by Rose Pressey
“We have to hurry,” he whispered.
Hurry for what? I wasn’t in any hurry to be killed, that was sure. He pulled me across the room, into the hallway and over to the door. He tried the knob, but it was locked. I could have told him that. He pulled something from his pocket and shoved it into the lock. The door opened as if by magic. He opened the door and we ran out. Couldn’t he take this thing off my mouth? Obviously, he didn’t want to hear anything I had to say. At least I was out of the house and away from the witch.
Chapter 27
How to Date a Witch Rule #27
Never mention when a spell goes wrong
Once outside, Dave stopped at the motorcycle and motioned for me to get on.
“You can’t be serious. I don’t even know who you are. For all I know you’re kidnapping me. Why would I get on the back of a motorcycle with you?”
“Because I think your chances of surviving are greater with me than if you stayed around with the witch. Don’t you agree?”
“First of all, you have to tell me who you are, and then I might get on the motorcycle with you,” I said.
“My name is Dave Mitchell.” He handed me a black helmet.
“I already knew your name. Plus, I know that you were talking to Jack, so if he’s involved in this, I have to know now. I don’t want to hear the bad news, but I know it’s for the best.” I held my head up high. Crying wasn’t an option.
“Yes, Jack was trying to help you. He hired me, all right?”
I scoffed. “Yeah, right. If he hired you then why did you break into my apartment like a serial killer? Why did you have witch stuff in your apartment?”
I went into your apartment because I thought you were in trouble and needed my help. I had the witch stuff because I was researching the witches. Look, the longer you question me the worse it will be for Jack. I don’t have time to explain more, but just get on the bike. We have to find Jack.”
“What do you mean, find him?” I asked. “You were with him. Don’t you know where he is?”
“Sarah got him.”
“The witch?”
“The one and only,” Dave said.
“Well, isn’t he here too? Let’s go back inside and get him.” I turned to rush back to the house.
He grabbed my arm. “No, she took him somewhere else.”
“How do you know that? Why did she bring me here?”
“I think she had special plans for you. When they snatched Jack, I hid.”
I quirked an eyebrow.
“Hey, I can help you both better if they don’t get me too. Anyway, I overheard them say they were taking Jack somewhere else.”
“What plans does she have for Jack?” I asked.
“Let’s just say that it’s not good. She has your friends too.”
“Jennifer and Natalie?”
Dave glanced back at the house. “Enough with the chitchat. We have to get out of here.”
I hopped on the back of the motorcycle, putting on the helmet. I wrapped my arms around his muscular waist and he took off in a hurry. We probably hit ninety miles an hour out of that gate. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but my stomach dropped to my feet at the acceleration. I had no idea where Dave was taking me. I just had to take his word for it and I hoped that we found Jack, Jennifer, and Natalie. I managed to get my friends into trouble on a daily basis.
After a while of driving, Dave pulled up in front of an old white house. Windows were boarded up and the grass looked more like a jungle.
“Is this where they’re at?” I asked after taking off my helmet.
Dave climbed off the motorcycle. “No, this is my place.”
“Oh, see! I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. You brought me here to kidnap me and do heaven knows what. Well, let me tell you something. I’m not going down without a fight, mister.” I jumped off of the motorcycle.
He grabbed my arm and I punched him in the stomach.
“Rylie, stop.” He held his stomach.
I took off running toward the road. Maybe a kind stranger would notice me and offer a ride.
“Stop, I’m not kidnapping you,” Dave called out.
“You’re darn right you’re not,” I said over my shoulder.
He managed to grab me again. This time he had a tight hold on me and I couldn’t get away. “I’m not kidnapping you. I just came here because we have to figure out what to do.”
I yanked my arm, trying to break free. “I thought you said we were going to find Jack and Jennifer.”
Hair started to pop up on my arms. Soon I would shift completely.
“We are going to find them, but we can’t go yet. If we go right now, then they will know that we’re there. We have to wait until they won’t expect us.” Dave studied my face for a moment. “Are you still running away?”
The hair had slowly started to fade from my body. I inhaled and released a deep breathe. “I’ll stay. How long do we wait?”
“We might want to give it an hour.”
“That could be too long,” I said.
“Just trust me on this. I know what I’m talking about.” He gestured toward the house.
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Why should I trust you?”
“Look, Jack asked me to watch you while he was gone.”
I frowned. “What? What do you mean? Like a bodyguard?”
“Yes, exactly like a bodyguard,” Dave said.
“He doesn’t trust me? What does he think will happen?”
Okay, a lot had happened in the past, so I supposed I understood Jack’s worry.
“He trusts you… he just didn’t want anyone to hurt you. He knew the witch had been following you around, and he didn’t want to leave without you having somebody to help you.”
“What are you? A witch?” I asked.
“I’m a werewolf.” His mouth turned up on one side in a lopsided grin.
I stared at him. “I saw you at the apartment, didn’t I? You were hiding in the closet.”
He held his hands up. “You caught me. Back to Jack. You know he is just trying to protect you.”
I supposed that was sweet.
“So why does this witch have them there?” We walked toward the house.
“She needed you because she wants to put the curse on you again. That’s all the information I know. Well, and she needed a guy for the spell to work. They have Tim. They want Jack because he’s a vampire—you know, for his blood—and then Jennifer because she’s friends with you. The other witch just got involved because she was helping you.”
“This doesn’t even make any sense,” I said.
He shrugged. “That’s all I know. I just know we have to get your friends.”
I paced back and forth across the front porch until forty-five minutes had passed.
“Okay, that’s it. I can’t handle it anymore.” I tossed my hands up. “Let’s go now.”
“All right. We’ll go now.” He grabbed the helmet and got back on the motorcycle.
I hopped on behind him and in a blast of speed we took off. I just hoped that he really knew where we were going because if not, I would freak out. What was I talking about? I was already freaking out. Dave weaved in and out of traffic. A few times I closed my eyes. Soon we’d come to the outskirts of town. Trees and overgrowth became denser. A swamp sat to the right, just beyond the moss-covered trees.
“I think the gators are going to eat us,” I said.
“Don’t worry. We just have to get through here and over to the other side.” He motioned.
“Put both handles on the handlebars,” I yelled. “Do we have to get there?” I asked. “We can just go back to this guy I know. He was prepared to do a spell for us. All I had to do was get the hair from the witches. Maybe if I just get the witches’ hair and finish it out, then all of this will go away.”
“It won’t work. You have to get your friends first because even if she isn’t able to do a spell she’ll hurt your friends.”
“Okay, how do you want to get in there?” I asked.
“We’ll figure it out when we get there.” He pushed the throttle and sped up.
That didn’t instill much confidence. Dave turned down a narrow road. In the distance I spotted a small clapboard house with a covered front porch. Tall grass grew against the walls of the house. Trees had reclaimed the landscape. Dave slowed down as we approached. He pulled behind a tree and cut the engine. Dave climbed off the bike and removed his helmet.
I pulled off my helmet. “What do we do? How to get them out?”
“I think we need to cause a distraction and then I can get them out of there.”
“What kind of distraction?” I asked.
Dave ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I don’t have all the answers.”
Then it hit me.
“I know what I can do,” I said.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I’m a werewolf. I can just shift and run right in there. That will really cause a distraction.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?”
“Okay, but you have to turn around,” I motioned.
“What for?” He grinned.
“You know! I have to take off my clothes. I don’t want you to watch me.”
Dave stared at me, then eyed me up and down. When he turned around I stripped off all my clothing, which was awkward to say the least. At least I had the tree to help conceal me. With all my energy I envisioned anger. There was a lot bottled up after all that this witch had done. Hair sprouted along my arms. The teeth elongated in my mouth. The power coursed through my veins. It was probably quicker than I had ever done it before. I tapped him on the shoulder.
He spun around and his eyes widened. “That was fast.”
With no time to waste, I took off running toward the house. Once I got closer, I sped up. Up the porch steps and without stopping I crashed through the door. My speed was kicked into high gear. I raced all the way through the building. I knocked Sarah down as I raced by. She screamed out as she hit the floor with a loud thud. Yelling rang out through the house and I knew that they were running after me, which was exactly what I wanted. I’d caused the distraction that we needed. I hoped that Dave would be able to get everyone out of there in time.
I smashed through the back door and was now on a porch. Sarah raced after me. As I raced over to the edge of the porch, she lifted her arms up and zapped a spell right at me. I fell backward off the porch and landed on the ground below. That had been a really tough spell. For a moment I couldn’t even move. I looked up at the porch. Sarah was peering down at me. Her glowing eyes seemed more intense than ever. The evil smile on her face erupted into a cackle.
I couldn’t continue to lie there. I had to get up, but my body just wasn’t moving as normal. At least I was still in my werewolf form. The hair still covered my body. Sarah disappeared from the porch. That had to mean that she was coming after me. I had to force myself to get up, even though it hurt. I managed to push to my feet and then took off in a lope, faster than ever. Where exactly was I going?
As I ran around the trees, I realized that I was lost. I was further than ever from the house. I had to find my way back, so I went around the next tree and back in the direction of the house, hoping that I wouldn’t run into Sarah. After what seemed like forever, I spotted the house again. I had to go back in and make sure that things were safe. If I needed another distraction then I would do it again. I knew they’d chase me. If I had to take another spell zap, then I would do that too. Whatever it took to save my friends, I would do it.
I stormed back into the house. All was quiet and not a soul in sight. From room to room I searched, but still couldn’t find them. I hoped that meant that Dave had gotten them out of there. A noise sounded from somewhere in the house and I froze. I didn’t know whether I should hide or just try to get out of there. Debating it was no longer an option though because that was when Sarah appeared at the door. There was no getting away from her now. I had to confront her, even if that meant taking more of her spells directed at me.
“You thought you’d gotten away, didn’t you?” she sneered. “You’ll never get away from me now. I’ll put the curse back on you where it belongs.”
Was she talking about the old curse that had been placed on my family? I mean, let it go, okay? It was old news. That didn’t even have anything to do with me now.
“But I do have something that I think you’ll be interested in,” she said with a cackle in her voice.
That was when she brought Jack out from the room to her left. He was tied up. Next Tim stepped out of the room. I was surprised to see him, but happy that he seemed okay. He looked just as dazed as Jack. They were totally out of it. She’d probably cast some kind of spell on them. I hoped it wasn’t too late to save them from whatever witchcraft she had over them. As Jack limped across the floor it looked as if he was in pain. He grimaced, but tried to hide the pain from me.
“Isn’t this your little pet?” she asked, stroking his hair. “I think I’ll make him mine now. You won’t need him.”
Anger bubbled inside of me. The more she talked and touched Jack the angrier I got. I growled at her and she laughed harder. I couldn’t hold back my anger any longer. I rushed forward and jumped on top of her. She landed on the ground with a huge crash. As I went straight for her neck, clamping hold with my mouth, she screamed out. It was a little trick I’d learned from Lily. I’d have to buy her a steak dinner for teaching me that one.
“Get off of me, you nasty beast,” Sarah yelled.
She was having a harder time talking now that I had my jaws clamped down on her throat. There was no way I was going to let her get away. Jack was trying to help, but with his hands and arms tied his movements were limited. Plus his movements were delayed. I assumed that was because of the witchcraft. Jack was just trying to get free. Tim didn’t even move. He just stood in the corner of the room staring at us. I hoped it wasn’t too late for him. That was when she started hitting me, pounding me in the head with her hands. I knew she was doing a spell on me too because I was becoming weaker and weaker. I wouldn’t be able to hold onto her much longer. If she got free and I had no energy it would be lights out for all of us.
Chapter 28
How to Date a Witch Rule #28
Compliment her when she gets the spell right
Sarah and I were rolling around on the ground. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep it up. I was losing my energy quickly and she continued the spell against me. How could she be so powerful? Why couldn’t anyone stop her nasty spells? I wanted to know where she had gotten all this power. Was there anyone else out there who had that much power? If so, I hoped I could get them to help me… within the next ten seconds would be great. Yeah, that probably wasn’t going to happen. I had to think of something else. She also kept pulling on my hair. That was not fighting fair. It wasn’t like I could pull her hair back.
Just then the air changed around me. What was she getting ready to do? I wasn’t sure I was prepared for any spell that was stronger than what she was already dishing out. Just then she let go of me. I had a hold of her neck still, but then she reached her arms up toward the sky. She zapped me with a power unlike anything that I’d ever felt before. The spell lifted me off the ground and flung me in the air. I hit the wall before crashing to the ground. My body felt like jelly. There was no way I could move, let alone fight back. She had the upper hand, and it looked as if she would be able to keep it.
There was no way I could fight her off. She stood over my body, laughing with that same devious sound.
“Why are you doing this?” I managed to ask.
The hair was fading from my body. I was losing my werewolf strength.
“Because the curse was supposed to stay. When my family found out that the curse our ancestor had placed on you had been removed, I had to do something about it. I tracked you down and now I’ve found you. I’m going to put the curse back.”
“What do you even care? I didn’t do anything to your ancestor. Why do you want me to have a curse?”
“Because that’s the way it’s supposed to be. You can’t break the curse. If you do then I lose all power.”
“Oh, so that’s what this was all about. It’s not necessarily that you care if I have a curse on me, but that you lose your power. How selfish of you,” I said.
She kicked me.
“Ow.” I grabbed my side. “Why did you do that?”
“Because I didn’t ask for your opinion on this.”
The door banged open. When we looked over Natalie was standing there.
She glared at Sarah. “There you are.”
Sarah scoffed. “What do you think you’re doing here?”
“I came to stop you,” Natalie said.
Sarah laughed. “As if that’s possible. You can’t do anything on your own. I have all the power, and no one can stop me.”
“Oh, is that right?” Natalie said. “I think differently. See, you don’t have a curse on Rylie anymore, so your power is fading. Soon it’ll be gone totally. You need her in order to have your power back. Well, I have news for you, it’s not going to happen.”
“And exactly how do you think you’re going to stop me?” Sarah asked.
“It just so happens that I’ve come up with a plan to get rid of you. I think you’ll be surprised.”
Sarah chortled, but there was nervousness in her voice. She was scared and it showed. She was beginning to crack. That was when other witches appeared. They filed into the room. Some were outside, surrounding the house. I managed to get up from the floor. I knew that I would be changing back completely soon. My energy had faded so much that I couldn’t use my paranormal powers. Sarah had completely drained me.
“Sarah, you can’t fight all of us,” Natalie said. “So I brought my friends to help.”
The look on Sarah’s face was priceless. “You can’t get away with this. I won’t allow it.”
“You have no choice.”
The witches prepared to cast the spell. There was so much energy in the room I wondered if I should stay or try to get out of there before it really got bad. But before I had a chance to even move the battle began. All of the witches chanted a spell and the wind whirled around the room. Sarah screamed out. She covered her ears as if not hearing their words would make it stop. She fell to the floor, rolling around and trying to get up. It was hopeless for her. The witches had her pinned down just by the pure energy of their magic. The energy floated around the room. Sarah screamed out that she wanted to get away, but they weren’t stopping. They didn’t ease up at all.
