Watch of the Wicked (Devil's Witch Book 3)

Stella’s been going back and forth between staying over at Colin’s and her own house in town. She hasn’t brought up me moving out yet since last week so I’m hoping it will be a while yet because I can’t afford to live anywhere else right now.

Babies are expensive little creatures.

Willow and Jax are getting a little pickier with their food too. They’ve gotten bigger too and smarter. They don’t like the powdered blood baby formula the high council gave us anymore.

I’ve resorted to feeding them cow blood from hamburger meat. It’s the easiest and most affordable meat I can buy. They also can eat it safely without me worrying about them choking on something more chewy like chicken or steak. It’s straight of Tom’s own growing cattle farm too so it should be much healthier than store bought.

Someone knocks on the front door, I set down my piece of leftover pizza. Stella’s sleeping over at Colin’s tonight. She didn’t text me about forgetting anything here. It’s too late in the afternoon for a mail delivery. It must be Tom, but he told me he would be at the farm all day mowing.

I check the window first before opening the door. I blink thinking I’m seeing things. Only I’m not. My magic still feels gone, but what was I expecting? I certainly wasn’t expecting him to be...alive. My heart pounds heavily as I stagger away from the window. I clutch the railing at the bottom of the staircase.

My mind races as I slump to the ground.

Did the devil resurrect him? I saw him die.

The doorknob rattles. “Aren’t you going to let me in?” his smooth voice asks gently. I shudder wondering what he’s thinking coming here.

He must use his own craft because the door unlocks and opens on its own revealing my old boss behind it. His hair is combed back neatly just like I remember it always being. He’s even got on his same sunglasses too. My heart flutters when he takes them off and his dark blue eyes scan over my face in that lazy way of his.

His gaze departs from as he glances over the downstairs area around us.

I don’t know what to say. He doesn’t look like he just crawled out of his grave though. How long has he been alive for? My dream days ago with him in it, was it a conjoined dream? I don’t feel the conjoinment between us now. I thought my magic would maybe return when I saw him outside, but I don’t feel it or even see his.

It shouldn’t make me disappointed, but I do feel a part of me is lost. I feel grounded when Nick is around as wrong as it is. It’s as though something inside me returned, something that was away while he was in the grave. I shouldn’t feel safe around him, but I...can’t help it. I stand up, regaining my composure.

“How are you here?” I whisper while hugging my arms anxiously.

He steps around me and closes the door. “One of my subordinates dug me up.”

“H-how-”

“It’s not really important, Ms. Parway. I did not come here to catch up,” he begins all-business like. I thought he would at least care to know about the babies or something. Or me. Wait, what am I thinking? What he thinks and wants is irrelevant. I’m sure the coven will be here any moment. “I need to know if you are willing to donate some of your blood to me. I am in need of it quite badly since my body hasn’t fully healed yet from the grave.”

I give him a long look. Can’t he see the fear written across my face? How could he just demand me give it to him without any explanation as to how he’s alive again in the first place. Has he always been this blunt, this demanding? Of course he has, Stella told me how blind my muddled feelings made me to his behavior.

I’ve forgiven him too many times. I don’t know why I’m crying now. I should have cried long ago when he killed all those innocent people.

“No, I...I already fed the babies today. What’s happened to you? Why won’t you tell me?” I whisper through silent tears.

A grin forms on his face. He doesn’t say anything and just watches me as if amused. I don’t mean to unload on him, but I can’t hold back anymore. “I thought you were going to fight the high council. Why did you let them kill you?” I ask through a sob while seeing him close the distance between us.

“I got tired of fighting and tired of being around a helpless girl like you. I needed a do-over. Don’t take it personally.”

I flinch feeling his cold hand cradle the side of my face. He makes a tssking sound through his clenched teeth as if aggravated by me. Then with a much weaker smile, he drops his hand clasping them behind his back.

“It is essential the portal remain closed. Give me your blood now so I can have the strength to get the coven away from it.”

“No,” I tremble stepping away from him.

He grabs my arm squeezing tight. I go still seeing anger flash in his eyes. I scream, but who’s going to here me? My body tenses up under his bruising hold.

“Please, don’t do this.”

“I don’t care what you want, witch. Can’t you see? The only value you have to me is your blood. You won’t be getting your magic back so quit crying. It makes you look more ugly than you are already are -- inside and out.”

He lets go of my arm with a grunt of disgust. I fall to the ground, a crying mess. What was I expecting?

“I thought you wanted to change,” I whimper, but I think Stella might have been right about him all along.

He stomps over to the door as if to take his leave, “Change? The only one who needs to change is the coven, Ms. Parway. Perhaps, you as well. You are clinging onto something that never existed.”

“What?” I sniffle while scrambling to my feet.

He looks furious. I feel his magic move around me rapidly making me lose my footing. Stealing me of balance in violent gusts of wind coming from all directions. I’ve never felt him use it against me before. I yelp falling back to the ground when it pushes me further away from him.

“I’ll get my blood somewhere else,” he chides in a quiet voice while slamming the door shut on his way out.

I’m not going to worry about him anymore. The coven will take care of him. Yet, a small part of me hoped...

No, I can’t go there. The children don’t need him either. I should just be glad he left.

***

I haven’t gotten a call from Will yet so I’m guessing they haven’t found Nick yet. Stella hasn’t called me either. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised the ward didn’t break since he’s pretty skilled with his magic. Still, William told me any magic user except him and Stella would be fried like chicken entering the house.

It’s just been a day since Nick showed. I can’t keep dwelling and worrying.

The kids kind of help with that. Now that they can walk, I feel like they are constantly on the verge of causing trouble. I didn’t know vampire children grew so quickly. They aren’t even a year old and already they are big enough to be four year olds. Intelligent enough to be too. Stella and I have been trying to get them to talk, but we haven’t had much luck.

I can’t keep taking off work to watch them at home. They’re too big to be kept in Colin’s office. Maybe I can take them to a summer camp or something. I have been saving money. Stella’s wedding isn’t until the fall so I shouldn’t be moving out for a bit either.

The kids aren’t as “bity” as they used to be.

“Looks like you’re going to be stuck with me all summer,” I whisper in an even voice while wiping the last of my tears away. They’ve been sleeping in my bed for the last few days.

I can’t help thinking about the devil and Nick and everything else involved in their creation. It’s a grim reality and I barely understand it myself.

A part of me feels inclined to call Will about Nick’s awakening, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t want to get involved. Neither do I want to stay stuck in this house all day crying over my situation.

Strange how I don’t feel so scared anymore, I think I’m just numb after facing the fact that Stella was right about him. He just wanted to use me all along.

Since it’s still early in the afternoon, I wake the kids up and get out their meat from the fridge. It’s not long before they finish eating and we head out in Stella’s car. I’m going to check out this summer camp I got a flyer from in the mail yesterday.

It’s supposed to be for supernatural children only, but I don’t know if they will take hybrids because I don’t if the children are pureblooded vamps or have witch blood in them too. I only assume they do since I gave birth to both of them. It’s actually in Wixton so I won’t be far if there’s an emergency.

Willow and Jax are playing with their coloring books in the backseat. I pull off onto the backroad the GPS tells me to take to reach Camp Haven. I follow the wooden sign with the big painted rainbow and barn underneath its name.

A cluster of log cabins is at the end of the crumbling road. The camp is located over on Will’s side of the mountain -- where his family ski resort is. The coven is fully aware of its presence. Will was the one who collected enough donors to support the new camp.

It looks really nice and I’m glad he’s made something like this. I think it will help our community heal and help future supernatural generations get along. I hope the kids will like it, that’s why we’re to check things out first. The last place I’d want to send them to is a coven-funded brainwashing center. Will assured me there were no “higher-up” witches working here, but that doesn’t mean anything to me.

There’s two strings of long ribboned flags hanging across the circle of cabins. In the middle, is a mound of dirt with rocks circled around it. I imagine it will be where they place a flagpole maybe or another camp sign. The log cabins are a lot bigger than the flyer made them appear. I park behind a yellow school bus a bunch of kids are bounding out of.

I follow the visitor signs holding Jax and Willow’s hands as we walk into the admissions office. Everything looks brand new. The walls are painted grey though, a little somber for a place described as happy. On the walls are several historical pictures in black and white of agriculture life in our community.

I watch an older woman round the desk. She wears a bright yellow shirt with “Camp Haven” written in bold on the back. Willow squeezes my hand tighter.

“Hello! Oh, look at these cute little munchkins.”

“Careful, they may bite,” I laugh lightly while tugging them back a little.

“R-right, sorry. I just got hired here. I’m still getting used to being around so many supernaturals. This is such a nice camp though. I’m Barbara,” she says while walking back around the front desk. “I’m just going to need you to fill out-”

“Oh, I’m not sure if I’m ready to sign them up yet. I just came to have a look around and see if the kids would be comfortable here. Is there a map or maybe I could just walk a little to see the place a little more?”

“Of course! I’ll find a counselor to give you a little tour if you’d like!” A few other camp members meanuvor around her behind the desk helping other parents.

She picks up a stack of papers and slides them over to me. On top of the stack is a colored map of the campgrounds. Beneath it is a burgandy folder with camp prices and more information about costs and activities.

“It will be about a grand per month for each child depending on which activities you sign them up for. Now,” she points to a blue circle on the map. “Here’s the pool and over there is the tennis court. If you walk out of this building and follow the trail marked with the blue triangle you can go right down to here. If you wish to see the lake and the fishing post first, I’d recommend following the main trail right outside this building.”

Willow starts gnawing on my hand, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to make the woman raise an eyebrow.

I shake my hand a little until Willow lets go. Then I give the woman a reassuring smile to show her I’m not in pain. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I can afford to have them here. Well, I think I may wait before deciding is what I mean,” I say unsure.

Something lightly pats my back, guiding me slightly to the side. I jump a little, feeling something wash over me. Must be the air conditioning in here because it is freezing. I look up, sure enough, I’m standing right under the vent.

A man steps out from behind me. He’s got on one of those floppy fishing hats wearing the same yellow shirt Barbara is.

“Excuse me, just need to get through with these boxes.”

A few other camp members gather around him and help him set the boxes in front of the desk. They’re for food donations.

“Ethan! Can you show her around? She’s a visitor. I just got off break so I won’t be able to, you mind?” she asks him.

Ethan’s light brown eyes find me beneath the mess of his shaggy auburn hair. “Not at all, Barb. I was lookin’ for something to do. I just dropped off my cabin crew at the mess hall.”

“Perfect!”

My face goes pale seeing Jax and Willow run over to Ethan. Jax bares his fangs. Willow runs around the man with her arms spread out like an eagle.

The counselor doesn’t look as young as some of the other adults I saw leading the children around. He seems older. Maybe around my age. I wonder if Barbara is a counselor too or if she just does the desk?

I gasp seeing Ethan bare his fangs at the kids giving me quite the scare. I bite my lip hurrying over when Jax decides to bite the counselor’s leg. Willow hides behind one of the chairs in the lounge watching the two vampires.

“Jax!” I scold while trying to pull him off. “I don’t know if...” I trail off seeing the counselor bend down to Jax’s eye-level completely calm. Isn’t he in pain?

He hisses, making a low gutteral noise threatening enough to make me think twice about helping him. Jax, by some miracle, retracts his fangs as something smelly fills the air. Did he poop himself? I watch him cower back from the vampire counselor and return to my leg where he hides his face in with a tremble.

Ethan catches the shock on my face while retracting his fangs. He waves his hand in dismissal, “It was just like getting bit by a gnat.”

He walks over to me, Willow flocks back over to my side hugging my leg too.

A bunch of parents in the room saw the whole ordeal, but this isn’t the coven. No one is going to attack anyone for something...natural. I need to relax. There is no need to freak out.

Ethan blows a kiddie whistle in my face, shattering my thoughts. He trots ahead of me barking with laughter. I guess the attention he and Jax already made wasn’t enough.

“Let’s go. There’s so much to see!” he exclaims while marching dramatically as he makes his way outside.

He blows the whistle again. I wince, covering my ears at the shrill noise. The kids love it though and run after him like he’s Santa or something.

“Woah!” I whisper-yell almost missing the step leading out of the log building.

It’s spray painted in neon orange, but silly me wasn’t even watching where I was going. I look up finding Ethan’s whistle blowing has drawn the attention of more children -- camp members. They join Jax and Willow in a line, running out of their cabins like little chickens to follow the aloof counselor down a path into the woods.

“Who wants s’mores tonight?” Ethan hollers.

“Me!” the kids all scream.

I hurry after them not so annoyed by Ethan’s rowdy behavior, but at myself for not having much endurance and lagging far behind them. He guides the kids down the trail while I’m still trying to find where we are on the map Barbara gave me.

The kids are all wearing neon green shirts, easy for me to spot ahead. I hurry down the path and give up on using the map.

I find them near a ravine sitting in a circle around a very dead looking firepit. Ethan picks up a red plastic container behind his own lawn chair and dumps it over the sticks in the pit. One of the older kids hands him a match box. He drops it after lighting it with a lighter. The kids go wild seeing the gasoline explosion bring life to the firepit.

After a while, the kids have all made their s’mores and are well on their way to a sugar rush as they play tag around the fire Ethan tends. He’s been poking a long stick in it moving around the crackling logs.

“Thanks for bringing them down here,” Ethan smiles at my comment and stands up from his chair stretching his legs. He tosses the flaming stick into the river. It passes dangerously close to one of the kids, but I don’t think he even noticed because his head was turned the other way. At me.

“No, no, no. It’s my pleasure! Look at them all,” he boasts while watching the kids he barely supervises. Half of them ran off in the woods back toward the cabin. The others are playing around the rushing water’s edge now making me nervous and I don’t even work here. “They are having so much fun,” he says in a quieter voice while watching something with deep concentration in his hand.

It’s a dead moth. It’s looks all shredded up like he had been toying with it and tearing apart its body. He tosses the remains of its body over his shoulder.

“You ever fly before?”

“On my broom,” I answer too quickly.

I’m not a witch anymore. Brooms, magic, the whole deal...is in the past.

“Oh, wow!” he gushes like one of the kids. I regret speaking completely seeing his attention is already on the dozens of eyes watching us, “Hey, kids! Get on over here!”

After explaining to Ethan and the children I’m not a witch anymore, which most of them didn’t believe, I managed to round up Jax and Willow. They were both acting grumpy at having to part ways from the very outgoing counselor. I didn’t really get to see much of the camp, but it was fun...even if a little out of my comfort zone coming here and being around so many children.

“Oh!” I shout in surprise seeing Ethan use his vamp speed and appear right beside the car. He leans down, peering into the window as if to catch a word in before I drive off.

“Hey! Where you headed in such a hurry?”

“Home for dinner.”

“Dinner? You got a date?”

I nod my head. “Something like that.”

“Oh yeah? He drive a black pick-up and headed this way?” Ethan says while looking up and over at Will.

He waves at us while looking down at Ethan giving him the typical alpha male once over. Ethan fiddles with his thumbs looking downward. He is quite shorter than Will, but comes off having that discreet farmer strength no thanks to his cut off muscle shirt camp tee. It kind of does give him that country bumpkin look.

“You! Who the hell are you?” Will asks him cockily. “Creepin’ on a single mother. Get my car moved around back so y’all can get the new signs posted out by the road!”

I scoff at his rude behavior.

Ethan juts his chin out while pursing his lips, narrowing his eyes. A slow smile forms on his face though as he turns back to me ignoring Will.

“Do not worry about a thing, mayor. I got it all under control!” Ethan hollers over his shoulder.

He taps the top of the car. I roll up the window seeing him turn away. Before Will can fill his place beside the car door, I accelerate the vehicle.