Mary brushed a cobweb away from her long dress as she got to the top of the stairs. Smiling, she waved for us to follow as she walked down the corridor. There were four doors leading off the main area. Two were on the right, one at the end, and one on the left. As we passed the first door on the right, Mary tapped it. “These are the stairs to my floor. The rest of the rooms are yours. There’s a bathroom, a living area, and a bedroom.”
Pointing at each door as she described what room it was, Mary giggled to herself when she opened the bedroom door.
“This is where the magic happens. Don’t mind me, I’m a very heavy sleeper.”
Almost choking on air, I stayed silent as she moved on. The other rooms were shown to us, but I was in shock. Had she just…? I mean, she must have been in her eighties, and she was encouraging us to…
“Anyway, settle in. The kitchen is downstairs. It’s stocked full of all types of food, so you must help yourself to whatever you like. I can’t believe I have agents in my house. No one else is booked in to stay the whole time you’re here, so we can really get to know each other.” Shuffling back down the hallway, Mary opened her door. “Come up and see me in a while. We have lots to discuss about your mission.”
As she disappeared, Gerard and I stared at one another. What had Justina and Kurt done? Were we being punished? The woman was crazy but hilarious at the same time.
We both started to giggle as we processed what had just happened. Going into the bedroom, I dropped my case on the bed.
Following, Gerard looked around. We had only been dating for a week. It was completely awkward that we were now sharing a room. I was used to my space. Except for Kingsley, he was my companion. My heart suddenly squeezed as an image of my little best friend came into my mind.
Justina had ordered me not to bring him. Lilia was looking after him at the agency, where it was safe. However, a lump came to my throat. I missed him already.
“Are you okay? I can sleep in the living room.” Gerard had his hands tucked into his pockets.
Ever since my father had insulted him, we’d been a little weird. Clenching my fists, I shoved down the pain of missing Kingsley and turned my attention to my partner. “I’m sorry for what my father said. I’m not sure why he would…”
My sentence trailed off as Gerard took a step towards me. He stared at me, his eyes clear. “Thank you for sticking up for me. Your father doesn’t know me, so it’s understandable that he would question us.”
“Still,” I started. “It wasn’t fair.”
Untucking his hands from his pockets, Gerard ran them down my hair and cupped my face. I smiled as he kissed my nose gently. “Now, the real challenge is to learn how to switch between professional and personal.”
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I looked up at him. “Yes, Kurt and Justina might have some tips.”
Three bangs on the ceiling alerted us to Mary’s presence. Looking up, we both grinned. How in the hell were we going to do our mission with a weird lady living above us?
“I’m sorry, but I’m not having sex with you in this house,” Gerard muttered. “The thought of her listening…”
Laughter came unbidden as I pulled away from him. “Okay, we’ll have to improvise.”
Leaving him standing with a frown on his face, I went out into the corridor. A chill ran down my spine suddenly, making me freeze. Was there a ward on the door to our bedroom?
Turning back as Gerard came out to join me, I noticed him shudder too. There must have been a protection spell, but was it for us, or against us?
“What is that?” My partner asked as I held up a hand.
The magic was strong, powerful. And, familiar. Whoever had cast it was somehow connected to the ley line. Did that mean someone else in Edinburgh was connected too? I had to learn more about how the ley lines worked, or I’d be a novice for the rest of my life.
As Gerard pinched my arse, I spun towards him. “Hey!”
He grinned as he went to the stairs and jogged up them before I could catch him. A playful side I’d never seen was starting to show itself. And, I liked it. Very much.
“Don’t dawdle,” Mary called.
Climbing the stairs, I tried to shake the feeling of unease that the spell had caused. Being around other magic made me feel threatened somehow. Unless it was with people I trusted.
“Welcome, welcome,” our host chimed as I came into the big living area. “Please, take a seat.”
The whole top floor was open plan. A small kitchenette was off to the right, with a huge living area in front of it. A bed was hidden by a pretty pink curtain that hung between wooden structure poles.
“This is lovely,” I said, gazing around at the thousands of trinkets.
Dream catchers hung from rafters. Crystals lined every available surface. Paintings of angels and fairies covered the walls. The energy of the place instantly soothed me.
“This is my place of ease. I see so much in my mind’s eye, I need somewhere calm and relaxing to do my work.”
The woman instantly went up in my estimation. She had already won me over with her wicked sense of humour, but her dedication was evident.
My eye was drawn to a wall that was tucked around a little corner, near the small bathroom.
“Those are my current visions. I paint them.”
If I could paint, I would never be as good as she was. She was an artist, without any doubt. The lines of the detailed images were so precise, and yet, the beauty was in the chaos. People, scenes, all sorts of different depictions lined the small wall.
Gerard joined me, his male brain ticking. I could see him analysing each one with the mind of an agent. Me? I looked at the pretty colours.
“That’s you,” Gerard said, tracing the outline of a painted woman with her head bowed slightly to the side.
Going closer, I studied the shape of her face. There were no features on it, which made it look rather eerie. The style of my hair was the exact replica, which was why Gerard had pointed out that it was like me.
“You’re right,” Mary said as she shuffled closer to us. “Devon has been very prominent in my visions recently.”
I didn’t know how to feel about that, considering I didn’t even know the lady. Why would I be so important to her? Becky had been my friend in London, helping me with my magic problems. But, even she didn’t tell me much about what she saw. In a way, I preferred not to know. It almost felt like knowing the future would make it worse somehow.
Clearing my throat, I went over to the sofa and sat down. A tray of tea and biscuits lay on the table in front of me. Reaching forward, I paused when the others joined me. The slight shake of my hand as I took a biscuit was the only tell-tale sign that I was affected by the new seer.
“There’s no need to be worried, my dear,” Mary said, lowering herself into the armchair next to me. “I can reassure you now that I’m here to help. I don’t usually let anyone see my paintings, but I forgot to cover them before you came.”
Seeing myself without eyes or a mouth had given me chills. There was something about being centre of attention that I found rather strange. Although, I hadn’t minded in the past. Or, at least when it was a positive light that I was shown in.
“Justina said that you would be able to brief us on our mission.” Gerard was good at changing the subject when he knew I was uncomfortable.
A part of me knew that I should study the paintings better to see what they represented. However, I couldn’t bring myself to even look in the direction of the wall.
Shuffling back in her seat as she sipped her steaming tea, Mary got comfortable before she looked at either of us. The wrinkles on her face told of a lifetime. She had probably been a pretty lady when she was younger, but age and stress had taken itself out on her skin.
“There are two subjects we need to cover,” she mumbled as she chewed on a cookie. “Your bosses at the agency have asked me to debrief you, yes, but they failed to mention about Devon’s little problem.”
>
Sitting back, I leant my head against the sofa and watched as she smiled. My skin warmed as she winked, her jovial expression making me feel at ease.
“You’ll quickly learn to discover that I’m trustworthy. All my life, I’ve been someone who will only do what’s right. My gift has felt like a burden at times, as I’m sure you’ll be able to resonate with, Devon.”
Resonate with? I could only imagine the frustration a seer might feel in their lifetime. I was half warlock, half witch, but at least I only had to worry about myself and those I cared about. Although, maybe I did get myself into a bit of trouble every now and then. Understatement of the century.
“I don’t envy what you have to do,” I said, trying my hardest to hold back any sarcastic remarks that might offend the seer.
Raising her wiry eyebrows, Mary didn’t hide her smile of amusement. “Yes, I’m sure you feel very sorry for me.”
Woah, did the seer just throw me a sarcasm bomb? It looked like I might have met my match. I was going to like the elderly lady, I could already tell.
Gerard moved closer to me as we waited for the seer to continue. I wasn’t about to get into a banter war with her, I would save that until later, after we’d found out about our mission. I could already tell that we were going to get along.
“Let’s debrief you first,” Mary said, reaching for another cookie. “In Edinburgh there are two covens. One of them is a traditional well-run coven. The other is run by the underworld version of the mob. Your boss has been advised by the British government that the drug world has expanded exponentially in the last six months.”
“What has that got to do with us?” Gerard offered me his cookie after I had polished off my own.
Part of me wanted to take it, just to distract myself, but I didn’t want to look like a greedy pig in front of my new boyfriend. Who was I kidding? The chocolate chip cookie practically begged me to take it from him, so my worry quickly vanished.
Grinning, I took the cookie and shoved it into my mouth ungracefully. If I was worried about looking like an animal, I wasn’t helping the situation by acting like one.
“It’s so wonderful to see new lovers.”
Mary chuckled to herself when we both blushed profusely. What was it about others noticing that made me feel like a teenager? Surely, I was adult enough not to feel embarrassed by how I felt for Gerard?
“Please, tell us more about the drug industry,” Gerard prompted.
Taking a sip of her tea, Mary straightened her expression. “Of course. The reason the agency has been brought in is because the drug market has been flooded with magic recently. When taken as a drug, magic can cause powerful abilities for non-magical beings, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
A flashback to the night I took blood as a narcotic made me swallow hard. I hadn’t had a good experience, at all, which was a good thing. I could see why people became addicted to something that made them feel invincible. Especially humans. For a long time, I’d wished I was human. They might think their life was mundane, but they didn’t have to face a dangerous underground world every day.
Often, I’d pretended to be just a normal girl, but to be fair, I’d missed the drama. It was technically a gift to be so powerful, and yet, a small part of me always longed for that normal life.
“I take it we’re here to root out someone who might be leading the operation?” My agent mode switched on.
Inclining her head, Mary blinked several times. “Yes. The coven run by the mob is in high regard with the Scottish government. However, the agency suspects that it’s running an underhand drug trade. I know you’ve just unearthed the witch slave trade, bringing an end to the atrocities, so I suppose the government want you to do the same with this new drug.”
My feet itched to get walking the streets of the pretty city. Edinburgh was much smaller and quieter than London. It would be a treat to visit the castle and explore.
“If the coven is in cahoots with the Scottish government, won’t that make it hard for us to get close to them?” Gerard was always the sensible one.
There would be no pleasure time quite yet. Or, not outside the bedroom anyway. Although, Gerard’s words about Mary listening in did put me off. Maybe we could sneak off somewhere to-
“The Scottish government have agreed to work with Westminster. They’ve also seen the increase in magic drug related deaths. They feel it would be easier for the agency to get to the bottom of it. I suppose that way, they won’t be directly involved.”
The elderly woman was full of knowledge. I’d judged her to be a little senile at first, but her brain was still sharp.
“It’s wise to let us handle it,” I said, downing the rest of my tea. “Government involvement with any coven is never going to go down well. Especially when we’re trying to catch the bad guys.”
“Exactly.” Mary sat forward, staring at me as she did. “You have a very wide scope of life, Devon, you’re a smart woman.”
The snort from Gerard made me punch his thigh. He caught my hand, squeezing my fingers gently in the process.
“I’ll have you know…” I said to him. “…that Mary is highly regarded, which means she’s always right. Aren’t you, Mary?”
My grin was wiped from my face when she shook her head, a quick flinch of pain crossing her face.
“No, my dear.” She licked her thin lips as she placed her mug on the table. “I’ve been wrong in the past. Not many times, mind you, but it’s happened. No one is invincible.”
The humorous mood flattened quickly, especially when Mary reached under the table and took out an old scrap book. Putting it on the table, she flicked the pages until it came to a picture of a young woman standing next to a man. He was tall and handsome. The pair were looking at each other with such love in their eyes, I almost teared up.
“That’s my husband. He’s no longer with us on the physical plane, although he does visit me in my dreams.”
My chest squeezed at the sorrow that laced her voice. Gerard’s fingers entwined with mine as I tried to blink my tears away.
As Mary traced the lines of his face with her crooked finger, she coughed slightly. “It was my lifestyle that drove him to the grave. He begged me to cut back on helping the government, but I wouldn’t listen.”
My attention was on Gerard’s thumb as it caressed mine. The contact was so natural, and yet, completely foreign at the same time. I was so used to fighting him, or my feelings for him. Pushing him away had become second nature. To be sitting here, listening to a tragic story, with him by my side as my real partner, was incredible.
“Fred was my everything. Until the visions took over. Devon, you’re here to find the ones responsible for pushing magic drugs, but you’re also here for another reason.”
Nodding, I kept my gaze on her beautiful blue eyes. The clarity in her gaze made me wish I was a little older. I might have killed my grandmother and finished the slave trade, but boy, I still had a lot of growing up to do.
“You have so much power in you, dear. It will be hard to keep it balanced the more you use it. I will teach you how to control your connection to the ley line. However, the warlock link… that has to go.”
Sitting forward, I leant closer to her. “How did your husband die?”
My question was random considering she had changed the subject, but a heaviness had started to press down on me ever since she’d started her story. Was it her way of saying that I could lose Gerard if I wasn’t careful with my magic?
The sharp intake of her breath made me feel a little guilty. I had asked her an unexpected question. One that she didn’t have to answer. And, yet, I waited on the edge of my seat for her to speak.
“He died of a heart attack. His blood pressure and stress level was so high, he couldn’t cope. He was constantly worried about me, never allowing any time for himself. And, being that I was so engrossed in my work, I never stopped to realise how I was killing him.”
A tear tracked down Mary’s face, gettin
g caught in the wrinkle by her mouth. Swiping it away, she closed the book and sat back in her chair. “I only tell you this so you know me better. I still work, but I’m retired. Which means, I’m here to help you a little, but when it comes to the mission, and your magic, you’re on your own.”
Glancing at Gerard, I tried to smile. It didn’t come. He tucked my hair behind my ear as his green eyes traced my face. “We’ll be fine, we just need to get you disconnected from the warlock link.”
My breath was shaky as I turned back to Mary. If Gerard trusted that we’d be okay, then I did too. My trust issues would have to be controlled, somehow. Pfft. As if that would happen. I was the queen of mistrust. Which meant I had to place all of my trust in Gerard. Now, him… him, I could trust.
“Can you help me disconnect this link, please?”
Mary’s eyebrows furrowed as she laced her fingers in her lap. “Now, that’s something I have been able to research. I’m afraid I have some good news and bad news.”
Trying my hardest not to roll my eyes, I gestured for her to go on. Sweat lined my palms, making my hand slide in Gerard’s. It was a little gross, but I wasn’t going to let go. Especially now I had him. Poor Gerard Mac-boyfriend. He had no chance.
“Well, the good news is that I can help you. The bad news isn’t so good.” Mary moved forward and took my other hand. “Devon, the only time you can attempt to disconnect yourself from the link is on a solstice. If you try any other time, you’ll die.”
Chapter Three
“Sir, madam, will you be playing today?” the pretty receptionist asked as we strolled into the lobby, arm in arm.
Going over to the desk, Gerard put on his best smile as he shook his head. “No, thank you. We’re here to enjoy the facilities.”
A flirty smile came to her face as Gerard leant across the counter and looked down at her. I almost scoffed when her perfectly made up cheeks turned a deep pink. Really? Surely, a woman who worked at a five star golf and health club would know when a man wasn’t being genuine. I mean, he was with me for goodness sake.
Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 4-5 (Hunted Witch Agency Set Book 2) Page 2
