The Witch With An Attitude (Federation of Magic Book 2)

by Rachel Medhurst

  “I will protect you.” His voice was tight as he looked up at me, his eyelashes ever so slightly damp.

  My throat closed as I stroked his stubbled chin. “I know you will.”

  A small smile lit his lips. It was full of hope. “We’re bonded now.”

  “We are… I can feel it.”

  “What next?” His fingers danced on my elbow as his hooded gaze watched me closely.

  Sighing, I looked up at the ceiling. When Tinniel had licked my bite wounds, I had felt Amera’s energy within them. Mr Fender had warned her not to touch me, just in case I could trace her. Well, he had been right.

  My words were harsh as they left my lips, a promise between us. “We track down the bitch who tried to bring me down and kill her.”

  Chapter Ten

  “You seem different,” Naz said when Tinniel and I met him outside the cell. “Oh no…”

  I kept my imagination still, my thoughts completely clear. There was no way I was going to let him know what had happened.

  Shaking his head, Naz held up a hand. “I can tell you’ve bonded. Please, keep it to yourself.”

  Tinniel winked at me before he straightened his expression and pointed at the cell door. “Shall we?”

  Jimmy was on the other side, trapped in the magically enhanced room. A powerful witch, maybe my mother, had placed a binding spell on the walls and door, making it impossible for him to escape.

  The police had asked the Federation to keep him locked up until they found a witch strong enough to break the spell that covered his tattoo.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” Synthia said as she joined us, her gaze instantly dropping to my leg.

  Shrugging, I smiled and pulled her into a hug. At first, she went stiff, but her arms quickly came up and squeezed me back.

  “I don’t know what you did,” I exclaimed, “but my leg has completely healed this morning.”

  “Erm.” Tinniel cleared his throat. “I think our…er…”

  Naz snorted as he waved a hand, his face screwing up. “We don’t need to know. However…” Looking at me, he turned serious. “…you should have the day off. You went through a lot two nights ago.”

  “I had the day lying in bed yesterday,” I said, my cheeks heating when his eyebrows rose. “I’m bored. I need to get back to work.”

  My tears had run dry, the emotion expelled as Tinniel held me in his arms. There had been something healing about making love. Amera thought that she could break me down. And for a moment, it had felt like I could’ve fallen apart. But I wouldn’t let her defeat me. I had to find my mother, no matter the cost.

  Synthia and Naz glanced at one another before they admitted defeat by gesturing for me to go ahead of them. Tinniel stepped to block my way, insisting that he went first.

  “I’ll question him,” he told me in no uncertain terms.

  Usually, the power woman in me would’ve disagreed and put up a fight. Not today. Today, I was vulnerable, so it would be better to let my man take the lead. Sometimes it was healthy for a woman to rely on her man. My man. Now that sounded bloody good.

  Synthia grabbed my arm and squeezed when she saw the way Tinniel looked at me. Her excitement filtered into me, lifting my spirits even higher than they were. I had never had a close female friend, preferring to keep to myself. However, Synthia was the kind of friend I needed. Someone who would be happy, even when I was a miserable sod.

  “I’m so pleased to see how well you’re doing,” she said while the men chatted amongst themselves, deciding what questions to ask Jimmy.

  I half listened to them, half worried about the vampire hearing us outside. Was the cell soundproof? His supersonic hearing might give him a chance to think about his answers or come up with a way to deflect.

  “It’s fine,” Naz said, leaving Tinniel hanging, “he can’t hear anything. The cell is spelled to disable his vampire abilities.”

  Phew, that was good. Ever since my little experience with the vamps a few nights ago, I’d been dreading seeing Jimmy. They were powerful, although their weird rotting was freaking me out, and he might detect that I’d been bitten by Amera and her buddies.

  Swallowing, I pushed the memory out of my head. We had to find the box, and the best way to do that, was to ask Jimmy.

  “Let’s do this,” I said, interrupting the twins again.

  They frowned at one another, clearly able to see my apprehension as I clenched and unclenched my hands.

  Putting a hand on Naz’s shoulder, Tinniel prevented him from coming with us. The door opened as Synthia punched in a number, followed by a chanted spell. When she went to step inside the cell, she paused, glancing over her shoulder at me.

  “I think I’ll let you guys do this one.” Bowing, she backtracked, allowing us to enter.

  Had they realised that I had a driving need to deal with Jimmy? I was the new kid on the block, granted. However, it was getting personal, and I had to deal with the vampire before things got out of control.

  Nodding my thanks, I followed Tinniel into the cell. The door closed behind me, hissing as the spell resealed the room. My insides quivered when Jimmy, who sat at a small desk that was tucked in the corner, stood up to face us.

  “Ah, the royal Ford witch graces me with her presence.”

  Jimmy’s hair was slicked back off his face, the dark strands full of so much product, they looked wet. He wore a plain black pair of sweatpants and a white T-shirt. Clearly uncomfortable, he fiddled with a ring on his left finger.

  Indicating that he should sit, Tinniel put his hands on his hips and stood his ground between us. He was my saviour, and yet, it was Jimmy who needed protection from me.

  “Where’s my mother?” I blurted, my chest tightening as he lowered himself onto his bunk.

  He glanced up at me, his eyebrows raised. “I had no idea you were so interested in your mother. It took you a while to realise she was gone.”

  “I had amnesia.”

  Tinniel’s gaze snapped to mine, a warning in his pursed lips. Oops. I had to keep my cool if I wanted answers. He had insisted that he do the questioning, but I had pleaded for him to let me take the lead. If I wanted to become a good bounty hunter, a professional, I had to start somewhere. Although, my personal feelings kinda contradicted that. Oh, well.

  “Who kidnapped her?” I asked, swallowing when he shrugged.

  “Some dude who knew her, apparently. You must know that Amera was the one who masterminded everything. I’m just an errand boy who fell into bad favour.” Chuckling, Jimmy rubbed his clean-shaven chin. “And now she wants what I’ve got.”

  Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms over my waist. “Don’t we all. The box, I think I know where it is.”

  “You do?” His gaze narrowed on me. “How?”

  As tempting as it was to tell how I’d tracked the box, I didn’t want to give too much away. I didn’t technically know where it was, I just had an inkling after the voice had mentioned a train.

  He stared at me, waiting for me to reply. When I stayed silent, he sighed and shook his head. “I might be a dead man, but I won’t ever tell anyone the location of the talisman. It’s the only thing keeping me alive.”

  “You really think you’ll get out of here?” I asked.

  The quirk of his lip made me cringe. Ugh. Some men believed they were indestructible. Did he not know that a witch was preparing a spell to reveal the names on his chest as we spoke? Apparently, she was upstairs, in the club, working hard to get Klarita the names she sought.

  “We both know I won’t hand over information.”

  “Are the vampires rotting?” I asked, ignoring Tinniel’s confused expression.

  I hadn’t told my man about the flesh that was falling from the vampires’ faces. Part of me wanted to protect myself from the questioning guidelines that Tinniel had set me. Not because I was being a bitch, but because I had realised that triggering Jimmy’s fear might get him to talk. And although Tinniel was an incredible bounty hunter, he
wasn’t a detective. He hadn’t been trained to connect to the suspect in a way that would open them up. Not that I had, either. However, I had to try.

  Being dead, Jimmy didn’t have the usual cues of a human. His cheeks didn’t glow, no sweat lined his forehead. It was hard to read him. Except for the tiny flicker of the little finger on his right hand as it spun the ring on his left. Wait.

  “Are you married, Jimmy?”

  His gaze darted to me, his shoulders tensing and his pointy canines flashing. “What would you know about marriage?”

  “Nothing,” I replied, quick to hide the gloat that wanted to surge. “I just know that one day, I’d like to have that connection with someone.”

  Tinniel didn’t look at me as his tongue flicked out to wet his lips. Hopefully he didn’t think I was hinting that he should propose. We’d only just got it on, it was a little too soon. We had a few things to iron out before we could think about building that type of life together.

  “My wife stays out of this,” Jimmy said, getting to his feet and pacing the small room.

  Chewing on my lip, I sat in a chair, keeping myself small in order to make him feel comfortable. My heart pounded in my chest as my palms lined with sweat. “I saw what was happening to your people. Is… Is your wife…?”

  Snarling, Jimmy whirled towards me, his hand coming up and clenching as he shook his head. “How did you see? What do you know?”

  “I know…” Staying still, I kept my poise, not allowing the vampire to intimidate me. “…that something is causing the vampires to rot, I’m assuming, until they’re dead. I also know,” I added, my voice softening, “that there’s a way to save you all.”

  I avoided Tinniel’s gaze as he stamped his foot lightly, his boots braced in case Jimmy came for me. He wouldn’t, though. His back had stiffened as he turned away, a sigh leaving him. I had hit a nerve, one that would be sure to work in my favour if I trod carefully.

  “Amera has the scroll, my mother, and now, maybe your box. Why does she get everything? Is she your leader?”

  “No!” Jimmy snapped, looking over his shoulder before he turned. “She’s promised our people that she’s the saviour closest to…” His eyebrows pulled together as he shook his head. “I’m never getting out of here, but I can’t trust you.”

  “You probably can’t, no.”

  What could I say? I couldn’t exactly lie. It wasn’t as if I had a magical wand that would excuse his nasty behaviour and set him free. He had done horrific things to innocent people. He had threatened to end my life with the return of the sorceress. He was evil. And I wouldn’t let him forget it.

  “However,” I followed up, “I can make you an offer. Tell me the whereabouts of the box and where my mother is.”

  Tinniel cleared his throat. “And help us break the spell on your tattoo to reveal those in league with the human blood trafficking.”

  Slumping onto the bed, Jimmy clenched his jaw and stared down at his ring. The gold was tarnished, marked with years of wear and tear. Would he consider my offer?

  “What is it you’re offering?”

  An unexpected lump formed in my throat, blocking my words. The idea had come to me as soon as I’d realised what drove the vampire. Now that I was about to voice it, a swarm of emotions almost engulfed me.

  He watched me, his eyes red-rimmed and raw, waiting to see whether I had anything worth bargaining for.

  “Your wife can come and spend her last days with you, here.”

  The silence was so thick, it was deafening. Tinniel didn’t move an inch, not even to frown at me. He watched Jimmy, his expression unreadable.

  Jimmy’s eye twitch was the only sign he had heard me. His slow blink was followed by a sharp exhale. “If I could just get to Amera. She…”

  “You believe,” I said, a sense of sadness gripping me, “and so does she, that if you resurrect the sorceress, she can heal you all, including your wife.”

  “Yes.” Jimmy’s eyes flared red. “She’s ready to return.”

  I went to open my mouth, pausing when Jimmy reared from the bed and snarled at me. “It’s not only that,” he said, his eyes pleading with Tinniel, “Amera has my wife, just like she has your mother. The box was the only way I could get her back. If you take it, my wife will die, and it will be your fault.”

  My chest squeezed as tears popped into my eyes. Tinniel glanced at me, his eyebrows raised. Shit, we had a moral dilemma on our hands. If we managed to find the box, we would have control over the whole vampire race. We could give it back in exchange for my mother and Jimmy’s wife, and the vampire race would be saved. However, the sorceress wanted the Ford line dead. Which meant I had to make a choice if we managed to find the box: Save the vampire race and risk my own life, or let them die to keep myself safe.

  Jeez, that was a tough one.

  Chapter Eleven

  “The door was right there,” I said, pointing at the wall on the underground platform.

  And it wasn’t there anymore.

  It had been a haze when Frankenstein had dragged me through the door and onto the platform, but I distinctly remembered it being right near the sign at the end of the station.

  Tinniel glanced at the handful of passengers who waited for the next train. It was the middle of the day and most people were at work. The underground station was one of the least used in London, according to my Google search. It had been impossible to find any information about the disused station and train where Jimmy had been hiding.

  “I’ll cast a spell, although I’m loath to throw magic around. We don’t know if we’re being watched.”

  Tinniel was right. Nodding, I checked over my shoulder. I understood. We had cast an invisibility spell, but other magical beings might be able to see us.

  “Frankenstein is the one we need to watch out for. He knew Jimmy was staying down there. Wait, let me see if I can track him.”

  Jimmy hadn’t given us anything, too paranoid about his wife to let us have the box. He didn’t trust that we wouldn’t use the talisman for our own gain. I had tried, and failed, to appeal to the vampire’s emotions. He had been a dead man too long to be persuaded.

  Naz had agreed to stand guard at the entrance to the station. Synthia was outside the medieval banquet hall, checking to make sure that no one suspicious entered. Not that she could see if Frankenstein was inside already. The tunnels led to the hidden station, which meant Frankenstein must have given Jimmy a place to stay. And yet, the beast was loyal to Amera. Unless…

  “I wonder if Frankenstein actually captured Jimmy and kept him in the train,” I mused as Tinniel ran his hand across the tiled wall. “After you saw him enter the tunnels in your spell, you had to leave him. If Frankenstein was setting a trap for Jimmy, why didn’t Amera come and get him?”

  Tinniel’s lips moved slowly, his brow furrowed as he concentrated. I frowned until his hand went through the wall, disappearing completely. A smile spread on his lips as his eyebrows wiggled playfully.

  “Okay, gorgeous man,” I said, rolling my eyes, “I get it, you’re amazing.”

  His fingers laced with mine as he tugged me through the wall, his thumb caressing my skin before he let go. Darkness enclosed us as we came into the tunnel that led to the abandoned train. We fell silent as a light breeze rushed over us.

  Shivering, I gripped Tinniel’s hand and squeezed before whispering. “I’m going to try and trace Frankenstein.”

  A light popped on, appearing in Tinniel’s free hand. Oh, he could cast the same spell as his twin. Neat.

  Without waiting for him to agree, I closed my eyes and imagined Frankenstein’s face. Usually, it helped having a trace of the person, either by touching something of theirs, or having their imprint on me. Hence, my strong feeling of Amera that instantly popped up.

  I shoved it away, focusing on Frankenstein’s face again. A chill ran over my skin, pushing goosebumps up on my flesh. Something about the creature made me nervous as I felt into his energy. Ah, yes, there
he was.

  It was dark and his breathing was heavy. Brilliant, he was asleep.

  Snapping out of the connection, I smiled up at Tinniel, a sigh of relief leaving my lips as I shook Frankenstein’s energy away.

  “We’re good,” I whispered, giving him a thumbs up.

  Inclining his head, Tinniel moved past me, keeping hold of my hand as we walked through the passageway. My palm was lined with sweat as we ventured deeper into the tunnel, heading towards the metal door that hid the abandoned station. The last time I had been here, Frankenstein had managed to kidnap me.

  “Wait,” Tinniel gasped, turning to me. “This time, I will not let you out of my sight. It was my fault you got kidnapped.”

  His face was fierce as he stared down at me, his hand gripping mine so tight, it started to hurt. I reached up my free hand and stroked the crease in his forehead. “You had to get Jimmy. Not only that, it’s my job. I just went undercover, that was all.”

  The frown on his face deepened. Clearly he didn’t buy into the feeble explanation of my failure. However, I had stopped fighting when Frankenstein had made it clear that Amera had my mother. I knew Tinniel would come looking for me, which he did, and I hadn’t tried to get free. He couldn’t blame himself.

  Huffing, Tinniel shook his head and strode to the metal door. He reached for the handle, smiling at me when it moved easily in his hand. Hmm. Had they abandoned the unfinished station, too? Surely they would’ve had a guard on the door?

  My spidey-senses went into overdrive as the door opened and we cautiously moved onto the top step. A floodlight had been installed above our head, illuminating the cavern. Below us, there were multiple holes dug out on the floor, the dirt piles scattered around. It looked like Amera had been hunting for the box. Crap, did she have it already?

  Listening hard, we waited to see if there were any signs of life. A shudder ran through me as I remembered the last time we had been down here. It felt like a lot had happened since then, and yet, it had only been a couple of days.