by Tara Brown
Jonathan stopped laughing and grinned. “Thanks for finishing it for me. I didn’t know how I would get him to take the magic from his sisters.” And then he too was gone.
Lorri screamed and then she and Sam were gone.
Sarah was crying in the middle of the dirty road. I could hear her but not see her. She wasn't making anyone but herself invisible. She must have panicked and dropped the guard.
“Sarah. Come to me,” I whispered. I felt her next to me when I could see her again. I picked her up and winked her to Marcus’. I held her tightly.
Aleks was there immediately with Ben, Hanna, Roland, and the doc.
We stood in the middle of the living room, covered head to toe in black blood and disappointment.
We had failed. In every way possible. Well, except for rescuing Ari. She had been found nearly unconscious on the ground and looked like she might die any second. So the success felt less than that.
Ben and Roland left the room with the black blood coating their muzzles. Lucas sat and cried sad wolf sounds that broke my heart. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to fix her. I didn’t know anything, except that if she died, I would never heal. None of us would. She was the bane of our existence but she was the heart as well.
His soft wolf sobs were killing me.
“Go change,” I muttered. He stared at me, his green eyes filled with tears. “Go change,” I repeated. “I won't leave her side.”
He stood and left.
The children were crying. Even Anne.
Lucas and Ben came running back in. Lucas was pulling his shirt on. “Aimes.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. I—we need Lorri and Sam and Dorian and Lydia.” I'm shaking.
“She needs to be examined.” The doc spoke to Marcus who sat on the couch in a bathrobe and greasy hair. “Want to help me, old friend?”
Marcus gazed at him and then back at the TV.
“MARCUS!” Dr. Jekyll shouted.
Marcus climbed off the couch, looking hideous. “Fine. Jesus. Stop the shouting.” He walked toward the lab. Dr. Jekyll lifted Ari up off the floor and carried her toward the lab. Lucas and Ben followed. I stood, frozen in the middle of the room. I didn’t know what to do.
Sarah sobbed in my arms. She never should have seen any of that, any of the death and horror. The witches never even fought back. We slaughtered them and they let us.
Abbey got up from the couch and took Sarah out of my arms. She winked at me and carried the sobbing child down the hall to a bedroom.
“Everyone get cleaned up so when Lorri gets back, we're ready. She and Sam will know where they went,” Aleks said and walked over to me. He took my hands in his. That's when I noticed the blood for the first time. I pulled my greasy hands away from his and wiped them on my pants. I couldn’t get it off. I ran to the sink and scrubbed as best as I could and then grabbed his hands again. “I need to change and then the farmhouse.”
“I’ll meet you there. I’m going to change too.” He nodded and flashed. I winked to my room. I threw on new clothes and a different pair of ass-kicking boots.
Then I winked to the farmhouse just as Giselle came in the living room. “Hey. Just in time. We have a development.” Her face looked funny. Shane was behind her.
I lifted my hand like I might suck him dry from there.
Giselle shook her head. “Chill, Aimes. He’s fine.”
“What?”
Shane eyed Giselle adoringly.
“What did you do?” My tone was skeptical.
“I charmed him. Watch this.” She gazed into his eyes and spoke slowly, “Shane, dance on your toes and spin like a ballerina.”
He went on his toes and spun like he had known how his whole life.
“What did you do?”
She shook her head. “Not a clue. I had him against the wall and told him to stop being so naughty and then he did. So I told him to kiss my hand and call me ‘Your Highness’ and he did.” She was excited. I laughed. It was part nervousness and part fear.
“Can you do it to anyone?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Aleks flashed into the room and Giselle grinned at him. “You have to kiss me as hard as you can.”
Aleks frowned at her. “No thank you?”
I laughed. “Okay, it doesn’t work on him.”
She appeared bummed by that.
“Shane, stop spinning.” She said it and he did. “Now tell Aimes what you told me.”
He seemed confused, “Which part, Your Highness?”
“This is sick. You need to make him stop being a servant. It is creepy.”
“The part about the South of France thing.”
He turned like a robot and spoke, “When I was with Jonathan, he said he bought a chalet in the South of France for Lillith to live in until Tristan killed her. His plans had to keep changing ‘cause you guys were changing things. He wanted Ari dead so no one could change the time again. She has a poison spell inside her that will kill her, slowly. They want to take her power before she dies. Also, he needs Tristan back. He made me wipe Phillip's mind and tell him that everything he knew was a lie. He believes Ari is the problem. Jonathan wants the power to be in Tristan so he can kill his mother and take her powers. She is weak. Really weak. When she dies, Jonathan is going to make Tristan do spells on him to make him more powerful than anything. More powerful than you or Lorri or God. Marcus made me eat Hanna to change her into the beast. Jonathan made Marcus brainwash me to be an all-consuming monster. Giselle's kisses taste like honey—”
I put my hands up. “Okay. Got it.”
Aleks stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest. I shook my head. “I knew he wouldn’t be evil for no reason.”
Aleks sighed. “Can you take away all the brainwashing?”
Giselle shrugged and grabbed Shane's arm. She stared into his eyes and spoke, “You forget everything Marcus made you do and everything he made you be. Just be the Shane we always knew before and don’t remember the bad stuff you did to the humans.”
She stepped back. His eyes fuzzed over. He gazed at me and then at Giselle and Aleks.
He pointed at me with a limp hand and frowned. “Aimes. What's going on?” He gaped down at Giselle. “Did we just kiss?”
She laughed. “I guess. Sort of. No.” She turned to me.
“You are cursed. It’s something you're going to need to work out, fast.”
He stepped toward me. “I kinda got the impression you and I were trying to work something out.”
I stepped back and shook my head, “No. Not doing this again. Shane, you and I are good friends. Very good friends.”
He squinted at Aleks confusedly. “Hey, man. Did we meet before? Where the hell are we?”
Aleks started to laugh. I joined him.
Chapter 26
Why not one more
Hanna
I wiped the sweat from her forehead and watched Lucas. He was desperate.
“My dad’s really smart. I promise he can help her.”
Lucas didn’t take his eyes away from her. The memories of her being snarky and shitty to me tried to sneak their way into my mind. I shut them down. I knew she and Sam were close.
And she had sided with him to protect him, from me.
The memories of the women from my mother's family still haunted me. They were so convincing. Almost like my effect on other people. I had wanted to be with them and make them happy. I wanted to be part of what they were. They had convinced me I wanted it more than I wanted him.
That was never a truth. Never.
Look at you two, both freaking out over love. I hope I never fall in love.” Ben shook his head at us.
Lucas scoffed but it was me who spoke, “You mean like how you love Giselle and never tell anyone because of the succubus thing and vampire thing and her being completely moronic thing?”
Lucas almost laughed.
Ben scowled at me. “Screw you, Hanna.”
>
Lucas laughed harder. “She’s got you there.”
“Damn succubus. How did you know?”
“The midnight watch at the hospital when she was sick. I caught you sneaking in and staying with her for hours at a time.” I tilted my head.
He stared. “It's the magic of the mythical beast. It isn’t love.”
“You sat and rotated icy cloths on her forehead for hours. I watched you once. I sat there, waiting for Marcus to come and help her. He didn’t. I wanted to believe he would. He would be the man I needed him to be.”
Ben glanced at the hall. “Yeah, that worked out.”
“He deserves what has happened to him.” I caught a glimpse of the tight jaw Lucas was sporting. I knew he, like the rest of us, blamed Marcus completely.
“You going to kill him?” I asked softly.
Lucas shook his head. “No. The thing that’s been done to him is much worse than simple death.”
Ben nudged me. “Wanna go get a drink?”
“Sure. I'm sorry if my bracelet isn’t keeping it all at bay.” I noticed how fiery it was.
Lucas shook his head. “It's fine. You love Sam. We know.”
Ben grabbed my hand and pulled me out. He dragged me down the hall. Sam strolled up as we rounded the corner. He saw Ben holding my hand. His eyes narrowed. “Hey.”
I pulled my hand away and went over to him. “We were just talking about how he loves Giselle.”
Ben groaned, “Dude.”
Sam laughed. “Please. Like everyone didn’t notice that one already. You think too loud.”
Ben crossed his arms. “She’s bad news, dude. Always attracting bullshit. I just think she’s hot.”
Sam nodded. “Okay.”
“I’ll take my cue to go.” Ben walked past us. “See ya.”
I looked up into Sam's eyes. “I love you.”
“I know. That's never really been our problem, has it?”
“Can you forgive me?”
“I already told you, nothing to forgive.” He pulled me into him.
“You aren’t kissing me or touching me.”
“I want to. I just want to make sure this is what you want.”
I pulled back. “So what you're really saying is that you're still hurt and don’t trust me.”
Ben popped his head back into the conversation, “No. Don’t do that. Why do girls do the 'what you're really saying’ thing? What he is really saying is ‘bitches be choosy.’ Now I'm starving. I've been eating nothing but raw meat with Luke. You guys wanna come eat?”
Sam grabbed his shoulder and flashed us to the kitchen.
I shoved Ben. “’Bitches be choosy’? You're a dork.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Whatever.” He opened the fridge. There were shelves of blood bags. I grimaced and pointed to the fridge on the other side. “Wrong fridge.”
Ben raised a brow. “Wow. Marcus was blood bagging it?”
“He has to. He can feel and sense everything his victims are feeling. Not as fun when it hurts to eat.”
Sam grinned and stared at my bracelet. “What was that?”
I was trembling and shaking. “Nothing. I need to go.” I ran out of the kitchen and down to my room. I closed the door and drank in gulps of cold stale air.
A glowing sweat broke out across my face. I wiped it away.
I turned to see Lorri and Abbey on my bed.
“What are you doing in here?”
Lorri pointed to the door. “Saying my goodbyes. I suggest you do the same. We leave here in half an hour. You really smell like sex. Why is it so strong?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s not good.” She paused. “Wait. Go get really turned on. We can trap Jonathan with it. He can't resist sirens and you stink of it, my friend.”
“Gross.” I grimaced and left the room. My face was redder than before.
Marcus was walking down the hall. As he was about to pass by he stepped in and smelled me. I pushed him off. He grinned like a fool. “You just went into heat, my pet. Someone not scratching that itch for you?”
“Get away from me.” I shoved him and strode away, quickly.
Sam flashed to me and grabbed my arm. “Hey. What's going on? Why did that just happen?”
“I don’t know. I think it’s because you don’t love me like you did before. Like we aren’t mated.”
“Yes, we are.”
“No, we aren’t. You don’t love me like before.” I undid the bracelet. He slammed me into the walls, grabbing at me and gripping my skin roughly. His mouth crashed into my neck as I did the bracelet back up. My intense sexuality was sucked back into the shells.
He stepped back. “You might be right. That was intense.”
I felt like I was dying inside. “My siren sex rage shouldn't work on you.”
“It shouldn’t,” he said in agreement.
“But it is.”
“It would appear it is.”
“Hey, it’s nothing, okay?” He grabbed my arms and ripped the bracelet by accident. The clasp hadn’t been done up properly. My eyes widened as the shells hit the floor, smashing.
“Flash me home fast,” I whispered.
He did, but not the way I expected. He threw me onto my bed at home and charged at me.
My beast snarled at him. I jumped up and ran but he flash-ran. He grabbed me again, but I threw him through the wall and continued down the stairs. He flashed in front of me and tackled me to the stairs. He ripped at my pants. My beast laughed. She was a bit crazed with the siren sex rage and Sam.
I kicked him into the air. He flashed, landing on me, and then flashed us to my bedroom again. The beast grabbed him and carried him down the stairs, but he flashed us back to the bed. I stood and thumped the floor several times. The wood started to crack and snap. We fell through into my father's office.
“HELP!” I shouted in my weird beast voice. He tackled Sam who flashed them both on top of me. I groaned under the weight of them. My father grabbed him firmly again. His beast was unleashing. I scrambled to the bracelets in the drawer and snapped one on. Sam stopped. My father gazed up through the dust and debris into the hole in the ceiling, heaving for breath. “You two are going to need a rubber house one day.”
I cried immediately, “He doesn't love me anymore. I wrecked it. We aren’t mated.”
My dad frowned. “Hanna, fall in love like regular people. Jeeze.”
I turned to Sam who was laughing about as hard as he could.
“Fall in love like regular people?” I asked.
He nodded and looked at both of us like he was astonished.
“Regular people? Like date?” I asked again.
Sam pointed at me. “Do that to me again with the bracelet, and you won't like the results.”
“So you say.” I scoffed back.
My dad groaned, “Okay, children, I need to call a contractor.”
Roland entered with a stiff drink for my father. Sam seemed embarrassed. He grabbed my hand. “I'm sorry, sir. I will of course pay for all this.”
My father shook his head. “No. No, it’s fine. Just go do the thing you have to. Guess I will be showering for a second time in half an hour.”
Sam flashed us to Marcus’. He kissed my lips softly when we stood in the bedroom again. “I love you, Hanna. I love you so much it hurts. I didn’t realize I'm so angry with you that it was making me not in love with you right now. I'm hurt. I want to forgive you for everything, but I can’t, not yet. I guess it’s going to take some time.”
I kissed him back. “We’ve got time. I don’t want anyone but you.”
His hands pulled me into him and I remembered Lorri's request. I pushed him back. “Sorry. I gotta stay like this. Lorri needs me as a distraction.”
Sam sighed. “Oh my God. This is going to kill me.”
“Nothing can kill you, baby. We gotta go though. Lorri said we are leaving now.”
He flashed us to the front door to where Aleks walked up, dragging a fier
ce-looking Aimee. Giselle and Shane were right behind them. My skin crawled seeing him. Panic and terror crept into me. Sam grabbed my hand.
Lucas growled at Shane, but Giselle put her hands in the air. “No. He didn’t do it. Marcus, tell them.”
“Blow it out your ass,” he shouted from his spot on the couch, in his too short robe that flashed his dark hairy legs.
There was silence for a moment and then Giselle shouted at him, “Stop acting like you're the only one WHOSe life is SCREWED. You selfish, self-centered piece of shit. You’re not the only person in the world who didn’t get what he wanted in life. You think THIS was what I wanted? Do you? answer me, goddammit.”
We all took a step back.
No one had seen Giselle lose it since the reign of the dark queen days.
She acted fierce like Aimee.
She stormed into the living room and grabbed him by the ear and hauled his nasty ass off the couch. He cried out. She turned and screamed again, “Stop acting like this IS celebrity rehab and get dressed. You smell funny. King of the vamps? ha! You're more like the dirty cousin to the king that shits himself and no one admits to being related to.” She dragged his filthy ass to where we were.
Aimee was outright laughing.
I was still eyeballing Shane nervously.
Marcus winced and pulled out of her grip. “I wiped his mind. I changed him and wiped his weak little mind. Bloody hell. Are you happy now? Now can I go back to sulking?”
“No.” She slapped him in the face. “You owe Hanna an apology too.”
He tensed his jaw and looked at me. My eyes narrowed, not in the mood for his shit.
“Hanna, I am sorry you died and became an amazing immortal and sex goddess. Yes, your life is horrid just like mine.” He bowed and vanished.
Giselle was almost breathing fire out her nose.
Lorri stormed up to the front door. She gave me a harsh stare. “You ready?”
“Yup.”
A hateful smile played with the corner of her lips. “You smell ready.”
“That's the understatement of the century. What is that?” Aleks grinned at Sam. “Dude. Really? Can't take care of business?”
Sam glared. “Nope.” He glanced at Lorri and pointed at me. “This is a good idea?”