But this time he could smell freedom within reach. The scars on his body numbered in the hundreds, each cut releasing some of the essence needed to communicate with those still loyal to him.

There were few left because of his enemies, the Dark Princes, the sons he should have strangled at birth. They’d dared to subvert his loyal legions and destroy his chance at escape, preferring to incur his wrath rather than set him free and once more be subjugated to his will. They’d pay with their lives for this betrayal. After all, easy enough to make new heirs—not that he ever planned on dying.

However, all his plans hinged on opening the fucking portal so he could leave his infernal prison. His minions needed to capture the messoventa, and they’d best do so before she learned to use her power.

Given they couldn’t be fully entrusted with such an important task, he cast a spell, the large slice across his chest a painful burn that filled his basin with blood. Blood as dark as the stone that surrounded him.

Over top of that precious fluid he chanted and opened a conduit that allowed a part of his essence to slip into the single tiny flaw in his prison. A thread of himself that managed to enter the mind and turn to his cause someone who would be useful.

A person close to the reaper witch. By the time they realized the betrayal, it would be too late.

Chapter 1

Let there be light.

I concentrated on the candle sitting on the floor in front of me. Long and white. The basic kind bought and kept in a cabinet to get dusty as it awaited a future power failure. The pristine wick mocked me.

“Light, goddamn it,” I cursed, my frustration bubbling over.

“Think of heat,” murmured Mizuki, the witch guiding me through my lesson in fire magic. While she currently acted as teacher, she was also my friend and had been since I’d been inducted into the Sisterhood of Witches. Not by choice, I should add, but because fate had decided my life needed a kick in the ass at my ripe age of forty-two. Forget having a boring mid-life crisis. Mine chose to introduce demons to my existence along with several near-death experiences, which, in turn, supposedly gave me powers.

Powers that wouldn’t obey me no matter how hard I tried.

Think of fire. I did as instructed and tried to picture a flame, the orange and yellow flickering that would prove I could wield the element of fire, because I sure as fuck didn’t have the magic of wind, earth, or water.

The candle remained unimpressed, and I tired of the exercise in futility. With a sigh, I leaned back from my lotus pose, bracing my hands behind me. “This isn’t working.”

Mizuki didn’t look daunted. “Don’t worry, Sadie. I’m sure we’ll figure it out. You have to be strong in at least one of the elements. All witches are.”

“Assuming I really am a witch,” I replied dryly. Yes, I’d twice done amazing things. Once when my hands glowed during a demon attack and I killed the monster trying to eat me. Then again when I’d been about to be sacrificed to some evil entity locked in a prison dimension. I’d wished to be freed, and while the ropes binding me hadn’t magically dissipated, the spell holding Vance and Cain—two hot reaper dudes who came to my rescue—had. They’d managed to take out the demon wizard who’d kidnapped me.

So, yes, I’d done magic, the problem being I remained clueless as to how. Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. Both times my power decided to manifest I’d been in deathly peril, like literally staring it in the cloudy, rabid eye. Maybe Mizuki needed to hold a gun to my head to see if it would trigger anything.

“You’re a witch.” Mizuki sounded so certain, However, I, who’d never been special at anything, remained doubtful.

“Then why can’t I do anything?” I grumbled.

“It will come. We’ll keep working on it.”

I didn’t point out the fact we’d been at it for a month already, ensconced in our new hideout, which wasn’t quite as luxurious as the castle the Sisterhood of Witches and Brotherhood of Reapers used to inhabit. They’d lost it because of me. Demons invaded their secret spot, seeking me out, and so everyone had to relocate. Currently, we were holed up in an abandoned warehouse near the Toronto waterfront. Tents had been set up to provide sleeping quarters. Porta potties sat just outside for the guys. The witches used a bathroom with running water in the warehouse. A gross room, even after all the bleach we used to scrub it. But at least it had a few toilets and two sinks, with the third having been converted into a shower that we used on a schedule. Again, women only. The guys were using a nearby gym for their sanitation needs.

I hated the whole setup. I’d never been one to go camping, and though this didn’t constitute the great outdoors, the blow-up mattresses, steady noise, and fact that I constantly had people around me grated. While not a complete introvert, I did enjoy my privacy.

The rooftop we’d been practicing on proved to be my favorite place to go. A spot bathed in sunshine, the reapers had brought up lawn chairs and even an outdoor carpet to make it comfortable.

I leaned against the legs of a plastic chair and sighed again. “Maybe I should just tell Nova to remove my power so I can go back to living an ordinary life.”

Nova being the head witch. I couldn’t exactly leave with my magic intact because, despite it stubbornly refusing to manifest on demand, it tended to draw demons towards me like moths to a flame. Only instead of being burned, I’d be gutted by monsters.

The very suggestion widened Mizuki’s eyes. “No. You can’t give up.”

“I don’t want to, but let’s be honest. I’m not very good at this.” I waved a hand. “Maybe if I relinquish my supposed magic someone else will become your reaper witch.” Or, as Nova called me, messovenata. Someone with the dual magic usually separated by gender.

Certain human males could see demons and, in some cases, wield a bit of magic such as telekinesis, minor warding, even telepathy. Women with power could do all kinds of crazy and cool stuff with the elements: fire, wind, earth, water, and spirit. They could scry for demons and stop them before they caused trouble. Devika could heal. Mizuki rocked fire, while Cecily and Helen could toss electricity, which supposedly came from their ability to channel wind. Something about harnessing the electricity it generated much like a wind turbine. Nova, the biggest and baddest witch of them all, wielded several elements and could be all kinds of scary.

“Don’t give up. I believe in you.” Mizuki had such a positive attitude that at times I wanted to slap her. I also wanted to hug her. She’d been my staunch friend from the moment we met, what seemed like ages ago but was really just over a month.

A month since I’d had a dull Monday-to-Friday job in a small shop that sold kitchenware. It and my boss were gone now. He’d been possessed by a demon and torn apart—poor Enzo didn’t deserve that—then the shop burned down. My old life? Gone. As far as people knew, I’d died in the explosion that took out my apartment building.

“Think we’ll get to escape our prison anytime soon?” I referenced the fact that the witches had been placed on a sort of lockdown. Since our magic attracted demons, we couldn’t go anywhere alone. The witches could only leave with an escort of two or more reapers. At least they were lucky and had that option.

Me, the reaper-witch freak? I wasn’t allowed out at all. Too dangerous. According to the demon wizard who’d kidnapped me, they needed my blood to set their overlord, Moloch, free. Nothing like knowing your death would start the apocalypse.

“I know you’re going stir-crazy. Everyone just wants to keep you safe.” Mizuki sounded so understanding.

My lips pursed. “What’s the point of being safe if I die of boredom?”

“Maybe you should ask Cain or Vance to entertain you.”

The mention of them brought a scowl. “They are taking this whole bodyguard thing super serious.”

Cain and Vance were on twenty-four-hour, seven-day-a-week protection detail. They slept outside my tent. Followed me to the bathroom and waited outside when I used it. Even now, one of them stood just within the door that led to the rooftop. And only that far away because I’d told them I couldn’t concentrate with them staring at me while I failed at magic.

“Wish Barron would guard me,” Mizuki uttered with a sigh. She had a crush on the reaper and had been determined to seduce him ever since the attack on the castle. Alas, Barron had been leading most of the reaper squads into the city, looking for demon nests. Toronto had become a hotbed for monsters. Again, the theory being my presence was drawing them.

I’d never been so popular. I hated it.

Interruption to our discussion came in the shape of one oversized male with the squarest jaw and a gruff voice. “The Regina wants to see you,” Cain declared. The Regina being Nova, the boss witch, the one who kept insisting I had a destiny.

“Maybe she’s decided I’m not worth the trouble,” I murmured as I rose from my seat.

“Don’t be silly,” Mizuki scoffed. “She knows these things take time.”

“And time isn’t something we have,” I reminded.

Things were getting bad in the world. Demons had been extremely active in other areas, but Toronto seemed to be a hotspot for them. Media reports talked of unexplained massacres where people were being literally torn apart and chewed on. Speculation ranged from a cannibalistic cult to some kind of new drug making people go crazy.

Some folks tried to expose the demons but were mocked. Most humans couldn’t see them. The demons possessed a misty camouflage that kept them hidden. Only certain males—reapers—and daylight could pierce the veil. While mostly dumb, the demons at least knew better than to lose their best means of defense so they only came out at night.

“Maybe she’s got some ideas on how to unlock your gift.” Mizuki remained positive.

“You mean like a cattle prod that zaps me every time I fail?”

Laughter rang out as Mizuki shook her head at my reply. “You’re so funny.”

I would have said darkly sarcastic. “Guess I better go see what she wants. I’ll see you at dinner.”

With my feet scuffing, I trudged to the door and the waiting Cain. He wore his long duster, which kept him invisible to the non-magical humans. Came in handy when he wielded his great big scythe. A real one, not the version hidden in his pants. The first time I’d seen him, he’d been using it to lop off the limbs and heads of demons. I’d thought he was the Grim Reaper, here to take souls. Turned out he was a reaper, only he killed monsters for a living.

I should note I had my own pocket scythe, which, through some embedded magic, would grow full-sized when I wanted it to. However, I didn’t wear the invisible trench coat. No point, seeing as how I never left the warehouse.

“What’s Nova want?” I asked the burly reaper.

“Dunno,” he replied helpfully.

I listened to see if he’d speak inside my head, but he’d not done so since the night I’d been almost sacrificed. At the time, he’d been the one to snap me out of my shock and get me to act, but he’d denied speaking to me after the fact. “Hey, I didn’t know you could talk to me telepathically.” His reply? “Because I can’t.”

Could it have been my subconscious using his voice to goad me into action? Didn’t really matter. The end result saw me not dying that night.

Cain let me head down the steep stairs first, and he might have done so in silence, only it irked me. Mostly because of the fact he’d gone from being flirty in his grumpy-ass way to distant.

“So have you asked to be reassigned yet?” I queried.

“No.”

“Why not? I know you must be bored hanging with me all the time. You’re a fighter, not a babysitter.”

“You are important to the cause.”

I rolled my eyes despite the fact he couldn’t see them. “I’m useless, and everyone knows it.”

“You survived the daemessorum’s attempt to sacrifice you.” A demon wizard who’d kidnapped me to open a portal to release Moloch.

“Only because you and Vance cut off his head,” I reminded.

“After you freed us.”

“By accident. I still don’t know if I did anything or if the demon wizard just lost his grip on you.”

“Here we are, back to the whining. Perhaps your problem is a lack of belief in yourself.”

I wanted to refute his claim. I believed in myself plenty. Only, that was a lie. Deep down inside, I knew the truth. I wasn’t special. Just ask my parents. I’d always been a disappointment. Average grades, no athletic ability. Flunked out of college. Never amounted to anything. No wonder we rarely talked. I wondered how long it would take before everyone here realized I wasn’t some kind of savior but a loser who happened to get lucky.

The door at the bottom of the stairs opened to the din of too many people living in an open space. Smells too. So many smells. Not all of them unpleasant. Something fragrant tickled my nose and made my tummy rumble. Rani was cooking dinner, and I couldn’t wait—the one perk in this place being the meals. No more nuking frozen premade shit.

I did miss the Brownies, though. A goblin-type creature I’d previously believed only existed in folklore and fairy tales. The tiny beings enjoyed doing chores in exchange for trinkets and necessities, and their presence was fondly remembered. After the attack on the castle, they’d gone into hiding. Mizuki said they’d most likely reunite with the witches and reapers again when things settled down.

I marched across the floor, weaving around the tents and people, heading for the only closed-off room other than the bathroom: the old office. Now Nova and Asher’s—the reapers’ head honcho, known as the princep—command center.

Cain didn’t knock. He flung open the door and gestured at me to go inside.

I entered to find Nova peering at a map of the city plastered to the wall. It held blue pins to show nests that needed culling. Green pins for those that had been handled. Yellow for possible locations that required further investigation. Red for active operations.

I noted way too many scarlet spots.

Nova turned her head and offered a small smile. “Thanks for coming so promptly.”

“Might as well. It wasn’t like I had anything else to do.” I inwardly cringed at how whiny I sounded.

“How did your testing go today?”

My nose wrinkled. “Same as yesterday and the day before. Absolutely fuck all happened. I suck at this magic thing,” I groused as I flopped into a chair that creaked ominously.

“Keep trying.”

As if I hadn’t. I’d even been chugging the nasty concoction being left in my tent every morning. Devika—the resident apothecary witch—had been making it for me in the hopes it would jump-start something. “I have been trying, and I don’t seem to get it. Maybe it’s time we just admitted I’m not cut out to be your reaper witch.” The fate of the world really didn’t belong in my hands.

“Maybe you should be easier on yourself. You’ve barely had time to adjust.”

“It’s been a month,” I reminded.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

“Is that the only reason you called me here, to find out I suck and tell me to soldier on?”

“No. I wanted to say you have permission to leave the warehouse.”

The offer straightened me right up. “I do? What happened to keeping me bubble-wrapped from demons?”

“You still need protection, hence why Vance and Cain will accompany you. Both of them,” she emphasized. “At all times when you’re outside the compound.”

“Sure. Whatever.” Then, because I tended to be suspicious given her previous stance, I had to ask, “Why the change of heart?”

“I can sense your growing frustration. A change of scenery might help.”

“It would.” And then it hit me. “I don’t know where to go.” My old apartment was gone, condemned after a massive gas leak caused an explosion on my block. It had helped to remove the evidence of a massive demon attack that killed all my neighbors. Friends? The few I had barely spoke with me, not to mention they most likely thought me dead.

“What would you usually do in your free time?” Nova queried.

A good question. I liked to read, but I usually bought my books online. Grocery shopping wasn’t something I had to worry about anymore, not with Rani’s canteen-style kitchen that kept us fed. I had all the clothes I needed.

My lips turned down. “I didn’t do much. Work. Eat. Read. Sleep.”

“What about a walk in the park? Or maybe a movie?”

Not things I used to do but suddenly anything seemed better than sitting around for another day.

“I wouldn’t mind some popcorn and a good flick.” It then hit me. “I don’t have any money.” I’d been poor before my supposed death, but now I had literally no funds to my name.

“Don’t worry about that. Both Vance and Cain have credit cards. They can handle any expenses.”

“How soon can I go out?”

“Not today, it’s too close to dark, but I see no problem with tomorrow. We’re supposed to have a sunny day.”

Indeed, the morning dawned bright and cheery, much like my attitude, and nothing, not even Cain’s glower as we left, could ruin it.

“This is going to be awesome,” I declared as I stepped outside of my confinement and turned my face into the bright rays.

I should have known fate would bitch-slap my tiny ounce of happiness.