“We do?” She was surprised and clearly not ready to leave.
“Yep, we do,” I insisted tightly, letting her know I meant business. “Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Evelyn and Rhonda,” I blurted. “But I have homework and stuff.”
“Can’t you stay a bit longer?” Miss Evelyn asked.
“No,” I bit my lip so I wouldn’t cry. Steve whimpered in the corner and Blanche stood up uncertainly.
“Dixie,” she pouted while pocketing a few more cookies. I wanted to deck her for her hideous etiquette. “I want to stay.”
“Well, you can’t,” I snapped. What was wrong with me? I knew I was being rude, but my need to leave was overwhelming.
“It’s okay, Blanche,” Miss Evelyn said gently. “You can visit again soon.”
“With all due respect, Miss Evelyn,” I stated firmly even though my insides quaked. “I’m quite sure we won't be back.”
“Dixie,” Blanche gasped. “What is wrong with you?”
That was an outstanding question. My behavior was appalling. I only knew being around Miss Evelyn and Rhonda made me want things I could never have. Things I’d longed for my whole life. . .things I would continue to long for. Always. I couldn’t be distracted by this. It was consuming me and making me weak.
I was a Demon Princess. Daughter of Satan and I was here for a reason. I was here to find The Balance of Chaos, The Sword of Death and to kill Rogue Demons. Processing that thought made my stomach roil.
I was not here to turn an old woman into a mother figure, flirt with Angels who have agendas or make friends with mean mortals. I was a Demon. I thrive on chaos, anger, hatred and pain. Acceptance of my nature would only make me stronger.
The regret I felt about ending a relationship with Miss Evelyn was physical, but I wasn’t here to be happy.
“It’s all right, Dixie.” Miss Evelyn’s voice was soft and soothing. My body involuntarily leaned toward her warmth and light. “I will be here if you’d like to visit again. You are always welcome.”
She gently took my face in her hands and pressed her lips to my forehead. I stiffened and backed away. I didn’t think witches existed, but the spell she had cast on me felt unmistakably real.
Blanche tentatively stepped to her. “Will you hug me goodbye?”
“Of course.” Miss Evelyn smiled. Her eyes lit up and she took my friend into her arms.#p#分页标题#e#
“I need to touch your face,” Blanche told her.
Miss Evelyn hesitated and put an arm’s length between herself and Blanche. It was a bizarre standoff and I was lost. Rhonda moved to Miss Evelyn’s side with a grunt.
“No, Rhonda, it’s necessary. I invite you in,” she told Blanche.
What in the Hell was going on? My feet were rooted to the floor as I watched a surreal episode of The Twilight Zone unfold. Something bad was about to go down, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what. The danger was real. I was unsure if it was life threatening or life changing, but I’d already had a shitty day and one more bit of crazy was not going to work for me.
Rhonda and Miss Evelyn definitely had some magic hoodoo going on. It wasn’t Demonic or Angelic, but I was now positive it wasn’t mortal either. The simple fact that they could see Blanche was a dead giveaway.
Why didn’t I listen to Blanche? These crazy old women were probably going to grind us up and turn us into brownies. My gut screamed to tell Blanche not to touch her, but my mouth stayed silent.
Rhonda took my friend’s hand and placed it on Miss Evelyn’s cheek. Blanche’s skin began to glow and a silver mist swirled around her. Her sharp intake of breath, followed by violent shaking ended my silence.
“No,” I shouted as I tried to pull her away.
Rhonda blocked my path as Blanche continued to convulse.
“Stop it,” I screamed and clawed at Rhonda. “You’re hurting her.”
Miss Evelyn stood serenely with her eyes closed while she killed my friend. Rhonda’s grip on me was insane. She was a Mack truck. My fury spiked and I fought Rhonda like a rabid animal. Sparks of red and lavender flew from my fingertips mixing with Blanche’s silver mist, creating an alarming light show of magic that should have scared the old women to death. They ignored it.
I wanted to kill them. However, somewhere in my subconscious I knew that was wrong.
Blanche collapsed at Miss Evelyn’s feet. Her body still convulsed. A fury like I'd never felt consumed me and a chant in a language I didn't know flowed seamlessly from my lips. Hot flashes of rage burned in my gut and the chant turned vicious. Much to my shock and delight all several hundred pounds of Rhonda went flying across the room. She slammed against the wall with a sickening thud and I threw my body over Blanche’s.