Black Magic: Demon Curse, #1

By Alex Fox

Dante is a witch. Phineas is a vampire. The two are roommates.

Phineas is a supernatural drug dealer and Dante is, reluctantly, Phineas’s best customer. The drug helps control his illness, affectionately called Demon Curse. There’s no telling when it’ll kill him, but he knows it will. It took his parents years ago, and he’s expected to go any day now.

When Dante learns Demon Curse is as its name states – a curse – he’s determined to find who’s responsible and save himself. But the one responsible targeted Dante for his powers, and is on the other end waiting to collect his soul when he passes. They have no intention of letting Dante live.

But Phineas has no intention of letting Dante die. He knows the only cure for the curse, and is determined to convince Dante to use it, even if Dante insists he’d rather die than become a vampire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alex Fox
• Release date: Nov 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386630845

Book preview

Find what you love and let it kill you.

Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling onto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness.

Let it kill you and let it devour your remains.

For all things will kill you, both slowly and fastly, but it’s much better to be killed by a lover.

― Charles Bukowski

I: DANTE

The sun hovered over the tops of the skyscrapers outside the apartment window, and Dante was very tempted to put on his evening clothes and throw his legs on the couch behind him. No post service delivered this late, yet a letter arrived a few minutes ago. The urge to open it now was almost too much to resist, but his customer could be arriving any minute. Grudgingly, he stayed up and paced the room, watching the clock as he listened for the door. For some reason, it had become socially acceptable to be late for everything, and twenty minutes was, apparently, nothing. But he wasn’t allowed to complain. After all, this was a paying customer.

Bella Hanna Marble sounded like the absolute worst kind of person Dante ever had the pleasure of talking to, and as much as he dreaded that personality tonight, he knew it was to his advantage. The bitchier they were, the more money they often had. He could probably squeeze a couple grand out of her for the tiniest problem. Maybe even extend that if she chose the payment plan. He could get himself a nice ten grand if the problem required him to take time off to recover. Besides, the more strung-up she was, the more eager she’d be to have whatever petty problem she had gone. Any price would be better than living with whatever stupid ailment plagued her.

So, Dante paced, waiting for the doorbell to ring, or for the wooden frame to protest someone striking it. Just hurry up, I want to get out of this damn suit.

It was six twenty-eight before any noise came from the door, a long buzz that made Dante cringe. He rolled his eyes while he still could and took the couple of strides required to open the door.

Miss Marble... He stopped as his brain processed the image before him, eyebrows knotting. ... and Miss Marble as well, I presume?

He looked between the two women in front of him. Short, with bob-cut, blond hair and glaring green eyes. Identical twins.

Bella Marble, one said, lifting her hand for him to take. He reached for it, still reprocessing everything in his head.

Hanna Marble, the other said, extending her equally short arm for him to take.

Pleasure, he said. Please, come take a seat.

But neither moved, eyeing him with distrust.

Where’s the Reich’ler? Bella asked.

Dante sighed and did his best not to roll his eyes. I’m Dante Reich. Now please, come in.

He stepped back from the door, waiting for them as patiently as he could while trying to give them a push with his eyes. Finally and together, they stepped into his apartment, allowing him to shut the door behind them.

So, he said as the twins marched past him. They turned their pencil-skirt-and-blazer ensemble around in a sharp snap to sit on the couch. Their eyes showed no emotion, though the lines of their lips were taut with anger and frustration. How can I help you ladies today?

You’d better be able to help, Hanna said.

We’re fucking sick of this, Bella said.

Dante sighed and again tried not to roll his eyes. Well, what exactly is it?

We’re linked.

Dante’s eyebrows raised involuntarily at the statement, said completely in sync. He kept his comment on the irony to himself. Linked as in... telepathically?

Link as in everything, Bella said.

More than twins ever should be, Hanna said.

In ways no one ever should be, Bella said.

You’re going to need to be more specific, if you want my help.

Dante kept his sigh to himself as he glanced between the two, waiting for a clear explanation with disinterest. When they looked between each other for a minute, he did let out his sigh and turned, headed toward the kitchen.

Would you like a glass of water or something? Dante said, calling to them from behind the open door of his fridge. He pulled out his water filter and glanced back at them, waiting. They both watched him, as if expecting him to answer on their behalf. He gave them a moment, and when they didn’t answer, he turned away to fetch his drink. He took his time returning to the couch, stopping to stand in front of them. He always found it near impossible to sit during an appointment.

Well?

No, Hanna hissed.

Bella rolled her eyes at her sister, her jaw tight, and turned  to Dante. Here, she said.

Dante didn’t say anything, taking a sip from his water as the girls on the couch sat there, completely still a moment. Hanna went to protest, but there wasn’t enough time. Whatever Bella was going to do was done, and now, instead of watching two blonde women glare at him from the couch, he stared at two carbon copies of himself.

His glass stayed at his lips a moment as he took in what had just happened. One sat with his white eyebrows raised way up into his white hair, the other glared at him uncomfortably, his white eyes narrowed into slits, his long arms folded tight across his chest.

Oh, Dante said. Linked.

He brought his glass up as the women, now men, sat watching him, waiting for him. He’d had shapeshifters in his apartment before, though they rarely shifted for him. Some were awful at it, struggling like a werewolf into their new body. These women were obviously professionals. He downed half his glass then set it on the separator between the kitchen and the living room. He rolled his shoulders and turned to them.

So, anything you do...

She does, Hannah said, spitting the words like venom.

And likewise, Bella said.

I see, he said. So you’re linked at the molecular level.

We’re completely linked, Bella said.

Untrue. Your speech and actions are completely independent.

Does that make it better? Hanna asked. I mean, easier to fix?

Dante shrugged. I don’t know. I’ve never seen this before.

Hanna growled and crossed her arms tighter, bringing her knees to her chest. Or rather, Dante’s arms, knees, and chest. So you can’t help us, she said. You have no fucking clue what you’re doing.

Dante rolled his eyes, not trying to hide it as he reached for his glass again. He crossed one arm under the other, the glass hovering halfway to his lips. Look, most problems that walk through my door, I never even knew were possible, let alone how to fix them. But there hasn’t been a problem I haven’t been able to fix yet. It’s just a matter of how hard it’s going to be and how much energy it’s going to take.

I doubt he even has the energy, Hanna said. Bella cocked an eyebrow at her, but Dante knew what was coming. They always noticed. Look at him. I mean, look at yourself. He’s sick. She turned to Dante. He kept his face blank and held her gaze. You are sick, aren’t you?

It wasn’t really a question, so Dante didn’t answer it. He did his best to keep his voice level and emotionless. I assure you, my illness will not at all affect my ability to help you.

No, of course not. The real determinant is money. And how much it’s going to cost to pay your medical bills, Hanna said.

The cost, however, did not faze Bella.

We’ll pay anything, she said, ignoring her sister entirely. It was nice that one of them, at least, had the slightest bit of faith in him. Just fix this.

Dante took another drink, finishing the glass, and set it down, watching them the whole time, trying to determine how much he might get out of them. Bella would give him the world if he asked for it, it was Hanna who would hold her back. He’d have to find a balance.

Alright, he said. Let me take a look at this link of yours.

They didn’t question him, which was nice. They just watched him and waited, so he sighed and adjusted himself, closing his eyes so that he didn’t have to stare at himself while he checked the link.

He felt around between them, sensing the power in the air, the different densities of magic which hovered around the room. When he reached the twins, the density hit him like a brick wall.

He could feel the strands of power between them, like trillions upon trillions of tiny fibers strung between each molecule. Strong wires that would take a lot of work to break. He opened his eyes and looked to the women, the feeling of wires and magic density slipping away from him. The twins watched him with his white eyes wide, expectant.

Alright, he said. First of all, if you could go back to normal, or whatever form you prefer, that would be fantastic for my concentration, at the moment.

Hanna nodded, and in a blink, they were the short bob cut blonds again. A tension released in Dante’s chest he hadn’t even noticed was there. He breathed it out, thinking over his options.

This is going to take a lot of energy, he said. I would likely have to cancel my appointments for the next few days. If you want this done tonight, it’s going to need to be worth my while.

And if you don’t do it tonight?

He shrugged. It’s like a wart. I could blast it off in one go, and it might hurt like hell, but it’ll be gone. Or, I could do it once a week and slowly burn it away. I don’t know how long that would take, but the payments would be less. Though honestly, in the long run, you’ll probably be spending more than if you just blasted the link away now.

But you can do it, Bella said. You can get rid of it?

Dante shrugged and nodded. There’s nothing stopping me from doing it. It’s just a very strong link and will be tough to break through. But it’s ordinary magic. Nothing special. Nothing impossible, anyway.

What? Hanna said. What do you mean ordinary magic? Seems pretty rare to me.

Dante sighed. There are two types of magic. White magic, which is completely unpredictable, but not lingering, and black magic. This is black magic, which is just a... substance, let’s say, that you can manipulate to do whatever it is you want it to do. In this case, it’s linking you two together. But it’s the same stuff I’d use to lift a pot across the room or set a fire down the hall. So, no, nothing special, nothing rare.

And why should we trust you? Hanna said, her arms crossed again, her jaw tight.

Don’t roll your eyes. Don’t roll your eyes. Well, it is my job. It is, after all, what warlocks do. Don’t forget, you came to me.

I’ve never trusted witches, Hanna mumbled, turning away from him.

Well, it’s warlock, so...

We don’t have much of a choice, do we? Bella said. She turned to Dante. How much are you thinking?

Week by week, he said, shrugging as he though about it. I could do nine hundred at each visit.

For how many weeks?

Another shrug. I don’t know. About five or six. Could be more, though. Depends on how much time it takes, really.

But you just told us you could do it in one night.

I could, but it would drain me entirely. If I did it week by week, I’d go as far as I could without draining myself, so that I could take on other customers that day or the next.

And so, how much for one night?

Four thousand.

So, four thousand or forty-five hundred, Bella said.

Except it could be more than forty-five, Hanna said. Depending on how much he plans to rip us off.

Then let’s just do it tonight, Bella said. Get this damn thing over with.

Do you have four grand on you? Hanna said, her voice sharp, her nose wrinkling slightly.

I take PayPal or check, Dante said. If that helps.

But you won’t start treatment until we pay you, Bella said. Is that it?

Of course.

They huffed and looked at each other, as if communicating telepathically. Dante watched them, his fingers tapping on his arm, his foot aching to tap, too, though he controlled it. The sun hung low in the sky now, the rays nearly blinding him as they broke between the buildings out his window.

Fine, one said, calling his attention back to them. He shrugged when that was all they said.

Fine what?

Do it tonight, Hanna said. How do we pay you?

Dante tried for a smile, though he was too annoyed to make it genuine, and pulled his Blackberry out of his pocket. PayPal or check.

Hanna sighed, but Bella was already on it. She ripped her phone out and fiddled around with it for a minute until she finally addressed Dante, her nose still pointed toward her phone. What’s your account?

He told her how to find him, and she wasted no more time.

She typed furiously for a moment, then addressed Dante again. Four grand?

As you like.

She typed again, then stopped and looked up, waiting for Dante to react. She must have sent it.

Dante watched her, matching her expectant look, until his phone beeped and he looked to see his new email. He quickly went through the process of accepting the money and depositing it in his account. After a breath, he turned to the girls.

Are you ready, then?

For God’s sake, yes.

This will likely hurt, Dante said. Know that I won’t stop, even if you start screaming. Are you alright with this?

As long as it doesn’t kill us.

Dante nodded. Alright, then. Sit tight.

He took a deep breath as the women sat staring at him. They were trying not to squirm, too well pressed to show discomfort. He sighed and closed his eyes, shaking his hands and stretching his neck before feeling for the link again.

He focused on a non-specific area with a few dozen wires. He could cut them, but the potential for them to reattach would be higher. So he forced his magic in and burst it outward, destroying the wires. He focused on the fraying ends and sent them to their respective owners like a burning fuse. Explode and burn. He tried a bigger area and detonated everything around it so that all the flailing ends caught fire and retreated.

He repeated this, over and over, until his chest started to hurt and his arms shook. He kept his jaw tight, like it might give him energy. He lost strength, but not fast enough to discourage him. He blew through the barricades, feeling their magic dissipating into the air around him, along with his own. Somewhere far away, the twins grunted and held back shouts of pain, but it didn’t matter to him. Nothing matter but the fray of magic, now.

Breathless, and with the last of the strands blasted away, taking every tiny wire left with it, Dante opened his eyes to the women on his couch. They were breathing just as heavy as he was, their hair disheveled, their stick-up-the-ass posture bent and frayed. A bonus he wouldn’t charge them for.

They looked to him, then to each other and, after a moment’s hesitation, Bella changed. Her hair grew a few inches, turned somewhat darker. Her eyes shifted slightly, as did her ears and chin, though her nose stayed the same. Her clothing, too, changed from the pencil skirt to dress pants, from the blazer to a ruffle shirt. Dante realized they weren’t identical twins, they were fraternal. And one of them never got to change back to herself.

Oh dear lord, Bella said. This feels good.

Oh hush now, Hanna said. It hasn’t been that long.

It’s been long enough since I’ve looked at your eyes with my own, she said.

That should do it, Dante said, looking between them as they looked at each other. If you have any problems in the future I’d be glad-

Bella, changing into his double again, cut him off. Hanna then turned into someone he didn’t recognize, and Bella became another person entirely. Dante rolled his eyes. I’d be glad to help you out, should anything... reattach itself.

You’re a genius, Bella said, switching to herself, now easily identifiable. You’re a fucking genius.

We won’t forget this, Hanna said, turning to him too, and getting to her feet. Anything you ever need, you let us know.

Dante shrugged. Your payment was sufficient. You don’t owe me anything else.

Oh, we owe you, Bella said, getting to her feet as well. Anything you ever need. You want money? We’ll sent you customers by the dozens.

By the hundreds.

Dante cringed at the idea of having to deal with hundreds of people, but took the comment for what it was worth, anyway.

That’s very thoughtful of you, he said, trying to edge toward the door. Of course it wouldn’t work. He couldn’t get them out of his apartment with a crowbar.

Bella looked at him a moment, then was back on the couch, holding her head. Actually, I could go for that glass of water you offered earlier.

Except that I offered it earlier and the offer is no longer open, now that I have your money. He sighed and went to the fridge anyway, pulling the filter out before straightening up to get a glass.

He turned back, glass in hand, leaving the filter in case the other sister wanted some, to see Hanna wandering the apartment, like she couldn’t find the front door. He would never get them out.

Here, he said, taking two long strides to Bella to give her the glass. You might feel dizzy for a while, but you’ll be fine. That was a very powerful link. It’s going to take you a while to recover.

I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hanna said, looking at the doors along the wall. The bedrooms, the bathroom, the linen closet. She could pretend to be fine all she liked — the hallway door was on a completely different wall. I feel fine. Come on, Bella, we should leave the poor man be, so he can recuperate. I’m sure that took a lot of energy.

It did, Dante said as Hanna headed for one of the doors. But you’re not going to leave through that door.

She turned to him, an eyebrow cocked. Why? What’s behind this door?

Bella stood up, though shaky. Dante did his best to keep his cool.

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