Love and Demons by J.L. Oiler Read Free Book Online Page B

magic," he added with a sigh, as though he had not
even realized he had spoken aloud.
    "What do you mean?
How can I absorb her magic? I am not a witch," Kat asked, confused.
    "Magic lives inside
her, but it is not part of her. It is like a separate being that must have a
host to manifest. So if you kill her and offer yourself as the new host, you
will absorb her magic," Herron told her, returning to the table and his
magazine. "Of course, Lord Barak would never allow it, because then you
could not cross to our plane."
    "So witches can open
portals between the planes, but not cross between them?" It was more of a
calculation then a question, but still he nodded in confirmation.
    The next hour passed
slowly. Kat contemplated what she had learned from Herron, and all the things
she needed to do to take care of her own redemption. The ping of the elevator
caught her attention, and she waited nervously for the doors to open. When they
finally slid apart, Kat gave her friend a thin grin in greeting.
    "I take it you were
hoping it was someone else?" Sara asked, stepping into the room still
dressed in her military fatigues, her long red hair pulled into a tight bun
atop her head. It did not escape Kat's notice that the woman still had at least
one firearm strapped against her thigh. If she had to guess, she would bet
there were at least four other weapons somewhere on the woman's body as well.
    "I think we might
need to go give my new friends some backup," Kat said, turning toward
Herron, who was eyeing the new arrival with measured curiosity. "Can you
take us to the others?" she asked him, ready for the argument she was
certain was coming.
    "Barak would not like—"
    Kat cut the male off with
a glare. "Either you take me to him, or I leave here without you. I am
certain someone knows where I can find a witch in this city."
    "I have met a few
bitches, but no witches. I'm sure we can dig up someone who has," Sara
threw in for support.
    Herron nodded in defeat
and grumbled to himself about human women being too willful, and then made his
way to the elevator alongside them. Kat knew the young male would most likely
catch hell from Barak and the others for bringing them into the situation, but
no more than if they arrived back at the penthouse to find her gone.
    After climbing into the
passenger seat of Sara's shiny blue sports car, they tore through the streets.
Herron pointed out directions as they moved, and they had to make more than one
U-turn because they had passed up a street or ally they needed to turn down.
The trio continued through the city, moving further into the dark area known as
the Projects.
     

Chapter Ten
     
    "Serena! Let us the
hell out of here, witch, or I swear I will rip you limb from limb!" Barak
bellowed, shaking the thick metal bars of his prison cell. The intention of
this trip had been to barter with the witch for more magic to hold their
borrowed glamour. When they had arrived, the woman seemed far too eager to help
them, but it was not until they were down in the dark, drab basement of the
building that they realized it had been a trap.
    Once the final member of
his accompanying clan had cleared the last step, they were surrounded by Obsidian
demons, and then forced into this magic-reinforced titanium cell. Staric, the Obsidian leader, stood outside their confinement, taunting them
for their lack of success and promises to eradicate the remains of their clan. Now,
as Barak stood in the dark prison, he could not think of anything other than
Katrina; not even his failure to his clan could steer his mind from her. Had
the Obsidian known about her? Was she in danger?
    "Witch, release us
now!" he bellowed again, only to be met with her laughter from the rooms
above. He was not certain what deal she and the Obsidian had worked out, but it
did not bode well for them. Barak had heard rumors that the witches of the
outerplane managed to create an elixir allowing them to invoke and control some
of the lower order