“I’m free flowing, always allowing whatever is meant for me to come naturally.”
I almost spat in my tea in response, only just hiding my reaction by dropping my napkin on the floor. Ducking down, I cleared my expression and got hold of myself. If I wasn’t careful, I would mess up the whole operation before I’d got anywhere.
“Damian?” someone called his name from across the café.
Turning, Damian quickly got up and excused himself. I watched as he went over to an older female. She simmered under his attention, her cheeks growing bright red. What was it with the man? He wasn’t a god.
“He’s a shifty one. I don’t remember him being in my class.” Mrs Hinley’s voice came from the table behind me.
Luckily, no one sat there, otherwise they would have had a terrible fright. A floating voice with no body. The life of witches was an interesting one.
I was about to reply when Damian took hold of the woman’s wrist and squeezed. It was a subtle movement, but she quickly stopped berating him, instead, almost going limp.
“He just put her under a spell to keep her quiet,” Mrs Hinley hissed. “Be careful that he doesn’t get too close to you.”
“How can I do that when I need to get some of his hair?”
Mrs Hinley stopped talking when a couple came to sit nearby. Damian looked over his shoulder, smiling at me as he said goodbye to his friend. I concealed a shudder as he marched back over, shaking his head as he sat down again.
“Sorry about that, she’s a friend of my sister.”
Trying my hardest not to roll my eyes, which was really hard, I smiled and leant forward. “So, you say that you like to paint. Can you show me any of your work?”
It was better to keep him on neutral ground to start. If I asked too many personal questions, it might have made him suspicious.
“Oh, erm, sure,” he stuttered, getting his phone out.
He went to turn his phone around, but stopped, smiling at me as he got up. “How about I come and sit beside you?”
Quirking my lip, I patted the chair seat, inviting him to come closer.
Inside, my nerves quaked. This might be my chance to get a strand of his hair.
Coming around the table, he settled next to me, leaning closer to show me the pictures on his phone. I had to admit, he was bloody talented. If it was his artwork, of course. Pictures of women dressed in Victorian era clothes were painted on huge canvases. Their eyes were downcast in most of them, except one. He paused on the one where she looked up from under her lashes, the light grey of her eyes penetrating even me.
“That was my girlfriend.” He sighed as he put the phone on the table. “I’ve always wanted to recreate this painting with another woman who matches her beauty.”
“You have? Why?”
He leant closer still, his mouth opening slightly as he bought it close to my ear. “Because she died before I could complete it.”
My breath sucked into my lungs in an audible gasp. He chuckled as he went to pull away. Reaching up, I grabbed the back of his head, squeezing his hair in my fingers.
“Could I be the one you’re looking for?”
He turned his head so our eyes met, our noses almost touching. The churn in my stomach made me want to heave, but I kept my cool as I stared at him, allowing our breath to intermingle.
“You very well could be.”
Reaching up, he stroked my cheek. I felt warmth on my skin. Not from his touch, but from the familiar feeling I got when I tugged on someone else’s magic. I was only just controlling my own. My hands moved in his hair, avoiding his skin so I didn’t pull any magic from him.
“I’ve always wanted to pose for a still life class, it’s on my bucket list.”
He pulled back, a grin spreading across his face. “Well, I can make that wish come true. If you’re willing to dress up as a Victorian woman.”
Releasing his hair, but accidently on purpose snagging it as I did, I shuddered visibly. “I love dressing up.”
I could feel several strands of his hair on my hand. Leaving it resting on the back of his chair, I tried not to panic. I couldn’t very well bring my hand around with the hair still on it.
“Sounds like you’ll be my perfect model.” Glancing up at the clock on the café wall, he swallowed. “I know you have to get back to class. When would you like to start?”
Almost jumping out of my skin when something brushed my hand, taking the hair, I quickly plastered a smile on my face. Mrs Hinley had obviously taken the strands, which was great, but a warning would’ve been nice. I had almost crapped my pants.
“Are you free tonight?” I tried to control the shake of my voice, but he raised an eyebrow when he heard it.
Taking my hand nearest him, he lifted it to his lips. When they brushed against my skin, I had to force myself to restrain from letting his magic pull from him. I hadn’t bargained on there being so much physical contact on the first date. It was making me extremely queasy.
“Until tonight,” he said, getting up from his seat. “I’ll text you the address.”
Leaving with a flourish, he didn’t even look back at me. My heartbeat thumped in my ears.
“Good job,” Mrs Hinley whispered from beside me. “Let’s go.”
Almost surging up from my seat, I steadied myself before walking out of the café and down the road. Mrs Hinley’s moaning couldn’t distract me from the chill that had enveloped my body. Had he cast a spell on me?
“Are you okay?” Her voice floated to me as we rounded the corner of the street.
The car was exactly where we’d left it. I nodded stiffly as I yanked open the door and almost dove in headfirst.
As the passenger door opened and closed, the girls started asking ten thousand questions. I clenched my hands and closed my eyes, trying to get my breath to steady. My whole being shook as the adrenaline slid through my veins. How the hell had I managed that?
“Girls,” Mrs Hinley said sharply as she reappeared. “Give her a moment to breathe. She was wonderful.”
They both closed their mouths quickly, staring at me as if I were an alien. I didn’t blame them, they had probably never heard silence coming from me. The last twenty four hours had been intense.
Mrs Hinley tapped the driver’s arm, indicating that he should take us back to the academy. Her phone was pinging continuously.
“Oh dear, my darling husband is slightly furious with me,” she muttered under her breath.
Isabel grabbed my arm and blurted. “What happened?”
It was unfair of me to keep them in the dark when they were there to support me. Shaking my head, I almost laughed when I replied.
“I’ve got another date with him tonight. He’s definitely the one draining witches, I felt it.”
“You’re meeting him again? Is that wise?” Helissa tucked a strand of her wild curly hair behind her ear.
Nodding, I smiled, probably in quite a manic way. “Of course. He’s sending me an address so we can meet. We can get him, guys, tonight. We’ll plan an attack to take him down.”
Chapter Eight
“Why are we all here?” Dracian asked as we stood by the gate.
We had been waiting nervously all afternoon, pretending to learn all about DNA imprints left at a crime scene. Of course, none of us could concentrate, so as soon as it was time to meet the teachers for our covert mission, we had been there almost an hour early.
Mrs Hinley and Professor Seaton fidgeted, their nervous glances skimming over us. Dracian, Isabel, Helissa and James Seaton-Hinley stood beside me, their stances ready for whatever would be required of them.
When Seaton had told me that he wanted the boys to help, I had gone to protest, but had stopped myself. This wasn't the Alishia show. I had to prove that I was worthy of the trust that the teachers were putting into me. Which meant I had to listen to them. Something I should always do, considering I was just a student.
“We've got a lead on a male witch who is draining magic. Al
ishia is meeting him soon, in a private warehouse. This is an extremely dangerous operation.” Seaton ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it in an aggravated fashion. “Devon Jinx from the Hunted Witch Agency is on stand-by, but she has a big case of her own right now, so we need to be extra vigilant.”
Dracian looked at me, his eyes ducking when our gaze clashed. My nerves were wound tight. The last thing I needed was an uncomfortable stare off with someone who understood me more than I had realised. He had lost his father, in a similar vein to how I'd lost mine. And for so long, I had been cruelly blaming him without evidence.
“What do you want us to do?” James asked.
Helissa smiled at him when he glanced in her direction. He shyly returned a grin, snapping back to attention when his mother clicked her fingers and waved her hand in front of his face.
“You shall be on standby with a protection spell. Our aim is to scope out the warehouse while Alishia does a sitting for him.”
“A sitting for him?” Dracian snapped. “What kind of sitting?”
Trying my hardest to avoid his gaze, I cleared my throat. The others were watching me, waiting for an explanation. Now that I had to tell them, I felt a little silly at agreeing to such a weird request. It was all for the cause, that's what I had to tell myself. Although, part of me secretly wished I had met a cool man who wanted to paint me in Victorian dress, just because it was such an interesting concept.
“He wants to paint me.”
“It better not be nude!” Isabel almost shrieked, her shiny ponytail flicking as she spun to the teachers. “How could you let her do this?”
“My thoughts exactly,” Dracian added. “You can't put her in danger!”
Inclining his head, Seaton coughed. “I understand your concern. We shall have many precautions in place. Firstly, she can't be drained of magic, but he doesn't know that. So, if he casts his spell, we can attain proof from his magic print and he will be none the wiser. Secondly, you'll all be placed in strategic positions around the building. We will ask that you join forces in casting a protection spell over Alishia so that he cannot do her any physical harm.”
“Will you take him down?” Helissa had somehow moved closer to James.
I tried not to smile, but when I glanced away from them to hide it, my gaze clashed with Dracian's again. He watched me, his dark eyebrows pulled low. I swallowed as we stared at one another, unable to look away.
“Yes,” Mrs Hinley said, matter-of-factly. “Once the spell is cast on Alishia, we’ll go in and perform a witches’ citizen’s arrest.”
“How will we know when the spell has been cast on her? With the other students, he cast the spell to linger so the symptoms didn’t show until later.” James had a good brain on him, I had to admit.
Although he was currently sliding closer to Helissa, he was still thinking of the mission. Maybe he would become as good an agent as his parents one day.
Mrs Hinley clucked her tongue, waving a hand to get me to stop making love to Dracian with my eyes. Okay, I wasn't doing that, but it was pretty hard to look away. The whole dynamic of our relationship had shifted overnight. He had become my frenemy, and the attraction was even stronger.
“I’ll go in with Alishia. There's no way I'm leaving her to go in alone. I'll be invisible. He didn't detect me last time, he shouldn't this time, either.”
Seaton stepped forward, becoming more animated. “Yes, we would never let Alishia go in alone. I'll cast a listening spell so I can hear what's going on inside. I'll let you know when we need to intervene.”
Dracian pulled his denim jacket tighter around him and stood straighter. “How do we intervene?”
“I'll call the Hunted Witch Agency, you'll use your power to keep Alishia safe. Damian won't be able to attack Alishia with our power combined. If he tries to leave, we let him. I'm not prepared to risk your lives, although this is cutting it damn close.” Seaton narrowed his eyes on Mrs Hinley. “But, it's our best chance to get him.”
“As long as you can assure Alishia’s safety, I’m in.” Dracian tucked his hands in his pockets and kept his gaze ahead.
I licked my lips, ready to thank him for his help, but knowing it would have to wait. Clearing my head was the most important task right now, not fawning over a boy who was prepared to rescue me like my knight in shining armour. Yeah, it was a fantasy I had always kept close to my heart, so I might have actually swooned if it hadn’t been for the others.
“Alishia will be well protected, we must stick together to assure it. The Hunted Witch Agency will hopefully arrive in time to take Damian down.” Mrs Hinley raised her hand. “Any more questions? The short of it is this: Do what we tell you.”
”Do I get to keep the painting?” The smug quirk of my lip was supposed to chill everyone out, but it was fruitless. They were fretting, each one sending out a nervous vibe. It didn't help me feel confident and kickass. It made my stomach flutter.
“I'm afraid he won't get that far if I can help it,” Seaton said. “We don't want any dallying.”
Looking over Mrs Hinley's shoulder, I watched out for the car. We wouldn't all fit, but it was a magic car, so maybe we would somehow squeeze in.
“We'll do a transportation spell.” Seaton gestured for us to go closer, indicating that we should hold hands. “Once there, Alishia will leave us straight away. We’ll wait for her to go inside.”
Mrs Hinley pulled out her phone and showed us a picture of an old factory. On it, she had drawn each students’ name, marking where they would stand. They would actually be in a circle at the back of the building so they couldn't be seen.
My whole body shook as she tucked her phone away. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to throw up. What had I got myself into? This was risky. Too risky. Surely we should wait until the Hunted Witch Agents arrived.
“Are we ready?” Seaton shook his hands again.
Waiting for everyone to agree, I nodded as I reached for Dracian and Isabel. They both smiled at me, probably feeling the violent shudder that rocked my bones.
“I promise you'll be safe,” Dracian whispered as the others formed a circle with us.
Blinking, I swallowed before giving him a grin. “Thank you.”
I had been about to reply with a snarky comment, but instead, I decided to be civil. It was rare that I was nice, but it was something I could do occasionally. Plus, my mind went blank as I looked into his pretty dark eyes. Oh boy, I was in trouble.
“Let's close our eyes,” Seaton muttered. “I'll take us there.”
As we followed his orders, I tried not to pull on Dracian and Isabel's magic. My eyes soon flickered closed when Seaton started to chant in Latin. A rush of wind pushed against me, flicking my hair into my face. I sucked in a breath, releasing it when Dracian squeezed my hand and the wind died down.
“We're here,” Mrs Hinley whispered.
Glancing at her shoes, I smiled to myself when I saw the trainers on her feet. She had thought in advance this time, which was good. I couldn't help but point them out to the girls as the teacher whispered to her husband. We shared a nervous smile as our eyes were drawn up.
The factory loomed above us, the grey facade blinding in the setting sun. The rays reflected off the mirrored exterior, the brightness causing me to squint. We had arrived behind the address that Damian had given me. There were bins, piled high with rubbish, the smell permeating the area. Checking my watch, I cringed, unable to contain my fear. It was fine. I would be fine. Plus, Mrs Hinley wore soft shoes, so she wouldn't give away the game. I had to smile again as I glanced at the bright red trainers. She had to make a statement, just because she didn't have high heels.
Looking up, I studied the length of the building, only pausing when Dracian stepped in front of me.
“It's nice to see you smiling,” Dracian whispered as Isabel turned to Helissa and James.
Trying to settle my nerves, I faced Dracian and bit my lip. “Before I go in, I just wanted to apologise again.”
&
nbsp; Bringing a finger to my lips, he placed it over them, brushing ever so gently. “Don't worry, I understand why you thought I was the one who killed your parents. Between us, we need to find out the true culprits. I want to get justice for my father, too. I think we can do it, together.”
“I would like that,” I whispered, trying my hardest not to freak out at the idea of playing witch hunt with Dracian Dread.
“It's time,” Mrs Hinley hissed. “You follow the professor.” Pointing at the others, she jabbed her finger in the direction of the tiny concrete courtyard. “And, you come with me.”
Seaton approached me, his eyebrows raised. “Is it okay if I place a listening spell on you?”
Swallowing, I nodded, checking the time on my phone. If I was late, it would instantly make Damian on edge. However, if I rocked up on time, I would hopefully give him a good impression. I wanted to do everything possible to give us a chance at catching the culprit.
We hadn't even needed his hair to locate him, but the strands would be used to trace his magical imprint. The professor told us that the government had a nifty machine that ran magic tracking just like DNA testing. Witches and warlocks who had a criminal record would be in the database, making it easier for the authorities to keep tabs on them.
“This will feel strange for a moment,” Seaton said.
Putting his hands on either side of my head, he cupped my ears as he whispered a chant. I tried not to flinch when my skull suddenly grew ice cold, making me shudder. Releasing me, the professor smiled and clucked his tongue. “All done. Good luck.”
The freeze slipped down my body and out through my boots, leaving me warm. I had rarely had a witch perform magic on me. Usually, they were too afraid to touch my skin. In a way, it was nice that the headmaster trusted me enough to place his hands over my ears. I could've taken his magic, even though he was putting a spell on me.
Undercover Witch Academy Box Set Page 20
