Witch Hunter Olivia

by T. A. Kunz

  “Famous last words, right?” I say, causing her to giggle.

  “Leaving so soon?” Angelica’s voice rings down the hall, leading up to where we’re standing. She hurries over to us, her heels shuffling across the wood floors. She drapes her arm around Tara’s shoulder and sends me a wide smile.

  “Yeah, I was, but Tara’s still free. I have someone waiting for me.”

  “Oh, like a guy?” Angelica probes, which causes Tara to look at me with a wicked grin.

  “Yeah, kind of, I guess,” I reply, dodging Tara’s goofy face because she knows who I’m talking about.

  “You’ll so have to bring him to the Alpha Nu Gamma pre-hell week initiation party tomorrow night. It’s the second round of the initiation process, and a super big deal. I’m totes not supposed to say anything until the invites go out this afternoon, but Tara here is so in,” she explains, hugging her close and causing Tara to beam with a tiny squeal. “You’ll come, right, Olivia?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I say, but am thinking to myself this will probably be the perfect time to draw out Angelica’s attacker and get to the bottom of this.

  “Perfect. Then it’s all set,” Angelica says with her picturesque smile still gleaming.

  “Okay, so I’m only going to ask you this one more time, Liv. Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you to see your mom?” Heath asks as we pull into Dark Ink’s parking lot.

  “Yeah, I’m positive. This is something I’ve got to do by myself. I appreciate the offer, really I do, but it’s already going to be tough enough being in front of her without a warlock tagging along. No offense,” I reply, putting Scarlet into park and turning to face him.

  He sends me a concerned look. “You don’t have to do everything alone. You know that, right? I realize it might seem easier to go at this solo, but if people want to help you, you should consider letting them. I mean, I understand wanting to see your mom by yourself, but just know you don’t have to figure this whole mess out on your own.”

  “I know, but if I’m alone, then no one is in danger but me. It kills me a little bit every day when I think about what happened to Tara, and I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself or the Guild. I’m tired of seeing people I care about put in danger because of my actions. That’s why I left in the first place,” I explain, shying away from Heath as I talk.

  I feel him lean close to me, and the whole right side of my body heats up like I’m sitting next to a roaring fire. The heat spreads across my chest and caresses the side of my face as his arm reaches over and his fingertips touch my left cheek, causing me to turn toward him again. His face is full-on serious and his blue eyes feel like they’re peering right through my facade.

  “You’re not alone. Remember that, okay?”

  I feel each word as they leave his lips. He backs away from me and opens the car door before making his exit. I’m left here in a daze, still feeling his fiery embrace against my cheek. I reach up to trace where his fingers just grazed while watching him walk to the front door of the parlor. I’ve never seen him look so serious, and his abrupt exit makes me wonder if I said the wrong thing, or if it was just because I was being stubborn like always. Unfortunately, I have more pressing issues at hand than dealing with my complicated feelings for Heath.

  *****

  Before making the long drive to my parents’ house, I decide to head back to the dorm in order to change my clothes. I want to give the impression I’ve started over, and my current wardrobe choice kind of still screams Witch Hunter.

  Heath’s voice keeps popping into my head as I hurry down the hall toward my room, and I can’t seem to shake him. Maybe I don’t want to shake him. What the hell am I thinking? Of course I don’t want to.

  I go to reach for our room’s door handle, but when I grab it, the door cracks open without me having to turn it. “Dammit, Tara,” I mutter under my breath before pushing the door open the rest of the way.

  “There’s my Olive.”

  I’m frozen in place as my eyes study the woman in front of me. “Mom?”

  Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen her in months, but I’ve never seen her look so beautiful. Her long, wavy black hair cascades down upon her shoulders like a waterfall and frames a face that is uncannily similar to my own. I look exactly like my mother, and have been told that my entire life. When I see her mouth sprout into a hesitant smile, the one dimple that forms on her right cheek mirrors mine, since I’m smiling too.

  Before I can utter another word, she rushes over, wraps me up in a warm embrace, and squeezes me tightly. I can feel how much she’s missed me. I hug her just as hard and a sense of relief washes over me. Even though what I’ve done should never allow this to happen again, here we are like nothing’s changed between us. We’ve talked a few times on the phone, but this is the first time I’ve been able to see her smiling face. I owe being able to start over to her.

  “What are you doing here?” I’m finally able to ask. I don’t care about the answer, I’m just so happy to see her.

  “A mother can only stay away from her children so long until it drives her crazy,” she replies, but doesn’t release the hug.

  “Does Dad know you’re here?”

  “Not exactly,” she replies guiltily while pushing back to look at me.

  “Wait, you haven’t told him yet? You’re still doing all this behind his back?”

  “Sort of. It’s not like your father’s the easiest person to talk to about things like this,” she sighs, moving away from me to sit on the edge of my bed. “I hate this whole situation, Olive. I don’t know how much longer I can help pay your tuition without your father finding out. He loves you, but his hands are tied by the Hunter’s code.”

  “What about you, Mom? Aren’t you afraid of what the Guild might do to you?” I ask, sitting down next to her.

  “Personally, I don’t give a damn what they have to say. I’ve given them the best years of my life, and now I have to see my daughter in secret because of them, so they can deal with it. Your father, on the other hand … I do care what he thinks, even though I’d wholeheartedly disagree with him if he had an issue with me being here,” she explains, sending me a soft smile.

  “I don’t want you to get in trouble for me. I appreciate it so much that you’re helping me out, but I don’t want to be the reason you get punished. I’ve caused enough issues for our family. There’s no need for more.”

  “You’re my daughter, Olivia. My blood. I will never abandon you, no matter what some code tells me,” she says, grabbing my hand and squeezing it gently. “You don’t have to worry about your mother. I’m as tough as they come.”

  I beam as she kisses my forehead. My mom isn’t lying when she says that. She’s one of the few Hunters who can control four Maulers and have each one be combat-ready with no filler. My father’s the same way.

  I want to come out and tell her about what’s been going on with my brother, but she’s already toeing the line by helping me, and quite frankly, I don’t want to make her more worried than she is now.

  “I’m glad you came out here to visit, Mom. I’ve missed you.” I rest my head on her shoulder before hooking my arm around hers.

  She releases a soft laugh. “I’ve missed you too, obviously.” The heavy sigh that follows has me worried. “I wish I could say my visit was just about me wanting to see you, but it’s not.”

  I push back from her shoulder to catch her somber expression. “Did something happen?”

  “Yes, unfortunately, something did.”

  “Unfortunately?”

  “One of the Elders was found dead this morning.”

  “Oh my God, who was it?”

  “Tobias Young.” The moment that name leaves her mouth, I inwardly gasp. My only lead has been eliminated. “That’s not all. There was a note that said, ‘This was for the Gibbons family.’”

  “Tara’s family?” I ask and my mother nods. “What? How did it happen?”

  “No
one knows for sure. One of the other Elders found him in his office. There were two arrows lodged in his chest, and both had the Witch Hunter insignia on them.”

  The first thought that comes to mind was what happened last night. Maybe this has something to do with that. There are too many coincidences happening for this to not all be linked somehow.

  “Did you not know he was the one who ordered the hit on Tara’s father?”

  “No.”

  “Olivia, there are rumblings within the Guild that you may be responsible for this. I didn’t believe it for a second—”

  “Is that why you came to see me? Because you wanted to make sure I didn’t do this?” I ask, interrupting her.

  “No, I came to warn you that the Guild is this close,” she says, demonstrating with her index finger and thumb, “to sending out a search party to capture you and bring you in for questioning. They all know your reasons for leaving, and that only implicates you more in their eyes.”

  “I didn’t do it, Mom.”

  “I know you didn’t, Olive. That’s why I’m here.”

  I alight from the bed and begin to pace. “What do Dad and Malcolm think?”

  “That doesn’t matter right now—”

  “What do you mean? Of course it matters. Do my own father and brother believe I could do something like this?” I interject with a certain harshness in my voice.

  “Your father has his trademark emotional wall up, and he’s being stubborn about this. And I haven’t seen or talked with your brother in more than a week,” she replies while standing up to be on my level. She takes hold of my arms, bringing me to a stop. “I need you to go to the Dark Ink parlor and have a masking spell cast on you. At least until your name is cleared.”

  “Mom, you’re not going to do anything. This is my problem,” I say, trying to control the volume of my voice.

  “Any problem you have is my problem too,” she replies with a troubled smile. “Promise me you’ll get that spell.” She digs in her purse and pulls out a roll of money held together by a rubber band. “Here, this should be enough to cover the cost.”

  “I can’t accept this—”

  “This isn’t up for discussion, young lady. You’re my number-one priority, Olive, and there’s nothing I won’t do to keep you safe,” she says, grabbing my hand and shoving the wad of cash into my palm. “I’d love to stay, but I need to get going before your father wonders why I’ve been gone for so long. I wish this visit could’ve been under better circumstances, but it was wonderful seeing you. I love you so much.” My mom gives me a kiss on the cheek and one last embrace before she goes to leave.

  “I love you too. Be careful, please,” I say as she opens the door.

  She looks over her shoulder back at me with a worried smile. “Please go to the Dark Ink parlor.”

  I nod before she heads out and closes the door behind her. Mass confusion fills my mind now that I’m alone with my thoughts. I’m torn on what my next move should be. The only two things I’m sure of at this very moment are that I need to track down who killed Tobias, and I have to find out what really happened at the party last night.

  Third time’s a charm, I muse, sitting in my car outside of the Dark Ink parlor and listening to Scarlet’s engine purr.

  This is the third time I’ve been here today, and I’m still on the fence about the masking spell my mom was so insistent on me having done. To be honest, that’s not the only reason I’m still in my car and haven’t gotten out yet. The last interaction I had with Heath was confusing at best, and I don’t know if I’m ready to face him again so soon. Why is life like this? It seems the things you want to avoid most, life keeps thrusting them back into your face.

  Just as I’m about to step out of the car, my cell phone buzzes in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see it’s Tara calling. She’s probably back at the dorm room wondering why I’m not there.

  “Hey, Tara, what’s up?” I ask, after answering the phone.

  “Where the heck are you?”

  “I had to run an errand,” I reply, feeling a little bad that I’m not being upfront with her.

  “Oh? So does this errand happen to have arms sleeved in tattoos and washboard abs?”

  Her laughter through the phone almost causes me to snicker too. For a moment, I almost forget I’m supposed to be worried and upset about what’s happening. Talking to Tara does this to me. It’s one of the many reasons she’s my best friend. No matter how crazy life seems to get, she’s always Tara.

  “No,” I lie. “I shouldn’t be long though.”

  “Uh-huh.” She sounds unconvinced. “Well, hurry your butt back here because we need to discuss plan Infiltrate Alpha Nu Gamma. Oh, and don’t forget you have that Gateways class today. You told me to remind you, and you really can’t miss it again.”

  “Oh, yeah, that damn class. Thanks,” I reply, and then hang up after she says her hurried goodbye.

  “Back so soon, Liv?” I’m startled by the male voice coming through my cracked-open driver’s side window. I must’ve been so focused on the conversation I was having with Tara that I didn’t even notice Heath was standing right outside my car door, peering in.

  “Thanks a lot for that,” I say, trying to calm my nerves.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” His soft laugh makes me smile inwardly. I hear the door click as Heath pulls it open and waits for me to get out. When I hesitate, he extends his hand out for mine and I humor him by taking hold of it in order to allow him to help me from the vehicle. “Just couldn’t stay away from this place, huh?”

  “As much as it pains me to say this, I think I need your help. Can we talk somewhere private?” I ask, and can tell he wants to send me a smug grin and say, “I told you so.”

  “Yeah, I think I can arrange that,” he replies, closing Scarlet’s door before heading back toward the parlor. “You comin’?”

  I nod before following him inside. The parlor’s probably the busiest I’ve ever seen it. Almost every tattoo chair has someone sitting in it with an artist attending to them. Heath whistles loudly, getting everyone’s attention. The humming melody of the tattoo guns comes to an abrupt stop.

  “Dark Ink is closing up shop for the day, people. If you’re in the middle of a tattoo, your artist will finish tomorrow,” Heath announces. There’s some vocal resistance, but he continues, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but there’s an emergency I need to take care of. You’ll each receive a fifty-percent discount on your tattoo for your cooperation. Thanks.” The moment he mentions the discount, everyone pretty much shuts up and starts heading out after being cleaned.

  “You really don’t have to do this for me,” I mention.

  “I know, but I want to,” he replies.

  It only takes a few minutes for the place to empty out, leaving us as the last two there. I’m floored by the fact that Heath closed his shop when business was booming and took a hit monetarily for me. I wonder what his dad will think of this little stunt of his.

  Heath closes all the blinds at the front of the shop and returns back to where I’m standing. “Private enough for you?” he asks.

  “Yeah, but we could’ve talked in my car or something. You didn’t have to make everyone leave.”

  “Yeah, I kind of did.”

  “Thank you,” I say, which causes a grin to form on his lips.

  “So, what did you want to talk about?”

  I try to compile everything I want to say, but I don’t even know where to begin. So much has happened in the past few hours that my head’s still spinning from it all. Who could be doing all of this?

  I take a deep breath before I begin explaining why I’m here. “Remember the Elder I told you about that Jack mentioned?” Heath nods, folding his arms in front of his chest while relaxing into one of the tattoo chairs. I guess he senses this might take a while, so he might as well get comfortable. “Well, when I went to the Alpha Nu Gamma house today, the housemother told me Tobias Young had a tie to Angelica t
hrough her mom. So that means two people who have no connection to each other gave me the same name.” I pause, making sure I’m going through all the details right since this is the first time I’ve talked about this. “When I got back to my dorm room after dropping you off, my mom was waiting for me there and told me Tobias was found dead this morning.”

  His face registers surprise. “Holy shit. This kind of blew up quick, huh?” he comments, and though he’s right, it isn’t helping my mental well-being.

  “Yeah, you could say that. But there’s more. A note was found on Tobias’s desk that said he was killed to avenge what happened to Tara and her family.”

  Heath sits up and focuses on me. “What? Did he have something to do with that?”

  “Apparently he ordered the hit on Tara’s father. And now I guess the Guild thinks I had something to do with his death because of why I left.”

  “Why would they think that? Do they really believe you’d kill an Elder?”

  I can’t believe I’m about to say this. “I was the one who told the Guild about Tara’s dad.” Saying it out loud is relieving, but at the same time, it feels like a dagger to the heart. All I’m met with is Heath’s shocked face, and to say it’s not making me feel good is putting it lightly. “I thought I was helping Tara by reporting him for misuse of magic. I found evidence he was dealing with dark witches, and I thought he was putting Tara in danger. I couldn’t just sit idly by while that happened. I had no idea my words would cause my entire world to fall apart like it did, nor did I know a hit would be ordered on Tara’s father. I thought they’d arrest him or something, but that so was not the case. It was all my fault, and now I’ve become an easy target to blame Tobias’s death on.”

  Heath doesn’t say a word; he just combs his hand through his hair and rubs the back of his neck while gazing at me with uncertainty. He begins to say something, but then stops himself, clearly trying to absorb everything I dumped on him.

  “I think … no, I know I need your help. I’ve got no one else to turn to,” I say.