CHAPTER THIRTEEN
~
“How does it feel?” Lex asked, standing below the bough of the tree Faith had hit at high speed.
“Ouch,” Faith grumbled. Pain flowed through her like the blood in her veins, but she instinctively knew she was healing.
“I meant the shoe being on the other foot,” Lex said, folding his arms and resisting the urge to rescue her from herself.
“What are you talking about?” Faith asked, annoyed with herself for letting her sister get the upper hand.
“Witches – am I right?”
Faith looked at the sky. Big fluffy clouds of white cotton wool hung in the air as she hung like a broken ragdoll over a branch. “I can even the score.”
“Ah, revenge,” Lex said, unable to resist her pull; he dropped his arms and pushed up, landing on the branch beside her.
“I always settle scores,” Faith said, testing the arm that had just clicked back into place with a shooting pain but was still usable.
“But with magic, and now you have none.”
“Thanks to you!” Faith bit out as anger rushed through her senses.
“Thanks to me, you are healing right now; thanks to me, you are alive to protect the littlest witch, and thanks to me…”
“I can settle the score,” Faith said, turning her head. The sound of the vertebra in her neck clicking onto place made her wince. “Are you waiting for me to thank you?”
“Oh, no, we have a few decades before I can see that coming,” Lex said, rolling his eyes. “But how will you settle scores when your sister is human?”
“A witch…”
“But still human and breakable, not so easily fixed,” he reminded her.
Faith grunted in pain when her spine realigned. “I hate you.”
“I was expecting that,” Lex said. When Faith jerked her body, testing her newly healed spine, she slipped off the edge of the branch and landed on the ground with a heady thud. “And expecting that.” He dropped to the ground beside her, looking down with amusement. “We all have limitations.”
“Bite me,” Faith said, curling her top lip.
“Don’t tease me,” Lex said, grinning. A flash of fangs made her want to punch him in the face, but she wasn’t ready for that yet; she still had some healing to do.
~
Evie pushed open the front door and walked outside the home she shared with Jennifer and Parker. The sun was shining, and it was a beautiful day. Yet, it felt like rain clouds were gathered over her head, and she was sure she wasn’t the only one under a dark cloud.
“Hey?” Amy said. She was sitting on the open tailgate of one of the trucks, and Evie took a slow walk towards her. “I’d say a penny for your thoughts, but it’s written all over your face.”
“Yeah,” Evie said, turning her backside to the tailgate and pulling herself up to sit beside Amy. “Things just got a lot more complicated.”
Amy snorted a chuckle. “Understatement. We had one foe, and now we have two.”
“You consider Faith a foe?”
“I’m not turning my back on her anytime soon,” Amy said, raising her eyebrows and questioning if Evie thought she was wrong to think that way.
“I guess,” Evie said, shrugging. “But I feel guilty…”
“Hold it there, sister,” Amy said, shaking her head. “You have nothing to feel guilty…”
“It should have been me,” Evie rushed out. “I should have been with Jennifer, protecting her.”
“Then you’d be dead, and not just dead, but dead-dead, no coming back from that sucker dead unless that damn vampire is slipping everyone his blood,” Amy said with a forced shiver.
“And yet…”
“Nope,” Amy said, shaking her head. “Faith might be all bloodlust and fangs right now, but she is still around, and like a good little newbie puppy, she can be trained.”
“Trained?” Amy said, leaning to the side and eyeing her friend with disbelief.
“Sure,” Amy replied. “And she has the one true love of her life to do it. He’s not going to give up on her.”
“Yeah, but…”
“Nope,” Amy said, holding her hand up, palm facing Evie. “Faith’s probably miffed right now. We all would be miffed if we went to sleep and woke up without our magic and a raging bloodlust, but she’ll come round.”
“She already did,” Faith said from the truck”s roof.
Amy and Evie twisted in place. Magic ready, both witches eyed Faith standing on the roof, hands on hips, like a superhero from a comic book; all she needed was a costume. “Well, look at you, Miss Stealthy Sucker,” Amy said, grinning.
Faith couldn’t say she was in a good mood, but Amy always put a smile on her face. “I have skills,” she said, cocking an eyebrow at them.
“And an unhealthy appetite,” Amy replied.
“I have to admit, I can scent your blood, and it does smell delicious,” Faith said, trying to check the itching that scratched at her soul, if she still had one, and the gnawing inside her for more blood.
“See, that doesn’t make me wanna spend time with you, Faith,” Amy said, turning to look at Evie while keeping a little side eye on the newbie threat. “Evie – are we booking a girls” night anytime soon?”
Evie slowly shook her head. “You need to stay away from Jennifer.”
“I’m here to protect…”
“Faith, with no disrespect,” Evie said. “Right now, you are the danger to Jennifer.”
Faith snorted. She turned an eye on Evie’s house before returning her gaze to her friends. “I promised to protect her, and I will.”
“And we are going to protect her from you,” Amy said. “Hard truth, you need to stay with Lex; if we have to put you down, we’re not going to be nice about it.”
“I found that out the hard way,” Faith said. “So much for loyalty.”
“You were going to peel off the top of the car,” Evie said, eyeing her with disbelief. “Jennifer trusts you because you’re her friend, her aunt, but do not stand there and tell me you think you can be trusted.”
Faith didn’t reply. She looked to the near distance where Lex stood watching her. She had a deep-seated need within her to protect the child, but she didn’t know if that ingrained feeling could stop the bloodlust she knew flowed through her veins.
“Faith!” True said, rushing from the house with Hope hard on her heels.
“You need to leave,” Hope said, mindful that Jennifer was inside and mistrustful of Faith being that close.
“Should have told me that when I first got to town, too late now,” Faith said, mocking her.
“Doesn’t sound like her personality has changed,” True said, pulling on her magic and holding it at her fingertips.
“Only now, it’s your magic against my speed and agility, big sister,” Faith said, a flash of a challenge in her eyes.
“Nope, still the same old Faith,” Hope replied, still smarting from Faith, implying that this was all her fault. She knew that already; she didn’t need to be reminded; the guilt was well and truly lodged in her psyche, but she wouldn’t give Faith the satisfaction of owning it now.
“I’m here to protect Jennifer; nothing else matters,” Faith said, dropping from the truck”s roof to the flatbed. Dani and Evie didn’t wait to assess the situation; they dropped to their feet on the road and turned to face the challenge.
Four witches, one vampire, the odds were on their side.
“Except blood,” True said, looking to Hope for confirmation.
“Sure, blood,” Hope said, looking at Faith. “Must be distracting.”
Faith’s top lip curled. “Are you offering to ease the distraction?”
Hope allowed a slow smile to grow on her lips and made Faith wait for her answer. “You know, I think I will pass, but this side of you is so cute.”
“You can’t stop me from protecting…”
“We can stop you, and you know we can,” True said, not letting her finish. “Whether we choose to do that is up to you.”
Faith glared down at True. She fisted and un-fisted her hands at her sides. “Isn’t this predictable? True gets her way, and everyone is on her side again.”
“Are you seriously trying to make me feel guilty that you are a danger to Jennifer?” True asked. “Oh, Faith, are you barking up the wrong tree.”
“I didn’t choose this,” Faith snapped.
“No, but now you need to do the right thing and back off,” Amy said, shrugging. A look of sympathy on her face ruffled Faith’s feathers.
“Just until Lex says it’s okay,” Dani said from the doorway of the house.
“You too?” Faith said, shaking her head. “All we need is Darcy and the gangs all here.”
“I’m here,” Darcy said from behind Dani. “And I’m sorry this happened to you, Faith, I really am, we all are, but it’s not service as normal. You’ll need help to…”
“I don’t need help,” Faith said, turning away. “And I don’t need your sympathy. I’m here to defend Jennifer, and like it or not – I’m not going to hide away until I’m a good little vampire.”
“Fine,” True said. “Sit on the roof, follow us, but if you get close to Jennifer – I will put you down.”
Faith glared at her sister for a long moment before she grunted with annoyance, turned on her heels, and disappeared as fast as she had come.
“Where’d she go?” Amy said, eyeing the area on the ground and above with the tree line and rooftops.
“Wherever it is, Lex is on her trail,” Hope said, noticing the man had disappeared.
“I feel horrible,” True said, caving in on herself.
“We all do, Hon,” Hope said, reaching out and throwing an arm over her shoulders. “But we can’t let our guard down with Faith, and we can’t back down until Lex gives us the nod – however long it might take.”
“She didn’t ask for this,” Amy said. “But it’s Faith; if anyone has the strength to control the bloodlust, it’s her.”
“I don’t want to be old and grey by the time that happens,” True said. “I don’t want to miss decades with my sister.”
“Anyone remember when it felt like we had control over our lives?” Hope said with a sigh.
“Illusion,” Amy said. “Nobody has control over their lives; fate’s proven that. But you just gotta fight each new battle as they come and not let them break you.”
“And enjoy the peace when you have it,” Darcy said.
“Hey,” Zeke said from behind her, and she jolted in place.
“Geeeeez!” Darcy snapped. “Give a girl a clue.”
“Jennifer heard Faith outside; she’s a little antsy,” he said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder back into the house.
“Got it,” Evie said, heading to the door.
“I feel the urge to game coming on,” Amy said. “Kicking my butt at something might distract her.”
Dani stepped forward and cleared the way for Evie and Amy to enter. When Amy got to Zeke, he pushed right back against the wall to let her pass while cocking an eyebrow at her. “She’s in the living room with Parker,” he informed her.
“You know, I might have misjudged you,” Amy said.
Zeke twisted his head and eyed her with suspicion. “So, I’ve impressed you?”
“Not yet, but keep up the good work,” Amy said, chuckling to herself as she followed Evie down the hallway. She could have let Zeke off the hook, but she was miffed about Faith, and she did want to see what he’d do next.
“Someone’s been a good boy,” Darcy said, chuckling. “Let’s get you a Scooby snack.”