Her real name was Rosa Medina Delgado but as a powerful white witch she preferred the nickname “Rosa el Blanco” or Rosa the White. And when a woman was as powerful as she was, people would use whatever name she wanted. Her friend’s smile only barely lifted her chocolate-colored lips. Secretly, she’d never been jealous of Rosa; however, she didn’t mind openly telling Rosa how gorgeous she was. Rosa had skin the color of cream mixed with dark cocoa. Her long black hair and dark eyes only accentuated her Spanish ancestry.

Lily smiled as she opened the gift. Inside was a bracelet surrounded by velvet lining. Warmth and positive energy flowed from the bracelet. The aura around the bracelet radiated power and white magic. The band was silver and laden with different sized hoops that jingled as she lifted it out of the box. Red and green gems added a vibrant color to the otherwise unusual piece.

“What is this?”

Rosa’s cheeks flushed as everyone turned to her. In a strong voice, laced with rolling “r’s” and fluid letters, she said, “A true charm bracelet. I have bespelled it to help protect you from dark magic.”

From the corner of her eye, Lily watched her sister Chloe grimace and pressed a hand to her stomach. Lily knew that look, that response—she had a bad feeling. While Lily didn’t have the magic “feelings” that her sister did, she too felt an ominous presence.

“Why would I need that?” The feeling triggered thoughts of her recent dreams. Dreams of a strange, dark man centered on a throne, surrounded by an evil so potent, she woke up screaming in terror.

The corner of her lip lifted into a half-smile. “Just in case.”

Lily wanted to know more about the vague words but for the life of her she couldn’t think of the right questions to ask, so she left it alone. As everyone came to hug her and give her kisses, she put on a bright smile. The goodbyes came and went and soon so did her friends.

Lily sighed as silence greeted her. A breeze blew by making goose bumps pop up on her arms. She rubbed at them as she surveyed the damage. Her yard was a disaster. Silly string, streamers, and now wrapping paper littered her pretty little yard. She got to work cleaning it, putting away her gifts, before she finally went to her favorite place—her laboratory.

When Papa died, he left this house to her in his will. There had never been any doubt who’d get the house situated in one of the most magical cities in the world—New Orleans, Louisiana. While the house was actually several miles outside of the city in the more rural area, Lily just loved being here. Even without the house, she felt at home in Louisiana.

The house itself was Victorian-style with several acres of rich green grass, bushes, and wild flowers. Though, her sisters would argue that those “wild flowers” were really just weeds.

Lily made her way to the laboratory, which sat on the second floor secluded in the back of the house down a short hallway with only the single door on it. Her sisters laughed at her “laboratory” but Lily loved it; it was her second home inside her home.

She chuckled as she went inside and hit the lights. “And this is where the magic happens.”

The lab was a decent-sized space with tall wooden bookcases against the walls and three equally tall windows that let in plenty of sunlight. A large rectangular workbench in the middle was the focal point that instantly drew the eye of whoever entered.

She had a carpenter craft the bench specifically to her taste. The wood was dark mahogany, the four legs each carved with beautiful designs of English Ivy. The table’s undercarriage housed many of the goodies her cabinet space couldn’t fit including spells, exotic oils, grasses, woods, and furs.

She nibbled her lip as she set about creating a new flask—one for herself. She couldn’t help but feel like a cheat using her own goodies for herself, but it had to be done. The dreams had been growing steadier for months now, growing darker. In her whole life, she’d never had a dream that she couldn’t eventually interpret, that did or did not come true, but for months she’d been without an answer. Besides the potion made her feel good—really good. Tonight she would have none of those haunting nightmares. She cranked on the stove and started boiling purified water, lavender, and slowly added in honey and milk.

“Ah, what the hell.” She tossed in some crushed chamomile leaves, scullcap, and Linden flowers. Tonight she’d sleep like the dead.

And she needed to sleep good tonight, because tomorrow she was going to see a demon.

The letter was worn from being gripped too many times, too tightly. Telal finished reading it with a grimace that had everything to do with one man who'd changed his life for the worse. Francis Bellum. Carefully, he folded the letter back up and put it in the thick envelope it came in.

Two knocks sounded at the door, and then his person guardsman came in. “It's time, Sir.” Decked out in full SWAT gear including a Kevlar vest, pistols, and something not typical—a silver blade, Kearnyn was anything but a normal officer. Formerly he worked as an Atal Warrior under Tyrian en Kulev, but when Telal met him he'd liked his intelligence and persuaded him to come work for him. It'd been one of his better investments.

Telal stood from his desk and met Kearnyn in the center of the room. He laid his hand on his shoulder and let his powers take them. The room around them dissolved like grains of fine sand sliding down through an hourglass. It took only a second, maybe two, and a new room materialized, each of the grains falling into place, forming Tyrian en Kulev's study.

The vampire commander stood at a tall arched window staring out into the evening sky. He turned as he materialized, one side of his mouth curled up.

“On time. I'm surprised.”

As Kearnyn went to stand against the wall, arms crossed, eyes forward, Telal took a seat in a high-backed chair by the massive stone fireplace. “I can manage to be on time if I wish.”

Tyrian took the seat next to him. Telal smirked at the green smudge on his pale cheek.

“Busy night?”

Tyrian's brow lifted in surprise, then he chuckled and wiped his thumb along the smudge. “We were at Lily's tonight.”

In an instant, his body tightened. Tyrian watched him with a hawk's eye as if he were trying to note his reaction to the succubus. It was of no matter to him, she meant nothing. Instead of replying, he simply made a grunting sound in his throat. Tyrian's lips pulled into a wider grin now.

“Since you're curious, I'll tell you about it.”

“I'm not—” he interjected.

“We went to Lily's home today to celebrate her twenty-ninth birthday.”

Well if that didn't just cut him off. He had to be wrong; that made no sense. He opened his mouth to ask, and then shut it. What did he care about her business? I don't. Fuck it, if he wanted to know he'd ask.

“Her birthday isn't for another month.” And he damned well knew, had been practically counting the days to that fool's birthday since her father sent him that will. His eyes flicked to the moon just starting to show outside. Its silver shade against the blue sky could almost he beautiful, if it didn't remind him of the new moon.

“Yes, well, apparently she wanted to celebrate it early.”

“Why?” Bloody hell, he shouldn't ask any more questions. He already knew that this woman would only hinder him; after all, that he'd worked towards, all the progress he'd made, now she would come into his life at the worst possible time. Soon he'd secure the rift and let his people, once again, travel above.

Tyrian shrugged a strong shoulder. “You'd have to ask Chloe, I'm sure she knows. I'm surprised she didn't invite you.” Tyrian peered at him with those questioning eyes, trying to find an answer that he'd never get.