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

I’m still not entirely sure why several officers just happened to be staying at the same hotel as us. It was nice that David and Heinrich watched the kids though.

Too soon, we’re back in Wixton again.

I set my suitcase near the front door. “Nick told me there’s a dress code. It’s black apparently. So if you have those colors, you probably should save them.”

“Gross, to think we’ll be living under such a rule for eternity...”

We both scream seeing fire magically appear in a small section of the lawn out front.

The creepy faery man, Viktor, our “chauffeur” as Nick put it, has finally arrived. He walks up to Nick’s police car and starts talking with him while I dump my luggage in the car.

“What is that thing? His wings are on fire!” Stella whispers.

Jax runs passed me and over to Nick to observe the peculiar stranger. Willow remains by me.

“A faery, one of the gatekeepers of the afterlife if my guess is right. Apparently, Nick and I are supposed to join the club. I’m not sure how I feel about owning a portal though.”

Stella’s eyes bulge. “P-portal? What drew him to pick you two to watch over one?”

“I don’t know to be honest, it may just be his preference to pick me since I arrived and left the realm when I shouldn’t have. I guess he and his mate have been watching us for some time up here.”

“Mate?”

“Yeah, but I’m not getting any good feelings about that. I don’t think Nick trusts him any more than I do, but hey, at least we’re finally leaving this place.”

“Yeah...” Stella murmurs.

Willow hugs my leg tighter seeing Viktor tag along with Nick over to us. “Time to go little vampires,” the faery coos while bending down to the kids’ eye-level. “I hope you’re ready to make some new friends!”

Jax hisses playfully up at him.

Viktor straightens back up, moving his gaze from the kids to Stella.

“Are you remaining behind with the others, witch?” he asks. “Or should I call you a vampire?”

“Yes,” Stella says quickly. “I don’t think it’s my time yet.”

I can’t stop thinking about what Nick said the other day about her. Maybe I’m just a rotten friend at heart for believing him and not giving her the benefit of the doubt. But truthfully, I am glad she’s staying in Wixton along with everyone else.

Going to the afterlife, Hegley Hallow, would be scary for anyone who hasn’t died yet. I was there before, but I barely remember anything about it now.

***

The drive up the mountain was full of Viktor talking on and on about the growing witch issues in the afterlife. I guess I can never escape them, but after listening to Viktor talk of sending some to hell, I don’t think there will be any riots.

I know Nick doesn’t like werewolves anymore than Will did, but apparently that’s who one of our neighbors will be down there.

“Finally!” Viktor exclaims after slamming the car door shut. “Let’s get this show on the road,” he adds while giving me a wave.

Nick scowls at his back while holding Willow and Jax.

“Don’t need witch magic for this. Stand back,” Viktor warns right before using his fire to burn through the heavy doors of the cellar.

The thick metal melts rapidly making me feel nauseous.

I’m expecting some kind of glow or perhaps noise, since the other realm is supposedly just on the other side.

Instead, it just looks like a plain old cellar in the woods.

“Ladies first,” Viktor says while standing by the steps down.

Nick uses our magic, his gaze not leaving Viktor as our bags and boxes move from the trunk of his car. Our floating belongings pass by me, leading our way down.

“What about the portal? Are you just going to leave it open?” I ask the faery.

“Move the car over it for now.”

I grimace, but Nick nods his head and I do what the gatekeeper wants.

It smells really bad down here. I try not to think about the things that could have went on down in here while Nick was very involved in his...cult.

It’s comforting following the boxes as they move through the cement wall ahead of us. Honestly, it’s not that difficult to leave behind a home that never felt like one.

My heart races momentarily until we pass through the wall and out onto the other side.

“Wow,” I whisper. “Look at all the rolling hills ahead.”

I’m not really surprised he let go of the kids and held onto me right before we stepped through. His chin moves from the top of my head to my neck.

“My fangs are gone now, but we can still do some biting like last night, right?” he asks like a child right with the kids near to hear.

My face flames. “Yes,” I whisper hoping he drops it.

“Why were you biting, mommy?” Jax asks while pounding his little fists into Nick’s knees.

“Because I wouldn’t be able to drink her blood ever again. That’s why mommy looks so tired and drained, but I made mommy feel really good too.”

“He did,” I smile while following Viktor with Willow.

We walk down a cobblestone path, listening to Viktor go on about the ways of the realm. What to do and what not to do.

By the time he finishes ranting, we arrive in the relocation center. It sits in the middle of the only town in the afterlife.

We all go inside the crowded room and wait in line to register our arrival and get our apartment key. Once we get registered, Viktor parts ways with us muttering something about his mate.

“That must be the building.”

I follow Nick’s gaze, straight ahead is a very tall black brick apartment complex.

“Okay,” I say while following him.

It feels really weird to know every single person we pass is a supernatural of some sort. Everyone seems to mind their own business which I have no problem with. I don’t know how I feel about the town though.

There were bakeries and boutiques, but everything is pumpkin this and pumpkin that. Not to mention, whoever painted the buildings here must have obsessed with the color scheme orange and black.

We enter our apartment building and go up the seemingly never-ending spiral steps. Nick opens the door when we reach the landing of our apartment.

The first thing I notice when we go inside is Mr. Silvet pulling some kind of casserole out of the oven. He looks older, and puts down his long cigar on the counter when he sees us come in.

“Glad to see you’ve made it. Call me grandpa,” he smiles. “You’re going to love living here.”

“I thought you went to hell,” Nick retorts.

“So did I when I found a walking mutt serving me food at the diner down the block.” Then he looks at me. “I made y’all some dinner.”

“Nick, what is he doing here?” I hiss.

“Dad, you need to leave. Now,” Nick grits out.

A very old woman wanders into the room with a towel wrapped around her and her wet shower shoes getting the floor all wet. She looks around the room ignoring us with a deep scowl.

“Where’s that cat? I’ll find her...” she mumbles deliriously while looking around the living room.

“That’s my mother,” Nick grumbles looking embaressed. “My real one.”

It’s weird seeing them both here together and acting like normal...old people.

Eventually, Nick convinces them to leave after we eat dinner. I have no idea how long they were in here, but apparently, they live in the same building as us.

“Grandparents? I don’t know about your mother, but I do not want the kids around him.”

“Me neither, but I suppose we can’t escape the past. I just want to live in the present...with you. We can always move apartment buildings-”

“Let’s do that tomorrow.”

“Agreed, goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” I whisper back.

“Goodnight!” Jax yells in my ear.

Willow kicks her brother. Unfortunately, the two refused to sleep in their own rooms. Nick turns the lamp on when their wrestle match breaks out between us.

Maybe to some degree, this is hell, but I can say without a doubt I rather be here than back in that town.

Yes, I don’t know all the bad Nick did in Wixton. Neither do I know what exactly Viktor is planning by having us watch over some portal of his.

I’m pretty sure, okay, I know Nick is a vampire supremacist, but I really just don’t care. Besides, can he really be one if he married me? Call me evil. Maybe I am because deep down I know there is something really wrong with him, but I did what I thought was right.

I know there’s something really wrong with me too though because somehow I’ve gone along with the devil being behind my children’s unnatural births.

Am I disturbed Nick ate Will and countless others? Nope, I just tell myself they deserved it because enough hurt and hate was being spread by them.

Change is scary when it marks an end, but this new beginning will be better for all of us...I think.