He nearly jumped at the sound of my voice. “Oliver!”
I frowned at him as he turned and ran to the door.
“Oliver, she’s awake!”
“What I don’t even get a ‘hey there?’” I asked, my voice still dry. I licked my lips. “Or maybe some water?”
Simon looked back over his shoulder at me and smiled softly. “Water will be here in just a moment.”
A second later, Oliver came barreling into the room, almost knocking Simon over. “Abby?” He put his hands on either side of my face. He turned my head from side to side and watched my eyes. Then he checked my pulse and let out a relieved sigh. “Thank the goddess.”
I didn’t think I’d ever heard him say those words before. “Oliver?”
“Go get her some water, Simon, and something very easy on the stomach to eat.” He sat on the bed next to me and helped me sit up.
To my surprise, it wasn’t as easy as I thought. My limbs felt weak and my body shook. Judging by how I felt, I would say that I was out for a couple days. But if that were the case, I should have been in the hospital.
“Take it easy.” Oliver put a pillow behind me.
Simon walked in with a cup of water and a small bowl of applesauce on a tray. He set it on my lap. “I have to call Levi, but I’ll be back once I’m done speaking with him.”
It occurred to me that I didn’t know if it was day or night. The room I was in wasn’t the one I shared with Simon at Melisandra’s. I looked at Oliver. “What happened?”
I took a sip of the water and closed my eyes as it eased the scratchiness in my throat. I didn’t miss the shaking in my hand as I lifted the cup for another sip.
Oliver looked at Simon as he left and then turned back to me. “Someone magically attacked you. We don’t know who.”
I tried to think back to the attack. “Hannah,” I muttered. “I saw her when I was going down.”
Oliver shook his head. “This isn’t Hannah’s magic. Abigail, they tried to pull your magic out of you. They used the hole in your aura to get to you. That’s not Hannah. It’s cult.”
“The hex,” I muttered. “The hex is gone. It was gone a long time ago. I haven’t activated any runes. Merick wouldn’t do anything like that to me.”
“No, he wouldn’t. But there are other members who knew that Seth had the order to kill your parents.”
“So they think I killed him, and they are after me for revenge.” I closed my eyes and tried to find my magic to draw on its strength. What I found was…
Emptiness.
“Oliver?” I asked, not being able to stop the panic in my voice. I felt my heart race and my head spin. “Oliver?” I asked again as I couldn’t find even a spark inside me. “My magic.”
“It’s there, Abby,” he promised me. “Very dim, with a lot of healing to do, but it’s there.”
I tried to swallow my fear. “How do you know?”
“Because if it weren’t, you’d have turned by now.”
The seriousness in his voice gave me no hope. “Do we have a lead on which cult member tried to kill me?”
“No, and you won’t be taking part in the case.” He shook his head. “This isn’t a physical wound I can heal. It’s not one that your vampire blood will speed up the process. You have to heal as a witch.” He didn’t sound as furious as Levi sounded when I got hurt, but it was close.
I chose not to argue, because I honestly didn’t think I had the strength. I slowly ate some of the applesauce but gave up after a few bites. I didn’t feel hungry. “What now?”
“Now you rest. Melisandra sewed up the hole in your aura. It’ll take a little longer to heal, but much of it healed while you were unconscious. We’ll get you moving again, slowly.” He sighed. “Abigail, four days. You’ve been healing for four days.”
“Why am I not in a hospital?”
“Because, if we had taken you to a hospital, whoever is after you could have easily killed you.” The answer came from the doorway, where Melisandra stood. “My magic kept you alive while you healed.”
She walked in, and I could see the dark circles under her eyes, and her cheeks looked sunken.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring you problems.”
Melisandra shook her head. “I was hoping to do the cleansing and the stitching when you were healed more. You were still carrying magical wounds from the blood-witch. This attack forced us to do it sooner. Now that you’re awake, I’ll be able to rest.” She smiled. “I’m glad I was here to help. That attack would have killed you elsewhere.”
“Thank you. That doesn’t seem like enough, but thank you.”
She nodded and then kissed Oliver’s cheek. “I’ll be downstairs. Let me know if she needs anything.”
“I will, thank you.” Oliver kissed her quickly. “For everything.”
It was still really weird to see him kiss her. I sighed. “I’d like a shower, clean clothes, and clean bedsheets.
Oliver chuckled. “Finish your food first, and then we’ll make the rest happen with Simon’s help.”
I glanced at the applesauce and then Simon. “I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat to gain your strength back. Please.”
I sighed and forced myself to eat what was left of the applesauce and drink the rest of the water. Oliver watched me the whole time, not leaving my side.
“Why isn’t Levi here demanding I go back to the mansion? And why are there no windows in the room?”
“It’s afternoon. We weren’t sure if you were going to die and become a vampire, so we didn’t want to risk sun exposure.” He rubbed his eyes.
“How did you explain that one to Simon?”
“Much to Levi’s protests, Simon is now in on the secret of your lineage.” Oliver smirked as if he was remembering something amusing.
“And why isn’t Levi here?”
“Because he’s currently helping with the case that Liz is on. It’s become vampire business as well as black magic related.”
I sighed. “I want an update. Has anyone else ended up dead?”
Oliver shook his head. “No, but they attacked Nicolas. He ended up in the hospital.”
“I’m assuming he’s okay since you’re not telling me he’s dead.”
“Well, you know him, it’s hard to keep him dead.”
I snorted. “Yeah, that’s true.” I closed my eyes. “I’m so tired.”
“You’re going to be.” Oliver patted my leg. “I’ll get Simon up here and see if we can’t get you cleaned up and at least downstairs.
I liked that idea. I needed to stretch my legs. “Okay, thank you.”
He got up and left the room while I slithered back down to rest. I rolled onto my side and tried not to imagine what could have happened in those four days.
#
It wasn’t long before Simon came back upstairs and helped me bathe and dress. Even those two tasks were exhausting. But despite his protests, I walked down the stairs on my own, even if I was gripping the banister a little tighter than normal.
I settled on the couch with a sigh. Melisandra sat in the chair to my left, sipping tea.
“Levi would like to see Abby tonight,” Simon said as he sat down next to me.
“I don’t like vampires here.” Melisandra shook her head. “This is a peaceful place. Vampires by nature are not peaceful. Abigail also does not need the stress.”
Simon nodded. “I figured that would be your answer, but Abby needs to call him.”
“And I will, after I take a brief nap,” I promised and laid my head in his lap. “And maybe eat something else.”
Simon chuckled, and he ran his fingers through my hair. “He’s just worried about the entire situation.”
“What’s the entire situation?” I muttered, already almost asleep in his lap.
“The entire situation is something that you can wait to find out.” Melisandra’s typically calm voice sounded almost angry. “Abby, someone tried to yank your magic out of you. Y
ou need to heal that before worrying about anyone or anything else.”
I gave a small nod as sleep claimed me. If I couldn’t keep my eyes open, I certainly couldn’t argue.
When I opened my eyes, I was four years old. A purple haze surrounded me as I cried in the middle of the circle. I was safe, but mommy and daddy hadn’t come back to get me yet. All I heard from downstairs were screams. Footsteps crept into the room.
“Mommy?” I inched towards the edge of the circle. “Mommy?”
But mommy wasn’t there. A man stood there, his eyes wide and crazed, a dagger in his hand. I scooted to the back of the circle, but then he was gone.
Levi stood in his place. “Abigail.” He put his hand against the circle. “I can’t ever seem to protect you.”
I shifted from being four to my present age. The circle changed in its color from purple to a swirling mix of purple and red. “You won’t always be able to protect me.” Pain filled my chest and arms wrapped around me.
“So much blood and death at the hands of a vampire.” Clarissa’s voice came from somewhere in the house.
I looked at Levi standing there with a bloodied knife and shook my head as my circle fell. “No… no. Not you.”
I woke with a jump and Simon was holding me. Tears had gathered in my eyes and I looked at him. “Nightmare.” Was all I could say.
He nodded and kissed my head. “Your mind working overtime.”
It was, but I didn’t like it. I looked at Melisandra, and her lips were pushed together as she thought. After a few moments, she sighed. “I’ll make sure to give you tea tonight to help with the nightmares.”
“Thank you.” I curled up against Simon, trying to get the dream out of my head. Levi standing outside the circle with a bloodied knife. He wouldn’t have killed my mother. He loved her. He still loved her.
Of course, Ira had loved her too.
I shivered at the thought.
“Are you cold?” Simon looked down at me, his brows pinched together in worry.
I shook my head. “No. I was just thinking. I need to call Levi. Where’s my phone?”
Simon reached behind him and handed me my phone.
Melisandra gave me a nasty glare. “No stress.”
“I’m just calling him to let him know I’m alive,” I promised. “That’s it.” I stood. I wanted privacy for this phone call.
Simon stood with me, putting a gentle hand on my elbow and keeping to my side. I paused. “I’m just going upstairs to talk to Levi with some privacy.”
He hesitated. “Okay.” He stepped back, and I made my way back up the stairs and to the bedroom. I felt like I’d run five miles by the time I sat on the bed. This sucked. I didn’t remember being this weak after facing Adrianna. Of course, this time, I hadn’t been in control.
I called Levi and waited for him to answer.
“Abigail?” His voice was soft, almost hopeful.
“Hey, I’m alive,” I said with a light voice. “I woke up a few hours ago and then took a quick nap.”
“How do you feel?”
“Exhausted, weak, all the things I probably should feel.”
He gave a short laugh. “Melisandra taking good care of you?”
“Seeing as I woke and stayed alive because of her, yeah, I think so.” For some reason, I wanted to break down and cry. “I’m okay,” I said out loud.
Levi sighed. “Melisandra will not let me on her property to check on you. I need you to swear that you’re alright.”
“I am now. Simon and Oliver are here with me. I don’t think either of them could have done anything against the attack.” I swallowed. “Levi, I had a dream that you were the vampire who was going to kill me.”
“I would never kill you, Abigail, or change you,” he promised. “Your mind needs to heal.” There was shouting in the background. “I have to go break up a fight between Mario and Liz.” He disconnected the phone, and I tried to wrap my head around why Mario and Liz were fighting.
I took a couple of minutes to find my strength again and walk down the stairs. When I got back down, Melisandra was gone, and Simon was checking something on his phone.
“Why is Liz at Levi’s?”
“I told you, Levi’s helping Liz out because it’s become vampire related.”
I was about to open my mouth to ask a question and Simon shook his head. “Please Abby, don’t.”
I sighed and sat down next to him. “Okay, so what do we do while I heal? Normally I work from the hospital or my bed. Or something pops up that keeps me from actually staying still.” I frowned. “How’s Merick? No one’s mentioned him.”
“No one has heard from him or his sister. They held the memorial service for Seth the day after you were attacked and that was the last any of us have heard from him.”
I sighed and pulled out my phone to shoot him a quick text. “Had a hole in my aura, almost died. Sorry I missed the service.”
I didn’t expect an answer back, but I had to try. I snuggled into Simon. “There’s not even a television here to watch.”
He chuckled. “There’s one upstairs, though.”
I stood. “Okay, back up the stairs then.” Simon walked with me, and we paused as Oliver was coming down the stairs. “I see you’re gaining some of your strength back.”
I nodded. “Step by step. Four days unconscious won’t keep me down long.” Of course, having my magic almost ripped out of me might. “I’d like to work on magic later.”
Oliver moved so I could climb up the stairs. “I figured you’d want to, but we can’t until you heal a little more, another couple of days to let your spark grow. However, you can work with your elemental ability. That does not draw on your life force as much.”
It’d been a while since I had worked with Oliver on any of my abilities. I smirked. “Do you have a fire extinguisher?”
Oliver laughed at my joke while Simon shook his head. “Later, you just woke up. Come on. Rest and television.”
“Your wolf is right. Tonight we’ll work on it while he goes back to the pack.”
I frowned. “You’re leaving?”
“It’s the full moon.”
Ah. There was no getting out of that. “Okay, I wish I could go. I want to be in my circle.”
Both of them looked sorry for a moment, and I knew that there was no chance of me leaving. Which if I was them, I wouldn’t have let me either. Simon and I got to the bedroom, and he propped up the pillows for me and I got on the bed and crossed my arms. “Can I have my laptop?”
He glared at me. “No.”
I let out a frustrated noise. “Maybe I should go back to being unconscious.”
“Abby… you never understand how bad a situation is. Do you?”
“It’s not the first time I’ve almost died, and many times I’ve dived right back into work. Even if it was desk work. You and Oliver are both tiptoeing around me and have been since we got here. You are all hiding something, and I don’t like it,” I snapped. “I am trying to take it easy. I’m trying to find something to occupy my mind as I sit here with nothing else to do. I can’t work on a case, all I can do is watch television, or sit outside.”
He sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. As soon as I get the all clear, I’ll tell you what is going on.” He pressed his forehead against mine and took a deep breath. “Right now though…”
“Yes, yes, I know. Rest,” I muttered and laid back on the bed. “Tomorrow?”
“I’ll tell Oliver and Melisandra that you can have your laptop.” He kissed my forehead and pulled the blanket over me. “I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.”
I wanted to protest, but I knew pack came first. It was one of the deals of us dating, and even though we were getting more serious, the pack still came first. “Okay, I love you.”
He kissed me one more time. “I love you too.”
He walked out of the room, and I flicked on the television. I let a sci-fi movie play while I dozed in and out. By the time the end credits rolle
d around, Oliver walked in with a tray of food.
“Oh, you’re awake now.”
I rubbed my eyes. “Yeah.”
“Simon had to take your car. His truck wouldn’t start.” Oliver sat down on the bed next to me.
I frowned. “That’s weird.”
“He thinks it’s because he hasn’t moved it in the week and a half we’ve been up here. His battery was old, so instead of jumping it, he said he’d take your car and then pick up a new battery tomorrow for his truck.”
I nodded. “Well, mine needs to be driven anyway.” I shifted in the bed. “Let’s go eat downstairs, I need to get up and stretch.”
He picked the tray back up. “Melisandra went to bed early, so we’re free to work tonight with your elemental ability.”
“She doesn’t know, does she?”
“That I’m an elemental? She does. We have no secrets from one another.”
That sounded so odd. “None? Mysterious Uncle Oliver has let all his secrets out to this woman?”
He laughed. “So there might be a few left, but she’s different Abigail. She’s not a one-night stand, or someone I’m after for power.”
“How long have you guys been seeing each other?”
“Since after you took down Adrianna. I met her at a Cult of Ra meeting.”
I stopped in my tracks. “She’s cult?”
“No, I said I met her there. She was there as a guest. Someone needed healing, and she was their contact.” He shrugged. “And here we are.”
“Months later and you two are close now.” I smiled. “Good. You deserve something else in your life.”
“Something else?” He looked over his shoulder at me.
“Something other than grief.” I walked past him and to the kitchen table.
He sat down with me. “You’re right, long have I sat with my grief about Lizzy, and long have I wanted to make it right. When I couldn’t, I was led to Melisandra for healing instead. The universe is weird and wild, Abigail, but never doubt where it takes you.”
I snorted. “It keeps trying to take me to death.”
Oliver motioned to the plate in front of me. “Eat up. I want to work with your fire tonight.”
I ate the small piece of chicken and rice. “This is a step above the applesauce, but it would be cool to eat real food.”
Something Wicked (Here Witchy Witchy Book 11) Page 7
