Chapter 30

“Jessica?” Jessica felt her body being shaken repeatedly and her name called in a harsh whisper. The scene faded from her mind and frustrated she opened them to be faced with her father.
She had become Cora, felt what she had felt. Heard her thoughts and saw her life firsthand. She wanted to know more about the woman who had destroyed her family. Killed her mother and taken her father. Yet what she had just seen and felt was a kindhearted girl who was unsure and scared of her future. She wasn’t the demon she had thought her to be. Perhaps something had caused her to change. Jessica desperately wanted to know what had caused the queen to go crazy. She needed to understand if only to give her mind peace.
“What are you doing?” He demanded.
Jess jumped down from the tree.
“None of your god dam business,” she spat as she walked away. She could hear the shifters heading up the hill and knew that they had been heard. Grinning she dashed through the forest leaving Reece to deal with the lost souls.

***
Jenna’s head pounded as Cassidy did a spell to find Claire. Edina reminded her often that she had become a part of her and soon she would have all of her. Inside Jenna was terrified. Yet she had also come to terms that soon she wouldn’t exist. She just wanted to make sure Claire was safe before that happened.
“There, Gotcha,” Cassidy said, and they gathered around the map.
“I will get my family and meet you there,” Josh said as he left.
“Jenna, I think it is best that you waited here,”
“No way …Cassidy. I am going,” A pain sliced through her head, and she gripped the kitchen counter for support.
“I don’t think that is a promising idea,”
Cassidy made her way to the front door. Jenna a step behind her. When Jenna tried to step out, she hit an invisible wall. She tried again to be faced with the same problem.
“I am sorry Jenna. The safest place for you is here,” Cassidy walked away while Jenna was left seething with anger.
She tried her newfound powers. Blasting fire balls at the invisible wall. The fire turned to smoke on impact.
“Cassidy is strong. You don’t have a chance,” Edina taunted her.
“Yeah, and she will find a way to keep you dead,” Jenna snapped back.
“No, she won’t. I won’t go back,”
“It is where you belong,”
“It is where you are going. Good look. The other side is crumbling,” Edina laughed, and her words left Jenna with a chill.

***
“Paige, go through the house. Dad backs her up,” Josh ordered. “Mum, Sam keeps watch. Me and Cassidy will take the front,”
Cassidy waited for Josh’s Mum and Sam to get into position then used her magic to melt a huge hole in the garage door. As the hole grew Josh gasped and Cassidy looked on in horror.
A replica of Josh had his hand raised; no doubt ready to strike a defenceless Claire who was strapped to a wooden chair.
“Josh, I am so glad you came to join the fun,” Josh’s double said, and Josh scoffed.
“What are you doing?” he asked climbing through the hole.
“Teaching the humans, a lesson,” Jax replied. A teenage boy came into view his eyes glowing yellow.
“Tell your pet to control himself,” Josh pointed to the wolf.
“Marcel, deep breaths just like I taught you,” Jax said rubbing the teens back.
“Let her go Jax,” Josh said as his father and sister entered the room.
“I am not done,”
“Jax let her go,” His father’s voice boomed and Jax shifted and leapt at Kobe. The wolf boy growled as his body changed to that of a wolf.
Kobe used brutal force to keep Jax at bay. Jax had gone mad. He grabbed Kobe by the leg and began to shake while his claws ripped at his skin.
Paige shifted and stared into Jax’s eyes. Her eyes glowed a bright purple and Jax turned back to human form with a whimper.
Josh hit the wolf over the head with a nearby spade knocking him unconscious.
“So, what ya going to do with them?” Cassidy asked with her arms folded.
“Thanks for the help,” Josh said as he tied Jax’s hands behind his back then did the same to the wolf.
“I was enjoying the show,” Cassidy shrugged and moved towards Claire whose head was slumped forward. She checked her pulse.
“Still alive. Probably in shock,”
They made their way back to Cassidy’s home.
“Put them in the basement,” Cassidy waved to the door that led down into the basement.
Josh and his parents took the two boys down into the darkness. Their eyes adjusted quickly. On the walls chains hung loosely and they chained the boys up. They would deal with Jax later.
“You think the queen is the problem. How wrong you are. They are coming. You will need her,” Jax taunted. Josh placed his hand on his mother’s shoulder while Jax pulled and tugged at the chains. His eyes were wide, and he growled showing his aggression.
“Why,” Josh’s mum asked stepping closer to the son she had spent months trying to rescue.
“He held me captive. Did experiments on me,”
“That wasn’t Claire,” Josh said in confusion.
“No but it was her father,” he couldn’t argue with that.
“They should suffer. All of them. Bring back the Queen!” he yelled. Josh couldn’t take anymore and left the basement. When he entered the living room Jenna was sleeping on the couch.
“She has a fever. Her skin is too hot,” Cassidy said placing a cold cloth on her forehead.
Josh held her clammy had in his.
“It’s started,” Cassidy whispered.
“What will happen?”
“When she wakes, she will no longer be Jenna but Edina,” Cassidy sighed and moved away. Josh looked at the girl that had stirred feelings within him. He had so many regrets. He should have been honest with her from the start. All he wanted in that moment was to kiss her lips and let her know what she had done to him.
“Can you stop this?”
“No, I am sorry, but the power used to create the spell is too strong. It is the power of not only mine but the shifters and Sherman’s. Mine does not compare,”
“Then we find the Sherman’s,”
“No Josh. The Sherman’s wanted this,”
“We just lose her?”
“There isn’t anything we can do. All we can do now is make sure my mother isn’t set free,”
“Do what you have to do Cassidy. I am out. Jenna didn’t deserve this. You witches are the ones that should be dead. Not Jenna. You’re the ones that came here and destroyed our world. Killed humans,”
“Josh you are one of us,” Cassidy said, and he shook his head.
“No, the Sherman’s gave our family the power we have to shift. We were gifted with immortality in order to keep the queen asleep,”
“Josh, your parents came from De’Mar. Why would they tell you such a thing? The Sherman’s don’t have that power. They are half witch half human and…”
Josh’s mind span into confusion as Cassidy’s words sunk in. She paused mid speech and her head rolled back.