“I agree,” I whispered. “I would too.”
Grabbing my arm, he stopped me as Justina and Kurt continued. “That’s not what I was thinking in the slightest. She might bring up the tiny subject of your Essex witch vows.”
“Oh. Yeah, hopefully not.”
The others were close to the door as it opened. Taking Gerard’s hand, I half dragged him to catch up. He let go of me as soon as Gemma stepped into the elevator and spun round. It was probably an excellent idea not to let her know that we were together. Any questions would bring up the fact that Gerard wasn’t an Essex witch.
“We’re going to the top floor. There are a small team of us here to talk to you, although I’m the only one from paranormal MI5.”
As we joined her in the elevator, Gemma tucked her hair behind her ear. Noting the awkward action, I watched as she bashed a button and faced forward, ignoring us.
“This building is impressive,” Kurt tried. “I wouldn’t mind it for a home.”
Glancing at him sideways, Gemma nodded. “Yeah, there’s fantastic history here. Did you know that it used to be a library before the government took it over in the war? Such a shame. I bet the book collection was insane.”
The doors sprung open before anyone could reply. Striding forward, Gemma didn’t wait for us. There was a reception desk directly in front of us. Corridors went off in an oval shape around to the left and the right. Glass panels on the outside were covered with different pictures, each cut off by a line that determined where an office ended. The pictures were random, obviously showing the personality of the agent. Names were above the doors that were set in the centre of each section.
In the middle of the floor, behind the reception desk, there was a clear glass wall that went all the way round to form an oval room.
“That is the best break room I’ve ever seen,” Gerard said, his eyes zoning in on the television and games consoles.
There were sofas, bean bags, and a kitchen area. A painting easel and bookcase were tucked away to one side.
“We often chill in there,” Gemma said. “The MI5 know how to treat their agents well.”
About to comment to Justina, I paused when the few agents that sat in the break room turned to stare at me. Almost in synchronicity.
“Ignore them,” Gemma said to me as we walked. “They’re kind of fascinated with your breed.”
Really? Top agents in a government agency were interested in me? Well, it was no wonder really. They probably wondered how I could fuck up so often.
My fingers started to tingle as Gemma opened an office door. This one didn’t have any pictures, it was an open conference room. The protection spell around it made me itch to use my magic. I’d been holding back, trying to ween myself off. The shakes hadn’t set in properly yet, but my body was only just under control. Not that anyone knew.
Breathing slow and deep as we were gestured to sit, side by side, I calmed my nerves. A bank of screens of all sizes were at the end of the room, all of them black. We faced them, our seats behind a big glass desk.
“This is what you call high flying,” I said to the others. “Maybe we could kit out the library like this?”
“You have a library?” Gemma asked as she placed a tray of hot and cold drinks on the table in front of us.
Kurt grabbed the beer, laughing at Gerard when he pretended to scowl. “Yes, we have a library with lots of books. You’ve probably got a library of your own, though? Don’t book worms read ten books a day?”
Nodding enthusiastically at first, Gemma quickly recovered, her whole demeanour changing. Her back straightened, her head came up. A calm descended. “Some do, some don’t. I don’t get time to read as much as I’d like.”
The switch from the real Gemma to the agent had been obvious and instant. She was a chameleon, switching who she needed to be in a second. How interesting. I couldn’t get a hold of myself enough to be so fluid. How often did Gerard have to tell me to behave? Or, to switch into agent mode.
The door opened, and a couple of suited men came in. Their briefcases and stern expressions made them look official.
Vampires. Interesting. Working at the Hunted Witch Agency meant that the only criminals we had to contain were the witches. However, paranormal MI5 had to deal with all species. Gemma must have a tough job.
“These are the government officiators. They’ve come to make sure you’re real. They’ll sit at the back of the room while you speak to the Prime Minister.”
I spat the lemonade I’d been sipping, the liquid spraying over the table. We were speaking to the head of the government?
Without thinking, I swiped my arm to clear the droplets of liquid, cringing when the sleeve of my jacket got wet. Whispering a spell, I smiled when it dried.
Gerard nudged my leg, his face grave. What? I couldn’t exactly stay wet, especially if we were going to speak to the prime minister. Although, yes, the small kick of magic had made me feel less jittery.
Looking at her watch, Gemma smiled to herself, quickly clearing her expression when the men at the back had made themselves comfortable.
“You’re not allowed to-” Gemma stopped abruptly, looking behind us. “What’s the problem?”
A hand grabbed me, hauling me to my feet before I could react. My heart thundered in my head, my breath fast as my stomach flipped. My team were up, their hands raised, ready to use magic if need be.
The vampire who had a hold of me had lifted me off the ground, the heels of my boots an inch from the floor.
Swinging, I thrust out my fist, aiming straight for his jaw. The vampire blocked me with his other hand, a growl coming up his throat as his teeth extended.
“Explain!” Gemma shouted, a blast of light drawing everyone’s attention.
Looking over, I didn’t know whether to grin or scowl. The bitch was holding a dagger, similar to mine. However, hers was full of white light, pure magic. Mine had never been that intense.
“She has a weapon,” the vampire officiator said, somehow getting his hand under the back of my jacket and yanking out my dagger. A slight rip made me wriggle to try and get out of his grip.
“If you’ve just ruined my jacket, I’m going to magic the hell out of you.”
The others had retreated slightly. Ah, yeah, so I wasn’t supposed to bring a weapon into the building. I had thought I’d got away with it, but the vampires had heightened senses. He could’ve probably smelt the silver of the dagger. Bastard.
“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you’ve gone against our rules?” Gemma asked, clicking her fingers at the vampire.
He dropped me, rather unceremoniously, not handing back my dagger when I held my hand out for it.
Gemma approached and took my blade, her eyes widening ever so slightly when the handle hit her palm. “This Essex dagger has been touched by your warlock magic, hasn’t it?”
Glaring at her, I tilted my head to the side, pretending not to hear what she’d said. It was none of her business what I did with my dagger.
“You’ve been allowed to keep this sacred witch heirloom so you can fulfil your destiny. If you keep putting it off, it will be taken back.”
“Back?” I barked. “That’s mine! I’ll do whatever I want with it.”
“Errr…” Justina said as she stepped forward. “Actually, Devon, I was asked to give it to you.”
Huh? What was she talking about? She’d said that she didn’t remember where it came from, didn’t she? I tried to go back to the time she had given it to me, but too much had happened since then, and a girl like me only had so many memory cells. Most of them were taken up by Mr Gerard Freshwater.
Gemma rested her knuckles on her hips, each dagger still gripped in her hands. “When you applied to the agency, we were told straight away. All Essex witches are monitored from afar by Paranormal MI5. I run the department of-”
“You run a department here?” I blurted, my cheeks warming when she raised her eyebrows. “Sure, you look like you could run a d
epartment of lots of-”
“I run it alone. Mainly.”
“Your desk friend,” I muttered.
The others shuffled on their feet, obviously confused by our conversation. We weren’t here to talk about Gemma Abbot. We were here to talk to the government.
A loud ringing echoed around the room. Gemma tucked the daggers into her boot quickly. “Everyone sit!”
Her authority made us jump to do as she bid. Every single one of us. We knew that as soon as she pressed the answer button the face of the prime minister would be looking at us through the screen.
“Are we ready?” Gemma asked.
I was the last one to pull my chair under the desk. Throwing my thumb up, I quickly pulled it back down when the prime minister appeared. The biggest screen on the wall showed her face. I’d never taken any interest in politics, they bored me. I had no interest in people who were above themselves. They thought they knew how to run a country, and yet…
“Gemma, good to see you.” The prime minister’s voice was silky.
She was the youngest prime minister ever, and a female. There’d been a bit of an uproar when she’d been elected because people didn’t think she was experienced enough, being that she was in her thirties. However, she’d been in power for three years, and a lot of good stuff had come from her time in office. Apparently. That’s what Justina had told me on the way to the meeting.
“Prime Minister,” Gemma said, nodding.
“Ah, Justina, good to speak to you again.”
My boss waved, a big smile on her face. Wow, seemed the pair had a friendly relationship after all. Who knew?
“And, of course, Kurt. You’re looking good considering you only had surgery last week.”
Was Kurt blushing? Did he like our PM? Wow, I’d never seen him react quite so understated.
“I’m an amazing healer,” he said in a strong voice. “If you ever need healing, I’m your man. Personal service and everything.”
I’d underestimated him, yet again. Gerard glanced at me, a small smile on his lips. I grinned back, happy to be sitting by his side.
“And, this must be Devon and Gerard. I’ve heard a lot about you. When Justina told me that she would be expanding her immediate team to add another pair of agents, I was apprehensive. She’s been so on point working with Kurt, I wondered if you would distract their efforts. Turns out I was wrong.”
My legs started to shake as she looked at Gerard. He inclined his head, his expression warm but cool. If that was even possible.
“It’s been an honour to serve with Justina and Kurt… and Devon, of course.”
Did he just add me on to the end? Rather than putting me first? I was his partner! He should be-
“And, you, Devon. I’ve heard all about you.” The corner of her lip quirked into her cheek.
My anxiety evaporated as I felt the full force of her energy on me. She was human, no denying. And, yet, she had a warmth about her that most politicians didn’t.
“Thank you,” I muttered.
Thank you? What the fuck, Devon? The PM was clearly not complimenting me. Why had I just-?
“Let’s get on with business.”
Her dismissal was a good thing. I had made a right prat out of myself. The sooner I was out of the building, the better.
“Okay, on the agenda today,” Gemma started.
“Forget the agenda, I’ve just had a phone call from an associate who has been to see Cameron Fieldman in prison.” The PM looked down at her notes.
Gemma had flipped her off as soon as she’d looked away from the screen. I covered my mouth, quite sure that the witch would get bollocked if she was caught putting her middle finger up at the PM of the UK.
“Cameron is under our jurisdiction,” Justina said. “Why is your associate visiting him?”
Humans didn’t usually mess with underworld protocols. It made life a lot harder for both sides. The PM technically had jurisdiction anywhere, so Justina probably shouldn’t have said that. I would’ve crapped my pants if the PM was staring at me the way she was my boss.
“He reached out to us, asked to cut a deal for his release.”
“He what?” Justina exclaimed. “And, you listened?”
The PM made eye contact with Justina, her strong sense of self overriding any desire to placate the leader of a top witch agency. It wasn’t a self-importance thing, it was diplomacy. Ah, now I knew where Justina got her influence from.
“No, we didn’t, but we might. He claims that he can get Mackenzie Bruce and Candy Fieldman to confess. He says that he wants to help us solve the case so the humans stop getting killed. There were two more last night. These drugs are still being pushed by our suspects. And, you’ve not caught them.”
Cameron Fieldman had manipulated the government by using our weakness. No, we hadn’t caught the pair, but we would. Soon.
“We’re working on a couple of leads. We…” Justina stopped talking when Kurt put a hand on her arm.
“Give us another week. If we’ve not caught them by then, you do what you need to.”
The PM considered Kurt’s proposal, her gaze distant as she thought. “Okay,” she said eventually. “You have one week. If you’ve not reported back to me with a positive case closed by then, I’m taking over.”
The screen went blank. Boy, that was intense. The whole room pulsed as silence filled it.
“The human government taking over an underworld case?” I said to no one in particular.
Movement behind me made me look over my shoulder, ready to fight if I had to. Instead, the vampires were packing up their things, ready to leave.
Gemma stayed quiet until they’d left the room, not bothering to say a word to any of us on their way out.
“You need to wrap up this case. If she takes over, the future of the agency will be questioned. I’m baffled as to why she’s so interested in this case. She never…” She shook her head as she trailed off.
Smacking the table, Gerard made us jump. “The Scottish government. They’ve been influenced by Cameron for many years. Maybe they’re putting pressure on the PM.”
Kurt wagged his finger. “Yes, you might be onto something there.”
“Shit,” Justina said quietly. “That means we’ve got to get Mackenzie and Candy before the week is up.”
Gemma came over as we got up from our seats, each one of us in a bit of a daze. The outcome of the meeting had been completely different to what we were expecting. We all knew the consequences if we weren’t able to do our job. And, it was scary as fuck.
“If you don’t catch them…” Gemma handed me my dagger as we made our way to the door. She looked worried for us, which wasn’t good. “…you’ll lose your jobs completely.”
Chapter Ten
“I haven’t worked out since this morning,” I said to Mr Sexy but Broody as we walked through the park.
It was late in the day, the sun just going down. There were several humans dotted around, enjoying the last moments of warmth before the night air set in.
“Are you feeling antsy?”
My feet were bouncing slightly. My magic had been under control, no outbursts, no constant little spells. I’d almost been completely clean.
“We’ve got an hour until we meet Maxwell. Maybe I could jog for a bit.”
Grabbing his chest, Gerard feigned shock. “Jog? You?”
Smacking his arm, I laughed when he knocked it back. He chuckled, his hand coming out to catch mine when I went to try again.
“Come on then,” he said, bouncing backwards. “Let’s do some combat training.”
My insides warmed at the suggestive energy that suddenly vibrated through me. There were much better work outs than a fight, but being in the middle of a park, on the way to meet a semi enemy, it would be better to keep my clothes on.
Gerard was getting into the mood, hopping from one foot to the other. His arms were raised, guarding his face. He looked so bloody sexy.
Rushing for him, I th
rew my fist towards his head. As he went to block, I used my left arm to plant a punch into his side. He grunted, laughing to himself as he came forward. Trapping both my wrists, he turned me so that they were behind my back. The movement was so quick, I couldn’t wriggle free.
“See,” he breathed as he bent to speak into my ear, “too slow.”
The rush of air that filtered down my neck made me shiver. No, I couldn’t let him weaken me with his sexy ways.
My leg kicked backwards, colliding with his knee. It started to buckle, but Gerard jumped back, letting me go in the process. Swinging around, I huffed out my breath as my leg flew in a circle, aiming at his head. The tip of my boot missed his skull by one inch. He was lucky.
“You’re getting much better,” he said as he came forward, his bigger frame towering above me.
Closing my eyes, I resisted the urge to draw magic into me. I had to beat it. I…
“Are you okay?” Gerard’s words were whispered, his heat permeating me from where he stood close.
Opening my eyes, I nodded. “Yes, I’m okay, but once the warlock link has gone, I’m going to ask Kurt to help me with that spell to disassociate magic with feeling good.”
Cupping my cheek, Gerard bent to kiss my nose. “If you feel that you need it, I think it’s a good idea.”
Smiling gently, I went to reach up to grab the back of his neck and pull him down for a proper cheeky kiss. His hand caught my wrist, squeezing gently. “I don’t think our session is done.”
My other arm was already raised by his side, waiting to plough into the hard muscle there. Grunting, I pushed him with my body weight, whipping his gun out of his jacket pocket as he fumbled to catch me.
Laughing, I skipped out of his reach, waving his weapon in the air. A scowl crossed his features before he lunged. Yelping as he collided with my legs, I fell backwards, my butt landing heavy on the ground.
“She’s got a gun!” someone shouted from nearby.
Oh shit. I had been careless. Humans might have guessed that we were play fighting before, but brandishing the weapon had been a mistake.
Gerard froze, his body heavy on mine as the woman started to scream. I pushed his shoulders, trying to get him off so we could try to control the situation.
Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 4-5 (Hunted Witch Agency Set Book 2) Page 22
