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

A familiar feeling drifts around me as I drag my feet harder into the ground. “Let go of me!” I shout.

The werewolf hauling me away lets go when my newly returned magic sends him flying over into the field. One of the other pack members shifts and snarls at me.

Having enough of them all, I make a break for it and round the bend of the house. High and dried dead grass crunches beneath my feet as I race into the canopy of woods to get away from my pursuers. I suppose is it nice to have my magic back at a time like this, but I’m afraid if I summon a flame or light out here one of the pack members will find me easier.

I have to use the darkness to my advantage and find somewhere to hide in this maze of trees.

“No,” I whisper catching sight of the whites of my bones shining through my skin.

“I see her!” someone yells roughly behind me.

Desperate, I try to use my magic to hide myself or in the least, use it to keep them away. However, it appears I don’t have any craft to use to defend myself.

"In infernis arderet."

I snap my fingers again after mumbling my exorcism spell, but nothing happens.

So I hop behind the nearest tree to try and avoid their sight. Something slippery meets my foot though and I go falling to the ground. There must be at least ten werewolves back here with me.

A loud, throaty scream pierces through the air above their trampling footsteps. A sharp whine follows and the wolves quiet down.

I scramble to my feet, catchimg sight of yellow eyes approaching me. The werewolf snarls, patting the ground territorially with its paws. I follow the movement seeing a large pile of thick snakeskin beneath their feet...and mine.

The furry snarling animal jumps at me before I can dodge. The hard bark of a tree meets my back as I slump to the ground, bitten for the second time tonight. Angry, I pick up a rock, but it makes a yipping noise and easily avoids the path of my pathetic throw.

Rage burns inside me, bringing me swaying back to my feet to face the heartless creature. I don’t want to use it in this way, but maybe it’s the devil telling me I have no choice. But right now, I could care less if it is or isn’t.

A breeze picks up by my feet, Nick’s dead snakeskin crackles and crunches as it gets lifted up and tossed around the thick bark of the pines surrounding me. My stomach tingles, but not in pain. The werewolf starts to rise off the ground against its will, its whimpers and cries muted by the sound of shrapnel whirring in the woods. A smile forms on my lips as my hair drifts around my face.

In my peripheral vision, I see two more of the stupid wolves trying to sneak up on me. I lift my left arm while keeping my other arm on the dog whining dog already in mid-air. The two hounds meet their terrified friend in the air by way of my magic.

A large black shape darts out of the shade of the woods to my right. Coming like a freight train, it circles underneath the floating pack members.

"Iss sie alle,” I whisper fiercely having no more pity.

The human in me, however, still shrinks back seeing Nick obey my familiar command.

He coils backward before rushing upward into the air. Shiny dark scales move across my line of sight, an aura of blood red and black snuffing out the three brown auras above me.

His lithe body lands on the ground of the forest with a thud that nearly shakes me off my feet. I fall against him using him as leverage to break my fall.

I try to ignore the sound of bones crushing inside him and quickly move away from him hearing his stomach gurgle in anticipation of the three new lumps inside him waiting to be digested. It looks like their weight may slow him down, but he resumes slithering around me. I’m starting to think the hungry he is, the bigger his snake body becomes.

“We need to leave,” he says suddenly.

I gasp, averting my stare when he appears right in front of me having shifted back to his human form. He pats his shirtless bloated stomach with a burp, looking over my head. I can’t really read his face though since its just shadows and bones like mine right now -- the consequence of using our conjoined magic.

I didn’t want to use it, but I had to get rid of the pack.

“You need clothes...” I squeak.

“Oh.”

I use our magic and close my eyes, focusing on the house and where we keep our clothes. A moment later, I offer him his folded uniform and he puts it on. A strange silence fills the air between us. I do feel kind of queasy after witnessing him eat the wolves, but I’m the one who...who made him do it.

What’s wrong with me?

“I’m s-sorry I made you do those terrible things. I shouldn’t have made you eat them.”

He coughs. “I’ve eaten worse, believe it or not. I do not mind assisting you. Although, I’m feeling thirsty after swallowing all that fur,” he says while picking at the collar of his jacket. He keeps scratching his neck.

I don’t know if he really knows how sorry I am, I try to hug him, but he steps back going rigid as his eyes darken in the night to a colorless black.

An icy chill slithers down my spine as he speaks in a voice I had wished to never hear again.

His lips brush over my own as he presses his forehead against mine. “My little witch.”

I want to move away, but my feet weigh me down with this sinking feeling. I shake my head rapidly like a child refusing to listen to the truth. Nick did tell me he thought the devil possessed him, but I thought those days were gone.

A breeze wafts my hair around my face. The next thing I know, his navy stare locks on mine as his bitemark pulsates on my neck.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Nothing,” I answer, hoping I’m right.

“We should go back inside. I killed the others-”

“What about Will?”

He doesn’t answer immediatly.

“He got away.”

***

I know he warded the house, but it doesn’t make me feel any safer from the coven. I don’t know if I’m going to be falling asleep after the stunt tonight.

“Why do we have to go all the way to South Carolina?” I ask Nick sleepily.

“It’ll be just like a vacation,” he says while taking off his watch. He sets it on the dresser before meeting me in bed. “Stella and Heinrich won’t be coming.”

“I know. We’re going to the other realm then, afterward, right?”

He turns off the lamp. “Yes.”

“And the children?”

“They’ll be coming along too,” he says while pulling me into his embrace.

I play with the edge of the quilt, twirling a loose string around my finger. “I know you didn’t mean to call me a witch earlier, but I think some part of you is bound to hate me for what I am. I know we already talked about it, but I’m just worried this won’t work out.”

“Are you having seconds thoughts?”

“No, but...you killed Will, didn’t you?”

His face moves away from the crook of my neck and settles back on his pillow. I can tell he must be thinking very carefully about his words.

I bite my lip, hoping I’m wrong. My gut tells me otherwise though.

“Of course I killed him, Valerie.”

“Okay,” is all I can say.

Even I can hear the sadness in my voice. I wish he wouldn’t have lied to me earlier. It scared me when he sounded like the devil. Now I know he’s starting to lie again.

I thought he overcame this, but maybe he never did.

Maybe the devil never even made him do anything, my doubtful mind probes.

No, I can’t think that now. I’m married to him and I...I trust him.

So why he is he starting to tell me little white lies?

Did the devil make him do it?

There’s no sense in asking him about it right now.

I’m sure I’ve lied too many times to count to keep Will safe from him. Maybe not so much now, but the warlock did mean something to me at one point.

I snuggle down in my covers feeling the weight of his arm adjust lower onto my back.

“I don’t think we’ll ever understand each other completely, but we just have to keep finding the good in one another,” I whisper with an open heart.

He presses a warm kiss against my lips and I eagerly reciprocate the notion. Funny how something once forbidden feels so natural now.

Maybe there always will be that part of me that feels guilty for marrying someone like him, but am I really any better?

After a while of sweet touches and talks, I slip out of our room after making sure my husband is asleep.

“Stella?” I whisper after knocking on the door of the room she’s staying in.

“Come in.”

I find her lounging on a leather sofa, leaned back with a laptop glowing in front of her.

“There’s no signal in this farm house.”

“Try the kitchen.”

She slams her laptop closed and sets it down on the cushioned seat. When she stands up, she fastens her pink fluffy robe tighter around herself looking irritated by something.

“You look pale,” she says while walking by me.

I lightly grab her arm, but quickly drop it when she gives me the stink eye.

“What’s the matter with you? Why are you acting so crabby?”

“Crabby? Val, I’ve been damned to hell with these blood suckers! I hate Heinrich, I hate this house and I hate you!” she screams. “I want my old life back,” she sobs into her hands.

When she sniffles, she moves her head up a little and glares at me through tears.

“I’m trying to make sure they take good care of-”

“What am I? A pet to you? They did this to me,” she grounds out. “You never come in here until you get bored of Mr. Satanic Cult Leader in there! Heinrich is terrible, let me tell you. He chained me up and locked me in the bathroom for days! Colin and I are over by the way, he’s dating some other vampire supremacist in here.”

She does sound miserable, but she looks stunning with her glossy curled short orange hair. Her makeup is perfect and if I’m right, those two designer bags laying on her bed are new.

Her big room is full of her old belongings from her room in her townhouse. I don’t recognise the golden doodle sleeping by her closet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she decided to get a familiar to help cope with the changes in her life.

I don’t recognise this bitterness in her either -- the bitterness that I caused. I’ve been too absorbed in my own issues and ignored my best friend’s suffering all this time.

“W-what else has happened to you?” I hiccup.

Stella sighs, pulling me into a hug and weirdly sniffing my neck.

“You smell nice...”

I pull away from her skeptical of how well she’s being fed.

Her eyebrows draw in as her face contorts into rage. “What?” she snaps. “Afraid I’ll bite you now?”

“Yes, well, I don’t know...” I spew out while trying to appear at ease and not afraid.

Normally, I’m not so nervous around her, but after getting bit by two werewolves and Nick in one night, I’m feeling a little on edge.

She rolls her eyes, brushing her orange bangs back. “I’m sorry,” she exasperates. “I feel like my hormones are on acid and Heinrich makes me feel weird. H-he’s such a freak, but kind of cute in a bulldog kind of way!” she wails while wiping her face with tissues.

I dare not say it to her face, but after witnessing her go through this after being turned, I’m so glad Nick hasn’t turned me. How am I going to tell her about our trip to the Carolinas though?

“Maybe you just need a little sleep,” I say gently.

She’s already ahead of me and crawling under the heavy quilt of the bed. The moment she lays down, her head falls back and she starts snoring.

I make my way out of her room, finding two vampires just outside it. I thought they were just going to be here during her first days of turning vamp, just to keep an eye on her.

Curious, I pretend to walk down the hall, but stop around the bend.

Then I take peak back around the bend, and come all the way out, seeing the two vampires enter her room unannounced.

Getting a bad feeling, I walk back over to Stella’s room.

“What are you doing in here?” I ask the lanky one.

He nudges his buddy and they both turn their pointed stares on me.

I hug my arms, watching them kneel on the ground like I’m some royal dutchess.

“Bringing her a message,” the shorter one answers while looking away.

“While she’s asleep?”

Someone presses against my back. “Raus jetzt!” Nick yells behind me in german.

I’m surprised the sound didn’t wake up Stella. I watch in relief seeing the shady vampires leave.

I can’t help remembering Stella’s anxieties. I do think, to different degrees, they all do act like vampire supremacists. I think it’s nore than that though. I didn’t really pick up on it before, but I think they may be racist too. It’s just...our town is so small so we aren’t very diverse.

Most of the higher ranking officers on duty were older white vampires. Male too. Heinrich, even though his hair is buzzed, has signature orange hair just like Stella. I’m not sure about all the vampires, Stella and I are the only other females here.

Maybe they are just to more attracted to people that look like them or perhaps, they are conditioned to believe so.

“What were they doing?” I ask Nick with worry.

“I don’t know, but that is why we make nests,” I blush at his statement. “Heinrich is at the station right now, I’ll call him over. They were probably just looking for a snack,” he explains. “We can be very unreasonable when we get hungry.”

“I know,” I whisper in deep thought.

He doesn’t hide his anger very well. When we go back to our room, I hear him get out of bed and yelling out in the hallway in german.

It’s chilling how different he sounds speaking in the language. It makes me wonder even more if I’m doing the right thing by staying here with him.