Chapter 66

"MARK, GET UP! CLAIRA JUST TOOK OFF IN HER CAR! SHE'S GOING TO GET HERSELF KILLED!" Brooklynn screamed, her eyes wide as she watched her daughter fly down the road like the hounds of hell were on her ass.

What the HELL was Claira thinking?! Mark FLEW out the door, not bothering to acknowledge Brooklynn and she could only hope he caught up with their daughter before it was too late. The rest of the circle hadn't even arrived yet!

"Fuck…fuck…FUCK!" Gripping her silver hair, Brooklynn left the bedroom and rushed down the stairs, gritting her teeth to the point of gnashing. "Please…please stop her, Mark…"

"Your Dad is stalking you, what're you going to do?"

"Sonya, help me…" Claira was trying to drive and focus, remembering a spell he had taught her. A spell to conceal and never reveal. "Words, what were the words?

Roman frowned when her Familiar focused his attention on Claira.

Mark began cursing when Claira and her car went invisible. He was such an ass to teach her that spell!

"We were supposed to meet tonight, my precious Claira." Seth's voice surrounded her, but he couldn't be seen, not yet. He wanted to make sure she wasn't followed, knowing how protective the Calaway's were of their daughter. How quaint. It didn't matter, if she wanted to meet with him now, so be it. "You came alone, I see." He materialized in front of her, dark chocolate eyes hardened while staring at her, not believing how much she had changed in the past year. "How I've missed you, baby."

"Cut the fucking bullshit, what the hell do you want with her?!" Roman demanded angrily, gritting his teeth and clenched his fists at his sides. He had to find a way to protect Claira, just in case this didn't go their way.

"Well, you're MOSTLY alone. Hello Roman, long time no see, brother. Sorry about killing you, but…it had to be done."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Seth laughed when the spirit of Roman tried to attack him, but to no avail. "Just settle down, big guy and let me talk to my girl. I'm sure we come up with a solution to your dead problem."

"What?"

Seth's eyes narrowed thoughtfully before he cocked his head to the side, waving a hand at Roman. He smirked as Roman faded from sight. "Ah better, I love being able to do that. Now… now we have privacy, Claira." He reached out a hand, brushing his knuckles along the side of her face longingly. "I was giving you time, Claira." He said quietly, looking almost boyish before the softness was replaced by something cold. "Time's up."

Claira instantly cast a protective shield around her, one Seth couldn't penetrate and smirked when he tried, only to fail. "No, time's NOT up. I'm not here to be your little lapdog, Rollins. I'm here to negotiate, like you said in the letter. You said you had an offer I couldn't refuse, so let's hear it. THEN I'll see if it's 'time's up' or not."

Sonya was also helping her with the barrier and she made sure to also protect her Familiar as well since Seth had killed Bastet. However, Sonya was a lot stronger than Bastet – younger and stronger. Her normal beautiful emerald eyes were nothing more than acidic pools at the moment.

"OH NO, A WARD!" Seth mockingly clapped both hands on his face, poking feebly at it. "Your parents did tell you how well those worked out before, right? I'm sure your father has told you personal energy is drained the longer you're casting and your Familiar…" His gaze dropped down to Sonya. "Well, would you like to make a deal? The same way Taker did?"

Bastet had been one of the strongest Familiars on the planet. She would have to be for what she had been used for because it had taken two to take that old beast down. Taker had been useful for that, not that he had realized what he was helping to attack until it was too late.

"Watch…" He sliced his hand open, drawing in his own blood before raising the ward up and casting it right at her, watching that shield come down. "You're young and so is your Familiar. You do realize, they learn with you, right? And you still have a lot to learn about your powers, as well as how to properly use them. I can help you with that, Claira." Seth shook his hand, sending droplets of blood everywhere. "We start right now, it'll tie into my offer. Concerning Roman Reigns."

Sonya growled ferociously at the monster, but Claira held her hand against her Familiar's head, refusing to let Seth win. She had a few tricks up her sleeve, her father WAS the Undertaker, after all. However, when Seth mentioned Roman, a flicker of hope ignited in her heart.

"There's nothing we can do about Roman and you know it." She countered, knowing the dead couldn't come back, not without repercussions. That was one of the main rules her mother had taught her. Without Seth realizing it, she had brought Roman back, with Sonya's help, and he was currently standing right behind Seth, just in case she needed to make a quick getaway. "So, what could you possibly offer me that you think I'll accept or even do?"

Roman had absolutely no idea what good he was going to be if things got hairy. He was a ghost, he was dead. Being visible didn't mean he could actually do anything. Outside of blinking out and telling her parents. Which… he should do. THAT was something he could do.

"Your mother, as amusing as she is, doesn't know everything there is to know about spirits. She's always been more interested in getting them out of her hair, not learning more about them or their world, and there is another world, Claira. The dead are quite capable of crossing back and forth between ours and theirs, being sent to their final sleep, which is what your mother does, is just a quick way out. Roman CAN be brought back. Unless you're not interested and, in that case, I can hasten his trip to Hell."

Roman frowned at that, trying not to panic. He hadn't been a bad person in life… was he really going to hell?

"Leave him alone! He's done nothing wrong and there was no reason to kill him, Seth! He's not going to hell, I won't let that happen." If things went awry and she wound up in danger, which she already technically was, Claira hoped Roman would go to her parents and tell them where she was. "No, the dead can't be revived…" Her voice sounded unsure and Claira didn't miss the smirk on Seth's face, tempted to zap it off.

He was offering to bring Roman back, but Claira knew what they meant. Seth would not do this out of the kindness of his black heart. He wanted her help to free his father, Nemesis. This bastard was sick in the head to actually kill off someone he used to consider a friend!

"Roman in exchange for your father, I take it? So you killed Roman to use him as leverage against me, to make me bend and do what you want…"

"I did consider going after Dean Ambrose." Seth informed her evenly, anger flaring in his dark eyes as he ran a finger along his bottom lip, staring at her intently. Good, she was turning paler as that hit her. "After everything, Claira, taking up with one of my best friends, really?" He was evil, she was kind of flighty. "You knew how much you mean to me, and not just as a tool. I even gave you the time you wanted, to graduate, and become an adult…" And she had repaid that by shacking up with another guy. Typical.

"Fuck you! You never gave a damn about me, you worthless piece of shit! All you care about is freeing your psychotic Daddy from his prison! You USED me, got close to me and killed my Dad's Familiar, with his help, without his knowledge! You manipulated him and tried destroying my family!" That made the fire in his eyes flare, a hint of icy blue surfacing through the dark chocolate. "Unlike you, Dean actually loves and cares about me." Thanks to her father's magic, Seth wouldn't be able to touch him, as long as he stayed home until this business was taken care of. "I will NEVER be yours, Seth. I don't love you and I never will. If there isn't another way to free your father besides taking my virginity, then there is no deal. I'm never having sex with you, I want nothing to do with you and I hope you rot in hell for what you did to Roman!"

"Probably not, I'm not an idiot mortal." Seth said flatly, his eyes moving to Sonya, who was returning his stare with interest. He smirked when her fur began rising. "Fine. Roman stays dead, and I know Dean. He'll come out eventually; he's not the kind to be stuck in a house, you of all people should know that. Even better… if he knows you're in danger…"

Yeah, time for him to leave. Claira was an idiot. She had come here thinking she was going to do… whatever, and all she was doing was running her mouth. Roman was getting her parents.

"If you go after Dean, I will destroy you. Leave him alone." She held her hand up, stopping Roman from disappearing and the acid boiled in her eyes, a green aura surrounding her. "You ARE a mortal, whether you realize it or not, Seth. You CAN be killed, unlike your father, which is why my parents had to send his ass into a dimension prison. You won't hurt anyone. Bring Roman back, and I will help you free your father."

"See, that's just it, precious, I can't. Not by myself, anyway." He admitted grudgingly, raising a brow at her aura and could feel the power emanating from her. She had fully embraced her magic and…Seth would never admit it, but he needed her magic because his wasn't strong enough to open the dimension. "Free my father and, together, we can bring Roman back, no problem." Her virginity was off the table, try as he might and, honestly, it wasn't his ultimate goal. "And I may have told a little white lie when it comes to HOW the dimension can be opened…"

"What are you talking about?" Claira's eyes narrowed, the aura slowly disappearing around her as she calmed down. Threatening Dean had angered her and her magic was more…potent, powerful, when she felt threatened or enraged.

"I don't need your virgin blood, like I told you. I only wanted the pleasure of divesting you of it, but…you're not going to budge, and I do need your help. Your loss."

Seth rolled his eyes, knowing she was saving it for Dean Ambrose, but he wouldn't get the opportunity to have her. Once Nemesis was freed, they would destroy everyone in the circle and Seth would rip Dean's heart out of his chest in front of Claira before taking her forcefully in front of her parents. It would be exquisite and the perfect revenge. Then, Claira would watch as her mother and father were ripped apart by his father.

"I need your magic, Claira. Your magic and mine combined can and WILL open the dimension to free my father. Do it and I'll bring Roman back with his help. He's the only one who can do it."

"How do I know you're telling me the truth?" If Claira could read his mind, she would've made a run for it. "And when will this take place, if I agree to do it?"

"Next full moon is one week away. I'll give you 6 days to make your decision and then…I'm coming for you, whether you want me to or not. Do the right thing, baby. Roman didn't deserve to die, you're right, but…I had to get your attention somehow. But I didn't want to hurt you by killing Dean, so…I improvised." Seth smiled wickedly, not an ounce of regret in his eyes or demeanor. "The clock is ticking, what's it gonna be?"

"I'm not taking your word for it. I want something…permanent, if I agree to do this."

"You don't mean…"

"Until then, you are not to kill anyone else and you are to leave Dean alone or I won't do this. You have to give me your word." Using magic, she focused on her hand and made a slit as blood seeped out. "And yes, I want a blood oath." It was unbreakable and, if Seth broke his word and didn't bring Roman back to life, he would suffer consequences. "What's the matter? Afraid your Daddy won't help you? Or are you just bluffing, and you really can't bring him back? Give me a blood oath and I'll help you."

"And you'll help me? You'll help me open the dimension, as long as I don't hurt anyone else and bring Roman back?" She nodded, and Seth slit his own hand, after another moment's hesitation, reaching out to clasp hers. They both said the spell together, the blood oath, and watched as binds of magic wrapped around both their wrists, searing each of them to complete the oath. "You can't go back on your word."

"Neither can you." Claira pulled her hand out of his and then looked past him at Roman, who was shaking his head at her.

At least he would be brought back to life.

The MINUTE that ward was down and Mark could get through to Claira, he did. She might've gone invisible, but that didn't mean magic didn't leave a trail of its own, because it did. He spotted Sonya coming, seeing the disapproval in the husky's eyes and didn't want to know what his daughter had done.

Claira began shrieking when she was snatched up and bent over a knee. She hadn't had her ass paddled since she was 10.

When Mark and Claira walked through the door, Brooklynn first hugged her, cupping the back of her head. "What did you do, Claira?" She demanded with tears in her eyes, looking up at Mark, who simply shook his head. "Claira Beth! You tell me what you did right now!"

Claira couldn't tell anyone what she agreed to because, if she did, her parents would try to stop her. This was the only way to bring Roman back. He was dead because of her and her guilt was fueling her to actually go through with this. The blood oath was made, there was no turning back and Nemesis would be unleashed in this world in one week's time.

"I'm sorry, Mom, but I had no choice…"

Those words sent a direct chill down her spine. "What do you mean, Claira? What did you do?!" She had to back away before she started shaking her daughter, trembling from head to toe.

"I scented blood when I was there." Mark said flatly, staring intently at his daughter. "What did you do, Claira?"

If she did anything stupid, he was really hoping she remembered what had started all of this. Taker being stupid. And how had that turned out? People getting seriously hurt. Bastet dying. Losing over a year with her mother. It had been one giant clusterfuck and he had a sinking feeling that the worst was yet to come.