My body was already exhausted after the morning I had, but sitting in the police station for hours, being asked the same questions that I had already answered in my living room the day before, made me want to scream. Demetri was stuck outside in the car I had ordered to drive us here, just waiting for me to finish up with Detective Sullivan. I was fully compliant and answered every question they had to the best of my ability. I provided copies of my phone log and texts, any pictures I had with Vera in them (which wasn't many), and detailed statements of our interactions. The faster I finished this, the faster I could get back to him. It took me by surprise when I realized that I wanted to go to him and not just the safety that he promised. Somehow the dark and dangerous demon had managed to snake his way into my heart. It was exactly what I had told myself to avoid. I didn't want to open myself up to being hurt by him leaving when I finally found a way to break the bond. That dark c

"It had everything," I whispered in shock as I made a coffee. Sleep-deprived or not, there was no time to rest. With that book gone, and someone trying to kill me, I needed to find a way to protect myself and Demetri as quickly as possible. "Every page, every spell, everything in that book could be used to kill me…us." "Seraphina," Demetri stated calmly as he stopped me on the way to grab my coffee creamer from the fridge. The rough palms of his hands cupped my cheeks, holding me in place as he bent his head down to meet my gaze. "I can feel you, and I felt them. You are so much stronger than them. We will be okay. We just need to make a plan." There was so much emotion in his pitch-black eyes that it scared me. Was what he said true? Can a demon develop feelings and attachments too? There hadn't been time to discuss his admission, let alone do anything else. I wanted it to be true. My entire body, all the way to my toes, was filled with the desperate need for it to be true. "The d

Demetri's P.O.V My arm moved along the wall, feeling the water-like thickness in the air. Even with my hand in it, I could not feel myself or my powers. It was as if the spell had chained away my beast. Was this what it felt like to be mortal… to be human? Is this weak form what Seraphina preferred? Nothing was appealing about the way my body was forced to take in air, and my vessel was steadily decomposing with each passing second. It was a terrible inconvenience, and it was no wonder humans did not live as long as other creatures. "You won't find it." The female voice behind me caused me to jump. I cursed myself for turning my back on the unknown witch. Without my beast, not only could I not hear as well as before, but I also couldn't sense anyone around me. Seraphina could have left, and unless I heard the door, I wouldn't know. My eyes passed over the shopkeeper and immediately found Seraphina staring in disgust and awe at the skull of a Fae that was hanging from a small stand

Meredith had been spending a lot of time with us over the next few weeks. Granted, I was paying her quite a lot for my lessons, but it was worth it. She was really funny, and her southern charm made everything sound sweet, even when we were bantering back and forth. I liked hanging out with her, but just like every other relationship I had in my life, I was worried that as soon as the money stopped, she wouldn't be there anymore. It was hard to remind myself that she wasn't my friend. She was my trainer. There was a big difference, and I needed to remember that. Meanwhile, Demetri was like an angry puppy. One minute he wanted my attention, and the next, he was ready to kill Meredith for one thing or another. It was quite amusing at first, but every now and then, I was ready to kill her too. The first part of our training, once we got the shield up, was a big joke to her. She didn't make me pay her for it, but she had decided to play drill sergeant and run me around my property line.

Seraphina's P.O.V.The ceiling fan above me released just enough air to prevent me from sweating, but I was still overly warm. It wasn't just mentally exhausting, casting was surprisingly physically demanding as well. Not the extent Meredith had claimed when she got a good laugh the first week of training me like I was in bootcamp, but it felt as though all of my energy had been tapped and drained.I lay on my back next to Meredith as she continued to talk to me in Latin. Her belief was that breaks from casting would not be a break from linguistics. If we weren't practicing spells, we were learning Latin and vice versa."Are you even listening to me?" She asked, amusement clear in her voice as I lay flat on the ground with my arms limp next to me."No, not at all actually." I turned my head with a smile. I was listening, and she knew it, but I was in no shape to retain the information.Meredith let out a sarcastic laugh before getting to her feet. "Very funny! I think it's time to tak