Ollie, Ollie Hex 'n Free (11 page)

“Are we doing small talk now?”

She kept her eyes trained away from me. “Never mind. I didn’t fucking care anyway, leech.”

I laughed and pulled her to me. “Poor little lonely Frost in love with a vampire.” She slapped me and I ran my tongue over my lips. “You know I like it rough.”

She pulled her fist back and hit me with a solid hook. “You like that, jackass?”

I worked my jaw back and forth. I rather did like it. “Better than small talk.”

The fight drained from her and she chuckled as she looked at the floor. “You’re such an asshole. Still pining away after Selene?”

I sighed. “Every day.”

She rolled her eyes. “Can’t you take anything seriously?”

I looked at her. “Do I look like I’m joking?”

Understanding softened her face ever so slightly. “Isn’t there anything you could—”

“I wouldn’t even if there was.”

“So touching,” Jessica’s voice came out of the cell. “The two broken losers bonding over their lack of love.” Her face pressed up against the bars. “I have a question for you. When did the two of you become so pathetic?”

“Says the woman in a cage,” Frost said. “Who’s pathetic now?”

“What makes you think this isn’t exactly where I want to be?” Jessica asked.

“Because you didn’t have a choice,” Frost said, her eyes scanning the other woman. “I can sense the other inside of you. Enjoy the free ride while it lasts. Your time is almost up.” She turned and walked away.

Jessica gaze turned to me. “Alone at last. Have you considered my deal? I’m offering you everything you want in this life. Can you pass that up?”

“You don’t appear to be in the position to make deals.”

“You’d be surprised.”

I shook my head. “Even if you could control Selene, which you can’t, it wouldn’t be her. I want her. Not an imitation.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I assure you it will be one hundred percent her. I have no intention of controlling her. I only intend on reminding her of who she is on the inside….” She ran a hand down the bar. “But if you’re not interested, perhaps I won’t bother. I’ll take the child and be on my way.”

“You’ll have to kill her to get that child. And there’s no way I’ll let that happen.”

She smiled and retreated into the shadows. “That’s what will make her a great mother. She will protect her child to her last breath.”

“If you hurt her—”

“I won’t touch a hair on her pretty head. She won’t know I have it until it’s too late. In fact she’s going to give me the child of her own free will and never know she did it. Now run along. I have preparations to make.” Jessica moved to the darkest corner of the cell out of sight.

I stared into the darkness, piecing together the witch’s plan the best I could from what she told me.

Selene stepped up beside me, breaking my concentration. “How is she?”

“She wants the baby.”

She nodded. “That’s what she says, but why would she? I think it’s a distraction.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think it is. I have the feeling that she’s exactly where she wants to be. What’s your plan for her?”

“We’re going to cast out the spirit possessing her.” Selene peered inside the cell, craning her head, trying to find Jessica in the darkness. “We’re going to send you back to where you belong.”

Selene’s hand shot to her side and she grimaced just as I felt the stabbing pain.

“Sometimes old wounds are the best ones to poke around in,” Jessica called cheerily and let out a cackling laugh, still nowhere to be seen.

I thought back to what else she’d said—that she would take the child without Selene knowing it. That Selene would make a good mother and would fight to the death for her child.

“You’re behind this pain?” Selene’s hand sparked. “Why?”

Jessica appeared suddenly just on the other side of the bars, watching me intently. “He almost has it.”

The spirit in Jessica wanted to be caught. It wanted to be removed so it could possess the child—the child that would undoubtedly be strong and magical. As a fetus it had been exposed to the Pole of Charon, to dark magic, to a vampire bond, and still it thrived, but the soul was unformed and weak. If she succeeded there would be nothing they could do short of killing the baby to remove the spirit. That’s how she was going to get the child. That’s how she was going to get to Selene.

“There it is,” Jessica whispered as if she could hear my thoughts.

“Corbin?” Selene asked.

I closed my mouth and shook my head. Jessica grinned.

I studied Selene, the too recent memory of her lips against mine scorching through my brain. “I have no idea what she’s talking about.”

The war within me was fierce and mighty. Sebastian wasn’t hurt-
hurt
—he’d be fine—but still, he was injured enough that I was losing grip on my completely justified anger, which I didn’t want to do. I wanted to stay mad. It was so much easier to be angry than sad.

After much discussion (but it wasn’t like we really had a say) Sy left, leaving Sebastian with us. Frost had absconded with Jessica, needing to get her into a cell before she woke up.

Leslie handed Sebastian a towel filled with ice for his black eye. “We really don’t have much in the house,” she said.

He took the ice, but merely held it in his hand. “I’ll be fine. When Cheney calls, I’ll take you back to the castle to do the spell.”

I sat on the counter across the kitchen from him, as far away as I could get while remaining in the same room. My heart was still racing from the moment I saw him fall. How was it possible to care so much about someone who didn’t really share those feelings? Why did I do this to myself?

I dropped my chin toward my chest and closed my eyes as I swung my feet from left to right, letting the rhythm sooth me. The image of Jessica standing over me, her but not her, popped into my head. Would she have really hurt me? Killed me? Or would she have found a way to stop whatever had her. Jess was a fighter. No matter what inhabited her body with her, she wouldn’t just give up. She had to be in there fighting for control. But there was something there. Something I couldn’t quite place, and it made me nervous, really nervous.

“Hey, Les, what sort of emotions did you feel from Jess.”

Leslie took a deep breath, her brow furrowing. “I don’t know. There were too many people in the room. It was hard to pinpoint who felt what.”

“Well, in general, what did you feel?”

“Scared. I was scared so that sort of colors everything else.” She tugged on the end of her dark blond hair. “Other than that, I felt anger, excitement, resolution, worry, and… a sense of waiting. Not like hesitation though—more like someone was biding their time.” Her nose wrinkled. “But that doesn’t really make sense, does it?”

“I don’t know,” I mumbled, studying my still-swinging legs. Maybe that was it—what I’d felt coming from Jess. She was threatening us, but didn’t intend to do anything. She was waiting for something else to happen first.

“Just now, what did you think?” Sebastian asked.

“It was nothing.” I shook my head. “Nothing that makes any sense.”

“Tell me anyway.” He stood up and brought the towel filled with ice to the sink and dropped it inside, cutting the distance between us in half. “You two know her better than anyone else. If there is something about her that doesn’t make sense to both of you, then chances are
that
is what we need to focus on.”

“But she’s possessed. Nothing about what she’s doing makes sense given the person we know,” Leslie said and I nodded.

“She’s right,” I said. “Jessica doesn’t kill people, especially not one of us. None of it makes sense.”

“What were you thinking?” he asked again.

I sighed. “That she wasn’t going to hurt me. Not because she cared or anything, but because she was waiting for something else.”

“Any ideas what?”

“Nothing comes to mind. Why did she even come to begin with? Did you notice they didn’t ask for anything from us? They simply came in and made threats—but they didn’t hurt any of us when they easily could have.”

Leslie rubbed her forehead. “The last time she had me, she wanted Selene to choose between me and the elves. What did she have to gain by making her make that choice?”

“It shook the elves faith in Selene as a ruler that she did not choose them,” Sebastian said.

“Why would she care about that? Even possessed Jessica isn’t an elf. I think politics are probably the last thing on her mind.”

“But it is a good distraction,” Leslie said. “Now all of our attentions are divided.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But when Selene wouldn’t choose, she moved on and said she wanted the baby instead, which could have been her pushing Selene’s buttons or it could have truth. Why would she want the kid?”

“Why would she want to keep us alive?” Leslie countered. “You have to face it, Kat. That person isn’t Jessica. She killed Devin without blinking an eye, but she spared me twice and you once. And she let…”

I met her eyes. “She let herself get caught.”

Leslie nodded and my eyes shot to Sebastian. “Why would she want to be caught?”

“Because it is part of her plan.” He folded his arms behind his back. “She wants to be in the castle for some reason. But her plan doesn’t really matter if your spell works. If you can remove the spirit in a controlled environment, whatever her plan is, it’s moot.”

“We just have to do our part first,” I said, then had a terrible thought. “What if it’s already too late?”

“She was knocked out. It can’t be too late,” Leslie said though she looked worried too.

Sebastian’s phone rang, making me jump.

“Yes…Okay….” He hung up. “It’s time.”

He held out a hand to each of us. Leslie took it right away, but I hesitated for a half second before I shook it off and took his other hand. Seconds later the dizziness that came with transporting flooded me. Transporting was something I wouldn’t miss.

We entered the castle through the back door where Cheney and Frost were waiting for us.

“Is she awake?” I asked.

Frost nodded. “She is.”

“The girls and I were talking. They think she wanted to be caught,” Sebastian said.

Frost nodded. “She said something like that to me in the dungeon, but I thought it was bullshit. Why would anyone want to be behind bars?”

Cheney frowned. “The castle is warded against magic from the outside.”

“That cell was designed to hold a witch,” Sebastian said. “Her magic will be useless in it.”

“The cell was designed to hold
Selene
,” Cheney said. “It depends how different dark magic is.”

“Where is Selene?” I asked.

“With the doctor. She had an episode. It was bad.”

I sucked in a breath and Leslie grabbed my hand.

“Is she okay?” Sebastian asked before either of us could speak.

“She is now,” Cheney said, his elven mask impossible to read. “It was frightening for a while, but Corbin was able to help her.”

“The vampire. Why couldn’t you heal her? Where is she seeing the doctor?” Sebastian moved forward without waiting for a reply. Cheney fell in step with him.

“There wasn’t a wound to heal. I don’t know what’s happening, but she’s…” They looked at each other and Sebastian nodded. “I can’t lose her, Sebastian. Whatever it takes.”

“I know.” Sebastian looked as grim as Cheney as they charged forward. “The three of you can handle the spell on your own?”

Leslie and I scrambled to keep up, while Frost took her time pulling up the rear. “It’d be better with Selene, but we can try,” I said. “What’s wrong with her?”

Silence filled the hallway and Leslie squeezed my hand harder. Cheney stopped so abruptly we almost ran into him as he pulled a heavy door open to a small room.

“She’s not here,” Sebastian said.

“I can see that,” Cheney growled and took off at a run toward the dungeon.

Relief nearly made me collapse when I heard her voice calmly talking as we raced down the hallway.

Cheney looked furious, but all he said was, “What’d we miss?”

“Oh, goody—the whole gang is here,” Jessica’s voice carried from the cell.

“Can she see us?” Leslie asked.

“It’s been three seconds and I’m already annoyed. That’s how I know.”

“What do you need from her?” Cheney asked me.

“A piece of hair, blood, whatever—so long as it is a part of her.”

“I’ll go,” Selene said.

“No,” Cheney said. “I’m Erlking. I will go.”

But if the cell couldn’t negate dark magic then he would be vulnerable. “I’ll go,” I said. “She’s not going to hurt me. Isn’t that right, bestie?” I raised my voice making sure she could hear.

“Only one way to find out,” she said.

“Does anyone have a knife by chance?” Sebastian produced one almost before I stopped talking. His fingers brushed mine as I took it from him. “Thanks.”

“I’ll come with you,” Selene said as a figure reached out of the darkness behind her, making me yelp.

Corbin stepped forward. “No, I’ll go. You stay.”

I wasn’t entirely certain that going inside with a vampire made me feel even remotely more comfortable, but what choice did I have. Cheney unlocked the door and we stepped inside; the bolt clicked shut again. I took a couple steps forward, my heart beating so loud everyone had to hear it.

“Are you a ‘fraidy-Kat?” Jessica asked from the darkness.

My mouth went dry. I glanced back at Corbin. He winked at me. Lot of help he was. “Why don’t you step into the light?” I asked.

“Maybe I like it in the dark. Maybe this is where I always belonged. Or maybe I just like the sound of your fear.”

“Whatever. You get your nails done once a week. You’re hardly tormented.” I opened up the flashlight app on my phone and moved into the darkness. “This spirit you’re housing is a total drama queen, Jess. You should boot her ass out.”

Something flicked her eyes and even the vampire gave half a laugh.

“If you want something from me, you’re going to have to take it,” she said. “You think you’re stronger than me?”

The best defense might be a good offense, but when that fails, it’s a good sense of humor that really matters. “Hell no. Why do you think I brought him? Grab her,” I said to Corbin who was already behind Jess, locking her arms behind her back. I took the final steps to her, cell phone in one hand and knife in the other.

While hair would be easier to get, blood would be stronger. I sat the phone on the floor so the light shone upwards and dug a tissue out of my pocket. “When you’re yourself again you don’t get to be pissy about this even if it leaves a scar.” My hands trembled as I slid the blade across her forearm then covered it with the tissue.

Her black eyes turned to me. “Your days are numbered, witch. Mark my words.”

I swallowed against the dryness in my throat. “Duh. All of our days are numbered, as I’m continually reminded.” I grabbed my phone and headed back to the door. Cheney unlocked it. “You coming?” I called to Corbin. In the next instant he was behind me, we were out of the cell, and it was locked again.

We had everything we needed to exorcise the spirit.

In the archive room everything was exactly as we had left it, though Leslie went immediately to double check the circle she had drawn on the floor. Cheney led Selene to the couch and encouraged her to sit, which she did.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“You were supposed to see the doctor.” He glared at her. “You agreed.”

“And I did. The doctor said I was fine so I went down to the dungeon. How was I supposed to know you left?”

“What about the pain?”

She glanced at Corbin before looking back at Cheney. “Jessica’s causing it.”

“It isn’t possible,” Sebastian said. “She couldn’t have gotten through the wards.”