Chapter 68

"He has?"

Why didn't he say anything to her then? Melyssa realized it was her fault for driving the rift between them because of what she said. She didn't mean to go off on him the way she did and she regretted a lot of what came out of her mouth.

"Shit." Pulling her ARCUS II out, she sent him a quick message that she needed to talk to him as soon as possible. If Crow was having the same thoughts as her when it came to Rean, the same worries, chances were something definitely wasn't right. "Thank you for telling me about Crow, Ash. I had no idea, but…I don't blame him for not telling me after I was a horrible bitch to him the night we were supposed to have dinner and hang out."

He couldn't stop himself this time. "What happened that night? What did you say to him?"

Melyssa bit her bottom lip and reiterated everything that was said between them, including Crow's parting words. "I don't know why I snapped at him the way I did. I guess part of me is still sore at him for rejecting me or maybe leading me on. Because he kissed me once, then fled back at the Twin Dragons tower. Then he asked to kiss me again and then fed me that crap about only seeing me as a sister. Yet, he questioned me about…us, me and you. He just sounded…I don't know, jealous maybe? It set me off and I have to apologize to him. All he was doing was trying to tell me how he felt and I cut him down. And we've barely said a word to each other since that night."

In fact, she barely said a word to anyone besides Machias over the past week. Ash was noticing a pattern. She had sliced Rean down too. At the time, Ash had thought Rean was being honest, brutal and cold about it, but he had been giving his honest opinion and thoughts. Rean had gotten shredded for his troubles.

"Tearing people apart was never really like you either."

Once he'd overlook, but shredding Crow… just seemed odd. Even after that disastrous kiss after the equally disastrous train trip, she had forgiven Crow. "If this is occult related, I want a free pass on my magic hating ways for LIFE." He would even keep like… half of his thoughts to himself on magic, but when he DID unload, he wanted free reign and no repercussions. Magic was evil and outside of Rean maybe being hijacked, or another amnesia thing like Crow had, magic was the only logical explanation.

"What's happening to me, Ash?"

Now she was scared. This scared her because she didn't realize it at the time, but she had shredded both men verbally. First Rean because of his lack of trust and then Crow…because he voiced his opinion on the possibility of her and Ash. What was going on?

"You're right. This isn't me. I've never been one to shred anyone or cause anyone pain." Unless she was in physical combat, but emotional and mental hurt…that was new for her. "What did they do to me? What did they do to Rean?" It had to be Ouroboros' doing, but she didn't know HOW or what kind of spell or magic they used. "I've been a mean, cold bitch lately…and I'm just now realizing it. Maybe Rean isn't the only one who has changed for the worst. I have too…and I don't know why."

"Well…"

Ash mulled it over and could pinpoint where these changes showed, thankfully, few and far between. Or at least, they had been, until he found out about Crow just now. Ash had to wonder how many other people she may have done that too without suspecting, without realizing, what she was doing.

"You're not as bad as he is, which says that whatever is happening, it isn't something that happens at a fast rate. Something is likely triggering it." Fuck. "We need a witch." Ash sighed, hating his life right now because their current witch on call was that beautiful hag, Rosalie. "Do you still want to go see Rean and try talking to him one more time or do you want to get a magical expert's opinion?" He asked quietly, knowing how important this would be to her. Not only for her own sake because it seemed to be happening to her, but also because Melyssa and Rean had been… close.

His heart lurched.

"Why not do both?" Rosalie appeared in front of them with a flourish, a smirk curving her lips. "Yes, every office in this building is directly connected to me and Machias knows all about it. Emma wanted me to do it." She rolled her eyes at her pregnant granddaughter's insistence. "For added protection, according to my lovely Emma."

Ash had jumped out of his skin and was clutching his chest, muttering under his breath incoherently.

"Rosalie, can you really tell if something is going on magically with me and Rean?"

"Hmm, the most I can do is try, dearie. Like I said before, magic cannot solve everything, but if magic is involved, I should be able to tell you that much."

"Okay, do it." Rean was in trouble and Melyssa wanted to do everything in her power to help him, as well as herself. "Please, I need to know if Ouroboros is responsible for this and if it is magic-related, they are."

"Very well…Carbide, if you're going to have a stroke, please leave the room." Rosalie winked at him before turning serious, her staff in hand. "Let us begin then."

Yeah, Rosalie was still a bitch. He wished that was magic affecting her, but no, it was 800 years of walking the earth. Ash had a very rude thought about her using magic to ensure she remained beautiful and kept those breasts perky. He was not stupid enough to say that one out loud.

"So, no conversation here is private?"

"Nope."

Too bad magic couldn't fix her personality. He didn't like the idea of private conversations, such as the one he and Melyssa had been having, being aired for everyone to hear. Or her. Mostly her. "Can you check Rean if he's not present?" He asked curiously, because if she could, he was calling bullshit on magic not being able to solve everything because that would be pretty damn impressive. "Or are you going to use Melyssa as your deciding factor?"

"No need for Rean to be here when I already have a piece of essence from him." She waved her hand and appeared a lock of hair, with a neat bow on it to keep the strands together. "Emma retrieved it before he stormed out of the cabin. Any part of his body can be used, but hair will give me a definitive answer. Melyssa…"

"On it." She took a pair of scissors and cut the very bottom of her hair, just a few strands long enough for Rosalie to work with.

"Thank you, I'll fix your hair for you, if you'd like, once we're done here."

She smiled genuinely at the witch. "Thank you, Rosalie."

"Now then, silence is required for this to work and I need full concentration. Step back both of you." Rosalie commanded, not missing Ash instantly pulling Melyssa out of the circle she formed. "Oh Goddess, I call upon thee needing answers…" Her eyes turned pure black, looking demonized and Rosalie's hair began swirling while both locks of hair began to glow. "Reveal unto me the truth!"

Then, she began chanting in tongues, her staff also glowing brightly and both locks of hair had turned from a white glow to black. Melyssa frowned, knowing that couldn't be good and felt Ash wrap his arm around her shoulders, pinching her lips together to keep from speaking or making a sound. Rosalie looked down at the locks of hair pulsating black and snapped her fingers, the spell ending as everything returned to normal.

"You are tainted, dearie. You and Rean…and there is something binding you two together." She turned to face the woman, all traces of humor gone. Now, she also was concerned. "Is there something you both share?"

"Well, we, uh, kissed…"

Rosalie shook her head, waving that off dismissively. "I mean an object of some sort, a talisman or something? Whatever this is – it's very dark magic and your assumptions were correct on who is responsible for tainting you and Rean."

"You mean…"

"Ouroboros and more than likely, if I know the Grandmaster as well as I think I do, it was done while you were in their midst for those two years. Do you recall if they took anything from you, anything that would link you to your former Instructor?" Rosalie raised a slow brow when Melyssa instinctively reached up to touch her neck and stepped forward, narrowing her eyes on the spot.

"A necklace…they didn't know I had it, though. I took it off and kept it hidden away from them. He gave it to my for my birthday…"

"Where is this necklace now?" Rosalie demanded, keeping her voice low and even. "That could be the talisman, what did you do with it, girl?!"

"I-I threw it away! I didn't want any memory of him after what happened at the log cabin and…" Melyssa watched Rosalie's eyes slam shut and she felt Ash's grip on her tighten slightly. "I-It's probably in the city garbage by now…"

There was NO way in Gehenna she was traversing through garbage!

"Rosalie, is there any way to break the spell?"

"Since Rean is tainted as well, that means he must have a talisman either similar to yours or…it's the same thing he's been holding onto." Rosalie had seen this before, hundreds of years ago, and she could not believe Ouroboros was still performing this type of black magic. It was a slap in the face to all witches within Erebonia and she gritted her teeth. "One of those necklaces must be destroyed completely to break this darkness that has overtaken both of you. You're linked to him, Melyssa, and as long as one of those talismans are active…you both will never know true peace again. So, you can either traverse through the city garbage and try to locate YOUR talisman, or…"

"Go to Leeves, find Rean's and destroy it." Melyssa finished for her, already knowing what her decision would be. "Are you certain that's all that must be done to cleanse both of us? Both of them don't have to be destroyed?"

"Only one. I've seen this before, but it was a very long time ago and it's extremely dark, black magic from the Dark Ages. The Grandmaster must've found your necklace and infused it with black magic, girl. Since Rean has a replica or something resembling it, it fused with him as well."

"Goddess…"

"Why would Rean have one?" Ash asked curiously, ignoring the look Rosalie shot him, focusing on Melyssa. "It was meant for protection, right? Did he say he had one for himself at the time?"

Rosalie scoffed when Melyssa shook her head, shaking her own. "Maybe he had it and kept quiet about it for his own reasons. Affairs of the heart, young Carbide, are usually more dangerous and secretive than Ouroboros."

Yeah, there had been something brief between Rean and Melyssa. Rean was a romantic at heart, even though he would put someone's happiness with another person above his own, he was just that way. "Fine. Leeves it is." Because nobody was tromping through Crossbell's sewage.

"I advise you only take one person with you, dearie. So either Crow or Ash, one of them should stay behind to protect Machias." Rosalie knew she was putting the woman on the spot with choosing, but at the same time, it had to be done. And priorities had to be met, which was protecting the mayor or Emma would have an absolute coronary. "Besides, if all three of you go, it will look suspicious."

Rosalie made a point and, as much as she wanted to ask Crow, they were on the outs currently. Ash had always been there for her, through everything, and never once blamed her for anything that happened. He hated Rean and Crow didn't, but…she trusted him more than Crow at the moment.

"I want you to go with me, Ash. I trust you completely and I know you want to help Rean as much as I do." Even if he wouldn't admit it out loud. "Please?" Melyssa knew she didn't love Rean or have feelings for him that were more than friendship anymore.

No, they had passed onto someone else…someone with pink eyes, a good heart and a lewd sense of humor.

"I also advise you to leave immediately. The longer the talisman is active, the more damage will be done."

"Are you sure?" Ash asked quietly, feeling a bit like Rean at the moment because he was doing something stupid, putting someone above himself. "Crow and Rean have been best friends for years."

To him, it made more sense for Crow to go, it had been Crow who had brought this to HIS attention because Crow cared more, even with them being on the outs. Ash, after learning he had been in love with Melyssa and admittedly he was an idiot sometimes, had not been very kind to Rean for that bad judgment call. When she just nodded, he flashed her a smile.

"All right."

"Both of you need to leave. I will take care of everything here. I will tell Machias and Crow what is going on. There isn't time to spare." Rosalie instructed, disappearing with a flourish in front of them.

"I'll never get used to that shit." Ash muttered, grunting when Melyssa took him by the hand to lead him out of her office.

"We'll stop at the apartment first and grab our things."

Melyssa had one thing on her mind and it was helping Rean, breaking this dark link they had between them. She wanted to restore Rean to who he used to be and she wanted to be the old Melyssa again. There was a darkness tinging her for the past two years and she didn't even know it until today. On the way to the apartment, with Ash driving, Melyssa looked over at him and squeezed his hand.

"Thank you for coming with me, Ash. I wouldn't be able to do this without you." It was the truth; she was too cowardly to face Rean alone, not after their last altercation.

He gave her a quick smile before turning his eyes back to the road, returning the squeeze. "I still think Crow would be better, but we'll play this your way."

Rean hadn't been under any dark influence during that time two years ago, that had all been Rean. He knew logically that decision to use Melyssa as bait had torn the other man, went against everything he stood for. Rean had been facing a lot of crap from them all during that time too, especially when Emma had shown up and challenged him.

His lips turned down into a frown.

Maybe he did need to go.