Witch (The Devil's Roses 4)

"You loved Hanna's mom didn’t you?"

Roland nodded, he looked broken. "A long time ago. She loved me back."

"Fae are a hard one to avoid for us."

Roland laughed bitterly, "I made it pretty easy for her." He cut of his laugh with a sigh, "I loved her so much. I swore I would protect her forever. She met the doctor and that was it for me."

"Why didn’t you leave?"

Roland's dark eyes looked stricken, "I had already made a bond with her. I would feel her. I would love her. I would serve her."

Sam felt his face twist, "She let you?"

He nodded slowly, "She did."

"That's sick."

Roland sipped his drink, "Perhaps, but it was the way things were done. The doctor and I suffered together. Both stricken with the same illness, us and Marcus."

"Is that why she had the match broken to remove the effects on you all?"

Roland's face crumpled painfully, "She almost killed me that day. I was the only one blood bonded to her. The pain was unbearable. She broke all the bonds. The doctor never knew but Marcus did. She acted so well that she was in love with the doctor that Marcus believed that she had broken the match and rematched with the doctor. She did it to spare him, he truly was the only human. I was Fae and Marcus was vampire. Her pity for us was not great. Her pity for the doctor and wanting a normal life drove her to the decision."

"Then when she couldn't love her own child she took her life?"

Roland's eyes flashed with anger, "Young man you will never repeat that story. If Hanna knew…"

Sam shook his head. "She will never hear it from my lips."

Roland looked broken, "When the young miss came into our lives everything got better. But the act grew too stressful on her. In the moment of her death I saw her for the weak thing she was. I let Marcus believe that she did it to stop him and his lust for her. With no match she was almost impossible to be around. The bracelet calmed it but never took it from her. The day she did it was the worst day of my life." His old eyes filled with tears.

Sam had no pity or remorse though he wished he did.

"The best day was when Miss Hanna came home to live here. I see all the best things of her mother and father inside of her." He looked up at Sam, "You must fix what you have done to her. It hurts Sam. It hurts so much."

Sam nodded, "I will try Roland."

"You will keep my secret?"

Sam nodded.

"Take Ophelia to Alabama. There is a region called Lillian. It is named for a black witch. Ophelia can find them. Be careful. No matter what trust no one and if it gets dangerous flash the pair of you out of there."

"Should I bring Hanna?"

Roland shook his head, "She will be sacrificed for the things inside of her. Marcus used her blood for all sorts of unsavory things for a reason. It contains things that can be used for very bad acts."

Sam stood up from the chair, "I'm sorry for your losses Roland."

Roland smiled a sad grin, "I know you are incapable of sorrow my son. You are incapable of all feelings. But thank you for the sentiment."

Sam smiled, "I wish I could take it back. I wish I was able."

"Can Ari change the fate?"

Sam shook his head, "Too risky. Ophelia is such a major piece of all of the puzzles that if we don’t tread carefully with her the world is at stake."

"Understood. Safe travels my son."

Sam put his hand out for the old man to take.

"Let me know when you’ve had enough."

Roland chuckled, "Oh not yet. I have an arraignment with Miss Aimee."

Sam smiled, "Fair enough."

Sam flashed back to the mansion. He was sleepy and feeling lost in the story. Sirens really were the worst of the magic world. He wished he had never laid eyes on Hanna. He knew his heart would argue if it had a voice.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Ophelia

She woke feeling cramped and sweaty. She looked down at her clothes and sneakers. She had fallen asleep still dressed. She kicked her shoes off and slid her jeans down. She pulled her t-shirt off and savored the night air on her sweaty naked skin.

"I was going to do that, but I did promise nothing creepy."

She sat up covering herself. Oliver sat in the chair next to the window.

"You're really here?"

"Yes, and I really just saw you in your skivvies."

She pulled the quilt up and covered up, "You need to go back to your room."

He shook his head and stood from the chair. In the silver moonlight his form filled the window. She watched as he unbuttoned a few of the buttons on his shirt and then pulled it up over his head. She felt the breath get sucked out of her chest. His tattoos were beautiful. The one that went up his neck partway was a blade, the hilt of it rested on his heart. His stomach had one on the side of it that dipped into his pants on his hip. It was a dark shape with a word running down the side of it. His right arm had one that wrapped around his shoulder and ran down his arm to his forearm. She looked at it trying to see it in the moonlight but couldn’t. He dropped the shirt to the floor. She pulled at the blankets. He looked twenty-two but she couldn’t get past the feeling he was old.

He knelt on the bed. He bit his lower lip. She couldn’t help but stare at it.

"What are you thinking?"

She pushed her thoughts at him. He grinned, "You think I'm old."

She laughed.

He sat on the bed looking dangerous, like a boy her father would have warned her about.

"Can you imagine what you'll feel like in one hundred years Ophelia?"

She shook her head, "Dead. I guess."

"But you'll live forever. Human's age but they don’t feel different. Ask any of them, physically they feel the age but mentally they feel as they did when they were twenty."

"But you have always been."

He shook his head, "Not so. I had a birth. It just wasn’t like yours. I was born in the night sky. I've always been made of magic. I'm not so different from you."

He took her hand and placed it on the hilt of the sword where his heart beat. It was lazy compared to the rabid beat of her own.

"My heart beats."

She left her hand over his heartbeat but instead of laying it there she traced the tattoo. He closed his eyes. She leaned into him letting the covers fall. She climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his waist.

He opened his eyes. She pressed her hands on his chest feeling the heat pour from his skin.

"Why do I feel this way with you?"

His arms wrapped around her back, "Every soul has its mate. You are mine."

"How long have you known?"

"The minute you uncloaked yourself. I sent a friend to check on you."

She pushed back, "The wolf who tried to eat me?"

He shook his head, "No, what wolf?"

She watched his face, "The one who tried to eat me but was thinking disgusting things about me. His mind was easy to read."

Oliver grabbed her shoulders, "What wolf? What did he think?"

She shook her head, "He kept saying he liked witches. He was excited I was a witch. I'm not repeating the rest. It was sick."

Oliver sighed, "Jon."

"Who?"

"Have they told you about Aleks yet?"

She nodded, "Yeah Ari told me. Sad story."

Oliver held her tightly, "Did they tell you everything?"

She shrugged, "I don’t know. They told me about his dad being a cursed shape shifter werewolf who, oh my god. You think it's him?"

Oliver nodded.

"Why?"

"Because of what you are. Jon killed a girl, before her powers hit yet. She was a typical witch, her powers never hit when she was young. Her father was a very important man. He was from the pure lines of the Fae. His mother was the daughter of Lillith who married the elf."

"You know this sounds like lord of the rings."

"You know the guy who wrote Lord of the Rings knew about us all."

She rolled her eyes, "Figures."

"Anyway the daughter who stayed with the elves, Marianne, she gave birth to twin boys. Henry and Ethan. Henry never married but Ethan married a witch. She gave birth to a girl. The girl was Ethan's life. He taught her everything he knew about the earth and magic. He loved her more than anything. Being such a close part of Lillith and part witch, she attracted attention. She was beautiful. Jon watched her, a lot. He waited for his chance. He captured her and did unspeakable things to her. Then he murdered her."

"That’s horrid."

"It was. When Aleks, who was thirteen at the time, found his father in the woods with the dead girl he took her body and hid it and covered up the murder. He never told anyone what he'd done. Ethan looked everywhere for his daughter. Finally he traded his goodness to the taint. He used dark magic to find out the truth of the matter. Destroyed by the fact she was dead and so badly used he lost his mind. Instead of killing Jon he cursed him. Ethan assumed the towns people had known about what had happened and helped Jon cover it up. Ethan made him into a monster that would kill all of their daughters. He would destroy all of their lives and never be able to be killed. He then cursed the young boy who had helped cover it up to clean up after his father everyday of his life. He made it so Aleks was an immortal who would rise when killed and forever find his joy in life feeding off the pain and misery his father's acts created."

Ophelia shivered, "That’s sick. Why didn’t he just kill him?"

Oliver looked down, "The darkness is strong and when you let it get a hold of you it makes your choices for you. More chaos comes from the decision made to create a monster instead."

"Where is Ethan now? Maybe he can fix Jon."

Oliver pulled the blankets off the bed and wrapped them around her, "No he died. Henry killed him."

She snuggled into his chest feeling all of the sexual energy gone, "He killed his own brother?"