Burkheart Witch Saga Book 3 (7 page)

G
race sat on the sofa
, fidgeting like a criminal awaiting the first day of trial.

"What are they doing? What the hell is taking so long?"

"I'm sure they are fine, honey," Daisy said as she wiped her nose and patted Grace's knee.

"This is all my fault, Daisy. If I had never made that wish, none of this would be happening."

"You know that is not true, Grace," Joy interjected as she sat down by her side.

Jorek walked over to the window and squinted his eyes, trying to see something in the distance.

"What is it, Jorek?"

"Princess, I fear something is coming. We need to prepare ourselves."

"What's coming?"

"I do not know, but I can tell you that it is not good. We must fortify to fight against anything that may approach. Are you strong enough, Princess?"

"Yes. I can do whatever we need to do."

Joy rose to her feet. "Let's get to the kitchen and start mixing up some potions, then."

Grace stood up next to her and felt a wave of dizziness that threatened to send her reeling. As she felt herself stumbling, she reached her hand out to stabilize herself on anything nearby. Out of nowhere, a small table materialized just in time for her to grab hold of the edge. The witches watched in wonder as the table disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"Whoa, how did you do that?" Violet asked with wide eyes.

"I'm not sure. It just happened."

"Can you control it?"

"Yes… mostly."

"Well, that should come in handy later," Violet said, following the others to the kitchen.

The women, along with Jorek, set about mixing potions in the kitchen. It looked like a scene from anyone's Thanksgiving celebration. All of them were tootling about, grabbing pots, pans and wooden spoons. The only difference was, instead of measuring sage and cinnamon, the witches were using ingredients like toadstool and mandrake. Jorek took a jar of wolfsbane and added a pinch to his bubbling pot.

Violet stood back with her trusty notebook in hand.

"All right, we have a protection potion, a warding amulet, and a stunning liquid. Can you think of anything else we may need?" she asked the rest of the group.

"I think that if we need anything more than these, along with our own magic, we have bigger problems to deal with," Joy replied.

"Right," Vi agreed. "We have the stakes sharpened and the silver knives ready."

She made a check mark in her notebook after every item she read off.

"I think we are ready, then," Daisy said, sounding a little shaky in her resolve.

"As we will ever be," Grace replied, scared to death.

R
oland swirled
the eighteen-year-old single malt scotch in the crystal glass and watched the amber liquid splash over the clear cubes of ice. He swallowed the remainder in one large gulp, but when he brought the glass down to the desk, it was filled again.
One more advantage to being a djinn
, he thought to himself,
never ending scotch
.

"Also, ice cubes that do not melt," he chuckled aloud and took another swig from the glass.

He rose from his velvet chair and walked to the mahogany bar. He had no need to do so, but going through the motions felt good to him. It gave him some feeling of normalcy. The array of crystal decanters filled with various colors of liquor reflected the light in the form of small prisms of color. It really was a beautiful sight. He ran his fingers over the cold stone and sighed to himself. There was so much beauty in this world that could not be tarnished by any form of ugliness.

"What do you want?" he asked the woman that now stood behind him.

He did not need to turn around to know who it was. He could feel her spirit in his soul. It was black and rancid like rotting meat that churned in his belly.

"I want you to obey," she whispered. "I am your mistress."

"You are that." His defeated tone sounded foreign to his own ears. He took a large swig of his scotch and reached for the decanter to pour himself a full glass.

"Right now, the witch is vulnerable. I could take her over and have the baby to myself. This could be finished tonight."

"You know that is beyond my power. Souls must be given freely or the vessel must be empty. You know this, so why do insist on wishing for things you cannot have? If it were that easy, there would be no need for this ridiculous charade."

"Oh, my sweet Am-Sher-Al, you forget the pain," the woman said as her smoky visage took corporeal form. She placed a hand on the djinn's shoulder, slowly running her fingers down his bare back. As the ring she wore touched his flesh, he flinched away. An imprint of the ring's stone burned into his shoulder blade as she held it in place. "You forget how much pain you have endured."

"Stop this, please," he begged. "You do not have to do this. It is not right."

"Right means nothing to me anymore. Right only means pain and death. I once cared about right and look where it got me. Look where it got the both of us."

"That is not how it has to be. We could leave this place, and I will be forever in your service. I believe that Grace is kind and good, much as you were once. Leave her be, and we can be together forever."

"She is nothing more than a spoiled child that cares nothing for her lineage and even less for you. She would kill you as easily as she pours tea. You behave as though you love her."

"I love no one. Any ability to love was extinguished a long time ago. I am cold inside, as you are."

She reached out again and pulled him around to face her. She raised her hand back to strike him, and he took hold of her wrist, looking into her green eyes.

"Please do not do this, Mistress. I live only to serve you."

Roland stroked her cheek with his other hand and leaned into her. Their lips met and she allowed herself to relax in his strong arms. As they parted, she sighed and placed her palms flat on his chest.

"It will be done. The witch will die and that baby will be mine."

Roland's eyes shimmered a brighter blue as his mistress gave him a cold, steely stare.

"Your wish is my command," he replied with a profound heartache.

The ring of the phone startled them, even though they both knew who was calling. Roland pulled away to answer it.

"Grace, how can I serve you?"

He listened intently for a moment and then answered in a hushed tone.

"I will be there shortly."

As he turned back to face his mistress, all he saw was a slight shimmer where she had once stood. She was gone for now, and he was alone with his own guilt and sadness. He took another drink of his scotch and placed the empty glass on the bar. He turned to go and smoothed the black suit jacket that he now wore. He was off to betray the small bit of soul he had left.

L
ogan led
the way through the woods, and the rest of the group followed. He dipped under low-hanging branches and took long strides over flat lands.

"How much further?" Kayla asked the vampire.

"Almost there. I know it's coming up here real soon."

"It had better be."

"You know, I am really shocked at you people. I never really talked to witches like you before, but I always heard you were goody two shoes tree hugger types. I never woulda guessed that you had such crappy attitudes."

"Yeah well, my give-a-damn got broken a while ago. Also, I've never been too fond of bloodsuckers."

"That is a derogatory term that I take serious offense to," he said indignantly. "Racist."

"I'll just have to live with myself somehow."

"You are gonna be so surprised," the vampire snorted as a smile spread across his pale face.

"Surprised at what?"

"Them." He raised his arms and pointed up to the top of a small hill ahead of them.

On top of the hill, silhouetted by the rising moon stood two large figures. One stood on two legs with his arms outstretched between two pine trees, the other was crouched down on all fours with its back arched unnaturally low. The standing figure raised its head as a blood-curdling howl issued from its snout.

"Oh great, flea bags, too," Doc said as he took a defensive stance.

Logan turned toward the group and smiled a wide, toothy grin. As the group looked on, he began to change. His fangs lengthened as he fell to his knees. Long wiry hair sprouted from his shoulders where his shirt had ripped open.

"Holy shit," Gus whispered.

The vampire-wolf hybrid stood up, puffing his chest out as his transformation continued.

Kayla pulled the wooden stake from her back pocket and held it in front of her, pointed toward the monster.

The thing laughed as its eyes turned a bright yellow. Kayla took her hand off the stake and watched it float in mid-air. With her palms up, she pushed the weapon forward with her mind. It flew through the air with immense force and buried itself in Logan's chest. He looked down at the piece of wood and grinned again. Within seconds, his smile turned to a grimace of pain as smoke began billowing out of the wound. He began to shrink back to his vampire form as he let out an ungodly half scream, half howl. His transformed hands grasped the stake as he looked up at Kayla.

"How?"

"Silver-tipped stake, asshole. A girl can't ever be too prepared."

Logan's look of confusion faded as he fell to the ground and disintegrated into a pile of ash. The two wolves on the hill howled again before they charged toward the group standing over what used to be Logan. They moved with lightning speed, their claws digging into the layer of pine needles and moist earth. Kayla, Doc, Mooney, and Gus joined hands, raising them to form a makeshift circle. Light grew in the center and enveloped them, forming a barrier that the first wolf crashed into. He let out a yelp and fell onto his back in the dirt. The second wolf stopped short and began circling the group like a hungry shark in the open sea. As the first stood up and shook off his tumble, he joined the circling.

Kayla chanted to herself as the light grew in size and intensity, forcing the wolves back.

"Boys!" a familiar voice called out from the dark of the woods. "You're going to singe your fur. Come here to me."

The two wolves immediately bowed their heads and moved away from the circle of light. From the shadows, the group watched as Kayla's body, inhabited by Carolyn, stepped forward. She was dressed in a black pantsuit that was tailored to fit her perfectly.

"Well, well Kayla, aren't you a sight? I have to say that ginger man suit does not fit you at all." She threw her head back and cackled. "Now this body, I must say, is a nice change. I guess clean living was the way to go, apparently. You have definitely been eating your Wheaties."

"You are disgusting," Kayla snarled.

Carolyn stepped forward and put her hand up inches away from the protective shield.

"This is quite impressive, too. I have to say that I have been thoroughly enjoying using this body of yours. You've done well keeping yourself in shape. After spending a few nights with that husband of yours, I can see why." She smiled lasciviously as she ran her hands down her borrowed body, lingering over Kayla's breasts and firm stomach. "I always thought he was a little bit of a wuss, but
wow
, he is a wildcat in the sack."

Kayla tried hard to hold her temper while her mother continued her taunts.

"Then there is all that money! You and that husband are quite the crafty little chipmunks, aren't you? Investing and saving for a rainy day. Well, I am definitely enjoying the rain. It's funny, I walked into the bank and they all tripped over their tongues to give me whatever I wanted. My new Cadillac is pretty awesome, fully loaded, of course, and all of these new clothes…" She twirled in a circle, displaying her attire. "I threw out all of the mom jeans and tee shirts that you were stockpiling, by the way."

"Go to Hell," Kayla said through gritted teeth.

"Been there, done that," Carolyn snorted.

Kayla looked over at Mooney and asked him non-verbally if he was ready. He nodded and closed his eyes, building a singular power inside of himself. As the others stepped back, widening their circle, he stepped to the center. His arms raised above his head as a golden glow shot from his palms. Once there were two full streams flowing from his hands, the group broke apart and formed a line facing Carolyn and her wolves. Kayla jumped forward, picking the silver-tipped stake up from the ground. When the first wolf pounced, she raised the stake and fell back as the wolf overtook her. Its jaw snapped inches from her face. She held fast to its throat with one hand while she used the other hand to drive the stake through the monster's throat into its brain. The now human eyes rolled back into his head, and the full weight of the animal collapsed on top of her. She pushed forward and felt the flesh shifting and transforming back into human form. The naked body turned over onto its back and stared blankly into the night sky. Kayla pulled the stake from its skull with a loud popping sound and turned to locate the second wolf.

To her right, she saw Doc flat on his back with the wolf towering over him, ready to bite. Gus stood behind the animal with his arms wrapped around its neck, holding it back.

"Gus," Kayla yelled out then tossed the stake through the air.

He let go of the wolf long enough to catch the stake and thrust it down with all his force. The wolf howled as the stake buried into its shoulder blades. It jumped up and writhed around on all fours, transforming. When it became more human than wolf, it stood up and reached back to try and get hold of the burning weapon. A throaty growling, mewling sound came from the fully formed man. His hands found purchase and pulled the piece of wood from his back. He brought it forward and looked at it for a moment before he weakly charged toward Gus. The dwarf stepped to the side just before the man fell face first to the ground at his feet, unmoving.

Kayla breathed a sigh of short-lived relief before she felt hands grasping her shoulders from behind. With surprising force, Carolyn pulled her to the ground and jumped on top off her.

Kayla grabbed her by the throat, forcing her backward. Kayla took advantage of Carolyn's disorientation and got to her feet. Her mother wasted no time in charging her with her head down, meaning to drop her back to the ground. Kayla braced herself for the impact and took the full force of the charge to her midsection. As the air was forced from her lungs, she held fast to her standing position and reached down to grab Carolyn around the waist. She picked her up and flipped her upside down, surprising the witch with her strength. Carolyn's legs flailed in the air for a moment before Kayla threw her body forward. She landed in a heap on the pine needle-covered ground. She tried to stand and get her footing, but she slipped on the bed of needles and went down to her knees. Kayla stepped forward in a rage, wanting nothing more than to choke the life out of her mother. She stopped short when the beam of golden light shot past her and hit Carolyn in the center of her chest.

"What the hell?" she cried out, falling flat on her back. "You ruined my blouse!"

Kayla stepped toward her, but stopped again when Mooney called out to her.

"Don't touch her. I've got this."

He raised his arms again, holding the beam of light on Carolyn's chest. Her body raised up from the ground and floated a foot above the pine needle carpet.

"What are you doing? Stop it," she yelled out in surprise.

"Necromancy. I have been practicing. Technically, you are dead."

He moved back, and her body moved with him through the air. Kayla and Doc stepped up and used a piece of rope to bind her hands while Mooney chanted a spell to bind her powers, at least temporarily.

"You won't get away with this. I will kill you all," Carolyn spat.

"You've already failed a few times at that, so give it your best shot." Doc smiled at her.

"Let's get her back. This magic won't last forever."

With Mooney's magical help, they loaded Carolyn into the trunk of the car. She continued shouting curses and threats at them.

"I'll get rid of you forever, and your stupid daughter, too."

With that, Kayla balled her hand into a fist and swung. Carolyn collapsed into the trunk when the large, meaty hand connected with her jaw. Her head lolled to the side as she lost consciousness.

"Shut your mouth, bitch."

With that, they started the car and made the drive back into the city.