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

Yansmen

I hear some’ting. Me want out, Heinrich voices in my mind.

The only thing he can hear in his coffin is our thoughts. Since we’ve been buried six feet under he has been trying to speak to the boss, but the boss is dead. I tried talking in his mind too, but it’s like speaking into the phone when the line is dead.

He’s not in there anymore. His body is, but his soul is somewhere else -- in hell.

It’s hard to scream out loud when our skin is thinning at an alarming rate as our bodies begin to decay. For the first few days, Heinrich decided to scream in my mind. Then he resorted to whimpering when he thought the boss was still ignoring him. It’s been a month now so I’d hope he would give up after getting no response. He still hasn’t.

The high council didn’t know about my blood block. Basically, it allows me to conserve my blood in certain areas of my body where it’s needed most. It’s an old practiced tradition that many newborns don’t know about. It’s the only reason Heinrich’s soul is still intact too. He’s much older than me, but so is the boss. I thought he would have known about the little trick too.

His loss.

I told you to shut up, I retort.

I did do some things in the cemetery early on right when I joined the police force. It was for my own sake. It’s nice when everything falls into place like this. Heinrich’s blood will thin out soon and then he’ll be dead forever down here. I get to walk free, soon as another soul steps over my grave. I built a trigger on it with my craft.

Once it’s stepped on, my soul will swap with whoever steps into my carefully formed crafted calling circle. Then I’ll have a new vessel and be able to eventually dig my body out if I wanted. I could use my magic then and heal my body. Or I could just stay in my new found one. That’d be the best way to go. Less risky than drawing attention digging up my casket just to fix up my decaying corpse.

No I hear, I do. I hear humming. Jackhammer and shouting. I t’ink they do construction now, he tells me.

I do too, I reply with surprise.

It a very quiet noise, but I think it’s there. I wonder if his coffin is a little higher up than mine? If he really does hear people doing construction than someone’s bound to-

“What the hell?” I whisper-yell.

I lean over, bent facing the ground as I catch my breath after having the wind knocked out of me. These black leather shoes aren’t mine, but they feel like they fit. I laugh like a nut looking up at the night sky. I’m alive! This body doesn’t even seem much different than my old one.

There’s a bunch of work lights lined up against the cemetery wall. On the other side, are two work trucks. A few humans are dismantling the rock wall of the cemetery. They have a pile of fenced post behind them and bags of cement powder. Something buzzes in my pocket and I quickly pull out the phone.

“Valerie,” I say out loud reading the name of the caller.

Someone taps my shoulder. A short, thin elderly woman. Her skin is caked in makeup and her hazel eyes must have cataracts because they’ve got that cloudy shine in them a lot of old people have in their eyes. She’s wearing an ugly brown pantsuit that looks three sizes too small.

Her raisin face scrunches up in annoyance. She snaps her wrinkly fingers in front of my face with a deep frown. “Tommy! You promised you drived me back to the city today-” However, her little form crumples over before she can finish.

Some of the workers pause and look over at us. Perfect, just perfect.

“Does she need an ambulance?” one of the older fellas asks.

“Nope-”

I grunt and yelp at the same time when the old hag swings her pee colored purse right at my face. There’s no way someone her age could have stood up so quickly from a fall like that. The three workers have completely stopped tearing apart the wall to watch the insane woman.

She hugs her purse and then puts a wrinkled wrist to her forehead as if in pain. One of the fellas catches her before she falls again. I narrow my eyes at the witch as she hugs her purse tightly with her other arm like I’d plan on stealing it.

“He hit me!” she wails.

“Dang, Tommy. Looks like aunt Erma forgot to take her meds this mornin’. The heat must have gotten to her head out here. I told her we’d be done in an hour. I’ll drive her back for ya, cousin.”

Aunt Erma? Well, whoever’s body I’m using as my new one must be a family man. I did not really think this part through. I guess I’ll just pretend to play along for now. One of those cars over there must be “mine”. I rather not get whacked again because I can feel pain now. That old lady is stronger than she looks especially for a...

I narrow my eyes to double check.

My apparent cousin lets go of her. She slugs her purse over her pointy shoulder while hobbling around the old wall toward the cars.

I shout, “Oh aunt Erma! You’re too old to drive.”

“No me drive fine. Thank you, little boy,” Heinrich coos through the old woman’s wavery innocent voice.

I watch as “she” tries opening one of the locked trucks looking ridiculous. Heinrich gives up playing pretend pretty fast though and just tears open the truck door. It lands by my feet and some of the men around me start panicking.

Well, I’ve been dead for a month and I’m pretty hungry.

It doesn’t take me long to kill the three of them. I know Heinrich’s hungry too. Soon enough, “Erma” hops down from the truck and joins me as we clean up the bodies. Once we finish eating, we toss their bones in the back of one of the trucks.

It’s pretty late in the evening. I check the dude’s phone and find out some of his personal details. I hand the phone to Heinrich letting him read through the text messages for himself.

“Looks like she’s dating me.”

“Not do anything. Dig Noctus up now-”

“Uh-uh-uh,” I wave my finger in front him. “We can’t dig up anyone. The coven has this place warded and the only reason they aren’t here now is because of my hard work. The chief is gone and we play by our own rules.”

Heinrich grabs my neck, the old woman’s teeth extend into fangs. Her face twisting as more wrinkles impossibly grow on it.

“You want goddess for self? I wake my maker up so he can kill you himself,” he chuckles darkly through the old woman’s thin, chapped lips.

“No,” I squeak through his death grip. “She can’t know who we are. Noctus is gone, but we can’t just run away from this either. We have to play our part for him. It’s what he would want. Evidently, I’m Thomas now and you’re supposedly the aunt I need money from.”

“I do not play. I want bring savior back. Now, ” he growls.

He let’s go of me roughly while picking up a shovel nearby. In a panic, I grab his arm and haul his much lighter body back from the headstones in front of us. He is not going to dig up that coffin! I’m not risking waking up that snake. I haven’t forgotten the time he swallowed me whole and delighted in my terror.

“Think about it, you could play granny, er, um, aunty. You read her texts. She’s living with Stella. Don’t you...don’t you want to see her? We don’t want to scare the goddess. We’ll wait a bit before telling her who we are so we can make a plan. Then we’ll figure out how to dig up our coffins and go from there.”

Heinrich lurches toward me, snagging my neck again with a strangling hold. I feel my face turn blue. “And Noctus coffin too?” he asks.

“Y-yes.”

I force myself not to smile when he lets go of me. I have to be careful. He was closer with Noctus than me. He may know more than I do, but there’s no way he can wake him up now.

Noctus was bleeding much more badly from his stake wound than we were. He met the grave unprepared. Even if he could have blocked up some of his blood, he wouldn’t have had enough to keep himself somewhat alive the amount of time we were buried for. He would have died in a week and we were down there for over a month.

The sulking vampire must be coming to terms with it too as he sets the shovel against a tree by the cemetery entrance. I watch satisfied as he goes back up into the truck he ripped the door from, waiting for me.

Curious, I walk over to our graves real quick. At first, it’s quiet, but I wait a long minute and then I hear it. The voices of the new screaming souls down below. As I guessed, the two souls we snagged bodies from are now stuck in our old bodies. They won’t have the comfort of each other like Heinrich and I did, but they’ll be dead and quiet within an hour give or take. They won’t suffer for long.

I let out a low whistle and take off “Tommy’s” hat in my own little tribute to their untimely end.

“Tough luck,” I whisper uneasily while turning away and heading over to the truck.

I put the black cowboy hat back on. I actually don’t really mind the hat. Kind of makes me feel cool. I think I could get used to wearing it for a while.

***

Tom and his aunt just got here. She was retiring this week and he had taken her out to lunch in town. They have to drive back to Livertown tonight, but Tom wanted to introduce her to me. She’s wealthy and I guess he’s hoping to leave a good impression before she passes. He had warned me she can be blunt, but I’m not scared of old people.

“Hey Valerie,” Tom says while taking his shoes off.

“Hi! Hi Erma, make yourself at home. We made lasagna tonight.”

Tom hugs me, “Perfect.”

He steps back, looking a little awkward standing in the doorway. I wonder if it’s his aunt making him this nervous. Stella walks over to him and takes his work coat along with his aunt’s fancy looking pink petticoat.

“How’s the fence coming along?” I ask him.

His aunt walks around me heading toward the food where Colin waits at the table.

“Pretty good, but I’m really tired. Erma doesn’t want to go back tonight. She wants to stay here and visit for a while. Do you think we could stay a few nights?”

A few nights? I wasn’t expecting him to tell me like this. I know he’s trying to please his aunt, but he could have called me so I could talk to Stella first. Stella’s standing right beside me, but she doesn’t seem bothered by what he’s asking.

She shrugs her shoulders and turns to put their things in the closet. “Sure! I hope your aunt won’t mind the couch though, you can share Val’s room. Colin’s staying over tonight too.”

“Oh, that’s perfect. She won’t mind,” Tom sighs in relief.

“You’re aunt is really quiet. Is she okay? Are you okay? I mean, I thought you would have called about this. I have to go to work tomorrow and you’ll be at the farm. Is she coming with you? What’s going on?” I whisper while walking over to the kitchen with him.

“Nope, but she’ll be fine here. Everything’s fine.”

We sit down at the table and he places his arm around my chair.

I jump a little seeing Erma smack her nephew’s hand as if to make him move his arm from behind my chair. The vamp babies bite up toward her arm like piranhas, but she is completely oblivious as she recoils her hand. She doesn’t say anything and starts sipping her water like nothing happened. Colin raises an eyebrow watching Tom as Stella sets down the lasagna in the center of the table.

Erma picks up her fork pointing it at me. “I can’t take couch. My back hurt. I sleep in her room.”

How on earth did she hear us talking from the front door? I really don’t feel comfortable sharing my room with her. I rather just take the couch myself. Tom never told me his aunt was a foreigner. Her accent is really soft though and quiet. I can barely pinpoint where it’s from.

“You know what? You can sleep in my room, Erma. I have a cot you can use. It gets really cold downstairs at night.”

Colin shakes his head while speaking through a mouthful of meat and pasta sauce, “Poor granny. That cot’s for kids.”

Granny? I thought his remark would make Erma feel insulted, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, Tom’s aunt’s eyes sparkle at Colin’s comment. She really is much more down to earth than Tom made her seem. I thought she was going to be a lot more snooty about our humble home and just rude in general.

This week was full of so many pleasant surprises. I’m really happy the governor went along with Thomas’s investment of his money. It’s nice sitting down and eating together too. For a few minutes, I can just pretend everything is normal.

For a long time, I hoped a day like this would come. Where things would get better. I think it’s finally here. This could be normal right here. Willow and Jax haven’t even cried at all yet since Tom and Erma got here.

“Oh!” I gasp while looking at the babies sitting in their high chairs between Erma and I.

Willow’s got her jaw clamped down on Erma’s finger.

I can’t tell if her fangs are extended, but Colin hisses at the babies. It rarely ever works to get them to behave. Willow doesn’t let go of Erma’s finger. I nearly scream when I see her reach her other hand to my baby’s neck. She tickles Willow. The vamp baby giggles and releases her bleeding finger.

Okay, I think Erma may just be braver than me. She could have just gotten her other hand bit! It hurts too, I know it does. I stand up rapidly to get a rag and bandaid for her finger that gushes with the dark red liquid. She surprises us all again when she plunges her bleeding finger in her mouth and sucks on it like a binky.

When she finally takes her finger out of her mouth it comes out clean. Stella gags a little and I try not to look at the laceration in her finger that needs stitches.

Erma watches Stella get up from her chair. “Get me needle and thread, dear.”

Stella pauses in front of her, visibly uncomfortable by Erma’s desire to sew up her own stitches. Luckily, she can just heal it for her. We need to disinfect the wound first though and that requires modern medicine, not coven craft.

“We should clean it first,” Stella tells her.

She turns away to go get the first aid kit we keep under the kitchen sink. Tom chokes on his lasagna when he sees Erma paw at my friend’s butt as she turns around. Stella, being Stella, whips around and grabs the old woman’s hand. She sets it forcibly onto the old woman’s lap with a scowl.

“Is she on medication?” she asks Tom quickly.

“Yeah, she’s got a few screws loose.”

“Tom!” I whisper with worry.

What if Erma heard him? She clearly is on some kind of medicine and can’t help the way she reacts to situations. She’s in a strange place and around strange people. She’s probably beyond confused. It’s really sad. Tom told me she’s been living alone for thirty years since her husband died.

“I’ll take her to bed. Stella, is the cot packed up in your closet? She can stay in my room.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll set it up for her,” I walk over to Erma and glance down at her empty plate. “Are you finished eating?”

“Yes, yes. I very tired. I so sorry for startling everyone. Please, I need sleep,” she explains sounding drained with pleading eyes.

She looks so old. It breaks my heart. I’m afraid if she goes to sleep, she’ll never wake up. Carefully, I help her up out of her seat. She clutches onto my waist for leverage while looking up at me. I pat her back reassuringly and Tom scoots out his seat to help me take her upstairs.

“No!” she screeches with new life. “I want talk with her.”

Tom raises his arms in defeat and returns to his chair.

Erma and I make it up the stairs. She actually didn’t need much help at all walking up them. She waited on my bed while I unfolded the cot for her. I slide it against the wall near my dresser where there’s enough space for the cot. I pick up an extra pillow from my bed then and place it on the cot for Erma.

Without a word, she walks over to the makeshift tiny bed and lays down on it. It kind of looks like it was made for her. Fits her tiny size almost perfectly.

“Are you okay sleeping on it?”

Erma nods her head while looking up at me like the vamp babies do after I feed them. She’s content...I think.

Suddenly, she jolts upright on the cot like it’s a springboard. The cot squeaks loudly as she gives me another tight hug. “Why with him? Not fit for father. I no trust.”

“He’s a good man, Erma. Why, shouldn’t I trust him?”

“He brought me here for my money. I not give it. He want you for same use too. Did you not help him with ranch money?”

“I didn’t want the money. I just want some security...and I like Tom.”

“Tommy is trouble, but he will find out. So no worry.”

“Who will find out? Tommy?”

A chill slithers done my spine as I stare at her toothy smile. Her eyes get that twinkle in them again, but she yawns and they go out of focus just as they flutter closed. “Goodnight, dear,” she whispers.

“Yup, that’s me. I’m trouble,” Tom answers from beside me. I gasp, not having heard him come in the room. “I have your pills, aunt Erma. You’re not home right now. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Tom says gently.

He kneels down beside her cot.

A cold hand grabs onto my wrist. Erma’s eyes pop open, she scowls at her nephew and starts moaning in pain when he rubs her forehead. Tom hands her some pills and she gulps them down while glaring up at her nephew still.

She is quite a handful. I really hope her stay here isn’t extended. It’s not uncommon for relatives to move in with family at her age. What if she wants to stay longer?