Jennifer Lyon - Soul Magic

For all my readers
who believe in witches and Wing Slayer Hunters,
I tried to make these characters worthy of you!

Sex wasnt working for him anymore.

Sutton West leaned against a black acrylic bar etched in fiery red lights. The nightclub, Axel of Evil, had a whole hellish theme going on. The music pounded, the colored strobe lights flashed, and the smell of sweat and alcohol permeated the room.

It was last call.

A few mortal women lingered on the dance floor, and some witch hunters lounged by the two fire pits watching them with pointed interest.

Sutton returned his attention to the dancers, looking for one to take to bed to ease the pain of his cravings. He spotted a woman with long, shimmering black hair, chocolate eyes, and long legs. His interest barely stirred.

He shifted his gaze to the two blondes, one in a yellow dress, the other in tight jeans and a black top. Both were hot, but when another man walked up and started dancing with them, he moved on without a stitch of regret.

One redhead stood out. She was taller and curvier, and she danced with her whole body. She practically burned up the dance floor. He watched her the longest since she was his usual typea woman who threw herself into life with untamed enthusiasm.

Sutton had an absolute rule about women: They were helping him beat back the curse, and he would treat them with the respect they deserved. The redhead deserved more than he had to give tonight, and he looked around the club again. This lack of interest in sex worried him. Sex was how the hunters controlled their compulsion for witch blood. If they gave in to the compulsion and killed a witch, they lost their souls and went rogueliving only for the next fix of witch blood. For Sutton, losing interest in sex meant the curse was getting a foothold in him. Hed touched the blood of a witch, and now he was on the edge of losing control. He tightened his jaw in determination. Never . Hed never give in to the curse. His father had set the standard, and Sutton would live up to it.

Which meant hed die before he let the curse win and take his soul.

Pushing his dark thoughts aside, he focused on the three men returning from hunting rogues. Key and Phoenix went to report to Axel, while Linc headed toward him.

Linc was one of their two candidates set to be inducted into the Wing Slayer Hunters. They both had the outline of their wings tattooed on their bodies: Linc Dillinger had chosen a falcon and Brigg Cusack had chosen a crow.

Now they all waited. Each of the two men was preparing to face a test that would prove him loyal to the Wing Slayer. The test was an unknown, but Axel Locke, their leader, would recognize it when it happened.

Linc came to a stop next to Sutton with barely a whisper from the perfectly cut slacks and coat over an open-collared shirt. His rich brown hair was expertly tousled. His gold eyes were dark and troubled under the pulsing strobe lights. You heard anything from Brigg?

Sutton shook his head. Brigg had left the club two nights ago and evidently no one had seen him since.

I looked for him tonight. I couldnt find anything, not a goddamned trace of him. Its not like him to just vanish like this.

The tension of waiting for their mysterious test was taking a toll on both men. Maybe he found a party and hasnt come up for air. They all had their times when the curse drove them to extremes. Sutton took himself off to the most isolated spots he could reach. He climbed, hiked, ran, and swam trying like hell to sweat out the curse. Then hed return to civilization and find a willing woman. As many as it took.

He should have checked in, Linc said.

He silently agreed. It was giving him a bad feeling, too. Could be getting cold feet about becoming a Wing Slayer Hunter. Itll make him a target for the rogues. The Wing Slayer had created the witch hunters to hunt and kill demon witches while protecting innocent earth witches. Because the Wing Slayer was half demon and half god, invoking his god powers required complete and total acknowledgment from his witch hunters that he was their god. The demon Asmodeus had his demon witches cast the curse to break the bond between the Wing Slayer and his hunters so he could gain power on earth. It had been working until the five of them recommitted to the Wing Slayer, reinstating his god powers.

Linc shook his head. No. Brigg is hard-core about passing the test and getting fully winged at the Ceremony of Induction. We both are. We want to vow our allegiance to the Wing Slayer, take our oath to protect the innocent, and never give in to the curse.

Might be that Brigg is facing his test now, he pointed out. There are some things a man has to do alone. Sutton knew the man was really worried about Brigg, but under that was the resentment that Brigg might be facing his test and would be ready to take his wings first.

Linc let the silence stretch out, then he shrugged, looked around, and said, Any claims on that redhead? He tilted his head to the woman Sutton had noticed earlier.