Paranormal Personnel Saga Box Set - Books 1-3

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  ‘Ella?’

  ‘Can we talk?’ she asked, peering at me from her long dark eyelashes. I let her in, slightly taken back by her appearance. She was out of breath, flushed like she had been running all the way to my apartment; even her hair was tangled.

  ‘Ella, are you all right?’ I asked as she stormed into my living room.

  ‘Are you happy now?’ she yelled, pacing around.

  ‘Calm down, and tell me what is going on.’

  ‘Did you make someone follow me? Did you do any of that freaky stuff?’

  ‘You’re not making any sense, Ella. Calm down and tell me what’s happened,’ I said, shaking her slightly.

  ‘Someone has been following me for days.’

  ‘Following, are you sure?’

  ‘It’s always the same person: a guy in his forties with strange eyes,’ she mumbled. ‘I noticed him once or twice around the salon.’

  I placed my palms on her arms, hoping to calm her down with my energy. It was a simple spell, but Ella’s mind was twisted with confusion and filled with turmoil. She was frightened.

  She will calm down. I know I can do this.

  ‘Maybe you’re wrong.’

  ‘No,’ she yelled. ‘I know what I saw, so don’t pretend that you don’t know what I’m talking about.’

  She was making me angry and I didn’t have time for her drama if she wasn’t willing to listen. ‘I’ve got enough problems, Ella,’ I said, raising my voice. ‘You asked me to leave you alone, so that’s exactly what I have done.’

  She took a few steps back and I knew that she was going through some emotional shock. I didn’t even know what happened to her. Magic helped people, but she just couldn’t accept that I was different.

  Even when we were in school together, she stood up for me. For a little while I attended a primary school for paranormals, but Dad had to keep Mum away from magic, so he decided to enroll me in an ordinary school. Grandma wasn’t happy with his decision, but he was adamant to keep me away from paranormals for Mum’s sake. I didn’t know that I was magical back then. I had a problem with fitting in. Other children were aware of the magic, even if they couldn’t see it. They felt it. My father couldn’t tell me that I was part magical; I was too young for that. No one wanted to be friends with me, apart from Ella. She was the one that protected me. She’d been my best friend ever since Liz Evans pushed me against the wall after I accidentally switched the colours of her crayons. She’d blamed me, but I had no idea what she was talking about. Things with magic got worst as I grew up. Ella never asked about odd things that happened around me. She was just there for me; she never questioned our friendship.

  We had promised each other that we would always stay together, no matter what. When Dad told me the truth I wanted to run to Ella and tell her, but I’d promised him that I would keep it a secret. I finally understood what was happening to me, and I couldn’t even share it with my best friend. Right now I was staring at her trying to figure out what to do and what to say.

  ‘How do I know that you’re telling me the truth?’ she asked, still afraid.

  ‘Because I love you, Ella. You have known me for years. You gave me a chance when others kept calling me a freak. I’m magical, but inside I’m still the same person.’

  Her eyes filled with tears and my heart beat fiercely in my chest. Our friendship was stronger than her fear.

  ‘I can’t do this anymore, Julia,’ she choked. ‘My Mum thinks that I’ve got depression, and she wants me to go to the doctor.’

  ‘We can figure this out together, but you know you can’t tell anyone. It will complicate your life even further.’

  ‘I know, I know,’ she shouted, waving her hands. ‘But I don’t want to be followed. It’s all because of you. This guy must have something to do with what happened earlier.’

  ‘I’m sorry that I got you involved in all this. If I could change the past I would, but now we need to think what’s next.’

  ‘What does he want from me?’ she asked, her voice cracking.

  ‘I have no idea. I’ll speak to Dad and see if he can find out.’ I had to check with my father, I had to be sure that whoever she was talking about didn’t exist. She was just scared and no one had a reason to follow her.

  ‘I’m afraid, Julia. I go to work and I’m frightened that I’m going to see someone who isn’t a human. I don’t think I can handle this.’

  ‘Listen to me, Ella Jenkins, you need to understand that there is magic in this world. Paranormals have been co-existing with humans for centuries, so you don’t have to be afraid. I’ll take care of whoever is following you, so stop worrying,’ I said, squeezing her hands. Ella was a human, Caleb McGregor wouldn’t have any interest in her after what happened to Daniel. I couldn’t dismiss the fact that she witnessed Ludwig’s murder and she could be the only person that could identify the potential killer. I didn’t mention any of this to Dad, because I wanted to protect her, but now I wasn’t so sure that I made the right decision.

  ‘Ella, I’m truly sorry that I didn’t tell you about my true nature,’ I began. ‘You never cared about what other people thought but now you understand why I kept this away from you.’

  ‘Maybe you’re right.’

  ‘There is something else that you must understand,’ I continued. We needed to know if she had any paranormals genes—for her sake.

  ‘This isn’t going to stop. My life is never going to be the same again,’ she sobbed.

  ‘Ella, listen to me carefully. You have to stop being dramatic and just accept that the magic is just part of life.’ I knelt beside her and wiped her red hair away from her face.‘You shouldn’t remember anything, but you’re immune to the memory spell. That’s why we need to speak to your father.’

  ‘My father?’ she asked puzzled.

  ‘Humans can’t be immune to that spell, Ella; you’ve probably got some paranormal genes.’

  ‘I never knew him. He left Mum when I was young. She doesn’t know what happened to him.’

  ‘Talk to your mum and see what you can find out. I’ll speak to Dad about the guy that is following you.’

  ‘Okay.’

  At least she was calmer now. And I had a perfect opportunity to rebuild my shattered friendship with Ella. I called Dad and confessed what had been going on. He was angry that I kept this away from him for so long. He arrived half an hour later and asked Ella to write everything she remembered. She couldn’t describe the person that killed Ludwig and I wasn’t surprised. I was glad that Dad promised to send an officer to sniff around Ella’s work. He would know straight away if someone was following her. Just before he left, he told me that we had to have a serious conversation. I agreed for Ella’s sake.

  ‘Keep an eye on her; she looks like she can’t handle the truth,’ he told me before he locked the door. Ella looked slightly better.

  ‘Please don’t cut me off again. I want to help. I still want us to be friends.’

  ‘I can’t pretend that it’s all going to go back to normal,’ she said stiffly.

  ‘Ella—’

  ‘Please, I can’t do this right now, but I’ll try.’

  I nodded, knowing that she wasn’t afraid of me anymore. Hopefully she would consider seeing me again soon. It took me a while to convince her to use Nathaniel’s limo and Roberto was happy to take her home. I had to do small steps with Ella, as she was still fragile.

  She left me worried. Maybe she had been followed and I just didn’t want to believe her. I didn’t know, but I had to consider every possibility. Someone wanted me to know that Nathaniel was planning to leave the country, and someone broke into my apartment. I had to stay strong.

  I spent the rest of the evening erasing memories about Paris and the hot, sticky, mind-blowing sex with Nathaniel. I had no idea how we were going to solve this situation, but I couldn’t keep pretending that everything was great between us. There was no point dwelling on this. Either way I wasn’t going to move to Geneva and he couldn’t
just not go. Someone was going to get hurt and it was probably going to be me.

  I had fallen asleep quickly that night. Dreams about Nathaniel consumed me. He was in my bedroom watching me. My body reacted, I shivered as he approached and kissed me. His tongue dived into my mouth. The familiar heat pulsed through my body. His touch was like a hotwire and it stimulated my body. I wanted more as his lips took over my neck, caressing me gently.

  ‘You want this’ he whispered into my ear, and his lips moved around my collarbone, then between my breasts. His touch felt so much different, stronger and rougher.

  I opened my eyes, realising that it wasn’t a dream, instantly recognising the smell of the cologne: it was always the same spicy, oriental fragrance with notes of cinnamon. Jasper was lying on top of me, ready to rape me in my sleep.

  Chapter thirty-nine

  I should ask my grandmother to give me something so I can avoid dreaming about Jasper.

  He kept touching me, his hands were everywhere, the air was filled with a puzzling lust, and I wanted to die. Then nausea hit me and I wanted to hurt him, get him out of me.

  All the hair on the back of my neck rose as the energy whipped through me, curling my toes. It wasn’t one those moment where I lost control over what I was doing. The rage boiled in my stomach, crawling through me like a snake. I roared and pushed him away. A small wind lifted me above the bed. The magic took over, shutting off all my senses and self-resistance.

  A yellow light burst out of me and things started to move around the room. Jasper had gone pale. Then a thunderstorm struck, lighting the dark sky outside the window. The noise followed after that and pretty soon everything that was made of glass in my apartment started exploding. A cold sweat swelled through me—my skin was tight, my head was buzzing. I crashed on the floor, panting, taking large gulps of air, trembling. Jasper was in the corner, blood running down his face as he stared at me, startled.

  ‘I didn’t mean to scare you, Julia,’ he said, trying to stop the bleeding, sounding lost. His face was ashen.

  ‘What the fuck are you doing in my apartment? I could have killed you,’ I roared, standing up. I was shivering, my skin was static. If I wanted to, I knew I could finish him off, but I wasn’t a murderer. My heart was beating fast.

  Jasper got up, brushing away the dirt and pieces of glass. He had his magic wand and with one swift movement he fixed his bloody face. My apartment was in a hell of a state. I was pretty sure that I had something to do with that, as the electricity was still buzzing through my fingertips.

  ‘I wanted to talk to you.’ He scowled. I dropped my eyes on his crotch, he was hard and I was still aroused thinking that Nathaniel came to apologize.

  ‘I swear to you I’ll kill you if you sneak up on me like that again.’

  ‘You loved it, Julia, I know you did.’

  My brain was overused as the magic coursed through my veins alive. I wasn’t able to gather my thoughts. Jasper wanted me. Still after all this time he refused to move on. He loved stirring the magic, he didn’t care that my energy was dangerous. My neighbours probably heard me. I could only hope that the police would show up soon enough.

  ‘Jasper,’ I began, ‘how many times do I have to tell you that I’m happy without you?’

  ‘You won’t be moving to Geneva. I know you too well. You like your independence too much.’ He smirked, nailing me down.

  ‘Get out,’ I shouted, shaking.

  ‘You owe me, darling, I came here to claim the prize.’

  His voice was deep and hypnotic. I clenched my muscles, imagining him dead. He saved me, but I wanted him to vanish from my life, I wanted him to suffer. The anger, frustration, and sorrowful emotion that accumulated inside of me made me roar at the top of my lungs. A ball of burning fire jetted out of my hands, but he was ready and it missed him. The blood rushed to my ears, sharp pain shot through my forehead. Jasper was smiling. I passed out after he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

  ***

  I opened my eyes inhaling the familiar scent of mint leaves and lemon. I wanted to look away but I couldn’t. Nathaniel was sitting next to me, looking down at me. My muscles clenched, and skin tingled. I wasn’t dreaming anymore, but my head felt heavy. Surprise shuttled through me as I stared at Nathaniel who was in my bedroom. Memories flooded back quickly and I gasped.

  ‘Don’t move, just sleep.’

  ‘What’s happened? What are you doing here?’

  I tried to get up, but my body refused to cooperate. My heart rate picked up. I was so mad at him, despite what happened with Jasper.

  ‘Calm down and sleep.’

  I must have fallen asleep again, as my eyes felt heavy. When I woke up again it was a bright sunny morning. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and stretched. I felt stiff and numb.

  I should ask my grandmother to give me something so I can avoid dreaming about Jasper.

  Then I looked around and the realisation hit me again. I wasn’t dreaming, Jasper showed up in the middle of the night and I lost control. Nathaniel walked to my room and my stomach turned upside down.

  ‘You are up. Great. How are you feeling?’ he asked, passing me a cup of steamy tea.

  ‘Fine. I thought that I was dreaming.’ I sighed, looking around at the mess. It was worse than I expected. Since the robbery I tried to clean up as much as I could, but right now I was back to square one. The new mirror that I bought was in pieces, my new clothes were lying on the floor.

  Nathaniel was looking at me. ‘I wanted to talk to you so I came here in the middle of the night. When I got here, your block was full of police. Apparently someone reported another burglary. Your father didn’t find anything, so I told him I would take care of you.’

  ‘Jasper showed up when I was sleeping. Things got out of control,’ I explained. ‘I must have passed out as I tried to kill him.’

  His lips parted, but his expression was neither indifferent nor calm. Something flickered in his eyes and for a split second I wondered if he was jealous.

  ‘Your ex-boyfriend got into your apartment?’ he asked, his tone was hostile.

  ‘I went to bed early, then I woke up thinking that it was still a dream. He was on top of me,’ I explained. ‘He was hurt and wanted to get back together again, you know, the usual.’

  I didn’t know what else to say. I was still mad at Nathaniel about Geneva. He moved closer and brushed my hair away from my face. My body turned into a jelly.

  ‘Julia, I don’t want us to fight. Geneva isn’t an issue at the moment.’

  ‘You upset me.’

  ‘I’ve made a mistake. I should have talked to you first,’ he said. ‘You’re going to stay in my apartment for a while.’

  ‘Nathaniel, please—’

  ‘Your father agrees with me, and you just have to comply,’ he stated. ‘You’re not safe here, plus I’m going to take care of the problem. Your ex-boyfriend doesn’t realise what I’m capable of.’

  ‘He is dangerous, Nathaniel. I need to talk to Dad. I’m not sure about his mental state.’

  ‘He needs a lesson; he wants something that is mine. I’ll take care of him,’ he growled, looking annoyed.

  ‘I’m not yours, Nathaniel. I’m not an object. I’ll deal with Jasper.’

  ‘Fuck, Julia, why do you do that? Stop pretending that you can take care of him. Who knows what he is capable of?’

  I was surprised at his burst of anger, but I didn’t say any more. Nathaniel left the room swearing. I threw my slipper after him, cursing under my breath.

  I thought about the thunder and lightning from last night. I was petrified because I could produce magic that no one had ever heard of and the worst part was that I only had half magical genes. My grandmother had tried to train me, but I was always too distracted. We’d never discussed what I was capable of. I didn’t want to fight with Nathaniel, but he didn’t understand Jasper’s behavior like I did. My ex-boyfriend was my problem, and I had to solve it.

  Nathaniel was still in my apartm
ent when I got up. ‘If you are calm now, then you might want to sit down and eat your breakfast’

  He looked angry. Instead of getting all worked up I walked to the table and started eating and ignoring him. He sat down next to me. He’d made me a full English breakfast. He must have been here a while because my kitchen was spotless. We both ate in silence, while the tension was still in the air.

  ‘Now, we can talk,’ he said after I cleared my plate.

  ‘You need to cut that superior tone,’ I said.

  ‘All right, but stop being so stubborn. If you stay in my apartment you will be safe. Since we have been back together I bring you nothing but trouble.’

  All right, so now there are two against one? Dad is a traitor, again!

  The idea of moving to Geneva only proved that he was never serious. He didn’t get that I was expecting more. But I still didn’t tell him how I felt about him, expecting him to make that first step.

  ‘What exactly do you want from me, Nathaniel?’

  It was a straightforward question, but he could give me many different answers. If he was intelligent enough, then he knew what I was expecting to hear.

  ‘I want you.’

  I want you too, but I want you to tell me that you love me.

  ‘It’s not enough. I don’t want to get hurt when you decide that you’ve had enough of protecting me.’

  ‘I’ve been avoiding relationships the past few years, and when I saw you in my office, I didn’t think that I could ever find a woman that I could be happy with.’

  ‘You have to try harder, I can’t do this on my own.’

  It was the truth. He was making an effort, but I was tired of his games. I wanted to be loved. I just needed to feel that we were on the same boat. It was as if we were always meant to be together. The whole trip to Geneva wasn’t finalised. We could make this work.

  ‘I’m trying to, my firecracker, but I’ve been alone for so long.’

  Then, instead of fighting with him, I got up and went around the table and looped onto his lap. I didn’t have the strength to fight with the desire. As I was staring at his hazel eyes I wanted to see love and devotion not just passion. Jasper’s kiss was long forgotten because Nathaniel was the only man for me. I kissed him and our bodies melted with each other.