Devils Roses 04 - Witch

the table. He lowered his head in shame. He had no idea whose marriage Ophelia ruined to save him. He felt sick when he thought about it.
    "Sam."
    "Went to Lillian. They gave us the spell."
    She dropped the cup of tea, "Sam what have you done?"
    He shook his head, "Nothing."
    "Who did Ophelia push the heartbreak on?"
    She sat across from him. He couldn’t meet her gaze.
    "I don’t know. She just took it and left."
    She put her hands over her face, "Oh honey. What have you done? Your feelings for Ophelia will be so intense Sam. Her being a witch they will push onto her. You'll force her to love you."
    He looked down, "When I think about her I don’t feel anything."
    She sighed, "Babe you haven’t seen her since she gave away the broken heart have you?"
    He shook his head.
    "Oh goddess."
    He looked up to her frightened face, "Can you help?"
    She shook her head, "No honey."
    "Can I stay here?"
    She nodded, "Of course you can. Your room is always going to be your room."
    He felt defeated as he rose and stalked off to his bedroom. The hunger in his stomach and everywhere else was painful but he couldn’t help but hate the choices he'd made.

Chapter Thirty-Three
    Ophelia

    The darkness of the shadows scared her. She felt them tickle inside of her. She sat perfectly still but they moved inside like snakes writhing around in her belly.
    She felt movement in the room and glanced up at Oliver in the doorway.
    He looked worried.
    "Are they inside of you?"
    She frowned, "Who?"
    "The shadows."
    She nodded.
    He bent and pulled a small dagger from his boot. He walked to her and knelt on the floor in front of her.
    "I have to get them out."
    She watched as he took her hand in his. It looked tiny compared to his hands. He poked her finger on the tip. He put it up to his mouth and kissed the prick. He pricked his finger and pressed their bloody fingertips together.
    Light filled the spot with incredible warmth.
    The warmth ran up her fingers and into her hand. Soon her entire arm was tingling with warmth. She looked at his blue eyes expecting to see love or kindness but his face was filled with regret. She watched as the light shot through her body as if lighting her veins up with yellow glow sticks. The warmth touched every inch of her. She opened her mouth and a light beam shot from it.
    An agonizing pain stabbed into her stomach. She doubled over in pain. The light and dark had a war inside of her. She felt the sweat start to build on her brow.
    "Just give it a minute."
    She looked up at Oliver. His beautiful face was covered in anger. She assumed it was directed at her.
    She screamed as the pain blacked her vision. She could hear herself screaming but the sound got quieter.

    xxxx

    Cold shivers woke her. Her face hurt. The cold stone pressed against her face, it was painful against her eyebrow. She put her hands on the cold floor and pushed until she was sitting upright. She felt the gurgle of her stomach. She heaved once.
    "Here." She felt his hands on her back as the empty garbage pail was put in front of her face. Her stomach retched. The most bizarre thing happened when she threw up. Black goo came out. The feeling of it against her lips made her retch more.
    "Let it out."
    Her stomach was completely hardened as she gripped the pail. She almost screamed as the black goo shot from her lips.
    She coughed spattering it against the stark white pail.
    She looked up, "What is it?"
    "The part of you that died."
    She frowned, "What?" She coughed again. Dark red blood filled her mouth.
    "The shadow kills some of you off when it gets inside. It kills the light and the good. It's like a cancer. You've let it in too many times now."
    She shivered.
    He got up and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.
    "Are you full of shadows too?"
    He looked pinched for a moment, "Sort of."
    "Can you get it out?"
    He shook his head, "Mine is different than yours. Mine is more like pieces of my soul."
    "What happens if you die?"
    "I will cease to exist. I have let the dark kill enough of my soul that I if I die I will just vanish."
    "God can't help you?"
    He laughed, "He probably could but he won't. I made my choice."
    She nodded, "Like my father?"
    He nodded rubbing her back, "Your father doesn’t have an ounce of love or light inside of him. He is completely dead inside now."
    "Did he ever love my mother?"
    Oliver looked like he was about to smile, but he stopped himself. He shook his head, "He has loved power, always."
    Ophelia looked at the