A Wicked Good Witches Paranormal Romance Books 1-7 (Wicked Good Witches Seasons) (71 page)

A shadow. Not too far away and yet nearly impossible to make out. Her feet stepped closer to get a better look. Her feet stopped moving, refusing to work correctly. Her gaze frozen on what was just a few feet in front of her.

A pyre. Unlit. But stacked and ready to burn.

A groan.

A stake.

A body…

Terrified, dream Melinda looked upward.

Observer Melinda didn’t want to see. But she was stuck in a body that would not obey. Watching the horror unravel, unable to change anything. Unable to ask questions or fully understand what was happening.
Just focus and find out what’s…
her thoughts vanished. 

Dream Melinda’s knees buckled. Her breath forsaking her. She fell to the ground unable to keep standing. She attempted to crawl closer, but felt frozen to the spot. There was no air. She couldn’t breathe.

Observer Melinda no longer had any voice. It was almost like it had been frightened out of her. She was still aware, but so terrified she could not think. This was so much worse than watching her own death.

“William,” the dream her got out coarsely. It was barely audible, her voice strained. Was he even still alive? She’d heard a groan. Movement, was that movement? Part of her wished she had not. Wished that he was…
God, don’t say it. He can’t die.
Not like this.
I have to save him.

Observer Melinda’s inner voice returned.

We can change this. This isn’t going to happen.

This is what I’m supposed to see. And stop.  

Riley is under some kind of spell and goes on a rampage and kills everyone, and tortures… oh God… William.

The dream her crawled toward the pyre, legs still not cooperating. She tried to push herself off the ground, onto to her feet. Her eyes fell into the vampire’s gaze. Was it really him? She knew it was, the defining tell, the one thing still
him,
his emerald eyes… filled with dread.

Not over his own anguish. But that she was there. His mouth opened to speak but nothing came out. How could it? His throat was probably as charred as the rest of him.

Oh. Shit.
Melinda thought she was going to be sick. The observer her and the dream her.

In the background Lucas was still pleading with Riley.

“None of this is real. It’s all in your head.”

“The bloodsucker dies,” Riley spat back ferociously.

How had Riley overpowered William? Why couldn’t he escape his bonds? It should have been easy for a vampire to do this. And yet there the he was, tied up, barely standing, injured severely. Skin blistered. Peeling.

It looked like Riley had been using him for target practice.

“He needs blood,” the dream her whimpered. William needed blood. With enough blood, he could recover. She started to climb the pyre. She had to save him. If everyone else was dead, she needed William to live. And she couldn’t let him suffer alone. 

The real her, the silent observer, tried like hell to focus on the dream.

The Feyk had caused this, turned Riley into this monster. He really was hurt, not just acting strange because he was a Deane. He had not betrayed her.

But he was seriously messed up! And killing people without remorse.

What kind of spell does such a horrific thing?

The dream her was almost at the top of the pyre. She didn’t care if Riley was under some sort of spell, or not. William wasn’t going to die because of it.

Observer Melinda shuddered, her voice disappearing again. With a gasp, she slipped into dream Melinda’s place. Still acting out the scene with no control over it. It would unravel however it pleased. But she was now participating in her own body, as herself. No longer just an observer in her own mind.

She was participating in the dream… just like she did in the William dreams. This didn’t matter. She needed to save him.

Melinda reached him. Bile high in her throat but she pushed it back down. She could not fathom the level of suffering. She reached out to him but pulled her hand back, unsure
where
she could touch that would not add to his pain.

William needed to feed, and she was the only available human. If she could get him strong enough he could get free of his bonds and get off the pyre. He was too heavy for her to lift. But she’d drag him to safety if she had to.

Everywhere she looked he’d been hit by one of Riley’s fiery orbs, and it had left William’s skin raw and scorched.

“Please don’t die,” she whimpered. “You can’t die. You can’t leave me.” She held her forearm to his mouth, his lips rough with burnt, flaking skin. “Drink. Please, William,” she begged.

“No…” it came out tight and clearly caused him pain.

“Don’t talk. Just drink. You’ll die. He won’t stop until you’re dead,” she spoke of Riley.

He and Lucas were still arguing in the background. She heard a shriek and flipped her head to see Lucas falling. A gush of fear pushed out of her. Riley had killed him. His own brother.

He stepped over him, his dark gaze landing firmly on Melinda.

Her Riley had disappeared, replaced by something vicious. Soulless. And one-minded.

“Get away from the vampire,” Riley thundered. “He does not deserve you.”

“Riley, if you love me, you’ll stop this.
Please.
You’re under a spell.” She turned to face him, using her body to shield William. “I won’t let you hurt him again.”

He scowled, his eyes filled with bloodshot rage.

“This is all for you!” he shrieked at her. “I’d do anything to be with you. And yet you choose him. A vampire. Who refuses to love you back.”

“Riley, if this is all for me then I’m begging you to stop.
This is not what I want
.”

“I can’t stop. Not until the vampire is ash! You won’t be able to love me until he’s dead. Don’t you see that?”

“Leave me,” pleaded William behind her. Melinda cast him a side-glance and shook her head in resolved stubbornness.

This move sent Riley over the edge. “You’ll always love him more than me. Even if I kill him, you’ll never love me like you love him.” He lifted his arms, two fiery orbs forming in each palm.

Melinda’s eyes widened. Riley was beyond saving. Beyond reason.

He was going to kill them all!

Tears streamed down her face. This was all her fault. She’d brought Riley into their lives. She’d done so knowing she loved William. Melinda steeled herself for whatever was about to happen next.

“I do love him, Riley,” the dream her admitted. “Is that what you want to hear? Do you need to hear me say it? I love him. I love William Wakefield.” If they were all about to die, at least she had admitted it, one time.

William mewled out a reply she could not understand. Melinda continued to face Riley, his anger boiling over. He rolled the fiery orbs in his hands. They were almost fully formed.

“If I can’t have you, Melinda, then neither can the vampire. And since you love him so much you can
burn
with him.”

“Go,” she heard William beg her feebly.

She turned around and faced him, knowing Riley was coming closer.

“I’m not leaving you. I can’t. Everyone’s dead. I can’t go on alone, without you, William.” She leaned up and kissed his lips softly. If it hurt, he didn’t react so. Melinda kissed him again, so gently it was barely a touch. And then she felt pressure against her lips as William returned the kiss.

A first kiss.

A final kiss.

Revealing everything he’d ever wanted to say to her. And she knew then he did love her. And she did love him. So much so, that she’d rather burn to death than leave him to suffer alone, or live on with the memory of what had happened for the rest of her days. Alone. Without him or her family.

Melinda felt heat, but it wasn’t from William’s kiss. She pulled away staring down below her feet. Flames. Riley had lit the pyre.

What would happen once he awakened from this nightmarish spell? Or would he? If he did, he’d never be able to live with himself. Not after seeing what he had done.

Poor Riley. His life is over tonight too.

Flames burnt bright below her. The heat snaking up through the wood. For the first time she noticed her feet were bare. The first bite of flame licked at her foot. She let out a wail. She didn’t want to. Tried not to, but the pain was too much. They didn’t have long before it would be too late.

“Please, leave me,” pleaded William. “I cannot watch you die.”

“Then drink my blood,” she told him, “and live.”

“I will have to drink every drop.”

“Then do it.”

The pain from the heat was severe. The flames would be unbearable.

They inched higher.

William knew there was only one chance for survival. He’d have to let Melinda drink his blood and then suck every drop from her body, draining her life. When done, if he was lucky, he’d free himself and kill Riley. And at this time tomorrow night, Melinda would reawaken and be like him. She’d be cursed to live as a vampire.

He had seconds to make the choice, or it would be too late.

Melinda bit her lips holding down a scream, the flames burning through the wood, searing the soles of her feet. She clung to William, listening to the man she had thought loved her, laughing hysterically in the background.

She tasted rust in her mouth; something warm trickled down her throat.

William used his fangs to puncture what was left of his lips and kissed her, letting his blood rush down her throat. She swallowed it, his lips abandoning her mouth, sliding down to her neck. 

William hesitated.

She reached up and gripped the back of his head forcing his fangs onto her skin. She dared not let go. Holding him was the only thing keeping her sanity in check. The pain crawling its way up her legs was tortuous. If she let go of William she would scream her last moments of life away.

“I can’t let you die.” William sank his fangs into her neck.

Melinda screamed, in agony, defiance and hope.

Everything stopped.

Went dark and silent, except for short heavy breaths.

Where had the flames gone? The heat?

Had she died? Was she in transition, turning into a vampire?

Her eyes flickered open.

She bolted upright.

Melinda was in her bedroom, sitting on her bed.

“Just a dream,” she repeated raggedly, jumping up and looking over her body in the mirror. She sunk to the floor in her bathroom, sobbing.

It wasn’t just a dream.

She’d had it for a reason.

To try to stop it from coming true. But how?

What had the Feyk done to Riley to make him so angry? And take that anger out on William? And kill his own family and hers… “And me…”

He did not betray me, but he will kill me.

It took a minute to get her sobs under control. It hadn’t happened yet. It wasn’t real yet. They had time to stop it. But how much?

It could not wait until morning. She needed to wake everyone up and explain, now.

But how would she seek out her family’s help without telling them the entirety of the dream? She didn’t want to admit what she and William were about to do. She didn’t want to admit her feelings for him. William had made it clear he could not be with her. And why force him to admit something that could never come true. Especially to her brothers and the rest of the world. She could do this and protect his privacy at the same time.

But he loved her. He really did. But it was a truth he would literally only admit upon her certain and tortuous death.

And this love was something Riley could see. It started the jealousy. And made him take out his anger on the vampire.

“No. No. It was the Feyk,” she said aloud. “The Feyk did something to him. Something that took that jealousy and turned it into rage.” She needed to figure out what exactly they had done and fast. Before everyone she loved was killed.

Melinda wiped her eyes and raced down the stairs to search for William. He wasn’t in his study. She searched the rest of the house, calling out his name in a loud whisper, but he didn’t come. She tiptoed to Charlie’s room, only to see his bedroom door cracked open and his room empty.

“Where is everyone?” she asked frantically.

Michael’s door opened and he came sauntering out. “Melinda?” he yawned.

“Thank God,” she said upon seeing him. “I thought for a minute you were all gone.”

He heard the panic in her voice and felt the dread in her heart. “When I went to bed Charlie was in his room and William in his study. If they’re gone now that’s news to me.”

He stepped forward and grasped her by the shoulders. She didn’t realize how badly she was shaking.

“Melinda. What is it?”

She collected herself. Tried to calm herself.

“You had a dream, didn’t you? A really bad one…” The fear pouring out of her nearly knocked him off his feet.