Witch (The Devil's Roses 4)

She nodded, "I watched you. I saw you. Your hands were in her hair and her hands were all over your back."

He pointed at the old house and spit his words in fury, "You're dating that fucking dog. Behind my back, you're dating him. I've said nothing because I know it's part of the other world. But you could have broken it off by now."

"That is besides the point. Wait you're spying on me and making out with her. Oh my god."

He raked his hands through his hair, "You're going to kill me. I'm going to actually have a heart attack."

She crossed her arms, "You have to have a heart."

He looked up at the tops of the trees and screamed.

She watched his bright red face ripple. He stepped across the boundary. He screamed in pain and dragged her across it. She looked at the shadows on the ground around her.

He flashed them, as they crossed the guards fully.

She pushed him away when her feet touched the dirt.

She was horrified, "You crossed the guard?"

He looked psychotic as he leaned into her, "I love you. I told you I love you." His breathing was labored.

"You crossed the guards."

He grinned, "I can do that."

She took a step back, "You made out with my friend."

He pinched the bridge of his nose like Lorri did when she talked to her. "It is NOT what you think it is. I am NOT attracted to her."

Ophelia cocked her head.

He laughed bitterly, "Well fine. She's attractive, but she isn’t my type."

"She is everyone's type. There are blind people who can sense she is their type. She's my type and I'm not gay."

He laughed again, "I mean, you are mine. You are the one that matters to me. I want you. The kiss meant nothing. The only type I have is you."

She watched his face, "You set a trap and almost got Aimee killed."

He pointed, "Not in this lifetime and you're bringing up old shit."

She laughed, "Stop making me laugh. I'm mad at you."

He reached for her hand, "O you're mine. Even though you're foul tempered and jealous and still dating a shifter." He pulled her in and gently brushed his soft lips against her. The air filled with aftershave and him. "You're mine."

She felt his big arms wrap around her. She wanted to push him away. She wanted to be angry about Giselle but she couldn’t. She had slept wrapped in Ben's arms the night before. She kissed him back. His tongue slipped into her mouth. His hands pushed up into her hair. He gripped it slightly and pulled her head back from his, "I expect you will deal with the young shifter."

She looked into his blue eyes and nodded.

He bent back into the kiss. His hands roamed her back until they reached her backside. He squeezed her butt firmly. She started to laugh. He looked at her. She squirmed, "I'm ticklish."

He squeezed again, making her arms and legs go everywhere. She screamed at him, "STOP IT!"

He laughed watching her flail, "You go into full defensive when tickled?"

She pushed him back, "I hate being tickled."

He laughed, "Your mother is like that."

She paused, "You know my mother?"

He shook his head, "No. No one knows your mother. Your father told me. Sometimes he binds her and has her tickled. It's the only time he hears her laugh or sees her smile."

She felt sick, "That’s horrid."

He shrugged, "Could be a lot worse." His blue eyes darkened, "Trust me."

"Where is my brother really?"

He looked around and sat on a log next to her, "Tristan is a prisoner. He's a sweet kid. He wants you to win. He wants to be free."

She swallowed hard, "Where's your son?"

"With Tristan. They're friends. Well that’s not entirely true. They're lovers. They want nothing more than to live together and be together in a sunny place where they never have to see Jonathan again."

She felt confused, "Why would you let your only son live there? In those conditions?"

He shook his head, "He wanted it. He knew early on Tristan was his."

She smiled, "My brother is gay?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my god we have to save him. Is he cute? I could totally be a hag."

Oliver looked lost, "Look the plan is to save him."

Ophelia sat next to him on the log, "What is the plan? What is your plan?"

He rubbed her thigh, "I would very much like to make love to you for starters."

Her stomach dropped, as he continued, "Then we need to rally the troops. That friend of Aimee's made the weapons for Jonathan with Marcus's hellfire. So at least he won't have that this time around. He sent a message yesterday that your brother was getting the powers. He assumed you would come to him. That's going to have to happen again but this time when I capture you with him, you will trust me. You come alone with me and let Lorri and Dorian go with the others. When he makes the trade for your sister for Aimee she can't fight. He will let her live if he has no means to kill her."

Ophelia looked at him sharply. He put his hands up "As far as I know he doesn’t. I know his entire plan. I helped plan it."

"What changed?"

He bent and kissed her lips softly, "You."

She shook her head, "No, there has to be something else?"

He smiled, "Believe me O, you are enough of a reason. You've given me something I've never felt before."

Chapter Forty-One

Aimee

She watched Giselle start to change. Her body was healing rapidly. The guards had let her inside. Giselle had cried for an hour being back at Lydia's. Her skin was glowing again, instead of yellow and clammy.

Aleks walked in, "Hey. Oliver wants us to meet him and O. We need to go over the plan for tomorrow."

She shook her head, "We shouldn’t trust him."

Lorri crossed her arms, "You know I was thinking the same thing but he never told Jonathan about Ari. Jonathan was completely surprised by that one. He's on our side, he's just doing his usual bullshit."

"What?"

"He is the most selfish person ever, ever. He's doing all of this because he loves Ophelia. I never thought I would ever see him fall in love."

"What about the mother of his son?"

"Slave."

Aimee scowled. Lorri shrugged, "They didn’t like the idea that we were to help the humans. They started to see them as weak and infantile."

Aleks laughed, "Humans are those things."

Lorri shrugged, "God loves them. He wants them kept safe. That was the mission. He never wanted them used for anything or abused by things they couldn’t fight off. He and Jonathan couldn’t understand that. They let the temptation in the air taint them."

Aimee remembered what Sam had said about his mother and Lorri. She looked down.

Lydia looked around at them, "You need to go. Her birthday is in a few days."

Aimee flashed to the photo Lucas had shown her on Ari's phone. The smell of dust and cedar filled her nose. She looked over at Ophelia sitting on the couch in a huge room with peaked windows making an entire wall. The moonlight was too dim to see outside, but she knew they were in a skiing lodge. She looked around at the grandeur and looked back at Aleks, "I want one."

He started to laugh, "You're going to have to start investing like Lucas."

Ari looked at him, "Huh? With what?"

She looked back at Lucas who shrugged, "I have money."

She raised an eyebrow, "You invest?"

He grinned, "I get Annabelle to help out."

Aimee laughed, "Oh my god you live in your room at Lydia's for free and have money?"

He frowned, "I like it there. I didn’t want to live in Wolfville."

Ophelia's ears perked up, "You're from Wolfville?" She asked from across the room.

He nodded, "Yup. Same town as you. Only I live on the outskirts, like far out."

"Crazy."

Ari looked at him seriously, "You have money?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

She looked at Aimee and shook her head.

Aleks poked her, "Maybe if you guys spent more time talking and less time…"

"Thank you Aleks." Ari's face was flushed, "I'm pretty sure that’s exactly how we will be spending our evenings from now on."

Aleks looked at Lucas, "Sorry bro."

Lucas scowled, "What the heck?"

Ari went to a couch and sat down. Dorian flashed in. He grinned at Oliver who sat next to Ophelia, "Brother."

Oliver nodded, "Well let’s make a plan then shall we?"

Chapter Forty-Two

Ophelia

She wandered the huge skiing lodge. The lights were dimmed everywhere. It was built on a sacred land so she didn’t have to worry about the shadows and darkness. Marcus had built his castle on sacred land as well. Aimee had told her that her ex boyfriend's house had also been built on sacred land. Everyone seemed to be aware of the sacred land and the dark swirl issue.

She had no idea the power that was available in the world.

She felt a hand touch her and then she was in a dark room.

She put a hand out to feel Oliver in front of her.

His fingers brushed her arms. Being in the dark and without her vision, she felt impaired. She closed her eyes and let her sense of smell take over. She could smell him.

"Oliver."

His warm lips brushed her throat, "Expecting the shifter?"

She laughed, "I hate you. I sent him a text and told him I couldn’t get over someone from the previous life we lived."

Oliver whispered into her cheek, "I did notice his absence from the evening festivities."

His hands slipped to the bottom of her shirt. His fingers played with the bottom of the shirt as his mouth found hers. He pulled her shirt off and kissed her again. Her stomach felt like it had it's own party going on inside.