Fatigue overtook her and she closed her eyes for a moment's rest. She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew Edward had her in his strong arms and was carrying her inside the cabin. She curled into his immense chest like he was a comfortable pillow. A groan, vibrated deep from in his torso, escaped as he laid her on a bed. He softly gave her a kiss on the forehead and then left her alone. Disappointment serge through her body as if a part of her had just walk out the door with him.
Infuriated that he could affect her in this manner, she pushed off of the bed and followed him to the front room. It was time for them to have it out. Electricity was sparking between her fingers and wind was hitting against the roof as she stormed into the room. She came up short when she noticed everyone was standing above a body watching Edward pour water on it.
"Wake up. It's time to talk." Edward said not noticing Elizabeth entering the room. She made her way through the hordes of men to see who was in the chair. Rebecca and Bridget were standing over their uncle. How did he get here and when?
The old man jumped as if he was dreaming of falling off a high cliff. A look of confusion shadowed his face for only a second, but then his usual confident smile took hold. "You are all here. This is good." He relaxed against the back of the chair as if settling in for a show. Elizabeth relocated her anger from Edward to the arrogant man in front of her.
Edward calmly set on a stool and propped on his knees. "Want to explain yourself uncle." Edward couldn't keep the disdain from his voice.
"Not really. Too many people in this room." William's smile became malicious to the point Elizabeth wouldn't even consider it a smile. She subconsciously took a step back.
"And here we thought you loved all the attention." Edward turned to the group of men. "Want to give us some space guys. Thanks." Like school kids told it was time to leave the playground, the men lined up and paced out the door. Edward turned his focus back to the man that had stolen the stage.
With only Edward, her sisters, and Elizabeth left in the room, William's tongue loosened up.
"You guys are so predictable. You don't think we didn't anticipate a rescue attempt. Why do you think she was in the center of the park? If my men didn't get you at the garden then they will track you here. It's only a matter of time."
"If they could do that, wouldn't they have done it days ago?" Rebecca asked.
"Days ago we didn't a have tracing vessel." William glimpsed over at Elizabeth.
"What did you do to me?" Elizabeth attacked him but her sisters grabbed her around the waist to hold her back. "Let go; I am going to kill him."
"Calm sister. We need him for now." Rebecca grunted out as she wrapped Elizabeth in her arms. The wind outside whipped against the building and objects began to fall to the floor.
William let out an unnatural laugh stopping Elizabeth's fight. "Don't be upset witch. We had to fight magic with magic, but it was unnecessary. Between the maid and Edward, it was only a matter of time before we found you. Why can't you understand? Running from us is futile. We hold all of the power in this fight."
His words hit her like a brick wall. "He is right. Sisters, I am causing you to be in danger. I must leave."
"You stay with me. I will never let you go." Edward was calm despite the authority and irrefutable tone in his voice.
"Ethel says it is just a tracing spell. He has something that belongs to you. Once you release it as your property by giving it away, the spell will lock on whomever you bequeath the object to." Bridget said and then thanked Ethel for her help once again. William, who had never seen her talk with the dead, was the only person affected by the scene.
Elizabeth enjoying creeping him out, so she added, "Tell Ethel that she is better than our spell books and we should keep her around."
William gave her an annoyed look as if he knew she had done that just for him. He went to stand, but Edward pushed him back down. "I have to use the restroom and I could use a drink as well."
Edward ran his hand through his hair. "First we talk and then you can take care of your business." To Elizabeth and Rebecca he said, "I think we could all use some coffee. Do you mind?"
"We can do that? It will give us something to do." The girls walked over to the kitchen area of the small cabin and started pulling out pots and a can of Maxwell House.
Edward's attention went back to their unwanted guest. "How many of your conspirators are involved in these crimes against these girls?"
"I have unlimited resources and plenty of backers. They all see the value in what you girls can do." His eyes turned vacant, "Some very scary men are after them, Edward. They will be safer with me and it would be especially good if they would cooperate."
"Tell me who are these men and why do they need the girls?"
"The war, naturally. Some are concerned about how much power Hitler has attained and our future. Others see dollar signs. Do you know how much money one war can provide? We are talking about billions of dollars."
"How are they going to use the girl's powers?"
"To make sure we win. Doesn't do any good to get rich if we have to hand it over to Germany in the end."
"You don't think we can win with our resources and man power without help?"
"Son, Hitler is a crazy person. You don't think he isn't looking for an edge?"
"I am sure the coward is doing just that, but two wrongs never make a right. These girls have made it clear that they will not help you by using their powers as a weapon. By forcing them against their will, how are you any different from Hitler?"
Elizabeth and Rebecca returned with several cups of coffee on a tray. After everyone had a cup, Edward continued the discussion. "Just to be clear. You and your collaborators plan to hold Rebecca, Bridget, and Elizabeth against their will until they agree to kill for you? Does the president know anything about your dealings?"
"There are a few other congressmen and senators involved, but no, Roosevelt is too soft. Hopefully, these ladies will be willing to forgo the torture section of the kidnapping and let's make this nice and clean, but let me be clear here I will do whatever it takes to get what I want."
Edward got up and walked over to the door and look out over the lake. After a few minutes, he turned back to the group. "So, what I am hearing is that you aren't in control here. That you are just a pawn like the rest of us."
William's eyes went wide and turned red. He shot to his feet. "I planned and implemented every aspect of this project from getting the work crew out on their property that lead to the witch waking up to you leading my men to this spot. I am in charge and you will do as I say or regret it." William yelled as he lost control.
Edward looked over at Bridget, "I think we have enough to fry him. Let's get the tape to Big Ben."
For the first time, Elizabeth noticed that Bridget had been hiding a box shaped machine under the apron she always sported. She picked it up and walked it over to the door where just outside Big Ben was waiting with a smile on his face. "Bien joué," he said taking the machine and walking away.
William charged the door after the tape, but Edward blocked his way. "Move son or I will hurt you."
"I assume you know what that was?" Edward asked William as he pushed him back toward the chair William had just vacated. William looked like a caged animal ready to attack.
"It's a portable recorder. Soon the whole world will hear what you had to say here tonight. Along with the files from the house, you should be in a lot of trouble. There will be an investigation and everyone involved will go down for this unless you are willing to back off and leave these girls alone."
"You do that and you ruin us all. Your dad's and your names are all over most of those documents." William provoked Edward.
Edward looked over at Elizabeth, "I have everything I need here. Your power and money means nothing to me." He broke the eye contact and looked back at his uncle. Edward's face went hard. "Can you say the same?"
Elizabeth's stomach flipped and her mouth went dry. She was in love with this man. Didn't matter that they only knew each other for a short time or that his face resembled the face of the man that hurt her. Her heart had separated the two men from the beginning and now her head was finally getting on board.
She had spent their time together watching for him to attack from the front while he was sneaking in the unprotected backdoor. She should have known better than to pick a fight with fate. That hussy never fights fair. Elizabeth didn't know what to do with this new information because it still had the potential to hurt her.
Her thoughts had distracted her from the argument stewing in front of her. William was still trying to go after the tape and Edward was fighting him off. William swung and hit Edward in the stomach causing him to bow over in pain. This allotted him the chance to get around Edward and out the door. Edward recovered and dove out the door after him. By the time Elizabeth and the other girls made it to the porch, there was a ball of men rolling around on the ground.
A few other men had moved around them but were just watching as if it was a sporting event. Elizabeth couldn't distinguish between the two men and her temper began to blaze as she prepped to defend Edward. The wind sailed in at high speeds off the lake and the men struggled to remain standing. The fight continued until Elizabeth brought forth lightning and yelled, "I order you to stop this now." Her voice thundered and echoed like a god from the heavens.
Everyone went silent including the men on the ground. Elizabeth felt as if her control was waning and that it was crucial that William die for his past and present indiscretions. That was the only way to keep her family save, to keep Edward secure. Blue electricity sparked from her skin and she floated above the men. She went to strike William with a rod, but couldn't because he was gone. Instead, there was two identical Edwards sitting on the ground. In the shuffle of the fight, she had lost sight of who was who.
She blinked but the picture didn't change. "Where is William?" She asked.
One of the Edwards stood up and stepped forward. "This is what we have been trying to tell you. He wears something that makes him look like other people. It was he that took you from the bar. Do the world a favor and kill him now."
The other Edward slowly made his way to his feet and hopped over to them. Elizabeth could tell he was in a lot of pain. "Elizabeth, LaVeau said this would happen. Remember to go with your heart and not your eyes. It is true he has an amulet that allows him to look like me, and he did take you from the bar. But if you kill him, you will break your code. Can you live with that?"
Elizabeth looked at both men; her anger and power demanding blood and restitution. This man had cause so much pain in both her past and present life.
"Kill him, Elizabeth, he will only bring more pain and you heard him. He will never stop coming after us. Save your sisters and fry him." The first Edward demanded. The second simply said, "I love you, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth lowered herself to the men and put her arm around the first Edward embracing him as if she was hugging him. She amped-up her powers and shot a low voltage through his body. The now black crystal hanging around his neck shattered and tumbled from his neck. When she stepped back, William was standing before her with a very pissed expression on his face.
"You shouldn't play with black magic. It will steal your soul a piece at a time." She told him as she moved to Edward's side.
"I am going to assume you knew that would happen." Edward whispered in her ear. "Certainly, now stop changing the subject. You said something about loving me." Edward gave her a smile like a child that just won first prized at the county fair. "I don't know. Does this mean you are no longer angry at me?"
"Edward my mind was angry, but my heart always belonged to you. The only way to get you out of my heart would be to remove the whole organ."
"Well, we can't have that. Guess we are trapped together forever." Edward walked her back to the cabin leaving Big Ben's men to handle William.
As they made their way up the steps, Elizabeth noticed Bridget was staring off in the woods. "What are you looking at sister?" She asked. "I thought I saw a wolf moving between the trees, but he isn't a normal wolf because I cannot see his animal spirit."
She was cut off from her explanation when a single shot rang out and William dropped to the ground. The men pulled guns and used the cars and cabin as cover. They returned fire into the woods where Bridget had seen the wolf. Edward took Elizabeth down and covered her body with his own until the shots stopped. Elizabeth looked for her sisters and was relieved when she spotted their heads bobbing in the window of the cabin.
A few men went in pursuit of the gunman and Elizabeth ran for William who had a hole in his chest and was spitting up blood. "Hold on. Help is coming." Rebecca moved in beside her and began to examine the wound. Edward joined Bridget on the other side and started cutting off his clothes for better access.
William coughed and a sound like air leaking from a tire came from his lungs. Edward looked for an exit wound but couldn't find it. "The bullet is still in there."
The glow from Rebecca's healing stopped and she pulled her hands back. "I am sorry, but he has lost too much blood. His injury is a haemopneumothorax from damage to the lungs and chest wall. I can heal the wounds but I cannot make blood or remove a bullet here. Maybe if we were at a hospital, I could have saved him." She dropped her head.
"This is not your fault. You didn't shoot him." Elizabeth consoled her sister.
William tried to speak but he could not get air to his lungs to form sound. Bridget put her ear closer to his mouth and he tried again. She turned white as a bed sheet as she took in what he was saying. When he finished saying his peace, his head fell back and his eyes voided.
Bridget watched as his spirit left his body and terror enveloped her at the horror she saw. Elizabeth was glad she couldn't see it and wished she could protect her sister from the scene as well. There are some things humans just shouldn't witness.
Elizabeth was about to ask what William had said when Big Ben walked up behind them. "We didn't get the shooter. He escaped on foot, and the strange thing is there are no human tracks. We will bring in a tracker during daylight hours to see what we missed." He looked at William dead on the ground in a pool of blood. "Putain. I guess there is no need to send the tape now?"
Bridget raised her head, "We keep the tape. I think we may need it."
Big Ben nodded his head. "What about the train tickets and the ranch in New Mexico?"
"Contact the rest of the coven because we are going. This is not even close to being over. I think we found the serpent Hydra. We lost one head, but two more just popped up." Bridget told the group with a look of determination Elizabeth had never seen before on her in her sister. The haunted look sent an echoing chill down her spine.
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