SPECIAL CHAPTER FIVE: OPHELIA COTTONWOODAUTHOR'S NOTE: Special chapters serve to shed light on the perspectives of minor characters, providing insight into their roles in the unfolding narrative.I had heard a car pull up to the front of my house. The familiar weak mana signature was no longer an ember. It was now a flickering fire. Whatever Abigail was intent on doing with Camille, it was working.I stared at my phone—so many missed calls: a voicemail and a text message. It was cruel what I was doing. But did I have a choice? Following some righteous compass was going to cost me something great. I loved Camille. But did I love her that much? At the end of the day, I was just a simple witch—a simple witch who just wanted a simple life with her companion. I deserved that. Goddess knows. Tears blinded my vision, hearing the shuffle of footsteps approach my door. It would only be time before the bitter truth was forced down Camille's throat. My betrayal would shatter her. I looked
EVA'S POVThe essence of plan C was to escape the jaws of death. Taking Camille's son was, however, a passing thought. But goddess, was I proud of my quick thinking. Taking him had completely destroyed her, which was my pound of flesh for what Camille had done to me. "Your sister's man has put a bounty on your head. Lycans and Werewolves are ordered to kill you on the spot, and Witches, Delicates, and even Druids are being reached out to for help." The witch for hire that helped with the whole thing had told me as she set a star of salt and herbs on the polished wooden flooring. "It is smart to set up a ward, but I don't think you really need to worry. Word from high places has warned witches not to interfere. Delicates are pathetic if they aren't hybrid scums, and Druids would never help a species they cursed into creation."I paced around, looking at the scared child who was in a fetal position in the corner. He hadn't eaten or drank since I brought him here. Not that I offered. B
CAMILLE'S POVWe journeyed back to the Lycan Kingdom by sunset. For me, that was one day gone, one day wasted. I cooped myself into a corner, wondering why Ophelia refused me. I believed we were friends. She was like a godmother to my kids, and she was just going to let Collins die. My heart felt rock solid. Pumping cold blood into my veins. I remembered her words: I cannot help you. It costs too much—those damning words."Are you alright?" Dimitri asked.I turned to face him. I could lie. That would be the easy alternative. But what was the point? I felt so empty at the moment. I, however, refused to dwell on me. Collins was probably going through worse."No. One day is practically gone already. We have two days left before the curse takes hold of him. That is horrid news already. But Collins will not be on our side. He will not understand what is happening to him. I cannot bear the thought of that.""We might not have succeeded. But Neal must have gotten something already."That
CAMILLE'S POV"I don't think the Begonia Supreme is Eva's accomplice." I retorted after a long stretch of uncomfortable silence. Both Dimitri and Neal looked at me. "What makes you think so?" Dimitri asked."A gut feeling," I replied."I don't know, Camille, if the Begonia Supreme is responsible for killing a Delicate head and threatening covens. It would make sense that she would be doing this to help Eva.""When I visited the Begonia coven to find something to lift the curse, I met the coven's Supreme. She was interested in me in a weird kind of way. Whatever she is doing isn't to help Eva. It is a vendetta of her own.""If she holds some sort of vendetta against you or the bloodline you descend from, it would make sense that she could still be allied with Eva. The enemy of your enemy is your friend."He did have a point. But the gut feeling I had told me that was far from the truth. Ophelia would probably know the intricacies of it all. It could also be the reason why she didn't
CAMILLE'S POV We had barely left Hector's personal cage when I turned to Dimitri. "What?" He quizzed."Hector does have a point," I replied. "The one person that would know Eva the best is Adele. She practically raised Eva. She would know her inside out. Eva is now an enemy of the Lycans and the werewolves. She wouldn't hide where she would be in danger. She would want somewhere safe. Somewhere that feels like home. A family villa outside of Marblefay.""I'm not sure about that. Conversing with Hector is one thing. But Adele... There is a reason she is in a straightjacket. If there was some villa, we will find it eventually.""Why not now?""Because you are straining yourself, and if there are no results from talking with that woman, you will only feel worse. Have you even eaten today?""Why would I have an appetite when Collins is still missing?""Because Collins would want his mom to stay healthy." Dimitri retorted.Hearing him say that and knowing that there was a massive chance
DIMITRI'S POVI empathized with Camille's pain and understood why she lashed out. The Galdina family had endured generations of hardship, teaching us that life rarely unfolds as planned. Camille's perception that I was indifferent was perhaps rooted in this reality.In truth, I was weary of watching her confront the harsh truth that finding Collins would be an uphill battle.Neal had kept something from Camille until she was out of earshot. "The sentinels I dispatched outside of Marblefay encountered two covens, both of which refused to assist us."The vendetta the Begonia Supreme harbored against me, or Camille ran deep.A knock interrupted our conversation. Neal answered the door, revealing a servant with a trolley of food."I prepared what you asked, Your Majesty," the servant said."Leave it," I instructed. "I'll bring it to her."The servant complied, wheeling the trolley to the corner before departing."You might want to wipe that expression off your face if you don't want her t
DIMITRI'S POV"Family Villa?" I repeated. "Why would she go there with a kidnapped child? Isn't that open space?""There are many ways to silence a child. That is even if it still breathes. What better way to hide than to hide in plain sight." Adele replied, her warm breath fogging up the glass that separated her and me."How can I even be sure you are telling the truth?" I pressed, my tone skeptical as I eyed Adele through the glass cage.Adele's smile widened, her gaze unwavering. "You can't," she admitted, her voice dripping with honeyed deceit. "But consider this: what do I have to gain from lying to you? I am in a cage. I may be many things, Your Majesty, but I do not play games that leave me at a disadvantage. If I wanted to deceive you, I would have a reason to do it. But think about this. Who would I want dead more as a vengeful bitch? You? Camille? Or the false daughter that betrayed me?"Her words gnawed at my doubts, stirring a sense of unease within me. Despite my reservat
DIMITRI'S POVBut it wasn't just the curse. The physical manifestation of the curse caused hot blood to pump through my veins.The doctor said I would likely not survive another attack, especially if I didn't have Camille close. Seeing my flesh turn diseased caused my stomach to twist because I believed that was it. Death had come for me. Camille was going to have to grieve me while she searched for our son."Not now..." I pleaded to whatever forces cared to listen. "I can't die now."Something or someone must have been listening. Because the tendrils, as if responding to my desperate plea, began to recede, their grip loosening ever so slightly. It was as though a sliver of hope had pierced through the darkness, offering me a glimmer of reprieve.With each passing moment, the pain began to dissipate, replaced by a sense of tentative relief.Drawing in a deep, steadying breath, I pushed aside the fear that momentarily consumed me and straightened my posture. Knowing it could happen