After some time he had taken her as a mate and she had borne him a daughter they named Vailendra. They were together for a long time, but when Vail decided to live an immortal but human existence, joining her mother’s world, Elanah chose that moment to disappear. She kept in touch with Vail, but not him, and Valentine had moved on.
Ella was not as advanced as Sadie, but she was worsening. At times Vail could even have a conversation with her, but that was becoming more and more rare. She lied to Max when she e-mailed him and told him Ella was improving. She didn’t need a young and frantic love-struck teenage boy at the cabin causing trouble.
Vail separated everyone from Sadie, who was the only occupant on the second floor. Ella had her own room on the first floor, down the hall from the other three girls, Savannah Farmer, Bella Sweet, and Jenna Larimer. They shared the master bedroom on the main floor, a beautiful suite that had been fitted with twin beds. Their inherent magical abilities weren’t nearly as strong as Sadie’s or Ella’s. They were still lucid, yet they wouldn’t come out of their room if Vail wasn’t with them. They cowered together, frightened. Vail couldn’t figure out what was wrong with them, and they wouldn’t talk.
Where to put Nathalie? Her symptoms were so different and didn’t match any of the girls. Her lips weren’t purple turning black. Her skin wasn’t turning the ashen gray/white of the dying. She looked pink and healthy, except for the green glowing eyes. Nathalie was still dressed in the clothes she’d worn to work, and even her jewellery hadn’t been removed, so the change must have been very sudden. For now, she put Nathalie in with the three girls and asked them to keep an eye on her. They all knew each other from town, and Savannah said they would. Vail told Horace she’d be back by morning, and left to go visit her mother in Barrington.
As Vail drove off, one of the girls in the room noticed, her face pressed against the bedroom window. “Oh, no. I think Vail is leaving! Where is Vail going?” she whispered, terrified. “Vail!” she screamed, banging on the glass with her small hand.
Vail didn’t hear.
The girls huddled together in fear. Their caretaker had changed since Sadie’s arrival. Horace must have a touch of magic in him because his proximity to the sickness was altering him, or maybe it was the shock Sadie had given him. Regardless, his behavior had become terrifyingly inappropriate, and he was slowly going insane.
At first he had been indifferent, feeding them, taking care of them, but ignoring them.
But then he started to watch them. He was discreet with Vail around, but when she thought everyone was asleep, Vail travelled.
That was when Horace started to come into their room, and the girls realized he was no longer in his right mind.
He tried to touch Savannah first. She was the most beautiful of all the girls, but she’d fought and screamed, and the other two girls had piled on top of him. He’d given each of them an open-handed slap and pummeled Savannah’s thin body until she was black and blue under her pajamas. He had sworn to kill all of them if they told. Anyway, who would believe a bunch of sick, crazy witches?
So they hadn’t said anything. They just cowered and prayed that Vail wouldn’t leave again. When she did, he always came in saying the same thing. “Girls…it’s time to play.”
He stuck his tongue in their mouths and did disgusting things to them with his hands. They couldn’t fight him. The sickness left them weak and disoriented, and terror made them mute. Upstairs Sadie raged like a madwoman. She was lucky—her restraints acted as a barrier, preventing her from using magic and getting out of her prison. It also protected her from Horace, which was fortunate because he was obsessed with Sadie. Even with the signs of advanced sickness transforming her physically, the girl was shockingly, heartbreakingly beautiful. They knew he stood in her room and leered at her, wishing he could touch her.
He was beyond loathsome. Sadie hissed and screamed when he did that.
He called to them now.
“Girls…it’s time to play…and it looks as if I’ve got all night.”
They huddled together over Nathalie, protectively. She was unconscious and completely defenceless. They were certain Horace wasn’t above molesting an unconscious girl.
He walked in, his dirty shirt open and flapping alongside his short, flabby body. He hadn’t even tried to disguise his intentions tonight. He’d left his pants in the other room, and from the tent-like shape of his gray underwear, he was ready to “play” seriously this time.
He always did things to them that didn’t leave any permanent damage or leave proof that he’d touched them. But today it looked as if his sanity was completely gone, and he wasn’t going to hold back.
He walked over and grabbed Savannah. She was the prettiest, but also the weakest of all the girls. They all started screaming in denial and tried to protect their friend. Furious at their interference, Horace backhanded Bella, who went flying over Nathalie’s bed, hitting her head against the wall with a loud thunk and crumpling to the floor.
Jenna just stood there, staring in terror, her breathing rapid and panicky.
Upstairs, Sadie was screaming and raging against her bonds.
“I only need her tonight, so if you move from there, I’ll fuck you too and beat you dead. Do you understand me, you little bitch?” Horace growled. He had punched Savannah twice in the head, and had moved her to one of the twin beds. She was lying on her belly, her dazed face facing Jenna. Blood trickled from her nose, a black stream in the moonlight. He’d thrown up her pajamas, pulled down her underwear, and was pulling her hips toward the end of the bed. His own underwear was gone, pooled at his ankles. He was erect but his member didn’t stick out past the bulge of his stomach. He lifted Savannah’s butt into the air and Jenna started to cry.
Savannah cried too as she tried feebly to struggle out of the hands that were gripping her hips so viciously. He gave her a few thundering slaps on the soft cheeks of her butt before pulling her toward his crotch. “I’m going to rip you open, you little whore.”
A boom sounded from above, followed by a huge explosion.
Startled, Horace turned. “What the fuck was that? What did you do?” he yelled at Jenna.
Eyes wide, she looked behind him and screamed in terror.
Sadie stood at the door, power blazing around her. Her long black hair rippled angrily as she looked at Horace with fury that ignited her magic and lifted her up. She flew toward him, lifting her arms menacingly.
Horace squealed as Sadie’s magic hit him and she kicked him viciously in the crotch. He shook violently and his eyes rolled back into his head. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he bit his tongue. With a careless flick of her wrist, Sadie tossed Horace against the far wall, and the crunch and snap of bones could be heard as he connected, and slid unconscious to the floor.
Savannah was crying as she pulled her pajamas down to cover herself. Bella was just coming to and was trying to sit up. Jenna just stared at Sadie in shock.
Sadie looked around. The glowing green of her eyes was gone, and she looked almost normal. She could still feel the poison inside her, but knew at once something was a different. Could she burn it out of herself? She wasn’t sure. She needed Willow’s spell book, but she also needed to stay lucid in order to get it, and she was very far away from town.
She looked at the girls, who had calmed down and were staring at her, eyes red and tears streaking their faces. Sadie’s normal composure broke and she sobbed. “I’m sorry, so sorry I couldn’t help you until now.”
“He was too strong,” Bella said, gulping down her tears. The other girls nodded. They all wanted to hug Sadie, but they didn’t dare. She was so scary!
“God, those restraints. I couldn’t get out of them.” Sadie strode to them and put her arms protectively around the girls. “I feel almost normal, but the craziness is going to come back very soon. I think discharging some of my power helped. It’s like how you feel better after you throw up.”
“Is he dead?” Jenna asked, pointin
g to Horace’s still form.
Sadie’s eyes narrowed. “I hope so, but I doubt it. He’s going to need a hospital.”
“Vail will be back soon. She’ll take care of it.”
Sadie finally noticed the figure in the bed near the wall. “What’s wrong with—oh my God, is that Nathalie?” she asked, rushing to the side of the bed. It was! She brushed her hand over Nathalie’s hair tenderly then slapped Nathalie lightly on her cheeks, but she didn’t wake up. Sadie closed her eyes then immediately pulled off the blanket and reached for the necklace around Nathalie’s neck. She incinerated it the moment she touched it and Nathalie’s eyes flew open. She gasped when she saw Sadie, and sat up, hugging her friend. “Sadie! My God, we’ve been so worried about you.” She could feel her hair start to float around her as a result of the static from Sadie’s power. “You seem to be having a problem controlling your magic,” Nathalie remarked as she tried to smooth down her hair.
“Yes. I’m not cured, just temporarily sane. Very temporarily, I’m afraid.” At that, Sadie’s eyes began to look a bit green.
“What happened to this room? And, oh my God, Horace!”
Sadie pulled her up. “Forget about him. He’s an asshole. Why are you here, Nat? You’re not sick.”
“I was betrayed…by everyone.”
Jenna was shivering. “I think we should hide on the second floor and wait for Vail. In case he wakes up.”
“There is no longer a second floor, unfortunately,” Sadie said, bending over with a moan. “God, this sickness is so virulent,” she groaned, panting with pain, fighting with all her might.
“Sadie, listen to me. Elanah has a spell…a potion she’s been drinking to temporarily ward off the effects of the tainted magic. She didn’t tell anyone about it, or share it. You need that potion. Right now she’s completely unopposed and I think she plans to rule Barrington, like Sean ruled Limerick.”
“With an unshakeable hold until he died,” Sadie said between gritted teeth. She looked as if she were in agony.
“There is no one there to gainsay her.”
“How did you get here, Nathalie?” Savannah asked. She had righted her clothes and put on jeans and a sweater over her pajamas, and was lacing up her runners. She walked over to Horace and kicked him right in the balls and then stomped on his penis. He toppled to the side with a grunt.
“He’s still alive. Too bad.”
Sadie looked at her, pain lines etched in her face. Her eyes were getting greener. “That’s a good question. Why are you here, Nathalie? Why were you wearing a hex around your neck? What did Taline tell you about accepting and wearing strange jewelry? Where’s your amulet?”
“My amulet is ruined. I took it off to put on a charm Elanah had given me as a gift. I didn’t see the stem with thorns at first, and then it drew blood…”
“Cracking your amber and breaking your bond with Dean. Two competing magics, ignited by blood. Oh, Nathalie. Roses always have thorns,” Sadie said.
“She’s got Dean completely under her thumb,” Nathalie said despairingly.
“Now she will for sure. Did she give him anything?”
“No! Wait…maybe. My memory is so fuzzy.” Nathalie rubbed her eyes.
“Are you sure, Nathalie? Think hard. Does he have anything new? Anything at all?’
“Only a rabbit’s foot, but he said that…”
Sadie nodded and groaned. “Oh, it’s from her. Don’t worry, Luke will be able to see it and take it from him.” She was on her knees, head bent.
Nathalie gasped. “No he won’t. He’s compromised, Sadie. He held me and kept me in Elanah’s room when I realized we were in danger and wanted to leave. That meeting was planned.”
Sadie looked up and hissed. Her eyes glowed and her teeth extended. Nathalie screamed in terror and backed away.
“Run,” Sadie growled at the girls before purple power blew open the outer wall of the bedroom and she escaped.
Nathalie looked and all the girls’ eyes were glowing. They ran too. Shit!
Panicking, Nathalie went to find Ella, who was still locked in her room. Nathalie suspected Horace hadn’t wanted any interruptions. She was throwing herself at the locked door, screaming and pounding to get out. She stopped when she heard Nathalie rattle the door handle.
“Let me out now,” Ella hissed in a low voice from behind the door.
Terrified, Nathalie backed away. “Ella? It’s me, Nathalie. Er…are you Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde right now?”
Ella calmed her breathing. “Nathalie? What are you doing here? Give me a minute to calm down. You need the key from Horace’s pants pocket. That’s where he keeps them.”
Nathalie ran to the slumped Horace but couldn’t find his pants. She stared at Horace when she realized he was dead. His eyes were staring up at the ceiling and his fat face held an expression of utter terror. His lips were blue, and it looked as if he’d suffered a heart attack or some sort of seizure. Sickened, Nathalie ran from the room and closed the door behind her. She ran to the living room, found the dead man’s pants, and searched his pockets. Finding the ring of keys, she ran back and found the right one after a couple of tries. She hesitated before she opened the bedroom door.
Ella stood in her pajamas. There was no breeze in the room but her hair and gown flowed backward, undulating softly.
Nathalie froze, completely creeped out, but Ella opened her eyes and the weird animation stopped.
“All the girls are gone,” Nathalie said hesitatingly.
Ella sighed. “I know. We’re all connected. They’re fine, just scared out of their minds. Sadie’s a problem though.”
“How so?” Nathalie asked, approaching close enough to hug her then trying to locate a sweater for her shivering friend.
Ella wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. “I don’t think anyone truly realizes how powerful Sadie is. Her power isn’t like ours, dormant until we call it. It’s a living thing, twisting and writhing inside her. That she controls it so easily is quite something,” Ella said softly. “But this taint makes her power different from who she is, like when we have the stomach flu and we can’t control our reflex to throw up. Sadie can no longer control her corrupted power, and power of that magnitude…she could go insane, and do a lot of damage on the way.”
The girls left the room and Ella’s eyes widened as she surveyed the destruction. “See?”
Nathalie was quiet. Insane? She couldn’t imagine her life anymore without Sadie in it daily, talking on the phone or hanging out.
Ella narrowed her eyes. “What are you doing here, anyway? According to Elanah, you’re low on the totem pole where magic is concerned.”
Nathalie frowned. “Yes, well that was before she decided she wanted your brother as her lover. I was ambushed. She spelled me so I’d get sent up here, out of her way.”
“You too?” Ella started to cry, huge racking sobs. “Max dumped me for a stupid blond.”
Nathalie was confused. “What are you talking about?”
She sniffed and wiped her face. “We got together at Luke and Sadie’s wedding. Not even a week later he…he made out with Katie. He’s attracted to her.”
Nathalie was astonished. “Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like Max at all.” She knew how crazy he was about Ella.
“A picture of their locked lips was put on the internet.”
Oh.
“I’m sorry Ella,” Nathalie said lamely. “I’m having the same problem with Dean. His attraction to Elanah is growing, and with me out of the picture…” she shrugged, balling her hands into fists. “Hopefully Vail will be back soon and we can figure this all out. In the meantime, I’m going to check the damage on the house and try to secure what I can.”
“What about Horace? Shouldn’t we call Sheriff Holt or Doc Peabody?”
Nathalie shook her head. “Let’s wait for Vail. Horace is dead, and with the whole town in Elanah’s pocket, we could end up in jail for murder, no questions asked.”
Chapter 2
4 – A Disturbing Visit
Barrington County, Present Day
When Vail arrived in Barrington it was dinner time, and she found her mother at the hotel on the outside terrace having drinks. Elanah introduced her friends as Dean, Tess, Gabriel, Katie, and Max. The only one she knew was Max, who looked at Vail with something like apprehension. She noticed that the girl Katie had her hand on Max’s leg and Vail frowned, thinking of Ella suffering at the cabin. Gabriel and Tess were obviously a couple. Elanah sat very close to Dean, an air of intimacy between them.
“This is a pleasant surprise, darling. Who is watching the girls?”
“Horace is there. It was quiet so I decided to drive down and get some supplies.”
“Well then, have a seat and relax. It has been a very stressful day. Do you want a drink?”
Elanah had a pitcher of what looked like sangria in front of her. Everyone was sipping except Max. His glass was still full. He appeared to sip, but the liquid level never changed. He was the only person still alert. The rest of the party looked a bit glassy eyed.
Vail was very disquieted. Her mother seemed…different. “It was a long drive here. Order me something fruity. I’m going to use the washroom and be right back.”
“Sure, darling,” Elanah said, waving down a waiter and ordering Vail a non-alcoholic fruit drink before turning back to her attentive companion. “She shouldn’t drink. She’s driving.”
Then Vail heard Dean exclaim, “That’s your daughter? She looks older than you!”
Immortality does that. Plus, Vail was taller. For some reason, that made her look older as well.
Vail wracked her brain. Wasn’t Dean Nathalie’s boyfriend? He seemed very cozy with her mother, as if they were romantically involved. She knew they were friends and had been working together to get the candy store ready. Could their relationship have changed? Vail was annoyed. Her mother had called her to Barrington to help care for sick witches being quarantined, yet she was living in luxury at a hotel and flirting with a man who was spoken for.
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