Balancing Act

City on the horizon, I finally spoke. “I’m concerned.”

Nate snorted.

I forged ahead. “We were almost stopped by a half-trained whelp. I’m wounded and tapped out. Against a voodoo priest, I’ll practically be impotent.”

“This is different how?”

I punched his leg. “Like it or not, we’ve been leaning on my magic since you got infected.”

Nate rolled his sleeve to reveal the tattoo I’d forced on him. “Blatantly obvious.”

“I’m not sure we can shoot – or burn – our way out of this, and I’m out of monster favors.”

He grinned. “Apparently, I’m not. So unclench. We got this.”

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Somewhere after the Fall

“Nice dog.”

Barrow looked up. Dog didn’t.

“Don’t often see one that big.” Blatant greed showed despite mirrored shades.

Barrow nodded. “Had him since he were a whelp. Last litter of the damned, so I’m told.”

“You mean dam.” The stranger feigned politeness.

Barrow wasn’t much for being corrected, but she shrugged. “As you say.”

Dog pretended to sleep.

“Must be hard to feed it.” Next, he’d propose purchase or theft. They always did.

Dog opened his red eyes and stretched out. His canine grin was disarming.

The stranger’s remaining arm flailed impotently, slowed, stopped.

“Not difficult at all, really.”

Burnt Offerings

We emptied cans of gas and kerosene, dousing houses threshold to patio, siphoning from cars to finish the job. Shame about the luxury SUVs. I would have fit nicely in one.

With a single match, we inverted property values of an entire neighborhood of faux mansions. It should have felt better than it did. Their lifestyle creeped me out, but they had a right to actual life. Having it taken away cavalierly grated against what remained of my morality.

“I’m going to kill that voodoo fucker.”

Nate just drove, the smell of burned meat making his lead foot even heavier.

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Primed and Ready

by Colleen Foley

Seth stared, gape-mouthed at the spot Kaia had occupied mere seconds ago.

"What the f..."

I got to my feet, hands on my knees, and grinned at him.

"Marie Laveau. Voodoo Queen of The Big Easy. We have to go to Marie Laveau."

"Nate, Marie Laveau is dead."

"Yep, they buried her in Eighteen Dickety-Two - St. Louis Cemetery #1 – and that’s where we’re going. Kaia gave me the key. It's gonna take some vibrato, little brother, but we can do this."

"I think you mean bravado."

"Shut up."

Seth sighed. "Before we go, we need to clean this mess."

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This Just In

Nate listened, still on his knees like a supplicant. Kaia’s husky vibrato proved she had not been unmoved by their kiss. She leaned in. He leaned forward. The tableau recalled sacred contact depicted in renaissance paintings.

A string of profanity ran through my head like a news ticker. I waited for the breaking story, the story of how Nate would break, break away, break me for bringing in a force neither of us could hope to handle. I tried to bury fear when he turned to me.

Human or not, he could sense it. “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

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First Taste

by Colleen Foley

Kaia is no demon, but she bargains like one. Her kiss was grace and
chaos. It shot into every part of me like an arrow made of sound - a
sacred vibrato that would mark me as hers for all who could hear such
things.

"Its master hides with the Voodoo Queen. Go to her and you will find
him. Leave a proper offering and she will give him to you. He means
nothing to her.

She gestured carelessly at the boy.

"Worry not. There will be nothing left to bury."

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(For what Kaia does with the nasty murderer, see Just Desserts)