A sudden gust of wind whipped through the chamber, plunging it into darkness. Before anyone could do more than gasp, all the candles flared back to life, revealing a cloud of ash floating in the air. She tilted her head curiously when the ash settled on the ground in a specific pattern. "A dame?" she said with a puzzled frown and looked up toward the high priestess, hoping it made more sense to her. The high priestess stood frozen, staring past her with enormous eyes. As she spoke, a deep, growling voice rumbled through the room, vibrating across her skin, lighting her every nerve on fire.

"That's Ah-DAH-may!" She shivered, gasping at the unexpected sensation as the extremely pissed-off voice growled directly behind her.

She whirled around and looked up...and up...and up as a very large, very male, and very naked form uncoiled itself from the floor where it was crouched. She had to back up a couple of steps to take him all in. His long black hair, flowing around a magnificent pair of ram horns, flared around him as he rose. His six-and-a-half-foot-tall form was heavy with muscle, the bronzed skin marred by bleeding gashes in his shoulder and ribs. Her eyes widened even farther when a pair of large batlike wings unfurled behind him and swept around her, cutting her off from the rest of the coven. He advanced upon her, his rage so intense it warped the air around her.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he growled. Her hands came up automatically, trying to ward him off as she backed up until she reached the edge of the circle. And he kept coming.