Excerpt: Whiskey Witches by S.M. Blooding

Detective Paige Whiskey comes from a long line of witches. They may not all be the most powerful, but they are outspoken and supportive of their community. She alone has no gifts. She can’t summon fire, can’t read minds. She knows the arcane. She’s studied it. That, along with her connection to the Whiskey Witches, lands her some pretty strange cases. Like the sacrificial murders of St. Francisville, Louisiana. There’s a killer on the loose, choosing people in a vain attempt to raise a demon. Not just any demon, though. A man born long ago, made a demon in order to protect the Gate to Hell. Together with demon hunter, Dexx Colt, her kitchen-witch grandmother, and her paranormal investigator brother-in-law, they unravel a conspiracy far bigger than a few simple murders, and re-discover Paige’s gift. She’s a demon summoner and she’s key to the killer’s plan.

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                 Excerpt

“Who are you?”

Dexx spared the cop a glance over Paige’s still form then proceeded to ignore the question as they 

cleared the front door. “Fanny,” he shouted to the owner of the inn who he’d been flirting with for the 

last two hours, digging for information. “Grab my bag.”

Alarm slashed across Fanny’s round face as she scrambled to her wide sandled feet. “What’s goin’ 

on?”

“Just grab the goddamned bag.” Paige was heavy. He’d carried her before. They’d gotten into a 

scrape or two in years past, but she’d never felt like a brick ton before. 

Did possession come with weight? How much did a demon weigh? 

The cop stopped him on the second-floor landing with an iron grip on his arm. “I need answers.”

Paige’s eyes shot open, the rich nut-brown gone replaced by pure black. A grimace twitched across 

her face. “This vessel belongs to me.” 

The words might have come from Paige’s mouth, but the voice had too many layers to be human.

That was the first time Dexx had ever seen a black man turn white.

Dexx got Paige into her room. Fanny shambled next to him, her grey eyes wide as she crossed 

herself. He removed his duffle from her arms and dumped Paige into a chair. 

He didn’t have everything he needed for a full-on demon’s trap. 

It could be something else. 

No. He rummaged through his bag. This was Paige. It was a demon. Couldn’t be anything else.

“What’s going on?” the cop asked through gritted teeth.

Paige stared at him with her jet-black eyes and smiled a sickly smile. 

Yeah. Demon. Dexx threw the contents of his bag onto the bed, then walked to the door. He 

scribbled a few, quick protective sigils on the wall with a Sharpie. 

“What are you doin’?” Fanny asked. “Is that permanent marker?”

“I’ll paint over it when I’m done,” Dexx muttered, moving to the windows. 

The cop watched for a moment, then took Fanny’s elbow, pushing her toward the door. “Don’t tell 

anyone what you just saw.”

“But I don’t even know what I just saw. What is—”

“There was a trap at the scene and Detective Whiskey was injected with a drug.”

“Oh, my God,” Fanny said, her hands going to her mouth. “Chief, is she gonna be all right? Don’t lie 

to—”

“She’ll be fine, Fanny.” He pushed her the final step out of the room. 

“I’ll call the doc.”

Dexx shot her a feral grin. “Did I forget to mention I’m a doctor?”

“She’ll be fine.” Chief White closed the door firmly in the woman’s face