Page 53 of The Mating Claim

As they went outside, she found the food bowl and filled it with kibble, adding the leftover chicken she’d planned to have for lunch today. Lucky gulped down his food as she sat by him, stroking his head. His normalhead.

Magick always had consequences, Drust had warned. Too bad she’d learned the hardway.

Maybe she should take the damn book and burn it. Better yet, have Drust burn it with coldfire. Surely he could turn it intoashes.

A rustling noise in a far, dark corner made her skin crawl. Rats again. She’d locked up the dog food,but…

Something slithered out of the darkness, hissing. Two red, beady eyes stared at her from the shadows. Lacey froze. “Lucky, get out of here,” she whispered. “GetDrust.”

Whimpering the dog fled out the doggie dog, leaving Lacey alone to faceit.

Snake.

And then the snake morphed into Willow. Red eyes, dressed in the childish, innocent shirt and jeans she’d worn in Tara’s coffeeshop.

“Hi Lacey. Still like snakes?” Willowgiggled.

Backing up, she retreated until her butt hit the counter. Not a child. Demon, one summoned from the book, albeitinnocently.

“Did you like how I redecorated your store?” another high-pitched giggle that scraped on Lacey’s nerves like shavedice.

Her mouth opened and closed, and she forgot her fear. “You trashed myshop!”

“I enhanced it.” Willow advanced, all giggles gone now, her eyes glowing that eerie shade of red. “Where is the Book of Shadows, witch? Tell me! My master desires the spellswithin.”

“I’m not a witch.” Her fingers scraped alongside the counter, searching for a weapon, anything to drive this creatureaway.

As Willow took another step forward, three figures materialized before her, blocking her view of the demon. Xavier, Caderyn andDrust.

Lacey drew in a relieved breath. The cavalry hadarrived.

All three wizards reacted immediately. Drust shot streams of coldfire at Willow, while Xavier and Caderyn threw energyballs.

Blasts of power shattered the wall, for Willow was no longer there. A snake hissed at them from theground.

“Again,” Xavierroared.

They tried once more, the energy dispelled smelling of cordite and electricity. But each time they directed power to destroy the demon, the demon zappedaway.

Willow was tooquick.

“I’ve never seen one move this fast,” Caderyngrumbled.

Maybe the cavalry wasn’t so effective afterall.

“Contain it,” Drust directed. “X, use yournet.”

The Crystal Wizard conjured a sparkling net of crystals that shone with white light. As Willow materialized again, sitting on a stack of egg crates, he threwit.

Willow vanished once more and the net landed on the egg crates, meltingthem.

Trying to avoid the battleground, Lacey raced into the front room, only to see Willow sitting there on thecounter.

“Try to catch me,” Willowyelled.

All three wizards materialized nearby, but soon as they did, Willow vanished again. She appeared and then vanished fast as lightningflashes.

Drust cursed and threw a stream of coldfire that only smashed into the counter containing the cash register, obliterating it like a penetratinglaser.