A Dangerous Witch (Wildes Witch Academy Book 2)

by Holly Ice

  ‘I know I said not to ask your dad about the women, but maybe you could put the trial behind you, focus on other things?’

  Shane grabbed my hands and squeezed. ‘It’s more than that.’ His jaw clenched. ‘Dad can’t decide how I live my life and who I spend my time with.’

  My skin warmed. ‘So it’s still about me?’ Not guilty, and his dad still wanted me out of Shane’s life.

  Shane winced. ‘He’ll come around.’

  I put the cupcake down, suddenly not so hungry.

  He leaned in. The brown in his eyes turned molten, the green flecks glinting like they were lit with fire.

  ‘You’re trouble, from the start.’ He smiled, his voice a low purr that stroked my skin and sent sweet shivers down my neck. ‘But you accept me for who I am. Animalis, Cognata, old family, whatever. It’s bullshit to you.’ He licked his lips. ‘You don’t always pick the best battles but you’ve shown me when to take a stand. You’re innocent, and Dad needs to start treating you like my girlfriend rather than a threat.’

  He squeezed my hands again, then let go.

  I cleared my throat, my mind scrambled.

  ‘Tell me about Avery,’ Shane said, straightening. ‘I know you’ve not been sleeping well since seeing her body.’

  I rubbed my hand over my face. ‘How would you… Inziya?’

  He nodded.

  Yeah, she’d not been kidding about being able to arrive in two breaths. She appeared and disappeared like smoke. And she had frequent false alarms with all my nightmares.

  I glared at the cupcake box. No wonder she shared her stash. I took another bite out of the icing and sloshed it around my mouth, squishing the sugar until I could savour the tart strawberry flavour.

  Shane waited for me to swallow. ‘So?’

  I sucked icing off my finger. How did I explain seeing a badly mauled body? How was I supposed to react to that? I had no idea.

  ‘She wasn’t in a good state.’

  ‘There’s more to it.’

  I sighed. ‘I felt more connected to her than the other women. We shared something. More than traces of blood. I felt like I knew her.’ I shook my head. ‘Sounds mad.’

  Inziya tiptoed towards us, holding the coffees in front of her face like a shield. ‘Coffee?’

  Shane and I eyed each other, and I got the distinct impression neither one of us wanted to delve any deeper into our problems.

  ‘You’re safe,’ he said.

  She slid us each a mug. ‘The boss called. He wants to see you, Bee.’

  ‘At this time?’ I stared at my steaming coffee. Would I even get to drink this? Stuff it. I was going to drink it. He could wait.

  I blew on the steaming-hot liquid. ‘Is this a request or an order?’

  Inziya shrugged. ‘Both? Yeah, I’ll go with both.’ She sipped her coffee as if it wasn’t hot at all.

  * * *

  I smirked, thinking about Shane forging my homework – got to love a boyfriend ready to cheat for you.

  ‘What you thinking about?’ Inziya asked, turning onto a new road.

  ‘Nothing important.’

  ‘Ah. Young love.’ She snickered. ‘Nothing like it.’

  Shane had been there for me the moment I needed him, even before I knew I needed him. Through the hearing, the trial, and coming back to the academy. Being with him felt like I was home. Losing him tore at my lungs. I cared for him, definitely. But love was a big word. Was that what I felt?

  Ivy was entwined through Avery’s thoughts. Avery often thought of her, hurt for her, wanted more for her. That steady concern and support lay beneath the physical attraction.

  I felt the same for Shane, but he’d been more distant lately, worried about his dad. And I’d not wanted to burden him with my problems. But was that why I was reluctant to put the ‘love’ label on our relationship, or was it something else?

  The car bumped, lifting me out my seat. My chest pushed on the seatbelt. Inzi had swerved onto a gravel side road with absolutely no light.

  I held on to the oh-shit bar and hoped we didn’t crash into the trees, but she must ken the route pretty well because she glided straight into a marked bay underneath a flickering amber security light. Only my heart felt like it’d flipped end over end.

  ‘Why are we meeting Keller here?’ I asked, still breathy.

  ‘It’s the morgue.’

  I rubbed my arms as she locked the car. ‘Does he want to scare me shitless?’ I shook my head. ‘And you couldn’t have warned me first?’

  Inziya blinked. ‘Sorry. I forget you’re not used to all this. He wants to show you the body again.’

  ‘I have a perfect image of Avery in my mind, thanks.’

  ‘Not as a scare tactic. He wants your help. Though I doubt he’d put it that way.’

  ‘With what?’ There could only really be one thing that… ‘Oh no. No. Nope. Not happening.’

  He thinks I can get a vision from a dead body, doesn’t he?

  It’s happened before.

  I tugged on the car handle, but it was locked tight.

  ‘I can’t promise I’ll find anything. There’s no consistency to it. Keller will say I’m refusing to help his investigation. He’ll twist everything!’

  ‘That’s why I’m here. I’m your witness. And Keller… he’s not that bad.’

  ‘No offence, but you’re not my lawyer. And I can’t rely on “not that bad”.’

  ‘Your lawyer won’t want to come out here for this. You’re not under arrest. You’re here as a… consultant. Or expert witness.’

  ‘Bullshit. I didn’t witness anything.’

  ‘You know what I mean!’ She marched to the doors.

  ‘You’re going to leave me out here?’

  ‘No. You’re coming in. If you won’t help, you can say so in person. I will not be your parrot and your guard.’

  She didn’t want to be the middleman? Fine. But I did not want to be in the centre of this investigation. They’d blame me for anything that went wrong. Or claim I was involved.

  I grabbed my phone and rang Julian.

  ‘Bianca? What’s wrong?’

  ‘My guard took me to a morgue. Her boss wants me to touch Avery’s body, try for a vision.’

  A long pause. Then, ‘Why is he reaching out to you?’

  ‘No idea.’

  ‘Hmm. Well, helping him might gain you some goodwill for the retrial.’

  ‘Or they’ll use this to blame me for every hiccough in this case.’

  Julian sighed. ‘Text me the address. I’ll drive over.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  I locked my phone and joined Inzi at the doors to the morgue. ‘He’s coming.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘My lawyer.’

  She rolled her eyes. ‘You had to be difficult. You know Keller has had the Delvauxs and me hounding him to try out your visions, right?’

  I frowned. Shauna and Ivy made sense. They were heartbroken, and they knew my skills worked. I’d proven it when I knew Avery had escaped and ran barefoot. Even what she was wearing. All the details matched her body. But Inzi…

  ‘I don’t trust the WMCF. You don’t either, not entirely. So why should I help?’

  ‘Because her body leads to the people behind Justin’s death, and my partner’s.’

  I reached for her but let my hand drop. Her face was still, but I caught the glimmer of pain flash through her eyes. No wonder she was so keen to root out corruption.

  I sucked in a deep breath. ‘You trust Keller to do this right?’

  ‘I do.’

  My nerves prickled, but my gut was quiet. ‘Then when Julian gets here, I’ll go in. I’ll try.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She stared into the dark, the wind wafting hair over her face.

  * * *

  Keller sat beside a pulled-out morgue tray.

  I flinched, my heart pounding. He wasn’t leaving me much choice about seeing Avery again.

  Her face was uncovered, her eyes now closed,
but she looked even worse with the warmth frozen out of her.

  I swallowed hard.

  ‘Finally!’ He grabbed my arm and marched me over to Avery, yanking my hand towards her cheek.

  ‘Please release my client,’ Julian said.

  I wrenched out of Keller’s grip and glared at him.

  Then I turned to Julian. ‘You’re sure this is a good idea?’ I wanted to help, but…

  Touching a dead body for answers turned my stomach inside out.

  ‘What’s the problem?’ Keller asked. ‘Ivy and Shauna said you were in touch with Avery. You don’t want to help her now she’s dead? Do you want to feel responsible for the next woman to show up dead? Should they suffer because you’re too chicken to touch a dead body and find the killer?’

  I stared at him, waiting for him to crack, but he didn’t.

  ‘You’ve tried everything else?’

  He nodded stiffly. ‘Everything.’

  I rubbed my neck. If he’d called me here so late, with no witnesses except my bodyguard, he was serious. And he was out of options.

  Julian was a reliable witness. He’d make sure I got out of this unscathed.

  So I closed my eyes and imagined Avery alive, like the photo the Delvauxs had shown me, so full of life and beauty.

  Each step closer to her body itched my skin, like I was coming out in hives. My ears rang, a huffing noise beneath it all, like panting breaths.

  I pushed through, keeping in mind my questions about where she was held, who held her, how we might find her, how and why she’d escaped, and then I reached out and touched her cheek.

  Cold, smooth, and clammy…

  My head was thrown into darkness. Wild images flashed at me one after the other.

  First a family. Shauna, and Ivy. She was kissing Ivy. They’d got home from their delayed honeymoon. Then I was out, buying coffee. I felt woozy. A stranger helped me outside, towards my car, but swerved into a waiting van.

  I was thrown in the back and could barely keep my eyes open. But I was sure I saw the McKee potion logo.

  I woke bruised, with a ringing headache, in a tiny room with only a sliver of light under the door to see by. I ran to the door, but it was locked, with no give. I turned around, seeing if there was anything I could use, but found only a bed and an empty bucket. Not even a toilet or a sink. And my heart stuttered – why was I here? What did they plan for me?

  Snippets of time in the cell. Maybe days passing? Then my water was drugged, and I passed out. When I woke, no one was around.

  It wasn’t too long after that I was throwing up and I had the sinking realisation that they’d impregnated me. Either artificially or…

  Late in my second pregnancy, I finally found hope. I’d found someone I could connect to. They’d search for me.

  Labour was as bad as I remembered, but the midwife was kind. Much more so than the old one.

  When we were unsupervised, she told me she’d seen babies born from at least three other women. She was tired. They held something over her, but she seemed ready to snap. And I wasn’t above using that. I begged her once the baby was born to let me go. To let us leave.

  And one night, they’d taken the baby away for a health check, but the midwife didn’t lock my door. And I ran.

  If I could get far enough away, I could call for help. I had to. Too many women and babies were trapped without a chance of getting out if I didn’t.

  Within minutes of running over the rough track, I cut into the trees. Twigs and stones tore into my feet, but it’d be harder for them to follow.

  My feet seared with pain, but I kept running. For myself, and for the others.

  It seemed like I was in the middle of nowhere, but I used the stars to keep going in roughly one direction and hoped I’d come across a town. Or a car.

  I’d been running for ten minutes or so when dogs barked and crashed through the woods.

  My legs ached, and stitches split my lungs, but I upped my pace.

  The witch tried to connect to me. I allowed her a glimpse to show I was busy, then shut her out.

  I dodged trees and dashed through brooks and streams, hoping to interrupt the scent the dogs caught, but I was sweaty and filthy. Ripe. And if I didn’t find a way out soon, those dogs would catch me.

  So I ran back onto the road for speed and passed two signs and a field. Scratching claws followed me.

  I was heaving in breath but I couldn’t outrun them anymore.

  I flinched out of the vision as the dogs struck, my hand breaking contact with Avery’s body.

  She was a fighter and she’d fought right to the end.

  ‘So?’ Inzi’s boss asked. ‘Anything useful? Or are you faking it?’

  I gritted my teeth. Didnae he ken what this woman had gone through? What I’d had to go through, via her eyes? I drew breath in and out until I felt able to speak without clobbering him. And then I waited another minute to be sure, and to sift through what I’d seen.

  ‘The van they kidnapped her in had the McKee logo on the side.’ Like she’d told me. ‘And in her escape, she passed two road signs and a field.’

  Keller straightened. ‘McKee. You’re sure?’

  ‘Yes.’

  He shook his head. ‘What did the signs say?’

  ‘The place was so rural… I think maybe they were farms?’ I frowned, trying to get the spelling right. ‘Do you have pen and paper?’

  He passed me his notepad.

  I wrote and crossed out until the names looked more or less right. Hesitantly, I handed him back his pad.

  ‘That’s as good as I can remember it.’

  He frowned. ‘Wouldn’t it be better to See it again and be sure?’

  I backed up to the far wall. I was not going back in there. The memories still clung to me, like they were my own.

  ‘You’ve had her help,’ Julian said. ‘She’s done enough for one night.’

  Keller sighed. ‘I’ll give this to my techs, but if they don’t find anything, I’m bringing you back here.’

  ‘Please direct future requests to me,’ Julian said, staring at Keller until he nodded.

  Then we left.

  Inziya drove me back to the school. She tried engaging me about Shane a few times, but I didn’t want to talk.

  I kept my gaze firmly rooted on the road. The trees with all their shadows reminded me of Avery and her last hope of escape.

  I shuddered and wrapped my arms around myself. Seeing all that… it was like my gift was punishing me.

  Chapter 13

  Peregrine or, as I preferred to call him, Grim, rapped on my door at seven sharp. ‘Someone here for you!’ he yelled.

  It wasn’t Shane. He’d be grabbing my breakfast. And coffee.

  ‘Who is it?’

  If it was Grim’s boss, he could do one. My sheets were stuck to my skin with sweat from those dreams, and I was hitting the shower before I dealt with humanity today.

  ‘They say you know them. Shauna and Ivy?’

  Cursing, I put on a loose dress, then flung the door open.

  I tried not to glare, but with my caffeine warning light blinking red, I wasn’t sure I caged the grizzly bear in my head.

  Ivy waved hello.

  She made a sad figure, shoulders slumped, her eyes red and puffy.

  An urgent need to comfort her surged through me.

  Damn it. I didn’t want Avery’s feelings along with her trauma.

  Shauna glanced at Grim, but he’d moved along the corridor, far enough for us to talk without being overheard. Nice of him. Was he losing his gruff edge?

  ‘We know you saw Avery again,’ Shauna said.

  I shivered. ‘And whose fault is that?’

  Ivy crossed her arms, but the gesture didn’t have the steel it normally did.

  ‘You Saw something. I want to know what,’ she said.

  I rubbed my face and pulled sleep from my aching eyes. Avery would want them to ken what happened, but I’d relived it all night.

&
nbsp; Shauna touched my arm.

  I flinched back. Who knew what visions were on her skin?

  ‘Ivy hasn’t slept, wondering what you Saw.’

  ‘I’m surprised you don’t already know.’

  They’d begged Keller for help, and he’d listened. So why hadn’t he told them what I Saw? Or did he put that under the label of confidential case information? I gritted my teeth. That’d be my kind of luck.

  ‘Please,’ Shauna said.

  I glanced out the window at the bright morning sun and the spot shadowed by the trees where they’d found Avery.

  Clamminess coated me, my bones freezer cold, steaming against my blood. They should ken what I Saw. The WMCF might not see this search through, but the Delvauxs would keep looking. They’d find her justice.

  ‘I Saw the McKee logo. I Saw Avery run. I Saw her love for Ivy. And I Saw two signs. I think they were farm names. The tracks were tiny, and the place was a wilderness. It wasn’t much, and I’m not sure Keller believes the McKees are involved, but he seemed pleased to have a lead.’ My voice came out tinny, dead, but they had the info they needed.

  ‘What were the farm names?’

  I shut my eyes. ‘Lācīši and Liels Birži. Though I’m sure my pronunciation sucks.’

  ‘They’re stupidly common. How can they narrow the possibilities with that?’ Shauna asked.

  I shrugged.

  ‘That’s it?’ Ivy tapped her foot. ‘That’s everything? All you Saw?’

  A tearing pain bit into my neck. I rubbed it. ‘She wasn’t in a good state. I Saw her get her injuries, the dog leap… Nothing else that’d help you find her.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Ivy said, her lip trembling.

  Shauna nodded and tugged her away. My heart twisted for her, but I stomped on the concern. I couldn’t live Avery’s emotions as well as my own.

  * * *

  Our teacher was ranting about the dangers of strong spirit witches and how our history was shaped by them.

  I leaned back in my chair and blew out my breath. I’d rather be doing something to stop this generation’s problem witches. But Grim insisted. Class like normal. And Inzi backed him.