Page 2 of Witch Please
“I bet he did.” Snickering under her breath as if the alpha was standing on the other side of my closed door, waiting to hear if she would say something bad about him, she was almost gleeful when she turned to face me. “We can totally get anything we want if we use you as a threat like that.”
“Oh yeah?” Noticing the heel poking out from under a pile of dirty clothing next to the dresser, I shook my head at her as I bent over to pick it up. “And what would you…”
Whatever else was about to come out of my mouth was forgotten when dizziness made me tip over to the side and my whole-body weight slammed into the drawers of the tall dresser. The few decorations and the group of three vases perched on top of it rattled loudly, one of the glass tubes smacking hard on the wood and rolling off of it to shatter on the parquet floor at my feet. My stomach rolled from the bile that churned inside it as numbness spread through my limbs followed by a cold sweat which drenched my tank top in no time.
“Hazel!” Sissily was next to me so fast I would’ve flinched when she grabbed me by the shoulders if I could. “Hazel, talk to me girl. What’s wrong?”
I must give credit to Sissily. For a tiny little thing the woman was strong. She bodily carried me back to the bed where she dropped me like some poorly chosen prom dress, she regretted buying. All I could do was breathe through my nose and press my lips tight in case the acid burning inside me decided to erupt violently, but I watched her while she frantically turned this way and that not knowing what to do. Suddenly she spun on her heel and rushed to the door that she proceeded to yank open hard enough to make the frame groan.
“Alex!” my friend bellowed from the top of her lungs. The silent house met her shout. “Amber! Hazel needs help!”
As if she used a magic word the emptiness of the home became a cacophony of sound with people calling out to each other and a few pairs of feet came running on the floor in our direction. Remembering the conversation, I had with the alpha a couple of hours earlier I almost laughed. The poor male thinks I’m about to redecorate his home and is probably debating if he should toss me out the window just in case.
“Where is she?”
My heart stopped at the sound of the deep baritone and all the blood drained from my head. My mind was screaming no but there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop the clusterfuck that was about to unfold. To make matters worse, I watched mortified as River rushed to my side and gathered my limp, sweat soaked body in his arms.
“What happened? The pack is taking up positions around the house as a double protection.” Blondie looked sharply at my friend who hovered over me like a mother hen, wringing his hands.
“Speak female!”
“Don’t you yell at me River Blackman.” Sassily hissed at him, getting in his face and if I could, I would’ve kissed the girl. Good for her telling the jerk off. I mean who died and made him one of the gods? “If I knew do you think I’d be shouting for help like an idiot? One moment she was mocking me about last season’s fashion and bent over to pick up her shoe, the next she dropped like a rock pale as a ghost.”
“Hazel, can you hear me?” Rough fingers rasped over the skin on my forehead as he brushed hair out of my face. “Does anything hurt? Blink once if you can’t talk.” Sissily’s face popped above me crinkled with worry. “At least she’s not bleeding, that’s a good thing.” River muttered to himself.
“Security is tight around the house. Is she hurt?” Alex rushed into the room filling it up with potent alpha energy strong enough to pebble my skin. “Is she breathing?” His worried face joined my friend above me and all I could do was stare at both of them.
No sound was coming out of me anytime soon. A strange tingling sensation started on my lips and slowly spread all over my face and body, but it did nothing but remind me I was not dead; at least not yet at any rate. At least it wasn’t unpleasant or painful; and with my experiences lately everyone was all hellbent on killing me. I was grateful for that.
“Should I call for a healer?” Alex turned his mismatched gaze to River as if blondie held the knowledge of what would help me.
“I think she can hear us but for whatever reason she can’t talk.” Sissily reached a hand out and yanked on my right eyelid, lifting it up to expose most of my eyeball. In front of Blackman.
The woman was mental.
Lucky for her I couldn’t slap her. I made a note to do it as soon as I regained movement to my limbs. The tingling was getting stronger at that point, so with Hecate’s help I’d be smacking her any time now. The thought made me giddy with excitement; it also distracted me enough to avoid a panic attack. You’d think I’d be used to this shit by now but no. I was still quaking in my designer shoes every minute of every day expecting to drop where I stood for no reason at all.
It was the story of my life now.
Thank you, stupid magic.
And to think I was begging any gods who listened or the universe to grant me the wish of having power like the rest of my kind. No wonder humans said be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
The pentagram on the side of my forefinger started burning strong enough that the harsh breath I sucked in sounded like a hiss.
“She’s coming around.” Sissily took my hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze before dropping it like it bit her. “Oh, dear Hecate, her skin is burning up.” Her blue peepers turned accusingly to River. “Why are you sitting there mute, Blackman? You waiting to see if she catches on fire?”
“She’s cool to the touch.” A line formed between his eyebrows as he searched my face for discomfort was my guess. The fingers of one of his hands glided over my arm raising goosebumps on my skin. “Unless…”
Blessed reprieve came when he took my hand in his, where his skin connected with my burning flesh. The tears which were gathering in the corners of my eyes were gone too and the tingling sensation faded as well. That was my cue to get away from him because it seemed like he knew that he could help remove the pain I was experiencing.
The last thing I needed was to owe Blackman anything.
“I’m okay.” I rasped out on a deep breath as soon as my tongue felt less thick in my mouth. “I’m fine.” My attempt to push away from River so I can place distance between us, as expected, failed miserably. I only managed to flop around like a fish out of water rubbing myself all over his lap. Speaking of which, “I just need some water.” I told no one in particular but they stared at me like I suddenly grew a second head. “…Please?” I added lamely after a long awkward pause raising the pitch of my tone just enough to make it a question.
God forbid anyone mistakes me for a polite individual.
“She’s dying.” Sissily wailed taking fistfuls of Alex’s shirt in a white-knuckled grip.
