Charmed & Ready

Sunday, 5 P.M.
Sweet, Texas
Spells: 4
Potions: 5
Bad guys: 1
Powerful witches: 1

Love can kill. I’m living proof of it. I’d laugh if it weren’t so messed up.

I’d been back in bed about two hours when I woke up. Heard something weird. I reached out to touch Sam, but Casper was curled up where he’d been.

I saw something flash in his eyes and then they burned orange.

“You thought you could defeat me, bitch. But you can’t. I will kill you, and all of your powers will be mine.” It wasn’t Sam’s voice, it was Blackstock’s. I knew that stereo sound from before when the warlock had possessed Cole.

“We played this game last time, asshole, and I won.”

“I’m much more powerful than before. You cannot win this game, witch.” The knife flashed in his hand.

“The Blood Goddess took you, how could you have escaped her hell?”

His laugh was an evil sound that sent chills across my body.

“She sold my soul to Blaseus. The idiot demon was no match for someone like me. I slayed him in the pit, and his minions were forced to follow me. I will be even more powerful when I take your powers for my own.”

Here’s the thing: I could have thrown a fireball, but since he was born of fire, it wouldn’t have done much good. He hadn’t bound my powers. Probably didn’t think he needed to. But I had a secret. He might be possessing Sam, but even Sam didn’t know all of my powers.

I looked above his head. The large picture would work well.

“No!” I screamed. The room shook and he fell back. The picture fell from the wall and hit him on the head. He collapsed on the floor.

“Bronwyn, are you okay?” Kira yelled as she ran up the stairs, Caleb close on her heels.

She rounded the corner, her eyes flashing with surprise when she saw me standing naked over Sam’s prone body.

Her hand flew up and she covered Caleb’s eyes before he could see me.

“Caleb, go get some rope.” I reached to the bedpost and grabbed my robe. “Kira, help me move him away from the wall. I don’t know how much time we have. How did you know?”

Didn’t have time for any more questions, but I sent a quick blessing for Kira’s new power. I couldn’t do what I was about to on my own.

By the time we dragged him to the middle of the floor, Caleb was back with the ropes. They bound his wrists and feet while I threw on some jeans and a T-shirt.

I heard the front door slam. “Bronwyn?” It was Peggy from the coven.

Cole looked at me and nodded. “I knew when you left L.A. that it wasn’t over. Don’t know how, but I just knew it.”

The men carried Sam downstairs and out to the back field. It was as if everyone knew their mission. More coven members showed up. In less than five minutes we had almost enough for a full circle.

Running back to the house to grab blue juice, I chugged it down. Using my powers in the way I was about to could kill me. I knew it, but I wouldn’t let that bastard have my Sam.

Also pulled a bottle of naming potion, salt and Caiale potion for later, if we survived this.

Peggy used the salt to complete the circle. We were still a few members short.

I turned to Caleb and Kira. “We need you. It’s a lot to ask and what you will see won’t be pretty—in fact it’s about to get very scary out here.”

“Shut up, Bron, and just do what you need to.” Caleb’s voice was harsh. “He’s our friend too.”

Cole stood at the head of the circle. That worried me because, like Sam, Blackstock had touched him. That’s how the bastard had zoned in on him. Some small part of the evil warlock’s sludge had to have been hiding in Sam’s body.

I’d read a lot about possession. I never wanted to get caught in that situation again. I’d also discussed with Garnout the best way to rid someone of a demon possession. While Blackstock was a warlock, he’d killed a demon and absorbed those powers too.

“Switch places with Peggy. I don’t want to take any chances.”

He looked confused for a minute then nodded. He knew his body could be used as a vessel for evil if there were any mistakes.

Peggy held up her arms. The coven linked hands and began the chant. Caleb and Kira followed their words carefully.

I did the same. Standing at Sam’s feet, I drew a circle with the salt and then a mental one. He was still unconscious, and I prayed he stayed that way. This would be painful for both of us.

I closed my eyes and willed the Goddess of Earth forward. She’s my goddess to call and I needed all the power I could get.

“I ask thee to cleanse the soul of this demon breath. Make this man whole again.”

The winds picked up and swirled around us. The awful smell of sulfur filled the air. Blackstock was fighting back.

Sam’s eyes flashed open. “Bron?” But it was Sam this time, not the warlock. “What are you doing?”

His hands were staked above his head and his feet were also bound to the ground.

I continued my chant. I saw the fear in his eyes. It was real. His body convulsed in pain, and he let out a fierce scream.

I heard some of the coven gasp. “Don’t stop your chant,” Peggy screamed at them.

“Please stop, it hurts,” Sam begged me, writhing in pain. He had no idea what was going on and I didn’t have time to tell him.

Goddess of Earth I ask thee,
cleanse this man’s soul from
the evil that holds him.
As I will it, so mote it be.

A white mist surrounded him, Sam’s body convulsed again and his eyes watered. “No,” he whispered.

A tear fell to my cheek. He thought I was trying to kill him.

I took the ceremonial knife and cut my palm. Dribbling the blood across his chest, I chanted.

He who is protected by my blood,
can hold no evil here.

His eyes turned orange again. “You can’t have him, bitch. I die, he goes with me.” Blackstock’s voice was a roar.

“No. You want real power. You want my power. Come on, I’ll give it to you. Come to me, asshole. Let’s play for real, stop hiding inside the warlock.”

He rose above Sam as an orange mist. His form was that of the demon Blaseus, but I knew the voice.

“I name you Blackstock and your soul belongs to the Blood Goddess.” I moved to stand at Sam’s head and poured half the Caiale down his throat. He choked and sputtered, but most of it went down.

I looked down. I couldn’t see if he was breathing, but there was no time to check. If he lived, I hoped he’d forgive me. For now he had to die.

The coven changed their chant, but Blackstock was so excited about possessing me he didn’t notice.

Before I passed out I surrounded myself, and Sam, with a healing circle.

“Go to hell, asshole!” I screamed. My body convulsed and I fell to the ground.

I was dead, but I could see the coven, they continued the chant, tears falling to their cheeks. Kira sobbing, but still repeating the words. I hovered above them.

Blackstock roared. He couldn’t get out of our circle, and there was no one alive in the protected salt circle to possess. A demon can’t possess a dead body. He looked up to the sky and then a giant mystical hand broke through the earth and pulled him into the ground.

Peggy broke the outside circle and poured the blue juice down Sam’s throat and then mine.

The coven closed the circle behind her and continued their healing chant.

It’s what kept Sam and me alive. I’m sure of it now.

I reentered my body gasping for air. Sam did the same. The circle broke and we cut the ties that bound Sam.

“I thought you were dead.” I laughed. I should have been exhausted (almost dying usually does that to me) but I wasn’t.

I touched his face. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what else to do.”

Kira fell to her knees behind me and her arms circled us both. She sobbed. “I thought we were going to lose you both.”

I laughed and cried. So did Sam. But these were tears of joy. We’d made it.

Everyone sat down on the ground. They’d been so powerful.

Peggy smiled. “Girl, you sure do know how to stir up excitement around here. I don’t know what we did for fun before you arrived.” She said it jokingly, but I know she’d been affected by what had transpired tonight. We all had.

I later learned that Peggy and the coven had been watching the house. They felt Blackstock come through the instant he possessed Sam and made the calls to bring the coven in. I can’t tell you how grateful I am these people have become my friends.

Sam is better than ever. We both slept about nine hours and he just went into town to pick up some food for dinner tonight.

His soul is lighter, as is mine. It’s good to see him happy again. His strength amazes me.

Blackstock had been trying to possess him all this time, and Sam had been unknowingly fighting him. That’s what had brought about all of those terrible insecurities, headaches and fevers.

Now that I know how bad he really felt, I’m even more amazed by Sam’s abilities. He is a strong and gifted man.

I don’t have long before he returns. I’m going to pick some flowers to put on the table.