Witch (The Devil's Roses 4)

He looked at the grin on Dorian’s face, “It almost feels like cheating having you here.”

Sam smiled and tried to ignore the blush crossing his cheeks, “It is cheating there is no doubt.”

He looked out at the massive group of vampires. The effect of his pheromones was hitting them. The eyes dilated first. They sniffed the air. Fangs began bursting everywhere.

Lorri looked back sharply to Giselle, “Not you, you idiot. Keep those fangs in your mouth for the love of god.”

Giselle covered her mouth, as a desperate look crossed her eyes.

She took deep breaths and dropped the hand.

The challenger frowned, “Is that a Siren?”

Dorian laughed, “Where? Surely one of us would have eaten a Siren by now.”

The male pointed at Giselle, “Is she a Siren and a vampire? Marcus has cursed us.”

Sam laughed. They never would have assumed it would be him. Male Sirens with any sort of powers were never heard of.

“Why do they think it’s me?” Giselle whispered.

He smirked at her, “I don’t technically exist Giselle. They assume the Siren is the most beautiful girl here. If you are a Siren and the vampire queen then they will be as servants to you in every way.”

Giselle looked lost, which wasn’t new.

Aimee looked back, “Command them to kneel. We need to see how many will defend her, just in case.”

Lorri looked back and nodded.

Giselle cleared her throat again, “Uhm I would like it if you would kneel please.”

Lorri rolled her eyes and grabbed Giselle by the crotch, “Like you have a set Giselle.”

Giselle shouted against the assault, “KNEEL.”

Several dropped to their knees but the others appeared to be fighting it. Their legs shook against her command. The tall Euro trash stood freely smiling.

"Enough with the theatrics Lucifer."

Dorian nodded at Giselle, “You ready? You have to kill him. He's a traitor to your kind. I bet he's the reason Marcus's bloodline is dead."

Giselle looked worried, “How did he kill them?”

Lorri sneered, “He has an army that Marcus never knew about. I guarantee it. Marcus was so obsessed with other things he missed it.”

Dorian laughed, “Like his cock.”

Sam glowered.

Giselle looked around at the group of people surrounding her and shook her head, “I can’t do this.”

Lorri gripped her arm, “Do it or die. Those are your only choices.”

A tear dripped down Giselle’s cheek.

Aimee stepped in and wiped the tear and smiled “You can do this. I’ve got your back.”

Giselle looked into her eyes and nodded, “You will help me?”

Aimee nodded, “I will not let you die.”

Giselle took a step forward and nodded, “Okay.”

Sam looked at Aimee in protest, but she shook her head subtly.

Lorri growled, “Stay.”

Sam knew who she was commanding.

Chapter Fifteen

Ophelia

She knelt on the couch, watching the others on the front lawn and the hundreds in the streets.

She looked back at Jake. He was still sleeping on the couch across from her.

She glanced at Annabelle, who hovered next to her, “Are you dead?”

Annabelle spoke but never took her ghostly eyes from the window, “I guess but I cants die. I’s like you. Miss Lydia protected me always when we was girls. Blacks was hated and treated badly. Miss Lydia always lied and said I was her slave.” She turned and smiled, “But I was always her friend.”

“How old are you?”

“Two hundred and forty six I thinks. Me and Miss Lydia was born same year under the same summer moon. Same moon as you. I be the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter too. My magic was always stronger than Miss Lydia’s. We lived in Georgia and spent our days learning the magic from my gran. We had to take Miss Lydia from her family. They was not the good kind. They was teaching her the bad magic. We moved from Georgia to here. We fled the hunters.”

O felt lost in the story, “Hunters?”

“Bad magic witches. They’s hunt our kind to take our magic. Good magic’s always stronger than bad magic. Always. But they’s steal the magic from us and they’s become strong like us.”

“That’s sick.”

Annabelle nodded looking out the window again, “I knows it. Me and Miss Lydia we come here and she find herself a proper husband and we’s build this house.”

Her ghostly face looked distressed as she continued, “They did find us though. They come in the night. The hunters, they find us out. I make my circle nice and big before I died.”

Ophelia gasped, “You died doing the magic circle?”

Annabelle nodded slowly, “I aint never heard of no witch living through making a guard circle like mine.”

“You knew you would die?”

She turned sharply, “Miss Lydia had the baby in her belly. She saved me too many times for me’s to not give it back. I’s told you I can’t die. I just changed. My body died but my magic is alive. It’s stronger without the body to make it weak.”

“Lydia had a baby?” Ophelia felt as if something in the story was about to go very wrong. Something besides the death of the most loyal person she had ever met.

Annabelle looked sickened, “No.”

Ophelia left it alone. She knew the hardships the people of the house had faced and couldn’t even comprehend what it was like for them all.

“Why are the vampires here?”

“They be here for Miss Giselle. She gone and died as the only heir to the vampire throne. Marcus kept them in balance. He was the ruler. Never too many vampires or killing people in the streets. Keep the secret was his law. He wasn’t no good but he wasn’t too bad either. Now he's gone they could just kill everyone. They needs a ruler. The one with Marcus’s blood is the strongest. Their blood calls to her and hers to them.”

Ophelia frowned, “Why do they look angry?”

Annabelle laughed bitterly, “You imagine if some five year old girl be your queen. She gets to tell you what to do? She aint got no experience as a vampire and now she be the queen.”

Ophelia sighed, “Ohhhhhh. Yikes.” She watched Annabelle for another second, “Why do you hate me?”

Annabelle looked at her sharply, “Baby girl I don’t hates you. I love yous just like I loved your momma. All witches loves you and yours. I hates what you gotta do. I hates that your life is cursed with his dirty blood. Aint no angel got no right to take from a witch the way Jonathan takes from your momma.” She looked back out the window and sighed, “We all cursed. Ever since Miss Lillith been raped in the garden we been cursed.”

Ophelia stood up and walked through the long wide hallways until she got to the front door. She opened it hesitantly. She had never seen so many people in her life let alone vampires. One vampire was more than she had ever seen. The whole thing wasn’t a dream, she was coming to that conclusion.

She could see everyone in slow motion, as she walked out onto the front steps.

Lorri was watching everyone with a stone face, but somehow Ophelia knew she was scared for Giselle.

One of the guys was letting off some kind of perfume Ophelia had smelled before. When she smelled him she wanted to take her shirt off and let him wrap his arms around her. She could feel the warmth of his skin against her. It made tingles everywhere.

The dark haired man who had been at her door with the snow globe smirked at her from beside the red haired lady. He leaned in and whispered, “Try to ignore him. He could drive you mad.”

“You again.”

He grinned harder, “Yes love, I did try to tell you.”

She couldn’t pull her eyes away from his strong shoulders and biceps. She wanted so badly to just touch him. She couldn’t understand how they all made her feel gooey inside.

She tore her eyes away from him to watch Giselle walk out in to the yard and cross the magic guards that Ophelia felt at all times. She shivered as she watched her. The vampires fell silent as a tall dark haired man rounded off against Giselle. The others formed a huge circle. The Roses never moved from the front porch, but every one of them seemed ready to leap into action any second.

“Why can’t we help her?” Aimee asked softy.

Lorri never moved her eyes from Giselle, “She will look weak. She should be able to take them all on as queen. It’s their way. Not to mention they need to believe I don’t run her.”

Ophelia could feel the apprehension and fear pouring off of everyone. She didn’t know what to do or say, but their nerves were building up inside of her. She couldn’t recognize the emotions or who they belonged to.

The wolf looked at her and held her gaze. She backed away from it realizing it looked similar to one that had attacked her.

“It’s Lucas Ophelia Jesus Christ.” Lorri turned and snapped at her. Ophelia flinched and took another step back.

“Are you all mind readers?” She asked feeling frightened, earning a bitter laugh from everyone.

Dorian smiled at her, “God bless you Ophelia. I needed that.”

Lorri laughed and took several steps forward, “The rules are the same as always. No one fights her except him. Anyone who interferes meets Dorian and Aimee. Now I know you’ve heard about Aimee and how she likes to eat. Let’s not provoke her.”

The crowd eyed Aimee cautiously and gave Giselle and the tall man space.

Ophelia looked around and shook her head, “This is bizarre and barbaric. They’re going to fight to the death. It’s 2012 not 1812. Even then I don’t believe fighting to the death was ever done. Maybe in the wild west.”

Sam smiled at her, “These guys have mostly been around for hundreds of years. They haven’t changed much unfortunately.”

She forgot what she was talking about. The smell of him was intoxicating. She took a step toward him. She heard the commotion and watched as they began to cheer, but all she saw was him.