Watch of the Wicked (Devil's Witch Book 3)

Seven Months Later

Will

Months have passed since I finally got the Silvet son to depart from his position at the police department. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised his people retaliate and ransack the streets spreading their heinous symbols of hatred mocking my kind. They fly the very red and black satanic flag now all high and mighty down at the station. It’s composed of an upside-down pentagram to both mock and intimidate my people.

The humans grow impatient with my kind because the police used to handle all their issues, but now that they see the vamps raiding our homes and vandalizing their streets with the symbols of their fetishized supremacy.

The humans already know the cops are vamps anyway so it was only a matter of time until they came to us for help. Not to mention, the growing number of humans has them concerned as well. Stella is still looking for Colin Wallace we all are trying our best to find him as well as Patty.

We think Patty has him hostage somewhere. We already tried tracing magic all over Slate Mountain, but our own search came up with nothing. We know she was back in her salon though because we did find her magic in there. I think she definitely is using a concealment now and it wouldn’t surprise me if one of us knows where she is.

We all did go through truth tests as mandated by the council, but it was more of on a voluntary basis. Of course, those who didn’t go made themselves look suspicious. However, most of them were the older folk who couldn’t afford to travel up north to be tested before the court.

So now, we’ve been continuing the truth-testing here which is a very slow process since the police are no longer helping and resorting to their methods -- more like fear tactics. They’ve been raiding our homes and taking in random amounts of us at a time for questioning and there’s nothing I can do to make them stop it.

The governor of our state is in support of their house searches, but I don’t think he knows the extent of their searches. They are destroying our town and marking it their own. No witches they have taken into questioning have been released yet. If my headcount is correct, over three hundred of my kindred are being held up in their newly extended holding cells down at the station.

All we can do at this point is hope they truly are trying to find out who knows about Patty or possibly Colin too. We certainly won’t depend on them though. We aren’t stupid, they are prolonging this process longer than it needs to take. Before, Nicholas had down a truth test on all our members in under twenty-four hours. That was with my permission of course, but the vamps aren’t looking to cooperate anymore.

It was only yesterday I saw Valerie’s neighbor get beaten to death right outside their home for refusing to comply with the officers. They drove off with the body and all without batting an eye to onlookers. Every day, I’m done at the station keeping an eye on things though and they don’t seem to be harming any of my members held up in their holding cells for questioning.

It’s only the noncompliant I’ve seen them attack so far. The giant vampire, officer Heinrich, has replaced Nicholas’s position and consequently happens to be more elusive than their previous police chief. I’ve only talked to him a few times and he rarely would let on to how exactly they are handling these truth tests. They are looking for Patty too though, but I don’t think they’re interested in taking the time to find Colin which really is what makes me believe Nicholas is really running the show and letting his cockroaches have their fun.

I’m not an idiot. Right after the Silvet son was exposed for working undercover Colin told us some interesting information.

However, Valerie won’t even talk to me now. So that hasn’t helped anything. I think she blames me for our lagging behind in finding both Patty and Colin. I try calling her once a week and it always goes straight to voicemail.

Marcella claims it’s because she suspects I’ve been cheating on her, but Val hasn’t even given me the chance to fully explain myself. Marcella needed a place to stay until she settled into our town and so I offered to let her crash at my place.

The last time Val and I talked was seven months ago. It was the night she discovered some messed up artwork in the church Nicholas’s father ran. I told her I’ve been trying to get the vamps to work with us, but she wouldn’t buy it.

I know the hybrid is still keeping in touch with her and it pisses me off. I’m sick of hearing his denial of everything, from his involvement in the hate groups to his involvement with Valerie. I didn’t want to break up with her, but I just felt she needed space and one of us would have to admit it eventually. I hope we’ll get back together, but I know she needs time to sort things out.

I try to invite her to our meetings, but I think she just doesn’t want to deal with me after everything. I haven’t been back at my parents’ place since Nicholas bought their resort. The only exception being my regular checkups on the portal. We have our meetings now in my newly purchased house right on the corner across from the library down a few blocks from Wally’s.

I park my truck outside the big old ranch house. I don’t see any other cars in its roundabout parking lot. The lights in the house all look off too. I called Silvet last night and he asked me to check up on his belongings saying how was concerned about his stepbrother or some other made-up excuse.

I’m no house sitter, but I did make the mistake of paying the bastard to watch over my property at one point so I guess this is my repayment. Besides, I couldn’t help to jump at the chance to see what dirt I can dig up on him to give to the high council.

I hop down from my truck and wave at Marcella to follow me. We dropped the no-fly zone and she followed me over on her broom since it’s a pretty nice fall night. Her heels click over the paved sidewalk as we walk up to the front door.

“They got some pretty horses out back. I didn’t take Mr. Silvet as a rancher.” Marcella mumbles while walking up the steps to the front door with me.

I knock on the door, “Well, I didn’t take him as a priest. The vampire was a fraud in more ways than one. Let’s hope we find some useful evidence in here to prove his son is too.”

Marcella taps the doorbell and I shrug my shoulders not having noticed it. We don’t hear anyone answer or walking around in side. I squint through one of the windows on the porch not seeing any auras inside the dark foyer.

I walk back over to the door, “Yo! Anyone home?” I holler.

Still nothing.

"Patentibus." The headmistress whispers and the door unlocks opening on its own.

“Great goddess! The smell...” Marcella shouts with deep disgust covering her mouth and nose.

I pass her entering the home. I try the light switch inside the house near the door, but it won’t turn on. The electric must be out. It truly does smell horrendous like dead animal and I summon my magic around us. It’s blue glow now heavily condensed together is enough to brighten our surroundings well enough for us to make out the scene.

Dozens of rotten and nearly completely decomposed wolf carcasses are scattered across the floor. The vulgar, pungent smell very likely is stained into the walls and floor for the dried blood looks to be everywhere, but on us. The smell I can feel sinking into my clothes and skin and I furrow my brows with revulsion.

It’s like we just stepped into a slaughterhouse.

“Ugh, this is horrendous! A massacre...” Marcella shouts with rage and deep disgust.

No wonder the black diamond alpha wasn’t returning my calls...he’s been dead and it looks like his entire pack is too. There’s only one pack in our small town that I known of. The vamps are behind these murders and I know it. I know Jackson could be among the dead in here, but we will have to make sure all the pack members really are among the dead in here. There are easily over a hundred dead bodies.

“We shouldn’t be breathing this in, let’s step out for a minute. We’ll make a summoning spell outside and call on more help.” Marcella tells me and I follow her out.

I don’t know what the weres were doing all in one place, but Jackson could have been using it maybe as a pack home. No ordinary vampire would be able to kill so many full grown werewolves by themselves. I’m sure a couple of vampires were involved and maybe...a hybrid too.

A few witches arrive and begin helping us mark off each wolf corpse. I texted Valerie the news, but she hasn’t responded yet. I don’t know if she will, but this is pretty alarming news. “I’m gonna head over to my parents’ place just to check up there.” I inform Marcella and she nods her head and turns away to address the newcomers to the scene inside.

Before I pull my truck out of the drive, I hear the faint sound of a police siren. It’s not long before I spot a cruiser drive up the dirt road. The police car comes to a stop next to my driver side door. The black tinted window rolls down and officer Heinrich gives me a stiff wave. Beside him, a younger looking cop sits and I recognize him as Val’s old partner from work.

“We got security alert house was broken in. Not know it was you...need help or we leave?” The brute vamp asks me and I raise my eyebrows at his offer.

I’m sure Valerie would be angry if I rejected their help, but I can’t shake the feeling their people are behind this! I’m tempted to ram my car into theirs as my answer, but I keep my hands on the steering wheel and my foot on the break.

“We have it covered.” I answer with a tight-lipped smile.

Without further comment, I watch them back up and turn back onto the road probably off to kill another pack and pretend they know nothing. Besides, the power was out and the house’s security system would have been down. They shouldn’t have known we entered the house. I smile at the thought while driving a ways around the mountain over onto the other side knowing this truth will come in handy in court.

After I pass the rundown and abandoned ski resort building, I cut through the big parking lot and drive off toward the back of the ski lodge. Then I turn off onto the long driveway and eventually make it to my parents’ home.

Strangely, it looks like the attic light is on. I can see the glow of the dim yellow light through the circular window pane. Using my sight, I see the faint glow of a red aura and narrow my eyes wondering if it’s the Silvet son camping in my childhood home as if his mansion of a house on the other side of the mountain isn’t enough. He told me I could keep possession of my home though and he allegedly isn’t even working in town anymore.

He shouldn’t be here and I don’t know why he would be anyway.

Never can be too sure of anything with vamps though. Keeping my guard up, I quietly shut my car door and use my magic to unlock the front door. Someone’s here and I’m about to find out who. I race up the stairs to the second floor and cross my arms watching my magic pull down the attic door.

“If anyone’s up there show yourself or I will activate the ward!” I yell with warning.

The hair raises on the back of my neck when I hear footsteps patter over the floorboards above my head. It sounds like they are walking away from the attic door so I start climbing the steps.

I should at least identify the intruder before frying them. I’m really hoping its an officer not some random homeless vamp. It will be better evidence to show the high council.

When I reach the top steps, I find the dimly lit attic unoccupied and don’t see a trace of the red aura I thought I saw from outside. Several dusty covered boxes line the walls of the attic on both sides of me and the lightbulb’s string still swings slightly back and forth as if it was just pulled. I swear I heard someone walking up here.

“Come out!” I whisper-yell getting a creeping feeling I’m being watched.

I know I’m not crazy.

I look toward the attic window and frown seeing an old black painted baby crib. It looks like something my parents bought at an estate sale. They did like collecting antiques. The crib certainly wasn’t mine or Crystal’s. My parents were much cheaper back then and had a plastic crib for us that they gave to my cousin’s family over in Georgia. Well, it’s not like my parents are going to come back up here anytime soon with the riots and all. I could probably get it appraised.

“What the hell?” I gasp seeing a tiny baby fast asleep inside of it.

I lift up the blanket curiously and immediately catch sight of its red aura. When I drop the blanket though its aura is hidden. It’s some kind of aura refractor. These things are outlawed and have been for centuries.

The vampire baby doesn’t look malnutritioned or anything. Who in goddess’s name would be keeping it up here?! Even if it’s a vampire baby, this is despicable. I swear if it bites me...

Uneasily, I pick the baby up and it remains in its deep slumber to my amazement. It feels pretty warm for a vampire child. From what I was taught, vamp babies are cold and much more vicious when touched. Goosebumps creep up my arms when I remember seeing its aura outside. The only way I would have been able to see it was if it was out of its blanket.

Someone had to of been up here with it.

I hear a click behind me and the lights go out.

“Who’s there?” I demand sharply.

Before I even think of using my magic to turn the lights back on, the lights flicker back on. The room around me becomes cold and the air like static making my skin crawl. I look around the small space seeing no one though. Feeling startled, I make my way with the sleeping child back down the attic. When I reach the bottom, I hear the front door open downstairs and dash down the staircase.

“Will? Marcella said you’d be over here? Hello?” I hear Valerie call downstairs and I relax a little.

She looks shocked when she sees me come downstairs with the vampire baby in my arms. I grimace realizing she came here alone. She shouldn’t be wandering alone up here.

“It was in the attic.” I breathe out.

The baby’s eyes open and are a striking blue. It’s small hands reach out to Valerie as if it prefers to be held by her.

She crosses her arms looking nervous, “Who would do such a thing and why here? We need the police. They have records of all their people.” She says with worry.

I really don’t want to argue right now, and instead, remain quiet handing her the child who begins crying. “Careful, it may bite.” I warn her.

“What could it have been doing in the attic?” She asks me.

“I don’t know, I swear someone was up there with it. It was in a crib too! A crib!”

“I’m going to have a look...” She mumbles while marching up the steps.

“No! Whoever was with it may come back. We need to get out of here and report this.”

“To who, William? If you would start working with the police things like this could be avoided. Why do you have to be so stubborn? Children are suffering now too.” She grumbles ahead of me.

I sigh in defeat, holding the baby for her so she can have her chance to look around in the attic.

“Why did you come here anyway?” She asks from up above the ladder steps.

“I saw the light on up there when I drove in. Then, I used my sight and saw its aura from outside. Oh yeah, the blanket! It’s a reflector, put your hand under it and you won’t be able to see your aura. I don’t think the child was being kept my just a normal set of vampire parents. I mean it’s in my house, in a freaking crib out of a horror movie...” I ramble while listening to her walk around above me, “What are you, some little demon child? You may be a vampire, but you sure are quiet.” I grunt at the baby wishing it would have the capacity to answer my questions.

“Okay Val, you’ve had your look now please...let’s get out of here.” I holler up.

When she doesn’t answer, I walk back up the ladder steps seeing the light’s out again.

“Valerie?” I squeak like a mouse when my voice cracks feeling a similar disturbance in the air that I did earlier.

She doesn’t answer and I look around in the dark blindly in panic searching for her aura. I don’t see it, but I try to remain calm. Regaining my composure, I pull the lightbulb string near the side of my head.

When it doesn’t turn on, I pull it harder feeling my heart begin to race. The second time I pull it, it turns on and I stumble backward with the baby in arm.

Valerie lays face down on the ground in front of the crib. I rush over and set the baby in the crib. Then I crouch down and roll Val onto her back. Her nose is bleeding and her eyes are closed.

Something cold and lithe latches around my ankle. I tense up looking down at the source to see black scaly skin. My eyes follow the snake’s long body all the way across the attic. In the corner, rests a monstrous sized python coiled up and staring me down with red beady eyes. Its body is so fat and long. I’ve never seen a snake so huge.

I try to get its grip off of me, but it absorbs my magic proving my desperate efforts useless. The snakes tail tugs on my ankle and I fall onto my back with a yelp.

This can’t be Valerie’s familiar. He defentily had outgrown his pet tank, but this snake would need a bus. Maybe this is the devil’s familiar? Either way I have no problem killing it.

“Come on!” I grunt trying over and over again to use my magic to pull it off me, but its hold won’t budge.

Suddenly, it begins tugging me steadily across the floor of the attic and I claw and kick desperately to keep it from dragging me.

“No, no, no!” I yell angrily not giving in.

I use my other foot and try to peel off its hold on my ankle, but it’s useless. The snake’s head lowers onto the ground opening its jaws with a low hiss as if to swallow me whole.

“Freaking hell!” I scream while kicking frantically. My hands are already bleeding and covered in splinters, but if I quit clawing and gripping onto the floor it’ll just pull me rapidly closer.

The snake slithers with speed behind a row of boxes. It glides over the floor opening its jaws and clamping them down over Valerie’s neck.

I scream, “Valerie!”

However, I go mute seeing her form waver and turn into that of the old head mistress. Her once white hair turns into a dark orange and her eyes pop open with life as she screams something terrible. Her tall frame writhes against the demonic snake as it drags her across the floor like a chew toy. Its tail doesn’t loosen its grip on me and I’m forced to watch.

The snake unlatches its mighty jaws from Patricia’s frail wrinkly neck. I gag and vomit watching its jaws unhinge a little more, just wide enough to fit her ugly head inside.

“Oh goddess, no...” I groan in horror hearing Patty’s awful screams as the serpent swallows her head whole in one chomp.

She still screams inside of it for the snake didn’t bite her neck to kill, but to torture. It bleeds slowly and her legs kick and flail like a fish out of water.

I clench my jaw watching her long arms claw and scratch like a rapid animal at the floor to try and pull her head out. The snake doesn’t release its hold and all I can do is watch as it adjusts its body. The upper portion of its length straightens in a line long enough to fit her body and I swallow bile.

Suddenly, it lurches forward and her screams get cut off as it swallows the rest of her whole in one fluid movement. Nauseous, I manage to roll over on my side dry heaving as I watch her body slink further and deeper down the snake’s body into its belly.

I shudder.

Then I hear it, an awful throaty and ragged scream. The sound is muffled and I gag thinking of her stuck in there...alive. I widen my eyes when the snake coils up and then straightens its entire body again. In the process, I get slammed into a wooden trunk.

Patty’s muffled final cries end abruptly. I feel the snake’s tail vibrate around my ankle and watch in stunned silence as the lump where Patricia lays in the snake shrinks as its muscles constrict viciously to digest her. A couple minutes pass and the portion of its stomach that once bulged with its latest meal returns to its normal size.

After a long moment, the snake makes a weird gutteral noise and I moan in disgust seeing her skeleton shoot out of its jaws and fly against the wall of the attic. Puffs off long orange hair drift to the ground, but not a drip of blood do I see. Her skeleton clatters to the ground in a heap of slimy yellow goop and stomach acid-charred black bone.

The devilish snake slips down and out through the open gap of the attic door. I hear a very heavy thud as its body lands on the ground below. The sound of receding footsteps follows along with a faint deep chuckle that chills me to the bone.

No crazed familiar could be capable of something so atrocious as this. That was the devil! The devil is here and he’s coming for us just like the vamps want. The end for us, it’s coming. I pass out unable to mentally handle my new discovery or process the horrendous death I just witnessed.