The Witch and the Wolf: Part Two (5 page)

Violet and Melody washed Rory and dressed her in a nice gown. She fought until they cast a spell to subdue her. The dress was nice. It was a real gown and it probably cost more than the Silver Café earned in a month. It was sleek and fitted, but it wasn’t revealing or too tight. It had a halter neck and was fitted tightly around her bust. The dress gathered at a clasp around her waist and then fell to her feet. Melody did her hair while Violet did her make-up. She felt like a giant Barbie doll and after their attention she was sure she looked liked one too.

Still feeling drugged, they lead her down another marble hallway to a sitting room. Finally, she was walking on carpet. The sound of her high hells clicking on the marble was beginning to annoy her. It was a small thing to focus on considering the day she was having
, but dammit it was her small thing! She couldn’t let herself think about her Mom, Cross, or any of her friends. Fretting over the stupid noise of her heels helped keep her from losing her mind completely.

“Ah
, finally. I thought you would never get here,” Olaf said as the trio entered his formal sitting room.

“
Olaf, dear, 100 years and you still expect me to be on time?” Melody asked, going to kiss the vampire king on both checks. Now that they were together, Rory could hear Melody’s accent better. They had to be from the same European country originally.

“One can always hope,” he turned to Rory. “My now
, isn’t she lovely?”

“You wouldn’t say that if you had seen her an hour ago,” Violet said.

Rory felt the magic around her loosen. “Did you hurt my mother, you bitch?”

The three vampires laughed.

“Now this one has a spirit!” Olaf said with glee, and then sighed deeply. “I wish I could keep you for myself.”

“I didn’t hurt the old witches,” Violet said. “I just stunned them. I owed them after all. They were the ones that led me to you.”

Rory breathed a little easier. Everyone who mattered to her was far away and safe. Whatever happened to her now, at least there was still a silver-lining.

“I hope you wouldn’t mind joining me for dinner while we wait for your next hosts to arrive?” Olaf asked.

“You can cut the shit,” Rory said. “I’m not going to play all Southern Belle for you while we wait for bloodthirsty fae to come and kill me.”

Olaf looked shocked. “Young lady! I would never negotiate a trade where someone was going to be killed. You must take me for some kind of monster.”

“Well, if the shoe fits.”

Melody pinched Rory’s inner arm hard. “I’ll be happy to hold your tongue if you don’t know how.”

Olaf held up a hand. “There’ll be no need for threats, Melody. If she wishes to starve as she waits, that’s fine by me. Take her to a room to wait, Violet.”

“Wait!” Rory said. “I’d like to eat.”

Olaf smiled huge, his fangs showing. “Wonderful.”

Olaf offered Melody his hand and they led the way to the dining room. It was just as opulent as the rest of the house. It looked like he had designed and decorated the room during the 1920s and had never changed it. The floors were white marble and the wallpaper was gold and cream designs. The table was very long and was made of a heavy wood. The tablecloth was
an incredibly heavy and soft material that Rory didn’t recognize.

She picked up a gold fork. “You have very…expensive tastes.”

“Thank you,” Olaf said. “I picked everything you see here myself.”

He clapped his hands and men holding silver platters appeared around the table. “I made plans to suit a human palette as well tonight.”

The man standing next to Rory pulled the top off his platter. There were Cornish game hens arranged on it.

“This looks delicious,” Rory said with a forced smile. She was playing along with the stupid king. If he liked her, maybe he would give her some clue as to why the Lost Tribe wanted her. Then at least she would have a glimmer of hope of freeing herself.

They were served and Olaf kept up a lively conversation with himself while they ate. Rory didn’t have to say much and the king seemed happy with her meager contributions. She couldn’t add anything because she was worried about Cross. If a werewolf’s mate died, did that negate the whole mate for life thing? If she died, Goddess forbid, she didn’t want to leave him alone for life. The thought was too awful to bear.

The vampires were looking at her. She had missed something in the conversation.

“What?”

“I just said it must have been a real disappointment that your special makeup didn’t allow you any added power,” Olaf said. “That really would have come in handy today
, dear, wouldn’t it?”

The vampire was trying to be sympathetic in his own way
, but she had no idea what he was talking about.

“I’m sorry
, what are you talking about?”

Three men burst in the door.

“I told you not to interrupt when I had guests!” Olaf screamed slamming his fist into the table. Rory’s glass jumped and fell over.

“Look at what you’ve made me do! Idiots!” Olaf waved for a servant to clean up Rory’s wine.

“Sorry, sir,” the one clearly in charge said. “We have an urgent matter that needs your attention now.”

“Well?” Olaf demanded
, impatient.

“There’s been a breech. We found a werewolf in the house.”

“A what?!” Violet was on her feet and moving toward the door before Olaf could ask anything else.

“Bring it here,” Olaf said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’m sorry about this. I haven’t had a supernatural intruder in years.”

“It’s her boyfriend,” Violet snapped.

Olaf’s eyebrows almost touched his hairline. “Her what? I think I misheard you
, dear Violet.”

“You did not. She’s dating one of those wolves from the pack near her home.”

“Is that true?” Olaf asked Rory. He rubbed his hands together. “Oh please say it’s true! That is absolutely delicious. Your mother must be so proud.”

Rory said nothing.
Don’t let it be Cross
, she thought over and over. It couldn’t be Cross. There was no way for him to get to the king’s compound so fast. She was four states over!

Two more guards entered the dining room holding a snarling wolf attached to
a snare pole. As soon as it saw Rory the wolf stopped snarling for a second and stared. Rory put her hand to her mouth. She was in total disbelief. She tried to cast, but the second of shock allowed one of the vampires to put a casting curse on her again.

“It
is
important to you!” Melody was repulsed. “I’m no fan of witches, but he’s a
werewolf,
for God’s sake!”

“Just let him go,” Rory said. “I’ll do whatever you want and I won’t even fight back.”

“Well now, you really aren’t in a position to bargain,” Olaf said, examining Cross from a safe distance. “Neither of you can do anything now. There’s really no reason for me to work with you.”

Rory thought quickly. “I could make this very difficult for you. You think I’m weak and your magic can hold me
, but I’ve been holding back.”

Olaf looked amused. “Silly witch. You can’t trick old Olaf. I’ve been around the block a few times and you are clearly bluffing. Can I ask why a werewolf? I’ve never dallied on the furry side myself
, but I’ve heard wonderful things.”

“I’m not bluffing,” Rory said confidently. In truth, she hadn’t tried to break their curse yet. Now that Violet’s blood had worked its magic, she was feeling a lot better than she had been even an hour before. With Cross so close, she thought she had a real chance of out-casting the vampires.

They weren’t naturally high-power magic users and used their physical abilities to overpower their opponents. It was worth a chance at least. Even if she failed, it would show Olaf that she could make him miserable until the Lost Tribe came to pick her up. She wished Cross was in human form. It was hard to coordinate a plan with him while he was a wolf. She couldn’t even get close enough to whisper something. Things would have been so much easier if he had stayed far away from her and safe.

Violet was still pacing. “How did it get here?”

Melody and Olaf looked at her.

“Who cares?” Melody asked. “We’ll get rid of it and any
more that follow.

“I care,” Violet said
, showing fang. “I came here using three different portals and two locations before dropping here. There’s no way he could have followed the portal trail. Wolves don’t have magic like that. A witch or fae must have helped him.”

“So what?” Melody shrugged.

Violet’s eye’s flashed. “How can we be sure he was the only one to follow us here?”

That got Olaf and Melody’s attention.

“Search the grounds!” Melody told the leader of the security team. “I want everyone out there. We don’t need any surprises.”

Three of the guards left and only the two holding Cross remained. He was fighting against
the noose fiercely.

“What are we supposed to do with this
, sir?” one of the guards asked.

“Kill it,” Melody said
, returning to the table. Rory’s heart sank. It was now or never. She concentrated on the spell she wanted to use. It was much easier than when she first came to the compound. Even with the curse, she was able to visualize the spell in her head.

“Sorry
, dear,” Olaf pouted. “I’m sure this one is a beast in the sack, but I don’t allow pets in the house.”

He pretended to be some kind of upstanding gentleman
, but Rory could see past Olaf’s posturing. You don’t become vampire king by being a nice guy. She wished she could have used Beatrice’s spell to wipe the smug look of their faces permanently. She would settle for this spell though. All she needed to do was get their attention.

Olaf returned to the table too and the men started to pull Cross from the room. Before they could get to the door, the one
on the right dropped dead on the spot.

The guard on one side of Cross dropped and then the other. He was free! Free of sorts anyway. The rope around his neck was made of silver so he was still hurting. That wasn’t going to stop him from going after the bitch who took Rory. His human mind knew he should be running at the king, but his wolf only had eyes for the woman who had taken his mate.

He was off the ground
and on Violet before the second man had hit the floor. She and Melody were mid-turn to go after Rory when he grabbed her around the throat and pulled her to the ground. She was strong. Stronger than anything he had ever experienced. On the outside she looked like a thin-limbed supermodel, but she fought like a 6’7” bodybuilder on steroids. Still, he was able to keep her on the ground and his teeth firmly around her neck.

She was clearly in shock. There was no way a lone werewolf, a young one no less, should be able to take down a seasoned vampire. Cross didn’t know why he was able to keep his hold on her either
, but he didn’t care. If he could hold on long enough, she would bleed out and have to accept her final death. He crouched lower to floor and tilted his head up so he could see the room. Melody was holding Rory by the arm and he could see blood falling to the floor from where she held her. That red-headed bitch would be next.

Olaf was surveying the scene from his seat. He was sipping from his wine glass like he hadn’t a care in the world.
Cross' muzzle was covered in blood and the floor beneath him was slick with it. He could feel the life leaving Violet’s body.

Melody must have felt it too. She let go of Rory’s arm and flew at Cross full speed. She hit him hard enough to snap one of his ribs and knock his brain around. If he hadn’t just ingested buckets of vampire blood that would have put him out for the day. Violet’s blood was coursing through his body. Instead of killing him, it was making him stronger. He could feel his rib snap back into place as it healed itself.

“No no no no no!” Melody sobbed, scooping up Violet’s body. Cross was ready to pounce on her, but she ran for the door with Violet in her arms.

“Get here
, Melody!” Olaf slammed his glass down on the table. 

“You fight your own stupid battle,” Melody snarled. “I’m not letting my daughter die so you can add to your stupid collection. See if you can punish me for this stunt. You better hope she doesn’t die or you’re going to pay for this you stupid
, old man.”

She hadn’t even glanced at Cross as she left the room
, but he knew that her vengeance was a given. If Violet woke up, she would be coming after him too. It didn’t matter because Rory was fine. He went to her side and she threw her arms around his neck.

“You stupid
, stupid wolf,” she said into his fur. “Why did you follow me? You were safe there far away from the vampires.”

But you weren’
t,
he thought. He licked her arm where there was blood as she held him. He was happy to see that the blood was from the original cuts. The wound on her arm was already healing. The vampire blood must be very potent if the effects of only a drop lasted that long.

“How sweet. A reunion for the love birds,” Olaf said from his seat. “You’re very lucky your story isn’t going to end like Romeo and Juliet’s.”

Cross felt Olaf’s push before he even saw him get up from the table. He was hurled against the far wall of the dining room with such force he would have been dead if not for the vampire blood in his body.

“You see,” Olaf said. “I’m under strict orders not to let any harm come to my Juliet. Romeo on the other hand I have no use for.”

Cuts appeared across Olaf’s face as he grabbed Rory by the wrists. “Nice try, honey, but a few little scratches aren’t going to stop me. You were right. You have proven to be quite a pain my ass. That blood-stained marble is going to cost a fortune to replace.”

“You son-of-a-bitch,” Rory said
, stomping at his feet. “You know I’m going to come back and kill you if you hurt him. Hell, I’ll make a deal of my own with the Lost Tribe and have your head delivered to me on a plate!”

Olaf put his free hand on his stomach and laughed. “Look who found her attitude again. Come now. We have a very important appointment to keep.
You’re going to be very sad you let my delicious meal go to waste once you leave here.”

Olaf was taking Rory from the room. Cross didn’t have the energy to stand as he watched her go but he would soon. He could feel his body repairing itself. It was only a matter of time before he was able to finish what he had started and get Rory back.

***

“You have no idea why they want me
, do you?” Rory asked. Olaf paused for a moment, just a split second his face clouded. She was right! She had only been guessing, but he really didn’t know.

“What if they kill me?” Rory continued
, dragging her feet as he tried to take her down the hall. She used a cast to make her body feel fifteen times heavier. He was having a hard time moving her now. “If they do, its going to be all out war between witches and vampires, you know? Are you really willing to bring all that down on your clan just to add to your stupid collection?”

“I’ve had enough of you’re mouth for tonight,” Olaf snapped. She had him rattled. Melody was already jumping ship. The minute an army of witches showed up in the area, the rest of his clan was sure to follow. Vampires were strong and could fend off one or two covens easily. She knew her mother
, though, and Magda wasn’t going to bring just two or three covens to get her back. She wasn’t even taking into account the wolves yet.

She might die
, but even if she did she was going to stick around long enough to watch Olaf’s long held kingdom come crashing down around him. His stupid, little obsession was going to finally be the cause of his final death. She just needed to make sure Cross got out alive before she was handed over to the Lost Tribe.

Her preference
, of course, was to get them both out, but she wasn’t sure if that was going to be an option. Honestly, she didn’t even think she could get Cross out. Olaf was a lot better at the casting curse than his progeny. As soon as she had cut his face and made herself heavy, he had made it impossible for her to cast. Without her magic, she was as useless as a human in the compound.

“You have no idea what I’m planning,” Olaf said. His fangs were showing. He stopped trying to pull her. “This is close enough. We can wait here.”

Rory tried to think of any spell, but it was useless. She hung her head. She wasn’t going to cry. She felt like crying, but she wasn’t going to. She didn’t know why any of this was happening, but being afraid wouldn’t help. Maybe Olaf wasn’t lying and the Lost Tribe weren’t going to hurt her. She didn’t know anymore. The only thing she was sure of was that Cross was going to die and it was going to be her fault. She was sure he was still alive now, but she didn’t know for how much longer.

She had treated him so terribly the last few days. It wasn’t his fault his wolf had claimed her. He hadn’t even done anything wrong. He was only trying to protect her and her response had been to berate him. If she had another chance she would apologize. Once the claim was lifted, maybe she would even let him take her out. But that was all a silly fantasy. She wasn’t even going to get a chance to do any of that now.

Magic she didn’t recognize started to hit her.

“What the hell is that?” she asked Olaf.

“You know very well what that is,” he muttered, backing away from her. He didn’t need to hold her anymore. There was a vortex forming in front of her. It looked like a portal like Violet had brought her through except twisted and opening much slower. She let go of her heavy cast, but it didn’t make a difference. It felt like she was wearing cement shoes. She couldn’t get away as she struggled with all her might.

“This took a lot of planning
, you know,” Olaf said from a few feet away. “Your little head witch? That didn’t go as planned at all, I’m glad to say. If it had, they wouldn’t have needed me.”

“You can still change your mind
, Olaf!” she yelled to him. “If you do this, you’re signing your own death warrant.”

“This took months of pe
eling away the layers of reality in my compound to make the line just weak enough,” he said, looking very smug. “Now it’s so thin, they’ll be able to pull you right over with no problem.”

The hallway was so windy Rory had to sit down to avoid being knocked over. Whatever they were doing, it was generating a lot of fallout on this side.

“If they had been able to pull you over on their own I would have done all that work for nothing!” Olaf said, stepping closer. The wind was having no effect on him and he was getting bolder, coming closer to her. She didn’t know how he had done it, but there was a portal to the other dimension opening in front of her now. A pale hand was reaching out for her leg.

She tried to scramble away
, but it was no use. The tunnel was pulling her in. The cold hand clasped around her ankle and dragged her through.

“Don’t forget what you owe me!” Olaf called after her as she screamed.

***

He was too late again! Wind was whipping down the hall hard enough to rip patches of his fur off. He had no idea how Rory still had skin. He had followed her scent the short way to the hall
, but was having a hard time going up the hall to her.

A hand was reaching out of the portal that was causing the wind. It had to be the Lost Tribe.
He put his head down and ran into the wind. Rory disappeared into the tunnel when he was closing in on it. Her screams cut straight to his heart. The vampire king was yelling something into the void, but Cross couldn’t understand over the wind.

This portal was different from the one Violet had opened. The magic felt corrupt. He only had one shot to get this right. He ran past Olaf and leapt into the rapidly closing portal after Rory.