“Devon, don’t antagonise him,” Gerard called.
There must have been a witch somewhere close by if the fire was anything to go by. Shapeshifters couldn’t perform spells. Which meant that he was probably a distraction. Great, and I had left the girl on her own.
Twisting my hand, I formed a ball of my own magical flames in my palm. Crouching back on his hind legs, the tiger pounced towards me, roaring as it flew through the air. Ducking and rolling, I went straight through the fire in front of me, drawing him away from Gerard and nearer the entrance of the station.
My teeth clenched together as I patted myself down, barely touched by the flames because I had my own magic. Sometimes being a warlock protected me from a lot of things. Maybe that was another reason I wasn’t ready to give up the leadership of the warlocks.
“Gerard, you need to go and check on the girl,” I shouted as the tiger turned back towards me.
Throwing the ball of magic, I fist pumped the air when it crashed into his shoulder. He moaned a feline sound and charged for me.
Swallowing, I ran towards him and jumped high in the air. Swiping my dagger out of my jacket, I plunged it down as I came over the top of the shapeshifter. The blade sliced along his side as my movement carried me forward. Damn, it was a very sharp blade.
He growled, the skin on his side ripped open as I landed just behind him. Scrambling to my feet, I backtracked, realising that we were fighting in the fire. My jacket singed, but my skin stayed whole.
“Get back here, now!” Gerard screamed as the tiger stopped and faced me.
Reeling away, I slammed into his protective wall. Ah, crap, my energy was low. That had always been a problem for me when using a lot of power. My forced entry through the shield in the first place had taken a lot out of me.
“Lower it,” I pushed through my teeth. “The shield.”
Glancing across at him, I sucked in my breath. His legs were shaking, his hands shuddering with the pressure of the magic that held him protected. Hopefully the witch we couldn’t see was on my side of the barrier.
“Hurry up,” Gerard shouted. “He’s coming for you.”
The tiger prowled towards me, blood dripping from his side. The shapeshifter would heal once he transformed back into his human form.
Raising my dagger, I was about to throw it when the tiger stilled, his head swinging to look behind him. Squinting to look through the fire, I spotted a swift movement of someone in a long black cape. Ah, the witch.
My feet planted solid on the ground as I waited for her to approach, but she didn’t. Instead of coming towards us, she rushed out of the entrance.
My breath heaved out of me as the tiger followed, his footsteps slow as he limped on the side I had slashed open. A trail of his blood left a mark on the floor.
Not taking my eyes off of him in case he decided to surprise me, I put my hands on either side of me, resting them on the shield that was still held by Gerard. Using all my magic, I pushed back as hard as I could, but it wouldn’t come. The witches magic was there, but extremely weak.
As the tiger disappeared out of the station, the fire puttered out. They were gone.
The barrier that had protected the girl dropped, and I fell backwards, landing on my arse. Thanks, Gerard.
He knelt down as he scooped me into his arms and ran back into the office with the broken windows. Putting me on my feet, he swiped his hand in the air, muttering another barrier spell. This time he sealed the entrance into the office.
Checking that I wasn’t hurt, I tucked my dagger into my jacket and turned to leave. A hand wrapped around my arm, forcing me to stop.
“You could’ve been killed. Why did you go out there?”
His fierce tone made me look up at him. The red of his cheeks warned me that his temper was only just under control. I understood. If he had done what I did, I would’ve been angry, too.
“I’m sorry, I…” I had no explanation.
Something had made me want to capture those that were threatening the witches. And, after seeing the victim and how broken she was, I wanted to make them pay. But, it hadn’t worked.
“You…” His breathing was ragged as he clenched his fists and stared down at me. “Go and see to the girl. I’ll get the shapeshifter’s blood.”
Turning without saying anything else, he marched through his spell and back into the station. Being annoyed at him would be pointless, he hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, he’d protected the one person I was trying to help.
Going out of the room, I went straight to the other office where I’d left her. Trying to open the door, I almost laughed when I felt her pushing it closed on the other side.
“No, go away!” she shouted.
“It’s me,” I called back, trying to keep my voice soft. “Devon.”
The door flew open as she let go of the other side. Stumbling forward, I almost fell on my face, but her arms were there to catch me.
“Oh, I’m so glad it’s you.” Her whole frame was shaking uncontrollably.
Patting her back, I gently stepped out of our awkward embrace. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to comfort her, it was just… I wasn’t used to being caught by someone when I fell. And, that was twice in two minutes that someone had picked me up when I was down. It was an unusual feeling. One that I didn’t want to get used to.
Standing straight, I ran my fingers through my hair and faced our victim. “What’s your name?”
Her body shrunk in as she cuddled herself with her thin dirty arms. When Gerard came into the hallway and called for me, she backed up against the wall.
“It’s okay, that’s my partner,” I reassured her before I shouted to him.
He rushed in, slowing when he saw how petrified our new friend was. His muscular frame, tattoos, and good looks… well, kind of good looks considering he had a scowl on his face, would be intimidating to a lot of people. Let along someone who had obviously suffered.
“My name is Lilia,” she muttered.
Stepping towards her with my arm extended, I offered my hand. “I’m Devon. We’d like to take you back to the agency now. Remember that food I promised you?”
Licking her lips, she glanced at Gerard before nodding at me. Her hand unclenched from her side, but she didn’t reach for me. I had to go to her. Okay, so this was all new to me, but I could do it. Keeping my gaze on her so she didn’t spook, I took two steps and planted myself in front of her. She jumped, her small eyes shutting tightly.
“It’s okay, it will only take a moment. We need to get out of here in case they come back.”
Her hand gripped mine as I spoke. She was more scared of the people who were attacking than she was of me. That was handy. I didn’t know how much Mrs Nice Girl I could play.
Whispering a transportation spell, I froze when the magic bubbled inside me, but we didn’t go anywhere.
“Let me.” Gerard strode across the room, took my hand and quickly transported us to the library in the agency building.
The girl stepped away from me as soon as we had landed, a look of confusion on her face. If she didn’t think I was a witch before, she would be doubting me even more now.
“I…” I didn’t have an answer as to why I couldn’t perform my witch magic.
My body started to shake as Justina and Kurt came into the room. Lilia slunk down onto a chair, curling herself into a ball and ducking her head into her lap.
“What happened? We’ve just got back from the meeting and been told…” Kurt’s voice dropped off when Justina’s hand landed on his wide chest.
Indicating the victim, she put a finger to her mouth. Looking at Gerard, she nodded for him to take Kurt out of the room. He scowled in my direction before he did as he was told, his heavy boots thumping against the wooden floor.
Why was he throwing me that look? I hadn’t done anything to him. In fact, I had maimed the tiger, obviously chasing the attackers away. He should be thanking me.
“This is Lilia,” I said to
my boss. “Lilia, this is Justina. She’s the head of the Hunted Witch Agency.”
Trying to keep my energy calm, I went over and sunk to my knees in front of the chair. Her body was still shivering, her hair hanging over her lap, covering her face entirely. She sniffed as she slowly lifted her head to look at me, her eyes clouded by tears.
“Thank you for helping me get away from them,” she whispered.
Justina came to sit beside me, her long thin legs crossing as if she were a child, waiting for story time. A smile came to her lips. Her energy must have calmed Lilia as she physical dropped her shoulders and untucked her arms. The dirt on them made her cringe again.
“She needs some food and a bath,” I said, patting her gently on the hand.
She jumped, but smiled at the same time. It would take a long time for her to get comfortable and self-assured. If I had anything to do with it, I would make sure she was treated properly until she was fit and healthy.
“Lilia, I was kidnapped once, so I know how you feel.” Justina’s smooth voice made Lilia sit up straighter.
“You were? I… I can’t remember what they did to me. I don’t know how long I’ve been gone.” Her voice rose in pitch as she went to get up.
Putting a hand on her knee, I stopped her from moving. The mucky hem of her dress brushed against my arm. I almost winced but managed to hold it back before it fully formed.
“It’s okay. You’ve probably had a memory spell placed on you. It’s common.”
Taking Lilia’s hand, Justina looked straight into her eyes. “Is there anything you can remember at all?”
Lilia’s bottom lip sucked into her mouth as she thought, her eyes trailing around the room. She was traumatised, which meant her memories might be unreliable. However, any information she could give us would be paramount to the capture of her own captors.
“Yes,” she said suddenly, her eyes stretching open. “They hate the warlocks. They…they want to wipe them out.”
Chapter Eight
“Kingsley,” I muttered as he snuggled into my neck. “This is my first weekend off since I’ve started work, and I’m bored. It’s been two days since I’ve seen anyone. Gerard hasn’t even bothered to check how I’m doing.”
My rat put his nose on my chin, sniffing to see if I’d eaten anything yummy recently. “Yeah, I agree, he’s rude. He should be checking in on-”
The bang on the door made me jump. Ah, that was my partner’s knock. Trying not to appear too eager, I slowly got up, my body going into slow motion. If I answered too quickly, he might think I was keen. When I wasn’t. Not after the way he had treated me the last time I had seen him in the office at the agency.
“Hurry up, Devon, I need a pee,” he called.
Ugh. So, he only wanted to use my bathroom. Well, maybe I should tell him that it was blocked. No, that wouldn’t look good on me. In fact, that would backfire immediately. I didn’t want Delicious Mac-grumpy to think I had that kind of bowel movements, thank you very much.
“Coming…” I called, counting two seconds between each step.
The door was about five steps from where I had been sitting on the sofa. It wasn’t nearly enough. About to swerve to go via the kitchen, I stopped when I heard him swear under his breath. Okay, maybe I was being a little cruel.
Throwing open the door, I leant on it, looking past him into the hallway. “I’m sorry, you can only use the toilet if you order something.”
Gerard’s eyebrows rose as he reached forward and stroked Kingsley’s head, his finger brushing my chin in the process. Goose bumps exploded all over my skin as he wrenched his hand away, pushing it through his mousy hair. Hair that was stuck in all different directions today. That was unlike him. It was usually gelled to look messy without actually being messy. The longer bit on top, anyway.
“How’s Lilia?” Might as well make conversation.
“She’s fine, please…let me in.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I made no move to allow him entrance into the house. This was fun.
Clicking his finger, Gerard narrowed his eyes on me. All the electronics in my little apartment burst into noise, causing me to shove my fingers in my ears.
“Okay, okay, go to the bloody toilet!” I shouted over the racket.
A small grin came to his face as he stepped inside and went straight into the bathroom. It wasn’t like him to show a human weakness. His body was just like a human’s, his magic couldn’t stop him from needing to pee. Yet, he had never shown me any normalness.
“Can you stop the spell now?” I called through the door. “It’s bursting my…”
My words echoed when the sounds stopped, leaving it silent in the room. A chuckle came from the bathroom as my loud words faded away.
“No need to shout,” Gerard called back.
“Alright, alright, laugh it up.”
Going over to the sofa, I plonked down, rubbing my jaw against Kingsley’s head as he started to doze off. My little pal was my only friend.
Coming into the living area, Gerard looked calm and composed. Sliding his grey jacket off, he hung it over his shoulder. The temperature was warmer than usual today, but it totally soared as he bent to straighten the bottom of his jeans. His vest top showed his bare arms, the muscles rippling as he tugged on his leather ankle boots.
“Have you missed me?” I asked, my gaze shooting away from admiring his frame as he stood upright.
Folding his arms over his chest, he watched me as I fiddled with the first thing that came to hand. A pack of tarot cards that my mother had always used.
“Do a reading.” His tone was relaxed, but his shoulders were stiff.
Frowning, I looked down as I unconsciously shuffled. It was something I did when I was feeling frazzled. A habit.
“I don’t read them, they’re my mothers. Or…were.”
His tongue swiped across his full bottom lip. Ah, why did he have to be so handsome? How could I refuse him?
“Your mother’s no longer here?” His question sliced into my heart unexpectedly.
Wow, where did the sudden emotion come from? One moment I was perving over my work partner, and the next, I was fighting the urge to cry like a baby. A really, really, unhappy baby.
Shaking my head instead of answering, I tucked my chin towards Kingsley even more. He was nudging my jaw, feeling the emotion that had erupted inside me.
“I’m sorry,” Gerard said, clearing his throat. “I didn’t realise.”
“It’s okay,” I said after a moment of silence. “My father’s gone, too. They disappeared in the middle of the night. I woke up, alone, when I was ten. But, you don’t need to know that.”
The shuffling had increased, cards dropping out of the pack as I kept my gaze on them. I couldn’t look up at him. If I did, something inside me might have broken. And, that could never happen.
“Did you ever find them?” His probing made me sigh.
Finally lifting my head to look at him, I swallowed hard. His gaze was soft, the hard line of his jaw relaxed. He wasn’t pitying me, but he was…gentle. For the first time ever.
Biting my lip, I closed my eyes to push down a different wave of grief. “No. My dad’s best friend, Isaac Senior…”
“The one you killed?”
The cards dropped into my lap as my hands started to shake. Facing myself after weeks of shoving it away made it hard to keep control. Why was Gerard even here?
And yet, I couldn’t stop talking about it. Something about the way he relaxed against the wall made me want to tell him everything. It was as if he wasn’t going anywhere. Which was a crazy thought.
“Yes, I killed him when I was possessed by a Dark Crawler. It made me do it.”
My confession made Gerard push away from where he’d leant and come over. Lowering himself at the other end of the sofa, he crossed his legs at the ankle and gestured towards the cards. He still wanted me to pull a card, even after my confession?
“Isaac said that my parents wer
e involved in something that I would never understand. He said that they would more than likely be dead. I believe they are.” Picking up the tarot cards one by one, I started to shuffle them again. “What do you want to ask?”
“I want to know how well our visit will go.” His gaze connected with mine as heat rushed through my body.
Our visit? Had he planned for something to happen with his visit here tonight? It was Sunday evening, and I was dressed in black jogging bottoms and an off the shoulder T-shirt that read Yes, I’m a witch. No, I won’t put a spell on you, because you’re NOT mine.
“Well, I…I’m shocked that you would… I don’t…”
My mouth must have been hanging open because he reached over and nudged my jaw with his hand. That was the second time he had touched me. What was he really planning?
“I’m sorry to disappoint you. I suppose I should’ve told you this before I asked but… Kurt has requested that we pop over to see your warlock friends and let them know that they’re in danger from the rogue witches.”
If my cheeks could go any redder than they blossomed, I would be in hell, the flames reflecting off of them. Oh shit. He hadn’t been suggesting that his visit to see me would turn out a certain way. What an idiot I was to totally misread him.
“Oh…” Clearing my throat, I stroked Kingsley for comfort, but instead of staying still, he trotted down my shoulder and jumped onto Gerard’s knee. Traitor!
As my pet rat moved up his arm, Gerard smiled down at him. “Hey, fella.”
Clenching my jaw, I shuffled the cards and picked out three, laying them face up on the arm of the sofa beside me.
“Five of Wands, Nine of Wands and the Tower. Great. So…” I said, turning back to Gerard. “…that means that there’s going to be a battle where everyone will want to be heard. And, then, we have to persevere with them. They have to know that something is coming for them. And…after that… Well, the shit will hit the fan.”
Kingsley was now nestled against Gerard’s neck, probably intoxicated by the manly smell of manliness that always radiated from him. I didn’t know who I was jealous of most. Gerard for stealing my pet, or Kingsley for being able to snuggle so close to that scent.
Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 1-3 (Hunted Witch Agency Set) Page 7
