“Mom, what are you doing here?” I said after ending the call.
She stormed toward me and snatched the phone from my hands. “Cassidy?” Mom tried to open my phone, but a code was protecting it. “How could you! Our family was broken by magic, yet you work with a witch. Do you not care about us at all?” She screamed at the top of her lungs. Tears of sorrow ran down her freckled cheeks as she pulled at her red hair.Mom was extremely unwell. It’s not okay to have extreme mood shifts within minutes.“No, Mom,“ I said, taking my phone back. “Elaine is a friend, and she only practices white magic.”“White magic is Devil’s worship in disguise. It’s unholy and unclean. Magic destroys lives and souls just like it did to our family,” said Mom. She was not ready to calm down or listen.“Okay, Mom,” I said, tossing my phone onto the bed. “Relax.”Mom grabbed me by the arms. “Promise me, Cassidy. Say that you would never go near any magic or witches. You must promise me.”Mom’s outrage was scaring me. I could see the pain in her bloodshot eyes. She was barely holding it together.“I promise, Mom,” I said and hugged her.She shoved her face into my shoulder and cried her heart out. “I love you all so much. I didn’t mean to yell at my baby. Forgive me and call Mason now, or else I’ll drown in guilt for ruining your day.”I tapped her back. “Okay, I will do it. Just promise to be okay and take some rest. Your concern is a shield protecting me from harm. It could never ruin me.”After comforting her a little more, Mom went downstairs so I could call Mason.The small yet dramatic fight with my mother had ruined my excitement completely. Now, I wasn’t sure if I should call him or not. So, I sent him a text instead. I also had one unread message from Elaine.Elaine’s text:I am unsure about the disturbances it may cause, but I am sure it won’t be fatal. Shoot me a text if you notice something strange. I am here to help. Come by when you can. Just don’t delay it for too long.I asked her to arrange a seance next week and thanked her again for all the help.My text to Mason:Hi! It’s Cassidy Black if you don’t have my number anymore. Mom gave me your message. Just wanted to let you know I arrived in Wneebeach Springs today. Want to hang out?We had not talked in years. It was best to keep the text as short as possible.After texting, I went downstairs to look for Mom.She was cooking in the kitchen with a big grin on her face. How she was keeping up with so many emotions was beyond me.“Did you call him?” She asked immediately upon seeing me.I hopped on a kitchen stool. “I sent him a text.”“A text?” Mom dropped her knife onto the counter. “I remember you being obsessed with this boy. You used to look for excuses to call him.”“A lot has changed. It’s been years. That teenage spark has faded. I am not sure if it’s there anymore,” I said. “What are you making?”She picked up the knife and began chopping again. “Lasagna. You can share it with Mason today.”“Don’t jump to conclusions. He might be busy,” I said.“Have you stopped going to the shrink you were seeing?” I asked.She lifted her eyes and looked at me with displeasure. “Can a shrink help us break Satan’s spell?”“No, but he can help us get through the grief of losing Dad. It’s okay to feel lost after losing someone special. He was your high school sweetheart,” I answered.“I’ll be alright after I have my revenge.” She chopped harder. “No shrink can help with the rage I feel inside.”It was hard to get through Mom. She was trying her best to survive the pain and protect her family. So, I switched the subject to lighter things and helped her cook. Mia participated as well.I wanted Mom to regain the happiness that went away with her first and only love. I promised myself to help her achieve that, inch by inch.The doorbell rang amid our conversation.“I’ll get that,” I said, licking the sauce off my fingers.I opened the door and was taken aback by the person before me. It was Mason. He flashed a pearly smile my way and ran his fingers through his silky raven-black hair. I could feel the definition of his big muscles and snatched waist through his tight-fitting black sweater. Oh, god, he looked more stunning than the version of him I knew in high school. The spark was there. It was definitely there. My body could feel it all over.“Hi, Cassidy. You look lovely,” he said, handing me a fancy black box.I took the box with shaky hands. “Hi. You look more lovely. I meant handsome. You look lovely and handsome.”“Thanks, I guess,” he said with a skeptical look. “I hope I didn’t disturb you by coming over. You didn’t reply to my texts, so I thought maybe I should stop by to chat.”Shoot! I must have put my phone on silent accidentally. “Sorry, I was helping Mom cook. Please come in.” I moved to the left and gestured for him to step in.He walked inside, and I couldn’t help but check out his body from behind. That man was smoking hot.He made small talk with my family, and I watched from a distance. What should I say to him? I was practicing my words.“Have a seat with Cassidy in the living room. You two haven’t seen each other for so long. Mia and I will finish this up here,” suggested Mom.“Thanks, Mrs. Black, for welcoming me into your home. It would be nice to talk alone with Cassidy for a while,” said Mason. He and I sat on a couch. The middle seat remained empty between us. We shared an awkward few smiles before any of us spoke.“So, how’s life? We never had a chance to talk after high school,” began Mason. “I heard you got a decent job and apartment in the city from your mother.”“It’s a start. My father died right after I graduated. So I couldn’t work for a while,” I said.His expression dropped. I've heard of that. My condolences go out to you and your family. I lost my grandmother many years ago. I know how you feel. If I weren't on another continent, I would have attended the funeral.”“It’s okay. I wouldn’t expect you to drop everything and show up at my dad’s funeral when we hadn’t talked in years,” I said with an awkward smile. It was horrible! The conversation was becoming grim. I had to lighten the mood.“What have you been up to? I asked.“I am running our family’s wine business,” he said. He picked up the box he had brought that I had put on the coffee table. “Here. I brought a bottle of our finest for you.” “Thanks,” I said.We tasted the wine together. It was delicious, and he explained how it was made and the types of wines. I barely paid attention to his words when my mind was so distracted by his looks. Everything about him was so breathtaking.“Cassidy, can I ask you something?” he said.“Of course,” I said, straightening myself up.“Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow? If you’re not seeing anyone, of course,” He said.My mouth fell open. I think I lost my balance a little while sitting there.“What! What? Yes, of course. I am single,” I answered clumsily.“Then would you like to?” he asked again.“Uh, yes. No, I mean. I am going somewhere out of town with my family,” I answered.He looked at his wristwatch. “Then how about tonight? It’s only 6:45.”I looked at Mom, working in the kitchen. Going on a date with Mason was like a dream come true, but my family needed me.“I can’t. Mom needs me,” I said.“No, I don’t need her. You two are free to go wherever you want after having dinner with us,” Mom spoke from the kitchen.Gosh, it was a big house. How did she hear us? I forgot about my Mom’s superhuman hearing. We often got in trouble as children thanks to her gift.“Your mom has given us permission now. If you don’t want to, you can say it outright. No need to find perfect excuses,” said Mason politely.“No. It’s not that. Okay, let’s go on a date. I would love to,” I said.We had lasagna with my family, just like my mom wanted. The food was delicious, and so was his company. I couldn’t help but picture us in different romantic and sexual scenarios.He was such a gentleman that he cheered up Mia and Mom. After dinner, I put on a borrowed dress from my mother to wear on our first date. None of Mia’s dresses would fit my enormous chest. Lastly, I applied some red lipstick and powdered my face.The plan was to watch a movie since we already had dinner and were short on time. As horror fans, we picked a scary one. I am glad we did, as it gave me an excuse to grab his tight, muscular arms. We exited the movie theatre with hand in hand, laughing about the horrible ending.“I had a great time,” He said as we walked down the street to my house. “Me too,” I said.He grabbed my hand, and we stopped. His beautiful brown eyes stared into mine with interest and affection. His face slowly inched towards me. Oh my, he was leaning in for a kiss. Butterflies flew in my stomach. I closed my eyes and helped him close the distance between our mouths, and once our lips touched, it was pure magic. He softly sucked on my lower lip.“Ah!” He groaned in pain.I opened my eyes to find him at least a few feet away from me on the ground. I rushed to help him. “What happened?”“Someone violently pushed me. My arm is burning,” Mason replied, pressing on his right arm.I looked around and found the well-lit street empty. There wasn’t a soul around us.Back home, I was lying in bed thinking about the strange incident that occurred at the end of our date. I had to take Mason to the hospital as he complained about a burning sensation in his right arm. I thought he had a low threshold for pain until the nurse rolled up his sleeve, revealing a big, fresh burn mark. The doctor kept asking him how he got a second-degree burn, but he swore it wasn’t there before his fall on the street. It was bizarre. “Someone pushed me. My arm is burning.” His words spun in my head. Who pushed him? There was no one around. There wasn’t even a bush or tree around us for a person to hide.Mason went home, concluding he must have lost his balance and fell, but what about the mark? How could he have burnt himself with just a fall on concrete?Elaine’s warning was the only rational explanation for it. It must be a disturbance that I, as the summoner, was facing.I had already sent a text to Elaine explaining the whole incident. She and Mike must have been fed
I threw all the bloodstained clothes in the washer immediately. No matter what I did or used, the blood wouldn’t come out. I washed them multiple times before breaking into tears on the laundry room floor. My aunt had struck again. Her prey was Mom now! I was not going to let her take another parent from me. I decided to burn all her bloodstained clothes. But I need to talk to my siblings first.I wrapped the sinister doll in a cloth and put it in a bag to take to the hospital.“See this,” I said to my siblings, showing them the doll in Mom’s private hospital room. “Mom is not sick. Our aunt wants to end her!”“I’ll call a priest,” said Derrick, leaving the room.“What would we do now? A priest can’t break a spell. We’ll lose Mom.” Mia began sobbing uncontrollably.Despite my wet eyes and panicked heart, I wrapped my arms around her to comfort her. “I won’t let anything happen to our mother. If only magic can break magic, I have a plan.”I continued to tell her about Elaine, sex spir
The night was the hardest. Elaine and Becky had left after inquiring about Mom’s health and the doll a little more. I tossed and turned in bed. Too many questions were spinning in my head.What would I say to Mason? Was my incubus still watching me from the shadows? Would we share another steamy session that night? I was not in the mood for anything. My siblings had informed me that Mom was still unconscious. Nothing was wrong with her body. The doctors called it a case of an unexplained coma. My tensed body was ready to put out if the spirit asked for it. All I cared about and wished was for Mom to regain consciousness. Waiting for something to happen, I dozed off. The annoying sound of my blaring alarm woke me up. My hands turned it off, accidentally knocking it down. I sat up on my bed, rubbing on my heavy head. My body felt sore and unrested. I believed it to be a quick nap when my eyes noticed the daylight peeking through my curtains. “Shit!” I said, picking up the alarm cloc
He was my Incubus, Desmond. It was him. Damn, he was gorgeous!He still had me trapped between his arms against the wall. His intense gaze was making me weak in the knees. The gold in his eyes was glittering. I had never seen hazel eyes reflect light like that. It was like staring into another planet—one of desire and passion. “Want me to jog your memory more?” He asked in a seductive whisper. As close as his face was to me, it was torture. I could feel his hot breath on me. He was no ordinary man. Everything about him was turning me on. He breathed down my neck, and I surrendered a little. My body was sensitive to him and him only. Not even Mason could make me aroused like that.The memories of my first time with Desmond came before me. I could see it in my head and feel it in my private parts. Once his lips brushed against my lips again, it was game over for me. I grabbed his chiseled face and sucked that gorgeous mouth of his. He responded enthusiastically and turned it into an
I was in Desmond’s hefty arms before my brain could contemplate the situation.He carried me to my bedroom and laid me on the bed like a bride. His face hovered close to my face, gazing intently into my eyes. The power of his eyes was something else. It was like staring into two multi-chrome suns, holding the power to blind your logical thinking instead of the eyes.His pink lips were inching toward my lips. Before they could touch, I put a hand between our mouths and pushed him back. “Get away from me!” I pushed harder.He stepped away and raised his hands in the air. “Just trying to help you. I think you fell for something at the door.” He winked at me like the little seductive devil he was.“Move away from me more. Your back must touch the door. I don’t want you anywhere near me,” I commanded, covering my eyes with one hand. There must be some magic in his eyes that he was using to hypnotize me. I was not driven by lust, especially not for some douche who had hurt my friend Mason
I watched the rain pour from Becky’s front-row passenger seat. She had picked me up after work on my request. We were parked on the street close to a store. The lack of sleep I had been experiencing for several nights was taking its toll on my mental health. A lot was going on in my head. It was spine-tingling to think that I could lose Mom in a week. How could someone be so heartless? Also, Desmond’s face kept flashing before my eyes. The way he spoke and behaved was confusing. His character was still a mystery to me. For multiple reasons, I didn’t say a word about him presenting himself as more than a non-solid ghostly apparition to me. The embarrassment of getting sexual with him out of lust was one of them. However, I also wished to give him a chance to prove himself. If Mom didn’t get better by midnight, I decided to expose that secret to Elaine.According to Mia’s latest update, Mom was still in a coma. “Your Mom would wake up soon, Cass. I know,” Becky comforted me from the
We sat in the waiting room while the doctors ran some final tests on Mom. I finger-combed my strawberry-blonde hair. Without makeup, bags under my eyes, and hair in disarray, I looked like a hot mess. Desmond might cancel our contract if he saw me in that condition. Other matters aside, I at least owed him an apology for treating him too harshly. It was generous of him to bring Mom back to health when I refused to provide what he wanted.I scanned my environment and found Becky missing. “Hey, where did Becky go?” I said to Mia.“She went to her car to grab a spare shirt or something. I think she spilled something on her clothes,” Mia informed me.“Okay,” I said, putting my fingers in my hair again.“You are brave, Cass. Among us three siblings, you’re the one who did something to save Mom. I’ll never forget the sacrifice you made for our family,” Mia remarked. Her thankfulness melted my heart. It was nice to be acknowledged by someone.I hugged my sister. “Thanks. Your words mean a l
“Desmond,” I called once more. By now, my legs were shivering. A grim feeling took over me. Something ominous lurked in the shadows, and it wasn’t my incubus. As the shadow stretched on my walls, it revealed itself as a figure of a long-haired woman. I goggled at it from root to bottom. It had expanded to such a degree that if I were consumed by its darkness, no one would ever know. That’s when my fight-or-flight response activated, and I made a run for the door. I would have fled earlier if my brain hadn’t frozen with terror.Pushing through my door, I luckily reached the hallway and banged at my sister’s door in front of me. “Open the door!” I called for help and screamed at Mia’s and Mom’s doors.“Mia!” I focused my energy on one door, screaming as loud as I could while throwing my fists at it continuously.I dared to glance back at my closed bedroom door and saw the same shadow peeking through the small gap at the bottom.“Oh, shit!” “There is something outside. Don’t open the do