Then

“I don’t know what you expect me to do, Dad,” Tiernan grunted through a mouthful of sandwich, his phone pressed to his right ear. “I mean, I’ve never even met Lizzie. She’s not likely to trust a complete stranger, is she?”

“She will if you show her what you are,” Thomas retorted. “Not exactly many of us about, are there?”

“Even if she knows what I am, is she really gonna reverse course on my say-so? None of us really like being told what to do. If she’s set on dropping out and backpacking across Ireland, I’m not gonna be able to talk her round, am I? Not if even her mum couldn’t...”

“Jordan’s convinced there’s more going on here. I’m not sure myself, but I need you to at least check it out for me.”

Tiernan’s eyes narrowed. “Whatever happened to ‘please’? I’m 136, Dad, you don’t just get to order me around. Besides which, I have a job now. A job I actually like. If you want me to drop everything and help your latest spawn, you need to make it worth my while.”

Thomas sighed down the phone line. “I don’t have anything to offer you, Tiernan. Nothing you can’t quite easily get yourself. But, please can you just check on your sister? Put my mind at ease?”

The demonic garda rolled his eyes. Another of their kind might’ve used threats, bribes, or just overwhelming physical force to get their way. His father preferred to resort to emotional vulnerability and naked pleading. He really was unique among them - and after all these years, Tiernan still wasn’t sure whether he felt respect or shame for him. But he did know that it was working. For all their unruly malevolence, demons had a strong sense of family - and an appeal from one of their parents, human or demon, was almost as effective on them as their mind-warping magic was on an ordinary mortal.

“Fine,” he grunted as he brushed crumbs off his trousers, screwing up the vacuum-seal bag in which he’d kept his sandwich and carelessly tossing it on the floor. “But next time I need a favour, I’m calling you.”

“Deal. I’ll send you Lizzie’s roommate’s number...”

“Why would I need that?” he asked, clambering out of his car and trotting over to the entrance of the Garda Headquarters. “If she’s already gone -”

“We don’t know that she is,” Thomas pointed out. “And her roommate might have some info on when she’s leaving - and who this new girlfriend is.”

“OK, fair,” Tiernan murmured, strolling into the station’s main office. His partner was sitting behind the desk they shared, grinning across the bullpen at him with a familiar glint of excitement in her eyes. So, they must have an interesting case. That could complicate matters. “Gotta go, Dad. I’ll see what I can find out later on.”

“Alright. Thank you, son.”

Tiernan felt a wave of emotion that he tried to suppress, and didn’t answer his father as he approached his desk.

“Boy, do I have a case for you,” Phoebe called out to him.

He hung up his mobile, doing his best to summon up his usual look of amiable nonchalance as he sat down opposite her. “Haven’t heard you this fired up in a while.”

***

To his surprise, the case proved as interesting to Tiernan as it did to Phoebe. More so, in fact, since he fancied he could see more of the picture than she could. The bizarre behaviour of Derek O’Shea, and his implausible account of abducting his girlfriend and robbing a petrol station shop, screamed ‘demon enthralment’ to him. In lieu of questioning O’Shea (whose memories had likely been warped so far he couldn’t recall the original version of events anyway), the two gardaí were on their way to check out the shop, with Phoebe in the driving seat.

Tiernan was beginning to suspect that Lizzie’s mother might be onto something. This was all quite uncharacteristic of a demon from their family - Thomas did his best to impress upon them the importance of being careful with their powers, and how they used them, from a young age. He didn’t forbid them from using their supernatural talents to take what they wanted from the world around them - because frankly, it was fun. Even an exceptionally moralistic creature like Thomas couldn’t resist the thrill of enthralling mortals and using them to satisfy his whims from time to time, and he didn’t expect his children to abstain from doing so, either. He merely wanted them to exercise common sense, and not draw undue attention.

Robbing a shop and sending a guy to make a nonsensical confession wasn’t exactly low key. Tiernan might’ve dismissed it as the antics of a reckless young demoness, were it not for the suspicions of both her parents about her current predicament. Of course, she could just be showing off her powers to impress her new girlfriend... but something didn’t feel right. Tiernan’s instincts were telling him there was something more at work here, just as Jordan believed.

He was going to wait until after they’d investigated the shop to contact Lizzie’s roommate, but his growing concerns compelled him to make the call now. Getting out his phone and finding the text Thomas had sent him with her details, he rang her number. “Private call, Phoebs,” he said casually. His partner nodded, tuning out of the ensuing conversation.

“Yes? Who’s this?” said an irritated voice in his right ear.

“Is this Sinéad Connolly?” he asked politely.

“Yes,” came the snappish reply.

“I need to ask you a few questions about your roommate, Lizzie,” Tiernan continued calmly, his eyes beginning to glimmer like rubies as he summoned the dark power within himself. “You’re happy to give me a couple of minutes of your time...?”

***

The call with Sinéad had proven most illuminating - but not reassuring. Added to the information he and his partner had learned at the petrol station, Tiernan knew what he was dealing with now - or, at least, had a very strong suspicion.

Demons could resist other forms of magical mind control, but were less prepared for psychological tricks like hypnosis - they tended not to anticipate assaults on their psyche that came without any kind of supernatural power. He’d always found it funny that a regular mortal, albeit one with particular talents for persuasion, could succeed where a powerful witch or faerie might fail. The idea didn’t amuse him anywhere near as much now. Of course, he’d been around for a while, and had learned a lot about the mind, and ways to affect it without the use of dark magic. From what his father had told him, his sister had no such knowledge or preparation with which to defend herself.

A young demon tends to be egotistical in the extreme - and not without good reason. They believe themselves to be unstoppable, unmatched, irresistible - and in most cases, that is true. But those that never considered the possibility of defeat would be all the more crushed when it happens. Lizzie had been hypnotised once in a stage show, and apparently that was all it took to pulled the rug out from under her. That one instance of powerlessness had undermined her entire self-image - and, it seemed, Aislinn Gold had taken full advantage of that. Now the hypnotist had her own pet demon, and was making good use of her. Tiernan suspected the robbery was only the beginning - just a test run before the so-called ‘Shining Vision’ pursued loftier ambitions.

He and Phoebe were on the way to the SU to see if they could find out where Aislinn had been staying. He didn’t expect the hypnotist herself would be too difficult to deal with - after all, he was older and wiser than his sister, and knew what he was walking into. The real problem was Lizzie herself - she might not want to be rescued. And, just as he’d pointed out to his father, she’d never seen him before. Each time Thomas had a new child, he usually kept them isolated from their other siblings - even those who lived locally, like Tiernan - until they reached maturity. He thought they’d be better adjusted if they primarily grew up around humans, rather than a clan of amoral demons. Tiernan could understand his father’s thinking, but ultimately disagreed - particularly now. It would’ve helped if his sister actually recognised him.

So, she didn’t know him at all, whereas Aislinn had had almost 24 hours to get her hypnotic hooks deep in her brain. And from what Sinéad had said on the phone, she had done so. Tiernan couldn’t be sure Lizzie wouldn’t put up a fight.

One problem at a time, he told herself, as he and Phoebe marched into the uni bar. Find her first - worry about how to talk her down later.

The SU was almost empty - a couple of students were sitting at a corner table, but that was it. The manager was busy getting set up for the evening, passing on instructions to her subordinates. She’d just turned away from a conversation with one of the bar staff when the gardaí approached her. Her eyebrows shot up at the sight of them. “Can I help you, officers?” she asked, a little tremulously.

“Aislinn Gold, the hypnotist, performed here last night, didn’t she, ma’am?” Phoebe asked. As soon as the manager nodded, she continued smoothly, “We’re trying to locate her. We have some questions regarding an incident this morning.”

“We understand she’s been staying at a local motel,” Tiernan interjected. “We’d like you to give us the address, please.” He made sure to taint his words with some subtle dark magic, his irises glowing once again.

“Of course,” the manager replied, her own eyes shining as the demon garda’s magic caressed her brain. “I can get that information for you right now.” She dutifully trotted off to her office to find the address.

Tiernan exhaled heavily. He knew she would probably have handed over the information without protest anyway - ordinary working people usually complied pretty quickly with requests from law enforcement - but he thought he’d make sure. His worries for his sister were growing, and he didn’t want anything to delay his search for her.

The manager soon replied with the motel address, and the officers headed back to their car. “That was easy,” Phoebe commented blithely. “I love how eager people always are to help us.”

Despite his anxiety, Tiernan had to suppress a smile. “They’re all just won over by your professionalism, Phoebs.” She chuckled.

They knew where to find the hypnotist and her tame demoness now. All that remained was to bring Lizzie home to her mother. Tiernan was increasingly sure that’d be easier said than done.

***

Now

So many questions raced through Aislinn’s mind in an instant. Brother? Another demon? How did he find us? Is he a real garda? But a voice was screaming DANGER loud enough to drown them out. And so, in the two seconds it took to overcome her shocked silence, she got her priorities straight, resolving to ask questions later.

When she spoke, it was with a mere two words, quick and authoritative, in Lizzie’s direction: “Kill him.”

Picking up on her urgency, the demoness didn’t even bother to respond with a ‘Yes Mistress’, instead snapping into action straight away. From point-blank range, she punched the male officer in the chest with what looked like enough force to dent a car door. He flew backwards as if flung from a catapult and hit the ground some ten feet away.

Aislinn stared in his direction, too busy waiting to see if he recovered to be astonished by her pet’s casual display of super-strength. Tiernan lay deathly still for a moment. Perhaps he was human after all, and the blow had been fatal. She’d never wanted to go so far as to kill anyone, but she knew she couldn’t take any chances - if he was a demon, he could have her at his mercy with just a few short wo-

He sat up, gasping in pain, and glared at them.

Lunging through the doorway, Lizzie transformed as she ran, tearing off her borrowed shirt to reveal her muscular reptilian physique. Tiernan threw out a hand - and she stopped as if she’d collided with a barrier, before being abruptly hurled to the left, smacking into the side of Aislinn’s new Mazda. The doors crumpled like paper, their windows shattering, and a spider’s web of cracks appeared across the windscreen.

Tearing her eyes away from the spectacle of the fight, Aislinn turned and ran back across the motel room to Ruby, who stood stock still next to the bed, eyes wide with terror. “We need to leave,” she blurted, grabbing their hand.

“But - your stuff, and Lizzie -”

“NOW,” she screamed, hauling them towards the door.

She could see both demons struggling to their feet outside - and Phoebe standing off to one side, arms still folded, staring inscrutably into the motel room. What was the female garda doing? Why wasn’t she reacting to any of this? Was she a demon too - or some hapless human enthralled by Lizzie’s brother? Would she try to stop them from leaving? Could they get past her? Aislinn had no idea if they could, but she knew they had to try. They had to risk it while Lizzie and Tiernan were fighting - it was their only chance to get aw-

“Stay there!” Tiernan shouted.

Aislinn and Ruby stopped in their tracks, less than three feet from the doorway. The hypnotist stared at the hell beast in horror - and saw a clawed hand swipe at his face, sending him reeling with a guttural cry. Lizzie pounced, and they both hit the ground again, a tangle of limbs.

Aislinn shuddered with fear and helplessness. She couldn’t be sure her pet would win the brawl, and Tiernan’s wrath would surely be terrible. She was desperate to get away, but she had to stay where she was. Her head was spinning, her body trembling. The doorway was so close, and she wanted nothing more than to dash through it - but she needed to stay there. That was just a fact, immutable, inarguable. She couldn’t move from that spot. It actually took her a few seconds to realise that he’d obviously used dark magic to control her - and a small part of her wondered if that was a side effect of the magic. To not realise what was happening to her, even when it was patently obvious.

But a bigger part of her was utterly mortified and panic-stricken, trapped in that one spot by the demon’s command, within reach of the exit and yet incapable of getting to it. She’d never felt so powerless, so humiliated. Is this what it’s like for them, when I hypnotise them? she wondered. When I use Lizzie to control them...?

She hated it so much.

“Miss,” Ruby whimpered at her side. “What’s happening? I... I can’t move!”

Swallowing hard, Aislinn squeezed her hand and looked her in the eyes. Even her dazzling irises didn’t seem to be calming her beloved toy, and she honestly couldn’t blame them for that - but she was determined to try to reassure them.

She had to get them, and herself, out of there. Nothing was more important than that - even Lizzie. She desperately craved the demon’s power for her own use, but if she had to abandon her to her brother, then so be it. Clearly, there were more demons in the world - perhaps she’d get her hooks in another, one day. Her priority was her own safety, and Ruby’s.

Not that she could do much to help either of them right now. She thought about shifting her foot forwards, just a few inches - but found that she couldn’t. She couldn’t even try. It wasn’t as if it was stuck to the ground, or as if it was resisting her efforts to move it. The idea of motion died on the vine - she couldn’t bring herself to even attempt to nudge it forwards. It seemed impossible to do so.

Damn, this demon magic was potent.

Her only hope was Lizzie - maybe the hypnotised hellspawn would be able to counter her brother’s command, and set her Mistress free. But Lizzie was a little too busy to be of help at this moment. Tiernan had transformed into a hulking beast - a traditional devilish form, contrasting his lamia sister - and thrown her off him, clambering to his feet with deafening footsteps. No sooner was he upright again than Lizzie leapt on him from behind, wrapping an arm around his throat and attempting to choke him, her other hand clutching his head. He bellowed like a boar as her wicked talons raked his crimson scalp, and then broke off into a series of cacophonous coughs as she tightened her stranglehold.

Aislinn seized the opportunity. “We can’t move,” she shrieked, “help us, pet!”

“Go!” Lizzie roared back, her eyes ablaze.

At once, Aislinn felt as if an immense pressure had just been relieved - a weight in her brain had suddenly been lifted away - and she could move. She darted forwards, and Ruby ran with her, similarly liberated from the magic-induced inertia.

But as soon as they crossed the threshold out of the motel room, Phoebe sprang into action, moving into their path and adopting a combative stance. “You can’t leave,” she said firmly. They were forced to come to another sudden halt, windmilling their arms to keep their balance.

Behind Phoebe, Tiernan had been forced down on one knee by his sister’s assault. He suddenly bucked like a wild horse and threw her over his shoulder, slamming her into the tarmac. She lay there groaning, while he reeled backwards, gasping and spluttering as he massaged his throat.

Aislinn had one eye on the duelling demons, and the other on the female garda. Phoebe paid no attention to Tiernan’s plight, entirely focused on preventing Aislinn and Ruby from escaping. Whether she was fully aware of her partner’s supernatural side and complicit in his personal mission, or just another hapless pawn obliviously enthralled by him, she clearly wouldn’t be distracted from her goal. She was evidently disciplined, professional - the perfect law enforcer, used to receiving orders and fulfilling them with expertise and efficiency.

Maybe Aislinn could exploit that.

“Look into my eyes,” she said urgently, already locking her unblinking stare onto Phoebe’s dark brown irises. It had been some time since she’d attempted a rapid induction, particularly in such fraught circumstances - but since the officers seemed to know who she was and what she was capable of, she was banking on the young garda’s credulity. If she knew Aislinn had hypnotised people, even against their own will, she may believe it could happen to her, too. And if she believed it could happen -

“Sleep,” she boomed, with a whip-crack snap of her fingers.

Phoebe’s eyes dropped shut, her jaw went slack, and her head drooped. Before the hypnotist could speak again, the garda staggered backwards, limp arms swinging at her sides, and let out a confused moan, her face creasing into a frown. It looked like she was trying to wake herself up, to force her head up and her eyelids open. That wasn’t ideal - she was resisting, demonstrating a stronger will than Aislinn had anticipated. Given enough time, she’d most likely recover and resume her efforts to apprehend her.

But that wasn’t the worst part. Ruby, standing at her side, was still conscious and alert, having been able to see what their Mistress was doing and mount enough of a defence against the sleep trigger. But Lizzie had no way of knowing that the shout of ‘sleep’ wasn’t intended for her. And so, halfway back to her feet from where Tiernan had body-slammed her, she suddenly collapsed in a dead faint, letting out a startled whimper as she fell face first onto the ground again.

Without another moment’s hesitation, Aislinn pushed over the defenceless, disoriented Phoebe, and then turned and sprinted towards the motel’s exit, with Ruby racing along beside her. From her room, it was a right turn and then a straight path to the exit - they didn’t have to pass Tiernan, who was several feet directly in front of her room, standing in the middle of the car park like a monolith. Phoebe had been more of a direct obstacle, but now that she was temporarily subdued, the hypnotist and her most treasured fucktoy had an escape route - as long as Lizzie had hurt her brother badly enough that he couldn’t stop them...

They had made it no more than five paces when a wall of flame appeared in front of them, and they both leapt backwards, squealing. Spinning around, they saw Tiernan’s arm outstretched, his claws curled upwards, as if he had just gestured with his hand and conjured the fire. Which, Aislinn realised, was exactly what he’d done. She’d forgotten - pyrokinesis was one of the various demonic powers Lizzie had listed in the early hours of that morning. She should have remembered that. It had just been such a long day, and she’d been so invested in her new pet’s mind control powers that some of her other abilities had slipped her mind. Now, it seemed, she would pay a terrible price for her oversight.

Except Tiernan wasn’t speaking. He was growling, a seismic rumble that Aislinn could feel in her bones from ten feet away - but he hadn’t used his irresistible voice again. Could it be that Lizzie’s attack had damaged his throat more than it appeared? Perhaps he couldn’t speak - for now, anyway. And although he obviously had other powers that would make escape difficult, at least Aislinn’s mind remained her own. And as long as that was the case, she still had a chance. She had to take it, before his voice recovered.

“Pet, wake, and attack!” she shouted.

The sprawled demoness jerked awake, scrambled quickly to her feet, and promptly threw herself at Tiernan again. Adequately prepared for her this time, he batted her aside with apparent ease, sending her rolling across the tarmac to his right. He took an earth-shaking step towards Aislinn and Ruby, who instinctively backed away, feeling the fire warm their backs.

Suddenly a jet of flame struck Tiernan’s side, and he let out a guttural roar, holding up his tree-trunk arm to block it. To her astonishment, Aislinn saw that the blast was being projected from Lizzie’s fanged jaw.

She wasn’t just a lizard. She was a fucking dragon.

Her pyrotechnics seemed to be having a real effect, driving Tiernan back towards the other side of the car park - away from Aislinn and Ruby, and away from the exit. On her feet again, Lizzie strode after her brother, still remorselessly breathing fire in his direction. He crouched against a wall, both arms raised now to shield himself, as his younger sibling came nearer and the inferno intensified.

“Dracarys,” Aislinn sniggered, and then grabbed Ruby’s hand again and ran for the car park’s exit, evading the blaze Tiernan had started.

By now the motel’s other residents had emerged from their rooms, and were watching the supernatural skirmish with shock and astonishment. To Aislinn’s agitation, the main crowd of spectators had gathered directly in front of the car park exit, blocking her path once more. She and Ruby ploughed into the throng, desperately pushing their way through the bystanders.

Aislinn shot a frantic glance behind her - and was aghast to see a cowering Tiernan suddenly spring upright, his upper body passing through Lizzie’s flames as if they weren’t even there, and seize her by the throat, choking off her fire-breath. Spinning around with incredible speed, he slammed her into the wall he’d just been crouching beside - and then did it again, just to make sure. Then he dropped her on the ground, where she lay motionless, like a ragdoll.

Gripped with panic, the hypnotist looked away and shoved the remaining spectators out of her way, not caring if they were injured. She didn’t spare a thought for Lizzie. She wasn’t even thinking of Ruby. She just had to get away. She was so close. Just a few more steps, and she’d be out of the demon’s reach -

“STOP!”

She froze, glued in place, shaking with adrenaline and fright. Behind her, she heard the assorted motel guests fall silent, immobilised and struck dumb by the hell beast’s simple command.

She heard more thunderous footsteps. “Those of you filming this on your phones, delete the footage,” Tiernan boomed, his voice laced with dark power. “If anyone out there in the world is watching this through a live stream - turn it off, and forget you ever saw it. Now, any of you who is live-streaming this, stop.”

Aislinn shuddered. She had to give credit where it was due - the demon clearly knew how to protect his secret in the age of social media.

Suddenly he was standing in front of her - and he was human again (on the outside, at least), his uniform hanging off him in tatters. He grinned malevolently at her, his irises glowing with hellfire. She felt her whole body quake with utter, all-consuming terror. “Come with me,” he told her, and then strode back into the car park.

Unable to even try to disobey, Aislinn turned away from the exit and followed the garda towards the supine, groaning Lizzie. “You’re gonna undo everything you’ve done to her,” he hissed. “You’re going to lift every trigger, every suggestion, every scrap of conditioning in her mind. You’re going to put her back the way you found her, and nothing else. You can only speak to do that - otherwise, your talking privileges are very much revoked.”

The hypnotist nodded miserably, bowing her head, feeling tears prickling in her eyes, muted sobs beginning to wrack her body. She couldn’t quite believe how fast everything had fallen apart. An hour ago, she’d had more power than ever before, in control of a demon who could get her anything and everything she’d ever wanted - including the only other person she cared about in the entire world. And now, all that new power, and the power she’d already possessed, had been stripped away, stolen by this devilish interloper with only a handful of words. She’d been toppled from her throne, so easily that she now realised the throne had never been real to begin with. Her ‘power’ had always been nothing, compared to the dark magic these demons could wield. The relentless, remorseless Miss Gold, stealer of wills and meddler of minds, was nothing more than an ant for them to step on.

She really was only human, after all.

***

Lizzie forced her eyes open, wincing at the pain in... well, everywhere. Her body had been thoroughly battered by the larger demon. But Miss Gold had given her a command, so she had to keep going until she’d carried it out.

Her heart jumped at the sight of her Mistress standing over her, sending a warm wave of euphoria through her - but it faded quickly as she saw the anguish on her owner’s face. Behind her stood Tiernan, back in human form, his eyes still glowing.

Kill him. She leapt to her feet, her pain forgotten, and made to charge at him again -

“Sleep!”

And she fell back to the ground again, her mind plummeting even further, tumbling back into the deep, dark depths of trance.

She drifted, insensate, a formless wisp in a vast, tranquil void, for a length of time she was incapable of measuring, all awareness of herself and the world lost to her. The brawl with her brother, her top priority only moments ago, was completely forgotten, along with pretty much everything else. She heard nothing - except those wonderful whispers, a million miles away and right inside her mind. She knew nothing - except what they said to her, telling her what to think and what to believe. She felt nothing - except those words tickling in the back of her insubstantial head, unwinding and reshaping her thoughts... and a gorgeous warmth that reached her even while she remained cut off from her body, the pulsating pleasure pulling her deeper into the abyss.

At least, she thought she was going deeper, at first. Her sense of direction had been taken from her like everything else. In due course, though, she sensed she wasn’t going down any more - at some point, without realising, she’d started going up. Slowly but surely, she started to feel her body again, solid and tangible as it had always been. Her sleepy mind rose higher and higher, grew more and more alert and aware, until -

“Wake.”

Her eyelids snapped open, as she finally woke completely from hypnosis, for the first time since the previous night. Memories came flooding back to her, sharp and vivid - images, sounds, sensations... and all the meaning that accompanied them.

Aislinn hypnotising and humiliating her on stage... dropping her again in her motel room... making her rub herself in trance... confusing and manipulating and gaslighting her, until she was certain she’d chosen to be her pet...

Her pet. Her pawn. Her plaything. Her tame demon kitty, her charmed snake, her loyal dragon. The thought of it - the memory of it - filled her with disgust, indignation, shame... and arousal. She wanted to deny it, but there was still an obvious tent in the front of her trousers.

Being Miss Gold’s instrument, her docile demon slave, being controlled by her and used by her to control others... had felt so, so good.

Raising her reptilian head, she saw the figures looming over her again. Tiernan, her unknown sibling, smiling with satisfaction. His partner Phoebe, standing close behind him, her expression deadpan.

And Aislinn, her posture slumped, her lip trembling, her eyes moist with despair and dread.

The sight of her brought with it just the merest hint of the desire and submission Lizzie had felt the last time she’d laid eyes on her. It was quickly smothered by a storm of outrage and hatred.

“YOU!” she howled, hurtling upright once more. “You fucking - you hypnotisssed me! You usssed me! How dare -”

She impulsively raised her arm to strike at Aislinn with her lethal claw. Her former Mistress flinched and let out a choking sob, but didn’t move or speak. That image cut through the fog of anger in Lizzie’s mind, instantly transforming her fury from unthinking and primal to something sharper and more calculated - from white-hot fire to cold, hard cruelty.

She lowered her arm. A big part of her still wanted to kill Miss Gold (and that part of her seethed with rage every time that moniker crossed her mind), but she wouldn’t let herself do that.

She wasn’t that merciful.

Aislinn was under the influence of demon magic now, subdued and helpless. She no longer posed a threat to Lizzie, or anyone else. Now the young demon had all the time in the world to exact her revenge, in every twisted way she could possibly imagine. And she could imagine a great deal. Her mind was already racing with ideas, each one more sadistic than the last.

She turned to Tiernan, who hadn’t made a single move to stop her from striking Aislinn, apparently unconcerned by the prospect of his sister executing her mesmeric captor in cold blood. “Thank you,” she said. “I - I don’t know how to thank you. I wasss completely entrancssed by her, I couldn’t break free... Shhhe could’ve kept me forever if you hadn’t found usss...”

“No problem,” he shrugged. Then he chuckled. “Actually, I did go to quite a lot of trouble. But anything for family.”

Lizzie grinned incredulously. “I can’t believe Dad never told me about you. I mean, I know he hasss other children, I jussst didn’t realise one of them wasss here in Dublin. And a garda, of all thingsss!”

“He doesn’t like us meeting each other ’til we come of age, I’m sure he’s told ya,” Tiernan replied, to which she nodded. “I don’t really get it, but it’s his decision. I know we’re not really ones for following authority, but, like I say - anything for family!”

Lizzie nodded in Phoebe’s direction. The female officer was still standing there at attention with her hands clasped behind her back, apparently listening patiently to their conversation without interrupting. “What about her, doesss shhhe -”

“Know about us? Nope. I told her not to notice anything demonic, just to concentrate on stopping this bitch from escaping...” He gestured lazily at Aislinn. “Phoebe’s already pretty well-conditioned as it is, I don’t need to do much to shape her perceptions. She’s not actually listening to a word we’re saying right now, she only looks like she is. And I’m not sure how much of this I’ll let her remember anyway, if anything.”

Lizzie nodded at her brother’s partner again, while maintaining eye contact with him. “May I?”

“Be my guest.”

She drew upon the power within herself, relishing doing so of her own volition, for the first time in what had only been a day but felt more like a year. “Go and get Ruby,” she told Phoebe. “They’re the perssson with the black and green hair who tried to essscape with Aishhhlinn.” She grimaced bitterly as she uttered the hypnotist’s name. “Bring them to me.”

Phoebe nodded smartly, hellfire flickering through her eyes and mind, and marched away to fetch Ruby.

“Right, well, I’ll let you get on with your revenge,” Tiernan said casually, beginning to turn away from his sister. “I’ll take care of the witnesses. Lovely to meet you, by the way,” he added with an ironic smirk, before sauntering over to the nearby crowd. The onlookers flinched as he grew closer, but visibly relaxed once he began speaking to them.

Lizzie turned her attention back to Aislinn. The hypnotist - so commanding and alluring in her memories, and in her mind’s eye, still - visibly wilted beneath her baleful gaze, seeming unable to make eye contact. She stared down at her feet, her shoulders hunched, her arms wrapped around her torso defensively.

“Look at me.”

Aislinn’s head snapped upright, a rabbit-in-the-headlights expression on her face, the golden gleam of her eyes replaced with a scarlet shine. Lizzie took a step towards her, and she seemed to shrink into her own arms even more, a tortoise trying to retreat into its shell. She mewled pitifully as the demon reached out and ran a claw through her blonde locks.

Lizzie smiled. It was more than just her usual predatory leer. Her teeth were gritted savagely, her eyes burning with incandescent rage. It was a monstrous, nightmarish smile, and it had the desired effect of worsening Aislinn’s distress.

“Poor thing,” the lamia mocked. “You look like you’re about to pissss yourself.”

Aislinn let out a wail, still unable to break eye contact. Lizzie wondered if she was half-expecting her to command her to do exactly that. She was sorely tempted for a moment. But she anticipated having to get a ride home from her newfound brother, and after he’d gone to so much trouble to rescue her, it seemed impolite to make a mess in his car.

“Stop crying,” she said instead.

Aislinn’s shuddering body stilled instantly, her inconsolable sobbing cut off. Tears still streamed down her cheeks, but they’d already been shed - her ducts couldn’t produce another drop, so absolute was Lizzie’s control over her mind and body. She gazed at the demoness in pure horror, finally feeling the full effect of her magical influence. She was the one trapped under her former pet’s heel now, and she couldn’t even cry about it.

Lizzie tapped Aislinn’s cheek with the tip of her talon. “You’re mine now, ‘Missstressss’,” she snarled, her voice full of more malice than she had ever mustered before. “Thisss isss what you get for pissssing off a demon, darling. I won’t take you down to Hell - inssstead, I’ll bring it to you. I’m going to keep you around for a very long time, and I’m going to make every... sssingle... moment into your worssst fucking nightmare.”

She wrapped an arm around her shellshocked ex-captor’s shoulders, pulling her into a mock-affectionate embrace, and hissed in her ear, “We’re going to have ssso... much... fun.”