Lesbian Paranormal Romance | Fiction
Her Witch, Her Demon: Episode 1
Two young witches have fun at a supernatural nightclub until it’s not so fun anymore
It was 9:00 PM.
Meredith Huang should be lost in the plot of a steamy romance novel or locked in the basement practicing magic like a proper witch or engrossed in the tiniest detail of her painting in progress. Meredith Huang should be home. Period. Instead, here she was with her best friend, Alicia, in a secluded part of town. A man in a black suit blocked their path, glaring at Meredith with fiery red eyes.
“She’s with me, Borg.” Alicia’s smile softened the bouncer’s glower. He nodded and opened the door.
Getting past the door, everything overwhelmed Meredith’s senses at once. Booming electronic dance music hammered her eardrums. The smell of blood, alcohol, and sex stabbed her nostrils, while the heat from so many bodies in one place scorched her skin. She clenched her jaws, feeling a slight headache taking over. But at this moment, headaches were the least of her problems. People… creatures… of all kinds, filled every inch of the club. They danced, and drank, and kissed, and stripped, and… holy witch, was that an orgy on stage? She blinked rapidly before averting her eyes.
A waitress wearing nothing but red lingerie strolled by with a serving tray full of red wine. Instead of carrying the tray in her hand, the silver saucer levitated over her palm. The waitress served two pale women a glass of red wine each. The women grinned at each other, revealing a pair of long upper canines.
Meredith raised her brows, reminding herself to stay away from the red wine. A man with the head of a goat sat by himself. He smoked something from a long glass pipe. His black eyes glazed over as he puffed green smoke out of his muzzle. A sinking feeling drilled into Meredith’s core. Never in her twenty-five years of life had she seen vampires and werewolves, witches and demons all in the same place at the same time. What the hell was going on?
She turned to Alicia, wordlessly demanding answers. Alicia grinned as if a witch waltzing into a demonic party was just another Friday. Had Alicia lost her damn mind? Was she trying to get them killed?
“Are you going to close your mouth, M?
“It took Meredith a while to realize that she hadn’t shut her mouth yet. “Ali, what the hell?” She finally found her voice. “Where are we? Why are we here?” She held on to Alicia while scanning for any threats. They were supposed to be in a normal club full of normal humans or witches, dealing with normal problems. This death trap was not what Meredith had in mind.
“Come on, relax.”
“Relax?” There were demons here. How the hell was she supposed to relax? Why wasn’t Alicia freaking out? “There are demons everywhere.” She didn’t feel like dying today. Nor did she feel like killing anyone today. Or ever.
“Not all demons are trying to kill witches, M.” Alicia squeezed her hand. “At least not in here.”
Meredith paused, slowly mulling over Alicia’s words. At least not in here? She tried to put her emotions aside for a moment. No demon had tried to attack them yet. Could Alicia be right? The vampires and werewolves weren’t tearing out each other’s throats. Around a table, a werewolf and a vampire were arm wrestling. While the half-wolf, half-human creatures howled for their comrade, the vampires cheered for theirs as they beat the table in excitement. A couple of witches even danced with a crimson-skinned demon with a horn protruding from their forehead. What the hell?
Vampires and werewolves playing together? Witches dancing with demons? The scorn between vampires and werewolves was just as ancient and deep as that between witches and demons. How was this place not painted in blood and scattered with guts and bones? Or was this one of those strange dreams Meredith often had when she inhaled too much highrose incense?
“What’s this place?”
“Welcome to the Union.” Alicia dragged her through the crowd, expertly maneuvering between intoxicated dancers. “Come on, let’s dance.” Meredith bit her lips, warily looking around. No one had tried to kill them yet, but that didn’t mean she could just lose her guard, right? Alicia smiled at her. “Hey, don’t worry. We’re safe in the Union.”
“And how do you know that?” Wrong question. If Google, Facebook, and Vogue had a baby, it would be Alicia Skarsgard.
“This is the Union.” Alicia outstretched her hands. Meredith’s face blanked. Was that supposed to mean anything? “M, it’s a safe space for all supernaturals, okay? No hate. No murder. Just pure fun for everyone.” The warmth of Alicia’s hand comforted Meredith. It was the only thing keeping her sane amid insanity. “People don’t always hate each other, you know?” Alicia smiled softly.
Maybe so, Meredith thought. But this was different. They were talking about demons and witches. It was certainly different. Demons killed witches, and witches killed demons. It was how it had been, how it was now, and how it would always be.
When Meredith was thirteen, she asked her mother why witches and demons couldn’t just get along. They both practiced magic, didn’t they? They should be working together instead of tearing each other apart. Literally. Her mother lectured her long and hard about why demons were the villains throughout humanity’s history. Mami vehemently distinguished between witchcraft and demoncraft, describing the latter with all kinds of deplorable terms.
“Demons are dangerous,” Mami had said. “Stay away from them.”
Even then, at that young age, Meredith questioned the objectiveness of this so-called history. Then she grew older and saw the light — or the darkness, to be more precise. Unlike witchcraft, demoncraft was dark and vile, the author of chaos and death. Royal demons, the most powerful beings in existence, unleashed chaos into the world. It was their dark, twisted magic that created the first vampires and werewolves. To humans, magic was magic, and it didn’t matter if it was from a witch or a demon — they were too frightened and angry to care. So they fought back, hunting not only the demons who tormented them but the peaceful witches as well.
If there was one thing witches abhorred more than demons, then it was the ideology that witchcraft and demoncraft were the same. Demons gave witches a repulsive name and witches were justified in hating them. A witch would rather die than fraternize with a demon. A demon would rip out the heart of a witch without thinking twice. The hatred was mutual.
But right here in the Union, all of Meredith’s beliefs were being challenged. Here, there were no demons or witches, vampires or werewolves. There were only people united in one goal — to party like it was the end of the world. It was a strange kind of beauty seeing natural enemies put aside their differences. The Union. Meredith smiled. Whoever created this place knew exactly what they were doing. If only the world was like that.
Then Meredith surrendered herself to the music.
“Yeah.” Alicia’s blue eyes twinkled. She took Meredith’s hand, dancing along with her. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
They laughed and danced for how long she did not know until a furry man swooped Alicia away. Meredith chuckled at the sight of her best friend humping the werewolf. It wasn’t the strangest thing she’d seen Alicia do.
And then Meredith’s smile froze. Chills engulfed her as goosebumps colonized her skin. She gulped. Someone was watching her. Their gaze burned her nape, spreading the heat throughout her body. Meredith rubbed her neck and turned around. She quickly scanned the crowd. Who was it? Who was watching her? Her eyes fell on a dark-skinned woman upstairs. Yes, it was her. The young woman did not even bother to look away.
Her hazel eyes pierced right through Meredith. A small smile grazed her striking features. Like what you’re seeing? her eyes were saying. Meredith swallowed, suddenly feeling conscious of herself. She wasn’t insecure about her looks or anything, but something about the woman’s tailored burgundy suit, confident pose, and perfectly sculptured face oozed so much poise and power that Meredith couldn’t help but feel inadequate in her eyes. The woman held her gaze, daring Meredith to look away. Meredith stared right back, not daring to look away.
A handsome stranger in a club full of supernatural beings was watching her like an art connoisseur would appreciate a rare piece of art. Meredith should be concerned, running for the door even. Instead, she was thoroughly enjoying this woman’s gaze on her. Her heart pounded so furiously that she was certain every vampire, werewolf, and demon heard it. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn’t even know this woman. How could —
“Hey, gorgeous, wanna dance?”
That snapped Meredith out of her trance. A ruggedly handsome man with silver hair smiled at her. The tips of his short fangs glistened. Meredith’s first instinct was to say no to the vampire. Instead, she exhaled and nodded. “Sure.” They were in the Union, after all. What was the worst thing that could happen? Meredith’s eyes briefly went back to the woman in the burgundy suit, but she had already disappeared.
The witch sighed internally, suddenly feeling a strange sense of loss. If the vampire was saying something, then Meredith didn’t hear a word of it. He repeated his name. It was Jet. She told him hers. She took Jet’s outstretched hand and together they melded into the embrace of the slow song playing in the background.
“You’re new here,” said Jet.
“Is it that obvious?” Had she been gawking at everything like a damn fool?
Jet chuckled. “It’s adorable.” In the distance, Alicia winked at her like a proud mother. Meredith chuckled.
“You have a beautiful laugh.” His light green eyes perfectly complimented his silver hair.
“Thank you.”
They danced for a while. It was nice. Maybe witches shouldn’t be too quick to judge everyone else.
“Wanna leave this place?” Jet whispered in her ear.
“What?”
“My favorite spot in the Union,” he said, “I wanna show you.”
“I…” Meredith bit her lower lip as she glanced at Alicia. Her dear best friend was passionately making out with a hunk of a man with long black hair.
“I think your friend is quite busy.” Jet smirked. “Shall we?” He gave her his pale hand.
After a moment’s hesitation, Meredith took his hand, the coldness nipping her skin. The next thing she knew, they were squeezing through the crowd, then up several stairs, and then out through a door. Her lungs welcomed the cool fresh air. They stood in a vast rectangular space, several feet above the ground. In the distance, the colorful lights of the metropolis spread before them like a giant canvas painting.
“It’s stunning.” She could see why this was Jet’s favorite place. Its serene ambiance was a stark contrast to the beautiful chaos inside the Union. She turned to Jet. “Do you — ”
Her gaze faltered at the sight of Jet’s long fangs protruding out of his upper jaw. She gulped and then took a step back.
Torshie Torto writes fiction and nonfiction that inspires, informs, and entertains. Join her newsletter to get her stories straight into your inbox. If you love her work, kindly buy her a coffee.
