Free whiskey witches 01 - whisky witches by s m blooding Page A

decided to summon demons to be released on the city in search of those demons.”
    “The difference, Grandma,” Paige said, her voice sharp as she daggered the old witch with her gaze, “was that mine were under my control.”
    “As they destroyed innocent lives all over town.”
    “There’s one thing you can bet.” Paige advance on her grandmother, her jaw clenched. “If a demon went after a person, they weren’t innocent. They were either guilty of something or had the potential to be guilty of something truly horrific.”
    Dexx took a step back, one hand out. “Thoughtcrime. You’re talking about thoughtcrime?”
    “No. Demons don’t exist only in this time. Hell is . . . it’s the future, the past, the present. They see the damage people can inflict.”
    “There were children,” Alma yelled.
    “Ignorance doesn’t make someone less evil, Grandma. I’ve seen what ‘children’ can do to people. They’re almost worse because they don’t understand the concept of consequences.”
    “I can’t believe I’m listening to this.” Alma covered her ears with her gnarled fingers. “You’re defending them? The demons? Against children.”
    “I believe they had a reason for what they did.”
    “They’re evil.”
    “Evil is in the eye of the beholder. It just means you haven’t seen the true ugliness of humanity yet.”
    “And you have?”
    A worn sense of knowing filled Paige’s heart. The anger, and all the energy it brought, dissipated. “Yes.”
    Tru’s eyes darted between the two Whiskey women. “Okay. So, what do we have in St. Francisville? What’s the great plan here? Why’d they need her wobbly and dysfunctional?”
    Paige could always count on Tru to defuse a Whiskey emotion-bomb. After spending the last thirteen years with Alma, Leslie, two kids, Paige and Leah for a short time, and Rachel for an even shorter time, the man was practically a saint.
    “Lucius,” Dexx said simply.
    Alma sucked in her cheeks, her lips pursed, then dragged her attention to the hunter, allowing herself to be defused. Her demeanor said she wasn’t done yet. “What is he?”
    “The guardian to the Gates of Heaven and Hell,” Paige said. “Born a man, given life eternal if he guarded the Gate.”
    Alma slid her good eye Paige’s way.
    “He was killed here about a hundred years ago. I’m connecting with him. It’s my guess, the killer needs Lucius’ soul to either open or power the key so he can open the gate.”
    “To what end?”
    “It really depends on who our killer is.”
    Tru’s square face filled with overload. “We’re talking about the gate, here right? Like it opens and there’s a legion of demons killing, maiming, pillaging.”
    “They’re not pirates,” Paige said.
    “No,” Dexx said with mock concern, batting his bright green eyes at Paige. “They’re healers who can’t help themselves but to love and heal and bring happy thoughts to the world of Man.”
    “Self-responsibility, asshole. They don’t give a rat’s ass about happy thoughts.”
    Dexx flicked his eyebrows. “So, now we have Paige out of commission and not keeping the demon population down. We’ve got a ‘guardian guy’ trapped somewhere around here. We’ve got a key to Hell, and we don’t know if the murderer is trying to free Lucius to use him, or if the murderer is being used by Lucius.”
    Alma flattened her lips, her gaze focused inward.
    “And, if that weren’t enough,” Dexx continued. “Someone knows about Pea’s gift and set a trap. I’m almost entirely certain. Like ninety-nine percent—no. Like ninety-nine point nine nine percent certain the mandala was charged to trap you, to use you to get Luce out.”
    “Yeah,” Paige said quietly. “Good bet.”
    The group was silent for a long moment.
    Tru clasped his closed hands together. “Well, that’s all very optimistic. Go team. Rahr.”

“A CTUALLY, I BELIEVE the killer wants to use Lucius.” Paige didn’t know exactly how she knew