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

Usually, Nick is the first to wake up, but today I was. Last night, he came back in the room after his long conversation with someone. He promised he’d make breakfast in the morning before we headed out to South Carolina, but I guess he forgot.

I told Stella about the trip this morning. She didn’t want me traveling alone with Nick. Hopefully, things will be fine since she confessed what she said about Colin wasn’t true. They’re still together, but I don’t know why she told me they weren’t. Apart from her changing vamp, I feel like she hasn’t been acting normal.

We picked Jax and Willow up from camp this morning. Let’s just say it was very hard for them to sit still in the car for nine hours.

However, none that really bothered me. It’s so great to escape! Even if just for a week.

“Boat! Mommy, look!” Jax yells behind me as we pull up to the bay side hotel.

Nick drops us off right outside the hotel, it sits right off the highway, beside the huge “Cathill Harbor” sign.

Willow clutches my hand tighter. Her little hand pointing at two teens running by us.

“Ice cream,” she says while watching two teens run off with dripping cones.

“We’ll get some later. We’re going to find our room first while daddy parks.”

“Okay.”

After I sign us in, we go up to the tenth floor. Before I can set any of my things down, my phone rings. With a huff, I lean my suitcase against one of the dressers while the kids play on the couch by the sliding glass doors of the balcony.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Hey, Val. Did you get in okay? I’m really sorry about yesterday.”

“Oh no worries! We just got here, everything’s going great,” I laugh lightly thinking about her outburst last night. I sort of feel inclined to ask, but for some reason I don’t bother bringing it up. “How are you doing?” I ask instead.

“Well, actually, I...”

“Go ahead, I’m all ears. You know you can move back into your old place if your still uncomfortable-” I start to say.

“I’m here!” she laughs nervously.

“What do you mean?”

My question is answered almost immediatly when the door opens and in walks Nick. Behind him, a tall woman dressed in a black swimsuit with a floppy sun hat and sandals. Stella bursts in the room ahead of Nick, tossing her sunglasses on one of the beds.

Nick shakes his head without saying anything and heads for the kids.

“You came,” I say while trying to not appear uncomfortable. “Looks like you’re all ready for the beach.”

“I want a break from it all too. I didn’t think you’d mind. My room is just down the hall,” she says sheepishly. “Colin came too.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? We could have driven down together.”

Nick looks over at us, or more accurately, Stella. She heaves her large beach tote off the ground without watching me as she heads for the door. “I figured you would say ‘no’. Colin booked dinner at a place a few blocks down from our hotel! I’m starving.”

And with that, she disappears back down the hall. Nick stomps up to the door and closes it sharply.

He crosses his arms.

“It can’t be helped. She’s just worried about me,” I explain.

His grimace deepens. “No, she’s not worried about you. It was rude of them to come here. I’ll be back,” he says darkly while opening the door.

“No, it’s fine. They can stay. The worst she’ll do is pester and she’s always been like that. She’s become what she was taught to fear. I think she’s afraid of being alone.”

“She has Colin and Heinrich to shower her with gifts and such. The only person she looks out for is herself. Please, don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise.”

He may not be entirely right, but I am starting to see our friendship fall apart. “I don’t know if that’s true. I’ve lived with her for years. Stella just has a lot going on now...”

“And you don’t? When has she ever bothered to help you since meeting me? She’s exactly like her mother, Valerie. I don’t want you to be blind sided when she gets the nerve to stab one of us in the back.”

“Nick!” I say while following him out into the hall. “Just let it go. It will ruin our trip. Let’s give them a chance. Besides, she barely stayed around to chat. Colin’s here too, they’ll keep each other busy.”

Eventually, he comes back inside after more convincing.

I have to stay positive, but deep down I have a feeling he’s right. I’m already feeling anxious knowing they’re just a couple doors down. Stella hasn’t adjusted completely to being a vampire and there’s plenty of humans around.

***

Yansmen

I did not sign up for this. Screw Noctus for making me move up here with all these wrinkly old people. I am not going to babysit these crazy humans for him!

“Joel!”

He looks up from unloading the box. “What?” he asks patiently from next to me.

After avoiding death, I was able to recover my old body. It’s healed now, but no one around here knows who or what I am.

According to Peyton, the hag in charge of this dusty shop, I’m just a frat boy living on daddy’s money.

I’m not really sure what Joel is to Peyton, but he isn’t her husband or boyfriend. The two must be older than Noctus, but not by much. Maybe early forties.

“Have David mow the lawn out back,” she orders without glancing up from her magazine. “And turn the air conditioning off. I’m freezing.”

“It’s ninety eight degrees outside!” I remind her.

“Shut up!” she hollers from her stool behind the register.

“Shut up,” I mimic while shoving the next book in the bookcase.

I’ve only been here for a few days. Noctus wanted me to see where these loons are hiding their private investigation business. My guess is I’m standing in it, but I haven’t gotten the chance to look around much yet. I’ve only been in the storage room and the break room. I don’t know what other room there would be.

It’s not a big souvenir shop.

My phone buzzes in my board shorts. I pull it out, reading a text from him.

We’re going out to dinner in town tonight. I’ll be at the store tomorrow. Where have you been staying? I read.

The Dolphin Motel, I text back.

***

The kids are already asleep on the other bed. Dinner was awkward, but I’m trying to make the most of my time here. I’m starting to regret making Nick keep quiet about them coming, but asking them to leave just because we want space is sort of rude too.

I don’t know how long I’ve been laying here worrying and worrying. Frustrated, I roll over, thinking about talking it out with Nick.

However, he’s already asleep.

Wide awake, I slip out of bed. Willow lools like she’s still awake. She sits up in bed facing away from me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask her.

She won’t look at me. I sit down beside her. “Willow?”

She shrinks back against the head board of her bed. “Mommy, someone’s in the bathroom.”

The light isn’t on though. When I see the door creak open, I tilt my head to the side seeing...Heinrich.

“Nick!” I whisper while shaking his shoulder.

He turns over mumbling something sleepily. Heinrich turns on the lamp earning groans from everyone, the kids included.

“What is it?” Nick asks him.

“You take my shorts? I want to go in pool, but can find them. Well?”

Nick’s jaw twitches.

“Why is he here?” I whisper from behind him.

I watch the big vampire walk around the bed and look under it. “He and a few others came along...” Nick grumbles while ripping his covers off.

“How come?”

Heinrich follows him around the room like a hulking shadow. “Not want to be too far from goddess. I take children for swim if want.”

“Here,” Nick says while handing Heinrich swim trunks from his suitcase.

“I need talk.”

“Not now,” Nick tells him while coming over to me.

Heinrich’s smile falls. He looks to me instead. “I’m hungry,” he pouts.

Nick sighs while watching me. I shake my head ‘no’.

“There’s...cookies in the mini fridge. Take them all and give them to the others.”

“Oh, what kind of cookies?” I ask.