Draconess

Onyx’s POV

Our noses take us to our first kill before sunrise.

A living and rotting soul, our first target.

The stench is horrific and could be detected miles away.

We had been lingering outside the farm house for awhile now, with one light on – as a man threw out a dirty bucket of bloody water.

Below us is the corpse of a child we just found discarded out here in a shallow grave. The ghost of the child had been taken recently, in the arms of an angel. We watched them leave together.

The angel herself, with silver hair and golden eyes, gave me a knowing look.

I returned it.

My drool is exponential as I prepare to feast on the rotting mortal scum inside the farmhouse, who is now poking at the fire burning within, as he starts to spread the flames around the property, it is clear he is not the owner, but an intruder.

“Follow me,” I look back to Magnos, Adaya, Jetzin, Celestar, Diaspor and Kyanite.Magnos steps forward with a fever to kill, before I’ve moved. I hold out a hand, “Hang on a second,” I snarl low, “Next time you smell the poison intent, which is your job Magnos, you do not hesitate to tell me, don’t doubt yourself, demon. A moment earlier and we’d have saved a soul, not just prepared to take one. This is a fucking tragedy. We’ve already failed –”

“I was uncertain because the stench is deep rooted and multilayered, steaming with intent and rotten memory, he’s killed many before,” Magnos growls at me, “I’m sorry I was slow this first time. But it’s too late, we cannot go back in time –”

“He’s leaving for his horse out front, the house is burning quick, we need to fucking move,” Jetzin snarls over us quickly.

“Wait. I just heard a whimper, I think a girl survived!” Diaspor shoves everyone out of the way and runs into the burning house.

I nod to the pack, three more follow Diaspor to help save the survivor.

“With me,” I tell Magnos, Celestar and Kyanite, “…I don’t want to eat this fucker too quick… take him alive… well… keep most of him intact. But not whole.”

“More black magic, Onyx?” Magnos asks me, smirking.

“Damn right,” I grin, and then we all move to apprehend the rotting soul, while I prepare the elaborate slaughter in my mind.

Regret or shame would never be extracted, rotting souls believed their own lies and delusions. But pain, fear, death and vengeance was universal.

Hell’s soil was sustained with decomposing rot, and we were the tillers of that land – with the help of the lost, or mates to our kind – harbingers of the devil’s justice.

When crimes like this were committed by mortals against mortal, if they could not be stopped in the first place, angels escorted the golden away to heaven and demons twisted the rot inside out, delivering unholy justice.

Uleya’s POV

18 hours later

Once again, at night, I escape from my tower, but not alone.

As night fell, I convinced Gypsy to sleep over in my room. So we could both leave.

The coven knew I held a secret, but I had been tightlipped all day.

Not because I didn’t trust my sisters in magic, but because of the news that had spread since the sun rose.

Dolvina was a twelve-year-old farmer’s daughter, who was found as a sole survivor from a farming property that burnt down early in the morning. Her ten-year-old sister had been brutally murdered, her family had been out in town, the caretaker of the property – missing – the perpetrator of the sickening murder and arson? Found. Well… curiously, a bucket full of intestines and one hand was found severed, holding a scrunched up confession written in his own blood. A local called Fornem killed them, he was recognized by the missing middle finger he was known to have had removed as a teen. He was long suspected in all of Uldaya to be connected to missing children and random acts of arson, yet no one had the proof.

Uldaya was mourning the daughter who died, and celebrating the one who lived.

The tragedy and justice had my mind racing all day.

Tonight, I was guilty to feel excited, because I knew the Lycans were responsible for eating up a monster who had been causing suffering within our city for a very long time.

Gypsy and I wear some bracelets and long male tunics, nothing fancy, just very plain but tied around the middle to make it look like a dress or shift. We also stole some boots and cloaks when we jumped down off the vines and ran into the nearest empty army barracks. All the soldiers were drinking in the city at night, so it was an easy place to steal a disguise.

Our appearance was plain enough for us to escape detection or notice from the city guards, and Gypsy and I even had to stop ourselves laughing when we walked right past the Venatores and were not detected even then!

They were visiting their favorite Inn within a more prestigious part of town where the ‘elders’ favored the cuisine and fine wine.

So Gypsy and I went to the filth. That’s where the best music was and the funniest fights and dances. We found a local inn in a dirty alley simply called Curses, but it was entirely lit up with lanterns and a young crowd. The music was loud and obnoxiously out of tune, so was the laughing and screaming from all the drunken groups mingling and colliding.

Gypsy and I get swept up in a spontaneous dance just outside and we link arms to stick together as we pretend we are a part of the group in the first place, twirling around and ducking before arms holding up ale cups almost knock us out as everyone moves as fast as they can in circles, kicking and spinning and switching partners.

We almost get squeezed into the middle, so we fight our way out and jump up through an open window into Curses, getting inside via an unconventional entry.

We stand by the wall next to the open window as I hold her close and my eyes scan the packed room.

I had been looking for the Lycans all night.

Still no sign.

“Who are you looking for?” Gypsy asks me as she sees me searching.

I can’t see anyone I remember from last night, so with disappointment, I lower my eyes and I put my mouth by her ear to tell her, so she can hear me over the roaring of the crowd, “I went to the Shadow Green last night – I met all the demons mother is worried about and made friends with them!”

Gypsy pulls away to look up at me with a gaping mouth, “NO WAY!”

I grin and yell back at her, “They’re harmless and friendly! I want you to meet them!”

Gypsy’s eyes widen further and then she shrugs, grinning back, “YES! I want to meet them! Where are we meeting them?! Here?!”

“I don’t know! I’m just looking for them! I doubt we will have to look far, I’m sure he remembers what I smell like! They have a nose for that kind of thing!”

“What ‘kind of thing’?!” Gypsy has to ask.

“Um. Well, virginity,” I whisper into her ear, “Only you and I are the last virgins in the group. So heck, why not?”

Gypsy pulls away from me now, blushing and shaking her head, “Oh, no, no, no, you want to… you want to, don’t you? You want to lose it to demons!?” she shrieks with laughter as she tries to keep serious.

“They’re really handsome! They’re handsome as hell, Gypsy! I’m telling you –” but she can’t hear me.

She keeps laughing.

I give up and I blush a bit as I cross my arms over my chest as she can’t stop cackling, almost keeling over with her bodily spasms of uncontrollable amusement at what I suggested.

I shake my head and my eyes scan the crowd once more, while I feel the hair on the nape of my neck, standing on end.

Eh –

…someone is watching me.

I spin around.

Oh, Moon! Oh, no.

I blush much, much redder.

Onyx is right here, with a large grin on his mortal face, as he is reclining across the window sill right behind us, wearing nothing but a stolen pair of britches. His abs are naked, fully on display, he tilts his human head and his black hair gleams in the moonlight, while his red eyes sparkle with all-knowing.

Because he eavesdropped on the whole conversation.

I think I have a spontaneous fever with my embarrassment right now. While I was looking for the Lycans – Onyx had been tailing me through the city this whole time!

I stare dumbfounded, also noticing his pack too, also in human form, dwelling just outside Curses, speaking to other loosened up girls, or doing other things with them in the moonlight. Just casually seducing the whores – like the other men in the city looking for a warm and fresh bosom to snuggle up to tonight.

Gypsy has stopped laughing when she registers my silence, my stiff and straight spine and red face, redder than her auburn hair.

Then she sees what I see.

Yup. Stare at him Gypsy. That’s Onyx.

She knows he can’t be human – he is pure sin and temptation, with his brilliant white teeth and those ultra-sharp canines, hinting at his possible supernatural and demonic blood.

“Dat… dats the demon,” Gypsy chokes out, staring at Onyx while speaking to me.

I put my hand over her elbow, and I tug her to my side.

“Yes, that’s the demon,” I tell her, while my eyes are also glued to Onyx and his relaxed stare.

His own red and brilliant hellfire gaze has casually travelled right over Gypsy, taking her in, head to toe, before sliding his gaze back to me and doing the same. Onyx’s presence is magnetic and pulls hard on us.

Gypsy and I both step forward together, closing the tiny distance.

Onyx hasn’t moved or said a word this whole time.

And yet Gypsy and I have already agreed.

Yes. Oh, Moon, we want whatever that devilish smile is promising us tonight.