Witch (Cursed book 4)

by Tara Brown

  “He’s chained in Hanna’s room for the night. He’s in the chains we have left over from Marcus. The enchanted ones. He can probably get out of them but not without you seeing what he’s doing. If he flashes, follow his trail and text me.”

  Sam shrugged, “Why?”

  “He’s a bad man. I need to double check his story.”

  Sam left the room and walked the great hallway until he reached Hanna’s room. She stood in the corner, twirling her red hair around her finger and smiling at the man chained to the corner.

  “How uncomfortable do I make you, on a scale of one to ten?”

  The man looked at him and sighed, “It was a nine but since he got here, it’s an eleven, maybe fifteen.”

  She turned to see Sam and dropped her hair and her smile, “Lorri wanted me to pester him. He hates me.”

  Sam shrugged, “It’s cool.”

  She frowned, “It doesn’t bother you?”

  He shook his head, “I feel nothing for you, or anyone.”

  Her face twisted, “See you later, Oliver.” She walked out, trying to maintain her composure. He’d seen that walk before. He wasn’t usually the recipient of it.

  He glanced at the guy in the chains and smirked, “I’m Sam.”

  He nodded, “Oliver. So you’re the entertainment, are you Sam?”

  He shook his head, “I’m the tattletale. If you escape, I rat you out. I have this weird gift with my flashes, I can track another person’s flash. Like you leave a scent for me to follow.”

  Oliver laughed, “You really are the perfect man to watch me then.”

  “I guess.”

  Oliver raised an eyebrow at him and nodded toward the door, “What’s with you and the siren? She has no effect on you at all?”

  Sam shook his head, “Nope. Used to. Used to be my match.”

  Oliver scowled, “Oh that was a mistake, son. No one can live through the darkness that comes to eat your soul, when there is no love in it.”

  Sam shrugged, “Hope it doesn’t come before I’m done watching you, then you’d get away.”

  The man’s face looked proud and sad simultaneously, “My son would have loved you. Same dry sense of humor.”

  Sam noticed the way he said son and would have, “Is he dead?”

  “Yes.”

  “How?”

  “You really have no emotions anymore, do you?”

  “No. How did he die? Was he nephilim?”

  Oliver ran his hands over his face and sighed, “Yes. He was murdered.”

  Sam new the appropriate response, “I’m sorry.”

  Oliver turned his bright-blue eyes up to him, “Are you?”

  “No, but it’s the right thing to say.”

  “I dare say it is, and before you ask, it was Jonathan. He is a man I have known longer than mankind has existed, and he murdered my son. My son took a bite of the forbidden fruit.”

  “The fruit the snake warned about?”

  “The fruit the snake held captive to torture and force unwanted sex upon.”

  Sam nodded, “Yeah, sleeping with another man’s sex slave will anger him.”

  “Tis too true lad, too true.”

  “How old was he?”

  Oliver looked at him, “You really are a chatty thing for an unfeeling monster, and why do you smell so good? Are you a siren?”

  Sam nodded, “Half siren.”

  Oliver’s eyes grew wide, “You are not Anthony’s son?”

  Sam nodded again, “I am.”

  His eyes grew hardened again, “I was so sorry to hear about your father. He was a truly great man. What Lorri did to him was a crime. I know you feel nothing, but you don’t even have an ounce of loyalty to your old man?”

  Sam frowned, “He was with the dark ones. She doesn’t discriminate on that one.”

  Oliver’s mouth curled into a grin, an evil grin. “Sam my boy, have I got a story for you.”

  Sam frowned at him, “You know you can’t make me angry. What’s the point in trying to provoke me?”

  Oliver shook his head, “When you hear this, you’ll find the witch who cast that spell and have it reversed.”

  “It can't be reversed. Can it?”

  “Just as your father was never an evil one, your spell can be reversed. Though I doubt you’ll hear the truth of either thing from the people you call friends. They don’t dabble in dark magic.”

  “You’re a traitor and a liar—why should I believe you?”

  Oliver put a hand out on the bed next to Sam’s thigh, “I loved your father like a brother. I would have died for him. I wish I had died for him. He never had an evil bone in his body. He was guilty of the one thing I have never felt—love.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Ophelia

  The alley was dark, and yet somehow, the eyes of the wolf next to her glistened.

  She patted the fur on his back, earning her a snarl. She pulled her hands back, “I just thought maybe you would like being patted or something.” she whispered.

  Ari laughed, “Oh my God, that was awesome. He only likes to be patted by me, and even then, I feel like I’m pushing my luck.”

  “Why are we here?”

  Ari pointed to the apartment above them, “We need to see if the man who lives there is alive or not. This is an area where the dark ones live, nice and close together.”

  "What city is this?"

  "Rome."

  She couldn’t hide her feelings of excitement. She had never left her state before, let alone the country. She was in Rome. She sniffed the air and let the excitement build. She wished she could see more than just the balconies in an old alley.

  "My sister is going to freak when she hears I came here. We have this plan for when we are both graduated. Backpack Europe for the summer."

  Ari looked sad when she smiled, "I'm sorry. I know how it feels for all of this to hit you. It's not fair. Not even a little."

  Ophelia dismissed the tears in her eyes and turned her face up to watch Lorri again. She flashed onto the small metal deck. In the dark, her bright-red hair looked black.

  She crept inside of the apartment through the glass door and disappeared into the blackness of it.

  Ari walked along the brick wall, but kept her eyes on the other patios and decks facing the alley.

  Ophelia felt uneasy. Her fingers made small sparks from the nerves. The flashes made slight amounts of light in the alley. Lucas looked back at her and shook his wolf head. She clenched her fingers into balls, “Sorry.” she whispered into the silence.

  A hand brushed along her back, “You are more powerful than any of us here, just try to remember that.”

  She turned to see Aimee forcing a smile. She nodded and smiled back.

  There was no way she was as powerful as any of them.

  Ophelia looked to the right. Lucas sniffed the air and suddenly Ari made a half scream and vanished.

  Her scream continued on a rooftop above them, as abruptly as it had stopped. Ophelia felt her stomach twist as she looked up at the pointed rooftop where Ari stood alone. A pair of feet hung over the edge next to her.

  Aimee smirked and in a flash Ari was standing back beside Ophelia.

  Aimee was gone again as Ari’s feet touched the ground and instantly she was standing next to the man's feet. Ophelia watched in horror as Aimee put her hands on the man. His feet twitched for a second and then lied still again.

  Ophelia looked up at the silhouette of Aimee on the rooftop. Her long, lean body was outlined by the stormy night sky. Her blonde hair blew in the wind and her eyes glowed like platinum. She was the scariest thing Ophelia had ever seen.

  Ophelia felt her right arm grabbed, a sharp wind in her face and an abrupt stop. New smells filled the air around her. A forest and dead leaves mixed in the cool night air. She stood alone in the forest.

  "Hello, sister."

  She turned to see a guy standing beside her. His breath was visible, like smoke in the damp forest.

&nbs
p; "Where are we?"

  "Ireland. It will take them a minute to find you."

  She felt her hands trembling, "Who are you?"

  He laughed and stepped into the light of the moon; he looked almost exactly as she did. Dark hair, one light eye and one dark, and pale skin, but with one difference—he had fangs in his smile. Her stomach dropped, seeing them. She gasped and stepped away.

  He laughed, "Thorry, they're new. Father had Daniel turn me latht week. I am having a hard time. They jutht pop out."

  She remembered Giselle and started to laugh. The fear she felt melted away.

  "How is this all possible?"

  He closed his eyes for a second as if concentrating.

  He looked up at her and smiled a bright-white smile, minus the fangs.

  "You grew up in a normal family. I keep forgetting that."

  His face made her heart ache, "Have you always known about me?"

  He nodded in the moonlight, "Always. I thought that you were dead for a while but the balls of light told me you had to be alive."

  "Is it all true?"

  "There are things you can't imagine. Werewolves, vampires and witches are just the fun stuff you see daily. The Fae are a broad spectrum. Sirens, elves, goblins—whatever you can imagine."

  She looked around, "This is so weird."

  "We only have a minute before they get here. We need to help each other. I don’t want to die. I'm sure you don’t want to. I sent a friend to help you. His name is Oliver. He has a plan to get rid of Father. It's the only way any of them will leave us alone."

  She gulped, "Have you seen mother?"

  He shook his head, "Never. Not even a glimpse. He keeps her trapped in this ungodly tower, like a fairytale."

  He took a step toward her, "Please Ophelia, trust Oliver. He's there to help us. Father killed his son." Tears filled his eyes, "He was my best friend."

  She felt sick, "I will do whatever I can. I just haven’t caught up on it all. I don’t know what I'm supposed to actually do."

  His gaze lowered, "They will explain it to you. Don't trust them O, trust yourself and our sisters." He reached for her hand, "It's good to finally meet you."

  Ophelia felt a lump in her throat, "Again."

  His laugh was weak, "I suppose it is again."

  He was gone. He had called her O. Was it a message from Abbey? How had he learned to flash travel?

  A voice broke her thoughts, "Ophelia, I got a text to come and find you."

  She looked up at Sam standing at the edge of the dark forest.

  "Are you hurt?"

  She shook her head, "No. My brother came to see me."

  He nodded, "I've never met him."

  She shrugged, feeling lost suddenly, "He seemed really nice."

  Sam put a hand out for her, and before she could open her eyes from her blink, they were in Giselle's massive living room.

  Lorri stormed across the room, gripping her shoulders with intensity, "What happened?"

  She shook her head, "Nothing. My brother came to see me. He seemed sad and alone. He wanted to talk to me. Alone." She didn’t want to tell any of them anything.

  Lorri gripped harder, "What did he say?"

  "He said that he needed my help, and that you would explain what I was supposed to do."

  Lorri looked annoyed. She processed the information and let Ophelia go with a slight shove. She paced the huge room. Everyone sat in silence, spread across the grand furniture.

  All eyes were on Lorri.

  Lydia spoke after a moment, "It's time to tell her what she must do, Lorri."

  Lorri snarled and continued to pace.

  Ophelia looked around the room. Oliver watched her from the corner. His eyes never left her.

  Lorri walked to her and grabbed her arm.

  Cold wind swept around her and when she looked down, her feet stood on rocks. The night sky was filled with stars. She turned to see Lorri sitting on a rock outcropping. The night air was warm and dry compared to where they had been in Portland.

  "Have a seat, kid."

  She walked, trying not to look down the mountainside.

  "Where are we?"

  "Iran."

  Ophelia frowned, "This is random, even for you."

  "This is where it happened."

  "What happened?"

  "Where your mother lived, before we fell."

  Ophelia decided not to ask any more questions. She sat on the sharp, crumbling stone hillside.

  "Below us here is the original Garden of Eden, as you people have called it. It was the sacred garden. God could speak to Adam and Lillith there. He taught them how to garden and how to grow food. He taught them how to build a hut. He tried to guide them with love and kindness."

  "So much for that."

  Lorri snorted, "You have no idea. Lillith was defiant and obstinate. Adam was, well, he was a man. He thought with his dick. He asked God for a companion. It was his only request. God told him his wife would show herself to him. He misunderstood. He came upon Lillith bathing in the lake. Anyway, the story takes a turn for the worse. Lillith erupted in rage, like any woman would. She drew the magic from the ground and the garden, and cursed him as he was inside of her. He got her pregnant. She had intended herself for the king of the elves. She wanted the magic and purity of their life. In an instant, she was ruined. Adam impregnated her. When the King came she was pregnant. As her babies grew, so did her sadness and pain. When she gave birth each of the children was already cursed. Not only with magic but also with vulnerability."

  Ophelia had no response. She couldn’t imagine such a lonely and painful existence.

  "When she took the magic, she stripped the garden of its natural magic. She took it into herself and made it something corrupted and polluted. She cursed the land and the garden. The Middle East has never recovered. The strife here is the direct result of the anger and pain she suffered. The land can never be at peace. Not while Lillith lives. She must die to remove her stain on the world."

  Ophelia felt her stomach twinge, "Die?" She turned her head to see the hardened look on Lorri's face.

  "Die. There is only one way to kill Lillith. All of her children have a piece of her power in them. Once they die their power is left behind. They are part of her stain on the earth. You have to kill your brother and convince your sisters to give you their power. Then you will be strong enough to kill her."

  Ophelia frowned, "You want me to kill my own mother, after I kill my twin brother?"

  Lorri swallowed, "What I am asking of you is a sacrifice, obviously, but no one is planning on letting this continue. Your father is planning the same thing, only in reverse. He intends to have your brother kill you, and use the magic to strip your mother of her powers. Once she's stripped, he can kill her but maintain her stain and darkness. He can use your brother so they can take over. Humans will become sheep."

  Ophelia shook her head, "This doesn’t even make any sense. So both my parents are evil?"

  Lorri shook her head, "No, Lillith isn’t evil. She can't help what she has become, anymore than you can. Magic was never meant to be inside of you people. The Garden was the magical birthplace of your mother and Adam, and eventually, Eve. The magic came from the earth. God didn’t create the earth. That's a whole other story, and I'm not giving a history lesson because I like talking. God just needed a place to create; the birthplace of creation needed to be strong and powerful. Lillith took the magic and the power. That's why God needed Adam's rib to create Eve. He needed a place to start the magic after Lillith took it."

  "Why can't we just kill my father and free her?"

  Lorri looked up at the starry sky, "I know this is hard to hear, kid, but they both have to go. He's mine though. You wouldn’t stand a chance. He would flash and be gone before you reacted. Your magic is subjective to your circumstances."

  "What about that Ari girl? She could push my mom or dad and make them change their minds."

  Lorri shook her head, "She would knock
them out for a bit. The soul has to be pure and intact."

  "Oh."

  Lorri pointed, "This place is a scar on humanity. It is filled with sadness and pain. We need to go back."

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sam

  "I have a plan."

  "Sweet God, tell me it fixes home boy here. I'm getting tired of his part as the coma patient."

  Sam glanced up at Ari and Luke staring at him.

  Aimee pulled her hair into a ponytail, nodding, "Yeah, Sam this has to change. You're driving me insane." She turned and looked at Ari, "Yesterday he slept for sixteen hours. Not even kidding. I thought he was dead twice."

  He shook his head, "I know I should be upset but I, uh, just can't seem to be."

  Hanna walked into the living room in a skimpy pair of running shorts and small t-shirt. Luke made a noise low in his throat.

  Sam pointed to her leg, "You have some dirt on your leg."

  She drank from the water bottle in her hand and looked down at her leg, "I was running in the hills." She sat on the chair opposite him.

  Aimee looked hostile but Lydia had made her swear to be nice.

  Ari looked frustrated, "Anyway. I have a plan."

  Hanna nodded, "I'm in." Her eyes bore down on Sam. Her cheeks flushed as she watched him. She adjusted herself in her seat. Luke made another low sound. Sam could feel her affects in the air but his body couldn’t respond to it.

  Aimee snarled, "Great."

  Sam let his eyes linger on Hanna's face, "We can't tell Lorri. She murdered my father on purpose."

  Aimee's eyes flashed at him, "What?"

  He nodded, "Yeah. She fell in love with my mother. She felt the pull of the siren. Oliver said my dad fell in love with my mother at the same time, and Lorri used the Devil's Roses to kill him. She used the excuse that he mated with a mortal."

  Ari raised an eyebrow, "But sirens aren’t human. Not really."

  Sam shrugged, "Yeah. I never knew any of this. I guess she was jealous that my mom chose my dad."

  "You must be pissed."

  He looked at Hanna, "Nope. Can't even get angry that my father was murdered unjustly, out of jealousy."

  Aimee shook her head, "Lorri is a bitch, there is no doubt about that, but there is no way she murdered your dad. Where did you hear that?"