Bishop

by Gabelman, Teresa

  “Oh, yes. And can I just say this feels so damn good right now? Is it bad for me to… you know, rub it in?” Bonnie felt the breeze begin to pick up. It was time to show this bastard exactly what he messed with. “You have done nothing but brought evil into this world, and it’s time it stopped. I now have my mother’s powers transferred to me. I lived, and now you will die.”

  “Silly girl.” Orjyll shook his head and dropped the cape from his shoulders. “Do you take me for a fool?”

  “Yes,” Bonnie answered honestly. Suddenly, there was an audible click. She turned her head to see guns held by an invisible force to each Warrior’s head. A sudden case of tunnel vision hit her as her mind went blank with despair. No, this couldn’t be happening. Slowly, she looked around to see every single witch and warlock facing Orjyll with their eyes rolled back showing only white as their mouths moved in a chant.

  “And once again, you were wrong.” Orjyll clucked his tongue at her. Goddess, she hated that sound. Hated him. “Take my hand and transfer Emilia’s powers to me, and they will live. Don’t, and they will die. The choice is yours.”

  “Those powers will do you no good. Mira, Kira, and Drew will still live.” Bonnie’s voice held strong. She would not let him see her fear.

  “No.” He shook his head. “Not true. They are not controlling the guns. I am. I am feeding off their magic. Why do you think I have so many with magical powers around me?”

  “Stealing their magic,” Bonnie corrected him. She now knew why none of them were using their magic. Her bastard of a father was using and stealing their powers for his own. Tricky, but not unheard of. Wyrick definitely had a hand in making this happen. He was lying low and she knew why. He was terrified of Sloan. Good, she needed Wyrick’s focus elsewhere.

  “Stealing. Feeding. Makes no difference to me.” Orjyll reached out his hand toward her. “Time is running out. Save them or watch them die. Oh, and did I mention they all are loaded with silver bullets?”

  Bonnie reached out her hand but stopped before they made contact. She knew if she used her powers to get rid of the guns, she wouldn’t be fast enough to get them all. Someone would die, and she couldn’t handle that. Testing just how powerful she was at this moment was not worth the risk.

  “Drop the guns, and then you can have not only my mother’s powers, but mine as well. I will do whatever you want.” Yeah, Bonnie was lying out her ass. If he was stupid enough to do that, she’d kill him on the spot.

  “Bonnie!” Bishop’s voice made her cringe. “Don’t. He’s going to kill us either way.”

  She turned to look at him, their eyes meeting. The gun pressed against his temple. “I have no choice.”

  Orjyll came closer to her, then leaned down. “You lose. You all lose, again. He’s right. Either way, they will die.” He looked up at them all with a smile of victory before glancing back at her. “But you, I think I will keep you alive so you can live with what you did to your… friends.”

  Knowing this was it, she slowly glanced back at Bishop. Dammit, she had to do something and fast. Suddenly, a foreign feeling overcame her. A voice inside her head, faint at first, grew louder.

  “You can do this, Bonnie. Trust in the magic. Trust in my power. Let yourself go.” Her mother’s voice kept repeating inside her head. Her eyes became very sensitive as did her body. Tingles of energy pulses crossed her skin to her bones. “Trust in the magic. Trust in my power. Let yourself go.”

  Bonnie began repeating the words. She felt her eyes rolling in the back of her head. She didn’t fight it. She did as her mother’s words said: trust in the magic, trust in her power, and she let herself go. With her body going rigid, she was completely aware of everything that was happening. She could see clearly, more clearly than she had ever seen before.

  Turning to see the guns pointing at her people, her friends, her love, Bonnie leaned her head back and screamed an inhuman roar. Her arm swept in an arc as the guns all dropped to the ground. Lifting her head, she saw Orjyll with his hands over his ears, staring at her in horror. With just a thought, he was picked up and held above her.

  Hearing footsteps coming toward her, Bonnie threw up an invisible wall between them and herself, as well as Orjyll. It was only them; everyone else was separated. “No, you lose!”

  Chapter 35

  Bishop tried to get through the barrier, but dammit, he couldn’t. He ran around, but there was no way in. Bonnie continued to hold Orjyll in the air. He called out to her, but she seemed lost, as if she didn’t hear him.

  Chaos was going on around him, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was getting to Bonnie. “Fuck!” He pounded on the invisible barrier, calling her name over and over again, but nothing worked.

  He could see Orjyll’s mouth moving, but couldn’t hear. His eyes went to Bonnie’s emotionless face. Fuck, she looked so lost. Thinking back, he cursed, then put his hands together. He swore if this didn’t work, he was going to lose his shit. He began to chant the words from so long ago that Emilia had taught him. The words came easier and faster. Opening his eyes, he felt his hands slip through the barrier like butter. Holy shit, it worked. Once his hands were through, his body quickly followed.

  “You are nothing,” Orjyll was screaming at her. “You can kill me, but you will still be nothing. You are rotten to the core, Bonnie Grail. You will never win. Not over me.”

  Bishop saw red as he reached up, grabbing Orjyll by the throat and pulling him down to him. “You will die knowing that she will live. She is everything you are not. Bonnie is nothing like you, you son of a bitch.”

  Tossing him against the barrier, Bishop looked toward Bonnie. Her eyes were back to normal, but they still had that blank stare. He turned her toward him but kept Orjyll in his sight.

  “I can’t do it.” She looked up at him. “As much as I hate him, I can’t do it. If I do, that means it’s true. I’m just like him, and I’m not. I’m nothing like him.”

  “No, you’re not,” Bishop said, then glared at Orjyll. “Drop the barrier, and we will deal with him. You do not have to be the one.”

  Bonnie nodded, and the barrier dropped. “I’m sorry.”

  “Never be sorry for being good, Bonnie,” Bishop said, then handed her off to Viktor. Just as he turned, he saw Orjyll smile at him.

  “Big mistake,” Orjyll said just as Wyrick threw a gun his way. “You’re right, Bonnie. You are nothing like me. A winner.”

  Bishop called out a warning, but it was too late. The gun fired. He watched in horror as Bonnie flung herself toward him, her hand outstretched. Everything slowed, just like the day in the field when her mother’s power was transferred to her from Kira. The bullet stopped inches from his chest and hovered. Only his eyes met Bonnie’s as the bullet fell to the ground.

  It was as if the room exploded in motion as the wind whipped through, knocking some people down and pushing others back. He watched as Bonnie stared at the bullet meant for him for a second before she looked up at the woman, then to Orjyll. Rope appeared, tying each of them. With movement from Bonnie’s hand, the woman was shoved across the room by an invisible force while Orjyll struggled against his bonds. A large wooden beam appeared, and Bonnie walked toward it with Bishop following closely.

  “You sent me a video of my mother once,” Bonnie said, her voice edged with rage. “Because of you, I will never be able to wipe my mother burning to death from memory.”

  Orjyll fought against the rope while he was being moved by Bonnie’s magic—her mother’s magic—to the wooden beam. “She deserved it. She betrayed me,” he hissed at her. Hatred and rage filled every word.

  “And I think it’s fitting that you die the same way.” Bonnie ignored him. “Didn’t think I had it in me, but you’ve proved me wrong by almost killing another person I care about. Guess I do have it in me, Dad, you piece of shit.”

  Bishop watched as Bonnie held her hand out, a swirl of flames circling her palm. She looked toward Viktor. “Would you like to be a part of this?”r />
  Viktor held out his palm. Kira joined them, her hand held out. Orjyll was now against the beam, his eyes wide with fear as he also watched the flames dancing in their hands. Kira tossed the first bit of fire to the wood that appeared.

  “That is for me and my sister, you bastard.” Kira hissed, her eyes narrowing with hatred.

  Viktor did the same, then spat on the floor just before the flames licked its way toward Orjyll. He didn’t say a word, just backed up.

  Bishop looked down at Bonnie, he saw that she stared at the fire in her hand. She glanced up at him when he held his hand out toward her.

  “What about you, bitch?” Orjyll screamed at her. Fear, pain, and rage radiated from his voice. “Go on! Do it. Do it! I fucking dare you. You don’t have the guts.”

  Bishop held out his hand, and her eyes raised to his. “I got you.”

  With very little hesitation, Bonnie let the fire leap from her hand to his before dropping her own to her side. She stared up at Orjyll. “Whether I toss the fire to seal your fate or not, you are defeated, but not by my hand alone. You are nothing to me.”

  Bishop tossed the fire from his hand into the already burning wood, his eyes going up to Orjyll’s rage as he glared down at them. “Fuck you!”

  “This isn’t over!” Orjyll shouted, his voice screeching. “I swear this will never be over. I’ve started something you cannot stop. I will be back to finish it.”

  “Burn slowly, then rot in hell,” Bonnie said, then turned away from him for the last time.

  They walked outside just as Blaze was going in. Bonnie stopped, then turned to look at her father, who was screaming in agony as the flames licked at his body.

  “Come on. You don’t need to see that.” Bishop urged her away, but she kept her ground.

  Bonnie continued to stare. “Actually, I think I do. Maybe it will replace the image of my mother burning to death.”

  Grabbing her in a hug, he wished like hell he could take it all away from her. He would if he could, but unfortunately, that couldn’t happen. All he could do was be there for her to lean on. Hopefully, that would be enough. Her words were blunt but truthful. Bishop was relieved when she looked away from Orjyll.

  “Sloan, I swear I didn’t mean to shoot you.” Wyrick’s voice had the three of them looking that way.

  Kira walked up to Bonnie. “I can’t believe it.” She hugged Bonnie tightly. “Thank you.”

  “It’s over. And we did it together,” Bonnie said, then started to turn back again as if to make sure Orjyll was still back there, but Bishop stopped her.

  “Neither of you need to see it. Blaze is taking care of him,” Bishop said, moving them along. “And I don’t want to miss this. I’ve never seen Sloan in action, and I really don’t want to miss it.”

  For the most part, that was true, but he also knew Bonnie was struggling with what just happened. He was damn proud of her. She was one hell of a woman, and she was his.

  “We’ve been friends for a long time. Orjyll put a spell on me.” Wyrick wiped the blood from his nose.

  “Lie,” Adam said as he leaned against a tree, arms crossed and watching with a smirk on his face.

  Sloan spun, kicking Orjyll across the face, knocking him across the yard. Wyrick got up slowly, his eyes finding Bonnie. “Unbind me, please. Give me a fair shot.”

  “Nope.” Bonnie shook her head. “There was nothing fair on your part when you shot Sloan.”

  No words came from Sloan’s mouth as he continued to beat the shit out of Wyrick. It was a silent ass-whooping, a one-sided ass-whooping. Bishop almost felt sorry for the guy. Nah, that was a fucking lie. He was loving every minute of it. As if Sloan grew bored of beating the shit out of Wyrick, he unleashed a series of unmerciful punches that dropped Wyrick to the ground… again. Picking him up by the hair, Sloan glared at Wyrick.

  “I told you I’d get you,” Sloan growled, then in one swift move, he had him in a headlock, and with a fierce twist, broke his neck. He dropped him without a glance. “Traitor,” Sloan spat before walking off.

  “Holy fucking shit,” Steve said breathily, as if he had been holding his breath for weeks. “I will never ever piss that man off again.”

  Ryker walked up after passing Wyrick’s body, giving it a glance. “Good job,” he said to Bonnie, then reached out and shook Bishop’s hand. “Most of those people in there were under a spell from the old lady. We got her too. She’s not going anywhere but to the witches council for punishment. Sloan gave the okay. Don’t worry. She will be locked away for life. They don’t mess around.”

  “What about the female with Orjyll?” Bishop frowned, his eyes scanning the area.

  “She took a pod,” Ryker replied, then shrugged. “Guess she’d rather die than be taken. No one saw her do it, but Slade confirmed it.”

  Bishop nodded as Ryker walked away. He then looked down at Bonnie, who was staring up at him.

  “Take me home,” Bonnie said, then leaned against him. “I just want to be away from all of this.”

  Bishop led her away from the building before realizing he didn’t have a vehicle. Shit. “Ah, I think you might need to take me home.” Bishop groaned, hating the fact that he was going to transport one more time and dammit, it would be his last.

  * * *

  Hanging up the phone, she smiled at Bishop, who was staring at her. “That was Mira.”

  “I figured.” He smiled at her, then opened his arms as she crawled up on his lap.

  They hadn’t been home for even half an hour before the calls started coming in. The only person she hadn’t heard from was Raven. “Did you see Raven before we left?”

  “Yeah, she was talking to Charger.” Bishop rubbed her arm.

  “Really? Interesting?” Bonnie whispered, laying her head on his shoulder.

  “Why is that interesting?” Bishop glanced at her with a cocked eyebrow. “You aren’t playing matchmaker, are you?”

  “No,” Bonnie said, then shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know.” Feeling agitated, she climbed off his lap. Dammit, her mind wouldn’t stop. She felt out of place or something. She didn’t really know what was wrong with her.

  “Bonnie, what is it?” Bishop sat up, watching her closely.

  “I don’t know.” Bonnie stopped pacing around, then wiggled her body in a weird way. “I just have this weird feeling. Like, what am I supposed to do now? Shouldn’t I feel free? I mean, the wicked warlock is dead. Saggy ass is no more. The curse is lifted. I’m not hunted anymore. At least, I don’t think I am. But what am I supposed to do now? That was all I knew.”

  “I guess those feelings are normal,” Bishop said, then frowned when she gave him a sideways look. “What?”

  “You guess?” Bonnie threw up her hands and rolled her eyes. “I was hoping for… Bonnie, yes, those feelings are absolutely normal. You’re going to be fine. You’re not going insane. You will have a life now that you aren’t being hunted by your evil father.”

  Bishop actually grinned as he stood up, but instead of grabbing her and holding her, he crossed his arms. “You are absolutely normal, you will be fine, you’re not insane, and you will have a life with me. How’s that?”

  Biting her lip, she nodded. “Better.”

  “Good. Now how about your little stunt of breaking our deal?” Lines appeared between Bishop’s brows. A grin quickly followed when she glared back at him.

  “How about we hold off on that until tomorrow?” she countered.

  “Fine.” This time he did grab her and hold her tight. “Your mom would have been so proud of you.”

  “I heard her, you know,” Bonnie whispered into his chest. “When I saw those guns pointed at everyone, especially you, and I got so confused and afraid, I heard her talking to me.”

  “I don’t doubt it. She was a very special lady. Just like you.” Bishop kissed the top of her head.

  “I do think he was right, though.” Bonnie shivered, thinking of Orjyll’s words. “This isn’t over. Someone will take hi
s place.”

  “We’ve been dealing with this for a long time. What matters is you and the rest of the Dragonfly Coven are safe. We will face whatever is to come when it gets here,” Bishop answered, his voice serious and deep.

  “It just seems too easy.” Bonnie said, not able to get that thought out of her head. “And another thing. What if one of the witches did the same thing I did with Ryker? He could still be alive. They could have transported him and…Goddess, what about Vanessa’s son?” She felt panicked as if nothing had really been resolved.

  “Bonnie, he’s dead. You’re safe.” Bishop cupped her cheek. “And the boy is top priority. He will be found. I promise you.”

  She pulled back, nodding and staring up at him. She prayed to the Goddess he was right, and he probably was, but something deep inside her warned that it had been too easy. Deciding to push that feeling back for now, she smiled. “So, where do we go from here, witch hunter?”

  “Wherever we want, witch.” Bishop grinned down at her. “But only on one condition.”

  “What’s that?” Bonnie frowned, not liking the sound of that.

  Bishop reached behind him, then knelt in front of her. “Wherever we go, you go as my wife, my mate.” He opened his hand that held a tiny box. “Will you marry me, Bonnie Grail?”

  Staring wide-eyed at the box, Bonnie slapped her hand over her mouth in shock. Tears filled her eyes as she went speechless.

  “I wanted to do this after a nice dinner, maybe dancing. This is probably the wrong ti—” Bishop didn’t sound too sure of himself when she didn’t answer right away.

  “Yes!” she said loudly and quickly. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

  She watched him slip the perfect, most beautiful ring on her finger before she jumped into his arms, knocking him backward onto the floor. After kissing him hard, she pulled away with a big smile, but then it began to fade. “Thank you for making me always forget the bad.”

  Bishop pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes never leaving hers. “Soon there will be nothing bad for you to forget, and only good for you to remember.”