“You’ve got a real cheek showing your face here,” someone said as I was about to push through into the main dance area.
Looking behind me, I froze when my gaze landed on Jeremy. He was my coven leader’s right hand man. Someone I had pissed off. Many times.
The older man was stout with brown hair and dark eyes. His cheeks were red and blotchy, a sign of his middling years.
“Ah, Jeremy. I’m here to see Theresa.”
My witch coven leader. She had been in charge since I was a baby. The friendship between her and my mother had been the strongest I had ever seen. Yet, when my parents had disappeared, instead of stepping up to help me, she had shunned me. When news got out about my mixed heritage, one by one, every person who had been a family friend lost contact. Just like that.
My palms moistened when I recalled the day that Theresa had begrudgingly declared me part of the coven still, in front of the other witches. They had hissed in my direction, frustrated that their leader had stayed true to her friend in one way. By being part of her coven, I was safe from outsiders who would want to kidnap me for their own gain.
Jeremy played with the buttons on the cuff of his suit jacket. “She won’t want to see you. I’m happy to…see you, though.”
“Don’t even think it,” I growled, my whole body vibrating with magic.
Anger surged as he licked his lips. He had often threatened to take me as his own, yet, I had managed to ward him off. His excessive indulgence made it easy for me to flatten him, but today… today, I wanted to do a lot worse than fend him off. The world would be a better place without him in it.
“Come on, darling, I’ll only be quick… I’ve always told you that I’ll have you one day.”
Shuddering, I went to reach for the handle of the door. It was eerily empty in the hallway entrance of the club, which meant that Jeremy must have sealed us in. Shit.
“Since I was the age of twelve you’ve threatened that. I think it’s about time I shut you up…for good.”
Holding my hands in the air, I chanted a spell, over and over. Jeremy clenched his head, his lips pulling away from his teeth in a grimace. Smiling to myself, I raised my voice, frowning when the magic that poured into the spell lessened suddenly.
“Oh…” Jeremy rubbed his face as the spell dispersed, leaving him painless. “Looks like you’ve been playing with your warlock friends for too long!”
He came at me, his arm extended. When his fingers wrapped around my wrist, he wrenched it up and pinned it above my head as he shoved me against the wall.
Roaring, I pushed his chest with my other hand, unleashing all the warlock magic that was channelled from the ground. Pulling as hard as I could on the power that bubbled beneath my feet, I laughed as a bright purple stream pushed into his chest.
“Devon…” he croaked out as his eyes bulged and his whole body shook.
His hand fell from mine as he started to propel backwards. I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop. How dare he threaten me? How dare he lay his hands on me? He had no right.
As his back hit the wall of the hallway, I sucked the magic back into me. The power attached itself to his powers and ripped them from him. A long line of see-thought energy pulsed into me.
“Stop this now!” a female voice commanded.
Dropping everything, I spun to face the newcomer. Theresa. Ah, her pet was probably dead on the floor, which meant I would be in a lot of trouble.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Theresa was middle-aged, her reddish brown hair long down her back. She was frumpy, not anything like a witch would usually look like. But, then, the creatures of today’s society were nothing like they used to be.
Putting her hands on her hips, she looked behind me to where Jeremy was breathing heavily. Ah, that was a shame, he was still alive.
Running a gaze over her trouser suit, I tried not to preach about her outfit. If she was to get a choppy haircut and modernise her wardrobe, she’d actually be much more badass. But, then again, I was an advocate for people to be whoever they wanted to be, so I shouldn’t think such thoughts.
“Hey, I was just coming to…”
“Kill my best friend?” Theresa interrupted me.
Something about the woman made me revert back into a teenager. She had always berated me whenever I had shown up at her door, asking for help. Often she left me to it, not interested in helping out her friend’s daughter. But, sometimes she would extend a hand…only to use it to slap me down when I was least expecting it.
Putting my hands on my hips in a show of defiance, I took a deep breath. “Firstly, he’s alive. Secondly, he came for me. It was self-defence.”
Sighing, Theresa dropped her arms and shook her head. “Devon, what can I do with you? I agreed to allow you to stay in the coven because you’re Julia’s daughter, but…”
“Can we please go inside and talk? I have something important to tell you.”
I had promised not to let anyone in the witch community know what was going on.
Any one of them could know exactly who was kidnapping and selling on the witches. If I let slip that we were investigating, they might come after me next. No, I couldn’t let her know that I had a new job, even if it meant lying to her.
Waving a hand in the air, she opened the club door and gestured for me to go in. Not even bothering to check Jeremy, I strutted inside, ready to plead my case. I needed her support. And, if I could trust her, I would ask why my power wasn’t working.
Her energy was close beside me as I wandered past the dancefloor. Lights of all colours lit up the walls, the bars, and the dancefloor. Aw, if only I could dance all my cares away. A hunky man to gyrate with would go down really very well.
Humans were trashed, their crazy behaviour starting to get out of hand as they got more and more intoxicated. It wasn’t fair, I wanted to be that drunk.
Heading straight for the bar, I put my fingers in my mouth and whistled the barman over. His annoyed expression blossomed into a much friendlier face as he ignored others and came straight to me.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said, winking. “What can I get you?”
Licking my lips in a slow circle, I tilted my head to the side. “I’ll have a cock…” I paused for a moment, determined to make a lasting impression. “…tail, please. Actually, make it three.”
He smiled slyly, his strong jawbone moving as he clenched his teeth. “Very well, let me whisk one up for you.”
Promising me that it would be the best cocktail I’d ever tasted, he watched me as he set to work. His sexy eyes drew me in as I lost myself in the flirtiness. It had been so long since I’d felt…calm. My life had been all angst, anxiety, and pretending to be badass, when really I was a big fat failure.
“What are you doing?” Theresa snapped, breaking my attention.
Ugh, the mother hen was going to stand over me all night, wasn’t she? Which meant she wasn’t going to let me have some fun. My vibe was well and truly debuzzed.
“I’m getting us a drink, we deserve it.”
Looking over my shoulder at her, I bit back a smile when I spotted two witches carrying Jeremy into the club and straight to the VIP section. He was still unconscious. It suited him.
“Here you go, sweetness,” the barman called.
Grinning at him, I went to get some cash out of my pocket, but he waved me away. “Nah, it’s on the house. Maybe you’ll get the chance to pay me back one day.”
Blowing him a kiss, I handed one of the bright pink cocktails to Theresa. She was glaring at the barman, her eyebrows raised. He laughed as he backed away, pretending not to be intimidated by her. I wasn’t surprised, she was his boss.
“Lighten up,” I said, instantly regretting my choice of words when she scowled at me.
Spinning on her high heels, she marched with her cocktail in hand towards the VIP section. The music wound its way through my veins, enticing me to dance. Not that I was much of a dancer. My coordination wasn’t
exactly flawless.
“Come on!” Theresa’s hiss was only just heard over the thumping beat.
Sighing to myself, I gazed longingly at the dancefloor as I dragged my sexy leather boots to the VIP booth. The table was glass, lit up from underneath. It changed neon colours every few seconds, making the drinks on top of it change, too.
Theresa sat on the leather bench closest to the entrance. Going to the other side, I slid in opposite her. A dome made of material was floating over our heads, dulling the sounds of the club so we could talk.
“This is the best cocktail I’ve ever tasted.” Sucking on the straw, I smiled at Theresa when she eyed the second glass in front of me. The sweet liquid slid down my throat, the spirit tart, but warming.
Shrugging, I tucked my bracelets under my leather jacket. It was getting a little hot, but I wouldn’t take it off. My dagger had been returned, just in case I should ever need it. I had been shocked by how easily I’d managed to wield it against the shapeshifter. I may have gloated about it to Gerard. Just a little bit.
“What do you want, Devon?”
Okay, so boss lady was getting a little impatient with me. It was time I got down to business, but first, I needed to finish the delicious alcohol drink. You know, for courage. And, to get a little tipsy.
Leaning my elbows on the table when I had finished, I tucked my hands under my chin. Woah, my head was already feeling a little dizzy.
“I need your backup. I mean… If anyone was to ever come after me, I need to be reassured that you’d be there for me.”
Yes, the drink was already getting to me. Had I seriously just asked the woman who might or might not despise me to give me protection?
Her colourless eyes watched me as I drew the next drink to me. If the first one had affected me so much, the next one would be ah...ma…zing!
“I’ve been meaning to contact you, if I’m honest. There’s been reports of you fighting…with the warlocks. And… Considering you’re now their leader, it wouldn’t be in the coven’s best interest for you to stay connected to us.”
My stomach plunged, bile rising into my throat. What? I had come to get support, and yet, she was…
“Are you chucking me out of the coven?”
Wait. All my life I had been part of the London coven. My mother had taken me to the weekly spell meetings, and put me in the special school for witch kids, even though they made fun of me. And, now…
“I’m sorry, Devon, I’ve tried to appease those of our team who would’ve thrown you out as soon as it became clear that you were part warlock. It’s gotten too much now. You’ve got a choice to make, but I’m afraid we can no longer have you as part of the coven.”
The fuzz in my head made it ache. I couldn’t believe I was being pushed out by my mother’s best friend. “You…you’re…”
Sitting back, Theresa sipped on the cocktail I had given her. She had the cheek to duck her head when I sat forward to stare at her.
After a moment of silence, she slammed the glass on the table. As the bottom smashed, she waved her hand to meld the glass back together before any liquid escaped.
“You’ve just attacked my assistant. Do you really think I would ignore that? You’re not loyal to us, even if you think you are. It’s time for you to go.”
Raising from her seat, she went to move out. My butt stayed planted, unable to rise, unable to do anything.
“Devon…”
Her warning tone made me narrow my eyes on her. “I’m finishing my drink first, bitch!”
Without turning her head, she nodded. A bulky man with biceps the size of my head reached into the booth, wrapped his meaty fingers around my wrist and pulled me so hard, the metal of one of my bracelets cut into my skin.
My yelp did nothing as he hoiked me onto his shoulder. “Get off me!”
The people in the club barely turned to watch as I was escorted, rather unceremoniously, out of the club. Halfway towards the exit, I stopped kicking and punching, instead staring at Theresa as she stood where we’d left her.
She tried to look away, but she couldn’t. Her gaze kept coming back to mine. My heart cracked a little more as she allowed the bouncer to take me out of her coven forever. She was supposed to be my saviour. But, she had just become my enemy.
Chapter 10
“You need to remember to only draw your dagger when there’s no chance of a diplomatic solution. Otherwise, I’ll fire you.” Kurt’s blunt tone was getting more familiar as the days went by.
Justina was sitting next to Lilia, trying a memory reversal spell. It wasn’t working. She had asked me to lend her some of my witch magic, but luckily, Kurt had interrupted before I could refuse. What would she say if she knew that my power wasn’t what it used to be?
A sadness trickled through me as my mind went back to two nights ago. After getting chucked out of the coven, I had gone to my new local bar. Staying away from my old one had been hard, but necessary. Once there, I had got raving drunk and fallen asleep on their bathroom floor.
“Morning,” Gerard greeted as he came into the lab.
Kurt was mixing herbs, his concentration not breaking as my partner waved at me. He actually smiled, which took me back somewhat. Considering he usually treated me with a ton of indifference, the new Gerard made me smile back.
Justina was still chanting the spell. Lilia’s eyes were closed as she sat on a stool, her hands tucked into her lap. She wore her fixed dress, the muck and dirt completely gone. In fact, she looked very pretty sitting there. Would Gerard like how she looked?
He glanced in their direction, but went to stand next to Kurt. What had made him so cheery? Had he found a poor woman to put up with him?
“What’s on for today?” he asked Kurt.
Staying where I was seated on one of the work surfaces, I waited to hear our boss’s answer. He had been putting all sorts of herbs into his pestle and mortar. Some of which I’d never even seen.
“I’m making a salve to cure cancer in humans. The government has commissioned it.”
My mouth dropped open the same time as Gerard’s. “But, they don’t want it cured, do they?”
Glancing at me, Kurt shrugged. “They don’t tell us the details. They just demand that we do something. We don’t tend to ask too many questions. We tried that and got into trouble. Of course, if what they ask us to do isn’t politically correct, we refuse.”
Clenching my hands into fists, I wondered why the agency did so much for the government. Considering it was meant to hunt witches, we hadn’t been doing too much of that lately. Or, I hadn’t, anyway. For the last two days, I’d been on babysitting Lilia duty. Getting to know the ex-slave had been nice, but…a little boring. I wanted something to get my teeth into.
“Devon?” Justina called.
Hopping off the desk, I nudged Gerard’s arm as I walked past. Instead of lecturing me, he nudged me right back, laughing when I bashed into one of the work tables. Grinning to myself, I considered it a win as I joined my other boss.
“Please, take over, I need a break.”
Her words made me panic, my heart going into overdrive. The air that tried to get into my lungs, suddenly stopped flowing freely.
Raising her eyebrows when I hesitated, Justina waited for me. Putting my hands on either side of Lilia’s head, I glanced at the words of the spell as Justina went out of the room. Phew. At least she wouldn’t watch me fail.
Starting up the chant, I drew on my witch magic, willing it to come up from the ground. The earth was my provider, I had learnt that long ago. So, why couldn’t I channel my magic from it anymore?
Lilia opened her eyes as a tiny bit of magic zoomed through me and into her brain. She frowned, her eyes watching me closely.
Slamming my own eyes shut, I carried on, almost wearing myself out from the attempt at dragging up anything from beneath my feet.
“It’s not working,” she whispered, reaching out to take my hand. “It feels like your magic is depleted.”
“What was that?” Gerard asked from across the room.
“Nothing.”
His cute ears had picked up on Lilia’s voice, but hopefully he didn’t actually hear what was said. Green eyes probed mine as he slowly crossed the room, his footsteps calculated. His tall figure came to a stop right in front of me.
The heat of him sunk into my skin as I bent my head back to look up at his face. His soft pale cheeks tinged with the slightest hint of pink as I flicked my tongue out to lick my lips.
“I’ll help.” Hovering his hands above Lilia’s head, he looked at the spell in the grimoire beside me.
Swallowing hard, I went to reach up to resume the chanting. Lilia smiled at me, her eyes watering suddenly. Her magic was depleted, too. Whatever she had been doing for whoever she had been with had sucked out most of her energy. She was still recovering now. We were trying to get her memory back so she could give us more clues regarding her kidnappers.
“Guys,” Justina called as she opened the door of the lab. “We’ve just got a call from the police. A dead witch has just been fished out of the River Thames.”
Kurt swore to himself as he shoved his creation in a fridge. Lilia got up from her seat and left the room without saying anything to us. Her hands shook as she opened the door. I could just make out Justina asking her to go to her room and wait for us.
“Are you okay?” Gerard frowned down at me, his eyes searching mine.
Plastering a fake smile on my face, I nodded. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”
The last time I had been vulnerable with him, he had been understanding. But, I still knew nothing about who he was. It was unnerving, even if I was stupidly attracted to him.
I watched as he tugged on his jacket, the sleeves covering his tattooed arms. The numbers that wound up his skin were intriguing to me. When did he decide to add a new one? Why did he have a thing for numbers?
“The police will hand over the case to us when we get there,” Kurt said. “Devon, I want you to be on the lookout for anyone that may look suspicious. A crowd will have gathered somewhere nearby, it’s what humans do. Curiosity and all that. So, make sure to keep your eyes peeled. Some criminals like to watch what’s happening at the scene of their crime.”
Magically Bound: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Hunted Witch Agency Book 1) Page 9
