by Deanna Chase
Belvins? BELVINS? This crazy bitch knew my last name. The one I’d left behind almost a century ago when I’d started working at Josephine’s. She knew me.
I suddenly stood up, my fists clenched, and rage churning in my gut. And when my eyes locked on my old rival, there was no surprise, just hatred. It consumed me, ate away at me, and fueled an all-encompassing desire for revenge. “Hello, Ophelia.”
“Ida May. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”
She had to have used some sort of appearance modification spell the night before, because even in my drunken state, I’d have recognized her hook nose, full lips, and dead eyes anywhere. I raised one eyebrow. “Seems like it’s only been about thirty hours since you last tried to kill me.”
Her eyes crinkled and she laughed at that. “Yes, too bad that witch showed up. I thought there might be some sort of sweet irony if you died behind a bar, just like your poor mother did.”
“Unlike your mother who blew herself up,” I shot back, shaking from the effort to not rush her.
The witch’s dark eyes turned red with anger. Looked like I hit a sore spot.
“I might have been the one forced to sell my services to survive, but at least my parents never tried to force me into a marriage for their own gain. To marry a man who was riddled with scandal and destined to ruin your reputation. It must suck to know they only valued you for how much gold you were worth.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” She raised one hand and hurled that disgusting green light at me. I jumped through the kitchen doorway, and flattened myself against the living room wall.
“No? So you’re saying you weren’t engaged to five different men within two years? That four of them were two and three times your age, and that the only reason you wanted to marry Diesel is because you’d have finally had enough money of your own to get out from under the thumb of your own mother?”
“I loved him!” she cried as she barreled through the doorway. “He was the only person I ever loved, and we would’ve been married if it wasn’t for you.”
I threw myself at her, bringing my clasped hands down on top of her head, knocking us both to the floor.
“You bitch,” she sputtered.
“Gold digger,” I shot back and grabbed her long blond hair, pulling viciously until she cried out in pain.
Footsteps barreled down the stairwell, followed by light flooding the room. “What the hell is going on down here?” I heard Sassy yell.
But neither Ophelia nor I stopped to pay any attention as we wrestled on the floor, each of us going for the other’s throat.
“You did this to him, didn’t you?” I said and rolled, straddling her, one hand on her throat, the other still yanking at her hair.
“All he had to do was ask me for help,” she got out between gasps of air. “Instead he summoned you. And now you’re going to pay.”
Her eyes narrowed and a second later, I received a solid punch straight to the gut. I rolled, still hanging on, but gasping for air. I dug my fingers into her throat, satisfied when her eyes started to bug out.
“That’s enough!” Sassy cried.
Icy water came out of nowhere, soaking both of us straight to the bone. It was enough to break our holds on each other, both of us scrambling in opposite directions.
“Sorry about that,” Sassy said, moving to stand next to me. Without missing a beat, she sent out blast after blast of magic, counteracting the ones Ophelia kept lobbing our way. “Had to do something to stop her, and blowing you both up wasn’t an option.”
“I appreciate that,” I said, tracking Ophelia as she made her way toward the front door. “We have to stop her before she gets out of here.”
“How?” Sassy tossed out another ball of magic, blowing a hole in Zelda’s beautiful wood floors. “All I can do is blow her up.”
“And Jeeves?”
“He took off to find Diesel.”
“Crap.” And I had no magic. All I could do was hurl lamps and insults.
“Your time here is running out,” Ophelia called, standing in the doorway. “You were never meant to return from the dead.”
“Oh, ouch,” I said sarcastically. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“He never loved you,” she spat.
“Well, one thing’s for certain. You’ve lost your chance now, Crazytown. If you think this is going to get Diesel to run into your waiting arms, you’re insane. Worse than insane. Delusional even. And when Baba Yaga finds out about this, you’re going to have a nice comfy spot inside a brick cell for a very long time.”
“Yeah,” Sassy added. “And there’s no haircuts. No razors. No color for that tacky, brassy hair color you’ve got going on. Good luck with your hairy legs and unibrow. Should be good times all around.”
Ophelia let out a frustrated scream that made the house shake and pictures fall off the walls, then hurled a fireball right at my feet.
I jumped back, barely keeping my toes from being burned to a crisp while Sassy, in a moment of quick thinking, grabbed a quilt from the back of the couch and extinguished the flames.
When we looked up, Ophelia was gone.
“Oh, baby Jesus,” Sassy said, sinking into a nearby chair. “Zelda’s going to kill me.”
I glanced around at the destruction with a heavy heart. “This isn’t over.”
Sassy shook her head. “No, it’s not. Not until Baba Yaga gets here and hauls her ass off.”
“No. I mean it’s not over now. She’s out there. Waiting for him.”
“Who? Diesel?”
I nodded. “Now that her secret’s out, she can’t risk me telling him. She’ll have to find him first.”
Sassy shot to her feet. “Then we have to stop her.”
I flashed my friend a grateful smile and took off through the front door.
The sky had just started to lighten with the first signs of daybreak. But that was no help when we entered the canopy of the forest. Even in the winter with the deadening of leaves, the trails were dark, hidden in shadows.
“Where do you think they went?” I asked Sassy.
“It’s hard to say, but none of their cars are gone, so they went on foot.”
I nodded, sticking close to her. “You can’t do some sort of finding spell?”
“Haven’t you been paying attention? I blow shit up. It’s my special talent. Anything else is a complete shitstorm.” She leaped over a fallen log and when I followed, we both froze.
The area opened up to a small clearing. On one side there was Ophelia, her blond hair streaming out behind her. On the other was a kangaroo, pacing nervously in front of Diesel.
“Jeeves,” Sassy breathed.
Ophelia turned and stared right at us. Then without even looking their way, she threw a fireball right at them, her aim spot on. It hit the clearing just a foot in front of Jeeves, sending sparks everywhere.
“You bitch!” Sassy took off, sprinting straight for the vindictive witch.
I stood frozen in horror as the sparks hit the dead leaves and a fire roared to life in a giant whoosh, the flames fanning more than six feet tall.
Diesel grabbed Jeeves and started to run toward me, but he wasn’t fast enough. The magically fed fire turned and headed straight toward him, cutting off his path.
“Diesel!” I cried as he disappeared behind the wall of flames.
8
Heat and smoke filled the forest, making my eyes water and my lungs burn. I squinted, unable to see anyone. Not even Sassy. Although, I could hear the rhythmic blasts of her magic exploding across the clearing. With the fire blazing out of control, I could only hope she had a clear line of attack targeting Ophelia, and that Diesel and Jeeves wouldn’t be caught up in friendly fire.
As much as I hated to admit it, the only thing I could do was to hightail it back to Zelda’s and get help. It would be a suicide mission if I tried to move through the forest, unable to see, with no magical powers. I’d never find Diesel that way.
>
He was with Jeeves though and they were both Shifters. With any luck, they could use their natural abilities to find their way back to the house. With tears of frustration and smoke singeing my eyes, I turned and ran, praying I could find help.
My heart raced, and roots rose up, tripping me. I fell twice, barely registering the pain. The forest was going up in smoke, and the people I cared about were in danger. Nothing mattered but getting to the phone.
Please let there be a working phone, I prayed.
Relief rushed through me when I finally burst through the trees and spotted the gleaming white house. I sped up, taking the stairs two at a time.
Almost there.
I barreled through the front door going full speed and ran smack into Ophelia.
“Oomph!” I bounced backward, landing flat on my ass.
She stumbled, but somehow managed to stay upright.
“What the hell?” I cried, scrambling to my feet. “You were just in the forest.”
Her lips curved into a twisted smile. “I’m a witch, remember? I can teleport.”
“You’re the worst kind of person, evil. You just left them there in the forest? Left them to burn? What is wrong with you?”
She shrugged, moving slowly toward me. “The witch can use her magic to save her lover if she wants. It’ll just mean it takes her longer to get here.”
“What does that mean?” I backed up a step, inching closer to the side table where Zelda had a pair of heavy silver candlesticks. Just because I didn’t have magic, didn’t mean I couldn’t fight back.
“She can put him in a bubble, but it will tax her magic. It just means we have a little more time before the party shows up.” She stalked toward me, nearly closing the distance.
“You need psychological help,” I spat, grabbing for the candlestick. And without stopping, I swung, aiming for her head.
She ducked and lunged for me.
I rolled and ended up behind that large comfy couch I’d admired just a couple days before. “I don’t get it, Ophelia. What’s your beef with me? I didn’t do anything to you.”
She scoffed. “You’re here aren’t you?”
“But I don’t know why. I didn’t ask for this.” Not that I was complaining about my time with Diesel. That was a gift, and one I’d cherish for the rest of my cognitive days. “I don’t even know why I’m here. Not really.”
She let out a huff of laughter. “Because, Ida May, I stupidly thought that if I chose someone who was dead as the catalyst for the curse, that there was no way Diesel could break it without coming to me for help. That I’d be the one to help him get his shift back and that finally, finally, I’d have the life I’ve longed for.”
“And what life is that?” I crawled over to the recliner and peeked out at her, finding her just standing there, her head bowed. I frowned. What was she doing?
“One where I’m in charge. Where people listen to what I have to say.” She raised her head and stared straight at me, her eyes blazing with pure hate. “Where I don’t have to justify my very existence.”
I recoiled, understanding that she was truly unhinged. And in a very quiet voice, I asked, “What about love? What about finding your true mate?”
The floor started to rumble, and the crystals on the chandelier clattered together, a handful of them falling to the floor. “My mate?” she called out. “My mate died when I was sixteen! He was killed in a stupid bar fight, trying to defend some stupid whore! Why do you think my parents were always trying to marry me off? They knew I’d never find true love, but at least I could help them gain a better position in society.”
Whoa nelly. No wonder she hated me so much. I represented everything she’d ever loved and lost. And in her eyes, I’d stolen Diesel right out from underneath her. Even though that was ultimately her fault. If she hadn’t cursed him, I’d never have come back.
“What about you, Ida May? Did you ever find your mate?” She started moving toward me again.
“No,” I said. “I was just a human, though. We don’t mate for life.”
“But you’re with Diesel now. What about him?”
“We’re not mates. And I won’t be here for forever. I’m only temporary.” I scrambled to stand up, unable to move fast enough to keep a comfortable distance from the crazy witch who was stalking me. My heart thundered against my ribcage as I prayed my arguments would be enough for her. That she’d drop this crusade against me and Diesel, realize we weren’t the ones standing in her way of happiness.
It was a nice thought. But no dice.
“Then no one will miss you when you’re gone.” She strode toward me, her steely gaze locked on me as I backed up, unwilling to take my eyes off her.
“You don’t need to waste your energy on me. Think about it. What will Diesel do when he learns you killed me… again?”
“He’ll kill her with his bare hands,” Diesel said from behind me. I twisted, catching sight of him. There was soot covering his face and burn holes dotting his clothes, but there was no denying it was him. His eyes were flashing gold and when he spoke, there was an underlying growl. “Stand down, Ophelia. Your crusade is over. Stop this madness before you cause even more trouble for yourself.”
“Diesel, you don’t understand,” she started.
“I understand perfectly.” He took a step forward, putting himself between me and the witch. “You cursed me in order to manipulate me. And when that didn’t work, you went after my girl. Your idea of what passes for the foundation of a relationship is fundamentally flawed. Now stand down, or I will be forced to take you down myself.”
She scowled. “You never were good enough for me.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered.
“Shut up!” she screamed, making the floor shake again from her sheer, raw power.
“Ophelia,” Diesel growled and reached for her.
She snapped. All the power she’d been harnessing started to glow beneath her skin, and I had the horrible feeling she was just going to explode, taking both of us with her. But then her pale blue eyes zeroed in on Diesel.
Terror rose up and nearly strangled me. “No!” I darted in front of him, my arms outstretched, shielding him from her wrath.
Magic slammed into me, lifting me off my feet until I was hovering in the middle of the room, glowing with puke-green light.
Her laughter cackled through the room.
“Ophelia, no!” I heard Diesel cry just before he launched himself at her.
But it was too late. The magic had already filtered into my system and just before he reached her, there was a deafening boom, followed by white light and nothingness.
9
A weird thing happens when you die. Or at least a weird thing happens when I die. There’s a period of time when I’m not exactly sure what’s happened. When I float in and out of consciousness, catching random images and snatches of conversation.
But there’s no pain.
There’s no sorrow.
Only a sense of everything is the way it should be.
It was weird, because I definitely didn’t want to die. Either time. But given the alternative, I was happy to give up my life for others. And in this case, I’d given up something that wasn’t mine, something that wasn’t permanent for someone I was certain I’d loved. Someone who’d given me a precious gift and a new truth: That I’d been loved and had been worthy of love. Dying again had left me with a reason to remember to love, even in the afterlife.
“She saved me,” Diesel said. His voice was clear as a bell, though I couldn’t see him.
But then the whiteness faded and I stared down at the front of Zelda’s house. A redhead dressed in a ruffled jean skirt, a matching acid-washed jean jacket, and fingerless gloves was out front expertly shackling Ophelia with ropes of magic. There was no question she was Baba Yaga, the leader of the witches and the most powerful witch in the world. No one could mistake her even while she was dressed in her eighties-rocker outfit.
/> Ophelia struggled against the magical chains, her face contorted in rage, but Baba Yaga only tilted her head, watching the witch have a meltdown. Then she snapped her fingers, sending the unhinged witch to what I assumed was the magical prison.
Good. She wouldn’t be bothering Diesel again.
Sassy was standing on the porch, hugging Jeeves, tears streaming down her face. Zelda and Mac stood near the witch leader, both of their expressions somber. But Diesel was nowhere to be seen.
The whiteness took over again.
“He’ll shift again. It just takes time,” a deep male voice said.
“It seems like there’s more I should be doing.” That was Zelda. Her voice was unmistakable.
They were talking about Diesel.
My heart ached for him. He still couldn’t shift. How long had it been? I had no way of knowing. Time stood still in my limbo afterlife.
“I could bring her back again,” Zelda suggested.
“Do you think that’s wise?” Was that Fabio?
“He needs closure. Without it, he’s never going to be the same,” Zelda said.
“But he can almost shift. You saw him. I’m sure in time he’ll get there.” Yes, that was definitely Fabio.
“You call that almost shifting?” Zelda asked him. Then she said something else, but their voices faded away.
I floated for I don’t know how long, then the whiteness cleared, and I felt a tug in my belly. It was a grounding force, calling me back to something important.
Someone important.
Strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me into a fierce hug as the faint trace of oak and fresh air filled my senses.
“You made it,” Diesel said, his voice gruff, full of emotion.
“Diesel?” I said, my words barely audible even to my own ears.
“Hey, Ida May.” He loosened his hold on me and leaned back to stare at me. “You’re really here.”
I glanced around, finding we were once again back in the clearing with Zelda and Mac. And I was once again naked and fully a flesh and blood human. “What am I doing here? Have you been cursed again?”