Claiming of the Demon King (ICS Book One)

Chapter Four - Curse of a Mystic

Curse of a Mystic

"This sucks!"

Victoria shivered, wrapping her arms around her waist. She was standing beside a desolate road, in the middle of nowhere, in the dark. And it was freezing. Her breath came in puffs as the cold air nipped at her exposed skin.

Not twenty minutes ago she'd been standing in the warm night of Seattle, watching as fireballs rained down from the sky.

After the first explosion she'd been snatched up like a sack of potatoes and handed over to a beautiful witch with white hair. Despite the chaos, the witch had been grinning from ear to ear, pushing Victoria to stand on top of a set of symbols drawn into the dirt.

"Hold on to your panties, sweetie," the witch had said with a laugh.

She blinked and the next thing she knew she was standing beside a road straight out of a horror movie. A forest loomed around her, dark and threatening. There was a thick mist in the air, as if the rain couldn't decide if it wanted to fall, and thunder rolled in the distance.

It took her several minutes of intense confusion and mild shock to realize what had happened. She'd been freaking teleported!

Glancing up and down the road she bit her lip. Was she supposed to just stand here? Maybe she'd been forgotten? Her heart raced; maybe they changed their mind and were letting her go?

A set of lights appeared through the mist. Victoria stood frozen in place as a black limo pulled up beside her.

The passenger door opened and a smooth voice ordered, "Get in."

Swallowing nervously she slid inside, settling on the plush leather seats. A man was seated across from her, the same blonde stranger from the auction. The one who'd snatched her off the platform. And he was covered in blood.

He smiled at her, his voice low as he spoke, "I apologize for the delay. The witch missed our meeting point. I'm sure you must have been confused and frightened."

Victoria blinked, not expecting him to apologize. The man had blood dripping down his face for Christ sakes! "How did I get here? Did she...uh really teleport me?"

His smile widened. "I'd forgotten you're new to this world. Witches have the ability to teleport one to a specified location." He frowned. "Or at least close. It's not an exact science."

"Oh..." She didn't know what to say. Her logical mind screamed this wasn't possible even though she'd just witnessed it firsthand. She decided not to debate the logistics. Her tired mind was already overwhelmed. "Where are we?"

"Northern Romania."

"Seriously?" she blurted.

He laughed, the sound low and smooth. "Ironic I know. But it suits our needs." Taking out a handkerchief he wiped at his face, managing to clean off most of the blood. "I do apologize for my current state. As you saw things got a bit dodgy back there."

She stared at him for a moment. She had to admit he was wickedly handsome. He looked to be in his mid-thirties with dark brown eyes, an aristocratic nose and a slight cleft in his chin. His dirty blonde hair was on the longer side and swept back from his face.

"Are you human?" she asked carefully.

He raised his brows. "I am."

Her heart sped. Another human! He's like me. Finding anyone in this world with some common ground was like finding a life raft in the middle of the ocean. "And you weren't afraid to be around all those....things?"