Chapter 1 of Her Witch, Her Demon
It was 9:00 PM.
Meredith Huang should be lost in the plot of a steamy romance novel or locked in the basement practicing magic like a proper witch or engrossed in the tiniest detail of her painting in progress.
Meredith Huang should be home. Period. Instead, here she was with her best friend, Alicia, in a secluded part of town. A man in a black suit blocked their path, glaring at Meredith with fiery red eyes.
“She’s with me, Borg.” Alicia’s smile softened the bouncer’s glower. He nodded and opened the door.
Getting past the door, everything overwhelmed Meredith’s senses at once. Booming electronic dance music hammered her eardrums. The smell of blood, alcohol, and sex stabbed her nostrils, while the heat from so many bodies in one place scorched her skin.
She clenched her jaws, feeling a slight headache taking over. But at this moment, headaches were the least of her problems. People… creatures… of all kinds, filled every inch of the club. They danced, and drank, and kissed, and stripped, and… holy witch, was that an orgy on stage? She blinked rapidly before averting her eyes.
A waitress wearing nothing but red lingerie strolled by with a serving tray full of red wine. Instead of carrying the tray in her hand, the silver saucer levitated over her palm. The waitress served two pale women a glass of red wine each. The women grinned at each other, revealing a pair of long upper canines.
Meredith raised her brows, reminding herself to stay away from the red wine. A man with the head of a goat sat by himself. He smoked something from a long glass pipe. His black eyes glazed over as he puffed green smoke out of his muzzle. A sinking feeling drilled into Meredith’s core.
Never in her twenty-five years of life had she seen vampires and werewolves, witches and demons all in the same place at the same time. What the hell was going on?
She turned to Alicia, wordlessly demanding answers. Alicia grinned as if a witch waltzing into a demonic party was just another Friday. Had Alicia lost her damn mind? Was she trying to get them killed?
“Are you going to close your mouth, M?
“It took Meredith a while to realize that she hadn’t shut her mouth yet. “Ali, what the hell?” She finally found her voice. “Where are we? Why are we here?” She held on to Alicia while scanning for any threats. They were supposed to be in a normal club full of normal humans or witches, dealing with normal problems. This death trap was not what Meredith had in mind.
“Come on, relax.”
“Relax?” There were demons here. How the hell was she supposed to relax? Why wasn’t Alicia freaking out? “There are demons everywhere.” She didn’t feel like dying today. Nor did she feel like killing anyone today. Or ever.
“Not all demons are trying to kill witches, M.” Alicia squeezed her hand. “At least not in here.”
Meredith paused, slowly mulling over Alicia’s words. At least not in here? She tried to put her emotions aside for a moment. No demon had tried to attack them yet. Could Alicia be right? The vampires and werewolves weren’t tearing out each other’s throats.
Around a table, a werewolf and a vampire were arm wrestling. While the half-wolf, half-human creatures howled for their comrade, the vampires cheered for theirs as they beat the table in excitement. A couple of witches even danced with a crimson-skinned demon with a horn protruding from their forehead. What the hell?
Vampires and werewolves playing together? Witches dancing with demons? The scorn between vampires and werewolves was just as ancient and deep as that between witches and demons. How was this place not painted in blood and scattered with guts and bones? Or was this one of those strange dreams Meredith often had when she inhaled too much highrose incense?
“What’s this place?”
“Welcome to the Union.” Alicia dragged her through the crowd, expertly maneuvering between intoxicated dancers. “Come on, let’s dance.” Meredith bit her lips, warily looking around.
No one had tried to kill them yet, but that didn’t mean she could just lose her guard, right? Alicia smiled at her. “Hey, don’t worry. We’re safe in the Union.”
“And how do you know that?” Wrong question. If Google, Facebook, and Vogue had a baby, it would be Alicia Skarsgard.
“This is the Union.” Alicia outstretched her hands. Meredith’s face blanked. Was that supposed to mean anything? “M, it’s a safe space for all supernaturals, okay? No hate. No murder. Just pure fun for everyone.” The warmth of Alicia’s hand comforted Meredith. It was the only thing keeping her sane amid insanity. “People don’t always hate each other, you know?” Alicia smiled softly.
Maybe so, Meredith thought. But this was different. They were talking about demons and witches. It was certainly different. Demons killed witches, and witches killed demons. It was how it had been, how it was now, and how it would always be.
When Meredith was thirteen, she asked her mother why witches and demons couldn’t just get along. They both practiced magic, didn’t they? They should be working together instead of tearing each other apart. Literally.
Her mother lectured her long and hard about why demons were the villains throughout humanity’s history. Mami vehemently distinguished between witchcraft and demoncraft, describing the latter with all kinds of deplorable terms.
“Demons are dangerous,” Mami had said. “Stay away from them.”
Even then, at that young age, Meredith questioned the objectiveness of this so-called history. Then she grew older and saw the light — or the darkness, to be more precise. Unlike witchcraft, demoncraft was dark and vile, the author of chaos and death.
Royal demons, the most powerful beings in existence, unleashed chaos into the world. It was their dark, twisted magic that created the first vampires and werewolves. To humans, magic was magic, and it didn’t matter if it was from a witch or a demon — they were too frightened and angry to care. So they fought back, hunting not only the demons who tormented them but the peaceful witches as well.
If there was one thing witches abhorred more than demons, then it was the ideology that witchcraft and demoncraft were the same. Demons gave witches a repulsive name and witches were justified in hating them. A witch would rather die than fraternize with a demon. A demon would rip out the heart of a witch without thinking twice. The hatred was mutual.
But right here in the Union, all of Meredith’s beliefs were being challenged. Here, there were no demons or witches, vampires or werewolves.
There were only people united in one goal — to party like it was the end of the world. It was a strange kind of beauty seeing natural enemies put aside their differences. The Union. Meredith smiled. Whoever created this place knew exactly what they were doing. If only the world was like that.
Then Meredith surrendered herself to the music.
“Yeah.” Alicia’s blue eyes twinkled. She took Meredith’s hand, dancing along with her. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
They laughed and danced for how long she did not know until a furry man swooped Alicia away. Meredith chuckled at the sight of her best friend humping the werewolf. It wasn’t the strangest thing she’d seen Alicia do.
And then Meredith’s smile froze. Chills engulfed her as goosebumps colonized her skin. She gulped. Someone was watching her. Their gaze burned her nape, spreading the heat throughout her body. Meredith rubbed her neck and turned around. She quickly scanned the crowd. Who was it? Who was watching her? Her eyes fell on a dark-skinned woman upstairs. Yes, it was her. The young woman did not even bother to look away.
Her hazel eyes pierced right through Meredith. A small smile grazed her striking features. Like what you’re seeing? her eyes were saying. Meredith swallowed, suddenly feeling conscious of herself. She wasn’t insecure about her looks or anything, but something about the woman’s tailored burgundy suit, confident pose, and perfectly sculptured face oozed so much poise and power that Meredith couldn’t help but feel inadequate in her eyes.
The woman held her gaze, daring Meredith to look away. Meredith stared right back, not daring to look away.
A handsome stranger in a club full of supernatural beings was watching her like an art connoisseur would appreciate a rare piece of art. Meredith should be concerned, running for the door even. Instead, she was thoroughly enjoying this woman’s gaze on her.
Her heart pounded so furiously that she was certain every vampire, werewolf, and demon heard it. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn’t even know this woman. How could —
“Hey, gorgeous, wanna dance?”
That snapped Meredith out of her trance. A ruggedly handsome man with silver hair smiled at her. The tips of his short fangs glistened. Meredith’s first instinct was to say no to the vampire. Instead, she exhaled and nodded. “Sure.” They were in the Union, after all. What was the worst thing that could happen? Meredith’s eyes briefly went back to the woman in the burgundy suit, but she had already disappeared.
The witch sighed internally, suddenly feeling a strange sense of loss. If the vampire was saying something, then Meredith didn’t hear a word of it. He repeated his name. It was Jet. She told him hers. She took Jet’s outstretched hand and together they melded into the embrace of the slow song playing in the background.
“You’re new here,” said Jet.
“Is it that obvious?” Had she been gawking at everything like a damn fool?
Jet chuckled. “It’s adorable.” In the distance, Alicia winked at her like a proud mother. Meredith chuckled.
“You have a beautiful laugh.” His light green eyes perfectly complimented his silver hair.
“Thank you.”
They danced for a while. It was nice. Maybe witches shouldn’t be too quick to judge everyone else.
“Wanna leave this place?” Jet whispered in her ear.
“What?”
“My favorite spot in the Union,” he said, “I wanna show you.”
“I…” Meredith bit her lower lip as she glanced at Alicia. Her dear best friend was passionately making out with a hunk of a man with long black hair.
“I think your friend is quite busy.” Jet smirked. “Shall we?” He gave her his pale hand.
After a moment’s hesitation, Meredith took his hand, the coldness nipping her skin. The next thing she knew, they were squeezing through the crowd, then up several stairs, and then out through a door.
Her lungs welcomed the cool fresh air. They stood in a vast rectangular space, several feet above the ground. In the distance, the colorful lights of the metropolis spread before them like a giant canvas painting.
“It’s stunning.” She could see why this was Jet’s favorite place. Its serene ambiance was a stark contrast to the beautiful chaos inside the Union. She turned to Jet. “Do you — ”
Her gaze faltered at the sight of Jet’s long fangs protruding out of his upper jaw. She gulped and then took a step back.
“I hear witches have the sweetest blood. I wanna see what all the fuss is about.” And just like that, the charm behind Jet’s beautiful smile morphed into something else. Something far more sinister.
Meredith sucked in her breath. When she took another step back, Jet took a step forward. “Playing hard to get, little witch?”
Meredith balled her fist. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Stop playing dumb.” He laughed, yet his green eyes held no amusement. “Why the fuck did you follow me here, little witch?”
This fucking asshole. She breathed in and out slowly. Stay calm, Huang. “I didn’t come here to get bitten.”
“To get fucked, then?” he taunted.
“Not interested in that, either.” Despite the tempest brewing within her, Meredith maintained a calm facade. People like Jet got high on the power they had over their victims. She would not give him that satisfaction.
“Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.” She turned to leave, but Jet was already blocking her path. In one swift motion, he pinned her to the wall, his lips inches away from her neck.
Meredith gasped. “Get off me.”
“I will if you let me have a taste.”
She kicked, scratched, and punched, yet he wouldn’t budge. His metallic breath sprayed on her bare skin. It made her skin crawl. This had to stop. She had to stop this. Slowly but surely, her insides quivered with power as she drew upon the well of vital energy roaring within her.
“Da xin a.”
A gale swept the vampire off Meredith, almost tossing him off the roof. Meredith’s breath came in heavy gasps. Her head throbbed louder than the music in the Union. Run, Huang. Yet her legs, completely drained, refused to move. This spell used too much energy. Or rather, she had too little control over her magic.
“That hurt, little witch.” Jet was already on his feet. Shit. That should have knocked him out. The bruises on his face regenerated at a visible rate.
Looking into those murderous green eyes, the vampire was clearly past sucking her blood. He wanted to rip her to shreds until nothing was left of her. It was all in his eyes. The rage, the malice, the bloodlust. There was no doubt about it. The vampire would kill her. Now was not the time for her energy to go on vacation. She willed her legs to move — she had to, or the vampire would kill her. Flight. That was the only thing on Meredith’s mind as she painfully dragged herself to the door. She could make it. She could run. She had to run. Or the vampire would kill her. At the Union.
At the fucking Union.
She gasped to a halt when Jet suddenly sifted through thin air, appearing by the door. Her throat ran dry and her legs trembled. There was no point in out-running a vampire.
“Jet, you must stop this.” It was useless reasoning with a mad vampire, but she had to try. Using magic was out of the question right now. She knew only two attack spells — one had already sapped her dry. What kind of witch didn’t take witchcraft seriously? Disgraceful. “I don’t want this.”
“Oh, you’ll want it.” He smirked. Thank the Earth that vampire compulsion didn’t work on witches or Jet would have long used it on her. “You just gotta surrender to me, little witch.”
She clenched her jaw. There was no way she was going to let some stranger sink his fangs into her and drink her blood. She wouldn’t let that happen. She just had to stall for some time until she regained enough vital energy to cast another spell.
“I don’t think you want my blood.”
“Oh, yeah?” He wouldn’t stop smiling, but his eyes shifted a little. “And why’s that, little witch?”
“My blood is full of allium.”
Jet paused for a moment, then took a step back. His eyes narrowed as they studied Meredith in silence. Suddenly, he burst into laughter. “Nice try, little witch. If you really got allium in your blood, you won’t be telling me.”
Shit. This vampire was smarter than he looked.
“Better quit stalling and make a choice.”
A choice? This fucking bastard had some nerve. But then again, it was odd how he hadn’t overpowered Meredith yet to get what he wanted. Was this some kind of game to him?
“Let me have a taste,” he said, “or I’m gonna take every drop and you’re gonna die.”
Meredith glared at the vampire. “My answer is still no.”
He laughed, taking a step forward. “I think you mean yes.”
She retreated from the crazy vampire. Deep within her core, her vital energy stirred like tiny embers of a flame. Just a little more, and this time, she wouldn’t miss. If she survived tonight, she would treat magic with the same urgency and sacredness as painting. Jet took his sweet time sauntering toward her like a predator.
He was toying with her, and by the manic glee in his icy verdant eyes, he was loving every second. Meredith finally backed against the wall — nowhere else to go. Good. Closer, she thought, come closer. Just a step more. Perfect.
“Iga si — ”
The agonizing cry that tore through the tranquil night shocked Meredith to silence. She raised a brow. The wailing came from Jet himself. He caved to his knees, screaming and gnashing his teeth. What the hell? She’d barely cast the spell. This couldn’t be her doing.
Her spell wasn’t even supposed to make Jet… well, whatever the hell was going on with Jet. Her spell would have snapped the vampire’s neck, giving her enough time to escape before he finally awoke.
“Jetazad.”
Someone slipped through the shadows, swaggering toward the vampire with a dangerous gait. Who was that? No, wait. They looked familiar. Meredith’s breath hastened. That burgundy suit. That confident pose. And then there was the thundering of Meredith’s heart in response. It’s her. Meredith bit her lips.
In a hoarse voice, Jet said, “Onyx.” The color drained from his face and his jaws shook violently. “It’s not what you think, Onyx. I — ”
“Get up, Jetazad.” The woman… or Onyx, dug her hands in her pockets.
Jet scrambled to his feet quickly, as if wasting another moment would be a death sentence. He no longer screamed, but his clenched teeth trembled violently. What was Onyx doing to him? Was it a spell? Onyx was a witch, then? That must be one hell of a spell. What witches lacked in physical strength, they made up for in frightening power — trained witches, at least.
“What’s the first rule of the Union, Jetazad?”
“Onyx, please. I wasn’t going to break — ”
“Do not make me repeat myself, vampire.” Her voice was soft, yet its calmness exuded a frost that chilled Meredith’s skin.
“First rule of the Union,” said Jet, as though reciting a creed, “whatever happens in the Union must be consensual.”
“Indeed, Jetazad.” She paused. “Consensual.” Onyx suddenly grabbed Jet by the neck, lifting him off the ground like he was nothing but a feather. Jet struggled against the woman’s iron grip.
Meredith’s eyes widened. Onyx was definitely not a witch. Witches might have magic, but in the end, they were still human.
“You know what happens to morons who break my rules, don’t you, Jetazad?”
Jet gurgled, the words stuck in his throat. His white face grew even whiter as thin black vines crawled all over it, extending to his neck. Onyx was literally strangling the life out of the vampire. God, that must be a painful way to die.
Before Meredith could stop herself, she was already protesting. “Please, stop.” Meredith must be out of her mind. That vampire had tried to hurt her. And now someone else was hurting the vampire. She should be thrilled.
She should be dancing with joy. Yet it sickened her. The black vines on Jet’s face thickened, sprouting branches over every inch of visible skin. Blood gushed out of his eyes and nose. Meredith felt nauseous. “Onyx, Let him go. Please.”
The woman ignored her.
“Nyx,” Meredith shouted. Nyx? Where had that even come from? It didn’t matter, Onyx had her attention now. Gazing into her cold hazel eyes, Meredith almost forgot why she had screamed the woman’s name. She sucked in a deep breath, then in a firm voice said, “You’re killing him. Let him go. Please.”
“I can’t do that.” If Onyx wasn’t halfway through a murder, Meredith would have thought the woman was simply talking about her work schedule for the day.
Meredith wavered but quickly regained her composure. “Yes, you can, Nyx.”
Just as Meredith thought Onyx was going to ignore her again, the woman dropped Jet. He sucked in a mouthful of air, coughing, crying, and convulsing — such a wretched mess.
“I never want to see you here again,” said Onyx. Jet nodded vigorously before speeding out of their sight.
Onyx inched closer. Meredith lost herself in those hazel eyes, eyes that held her captive simply by looking into them. She was certain the woman could hear the commotion in her heart.
The thought of that burned her cheeks in embarrassment. Wait… was Onyx staring at her lips? Why was Onyx staring at her lips?
Instinctively, her gaze lingered on Onyx’s full, brown lips. What did they taste like? What would it feel like to be held by those powerful hands? What did Onyx look like beneath all those layers of —
Huang, snap out of it.
The danger wasn’t completely gone. There was an even bigger threat. Onyx. The woman was too strong to be a witch. Meredith’s first thought was that Onyx was a vampire — a crown vampire. They were one of the few beings who could terrify common vampires like Jet into submission.
But then she immediately discarded that idea. Whatever Onyx had done to Jet was magic. Dark magic. She had sensed it. Vampires couldn’t use magic, and witches didn’t have superhuman strength. Onyx was neither a witch nor a vampire. She could only be one thing.
“Why did you stop me?”
Breaking out of her reverie, Meredith replied, “You would have killed him.”
“I would.” Onyx shrugged. “What do you care?”
“Why did you listen, anyway?” It was hard reading Onyx’s expressionless face. Her smooth dark features seemed so soft and innocent, yet as Meredith stared into those eyes, she felt like a naked woman trapped in a blizzard. This seductive power was not ordinary. “You’re a demon,” Meredith whispered before she could stop herself. She had to be careful around Onyx or she would do something stupid. The thought of it sent a heat of embarrassment through Meredith’s body.
God, this was insane.
Onyx smiled — a full smile that reached her eyes, exposing the small dimple on her left cheek. It knocked every thought out of Meredith’s mind. She stood in a daze, completely transfixed by the chocolate-skinned goddess before her. She’s a demon. And you’re a witch. Meredith inhaled and exhaled slowly. Pull yourself together. She sighed in relief when her phone whirred to life. With a nod, Onyx urged her to get her phone. The message was from Alicia. She wanted to know if Meredith was okay.
“Alicia, is it?”
Meredith’s fingers halted before she could type a word of a reply. Wondering how Onyx had known, it suddenly dawned on Meredith that the demon must have been watching and listening to her all night.
Meredith frowned. “Are you stalking me?”
“That’s pretty presumptuous, don’t you think? I just saved your life.”
Meredith folded her arms. She managed a glare, hoping that it would hide the fiery knots twisting in the pits of her stomach. “Stalking isn’t cute.”
“No.” A mischievous glint lit Onyx’s hazel eyes. “But you are.”
For the umpteenth time that night, the demon left her speechless. Meredith’s cheeks heated so much that she was certain she looked like burned toast. Not knowing what to do with her fingers, she ran them through her long black hair.
Onyx laughed. It was so gentle and innocent that Meredith would never have believed it came from the same demon who tried to strangle Jet to death. This demon confused her. One minute she was scaring the fangs out of a vampire, the next minute she was charming the hell out of a witch.
Meredith narrowed her eyes. Was that what was happening? Was the demon charming her? No. Demons didn’t charm witches. They killed them.
“You should go find Alicia before she thinks the worst.” Onyx backed a few steps away. The amusement in her eyes dimmed, replaced by… sincere remorse. Or was Meredith just imagining things? “Sorry about Jetazad, Meredith.” Onyx stared at Meredith in silence for a few seconds. “I promise this will never happen again.” Then suddenly, the demon was gone with the wind.
Meredith released a deep breath. Her thumping heart was close to exploding out of her chest. She shut her eyes, replaying the softness of Onyx’s voice as she said Meredith’s name. Meredith sighed.
Mami was right. Demons were dangerous — dangerous for Meredith’s heart.
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