a mug with a witch on a broom that read “I never know witch way to go,” Cassandra sighed. “The majority of us all feel slightly crazy when we first discover the supernatural within us, until we understand that nothing is happening to us. It takes some hours to get used to it, while others spend years trying hard not to. She just happened to be the former.”

  “So, what are her plans? Will she go back to Boston and join a coven there?”

  “I’m hoping she joins us here. We could use another seven.”

  “And you’re that much stronger than the others?”

  Cassandra barked a laugh. “Oh love, it’s no competition. If it came right down to it, I could crush Brianna before the first words of her spell even left her mouth. We sevens are capable of so much more magic—more power—more spells—and, you’ll appreciate this—sevens have the ability to call demons.”

  Denny’s spoon paused in mid-air. “Call demons? Why on earth would you ever do that?”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t. They’re far too unpredictable and frenetic. Some call them to do their bidding. Some call them simply to see if they can.”

  “Could you—could you—”

  “Call Magyar? Heavens no. Only a true seven High Priestess of Hecate can summon a mid- or higher-level demon, and I am not she.”

  “Who is?”

  Before Cassandra could answer, Iris came into the kitchen.

  “You look rested,” Cassandra said, rising to place another bowl in the microwave.

  “I can’t believe I slept so hard for so long.” Iris stretched. “I feel so refreshed. Even my ribs have stopped hurting.”

  “One can never really rest in a hospital. You were over-tired and over-medicated. I’ve balanced both of those issues. Please. Sit. The coffee was just poured.”

  Iris settled into the chair across from Denny. Her bruises had faded a great deal.

  “You do look much better,” Denny said, laying a hand on Iris’s wrist.

  “Cassandra put some ointment on my face last night. I can’t believe how much better they look.” Iris pulled her mug to her with her free hand. Her knuckles were scraped and bruised.

  “Looks like you got some good licks in yourself.” Denny nudged her chin toward Iris’s hand.

  “Oh, I fought like a woman possessed, I tell you.”

  Cassandra laughed.

  “What?”

  “Oh, nothing.” The microwave dinged and Cassandra set the bowl in front of Iris and handed her a spoon. “No questions. Eat up.”

  Taking the spoon, Iris tasted it. “Oh, yum. My mom used to make it like this.”

  “You don’t say.”

  Iris ate another spoonful before turning her attention to Denny. “I don’t know how to thank you for saving my life in the hospital. If you hadn’t been there—”

  “You’re welcome, but this isn’t over yet. We still have one crazy-ass demon out there who wants you and I don’t imagine foiling him once is enough. He’ll keep coming.”

  “I thought you said I’d be safe here.”

  “You will be. Here. But you can’t live out your life hiding in this house. We have to end this. We have to find a way to defeat him.”

  “We?”

  “No, I. I have to. What you have to do is stay safe and learn from Cassandra and the others here.”

  Iris looked at Cassandra. “It’s a lot to take in, but I’ve always known I was…different. I just never imagined witchcraft was the reason.”

  “Well, now you know you are not merely different, but different and powerful. W
hen you have started with your training, you’ll never have to worry about another demon coming at you. Trust me. They’ll give you a very wide berth.”

  Iris ate some oatmeal while Denny finished hers completely. “The caco wanted a baby so it could...could what? Rule the world?”

  Denny watched Cassandra put her empty bowl in the dishwasher before whispering, “So it could kill me.”

  Irish and Denny exchanged glances. “You? Why you?”

  “Well, me and others like me.”

  Cassandra sat back down. “The offspring of a demon and a seven would have greatly enhanced powers. One of those powers would be able to easily summon higher-level demons.”

  “And how would that kill you? You’re not a demon.”

  Denny glanced at Cassandra, who nodded once. “She can’t know the severity of all of this if we start withholding information from her now. We have to tell her everything, hunter.”

  “Tell me everything. Don’t treat me like a little girl, because I’m not. You’re not a demon, right?”

  Denny inhaled deeply. “No, I’m not, but I’m...a...well…” Denny looked at Cassandra.

  “Go on, hunter. You’re among friends.”

  Denny blew out a deep breath. “I am not a demon, but I am possessed by one. I am a demon hunter…a legacy demon hunter to be exact.”

  Iris set her spoon down. “You’re…possessed?”

  Denny nodded. “Like you read about.” Denny explained her possession and the Hanta, and how the Hanta had saved her. The entire time she spoke, Iris said not one word. When Denny finished, she looked to Cassandra.

  “And that’s how she knew there was someone coming to get me.”

  Cassandra laid her hand on top of Iris’s. “Yes. It is why Denny was able to feel the demon, Magyar, at the hospital and step in to protect you.”

  Iris looked over at Denny. “Is it…is it scary?”

  “Sometimes. It’s a recent development in my life. I’m just now learning how to live with it. So yeah, there are times when it’s really scary.”

  “Can you…can you control it?”

  “Not all the time, but I’m getting there.”

  “Can you defeat Magyar?” Iris asked. “Can you keep it from harming me?”