And Then There Were Four by Lilith Carrie
Chapter 211

Chapter 211: Ashley's Magic

"Cassie, I never got to say how lovely it is to see you again. It's been years and you still look exactly the same as you did in high school." The taunting jab Ashley had thrown my way, I suppose, was to upset me. However, this woman was far stupider than she looked if she thought that was going to work.

Ashley, with her perfectly styled blond hair and glittering gold dress, had sauntered her way towards Finn, Silas, and me after our little stare down in the room. Pollux and Carlos had been laughing and discussing god knows what when she left their side. Something I was grateful for considering what was about to unfold.

"I suppose you could say that looks are everything after all. As for you though..." I let my comment slowly slide off and linger as I glanced at her from head to toe, taking in her appearance. "It's clear age didn't choose to settle well with you... you know they make anti-wrinkle creams to hide that kind of stuff."

Touching the corner of my eyes, I let her register that I was talking about the crow's feet she had sported. Perhaps if she stopped giving people dirty looks all the time, she would have aged better and people would have liked her more.

Silence filled the room at my comment, though. I had just insulted Alpha Carlos' supposed mate in front of a room full of people, some who weren't paying attention, but some who were. I absolutely gave zero f***S about what she had to say on that matter, and I could see with her mouth open and her eyes wide with shock, she had not expected me to speak to her that way.

"Excuse me, I am a guest of your brothers." She gasped, feigning shock and disgust over what I said as she placed her hand upon her chest like the poor, pitiful little victim she was.

"Your point?" I question with a smirk on my lips as Silas tensed beside me.

"What is the meaning of this?" Alpha Carlos bellowed as he stormed next to his supposed mate. My brother and Trixie, not far beyond. "Did you just disrespect my mate?"

"No, I gave her a piece of advice. The same that she gave to me."

"You little b***h!" he snapped as he took a step forward only for Silas to let out a low growl that stopped the man in his tracks. His eyes looked past me to Silas, who I knew would tear the Alpha apart without a second thought.

Glancing to Trixie, I gestured towards the door. There weren't words that needed to pass between us for her to understand I was telling her to leave the room with her child. My mother followed Trixie as she, too, left quite quickly.

My fathers remained to ensure my brother and I didn't end up killing each other. Not that I'd ever let myself lose control again like I had before. Their eyes remained on us as they sipped upon their whiskey glasses and seemed to be having internal conversations within their mind link.

"I'm sorry. Did I not speak clearly? Your mate decided she was going to insult the fact I look so young, considering how much time has gone by since she had seen me last. So, I simply repaid the favor by explaining to her that while yes, I may be young and beautiful because time works differently, where I come from, it didn't do her well."

The snickering snort from Sam and one of my fathers caused Pollux's face to turn red with anger. He was not pleased with the fact I had verbally insulted a woman he thought so highly of, but only because she was using her magic to affect him.

"Cassie, that's enough," Pollux snapped. "I've had enough of you, and enough of this bullshit. You will not insult my guests."

His deadly remark was laced with venom and made me internally laugh. There was no way in hell I was intimidated by him, but I found it cute he thought I was. "You know, brother. You're right. I shouldn't insult your guests. However, there are some truths I think that you and alpha Carlos would love to hear. Some things that might be enlightening."

"This is ridiculous," Ashley quickly piped up, looking to her fake mate for a resolution to all of this. "There doesn't need to be arguing, Carlos. Perhaps we should just go. I can't blame Cassie for acting the way she is. She's always been jealous of me. Even in high school, she was always jealous of me."

Laughter erupted from my throat as she lied to Carlos about me being jealous of her. I had never been jealous of her. In fact, she was jealous of me. I had more attention than she did, and the only attention she got was because she was with my brother.

"I'm sorry. I think you have me confused with someone else. I had no reason to be jealous of you in high school, Ashley. I am the princess of this pack. You were only popular by association, or did you forget that little bit?"

Again, Ashley's eyes slid to mine, and I saw the burning fire of hatred within them as her lip curled into a sneer. She was trying to control herself, trying to keep her magic at bay, but she was failing miserably. And the angrier she got, the angrier Carlos and my brother got.

Which was exactly what I needed to know... how deep was their connection.

Stop toying with them, girl. Handle the problem and get rid of the witch.

Anna's voice echoed through my mind, clearly annoyed I was enjoying this instead of taking care of business. Could she really blame me though? Ashley had always been a nightmare and for the first time in a long time, I was enjoying toying with this woman as I watched her squirm.

"Very well," I muttered to myself, knowing that Anna was right. I needed to take care of business and quickly before the coven leader got here to stop what I was about to do. "What was that? What did you say?" my brother snapped his teeth bared as he and Carlos looked ready to rip me apart.

"Brother, I think it'd be wise that you calm yourself, and that goes for you as well, Alpha Carlos," I said very clearly, letting my eyes slide between the two men. "As you can see, if you look around this room, we are not the only ones here. In fact, we are far from being alone, and the force behind the men in this room aren't going to let you do anything."

Alpha Carlos and my brother slowly looked around, realizing that what I was saying was true. The two of them were the only people in the room who were overreacting. "What is going on? Somebody better start talking because this is my pack and I am the Alpha-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa with the power trip, Brother. We know you're the Alpha. Just like we know Alpha Carlos is an Alpha. The problem is, the woman in between the two of you is not the woman you think she is. In fact, she's a witch, and the only reason that she feels compelled to be here is because you denied her the throne and title of Luna, brother, and Alpha Carlos was the next best choice."

The angry roar that came from both my brother and Alpha Carlos over what I said was expected, from me at least. However, the two men that stood behind me were ready to rip them both apart if they even laid a finge on me. Call them overprotective bodyguards if you want, but I did feel safer with them around.

Although, I had a feeling that they would both punish me later, and if the testosterone floating off of them kept swirling around me like the wind on a warm summer breeze, well, let's just say I'd probably be naked before we even got back to the cottage.

Not that s*x should be on my mind at a time like this.

"How dare you throw that insult at my mate, you little b***h!" Alpha Carlos roared, but only before Finn had him pinned against a nearby wall, held up by the grip he had on the man's throat. Finn may have been Fae, but he was far stronger than most probably realized.

"Alpha Carlos, I'd be careful what you say about my woman. She is here for a reason, to help you. And though you may feel that you are far more superior than she is, I want to remind you that you're not. You're in the presence of something far more powerful than your world has ever seen, and if you disrespect her again, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Something about Finn asserting his dominance was rather sexy. It made me want to play out this little scene after all this was done. The sight of his muscles flexing beneath the suit he was wearing while he dominated this man was a huge turn on.

"You know, you do look rather sexy standing there with him against the wall. Maybe this is something we should try later..."

The comment was meant to be internal, but when Silas snorted in amusement, I realized I had actually vocalized where everyone could hear me.

"Behave, my lady, there is plenty of time for that later," Finn replied, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk on the corner of his lips before returning his eyes to Carlos, who struggled before him.

"Cassie, call off Finn or so help me God, I will make your life miserable."

Pollux had threatened me before, and though I had dismissed it, something about his threat right now pissed me off. His eyes were cold and the distant look in them let me know this wasn't really him speaking, but instead, it was Ashley.

"Enough of this, Ashley," I finally said, turning my gaze to her, "release them both and I won't kill you."

Silence fell over the room as all eyes turned toward her. A smile littered her lips before she slowly began to clap her hands together as if intrigued by everything that was going on. "Bravo, Cassie. How did you know that it was me?"

"Seriously?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "You're sloppy, and the magic you use leaves traces everywhere. Now do as I said, because we don't have much time before your keepers come to take you away."

The smile on her face slowly fell as she narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You will see... don't make me ask you again."

"I think you will replace that you're far out of the loop over these past few years, Cassie," she replied, taking steps toward me. Silas tensed at my side again, but placing my hand on his arm, I calmed him before taking a step forward to meet her toe to toe.

"Is that so? Why would you think that?"

Raising a brow, she smirked as I felt her power slowly start to build. "I'm not the girl you knew back in high school, Cassie. I'm far more dangerous, and you're no match for me."

No match, huh? Internally, I was buzzing with excitement.

"Is that so?"

"Yep," she said, letting her cherry red lips pop as she spoke. "I could kill you and everyone here. Just with a snap of my fingers."

Enough of the games, Cassie. Take care of her. They are almost here.

Anna's words caused me to hesitate for a moment, and sure enough, I could sense the approaching vehicles. Though, I suspected Hale knew because out of the corner of my eye, I watched him slowly retreat towards the door, which thankfully Ashley seemed oblivious to.

"Alright then." I sighed, speaking to Anna but watching as Ashley seemed to think that I was talking to her. "Let's put that to a test."

Snapping my fingers, the power within me surged as I watched Ashley's eyes widen with the realization she had seriously misjudged who I was and what I was going to do to her. The sound of her heart racing as the panic swelled within her body was a joyous sensation, and doing as Anna had said before, I welcomed the darkness, letting it slowly take over me.

Down to her knees, Ashley dropped as if a force was holding her down in place while I slowly began to walk around her. "You thought that you were in charge here, but I think you will replace that it is me who is in charge."

The moment I stood in front of her, I reached out touching her forehead as her head shot back, her eyes staring up at the ceiling with nothing but whites lingering within her eyes. The feeling of her connection to my brother and Alpha Carlos laid there within the white void, a tether that I sought to break.

As I reached into her mind, I snapped the connection she had built. The sound of two bodies hitting the floor echoed in my ears, but I didn't bother to look at them. Instead, I watched as Ashley's eyes returned to normal, and she stared at me with fear. "What are you?"

"What am I?" I chuckled. "I'm a goddess, Ashley. One that will remember what you did to my family when it is your turn to be judged."

The sound of the wooden doors opening behind me let me know that the coven was here to take Ashley, and slowly I turned looking into the eyes of two men and a woman who looked shocked to see the sight before them. "Welcome, I believe she belongs to you?"

"You're... you're..." the blue-eyed gray-haired man stuttered while staring at me. "You're not human."

Raising a brow to Hale, who seemed to replace what the man was saying amusing, I sighed. "Well, I suppose that determines your definition of human. None of us are human."

"And the man there... he isn't like the rest of them..." the red-haired witch replied softly, staring at Silas with lust and intrigue. Something I found odd, and glancing at Silas, I watched him roll his eyes before the touch of Finn at my side made me smile while I leaned into him.

"Apologies for the lack of introduction," I smiled. "My name is Cassie, and these two are Silas and Finn."

"She means I'm Fae and this brooding hulk of a man is a dragon," Finn chirped up, his comment causing Silas to groan with irritation.

"Are we done here?" Silas finally started, causing the three newcomers to quickly come out of their stupor. "Take the woman and go. The bond she had with the two Alpha's has been broken, and she is yours to do with as you please. I would suggest killing her though because if she becomes a problem again, I will come back and kill her and anyone that stands in my way."

And there goes the brooding dragon once again.

"Such the people pleaser, aren't you, Silas?" I replied mockingly with a smile as I watched the two men pass me, snatching Ashley by the arms and slowly dragging her out. I hadn't got to have the fun I wanted with her because honestly torturing her sounded more pleasing.

But I was pretty proud of myself that I handled the situation a lot better than I would have before. Maybe listening to the voice inside my head was a good thing, as long as I didn't tell anyone. Last thing I needed was fo people to think I was crazy.