Shifting Hearts Ch. 05

A/N:Hello readers. Let me just start off by saying that I am really sorry for the delay. Everything in my life have been so busy,and chaotic. But now, everything seems calm, and cool. I will try my best at posting chapters faster, but I cannot make no promises, and I will more than likely will be posting more on my blog more often,cause I am trying to get published. Hopefully people will buy my books.LOL.

And another thing I would like to say I am sorry if this chapter is lacking. For some reason I felt like this was not my best, but hopefully someone will like it. Anyways, happy reading.And thanks REX

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She let out a breath of relief. Hospitals always made her uncomfortable, and whenever she visited her mother it was always a roller coaster ride of emotions.

"How did it go?" Jolenna asked her from the couch where she sat breast-feeding Zeke.

Sallie let out a sigh of confusion and bitterness. "Different, very different. This time around, she looked sicker, but oddly enough had strength to scold me about what you guys told her. Which by the way, was so uncool, and uncalled for. Why would you guys do that?"

Jolenna gave a sidelong glance at Sallie. "Girl, are you serious? We had every right to tell your mother what a stupid idea it is for you to kill one of the most powerful men in this country, not to mention the supernatural world; bitch, you have to be crazy! Besides it was my mother who suggested it, not me, and it was her doing, not mine. If we could not talk sense into you, we were hoping that your mother could."

Sallie sat down in a huff. Part of her did not want to admit that Jo was right, but after speaking with her mother at the hospital, she thought she might need to put things into perspective. But another part could still feel a fiery rage running through her at the thought of her former boss.

"I hope you are sitting there thinking about how stupid and dangerous it is to play with fire. That wolf may have wronged you, but you cannot do something as drastic as kill him. If you want any type of revenge there are better ways to go about it, instead of drawing attention to yourself."

Sallie gazed at her friend.

"How?"

"I don't know. You mentioned that he was your mate, so I take it that you can make him beg, like a little bitch, and say sorry for the things he did; or ... hell ... be creative and do something else that does not require killing, Sal. I am serious, do not do anything stupid."

Sallie leaned back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

''You're done Zeke-Zeke. Here, let me burp ya."

The light patting sounds, as Jo burped Ezekiel, brought Sallie out of her reverie. She watched the two, musingly. Jo was a natural mother figure. Ever since she could remember, Jo had had that mothering trait. When the High Priestess was not around and the girls had needed advice, Jo was the first person they would run to.

The baby let out a loud burp that echoed throughout the living room.

"Oh my goodness, that was a big one, little man," Jo chuckled. "Come on let's go to beddie-bye." She stood up with Zeke in her arms, then turned to look at her friend inquiringly.

"Are you coming up now, or are you going to sit here and watch tv for a while?"

"Naw, I am going to stay up for a bit and work on a spell for my hair. I am going job hunting tomorrow and I want to look my best."

"Hmm ... okay, then. If you can't come up with nothing, there's a spell book over there on the bookshelf. It's the purple one called Home Necessities and Mundane Spells."

She raised her head to look in the direction Jo was pointing, and smiled. "Thanks. I'll see what I can do without your help. Good night."

"Good night to you too, honey. And sleep tight." Jolenna made her way upstairs.

*vVv*

Xavier sat in the booth next to the window, watching the world pass him by. He shook his head at the happy faces, and the happy couples walking down the street, and eventually let out a heavy sigh.

Ermanno, seated across the table from him, rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Cuz, stop with your damn moping please, it's getting fucking annoying. We will find your mate, and hopefully we can tame her."

Xavier just hung his head and let out another sigh. "It's not what you think Mannie ... well it is, but there are other heavier things on my mind about this girl. As I am sitting here right now with my heart aching to be with her, my mind is hating the fact that I love her. And just seeing all these happy couples walking around, all smiley and having fun, is sickening ... because I want to be able to do that."

"Oh Good Lord, who knew that the big bad X was a big ass softy, who wants love, and is jealous of the little puny disgusting humans, at the love they share. Who would have thought?" Ermanno chuckled just before shoveling a mouthful of waffle into his mouth.

"Hey, it's not funny! I am in an utter shambles over here, while you're out fucking anything that moves, be it human or supernatural. My mate hates me, and wants to see me dead!"

Ermanno chewed, growing thoughtful. "How can you be so sure about that that?"

"She said it, and I can smell it." Xavier looked down despondently at his own plate of half-eaten food.

They sat together in silence for a few moments, roused from their thoughts when they sensed the approach of the waitress.

"Alright gentlemen, here's your bill, and two cups of water to go. If you do not need anything else, you can pay up front." The pretty blonde waitress spoke tiredly.

Ermanno inwardly laughed. Her annoyance with them had been more than obvious; she'd had her fill of them and all customers like them.

Reaching out with his right hand he gently took the waitress by her wrist, looked into her eyes, and gave her a dashing smile. "Brenda, such an ordinary name for an extraordinary girl, that you are."

"I.... Umm ... umm... thank you sir." The girl stood there, transfixed. The moment he had touched her, all thoughts of making the two men hurry up and leave so she could meet up with her husband, vanished. She wanted to fall into his arms, and worship the ground he walked on. He was such a big frightening man yet he was drop-dead gorgeous, all at the same time.

Xavier sat back and watched his cousin do what he did best; which was being Ermanno, the psychotic, demonic, werewolf lord from the reigning echelons of The Abyss. The scent of heated arousal wafted around them now, and he knew the little human Ermanno had compelled would be easy pickings, and would have the time of her life ... husband be damned.

"Cuz ... do me a favor and head out to the car? I will take care of the bill."

Rising up, Xavier let out a chuckle. "Mannie, you are a mess. Go easy on her, you don't want to blow her back out too much, now do you? Save some for her hubby. Be generous."

"I don't give a fuck about either human. I just want to play for a while."

"Well whatever you do, please hurry, my mate is still out there somewhere." He made his way to the door.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So Brenda, my darling, what are you doing for the rest of the day?" Ermanno said with a smooth dark voice.

"I ... umm ... was going home and...." She tried hard to keep her personal life her personal life, but in thrall of the voice of this sexy dark stranger, she found herself saying everything a girl like her would have never said. What the hell is wrong with me? she thought.

"You were going to go home and were going to do what, my darling? Spit it out."

"To get fucked by my husband."

"Ummm, that's a girl. Now, sweetie does your husband fuck you well enough?" He already knew the answer just by reading her emotions.

She looked away very sheepish. "Umm ... yeah, I guess ... so. Why did you ask?"

"Because I just wanted to be nosy. So, how about you and I skip the check, and you come with me for a little while?"

She looked at him with an overwhelming series of emotions. Any other faithful, newlywed woman who loved her husband as she did, would have said 'hell no'. But the more this man locked eyes with her, and the more he gently padded his thumb across her wrist, she felt compelled to do whatever this man wanted; an urgent sense of needing something her husband couldn't fix, was dawning.

"Come on, let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"It doesn't matter. Just shut up, and let's go!"

*vVv*

"Hmmm ... what should I go with? Cornrows again, maybe some dreads this time around? Hmmmm." Sallie sat at the dining room table writing down beauty spells, mumbling softly to herself and smiling slightly.

Being a witch had its share of problems, yet one of the many good things about it included having spells at hand that allowed her to look like a supermodel for a time, if she so chose.

"Hmmm ... I might just go with the classic professional look," she looked at her reflection in the hand mirror on the table.

Taking a deep breath, focusing all of her energy and creativity into the palms of her hands, she began stroking her hair. "Okay. Straight as a broad and smooth -- "

A loud pounding at the front door broke her concentration mid-way through the incantation. She looked up for a moment, waiting to see if Annie needed her to get the door.

The knocking came once again, and she heard Annie run down the stairs, then walk fast paced to the door.

When she opened it a tiny, timid voice spoke from the doorstep, "Is this Dawson Manor?"

"Why yes it is. Can I help you, my darling?"

"Yea ... ummm ... I'm ... kind of nervous, and scared to be here at the moment, but ... ummm ... is it true that you hex people for a living?"

Annie smiled. "Well, I do have a day job, darling, as a secretary; but yes, I do hexes to make extra cash."

"Oh, that's good to hear! Well, I need you to put a hex on someone for me, and I would like it to be done soon."

"Honey, I am letting you know right now that we do not put hexes on children, or the innocent; and our starting price is five hundred dollars."

"Yeah, yeah ... I have the money right here, right now. I would like for this to happen to tonight."

There was a long pause in the air, as Annie stood there looking down at the money in her hands. "I even have more money, on me right now. So, money should not be an issue."

"Alright, come in," Annie said, stepping aside to let the woman enter.

"Thank you."

Sallie gazed at the newcomer's face, and the first thing that came to mind was the phrase, 'drug addict'. This woman looked like hell, and smelled liked it, too.

"Please sit over there at the table."

The woman sat down at the dining room table in front of Sallie, who then caught a glimpse of her hands as she placed them on the tabletop.

She looked young, yet her hands were those of an old lady: the veins popped out like crazy.

"Jo, can you please come down stairs? We have a customer!" She heard Annie yell throughout the house. Sallie had always wanted to see what exactly Jo and her mother did as black witches. She watched as Annie walked over to her potions and spice cupboard, and began to retrieve vials of liquid and jars of dried herbs.

After a few minutes she heard Jo come running down the stairs, carrying a huge black book.

"Hello. How are you doing this evening?" She asked the woman, a little breathless from running.

"God awful, but hopefully with the help of you guys it will be better."

"Oh. I am sorry to hear that," Jo said. She paused for a moment, and turned to Sallie.

"Ummm, Sal, do you want to go upstairs or something, and maybe watch over Zeke while he's sleeping? I mean, with you being a grey witch and all, I wouldn't want to you to be uncomfortable."

"Girl are you crazy? I have always wondered what exactly you guys do for people who come to you. And plus, I have not actually seen the dark side of magic fully anyways."

"Oh Jo, go on, let her see. We've known her for years, and I am pretty sure she won't freak out on us, not now anyways. Plus this could be a fun little learning experience for her."

Sallie's huge smile spread wide across her face.

She looked up at her friend, who now had a 'whatever' expression on her face.

"Oh, well, okay ... whatever. I just don't hope we don't scare you too bad."

"You can never scare me! I am your true friend, doll, and I love you."

"Sal, you are my only friend," Jo said, rolling her eyes. She turned her attention to the drug addict at the table. "So ... what do we have going on tonight? Who pissed you off enough for you to come to us, darling?"

The woman looked up at them with bloodshot eyes. "My drug-dealing boyfriend, that's who. He has fucked me over one too many times, and has done me such wrong that it's getting to the point where I just want to murder him for all the misdeeds he has done ... not only upon me, but to others. He is a sick, psycho freak, and it's time that he got a taste of his own medicine. 'Cause lord only knows it's long overdue."

"Well if that's the case, how come you didn't go the police?" Annie asked, walking over to join the others.

"It's no good. I have tried, but he has too many connections in the police department. Too many friends, and family, so going to them is a no go. That's why I came to you guys for help, and make that asshole pay for what he does."

The room fell into silence as Annie and Jo stood there for a moment, giving each other a knowing look. "Hmm, alright, we can do it. Within a few days our hexes will take affect. But be mindful, darling. I don't like being a played a fool. Whatever you are telling us now about this man better be the truth. If not, then you, my dear, will have some heavy consequences to pay. Got it?"

Annie leaned in closer to the woman, as she spoke.

Sallie could tell the woman was scared out of her wits.

"Yes. I got it. You can even do a background if you want. Everything I am telling you is the truth."

Annie gave the girl one last glare, then returned to her former stance, once she was sure her message had gotten through loud and clear. She looked over at Jo, and gave her a slight nod.

Jo hunched her shoulders, and sat down at the table. "So, Ma, what kind of spell do you think we should do? Should we do something way drastic, or keep it nice and simple?"

Annie came around the table next to her daughter, and stood in front of the lady."How about we let the book decide?" She reached over and tapped it lightly three times. "Show me what I seek." And without any more effort the book came alive in a flash right before their very eyes.

Sallie's eyes went wide with surprise, as she watched the big black book fly open, and the pages flip at a rapid pace. In all of her years as a witch she had never seen a book just open on its own with a few simple taps, and the scene took her back to her golden days of watching tv shows like Charmed, and Hocus Pocus.

She turned her attention to the woman across the table, and saw the visitor's mouth drop open in disbelief. When the book finally stopped moving, the only word that could be heard was a 'wow' from their client.

"Alright, what do we have here? Ah. The Black Fog spell."

"What's the Black Fog spell?" Sallie asked. She felt herself getting excited more with each passing moment.

Her friend turned to her with a slight smirk. "The Black Fog spell is basically a mental mind-fuck spell. It will fog up his mind so that he won't know what's real, and what's not. It will eventually drive him to the brink of insanity ... to the point where he'll just want to off himself, and call it a day. But that won't happen until our fates decide."

"So basically you are casting a spell to torture him, before he dies?" They heard the woman ask.

"You got it. Alright, let's get this show on the road. Give me your hands, sweetie," they requested of the woman.

Sallie saw the woman oblige willingly, a blank expression on her face.

"Take a deep breath in, and hold it there for a few seconds....

Now, slowly release it."

"Whewwwwwww."

"I call upon the dark forces of the abyss, hear my plea! I am calling you now for your dark wisdom, and guidance. So moot it be." As soon as Annie began to chant, the air in the room grew very thick. The lights went out, and the candles at the table grew alight with dark flames. A black metal bowl sitting in the center of the table sparked, and a big bright flame cascaded around its interior.

Sallie's heart began to race, as her curiosity grew. Gazing at Annie, Sallie gasped. "Oh!" The whites of Annie's eyes and her irises, had turned completely black.

Annie took the piece of fabric that had belonged to the man and ripped it in two, handing Jo one piece, and keeping the other.

"Will you do the honors, or will I, darling?" Annie turned to her daughter with a dark voice that did not match her normal one.

"I'll do it." Jo responded. "Give me your hand, doll." The woman stretched her hand out to Jo over the bowl. Jo gently took her in her left, and pulled out a dagger in her right. In one quick movement, the woman cried out in pain as Jo sliced her hand.

"What's that for?"

"It's your signature on our invisible contract. You came to us looking to hex someone, you gave us the details of this person you want to be hexed, and you paid us in full. It represents that you did not do anything against your own free will."

"But wait, I did not agree to get cut."

"Oh, but you did. The moment you came through that door, and read that scripture over there with the warnings, you did agree. Plus, this is good evidence just in case you turn on us." Jo said with a smile, and finished by throwing the piece of fabric into the bowl.

"That will be six hundred dollars,love. You can set the money on the table near the door on your way out. Thank you for your custom, and tell your friends about us, please."

"But, how do I know you guys won't turn on me?? How will I know for sure the blood, and piece of his shirt that I gave you, won't become evidence to convict me?" Sallie heard the fear in the woman's voice as she spoke.

"Look on the bright side! We hexed the guy, and more than likely once he finally goes crazy, he will kill himself! Neither you nor anyone else will have to worry about him ever again. Happy now?"

"I guess.... Thank you for your services. Have a blessed evening."

"You do the same. Bye!" They responded in unison.

Sallie waited for the woman to leave before she could say what was on her mind. "Oh my God, you guys! Wow! That was freaking intense. I still have goose bumps. See?"

"Mmm hmmm. Well, it was nothing special. In fact we were pretty mild tonight. Usually when someone comes to us with a case like this, the spell book pulls out an even harsher hex! This little hex tonight was child's play."

"Child's play?! Girl, are you crazy?? You guys scared the crap out me, and excited me ... all at the same time! You were amazing, and I ain't saying that 'cause you are the only black witch I know of; I am saying because, hell, it's true! And I bet your work can cross over to other beings besides humans."

The air in the room grew cold, and intense. It was no longer the hot heavy air she had felt before.

"Sallie, how many times do we have to go over this with you? We only dabble in spells for humans! We cannot and will not dabble with other more powerful supernatural forces, that are too much for us to handle! I know you mean well, and I know you still feel the hurt from your mate, but as I keep saying: the Salvatore family is not a family to mess with, especially since they have connections, and are allied with The Abyss!"

Sallie knew she would get on their nerves by bringing up the topic again, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. She had an axe to grind with her ex-boss ... and his whole God-forsaken pack.

"But aren't you guys connected to The Abyss, or hell as you would call it? Don't you have powerful connections as well?"