24. Evalee

EVALEE

M y eyelids slowly lift open, and I’m immediately blinded by light. I squint in pain. Dammit, I’m with a demon for … Well, however long I’ve been gone, and I’ve already woken up this way twice.

“Let’s breathe fire on her?” a low voice with a lisp purrs.

I go super rigid, blinking my eyes fiercely and trying to get them to adjust to the light. What the hell was that?

“It looks like one of us already did,” another voice hisses. “Look at her clothes.”

I think about the burn holes in my clothing. What are these things?

“Ooooh … that sounds lovely.” Spit hits my cheek as they speak.

Ew! Yuck! Gross!

“Burn all her clothes off and some of her hair,” the other instructs, sounding pleased. “But don’t get her face. I kind of like it.”

“Should we wake her up before we do it?”

“Maybe.”

“Wakey, wakey, wakey, little rainbow trout,” one says before giggling. “You think master will get upset with us?”

“Maybe,” the other hisses out. “He was upset the first time we burned her clothes.”

“Hmmmm … Good thing we like getting into trouble.”

They both giggle mischievously.

My vision smears back into focus, and I realize I’m back in the room I first woke up in. But I’m not alone.

My gaze snaps to the right, and I instantly cringe.

“Ew, dragon fire snake babies,” I say, pulling a disgusted face at the winged dragons with large nostrils and snake-like bodies hovering beside the bed.

They both turn their beady eyes on me, and the longer, silver-ish black one hisses, its snake-like tongue slipping out of its mouth.

“What do you mean, ew ?” it says, sounding offended. “You’re the one who’s half-witch.”

I rub my throbbing forehead. “Yeah, so what? There’s nothing wrong with witches.”

“Other than they’re boring, dull, and stupid.” The shorter, reddish-blue dragon fire snake puffs a cloud of smoke in my face. “See? Stupid.”

“I don’t know how that proves that witches are stupid,” I reply, fanning my hand in front of my face. “And FYI, you’re the ones who are stupid. I mean, your main purpose in life is to be a pet to demons. That’s so not very smart.” I know I’m pushing my luck since they could easily breathe fire on me, but they just called all witches stupid. I feel a bit offended.

Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be. Witches were the ones who betrayed me.

I think about meeting Ryleigh in my dream and wonder if anyone will be able to find me in real life. If they do, should I go with them? It seems like the answer should be a definite yes, considering where I am. Yet, residing deep inside me is a hint of hesitation, either from the betrayal or from the demon blood coursing through my veins.

“I don’t like her very much,” one of the demon fire snake babies scoffs.

Fluttering their wings, they hover in the air while trading a look with each other.

“What do you think?” the reddish one asks. “Should we teach her a lesson?”

The other bobs its head up and down eagerly. “Let’s do it!”

I don’t know what they’re about to do, but I’m not about to lie here and find out.

“I don’t think so.” I bolt upright and scramble out of bed.

I move too quickly, though, and the room whirls and twirls like an out-of-control merry-go-round on witches’ mushrooms.

“Whoa, head rush.” I press my hand against the side of my head, struggling to keep my balance.

The demon fire snakes laugh hysterically.

“Stupid witch, stupid witch,” they chant, wiggling their tails as they fly around my head.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been called a stupid witch before, but it’s definitely the first time two evil demon fire snakes have. Normally, I ignore rude remarks thrown at me, but right now, I feel like I’m about to snap.

I reach up and swat the red one, and it sails through the air, landing on the bed.

The silver one’s eyes flare, smoke funneling out of its nostrils. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“Neither is calling someone stupid,” I tell him, slowly backing away before the smoke coming out of its nose turns into fire.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” Its paper-thin wings flutter like a hummingbird as it flies toward me. “You’re not going anywhere. Not until you pay for that by letting me burn all your hair off.”

“That’s never going to happen.” I pause for a beat, then spin on my heels and run toward the exit.

I know when I step out of the room, I’ll probably cross paths with Max or another demon, but I’m not about to let some mutant dragon singe my hair!

“Come back here!” it shouts after me, hot on my heels.

“No way!” I throw over my shoulder. “I’m so?—”

It grabs a handful of my hair, and my body is whipped backward. My eyes water as I fight to keep my feet under me.

“Let me go!” I shout, flinging my fists behind me.

It only grabs on tighter, dragging me toward the bed.

I dig my heels into the floor, ignoring the fiery burn as the rocks tear open my flesh.

“You’re going to be toast.” The dragon fire snake snickers as it throws me down on the bed.

I land with a bounce on my back and immediately scurry to get back to my feet with my fists positioned, ready to fight. Deep down, I laugh at myself.

Fight, Eva? Yeah, this is going to end with you getting hurt.

But I have to try.

As the dragon fire snake opens its mouth, I see its tongue flicker with a golden-orange flame. Before it can breathe fire into my face, though, I take a swing?—

“Enough!” Max’s voice booms throughout the room.

He startles me so badly I end up missing the dragon fire snake and punching the bedpost.

“Mother of all crazy witches,” I growl out in pain as I cradle my injured hand to my chest. “That hurts so bad.” I grit breaths through my teeth until the pain starts to subside.

“You two can leave now,” Max says to the dragon fire snakes as he makes his way across the room and toward the bed. “And as a punishment for disobeying, you can go straight to the fire pit.”

“Why?” the reddish dragon fire snake whines as it pushes its body off the bed. “She’s the one who hit me.”

Max stops beside the foot of the bed and arches a brow at me. “Is that true?”

I shrug, still hugging my hand to my chest. “Only because they said they were going to burn off my clothes and hair.”

Max gives the silver dragon fire snake a firm look. “I thought I made myself perfectly clear that you two weren’t supposed to touch her. Your only job was to watch her until she woke up, and then come inform me.”

The silver dragon fire snake pulls a guilty face. “Sorry, master, but we couldn’t resist.” His eyes skate to mine. “She just looked so tempting.”

Max observes me with a drop of amusement, but hurriedly squashes the look as he redirects his attention to his pet. “Tempting or not, you deliberately disobeyed me, and for the second time since I brought her here.” His gaze fleetingly drops to the burn holes in my shorts. “She’s not a toy.” His lips quirk as his eyes rise to me, then return to the silver dragon fire snake. “At least, not yours.”

“Hey, I’m no one’s pet,” I protest, standing up straighter.

Max rolls his eyes then points a finger at the doorway. “You two, go to the fire pit and wait for me to come and hand out your full punishment.”

“Ah, man,” one of them grumbles. Then they flutter off with their heads tucked down and shoulders slumped.

I smooth my uninjured hand over my hair, making sure all the locks are still there.

Max watches me fuss with a glimmer in his eyes. “Relax, you look perfectly, weirdly beautiful.”

I crinkle my nose at him. “I’m just trying to make sure your little pets didn’t pull out or burn any of my hair off.”

“Hmmm …” He eyes me over then steps in front of me. “Let me make sure.” His fingers seek my hair.

I lean to the side. “Don’t touch me.”

He gives me a semi-annoyed look. “I just want to make sure they didn’t do anything to the back of that pretty little head of yours. My pets, while I tolerate them, can be extremely mischievous.”

“Then why did you leave them to keep an eye on me while I was passed out?”

“Because I had to run some errands, and it was either leave you with them or my demon friends. Trust me when I say you were way better off with my pets.”

I frown as the memories of before I fell asleep rush back to me. “You put a sleeping curse on me.”

He smirks. “Well, you shouldn’t have tried to run away.”

“Of course I should’ve.” My lip twitches with irritation as he reaches for my head again. “I woke up in a demon lair, for crying out loud. And after you kidnapped me.”

“I didn’t kidnap you.” He combs his fingers through my hair. “I merely borrowed you for an extended amount of time.”

I cross my arms, debating whether or not to duck away from his touch. On the one hand, he’s bugging the demons out of me, but on the other … Well, it kind of feels good. Like a gentle head massage. And right now, my head hurts.

“You can only borrow someone with their permission,” I point out, shivering as his hands tangle through my locks. A bad shiver, though. You know, the kind of shiver you get when you’re really grossed out by something.”

“That’s not true at all,” he disagrees. “You can borrow someone without their permission, just as long as you give them back.”

“You act like you’ve done that a hundred times or something.” My eyelids involuntarily shut as he slips his fingers through my hair , his fingertips lightly brushing my scalp. It relaxes me so much and I find myself sitting down on the bed.

Good golly of all euphoria spells, that feels amazing.

He mimics the movement again, going slower, but the sensation is equally as lovely.

You need to stop him, Eva. He’s a demon! A demon who kidnapped you!

But you have been through a lot. Maybe just a little bit longer …

Lips abruptly brush mine, and I freeze, but I don’t pull back as a mixture of confusion, want, and repulsion flurry through me. Then the confusion nearly doubles as his tongue slips out and tries to part my lips. I almost let him, too. I don’t even know why other than I’m the most confused creature in the worlds. But then a voice screams in the back of my mind, yelling at me that this isn’t right.

“Hey.” I press my hand against his sturdy chest and push him back. “Back off, demon guy.”

He blinks at me, appearing a little dazed. Then the haziness in his eyes swiftly fades as the cockiness returns.

“Fine, waste your time pretending to fight it.” His lips tilt into a crooked smirk. “I think we both know that, eventually, you’re going to be begging me to kiss you.” He reaches out and grazes his knuckles across my cheek, moving so fast I have zero time to react.

“In your dreams, demon,” I sneer with my eyes narrowed. On the inside, though, my heart is dancing like a loopy pixie at the idea of actually kissing him.

I’m seriously so messed up.

“Max, why did you bring me here? You said it was to talk to me. About what? I’m guessing about what I am.” I have no clue why since he gives me vague answers to any questions I ask him.

He wavers then conclusively nods his head once. “I’m going to tell you what I know about you, but only if you promise not to freak out.”

“Okay …” I wet my dry lips with my tongue as I consider what he wants from me. I mean, sure, it sounds pretty easy to stay calm and take a little chill pill for a few minutes. Considering how I reacted to what Hunter told me, though, I won’t be throwing down any bets that I am going to be all chillaxed while sexy demon Goth prince tells me that I’m a freak. “But what happens if I do freak out?”

“Then I’ll have to curse you with sleepiness again.” He presses his lips together, his eyes leisurely scrolling over my body. “And since my pets are banished from ever watching you again, I’ll have to be the one to do it.”

I hug my arms around myself, wondering why he keeps looking at me like that … Like … Well, I imagine like how I used to look at Hunter whenever he washed his truck. When he’d take his shirt off and his muscles would get all wet …

Holy no self-control!

“Between the two choices, I’d rather have you do it,” I tell him truthfully. “You seem like the lesser of two evils.”

His low chuckle makes me squirm uncomfortably. “The fact that you can say that shows how naive you really are.”

I scowl at him. “I’m not naive. I’ve been through a ton of crap.”

“You are with guy stuff,” he states matter-of-factly as he plops down on the bed beside me. The mattress concaves beneath his weight and forces me to slide toward him. “You have no idea how appealing you are, and I find it highly amusing.”

“Yeah, okay.” I snort a laugh, scooting away from him. “You know what? I don’t think I’m the one who’s naive. You’re just an idiot.”

His eyes flash blood red. “You know, normally when someone insults me, I throw them in the fire pit.” His hand darts out, his palm landing on my thigh. Then he presses his fingers downward as he drags me back toward him. “It’s a good thing I think you’re too weirdly beautiful to ruin that pretty little face of yours.”

I shake my head, huffing an exasperated exhale. “Stop trying to prove a fake point.”

“Which is?”

“That I’m attractive or whatever.”

He muses over something. “Why does this make you so uncomfortable?”

I shrug. “Because it’s a lie. I know what I am—how I look. I’ve been told it enough times.”

“Told what?”

“That I’m hideous. Not that it matters. I’ve gotten over it.”

He frowns, a crinkle forming at his brow. “What exactly happened to you in Mystic Willow Bay?”

I swallow hard as painful memories creep up of getting mocked all throughout my childhood. “I was told the truth.”

His eyes blaze like wildfires. “The truth?” He yanks me so close to him my legs end up on his lap. “You want to know the truth? The real truth?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer, putting his lips beside my ear. “Eighteen years ago, a little girl was born that was created from a demon with succubus bloodlines and a half-witch, half-demon feeder. The power of all four bloodlines were so powerful that no demon could resist wanting to get closer to her. The problem was, she was also so powerful that any demon that dared try to feed from her power died instantaneously. And then, one day her parents abandoned her in a lair. No one knows why, if maybe they were afraid of their own child or if the child killed them. Although, after meeting you, I no longer believe the latter.”

He wraps his fingers around my wrist, as if he’s afraid I’m going to try to bolt. “Then a bunch of idiotic witches found her and dragged her off to their magical kingdom where they let the girl pretend she was a pretty, pretty, almost powerless witch.” He cups his hand around the back of my neck and draws me closer, his lips kissing my ear as he speaks. “When really, she might be the most powerful hybrid demon that has ever been created.”

“You’re lying,” I croak. “I’m not powerful at all.”

“Why would I lie?” He breathes hotly in my ear. “And as for being powerful, you just haven’t been taught properly.”

“That’s not true. I took every power controlling class at school and none of them ever helped me improve my skills.”

“That’s because you were being taught how to use witch power. But you’re more than just a witch, my little rainbow trout.” He nuzzles his nose into the crook of my neck, breathing in deeply. “So much more.”

I don’t know what to say or do or think. None of this makes sense, yet at the same time …

Well, some of it does make a little bit of sense. Like why the demon died when he touched me, or why the demons want me at all. If I have demon feeder in me—creatures that supply demons with power and magnify it—that would explain that part.

“Why did you bring me here, Max?” I whisper hoarsely. “Did you find a way to … feed off me?”

He continues to nuzzle his nose into the crook of my neck. “Would it matter if I did?”

“That all depends.”

“On what?”

“On what you need the extra power for.”

Instead of answering, he turns his head and places a kiss against my racing pulse. “God, you smell good. Like nothing I’ve ever smelled before.”

“Max …” I start, my voice wobbling. “Tell me what you need my power for. And why the other demons want it?—”

The rest of the words are ripped from my tongue as a loud explosion booms throughout the room, vibrating the walls, bed, and the chandelier above us.

I jerk back from Max, my gaze zipping to the center of the room where a massive, rainbow-tinted portal is spinning.

“What the hell?” Max mutters, rising to his feet. He briefly stares at the portal before his fiery gaze targets me. “What did you do?”

“You think I made a portal?” I ask, then shake my head. “Newsflash, I’m not as powerful as you think.”

Shaking his head, he moves in front of me. “I don’t think you opened a portal.” He crosses his arms and fixes a glare on me. “What I do know is that no one, including witches, should be able to find this location. Yet, somehow, someone’s created a portal to it.”

I think about meeting Ryleigh in the dream and how she thought she knew the location of Max’s lair. But I’m not about to tell Max this when he hasn’t told me if he’s found a way to drink my power.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, other than I didn’t do anything.” I give a nonchalant shrug. “How could I when I’ve been stuck here?”

His eyes narrow into slits. “There are other ways of communicating with someone. And considering the power you have, I’m betting?—”

“Get away from her!” Hunter’s demanding voice rings through the air.

The sound causes conflicting emotions to stir inside me; hurt, anger, and elation to name a few.

I turn my head toward the portal, and my heart leaps in my chest at the sight of Hunter standing in the opening with his wand drawn and pointed at Max.