Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

B everly breezes into the house, the front door opening in front of her without her even touching it. She comes right to me, kneeling down next to me and Bella.

"What happened?" she asks.

I shake my head, still trying to process it all. I point to the cookie jar. Beverly gasps and puts her hand to her chest. She waves her hand and a shimmery orb like a soap bubble appears around the jar and then dissolves into a cascade of glitter. The room feels instantly brighter, lighter, like when a dark, heavy cloud moves away from the sun.

"It's a…a monster," I say. "It was trying to…I don't know. Get me. Bella trapped it in the jar, I think." I'm rocking Bella. I brush my hand over her brow. "Then she passed out."

"She probably just exerted too much energy," Beverly says. Beverly mutters something as she lays her hand on Bella's forehead. Bella gasps and opens her eyes.

"Where…where is it?" Bella asks, sitting up.

"It's all right," I tell her, urging her to lay back down. "She…she is all right, isn't she?" I ask Beverly, almost afraid to know the answer. If something ever happened to Bella, I don't think I could bear it.

"She'll be fine," Beverly says, rubbing my shoulder reassuringly. "We sometimes just have to be careful not to exert ourselves, don't we?" she says to Bella.

"It was going to hurt Mommy," Bella says emphatically.

"I'm sure it was," Beverly says, standing up. She walks over to the cookie jar and looks down at it, her arms crossed.

"Is it gone?" I ask.

"It's not gone enough." Beverly toes the jar with a booted foot. The jar shakes and there is a growling sound from within. I clutch Bella tightly.

"What is it?" I ask.

"What spell did you use?" Beverly asks Bella.

Bella sits up, and it takes all my willpower to allow her to slip from my arms. I don't want to let her go.

"Umm… I think it was a…a… Well, I wanted to do a banishing spell, but I couldn't remember it. I knew I didn't want to do a binding spell, but it was the only thing that came to mind. So, I kind of…made up my own spell." Bella looks down sheepishly.

"Hmm," Beverly says thoughtfully. "Tell me exactly what you did."

Bella gets up, and I follow her. She shows Beverly the movements she did and a symbol she drew on the cookie jar. Then she says the words, but it's all gibberish to me.

Beverly nods and mumbles to herself. "Well, you at least kept it away from your mother. That's the important part. You did well, Bella."

Bella beams. "Really?"

I hug my little girl and kiss her on the top of her head. "My hero."

Beverly picks up the jar and turns it around. She then taps on it. "Hello? Anyone home?"

The jar shakes and growls again. I hold Bella close, but Beverly just laughs.

"Now, now," Beverly says. "Is that any way to talk?"

"Let me out!" the thing in the jar growls.

"Why would I do that?" Beverly asks.

"Because I command it!"

Beverly snorts and laughs. "Looks like your words don't have any power here."

The creature growls, but the tension in the room lessens. It's like a raging kitten, more adorable than scary.

"I think we need to have a chat," Beverly says. "Will you play nice if I let you out?"

"Never!" the creature roars.

"Okay," Beverly says. She puts the cookie jar on the counter and starts to walk away.

"Wait," the creature says.

"Yes?" Beverly asks.

"Fine," the creature says.

Beverly nods and picks up the jar, but I stop her before she removes the lid.

"Wait! Are you sure that's safe?"

"It's fine," she says. "It's bound to the jar. It can't hurt us now."

I'm not sure I totally believe her, but I do trust her. If the creature tries to attack me again, I know Beverly could stop it.

Beverly removes the lid and smoke billows out of it. But then, to my surprise, it starts to take on a solid shape. It forms a man. A tall man. A dark man. A…very, very handsome man. He has dark eyes and his hair is twisted in rows like chainmail. He also has twisted horns. He wears a black suit, a platinum watch, and a red handkerchief in his pocket. My jaw drops of its own accord. I have no idea what to say. His eyes land on me and he runs a hand over his mouth.

"You are no witch," he says to me.

"Rude," I manage to choke out. How can he tell just by looking at me?

He chuckles. "You are not the one who captured me. Who was it? You, woman?" he asks Beverly.

"It was me," Bella says, stepping forward, her chin jutted forward defiantly.

"Impossible," he says. "No mere girl could capture me."

"And just who are you?" Beverly asks.

"No mortal can pronounce my name."

"Try us," Beverly says.

"My name is…" He lets out some growling, guttural sound.

Beverly squints. "What are you?"

"I believe you humans call me a demon."

I gasp and wrap my arms around Bella again. A demon? In my house? Here? In Mystic Cove? How is this possible?

"Fine, I'll just call you Damon. Who sent you?" Beverly asks. She seems entirely unsurprised that a demon is in my house.

"I do not know," he says, looking at me with smoldering eyes. For a moment, I think it is the sexiest look I've ever seen. But on the other, it looks as though he is starving. Ravenous. Like he is going to devour me.

"Why were you sent? What was your purpose?"

"To possess Tamzin Jones," he says plainly.

"Why?" I ask.

"I do not know," he says. "I don't ask. I only go where I am bidden."

"By whom?" Beverly asks.

"The Dark Lord, obviously," he says.

"So, you are nothing but a lacky, a minion," Beverly says, clearly growing annoyed.

"Do not trifle with me, mortal," Damon says. "You clearly do not know the powers you are dealing with."

"Well, that might be true to an extent," Beverly says. "I don't know who sent you here or why, other than to mess with Tamzin, but that doesn't mean I can't send you back to where you came from."

"Go ahead," he says. "Witches stronger than you—and certainly stronger than this child—have tried."

"So, wait, what is going on?" I ask. "You were sent to possess me, but we stopped you. So, why are you still here?"

Damon's cocksure expression falters for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure."

"He was sent to possess you," Beverly says to me. "But he's trapped in the cookie jar instead."

"Is he…possessing the cookie jar?" I ask. It's such a ludicrous question, I can't help but sputter a laugh. Soon, Beverly and Bella join me. Only in a place like Mystic Cove would such a question be considered reasonable. Damon crosses his arms, clearly annoyed. But he doesn't correct us. In fact, I think it's what actually happened to him. I almost feel sorry for him.

"I don't think it's quite that simple," Beverly says. "But I'll need to do more research on Bella's spell to figure out what exactly we should do.

"Come, Damon, back in the cookie jar."

"I'll walk. Thanks," he says.

"Fine," she says, putting the lid in her pocket. "But you ride in the back."

She starts to walk toward the door, but I feel a sudden terror. And sadness. And longing. I can't let her take my cookie jar!

"Wait! No, you can't take it." I reach for the jar, but she pulls it out of reach."

"I'll give it back once it's been…exorcised."

"O…kay," I say, not understanding why I spoke out in the first place. I love the cookie jar, yes. It has sentimental value. But I know Beverly isn't stealing it from me. Of course she can take it.

"No!" I cry out, reaching for it again. "No, you can't take it."

Beverly holds her hand out, blocking me from taking the jar. "Now, hold on." She looks at Damon, who is smirking at me, then to Bella. She mumbles something to herself, then she lets out a resigned sigh. "This is your jar, isn't it?" she asks me.

"Yes. I bought it a few years ago at Disney World."

"Well, this is certainly a new problem," she says, handing me the jar and lid. I cradle them lovingly, like a baby.

"What is?" I ask, placing the jar back on the counter.

"It's your jar, so the demon is still bound to you," she explains. "Not to your actual body. Bella was at least able to stop that. But it is still very much your demon."

Damon chuckles, low and deep. I look at him and see only malevolence on his face, his red eyes practically glowing in delight. I suppose he is happy to be fulfilling his purpose after all.

"So, what does that mean exactly?" I ask. "I'm stuck with a demon?"

"For now," Beverly says. "But don't worry. I'll take care of it. I just need time."

"Sorry, Mom," Bella says.

"Don't be!" I say, pulling her in for a hug. "You saved me. This is at least better than the alternative."

"How do you know?" Damon asks. "Have you ever been possessed before?"

"No," I have to gladly admit.

"Maybe you would have liked it," he says. He sticks out his tongue and wiggles it at me.

"Eww, gross," I say.

"Sorry," he says. "I thought it would be intimidating."

"Is this, like, your first day on the job or something?" I ask.

"I am thousands of years old," he says.

"I didn't ask how old you were," I say.

"Okay, children, enough," Beverly says. "You obviously have this under control," she says to me.

"What? I do?" I ask her, following her to the door.

"He's clearly not a danger to you," Beverly says. "Not trapped like this."

"I mean, he's a demon," I say from the porch as Beverly goes to her car. "Should we call Father Granger? Can he do exorcisms?"

"I might have to consult him. But I'll talk to Sophia and Jacob first." She opens the door to her car, but doesn't quite get in. Sophia is Beverly's granddaughter and Jacob is Sophia's husband. Jacob is the headmaster at Mystic Cove Academy for the Arts and one of the most powerful warlocks around. Sophia teaches classes at the school and runs her own apothecary shop. "Just, try not to worry, dear. Don't let him get to you."

"Are you sure it's safe to be around him? Should Bella stay with you?"

"I don't think that is necessary. But let me know if any other strange occurrences happen?"

"What, like having a demon in my house isn't weird enough?"

"Someone sent him," Beverly says.

It takes a moment for her words to really sink in. I've been so preoccupied with the demon itself, I hadn't thought about who might have sent him.

"Someone hates me," I say.

"You have a very powerful enemy out there," Beverly says. "Be careful."

With that, she gets in her car and drives away. I stand on the walkway with my arms wrapped around me, not sure I want to go back inside and face what's waiting for me. And I don't mean the demon. Who would want to do this to me? Who in Mystic Cove would want me to be possessed by a demon? To what end? I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt me. Haven't I been hurt enough? Isn't my life already hard enough?

I let out a long exhale and steel myself to face my demon…literally.