Free The Witch's Desire by Elle James Page A

demon at the bar stopped moving and stared at Cal with his hand around the demon’s throat.
    Blaise chuckled behind him. “The human doesn’t know what he’s got himself into.”
    â€œWe don’t take kindly to human intervention,” a waitress said, setting her tray on the counter. She waved her hand and Cal flew backward, slid across a tabletop and landed in the laps of two female demons who giggled and pressed kisses to his face.
    Demi’s heart stuttered. She wanted to drop back and check Cal to see if he was okay, but she kept her cool, though she raged inside. “That was my human you just tossed aside.”
    The waitress lifted her tray and started loading it with drinks, unaffected by having just thrown a man. “Good, then get him out of here before I do the same to you.”
    Demi drew into herself, calling on the goddesses to make her strong, to use the world around her to help her protect the man she loved and find the witness needed to put a dangerous vampire away for good.
    The floor beneath the waitress shifted. The glasses full of wine and cocktails tilted and splashed over the front of her blouse. “Now you’ve done it!” She slammed the full tray on the counter.
    When she started to lift her arms, the palm tree beside her smacked her face with its fronds as its roots swirled up the waitress’s legs, tying her arms to her sides. “Hey!”
    The palm slapped her face again as her hands were cinched to her sides.
    Demi stood firm, refusing to let the overwhelming number of demons in the room intimidate her. “If anyone knows where Ursula Rusu is, speak now.”
    The first demon who had bothered her laughed. “Or what? You’ll tie us all up in vines?” He took a menacing step forward. “That will take a lot of vines and there are more of us than you. Take your human and leave while you can.”
    â€œLook, nobody needs to get hurt.” Cal stepped up beside Demi, his gun drawn. “We’ll leave just as soon as someone tells us where Ursula Rusu is, or who she left with. Her life depends on us finding her.”
    â€œYou had your chance, human.” The demon squeezed his hand and raised his arm.
    Cal clutched at this throat, his face turning red, then he rose from the ground until his feet dangled in the air.
    Her own throat constricting, Demi lunged for Cal. Another demon grabbed her from behind and pinned her to his chest. “You’re killing him!” she yelled.
    The demon laughed. “That’s the idea.”
    Cal aimed the gun at the laughing demon and pulled the trigger.
    Demi flinched, expecting to see the demon fall to the floor. Instead the bullet flattened against an invisible wall and fell harmlessly to the ground.
    Cal dropped his weapon and with both hands grabbing for his throat, his face began to turn an alarming shade of purple. Soon, his struggles grew weaker.
    â€œLet go of him!” Demi drew on the strength of the goddesses and sent a rush of vines skittering across the floor toward the demon terrorizing Cal, but the vines ran against the invisible wall before they reached him.
    â€œEnough, Felix.” Blaise stepped between Cal and the demon killing him. “You’ve proved your point. We have what we need.”
    â€œYou’re with them?” Felix’s lip curled. “First you’re working with the human police, then you take up with a Halfling and now you’re protecting a human?” Felix unclenched his fist. “Such a disappointment.”
    Cal fell to the floor, gasping.
    The demon holding Demi let go of her and she dropped to her knees beside Cal, her heart aching. “Are you all right?”
    â€œI’m fine,” he said, his voice raw and hoarse.
    â€œLet me help you up.” She grabbed his arm and tried to lift him to his feet.
    â€œI said
I’m fine
.” He resisted her efforts to help and pushed her aside. Then he