I leaned against the opening to the foyer. Smiling to myself at the small win of being able to use the room again and to see more in it than just the place where I had found my parents' bodies.Instead, I got to focus on the brooding male who made my heart beat a little faster each time I saw him.My hair fluttered across my shoulder blades where it hung down from my ponytail. The air pumping through the room was a welcoming breeze from the summer heat that seemed to warm the house despite the air conditioning.It was rare that he let me see him in his true form. The fact that not only was he stretching his wings in front of me but that he had his horns out, told me that he was more bothered than I thought."You were making me food?" I asked in a small voice, hoping to not ruin the beautiful moment. It was so thoughtful of him and romantic to try to cook for me, knowing that I could not cook and was eating the same meals over and over again every day.Demetri titled his head up to loo
Seraphina's P.O.V.The ceiling fan above me released just enough air to prevent me from sweating, but I was still overly warm. It wasn't just mentally exhausting, casting was surprisingly physically demanding as well. Not the extent Meredith had claimed when she got a good laugh the first week of training me like I was in bootcamp, but it felt as though all of my energy had been tapped and drained.I lay on my back next to Meredith as she continued to talk to me in Latin. Her belief was that breaks from casting would not be a break from linguistics. If we weren't practicing spells, we were learning Latin and vice versa."Are you even listening to me?" She asked, amusement clear in her voice as I lay flat on the ground with my arms limp next to me."No, not at all actually." I turned my head with a smile. I was listening, and she knew it, but I was in no shape to retain the information.Meredith let out a sarcastic laugh before getting to her feet. "Very funny! I think it's time to tak
"Are you angry?" I asked as I entered the kitchen after walking Meredith out. She had decided that the rest of our lesson would have to wait until the following day... understandably so. I couldn't imagine the pain she was in based on how bruised her throat had immediately become.His back was to me as he ran water over what looked to be a blackened frying pan. Surprisingly it still smelled nice under the layer of smoke.I was disappointed to see that he had put his wings and horns away. It made me feel as though he were hiding from me or at least hiding that side of himself from me…the real him. With or without the wings and horns, I still loved him for everything he was and did for me. I just hadn't told him that yet."No," He grunted as he continued to scrub the piece of metal in his hands. It wasn't unusual for him to be short with answers. He normally didn't provide further information unless prompted, and I respected that about him.I moved around the kitchen island and rested m
Meredith looked significantly better the next day. I wasn't sure what she put in her tea, but it worked. I was thoroughly impressed by the lack of marks on her neck. After a long conversation with Demetri, he finally agreed for us to go visit Meredith to make amends. His only stipulation was that we had to meet in a public place.He was certain that if we met at her shop, she would turn on us, angered by the fact that he had attacked her in the confusion of our training. If she did that while he was powerless, we would both die.I didn't think that was a possibility, but I respected him enough to honor his wish. A quick call over the Meredith, and she happily agreed to lunch at a small bistro near her shop. We wouldn't be able to stay long because she had closed the store to come meet with us and needed to reopen it s soon as we were done.We sat on the patio of the restaurant, enjoying the fresh air while allowing Demetri to wear his sunglasses. He kept one hand on my thigh while sta
We ended lunch early after I made our table aware of the extra set of eyes observing us. Demetri was obvious in his glaring, but Meredith told us not to let him ruin our day and went on as if he wasn't there.Meanwhile, I was stressing over him seeing me with Demetri. Since Demetri couldn't be identified in any database and had pitch-black eyes, it made it impossible for the police to question him about his connection to me.Our chairs scraped against the concrete loudly as we stood from the table. I nodded in thanks to our waitress and said goodbye to Meredith before she made her way back down the street to her shop.As we stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the car, Demetri stood behind me, blocking me from Detective Sullivan's view. The longer we stood there, the angrier I became. Demetri's warm hand settled on my hip beneath my shirt, his thumb rubbing soothing circles as if he could feel how tense I was."Fuck this," I said to myself before spinning around, out of Demetri's hold,
One of the hardest things Meredith taught me was internal casting. It was a basic concept with a very difficult application. Just like thinking to myself, I was working on saying spells in my head. When spells were cast out loud, the opponent had a few seconds of advanced notice to mentally prepare themselves with an effective defensive casting that could counter the attack. When a witch said the spell in their head, it gave them the advantage as the witch they were facing wouldn't have time to think about what spells to use in return to protect themselves. It was significantly harder, but I could see the benefit in mastering that skill, especially when going into battle. We had spent the week going back and forth with defensive practice and offensive castings, trying to master as much as I could. The longer we went without Vera making a move, the more anxious and worried I became. How long would I have to prepare before they came for me again? Would I be strong enough when they di
Meredith showed up extremely early the next morning, waking me up with her fist banging on the front door loudly and my phone alerting from my security system to let me know there was someone at the door. After her walking in on Demetri and me one too many times, we agreed that she needed to knock before entering.I squinted at the bright screen on my phone, trying to get my eyes to focus on the live video feed. Her bright green eyes stared back at me as she leaned in to look at the camera."Good Morning! Let's get this show on the road!" Meredith cheered as she leaned back so I could see her. Her normal peppy attire had been replaced with dark olive cargo pants and a black tank top. With her hair tied back in her normal braid, but this time going down her back, she looked like she was ready for battle... or at least a camping trip.Demetri's hand slid around my waist, pulling my back into his chest. "Tell her to go away.""I heard that!" Meredith sang. "You don't even sleep. Get out
The drive was tense and quiet. I was about to face off with a woman who I had around my entire life. I never pictured that she could be the one to hurt me or my parents. While I was working myself up to fight someone I had thought of as family, Meredith was trying to hold in her excitement for the 'adventure' we were on. I had called the car service even though Meredith wanted to drive because I wanted there to be a reliable method of transportation should anything happen. If any of us were injured, we would need a way to the hospital or back home. Since my Aunt wasn't home, I had the driver go right past the exit to her house to the next one that led to the head of the hiking trail. If we followed it up roughly two miles, we would find her hiding out somewhere off the south side of the trail. Demetri sat next to me, keeping one hand on my thigh but his eyes on the passing world around us. He almost seemed fascinated by everything. If we weren't heading into such a stressful situat
One Month Later"I'm sorry it didn't work," Meredith said from the seat next to me as I stared out the window, watching the passing desert to the side as we sped down the highway. "We'll find another way."We had tried everything short of digging a hole down to the underworld. A séance had fallen flat with a minor demon coming through instead, trying to have a little fun in the world of the living, only for them to immediately regret it when both Meredith and I put them in their place and shut the connection on them."It's okay. If he wanted to, he would have come back by now, at least to visit. Shit, he could have even sent Akuji to give me a message, but no. There has been nothing. Maybe I should just let it go." Meredith reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it."You can still try summoning him back." She offered, but I shook my head quickly."And risk either binding a different demon to me or end up forcing a man back into my life who doesn't want to be a part of it, to begi
Demetri's P.O.V.I groaned as I rolled over, feeling the heat of the sun on my bare back. Flashes of red with a large man towering over me came to mind. I watched as he smiled, the long pointed teeth seeming familiar but still unsettling to me. The large horns on his head were unlike anything that I had ever imagined."You wish to return?" He said his voice like a multilayered growl. I bowed my head respectfully as he stared down at me with amusement."Yes, Sire.""You have fallen in love with a human? That makes you useless to me." I held my head down as his voice grew louder, signaling that he was getting closer. It didn't matter how powerful I was. He was stronger than anything to be found in any realm.I could feel my magic pulsing beneath my skin as he drew near.Suddenly, a large splash of cold liquid doused my body, and I sputtered as I spit the mud from my mouth."Is he drunk?" A soft voice asked as I rubbed my hand over my face, trying to remember what I had been dreaming abo
Demetri's P.O.V. I couldn't say what I was feeling when I was ripped away from my mate and brought back to the home I had come to peace with never seeing again. It was true that I had missed my home, but as I was being torn away from Seraphina, I knew I would give my home up in a heartbeat for a life with her in it. I had fallen to my knees in the barren field that surrounded my castle. The loose dirt shifted beneath my weight as I realized that I couldn't help her. Time worked differently here. There was no way of saying if she was still in battle, if it was months later, or if she was even still alive. I could go to her, and visit the human realm again, but it would take time. By the guards quickly surrounding me, I knew I would be stuck here for the foreseeable future. There was no escaping notice now. "Your highness! You've returned!" One of the guards stated. The obvious announcement sent frustration through me. My wings broke free from my back as I took my true form. My nail
I moved slowly, keeping my hands down at my sides until I took my seat. He remained outside the room until I placed my hands, palm down, on the metal tabletop. After a moment, he came in and joined me, his watchful gaze staying down on my hands."I brought you some blueberry muffins. I hope you like that flavor. If not, I can bring you something else later." Even though he didn't respond, I still felt hope since he was willing to sit down and hear me out. "Detective, you saved my life, and I am eternally grateful for that. I don't know how to repay you, and I know nothing will be equal to the debt that I now owe you, but I will do my best to try."He looked quickly up from my hands to my face before back down again. "I like blueberry." He mumbled beneath his breath, and I let out a sigh of relief."They told me your kids have been coming to visit. I didn't know you had kids. How old are they?" His shoulders dropped slightly, and I could see him relaxing as he thought of his family. I
The hallway she brought me down was eerie and off-putting. The white walls were bare, and the off-white laminate flooring was scuffed and dirty. We passed several doors, but no people. I continued forward. My anxiety got significantly worse when a man in a lab coat rounded the corner ahead of us before turning off into one of the rooms, only for me to discover it was an office as we walked past. It made sense that they wouldn't keep their patients in the front of the building, but the fact that they had to keep them here against their will at all made me feel nauseous. "Is Detective Sullivan doing okay today?" I asked, and the woman looked over her shoulder at me with a small smile. There was a tightness in the corner of her eyes that told me I wouldn't be able to take her words at face value. "He hasn't been here long but is doing a little better every day." She lifted her hand, gesturing me to turn to the right as we reached the end of the hallway. There was another door we had to
It was amazing how quickly I recovered. Meredith had brought me a thermos of tea every day until I was released from the hospital. The medical staff was in shock at how quickly I had been able to heal, and I hadn't looked back since.It had only been a few days, but if I had my way, I would never be in a hospital again… unless I had kids. But, even considering the possibility of that with anyone other than Demetri made me uncomfortable. I still hadn't heard from him, much to my displeasure.While settling in back at home, and hanging out with Meredith as we tried to find something in her family's collection of books that would inform us how to find the way to Hell, my mind kept getting pulled in another direction.There was still something that I had to do. The guilt was eating away at me, especially after watching the news clip on it.When Meredith pulled it up, she thought it was hilarious. I had to agree, but as the one who was involved and probably did that to him, it wasn't funny
I don't remember much of what happened next. It wasn't until several days later that I woke up in the hospital. Detective Thompson came down to get my statement shortly after I woke up, and thankfully, Kendra joined him. I had no idea what I should or shouldn't say, so I kept it simple.I explained that she admitted to killing everyone, including my grandparents, and had broken into my house, intending to finish me off. Each time I tried to ask about Sullivan, Thompson redirected me, refusing to provide me with any information.The empty hospital room was cold and unwelcoming. People kept coming in and out, poking and prodding at my surgery sight, tilting me from one side to the other every hour or two, or giving me pain meds. They never let me sleep. Then, they would send some peppy bitch in to ask me how I had slept the next morning.I was ready to rip her throat out. All I wanted was to be left alone, so I could sleep and cry in peace. It wasn't just the trauma of the situation. I
I struggled to get to my feet, my eyes meeting Detective Sullivan's as he lay on the ground. I wasn't sure if he was in shock, playing dead, or if he was actually dead. All I knew was that I needed to get far enough away from Isla that I could come up with a plan without her being able to hit me.The sound of the scuffle behind me made me pause, and I knew I couldn't just leave Demetri there. He was my mate. I loved him, and I would be damned if I let her take him from me without a fight.As I spun on my heels, there was a loud crash, and I looked up in horror to see she had thrown Demetri against the side of the house. The surface cracked and caved in from the impact. He flopped onto the ground, limp and unmoving. Instead of a scream of horror, a shriek of rage bubbled up. Isla looked over at me, a look of satisfaction on her face. I lifted my hands, but she flicked her wrist in my direction, and I collapsed to my knees before falling to the side.The pain was significantly worse thi
"Ms. Hastings, I'm going to need you to come with me." Detective Sullivan stated. The disgust on his face was evident as he stared at her, never taking his eyes away as he began to move his hand behind his back. "I am so sick of you worthless humans trying to stick your nose where it doesn't belong!" Isla screeched before throwing her arm to the side, releasing a burst of magic. Detective Sullivan had a brief moment where he looked startled before the blast hit him. He flew through the air, flipping multiple times before he landed on his stomach on the hard ground. My hand flew up to cover my mouth in shock and terror when he did not move. His eyes remained closed, and I could see blood running down the side of his face. "What is wrong with you?" I screamed. "Oh, shut up! You're next!" Isla turned to Demetri and me. He immediately stepped forward, so he could try and block any incoming attacks, causing Isla to smirk. "If you know what I am, then you know I am a king. If you touch