Cursed Blood | REWRITING

6. Demon in the Basement

"More reason to kill him," Charlotte said, as if it were that simple.

"I can't just kill him." Seraphina bristled. "Silas will be okay, I think. I've found him a doctor out of town, who won't divulge his condition to anyone on the council. Laws prohibit that anyhow, but it's an extra precaution. On nights he might turn, I'll just make sure he's out of Briarwood."

"What happens when you can't sneak away for him? What if you forget?" Charlotte asked as her brows furrowed. "It's too risky. Just kill him. If you're too scared of spilling his blood, then poison him. Wolfsbane will work by mimicking a heart attack and it's easy to get a hold of in most apothecaries. Nobody will ever know."

"Silas would know," Seraphina's voice came out hoarse.

"He'll be dead, so it doesn't matter." Charlotte shrugged. "Nobody will dare summon the spirit of a cursed wolf walker either."

While that may be true, Seraphina couldn't bring herself to commit such a heinous act. Silas was an innocent wizard like them and her friend. If anyone knew she summoned Charlotte down in her bakery's basement, they'd banish the demon back to hell in an instant. Seraphina had hoped her best friend would be more understanding of his circumstances, but she was wrong.

"I'd hoped you'd be more helpful." Seraphina sighed. "Oh well. I'll figure that out myself. In the meantime, you can teach me more about sacrificial magic. Last time you said something about using animal bones and since this wretched beast tried to kill me, I thought I could attempt to summon its spirit."

Charlotte raised a brow. "You plan to summon it while also keeping me contained here? Quite a spirited task. Can you really do that?"

"It's a chance worth taking. Once I resurrect this beast, it'll cower in your presence." Seraphina smirked. "Whoever sent it needs to know I would have killed them regardless of Silas's interference."

"You're upset that he got involved, aren't you?" Charlotte slanted her eyes. "I can feel it deep within your rotting soul, Seraphina. You wanted to kill that wolf walker all on your own then parade its corpse like a trophy to the council. But Silas messed that all up."

"I think it would have been a hilarious stunt to prop the corpse up in their main office." Seraphina snickered. "I'm not upset with Silas, however. My own confidence almost got me killed. I thought I could handle it all on my own, but I needed some help."

"A wolf walker with wizard powers like Silas Rosewood is dangerous," Charlotte said. "Perhaps I can offer a solution to your problem. You won't even need to kill him." Mischief gleamed in her glowing red eyes.

"I don't know." Seraphina met her gaze, knowing full well to never trust a demon's bargain. Not even her best friend. "I'll hear you out, but I don't agree to any of your terms."

"All you must do is bring Silas here. It's very simple." Charlotte stepped as close as she could to the barrier, even letting it shock her fingers when she reached out toward her. "Summon me, then coax him into the barrier with me. I'll take care of him for you."

Seraphina struggled to mask the horror that washed over her face. "I won't let you kill him either."

"I won't kill him." Charlotte flashed her a wide smirk, exposing razor-sharp teeth. "I'll just possess his body, but it won't kill him. We'll co-exist in the same host and let our souls merge together. His magic's element derives from the Earth, just like mine, so I can have my magic again. You don't understand how painful it is here without it."

Doubts clouded her mind as memories of Charlotte rushed back to her, before her friend had died and let darkness consume her heart. Seraphina couldn't trust her anymore. She wouldn't dare let her possess Silas, but she'd try not to be defensive too fast. She didn't wish to anger a demon.

Unease blossomed in her chest. "I'll consider it. For now, I can't. He's busy recovering and likely won't leave his house for a while. But I'll summon you again later. I'll have an answer for you by then."

"Sweet Seraphina." Charlotte shook her head. "You were never a good liar, but I'll forgive you since you're my friend. If you won't bring me Silas, I'll find another way to steal his body. I know your human heart's still too fragile for this kind of thing."

"Why do you want his body?" Seraphina asked with a frown. "Couldn't you possess anyone? It doesn't have to be him."

"He'll eat your heart out." Charlotte's smirk faltered, and her expression softened as she folded her wings in. "I only wish to protect you, like you summoned me for." She gestured to the symbol of the blessed water goddess Seraphina had carved amid the circle.

In order to summon and contain Charlotte, Seraphina had to ask something of her. Protection against anything wicked sounded harmless enough back then, but she never expected anything like this to happen.

"For now, I must bid you farewell, but we'll meet again." Black embers of magic swarmed the circle like flies as Seraphina channeled it into the summoning circle. At the sight of her friend's crestfallen face, she hurried to complete the ritual and banished her back to the underworld. So much for her plan to summon the wolf walker and interrogate her with Charlotte.

Once Charlotte's body withered to nothingness, Seraphina deconstructed the summoning circle and hid her supplies in a secret compartment she enchanted in the wall. She couldn't have her employees wandering down there and stumbling upon them. Just for precautionary measures, she doused the floor in holy water.

Deep in her heart, Seraphina knew she needed to let her go and never summon Charlotte again. But every time she promised never again, something happened that made her want to reach out to her friend.

Charlotte would always be her best friend, demon or not, but she no longer trusted her like she once did. If anyone learned of Seraphina's illegal summoning in her bakery's basement, they could forcibly remove her magic. Or worse. Have her executed. She cringed at the mere thought.

Since that plan had failed miserably, Seraphina needed to figure out another way to summon the dead wolf walker. Without a name, it was impossible. She'd hoped that Charlotte would've been more helpful, but clearly, she had other nefarious intentions. Most demons did, of course. Seraphina just thought things would be different with their history, but apparently not.

It wasn't like there were black magic spellbooks with chapters on how to handle your best friend becoming a demon. Maybe she ought to write one someday.

Seraphina raked a frustrated hand through her pink curls, groaning in frustration. Here she'd thought she was so close to finding out the truth. Who had tried to kill her? Why send a wolf walker to complete the job?

One glance at the basement floor where she summoned Charlotte sent shivers down her spine. Demons couldn't manipulate other creatures to attack, could they? Her friend wouldn't have any reason to wish ill will on her, right?