Wow. I had no idea that was even possible. Why did I not know that? If someone could manipulate a portal, it wouldn’t be good for us. Enemies like Bradley would be dangerous if they could access magic. A seer should never be able to get close to it, let alone open a slit in time.
“What is it with paranormals ganging up to work with each other? First Maxwell has a witch prepared to put herself on the line, and now someone is helping Bradley to threaten us. This shit has to end.”
Justina tucked her tablet away again, her frown evident as she tried to hide it. “I’m sorry, Mary. It looks like this place has been compromised. I’ve picked up the data needed to do an analysis. I once showed Devon how to check the DNA of magic. We’ll be doing that before we come back. Next time, we’ll bring a team with us. We need to keep everyone safe.”
Sighing, Mary flicked her hair behind her shoulder as she stroked the stone in front of her.
“I’m afraid,” she said, her gaze fixed on the cold hard surface. “Magic is becoming unpredictable. We need you in the world now.” Turning to look at us, she clenched her hands into fists. “If you can get control of the underworld, we’ll be safe. If not…”
Shivers went up my spine as her sentence was left unspoken. Her energy was heavy, a testament to what she might have seen. Her prophecies tended to come true, which meant only one thing. We had to find a way to work together with other supernaturals to bring down those that wanted to destroy magic.
Chapter Five
“Devon,” my mother said as she walked into the agency library. “We need to talk about these Essex witch vows. Once you’re disconnected from the warlock link, we have to do our duty to our ancestors. Otherwise, that MI5 agent won’t leave you alone.”
Looking up from where I was staring over Justina’s shoulder, I nodded quickly. Now was not the time to tell her that I wasn’t going to take my vows. The lines around her mouth relaxed as my father came in behind her. He put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “See, I told you that Devon would do the right thing when she was able.”
Apparently, my parents had been talking about me behind my back. Why didn’t that surprise me? Although, it was actually quite nice to have someone to worry about me.
“Paranormal MI5 can wait a few more weeks,” Justina said, holding up her tablet. “We’ll figure out how to get Devon disconnected without interference from anyone else. I need her to be available to carry on working this case. We need to find Mackenzie and Candy.”
My father was watching me, his eyebrows raised. The question in his expression was obvious. How was I doing with the magic? The truth was, I actually didn’t feel the urge to use it as much anymore. Just admitting that I had a problem made it less intense for me. How did that work?
“Devon and I have just got back from the lab. The magic that allowed Bradley to disappear isn’t in our database. In fact, it’s an unusual magic. Its DNA isn’t recognised at all. Meaning that there might be a new magic to contend with.” Justina tucked her hair behind her ear as my father joined us by the desk.
The door opened as I was about to speak. Gerard strode in, his spine straight and his head held high. His tattoos moved as he reached up to scratch the stubble on his chin. My stomach flipped as his gaze met mine. A small smile tugged at his lips as he stood there. A squeak from Kingsley, who happened to be sitting on his shoulder, made me laugh.
“What’s he doing here?” Moving over to them, I stroked my rat as he refused to leave the comfortable rest that was Gerard. “Traitor.”
I didn’t blame him. If I could lay on Gerard right now, I would. However, not only were things difficult between us, my parents were in the room.
“It’s good to see you up and about,” my father said, coming over and shaking Gerard’s hand. “Devon’s been a nightmare since the bomb incident.”
Erm. Had my father seriously just embarrassed me? My cheeks warmed as Gerard placed his hand on my father’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’m not surprised. I didn’t mean to scare you all, I’m sorry.”
That wasn’t the reply I had expected. In fact, Gerard wasn’t exactly his cheery self. Had the coma knocked him back to his old broody self? Well, Mr Gerard Grumpy Bum wouldn’t be allowed to stay for long. Not if I had anything to do with it.
Justina cleared her throat to get our attention. “I was just telling the others that we were unable to trace the magic that helped Bradley. I’m also unable to find a match to his name and face.”
The door burst open, the wood almost smacking into the wall behind it. The singing voice of Kurt reached us before his body emerged into the room. A smile was plastered across his face. It had been 24 hours since Justina had broken the news of her pregnancy to the team. A rush of warmth started in my heart and spread like tentacles throughout my body. Seeing a man so happy after learning about his child made me all fuzzy inside. Even Gerard cracked a smile when Kurt slapped his back and finished his song.
“Well, good morning, my beautiful souls. And, of course, my beautiful soulmate.” Opening his hand, Kurt showed us a pile of small seeds that sat on his palm.
Bringing his other hand out from behind his back, he waved it above the seeds as he whispered a spell. A glow of white ethereal light sunk into the seeds, causing them to burst open and sprout. Within moments stems had formed and grown into a beautiful bouquet of lilies.
“Why have you never done that for me?” My mother asked my father.
They shared an intimate gaze, their love for each other more obvious than I had ever seen. They were quite low-key when it came to public affection.
“Because I’m a warlock, darling,” my father said, tapping the end of her nose with his finger. “I can rustle you up a breakfast much easier. These hands are-”
“Okay,” I interrupted. “That’s enough affection for one day. Shall we get on with it?”
I wasn’t about to stand around and watch two older couples be all smoochy to each other when I couldn’t even get Gerard to look at me. Well, it might be the other way round. I was struggling to look at him when the others were showing such clear intimacy.
“I suppose it is a little weird having us all paired off.” Kurt went over to Justina and handed her the bunch of flowers.
Pretending not to like the gesture, Justina placed the bouquet on the desk. Picking up her tablet, she stared at it before looking up at her man and grinning. Ugh. I needed a sick bucket. There was cute, and then there was not.
Reaching up to stroke Kingsley, I accidentally on purpose let my finger trace Gerard’s jaw. It clenched as he glanced at me, his eyes suddenly sparking into life. Was my touch a good thing? Or, was it just the love in the room that made him suddenly relax?
“Right.” Justina stood from her seat. “Let me give you all a proper run down.”
Everyone in the room went still, their gaze locked onto our boss. When Justina went into agent mode, she demanded attention. Her brains were the backbone of the agency.
“We have two threads to follow right now. It’s a priority to get Devon unlinked from the warlock magic on the solstice. At the same time, we need to find Mackenzie and Candy so that we can end this case. I’ve had an order from the government to issue them both with a death warrant.”
Gasps resounded in the room as we all looked at each other. We knew that the government were cracking down on supernatural criminals, but it was the first time that a death warrant had been issued since I had become a part of the agency.
“We only have a few days to prepare for the solstice. I’m thinking about splitting us into teams so that we all have something to focus on instead of having our attention pulled in different directions.”
I was about to protest when Justina’s tablet started playing the Skype ringing sound. She glanced at it before looking at us. “It’s Mary. I’d better answer it.”
She pressed something and then turned the tablet to show us Mary’s face. The seer grinned and waved, her lined face relaxed as she looked at each one of us.
“Hello there,” she greeted, her accent seemingly thicker. “I’ve missed having you all here.”
“We only saw you yesterday.” I went closer to Justina so I could see Mary clearer.
“Oh, is that you, Gerard, dear?” Mary’s cheeks glowed red as she blew a kiss to my man. “It’s good to see you up and about. When Justina showed me you through Skype when you were in a coma, I was worried.”
A snort exploded from my nose as Gerard’s expression blossomed into horror. Justina shook her head vehemently. “I didn’t do that.”
Mary frowned, her gaze looking off into the distance. “Maybe I just saw it in a dream. I sometimes get confused with reality and my prophecies. You understand.”
The lines on Gerard’s forehead relaxed as he glanced at me. My laughter was only just under control. The tittering that escaped was the only sound in the room. I couldn’t help it, okay. The idea of Justina holding the tablet in front of Gerard’s comatose face was terrible. And yet, I couldn’t stop laughing.
Kingsley’s sharp squeak made me look at him. The little rat was telling me off on behalf of Gerald who half glared, half… I wasn’t sure. He kind of looked amused, but I couldn’t quite tell through the tears that were now in my eyes.
“It’s good to see you laugh, Devon,” Mary said as Justina sat at her desk and put the tablet onto its stand. “You’ve been so serious for such a long time.”
Sobering slightly, I winked at Gerard before moving closer and taking his hand. Kingsley waited for me on the edge of his shoulder.
Offering my palm, I kissed my little best friend as he jumped onto it. He ran up my arm and snuggled into the crease of my neck as I turned my attention back to my boss.
“I’m assuming there’s something you need to tell us.” Justina waved at Mary when she didn’t stop staring at Gerard.
My mirth threatened to erupt again. What was it about him that made Mary go weak at the knees? Yes, he was Mr Cool Guy. Mr Tattoo Handsome Man. But, he was also quite normal. Sort of. Maybe I was being unrealistic. Ever since we’d admitted how we felt about each other, we had lived in a state of fluffy feelings. When in reality, our shit still simmered underneath. It wasn’t long ago that Gerard was adding his kills up to avenge his best friend.
“Yes, sorry, dear,” Mary said, chuckling to herself. “I can’t help it. Gerard reminds me of my husband when we first met.”
My heart flickered as Mary turned her attention to Justina. Sharing a look with Gerard, I smiled as we both softened, our gaze relaxing. She had shared her story with us. We knew the guilt and blame she carried. I had so often preached to Gerard about blame. In turn, he had switched it back on me. If we had both agreed to stop blaming ourselves for accidents, or things that were out of our control, we couldn’t blame each other. I hoped Mary would one day see that for herself too.
“I need some help with the stones. I need to prepare them for the solstice. If I don’t set the ritual up in advance, there’s a risk that Devon won’t be disconnected from the warlock link. Or, even worse. The link could disintegrate altogether, which means…”
Her sentence trailed off, but we all knew what she was talking about. I hadn’t really stopped to contemplate what would happen if that happened. I would die. The warlocks would become human. Their magic lost forever. Well, sort of. The impure magic would still be in the earth, just not accessible to those aboveground.
“What do you need from us?” Kurt came around the desk to talk to Mary.
Her face brightened as he came into view. “Oh, congratulations, my dear. I’m so pleased you’re going to be a father. You better be a little more patient with the wee lad than you… oops.”
Our jaws had dropped open in unison. Shit. Mary had just given away the sex of Justina’s baby. What would the couple do? If it was me, I would probably be a little pissed. I loved surprises.
Gerard’s fingers squeezed mine. I looked away from the others as they stared at each other, grins spreading on their face.
Pointing at his arm, Gerard said. “If Mary ever spills the beans about our kid, she might become number-”
Placing a hand over his lips, I stopped him from speaking. I would not have a number or tattoo mentioned in the same sentence as my child. Our child. Was he serious? He wanted to have children with me? They would be the weirdest kind of kids, considering our genes, but it would be fun to be a proper family. My little heart pattered all over the place as we gazed at each other.
Taking my hand, he pulled it away. “Well, that’s if we ever have kids, of course. We don’t know where life will take us next. What with…” Waving his hand towards my mother, he shrugged.
Andddd… he’d just ruined it. All my fuzzy feelings plummeted to the pit of my stomach. Mr Kind of Romantic had some things to learn.
“You, at the back,” Mary called. “We need your input.”
Jumping to attention, I let go of Gerard’s hand and went to sit in my favourite leather chair. Justina and Kurt were staying professional, their quick glances easily covered by their stern faces. I hoped they were happy with the revelation. It really would suck if they’d decided to wait to find out.
“What do you need from us?” Justina was poised with her pen and paper, ready to take action.
Mary rubbed a hand over her face. The stress was obviously getting to her. She had said that she wouldn’t get involved, but unfortunately, she’d been roped into my little problem.
“I need two things. Protection. If Bradley turns up again, I want to be safe from him while I go about my business. I also need some magic.”
“Magic?” Kurt said. “What would a seer need with magic? You’re an advisor.”
It was amazing how Kurt could get away with saying something that would sound offensive coming from anyone else. Mary didn’t even batter an eyelash as she leant forward. “I need the stones to remain pure until the solstice. I can cleanse them when you’re here, but I’ll need you to put a ward around them so Bradley cannot tamper with them.”
That would take some magic. Oh boy. There was a lot of sinking feelings going on in my short arse body.
“Without knowing where Bradley’s getting the new magic from, it’s going to take a hell of a spell to keep that place protected.” Justina eyed me, a small frown forming on her forehead.
All eyes turned to me as I tucked my feet onto the chair, hugging my knees to my chest. Every single person in the room knew about my addiction. A tiny bubble of heat made my skin burn as I thought about their double standards. One minute, they wanted me to stop using magic. The next, they demanded I help them with tons of it.
“I…”
“No.” My father put his hand up, wagging his finger as he shook his head. “Devon’s not in a position to keep using a high amount of magic. I’ve asked her to take it down a notch or two.”
Putting my head in my hands as my muscles started to shake, I took a deep breath. A hand came to my back, rubbing gently. When I looked up, I was surprised to see my father there. Wow. He really did have my back. Literally.
“I think I need to do this, Dad.” Grabbing his hand, I held tight. “But, if you’re there with me, maybe you can help? Mum can back me up so it’s not as much going directly through me.”
The slow blink of his eyes made a lump come to my throat. He was concerned for me. For some reason, his worry made me feel stronger. I could beat it, my addiction. I could, and I would.
Moving to join us, my mother wrapped an arm around my father’s waist. Tucking her hand into the hem of the belt around his blue jeans, she smiled up at him. “We can be there to support our girl. If she doesn’t let go of the warlock link, she’ll most certainly be swallowed by the addiction disease.”
“How can…?” I coughed as I choked on my words. “How can I stay a magical person if I have an addiction? Alcoholics, drug addicts, gamblers, they have to stay away from their crutch at all times to overcome it.”
My hands were shaking as I let go of my dad and stared down at them. I
t hadn’t hit me until a moment ago how serious it was.
“I can help,” Kurt piped up.
He glanced at Justina. She nodded before she stood. Coming over, she knelt in front of me.
My parents moved away, their views made known. I was centre of attention, yet again.
“As you know, I once had an addiction. Kurt helped me through it. One of the differences between us and the humans is the ability to manipulate things that humans wouldn’t even think of.”
Huh? Either she was hinting at something my little brain couldn’t take in, or the amount of magic I’d been working with had killed off some brain cells.
“How has that got anything to do with addictions?”
Flicking her tongue out to wet her lips, Justina looked me in the eye. “I was able to stop taking vampire blood.”
Letting her words hang in the air, Justina waited to see if anyone else would react to her confession. They didn’t. Which was good, otherwise I’d be tempted to defend my friend.
“You’re not going to be able to completely stop using your magic. So, I’ve been talking to Kurt. He thinks he can come up with a healing spell to take away the high you get from using magic.”
“Effectively taking away the one thing that compels me to use it.” My gaze dropped to my hands where they were clenched in my lap.
My nails were bitten down to the quick. A habit I’d been prone to when stressed. It really didn’t help when I had an itch. No nails equalled no scratching satisfaction.
“Devon,” Justina whispered, forcing me to look at her. “You have to want to give up your addiction for the spell to work. If not, it won’t. It’s a little bit like hypnosis but much stronger.”
In that moment, it was just me and her in the room. She had been through what I had. She knew what it was like to crave something that made you feel good. Even if it only lasted a moment before the crash brought you down.
The shuffle of Kingsley as he walked down my chest and sat on my lap caused tears to pop into my eyes. He looked up at me, his little head bobbing. What was he trying to tell me?
Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 4-5 (Hunted Witch Agency Set Book 2) Page 18
