Death (The Devil's Roses #5)

She rolls her eyes. "Not now okay. I'm tired."

Her bracelet is fiery red. It would dull the brightest light.

Aleks is pacing. He isn’t touching me or trying to talk to me. I start to get nervous. He glances at me. He gives me a fake smile. His lips are perfectly even. Something is wrong.

Ari walks out of the forest looking wild with the huge wolves on either side of her. It always makes me smile seeing her like that.

"You need a bow and arrow for that look."

She laughs. "Why are we here?" She looks exhausted and tortured. The same look she has had since the kids and Sam.

Aleks looks at Dorian. They do the thing where they speak without speaking. I hate that.

Ari gives Hanna her best pleasant smile. "Hey Hanna. How's it going?"

Hanna shakes her head. "You don’t have to Ari. I get it."

"Get what? We just never see you anymore. You're always at Roland's."

Hanna looks around impatiently. "Yeah. Lydia's is a hard gig for me. Roland's isn’t so easy either though."

I sigh. "I hear that."

Dorian holds a hand up. "Let’s not do the maudlin Sam thing again please. We're here to see Marcus. He refuses to meet with us on our land, obviously. He'll be here any minute."

Hanna looks like she's been stabbed. She walks to an old log and sits. I feel sick when I imagine what she's going through. I glance at Aleks and know her pain.

"Marcus is here now." A deep voice rings through the forest. He walks over with the same asshole air he always has about him. Snooty and shitty to everyone.

I see something behind him. Oliver is dragging Ophelia through the forest to us. Yikes. He looks angry. Hot and angry. I can't help but smirk. The fallen have a strange effect on us. I glance at Dorian and hate how attracted to him I am. He grins at me. He knows what I'm thinking. He runs his tongue across his lips. I watch the whole thing frowning.

Tristan and Phillip walk up behind Ari. I can't help but smile at how cute they are. Holding hands, and oblivious to the world ending, they come strolling over as if this were a romp in the forest. Tristan looks at Oliver and scowls. Oliver unhands Ophelia. Something is up with them.

I glance back at the group to catch Marcus looking at Hanna and smiling softly. She is the only thing in the world that makes him human. I feel sad for her. It takes away some of the hate. Most of it.

"Alright Marcus, get to it. I have a huge fuck up to deal with in Japan and don’t have time for this right now. The other Roses aren’t having a much better week than you lot." Lorri stalks out of the bushes in her bog boots. Her feet aren't sinking in like mine. She looks savage, as usual, but this time she suits the forest motif.

"Okay look, we have an issue. Oliver, Aleks, and I have been pouring over the old ways and we think we have a way to make it so Ophelia dearest, who likes to burn my hallways and irreplaceable art, can take the magic without killing Tristan. However the mother has to die at her hands first. It's backwards and we don’t know if she is going to be strong enough to do it."

Ophelia's face flushes. She lowers her gaze and looks at Hanna under her lashes. Hanna licks and chews her lip nervously.

What is going on?

Lorri paces. "Okay, so if we get the blue sisters to give O their magic and then she and Oliver kill their mother but she delivers the final blow and gets the magic then it should be a snap for Trist to give O his magic."

I think everyone is lost. The confused nodding is everywhere. I have no idea what she has just said.

Lorri looks around at us as if it's going to be simple.

"Are we done? Did you call this meeting for this pathetic problem?"

Marcus looks annoyed. He blinks at her and when he speaks his accent thickens considerably, "Lorri, the blue sisters can't give the magic until the mother is dead. The situation isn’t going to work the way we want it to. The laws of magic are the laws of magic."

I look around, wondering if I'm the only nerd thinking this is just like Highlander. I glance at Ben and know I'm not. We watched the movies together several times. I nudge his thick furry body and grin, "There can be only one," I whisper. He makes his wolf chuckle and nods his huge face.

Lorri shoots a glare at us.

I press my lips together and fight my grin. Ben drops his head, ashamed.

"Well fuck. Is the witch going to fight us on this? Is she going to fight for her life?"

I look around. "Henry can help." My eyes dart at Marcus and Aleks. They both look uneasy.

Marcus shakes his head. "Shut it Aimee. I mean, no, let's leave poor dear Henry out of this."

My face burns. "But we all know where the heart is. If you sacrifice yourself and let Aleks tell him he will owe us a favor."

Hanna's eyes shoot open and I can't help but feel disgust. She loves him.

The betrayal of Sam hurts me.

Marcus seers, "Let's not. Just forget about Henry. His favors are never what you expect."

Lorri looks at me and shakes her head subtly. "He's right. He'll find a way to help us without actually helping. He's Fae, tricky creatures. He'll never betray O's mom. They're his family."

Dorian looks at me like I'm stupid. "Try to remember we took over their world Aims." His patronizing tone annoys me.

Hanna looks like she is breathing again.

Ari glances at the wolves and smiles. "What about Aleks's dad? What if we give him to Henry? Would he help us then? The wolves can track him."

Lorri looks at Ari and scowls. "Jon is not caught so easily."

Ophelia speaks up. "He'll come for me. I know he will. He's inside my head still."

Oliver looks like he's about to say something but gets cut off by Lorri. "This could work. We can't free Henry, we just can't. But if he could free the witch's spirits, wouldn’t they move on and leave their magic behind? Then O can take the magic and her and Trist can go together and kill their mother. Then me and Aimee have a date with destiny. Henry wouldn’t have to know what was going on. Speaking of which, O you stay away from Marcus's house. Henry can read your mind."

I gulp and Ophelia nods, looking angry.

Lorri's eyes are on fire when she looks at me and snap her fingers. "Make it happen." She speaks and is gone. No doubt to Japan. She has Roses on every continent. Asia is a very intense section. It's where she spends the majority of her time.

I glance at Ophelia who looks nervous and annoyed. I harden my face like normal and nod at her. She swallows hard and nods back. She walks to Hanna and starts to speak in a hushed tone. Hanna and her walk away. Something is up with them.

I turn and smirk at Ari. "So wanna go see some wolves about a madman?"

I want nothing like I want the revenge I deserve for my mother's death. Aleks's father is number one on my list of people to suck dry.

Warmth surrounds me. He is trying to calm me. I don’t turn around.

Ari's eyes sparkle. She puts a hand in as the wolves put paws in. Ari holds her cell phone up for me to see the picture of where we are going and instantly we are there. The lodge in front of us is grand and more than I ever imagined for a bunch of were's. Wolves and humans walk amongst each other in between huge log homes.

Heads turn, teeth are bared at first, but when they see Ben and Luke they're running and crying out. Wolves nuzzle and humans embrace. Ari and Aleks and I stand and watch.

Luke and Ben shift and stand naked amongst their people. I avert my eyes.

"Yeah, they have zero issue with nudity." I can hear Aleks laughing. I glance at him and he gives me his crooked grin. I raise an eyebrow.

"Kids," I mutter, still annoyed with him.

He rolls his eyes. "Wanna go meet the alpha?" He asks and takes my hand. I take Ari's and try to ignore the sparkle that happens whenever we touch palm to palm. I keep my eyes down and let Aleks lead me.

The noise of the crowd is incredible. I wonder if any of them remember Ben's death? I squeeze Ari's hand. She hasn’t been the same since Aleks and Ben came back at the cost of all the children and Sam. None of us have. I know Aleks notices it. It breaks my heart that he knows we all wish Sam hadn’t died. Not that anyone wishes he and Ben had. It's just a confusing pile of shit, as always. Nothing is simple for us. Not even walking through a wolf village.

A loud voice booms across the lawn. "You bring this here Lucas? This angel of death?"

My face flushes. I glance up at a huge man standing in front of me. He and Aleks are the same size, massive. Aleks stands in front of me.

The man is older, forties maybe. He has salt and pepper cresting his brow and sideburns. He looks pissed. No one is ever happy to see me.

Lucas and Ben come running over pulling on sweat pants. "She's with us. Look at her hand."

The man's eyes dart to the ring on my finger. I finger it nervously. It's my thing.

His bright blue-green eyes watch me.

"You're a Rose?" He says it as if it should be impossible.

I nod.

Aleks moves to be more in front of me. His rigidity is making me nervous. I get hungry when I get nervous.

He glances at Aleks with disgust. "She is your mate?"

Aleks laughs and looks back at me. "Yeah."

I frown. "What?"

Lucas grins and looks at me. "Let's just go inside."

I notice some of the women eyeballing me and then getting lost in Aleks. They start playing with their hair and batting eye lashes the minute he looks around. Apparently jealousy also makes me hungry. Sparks starts flashing at my fingertips as I snap my fingers, surveying the homes.

"Aimes." I glance at Lucas who is wearing the shittiest grin ever. I follow them inside.

I have no idea what to expect or what's going on.

Chapter Four

Ophelia

I drag my hand from his. Every step I take I feel the earth shift. I'm tired of him getting pissed at me. I can hear the earth attacking him and trying to separate us. He is sighing and flashing out of the way of the shifting dirt. Anger brings my earth and fire magic. I don’t glance back. Hanna is staying at Marcus's and I am banished. Oliver won't come to Lydia's, well can't.