“We need to get there fast,” Justina announced, glancing at me. “Let’s be calm and smart. Devon, I know this is your first dead body, so…”
“It’s not,” I replied, wishing I could suck back my reply when they all stared at me.
“I meant…with us…” Her smile was kind as she took Kurt’s hand. “So, if you can’t handle it, please feel free to move away from the scene.”
“Don’t be stupid, if she’s going to be an agent, she has to deal with dead bodies. That’s part and parcel of the job.” Kurt stared at me, daring me to disagree.
“I can handle it.”
My insistence must have reassured them because they disappeared into thin air. As Gerard looked at me, his expression soft, I almost panicked. Grabbing his arm as he flashed from the building, I cursed when we landed beside the Thames.
“What…?”
A police helicopter flew overhead, drowning out his question. He would surely know something was up if I had used him for transportation. Warlocks couldn’t transport. Their magic was physical only. But, if I hadn’t managed to grab Gerard, I would still be in the agency building. I had to find out what was going on with my witch magic. I missed it dreadfully.
Justina and Kurt were already talking to the police. My eyes instantly went to the body on the ground. A woman, her short black hair matted and clothes drenched. Her wrists were cut, slit down the whole length of her forearm. My stomach rolled as my gaze traced her pale bloated skin.
“Remember what Kurt said.” Gerard touched my elbow again before going to join the others.
Did that mean I wasn’t a fully-fledged agent yet? Surely, I should be listening in to what the policeman had to say, too.
Sighing to myself, I studied our surroundings. It was a quiet part of the city, the riverbank not easily accessible. A green patch of grass stretched along the river, butting up against a private road that led to a mansion.
A small group of press were gathered further up the way; a police cordon the only thing that kept them away from the body. The police had picked a good spot to drag the body out of the river. Moving her too much would cause disruption to any evidence.
“She’s a witch alright, she has tattoos of a pentagram and a…cat.” Gerard came over to me, his hands in latex gloves.
He couldn’t have done a full examination already. Looking over, I watched as Kurt and Justina bent over the girl and chanted a spell.
“What are they doing?” I asked him.
“They’re checking to see how much magic she has left. They told me to ask you to go and have a little walk to see if anyone near the press is acting suspicious.”
Being dismissed from the immediate vicinity of the dead girl was a blow. Okay, so I had only been an agent for a very short time. I couldn’t expect to be allowed to do whatever I wanted, but… I was keen and ready to learn.
Without saying anything to Gerard, I dragged my feet over towards the journalists. Mostly human, they tried calling out to me as I got closer, asking me questions.
“I don’t know anything,” I called back. “I’m just the getaway driver.”
They frowned, clearly confused by what I had said. Smiling to myself, I studied each of them, checking that nothing was out of the ordinary. Nope. They were all annoying humans.
Swinging my arms as I spun back to the crime scene, I paused when a chill ran down my spine. Someone was watching me. My gaze shifted to the left, away from the river. A tall man was standing under a tree, his back leaning casually against the trunk. He wore black jeans with a dark green hoodie. The hood was pulled right over his face, the only thing showing was the smirk on his face.
This was my chance. He was obviously involved somehow. Pretending to dismiss him as unimportant, I got my phone out of my pocket, stood still and held it up. Switching the camera to reverse, I discreetly moved it until the man behind me was in the picture. Snapping a few photos, I tucked my phone away.
A soft whistle drew my attention in his direction. He was standing away from the tree now, his feet apart and his head dropped forward. What was he doing?
“This man has a death wish, which I’m very happy to grant,” I muttered to myself.
Narrowing my eyes, I whispered an illusion spell to put up an illusionary wall between the press and myself. If they saw me chasing someone there would be a massive inquiry. One we couldn’t afford. The shimmering wall was weak as it appeared, but it was there. Maybe my witch magic was restoring.
When the man’s head slowly rose, his gold eyes became apparent. His expression was one of annoyance. He had to have something to do with the body. Which meant he had to be caught.
Sprinting forward, I pumped my arms by my sides, ready to attack. My dagger was in my jacket, just in case I needed to get him down without magic.
“Devon!” Gerard shouted from behind.
Ignoring him, I kept going, my momentum taking me closer as my breath huffed into my lungs. His arms rose to his sides just before he dropped to all fours. No, it couldn’t be. Throwing his head back, he growled in my direction.
It was the shapeshifter who had attacked us at the station. He was involved with the slave ring, had to be. Which meant the recent find would be a big clue for us.
The man didn’t shift, instead jumping to his feet and spinning away from me, running as fast as he could. I hadn’t been expecting his speed. My little legs started to slow as his super speed took him straight across the road and out of the area. He was gone before I’d even got to the tree.
“Shit!”
Putting my hands on my thighs, I tried to get my breath back. The man’s super speed would be really handy to have as an ability. Maybe I could create a spell that would help me in that department.
“What were you doing?” Gerard snapped as he drew level with me. “Why did you run away?”
Huh? What was he talking about? Looking over at the press, I saw their stunned expressions. They were staring at me as they mumbled between themselves.
“I…” I took a deep breath. “I thought I had hidden myself, but I obviously only hid him.”
Straightening, I almost squealed when Gerard took the top of my arms and backed me against the tree, away from the prying eyes of the press.
“What are you talking about?”
He was watching me, his green gaze firing into my eyes. Squirming against his grip, I tried to look away from him. His mousy hair was still spiked slightly on top, the movement of running not affecting the style. His jacket stretched against his biceps as he held me firm.
“The shapeshifter! I tried to chase him.”
His forehead creased. “There was no one there, Devon.”
His whispered words made me hold back my sarcastic response. He was being very gentle, his fingers now only caging me against the tree, instead of holding tight. Oh great. He thought I was losing it.
“I took pictures. Get my phone out of my pocket.” Biting my lip, I waited to see what his reaction would be.
For some reason, I really didn’t want him to think I was insane. I was snarky at times. I was a little eccentric at times. But, insane? No, I wasn’t quite there yet.
An audible sigh left his mouth, sending his warm minty breath over my face. I closed my eyes, soaking in the smell of him.
“Devon,” he whispered, his hands releasing me instantly. “Don’t do that.”
Opening my eyes slowly, I swallowed hard. He was closer, yet, we no longer touched anywhere. His expression was soft as we gazed at each other.
Someone clearing their throat made us jump apart. My hand went straight into my pocket to dig out my phone as Justina came over.
“What’s going on?” Her tone was sharp, her cheeks a little red.
“Here,” I said to Gerard, showing him the photo I had taken. “I just took this photo of the shapeshifter.” I turned to Justina. “He was just here, but Gerard didn’t see him.”
They gathered around my phone, checking that what I said was the truth. T
he man was there, his smile showing. There was even one with his gold eyes, but the rest of his face wasn’t distinguishable.
“Okay,” Justina said. “Let’s get back to the scene. We’ll check these later.”
Indicating that we follow her, Justina went back over to the body. Taking it slow, we went with her, keeping our distance between each other.
“I’m sorry I doubted you. I couldn’t see anyone there, so when you went running, I assumed you were…well, I’m not sure to be honest.” Gerard kept facing forward as he spoke.
Laughing gently, I tucked my phone away. “It’s okay. I threw up an illusion spell, although it was on the press side, so it’s strange that you saw me and not him.”
My magic hadn’t been as strong as I assumed. Especially as the press had been able to see the confrontation between me and Gerard. I had to speak to someone about what was going on with me. But that would have to wait until later.
A quick look of concern crossed Gerard’s face before he cleared it. Going over to Kurt, he discussed what they had found.
“She’s been drained of her magic. Which is fantastic!” Kurt sounded happy, which was odd.
Justina chuckled softly, shaking her head. “What he really means is that we have a lead. A very big one. When I was kidnapped, they slit my wrist and attached me to someone else. Which means, they were probably trying to drain my magic. This…” Pointing at the girl, Justina frowned. “…this means that we now know why the girls are being taken.”
“So, why would a shapeshifter help witches?” I asked them as they indicated that the policeman could take over.
They had finished their study of the body and the surrounding area. The police came over and placed the girl in a bag. I watched, disconnected, as they zipped her up, hiding her staring vacant eyes. It was a good job I’d perfected the art of detachment.
“Devon? Did you hear me?” Justina’s voice cut through my thoughts.
Blushing, I smiled apologetically as I faced them. All three of them were studying me, probably checking to see if I was handling the body okay. “Sorry.”
“I said that the shapeshifter is either being forced, or has a vested interest in helping the witches. My ex has obviously been doing this for a very long time. Their system has been pretty flawless in the past. Now, we’re either picking up on more, or they’re getting a little sloppy.”
As the body was wheeled away, Kurt dropped to a crouch next to where she had been and sprinkled a mixture of dried herb on the ground. The smell blasted out, a strong perfume of something I didn’t recognise.
“What’s he doing?” I asked Justina as he started to chant.
“Working.” Kurt’s blunt remark went ignored. I was getting used to him by now.
Red circles started to appear on the grass, tainting the green and killing the blades.
Justina looked at me, her gaze searching mine. “He’s looking for evidence. The red circles show him that there’s something out of the ordinary there. He’ll take photos, swipes, and cuttings. He can then study them back at the lab to see if there’s any other DNA that isn’t from the body.”
Impressive. He may be blunt speaking, but he was a clever man with his herbology. I was half tempted to ask him to teach me. Nah, maybe not. I had enough going on with learning the ropes of the job.
“Can I do anything to help?”
Looking around, Justina shook her head. “I think we’re done here. Let’s get back to the lab to start testing.”
Wandering away, Justina had a chat with the policemen. Kurt was swabbing and cutting, his concentration so absorbed in what he was doing, he didn’t even look up once.
“There is something you can do to help,” Gerard whispered into my ear.
Shuddering, I glanced up at him. “And, what’s that?”
Pursing his lips, he raised his eyebrows. “You can tell me what the hell is going on with your magic.”
Chapter Eleven
“How long has this been happening?”
My partner’s growl made me pause my footsteps. The street hummed with nightlife, people going about their evening entertainment. Living a normal life. Most of them were human, their little world impenetrable.
Sometimes…just sometimes…I wished I could be one of them.
Gerard took my arm as a group of young people came rushing down the pavement. Stepping me backwards, he let go when we were out of the way. So chivalrous.
“I…don’t know.” Allowing someone else to know my vulnerability made my skin itch.
If he wasn’t careful, I would think that he wanted to get to know me. A dangerous ground to tread with a girl who may or may not get attached to Caring Mac-gorgeous.
Admitting defeat, I had asked Gerard to meet me two days after we found the body. Justina had run tests on the evidence and found traces of the same DNA which had been left outside the warlock shop. Her ex was the culprit. But, his whereabouts were unknown.
“Come on, we need to get there,” I said, tugging on his bare arm.
For some reason, he had come out without his jacket. In fact, he wore a tight black shirt with short sleeves. His tattooed arms were bare, except for a leather bracelet I had never seen before. Was he making an effort because it was night time?
“Did you…dress up?” I asked when he went to walk on.
Glancing sideways at me, he stifled a smile. “You’re one to talk.”
Okay, so I might have my knee high tie up boots on with my jeans, but I wasn’t tarted up like him. I was blending in with the crowd. Yes, my makeup was a little heavier, so what? Didn’t mean I was trying to impress anyone.
“Devon.” Gerard turned to me again, stopping right near a crowd of people queuing to get into a club. “You need to tell me what’s going on. How can I help you if I don’t know?”
Cracking my knuckles, one at a time, I watched the humans. Their chatter was noisy, sinking into my skin. My cheeks warmed, a wave of heat rushing over my arms.
“I can’t be late,” I said suddenly, walking away from Gerard.
He followed, calling my name as I marched through the street. Taking deep breaths, I calmed my nerves. Too much human energy on my senses sometimes overwhelmed me. It was better to get away from them. I had to get to my appointment.
“Okay,” he said once he was walking beside me again. “I’ll wait to hear what’s going on when you tell the seer.”
She was three streets away. I had asked the vampire Kalic if he knew anyone who could help with a magic problem. He recommended a seer named Becky. It must have been the most British seer name I’d ever heard.
“I’m sorry.” My whispered words were lost as passing drunks shouted at their friends.
I had sat up all night trying to get my witch magic to work. Certain spells were okay, but most of them didn’t produce enough energy to enact. I had to know what was going on with me.
“Here,” Gerard said, taking my fingers as I went to storm straight past the building.
We had turned down a quieter road, the town houses rising three storeys high. The sudden silence made me stop and gather myself before I gestured for Gerard to knock on the door.
“Down here,” a female voice called.
There were steps beside the entrance, leading down into a dark hole. At the bottom, a women stood in front of an open door, a small light showing her silhouette.
“You must be Devon,” she said as I trotted down to the basement level.
Offering her hand, she took my fingers, caressing my palm before letting go. A shock of electricity ran through my body, making me jump back. Gerard caught me around the waist as I knocked into him. The shock intensified as my top rose and his hand brushed against my bare skin.
“I’m Gerard.” Quickly pulling away from me, he shook the young lady’s hand.
She was in her thirties, which was unusual in itself. Most seers were old crone types. With her, however, I instantly got a good feeling as she gestured for us to enter.
He
r home was dim, the lights turned right down. And, yet, it was a normal apartment with not much hocus pocus going on. In fact, her place was boring compared to mine. I might not tidy up very often, but at least it had character. Okay, I was so going to smarten my place up, there was no excuse for it.
“You’ve got a nice home,” Gerard said as we sat in a lounge.
There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. A couple of sofas, a television, a coffee table. Nope, there was no point in cataloguing her items, her place was normal. I didn’t know whether that was a good thing. Was she really a seer?
“Can I offer you a drink?”
Bringing in a tray of tea, she settled it on the table in front of us. Her small frame was similar to mine, which made me feel more on level with her. She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear as she gestured for us to help ourselves to the mugs. She must have known we were almost there if she had already managed to prepare tea.
Both Gerard and I reached for the same cup, knocking hands as we did. He waved, indicating that I take the mug. Smiling my thanks, I picked it up and sipped, almost spitting it out when the cold liquid hit my tongue.
“Sorry it tastes vile, but it’s my potion. I need you to have at least one mouthful so I can tune into your frequency more accurately.” Becky bit her lip as she tried not to laugh.
Was she playing with me? Who drank cold tea? It was a crime against the tea police. And today, I was the tea police.
“Go on,” Gerard said, leaving his mug on the table.
His encouragement wasn’t helping. He just wanted to see me squirm. Becky hadn’t even asked me anything about myself. She didn’t know what was happening to me. She…
Gerard nudged me in the ribs. Hard. I fisted my hand and went to punch his thigh, but he caught it before I could. “Now, now.”
Yanking my arm away from him, I almost spilled my abomination of a drink. Tempted to accidentally on purpose drop the cup on the floor, I brought it to my lips instead. Taking a deep gulp, I cringed as the cold liquid ran down my throat.
“You might want to take that mug off her,” Becky said to Gerard.
Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 1-3 (Hunted Witch Agency Set) Page 10
