2. Shemhazai
F ucking witches.
Such a pain in my ass. I should have known Bridget was going to be a cunt about this whole thing… Though, in her defense, I was indirectly the reason she was dead. I suppose it was fair for her to hold a grudge.
But still.
I just wanted to find Hecate so I could exact my revenge and then take her back to Hell with us. She would fucking love Lilith.
She just needed to be punished a little first, and I wasn’t leaving this Satan-forsaken town until we’d settled our unfinished business.
I trailed after Gabe, who was strolling down Church with his hands tucked into his perfect black slacks.
His deep auburn hair reflected the warm glow of the street lights as we passed several charming colonial-style buildings interspersed with modern boutiques.
Most of the shops were closed for the night, but their little witchy signs sported things like cauldrons and broomsticks, promising a kitschy shopping experience for tourists when their doors opened in the morning.
Gabe, as usual, was annoyingly composed and unbothered by the whole ordeal with Bridget. He hadn’t even batted an eye when I’d flirted with the server at Turner’s, which was a far cry from what would have happened if I’d come here with Art.
It wasn’t that I wanted to fuck that server. She would have bored me. But I had wanted to get a rise out of Gabe, and I was becoming equal parts annoyed and delighted that nothing I did ever seemed to phase him.
He was like this sturdy, stoic rock that had inserted himself into my life, and I couldn’t wrap my head around my feelings for him.
Also, I swear he was somehow getting hotter. I watched him leisurely take in our surroundings as we turned onto Essex, a small, content smile on his lips as we moved into this more historic part of Salem.
My mouth watered as I took in the soft wave of his hair and how it contrasted with the sharp cut of his strong, masculine jaw.
That line was my favorite place to lick. He always shivered so nicely when I nipped and sucked up that perfect curve of his neck. I grit my teeth and forced myself to look away. It was annoying how much he was able to distract me just by existing.
Risky.
I needed to be more careful.
We passed a ghost tour. The guide was wearing a black billowing cape and a wide-brim hat. He was speaking loudly to a gaggle of humans about Tituba and how she’d claimed she’d ‘signed the devil’s book,’ triggering the hysteria that had resulted in the Salem witch trials.
Spoiler alert.
It was me.
I was the ‘devil.’
Oops.
Gabe watched the tour group pass with an amused expression and glanced back at me, his amber eyes glinting in the moonlight.
He held out a hand to me, and I raised an eyebrow at him as I realized he expected me to take it.
He wanted me to hold his fucking hand?
I scoffed and rolled my eyes, shoving my hands into my pockets and brushing past him instead. His smile just widened, and he huffed out a laugh .
“Someone’s pissy.”
“Whatever. I just want to get this over with and get out of here. I’m bored.”
Gabe chuckled in that smooth way of his, and he shrugged.
“I think it’s quaint.”
I snorted and shook my head, trying to dislodge the faint feelings of guilt that were welling in my chest as the tour guide recounted the trials.
I hadn’t meant to kick start the event that had killed so many of Hecate’s people.
We had been playing a game—and I had been trying to get back at her for the whole ‘Henry the 8th’ incident–but she’d been overcome by Raziel before she had been able to interfere with the mayhem I had kicked up, and by the time I’d realized what had happened to her, it had been too late.
I would never admit it out loud, but I kind of felt like shit about the whole thing, and being here brought up bad memories.
We passed the Witch House, and I watched Gabe take it in quietly, his head cocking to the side as he absorbed the imposing structure.
The midnight clapboards that made up the facade gave it a delightfully sinister look, and the diamond-paned windows that adorned the steeply gabled frame twinkled like watchful eyes in the moonlight.
“Looks familiar,” Gabe commented dryly, and I smirked at him as we passed.
“I might have influenced some of the design choices,” I explained, knowing that Gabe was referencing how the Witch House resembled the satanic church in Hell.
“Why am I not surprised?”
“I thought it would piss Hec off.”
“Did it?”
I sobered slightly, and Gabe frowned as I shook my head.
“She was gone before it was finished,” I whispered, and he looked like he wanted to reach for me again but thought better of it.
“We’ll find her.”
“Fucking right we will,” I grumbled.
As we approached Howard, the street narrowed, and the buildings became simpler. This part of Salem was less commercial and, by extension, less busy .
Trees lined the sidewalk, blocking out the light of the moon, and a cold, eerie breeze rolled through the leaves.
My ears pricked at the sound of unhinged laughter riding through the night.
I jerked my head toward the sound, my mood immediately taking a turn for the better.
“Fuck yes!” I exclaimed, grabbing Gabe by the elbow and dragging him toward Howard Street Cemetery.
“What is that?” Gabe asked, referencing the insane cackle of a man who was barely sane when he’d been alive. After centuries of haunting this shithole, I was sure he was even more off-kilter. In fact, I was betting on it.
“Giles Corey. I forgot about this asshole. This is fucking perfect!” I purred with glee, and Gabe chuckled as he allowed me to drag him into the small yet ancient cemetery.
We passed weathered and crooked gravestones, their engravings softened by time. My Pradas made no sound on the uneven, hallowed ground, and I shivered with delight. The shadows came alive around us, my hellcats poking their noses in and out of the smoky night in soft whisps.
The trees creaked softly, and the faint glow of the street lamps flickered as Corey cackled again in the distance.
We found him sitting on one of the graves—it wasn’t even his grave—and he turned milky dead eyes on us as we approached.
“Ah, Chaos! Right on time,” he babbled, taking a swig from an ancient bottle of ghostly booze.
I grinned. “Corey. You’re looking better than the last time I saw you.”
Gabe gave me a quizzical look, and I winked.
“He was accused of over two hundred counts of witchcraft and crushed to death over the course of two days. Fucker refused to admit to any of it. I think his last words before he finally died were, ‘More weight!’”
Say what you will about Giles Corey, he wasn’t exactly a stand-up citizen when he’d been alive, but you had to admit the dude was metal as fuck.
Giles cackled again, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Why are you here, Chaos? Come to squeeze me for information?”
He lost himself into another fit of manic laughter at his own joke, and I joined him.
“You bet. I’m looking for Hecate, and Bridget wouldn’t budge. ”
“That bitch is loyal as they come.” Giles chuckled, and I nodded, sliding my hands into my pockets.
“But you’re not. You don’t give a fuck about the mother of witches. Tell me where she is, and I’ll let you stay here to fester.”
Corey eyed me with that wry smile on his face before taking another swig of booze.
“You know I only manifest when the party is about to begin,” he said cryptically. “Chaos loves tragedy. But does tragedy love Chaos?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Save the cryptic bullshit for the tourists, Corey. Tell me where Hec is hiding.”
“The maiden, the mother, and the crone, she’s returned home.”
“Yeah, I figured as much. But where?”
“You seek the daughter of the moon and would trust the word of a loon?”
“Fuck, you’re annoying. Stop rhyming.”
Gabe was full-blown laughing now, and I couldn’t even find it in me to be irritated. This was entertaining as fuck.
“Fine, demon of chaos. I will let you in on a secret…
She calls herself Harper, a name she chose,
Unaware of the truth that her spirit knows.
She thinks she was born into this world anew,
But her essence is ancient; her power is true.
Seek out the descendants of Good and Nurse,
And you’ll find her soul, though split and cursed…” he trailed off ominously, and I cocked a brow. After a beat, he laughed and clapped a hand against his thigh, winking at me.
“Sorry for the theatrics. A ghoul’s gotta get his kicks somehow.” He took another deep swig.
“Sure. Whatever.” I turned away from the ghoul, rubbing my hands together with glee. My entire body was alight with excitement.
I glanced at Gabe, a manic grin stretching wide across my lips.
“You ready to cause some mayhem, little bird?”
Gabe gave me a devastatingly handsome smile in return, and my heart squeezed in my chest at how genuinely excited he seemed to be about stirring up some shit with me .
“With you? Always,” he purred, and we left Corey where we found him and set off to find the mother of witches.