Witch (The Devil's Roses 4)

Ari looked at Lorri, "I could push Alise when we get her."

Lorri shook her head, "Last resort Ari. You know what happens when you mess with your own circle. Christ only knows what we'll end up with. Aimee, take Brandon, Sam, Ari and Luke with you. Hanna bring Sam's mom."

Hanna lifted her into the air.

Lorri smirked at Daniel, "Hanna here is going to rip one of your rotten legs off and shove it up your ass if you try anything funny."

Hanna smiled at Daniel.

She carried Sam's mom like she weighed nothing. Lorri touched Giselle who gripped Daniel. Hanna put a hand on Lorri's shoulder.

Lorri looked worried, "Aimes you and Sam flash if you have to. No matter what. Leave the sisters if you have to."

Sam felt the order in the words. It wasn’t a suggestion.

Lydia ran to Lorri, "I'll come with you. I've spelled the room. They can't come in here. We need to get out of here now."

Lorri was gone as Lydia's hand touched her shoulder.

Aimee hugged Blake again.

He sobbed into her chest, "Oh god. Oh god Aimee. I've done so many bad things."

He slumped on the floor at her feet and covered his face in shame.

A loud bang on the door interrupted.

Sam gave Aimee a look. She nodded and pointed to the back door Daniel had come through, "Does this lead to Alise?"

Blake blubbered into his hands speaking inaudible bits.

Aimee grabbed his arms, "Blake we can cry when we get home. I need you to focus now."

He wiped his eyes and repositioned his glasses, "That way." He pointed at the back door.

She shook him, "I need your help. Can you help me?"

Aimee's face looked desperate.

Blake nodded, "I'm so sorry Aimes. I shoulda believed you. It was real. It was all real."

Aimee sighed, "We can do this at home Blake. I need to get my sister."

He sniffed and wiped his hands on his sleeve.

Ari had the door open and both wolves were in the hall. She peeked back, "Hey Dorian is in the hall waiting for us."

Sam was last into the hallway. He couldn’t believe they finally had Daniel. Lorri could finally cross it off her to do list.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Ophelia or the fact her father had her.

Dorian looked pissed.

He hissed at Sam, "Your mom is in on it."

Sam nodded, "I think she's compelled."

Dorian shook his head, "Nope. It’s a match."

Sam felt sick, "What?"

Dorian nodded, "Fucking Sirens. Have you guys seen Oliver?"

Sam shook his head.

Ari whispered, "We need to keep moving."

Dorian glared at her, "This was a set up. Notice how they don’t have any security here?"

Sam nodded, "Jonathan was willing to trade it all for Ophelia?"

They followed the huge wolves through a series of halls and past a massive kitchen. Sam felt like his stomach was in his throat.

Dorian looked at Ari, "I'm going to find Ophelia. If I don’t come back, I'm sorry."

Ari grinned, "Sorry you died on me?"

He shook his head solemnly, "That I never knew. I would have tried if I'd known."

She shoved him, "Stop being a weirdo. You're like a cockroach. Nothing can kill you." His eyes flashed at Ari for a moment. He smiled and leaned into kiss her on the cheek. He glanced at Sam, "You get her out."

Sam nodded and Dorian was gone.

Blake stopped outside of a door, "This one."

His thin pale fingers trembled. He looked sick seeing the door.

Aimee shoved him to the side and kicked the door open.

Sam clutched his nose instantly. The smell was unbearable. Aimee looked horrified as she stepped in. The dark room was a cell. It reminded him of Marcus's dungeon.

There was a small cot, a shower, and a toilet. The dark concrete room had no one in it but from the stink whoever had been in there was dead when they were removed.

Old dark brown blood stains covered the mattress.

Aimee looked at Blake like she wanted to strangle him. He shook his head, "She was here."

Aimee stormed from the room and started kicking in the every door in the hallway.

"You have a very bad temper has anyone ever told you that?"

Sam looked down the hall by the kitchen they passed. Oliver stood there with a grin pasted on his face.

Sam flashed at him but he was already down the far side of the other hall. Sam flashed there but he was in the ceiling looking down from the grate, "We can play this all day or we can just trade."

Aimee scowled up at him, "What could you possibly want from us?"

Oliver tilted his head, "You Aimee."

She walked under the grate where he sat, "Fine done. Everyone else walks free."

Oliver flashed to the far side of the hall opposite Sam, "Walk out the door behind you into the snow. There is a courtyard. Stay there. We will meet you outside." He was gone.

Sam looked at Aimee, "No. No this is a bad idea. Why do they want you so badly?"

She shrugged, "I don’t know." She looked defeated, "At this point what does it matter? Aleks is dead. Shane is heartbroken. My sister is most likely dead." She turned to Sam and smiled, "You know where I want my body to go."

He nodded, "I don’t know what can kill you Aimes. They may want you alive."

Ari put a hand on Aimee, "This is a bad idea. Let me push him." She glanced at Blake. Blake looked nervous.

Aimee shook her head, "You know what Lydia says."

Aimee turned and walked to the door. She put a hand up to it and looked back at Blake. She rushed him and threw her arms around his neck. Her held her tight.

They whispered into each other's necks. Aimee shook from the sobbing. She pushed herself off of him and turned to face the door. She looked at Sam and pushed as hard as she could.

The cold arctic air blasted them. It was miserably cold for July. Sam looked at Blake who started to shiver.

"Stay in the hallway."

Blake nodded and stepped back in. Ari grabbed him by the arm, "No. This is my insurance." She dragged him out into the cold.

He looked as white as the snow. Sam scanned the white courtyard for movement.

Luke lowered and growled as Oliver walked toward them. In each hand he had a thin girl. Sam knew they must be Alise and Abbey. He could pick out Alise right away. She was sickly skinny and covered in sores. She wore baggy jeans and a pale pink t-shirt. Her dark hair was around her like a filthy cape and matted with things. Abbey too was covered in sores. He assumed they were bite marks. Her blonde hair was pulled back in messy ponytail, like bed head. Her jeans were ripped and torn and her light blue t-shirt was bloody.

Another man walked out into the courtyard with Oliver. He looked almost identical to Ophelia. Instantly he knew it was her father.

He smiled and held his hands out, "Roses. It's wonderful to meet you all. Sorry for being such a poor host. I'm sure you understand the time constraints placed upon me, what with Ophelia and Tristan turning eighteen and all."

Aimee stepped forward, "Look you want me to stay. I want them all to go free. Cut the shit and niceties."

He nodded, "I like your style Aimee. It's a shame we have to kill you."

He pulled a gun from behind his back and raised and fired it before Sam could register what was happening.

Sam screamed, "No." He flashed at Aimee. She stumbled forward in the snow. Blake screamed but Ari held him tight. Sam held her arm.

Her sister screamed and pulled from Oliver's hands. He held her tight to his side.

Sam looked down at the snow. Black blood dripped onto the white snow. He rolled her on her back revealing something he never thought he would see. Aimee's skin was singed where the bullet made a huge hole.

She cried out from the fiery wound spreading up her pale stomach.

"You see Aimee, Dorian made you for one reason. Each of us makes something different. I create vampires. Not cursed ones like Marcus but real ones. We don’t know what Lorri creates, she has a rule about not making things. Oliver here creates succubus and incubus, emotional vampires if you will. Sam, your dad made what the natives called a Wendigo. Very horrid creature. He only made a few. Terrible plague on the earth. He refused to make any more. But Dorian makes something very special. He makes the cure. He made the one that took Anthony." Jonathan smirked and pointed to the sky, "He needed a backup plan, incase we decided to have fun instead of be Lorri's lapdogs. Dorian makes the backup plan. You are it my dear and I can't run the risk of you ruining any of my plans."

She leaned forward as the bullet wound spread. Ash fell to the ground where she leaned. She cried out.

Sam gripped her. He rocked her. Her fingers bit into him. Screams filled the courtyard. He blocked it all out.

She began to tremble.

Sam looked back at Ari and nodded. Her black eyes sparkled as she pushed the screaming Blake. The air sparkled around him.

Dorian was behind her in a flash, "Ahhh yes, Jonathan you have yet to meet my daughter."

Jonathan's mouth dropped. He looked back at Oliver with daggers.

Sam watched the show as everything around them froze for a second.

Blake was pacing around his house. Aimee lay on a bed sleeping. Blake was talking and pacing. Shane stood in front of him with his arms crossed. Shane shook his head. He looked angry. Suddenly Blake was standing in a room talking to Aimee. She looked devastated. She ran from the house.

Everything sparkled around them and suddenly Aimee was asleep on the bed again. He paced watching her. He looked upset but instead of leaving he went to his computer. He sat there looking exhausted. When she woke up she went to his side. He showed her websites and chats. Everything around them started to change. Jonathan screamed and leaped at Aimee but everything went black.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Ophelia

She stood in the kitchen at Lydia's holding a glass of water. She looked at Ari who shivered and sat down.

Ophelia looked at the glass in her hand. She remembered pouring herself the glass of water just as she remembered being tied up in her father's cell.