Deathly Magic

by Kessler, A. L.

  "Of course." She walked over to Mason.

  Mason raised a brow. "You were afraid she'd cause you to wreck earlier, what happened?"

  "Bitch took on zombies with her car." Anna snapped and I laughed.

  I don't think I could have said it better myself. I crossed my arms and grinned. "What can I say, I know how to mellow them out."

  Mason shook his head and shoved her towards wherever he'd left his cruiser. I hoped that she wouldn't spill my secret, but it wasn't likely with the threat I gave her.

  I climbed into my car and headed back through the graveyard and on to the street. I was pretty pleased with myself with my control over the fire, but I couldn’t get cocky. The more I used it the more I'd rely on the ability and it wasn't one that I wanted.

  I walked into the station and Mason greeted me.

  "You're lucky the fire spread that fast." He led me towards the interrogation rooms. "Had it not, I think you would have been torn apart." He flicked the shred of my sleeve where the zombie had caught me.

  "You don't know how lucky, but it doesn't matter, the fire took and spread. The firefighters were able to put it out, and we now have two people who are behind it." I inspected the cut on my arm. It wasn't bad, it didn't need stitches and it had stopped bleeding at some point.

  He made a noise. "Out of how many though?"

  "Hopefully only three. If we could get a hold of Agent Grace it'd help." I walked into the interrogation room and saw Anna sitting at the table, cuffed to it. Nick was in the far corner of the room, his arms crossed and leaning against the wall.

  "’Bout time." He pushed off the wall. "She's in here spouting all kinds of nonsense."

  She couldn't have been there long, but her face was red and her jaw locked. She was riled up about something.

  "Oh, like what?" I raised a brow.

  "Like how the zombies never should have burnt up so fast and that Tomes would never just let her be caught. She seems to think you had something to do with the fire."

  I leaned my hands on the shiny metal table and leaned forward. "Is that so? And how do you think I had something to do with it?"

  "I-I don't know."

  That's what I thought. "Of course not, you're just trying to talk your way out of this."

  "All I did was provide Agent Tomes with places to raise the zombies. I had nothing else to do with it." She met my gaze. "I swear."

  "You're still an accessory to murder." Nick said. "You and Samantha are both tied to this. So what did he promise you?"

  Anna shifted in the chair and looked back down at the table. "He told us that he could bring our loved ones back from the dead."

  "You don't know much about necromancers do you?" I asked, my voice softened a touched. "You're a witch and I assume Samantha is too."

  She nodded. "Necromancers weren't something that was covered in our Coven learning. We both moved here not long after the vampire attacks in New Orleans. Tomes worked on that case too. He found us and told us he could make all the pain go away by raising our loved ones."

  It was a strange thing to promise and I couldn't see the motivation behind it. "Did he tell you why?"

  "No, just that he needed the graveyards to work and people to sacrifice to the zombies in order to create the magic. Now that I say it out loud it sounds so stupid. But, if you've ever lost someone you would do anything to bring them back."

  She was right. I would have, but I also knew it wasn't possible. Growing up, I had always asked why magic couldn't bring people back from the dead. "That's not how necromancers work. I'm sorry, but you still allowed him to kill people. You're still part of this."

  She straightened up and for a moment, I got a glimpse of the confident woman I had met the day I'd gone to the graveyard. "I know I am." It was a strange switch of attitude. Maybe she realized the grieving card wasn't going to fly with me.

  "Why the group you played games with?" Nick asked.

  She shrugged. "They were all loners, they banded together at conventions. I didn't think they'd be missed. I enjoyed playing with them, but I knew they had to be sacrificed so I stepped back."

  I couldn't believe how naive she seemed with the situation. "Nick, why don't you go verify her story with Samantha."

  She paled a little. "You don't have Samantha."

  "Are you so sure?" I sat in the chair in front of her. "Do you really want to call my bluff? What's Samantha going to say?"

  "Fine. They were a target because Tomes found out that their families were against vampires. He has some hidden agenda with the blood-starved vampires. He uses his necromancy to cause chaos so people turn their heads that way and ignore what's going on with the vampires."

  Nick and I looked at each other. "Who put the car bomb on my car?"

  "Tomes."

  He risked his own ass to try and kill me? Of course he was strong enough to also conjure his own circle. "Why?"

  "He doesn't seem to like you." She shrugged. "He was pretty focused on making sure you were killed one way or another."

  And Levi had trusted him. I wondered what was going on. "What was his plan with the blood-starved vampires?"

  "That I don't know. We were just told to make sure we had bodies for them to use and that at least one of them were victims from the last place the vampires attacked."

  That would give them an excuse to come into town and take over the case. "And his partner?"

  "She came on not long ago, she doesn't know anything about it."

  That was a blessing.

  "I'll go check with Samantha to confirm." Nick walked out and I looked at Anna.

  "Black magic and accessory to murder. That's what you're looking at. Tomes will be looking at a death sentence. Killing with magic."

  "Like you're much better than him. Why is he so obsessed with you?" Anna tilted her head to the side. "What would bringing you down do?"

  I thought about it. I wasn't sure why Tomes wanted to make sure I was dead. "One less kickass PIB agent to spoil his plans." It was the best I could come up with. I stood and walked out of the room. I shut the door and leaned against it. I've never dealt with a rogue PIB agent before. I wonder if Levi was in on the blood-starved vampires. Maybe that's why he hadn't killed them when they attacked.

  Maybe Nick was right about Levi. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

  "You okay, Agent A?" Mason asked and I opened my eyes.

  "Yeah, my rib just hurts a little bit. Time for some more pain management." I forced a smile. "We need to find Tomes. I'm sure I know how to draw him out."

  "You're going to do something stupid?"

  I shrugged. "Very possible."

  "Abigail, this isn't your fight. He's a jealous PIB agent, you're half his age, just because he's targeting you doesn't mean you have to put yourself out there."

  He was right, but it was either that or Tomes moving to another city with his blood-starved vampires. "He has to be stopped. It's my job as a PIB Agent."

  "Extermination team?" Mason offered.

  "That'll be my next step, once I find his location." I pushed off the door. "She's yours to deal with now."

  My phone chirped and I swore at the thing. I pulled it out of my pocket and answered.

  "Agent Collins."

  "Abby, Martha is awake." Greg's voice caught me off guard. "I need you down here now."

  "I just finished up at the station, I can be there in just a couple minutes." I hung up and looked at Mason. "Sorry, I have to run. Tell Nick I'll see him at the office and we'll start working on a plan to find Tomes."

  Mason nodded. "Don't forget to take some pain medication."

  I smiled at the gentle reminder and headed out of the station.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  I sped to the hospital and stopped by the front desk just long enough to get the visitor badge and sign the waver. I walked to Martha's room and knocked.

  "Come in." Three voices called and I walked in and saw Martha sitting up in the bed.

  She looke
d better awake than she did unconscious. Big brown eyes stared at me as I walked towards the bed. "You're a witch." There was a slight upturn of panic in her voice.

  "Yes, I am. I'm the one who found you. Do you remember that?" I kept my voice low and any movement slow.

  She nodded. "I wanted to kill you at first."

  I smiled. "But you didn't. Besides, you were wounded. I can't really blame you for that. Greg hired me to help find you; he also wants me to help find the person who did this to you. Do you remember anything?"

  "I remember running from her. I didn't get shot until I came into the city. I was just looking for someone familiar, someone who could help." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I fought against the beast inside me the whole time."

  "Who is 'her'?" I sat in the chair next to the bed. "Witch? The person in your phone?"

  She nodded. "That's all I know her as. I met her at a party, that's what everyone called her. Witch. She wore a mask and she had a wolf at her side."

  "What kind of wolf?" Greg prompted.

  "A werewolf, in a silver collar. She claimed that she knew how to cure our disease. That's why I went to her. I had talked to Rachel about it and given her Witch's phone number. I wanted it done as soon as we could do it."

  I could fill in the rest up until Witch had taken her somewhere. "Where did she take you to do the spell? She had you blocked by magic, I wasn't able to do a regular tracking spell on you."

  "Some place north of Pack grounds. There was a protective circle there, that's where we stayed for the whole thing."

  "Why did you run?" My mind was racing. There was only one protective circle that I knew out there, other than the wolves' territory. It was the Coven's, but it wasn't close to pack grounds at all. We all liked our distance when it came to territories.

  She looked down and shook her head. "I don't want to talk about that. Can we leave it at I wasn't comfortable with what the price was?"

  I didn't like it. I glanced back at Greg and Simon. "Can I speak with her alone?"

  Greg lifted his lip and snarled at me.

  "Really? Do I need to remind you that you hired me to do this? I need all the information I can get and she's not going to give it to me with you standing there."

  "What makes you think she's going to give it to you without us in here?" Simon stepped up.

  It was a good question and I was riding on the idea that Martha trusted me. "Because she knows I won't turn around and just tell you. Pack may mean family, but it means that they answer to you. I'm not pack. I'm entitled to my secrets."

  "You can't hide information from me." Greg put a hand on my shoulder and spun me around to face him.

  I gave him a sweet smile; it was the one I used when I was irritated with someone. "You hired me to find the person. I decide what relative information you get. That's how I work, don't like it, find yourself another witch."

  He considered me for a moment, his gaze traveling up and down my body. "If you don't find her, you forfeit your life."

  "Not part of the deal. I don't pay with lives."

  "This time you do." He stormed out, Simon still on his heel.

  It seemed a little rash to me, but I had a feeling his threat was empty. Or at least I hoped. I could only take so many people after me at one time.

  She glanced at the door and I realized what she was worried about. They were werewolves, their hearing was extraordinary. I went out into the hall. "Coffee would be wonderful."

  Simon glared at me, but before he had a chance to speak an RN came running down the hall. "There are zombies on the news."

  Simon's glare turned into a concerned look.

  "Go watch the news clip, tell me how bad it is." I motioned for him to go. "She'll know if you guys are standing out here."

  He nodded and nudged Greg down the hall. Neither looked happy about it, but I'd deal with that later. I walked back in the room and shut the door behind me.

  "They're gone."

  "The price was to kill Greg and Simon." She whispered. "I couldn't agree to it. It would leave the pack at war with itself."

  My heart skipped a beat. "Both of them?"

  "With both gone, there's no one strong enough to lead the pack. The squabble would turn into a war and then another pack would come in and take over." She met my gaze. "I didn't want to hurt my pack. I just wanted to be normal again. Rachel and I lost everything when we were infected. It wasn't fair."

  "I would think one would do anything to be rid of the curse that cost them everything. Why did you think that was too high of a price?" I sat back down in the chair.

  She picked at the tape holding her IV to her hand. "Greg gave us a second chance. He took us in and helped us learn how to control the beast inside us. I want to go back to being human, but not at the cost of betraying the only person who showed us kindness."

  "Can you describe Witch for me?"

  "Average height, black hair, dark eyes and like I said a mask. She had no distinguishing marks, so there's not much to go on." She gave me sad eyes. "Are you going to kill her?"

  "Is she the one who shot you?" I leaned back in the chair.

  She shook her head. "No, that was some poor bastard I scared the crap out of. I didn't mean to. I can't believe he had silver bullets."

  I'd keep that information to myself. Chances were it was in self-defense. I'd look into it, but I doubted I'd turn it over to Greg. "Once I find Witch, I’ll leave it up to Greg on what happens to her."

  "Greg needs to get to Rachel and make sure that she stays safe." She closed her eyes. "Please don't let anything happen to my sister."

  I nodded even though she couldn't see it. "I'll let you rest." She didn't respond, but she didn't need to. I walked out just in time to see Simon and Greg walking back down the hall.

  "So?" Greg asked.

  "You need to get to Rachel, Martha is worried about her. Witch might try to get to her. I don't really have a lead, but I'll figure something out. Let me know what Rachel says about Witch."

  "Greg's sending me." Simon crossed his arms. "Let me walk you to the car?"

  Dread filled me. Simon could be in danger if he went to Rachel and I wanted to protest. It wasn't my place. He was a big bad werewolf and could take care of himself. "Sure."

  "Until later, Abigail." Greg went back into the room and the door clicked closed.

  Simon put a hand at the small of my back and urged me down the hallway. "Zombies, Abby? You took the Hummer through a horde of zombies."

  "There wasn't much of a choice." I grinned. "I have to admit, it wasn't my first choice as a way of fighting off the zombies, but it did work to find out who was behind them."

  We walked out of the hospital wing and into the waiting area. Simon's hand left my back the moment the doors closed. It made me wonder if he had originally put his hand there so I wouldn't turn back.

  "Why is Greg sending you to talk to Rachel?" I turned to him.

  "Because Rachel likes me better than him and he wants to be here in case this Witch person shows up." He walked towards the door without stopping to talk to me.

  I followed him, keeping up easily. "And if Witch shows up on pack grounds? Does he think you'll be able to handle her?"

  "Do you think I can?" He spun around and met my gaze. "I'm second in the pack and just as strong as Greg."

  "I'm not doubting your strength. I'm worried because I've touched this woman's magic and she's damn powerful." I had hurt his ego and hadn't meant to. "Am I not allowed to be worried about you?"

  He seemed to take a moment and then he took my hand. "You are and I understand that she's powerful, but I can handle myself. And just like I have to trust you can handle yourself on the field, you have to trust that I can handle myself with pack business."

  He was right and it made sense. "Then be careful." I leaned up and kissed him. "You owe me a normal date and if you die, I'll never get it."

  He snorted. "If only the world of the supernatural would leave us alone long enough for a nig
ht out."

  That was the truth. We walked to the Hummer and he looked at it. "Not much damage from the zombies."

  "Or the fire." I pointed out. "I'm sure that made it on the news report too."

  "Yeah. Where are you heading now?"

  I wasn't sure. I had no ideas on where Tomes or Grace was and no clues on where to start looking. "I think I'm going to go get some sleep. Call me if Rachel tells you anything useful."

  "Of course." He kissed my cheek and jogged off to his own car. I leaned against the Hummer and stared up at the sky. The moon rose over head and I was ready for some dinner and bed.

  I grabbed fast food on my way home and was shouldering my way into the house as the phone rang. Levi's ringtone blared through my pocket and I barely got in and the food set down in time to answer.

  "What's up?" I knew he'd probably seen the news; the fact that he hadn't just transported himself down here was probably a miracle.

  "How's the Hummer?"

  "A couple scratches, no scorch marks and it runs still. So better than my car." I kept my voice light and picked up the food. I made my way to the kitchen and Osiris followed behind.

  Levi was quiet for a moment as if he hadn't considered the state of my car at all. "I saw the fire. The way it spread was not natural."

  "No, it wasn't. I didn't have much of a choice. I wasn't going to be able to hold my circle long enough and I wasn't going to become zombie meat. Which brings me to my next point." I went and poured the cat some food and then went back to my fast food bag. "Did you know that Agent Tomes was a necromancer?"

  Silence.

  "Levi?" I gave him a moment to answer before I assumed the call had disconnected. No answer.

  Something shifted in the air and I spun around, drawing my gun on instinct.

  "No. I didn't. He's the one raising the zombies then?" Levi held his hands up.

  I took a moment to calm my pounding heart and holster my firearm. "One night, I am going to shoot you."

  "And it will suck, but that night is not tonight." He sat down at the breakfast bar. "What else did you discover about Agent Tomes?"