Devils Roses 05 - Death

and blah blah blah. He was always there for Trist and I and then six months ago, boom. Arse."
    I look down at the floor. "What happened six months ago?"
    "Well, I just told you that part. Aimes, you're super bad at listening."
    I look up, "What? No. I'm talking to myself. Thinking aloud." I start to pace. Nothing sticks out in my mind. I pause and look at him, "You called me Aimes."
    He nods, "Yeah. We used to be friends, you and I. Lydia just gave me back my memories too. I had forgotten how much I liked you."
    "Thanks."
    "So, I followed you here because I need a favor."
    I look at him and frown, "What?"
    He looks conflicted. I honestly have a moment where I'm terrified that he's going to reveal his bad guy status. It would make sense. Someone has clearly betrayed us. Someone other that Daniel, who we have kept in check. Or so we thought.
    "I was hoping to get a place in the South of France, where he and I could live out the rest of our lives and I want to surprise him. When I text you, could you wink him there?"
    I grin. I love the anxious tone in his voice.
    "I know you're super busy and obviously this is bad timing, but he's got no magic and he's all alone. If I were to fight with you all, he would be defenseless."
    "Of course. I'd be happy to do something fun for a change. Drastic change."
    His face relaxes, "Thanks so much." He frowns, "I'm sorry about Dorian and Shane. I know you liked them both a lot."
    "Shane?"
    "He's evil. Him and Marcus are bad now. Very bad. You must have known. They’ve been helping my dad and Jonathan with their blood bag places."
    My stomach sinks, "What? No. You must be mistaken."
    He shakes his head, "No. I saw it. I'm pretty positive Marcus is the one who wiped my dad and made him sinister like them. More winking angels to transport blood whores. Anyway. I'm sorry."
    My mouth is dry. The past six months make sense. So much makes sense. Marcus has barely tried to get Hanna. I gasp, "Hanna." I grab Phillip's hand and wink us to the castle. We're outside one of the rooms.
    I hear a noise and look back at Phillip, "They having sex?" I whisper.
    He nods, "I think that’s exactly what's going on in there." He smiles. I don’t think he realizes any of what is about to happen.
    I am about to shake my head and explain how we have to rescue Hanna and fight Marcus, but I catch a smell. It flashes a memory of tutoring Shane and snuggling into him. It's the smell of laundry soap and fresh ocean air mixed with deodorant. I kick the door down. It's the room Hanna always sleeps in. She's on the floor. He's straddled her. He looks up and hisses at me.
    "Go get Giselle. Meet at Lydia's." I shout and dive at Shane. I wink when I'm touching them both. We land on the street outside the house. Outside the guards. I kick him in the chest and wink Hanna to the front lawn, within the guards. I leave her in a heap and run at Shane. He squares off.
    I point, "You've been smuggling girls."
    He scoffs, "Sheep. Sluts and sheep."
    My face contorts. I leap at him. I don’t cheat. I don’t suck or wink. I punch good and hard. He rolls us and somehow ends up on my back. He spreads my legs and rubs himself against me, "You have something I've always wanted, Aimes."
    I wink and am on top of him. I grip his throat in my arms. He pushes up hard and we leap high into the air. He grabs my arm and pulls me under him. I wink as we land and thump him into the ground.
    Giselle is running on my direction, "SUCK HIM!" I shout.
    She leaps and plants a kiss on his lips, weakening him. Her kind of poison is instant.
    "Don’t kill him." I say breathlessly.
    I wink back to Hanna when Giselle has Shane unconscious. She is bleeding out. Her eyes widen when she sees me.
    Lydia comes running out the door.
    I point at Hanna, "Give her back her memories."
    Lydia doesn’t even get onto the ground when the grip, I never even noticed on my shirt, is gone. Hanna's eyes are blank.
    "Fuck." Lydia whispers. I have never actually heard her swear.
    Sam comes running through the door. His face instantly drops, "Hanna." He whispers.
    Lydia jumps up and grabs him, "She's going to come back any second. We need someone with incredible strength. Get Lorri."
    Sam is panting and convulsing.
    Giselle is crying and dragging Shane's semi conscious body, to the edge of the guards. "Where should I put him?" He was her friend. "Why did I do this to him Aimes? It's Shane. Aimee?" her voice is panicked.
    Lorri flashes to us just as I press send on my text.