“What the hell happened?” Rainer’s voice sounded far off as it echoed through my mind.
“It looks like a spell,” Joey explained. “Someone took Julia.”
“I see,” Rainer replied.
A hand made contact with my forehead just before current rushed through my body. I hissed in pain as my limbs tingled and the fog cleared from my brain.
“We have to get to Julia,” I said, jumping to my feet.
“The little witch with the crazy green eyes said she’d be here,” Joey told me as he waved a paper at me. “She took all those animals with her.”
“Damn,” I muttered. “We’d better get out there quickly. Thanks for helping out,” I told Rainer. “What exactly are you doing here?”
“When I saw Melina earlier today, she mentioned Jezebel being here. I’d hoped to run into Evangalina,” he admitted sheepishly.
“Do you have time to give us a hand?” I asked.
“Of course,” he agreed.
“I’ll get some other werewolves to meet us there,” Joey told us as he pulled out his phone.
“Good thinking. I’ll see if I can get the police to send someone out there,” I added.
“I’ll drive,” Rainer stated before adding, “I have Lucifer’s SUV. We’ll be less likely to get pulled over, and we won’t need to wait in line at any transit portals, should we need to use one.”
“Good idea,” I agreed. It wasn’t until I stepped into the elevator that I realized something was wrong. This elevator had black walls and a white sofa. It was also twice the size of the elevator at Bliss. “Where the hell are we?”
Rainer chuckled. “It’s interesting you should phrase it that way. We’re in Lucifer’s personal elevator.”
“What the fuck?” Joey asked.
“He’s a good friend,” Rainer explained. “If he didn’t have plans with his daughter today, I’m certain I could convince him to help us.”
“You are a scary mother fucker,” Joey said with a grin.
“Yes,” Rainer agreed solemnly. “I’m afraid that’s always been the case.”
“Hopefully, that will help us save Julia,” I muttered when the elevator opened into the parking garage. I was a little disappointed to find Rainer hadn’t parked somewhere more interesting.
We’d barely taken three steps when Rainer stopped and cursed.
“What’s wrong?” Joey asked.
“Someone stole Lucifer’s car,” Rainer explained. “Who the fuck would be stupid enough to steal the devil’s car?”
“You didn’t leave the keys in it, did you?” Joey asked.
Rainer glared at him. “I always leave the keys in the ignition. Humans can’t drive it, and no one in the preternatural community is crazy enough to steal from Lucifer.”
“Apparently, you’re wrong,” Joey said under his breath.
“We’ll worry about who took it later,” I interjected. “It looks like I’m driving.”
Chapter 79
Julia
Fear coursed through my body when I finally regained consciousness, but I tried to control it. I needed to assess the situation and find a way out of this mess. Before opening my eyes, I tried to reach out with my magic, only to realize it didn’t work. The room was warded. This was bad. Like most witches, I’d never learned to defend myself without magic.
“I know you’re awake,” Desmond crooned from close by.
Forcing my eyes open, I glared at him. Desmond laughed at my anger before moving across the room to retrieve a knife from the table.
I struggled to get to my feet, but I was still too groggy from the sedation spell. Looking to my side, I found Tatiana tied to a chair.
“Let her go, Desmond!” Tatiana shouted at him.
Candara moved into my line of vision and stalked toward Tatiana. “Shut up, you stupid bitch!” she shouted before slapping Tatiana.
“That’s enough, Katya,” Desmond warned quietly. “I’d hate to be forced to punish you again.”
Candara looked caught between anger and fear. “Why are you helping him, Candara?” I asked.
“Candara is dead,” Desmond told me with a laugh. “Katya is merely mimicking her. We were concerned your wolf would pick up on her lack of scent before we could use the sedation spell. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused me?” he asked as he prowled toward me.
“Sorry for not just letting you kill me,” I replied in a dry tone.
“You will be sorry,” he hissed. “When you voiced your suspicions about me posing as one of the police detectives, you created a lot of problems in the department. Everyone was under suspicion. Everyone except the lowly crime scene techs, that is. No one even looked at me since I was posing as Edgar. They were too busy focusing on the detectives.”
I said nothing.
“You really frustrated me, Julia,” he crooned as he moved closer. “Because of you, it will be much harder to return to my old life with Tatiana by my side.”
When Tatiana whimpered, I remembered she’d been with him earlier that day.
“Why did you go to my office with him today?” I asked Tatiana.
“I didn’t,” Tatiana said with a sniffle. “It was the shade.” On those words, Tatiana hissed and her eyes rolled back in her head. She thrashed in her bonds.
“What’s going on?” I asked in a slurred voice.
Tatiana laughed and grinned at me before turning to Desmond. “Untie me, Des.”
When I looked over at Desmond, I noticed Candara was gone.
“Not yet,” he replied in a bored tone. “I like you tied up, Katya. In fact, I think I’ll fuck you just like that after I play with Julia a bit. How does that sound, Julia?” He squatted in front of me. “Would you like to watch me fuck Katya after we have little fun?”
“You are a sick bastard,” I accused.
Desmond snickered as he reached forward to grip my hair tightly. “I am going to enjoy hearing you beg for death.”
Chapter 80
Oliver
If I wasn’t so worried about Julia, I might have been really excited about riding in Lucifer’s car. Not only did we get to go really fast, I didn’t have to ride in my carrier. Beatrice had gone over her plan on the drive. It was simple. Beatrice would get us into the house, and then we’d distract the man who wanted to hurt my witch until the others arrived. She was sure Joey would send help.
“Don’t get too close to Desmond,” Beatrice warned us again, as we walked up to the front door.
“We understand,” Jezebel told her with an impatient sigh. “We’ll keep him distracted until Rainer comes to rescue me.”
“You’re not the only one in danger,” Mr. Whiskers reminded her.
“I’m the one Rainer will rescue,” Jezebel purred in response.
“We don’t even know Rainer will come,” Sam argued.
“I’m in danger,” Jezebel insisted. “Naturally, he’ll come.”
“Is she always like this?” Beatrice asked me.
“No,” Sam replied for me. “Usually, Jezi is much more self-absorbed.”
Jezi hissed it Sam.
“Everyone, keep quiet,” Beatrice told us as she turned the knob on the front door. Just as she’d expected, it was unlocked. She’d said only people who knew where to find the house could see it, so Desmond wouldn’t keep the door locked. According to Beatrice, he wouldn’t consider her a possible threat.
When we burst into the room, we found it empty, and my heart sank. “Julia isn’t here,” I said sadly.
“She is,” Beatrice whispered. “There’s a door along that back wall. Des must have put a spell on the wall.”
“Then how will we find the door?” I asked.
“Don’t worry. I know where the door is,” Beatrice assured us. “I’ve been here plenty of times. It’s just been awhile.”
We followed her across the room until she reached out to the wall. When she opened the door, the illusion was broken. We all raced into the room to save Julia.
I really hoped Gryph got here soon to help save my witch.
Chapter 81
Julia
Adrenaline helped push away some of the effects of the sedation spell. With Desmond waving a knife around and threatening me, I was coming around quickly. I’d decided to keep that to myself. The last thing I wanted was for Desmond to decide he needed to tie me up. While I hoped Gryph would find me, I wasn’t sure he’d be able to track me down. I needed to be ready to defend myself.
“You should thank me for sparing your werewolf,” he told me. “I could have killed him to punish you.”
“I never told Tatiana you weren’t compatible,” I stated. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it? You think I told Tatiana to leave you.”
“Is this where you try to deny your guilt?” he asked with a laugh. “Are you going to try to convince me you don’t deserve to die?”
Before I could answer, the door to the room burst open. Desmond jumped to his feet, spinning to face the intruders. I blinked twice, wondering if I was seeing things. It wasn’t until Mr. Whiskers dropped the enchanted bunny slippers on the floor that I accepted the reality of what was happening. The cavalry had arrived in the form of Beatrice, four familiars, and two hissing bunny slippers. Mr. Whiskers looked disappointed when the dampening spell in the room caused the slippers to lose their animation, but it had still been a very dramatic entrance.
“Well, well, well,” Desmond taunted as he moved toward Beatrice. “My deceitful bitch of a sister has finally decided to show up, and you brought a petting zoo.”
“You’ll never get away with this, Desmond,” Beatrice called out.
“Try something a little less cliché,” he drawled.
While Desmond was distracted, I moved quickly, lunging toward him and knocking him off his feet. I did my best to move back, but he caught my legs and slashed my thigh.
“Stupid bitch!” he roared, raising the knife to stab me.
Oliver leapt onto his back and sank his teeth into Desmond’s shoulder. At the same time, Mr. Whiskers caught Desmond’s wrist in his powerful beak, causing Desmond to drop the knife and scream. Before I could reach the knife, a blonde woman, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, snatched it up and tried to stab me. She had to be Katya in a different form.
With an angry roar, Beatrice lunged at her, knocking Katya to the ground. The shade shrieked and slashed at Beatrice with the knife. Jezebel flew through the air and sank her teeth and her front claws into Katya’s arm. The shade screeched and waved her arm around wildly but refused to drop the knife. She continued to struggle with Beatrice as I backed away from Desmond and tried to get to my feet to help with the fight.
Desmond managed to free himself from Mr. Whiskers when he hit the condor in the neck. The poor bird stumbled back.
Oliver continued to growl but lost his hold when Desmond got to his feet. Sam launched himself at Desmond but fell to the ground when Desmond kicked him.
“Stupid fucking animals,” Desmond snarled as he stalked toward me.
Still fighting the effects of the sedation spell, I took a clumsy swing at Desmond and lost my balance, collapsing to my knees.
Just when I was beginning to wonder if we had any chance of surviving, I heard the low rumbling growl of a wolf. Not just any wolf. My wolf had arrived.
Chapter 82
Gryph
Since I couldn’t save Julia if I was fighting my wolf for control, I shifted before entering the house. Joey had joined me in wolf form. I was certain we were an intimidating sight, two enormous wolves and a silver-eyed half-demon racing into the room.
When I saw Julia hit the ground, I growled. Blood pooled from her thigh. Someone had cut my mate. Rainer immediately headed toward Beatrice, who was wrestling with a blonde woman while doing her best to avoid getting stabbed. I wasn’t sure if Rainer was rescuing Beatrice or Jezebel, who was clinging to the arm of the woman holding the knife.
I decided to focus on killing Desmond LaCroix. My wolf would accept no less than his death after he’d threatened the life of our mate. As I moved toward him, Desmond pulled a gun from behind his back and fired. Joey dove in front of me to intercept the bullet. A bullet wouldn’t kill either of us, but it would slow us down. I’d thank Joey later for giving me time to deal with this threat to my mate.
Julia’s movements were sluggish as she dove for Desmond’s legs. “Don’t even think about shooting him!” she shouted. Her move was enough to make Desmond tumble to the ground.
The gun went flying, giving me time to lunge on top of Desmond. He screamed when my jaws began to close around his throat.
“Back down, wolf,” Rainer said from close by. “We’ve won. He’ll be dealt with.”
My wolf growled. We could smell LaCroix’s fear. Death was what he deserved. He’d harmed our mate, and he had to die. My jaw tightened on his throat, and the bastard cried out when my teeth broke skin.
“Gryph.” Rainer spoke my name with quiet command. “Don’t do this in front of Julia. She’s been through enough today. Don’t make her watch you kill a man. I give you my word he’ll pay for what he’s done.”
My growl was louder this time. My wolf wouldn’t allow Rainer to protect our mate. This was our job.
“Please, Gryph.” Julia’s soft voice cut through the haze of my killing rage. “I need help.”
My wolf, sensing our mate’s need, reluctantly backed away from the surface. Rainer was right. I couldn’t kill Desmond in front of Julia. Releasing his throat, I changed to human form and punched Desmond in the jaw when he tried to sit up. The twisted fuck lost consciousness when his head hit the ground.
I immediately crawled to Julia, who was struggling to stay on her knees. “Are you okay, Sass?” I asked as I knelt beside her and pulled her onto my lap.
She nodded and gave me a weak smile. “I’m bleeding,” she remarked.
“You’re safe now,” I told her. “You’re safe.”
“Let’s get everyone loaded in Lucifer’s SUV so I can drive to the witch hospital,” Rainer suggested after freeing Tatiana’s hands.
“Someone needs to stay until the police arrive to deal with LaCroix,” I argued. I’d been about to mention the woman Beatrice had been fighting, but when I looked over, I found only a pile of ash where she’d been. I probably didn’t want to know what Rainer had done to her.
“Thank you for not killing him in front of me,” Julia said in a weak voice. “I wanted him to die, but I’m not sure I could handle any more violence today.”
“I know, baby,” I murmured.
Joey had also shifted back. Despite the bullet wound, he seemed to be moving fine as he bound Desmond’s hands. “We should just kill this asshole after the witches are out of the room. You can’t rehabilitate scum like this.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Rainer assured us. “I’m sure I can find a nice place for him in Hell.”
“That’s probably too good for him,” Beatrice grumbled.
“Just be glad I’m not planning to tell Lucifer you stole his SUV,” Rainer added as he lifted Desmond over his shoulder and carried him out of the room.
I shook my head, certain I’d laugh about the little witch stealing the devil’s car later. For now, I just wanted to get my mate to a doctor.
Chapter 83
Rainer
It was surprisingly refreshing to play for the good guys. My role in rescuing Gryph’s mate would likely impress Evangalina, though I doubted she’d be nearly as impressed with how I planned to deal with the vermin tied up in the back of the SUV.
My thoughts drifted to my problem with Evangalina. I’d allowed this to go on far too long. I’d been much too patient with the stubborn witch. She was mine, and it was long past time to prove that to her. Sadly, that would have to wait until after I helped Lucifer find the right woman. I let out a frustrated sigh. That wasn’t going to be an easy task.
A moan from the back alerted me that LaCroix was regaining consciousness.
“Are
you comfortable back there?” I called out cheerfully.
“Where am I?” the warlock asked, sounding much calmer than most would if they found themselves bound and on the floor of a strange SUV.
“One of Lucifer’s vehicles,” I replied. There were several beats of silence while I waited for my words to sink in. When they finally did, I was somewhat disappointed with the reaction I got.
“I’m not dead,” he told me.
I chuckled. “That is wonderful news, isn’t it? This will make it so much easier for you to appreciate the horrors you’re about to face. As I understand it, you’ve enjoyed inflicting unspeakable horrors on others. It seems only fair you get to experience them yourself.”
There was another beat of silence. “I’m not a demon, so Lucifer has no claim on me,” he argued, the first trace of fear obvious in his voice.
I was always amused by the stupidity of witches and warlocks when it came to this sort of thing. They all believed the rules created by the Council of Witches protected them. I grinned because it only made it more enjoyable when they realized how mistaken they were.
“Tell me, little warlock,” I began. “Do you really believe Lucifer feels obligated to follow your witch rules? Especially when dealing with a warlock who had the audacity to steal his SUV?”
“I never stole anything from Lucifer!” he shouted.
Excitement coursed through my body as the little bastard finally realized the danger he was in. “It really doesn’t matter. I’ve already told him you stole it. Who do you think he’ll trust? I’m one of his closest friends, so I’m pretty sure nothing you say will matter.” As we exited the transport tube that let out into the section of Hell I’d selected for this little bastard, I grinned. “I’ve picked out a special place for you. You like fire, right?”
I chuckled as the bastard’s screams filled the SUV. This was going to be fun.
Seductively Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 3) Page 29
