Page 30 of Wolfsbane Hall #1

Petite Parlor

The grandfather clock struck one. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine times, and dread pooled in Celestine’s stomach.

This show was formed from decaying fairytales. It was beautiful and whimsical but altogether ghastly. And Celestine only had two hours left to live. To solve the murder and the riddle and get the antidote.

“Oh, that’s rather gruesome,” Vivian said in a singsong voice. She stepped into the room, followed closely by Babette, who had a devious smile on her face, almost as if the women had been working together.

At Vivian’s entrance, the ghost inside Celestine sprang to life and fought for control. The battle was like a dance, with smooth lines, sharp turns, and cruel intentions. Celestine wanted agency of her life, while Margot wanted dominance and blood.

A burning sensation started at the back of Celestine’s eyes, and her jaw locked from how hard she was clenching her teeth. The muscle in her forehead protruded as blood dripped from her nose, and she clutched the couch for support .

“Uh, Celestine, you don’t look so hot.” Vivian took a couple of hesitant steps forward.

“No—” Celestine tried to warn Vivian not to come any closer and to get out, but Margot zipped her lips closed.

Babette also moved further into the room, her smile slipping and concern etching her eyebrows. “Celeste, you’re not—” She never finished the sentence.

Margot pinched and kicked and hit every inch of Celestine’s insides. It felt like she was a frog being squeezed to death by an over-enthusiastic child.

She clutched her head and screamed, the pain becoming overwhelming. A soft hand gently touched her shoulder, but she couldn’t see which girl was doing it. She highly doubted it was Babette, though.

“Breathe, Celeste.” Babette’s voice came from so near, almost as if she were beside her.

“You’re going to be okay,” Vivian said from Celestine’s left. “You can fight this.”

Did she know?

A hand rubbed a circle on Celestine’s back, but it wasn’t Vivian; she was standing two feet away, watching Celestine’s meltdown.

Still far too close.

She wanted to yell at Vivian to leave—to get as far away from Celestine as possible.

But the words never escaped her lips. Margot was too strong—too powerful—and she was winning this battle.

Celestine was being pushed into her cage again, inch by inch, and Margot was closing the door. But she hadn’t closed it yet.

Still, she had enough control to reach out, touch the floor, and say, “Wolfsbane, do my bidding.”

Without seeing Margot’s intentions, Celestine knew, and she threw all her energy at her prison door and tore it open. She managed to get two words out of her mouth.

“Vivian, duck!”

Four arrows flew out of the eye sockets of the painting right as Celestine jumped up and tackled Vivian to the floor. “My character is trying to kill you.”

Celestine landed on top of Vivian, straddling her chest.

“So it would seem,” Vivian said. “Hello, Marguerite.”

“Hello, Viv,” Margot seethed. Celestine intentionally took a back seat in her mind—she wanted to see what the girls had to say to one another—yet her hands were still very much on the reins of control.

If Margot tried to kill again, Celestine would step in—or at least, she would try.

This was her body and mind; even a demon wouldn’t change that.

Dean had said Celestine was stronger. She’d believe him.

“Don’t call me that.” Margot pushed down the other girl’s shoulders. “It’s Margot, and I am going to destroy you."

“Fine, Margot, but if you are going to destroy me”—she emphasized the word mockingly—“at least can you make it pleasurable. Like that one time at the lake.”

Margot shivered and tightened her legs around Vivian’s core. “I trusted you, and you betrayed me.”

“Betrayed is such a big word.”

“I helped you bury the body of the man you killed while fucking him—”

“ Accidentally killed.”

“I helped you hide your deepest, darkest secret, and you know how you repaid me?”

“With a kiss?”

“Shut up. Shut up.” Margot grasped Vivian by the shoulders and slammed her to the ground. “You did nothing for me. Worse, you told your mother about me and Everett, and you found joy in my demise.”

“I didn’t mean to tell her.” Vivian breathed heavily, her tone dripping with clotted emotions.

“I was so angry. I had just caught you kissing Everett and calling him husband after you told me you loved me and wanted to run off with me. I was so angry, I ran home in a tirade, yelling about it, and she overheard. I didn’t realize what I had done until I stopped seeing red.

” Vivian gulped. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“But you did.”

“And you hurt me, too.”

“At least you’re not fucking dead.”

“Aren’t I?” Vivian said, looking around the room. “I feel like a walking, breathing corpse—and I may be. Who knows, really?” She shrugged.

“I’m going to kill you.”

“Then do it.” Vivian leaned up into the other girl. “Kill me or fuck me. I don’t care which one you choose.”

“I mean it, Viv.”

“And I mean it, Marguerite .”

They were lovers, too? Margot and Vivian? Margot and Everett? And Margot and Dean? Was James the only Ashbrook her age she hadn’t pursued in some fashion?

She was just as much of a hussy as Celestine. It wasn’t a bad thing; Celestine believed all people should live without shame and do what they wanted in love. However, it was astounding that the character shared so many similarities with her, despite the many stark differences.

Vivian reached a hand up and curled a blonde lock between her fingers. “He shouldn’t have done this, not a real spir—” Her eyes narrowed further on the strand. “He knows better than this.”

“I am sure he did it because my host has such a weak mind.”

At the words, Celestine pinched the essence living inside her brain with all her might—she was sick of being called weak.

Ouch. Stop that.

“Why would that be the reason?”

“Because as much as he protests, he wants me to stay,” Margot said with a low, sultry voice. “In the vessel of his choosing.”

“Doubtful.”

Margot raised a brow.

“I know my brothers.” Vivian’s lips twitched. “The Phantom would never offer another soul this body. He’s too obsessed with it and the girl inside, and that’s not you.”

“You were all once obsessed with me, too.”

Vivian wiggled a bit underneath Margot’s legs, seeing if she could break free. “Time changes many things.”

“It hasn’t changed you.”

“Monsters never change.”