Demonique cocked her head. “What is it you want, witch?’
“Oh, dearest,” she cooed, moving forward until they were nearly touching, toe to toe. “I want for nothing.”
The demon cat growled, her eyes narrowing to thin slits. “Liar.”
“Mind your pretty tongue,” Gae said as she came within a breath of the kitten. Oh, she smelled so divine, like earth and fresh rain and the distinct, warm and spicy scent of arousal. She held up the pearl wand, the wand that would restore her to her rightful place as queen. “What else could I possibly want when I have the world in the palm of my hand?”
* * *
Gae stood on the other side of the dark, dank cell, gazing at Demonique with contempt. After disabling the shifter kitten with a sleeping spell, she and Rem had found a cluster of small rooms and cells. The furniture was covered with fine black dust, no doubt from the cave-in, but Gae had already put Rem to work cleaning it. In the process, he’d discovered spell books, herbs, and potions. She planned on reading the spell books cover to cover after she took care of her growing needs.
How fortunate to have found the former master’s possessions. She didn’t believe in coincidences. Fate had placed her here for a reason; it was time to fulfill her rightful place as ruler of Delfi, only she wouldn’t stop there. Rem had told her the wand she held was rare. With such power, she could rule the world. She caressed the wand’s smooth surface. “I will unlock your secrets,” she whispered.
“What have you done with Alexi?” The she-cat rose to her knees and clutched the bars of her cell, her golden eyes still heavy from sleep, tears streaking her ebony skin. Funny how the kitten had lost her claws and fur when Rem put shackles inlaid with Tau stones on her. She looked human, but she still had all the grace and beauty of a feline.
“Alexi?” she spat. Just the mention of him reminded her of the race she loathed more than anything. “The weakling Fae?”
Demonique’s lip pulled back in a snarl. “He’s survived starvation and beatings. He’s anything but weak.”
Pshaw. He hadn’t even put up a fight when Rem imprisoned him. The kitten’s love for this Fae was strong, but Gae loved a challenge. Getting the kitty to turn against her lover would be fun.
She knelt in front of Demonique, stroking a rusty iron bar with a curved talon. “I will tell you his whereabouts, perhaps even let you see him, if you help me.”
Demonique’s cold glare would have unnerved a lesser woman. “With what?”
She slid back up the bars, rubbing her dragon scent on them, claiming her territory. “Tell me the spell that unleashes the fury.”
The kitten arched back. “What?”
Gae looked at her as if she could see into her very soul, watching for any signs of deceit. “The spell that flattens trees and scorches the earth.”
Demonique blinked. “There is no such spell.”
Gae sensed no deception in the she-cat’s eyes. “That stupid griffin was able to discharge that very spell from this wand.” She banged it against the bars with a loud clank. “What do you think collapsed these tunnels?”
“I thought a volcanic eruption had flattened the island.”
“Well, you thought wrong,” Gae snapped.
“I was the leader of the shifter resistance.” Crossing her arms, the kitten flashed a smug grin. “Don’t you think if I’d known such a spell, I would’ve used it on the witches already?”
She repressed a curse. It was as the griffin had told her, but she refused to give up hope. She’d unlock the wand’s secrets, even if she had to use dark magic. “Why do you hate witches so much?”
Her features hardened until she resembled a statue of granite. “They subjugated the shifter race and refuse to acknowledge our realm.”
Interesting. The griffin had told her humans no longer existed in their realm, that they’d been separated centuries ago and locked out of the magical world with special enchantments, their memories of magic erased, their history altered. This happened after a brutal war between magical races and humans that magical creatures did not wish to repeat.
She thoughtfully rubbed the thin scales on her chin. “I could learn a lot from you about modern times.”
“You could.” Demonique turned her back. “But I won’t help you.”
“You will when I chain Alexi to that wall and start stripping away his flesh.”
She spun around and launched at her with a roar, her chains rattling and preventing her from reaching the bars. “You bitch!”
“That was unkind.” Gae stepped back with a scowl. She raised her hands, black smoke pouring from her talons and slipping between Demonique’s bars. The kitten stumbled back, falling on her backside when the smoke wrapped around her slender throat. Eyes bulging, she gasped for breath, flailing on the hard stone floor like a fish out of water. She tried in vain to pull away the ropes of smoke as Gae twirled her talons, winding them tighter. Not long and the kitten would succumb to the dark magic, but Gae didn’t want to kill her.
“Are you ready to play nice?” she asked with a bored drawl while the poisonous fog continued to pour from her.
Demonique flailed for several more seconds before nodding with a jerky movement.
With a snap of her talons, the smoke gripping Demonique’s throat dissipated in a cloud of dust. The she-cat sat up, drawing deep breaths and clutching her neck.
Gae flicked her talons and more smoke poured out. Demonique’s eyes widened, but she did not fight. The poison turned bright violet. Pulsing little hearts flowed out of Gae’s fingers, wrapping around the she-cat, soaking into her skin and hair.
“You will teach me everything you know,” Gae said, “and you will become my lover.” She paused, waiting for the kitten’s reaction, pleased when she saw no repulsion in her eyes. “In exchange, I will not kill your precious Fae. Do we have a deal?”
She nodded. “As you wish, mistress.”
Gae grabbed a jug of cool water and poured some into a goblet. She thrust it through the bars, her talons scraping Demonique’s skin. The spark that passed between them was undeniable. Gae licked her lips in anticipation. “Drink. It will cool your throat. And do not call me mistress,” she said sternly. “I am your queen.”
Grasping the water, Demonique hung her head. “Yes, My Queen.”
Chapter One
Two days we’ve traveled with these stinky witches and stuck up Fae, and Teju hasn’t licked our pussy, Serah’s siren grumbled while they flew over yet another mountain.
Quit whining, Thelix, Serah admonished. In case you’ve forgotten, we’re at war.
Our pussy isn’t at war, Thelix groaned. Our pussy wants love and peace and lickings. Lots of lickings.
Supposedly, Thelix was an ancient ancestor who just so happened to share possession of Serah’s body and mind. Thelix’s magic gave Serah the power to use her persuasive siren tongue. Her thoughts popped into Serah’s head at random times throughout the day, usually when Thelix was bored or horny. She had the temperament of a feral cat and the libido of a starved siren. Though she got on Serah’s nerves on a daily basis, Serah’s mates adored her, especially when she talked dirty. If Serah was being honest with herself, she knew she couldn’t live without her siren. She thought of her as a mouthy other half.