The fog sneezed, whooshing past us and sending my short hair into a miniature flurry. Decades had passed and the same morose interior design painted the space—black walls, black carpeting, black chains dangling from the ceiling. My point stands, no color. For one composed of every shade from the rainbow, I stood out like a sore thumb. Oh, and I don't mean physical appearance wise.

I huffed and placed my hands on my hips, earning me blank stares from the local Demon watering hole. Without a retort, I sauntered towards the back enclosed room, dodging past the swaying chains with notable sharp ends. I craned my neck, checking Trevor's location. Good, he followed close on my heel. The last thing I needed was for a she-devil to find him so alluring she charmed his sexy behind. I'd slap her back to the Underworld.

We closed in on the back stark ebony door, the outline seamless against the background. A man clothed in a burgundy shirt and a well tailored black suit eyed our approach. Piercings blotted his clean shaven wide face, but even those didn't distract from the sharp, oval piercing eyes. A young Demon? No way, who uses an inexperienced infant, definitely not the Master, he wasn't a fool.

I winked at the young man and he responded with a wide grin showing perfectly even, white teeth. However, the corners failed to hide the slight angles and obtuse teeth peeking out. Vampire? No, this Demon didn't give off my internal instincts of wanting to punch him in the face. I missed the answer; the hints lying naked before me weren't enough.

"Hey there," I said, moving two steps closer, sweeping my hand down my hip. "I'm here to see the Master, is he in?"

His brow rose, and he straightened his slacked pose. "Your name?"

"Lanna," I retorted.

"One second." He went quiet, eyes shutting and head drooping. Except for crossing his arms, he made no further action. Finally, the mental state he forced himself into dissolved and he returned to his previous self. Stepping to the side, he opened the door. "Go ahead, he's expecting you."

I nodded my head then strode through the entrance. Soft black fabric covered the doorway, the bottoms were jagged and uncouth for the Master's image. Past the delicate cloth, the room widened but remained dark and elusive. Again, no windows, not even lights. I stepped with care, knowing full well I'd fall flat on my face by a single marble.

Fabric caressed my face, and I raised my arms to separate the layers. The thin cloth exposed the scattered red lights lining the back wall. They shined a sinister glint onto the single occupant lounging on a sofa taking up the entire back wall. His pulled back, sleek black hair and crimson red eyes leered back at me. The top buttons of his black shirt were open, showcasing his tanned skin and strong chest. He had minimal muscle, but all in the right places. His strength was hidden, but still unmistakably deadly.

My fingers twitched from the sight. Damn, did we wake him up? He looked so pissed.

His narrowed gaze and unblemished face remained stone cold. I took a step closer, but garnered no reaction nor flinch.

I curtsied playfully with a petite smile highlighting my face. "Master, why the grim face?"

The glass cover masking his true face slipped and exposed a wide grin. The flesh around his eyes crinkled, bringing his smile to life. "Lanna. Come here dear." He raised his hand, beckoning me forward.

I raced towards him with little steps in my high heels. "What's up?" I lunged into his arms, their strength holding me up and preventing me from collapsing into his chest.

"What is up?" he reiterated with puzzlement. "Your language is as always peculiar."

I gave him a light peck on the cheek before stepping back. "Modern language. I thought you'd be going with the flow and immersing your grand self into the rambunctious Human society."

He chuckled. "Colorful, but not elegant. Their interests change far too rapidly."

"Well, Human culture has that effect. Though what would little ol' me know, I'm a dirty witch—Human, but not."

"Dirty? Nonsense." He threw his hands up and fell back into the plush sofa. "Witches are by far the most delicious."

"Oh, shucks. That brings a tear to my eye. Do you seduce the ladies with such words?" I sat beside him, with chin tilted to gaze into his eyes.

"Only you would find such words as a compliment in this feeble realm. Now, Lanna, let us move onto more pressing matters, such as the Normal before me. You know the unspoken rules, why take such a risk?" he spoke without a single glance of acknowledgement towards Trevor. Both eyes pinpointed with scrutiny on me.

I leaned back, our gazes illicit and entwined. If any man treated me in a similar fashion, I'd believe he was smitten with me, but the Master's interest was far more dangerous.

"A Normal Human he is," I confirmed while caressing his unmoving arm. "But, the contract says he needs to be present. You could say I'm not trusted because of my affiliation and history." My hand reached lower, earning a mind of its own. Biting my lip, I continued, "I simply came for some information, he's just an eyewitness. Think of him like an insignificant insect."

The hairs on my arms grew to attention. Trevor was so going to trounce me later, I could feel the ice storm brewing and being blown my way.

The Master signed and scratched his jaw. "What is it this time?"

"I assume you've heard about the mass zombie summonings? I'm looking for their creator. The one behind it is a bit crafty, using uncommon knowledge like drawing separate life energies together to create the spell."

He smiled, dark and mischievous. "Ah, that. Let us say they used the energies of those behind on their time. Would that be enough?"

I tapped my chin from his simplistic statement and keywords. The one, or ones responsible had secured the life energies of witches about to die or in debt. But how could they use energy not belonging to another necromancer?

"Are you telling me they acquired the energies of tens if not hundreds of Necromancers to craft the spell?"

"You do not think it is possible? Large spells use multiple witches, it is not uncommon."

"But they weren't present at the site, it'd be far too obvious if hundreds of necromancers arrived in a cemetery. It's like screaming for someone to notice them. And if they used the life energy of another witch, then the energy signature left behind would be a single entity."

"The Lernaeans."

I crossed both of my arms, my face turning into a pout. "The clan that believes controlling all witch families with the Nightmare Council is the way to go? We don't exactly get along."

"There is information of them constructing a device capable of retaining the energy signature of the source."

My mind fumbled at the Master's proclamation. No, it can't be. Who in their right mind would try to prevent the integration of energy back into its natural form? Signatures are that: energy left behind in small fragments incapable of returning to nature. By preventing the assimilation for mass amounts of life energy it could literally disrupt magical society. The straightlaced ancient witches cringe at that kind of stuff. They'd scream the end is near if given a chance.

"Why the hell would they develop something crazy like that? If they retain too much energy, it could disrupt the balance life and death rests on."

"There are some who believe such and others who believe differently."

I clenched my fists into balls. Me angry? Please, this is simply ridiculous. Smart people know not to mess with the balance. It gets you killed. I dropped my head into my lap. "This can't be real," I mumbled.

"Best of luck, my dear."

I shot up and stared at him. "There's nothing in it for you, right?"

"The old do not care."

"Great," I grumbled.