Witch (19 page)

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.

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.

"What was that?"

Lydia stormed in, "That was Ari at her best."

A tall handsome man walked into the kitchen, "Lydia
where is she? I've had it."

Lydia and Ari both jumped up and ran at the huge man.

"Oh my god Aleks. Oh my god."

Aimee flashed into the kitchen and jumped at him. Ophelia
felt lost. She knew a guy named Aleks had died. Old memories that still sat in
her mind, but felt distant, had his death in them. Slowly memories of him at
her window instead of Sam started to creep in her mind.

She watched them cry. Aimee gripped him and kissed his
cheek repeatedly.

His face was flushed and confused.

"I'm tired of the head games Aimee. Just tell me what
the hell is going on with you guys?"

She shook her head, "I love you. I love you."

A slow grin crept over his face, "So you want to be
with me?"

"Aleks what do you remember?"

He frowned at Lydia, "From when?"

Lydia looked at Ari, her mouth agape, "Oh no."

Ari took a second and then she looked the same. Aimee
dropped to her knees.

Lucas ran inside, his face was soaked. Tears poured from
his eyes. The memories sank in slowly. The memories matched in her mind until
she came to Lydia's two weeks ago. Nothing was the same. Sam was not in a
single new memory.

She started to panic. She looked at a new face, who her
brain instantly recognized as Ben. He looked confused. He looked at Aleks.
Lydia, Ari, Aimee, and Lucas sobbed. Ophelia looked at them all. Her stomach
twisted into a knot. Her heartstrings tugged as she looked at Ben. He smiled
and took a step toward her. She took a step back. Her body knew him, as did her
mind but her reality was different. It was as if two people's lives lived
inside of her. She bolted to the kitchen sink and retched over it. A meal she
didn’t recognize for a moment shot into the sink. She hadn’t recalled eating
corn and peas.

"He's not dead. He's not." Aimee rocked back and
forth.

Lydia held her heart, "They all are. Little Sarah.
Dawn. Danny."

Ophelia threw up again.

 
She sank
against the counter.

"I take it Ben and I missed out on the party?"
Aleks stood like a massive statue in the middle of the kitchen with the sobbing
people draping off of him. Ari let go of him and grabbed Ben. Her and Lucas
held him tight against her.

Ophelia looked at them all, "What happened? How did
it happen?"

Aleks looked confused, "You never even met him?"

She started to sob as well, "I loved him." Her
heart broke. Sweet Sam.

Hanna came bursting through the door. Her eyes flashed on
Ari, "You bring him back. You bring him back. You bring him back."
She grabbed her by the throat and held her in the air. Hanna's skin shivered.
Ophelia watched the redhead lose total control. She threw Ari through the wall
of the house and out on the back lawn. She dove through at her. Lucas changed
and lunged at Hanna. Hanna swiped with her hand and tossed the wolf across the
grass.

She screamed a sickening sound.

Lydia ran out through the huge hole and stepped between
them, "This solves nothing."

Ari shook, she cried so hard. Hanna dropped to her knees
and screamed into the sky.

Ophelia gripped the cupboard to stop herself from passing
out. The pain in her chest was unbearable.

Hanna looked at her and started to sob again.

Ophelia rushed her and wrapped her arms around her.

"He loved you. He loved you Hanna."

"I can't bear this." She glared at Ari,
"How? How?"

Ari shook her head, sobbing, "I don’t know. I don’t
know what changed."

 
Aimee
staggered through the hole, "Blake. He helped them perfect the Hellfire
bomb." She wrapped her arms around herself.

She looked frighteningly fragile.

Aleks put his arm around her, "What happened?"

Ari sat on her knees, "I pushed Blake. Instead of
betraying Aimes to Shane and chasing her out of the house, he found other
supernaturals online."

Aimee cringed, "His guild on the World of Warcraft.
He helped me change. He came with me here. He convinced Dorian to help
me."

Aleks shook his head, "So the way it was before, you
all remember?"

Ophelia looked at him, "We got Giselle to use her
compulsion to make sure we remembered."

He nodded, "Like Andy did."

"She's still in the hospital?" Aimee spoke
looking confused.

Lydia nodded, "Blake never took them to the blood
bar. They never recruited him from MIT."

Aimee looked at Lydia, "Alise is safe. She's at home
with dad. They're safe. Shane." Her face flushed as she glanced up at
Aleks. His handsome face turned red with hers.

"You and Shane are together Aimes." He broke
into a grin, "Were we together in that other place?"

Ophelia watched as Aimee slowly shook her head.

He stopped, "My dad?"

She shook her head.

He frowned, "I died?" He sounded completely
mystified.

Aimee swallowed hard, "You and Ben."

Ben looked at her, "Me?" He looked at Lucas who
wiped his eyes.

Ari shook her head, "I can't seem to make it so we
all are okay."

Aimee wiped her face and walked to Aleks. She wrapped her
arms around him and nuzzled into his chest.

Ophelia couldn’t help but notice how amazingly attractive
he was. She looked at Ben. He raised an eyebrow, "If I was dead, then you
and I…?"

She shook her head.

He nodded slowly, "That’s explaining a few
things."

Lorri burst through the hole in the kitchen wall and
stormed over to Ari. She lifted her off the ground.

"I had him in my fucking hands. In my fucking hands
Ari. For fucks sake. I said not to use it. I said no." She dropped her and
paced the yard like a wild cat.

Ari slumped on the grass again.

Ophelia noticed the way Lucas walked to where Ari sat and
put himself between Ari and Lorri.

Lorri turned and pointed, "They had Jon too. For
fucking fuck." She raged around the yard.

Aleks stepped forward, "What? My dad? Who had
him?"

Lorri looked savagely at him, "The wolves."

Ben frowned, "Us?"

Lucas looked back, "The guys back home were tracing
him for us."

Aleks's eyes flamed, "How? How did they do it? Where
was he?"

Ophelia spoke quietly, "Me."

Aleks started to laugh bitterly, "Oh I should have
known. Of course. When Lorri and I got to your house that first night to get
you his scent was everywhere. If we'd thought to call the pack they would have
been able to trace him." His eyes hardened as he looked at Lorri, "If
the Roses business hadn’t been more important, as usual, I could have had
him."

Lorri pointed at him, "Don’t you start with me right
now Aleks. I swear to god I will rip your fucking head off. In the other
version of this fiasco the wolves were there because of Sam. He thought of the
wolves. He brought them."

Ophelia remembered being in the cell and looked at Lorri,
"He still has my sister."

Lorri covered her eyes with her hands, "Oh sweet
Jesus save me from this moment." She looked at Ophelia with rage on her
face, "I am not going to talk to you about saving a human right now. Sam
was everything. He was the thing that made us win. It wasn’t you. Look in the
scrying dish you haven’t stolen from Annabelle yet." She was gone as the
lightning struck the ground where she stood.

Aimee sighed. Lydia rubbed her back, "I know honey.
It's been so long since they died that the pain is old and it won’t let me hurt
as much as I want to."

Dorian flashed into the yard, he grabbed Ari and pulled
her in. She started to cry all over again.

"Dad."

He rubbed her back, "I know."

He looked up at Aleks and smiled, "Good to see you
brother."

Aleks frowned at him, "You look weird."

Dorian pulled Ari back and looked at her, "Is this
what it's like every time?"

She sobbed and nodded.

Lucas joined the hug, "I can't imagine living through
this more than once." He kissed Ari's head.

Ophelia felt totally out of the loop. She glanced at Hanna
who was silently crying.

"What can we do?"

Hanna shrugged, "Move on. Once they're gone, that’s
it. There is no bringing them back." Her eyes hardened.

Ophelia went inside, she noticed she felt more at home in
the house than she ever had. She had never stayed at the castle. She had always
been there. Through thick and thin, she had spent her time learning. There was
no vampire war in the yard or drama with Sam.

She felt Ben wrap his arms around her, it felt less
strange to be around him.

She turned and looked up into his handsome face.

He brushed his lips against hers softly. His shaggy brown
hair and emerald green eyes reminded her of Lucas. He was more handsome. He
wrapped himself around her.

"I'll keep you safe O."

She felt her body relax into his. His touch wasn't just
familiar, it was wanted.

She felt something cold and opened her eyes.

Annabelle floated to her, "I was just lookin in on
your momma. Your sisters have been taken. He's gonna give the gift to your
brother tonight."

Ophelia shook her head, "No it's a trap. He must know
about the snow globe."

Ben looked down on her, "You psychic now?"

She smiled, "No." The smile felt wrong. "We
went there in the other way things were. Oliver betrayed us and my dad was my
brother."

He raised an eyebrow.

She laughed, "It's complicated."

Lydia came in through the hole and looked at Annabelle.
Annabelle put her hands on her hips, "What in Sam hell is that?"

Lydia's face crumpled.

Ophelia started to feel sick again. She hugged her
stomach, "I'm going to bed." She walked to the stairs. Ben scooped
her up and carried her to her room.

Ophelia

A knock at the door woke her up. She went to roll out of
the bed but Ben's huge arm was across her. She felt funny about him sleeping in
her bed. She picked through her old memories. He hadn’t done it before. She
walked to the door and opened it a crack. Aimee smiled at her, "Want to
help me?"

She rubbed her eyes, "Dude it's still dark."

Aimee nodded, "I have a problem. I need a favor from Hanna
and she won't help me. She doesn’t like me."

Ophelia laughed, "You and Ari are kind of bitchy to
her. Yeah just let me get some pants on."

She pulled on jeans from the floor and stalked out of the
room. They walked to Hanna's room. Ophelia opened the door. Hanna was asleep in
a ball with tissues everywhere.

Ophelia looked at Aimee and scowled, "Why are we in
here?"

Aimee shrugged, "I need her to convince Marcus to
turn Giselle."

Ophelia looked at her and sighed, "She won't do it.
They broke up. Remember? Marcus is an overbearing wanker."

Aimee pointed, "My friend is dying. Do it."

Ophelia groaned and turned to Hanna. She shoved her
lightly, "Hanna wake up."

Hanna moaned and murmured, "No Sam."

Ophelia looked back at Aimee and glared. Aimee snapped a finger
and pointed.

Ophelia gave her the finger. She turned back and shook
Hanna again, "Hanna wake up."

Hanna rolled over and opened one puffy eye,
"Wh-wh-what?"

Ophelia bent over to her, "I need you to wake
up."

Hanna groaned, "Dude this better be important."

Aimee spoke from the dark doorway, "I need you to
save Giselle. She's dying."

Hanna watched her for a minute. Ophelia thought for sure
she was about to say no but she climbed out of the bed. She stood looking Aimee
square in the eyes. "You hate me for something that never even happened,
just so you're aware."

Aimee laughed. She put a hand out and they all touched.
Ophelia squinted seeing the bright lights of the hospital. They followed Aimee
into a room. Blake sat there reading on an iPad.

"Hey loser."

He looked up at Hanna and smiled, "Hanna. My favorite
monster."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah I've never heard that one
before."

Ophelia gave him a slight wave. He smiled at her.

Ophelia looked at Giselle. It was weird seeing her sick.
She was used to her being volatile and snobby.

Giselle opened an eye and smiled at them. Aimee leaned
forward, "Hey girl. How are you feeling?"

She frowned, "You need to turn my ass back into a
vampire. This shit is not fun. I want to be drinking blood and stomping around Marcus's
castle in my big boots. This sucks."

Aimee frowned. Hanna leaned in, "How do you remember
that?"

Giselle shrugged, "When you guys said you wanted me
to do the mind thingy on you, I decided I didn’t want to be the only bitch who
was lost." She pointed to Blake who was frowning, "Look at his dumb
face. He has no clue what's what. Anyway I went to Annabelle and she gave me a
mirror I could do the juju thingy on myself."

Aimee laughed, "That was pretty smart."

Blake pushed his glasses up his nose, "That was
brilliant Giselle."

Ophelia looked at Blake confused. He pointed to Aimee,
"She texted me everything earlier."

"Oh."

Blake looked at Hanna, "Sorry for your loss.
Again."

She gave a slight nod, "Yeah. Guess the wound is
healed and I'm over it."

Ophelia felt exactly what she was saying, "I know. I
hate that my body doesn’t seem to care. It didn’t know Sam so it doesn’t
matter."

A girl with dark silky hair came strolling in the room.
Her eyes were on her cell phone as she texted and walked.

Aimee jumped up and grabbed her. She held her to her.

The girl struggled, "Aimes wtf? What are you doing?
You're smudging my makeup."

Aimee pulled the girl back and Ophelia could see the
resemblance. Aimee was a twin too.

"Never do that to me again Alise. Ever."

The girl frowned, "Dude I went for coffee." She
rolled her eyes and sat on Blake's lap. She looked tiny compared to him.

Blake shook his head, "This is outright bizarre. I
don’t think I will actually be able to process this one."

Giselle cocked her head, "Uh hello are you here for
me or what?"

Hanna laughed, "Good to see you're still you. I'll
send Marcus a text."

Aimee looked back at her, "You want me to go get
him?"

She shook her head, "He won’t be long."

Aimee rolled her eyes, "You and boys Hanna, I
swear."

Alise frowned, "Who are you all? Giselle what is
up?"

Giselle laughed, "Other girls from the liver ward. Me
and Aimes met them a while back."

Alise smiled and nodded like a puppet, "Cool. So you
all got better after a drugging?"

Hanna frowned, "Uhm yeah."

Ophelia laughed, "This is weird. Do you guys need me
here?" Hanna flashed her a look. She put her hands up defensively,
"Okay. Just sleepy."

Giselle gave her a look.

Blake stood and slipped his hand into Alise's, "Want
to go for a walk Aimes?"

Aimee nodded and put a hand on Giselle's hand, "Want
anything?"

She nodded, "The desire to suck the blood from young
men."

Aimee shook her head, "Okay well ewww and I'll see
what they have at the cafeteria."

Ophelia sat in the chair in the corner. She was exhausted.
It had been a brutal day.

Hanna sat on the bed and looked at her cell, "He'll
be here in like five."

Giselle squirmed in the bed, "Good. Everything
hurts."

Hanna sighed, "Aimee's sister is a space cadet.
Wow."

Ophelia laughed, "That was weird. She knows nothing
about nothing?"

Hanna swung her legs up onto the bed, "She knows
nothing about the things she knows. Damn." She looked down and frowned at
Ophelia, "Whose pants are you wearing?"

She looked down and felt the heat rushing up her cheeks,
"Mine."

Hanna laughed, "Those are Ben's."

Giselle gave a weak laugh, "Oh busted."

She shook her head, "He was just being nice."

"I'd let him be nice to me any day of the week."
Ophelia shot a look at Hanna.

"What? I would. He smells like delicious Fae."

Ophelia made a face, "You make him sound like a
snack. You know who smelled good…" She stopped.

Hanna's face crumpled.

Ophelia closed her mouth, "Sorry. It's like I expect
him to walk in the room any second."

Giselle turned her face up to stare at the ceiling, "I
wish he would walk in. He made everything better."

"Yup."

Ophelia felt eyes on her. She glanced to the door. She saw
his face and felt her heart stop. Her eyes narrowed. She got up from the chair
and mumbled, "I'll be back in a minute."

She rounded the corner of the corridor to see him leaning
against the wall with a smug look on his face.

"What are you doing here? You have some nerve. I
should call Aimee to come kill you."

He raised an eyebrow, "Have we met?"

She stumbled on her words, "The castle, when you were
in the, oh never mind. Oliver I know who you are."

He leaned in and smelled her hair, "I forgot how you
smell. Your memory should be gone Ophelia."

She pulled away from him, "So should yours."

He laughed, "I made sure my memories would be intact.
I never knew Ari was his daughter until you told me but I always knew what she
did."

She recalled something and cocked her head, "You
never told him. My father, you never told him what Ari did?"

He shook his head.

"Why?"

He ran a hand down her arm, making chills wash over her.
He tilted her chin with his other hand, "I told you. I love you."

She laughed, "So you let him take me prisoner and try
to kill Aimee?"

His eyes hardened as his fingers bit into her skin,
"If Aimee dies then it's one less thing to worry about. You think Lorri
and Dorian wouldn’t sacrifice themselves to kill me and Jonathan off?"

She pushed him, "What do you want? You think I don’t
know that I somehow play into your lame ass plans? You're playing my dad and
me."

He laughed and stumbled back, "Ophelia I've never
been anything but sincere with you. I did lead you into the trap, obviously,
but I made sure you had the upper hand."

She shoved him again, "Sam died because of you."
His shirt singed from the sparks off her hand. She let the energy shoot from
her hands again and he flew down the hall, riding the wind coming off her. She
stood at the end of the hall with the cool wind surrounding her. Her dark wavy
hair blew around her body. She felt the black take over her eyes. Her vision
grew sharper.

His back slammed into the wall at the end of the long
corridor. She walked toward him. He flashed out of the grip of her wind. His
hands were at her throat, "Don't make me do something I would
regret."

She jerked, sending electricity from her body. He was
blasted off of her and into the wall. She turned seeing black blood drip from
his lip. He laughed, "You are getting more powerful Ophelia." He
wiped the blood from his mouth and pulled his ass out of the broken wall. White
dust filled the air. He rubbed his back, "You know those walls are
reinforced.”

He flashed as the lightning bolts shot from her hands,
starting a small fire in the wall. Her breath raged from her flared nostrils.
She looked around to ensure no one had witnessed his or her magical abilities.
She looked at the smoke coming from the wall. She leaned forward and blew ice
across it.

She walked back to the room.

Hanna raised an eyebrow, "What the hell?"

"Oliver."

Giselle snarled, "I'm biting him when I turn
again."

Hanna turned her head, "You'll die dummy. You can't
feed off fallen."

Giselle's dark eyes flashed, "I never said I was
going to feed. I said bite." She moaned in pain and clutched her right
side. Hanna stroked her face and looked impatiently at the door.

Her face dropped.

Ophelia looked to see a stunning man walk through the
door. Her jaw dropped. He was refined and sexy. She tore her gaze from him and
glanced at Hanna who was completely flushed.

Hanna stammered, "Mar-Marcus. Thanks f-for
coming."

His face looked pained.

Ophelia could feel the tension in the air. Hanna's
bracelet was glowing like it was a raging flame, or lava.

Giselle smirked at Marcus through the pain, "Hey I
need you to save me again."

"What? Hanna I need to speak to you." He ignored
Giselle.

Ophelia melted at his accent. He was sexy and had an
accent. She envied Hanna for a moment. The hottest guys loved her.

Hanna looked like she was battling her emotions,
"Ari."

"Ahhh I see. So what was this alternate world like? Were
we married? Living in Romania in the summers and here in the winters?" His
smile was bitter and pained.

Hanna shook her head, "You were dead."

He looked confused, "And yet I saved my last breath
to save your friend? Aren't I kind."

Hanna's face was frozen, "The kindest. Will you help
her?"

Marcus shook his head, "No."

Hanna took a step forward, "I would be,
grateful."

He laughed, "Oh Hanna." He grabbed her hand,
"You'll be grateful anyway I'm afraid."

Ophelia took a step toward him, "Let her go."

He smiled at Ophelia, "If Hanna needed protection I
assure you, she wouldn’t be my girl."

Hanna pushed away from him, "I'm not your girl. We
had this conversation." Her eyes filled with regret, "I know where
his heart is. I know how to free him."

His face filled with rage, "Then take it."

He stepped forward and put her hand on his chest,
"You take it because I don’t want it without you."

Hanna clenched her jaw.

Ophelia was lost.

Giselle was clutching her side again. Her face was pinched
in pain.

"Please."

Marcus moved like a snake striking her arm, "See you
soon." He pulled her in and kissed her face. His hand moved liked viper
again and struck the bracelet on her wrist. He flashed a grin, "I like you
better naked, you know that."

Ophelia watched the bracelet fall to the ground and smash
against the hard floor. The shells were white. She had never seen them white.

She felt a strange sensation instantly. She hated Hanna.
It was stronger than hate. She despised and detested her. She was gross and
sleazy. Ophelia shook her head, "What is that?"

Hanna scowled, "That is the call of a Siren."
Her eyes pleaded, "Please don’t hate me."

"I won’t. I know it isn’t real."

The doctor came in and flashed a charming smile at Hanna,
"My love."

Ophelia watched as Hanna pulled him into her embrace. She
let his hands roam her body. He kissed her. Hanna let him.

Ophelia threw up a tiny bit as the older and clearly
married doctor ran his hands over Hanna's jeans and breasts. Hanna made out
with him for several minutes.

Hanna pulled back, "Go and sleep Doctor. Find a
replacement doctor to take care of my friend."

He nodded.

Ophelia noticed the feeling of disgust had subsided a
fraction.

The doctor left gripping his clipboard.

Hanna sighed, "Fucking Marcus." She looked back
at Giselle, "I gotta go before this shit gets real. Lydia has a spare
bracelet I think."

Giselle breathed into her cramp, "Yeah. Tell his
highness to kiss my ass."

Hanna gripped her hand, "I will make him fix
you."

Ophelia knew Hanna and Marcus had dated and he had been a
piece of shit to her but she also knew Hanna loved him. She had seen the relief
fill her face when he'd walked in alive and mean.

Hanna walked out as Aimee and Blake walked in. Blake
reached for her, "Hi." He pulled his glasses off and pressed her against
the wall.