Gemma squeaked beside her, as Jaycen really assessed the two men in front of them, both of the men’s stances were taut and ready. Ready for what she didn’t know, and she really didn’t want to find out.
So she smiled, trying desperately to lighten the mood with her fake cheer. “It’s really not that serious, I’ll answer whatever you want.”
Both men looked at each other for a fraction of a second before their attention was back on her. It was then that she noticed one of their hands hovering over the waistband of his trousers, where a gun sat snug against his body.
He caught Jaycen’s eyes widening and smiled fully, his pearly whites almost translucent.
Jaycen didn’t care if she had been caught, who the hell brought a gun into school? And more importantly, were they actually going to shoot her if she ran away?
“I always come prepared,” he told her, patting the weapon over his jacket.
“And that is very comforting to know, that you come armed to a school.”
Jaycen breathed a little easier at the sound of Benedict’s voice. Gemma practically sagged next to her. The two men slowly turned, neither seeming to care that they had been caught one with a weapon, and two, trying to interrogate Jaycen. She peered through the space between the two men at a stony-faced Benedict and Thornton.
The taller one shrugged dramatically. “We just have a few questions, that’s all.”
Benedict didn’t give an inch. “Surely such a job is beneath the head of The Cures security?”
The tall thin man held out his hands, in a casual way and said, “You know me, Benedict, nothing’s too small for my attention.”
Jaycen stood, pulling Gemma with her. The quieter man noticed this and span around, taking one small step towards her.
Gemma fell back with a high-pitched yell pulling Jaycen with her until they were both sat again.
“Oh my god. We were just standing,” Jaycen said, holding out her hands. “Calm down. I’m not going to beat you up.” She thought it was funny, it seemed no one else did.
“Stand down,” the taller man ordered, as his cold eyes bored into Jaycen’s. “And maybe then we’ll be able to question Miss Reece on the two most recent murders.”
“Murders?” Gemma whispered next to her, fear thick in the voice.
Jaycen couldn’t talk, she also couldn’t stop the bile rising in her throat as she turned to the side and emptied the burger she had just finished eating. The words murder repeating in her head like a chant. When would her nightmare be over?
Chapter 5
“Where were you on the night of the fifteenth of November?”
Jaycen sat in Benedict’s office while everyone else stood. Benedict and Thornton were both at the side of the room, both watching closely but neither talking. Gemma had been excused and had almost run back to her dorm, clearly relieved.
“Here.”
“Who with?” he carried on, watching her closely.
She shrugged. “A bunch of people. But mainly Gemma I guess. The girl you just saw me with.” In fact, Jaycen couldn’t remember where she had been on the fifteenth, but she hadn’t left the school in weeks, and as she was hardly going to win a popularity contest, her being with Gemma was a safe bet.
“You guess.” The head of security, who Benedict had called Timothy, pondered over her answer before leaning down, so he was level with her. “You must understand that guesses aren’t going to work with this. I need specifics.”
Jaycen reached into her pockets, trying to pull out her phone when her other interrogator jumped back and pulled out his gun, aiming it at Jaycen’s head.
“What the hell are you doing?” Her hands shot up, letting her phone drop to the floor, at the same time Thornton rushed across the room, so he was standing in front of her, blocking her from the gun’s barrel.
“Put it down.”
Instead of complying with Thornton’s gritted out command, the man simply lifted his arms, the barrel now staring Thornton straight in the face. Now it was Jaycen’s turn to react, and she tried to stand and get between the two men. Thornton must have felt her moving because without turning he pushed her back down.
“Stay there,” he hissed, his eyes not turning away from the man in front of him.
“Screw that, he has a gun pointed at your face,” She screamed, trying to stand again, this time getting to her feet before she was pushing back to the chair.
“Both of you stop moving!” the man with the gun yelled, his arms now visibly shaking.
“Benedict do something!” Jaycen pleaded, looking up at a very relaxed Benedict leaning against the wall, and watching the chaos unfold.
“Put the gun down solider,” Timothy said from somewhere behind Jaycen. “I still have questions to ask.”
“No.” The solider shook his head. “She’s too dangerous. She’ll kill us all.”
“Says the man with the gun!” Jaycen twisted around Thornton and pointed at the man, the movement startling him, and the sound of the gunshot ringing out.
For a second no one moved. Then everyone moved all at once.
Thornton moved fast and had the solider against the wall, his hand at his throat, the gun now discarded on the floor. Timothy made a move to help his colleague, but Benedict blocked his path as he scratched his beard.
“Now that just wasn’t smart,” Benedict mused.
Jaycen was still trying to process what had just happened. The gun had been pointed directly at Thornton, how had it missed? She stood and was about to ask just that when she saw a bullet frozen in the air. Mere inches away from where Thornton had just been standing.
“Who could have stopped it?” Who could have moved that fast? Jaycen carefully reached up and tapped the bullet with her pointer finger, making it fall to the floor with a soft thud.
She looked up then, realising Benedict, while still keeping Timothy back, was also watching her.
He winked and smiled a little before turning his attention to the man in front of him.
It had been him. He hadn’t been simply staying quiet, he’d been concentrating.
“Step aside Benedict, we both know what must happen.” Timothy moved his suit jacket aside, showing off his gun on the holster.
Benedict didn’t look fazed, but then why would he? He had just stopped a bullet.
“Let him go Thornton,” he said dryly, then stepped aside, letting Timothy pass.
With one final squeeze of the man’s neck, Thornton let go. The large man dropped to the floor, gasping for air.
“You just assaulted a member of The Cure’s personal guard. You are now under arrest, put your hands in the air…”
Thornton turned to face Timothy, his hands in the air as he surrendered himself.
“No, you can’t.” Jaycen tried to get in between them before she could even get close Benedict’s arm circled around her waist and pulled her back.
“You can’t get involved in this, Jaycen,” he told her quietly as Thornton’s hands were cuffed behind his back.
“Stop them. He was just protecting me, you pointed a gun at my head.” She pointed at the soldier who was just starting to stand, still looking blue as he rubbed his neck.
“Jaycen, be quiet,” Benedict warned again, his grip on her waist tightening.
The unnamed soldier turned to her then, the anger in his eyes making Benedict pull her back even further.
“Yeah, and I should have shot you in the head while I had the chance.” He spat each word, his body hunched over, so he could look her in the eyes. “Because monsters like you need putting down.”
The words were said with so much hate, so much anger and it was all solely focused on her. This man that she had never met, hated her. Jaycen stopped moving and simply looked at him, his body shaking slightly.
She leaned forward as much as she could with Benedict’s arms restraining her. “You’re going to need more than a bullet to stop me.”
The man straightened. “We’ll see about that.”
<
br /> “I also want this man to be arrested, he could have killed Thornton tonight,” Benedict said to Timothy as he fastened handcuffs onto Thornton.
The soldier straightened, his anger morphing into shame.
“I’ll hand myself in voluntarily.” They watched silently as the soldier walked over to the other and held out his hands, letting Timothy handcuff him also.
“It didn’t have to be this way Benedict,” Timothy said once he was done.
“Something tells me that it was always going to be this way,” Benedict replied simply, as Jaycen watched the soldier tug Thornton out of the door and out of sight.
“We need to stop them. They can’t do this.” Jaycen shook her head but didn’t bother trying to get out of Benedict’s grip. What was the point? It was too late.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Benedict told her softly.
Timothy turned to look at them, his eyes bouncing from Jaycen to Benedict as he nodded softly. “We’ll still need to question Miss Reece, of course.”
“Oh, let me guess. At The Cure, right?” The sarcasm was thick in Benedict’s voice as he twisted Jaycen away from Timothy and finally let go of her. She leaned on the desk closest to her, letting it take the bulk of her weight. This was her fault. Thornton had been arrested because of her.
“The Cure would be the most logical place, yes. Shall we pay them a visit tomorrow at noon?” Timothy plucked a card from his jacket pocket and handed it to Benedict.
Benedict looked down at the card, and instead of taking it crossed his arms and said, “We’ll see you there.”
Timothy smiled a little, before giving Jaycen a quick nod as he turned and left.
Jaycen waited until she knew they’d both left before talking. “You didn’t even try to stop them. You just let them go.”
“Thornton made his choice as soon as he put his hands on the man. There was nothing I could do then. But the charges will be dropped, nothing will come of it. Nothing but getting you to The Cure.” Benedict cursed as he walked around the room, scratching his beard.
Jaycen stayed silent, now focusing in the bullet that lay abandoned on Benedict’s floor. A bullet that would still be in Thornton’s chest, had Benedict not been fast enough. The thought sent chills down her spine, as did the memory of the soldier's face and the anger she saw there. It was hard to imagine because things weren’t great, but the night could have gone so much worse.
“I’ll go to The Cure, I don’t mind. I don’t have anything to hide,” she mumbled, walking over and picked up the bullet.
“There are games in play that you don’t understand. And you walking into The Cure of your own free will is playing right into their hands. But now we don’t have a choice. If we don’t go they’ll issue a warrant and come and take you by force.”
“What games? If there’s something I need to know, tell me. Why does anyone at The Cure care where I am or what I’m doing?” She was getting frantic, keeping the bullet in her hand and clenching tightly. The last time she had been at the governmental building she’d been testifying against her father, Darius, and two of her brothers. That had been a few months ago, what the hell could have changed since then?
“If they think I’m involved in these murders somehow, I’ll go and you know, clear my name.”
“No.” The harshness in Benedict’s voice took her by surprise, so much so that she flinched a little. If Benedict noticed this at all he didn’t let on as he carried on talking. “What you need to do is stay here where you’re safe and to keep your head down. What you don’t need to do is draw more attention to yourself by walking into The Cure or threaten The Cures’ personal guard.”
“Safe?” Jaycen raised her voice to match Benedict’s. “Are you kidding me? They literally walked right up to me. How is that safe? How is a man pointing a gun at my head, safe? So, I’m sorry that I said something I shouldn’t, but nearly having your brains blown out does that to you.”
“What it should do is make you realise how serious this is, and that maybe running your mouth off wasn’t the best course of action!”
Jaycen’s mouth clamped shut, aware that any comeback she might have had was just confirming what he had said.
They both stared at each other, both of their anger still hanging in the air and visible in their stances. How they had got to arguing Jaycen didn’t know because it wasn’t Benedict she was angry with. But still, she refused to back down, and she definitely refused to take blame that wasn’t hers.
“You need to go pack a bag. We’ll leave for The Cure immediately. See if we can sort out this mess,” Benedict instructed and turned away, sighing.
Even though she knew Benedict couldn’t see her she nodded before leaving the room, the feeling of dread heavy in her stomach. Thornton had been arrested, trying to protect her. He could have died, trying to protect her. The anger in the soldier’s eyes as he looked at her. Why? What wasn’t Benedict telling her?
They want to protect you. They think you’re weak. Benedict doesn’t trust you. They think you killed people. Each thought was like a dagger to Jaycen’s stomach, each one so painful that at one point she fell on her knees, her body hurting too much to walk.
“What’s happening,” she breathed, clutching her stomach as her pain grew along with the thoughts now being screamed in her head.
They don’t trust you. They want you dead. They will kill you. Kill you kill you kill you.
“No!” Jaycen screamed out, squeezing her eyes shut as the pain left her body. Her body sagged with relief as she slowly opened her eyes. The smell of burnt plastic hit her first, then she saw it. The picnic table just in front of her now half burnt down and the half still standing covered in flames.
“Oh no, no no,” she chanted as she stood, looking down at her hands. Had she done that? Normally Jaycen knew she had performed a spell, she could feel it in her hands, but not this time. She waited until the last flame burnt out, leaving nothing but a pile of ash and half a picnic table. Jaycen scanned the school grounds, making sure no one had seen what had just happened, luckily the grounds were bare.
“Right, everything is going fine. That won’t happen again,” she told herself, again and again, hoping that by the time she packed a bag and headed back to Benedict she’d believe it.
She didn’t.
Chapter 6
They drove through the night, making it to The Cure in the early hours of the morning. Jaycen had tried to sleep on the way, but she couldn’t.
Benedict cleared his throat as the car stopped in The Cure’s underground car park. “There’s a room ready for you. You should probably try and get some sleep, you’ve got a busy day ahead of you.”
Jaycen nodded silently. They’d barely spoken since their argument, and now it was just awkward.
“I’ll come and get you when they’re ready to question you,” Benedict continued as his fingers tapped on the car steering wheel in a fast beat as neither looked at the other. Again, so awkward.
Jaycen picked up her bag from the front seat when a question came to mind. “Who was murdered?”
Benedict finally turned to her and scratched his beard. “A few people. None of them high-born but all of them witches or warlocks.”
“Do they think it’s connected to the Darius?”
Benedict shrugged. “There are similarities, but as Darius is in prison it can’t be him directly. So maybe a follower? One of his sons? We don’t know. The less you know about it the better. The council will question you, they’ll try to trip you up, get you to say something that incriminates you.”
A cold chill ran down Jaycen’s spine. “That’s just, great.”
“You’ll be fine. I’ll be with you every step of the way,” he assured with a tight-lipped smile.
They both exited the car and Benedict lead the way into the Cure building. The place was still busy, even at three in the morning. People stopped as they approached, either to greet Benedict or to stare at her and not in a friendly way.
Benedict must have also caught onto the people’s open scowls as he stopped greeting people and quickened his pace, ushering Jaycen along with him until they reached her room.
“This is you, try and get some sleep. Do not leave this room without me, okay? I’ll come and get you at mid-day.” He waited for her to nod before turning away. Jaycen grabbed his arm, gently pulling it back.
“Did they bring Thornton here? Do you think he’s in the building?” she asked, looking down the hall at the many doors.
“Possibly, the normal protocol would take him to the cells. But Thornton isn’t just anyone. He’s most likely here. My guess is all charges are dropped against before the night is over.”
She instantly felt better at that, knowing he was close and not rotting in a cell somewhere.
“Try and get some sleep, okay?” Benedict nodded, already edging away.
“I’m sorry,” she rushed out before he could even take a full step.
Benedict turned to face her fully now, his jaw tense and his eyes hardening. “What for? For yelling at the guards from earlier? For the death spell you cast in your class yesterday? What exactly are you sorry for, Jaycen?”
Well damn, she had not been expecting that kind of reply. Her back straightened, her remorse quickly disappearing.
“The death spell was a pure mistake. I’m not pointing fingers but that was honestly Drake’s fault.” She held up her hands and shrugged. “And if we’re both being honest, those guards started it. They were baiting me.”
“So, what you’re saying is that you’re not actually sorry?”
“What I’m saying is I’m only going to take half the blame. It wasn’t all just me.”
Benedict shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about this now. I’m too tired and I still have too much to do before you’re called down tomorrow. Try and get some sleep, okay?” He turned then, leaving her standing in the corridor.
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