Dark Temptation

[ Addison Kingsley ] Calm down, Addy. I scolded myself as my hands shook reloading the revolver, muttering a word of enchantment as I slipped the cold iron bullets into the chamber. The inscription I'd carved into the primer shone, a small grin of excitement spreading on my lips, as it always did when my magic worked. I set the loaded gun aside on my workbench, the overhead lights buzzing was a comforting sound as I continued to work in my small workshop attached to my cabin. A witch's job was simple - find the demons who have escaped hell, and send the fuckers back. An enchanted bullet to the brain or heart usually worked well on the less powerful ones, but tonight, I was hunting bigger fish. I looked over my computer screen, the maps, camera feeds I'd hacked into and some personnel files of humans who worked for the man I was looking for. I had two images, his current form - tall, dark-haired and well-dressed - and his true form - a hulking beast with charcoal skin and overlapping razor-sharp teeth. Demons could look like a human, a simple glamour and they moved amongst us like everyday people, going unseen and their cruelty hidden behind closed doors. Many had made themselves quite wealthy, like my current target, through crime or exploitation - some even selling demonic secrets to government and private agencies. Xorax was that kind of demon. He'd sold his blood magic to a private militia, wiping out an entire village in Peru for mining and land rights. The way he'd killed them all was eerily similar, though many demons killed in the same fashion. Violent and bloody. I shook my head, clearing it of the hollow screams starting to build and pushed myself to my feet. It was time to go. I holstered my revolver at my hip and a backup snub nose in my boot, covering it with my black jeans. Tying my grey hair off my neck into a tight bun, I grabbed my bike keys and locked up my shed. Old and rotted wood, broken windows and a small wooden cabin that looked like it'd been through hell. I took a deep breath in comfort, the smell of rain and dense forest that surrounded me like a shield filling my nose and lungs. Ah, home. I thought, trekking through the fresh slick of mud that covered the dirt and moss grass ground of my land, mounting the black and red Harley Davidson - the only thing that looked loved and cared for. She roared to life, making me smile as I pulled my helmet on, checking my GPS tracker to ensure Xorax was at the Kitty Kat Lounge. Ugh. I groaned internally; of course, he was at the strip club. I kicked my stand and leaned into my bike, weaving through the trees for a few minutes before I came to the abandoned hiking trails. Following those, I hit the main road, gunning for Raven Falls. The town had been peaceful once, but demons seemed to flock here like it was Las Vegas, resulting in a vast expansion of the once small country town to a sprawling metropolis. I sped through the streets, a cloak of glamour concealing me as I stopped a few blocks away from the Lounge and climbed the fire escape of the building I'd parked behind. I waited for a few moments, scouting the lookouts and any guards, counting six. They'd be easy to deal with; most looked low-level in comparison to their boss. I scanned the area, looking for a way in that wouldn't require the front door. Metal detectors and ID scanners are too much hassle and a waste of spells to slip through. I moved across, leaping from one building to the next, using magic to silence my landing. Shit. The back door is coded. I could crack it, but there was a decent amount of lighting on the alleyway, some of the dancers leaning against the cold stone chatting and smoking before they'd head back inside, and a new group would exit, seeming to be on a near-constant rotation. I'd be seen instantly and I wasn't in the job of killing innocents. I pursed my lips in annoyance. Guess it's the roof. I sighed to myself, covering myself with magic and took a running start. Magic don't fail me now. I prayed as I threw myself into a run across the rooftop, stepping and leaping, using another burst of magic to propel me across the street. I felt something inside of me, like a candle being snuffed out. "No, no, no- shitfuckow!" My magic failed as I landed, causing me to lurch forward, rolling harshly and my head smashed into the solid concrete. Get up, Addison! I shouted at myself, my head fuzzy and my body heavy from the impact. Addison, GET UP! I tried to get to my feet, my body shaking from the expenditure of magic and the backfire of its failure. Fuck. Someone grabbed the back of my jacket, yanking me to my feet. Clearly, they'd heard my smooth-as-s**t landing. "Look what we got here boys," a voice of gravel sneered, blazing red eyes like pure hell fire meeting my silver ones as I was raised off the group. "A little witch who can't control her magic," he gave me a mocking look of pity. "What's wrong, little witch? Didn't have a mentor?" The words burned fire in my veins, clearing my head and igniting my magic again like a crack of lightning. My eyes snapped to the demon before me, though he wasn't my target - he was in my way. As were the other four behind him. I smiled, cold and cruel. "You're all so f*****g dead," His eyes narrowed in confusion before I clenched my fists, threw my hands out to my side and unleashed a scream. The skies answered my call of magic, a bolt of lightning striking me, charging through the demon who held me. I screamed again and they disintegrated to ash with an arc of blessed lightning streaking through them, striking three of them down. I fell to my knees, breathing heavily and my skin sparked with crackles of electricity as I stood, drawing my gun. "Now," I sneered to the last demon alive, pointing my gun at his head as he looked over the ash piles of his friends. His dark black eyes snapped to mine, a shine of fear going through them as I pulled the hammer back. "Where's your boss?"