Page 25 of Caught in the Devil’s Hand

“Only some black-haired people, especially women, have intrinsic magic, but brownies and blondies try and sometimes successfully acquire some level of magical talent. Their power can be just as strong or stronger than intrinsic magic, depending on the user’s determination. And Shumei…” Majo said, leaning toward her, though this time it wasn’t a ploy to show off her breasts. “Unlike what blondies would have you believe, magic is not evil, nor is it good. It is neutral. I don’t know why crows have it intrinsically, but I know it’s not a mark of evil.”

“But demons use magic,” she said, thinking of Vallen and binding.

The witch straightened, brows raised. Shumei resisted the urge to slap her hand over her mouth, or to even react at all. Apparently she had revealed too much.

“How did you know that?” Majo asked.

Stomach sinking, Shumei gathered every ounce of control she had to look as guileless as possible. “Is it not common knowledge? I heard it from my mother after my incident. And besides, I heard you say earlier that a demon’s spell could trigger one’s magic.”

Indeed, she had known before meeting Vallen that demons could use magic. Though the memories were vague, she knew something bad had happened to her—had almost happened to her—when she was quite young. She remembered a long lecture from her mother on the dangers of demons. Everyone in the village had found out about her nearly fatal trip into the forest. Many had cruelly accused her of trying to join the demon hordes.

“Ah, yes. I suppose your mother would have known.”

“What do you know of demons, madam? Are they all evil, mindless creatures?” she asked, for the witch’s knowledge seemed to encompass more than magic.

Majo smiled like a cat after it had eaten a mouse. “For answers to those kinds of questions, you’ll have to pay a price in return,” she purred with one hand on the wooden floor. The fire beside them snapped, and a log fell into the base of the flames. Shumei jumped.

“What kind of price?” she asked, thirsty for knowledge about demons and yet not wanting to give up anything in return for that knowledge. She had little money as it was.

The witch eyed her as if she were a piece of meat. “First, a kiss. I shall then tell you the basics about demons.”

Shumei’s jaw dropped. “A kiss? But I’m a woman.” Moreover, Vallen had said kisses were off-limits, making Majo’s offer a fast method of breaking her end of the deal. Although, he had only stipulated men.

“Doesn’t matter. In fact, I want a kiss even more because you are a woman.”

“Then, do you not like men?”

“Not as much as women. However, I appreciate pleasure above all things. Your lips look very pleasurable,” she murmured.

Shumei’s face grew hot and she couldn’t maintain eye contact with the witch. Something uncurled inside her, as if turning over in its sleep.

“Calm down, child. You are letting your emotions run too high, and your magic is leaking. It’s only a kiss, dear,” Majo sighed, sounding impatient as she straightened.

“Is that what I’m feeling? My magic is…leaking?”

“Yes. It sometimes moves on its own, and you’ll have to learn to calm it, a basic skill you can master quickly.”

“If I kiss you, will you tell me about demons and how to calm my magic?”

Majo smiled slowly, as if she had deciphered the winning move in a game of strategy. “I’ll even let you ask one extra question about demons if it is specific enough,” she said, stroking the rosebush pattern on her skirt.

“It’s a deal, then,” Shumei said with more bravado than she felt. She was making a lot of deals lately.

The witch rose to her knees, sliding her hands forward—a cat rising from a nap. She crawled toward Shumei, whose heart thudded so loudly it was a wonder the witch couldn’t hear it.

“I won’t hurt you, dear,” Majo whispered, now close enough for Shumei to smell her perfume. Majo’s long hair flowed quietly over Shumei’s hands, which sat in her lap.

Shumei stiffened as the witch slid one arm behind her, pulling her closer. Majo’s other hand held her weight, pressing into the sleeping mat next to her thigh.

“Close your eyes.”

“You know what to do.”

Shumei remembered Vallen’s whispered words at the river. Though she couldn’t force herself to meet the witch’s kiss, she tilted her head and shut her eyes as Majo pressed her lips against Shumei’s.

Unsurprisingly, she didn’t get the same thrill as when Vallen kissed her. Her heart raced, to be sure, but only because the experience was novel. Majo tightened her hold, pulling Shumei against her chest as she slowly and gently slid her tongue in and out of Shumei’s mouth.

She couldn’t help but compare the witch’s kiss with the demon’s, and found that Vallen’s rougher, more demanding ones were the kind she liked. Although, her preference could lie in the fact that Vallen was male.