Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The over exaggerated sound of someone clearing their throat woke me with a start. I reflexively yanked the covers to my chin as Vance quickly sat up next to me, even though I was appropriately dressed in a semi-modest nightgown.

Damien was sitting at an ornate, wooden dining table, which had appeared from who-knows-where, and he had a large breakfast spread out in front of him with place settings for three people.

"You son-of-a-bitch! I ought to . . . ." The rest of Vance's words were drowned out as he sent a large fireball rolling towards Damien. Slamming into the dining table, it blew it to smithereens. Screaming, I lifted my hands, trying to shield myself from the missile-like shrapnel that went flying through the air.

Instantly, Vance was out of bed, standing over Damien who was now lying on the floor, bloodied and covered with large protruding projectiles and food. He reached down and grabbed Damien by the collar snatching him closer.

"Don't you ever touch my wife again!" he yelled, contorting into his demon features. Sinking his teeth into Damien's neck, he ripped a chunk from his throat just as Damien had done to him.

Damien gurgled as the blood sprayed from his neck—a panicked expression passing over his face in the few seconds it took for the Awakening to repair the wound once again.

"I might not be able to kill you, but I can still give you pain," Vance added, shoving one of the larger wooden shards farther into Damien's chest, causing him to jerk in agony. He stepped away, and I could tell he was enjoying watching him suffer.

Slowly, Damien climbed to his feet and began gingerly plucking out the items that were embedded in him with a grimace. It was amazing to watch the magic move through his body, working to push some of the smaller objects out of his skin while he continued to extract others.

He looked at Vance. "I suppose I had that coming," he said nonchalantly, and this inflamed Vance even more.

I hurried off the bed, rushing to his side and placing what I hoped was a calming hand on his shoulder. "No more," I whispered, wanting to protect the situation from escalating any further. "You've made your point."

"I agree," Damien said, looking between the two of us with a pained, but also amused, expression. "If you'll excuse me for a bit, I'll be back shortly." Woodenly, he turned, stiffly moving across the room. When he reached the wall, he paused, waving his arm, and a door appeared. He opened it, revealing someone standing on the other side as he stepped through. The individual closed the door behind him, and the wall went back to its previous appearance.

Vance turned to look at me and grinned. "Behold, the door," he said triumphantly, as if discovering its location had been his plan all along.

"Behold, the guard on the other side of the door," I reminded him, before growing incredibly angry. "What exactly did you think you would accomplish with that little display?"

His face clouded over immediately. "Don't lecture me, Portia," he said, brushing past me brusquely. "I did what I had to do."

"Which was what? Enraging him to the point of killing you off again? Are you really that desperate to die? I think he's proven he's willing to go to any length to get what he wants. If you get in his way then he'll just eliminate you! Don't be stupid!"

Turning on me, his eyes flashed red and he shoved his finger next to my face. "No! You quit being stupid," he yelled and I took an involuntary step backward. "He tried to take something from me that's mine and mine alone. He was taunting me with it and if I didn't answer him, then there would've been nothing to stop him from doing it again. This is all part of his crazy little mind game he's playing with me. He's testing me to see how far he can push, and he's using you as a pawn to do it! Quite successfully, I might add!"