by Deanna Chase
“In the kitchen.” His voice floated from the back of the house.
I found him at a Formica table. His laptop was open and files covered every inch of the surface. “Good. You’re here.” He stood up and passed me a beer.
I took it but made no move to actually drink it. “You have a job for me?”
“Yes.” He rifled through the papers on the table, his movements jerky and overly excited. Looking up, he called, “Sam! He’s here.”
Light footsteps sounded on the hardwood floors. My eyes widened and then narrowed when my old friend came into view. She seemed even smaller than her five-foot three frame. Her hair was rumpled and her face was blotchy from crying.
“Sam?” I met my best friend from high school in the kitchen doorway and caught her as she flung herself into my waiting arms. “What happened?”
“Where were you?” she said, her words muffled against my shoulder.
I caressed her hair, trying to soothe her as she shook in my arms. “When? Today? I was at home.”
She pulled back, her pale blue eyes fiery with anger. “No. A month ago when I came to your shop. You said you’d always be there for me. But the one time I needed you, you weren’t. And no one there would give me your number or address.”
A faint recollection of Rick telling me a woman had come by to see me resurfaced from my memory. “I’m so sorry. They didn’t tell me who it was. Otherwise I…” I clutched her shoulders and took a good look at the faint bruises on her neck and temple. My muscles tightened with all-consuming anger. “Who did this to you?”
Her lip trembled, but she sucked in a breath and forced out, “My ex.”
“That son of a bitch.” Wilson Waters. I’d never liked him and now I knew why. “I’ll kill him.”
I was halfway across the kitchen, determined to go after Wilson, when Mitch said, “He’s a witch.”
“So,” I said and kept walking.
“He’s dabbling with black magic.” Mitch’s tone was laced with excitement, making me pause. “After you find him, bring him to me.”
I turned and met his impassive eyes. Maybe I’d imagined the excitement. “Why? If he’s using black magic isn’t it better to call the Witches’ Council for an immediate pickup?”
“Not this time. Sam says he’s working on black curses designed to be used on other people. If that’s the case, we need to find out if he has any cohorts. The Council won’t share their findings with us. If we want to keep New Orleans safe, that’s information we need to know.”
Keep New Orleans safe? I’d never known Mitch to give two shits about anyone but himself. Maybe seeing Sam battered had awoken his conscience. One could hope. “If you say so.”
Sam hurried across the room and grabbed my arm. “I’m going with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said, gently removing her arm from mine.
“Too damn bad.” She scowled at me. “I’m the one he’s been beating the last month, and I’m the one who knows exactly where he’ll be. I want to be there when you take his ass down. After the last police report, he promised to put me six feet under. I intend to see with my own two eyes that he gets exactly what he deserves.”
Fuck me. He’d been beating her for over a month. He’d threatened her life. And I’d moved and changed my number so often she hadn’t been able to easily get in touch with me. I tugged her to my side, wanting to hold on to her forever. She was the sister I never had. “How did you find Mitch?”
“A friend of a friend knew how to get in touch with a witch connected with the Council. I didn’t know it was Mitch until he opened his front door.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I know where he’ll be for the next hour. We should go.”
Goddammit. My self-loathing intensified. She was here by pure chance. No doubt she’d suffered more than she would even let on. I wanted to tuck her into my house and leave her there until I was certain this bastard was incarcerated, but I knew her better than that. She’d never go for it. “You’re staying in the car.”
Her posture didn’t relax, but I did sense a small bit of relief in her expression. “Fine.”
“Remember. Bring him here before calling the Council,” Mitch said.
“Sure.” I held my hand out to Sam. “Ready?”
“More than ever.”
Once outside, I opened the passenger door of the SUV for Sam and then climbed into the driver’s side. “Want to talk about it?” I asked.
“No. I have a therapist.” Her tone was firm. End of discussion.
“Got it.” I pulled away from the curb, heading in the direction of the university. “And you’re here now because things have escalated?”
She scoffed. “Escalated. Right. Yeah, when the death threats started, I figured it was time to take matters into my own hands.”
“Shit, Sam. I’m sorry.” I was fucking up all over the place with the women in my life.
“You should be. I needed you.” She crossed her arms over her chest and dug her fingernails into her forearms.
“You won’t have any issues getting in touch with me for now on,” I vowed. “Tell me about the black magic. I need to know what I’m up against.”
She went pale as the blood drained from her face. “He’s researching a Black Heart spell. It’s cast on witches and affects the people they fall in love with. It usually ends in death.”
Horror rushed into me. “And he wanted to use this on…?”
“My new boyfriend. He’s a witch, but I don’t want him involved in this. He’ll try to kill Wilson.”
“Shit!”
“That’s what I’m sayin’. Now hurry up. He’s hosting a weekly meeting for one of his frat committees.”
“He’s a frat guy?” Damn. I supposed everyone loved him, too. Classic abuser situation.
She didn’t respond and only spoke again to give me directions. We parked in front of a two-story craftsman house and waited until half a dozen college guys filed out of the front door.
“Which level does he live on?” I asked.
“Bottom. Apartment 1A.”
“Got it. Sit tight.” I grabbed my stun gun and zip ties. I could’ve used a tranq dart, but that would’ve been too kind for the likes of this bastard.
I didn’t bother trying to be stealth bounty hunter guy. Waters was going to know exactly why I’d come for him. The door was open a few inches, and instead of knocking, I strode right in. “Waters?” I called.
The tall blond guy appeared from what must have been a bedroom. When he met my eyes, he scowled. “Paxton, what the fuck do you want?”
“To kick your ass.” I took two steps and slammed my fist into his nose. He howled and crumpled at my feet. Idiot. He hadn’t even seen it coming.
Magic gathered around him, but before he could cast any spell, I slammed my boot into his gut. The power dissipated. He wasn’t a very strong witch, was he? Normally when witches were pissed their power raged out of control. His reaction implied he was scared.
Recoiling, he rolled and grunted. Staring up at me with hatred in his eyes, he asked, “What the fuck is your problem?”
I leaned down so our faces were inches apart. “My problem, jackass, is that you seem to think it’s fun to beat on women. This is the last time you raise a fist to anyone.” I was dying to break another rib or two, but the bastard wasn’t fighting back. Instead, I put my foot on his back and held him down as I reached for my zip ties.
The door slammed open and Sam stood in the threshold, shaking with anger. Before I could stop her, she was by my side, slamming her foot into his side, yelling at the top of her lungs. “You son of a bitch! Think you can threaten me? Think you can force me to sleep with you? I told you, you’d regret the day you ever met me!”
“Sam!” I grabbed her arms and pulled her back. “That’s enough.”
She turned on me, daggers shooting from her blue eyes. “It will never be enough.” A sob got caught in her throat as she collapsed against me.
&nb
sp; A groan came from Waters, and then I felt his magic build again. It was stronger and more forceful than before. I spun, shielding Sam from him. My stun gun was in my hand, but before I could connect with him, a blast of magic came from across the room. The light slammed into Waters and he went limp, his face white.
“That should keep him under control.” A petite older witch stood just inside the door. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun.
Sam stepped out from behind me. “Ms. Anders?”
I glanced between the two of them. “What’s going on?”
The older witch strode forward and held her hand out to me. “I’m a professor at the University. I also happen to work for the Witches’ Council. We got a tip about Waters early this morning. I’ve been watching him ever since.” She turned to Sam. “I assume you won’t have any problems testifying against the accused?”
She shook her head. “None at all. He sent me a threatening message late this morning. Again. I thought I was his only target.” She swallowed. “Did he, um, hurt someone else?”
Ms. Anders’ expression turned to one of pity. “He tried. But she escaped.”
“That’s good,” Sam said in a small voice.
The older witch turned to me. “Thank you for your help, Mr. Paxton. The Council will take it from here.”
I wasn’t surprised she knew who I was. Bounty hunters were fully vetted before we were approved to freelance. Mitch was going to be upset he wasn’t going to be able to interrogate Waters, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I inclined my head. “Glad to be of service.”
Sam clutched my hand and squeezed.
I pulled her into a hug and whispered, “Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to stay with you?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine now.”
“You’re positive?”
Nodding, she stepped out of my embrace. “I’ll call you later. Don’t change your number again.”
I gave her a small smile. “If I do, you’ll be the first to know. Don’t forget to tell the Council about the black magic.”
“I won’t.” She kissed my cheek. “Thanks for the help.”
“Anytime, Sam. You know that.” I nodded to the Council witch and took off, ready to give Mitch the bad news.
Chapter 15
Matisse
I sat on my couch, tapping my foot. Brandon was supposed to arrive in less than ten minutes. My nerves were about to choke me. I knew this was something I had to do, but my insides weren’t really on board.
The doorbell rang, and I nearly jumped right off the sofa. Damn, Mati. Get your shit together. It’s just Brandon.
When I opened the door, he leaned down and gave me a kiss on my cheek. It was a sweet gesture. One that he’d made dozens of times before. Then why was I recoiling?
“Hey. You doing okay?” he asked, concern radiating from his eyes.
“Yeah. You?”
He linked his arm around my shoulders and led me back to my couch. “Great.”
We sat and even though he was relaxed and made no mention of the fact I’d essentially invited him over for a booty call, I felt so incredibly awkward I didn’t know what to do. Television maybe? I reached for the remote, but in my haste, I bumped my glass and water splattered all over the coffee table.
“Oh, damn!” I jumped up and ran for the hallway linen closet. When I got back, Brandon was clearing magazines and rescuing my remote from the river of water. “Thank you,” I said as I wiped up the mess.
“No problem.”
It took me a moment to realize he was standing there studying me. I straightened. “What?”
“You seem… different.”
“Different?” I folded my hands together and took a step back. “Different how?”
He shook his head. “Just different. Less cocky I guess.”
That was probably a fair assessment. Ever since my last night with Vaughn, my confidence had fled. And I wasn’t interested in flirting with or tormenting anyone of the opposite sex. It’s why I’d called him. I couldn’t stomach any of those things. I shrugged. “I’m just depleted I guess.”
He gazed down at me and then smiled, holding out his hand.
I didn’t move.
“Mati?” he asked gently.
“What?”
“It’s okay. We’re friends, remember?”
He seemed so relaxed, so unconcerned about anything, that it made me want to curl into him and forget everything. I moved toward him and instead of taking his hand, I wrapped my arms around him, pressing my cheek to his shoulder. His capable arms encircled me as he stroked my hair. It was nice, but not at all sexy in any way. How was I going to get through this?
Good God. I was a sex witch. How was I ever going to cast another spell if I couldn’t find the courage to get on with it?
Brandon took the wet towel from me and hung it in my bathroom. When he got back, he tugged me down onto the couch, tucking me into the crook of his arm. “Just relax.”
“I can’t.”
He chuckled. “I can see that. But seriously, Mati, we don’t have to do anything. I came over because you asked me to, not because I want to get laid.”
I pulled back and gave him a dubious look. “Really?”
His chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh. “Well, I wouldn’t mind getting laid. Especially if the activity involves you, but that’s not the primary reason I’m here. I’d have shown up even if you’d said you were going to force me to watch Real Housewives all night.”
“Seriously? Real Housewives? You’ve lost your damned mind. I would never ask you or anyone else to watch that all night. Talk about drama overload.”
“See?” He brushed a lock of hair out of my eyes. “That’s how much I care.”
“More than I deserve.” I smiled up at him. Then I leaned in and brushed my lips over his. In that instant, all my nerves were gone. And when he started to lead me to my bedroom, I didn’t resist.
***
It was awful. Not Brandon. He was respectful and attentive, but I couldn’t get past the fact that I was trying to force myself to do something I didn’t want to do. We’d fallen into bed and were deep into the make-out session when he started to peel my clothes off. At that point, I should’ve just gotten it over with. But instead, I’d freaked out. The moment he’d pulled my shirt open, I’d jumped up and wrapped myself in a robe.
Poor guy. He’d been understanding, and when I’d asked for some time to myself, he’d kissed the top of my head and asked if he should leave. I’d wanted to say yes. Wanted to walk him to the door and send him on his way. But I couldn’t. If I rejected Brandon, I’d just have to find someone else.
In the end, I’d gone through with it, but it had been awkward and impersonal. For the first time in my life, I truly resented being a sex witch. If this was what I had to do in order to work with my sister and the coven, it wasn’t worth it.
“Everything okay?” Brandon asked as he tied his shoelaces. He was moving slowly, as if he’d just woken up. His lethargic movements made me feel guilty for taking his energy. He’d recover, but it would be a few days.
“Yeah, sure.” I pulled a bulky sweater over my head and stuffed my feet into a pair of boots. “I really appreciate—”
He put his hand up, cutting off my words. “Don’t.”
I raised my eyebrows in question.
He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “Look. We both know you didn’t want to do this. And if it weren’t for the fact that I knew you needed this to get strong, I wouldn’t have gone through with it.”
“You wouldn’t have?” I sat on the edge of my bed and rubbed at the stabbing pain that had formed over my left eye.
He let out an ironic chuckle. “No one wants to be second choice, Mati.”
“What? You’re not second choice. You were my first choice. This isn’t about wanting someone else. It was about who I could trust.”
He sat down next to me. “I believe that’s what you think. And I
know you trust me,” he said, his tone gruff with fatigue. He kissed the back of my hand and then tucked it between both of his. “But pretty soon I think you’re going to realize the reason you’re not that into this is because you’re wishing you were with someone else.”
I pulled my hand from his. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He watched me for a moment. “That might be true.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek once again, then got up. “Take care, Matisse.”
I nodded and let him go. After the front door closed behind him, I ran for my shower and spent the next half hour under the scalding-hot water.
By the time I emerged from my bathroom, my skin was bright red and the afternoon seemed like a vague memory. The only evidence that Brandon and I had been together was the magic coursing through my veins.
My magic. It was back. Thank the Goddess. I grabbed my phone.
Chessa answered on the first ring. “Mati?”
“I’m ready. Meet me in ten minutes.”
“I’ll be there.”
***
“Are you sure about this?” Chessa asked as we stared at the portal in the shadow world.
“Yes.” The more I thought about it, the more determined I was. Chessa wanted this. If the portals were closed, there wouldn’t be a need for demon hunters and Vaughn and his ilk would be out of business.
“Okay. I have another spell to try. It has more juice.”
I nodded. “Sounds good. I’m ready when you are.” But then nervous energy skittered through me. “What if we summon another demon?”
“I took care of the last one. Don’t worry.”
“Are you forgetting one came after me?”
“Right. We’ll cast a protection spell. Or maybe a deflection spell.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I won’t let that happen again.”
Her matter-of-fact, no-nonsense tone put me at ease. “Then let’s get this done.”
“I did some research. It appears you need to be the sole spell caster. All I can do is back you up if a demon comes forward. You cool with that?”
“Yep. I got this.” I’d almost closed the portal last time. With a little more finesse, I could make it happen. I was sure of it.
