Prologue
Felicia's POV
16 years ago
I hid while the battle raged around me. My lover Felix had captured the Queen of the Werewolves to kill her unborn pups to weaken the king. Felix wanted the crown, and he was willing to do whatever it took. He had promised to make me his queen even though he had a mate. As the week had gone on and the queen's pups were still living despite the potion, I had concocted to kill them. Felix grew angry with me. Thinking I had done something to make it ineffective, he started taking his anger out on me. First, he just yelled, and then came the slapping. Finally, it was the punch to my face. I don't appreciate being hit. So I escaped.
I left that bastard and prayed for him to fail. Luckily it seemed my prayer had been answered as I watched the battle rage on. I sat among the trees, watching the battle as the queen emerged from the dungeon in half-wolf form. She fiercely fought her way through the rogues. The one I liked followed behind her with their child also fighting back the rogues. He was in love with the queen and had agreed to help Felix to win the heart of his supposed chosen mate. I heard him pleading with the queen to be his. But her heart belonged to the king.
I had fallen for him the first time Felix sent me to give him the potion. His blue eyes mesmerized me. More so than Felix's dead eyes. So when Jeremy was trying to earn his mate's love, my heart broke for him. I may be a dark witch, but that doesn't mean I am heartless.
So now here I was, watching Jeremy fight the rogues for his love. My heart wrenched when I watched him fall wounded as more rogues surrounded him. He had shouted at the ungrateful b***h to run with their child. And she ran, not even looking back. I thought of helping him, but I didn't want Felix to see me.
Eventually, the king's warriors showed up, and I knew the battle would soon be over. I no longer saw where Jeremy was. A flash of silver had me looking at Felix, pointing a gun at the king, his cousin. Then the shot went off, and I watched at my beloved Jeremy pushed the king out of the way and got shot. I wanted to run to him and use my healing powers to save him, but I would have been exposed. I watched through tears as Jeremy took his last breath. I didn't shed a single tear for Felix when the king ripped his head off.
I remained hidden until the royal warriors left momentarily to care for the wounded. I walked to where Jeremy had fallen. Kneeling beside his body, I traced my hand down his cold cheek. I still needed him. I was interrupted by the giant rogue who had been the queen's main captor. He had been the one who had fed her my potion. His name Hugo I think. He laughed roughly above me.
"That dumbass got what he deserved," His deep voice rumbled out.
I stood up and glared at him. "He deserved love and not death," I mumbled.
Hugo rolled his eyes. "Felix was looking for you. He could have used your powers for the battle," He snarled.
"Well, I don't appreciate being struck. So I left," I flipped my black hair back to look at the smelly rogue. "So, what now?"
"I'll just find another gang of rogues to join." He mumbled.
"Or you could help me, and I'll pay you handsomely enough that you can build your own gang," I told him.
"And how do I know that I can trust you?" He asked.
I shrugged, "That is a valid question, Hugo. Can a rogue trust anyone?"
"Touche, witch. What is it you want me to do?"
I pointed to Jeremy's body. "Pick up the body and follow me. I have a car waiting by the highway."
He made a face of disgust and looked at the body. "I don't think so."
"I swear I have money in the car. All you have to do is drop the body in the trunk and be done with me. But if you come with me, I can pay you even more money."
The rogue looked at the body again. "Fine, but if you are lying, I will rip your tongue out." He growled while picking up the body and hefting it over his shoulder.
"Deal," I said and turned towards the trees. "Follow me." We trampled our way through the woods till we got to the highway. The compound hadn't been far from the highway, and I had stashed a car for a clean getaway. "Over here." I found the car behind the bush and opened the door to grabbed the keys. I opened the trunk. "Okay, just put the body in there."
Hugo dropped the body into the trunk and trained his red eyes on me. "Money?"
"Right." I walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. I pulled out my bag and a wad of cash. "I think that is around $1000. As I said, there is more if you come with me."
Hugo swiped the money from my hand and quickly counted it. "So, you weren't lying. Damn, I was hoping to have lying witch tongue for dinner." He looked at me. "How much more?"
"Enough to start your own gang," I replied to him as he pondered. He looked towards the woods. "I bet the royal warriors will be back to look for any escaped rogues. I am sure they won't hesitate to kill any they find."
He growled and wrinkled his nose. "Well, f**k. I guess I have nothing to lose. And if you are lying-"
"You'll have my tongue for dinner. Got you." I smirked and walked to the driver's side, and got into the car. On cue, Hugo got into the passenger side as I started the car. As soon as he shut the door, I put the car into drive and drove off towards my family home.
In a little over two hours, we arrived at my family's home. Hugo seemed to look around with wide-eyed wonder. "Do you like it?" I asked him. It was an old southern-style mansion complete with white columns and a wrap-around porch. There were also several other buildings surrounding it, almost like it had its own town.
"How come we were stuck in that dirty compound when you had this all along?" He grumbled.
I shrugged. "Felix never asked." I parked the car around the back of the house. I pointed at the trunk. "Okay, grab the body."
Hugo, still looking around, complied, and hefted Jeremy's body over his shoulder. "This thing stinks."
"Well, it is a dead body, Hugo. They often stink." I snorted as I lead the way into the house. The back door leads into the large kitchen. It was laid out for a whole staff to work in. There was a walk-in freezer, and I opened it. "Okay, set him in there."
Hugo complied. "Now what?"
"Well, I pay you. Come along." I beckoned him out of the freezer and led him through the house.
"Is there someone living here? Because this place is too clean to be abandoned."
I laughed. "There are enchantments on the house, so it cleans itself," I said as I opened a door that leads down into a basement where we carried out most of our rituals.
Hugo paused at the top of the stairs. No doubt using his wolfly sense of smell. He smelt death and all the potions. "I am not going down there."
"Then you won't get paid." I glared at him.
He took a deep breath and started following me.
"I have no intention to kill you," I told him as we climbed down the stairs. We reached the bottom floor, and it was a large room with bookshelf after bookshelf filled with potion ingredients, spell books, and other trinkets my coven used. I lead him towards a large vault door. I picked up a needle from a shelf beside the door and pricked my finger. I squeezed a drop of blood on a pad beside the door while chanting a spell. The door hissed and opened, leading us into a vault where my family held our most expensive and valuable items. We even had the blood of several red wolves stored in here. Hugo followed me in and eyed the jewels and other things. I opened another door that was a large walk-in closet with nothing but stacks and stacks of money. Hugo's jaw dropped. I stood in front of the money. "So, here is the game plan. You can stay here and help me and use the outer houses to build your gang. Or I'll give you some money, and you can be on your way."
"What do I have to do to help you?" He asked.
I ran my fingers over the money. "Here is the truth. Right after Felix betrayed me, and I ran. The king of demons contacted me," Hugo gave me a look of disbelief. "He, like all of the other demons, still reside in Hell or the underworld. Whatever you wolves call it. He and the demons intend to rise and take over this realm. But they need help here. He wants me to build him an army of supernaturals to counter the army the Goddess Selene is building," I explained. "Are you loyal to Selene?"
He shook his head. "I lost all faith in that b***h when my entire family was murdered."
"Good, so if you help me recruit rogues and other supernaturals, I will pay you handsomely. The demon king promised those of us who help would be sparred after they win this realm. You all can live in the outer houses they are quite nice, I might add. I may also need you to run errands for me."
He was pondering the proposal. "Can I be a leader?"
"Sure, whatever you want. Can you train?"
He nodded. "I am of beta blood, miss, and my father trained me as a boy."
"Good. So is it a deal?"
He held out his dirty hand. "Deal."
I walked out of the vault and handed him a stack of cash. "Now, you are free for now to go shower and get some food. I need to prepare for my ritual."
He nodded. "Is there anything you need right now?"
"No."
"One more question." He said as we walked towards the stairs.
"Shoot."
"How did the demon king contact you if he is stuck in hell?" Hugo asked.
I laughed. "Demons and dark witches are closely connected. He contacted me in my sleep if you must know." We walked up the stairs, and I led him through the house to another set of stairs and pointed. "There are bathrooms up there with showers, and there are clothes in the closets. Hopefully, you find some that fit you." I instructed. "And there is plenty of food in the kitchen. Now I have to prepare for my ritual."
Hugo nodded. "Thank you, Felicia."
I turned to him. "You remember my name? Felix rarely ever used it. I was just the witch to him."
"I have a knack for remembering names," Hugo said with a smile that made him almost handsome. He then started up the stairs. "Call me when you need me next."
Hours later, I was in the basement with Hugo. We had Jeremy's corpse laid out on a table naked while I had brewed up the potion I needed to resurrect him. I had put on my cloak for the ritual and lit all the candles laid out in the pentagram pattern. I began to chant the spell I had been taught. I had never practiced necromancy, even though it was something my father's family specialized in. But I had seen the rituals. The Demon King gave me instructions on how to do this." Thunder shook the house as I went through the ritual. The candles flickered, and the stench of death filled the room. I reach the end of the chant, and still, nothing had happened. Jeremy was still as death.
"Damn," I mumbled. "I think I did that wrong." Hugo was standing in the corner of the room, looking afraid. I was about to give up when Hugo pointed at the body. The fingers and toes were twitching then his arms began to move. I approached him as his eyes opened. I was expecting blue eyes, but they were blood red. Then he sat up and closed his eyes and opened them to blue ones.
"Jemma?"
I glared at the naked form. "Felicia."
The eyes flashed to red again. "Ah yes, Felicia," A different, deeper, more sinister voice came out of Jeremy's mouth. "My name is Murdoch, and my king has sent me."
Jeremy's POV
I had just woken up in Hell. I knew I was going to Hell as I lay dying talking to King Cassius. My life flashed through my eyes as I closed my eyes upon death. All of the bad I did was highlighted to remind me why I was here. I was being tortured day in and day out by laughing demons. I had always thought everyone got specific tortures, but I was with thousands experiencing the same torture, and I felt everything like I had been alive.
It felt like I had been here for a million years when a demon pulled me out of the torture one day. "Jeremy Warner?" The demon asked.
He was all black with scales covering his slender body. A snake-like tongue slithered out of his fanged mouth. His eyes were pure red, and red horns curled out of his head.
I flinched as his clawed hand touched my bare shoulder. "Y-yes? Have you come to give my personal torture?"
The demon hissed laughter at me. "No, actually, I came to offer you a deal. My name is Murdoch, and I work for the Demon King. He needs me to go to the earthly realm to recruit an army to fight with him so we demons can rise and retake what is ours. He knows of your connection to the king of werewolves. So he has prepared to offer a deal."
I listened to the demon. "What sort of deal?"
"You will be resurrected and once again live upon the earthly realm. You may do what you wish as long as you recruit and train the supernaturals."
"And how will I do that? I no longer have a wolf. I will just be a mere human."
"You will have me. I will possess your body and lend you some of my powers. You will be faster and stronger than any werewolf ever was."
"That's intriguing."
"I will also help you get the one you love."
"How do you know about her?"
He shrugged and flicked his tongue. "I don't, but the Demon King does. If you help him, he will award you her to you."
I sighed. Felix had offered the same thing, but Jemma was still stuck on the king. "Felix already tried that it didn't work."
"Well, the Demon King is not some weak wolf-like Felix was. He does not break his promises. Now work with us and live again or suffer worse than you do now." The demon growled.
I shrugged. "What the Hell. I have nothing to lose. Deal."
The demon cackled loudly. "Good. Come with me. The ritual is almost complete." He leads me away from the torture to a darker part of Hell towards what looked like a glowing door. He stopped and turned to me. "I must now possess you. It will be like you have your wolf back but better." He sneered. "Stand still."
I stood as he walked behind me, and then I felt his body merging with mine, and it reminded me of my first shift into a wolf. The pain was immense as I felt the demon merging with my body then it was over.
'Now, just step through the door.'
At first, my legs wouldn't work. 'How come I can't move.'
'Oh, sorry. It's been a while since I possessed anyone. Okay, you should have control of your body now.' He laughed.
Sighing, I took a few tentative steps, and the next thing I knew, I was walking through the glowing door. I closed my eyes as the light was blinding. Then I could smell death and all sort of things. I hadn't had the sense of smell while in Hell. But now I could hear a female voice as I realized I was no longer in Hell.
'Just open your eyes.' Murdoch encouraged me.
I felt my fingers and toes wiggly. But I couldn't open my eyes. 'I can't open my eyes.'
'Oh, for f**k sake. I'll do it.' I felt the demon surge forth, and then my eyes opened. I wasn't in control, and it reminded me of having Rex take control. 'I am not your wolf i***t. Quit comparing us.'
'Wait, you can read my mind?'
'I am in your mind, so yes.'
I sighed, and the demon made my body sit up. For a moment, he pulled back control, and I closed my eyes and opened them again and looked at a woman standing near me. She looked vaguely familiar, but there was only one name on my mind, and I spoke. "Jemma?"
'Do I have to do everything?' Murdoch snarled. He surged forward and took over my body while I had to stay back and watch. "Ah yes, Felicia." His voice slithered out of my mouth. "My name is Murdoch, and my king has sent me."
She instantly bowed to me.
"No need to bow," Murdoch said to her. "But please get me some clothes. That male wolf is gaping entirely too creepily at my human penis."
The wolf growled as Felicia waved him away.
"Is it just you in the body, Murdoch?"
"No, I possess this human. I will give him back control now." My eyes closed again, and when I opened them, Felicia had clothes in her hands.
"Here, let me help you stand. It may be hard as your body has been dead for days. It may be stiff."
With Murdoch's strength, I found myself able to stand up easily, and I took the opportunity to stride around the room we were in. I felt stronger than I ever had. I could see sharper and hear everything. Even more than when I had a wolf. "Wow, this is awesome." I proclaimed. I turned to see Felicia smiling at me while checking out my body. I then remembered I was completely naked.
She smiled and handed me the clothes. "Being possessed by a demon suits you, Jeremy."
"You remember my name?"
"I remember a lot of things about you," She said as she leaned into me. Her scent was intoxicating, and I had to admit she was quite attractive with her long black hair and symmetrical face. She was wearing a long black cloak, but I could see her curvy body underneath it. She smirked and looked down.
I nearly blushed when I realized I was getting a hard on. "Sorry." I covered my happy c**k.
She shook her head. "We can fix that later. But for now, get dressed and then meet me upstairs for something to eat. You need to refuel your body." She handed me the clothes and then walked out of the basement with a male wolf behind her. He looked familiar too.
I put on the clothes, just a pair of black sweatpants and a black tank top. Then my stomach rumbled. 'What sort of food do you like, Murdoch?'
'I'm a demon from Hell. I haven't ever eaten any earth food.'
'Right,' I responded and ran up the stairs and followed my nose down the hall of this large house to a kitchen. Felicia was plating somewhat looks like pork chops with mashed potatoes and veggies. My mouth watered both at the food and Felicia. She was now wearing a tight red dress that accentuated her curves. "That looks delicious," I said as I sat on a stool at a counter. The familiar male wolf sat beside me. I looked him up and down and remembered who he was. He was Jemma's jailer. The one who had to watch her eat her meals. "You were Jemma's jailer."
He nodded. He looked different and smelled different. He had shaved off his scraggly beard and was now wearing clean clothes and looked almost civil. "Hugo."
"Right." I held out my hand. "Jeremy."
"I know." He snarled as Felicia set plates of food before us. He dug into the food.
I dug into the food also and heard Murdoch murmur in my head. 'Can you taste this?'
'I feel everything you do.' He replied.
'That's creepy.'
'A wolf once possessed you, and this is creepy?'
'I guess it will take some time to get used to.'
We finished the food and sat for a moment at the counter. I felt Murdoch surge forward again. "I need to explain the game plan to you, Felicia." His voice spoke out of my mouth.
Hugo stiffened and stared at me with fear while Felicia flipped her hair and fluttered her eyes. I looked at the wolf. "Oh, look, big bad wolf is scared." Murdoch cackled with my voice. He turned back to Felicia. "Anyways, as the king explained to you. We need to recruit as many supernaturals as we can. It may take years as we train them and make sure they are the strongest they can be to go up against Selene's army."
"I understood that part," Felicia replied.
"And in the end, when we win, you will be rewarded with immortality."
She smiled. "I also want to be proclaimed queen of the spellcasters. My family line is far stronger than Tuatha's, and I deserve to lead."
"Whatever you want, princess," Murdoch grinned at her. He turned my head to look at Hugo. "Are you here to help us, wolf?"
"Yes. I will be recruiting and training the wolves."
"Fine. So that is the plan. The king will communicate anything else through me. If either of you fails, you will suffer horribly." Murdoch warned and then yielded control back to me.
I shook my head and looked at them.
"Well, we all need to get a good night's sleep. Our work begins tomorrow." Felicia said while giving me a seductive smile. Hugo got up from the counter. "You can sleep in any room you wish, Hugo. Except for the one on the third floor. That one is mine."
He nodded and walked out of the kitchen.
Felicia turned her sexy face to me and held out her hand. "Care to have me help you to bed?"
'I want a piece of that.' Murdoch said in my head.
"Sure," I replied and clasped her hand. She then led me up to her room and started taking off her dress. 'Okay, Murdoch. Let's get us some of that.' I said to the demon as I took possession of Felicia's body.
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