And then came Oz...

After I was rescued by Memphis and Murphy, I was on edge. Scared of my shadow and constantly flinching when something startled me. I kept my house and shop under spell lockdown and compulsively looked behind me. I didn't sleep, and I didn't eat, and all the while I didn't hear from Severus. Not for the days of my imprisonment, and not for a week after.

So when I arrived home one night, and found a man in my living room... I panicked. Instead of handling it, I froze. He was a short man, pudgy all over, but with kind eyes. Though I didn't trust him, I let him speak. He told me he was a gift to me, from Minias. One who was a pet for me to test my magic on. The idea was appalling. How could Minias own living beings? The man, who was named Oswald, said Minias owned his entire family, for generations, because of a deal his ancestor had made. It disturbed me on many levels. Oswald was a shifter, but cursed to only shift into small animals. Rodents. And his previous owner had been a chef. An awful chef, who forced Oswald to create recipes for him, making him rich beyond his greatest desires. I took pity on Oswald, whom I called Ozzy, or Oz, and let him have one of the apartments above the charm shop, furnishing it and paying him for and work he did for me.

Minias sending me Oz was the greatest gift anyone could have given me. He became my best friend, second only to Memphis, with his easy going manner, witty humor, and inappropriate yet funny jokes. I started to depend on him, especially after Severus disappeared. The day Oz came into my life was the day Severus checked out of it, and with the hole Sev gave me, Ozzy filled.

On the night I finally let Severus go, Oz and I went to Vegas, and the poor guy sang karaoke with me. Together, we belted out some hardcore angry or sad songs. Afterward we drank the night away and got a room at Treasure Island, though, of course, nothing happened. But the next morning, Oz had changed. Physically he looked younger, thinner and... hot. After reconstructing the events, I found Minias was behind Oz's transformation, so him and I planned a trip into the Ever After...

Worthless...

It wasn't long after my trip from the Ever After that I was contacted by the Magister in Greece by way of letter. She informed me that Emanuel had died and I was to return to Greece and resume my place at the throne! Whirlwind of emotions went through me. I was angry that Emanuel had never made our divorce final, and upset that he'd met his final death. Though I felt no love for him any longer, I didn't wish him dead. But the most prevalent emotion I felt was disbelief that I was still considered the vampire Queen of Greece, when I no longer was a vampire.

I had planned on telling Severus about the letter on the day it came, but after he planned a romantic dinner on the roof, I chickened out. The evening was too perfect, and the setting too beautiful to waste on just disappointing news. So I kept it in. Then, when I went home the next day, I was attacked, kidnapped, knocked out and dragged off to a warehouse in Greece. I was awoken by a hideous vampire named Aniketos, and his magister, Malina. Bound by chains and sunk in a tank of water with only my head above it, I was helpless. Without a connection to the earth, I could not tap into a ley line. For three days...three long horrible days, Aniketos and Malina did unspeakable things to me. Tortured me, drank from me, beat me within an inch of my life, then forced me to drink Aniketos blood to heal, and bond me to him. Their plan was to force me to marry him, turn me back into a vampire, and then give him the title of King of Greece. I thought I would die. I begged to die. I wanted nothing more than each blow to the head, each bite to the neck, each broken bone, to just kill me. I cried for Memphis, and I cried for Severus... Three days I was tortured. On the night of the third day, Malina brought to me my sister, Kristin. Finally, I was broken. I bowed to them, letting them do what they wanted without fight. Malina performed the marriage ceremony in front of the vampires of Greece in the caste, and I was dragged away into my old bedroom I shared with Emanuel, prepared to be turned into a vampire, again.

And then it was as if my prayers had been answered. Memphis and Murphy teleported in, freeing me of my chains. Together, we staked Aniketos and Malina, and I pronounced Murphy King of Greece. He had saved my life, and Greece needed a ruler, so I saw him fit for the job. Memphis and I returned home, leaving Murphy in the castle.

His reign was short-lived however because no more than a day later, Emanuel returned to Greece, from an extended vacation. It seemed Aniketos and Malina were not prepared for this. Emanuel usurped Murphy, throwing him out of the castle. My torture, my pain, was for nothing...

Hate me...

I have to block out thoughts of you so I don't lose my head
They crawl in like a cockroach leaving babies in my bed
Dropping little reels of tape to remind me that I'm alone
Playing movies in my head that make a porno feel like home
There's a burning in my pride, a nervous bleeding in my brain
An ounce of peace is all I want for you. Will you never call again?
And will you never say that you love me just to put it in my face?
And will you never try to reach me? It is I that wanted space

Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you

I'm sober now for 3 whole months it's one accomplishment that you helped me with
The one thing that always tore us apart is the one thing I won't touch again
In a sick way I want to thank you for holding my head up late at night
While I was busy waging wars on myself, you were trying to stop the fight
You never doubted my warped opinions on things like suicidal hate
You made me compliment myself when it was way too hard to take
So I'll drive so fucking far away that I never cross your mind
And do whatever it takes in your heart to leave me behind

Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you

Hate me in ways
Yeah ways hard to swallow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you

And with a sad heart I say bye to you and wave
Kicking shadows on the street for every mistake that I had made
And like a baby boy I never was a man
Until I saw your blue eyes crying and I held your face in my hand
And then I fell down yelling "make it go away!"
Just make a smile come back and shine just like it used to be
And then she whispered "How can you do this to me?"

Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you

Hate me in ways
Yeah ways hard to swallow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you

My house

Understanding

For a moment, I could do nothing but stare into the light, mesmerized, then I yanked my hand back, staring at the floor, fighting back tears of hopelessness and rage. I balled my hands into tight fists, then looked Minias square in the eye. “You will remove this bond, demon, or so help me, I will remove it for you! I asked you to free me from Emanuel. That was our arrangement and nothing else. THIS was not a part of our agreement and therefore our previous contract is null and void and you OWE ME ONE FAVOR!” My voice was shrill and panicked, but Minias looked at me as though I was a child.

“Are you through with your tantrum? I have all day, make no mistake, but I grow bored of your outbursts. They get you in trouble far too often, little witch.” I detested the way he knew me, but I suppressed the urge to cross my arms over my chest and huff. I waited for him to continue. “I cannot remove a demon bond, it is beyond any beings power.” He smirked. “Unless you wish to die, because that can certainly be arranged.” I glared at him, my arms at my sides, fists still clenched, but said nothing. “Very well. As you wish. Then we will spend all of eternity with this bond.” His voice took on an irksome, dejected tone.

“Eternity?!” I practically choked. “I am not immortal, I am a witch!”

I could sense his impatience. “You hear, but you do not listen. You have demon blood inside of you. Which means,” he grabbed my chin, tipping it up to his face, and spoke slowly, “you have the lifespan of a demon. I did not say you were immortal- your human body is still as fragile as it ever was. But you will not age.” I pulled my face back angrily. I didn’t want to hear anymore. I wanted to get the hell out of the Ever After. He peered at my curiously. “Why did you come here? Another joy ride?” He smirked slightly, then frowned, obviously remembering my last ‘joy ride’ here happened to involve me saving his life.

I sighed, then explained to him my need for a familiar. He nodded while he listened, confirming my suspicions were right. When I was finished, he left the room, and I hesitated, unsure if I should follow. Before I could take my first step, he’d returned, holding a sphere the size of a magic 8 ball. He held it out to me, and I looked him over suspiciously before taking it. “What is it?”

“This is an energy sphere. More accurately, this is my energy sphere. I believe, as my bonded, you will be able to spindle your energy through it, and seize it’s force. It works as my familiar. I created it.” He lifted his head proudly. I looked at him, shocked. “You’re sharing this with me? Why?”

He sighed and shook his head, muttering, “I do not know. Just take it and leave the Ever After. If I need it, or you, I will call on you.” He frowned again. “Can you be summoned?”

I blinked. “Demons are summoned, and I’m not a demon…right?” He looked at me perplexed for a moment, then seemed to dismiss the thought. “Go now, Evelyn. Go back to your dimension and do NOT return to the Ever After until I call on you. Is that understood? If you are harmed, I am harmed, and I will not allow that.” He murmured more Latin, and I could feel the line energy spindle quickly into my head and I knew I could teleport. I nodded. “Thank you, Minias. For not letting me be sold, for the sphere, and for explaining it to me…” I watched him, confused, for tapping into the line and teleporting home, my hands grasping the energy sphere tightly.

Caught

I hear a voice before I wake. It is an angry voice, filled with adrenaline and aggression, and familiar. So familiar. My eyes pop open as I recognize him. Minias. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck…Why the fuck is Minias here? I squint, trying to see anything, but all around me is black. I have no choice but to listen to Minias, hoping to get an idea of where I am, and why. His words send shivers down my spine.

“Evelyn Dawn Valmont is mine! It is her blood inside of me and I therefore claim her. You filthy urchins have no right to sell her any more than I can sell you!”

I felt nauseous. I was Minias’? And if I wasn’t, I’d be SOLD?! To a demon? I tried to clutch my stomach, it hurt so badly, but my arms were trapped. I tried to look around, but my neck was bound. All around me was darkness. My eyes ran wildly in any direction, seeing nothing. I started to panic. My chest burned from trying to hold back my tears. I tried to teleport, and couldn’t. Again and again I tried to tap into a line and escape, each attempt sending me into further hyperventilation. I heard Minias speak again.

“Shut up you despicable creature. She is awake.” his voice took on an amused tone “And she is trying to escape.” I heard two sets of footsteps approach, one standing directly in front of me. Minias murmured a word in Latin I did not recognize, and suddenly I was released. Light shone in from all direction, and I collapsed on the floor, at Minias’ feet. Both hands pressed against the concrete floor, I slowly look up. Minias’ face wore a smirk that sent fear to my core.

“Good morning, Evelyn. How…nice of you to join us”. He looked down at me, his voice slightly singsong. Surprisingly, he reached down with one hand, grabbing me by my forearm, pulling me up quickly to my feet. “You will prove to this”, he sneered “gentleman that I am your maker and you will therefore not be sold in demon court”.

My voice trembled. “My maker? You turned me into a demon, Minias? You son of a bitch, you were only supposed to give me back my mortality!” I balled my fists up, punching at his face, but he dodged it stealthily, looking bored. He simply shook his head. “You cannot turn a witch into a demon, Evelyn. You are not a demon. I am your maker, as it is my blood inside you, but it is your witch’s body you possess, and therefore, you are a witch.” His words were contemptuous, he practically spat them out at me.

“I’m not a demon?” Relief washed over me, but it was brief. My stomach knotted up as his words sunk in. “But I am bound to you…aren’t I?” His nod was slow, deliberate, and full of meaning. “Yes, you are. Do not mistake me, I had no intention of creating a...” he paused and thought, then continued, “child. I was only aware of the connection myself when I could sense you search out a line, so close. I arrived in time to see this” he jerked his thumb to the other demon in the room “neanderthal attempt to bring you to court to sell you. And you do not want to be a demon’s familiar, now do you, dear? I suggest you prove our connection and he can be on his merry way.”

I looked at the other demon, his face still hidden behind the cloak, who had yet to speak. My eyes went back to Minias’, terrified. “How do I prove it?” His eye roll was patronizing. He stepped closer, taking my hand, murmuring more unknown Latin. I felt his hand draw the warmth from mine as he spoke, our heat transferring to our fingertips. A burst of light from our hands made me gasp loudly. After a moment, the cloaked demon snarled, then nodded, abruptly turning his back and walked out of the room, leaving me alone with Minias.

Into the Ever After...

I breathe in deeply as I feel the ley line pull me through to the Ever After. I’d been here once before, years ago, after I had graduated from college and first learned to teleport. Back then, I had been naïve, bright eyed and doleful, and my trip into the Ever After had been a wake up call to what the witch species had lived through.

Looking around now, a cold shiver runs down my spine and settles in my stomach. I had arrived in the dimensional mirror of New Orleans. I kept my breath shallow, telling myself I needed to stay quiet, but in actuality, I didn’t want to breathe in the air. It tasted dead, stale, and thick, like a closet that had been unopened all winter. The sky held a yellow haze, as if the sun wanted to get through but was trapped behind an amber blanket.

I jump as I hear a sound resembling a twig snapping, and scurry quickly into the shadows, keeping myself on guard. I push my back against the wall, feeling my pulse race, waiting for a long moment, my ears practically twitching as I listen. Nothing. I peer around the corner, taking in the scene slowly. No mistakes. Closing my eyes, I tap into a line, spindling the ley line energy into my head, ready to use in an instant. A smile curves up my lips when I feel the power swirl around my thoughts, as if being in the Ever After and using ley line magic was what I was born for.

As I open my eyes, my smile drops. Standing before me, staring at me with leering eyes were three demons, their faces hidden by the hoods of their black cloak. I cry out in fear, flinging my newly spindled line energy at them in an attempt to distract them long enough to escape, but it is futile. The three tap into a line simultaneously and hurl a wave of black magic at me, dissolving my white energy into nothing, and tearing through me, knocking me unconscious.