That's Not Her

\*Hezzlie\*

“Abby?” I say, putting a hand on my friend’s shoulder and tugging her away from the nurse. “Are you okay?”

She blinks a few times and looks a little lost. She really hasn’t been acting right since she got here. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just… this bitch keeps trying to tell me what to do, and I don’t need her help.”

“Bitc?” Elise repeats, but she doesn’t sound mad. She just sounds hurt. “I’m glad you’re here to help, but there’s no sense in you redoing tasks that don’t need to be done.

Ordinarily, I would defer to Elise’s expertise in this sort of a situation. After all, she knows the mansion better than I do by far and has worked in the infirmary for years, I’d imagine. I should be apologizing on Abby’s behalf and dragging her out of here, but this Abby isn’t the one I’m used to. She has a wild look in her eyes.

And I’m not  just another guest in this house any more. At least, I won’t be soon.

Politely, I turn to Elise. “I’m sorry. Can you give me a few moments alone with Abby?”

The nurse looks from Abby to me and then gives a terse nod. “Of course.” It’s clear she doesn’t like what Abby has said to her, but she is willing to leave this to me, for now.

I spin Abby toward me. “What the fuck is the matter with you?”

Abby’s eyes go wide as she blinks a few times. “What?”

“Why the hell are you cussing out the nurse while you’re standing in the infirmary?” I ask her.

“Oh, that bitch?” It’s like I’ve reignited a fire beneath her ass. “You should see the way she follows James around, always laughing at everything he says, like a little fucking lap dog. Bitch.”

“Abby!” I give her a hard shake, and she brushes my hands off. “It’s her job to follow James around–not yours. You can’t expect her to just stop doing her job because you have a crush on him. Besides, you know he’s not your mate, right?”

“I know,” she blurts out. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She paces back and forth a few times, running her hand through her strawberry-blonde hair. “Ever since I saw him, I just felt like I had to have him, you know? It’s not like a mate pull. It’s like… an obsession.”

I follow her with my eyes for a few moments. She doesn’t seem like herself at all. “You’ve changed,” I mutter. “Do you have any idea why?”

“No,” she says quickly, spinning to face me. “But my wolf has changed, too. She’s constantly egging me on, telling me to go get him. She’s just as much a whiny ass bitch as that nurse.”

“Abby!” I scold her again. “Elise is a nice woman. You have to stop that.”

“Argh!” She drags a hand down her face. “I know you're right, but I can’t help it. Goddessdamnit, Hezzlie. What should I do?”

“First of all, you need to get the hell out of here before you do something stupid,” I tell her. I can hear the sound of James’s footsteps in the distance. I know them well. I expect him to come into the main hallway from one of the smaller rooms that branches off from here at any moment. “Why don’t we go upstairs and talk about it?”

“I can’t.” Abby’s voice sounds different, like she’s fighting a war within herself. “I can’t be away from him.”

“That’s stupid. He’s not your mate. Of course, you can be,” I reason, folding my arms beneath my chest.

She shakes her head furiously. “No, it’s like when a person is away from their mate that has marked them. I can’t be away from him.”

“Even marked mates can be in the same house and not be in any pain.” I absently rub my own mark. “You’ve either lost your mind, or someone is controlling you,” I tell her.

Abby lifts her face to mine. “What? Controlling me? Don’t be stupid.”

“It’s not impossible,” I remind her. “You were around Alistair a lot, and he put that curse on Mara.”

Again, she shakes her head adamantly. “No fucking way. If that bastard put a curse on me, I would know it.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little strange that Solomon isn’t demanding you back?” I ask her. “Where are your parents?

“I talked to them. They weren’t happy, but they told me they understand, that I’m an adult.”

“Abby, your father wouldn’t even let you walk me to my room without throwing a fit. You really think he doesn’t care that you’re here? In enemy territory?” The more I speak out loud, the more it seems like Abby has been compromised.

“No!” she argues. “There’s no fucking way!” James steps out into the hallway, and her face changes so drastically, it’s as if she’s put on a mask. “Hi!” Abby purrs.

He takes a step backward, giving me a worried glance, before he says, “Abby. is everything okay?”

“Of course it is, Dr. Bolton.” She saunters toward him, a seductive gleam in her eyes. “Hezzlie here was just leaving.”

“Hezzlie here was not just leaving–not without you,” I say. I place a hand on Abby’s shoulder and pull her slightly away from James.

In an instant, she whirls on me, her eyes like two burning coals, “Let go of me, you fucking bitch! He’s mine!” and her wolf teeth strike out, nearly biting my face.

That’s when I see it. Besides the obvious signs that this isn’t Abby’s doing, a slight shimmer, almost like a veil of black smoke, tinges the air around her.

I throw up my hands and surround her with my light, not wanting to hurt her, but to see if I can do something else–anything else–to prevent her from hurting me until I can figure out how the hell to free her from the spell.

Abby screeches and her body crumples to the ground–lifeless.
The Alpha King's Lost Princess
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