Immortals After Dark 04 - Wicked Deeds on a Winters Night

you, the Awaited One. I merely watched him until you came into his life.” She turned to Bowen. “Thank you for removing her cloak for me. The red made my vision irritatingly blurry.”
    “And the plane wreck?” Mari said. “The earthquake when we were on the bridge?”
    “That was merely playing. Every time this one thought he’d lose you again, I got an infusion of despair. Besides, the demon pilot begged me to unfreeze his family, volunteering to do anything for me. How could I resist?”
    Mari’s animosity toward the pilot left her in a rush.
    Häxa continued, “Since I’ve returned as Bowen’s dead mate resurrected, he’s given me a veritable feast of misery, seasoned with guilt. Delectable. I could have killed you at any time. But you hadn’t used your magick against me, so I couldn’t siphon it from you. And captromancer, I do so want your unique powers.”

    Häxa? Bowe struggled to comprehend what was happening.
    She can assume any form, Mariketa had said. And Häxa was revealing that he had, in fact, been under an enchantment—but long before he’d ever met Mariketa.
    Mariketa held out one of her hands in his direction, displaying a strange mirror in the palm of her glove. Suddenly, his medallion began tearing from his neck, shooting pain through him. It was as though the thing had planted deep roots in his skin that were now being stripped away, tearing as they went. In the past, every time he’d decided to remove it, he’d always forgotten to. Now he knew why, and now he understood why Mariketa hadn’t sensed another curse on him—because it had been a part of him, like a cancer.
    Once freed, the medallion flew across the room to her. She caught it, then melted it in the heat of her mirrored palm, until it resembled a lead ball.
    When she dropped it to the ground, a thick haze seemed to be lifted from Bowe’s vision. Now when he gazed at the image of Mariah, he felt nothing but... fury .
    For so long he’d suffered immeasurable grief. He’d walked around like the living dead in an existence of nothing but longing and pain—and it was all because of the whim of a spoiled princess.
    Mariah had invited this sorceress into his life, had ensured that Häxa found Mariketa, and had driven a wedge between Bowe and his true mate. Mariketa hadn’t even seemed able to stand the sight of him earlier.
    “Vain witch, did you see your parents’ bodies? My handiwork is so beautiful.”
    What had been done to her parents?
    “You won’t feed off me, Häxa. I feel only hatred.”
    “No loss. I’ve had a surfeit from that Lykae and am as strong as I’ve ever been. Are you certain you wish to battle me? When I take your powers, I’ll be a goddess once more.”
    “When I take yours, I’ll be a sorceress,” Mariketa said, sounding confident and as brave as ever.
    “You have no idea what you toy with, child. But tonight, on another eve brimming with purpose, I’ll teach you one last lesson.”
    Häxa finally began to shuck her disguise, like a snake slithers from its dead skin. The windows exploded and wind rushed in, howling over them. Curtains flew and furniture skidded across the wooden floor. Pictures on the walls went flying like discs.
    Her true form was hideous. The whites of her eyes grew black, the pupils a filmy yellow. Her skin was waxen and gray. She stood at least eight feet tall, with claws as long as his fingers.
    In comparison, Mariketa looked so small and frail with her hair whipping, buffeted by the wind and struggling to remain upright.
    Häxa raised her hands; Mariketa’s eyes went wide. She opened her own palms and tossed a table in front of Häxa’s beam just before it hit her. The wood disintegrated into dust .
    Another two beams flashed out. Mari dodged one by shooting up on her toes and arching her back. The other hit her, sending her spinning into the wall.
    The Instinct screamed inside Bowe for him to protect his own, yet he could do nothing.
    Mariketa lurched under yet another beam, but she was getting slower, weaker. At last, she fled, ducking behind a wall across from where Bowe was trapped. She slid down to the floor at the corner. He saw her swallow with fear, peek out from the edge of the wall, then squeeze her eyes shut as she barely missed a sudden blast by her face. Leaning her head back, she stared at the ceiling. He barely heard her whispering, “ Shit, shit, shit. ”
    Run! He wanted Mariketa to escape. Instead, she brought magick to her palms. Then,