A Handful of Skulls (Here Witchy Witchy Book 9)

by A. L. Kessler

  “It is what it is. Anything else I need to know?”

  He shook his head. “Let me know what your mysterious person has to say. I need to speak with Oliver about tonight, so please excuse me.”

  I nodded. “I’m going to go make coffee since it’s clearly going to be a long night. When Simon gets here with the Hummer, I’m going to head back home.”

  “When I’m done speaking with him.” Levi stood. “Then he can drive back with you.”

  There was no point in arguing right now. So I just agreed. “I’m going to go down to the chamber for a little bit. Let Simon know that it’s okay to come down when he gets here.” I stood.

  Levi also stood, and he pulled me into a hug. “I’m sorry, Abigail. I never meant for things to get this complicated.”

  I snorted. “You know what would have prevented this?”

  “Killing Samuel when I had the chance.”

  I pulled back, that wasn’t the answer I was expecting. “You can’t kill your maker.”

  “Not outright, correct. He still controls me too much to get away with that, but there was a night that I set fire to the building he and Ira were living in…” He shook his head. “I turned the moment I heard Samuel scream. Ira wasn’t home at the time.”

  I waited patiently. I’d never heard him speak of his past before.

  “I walked away without making sure that Samuel was dead.”

  “He had no scarring from the fire on him.”

  Levi nodded. “I don’t know if he healed or if he got out before he was burnt too much.”

  “Was that when you left?”

  Levi hesitated. “No, but the rest of that story isn’t for you. Go to your chamber. Recharge a bit.” He turned away from me.

  I wanted to press, but I knew that I wasn’t going to get any answers. I walked out of the study and headed to the stairs that led down to my chamber. Mario stood in front of the door, blocking it.

  “Save it, I know it’s my fault.” I reached for the doorknob, and he put a gentle hand on mine.

  “I’m not going to lecture you, not tonight. I wanted to let you know that Levi did not make this choice lightly. He argued with the council over it when they suggested it. He didn’t want to drag you into the limelight and into vampire politics, despite what physical changes may be happening to you.” Mario sighed. “I’ve never seen him so worried, Abigail.”

  I hesitated. “Let’s get one thing straight. I’m a witch. I’m not a vampire. I’ll play princess because I have to, but not because I belong in the role. Also, I don’t mean to worry Levi. None of this was my intention when I killed Ira. At the time I killed him, I simply wanted to be safe.” I swallowed as the memories from that night started to play in my head.

  “You never really told us what happened there that night.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not really something that I want to talk about.”

  “You really shouldn’t keep it all in. Have you spoken to anyone about it?”

  “No, but Oliver was there, as you know. He’ll keep tabs on me. Thank you for your concern.”

  He took my last words as a dismissal, and his hand left my wrist. “Have a good night, Princess.” He walked past me and down the hall. I took a deep breath and went down to the chamber. I sighed and leaned against the wall. I hadn’t told them all the details of that night because I didn’t want to relive them.

  Waking up in a dress.

  Being fed from.

  The fight.

  The fear of him trying to turn me.

  I cringed and forced myself to take a few more breaths. It was over. I was safe now. Ira was dead, and he couldn’t hurt me anymore.

  I slid down the wall and crossed my legs. Some meditation would do me some good right now.

  A knock sounded, and Simon walked in. I opened my eyes and smiled at him. “Hey.”

  “Sorry to disturb you.” He held a hand down to me to help me up. “But it’s time to go home for the night.”

  I got up off the ground. “Just some meditation to help get my mind back on track is all.”

  “Do you feel better?”

  I shrugged. “Not really, but I think a good cup of coffee and a restful night might help.”

  He grinned. “Now that I can supply, at least the coffee.”

  We both walked up the stairs and saw Mario and Levi talking. They both stopped when we stepped through the doorway.

  Levi smiled at me. “Thank you for coming up. Have a good night.”

  He hadn’t really given me a choice in coming up, but I figured it wasn’t the time to argue nuances. “I’ll call you and let you know what my friend says about meeting.”

  “And if they don’t wish to meet, then you and I need to come up with another arrangement.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Yeah, I know.” But I couldn’t imagine how well the meeting of Levi and Merick was going to go. Merick would probably be lucky to live through it. Of course, Merick had saved my life a few times, and that wasn’t a fact that Levi couldn’t ignore.

  Simon and I said our goodbyes to the vampires and walked out to the Hummer. I got in and started the beast up. Simon climbed in on the passenger side.

  “So?” he asked.

  “So?” I repeated. So much had happened in the last few days, I wasn’t sure what his ‘so’ was aimed at.

  “Princess of Vampire and currently an Alpha of a small pack.”

  I groaned. “Don’t even get me started on that. Those are two titles I never meant to have. I’m not even a vampire or a werewolf, how the fuck did I end up in this mess?”

  He laughed. “You just happen to be in the right places at the wrong times, and well, you killed the alpha.”

  “He tried to kill me first, him and his minions. I wasn’t expecting to gain a whole wolf family from it.”

  He put a hand on my knee. “You’ll always have a bit of a wolf family, Abby. You’ve helped us out too much to not have one.”

  I smiled, there was something about his words that warmed me. “That’s good to know, cause you guys are kind of stuck with me.” I sighed as I pulled the Hummer onto the highway.

  “You’re overthinking, Abby,” Simon said after a few minutes. “I know that silence.”

  I snorted. “I’m not overthinking. I’m processing. There’s a difference.”

  He chuckled. “If you say so.”

  I rolled my eyes and kept driving. Down the highway, I saw emergency lights, and I slowed down until I approached a cop directing me to an exit to a back road. As we drove down the exit, I caught a glimpse of the crash that had blocked the highway.

  We drove for a few minutes down the back road. I frowned as shivers went up my back. “I don’t like this. Something doesn’t sit right.”

  Simon nodded, and I saw him glance around while I drove. Something shot across the street in front of the Hummer. I slammed on the breaks, sending Simon and me forward hard enough that the seat belt caught and bit against my shoulder.

  What the fuck was that?

  The driver’s side window shattered, and a hand wrapped around my throat. One minute I was in the car, the next I was being thrown on to the road.

  My arm scraped against the asphalt, and I took a moment to get up and get orientated from the throw. Hannah appeared in front of me, her eyes wild-looking as she walked toward me.

  Holy shit. I knew that look well. She was out to kill me. She wasn’t in her right mind at all. “Hello, Hannah.”

  “Hello, Princess.” She spat out as she rushed me. Just like with Ira, I could see her moves, but now was not the time to dwell on that. I stepped to the side and pulled my gun, I pointed at her.

  “I heard you have a price on my head. I would have thought Samuel wanted me alive.”

  Something crossed her face, fear or confusion, I wasn’t sure which really. “He doesn’t know, does he?”

  “I don’t want to kill you. I just want to make you suffer,” she snarled.

  I pulled the trigger, but I
missed. I cursed as Simon got out of the Hummer. I didn’t tell him to get back in because I didn’t want to draw any attention to him.

  Hannah heard though. She turned and threw her hand up and trapped him in a red circle. Simon gave me a worried look. “It’s okay, I’ll be fine,” I assured him. No big deal, just me against a vampire who hates me.

  “What did I do to you?”

  “You stole Mario,” she snarled. “You stole Keira.”

  “No. Remember, Keira agreed to go back to you and leave this territory alone.” A sinking feeling claimed me. “You were there.”

  She growled and threw a ball of magic at me. I dodged, but it split the ground. “She’s gone! I felt her die! You took her life!”

  “I did not.” But I had a feeling there was no reasoning with her.

  “Not directly. You whispered into Levi’s ear about her, you bent and swayed his mind.” She hurled another blast at me, and this time it did hit me.

  I was knocked back, but I kept my feet. Now was not the time to figure out what was going on. When I survived this, I’d figure it out.

  I put a hand to my chest as it felt like a burn was settling there. I held my hand out to call my magical whip. I was grateful that Merick had taught me that little trick.

  I cracked it, and the purple magic flickered up to my hand. “You want to fight magic with magic? I have better control. You are a witch turned vampire, and that weakens your control.”

  She threw another ball of red magic, and I snapped it with the whip, causing it to disappear.

  She bore fangs at me. “You forget, even crazed and weakened, I’m still powerful. Remember? Remember how it felt to be powerless under my touch?” She appeared in front of me.

  I took a few steps back out of reach. “Trust me, I do.” I flicked my wrist, wrapping the whip around her ankle, and pulled. I pulled her off her feet, and she landed on the ground.

  It had been too easy. She should have seen the motion in my hand, should have read what I was doing.

  Hannah looked over my shoulder and started screaming. “No, I want this. I want her to suffer!”

  I glanced behind me, and she slammed me into the ground. Her fangs latched to my neck, and my body tried to go into full panic mode. Visions of Ira feeding from me filled my mind as Hannah pulled on my blood. I slammed the butt of my gun into her head, and she hesitated some.

  The circle around Simon flickered. She couldn’t focus. I took a risk, and aimed at her hip with the gun. I pulled the trigger, cringing as her body jerked against mine, and I could feel the blood seeping into my clothing.

  But it worked. She pulled away, my blood dripping from her mouth.

  “Hannah.”

  Samuel’s voice came from behind me. My heart pounded as she stood. Holy shit, I was in trouble.

  “You answer to me. You do not attack her without my say. Currently, it is too much of a risk.” Samuel’s voice rolled through me, almost calming the panic.

  “You cannot kill her with witnesses.” It was almost a gentle reminder from him, like a parent talking to a disobedient child.

  Hannah snarled. “Then I’ll kill the fucking wolf.”

  I glanced over at Simon, trying not to draw attention to him.

  Hannah suddenly went flying into the Hummer. I took a moment, hoping there was no dent in it. I didn’t want to explain that to Levi. I didn’t want to explain any of this to him.

  Samuel extended his hand down to me. “Please stand, Princess.”

  I didn’t take his hand, but I stood. I tried to keep my voice even. “Leave this territory.”

  “Brave little witch you are. No Levi to back you up, and you’re making demands of me.” He reached out and paused. “So much like your mother. You killed Ira, didn’t you.”

  I remained silent as I met his gaze.

  Samuel laid his hand on my cheek. “Levi was my favorite. I wanted to break him, but he proved to be stronger than his brother.”

  A shiver ran through me. “Don’t touch me.”

  His hand twitched, and then he went for my throat. I caught his hand. “Leave this territory.”

  His eyes widened, and he pulled his hand back.

  He glanced back at Hannah. “Come now, let’s go.”

  He and Hannah disappeared, and I about crumbled in place. My mind swirled, my body felt weak, and even though I knew she hadn’t taken that much blood, the adrenaline was fading, and the panic was starting to take hold.

  Simon rushed to my side and caught me the moment my knees gave out. “Abby?”

  “I’m okay,” I managed to whisper. “I’m okay.”

  “No, you’re not. Come on, let’s get you back the car.”

  I looked back at the Hummer with its missing window. “There’s going to be glass all over the seat.”

  Simon helped me stand. “That’s okay, I’ll throw my jacket over it. I’m driving, not you.”

  “But it’s my Hummer.” I looked at him, and he laughed.

  “No, it’s Levi’s.” He started walking me toward the car. “Let’s get you home.”

  That filled me with more panic. “No, I don’t want to go home.” I didn’t want to go back to the mansion either. What I needed was a moment and a place to reground myself. “Take me to the pack land?”

  He raised a brow. “You sure.”

  “Yes.”

  He nodded and helped me into the car. I managed to get myself buckled up with shaky hands while he got in to drive.

  I didn’t say much on the drive up, and Simon just kept his hand on my knee. I knew that I needed to let Levi know what happened, but I wasn’t willing to speak out loud about it right now. The situation did prove that I wasn’t over what happened with Ira yet, but I had thought at least I’d pushed it back. Simon parked the Hummer in the paved overlook spot.

  I got out and was glad to find that my legs were a little less shaky than they had been. Simon wrapped an arm around me. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be, I’m just shaken is all.”

  Simon nodded, and we walked through the forest to get to the clearing. I didn’t waist a moment. I sat down in what would be the middle of my circle there. I took off my boots and socks and closed my eyes to focus on the feeling of my feet in the dirt. I dug my hands into the ground as well and closed my eyes. I reached for my magic, the one thing that would always be part of who I was. I felt the circle, and it flared to life under my call and filled me with warmth. I opened my eyes and looked at the sky. I studied the stars and the moon and found my center.

  When I closed my eyes, images flashed in my brain.

  Ira feeding from me.

  Hannah keeping me paralyzed.

  Samuel’s hand on my skin.

  I cringed and tried to focus on the warmth of my magic. But the images wouldn’t stop.

  The way I saw Ira and Hannah move.

  How I caught Samuel’s arm.

  There was no way that adrenaline would do that. No. I could see them.

  But I was a witch. No one could take that away from me. I focused on my magic and pushed the images away. I couldn’t let the memories and fear control me.

  “I am grounded,” I whispered. “The goddess has her arms wrapped around me. I am safe.”

  I fell back on the ground and looked up at the sky. “I am safe.”

  Simon came and sat with me. “Yes, you are.”

  I looked over at him. “It’s been a long month.”

  “I have no doubt about that.” He laughed. “Tonight was just the last straw for you, I think.”

  I sighed and sat up. “I have to tell Levi what happened.”

  “Do you want me to call?”

  “If you want, just be prepared for him to threaten you a few times.” My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I let out a sigh as I pulled it out. Simon grabbed it from me and looked at the name. “It’s not work.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Merick. I’ve got this.” He answered the phone and stepped away. Part of me was
offended that he stole my phone, and the other part of me knew he was just trying to help. It wasn’t work, so I could let him handle it without worrying that I was needed somewhere.

  I closed my eyes and just let the sounds of the forest surround me. The crickets, the sound of the creek nearby, the noises of the nocturnal creatures sneaking around. This was peace, momentary and brief, but I was eating it up for now.

  After a few minutes, I stood and dusted myself off. I had a couple choices now. I could go home and hope I didn’t get attacked again on the way there. Or I could stay here for the night. Daylight gave me the illusion of being safe, even though Samuel was a daywalker.

  The thought made me shiver. He could come up here and slaughter the pack, and he would if he knew I was an Alpha, no matter how it happened. He would do it just because he knew it would hurt me.

  Like Ira tried to do.

  Simon walked out of the cabin. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, um, when can I give the pack over to you? I don’t want to have any legitimate connections to them, just in case…” I had a realization. “Do you worry about your pack like this all the time? Like what might happen to them if you screw up or make the wrong enemy? I’m not even technically an alpha.”

  Simon wrapped an arm around me and lead me into the cabin. “I do, and that was one of the reasons I never wanted to be Alpha. I didn’t want the responsibility on my shoulders. The thing is, Abby, is that we’re allies of the King, so you have a connection regardless. However, I do agree that we need to let you step down as Alpha. We can do it tomorrow morning, if you’d like. Tonight, let’s focus on getting some rest and you recovering.”

  I snorted. “Recovering? I was barely hurt.”

  He touched the bite mark on my neck. “This, and shock? I know the signs of shock when I see them.”

  I cringed. I hadn’t even thought about it. I was just in my typical ‘move forward’ mode. “I promise I’m fine.”

  “I know, but even the best person has to sleep sometimes. Come on.” He ushered me inside. “I’ll make you a burger, and then we can just rest and watch TV. The pups should be back from their run soon with Travis.”

  Oh great, pups and Travis would be here soon. I wrinkled my nose. “How many pups?”