Witch (The Devil's Roses #4) 2

"Have you ever again?"

Aimee shook her head, "Nope. I've only killed what deserved death. Her face haunts me."

Ophelia shivered, "The look in Sam's eyes, it was madness. He wasn’t himself. My magic has ruined him. He was a bright beautiful person and I've ruined him."

Aimee nodded, "You will never forget that pain Ophelia. I swam all the way to Portland the morning I murdered her. I was terrified to be with my family. I crawled from the harbor and slept amongst the homeless and disgusting garbage of the city. Lydia found me one day. She sensed me. I was starving. She used magic to hold my hands at my sides and brought me home. She locked me in a room and once a day she would unlock the door and put a bad person inside. I would kill them and then she would take them out. She did it for two months until I'd gotten to the point I could talk again. Then she forced Dorian to help me get it under control. Aleks came everyday to check on me. I killed sixty-one people in two months."

Ophelia watched her relive the moments. Her face softened, "Everyday I imagined what it would have been like if none of it had happened. What university I would go to and what city I would live in. What my husband would look like and my kids. I imagined the Christmas holidays and lazy summers. I imagined what the girl who I murdered would have done with her life."

Her eyes flickered at Ophelia, "There is no fixing what we are but there is learning to control it. Take the pain and make it the parameter that you never leave."

"What am I going to do about Sam?"

She shook her head, "We have to focus on the big stuff Ophelia. I need to rescue my sister, you need yours and we need to stop your dad. We don’t have time to worry about that right now."

Chapter Thirty-Four

Sam

Shame and pain battled for the top spot in his heart. He was mortified at his actions. It was hazy. His Siren side had taken over and nearly done something he would never be able to take back. He wanted nothing but to touch her and tell her he was sorry but he knew she would be terrified of him.

He paced his bedroom at Lydia's. He flashed instantly to Giselle's. He stood outside in the woods looking at the windows.

He felt the air stir and looked back at Oliver standing behind him.

He lunged at him but Oliver pulled him in and hugged him. Sam felt the warmth of the embrace and collapsed. Heaving, crushing sobs shook his body.

"I didn’t know Sam. I didn’t know." Oliver chanted, holding him tight.

Sam felt the energy and anger rush from him as sorrow filled him up.

He was lost in a sea of hopelessness. The emotions and loss caught up with him.

Oliver pulled him to the ground and cradled him against his chest. Sam tried to ignore the shame he felt for crying in front of the man.

"What are you guys doing here? Get off him."

Aimee was on her knees shoving Oliver away and pulling Sam down into her embrace.

"Sam, it's not your fault. She knows it's not. She knows." She whispered into his ear and ran her fingers through his hair.

He felt himself stiffen against her, "Aimes I can't do this. I need to spend some time away from you guys. I can't do this." He looked at Oliver and nodded, "I know you didn’t know this would happen."

Aimee stood up looking defeated, "I love you Sam."

He felt the breakdown coming again, "I know. I love you too Aimes. I just need some space okay."

She bit her lip and was gone in a whirl of the wind. Oliver smiled at him and followed Aimee out in a whirl of wind and color.

He flashed home again before anyone else saw him.

He collapsed onto his bed and waited for the darkness to take over.

"Sam."

He looked over at Annabelle sitting next to him on his bed.

She looked at his face and ran a ghostly cold hand across his cheeks, making him shiver.

"I knew your momma Sam. She is a good woman. She would be proud of the man yous become. I knew your daddy too. He was a good man. The things about his death that you knows, about miss Lorri. Theys true. She had a moment likes yous having now. She never meants it. She loved him like a brother. She aint never been the same since then."

Sam shook his head, "Not now Annabelle."

She looked him in the eyes, which was creepy considering her eyes were a ghostly grey. "Now is the only time I gots. You all gots to go tonight. I needs you to go back to the mansion and tell thems that Jonathan is going to try to kill Lillith. Them blue ghost girls aint been here in a week. They been stuck over there. He gots them all drained. Ophelia don’t know it but her brother gots their magic. She done lost the fight."

He couldn’t care about the news. He couldn’t force himself.

He looked at her and nodded, "I'll go tell them."

Annabelle smiled, "You gotta save your momma Sam. She will die in there if you donts free her."

He nodded again and flashed into the living room at Giselle's. He felt naked when he saw Ophelia. She was changed and her dark hair was wet. She looked pretty but to his heart she was stunning. He couldn't fight his feelings for her.

She flinched when she saw him. His heart broke.

"Your brother has the magic of the other six. Your dad made him take it today. They'll try to kill Lillith tonight apparently."

Ophelia frowned, "But Lydia said it would be my birthday."

Sam shrugged, "Guess something is up. We have to go today."

Aimee walked into the massive room, "You're back. What's going on Sam?"

He flinched. She didn’t trust him alone with Ophelia. He didn’t trust himself.

"We need to move tonight. They'll kill Lillith tonight."

Aimee pursed her lips in thought. She pulled her phone and sent texts.

Sam glanced at Ophelia watching him nonstop. He felt sick seeing her face.

"I'm sorry." He spoke low.

She nodded, "Not as sorry as I am." Her face flushed as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Her face was covered in guilt. He didn’t even know how to respond. How could she feel guilty over his attacking her?

Oliver walked in and stopped.

Sam felt his gaze upon him, "Jonathan will kill Lillith tonight."

Oliver's eyes widened. He thought for a moment and then looked like he'd been hit with a dose of obvious, "Oh shit. The sisters."

Sam didn’t follow along. Dorian appeared out of nowhere just ahead of Lorri.

Sam had thought that Ari had planned on the mission not involving Dorian or Lorri.

Lorri looked at Oliver, "What's he doing wandering about?"

Oliver laughed, "Lets focus Lucifer, Jonathan will kill Lillith tonight. He can use the sister's magic if Tristan can hold it."

She frowned, "He can't hold it until they turn eighteen."

Oliver shook his head, "No. They can wield it any time. The other sister's are eighteen. Once they take their power it pushes their age. They could have taken the power at birth if they could have cleansed the sister's spirits."

Lorri turned to Ophelia, "Holy shit. Have they been around to see you?"

Ophelia turned her head, "No. They haven’t. I haven’t seen them in days."

Lorri grimaced, "Fuck. Okay. We need to go now." She turned to Dorian, "Get Ari and Luke. I'll get Brandon and Giselle. Aimee we need Lydia and Hanna."

They were gone leaving Oliver and Sam standing facing each other with Ophelia in the middle.

She flushed and looked at Sam. He went to open his mouth but she put a hand up, "I know. If I could take it all back Sam I would. I would rather die than hurt you."

He shook his head, "Then you understand how I feel."

She swallowed hard, "I do."

She looked at Oliver and then him again.

Sam knew he had lost her. No matter what he did he couldn’t compete with what she felt for Oliver.

Aimee appeared with Hanna and Lydia in tow. Lydia ran to Sam and hugged him into her, "My boy."

He wanted to cry again but fought the urge. Hanna stayed back watching him.

He could feel her feelings for him. He wished he could feel what she felt. He wished things would be normal again.

He looked at Lydia and whispered, "Is it possible to take the feelings Hanna has and mirroring them so I feel what she feels instead of what I feel?"

Lydia brightened up, "I believe there is." Her face sunk again, "But then you'd lose your emotions again."

He shook his head, "I want things to be normal again."

Lydia squeezed his fingers, "I think we can make it work. I can't believe I never thought about that. When we get back okay?"

He nodded, "Okay."

He let go of the older woman and walked to Hanna. He looked down at her fingers and slid his hand around them. He felt her shiver.

Hanna smiled at him as a blush crossed her ruddy cheeks.

He smiled back. He forced his eyes to remain focused instead of wander and look at Ophelia. He made himself see Hanna. It hurt.

He realized how hard it would have been for her mother to force the love and why she would have been so broken from it. He promised himself he would love Hanna more than anything again, soon.

Lorri flashed in with Giselle and Brandon. Sam smiled at him.

He raised an eyebrow at Sam, "You okay?"

Sam laughed.

Dorian appeared with Ari and Luke.

Luke looked at Hanna and Sam and raised an eyebrow. Sam shrugged.

"Giselle you need to compel everyone so that if Ari accidentally pushes a human, you still remember everything the way it is now."

Giselle gave Lorri a dirty look, "You just barged in on me and my fang bang and now you are going to boss me around?"

Lorri growled at her.

"Fine whatevs. God. Take a chill pill." She walked up to Sam first and winked, "I want you to remember this in case Ari pushes a human. Ari's magic doesn’t work on your brain. Remember everything up to the point Ari pushes. Also I want you to unbutton your shirt and..."

"Giselle."