Darrak looked at Eden, but she didn’t meet his eyes. It was better that he thought she was mad at him, hated him, and wanted nothing to do with him.
Better for her, that is. It made it easier.
The sun was low in the sky. It wouldn’t be long before sunset. If this worked, Darrak wouldn’t have to possess her tonight.
His curse would be broken.
The thought was a relief, of course. Her feelings for the demon might be a total conflicting mess, but she didn’t want to be possessed by him. By anyone. Ever again.
“Are you ready?” Selina asked Darrak.
“I am.”
“Have to warn you, it’s not going to be a pleasure trip. For you, this is going to sting. A lot.”
“I can take it.”
“Then let’s do this.” She closed her eyes and held her arms up at her sides.
A moment later, Eden felt the energy begin to swirl in the open area they stood in, and small electric sparks flickered off the edges of the playground equipment. In response, her own magic began to wake up — a tingling inside, a growing power that was very difficult to ignore.
But she did ignore it.
She shivered, and it wasn’t just from the temperature; she drew her thin coat closer to her body, crossing her arms as she stood and watched the witch and the demon.
Selina opened her eyes. “Darrakayiis, I use your true name to bind you where you stand.”
Darrak went rigid in place.
Tensely, Eden noticed Selina’s amulet darken a shade of gray as she began to channel her black magic for a specific purpose. It wasn’t until that moment, and the witch’s use of his full name, that she realized how much was currently at stake. Having it exist in theory to having it play out right in front of her were two separate things.
Selina now had the power to break Darrak’s curse or destroy him where he stood.
She then understood how much trust Darrak had put into the witch. He was now at her mercy much as he’d been three hundred years ago. The only difference was she was much more powerful now. Did Selina still hold a grudge? Would Eden really blame her if she did? Had she been lying before by saying she’d help?
Eden felt a sliver of panic at the thought. Maybe the witch had lied for a chance to finish what she’d started with the demon. Eden had believed her completely. Darrak wasn’t so naïve, of course. She could see in his eyes right now, that hope mixing with distrust. He’d willingly opened himself up to the pain that would either lead to his ultimate freedom or complete destruction.
She watched, warily, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and she could feel her own magic now at her fingertips — just as Selina said it would be. So easy to use she didn’t even need a training manual. Would it really be that simple? No more difficult than throwing a thought?
It was. That’s why it was so dangerous.
“Do it.” The pain in Darrak’s voice was already noticeable. “Finish this one way or the other.”
Selina smiled at Eden. “I know what you’re thinking.”
“You do?”
The witch nodded. “But don’t worry. I won’t hurt him more than I have to. And I will release him from this curse and the other spell I put on him. It’ll be a new beginning for all of us.”
She was telling the truth. Through their strange new bond, Eden knew it, and it was a huge relief. Despite being a black witch, Selina wasn’t evil. She’d fought against it. She tried to help others with her books — man-hating diatribes that they were. Eden knew the witch would be able to help her with her strange new magical ability — a molten lava pool of power it was disturbingly tempting to jump into headfirst.
“Now, let me finish this,” Selina said firmly.
That pesky lump of emotion came back to take up residence in Eden’s throat. The demon’s pain-filled gaze was heavy on her as the energy swept through the playground and around her and she knew any moment he would disappear completely.
Good-bye, Darrak, she thought.
There was an interruption in the flicker of energy around Eden. She felt it. The witch’s eyes were open again and her attention had shifted.
“Who the hell are you?” Selina asked sharply.
Eden turned to see that Malcolm was watching the proceedings, leaning his shoulder against a tree.
“Sorry. Am I interrupting something?” he asked.
Cold fear shot through her at the sight of him.
“Interrupting something?” Eden asked, forcing herself to laugh lightly at that. “Just three good friends hanging out in a children’s playground. Nothing strange about that, is there?”
Malcolm approached slowly and Eden’s gaze flicked to his hand where he held a palm-sized piece of rock salt. “I consulted with my mentor about what we discussed last night and I’m now ready to finish this.”
“You know where I live?”
“I’m here, aren’t I? Haven’t you been expecting me?” Malcolm looked confused. Of course, he would be. The last time he’d seen Eden she’d agree to have Darrak exorcised without further argument.
She tentatively approached the college-kid-turned-secret-society-demon-hunter. “Malcolm, no. I’ve changed my mind. Please go.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Eden,” Darrak said with warning. “Be careful.”
“That’s him, isn’t it?” Malcolm said, the tremor in his voice impossible to hide. “The archdemon. He’s powerful enough to take solid form.”
She swallowed nervously. “You need to go home. I spoke to your mother a little while ago. She says you have a scholarship. You need to go back to school. Have a real life.”
“I don’t care what my mother says. This is my life.” His gaze shifted over to Selina and he inhaled sharply. “She’s a witch. I can sense her power.”
Selina glared back at him. “Come any closer, kid, and I’ll give you something else to sense.”
His eyes returned to meet Eden’s and they widened a fraction. “You’re a witch now, too?”
She cringed. “I’ve been called many things in my life. That’s now on the list.”
Disappointment flooded his expression. “I wanted to help you. I failed. The darkness has claimed you.”
She took a step toward him but he staggered back a little, clutching his solid crystal of salt. He looked very young, uncertain, and suddenly in over his head. “There are exceptions to what you’ve been taught by the Malleus. There are demons and witches who don’t want to hurt anyone. And you can’t kill them.”