Chapter 3
My rugged and stupidly handsome hero—dressed in tight leather pants, a silky-looking black shirt open at the neck, and a calf-length duster—glanced around my kitchen before asking in a low growl. “Are there any others?”
“Demons? No. We killed the imp that visited first,” I boasted, taking partial credit. After all, I’d distracted the mutant bat while Flo bashed its head in. “What’s your name, handsome?”
“Not important,” he grumbled. “Where is the witch who opened the portal?”
Should I or shouldn’t I raise my hand?
Cedric ratted me out. “You’re looking right at her.”
“This female cast the spell?” He eyed me up and down, and not in a strip-the-clothes-from-my-body kind of way.
He judged me and, by the way his lips twisted, found me lacking.
Probably because of the outfit, or the reek emanating from me.
I really wished I’d showered, but how was I to know I’d meet my future husband?
“If you’re talking about the opening of the portal to Hell—”
“For fuck’s sake, how many times do I have to tell you it’s the Infernal Dimension?” Cedric interrupted.
“Whatever. Yes, that was me. I did it.” Might as well own my magical feat.
“Why?” The stranger barked the word, and I stammered to reply.
“Well, you see, after a few glasses of wine and a really potent doobie—”
“A what?”
“Joint?” At his blank look, I added, “A few tokes of Mary Jane? Marijuana?” I finally huffed. “After I got high off some drugs and drunk on wine, me and my bestie thought it might be fun to summon me a boyfriend.”
“You opened a portal to the Infernal Dimension on a whim?” He looked and sounded incredulous.
“Hey, how was I supposed to know Grams’ Grimoire wasn’t a crock of shit?
The woman never told me she was an actual witch.
I just thought she was a super bitch. And it’s not like the book came with a warning.
” I couldn’t help but sound defensive, and before he could reply, Flo returned, huffing, “Fucking asshole neighbors. Not one even opened their door. Luckily, I found a good Samaritan coming up the sidewalk with a sword.”
“You met?” I curbed my jealousy, only barely. After all, my spell summoned him, making him mine.
“Briefly,” Flo stated. “He was like, ‘Where are the demons?’ I pointed, and off he ran.”
I glanced at the stranger and frowned. “Hold on a second. You know about demons.” Before he could reply, I eyed the sword, a very long one, with its tip resting on my floor. “And came armed to kill them. Exactly who the hell are you?”
“A hunter.”
“Of what?”
He arched a brow.
“Demons,” my flat reply. “Seems kind of odd you’d choose that as a career, seeing as how one, we usually don’t have demons in Ottawa, and two, that you happened to be around the day after I accidentally opened a doorway to that Infernal place.”
“Um, Charlie, I don’t think he’s from around here,” Flo whispered.
I glanced at my friend and didn’t lower my voice. “What are you talking about? The man is obviously human.”
Cedric snorted, leading me to take a closer look at my hero.
Two arms. Two legs. A face with all the right parts.
His skin, though, held a dusky hue, and I didn’t mean brown like mine but more of a grayish pallor.
His silky ebony hair fell in waves to his shoulders, and as he tilted his head, the tip of a pointed ear poked.
Having seen Lord of the Rings, I knew what I beheld and gasped, “You’re a fucking elf!”
“Are all witches of this time so eloquent and ladylike?” his sarcastic riposte.
“I’m not a witch.” A statement that had me blushing, because hadn’t I just a moment ago asserted I was? “Or I should say I’m new to the magic thing and haven’t learned all the rules. Although if no swearing is one of them, there will be a fucking problem.”
“Seems doubtful cursing is an issue, given what you’ve told me about your Grams,” Flo reminded.
“Holy shit, yeah. Grams swore like a trucker.” I beamed. “Thank fuck because I am too old to be cleaning up my potty mouth.”
Mr. Dark Elf turned away and frowned at Cedric. “Why does a spirit of the tree wear such a base form?”
“Because of a curse. I don’t suppose you know of a way to remove it.”
A frown and pursed lips indicated no, but the elf said, “Alas, I have not the time to study how to unravel it, as it shan’t be long before more demons arrive.”
“More demons?” I groaned. “Does my magic stink that much?”
The elf shot me a dark glare before muttering, “Very, given it also carries an infernal taint because of the portal you opened.”
“A portal I didn’t get near,” I huffed.
“Doesn’t matter. The demons will be coming now that the scout is dead and its last location will act as a beacon.” He turned back to Cedric. “Is there a more secure building we can relocate to? Something more defensible than this hovel?”
“How many remain, hunter?”
The elf shrugged. “Unsure. I took care of as many as I could the previous eve, but more than a few escaped and have banded together to seek the witch.”
“Banded together?” For some reason, Cedric repeated this with a note of worry. “Does that mean what I think?”
Elf nodded his head.
“That’s bad, very bad,” Cedric muttered. “I know a place we can go that will give us a reprieve.”
“Excellent. We will leave at once.” Apparently, that we meant me and the bossy elf, seeing as how he gripped my arm and began tugging.
I dug in my heels. “Excuse me. I never agreed to go anywhere with you, not to mention I am not properly dressed and it’s late, and I plain don’t want to.”
“I don’t have time for arguing. We are leaving now, and if you do not come quietly, I will gag you.”
My spine straightened. “I will not shut up. Nor am I going to let you kidnap me! I’m staying here. In my house.” I yanked my arm free and crossed both across my chest.
He glanced around, and I inwardly cringed as I noticed his expression. “You wish to die in this hovel?”
“It’s not that bad.”
“It is indefensible.”
“Been fine so far. Just ask the two dead demons. Oops, guess you can’t because they are gone.” I snapped my fingers.
“One of which I killed and both mere scouts. There are worse to come, and if they surround your home, there will be no escape,” his grim assessment.
“And what makes you think a gang of demons is on their way here? Wouldn’t the fact there’s two of them dead make them balk?”
Elf’s expression could have been carved in stone. He had a cold, flat tone as he said, “I know they’re coming for you because the prince commanding them will want the witch that can open a portal to my world.”