Hedge Witch Diaries Complete Series Boxed Set, page 50
“You only live once, you know. If I could go back and do it again, I’d make every guy work for it,” Grace mused. “I’d have more self-respect, more confidence. I’d tell myself every day that I’m a catch and there ain’t no fish in the sea quite like me. No more swooning over the first man who pays me a compliment.”
I paused in my cleaning, a wry smile touching my lips. “What if you had multiple lives to get it right?”
Grace blinked. “Huh?”
“Like reincarnation,” I clarified. “What if you got to live again and again with all your old memories?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Well, in that case, I’d hope I come back as a lesbian! I’d have a lot less bullshit to deal with.”
I snorted at that. Grace grinned and continued, “Knowing me, if I wasn’t a lesbian, I’d probably make all the same dumb mistakes when it came to men.”
She leaned on the bar, staring up at the ceiling. “It would take me at least a few lifetimes to figure my shit out. I’d probably have to go through a few hundred divorces before I learned anything.”
I smiled and shook my head as I listened. Same old Grace.
“But that’s me,” she clarified, meeting my eyes again. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, Briar. Just because my love life is a shit show doesn’t mean yours needs to be.”
I nodded slowly, mulling over her words. Grace always gave good advice, even if her own life was chaotic.
I raised an eyebrow. “So what would you do if you were me and had multiple guys after you?”
Grace’s eyes lit up mischievously. “Well, in the old days, they used to make men compete for a princess’ hand.” She grinned. “I’d make those boys fight for you, Briar. No better sight than a bunch of sweaty men wrestling each other!”
I laughed, unable to help myself. Grace’s enthusiasm was infectious.
“Even if one was a total jackass, that’s okay,” she continued animatedly. “Every good story needs a villain who’s after the princess. Gotta have a black knight to make things interesting!”
My shoulders shook with laughter. Only Grace could come up with something so ridiculous yet oddly compelling.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” she insisted, noticing my reaction. “Mostly, anyway.”
Her expression grew more serious. “In all honesty, if I had to do it over, I wouldn’t choose anyone until I was absolutely sure he was right. It’s not fair to string multiple guys along when you have feelings for more than one.”
I nodded slowly. She had a point there.
“Enough about men,” I announced, ready to change the subject. “It’s not like I have time for romance anyway. Not with all these dead folks coming back to life lately.”
Grace opened her mouth to respond but stopped short, her gaze fixed on the entrance.
“Speak of the devil,” she muttered.
I turned to see what had caught her attention, and my blood ran cold.
Jim Bob, Nick, and Donnie Honeycut stood in the doorway, the men who had tried to burn me at the stake. Back from the dead and leering hungrily in my direction.
I froze, staring at the three men I’d hoped never to see again. Jim Bob’s beady eyes locked with mine, his thin lips twisting into a sinister grin. Beside him, the hulking Honeycut brothers cracked their knuckles menacingly.
My pulse pounded as I glanced around the empty bar. It was only me and Grace working tonight. We were sorely outnumbered if things turned violent.
Grace leaned close to me. “What should we do?” she whispered nervously.
I inhaled sharply, willing my nerves to steady. “Stay calm,” I murmured back. “Let me handle this.”
Squaring my shoulders, I strode toward the newly undead trio. Jim Bob’s grin widened, clearly anticipating an easy target. Little did he know, I wasn’t the same scared girl he’d tried to burn at the stake.
“Well, well,” I offered coolly. “Back from the grave, I see. To what do we owe the displeasure?”
Jim Bob chuckled. “Don’t play coy with me, witch. I know what you are.” He glanced at his cronies. “We got unfinished business, the three of us. And this time, we aim to finish it.”
I met his glare unflinchingly. “I wouldn’t try anything if I were you,” I warned, magic crackling at my fingertips.
Jim Bob’s smug expression faltered. The Honeycuts shifted uneasily behind him.
“Now get out,” I commanded. “Before I send you right back to the hell you crawled out of.”
For a moment, no one moved. Then, with muttered curses, the men turned and slunk away into the night.
I exhaled shakily. Crisis averted, for now. Yet something told me this wasn’t over.
Grace slipped behind me and knocked on Charlie’s door. If he saw them here, well…
Too late to stop that.
Before I knew it, Charlie was standing face to face with Jim Bob, both men trying to stare the other down.
The customers in the back must’ve sensed the tension. They left some cash on the table and slipped from the bar. We were customer-less.
Charlie and Jim Bob continued to stare each other down, their eyes locked in a silent battle. I could practically feel the air vibrating.
Finally, Charlie spoke. “I don’t know what your business is with Briar, but I suggest you leave now before I call the authorities.”
Jim Bob sneered. “You think the police can stop us? We were dead, and now we’re not. We’re unstoppable.”
I narrowed my eyes, feeling the anger boiling inside me. “You may have come back from the dead, but that doesn’t make you invincible. It sure as hell doesn’t give you the right to harm innocent people.”
Jim Bob cackled. “Innocent? You’re a witch, Briar. A menace to society. You deserve to be punished for your crimes.”
I scoffed. “I’ve done nothing wrong except exist. You, on the other hand, have tried to kill me twice. Who’s the real criminal here?”
“And who are you to call her an abomination, asshole?” Charlie asked. “You’re the fucking zombie.”
“He has a point,” Nick Honeycut added.
“Shut up!” Donnie piped in, elbowing his brother a little too hard in the ribs.
Then, a familiar ding. The door swung open, and Balzac sauntered in, clapping his hands. He pantomimed a microphone in his hand. “Let’s get ready to rumble!”
Balzac had these bastards under his thrall, and we were in for a fight.
The next thing I knew, Charlie’s fist met Jim Bob’s jaw.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Before I could process what was happening, the Honeycut brothers leaped up to join the brawl. Three against one, surrounding Charlie as he shifted into a grizzly, swiping massive paws.
Balzac cackled like a hyena in the distance.
I grabbed a half-empty pitcher off an uncleared table and smashed it over Donnie’s empty head. He barely flinched, shards of glass sticking in his greasy mullet. The Neanderthal turned, beady eyes undressing me as he licked his lips. His meaty paw shot out to grab me.
Oh, hell no! I put everything I had into driving the broken pitcher into his face. Blood and teeth sprayed, but he simply kept coming.
I scrambled back, groping for anything to use as a weapon. Nick lunged for me, tackling me onto the pool table. I writhed and clawed as he pinned me down, fumbling at my top. I kneed him right in the marbles, buying me seconds to grab a pool cue and whack him upside the head.
“Git off me, you nasty pervert!” I hollered. The place was pure chaos, like one of those WWE cage matches on pay-per-view.
Charlie had shifted back into human form, clutching his side where Jim Bob had gotten in a good slash with his bowie knife. But that redneck zombie kept coming, rotten flesh hanging off his bones.
“You can’t kill what’s already dead!” Jim Bob cackled, taking another swipe at Charlie.
My blood boiled watching the foul creature hurt my friend. I felt a power rising in me, hot as lightning. The next thing I knew, light was pouring from my fingertips, scorching Jim Bob to ashes.
I blinked, stunned at what I’d done. The Honeycut brothers stumbled back, rotten faces wide with shock. I blasted them the same way I did Jim Bob. “Ashes to ashes, motherfuckers.”
A slow clap echoed through the bar. Balzac emerged from the shadows, grinning like a possum eating shit.
“That’s the Isis I love!” His voice oozed smugness. “I knew you had it in you. Join me, my love. If you don’t, there are more dead where they came from. I’ll keep sending them after your friends until you’re left without a choice.”
I trembled, overwhelmed by the raw power still coursing through me. But one look at Charlie’s bloodied face steeled my resolve.
“Why don’t you slither back to the sewer you crawled from?” I snarled at Balzac. If he wanted a fight, I aimed to give him one. Nobody messed with my friends!
Balzac’s grin only widened, like I’d told him some hilarious joke. “Oh, I don’t think so.”
Before I could react, he lunged forward, plunging his hand into Charlie’s chest. Charlie released a choked scream as Balzac yanked out his heart, crushing the pulpy mass in his fist.
“No!” I shrieked, rushing to Charlie’s side. His face had gone white, blood bubbling on his lips.
Grace stood frozen, hands clapped over her mouth in horror. I cradled Charlie’s head, sobbing. This was all my fault. If I’d gone with Balzac, maybe he’d still be alive.
Balzac loomed over us, dangling Charlie’s shredded heart. “You can save him, Isis. I know you can. Bring him back. You are the mistress of death!”
I trembled, tears blurring my vision. The empty cavity in Charlie’s chest taunted me. I had the power to fix this, to undo Balzac’s evil. But at what cost? Messing with life and death was dangerous business. What if Charlie came back…wrong? Like the others.
Still, looking at his lifeless body, I knew I had to try. I couldn’t lose him! Gripping Charlie tight, I summoned the energy from deep within, focusing it into his wound. His back arched, then collapsed. For a terrible moment, nothing happened.
Then his chest hitched, heart beating beneath my palm. Charlie’s eyes flew open, and he gasped like a drowning man breaking the surface.
Balzac’s slow clap turned my stomach. I stared at him with eyes that could literally kill if I used my power. Would it work against him, though?
Before I could find out, Balzac snapped his fingers and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
“Fuck!” I shouted. “That bastard.”
I held Charlie close to me. He coughed, clutching his chest. “Briar? What…what did you do?”
I smoothed his hair back. “I brought you back. I couldn’t let you die!”
He sat up slowly, flexing his fingers. “You shouldn’t have. Who knows what I’ll become now?” His face clouded with worry.
I shook my head firmly. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear it.”
Then, without thinking, I kissed him. Big mistake—I knew it. But my emotions overwhelmed me.
Charlie pushed me back. “Briar, I want this. God damn it, I’ve wanted this for so long. Not like this, though.”
What could I say? “I’m sorry.”
He stared hard at me as if trying to see into my soul. “You have no idea how sorry I am.”
With that, he ran out the door.
I sat there on the grimy bar floor, feeling alone and confused. I had brought someone back from the dead, someone who was in love with me, and in a moment of weakness, I’d led him on. Now he’d run off to the gods knew where. I guessed that meant I should have known where he was going, but I didn’t. Away from here. Away from me. Most likely scared he’d turn murderous and hurt me or Grace.
Grace tentatively put a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.
I shook my head. “No, I’m not. I don’t know what’s happening.”
Grace’s hand tightened on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. “What do we do now?” she asked.
I breathed in deeply, trying to push away the guilt and confusion. “We find Balzac. And we make him pay for what he’s done.”
Grace nodded with determination in her eyes. “Whatever it takes.”
I stood, feeling the strength of my power once again. If Balzac wanted a fight, I would give him one. “First, we need to find Charlie. Coming back like that, well, he probably isn’t right.”
“You mean he’s going to start killing people?” Grace asked.
I sighed. “You know about that?”
Grace brushed a blonde strand of hair from my face. “Honey, I’m the eyes and ears of this place. I hear everything.”
I nodded. “Close the bar. I need to reach out to Gareth and Sydney. Balzac is probably going after them next, and I have to get to Charlie before he snaps.”
“Give me his number,” Grace returned. “I’ll warn Gareth. Go get Charlie. He needs you, hun.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I shoved through the underbrush with thorns and branches tearing at my arms. “Where are you?” I shouted, my voice echoing through the forest. A flock of spirit crows burst from the trees, cawing angrily at the interruption. I glanced up, watching their translucent forms disappear over the treetops.
“Please, help me find him,” I called, softer this time.
A rustle sounded to my left. I turned to see a deer regarding me silently, its dark eyes solemn. It dipped its head once before bounding off into the woods. I scrambled after it, nearly twisting my ankle on roots and stones.
We didn’t follow the beaten path I usually took, but I knew where the spirit was leading me. We were headed toward Dorian’s sanctuary.
The trees thinned ahead, and I stumbled into the clearing, breathing hard.
Charlie was there, curled up inside the stone circle. A sickly green light writhed around him as his body morphed and changed. One moment, he was a wolf, then a bear, then some strange creature I couldn’t name. He howled and growled, clearly in agony.
“Charlie!” I cried, starting forward. The green magic flared, forcing me back a step. I reached for my own power, calling on Isis, but the spirit energy surrounding the circle lashed out. No way I was getting through that. Not even as a goddess.
Charlie’s form settled into something almost human, though antlers still sprouted from his head. He began chanting in a language I didn’t know, his voice guttural. The foreign words sent a chill down my spine.
I drew a bracing breath. He was still a druid. Was his warped undead mind forcing him to do something abominable? “Hang on, Charlie,” I whispered. “I’m gonna get you out of this, I swear.”
Somehow, some way, I’d find a way to save him. I had to believe that.
I paced the edge of the circle, racking my brain for something, anything I could do to help Charlie. His chanting grew louder, more insistent, the foreign words echoing through the trees. I caught a name repeated over and over. Morrigan.
Charlie’s form settled into human once more, though the antlers remained. He threw back his head, arms outstretched.
“Morrigan!” he cried. “I offer myself as your vessel! Take me, use me as you will!”
My breath caught in my throat. What was happening to him?
“Charlie, no!” I shouted. “Fight this! You have to fight!”
He collapsed to his knees, body wracked with spasms as he transformed again. Fur sprouted along his skin as he cried out in agony. I had to look away, tears burning my eyes.
When I turned back, Charlie was human again, panting hard. He’d shed his fur as quickly as he’d grown it. His eyes found mine, and I saw a flash of the man I knew.
“Briar,” he choked out. “I love you…always have. I’m sorry. Before I changed and lost myself, I did what I had to—”
Then his expression changed, going cold and blank. He tilted his head, regarding me curiously. When he spoke again, his voice was different. Still Charlie’s, but the tone was all wrong.
“You meddle in affairs beyond your understanding, Isis.”
I stumbled back, stunned. Whatever was speaking through Charlie, it wasn’t him. Not anymore.
I swallowed hard. “Who are you?”
Charlie’s mouth curved into a smirk. He straightened to his full height, looming over me.
“I am the Morrigan,” he declared, spreading his arms wide. “Phantom queen and mistress of death.”
My blood turned to ice in my veins. I only knew a few things about her. A dangerous Celtic goddess, a harbinger of war and strife. She was one of the deities Charlie suggested might have the power to help with our situation, but this was something else. He’d let this strange goddess take over his body. What the hell had Charlie gotten himself into?
“What do you want?” I demanded with fists clenched.
Charlie—no, the Morrigan—chuckled. “Your druid tells me you require my aid. I must admit, it amuses me that a prideful goddess like you might need me to save you. I can do what he asks, but it will come with a price, Isis.”
I bristled at the goddess’ name. “Don’t call me that. My name is Briar.”
“As you wish.” The Morrigan inclined Charlie’s head. “If you want my help, you must relinquish your power to me.”
My power? Did she mean my magic as Isis? Or the rest of it? The powers I’d always had? I’d tried to reject that part of myself for so long, but now the fate of the world might depend on it. Could I really trust this goddess who called herself a phantom queen? As I searched my past life’s memories, I found little about this strange deity. Perhaps she was right. The Egyptian gods didn’t play well with others.
“If I give up my power, you’ll repair the veil between worlds?” I asked slowly. “You’ll stop the end times?”
The Morrigan smiled, sending a chill down my spine. “I will do what I can, but Set must be dealt with first. If we heal the veil now, he would simply tear it open again. As could you, which is why you must give me your power. I will not suffer you to ruin the world a second time.”
I grunted. “Look, I didn’t know what I was doing. I do now.”
