Witch (Cursed book 4) Read online

  She swallowed, tasting blood in her mouth. Oliver watched her with his bright-blue eyes. She felt her breath grow ragged, as the desperation of the situation became reality.

  She looked around. She didn’t recognize where she was. Her hands were wrapped in a fabric and tied over her head. Her feet just touched the floor on her tippy toes.

  Her back was against a cold, stone wall. She was frozen.

  Tristan was taller than she assumed he would be. He towered over her, looking angry and frightening. Not the same as when they'd met in the forest. He was a different person.

  He sneered and leaned in, "You smell like sex, Ophelia. It's hard to be around all these angels and sirens."

  She turned her face away from his warm breath.

  She refused to look at him or Oliver.

  She didn’t see Lorri or Dorian. She wondered if they'd been a part of the plan from the beginning too?

  She felt her toes cramping up and she struggled to stay standing.

  Tristan hovered over her like a predator.

  She continued to look away from them. She felt her breath getting out of control. She started to heave slightly.

  "Wa-wa-wa-wa! What's the baby going to do? Will she cry? Are you going to cry for daddy, love?"

  She looked at him.

  He laughed, "You didn’t think I was your brother, did you?"

  She started to cry. He leaned in and licked her cheek.

  "Your tears taste like your mother's."

  His body pressed her into the rock wall.

  She looked exactly like Jonathan. She could see her own traits and features on his face.

  She looked at Oliver. He looked pained for a moment.

  She spat at him, "How could you? He killed your son."

  Her father laughed, "I never killed him. Oliver has him being detained, so to speak. It had to be believable. No one can resist young Samuel's mother. No one."

  Ophelia shook her head, "Why are you doing this? Where is Tristan?"

  He laughed, "Your brother is an idiot. You are my heir, Ophelia." He glanced back at Oliver and smirked, "We just need to make sure you like my side better."

  "Where are my sisters and Lillith?"

  He laughed and turned and walked from the circular stone room. She shivered from the cold.

  Oliver watched her for a moment and then followed her father from the room.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Sam

  "Just pull her along."

  Hanna looked nervous, "Sam, I don’t feel comfortable."

  He clenched his jaw and leaned in, looking down on her, "I'm not leaving without her."

  Hanna's skin rippled, "Don't be a shit. I just don't want her to feel like we forced something on her. She said she loves him."

  His eyes flashed at his mother's unconscious body. He felt bad for knocking her out but he had no choice. She was compelled by Jonathan.

  He felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it from his pocket to find a picture of a room from Aimee. He grabbed Hanna and his mom's hand and flashed them into the room.

  Aimee had her back to a wall and was peering around a corner.

  "They're in there."

  She looked at his mom, "Is she hurt?"

  Hanna rolled her eyes, "She wasn’t until Sam knocked her out." She glanced at Sam and gulped, "She wanted to stay. She loves Jonathan."

  Aimee grimaced.

  Giselle made a sickened face, "Eww, I heard he looks a lot like Ophelia."

  Aimee's head snapped around, "I've had enough of the return of shitty Giselle. Stop."

  Giselle put her hands up, "Whatevs, Aims. Can we just kill Blake and get Alise?"

  Aimee looked at Lydia. Sam noticed the vacant stare in her eyes.

  "Lydia?"

  She looked at him in a panic, "Sam, they have Ophelia. Her magic just went out. They're going to be here any minute."

  Sam felt his stomach sink. He still felt the bond to her. She wasn’t dead.

  Aimee's nostrils flared, "Fuck this shit." She kicked the door open to the lab.

  Sam looked at Hanna, "Don’t lose her."

  Hanna smiled at him sarcastically, "Fuck off, Sam."

  He grabbed her face and kissed her hard. He let go and flashed into the room behind Aimee. A man fired a gun, which normally they wouldn’t have bothered avoiding, but with the hellfire being a possibility, it changed their reactions to bullets.

  Aimee leapt across the room and flashed Ari behind the man with the gun.

  The lab was huge. Sam felt lost for a half a second. He saw a pasty, angry-looking guy hunched over a microscope with headphones on. He would bet his money that it was Blake.

  He watched as Brandon and Lucas phased mid-air and began attacking the other men and women in lab coats. Ari didn’t use her gift. They all appeared human. Sam looked back at the door; he had a bad feeling.

  Lydia was standing with Hanna above his mother who was laid on the floor.

  She made eye contact with him, "Minutes."

  He looked back at Aimee who was holding the dark-haired guy in the air.

  "Just fucking tell me where she is."

  Sam looked at the way the incredibly-tall guy didn’t react.

  He looked at Giselle draining the blood from a smaller guy in the corner, "He's compelled, Aims. Giselle get him."

  Giselle hissed at Sam.

  "DO IT NOW!"

  Lydia shrieked, "GISELLE, STOP BEING A PAIN IN THE ASS."

  Giselle dropped the bleeding man and skulked over to Aimee, "Okay nerd, look into mommy's eyes."

  Sam knew she hated him. He had been a part of her being mauled in blood bars.

  "Listen to me, Blake. You don’t have any more glamour on you. No compulsion. You are just you again."

  "Ha! You really believe one of Lorri's pets can remove my compulsion?"

  Sam saw Daniel walk into the lab from the back. He held an iPad.

  Blake looked around. He frowned, "Aims?"

  Aimee leapt at him and wrapped her arms around his chest.

  "Blake."

  Giselle stepped toward Daniel, "Bow bitch."

  His legs buckled slightly, "Impossible."

  She growled, "BOW BEFORE YOUR QUEEN, DOUCHE CANOE!"

  His knees dropped to the hard cement lab floor.

  His face trembled, "You are of Marcus?"

  She licked the blood stains from her face, "Yeah and I'm pretty sure you remember me being your little party favor not so long ago too, don’t you? Well asshole, now it's time to pay."

  Sam put a hand out, "No. Lorri made a deal with the wolves. They get to kill him and we get Aleks' dad."

  Giselle wrinkled her nose. She thought for a moment and nodded, "Fine, but I take him now. No waiting around for Jonathan and the other dicks to show."

  Sam nodded.

  Aimee looked at Sam; her eyes were filled with tears.

  "Alise is in the backroom. Where the vampires feed."

  Sam felt sick. He knew her sister would either be dead or worse.

  Lorri ran into the room, "They got Ophelia. We need to get the fuck out of here and come back."

  Sam clenched his jaw.

  Lorri barked, "Fucking Oliver. I fucking knew it."

  Aimee shook her head, "We need Alise and Ophelia's sister."

  "WE NEED TO GO NOW."

  Blake looked startled, "What is going on?" He paled, "Are you guys like them?"

  Lorri smiled, "Worse. Now move some asses."

  Giselle looked at Lorri, "Look who we found."

  Lorri leaned to the side to see around the tables and computers. Her face dropped.

  "Daniel."

  He trembled, "Lorri. I didn’t mean to. You know I always believed in your way."

  Her chest rose and fell rapidly, "You son of a bitch."

  She looked crushed. Sam had never seen her vulnerable.

  "Giselle, can you hold him?"

  She laughed, "Yup. I'm going to stick one of my heels in his ass as soon as we get h
im home. Fucker."

  Lorri nodded and looked around, "Okay, I'm going to take Giselle and Danny Boy to Maine." She tilted her head, "You owe a blood debt, you piece of shit."

  Ari looked at Lorri, "I could push Alise when we get her."

  Lorri shook her head, "Last resort, Ari. You know what happens when you mess with your own circle. Christ only knows what we'll end up with. Aimee—take Brandon, Sam, Ari, and Luke with you. Hanna—bring Sam's mom."

  Hanna lifted her into the air.

  Lorri smirked at Daniel, "Hanna here is going to rip one of your rotten legs off and shove it up your ass if you try anything funny."

  Hanna smiled at Daniel.

  She carried Sam's mom like she weighed nothing. Lorri touched Giselle who gripped Daniel. Hanna put a hand on Lorri's shoulder.

  Lorri looked worried, "Aims, you and Sam flash if you have to. No matter what. Leave the sisters if you have to."

  Sam felt the order in the words. It wasn’t a suggestion.

  Lydia ran to Lorri, "I'll come with you. I've spelled the room. They can't come in here. We need to get out of here now."

  Lorri was gone as Lydia's hand touched her shoulder.

  Aimee hugged Blake again.

  He sobbed into her chest, "Oh God, oh God, Aimee. I've done so many bad things."

  He slumped on the floor at her feet and covered his face in shame.

  A loud bang on the door interrupted.

  Sam gave Aimee a look. She nodded and pointed to the back door Daniel had come through, "Does this lead to Alise?"

  Blake blubbered into his hands, speaking inaudible bits.

  Aimee grabbed his arms, "Blake, we can cry when we get home. I need you to focus now."

  He wiped his eyes and repositioned his glasses, "That way." He pointed at the back door.

  She shook him, "I need your help. Can you help me?"

  Aimee's face looked desperate.

  Blake nodded, "I'm so sorry, Aims. I shoulda believed you. It was real. It was all real."

  Aimee sighed, "We can do this at home, Blake. I need to get my sister."

  He sniffed and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

  Ari had the door open and both wolves were in the hall. She peeked back, "Hey, Dorian is in the hall waiting for us."

  Sam was last into the hallway. He couldn’t believe they finally had Daniel. Lorri could finally cross it off her to-do list.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about Ophelia or the fact her father had her.

  Dorian looked pissed.

  He hissed at Sam, "Your mom is in on it."

  Sam nodded, "I think she's compelled."

  Dorian shook his head, "Nope. It’s a match."

  Sam felt sick, "What?"

  Dorian nodded, "Fucking sirens. Have you guys seen Oliver?"

  Sam shook his head.

  Ari whispered, "We need to keep moving."

  Dorian glared at her, "This was a set up. Notice how they don’t have any security here?"

  Sam nodded, "Jonathan was willing to trade it all for Ophelia?"

  They followed the huge wolves through a series of halls and past a massive kitchen. Sam felt like his stomach was in his throat.

  Dorian looked at Ari, "I'm going to find Ophelia. If I don’t come back, I'm sorry."

  Ari grinned, "Sorry you died on me?"

  He shook his head solemnly, "That I never knew. I would have tried if I'd known."

  She shoved him, "Stop being a weirdo. You're like a cockroach. Nothing can kill you." His eyes flashed at Ari for a moment. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. He glanced at Sam, "You get her out."

  Sam nodded and Dorian was gone.

  Blake stopped outside of a door, "This one."

  His thin pale fingers trembled. He looked sick, seeing the door.

  Aimee shoved him to the side and kicked the door open.

  Sam clutched his nose instantly. The smell was unbearable. Aimee looked horrified as she stepped in. The dark room was a cell. It reminded her of Marcus' dungeon.

  There was a small cot, a shower, and a toilet. The dark, concrete room had no one in it, but from the stink, whoever had been in there was dead when they were removed.

  Old, dark-brown blood stains covered the mattress.

  Aimee looked at Blake like she wanted to strangle him. He shook his head, "She was here."

  Aimee stormed from the room and started kicking in every door in the hallway.

  "You have a very bad temper—has anyone ever told you that?"

  Sam looked down the hall by the kitchen they had passed. Oliver stood there with a grin pasted on his face.

  Sam flashed at him but he was already down the far side of the other hall. Sam flashed there but he was in the ceiling, looking down from the grate, "We can play this all day or we can just trade."

  Aimee scowled up at him, "What could you possibly want from us?"

  Oliver tilted his head, "You, Aimee."

  She walked under the grate where he sat, "Fine done. Everyone else walks free."

  Oliver flashed to the far side of the hall, opposite Sam, "Walk out the door behind you, into the snow. There is a courtyard. Stay there. We will meet you outside." He was gone.

  Sam looked at Aimee, "No. No, this is a bad idea. Why do they want you so badly?"

  She shrugged, "I don’t know." She looked defeated, "At this point, what does it matter? Aleks is dead. Shane is heartbroken. My sister is most likely dead." She turned to Sam and smiled, "You know where I want my body to go."

  He nodded, "I don’t know what can kill you, Aims. They may want you alive."

  Ari put a hand on Aimee, "This is a bad idea. Let me push him." She glanced at Blake. Blake looked nervous.

  Aimee shook her head, "You know what Lydia says."

  Aimee turned and walked to the door. She put a hand up to it and looked back at Blake. She rushed him and threw her arms around his neck. He held her tight.

  They whispered into each other's necks. Aimee shook from the sobbing. She pushed herself off of him and turned to face the door. She looked at Sam and pushed as hard as she could.

  The cold arctic air blasted them. It was miserably cold for July. Sam looked at Blake who started to shiver.

  "Stay in the hallway."

  Blake nodded and stepped back in. Ari grabbed him by the arm, "No. This is my insurance." She dragged him out into the cold.

  He looked as white as the snow. Sam scanned the white courtyard for movement.

  Luke lowered and growled as Oliver walked toward them. In each hand he had a thin girl. Sam knew they must be Alise and Abbey. He could pick out Alise right away. She was sickly skinny and covered in sores. She wore baggy jeans and a pale-pink t-shirt. Her dark hair was around her like a filthy cape and matted with things. Abbey too was covered in sores. He assumed they were bite marks. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, like bed head. Her jeans were ripped and torn and her light blue t-shirt was bloody.

  Another man walked out into the courtyard with Oliver. He looked almost identical to Ophelia. Instantly, he knew it was her father.

  He smiled and held his hands out, "Roses. It's wonderful to meet you all. Sorry for being such a poor host. I'm sure you understand the time constraints placed upon me, what with Ophelia and Tristan turning eighteen and all."

  Aimee stepped forward, "Look, you want me to stay. I want them all to go free. Cut the shit and niceties."

  He nodded, "I like your style, Aimee. It's a shame we have to kill you."

  He pulled a gun from behind his back, and raised and fired it, before Sam could register what was happening.

  Sam screamed, "No." He flashed at Aimee. She stumbled forward in the snow. Blake screamed but Ari held him tight. Sam held her arm.

  Her sister screamed and pulled from Oliver's hands. He held her tight to his side.

  Sam looked down at the snow. Black blood dripped onto the white snow. He rolled her on her back, revealing something he never thought he would see. Aimee's s
kin was singed where the bullet made a huge hole.

  She cried out from the fiery wound spreading up her pale stomach.

  "You see Aimee, Dorian made you for one reason. Each of us makes something different. I create vampires. Not cursed ones like Marcus but real ones. We don’t know what Lorri creates; she has a rule about not making things. Oliver here creates succubus and incubus, emotional vampires if you will. Sam, your dad made what the natives called a Wendigo. Very horrid creature. He only made a few. Terrible plague on the earth. He refused to make any more. But Dorian makes something very special. He makes the cure. He made the one that took Anthony." Jonathan smirked and pointed to the sky, "He needed a back-up plan, in case we decided to have fun, instead of being Lorri's lapdogs. Dorian makes the back-up plan. You are it, my dear, and I can't run the risk of you ruining any of my plans."

  She leaned forward as the bullet wound spread. Ash fell to the ground where she leaned. She cried out.

  Sam gripped her. He rocked her. Her fingers bit into him. Screams filled the courtyard. He blocked it all out.

  She began to tremble.

  Sam looked back at Ari and nodded. Her black eyes sparkled as she pushed the screaming Blake. The air sparkled around him.

  Dorian was behind her in a flash, "Ahhh yes, Jonathan you have yet to meet my daughter."

  Jonathan's mouth dropped. He looked back at Oliver with daggers.

  Sam watched the show as everything around them froze for a second.

  Blake was pacing around his house. Aimee lay on a bed sleeping. Blake was talking and pacing. Shane stood in front of him with his arms crossed. Shane shook his head. He looked angry. Suddenly, Blake was standing in a room talking to Aimee. She looked devastated. She ran from the house.

  Everything sparkled around them and suddenly Aimee was asleep on the bed again. He paced watching her. He looked upset, but instead of leaving, he went to his computer. He sat there looking exhausted. When she woke up, she went to his side. He showed her websites and chats. Everything around them started to change. Jonathan screamed and leaped at Aimee but everything went black.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Ophelia

  She stood in the kitchen at Lydia's, holding a glass of water. She looked at Ari who shivered and sat down.

  Ophelia looked at the glass in her hand. She remembered pouring herself the glass of water just as she remembered being tied up in her father's cell.