Witch Problems (The Josh Thorne Trilogy Book 3)

by Joe Fowler

  “I think you are right, Josh. I think the demons were made to stop the possessions to make sure you would be ready for this witch’s plans. It all fits pretty well. It doesn’t change anything but it makes perfect sense.” Seth broke the silence.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Rosalyn asked.

  “You know how I helped that possessed girl in Paris?” Rosalyn nodded. “The Vatican has been paying me to help others who are possessed. I might get anywhere from two to six calls a month to fly somewhere to help. Then about two months before Gabriel showed up, the calls stopped. I began thinking about this and figured it must have been Lucifer who made the demons stop. He wanted to make sure there were no accidents and I was still in one piece. I shared my theory with Seth before you came out.”

  “Wow. I remember being scared out of my mind and then a fight broke out that I couldn’t see. It was so weird.” Rosalyn said.

  “I love watching those fights. They are so funny. Stuff gets demolished and things go flying around the room.” Sarah’s smile coupled with her words made it sound like a party trick. I wish it was.

  “I also remember how tired you got. Does that happen every time?” Rosalyn and Austin, along with the girl’s grandmother, needed to take care of me the rest of that night. It was morning before my strength returned.

  “Oh yeah. Every time.” I muttered.

  Crystal made a trip inside to get us all another beer. We passed some time with small talk before Austin returned.

  “The witch is ready. Her mercenaries and wolves are there. She will be here either tomorrow or the next day.” Austin declared.

  “Finally.” Seth said in a huff.

  “How many gunmen?” I asked.

  “Four. Six wolves. She has been filling them in on the details and stressing to the gunmen to only shoot Josh below the heart. Everyone else gets shot in the head if they interfere with her plans.”

  “Losing Rosalyn because of the daylight is hurting us. Walt, is there any way you could take out the gunmen?” Seth asked.

  “Sure. I would have to wait until you two are fighting though. I could catch them off guard that way. If the witch is alert, she would be able to stop me. You guys said she might be as tough as Rosalyn. I wouldn’t be able to fight her no matter what form I took.” Walt sounded apologetic for his shifter shortcomings.

  “According to Gabriel it will take almost all of her strength to keep control over Seth. I am more worried that the wolves she brings will move to stop you.” I said. The wolves were a wildcard I couldn’t account for easily.

  “I am hoping she could lose control of them if it really is that hard to control me. Maybe they will be released.” Seth stated.

  “We can hope.” Austin’s words rang in all of our ears.

  Chapter 16

  Sitting still in that stupid chair was harder than I ever thought could be possible. I sat through the three last townspeople’s testimony. I almost ran out of the room when we were released for the day.

  Seth and I agreed not to tell Alicia or his pack that today was the day. There was no need to cause them to be on pins and needles waiting for word. Also, it would keep them from coming over to try and help.

  “Finally. I thought they would never shut up.” I said as I raced down the highway. The sound of my Challenger’s engine was music to my ears.

  “Right there with you, my friend. I was having visions of murdering that last witness just to shut him up.” Seth admitted.

  I made the drive back to the house in record time. As I pulled up in the yard, I let out a sigh of relief. I could hear Seth’s sigh as well. We took our place on the porch and waited. Today would be the day.

  “I was thinking.” I began.

  “I thought I smelled something burning.” Seth chimed in.

  “Haha. I think Walt should be in one of the trees as a squirrel or something. The witch wouldn’t recognize the scent and he might be able to surprise the men with the guns.” I suggested.

  “I like it! That is a good idea.” Seth said as he looked around at Walt. “Would that be a problem for you?”

  “Nope, it actually sounds better than what I had planned. I was going to hide in the woods in human form. This way they won’t know I’m there until I make my move.” Walt seemed very happy as he undressed to turn.

  We sat while Walt took his place in the trees. We continued to sit for an hour or so afterward. We would have kept sitting if Alicia and Jimmy hadn’t pulled up in the yard.

  “You can’t be here right now! The witch is coming today.” I said as I went to meet them in the yard.

  “Why didn’t you tell us? Don’t you think we deserve to know?” Alicia yelled.

  “It would cause you more worry for no reason. This was going to happen soon one way or the other.” I countered.

  “We deserve to know. You have no--” Alicia stopped as we all could plainly hear the approach of another car.

  “Get on the porch. You too, Jimmy.” I said quietly but with authority.

  I turned to see Seth approaching me. His face showed his resolve.

  “It’s time.” Was all he said.

  They were in a van. It came to a stop before it got to the yard. The side door opened and the six wolves piled out. They were followed by the gunmen. The witch came last.

  “It’s about time. We’ve grown tired of waiting.” Seth spoke first.

  “I guess waiting for your own death can be difficult. Are you in such a hurry to be under my control?” Tara asked with a sneer.

  “I still find it hard to believe you are witch enough to control me in the first place.” Seth countered.

  The wolves fanned out in front of the witch. The gunmen stood in a line behind and off to the side of her so they would have a clear shot. Luckily they weren’t very far from the edge of the woods. Walt might get his chance.

  “There are too many ways for you to fail. Why don’t you just give up?” I told her. I knew about what her response would be.

  “I am the one in the commanding position.” She looked at me then Seth. I could see her doubt playing through her mind. She grew more resolved and said, “It’s time to begin.”

  Seth grasped the sides of his head clearly trying to fight her control. He fell to his knees with the strain. I backed off a few feet and began to undress. I never took my eyes off of Seth. I hoped he would keep control but I knew it was a lost cause. Gabriel would not have come to warn us if it was possible for Seth to maintain control of his mind. Seth’s groans stopped and I knew it really was time.

  Seth looked up at me and growled. He turned into his wolf without bothering to undress. I turned to match him. We began to circle slowly. We weren’t exactly sizing one another up since each of us knew what the other could do.

  Seth attacked first. He leaped the distance between us in a split second. I dodged his teeth and knocked him to the side. His quickness had him right back on me in record time. I grabbed his foreleg and jerked it the wrong way. I could hear the bones breaking as I did so. Seth landed awkwardly, took one gimpy step, and I saw his leg straighten back out to its regular shape. Damn.

  We began circling each other again. All I could think was how can you beat someone whose bones heal in two seconds? I didn’t have time for another thought as Seth charged me. I tried to meet him head on and lost. My God at the strength! I felt myself falling and positioned my legs under him to kick him over the top of me. I did it successfully but knew to rise back to my feet as quickly as I could. Seth did the same.

  We didn’t circle this time. We faced off and I decided to move first. I tried to charge him to grab if possible or to get a swipe in at least. I ended up with a handful of his fur and a paw print on the side of my face. I tried and got one of my claws in as we broke apart only to watch the cut heal before we had come to stop again.

  This was maddening! How could I win? He was still stronger and healed almost instantly. I didn’t have time to wonder. Seth charged me again tackling me in a way I
couldn’t use my legs this time. I slashed out with my claws and cut him deeply up both sides just as his jaws bit down on my shoulder. The pain was intense. I rolled and threw him off of me.

  The cuts on his side were deep but they still healed as I watched him begin to circle me. My shoulder ached. I could feel my own healing kicking in but it might be more like thirty seconds before I could use that arm freely again.

  I leaped at him to keep him from using my shoulder as a disadvantage to me. I got in a good punch to the jaw as he tried to counter my leap. He wobbled a bit before he regained his footing. I wasn’t giving him the chance to fully recover. I kept up my attack on him. I was doing some damage until he bit my leg and took me to the ground. I used my other leg to kick him off. We regained our feet at the same time.

  We attacked and counterattacked. We traded cuts, bites, and broken bones. This went on and on. I lost all track of time. Neither could gain a clear advantage over the other. I was starting to feel like I might have a shot until he began using his strength to overwhelm me repeatedly. He was wearing me down. He knew it too.

  I had just kicked him off after his latest attack and was rising when he hit me again using his head as a battering ram. I tried to lash out at him but his teeth closed in on my throat. I realized in that moment how much better it would be if he killed me. The witch saw the opposite. She cried an inarticulate scream and forced Seth to let go of my neck.

  While she fought to control Seth’s killer instinct, I used the time to grab Seth around the neck and squeeze. I felt his neck break under the pressure. It should have been the last blow of the fight. It would have been against anyone but Seth. I stood and turned to face the witch. I tensed to launch myself at her when the sound of Seth’s bones snapping back into place distracted me. I turned to face him again.

  We continued our fight. He kept using his strength to wear at me. I was finding ways to avoid the worst of the punishment while continuing to inflict as much on him as I could. We fought on and on.

  Fatigue was beginning to set in. I could see it in Seth as well. Each of us began looking for that one mistake to capitalize on. Neither made such a mistake. The fight continued.

  I slowly pieced my surroundings together as we fought. Alicia and Jimmy were by the porch in wolf form. Sarah, Crystal, and Jonathan were on the porch in wolf form. The witch’s wolves were in a loose line between her and the fight. The gunmen were still where they had originally stood by the woods.

  I faked a lunge at Seth and his attempt to counter put him in a vulnerable position. I hit him full on in the side and knew at three of his ribs were broken. Instead of falling back like I expected him to, he launched himself towards me and sank his teeth into my left arm. Even with the intense pain I managed to use my right arm to club him upside the head. That left him momentarily stunned. I tried to capitalize but he avoided my strike and backed off to finish his recovery.

  My legs were getting weak. They had both been bitten, then healed, and then bitten again. Same for my arms. Seth seemed as tired as I was. We continued to circle. His next charge might have ended it but I was able to go underneath him at the last second taking his legs out from under him. I pounced to where he lay but he moved at the last second avoiding the blow I aimed at him.

  Neither gave an inch. We were trading bite for bite and broken bone for broken bone. This gave him a notable advantage since he healed so much faster than I did. I managed to recover each time without him being able to end the fight.

  As we were staggering around each other, I got a good look at the witch. She was as exhausted as Seth and me. This renewed my hope and gave me a last surge of energy.

  I attacked Seth straight on and managed to get an arm around him again. I squeezed hard enough to break his spine. Knowing his recovery time, I then hit his back repeatedly feeling and hearing the bone break each time I struck. I must have broken his back into ten or more pieces. I released him and went for the witch.

  One of her wolves launched itself at me but I just swiped it away. The wolf fell twenty feet off to my left. One of the other wolves made a move against me and I broke his neck. When I released him to continue to the witch, the guns blared. The bullets bit into my legs and torso. As I looked to the gunmen, I was rewarded with the strangest sight. Walt jumped from a tree branch in human form and turned into a walrus during his flight. The walrus landed true, taking out all four men. The one drawback to it was on impact with one of the men, the man’s gun barrel went up enough that the next bullet went through my heart.

  I hit the ground having déjà vu. I was almost in reach of killing my father when bullets tore through my chest back in that mansion in Mobile. This seemed eerily similar. I made myself concentrate on this time.

  I turned to look at the witch. Tara was lifting her foot to move toward me when a white blur hit her. I blinked wondering what I just saw. When my eyes focused again, Alicia’s snout was covered in blood and the witch’s head was rolling away from her body. I had time to smile before I blacked out.

  Chapter 17

  I opened my eyes to see my wife’s beautiful face. She was smiling down at me. I felt the bed under me instead of the ground. I wanted to ask her if I really saw her kill the witch. I opened my mouth but was too exhausted to speak. She put her fingers to my lips and smiled wider.

  “It’s over. The witch and her gunmen are dead. The wolves she brought are fine, well one is still recovering from a broken neck. Walt was shot and had to go to the hospital but it looks like he will be ok.”

  “How?” Was all I could get out.

  “The witch was using more and more of her magic to keep Seth under control. She lost control of Jimmy, Jonathan, Sarah, and Crystal. They kept the other wolves busy while I killed her. She never even saw me coming. Also, I don’t know why but she couldn’t control me at all. Even in the beginning.” Alicia looked puzzled.

  I knew right away. I placed my hand on her stomach. It took a second before realization hit her. Her eyes welled up with tears.

  “The baby is part demon which made me immune to her magic.” She said. I only had the strength to nod.

  I smelled food. My stomach growled so loudly Sarah came in from the other room. She had a worried look on her face.

  “What was that?” She asked.

  “Josh’s stomach. Bring him a couple of pizzas.” Alicia told her.

  My perfect wife then proceeded to feed me until I regained enough strength to lift the pizza on my own. Alicia tried to explain to me once how much food helped us. We felt better the more food we ate. We healed faster. Right now the most important part was that food helped us regain our strength. When both pizzas were gone I looked around sadly.

  “Is there any more?” I asked.

  “No but Cynthia and Thomas went out to get burgers. They should be back soon.”

  “Help me up. I want to go sit on the porch.”

  “You need to rest.” Alicia used her motherly voice.

  “I need some fresh air. I can recover in a chair just fine. Quit worrying and help me get dressed.” I kissed her softly.

  Alicia dressed me and called Sarah to help her get me to the porch. Both packs were here. We were greeted by cheers. I didn’t feel like I deserved them. Maybe they were cheering for Alicia. Either way, they helped me to my chair. I was surprised to see the sun had set. Rosalyn and Austin were sitting on the steps smiling up at me.

  “You look like I feel.” Seth said. “That must have been one hell of a fight. I just wish I could remember it.”

  “You-, oh yeah. I remember the wolves in Denver had no memory of the time they were controlled either.” I recalled.

  “I told you it was a more even match than you thought.” Seth reminded me.

  “Well, sort of. I would have died if the witch hadn’t stopped you.” Seth’s face showed his shock. “I guess no one told you that part. Well Alicia and Walt may have been the only ones to see the whole fight. You got your teeth around my throat and could’ve killed me but t
he witch panicked and made you let go.”

  “Wow. How long did we fight for? I know I hurt like hell. To be this tired I must have been healing from some horrible wounds.” Seth sounded like I felt now.

  “Your healing was very disheartening for me. During the first pass I broke your leg. It was as good as new two seconds later. How the hell can you heal that fast?” I asked. It would always be one of the most amazing things to me.

  “I’m old and pureblood. That alone would be enough but being third generation pureblood makes me even stronger. I sure hope Cynthia hurries back with those burgers.” Seth was rubbing his stomach.

  “Me too. I really hope she bought a whole lot of them. I feel like I could eat a cow.” I started laughing so hard everyone looked at me funny. “Or maybe a walrus. That has to be the strangest thing I have ever seen!”

  “I am still fuzzy on the ending. We were waiting on Alicia to quit mothering you to tell us what all happened.” Seth said.

  “Well when I got you down, I went after the witch. A couple of her wolves attacked. Once I disposed of the second one, the gunmen opened fire. I turned to face them when I saw Walt in human form jump from a high tree branch. He turned into a walrus in midair and landed on the four men. The impact is what cause one of the guns to aim high enough to put a bullet through my chest. When I fell I looked for the witch and saw Alicia’s attack. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the witch’s head rolling on the ground.”

  “I saw the walrus before Walt turned human again. I didn’t know he did it like that though. Damn, what a way to go. I can imagine them in hell being asked how they died. ‘A walrus fell on me.’ I can see it now.” Jimmy was clearly loving this by the sound of it.

  “So can we consider you two an even fight now?” Rosalyn asked.

  “I would say so.” Seth said.

  “Nope. Not only would he have killed me early on, he was fighting with the witch over control of his head at the same time. In the end it wasn’t strength or speed that helped me. It was stamina. As tired as I was from the fight, I wasn’t using huge amounts of energy fighting for control over my own mind. Without that drain, Seth would’ve kept on winning.” That was how I would always see it anyway.