Page 5 of Samhain Savior

“The binding is concerning,” Corson agreed, his brows drawn low. “That’s the third witch in a month we’ve found attempting to summon lesser demons under a binding spell. It’s fishy.”

“Fishy!” Vine said, snapping his fingers. “That’s the taste. Like a dirty fish tank. Ugh.” He shook his head, spitting onto the already filthy sidewalk. “No more fishy witches for me. Don’t let me eat the next one, alright?”

“As if anyone could stop you,” Corson groused, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

They carried on like that, their voices fading into the background as I ignored their antics. I had bigger things to worry about than Vine’s penchant for eating the hearts of spoiled witches.

Shit like this was happening far too often lately. For nearly four hundred years I had ruled this area. My brothers and I had kept the tenuous peace after the absolute shit show in Salem.

Fucking witches.

We used to be allies; for centuries, demons and witches had worked together, furthering Lucifer’s ultimate goals for humanity and standing fast against the creeping spread of evil across the world.

But no longer. Those days had long since passed.

But it wasn’t just the witches. Nests of Vampires, long dormant and relatively peaceful, were stirring. Warlocks, shifters, even lesser demons, were suddenly everywhere, having come out of hiding to cause shit in every corner of my territory. It was all the Brotherhood could do to keep things under wraps.

For so long we had stood sentinel over humanity, the keepers of the balance between worlds.

No one had dared to stand against us.

But the tides were turning. I could sense it.

Tilting my head back, I took a deep breath, tasting the changes in the air.

For too long we had been working without word from the top. Asmodeus had disappeared, Furcas along with him, and no one had seen or heard from the Dark Lord himself in close to twenty-five years.

With the pathways to Hell barred to all but the dead, those of us still on the surface were working blind. And somewhere out there, someone was trying to topple the entire house of cards.

Whatever was coming hadn’t arrived yet, but I knew it wouldn’t be long. The signs were there for those who knew how to read them. The air itself felt different now—thicker, charged with malevolent potential. In every scream and nightmare tearing through the night,the wickedness lurked. Hidden in every darkened corner where things skittered just out of sight, and embedded in every tortured whisper that drifted on the wind, I could feel it in my bones, watching.

Waiting.

As the old saying went, something wicked this way comes.

But I wasn't worried. Because in this town, I was the wickedest of them all.

Chapter two

Archer

The lights ofStyx & Stonespulsed dimly as the Fury before me writhed on the pole, moving to the music that filled the room. In her current form, her body was mostly human, the curves and dips of her figure dramatic enough to rival the most famous of super models. If it wasn’t for the vertical slit of her pupils, I might have believed she actuallywashuman.

Fury or not, the salivating crowd gathered around the front of the stage didn’t seem to mind. They leered at her with ravenous hunger either way.

Leaning back on the low sofa, I took a long sip of my whiskey, savoring the burn and grateful for the dash of sulfur the bartender had added.

Alittle taste of home.

Beside me, Vine shifted forward, his gaze riveted on the writhing female, his knife twirling absently between his fingers.

“Wipe your mouth, Vine,” I murmured, kicking him lightly. “It’s uncouth to drool on the entertainment.”

“Plus it costs extra,” Alecto said, her voice cutting between us like a knife. “Nothing is free in my club, Archer. You wanna get your fluids on my girls, you better be prepared to pay.”

“Have we ever left you hanging, Alecto?” I raised one eyebrow, daring her to say otherwise. She may have been an ageless creature of the underworld, but she still resided within my territory, and as such, she should know when to watch her tone.

Alecto may have been brilliant when it came to business, but she was also a bitch.