CHAPTER#43

Oliver's nostrils flared, smoke emanating from his nostrils, forming tiny, curling wisps that rose into the air and vanished. Beneath his feet, his shadow stretched into something monstrous, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

"What manner of woman are you?" Oliver hissed.

"I'm the best fucking estate agent you will ever meet. Ixiar Tobish Anuit," Beth said, careful to pronounce it correctly. She stepped forward, falling into the reflecting pool. Passing through its surface, she fell into the reflected sky, falling up past the clouds. She heard a roar of rage from below, Oliver now trapped on the other side as she spiraled toward the tunnel in the sky. Crawling higher and higher, her descent wasn't slowing. She fell faster and faster, the air rushing past her ears, her nightgown billowing around her as she tumbled in circles. The mirrored surface of her room appeared at first as a bright light at the end of a long tunnel, growing closer in a hurry. Closing her eyes just before impact, the mirrored surface caught her like a giant net, stretching to capacity as she passed back into the mortal realm.

Just when she thought the mirror would launch her back into Oliver's realm, it shattered, filling her bedroom with shards of glass. Beth carefully moved around her room, grabbing blankets off her bed and using them to sweep away the shattered glass. The dim light of dawn was creeping through her window, and she dressed as quickly as she could, throwing on a pair of leggings and a blouse. Moving toward the door, she picked up a pair of sneakers. Her purse, cell phone, and briefcase were all gone, and she had an idea of where they could be.

Opening up the door to her apartment, she was surprised to see Lily, the intern, standing there, one hand ready to knock.

"What are you doing here?" Beth asked.

"Um, I stopped by to..." Lily's nostrils flared, and Beth heard her sniff the air. "You just fucked a demon, didn't you?"

Beth's eyes narrowed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Lily shook her head. "Don't bother. I know that smell better than anything. When I saw you leave this morning, I could tell it wasn't you."

"You could? How? When did you see me leave?"

"A few minutes ago. I came to see if you were dead, and I'm glad to see that you aren't. C'mon!" Lily grabbed Beth by the hand. "We have to get to Mike before they do!"

"Before who does?"

Lily pulled Beth behind her. "I'll tell you on the way, c'mon!" Lily bypassed the elevator, pulling Beth into the stairwell. They moved quickly, the clacking sound of Lily's heels thunderously loud in the confined space. They emerged in the parking garage where Beth's fears were confirmed.

"They took my car," she said, staring at the empty spot where it should have been.

"Don't worry about it," Lily told her, running over to a sporty looking sedan. Lily looked around the parking garage, finally locking eyes with Beth. "And yes, I'll explain this too."

"Explain what?" Beth's jaw dropped when a long, black scorpion's tale appeared behind the intern, whipping back and forth briefly before striking the rear driver side window. The glass exploded, and the tail vanished as Lily stuck her hand through the gap to unlock the car. She slid into the driver's seat, grabbing hold of the ignition and tearing it off to reveal the wires underneath.

"I'll drive," Lily informed her, touching the wires together and starting the car.

"How?" Beth asked, running to the passenger side. How was Lily able to do all this? What was she?

""Let's just say I have spent far too much time with some very bad people. You learn things." Without even looking in the rearview mirror, Lily backed up the car, tires squealing as she drove to the exit. Entering the busy road, she looked over at Beth.

"I guess a good place to start would be with a question. Do you believe in monsters?"

…

Kali stood in the front yard, her dark eyes focused on the Radley house. She could see tell-tale signs of the Geas all around her like a giant, magical bubble that shifted away from her when she tried to pop it. She had been fascinated by the spell ever since she had heard about it, but had been warned away from trying to mess with it. While Emily was alive, any attempt to come near the house had ended in death for Society members after the fiasco with Garrett. After Emily had died, she and the others had tried to break in but the Geas had a failsafe for even that occasion, incinerating one of their newest members on the spot.

No, the time to strike was now, before Mike knew how to make the house defend itself. For whatever reason, he was holed up inside, doing nothing at all. Kali wondered how such a man had defeated Sarah. Her best guess was that the creatures inside had helped him, which made plenty of sense.

Coiled around her feet, a twenty-two foot long python lifted its head, letting out a quiet hiss at someone approaching. Kali looked through the beast's eyes to see a figure all in white limping toward her.

"Any luck?" Sebastien came up from behind her, a cup of coffee in one hand and his cane in the other. He leaned on it dramatically, holding the cup out for Kali to take.

"I have made some progress." Kali took the coffee from Sebastien. "But not enough."

Sebastien grinned. "I'm afraid all your hard work will be for naught. Right now, my homunculus is on its way over."

"The agent?" Kali asked.

"Yes." Sebastien pulled a small flask from his jacket. He poured a little in Kali's coffee, then took a swig himself. "I'm surprised nobody else thought of it."

"Nobody has quite the gift for artificial life that you do. What is Daryl up to? Since we were supposed to be working together, I figured he would check in first."