Page 19 of My Demon Charming

“No. It doesn’t.” He pinches my cheek, and I feel its warmth travel to my core.

“Wait. Did you say other demons? Does that mean there are other kinds of demons?”

“Oh, for sure. We’re just like witches. For example, what kind of witch was your mom?”

I look out to the city, feeling Lucian’s and Brim’s eyes on me.

“She was an eldritch witch.”

Lucian whistles. “Eldritch? That’s one hell of a power.”

“You know what it is?” I turn to him.

“Of course. My knowledge of the human world is vast. Just like blood bonders, eldritch witches are rare. And usually hereditary.”

I laugh. “But not in my case.”

“Ah yes. That again.”

“If you’re about to convince me there’s magic within me, don’t bother. My mom was a powerful witch. She could summon all sorts of eldritch creatures to help people in need. She was like…like a superhero and a doctor, all rolled into one. If I had inherited her powers, they would have manifested the moment we performed my ignition ritual.”

My mom had been the best witch in the world. I know most people associate the eldritch dimension, full of inhuman creatures, with evil, but when my mom opened herself up to eldritch creatures, when she befriended them and bonded with them, she looked regal. Like a true Korean queen.

“Magic can hold back from manifesting for all sorts of reasons, darling boy. Just because the ritual didn’t seem to work doesn’t mean it didn’t. Demons can sense magic in everything. And yours is…”

“Nonexistent? Yeah. I know.”

Lucian shook his head.

“No. Yours is decadent and strong. But it’s dormant.”

I sigh and roll my eyes.

“I don’t know how demon powers work, but witch powers are only dormant before ignition.”

“And witch powers can stay dormant if during ignition the witch is stressed, imbalanced?—”

“Even then?—”

“Abused.”

I shut up.

I’ve studied ignition rituals closely. I’ve done all the homework, and while all those are true, eventually, the power manifests.

But abuse…that’s new.

Nowhere in my research does it reference that, but then again, abuse is not normal. And it’s a taboo subject. So maybe…

Is that why I didn’t manifest?

And if that’s true, why hasn’t my power come to me in the years since my ignition?

“If you still don’t believe me… Do you think any mortal human can summon a demon with a spell?”

My jaw drops, and I gaze into his eyes.

Is it true? Am I really a witch?