The Bespelled — Kim Harrison

A Ceri / Al Short Story

Al is one of my more favorite characters in the Hollows. I never expected him to be anything other than the Big-Bad-Ugly -- fun to hate, but nothing more. It was a surprise when Rachel began to understand him, and even more of a shock when Al responded not just by showing a softer side, but by lifting the veil on his past as well.

“The Bespelled” was first published at the end of the mass market edition of The Outlaw Demon Wails, and it shows Al in his earlier mind-set of use and abuse. But the appearance of the blue butterflies gives evidence that even before Al met Rachel, he was beginning to find himself lacking and was looking for more.

Also in anthology Demons, edited by John Skipp