Devils Roses 04 - Witch

She squeezed her hand over the goblet. She dragged the bloody hands against each other and squeezed. Blood droplets fell onto a red pillow.
    They each took a turn with drinking from the glass. The flames of the candle rose with every sip of the goblet of blood and wine. The woman with the knife placed the knife on the red pillow and wrapped it up again. She lifted the package up and walked away from the two women sitting in the clearing.
    The picture turned dark and fuzzy for a moment. Then it showed the woman holding the wrapped sheet with the pillow and the knife. She was in a dark cloak with her head down. She walked with purpose while trying to remain hidden. She looked around as she walked to a window of a house on the side of a street. Inside of the window a young man and woman were kissing and holding a baby.
    She watched them for a moment and then took the sheet to the front door of the house. She knocked at the door and placed the sheet on the ground. She ran and hid in the shadows. The man came to the door and opened it. He looked around and picked up the sheet. She unwrapped it to find the knife and the pillow. Suddenly he looked lost. He looked back at the door and closed it. He walked away from the house carrying the pillow and the knife. He left his wife and his baby. Ophelia knew that was what was happening. The water went choppy again.
    "We have to sacrifice a happy love to save you."
    "What?"
    "The secret is that we have to take the things we use for the spell and leave them for an innocent couple to find and ruin their love."
    She looked back at Sam who nodded and flumped into the chair next to her, "Christ. That’s bleak. Whose lives do we chose?"
    She shook her head, "No clue."
    She watched him, "You know you will love me though right?"
    He looked at her, "I'd rather love you, even if you don’t feel the same, than be this. I feel nothing beyond a bit of confusion or frustration at times." He ran a hand through his hair making it spiky. She smiled at him. She could think of far worse fates than Sam being madly in love with her forever.
    "When is the full moon?"
    He blinked at her, "Tonight."
    She laughed, "Of course it is."
    "What do we need?"
    She shrugged, "Knife, goblet, sheet, red pillow, me, you, and Hanna."
    He nodded, "I'll get everything. Meet you back here?"
    She shook her head, "The big rock garden."
    He was gone before he could answer. She felt empty. She wasn’t sure why.

Chapter Thirty-Two
    Sam

    "I need you."
    Hanna looked up at him, she almost smiled for a second but then stopped herself. She rose from the chair fluidly.
    "For what?"
    He felt his gaze grow serious, "How much do you love me? Like for real love?"
    She nodded, "More than anything."
    "Would you sacrifice our love to fix me? It's part of the solution."
    She paused before she nodded, "I would."
    He put his hand out for her to take. She took it and they were in the rock garden outside instantly.
    She looked confused. He squeezed her hand.
    "Hey." He walked pulling her along to where Ophelia sat with a blanket.
    She looked miserable, "Hey." She looked at their hands together. Sam dropped Hanna's hand and sat down.
    Hanna sat down on the blanket. She looked at them both, "What's the plan?"
    Ophelia swallowed hard, "I am going to take the bond from you both, you have to give it to me willingly."
    Hanna frowned, "What will you do with it?"
    Ophelia squirmed, "Repair it."
    "Then?"
    "Then I keep it. Sam will be matched to me. Only one sided but at least he will have all his emotions back."
    Hanna looked down, "Will he ever get over you?"
    Ophelia shrugged, "I don’t know."
    Hanna looked up at Sam and nodded back a tear, "Lets do it."
    Sam knew all of it was far more than she deserved to suffer. She hadn’t done anything that wrong. The image of the man groping her bothered him still but it didn’t seem like the big deal he's made it. Her words burned inside of him but it too wasn’t the do all end all of the world. He wished he could take it all back.
    Ophelia lit the candles and pulled out the red pillow and the goblet and knife. She looked focused. She took Sam's hand and dragged the knife across it. It stung slightly.
    She did the same to Hanna who made a brave face. Ophelia squeezed Hanna's hand over the goblet and then his. She poured wine in and then cut her own hand. She rubbed their hands together and let the mixed blood drip onto the red pillow. They each took a turn drinking the blood.
    He watched as dark