Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 4-5 (Hunted Witch Agency Set Book 2)
Page 23
“Do something!” I said as he finally launched to his feet.
Whispering a spell, he calmed the woman who was standing about fifty yards away, waving her hands in the air. She instantly stopped, her mouth going slack.
“We need to get out of here,” I muttered.
There were several people approaching. Humans had an innate stupidity mode. They ran towards trouble often, thinking they could be the hero. Every now and then, they succeeded. Rarely when it came to the paranormal though.
Shoving the gun at Gerard, I turned when he took it. “Let’s go.”
Running was the only option. There were too many of them. If we flashed away, they would report it to the police. If that happened, they would then tell the government, who would give us a warning. We weren’t supposed to allow humans to see what we were. If we did, there were harsh consequences.
“I got a bit carried away.” I huffed as we were chased across the park.
Yes, more humans were joining in. You had to give it to them, they were stupidly brave sometimes.
“Let’s just get to Maxwell’s shop.”
My heart fluttered in my chest as it pumped the blood around my body. My fitness had improved, especially in the last week, but the thought of going to the place where my life had changed forever gave me chills.
The entrance to the park yawned ahead of us. Once through, we could hide behind the hedge and disappear. Adrenaline raced through my veins, the excitement of the chase reminding me why I was an agent. Not because I’d been careless, but because I wanted to help others. I needed to use my power for good, not for self-gratification.
“You’re keeping up with me,” Gerard panted. “Your training is obviously going well.”
My little legs protested, but I pushed on, propelling through the open entrance and instantly turning right. Gerard was beside me, his long legs skidding to a halt as we ducked behind a tree. Taking my hand, he flashed us to Maxwell’s shop.
The road was busy, the rush hour never dying down in London. The shop front was dark, the lights already off. The wonderful world of magic was hidden inside. A trinket shop of pretend magical items for the humans. A real life haven for the warlocks.
Pushing the door, I smiled when it clicked, unlocking for us. My feet stumbled as it swung open too suddenly. Righting myself as Gerard came in behind me, I froze when the door slammed shut.
In front of us stood three warlocks. I didn’t recognise them, but their stance was solid. The threat was evident in the balls of magic they each held.
Really? Maxwell had set me up? Looking past them, I spotted the leader behind his counter. Ropes were tied around his generous frame, pinning his arms behind him. A piece of duct tape covered his mouth, silencing him.
“What’s going on here?” Gerard asked the three men in front of us.
They were equal of height, but their skin colour ranged from dark to light. Each one stared at me, their eyes full of heaviness. What were they doing? Why would they go against their leader?
The soles of my feet warmed as magic pushed its way up from the ground. It was as if it knew when I might need it. An instinctual thing that existed as the bond between me and the earth had deepened.
“We’re taking control of this situation. Other warlocks have tried and failed before us. We won’t let that happen.”
Whispering a spell, I used a small part of my magic to rip the tape from Maxwell’s mouth. He exclaimed in pain as the tape hung from the side of his face.
“You could’ve done that a little slower,” Maxwell muttered, glaring at me.
Tempted to put the thing back on, I glared back. “Way to say thank you.”
“Shut up!” one of the men almost shouted. “We’re in control here, not you.”
Scratching my head, I used my other hand to take my dagger out. A good old fashioned magic fight wasn’t high on my list of priorities, especially as I was trying my hardest to not use my magic.
“Yeah, yeah, you want to make sure you’ve got me when the solstice comes so you can steal the link. I’ve heard it all before.”
One of the men grunted as he threw his ball of magic towards me. I ducked low, my knees hitting the ground as my crouch helped me to dodge the light yellow ball.
Gerard’s gun fired in the air, drawing the attention of the men. They went still, their gazes glued to Mr Trigger Happy.
“You do realise that if you kill Devon, the link will go with her?” His husky voice was harsh as he kept one eye on them and the other on me as I rose to a stand.
Their expressions were hard as they stared at the gun. It was aimed at the middle one, moving to the others if they dared to even flinch.
“No,” I said quietly, looking at each of them. “They want me dead.”
Their stares grew harder, the truth in their expression. A small part of my heart sunk as I realised why. I’d wished for it in the past. Freedom. Impure magic was addictive. It drove people to do things they would never usually do. For a warlock to remain good in a place where evil called to them… it was bloody hard work. Their nature was born from the few who had broken away from the witches all those years ago. They’d changed the course of fate when they’d decided to let the power of magic overrule their good nature. The purity of witch magic had been tainted, which meant they had been too. When the magic broke from the ley lines, forming its own source, it had begged to be used by the warlocks. It was powerful, and yet, almost uncontrollable.
“You don’t want the warlock magic to exist anymore,” Maxwell said. “Why?”
He wouldn’t understand it in quite the same way. I’d felt witch magic. The pure essence was glorious. The man in front of me wouldn’t have ever felt it, but in recent times, the addiction I’d had to magic showed me how it could turn a life upside down. If a warlock lost control, his family would be in danger. His wife was always a human. They couldn’t have female warlock babies. I was the only one. But, I wasn’t a full warlock, only part.
“Nathan lost his baby boy last night,” one of them said. “His wife ran away with him. She left a note to say that she’d had enough of him using his magic. She wants to be free of the life he’s decided to lead.”
The man in the middle scowled at the one who had spoken. “Stay quiet!”
“I understand.” My words elicited expressions of disbelief as I held up my dagger, showing that it was loose in my hand. “Hear me out.”
“No,” the middle one said. “We came here to kill you.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Gerard was calm, his voice level.
The gun was ready to stop them from doing anything stupid. The two who still held magic in their palms moved. The gun went off as I spun out of the way. The balls slammed into a display of Harry Potter merchandise. Items scattered on the floor as the men made a run for it.
One of them clutched his shoulder as he dove towards the back of the shop. Gerard was after them, shouting at me to capture the one who went for the front door.
“STOP!” I screamed.
A rush of magic flew out from me in a circle. It was dark blue mixed with white. Pure and impure combining together. It smacked into everything in the room, including all three men, Gerard and Maxwell.
The ones who were standing crashed to the ground. One collided with the bottom of Maxwell’s counter, another slumped to the floor. The last one flew into the front door, the wire mesh the only thing stopping him from smashing the glass.
I gasped as Gerard bounced into the wall near the back exit, instantly sinking to the ground. Maxwell rocked backwards off his seat, hitting the wall behind him.
Covering my ears at the sound of destruction, I sucked the magic back, falling to my knees when it zipped into me and drained out of my feet.
Toys and trinkets, spells and wands, fell to the ground, every single one knocked off its shelf. My gaze was on Gerard as he cradled his elbow. He slowly sat up, instantly searching for me.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Maxwell?” I called, my voice so broken, I could barely hear myself.
“I’m alright!” he called from behind the counter.
Two of the men were already crawling to a sit. The third was knocked out cold by the front door. What had happened? One moment, I’d been ready to help Gerard stop the men so we could take them into custody, the next, I’d destroyed the whole place.
“How are you not dead?” I said, not really aiming my question to anyone specific.
“See?” the one who had been shot said. “That’s why we don’t want warlock magic to exist.”
“Bloody hell!” Maxwell exclaimed as his head appeared above the counter. “You blew my binds off, woman.” His hair was sticking up, his eyes wide. “You’d be good in a bondage bedroom!”
Huh? I’d just blown the place apart and Maxwell was thinking of bondage? What? I mean… now that he mentioned it, maybe Gerard would be into that. A small smile tugged at my lips when he slapped the countertop. “You do know what just happened, don’t you?”
Frowning, I shook my head. They should’ve died. The man beside the door was starting to rouse, his groan a sign of concussion as he clasped his head. He was also alive. The amount of magic that had come from me would’ve usually killed any living creature.
“Your pure magic,” Gerard said, getting up and picking his way over the debris. “The connection to witch and warlock magic activated at the same time. It mixed the magic, which meant the pure magic saved us.”
“Jeez, no wonder the warlocks are desperate to get their hands on you,” one of the men said.
My skin grew hot as my insides bubbled. “Don’t you see?” I snapped. “It’s a fucking nightmare being connected to the warlock magic. You think your dangerous now? Look at what almost just happened? I could’ve killed my…” My throat closed as Gerard dropped in front of me, placing his hands on either side of my face.
“Your kin?” Maxwell said.
My focus had been on Gerard, but he was right. These people were a part of me. I was one of them. To a degree, anyway.
“Yes.”
Stroking Gerard’s face, I quickly kissed his lips before shoving to my feet. A burst of emotion came over me. This place had always reminded me of Isaac. Of my time training as a warlock.
Maxwell came around the counter, trying to straighten his smart purple suit. There was no point, it was extremely dishevelled.
Going over, I jumped up and threw my arms around him. Tears ran down my cheeks as he put his arms around me, holding me high and squeezing me tightly.
“Devon, you’ve rejected us as much as you feel we’ve rejected you.”
He was right. Having my father around had reminded me who I was. My mind had been so full of witch business, I’d almost shoved my warlock side away. When I was a teen, I’d been more warlock than witch. Yet, since I’d met Gerard and found out about the ley line, I’d been dismissive of those who were my kin, my species.
“You were going to lead us at one point,” one of the men said when Maxwell put me down.
Wiping my face with my sleeve, I chuckled. “Can you imagine me being better than him?”
The men were staring from the floor, their muscles relaxing. We wouldn’t persecute them, although Maxwell could make his own choice about what he wanted to do with them.
“I’ve been lax,” he said, stroking my hair before he looked at Gerard. “With my coven.”
My man nodded. He knew what Maxwell was saying. He would deal with his men in his way. He didn’t want the agency to get involved.
“I can imagine that Devon has been on your mind a lot since Isaac Senior died.” Gerard looked toward the front door.
I instantly knew what he was thinking. Going over to him, I took his hand before he could leave us. “This isn’t just warlock business. I need you.”
Our gazes locked and my belly flip flopped. “You’ve never needed me,” he whispered.
The others groaned as they got up. Maxwell spoke to them about why I was there, explaining how the solstice ritual would work. He was giving them a lot of information considering they wanted the magic gone.
“I do need you,” I said to Gerard. “Always.”
His beautiful face watched me as I studied his. A line of blood trailed from a small gash on his forehead. His green eyes were bright as his tongue flicked out to wet his dry lips.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you too,” I whispered, grinning at him.
“Okay,” Maxwell interrupted. “I’m not breaking up the love because I’m jealous.” He winked at Gerard as we moved to join him. “It’s because we need to sort this. We’ve literally got two days to finalise plans.”
Yes, the solstice. The ritual. My mind was split between Mackenzie and Candy, the government, Mr Lover, and now, my affinity with the warlocks. One that I promised to myself I would never forget again.
Maxwell put his hand on one of the men’s shoulders. “These warlocks are decent men. I’ve fallen behind on Isaac’s programme that helps us to keep our magic under control. From tomorrow, I’ll have those weekly classes up and running again. Please, will you join me?”
Glancing at one another, the men decided something before agreeing. My father had been the truthful heir to the warlock leadership, but he’d given that up when he’d married my mother. I had then inherited it from him, but the responsibility had been too much.
“I have a suggestion, although I’d need to speak to my father first,” I said, excitement making me hop on my feet. “My father used to work as the rehab counsellor. Maybe he could come to work for you again?”
Maxwell’s gaze softened as it was drawn to where Gerard and I held hands. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. It would be great to have his expertise.”
Trying not to cry again, I looked at Gerard. His face was serious. It was time to get on with business.
“Okay,” I said, coughing to clear my throat. “Let’s decide how we’re going to do this.”
The men were allowed to stay. Maxwell wanted them to trust him, so he was appointing them as part of the link team. Each one of them agreed to take a binding oath to keep the secret of the whereabouts of the link. My brain protested, my heart thought it was a good idea. Whatever I felt wasn’t important, it was Maxwell’s decision.
“I want another tree. An ancient one that has protection against the humans trying to cut it down. It has to be in London. As you know, the London coven are the protectors of the tree because of the heart chakra.” Maxwell rubbed his stomach. The familiar gesture made me smile.
“What?” Gerard asked, clearly unaware of warlock history.
Maxwell tilted his head to look at him. “Don’t worry, pretty boy, I’m sure lover girl can give you a history lesson one day. You should know what you’re marrying into. Her family is half warlock.”
“Wonder what your kids will be,” one of the men said, laughing when we stared at him. “Sorry, none of my business.”
For once in my life, I didn’t feel judgement around the warlocks. It was a refreshing emotion that made me smile broadly. My cheeks ached as I turned to look at Gerard. He was grinning too, his cheeks slightly pink as they all watched us.
“Either way,” he said. “They’ll be kickass… and I’ll be the fun parent.”
Choking, I struggled not to laugh hysterically. “You? The fun one? Okay, Mr Growly-only-happy-because-of-me, we’ll see about that.”
“Young love,” Maxwell said, looking positively green around the gills. “It’s sickening.”
The others agreed as Gerard took out his phone. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s get back to business.”
“England is the heart chakra of the earth.” Maxwell was talking to Gerard, gesturing for him to pass him his phone. “We need an anci
ent tree. Sorry,” he apologised to Gerard as he snatched his phone. “These bastards took mine so I couldn’t tell anyone they’d kidnapped me.”
A slight groan came from the three men as one of them took the phone out of his pocket and handed it to Maxwell.
The leader was already searching something on Gerard’s phone. He wasn’t stupid, he knew that there would be much more on a phone belonging to an agent. He could access several things that a normal phone couldn’t. Like secret mapping of ancient parts of the city. Magic ley lines were on a private map, only allowed to be seen by those protecting them. My mother had told me when I was young, but I’d never been able to have access to it. There was no point now either. Once I’d given up the ley line, I’d probably have it erased from my mind somehow.
“Right, here…” Pointing at a spot on the screen, Maxwell looked at Gerard. “This is a very old part of London. There must be a tree that’s more than five hundred years old in the vicinity.” Turning to me, he added, “If you could check whether there’s a ley line nearby, I’d like to ask you to perform a blood spell to protect the tree. I don’t ever want to lose the link again.”
Me? A blood spell? Was he insane?
“That would surely put Devon in danger?” Gerard took his phone back and used the agency’s database to search for a detailed map of the area.
Wagging his finger, Maxwell disagreed. “No, not at all. These men will be the only people who know about the link. I’m also going to ask you to do a memory spell on them so they only remember when I say the secret word.”
Each one of them shuffled on their feet. This was their punishment. Maxwell wouldn’t do anything to hurt them, but they would be under his control. It was pretty clever really.
“The heart chakra,” Gerard muttered to himself as he read something on his phone. “Okay, so the earth has energy centres that correlate with what would be on a human. So, the only way to explain it is to use the same chart as a human. So, there’s seven chakras slash energy centres and they’re all over the world.”
“Uh huh,” Maxwell murmured, looking at his own phone. “We need to keep the link here in London because it’s close to Glastonbury, which is where it’s grounded.”