The sudden lump in my throat made me cough. We’d had his funeral yesterday. Saying goodbye to him had been the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. Especially as it was for real this time. Gerard had held me all night long, allowing me to sob, to laugh about the memories of my childhood, or to just be silent. It was in those silent moments, when he held space for me to be who I was, I’d decided it was time. There was no point in holding off the inevitable.
“I miss him,” I whispered, smiling to myself when a small white feather floated down to land on the ground in front of us.
“He’s here.” My mother took my hand and laid it on her leg, a soft expression coming over her face. “I can feel him.”
A sob escaped my mouth before I could pull it back. My mother moved to cradle me against her, guiding my head so it rested on her chest. As her hand stroked my hair, she sang the song my father had always sang to me, just like I had with Gerard the night my father died.
“I fully support your wish to be with Gerard.” Her words were quiet, said directly after she’d finished the song. “Just like your father did.”
“He did?” Pulling away to look at her, I ignored the sound of London city in the distance.
The sun was bright as it caressed my skin, warming me to the bone. The energy did feel like my father’s, I had to admit.
“I was the one who wanted you to meet the Essex witch. He told me that you had chosen your match and that I shouldn’t interfere. He was right.”
Wow. My father had approved of Gerard? That was something I didn’t realise, even if I knew deep down that my mother was the one who had instigated the whole arranged marriage bullshit.
“Gerard will be pleased to know that he wasn’t hated by dad.”
“Or me,” she said quickly as she bent to pick up the feather. “I’ve always liked Gerard. I just wanted you to enjoy your heritage. Being disconnected from the ley line drove your grandmother crazy. However, it’s none of my business. You’re a very different person to Helena. You’re strong, Devon.”
My little laugh made her look at me. I was extremely different to my grandmother, but was I strong? Sometimes I wasn’t so sure. A lot of paranormal creatures had placed me on a pedestal, even Cameron. For a long time, I fought to be accepted, but fighting wasn’t the answer. Surrender was.
“I love my life,” I said, looking up at the agency building. “I’m lucky to have found my friends, my man, and a job I love. I even got my parents back from the dead.”
Frowning at myself, I shook my head. What a thing to say. My mother laughed gently, patting my knee.
“Tact has never been your thing, my dear.” Standing, she leant over and kissed me on the head. “Let’s get going, then.”
Looking around, I pretended to look innocent. “Going where?”
Putting her hands on her hips, my mother raised her eyebrows as she looked down at me. “Firstly, you’re not patient.”
Getting up, I linked my arm through hers. “Okay…”
“Secondly, you’ve been planning something with the others over the last few days, so I’m in no doubt it will happen soon. You’re the queen of putting things off until the last minute, which is why I’m guessing that the unlinking is happening today.”
Oh boy, my mother knew me better than I realised. Once Kurt had cast the spell on me to disassociate magic with feeling good, I’d wanted to be free of the ley line link. Not because I no longer wanted it. In fact, since I’d used it properly, I wanted it more than ever, even with the spell. It was because I wanted to get used to life as a normal witch. One who had to retrain to build her strengths again.
“I love you,” I said, kissing her on the cheek as we went into the kitchen.
The others were there, waiting patiently. Justina cradled her small stomach pouch. Kurt had his arm thrown over her shoulders, his fingers on the other hand drumming on the work surface next to him. Gerard was behind, his gaze staring off into the distance. He only realised we were there when Justina cleared her throat.
“I’m not able to join you straight away,” she said, her face devoid of any expression. “There’s something I need to do. I’ll be there though.”
Smiling at her, I nodded. That was fine. As long as she was there to support me when the ritual was done, I didn’t mind her being late.
“It’s okay…” My mother nudged me gently in the ribs. “…I’m here for my baby girl.”
Smiling, I looked at Gerard. The movement of his throat showed me that he was nervous. I didn’t blame him, my stomach was infested with butterflies.
Justina turned to Kurt to give him a quick kiss. Leaving his side, she approached Gerard. Leaning up, she put her arms around his neck and whispered something in his ear. He flinched as she pulled away and almost rushed from the room. Was she okay?
Rubbing his neck, Gerard frowned to himself. I was tempted to ask what was wrong, but Kurt strode over and took my hand. Gesturing for Gerard to join us, he whispered a transportation spell.
“Oh good,” he remarked dryly when we landed in Becky’s back garden. “They’ve made it pretty.”
The disgust that laced his voice made me giggle. As a seer, Becky knew how to create a gorgeous garden. The unlit fairy lights that hung across trees and over a wooden gazebo were beautiful. Dusk was coming so the lights would look stunning when it got dark. I wasn’t going to complain, not when I was about to play out one of the biggest moments in my life.
“The flowers are…” My mother’s sentence trailed off.
Vines climbed up the gazebo. The colours of the little flowers were a gorgeous contrast to the green. The sheer white curtains that hung from the sides were pegged back to give the whole place a soft and floaty feel. Flower beds were dotted along the gravel pathway that led to where Becky now stood in the shade of the gazebo.
Gerard followed behind as my mum dragged me up to greet Becky. I wanted to talk to him, to check that he was okay, and to find out what Justina had said to make him cringe.
“I’m so happy to see you!” Becky exclaimed, throwing her arms around me.
Although it had been a while since she’d helped me, we had kept in contact. She’d been extremely supportive in my choice to disconnect from the ley line. However, she wasn’t able to perform the ritual, only another Essex witch could do that.
“Devon.” Gemma Abbott greeted me when I nodded in her direction.
She had agreed to help. Her judgement was held on by a string, I could see it in the way she almost tutted when Gerard came into the shelter.
My foot almost knocked over a candle as I stood back. There was a pentagram on the floor, made out of salt. An unlit candle sat on the edge of each star point. Anxiety rushed through me as I saw the small circle in the middle. It was where I was going to stand as my link to the ley line was severed.
“I’ve brought a witness,” I said to my mum as Theresa, the leader of the London witch coven, stepped in behind Gerard.
She smiled at Gemma, greeting her with a warm hug. Why hadn’t the woman ever been nice to me like that? Oh yeah, because I’d been a hybrid.
Turning to my mother, Theresa embraced her gently. “I’m sorry,” she whispered as she let her go.
My fists clenched at the same time as Gerard’s jaw. Reaching out to him, I threaded my fingers through his. She was probably talking about my father, not the fact that I was breaking tradition.
“Gerard,” I said to make him look at me.
He stared at the ground, blinking rapidly as he took a deep breath. When he lifted his gaze, it softened as soon as it landed on me. My whole body was shaking, my breath short. I wasn’t exactly ecstatic about what was about to happen either, but I wasn’t just doing it for him.
Leaning up, I grabbed the back of his head and pulled him closer. He bent down so I could whisper in his ear. “I love you, but I’m not doing this for you. This is for me. I chose my own destiny, and that includes who I end up with.”
A small smile lifted the corners of
his lips. His bright green eyes stared into my soul, asking for permission to be let in. I kept my gaze steady on his, allowing him to see what he could. My wall was down, my heart open, my determination strong.
His tattooed arms came around me as he pulled me close. The light touch of his lips against mine made me shudder, especially when I opened my eyes to see him watching me. Wow. He was as open to me as I was to him. Mr Sexy Open Heart was even sexier than he’d ever been before.
“Can we get on with this?” Kurt interrupted.
He had been speaking to Gemma, updating her on the write up of Cameron’s final moments. She’d felt the pull on the ley line and launched an investigation into it. The results had been quick and swift. I’d used the ley line for protection purposes only. That was covered in the rule of ley line use apparently. Who knew?
Becky stepped forward. “Yes, we can. Devon. Can I ask you to stand in the circle, please?”
Bending forward, Becky let her messy blonde hair tumble around her. Taking a deep breath, she brought her arms up to the side and stood up straight, her eyes closed.
Stroking Gerard’s face, I left him to do as the seer had asked. It was time to let go. I was ready. Even if my body vibrated like it was on a fast spin.
“I love you,” my mum said as I held my arms by my side.
“So serious.” Kurt tried to smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll train you in herbology.”
Shaking my head, I pretended to scowl at him. “Great, I’ll be a bloody useless witch then.”
“Well, at least Kingsley can be your familiar now.” He brought the little fella out of his pocket, winking when I put a hand to my chest.
My little best friend made noises as he wiggled his whiskers. To be able to connect to him as a familiar may very well be possible now that I was a complete witch. That was something that hadn’t even crossed my mind.
“The dagger,” Becky said loudly.
Each of us snapped to attention. It was time. My hands shook so badly, I struggled to grasp the handle of my weapon as I pulled it out of my jacket pocket. Laying it down on the ground in front of me, I sucked back a sob. It was almost like saying goodbye to Kingsley, although nowhere near as painful as that would be. Still, the dagger was my baby. My weapon.
“Gemma will cut the tie to the link once she’s invoked the spell that highlights it. Only Essex witches can see the line, so if everyone else could stay silent throughout this ceremony, it would be much appreciated.”
For once, I didn’t have a quip, or snarky comment. Tears slowly traced down my face as Becky gestured for me to kneel. Glancing at Gerard, I smiled when he mouthed that he loved me. He wasn’t the reason I was giving myself up, but he sure as hell was a good motivator for me to take control of my life.
“Gemma,” Becky said. “If you could enter the circle and start the spell.”
Nodding once, the kickass gorgeous agent stepped over the salt and came to stand in front of me. Her brown hair moved in the breeze as she bent to pick up the dagger. “You’ve very brave,” she whispered, her gaze strong as she gave me a very slight nod.
Closing my eyes, I clenched my hands into fists to stop them shaking. Images of the last few months played through my mind. Fighting warlocks, switching over the leadership to Maxwell, my grandmother kidnapping me, and finally Cameron. All those who had tried to take me down had failed. I was sure that there would be many more. And, yet, I wasn’t afraid. Losing my link to the ley line wasn’t the end of the world. I would rebuild my witch magic again. I would train in combat, and maybe even bloody herbology.
Gemma took a deep breath and started a spell in Latin. Containing the tears that dribbled down my face was impossible. Regardless of how ready I was, a part of me wished it could be another way.
The sound of the blade of my dagger sliding across her skin made me flinch. No one had ever cut themselves with my weapon. Well, no one that I hadn’t intentionally attacked.
“Stop!!” Justina suddenly appeared at the entrance to the gazebo, her hand held in the air as silence fell.
Blinking, I looked at her. My heart was about to go into cardiac arrest. What was she doing?
Gemma stepped back out of the circle, holding her hand away so her blood didn’t drip within the pentagram.
“What’s the matter?” Kurt demanded.
Gerard stepped closer, his frown dragging his eyebrows low. I stared, my mouth open as I waited. It wasn’t like my boss to be firstly, late, and secondly, dramatic.
“It’s okay,” I said, rubbing my cheeks. “You haven’t missed it.”
Justina was panting as if she’d been running. “Good,” she breathed.
Everyone looked at one another, clearly as confused as I was.
Leaning over, Justina grabbed Gerard’s arm for support.
“I’m not happy that I didn’t miss it.” She panted. “I’m here to stop it!”
Scrambling to my feet, I was about to go to her. Becky held out a hand to stop me, her gaze pointed at the star. Oh right, I couldn’t go out of the circle, or I would ruin the spell.
Kurt came over and took Justina’s hand. “What’s going on? You need to hurry up and tell us. Don’t leave us hanging.”
Her small laugh made me smile. They made the perfect couple. Even when she punched him softly in the ribs, he just shrugged.
“You might not have to do this. I took a blood sample from Gerard just before you came here. I’ve been doing some research to find out if there’s a way for you to stay connected to the ley line. Just before you came into the kitchen earlier, I got a message from a contact who does ancestry investigations.”
Looking at Gerard, Justina placed a hand on his cheek. Perspiration broke out over my body. What was she talking about? Why would she take a blood sample from Gerard?
“Clearly you found something out.” Gerard rubbed his arm, right where the tattoo of my silhouette was. The small reminder of how much I meant to him made me tear up again. My emotions were getting out of control. I would need ten thousand therapy sessions after today.
“Gerard, your great, great, great grandfather was the illegitimate child of Abraham Abbott.”
“No fucking way!” Gemma exclaimed, marching around the circle.
I hadn’t even noticed the documents in Justina’s hand until Gemma took them from her. I stared, unable to say a word. Unable to take it in. Was he…? Did that make him…?
“It’s true,” Gemma whispered as she read the paper. “You’re an illegitimate heir of the same Essex line as my father’s.”
My hand covered my mouth as my stomach rolled. What did that mean? If Gerard had Essex witch DNA that meant…
Spinning on his heel, Gerard faced Becky. He didn’t even look at me. “Can you ask the ancestors if this is legit? Will they let me marry Devon if it’s true?”
To say I was about to be sick was probably an understatement. My fate rested on my ancestors. Spirits that I’d pissed off once or twice, although mostly through no fault of my own.
Justina waved at me as Becky sat down on the small bench at the back of the gazebo. My mouth flapped open, but there were too many feelings rocking through my body. My mother and Theresa were clasping hands, staring at Becky as she tuned in. Would the ancestors talk to her?
A few moments of stillness went by. Not one person moved or spoke, each with their gaze riveted on the seer. When she gasped, her eyes flying open, every one of us gasped with her.
A smile spread on her face as tears came to her eyes. “It’s true,” she said quietly to Gerard. “Devon doesn’t need to be disconnected from the ley line if she chooses to be with you. She just has to take her Essex witch vows.”
My shaky breath released as my legs gave out from under me. Gerard’s arms were around me before I could hit the ground. Tears were like rivulets down my face as Gerard lowered us to our knees, his arms around me, his hands in my hair. A cheer went up around us as we cried together.
Pulling back from where he clasped me tightly,
I almost had to tell him to let go. His cheeks were wet, his eyes cloudy from happiness. I bit my bottom lip as I watched him cry happy tears. My man was happier for me than I was. Which shouldn’t have been possible.
“I love you,” he choked out through the tears. “All of you. No matter what.”
Tugging on his shirt, I indicated that he should kiss me, which he did. The others groaned as he swiped his tongue into my mouth and kissed me properly.
When he pulled away, he let go and indicated that I should get up. I did, trying to drag him up with me. Instead, he stayed on his knees.
“Devon,” he said.
The whole place went quiet, except for the birds. They sang as the sun started to set and the moon started to show. My hands shook so badly, Gerard had to squeeze them to hold them steady.
“Will you marry me? Now?”
Justina choked back a sob so violently, we all turned to check that she was okay. She waved us on, her cheeks flaming bright red.
“Now?” I whispered, unable to wipe the smile from my face. “Yes. But, how?”
Surging from his place on the floor, Gerard wrapped his arms around me and swung me around. The salt from the circle scattered, making everyone jump out of the way. He kissed me, hard, soft, quickly.
“I can perform a handfasting ceremony,” Becky interrupted when he finally put me down.
Looking down at me, Gerard licked his lips as he held my hands. “Shall we?”
“I’ll have to think about it, Mr Blow my Fucking Mind.”
The smirk that crossed his face made me grin from ear to ear. Glancing around, I sought my mother’s gaze. Her eyes were red and swollen, her smile wide. She gave me a thumbs up, reassuring me that I had her support.
“Just get on with it,” Kurt said. “All this mush is making me feel nauseous.”
“Okay,” I breathed, my gaze meeting Gerard’s again. “Let’s do it.”
As Becky got ready, I studied my family. Justina and Kurt had become my best friends. Two people who had seen plenty of shit in life, but let it make them the best agents they could be instead of breaking them down. They’d been the first to ever give me a real chance to do the same. My mother had always loved me, even when she’d been absent. It was my time to support her in our loss.
Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 4-5 (Hunted Witch Agency Set Book 2) Page 30
