A Demon’s Book Of Shadows (Witches & Demons #1)

12. Amon

12

Amon

Darkness fell over my eyes, dancing like a great horrible storm. Magic pulsed through me as I was ripped out of Krim’s bar. A witch was beckoning me, caressing my spirit with her fingers that gripped for my throat.

Shit .

Melrose found me.

I knew the impatient nature of her long, thorn-like fingers too well. I was helpless. As soon as she gripped for me, the tattoo on my forearm changed into the shape of a rose.

As I plunged into the Summoning, my shadows thrashed, flickering like a dying candle as the physical world fell away. A great void of emptiness huddled around me as Melrose's fingernails dug into my arm. Damp, soggy earth enveloped my senses as my shadows fought to free themselves. But no matter how much they tried, they were all powerless to a witch scorned on Halloween. Until the sun rose, I would be at the mercy of the witch Lucy set free.

The further I went, the drier the earth became. Cracked, parched soil filled my nose. Relaxing my arms, I forced my shadows to calm. While they wanted to lash out and protect themselves, I was the one in charge. I settled into Melrose’s decomposing garden, a place where familiars drew their earthly magic from. When a witch died, she immediately gained access to this layer of the Summoning.

Staggering, I fell back, gathering myself onto my feet. I clutched my throat, wheezing. “If the grimoire is what you are looking for, I don’t have it.”

“Why would I be looking for the cage your father trapped me in after I’ve been freed?” she asked, her voice high with rage.

I dug my heels into the ground. She hadn’t shown herself yet. All I could see was a mass of roots, decomposing leaves, and thorn-covered vines.

One of the vines snapped in front of me, striking my bottom lip. The taste of iron filled my mouth. Not only was Melrose a witch, but she was a green vampire. Her taste for a demon’s shadows was the equivalent for a vampire’s desire for blood.

Her lips came to mine. She let out a moan, trailing her fingers down my chest as she forced her tongue into my mouth.

My traitorous cock bulged painfully in my pants at her advances. She wanted to unleash my shadows and make them do the wild, unforgivable things most women only experienced in their dreams.

I pulled back, ripping my lip away from her teeth.

Her face appeared, manifesting behind a shimmering green mist. “Withdrawing from me now, are we?” she asked, gripping the bulge in my pants with her fingers. “I know how aggressive your true nature can be.”

I cringed at the memory. A few centuries ago, I had been uncontrollably horny with her, and now I was paying for it. “I’m not being aggressive with you. I just want you to either move on, or stay the fuck away from my family.”

Her fingers traced my crotch, one of her thorn-like nails piercing the fabric. “How could I move on after what you did to me?”

My hands twitched as vines coiled around my wrists.

Melrose bound my arms with her wicked, thorn-covered vines. “How could I move on after I died at the hands of a demon who doesn’t know how to properly control his own shadows? How could I not want to know that power for myself?”

“You were playing with magic that even demons can’t always control,” I bit out. “Any normal witch should know the risks they are taking when playing with death.”

“I’m not a normal witch, now am I?” she breathed, her voice rasping against my ear. “Death does not scare me, nor does the demon who killed me.”

My stomach knotted. She was still blaming me for her death. “What do you want?”

A high-pitched giggle followed. “I remember how you desired me, you dark, wicked thing.” Her voice caressed my chest with an earthy balm. “Who said your shadows won’t have the same wicked feelings for sweet, innocent Lucy?”

My throat constricted at her threat. Melrose had seen what my shadows were capable of. “Leave Lucy out of this. She didn’t mean to release you from the grimoire. She had no idea you were inside.”

Melrose withdrew from me, a coiling mass of vines and thorns offsetting her from the earthy Summoning chamber she’d trapped me in. Her naked body, a tangled mess of porcelain skin, emerged. Her lips were a rich burgundy in color. Thorns jutted from her breasts and her loins. Her blood formed as shiny red drops of dew that collected on the tips of the thorns. “I want to thank that witch for giving me a new opportunity to destroy what you love.”

A cackling cry erupted from her.

“Stay away from Lucy!” I yelled. “She doesn’t know what she’s done!”

Melrose’s lips curved into a smile. “I’ve had a long time to contemplate on how I would get back at you, Amon. I know how like me, a part of you refuses to forget what you’ve lost. There are far more powerful demons who can haunt this town other than the Ravenbloods.” Her fingers danced along my jaw. “Us witches who practice shadow magic have long been fascinated with demons like wendigos.”

The knot in my stomach tightened. “What do you want with the Bone Threader?”

Her fingers lodged into my neck, this time not playfully. She traced her pinky along my jaw, slicing through my skin. “Amon, you are going to be the one to find what the Bone Threader has been hiding from me, even if he devours you in the process.”

I shivered. “Impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible when love is involved. Rose petals don’t fall far from the flower, my dear.” Her fingers drape past my cheek. “It’s time that you remember what your shadows did to me three hundred years ago.”