"If you don't," he said. "I'll kill your sister."
The sight of a gun pointed at Cindy's temple jarred Leese's muscles loose. She did exactly as she was told. She dropped the bat to the ground and approached the limo. Michael kept the gun trained on Cindy, but scooted aside to make room.
Michael tapped the window separating them from the front, and the limo drove away.
CHAPTER 20
"What in God's name is going on? What have you done?"
"Calm down. Aggie said—"
"No! This has gone too far! This…ohmyGod…this is…how could you?"
Martha opened one eye. The world was a blurry mess. The voices, whoever they were, continued to argue. Their words blurred together. She couldn't tell who was saying what. All she felt was pain. There was no particular part of her body that hurt worse than another. Everything hurt.
An unpleasant smell touched her nose that nearly made her gag. It was familiar somehow. She could almost place it. Why wasn't her brain working right?
There were sounds of a struggle. Martha blinked several times, trying to clear her vision. She felt something soft under her. An old mattress? She reached up to clutch her forehead.
Something was wrong.
The gesture should have been simple. A bending of the elbow, a flexing of the arm. But her fingers never reached her face. She tried to wiggle her digits, move her wrist.
She couldn't feel them.
Horror set in, and that's when her vision began to clear up. She wished the world would fade once again. She could have closed her eyes, wanted to, but they wouldn't obey her. The truth assaulted her.
Her hands were gone, cut off at the wrist.
Where her hands used to be were nothing but gauze and tape. Martha caught sight of a fire roaring not too far away, in an old brick fireplace. Her hands were there, burning in the flames. The horrid smell was her own flesh.
Someone fell in front of her. Martha looked through iron bars at Darlene. She lay unconscious on the floor.
Martha finally realized she was in a cage.
Caroline dropped to one knee by the cage door. She was distraught, her eyes glassy. Her hands shook as she smeared a potion over a lock. She yanked the lock from the cage and threw it across the room.
Tossing the door open, she took Martha's face in her hands.
"I'm so sorry." Tears ran down her chin. "Oh, God. I swear, I didn't know. We never talked about…this."
Caroline rubbed Martha's wrists. Martha stared at the empty space. She cried as well. Caroline held a glass of water to her lips. The physical pain faded. But magic couldn't cure everything.
She would never be the same again.
"Where…where am I?" she asked.
"An abandoned house, a few streets over from yours. Listen, you have to get out of here. They're on their way to your place right now. I was with them, but sneaked back here to check on you." She stared at Martha's missing hands. "Oh, Martha."
Martha tried to pull herself to her knees, but her head hit the top of the cage. Caroline grabbed her by the elbow to assist.
There were more voices. They looked up, through a large hole in a dining room wall that was falling apart, and saw shadows dancing in the living room.
"They're coming. Maybe I bought him some time? I don't know. But Martha, you have to get to him."
She didn't want to move. She wanted to close the gate and accept her fate. No more running or fighting. She fought for everything she'd believed in, and lost.
She thought of Kevin.
Martha took one step forward, and nearly vomited. Caroline caught her by the arm before she could tumble back to the floor. The back door in the kitchen was missing, revealing a disheveled backyard. That was her destination. One small step at a time.
"You have to hurry," Caroline said.
"What about you? Come with me."
"No. I'll slow them down as best I can. Just get the kid and get away."
"Caroline—"
"Go!"
Caroline nearly shoved her out before disappearing back into the house. The sun had set. Martha had no idea what time it was. She stumbled across the yard, but each step grew stronger. She made it to the broken fence leading to a side street. Instinct made her reach out, try to steady herself with anything she could hold.
But she couldn't hold anything.
Despair threatened to consume her, and a simple thought crossed her mind.
She wouldn't be alive much longer.
Martha had confronted mortality long ago. The life of a witch had its moments of danger. She'd reflected on life and love with Aggie herself, when they were pinned down battling two rogue covens that had decided they were going to wage war on humanity.
She'd never dreamed her own coven would be the death of her.
Pushing the thoughts aside, she pressed forward. She recognized where she was. Her home was only minutes away.
"Hang on, Kevin," she said.
CHAPTER 21
Kevin stepped through the portal first. Marie stood on the other side, peering through cautiously. Half of the automatic lights had turned off behind her.
"Are you coming?" he asked.
"How do you know this portal won't close on you right when you're walking through?"
"It'll stay open a few minutes on its own, without me doing anything."
Marie wasn't convinced.
"That's it? You trust your life to that? What if you step over and your foot ends up in the ocean somewhere?"
"You've been using my portals now since we met."
"I know. It doesn't make it any less weird."
Kevin laughed.
"Would you hurry up?"
He extended his hand. Marie didn't seem like the type of woman to need a helping hand with anything, but it seemed like the polite gesture to make. She accepted his offer with a small smile and took a step through the portal.
He gave her a gentle tug.
"Oh shit!" he shouted. "It's closing!"
Marie let out a squeal as she hopped through, pushing Kevin aside, and collapsed on the couch. She gasped and panted as she turned to see Kevin laughing with his hands on his knees, standing next to the very stable magical gateway.
"You dick."
"Sorry. I couldn't help it."
He looked through the portal one final time. Betty the couch sat in her new home, against the wall along with the beat-up coffee table he'd found in the trash last month. His home-away-from-home was shaping up rather nicely.
"Thanks for the help," he told Marie.
She crossed her legs and leaned back on the couch.
"You're welcome. It needs a woman's touch, but I've seen much worse."
Kevin smiled and glanced at the time. They'd spent most of the day away from Sanders. It was a few minutes past eight. He tried to prepare himself mentally for the rest of the night.
"So, what's the plan?" he asked.
"Well, I feel sweaty and disgusting. I'm going to borrow Martha's shower, then we'll head out. I promise, I won't keep us out long."
He nodded in agreement. Marie went upstairs, passing a hissing cat on the way to the bathroom. Kevin wasn't far behind as he aimed for the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and sat at the dining table. He would have watched a few minutes of TV, but Martha had yet to get one.
His gaze drifted to the stone in the center of the table. It belonged to Leese, before she gave it back to him. It had been sitting there since he'd first arrived at Martha's. He was going to simply toss it away, but couldn't bring himself to do it.
He didn't know when he'd leave Martha's. Maybe when his project was done? But that wouldn't be anytime soon. Regardless of where he stayed, he did know one thing.
He wanted to talk to Leese.
Marie called out from the bathroom on the second floor. The shower was still running.
"Kevin?"
Kevin stood and walked to the bottom of the stairs. He assumed something simple. Marie needed shampoo
, or soap, or a towel.
The shower stopped, and her tone grew more urgent.
"Kevin!" she called again.
"Yeah, what?" he shouted back. "Is everything okay?"
"What the hell is going on down there?"
"Uh, huh? What are you talking about?"
The bathroom door opened and Marie emerged. She moved to the stairs, looking down at Kevin. She was naked, save for a towel wrapped around her. Her brow was furrowed, her nose twitching.
"What the fuck?" she said.
Kevin said nothing as she marched downstairs. Her towel barely covered her, stopping just at the top of her legs. He did his best to keep his eyes off her. Her hair dripped as she walked.
Her eyes darted about the living room as her nose continued to work.
"Who died in here?" she asked.
"What?"
"It just smells…." Her face twisted and shifted. "Oh, wow, it's bad."
She approached the basement door and leaned her head in. After a few intense sniffs, she moved away.
"Marie? You're acting crazy."
"Just be thankful you can't smell it. I deal with drunks, piss, and shit at my bar every weekend. It never smells like this." She cinched her towel tighter and let out a mischievous smile as she leaned on a chair. "Don't tell her I said it. But it smells like Martha, only ten times worse. Maybe—"
She went silent as she turned. She cocked her head to the side, not moving an inch. The stillness sent chills up his spine. Kevin was afraid to disturb her.
Finally, she blinked several times.
"We have to get out of—"
The sharp, blinding light illuminated the entire house. Kevin pressed his forearm over his eyes, but that wasn't enough to block out the bursting white. It felt like his eyes were on fire.
His balance shifted as a wave of nausea struck. Dropping to one knee, he reached out for something to hold on to, anything at all, and felt a bare knee.
"Kevin?" Marie said.
Her tone told him she was in distress as well. She knelt next to him, holding his shoulders. He used her to steady himself, and felt a breast in the process. Her towel was gone. He wanted to apologize, but that didn't seem important.
The white settled into a dark gray, but Kevin still couldn't see clearly. A few vague shapes were all he could manage. A chair a few feet away, and parts of the table. But that was all.
"We need to leave. Now."
Marie was calm, but urgent. Kevin didn't argue. He didn't have a clue as to what was happening, but those were questions that could be asked later.
"I can't see anything," he said.
"Me, neither. But I don't need eyes to move. Come on."
She grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, but he held firm.
"Wait. My magic. It's in the basement."
She moaned in irritation as she squeezed his hand. Her grip sent pain up his arm.
"Can you get it fast?"
"Yeah."
He pulled her back into the house, away from the kitchen. The gray curtain continued to hang around them. He felt along the wall until his hand struck the door frame. The cool basement air let him know they were near the stairs.
He turned down the stairwell, Marie right behind him, but stopped when he saw the light.
A bright orange ball glowed at the bottom. The orb seemed to float in mid-air. Streaks of red joined the dance of colors, and the orb moved slightly. Its movements were sharp, sudden. It whirled toward them with speed. Kevin realized what it was too late.
Someone tossed a fireball at them.
Marie grabbed his shoulders and forced him down. His ankle popped as the fireball flew over his head. He could feel the heat, hear the flames popping.
There was a scream behind him.
He spun to see Marie against the wall. She'd saved Kevin, but not herself, as the flames moved along her torso. She dropped to her knees, tried to roll on the carpet, and another fireball struck the wall behind her, barely missing her head.
Kevin grabbed the door and slammed it shut, just in time to block another fireball. His palm, still on the doorknob, sizzled as the magical fire spread quickly.
He winced in pain as he backed up a step. His ankle throbbed from Marie's pure strength. His vision was finally beginning to clear. He turned to see Marie on one knee. She successfully put out the fire, but her skin was burnt badly. Her right arm, shoulder, neck, all the way down to her hip was black and oozing.
"God, Marie," was all he could say.
The werewolf didn't cry out, didn't complain. She glanced at her arm, felt her face, and stood upright. Kevin reached for her, wanting to help, but decided not to touch her.
A familiar voice called out from the basement.
"Kevin! Please, don't run. We only want you. We'll let your friend walk away if you simply…don't move."
He recognized the superior tone, the slight arrogance.
"Aggie?"
She didn't respond. Another fireball rocked the door, eating away the wood much faster than normal. Kevin jumped in place as Marie grabbed his shoulder from behind.
"Let's go," she said. "There's at least three of them."
She looked past him as she listened. Kevin turned to see a figure moving outside past the window in the living room. The front door flew open violently. A woman he didn't recognize stepped over the threshold, holding a fireball.
Marie pulled Kevin toward the kitchen, to the back door. They were nearly there when yet another woman showed up on the deck. Kevin could see her through the window over the sink. She held a trinket of some kind to the door.
He gasped as it disintegrated before their eyes.
The woman stepped into the kitchen. Unlike the others, she held two fireballs, one in each hand. Instead of orange and red, their tint was a greenish purple. He was afraid to think of what they might do.
Aggie spoke again. This time she was much closer, working her way up the basement stairs.
"Kevin, no more destruction. Please. You seem like a very sensible young man. The more you resist, the more people may get hurt. And none of us want that."
Marie growled next to him. Kevin looked down to see her hands had turned into claws. He'd seen the sight from Victoria many times, but Marie's claws were much different. They were larger, the nails thicker, with patches of hair over her fingers.
Kevin grabbed her arm.
"I don't know if that's such a good—"
They both jumped when someone tackled the woman guarding the porch. He saw a flash of familiar clothes, familiar gray hair. He almost couldn't believe his eyes.
Martha attacked with fury. She shoved the woman against the railing and kicked without mercy. Kevin and Marie approached the door and watched. Her arms flailed about as she screamed.
Something was wrong with her arms.
The beating was over quickly. She looked up, her hair a mess, and her eyes shot open. She stared at something past them, back in the house.
"Kevin!" she shouted.
He spun just in time to see orange and red heading straight for him. If he'd been any slower, or Martha's warning a second later, the magical fireball would have engulfed them. Instead, it spread apart and dissipated over the shield emanating from his raised palm. The magical stone he wore on his finger protected him once again.
Still, the barrier his ring generated didn't block out everything. The heat shot through his hand up to his shoulder, making him cringe.
When the fireball faded, he saw Aggie standing near the door to the basement, next to her partner.
She wore a confident smirk, but it faded at the sight of Martha.
"Run!" Martha shouted.
The three ran down the deck stairs. Martha nearly tripped, but Kevin caught her by the arm, holding her upright. His hand brushed against her wrist, and he felt the bandages.
They were nearly to the gate when Kevin realized what they'd forgotten. He felt sick to his stomach.
"Wait!" he shouted, and turned in p
lace. "Oscar!"
Aggie stood at the open back door. She didn't move, or make any threatening gestures of any kind. She simply stood still, with that arrogant sneer on her face, holding a fireball at her side. Kevin picked up a hint of cumin in the air, and had a guess as to the ingredients of the fire magic she was using. Aggie's partner was moving in the kitchen, throwing about the contents of a jar. The woman Martha assaulted was on her feet now, leaning against the railing.
Both Oscar and Sebastian suddenly sprinted from between Aggie's legs. They jumped the fence and ran to safety through the neighbors' yard.
"They're fine," Martha said. She hooked her arm around Kevin's and tugged lightly. "Hurry. Come on."
Kevin didn't budge. He took a step forward, pulling away from Martha.
"No!" she yelled. "Not now! We have no magic. Nothing at all."
Aggie held up a finger, mocking them, signaling for them to wait. Her two partners joined her at her side on the deck.
Martha gasped as fire spread through her house.
They could see it in the kitchen. Then it moved to the upstairs, in Martha's room. In a matter of seconds, her entire home was in flames.
"Now you have nothing," Aggie said. A look of genuine sadness crossed her face. "It didn't have to be this way."
Another tug came at Kevin's arm, this one much stronger. Marie grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.
"We run now," she said. "And fight later."
That's what they did. They ran down the alley, away from the house, to the neighboring street. Kevin glanced over his shoulder before they rounded the corner. Aggie was slowly moving away from the house, not in a hurry to pursue. She held a stone to her lips.
They made it nearly to the end of the street when Martha slowed down. She gasped for breath and rested against the side of a van. Marie was visibly irritated at having to wait for the older witch, but didn't complain. She stood in the middle of the street, still naked, and glanced at the houses around her. Her nose twitched wildly as she frowned in confusion. He could see on her face something was wrong. He was only a step slower than Marie in noticing.
Damned and Cursed (Book 9): Witch Trial Page 24