The Witch of the Prophecy

by Victoria Jayne

  The man working the desk didn’t stop him. He took it as a good sign she hadn’t checked them out.

  Rori fingered the key card in his hand as he stood at the elevator bank. The lazy beat of his heart picked up into double the speed, though still not enough to be considered a normal heart rhythm.

  “Roricus.” A familiar female voice called to him.

  Rori turned looking for the source. His gaze landed on a crouching woman, wrapped in a brown wool blanket. He couldn’t immediately place her. The visual did nothing to jog his memory. He narrowed his eyes at the woman. She seemed out of place in the posh establishment. Her stringy red hair and the waxy pale skin caused Rori to frown. He regarded the way she clutched the blanket, as if she were freezing to the bone, with a wrinkled nose. Had he given a homeless woman the address of the hotel? Had she followed him after he drank from her? He couldn’t remember all the human’s he had sampled since being in New Orleans. Her familiarity irked him.

  Rori stepped closer. Maybe she wasn’t human, perhaps another vampire he had met in his years. There was a small chance she could be starving for some reason or another and sought him for help of some kind. Seemed unlikely, but not completely absurd. Rori mentally ran through the catalog of vampires he had met over the centuries.

  “Don’t let them fool you,” she whispered when he got closer.

  Within two feet of the woman, Rori froze in recognition of her. The red-headed witch, the one Divina called Ines, was a ghost of the youthful witch she had been but a few days ago.

  He gaped at her. The shock of her current appearance, of the weakness he saw in a once powerful witch, shook him.

  “They are trying to change fate. Don’t let them.” Ines coughed and resumed cowering between the two planters near the elevators.

  Rori crouched beside her and got a better look at her greying face. The witch, who had once appeared youthful, had aged several decades overnight.

  “What happened to you?” he asked in a concerned whisper.

  She shook her head. “There’s no time,” she insisted. “Just know that you can have her, Roricus. You can go forth with your true fate and have Divina. You don’t need to give her to the wolf.”

  The exact wrong words to hear as a hero waffled with his decision to sacrifice love for the good of all kinds. Though, it didn’t fit with what the youthful version of this witch had said just days before.

  Rori eyed the witch in disbelief.

  “Did they do this to you?” he pressed.

  He knew the Ember Witches were extremely powerful. Without a doubt, they would be capable of reducing the woman to the shriveled heap before him. If she meant to punish them all, the witches, himself, and Divina, for what was done to her, sabotaging the prophecy would be the way to do it. The intent behind her current words had Rori cautious.

  “Pay attention,” she snapped. “You don’t need power, just Divina,” she spoke simply. “You don’t need the council seat, just your witch.”

  Tightening his mouth into a firm line, Rori considered her words. The witches could be testing him. Through this manipulation, this appearance of Ines, they could be testing his resolve to sacrifice love for the throne, for the good of all kinds.

  “If I do that then I will be the one to end us all,” he said, wary of Ines’ intentions.

  Ines shook her head. “You have no desire to do such a thing,” she pointed out. “How could you end us if you don’t want to?”

  She coughed again harder and longer this time. She looked at her hand and cursed before wiping it on the woolen blanket she held close around her.

  “They are forcing you into a place you’re not meant to be, Roricus. You have to follow your heart, now that it beats. Don’t let the witches make you a puppet,” she said urgently.

  He regarded her with a sideways glance. Her sickly form shivered under the blanket.

  “What did they do to you?” he asked again.

  With words in direct conflict with not only Esmine’s but Ines’ own words, Rori questioned her motive. Add her withering appearance, and it felt wrong.

  With a tight-lipped frown Rori pondered his previous idea of her presence being a test by the Ember Witches; a test to his commitment to the throne. The more she talked, the more Rori felt the witches were pushing him toward the sacrifice.

  She turned away from him. She tried to get up, but the witch lacked the strength and fell back down.

  “Love, Roricus. Love is what you need to fight the prophecy,” she rasped.

  Rori clenched his teeth. The manipulations needed to stop. His nostrils flared as his frustrations grew. The incessant games of the Ember Witches, of this witch, was enough to drive a lesser man crazy.

  “They cast you out,” he surmised. “Did they strip you as well?” he asked.

  She said nothing.

  However, her trembling increased and the blanket slipped from her shoulder revealing her state of emaciation. She bowed her head and displayed just how thin her once lush red hair had become. She refused to lift it to him or, perhaps, she lacked the strength.

  “Divina is to take your seat isn’t she?” Rori further concluded.

  Silence.

  “You went against the witches knowing that it was your seat up for grabs,” Rori said.

  He breathed in sharply with the belief he knew Ines’ true intentions. He closed his eyes, trying to push down the bloom of rage growing and spreading in his chest. When he opened them again, the world was tinged red.

  “You are here to sabotage—”

  Ines sprang up interrupting his words. The blanket fell to her feet and exposed her skeletal body with clothing dangling from her. Sores covered her gray skin. Her eyes lacked the shine and youth they had the first time she promised him power.

  Cold radiated off her and crept over Rori’s skin.

  “I went against my coven for what is right!” she hissed. “I went against my coven for love,” she declared. “For your love, for Percival's love! For Divina and Selene!”

  Her bony fingers gripped his forearms. The sharp digits dug into the muscular flesh of Rori’s arms, threatening to pierce through with a strength he didn’t realize she possessed. She shook as all her energy appeared concentrated on her hold on him.

  “You are not fit for the council, Roricus,” she seethed. “You lack the age and the commitment. It is meant for Percival. The coven fears Selene’s devotion to her vampire.”

  “You were the one who said I could have power,” Rori said through gritted teeth.

  The chill forced its way through his body stemming from her hands wrapped around his arms.

  “I lied,” she said. Releasing Rori’s arms she hung her head and shrunk back into her blanket. “I’m not proud of it. I did it for my coven. But, my coven is wrong.” She peered up at him with wide eyes. The fury gone from them, sadness took its place. “They can’t tamper with what is meant to be. And what is meant to be is you and Divina, your love,” she said as her voice cracked.

  She took a deep breath, obviously tired from the energy it took to speak of such things in her weakened state.

  “You can have love. You will, if you chose Divina. The throne is meant for Percival. The seat is meant for Selene. The coven wants to change that but they shouldn’t.” As she spoke, she collapsed into a heap between the two planters.

  Crouching, Rori reached out for the arms of the witch. When he gripped her, she howled in pain. Rori held her frail limbs and shook her. The tortured woman wailed as the skin on her arms ripped in his hands.

  He pulled back, letting her go. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open in horror seeing the bits of flesh stuck to his fingers and palms.

  Rori flicked his attention to the pained witch. She crumbled flat to the floor.

  “Go to your witch, Roricus. Chase your love. Don’t let them strip you too,” she sobbed.

  Rori’s mouth hung slack-jawed. He held his hands away from himself disbelieving the grotesque sight.

  I
t occurred to him, the blood didn’t smell right. He closed his mouth and brought his hands closer to his nose. The putrid and nearly black blood held no odor. He peered down at the witch pleading with him. He could see her, hear her words, feel her touch, but not smell her. As a vampire, Rori’s possessed a keen sense of smell. A scent that a vampire could detect from hundreds of miles was blood, no matter how black and vile.

  Ines sprawled on the ground, atop her woolen blanket. Her arms bled black blood from the sores he had created. It pooled around her, darkening her blanket and inching toward Rori. It dripped from her nose and the corners of her eye sockets. Her hair dropped from her head in clumps.

  Rori gawked in disbelief at the vision before him. However, it nagged him that the rotting witch with black blood held no scent.

  A hotel worker approached Rori from behind. “Sir?”

  Startled, Rori turned to the man, the shock clear on his face.

  The hotel worker’s youthful face morphed into concern. “Are you okay?”

  Rori looked back to the spot between the two planters.

  Nothing.

  The red-headed witch, Ines, no longer lay dying on the tile. Her woolen blanket and the pool of black blood absent as well.

  Rori held up his hands again.

  Nothing.

  Wide-eyed, Rori regarded the young man in his collared shirt and khakis.

  “Should I call someone, sir?” the hotel employee asked.

  Rori’s disbelieving gaze went back to the spot where the witch had been and looked back to the man.

  “Did you—” Rori stopped himself.

  Silence in hung heavy in the air while Rori attempted to put it all together. Questioning whether she had been there at all had Rori questioning his own sanity. If the Ember Witches planned on pushing him over the edge to insanity, they were pretty damn close to succeeding.

  “Did I what?” The boy tried to coax something from Rori, awakening him from his thoughts.

  Rori made a final sweep of the spot where Ines had been.

  “I think. I think I need blood.” Rori swallowed.

  He didn’t need blood. He still had Divina’s in his system but he felt cold from what Ines had done.

  What he needed was to get the hell out of New Orleans.

  “The bar, sir.” The young man pointed. “They have plenty. Shall I help you?” He leaned down and offered his arm.

  Rori shook his head. He stared, not seeing, in the direction of the bar. “I can get there,” he said pushing himself back to his feet. While waving him away dismissively, the young man reluctantly stood and regarded Rori with suspicion.

  He would go to the bar. He’d collect himself. Maybe, he would drink from someone, for pretenses or just to feel warm again. He just needed a minute.

  He needed to figure out what had happened. The possibilities rattled around Rori’s mind. The witches could be testing him, Ines could be lying to him, he could have Divina, he could ruin Divina’s life. Scrubbing his face with his hand as he walked, did nothing to alleviate the questions. Though he had many, the one question that seemed to dominate all others was whether or not he had passed the test the witches may have laid out for him.

  Rori sipped from a waitress who never served a drink. She was hired by the hotel to serve herself. They had several human blood donors available for such a thing. Rori never knew if they were willing donors or if they were merely mind tricked into being there. He assumed it to be some combination of the two.

  As he drank from the brunette’s wrist, he tried to shake off the imagined encounter with Ines. The nagging feeling that he had imagined it, that it hadn’t occurred at all haunted him. If he hallucinated the encounter, he might be slipping into madness. He wasn’t young or that old.

  He dismissed the woman with a generous tip. He barely drank from her at all. Rori sat there, in the hotel bar, staring into space. He had no idea what any of it meant. He didn’t know who to believe; Esmine or the imagined Ines.

  Rori fingered his key card. He didn’t need to sort this all out tonight. He had time before the new moon. Not much, but there was still time.

  He would rest this night. He’d have a peaceful slumber without anyone to distract him, then figure it all out at the next night. Right now he needed to remove himself from the situation and think about it.

  Chapter 26

  Chirping birds and the sun shining through Divina’s window awoke her from a deep, dreamless slumber. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept that soundly. She awoke with the energy of a toddler ready to discover the world.

  Divina rolled over and cocooned herself in the duvet. The blanket couldn’t match the warmth that danced across her skin when Aric had touched her. The memory of his touch from the previous night sent a tingle through her belly, fanning out over her intimate core. She fought the giggle of a teenage girl with a crush.

  Divina smiled, picturing his face: the lopsided, cocky grin he used when he had joked with her. She sighed and whispered his name. Heat spread across her cheeks at the immature behavior.

  She had liked guys before. Though, none had left her feeling as content and hopeful as the naked possible, not yet disproven, though probably unlikely, vampire hunting in the woods. Chortling at herself, convinced she’d lost her damn mind, she shook her head.

  Having only met the man hours ago, naked mind you, and hunting, her head spun with the insanity of it all. At least when he left, he’d been covered. Really, how much crazier could it get? Not to mention, she had just slept with Rori.

  Covering her face with both her hands, Divina buried herself into her bedding. Guilt washed over her at the thought of Rori. The man who tried to enlist her in some supernatural war for the vampire throne and a council seat had just shared a bed with her not twenty-four hours ago. Yet, there she was, lusting after some naked guy who just showed up outside her wagon.

  Speaking of which, Perci had shown up outside her wagon as well. As much as Divina wanted to shut out the whole supernatural council prophecy thing, it seemed to know exactly where she was at all times. The only way to get any peace from it, was to deal with it.

  Sitting up in her bed, she scrubbed her eyes. She had to go to the witches herself and tell them she wasn’t interested. As a powerful witch, she could handle this and not hide behind Rori. They’d said so, as had Rori. She even felt it… sometimes.

  Divina would tell those witches where they could stick their seat at the table. She didn’t need a damn coven. She had gotten by just fine up until that point without one. So, the prophecy said she had to get Rori’s heart going again. She did that. Now, Divina would take back her life.

  Fuck the Ember Witches.

  The memory of Ines crept into Divina’s mind. She wondered what had happened to Ines after Divina took off and left her to her fate. She’d left her to the Ember Witches without a second thought. Ines had stood up to them on Divina’s behalf. They didn’t like it. And Divina had done nothing for the poor young witch. Instead, she ran like a coward.

  Divina pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. She hugged them to her chest and sucked in her bottom lip. They said they were going to punish Ines for going against them. What would they do to Divina for denying them?

  Divina mulled it over. Ines had already agreed to join their coven. Divina hadn’t.

  She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and reached for her clothes. As she tugged on some jeans, she lied to herself. That was the difference between her and Ines. Ines had joined, Divina hadn’t, she affirmed while tugging off her nightshirt.

  They couldn’t punish her. Divina didn’t belong to them. They didn’t hold the same power over Divina as they did Ines. Divina slipped her arms into her bra while giving herself a mental pep talk.

  Divina wondered how badly they hurt Ines. Whatever the punishment, she assumed it involved pain. Would she have the same painful fate for going against the Ember Witches?

  She imagined not many did. It couldn’t be
good not to give some thousands of years old coven what they wanted. Did many live to tell the tale?

  Shoving her head into a white linen shirt, Divina stood up. She buttoned her jeans, pulled her shirt down, and looked in the mirror while brushing her teeth. Her wavy hair was an absolute rat’s nest. She frowned and tried to finger-comb it. There were too many knots.

  She reached for a hair tie and braided her hair loosely. Once satisfied with her look, she left her wagon.

  Divina would face the Ember Witches and tell them she wasn’t interested.

  “Thank you, but no thanks,” she said out loud as she climbed into her truck. “You can do this.”

  Goosebumps rose along Aric’s skin, following the trail her tongue left behind. He moaned running his fingers through the dark, tangled mane on her head. He threw his head back when her warm mouth made contact with his cock.

  She sealed her lips around him and took his full length into silken heaven. Aric’s toes curled as he tightened his grip on her hair. He wouldn’t guide her, he would hold.

  Slowly Divina teased him with her swirling tongue. She bobbed up and down. Aric’s hips rose to meet her thrusts. Her mouth encased him in moist satin ecstasy.

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  Aric grit his teeth. Her tongue flattened against the underside of his cock.

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  Aric tapped her head. The noise stopped.

  Strange.

  It didn’t matter.

  He wrapped his arms around Divina. He held her soft naked body against his. He kissed her neck.

  Wait. Wasn’t he just getting a blowjob?

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  Fucking hell! What was that noise? He tapped her head again.

  It stopped.

  He buried his nose into the crook of her neck and inhaled.

  Sawdust.

  Aric pulled back.

  Sawdust?

  He opened his eyes to find that he hugged his pillow. He turned in his bed, tangled in his sheet, frantically searching for her.