Her Witch, Her Demon [WxW]
2. The Gift

Surrounded by art lovers, critics, and patrons in the prestigious Castle Art Center (CAC), Meredith Huang couldn’t believe that she actually got to participate in the art fair. She’d dreamed of this ever since she was a freshman back in college. Four years later, her dreams had come true.

When Meredith first received the email that she’d been invited as a participant, her first thought was that this was a prank. But her boss, Jane Mendez, assured her that it was no prank. Jane was heavily involved in the art industry and had connections everywhere. So when she said the email was real, Meredith believed her.

Meredith had always considered herself lucky to work as Jane’s assistant right after college. She learned more from the woman about the business of art in two years than she did in art school after four years.

Anyway, it turned out that Jane was right. This was no prank. The invitation to exhibit her paintings at CAC was real. Not willing to waste this marvelous opportunity, Meredith prepared her three best paintings for the art fair. And now here she was in Castle Art Center.

“I love the strokes,” said one of the few people in Meredith’s stall. The woman’s eyes were fixated on the large painting of a lustrous landscape full of life and color.

Everyone took turns asking Meredith about her painting. What inspired her to paint something that looked like it was right out of a fantasy world? Which modern artist was she inspired by? What was her process in making art? She answered each question as best as she could. It was an overwhelming experience, and for a moment, Meredith felt like someone else, as though she was observing herself from outside her body.

How was she even here? Look at all these people, so well dressed, elegant, and talented. She didn’t doubt her own talent for a second, but it still felt unreal being here, rubbing shoulders with the very best artists in the country.

How she was able to engage with the art admirers without spacing out was a mystery to her. A few people demanded to buy her paintings, offering a price she didn’t even think they would accept. The day she received her email, Meredith had planned to price her paintings all below a thousand dollars. But her best friend was horrified about the idea.

“This is CAC,” Alicia had said. “Only the best of the best get to exhibit their art there. If they accepted you, then you’re one of the best. How the hell are you going to sell such great art for $700? No one’s going to think it’s valuable enough to buy.”

“So how much should I sell it then?” asked Meredith.

Alicia shrugged. “I don’t know. Try seven thousand or seventy.”

Meredith gaped at her best friend like she had lost her damn mind. But she’d known Alicia a long time to know that she was not joking.

So $7000 it was. For her two smaller pieces, she charged them three thousand each. Meredith had expected people to actually think it was a ridiculous price. It seemed that she was rather the ridiculous one for thinking that way. The day wasn’t yet over, and she’d had so many offers, most of them willing to pay twice the actual price.

Making a choice was getting harder by the second.

“Twenty-five thousand. I’ll take all three for $25,000.”

The words sucked the noise out of the air and silence reigned supreme. Meredith froze. No, it wasn't the money that had shocked her but rather the familiarity of the voice. She’d heard it before — a voice so soft, and yet so firm, it radiated power. The way Meredith’s heart spiked at the sound of the voice, there was no mistaking who it was.

Leaning on the wall, next to her stall, was the devilishly handsome Onyx. Meredith’s throat ran dry as the tall dark woman smirked at her. What the hell is she doing here? Two weeks had already passed since they met at the Union and they had not seen each other again until today — not including all those times Meredith kept seeing the woman every time she shut her eyes.

Meredith had only succeeded in getting Onyx out of her mind a few days ago. But it seemed the universe was hellbent on taunting her. What the hell was Onyx doing here?

All eyes were on the tall dark woman as she sauntered towards them. God, how she looked so sexy in that black tux, her bountiful curly hair draping over her back. For a moment, the world disappeared around Meredith, and all she saw was Onyx.

Shit. She had to get herself together. Onyx was a demon while Meredith was a witch. This was not the Union. Everywhere else in this universe, they were enemies. Yet, as those soft hazel eyes bore into Meredith’s soul, she couldn’t imagine herself being enemies with Onyx.

“If it’s not enough I can always double it.” Onyx was already in front of Meredith, watching her expectantly. That was when it dawned on Meredith that she hadn’t said a word and she was just staring like an idiot.

“Um, no,” Meredith said, running her fingers through her long hair.

Onyx smiled. “You don’t want double?”

Meredith paused. That would be $50,000. Just before she could think about how Onyx could afford that kind of money, she remembered that Onyx owned the Union, the largest nightclub in Green Front.

“Sure. Fifty thousand for all three.” Meredith folded her arms, challenging Onyx.

“I guess it’s settled then.”

Probably seeing that the paintings were no longer for sale, the people dispersed leaving only Onyx and Meredith.

“You’re more talented than I thought,” said the demon.

Meredith raised a brow. She’d never told Onyx that she was an artist. So how could she know Meredith was talented? Wait… She frowned. “Have you been stalking me?”

Onyx laughed. “This is the second time you’re accusing me of stalking you.

“And for good reason.” Meredith rolled her eyes. “First, the Union, and now CAC. Are you going to say you own this place too?”

Onyx stared at her silently, as a smile danced at the corner of her lips.

Meredith paused thoughtfully. And then it suddenly dawned on her. Holy Shit. “Oh, my god. You’re Onyx Castle.” She’d heard the name so many times in Green Front but had never seen the face. So she always assumed that Onyx Castle was an old white man. Meredith had never been more wrong about anything — Onyx Castle was not old, white, or a man. Hell, Onyx was not even human. She was a freaking demon.

Onyx laughed as if Meredith’s internal dilemma was the funniest thing. “I liked it better when you called me Nyx.”

Struggling to not get transfixed by Nyx’s smile, Meredith distracted herself with something else.

Not only did Nyx own the Union, but she also owned Castle Art Center. The woman had money, so that wasn’t what Meredith found strange. Something else bothered her immensely, and she didn’t like how it felt like bile in the pit of her stomach. “Did you do this?” Meredith asked, her tone turning icy.

“You’ll have to be specific, Meredith.”

Ignoring the thrill down her spine as Nyx said her name, Meredith said, “You sent me the invitation, didn’t you? Why?” Was this woman the reason why Meredith got to participate in this art fair in the first place? She knew this was too good to be true.

“Well, you’ve got talent,” said Nyx. “Why else?”

Meredith paused. The woman’s got a point. She did have talent. But why would the demon send her an invitation if she didn’t have ulterior motives? Besides, how could Nyx have known anything about Meredith? Their last interaction had been nothing but brief. Had this woman been digging into her background?

Was Nyx really stalking her?

“Come with me.” Nyx interrupted her thoughts, giving Meredith her hand. “I’ll show you around.”

The rational part of Meredith’s brain wanted to stay as far away as possible from Nyx. She’s a demon and you’re a witch. And yet the not-so-rational part of her brain was too smitten by the woman to think straight.

Meredith stared at Nyx’s outstretched hand, not for a second daring to take it. It was a weird combination of not trusting the demon while at the same time not trusting herself around the demon.

“You don’t like me much, do you?” Nyx withdrew her hand. She gave a small smile, and if she was disappointed or angry that Meredith had refused to take her hand, then she didn’t show it.

“I don’t like you at all,” Meredith said so smoothly she was certain Nyx bought her lie. “But you gave my art a chance and even bought all of them. So I guess I’ll let you show me around.”

“Oh, will you now?” Nyx smirked.

Meredith’s breath hastened. “Don’t make it weird.”

That evening, Meredith couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed, her mind occupied by none other than Onyx Castle. What was wrong with her? She’d only known Nyx for two days, and yet the woman constantly plagued her thoughts. Nyx was a demon while Meredith was a witch.

Her parents had supported her in everything — they supported her when she decided to go to art school instead of law school. They even supported her when she came out as bisexual in her sophomore year. Her parents loved her dearly, Meredith knew that. But she was no fool to think that they would support her friendship with a demon. Especially not her mother.

Okay, why was she even thinking about this like she was going to bring Nyx home? They weren’t even dating. What the hell was wrong with her? She really needed to sleep and stop thinking about this. Sleep didn’t come easy. But it did come.

The first thing Meredith heard the next morning was her mother’s loud piercing voice calling her from downstairs. That was enough to wake her completely.

“Jesus,” she muttered as she dragged herself out of her bed. She really needed to move out. It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried that before. Her mother had accused her of trying to abandon them. So yes, she had no choice but to endure this invasion of privacy for now.

The aroma of congee, steamed buns, and bacon greeted her as soon as she walked into the kitchen. Meredith’s stomach grumbled loudly.

Her mother was setting the table with the attentiveness of a mother hen. “Morning, Ma. What’s going on?” Why did she scream her name like she just witnessed a murder?

“You have a delivery.” Ma nodded at a wrapped box on the dining table without turning to look at her.

Meredith raised a brow. “A delivery?” She didn’t remember ordering anything online.

Baba walked in, smiling widely. “Mei Mei.” He wrapped her in a bear hug. “Did you sleep well?”

She wanted to say no, which would be the truth. But then her father would ask her why and there was no way in hell she could say she was thinking about a demon all night, could she?

Meredith simply nodded. Thankfully, Baba was more interested in the art fair than anything and Meredith was more than happy to oblige.

He gushed about how he’d always known his little girl would do great things. For a moment, Meredith was grateful that her parents had left the art fair before they could meet Nyx. With how powerful Baba’s vital energy was, he probably would have sensed that Nyx was a demon.

“What’s this?” He took the box.

“Charles, it belongs to Meredith.” This time, her mother shot her a suspicious look.

“I have no idea what it is.” Meredith took the box from her dad. “I didn’t order this.”

“Open it,” Baba said. “Maybe there’s a clue inside.”

“Or a bomb.”

Meredith laughed. Ma never failed to think about the worst-case scenario of every case.

Meredith quickly tore through the wrapper to reveal a silver jewelry box with intricate markings adorned all over it. Meredith ran her fingers over the design. God, this was pure art. Such impeccable craftsmanship. When she opened the jewelry box, her mouth hang open at the sight of the exquisite silver bracelet. Intricate designs and symbols, even far more exquisite than the one on the box had been tastefully crafted on the bracelet.

“Wow,” everyone said at the same time. And for a moment, they all stood in awe of the jewelry.

“Holy witch, is that platinum?” Baba gaped.

“Wait, what?” Meredith’s eyes widened.

“Let me see.” Baba took the bracelet and ran his fingers across its silvery surface. The bracelet levitated over his palm while his gray vital energy shrouded the bracelet. “My god, it really is platinum.” His warm eyes exuded a mixture of concern and curiosity. “Mei Mei, who’s this from?”

Meredith looked inside the jewelry box. There was a small rectangular note inside. She silently read the contents of the note:

Last night was amazing.

-Nyx

Meredith froze. What in the actual fuck. Nyx sent this? What the hell was that demon thinking? And what did she mean by last night was amazing? All they did was admire art and talk about their passion. They were both artists — while Meredith painted, Nyx was into metal sculpture. She didn’t show any of her metalwork to Meredith, but the way she talked about it with such enthusiasm was infectious.

Nyx’s love for all kinds of art was what moved her to build the Castle Art Center, she had told Meredith.

Wait, did Nyx make this bracelet? Meredith hadn’t taken Nyx too seriously when she said she did metalwork. If Nyx made this bracelet, then she was beyond talented.

Okay, that’s not the point, Meredith chastised herself. The point was that Nyx had sent her such an expensive gift for no goddamn reason. First, she pulls the strings to get Meredith a slot in the art fair. And now she was sending Meredith expensive jewelry.

How was Meredith she supposed to feel about this? She couldn’t accept it.

“Mei Mei.”

“Hmm.” Shit. She’d forgotten her parents were still here. “Um, it’s from a friend. Her name is Nyx.” The words came out even before she could stop herself. Calm down, Huang. Too much information.

Baba folded his arms, narrowing his eyes. Oh no. The man could smell bullshit miles away when he was in that stance. “Mei Mei, does your friend know that you’re just friends?”

“What?” Meredith gasped. “What does that even mean?”

“Look, I’m just saying,” he said. “This bracelet costs at least a hundred thousand dollars. And the craftsmanship feels too personal to be a simple gift among friends. I just want you to be sure that you know where you two stand.”

Meredith was too stunned to speak. Nothing was going on between her and Nyx, so clearly this meant nothing, right? Except that Nyx is a demon. That stopped Meredith cold in her tracks. Demons didn’t just give out gifts for no reason.

And then it suddenly dawned on her why Nyx had even bothered to invite her to the art fair in the first place. The demon had marked her, and sending her a gift was her way of wooing her. Hell no. She had to return this gift at once. Accepting Nyx’s gift would mean that Meredith had accepted Nyx’s advances.

Her heart hammered in her chest, racing faster than a horse. It was a good thing witches didn’t have super hearing or she wouldn’t be able to keep this away from her parents.

“Meredith, are you okay?” Ma took her chin and stared into her eyes. “You look pale.”

“I’m okay.” She stood up, suddenly losing her appetite.

“Hey, where are you going? You should have breakfast.”

“I’ll eat later.” Breakfast was the last thing on her mind. Right now, she needed to speak to Alicia. Her best friend was the only one in her life she could talk about this to. “There’s something else I need to do.”

Not waiting to hear her mother’s rebuttal and her father’s concern, she stormed back upstairs to her room.

This was where it all began. The Union.

Tonight, however, Meredith was here all alone. Alicia had insisted on coming with her after Meredith told her she was returning Nyx’s gift.

Ever since Meredith told Alicia about how that vampire had tried to suck her blood without her consent, her best friend had been wary of the Union. For some weird reason, however, Meredith had an inexplicable sense of security.

She had a feeling that she would be safe at the Union and that what Jetazad had done would never happen again. So, like a fool, she told Alicia she would be fine if she came alone. She had to do this by herself anyway. Reluctantly, Alicia agreed, but not after she warned Meredith to call her on the first sign of danger.

“I found an ancient teleportation spell in gran’s attic,” Alicia had said. “Call me and I’ll be there in a second.”

Hopefully, there would be no sign of danger, thought Meredith as she approached the massive bouncer guarding the inconspicuous entrance of the Union.

This time, Borg recognized her and immediately allowed her to enter. Things weren’t so different from the last time she was here. Witches and demons, vampires and werewolves, danced and stripped and kissed and fucked. She wove through the throngs of creatures and clenched her jaws at the loud music. How the hell was she supposed to replace Nyx?

Okay, she had to relax and think carefully. The last time Meredith was here, Nyx was watching her from upstairs. But Nyx wasn’t there. Was it a mistake coming here? Maybe the demon wasn’t here at all. Nyx was a busy woman after all.

Meredith went to the bar and asked the hairy-faced bartender where she could replace Nyx. Following the direction of the bartender’s clawed finger, Meredith found herself in a less crowded part of the club. The massive room contained a swimming pool full of naked people, a pool table at the other end, and a long couch.

On this long couch sat Nyx surrounded by a bevy of gorgeous women. One of the women sat on her lap, while Nyx rested her hand on the woman’s ass. The woman rested her head on Nyx’s chest.

Meredith’s grip tightened on her purse. All her energy seemed to drain entirely from her knees. Why was she feeling this way?

This was none of her business. She was just here to return an unwanted gift. What did she care if women were practically throwing themselves at Nyx?

Honestly, deep down her, Meredith had expected something like this. The woman was good-looking, wealthy, and powerful. Besides, whatever Nyx did was none of Meredith’s business. She would return the gift and get the hell out.

After her internal pep talk, she headed towards Nyx. When the woman on Nyx’s lap kissed Nyx so passionately on the lips, Meredith halted in her tracks, clenching her jaws so tightly they clammed together.

Heat coursed through Meredith’s veins as anger, sadness, and a thousand other emotions washed all over her. Nyx kissed the woman right back. Meredith’s eyes stung.

This was ridiculous. Why the hell was she so affected by this? It wasn’t like she and Nyx were together so why did she feel like shit just because Nyx was kissing another woman? How pathetic could she be?

When Nyx’s intense gaze fell on her, Meredith quickly walked out of the room. She couldn’t possibly let the woman see that she was close to tears.

Everything was like a blur, the world closing in on her as she squeezed through scores of dancing people. Soon, she could breathe again when she found herself outside the club. She shouldn’t be here. Coming here was a bad idea. Just before she reached her car, someone appeared out of thin air, right in front of her.

Meredith’s throat ran dry, staring into the depths of those fierce yet warm hazel eyes.

“Why are you here?” asked Nyx. Her soft voice almost made Meredith forget why she was angry in the first place.

“Can you get out of my way?”

Nyx smiled. She walked closer to Meredith. Meredith wanted to move away from her, but she was too spellbound by the woman’s gaze to move. “Did you come to see me?” asked Nyx in that playful tone of hers.

Meredith sighed. She removed the jewelry box from her purse and shoved it into Nyx’s hand. “I came to give this back. What were you thinking sending me such an expensive gift?”

“Oh,” Nyx smiled, “will you prefer a cheaper gift then? I can arrange that.”

“I don’t want anything from you.” Meredith snapped. “Now why don’t you return to your girlfriend and leave me the hell alone.”

Nyx smirked. “I don’t have a girlfriend.” Then in a more serious tone, she added, “I don’t have a mate either. Not yet.”

Nyx’s gaze held Meredith hostage and the woman’s intense gaze made her shiver slightly. How Meredith hated how much this woman affected her. She needed to get herself together.

“Please accept it,” said Nyx, giving the gift back to her. “I made it for you.”

That stopped Meredith for a second. So Nyx really made the bracelet. But why did she make it for her? They barely knew each other and demons didn’t just go about giving things to people unless they had ulterior motives.

Meredith’s eyes must have betrayed her emotions because Nyx added, “If you must know why, then it’s because I like you. A lot.”

Meredith’s heart rate spiked, and for a moment she felt as though the insides of her vein had been filled with magma. “You like me?” She couldn’t simply take Nyx’s word. The demon was obviously lying. “Is that why you were kissing her? Those women were all over you and you didn’t even stop them.”

Shit. The words just came flying out. And now she sounded like the proverbial crazy girlfriend. Girlfriend? She and Nyx weren’t even friends yet. Why was she so jealous? Wait, am I jealous?

Nyx smiled. “Do you want me to stop kissing everyone else then?”

Yes. As selfish as it sounded, a part of Meredith hated seeing Nyx with all those women. She didn’t want Nyx kissing anyone else, touching anyone else so intimately, or loving anyone else.

“Do whatever the hell you want,” Meredith said instead.

Then she turned away from Nyx. If the woman wasn’t going to get out of her way, then she would walk home. But the strong and yet gentle grip on her wrist stopped her immediately. Before Meredith knew it, Nyx pulled her close to kiss her deeply on the lips.

The softness of Nyx’s lips coupled with her lavender and mint perfume intoxicated Meredith. Soon, Meredith’s body relaxed as she surrendered to the kiss, her body instantly responding back. She almost groaned out loud when Nyx finally pulled away. Meredith’s heart raced and she was too stunned to speak.

“What was that?” she asked, gasping for breath.

“Doing whatever the hell I want.” Nyx grinned.

It was at that moment Meredith knew she had fucked up.