I mumbled a goodbye as he rung off, leaving me to crumble on the sofa. Gerard came over, his arms coming around me as I sobbed against his chest. My magic would leave me as soon as the transition was done. What if my witch power didn’t come back?
“You’re going to be okay,” Gerard said as Kingsley climbed onto my shoulder and nuzzled into my neck. “And, guess what? Witches are allowed to date each other.”
A laugh rumbled my chest at his total inappropriate timing. And, yet, my heart skipped a beat at the idea of actually dating someone. Of actually dating him.
Wiping my face, I sat back when I realised how hard I was hanging on to him. That wasn’t good. I was supposed to play it cool. Yeah, he had made the first move, but still…a woman had to make sure she wasn’t a psycho clinger.
“This might sound weird,” I said as I looked around at the clearer space in my apartment. “But, I feel relieved. I’m going to miss being a warlock like crazy. I’ll feel useless as I get used to my witch power again, but…it’s going to be a fresh start.”
Gerard smiled more often now, which made me happy. If only he could face his own demons about what he had done to his best friend. One day. I wasn’t going to ruin the moment now.
“Plus, you did just get kissed by the best Agency witch, no wonder you’re crying. No need to be so grateful.”
He caught my hand as it neared his face. Good job really, I was about to wipe that smug expression off of his stupidly handsome mouth.
Tempted to wrestle him, I paused my thought when both our phones started to ring. That meant only one thing. Something was happening at the agency.
Answering at the same time, we both greeted one of our bosses. “Hello, Justina,” I said, moving away from Gerard so I could hear her properly.
Kingsley nudged me, alerting me to the frantic energy on the other end of the line. “Devon, you both need to get here. Lilia’s memory has just come flooding back. She knows where the ringleaders are. She’s going to take us there.”
Chapter Eighteen
“It’s a hotel,” Lilia said, holding my arm. “They hire out the penthouse to themselves. They choose some of the slave girls to live with them, tending to their every need.”
When Lilia had awoken with her memory intact, she had gone into a panic attack. Justina had heard her as she passed her room, luckily helping her to deal with the overload of memories that had flooded back. After a relieving spell and some support, Lilia had been ready to speak.
Trying not to shrug her off, I led her down the street. Justina and Kurt were ahead, Gerard was behind.
“They never have anyone up there but them. They trust no one. So, we won’t have to worry about security. They’re so well hidden, spells protecting their identity, they’re slack with a lot of things. That’s how I escaped.”
The others had already been told the information, but it seemed to help Lilia as we got closer to the hotel. We had decided to arrive on foot in order to blend in. The busy London street was full of traffic and pedestrians.
A spell had been cast over Lilia, giving her a new identity. I could still see her blonde hair and blue eyes, but others would see brown hair, brown eyes and glasses.
“You’ve been our guiding star in this, you know that, don’t you?”
Her cheeks blushed bright pink at my praise. It was true. I wasn’t so sure I’d have the guts to face those who had drained my magic and tortured me. She was brave. Very brave.
“There’s three of them. A man and two women. They live a life of opulence, their magic enhanced by those that are drained. They conjure anything they like, messing with people’s lives. They’re evil.”
Glancing over her shoulder, Justina smiled at me. I had told her about my conversation with Maxwell. She had looked sad, her eyes dropping to the ground. When I had asked her if she would help me get my witch magic back, she had almost cried. Something about being so close to our enemies had brought her emotions out. She was a hard warrior, without a doubt, but she was still an empathetic being. And, it was nice to see that she had emotions.
“Just there,” Lilia whispered, reality obviously setting in.
Her hands shook as she pointed to the hotel sign ahead. It was a well known hotel, only for those who could afford to eat gold covered crap. Not that I would ever want to spend thousands of pounds on a piece of chocolate, although, if I had the opportunity, I wouldn’t say no. It was chocolate after all.
“Okay,” Justina said, waving us apart. “You know what to do.”
Holding back, Justina and Kurt allowed me and Lilia to go through the door first. We both wore long black dresses, our hair tied at the nape of our neck. It looked like we had been to a funeral, which would be true by the time we left the building if I had anything to do with it.
“Hello,” I greeted the receptionist in a posh accent. “We’ve got a room booked under Judy Macintosh.”
Gerard was speaking to the other receptionist to get his room. His gaze flicked over to me when he heard the name I had given. What? I had a thing for Scottish names.
After we were given our keys, we made our way upstairs. Kurt and Justina were going to check in five minutes after us. Lilia had already given us an extensive layout of the hotel, so we knew where we would meet in fifteen minutes.
This was it. My dagger was strapped against my calf. My warlock magic was powerful enough to take anyone down, even if it would be for the last time. If I needed to use it, I would. Although, a part of me wanted to hold back. If I used too much, I had no idea if it would make me into a warlock automatically. Or, even kill me.
“There,” Lilia said, pointing to a panel in the hallway on our floor.
She had explained that it was spelled to look like that, but underneath was a door leading up to the penthouse suite. She knew how to open it because she’d had to go and get food from the kitchens in the middle of the night. Her captors had placed a barrier spell around the building, which trapped their slaves inside.
Lilia’s hand traced the wall as she walked, her footsteps slowing as we came up to our room. Glancing behind, I kept a straight face as Gerard walked towards us. He was wearing a navy suit with a tie.
When he had first walked into the library at the agency an hour ago, I’d had to sit down. He had stared at me, his gaze tracing the dress that clung to my small frame. He had tried to loosen his tie, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink.
And, all I could see was his magnificence. His arms had bulged when he crossed them over his chest. The jacket pulled tight, making me want to take it off him. I liked him in his sexy agent outfit, but the suit took Dreamy Mac-sexy to Amazing Mac-amazing.
Shaking my head, I got back in the game. Gerard stepped into the room near ours, not even acknowledging us. It was the best thing to do. We had to act normal, not out of the ordinary.
“This is insane,” Lilia said once the door to our room was closed.
I agreed. The beds were huge with chocolates and wine on them. What a way to spend a night!
“I don’t know if I can do it.”
Ah, okay, she wasn’t talking about the hot tub bath. Putting my tour of the smexiest hotel room I’d ever seen on hold, I went over to her.
She was hyperventilating, her hands on her chest. Her eyes were full of unshed tears, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.
“You are safe,” I told her, putting my hands on her shoulders. “No one is ever going to hurt you again, understand? I won’t allow it. None of us will allow it.”
Her head dropped to my shoulder. It must have been pretty painful on her neck to bend so low, but apparently, I was a comfort to her.
“I’m okay,” she whispered to herself. “I’m going to get those bastards.”
Shoving away from me, she spun, her arms to her sides. A smile lit her lips as she went over to the bed and picked up the chocolates. If she was going to go for the wine, I would have to stop her, but a little bit of chocolate would be fine.
“Right, we have
to prepare. We have ten minutes before I’m going to meet the others in the hallway and go up to the next floor. You’ll need to stay here and wait.”
We had debated whether to let her come with us, but her fragile nature could cause problems. Her shoulders physically relaxed when she lounged on the bed, confirming that we’d made the right decision. We had agreed to allow her to lead the rescued slaves away from the hotel.
Rushing around, I grabbed the wine with the pretence of taking it for later. Instead, I went into the plush bathroom and hid it. The last thing I wanted was a drunken witch allowed to roam the halls of the hotel.
Slipping my shoes off, I prepared to fight in bare feet. I couldn’t wear heels when wielding magic. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t wear heels full stop. Who would do that to their feet willingly?
“Devon,” Lilia said when I came out of the bathroom. “Thank you for being there for me through all this. You’ve been a true friend.”
I almost stumbled as I stopped rushing around. A friend? She really thought I was friend material? Aw, that was so sweet. I had never had a proper friend, not since I had grown up with a human friend who had died when I introduced her to my world. Nope, no bad memories, it would not help my frame of mind.
“You’re welcome. Now, I’ve got to go. Please, stay here and wait for me to come back.”
Her instructions had been clear, she knew exactly what she was doing. We wouldn’t risk her facing the witches, so we were leaving her behind. It was in her best interests.
“Good luck,” she called as I left.
Holding my back straight, I closed the door behind me and marched straight up to Gerard who stood outside his door. Justina and Kurt were walking down the hallway from the other direction. Placing his hand on the panel I indicated, Gerard whispered a barrier breaking spell.
His hand suddenly fell through, making him smile before he stepped out of sight. I ducked into the panel, coming out at the foot of a flight of stairs. Treading carefully, I followed Gerard as he moved up the steps, his footfalls silent.
The energy of the others hit my back as they came through the panel. We were strong witches, but surely the barrier spell should have been stronger? Did they really believe that no one would ever catch up to them?
“Don’t be crazy, Sweetie, I’m not ready to go yet.” A female voice filtered down to us from upstairs.
Lilia had explained the layout of the penthouse. The stairs came up to the second living area. If the witches hadn’t commandeered the penthouse for themselves, normal guests would get a lift straight into the front living area. That had been closed off, the lift stopping on the floor below.
Speeding up his steps, Gerard took a gun out of his pocket. He obviously felt the urgency I did when he heard that they were heading out. We had to get them before they could leave.
“Hurry up,” came a male voice. “They’re going to kill us if we’re late again.”
The frustration in his voice was evident. That was one annoyed witch. Great, maybe his emotion would actually help us. Reaction from emotion was always easier to bring down. Which was exactly why we didn’t want Lilia there.
Licking my lips, I stopped when Gerard did. Justina was directly behind me, Kurt behind her. A small light above us was the only thing that lit the dim stairs. It was pretty grim compared to the rest of the hotel.
Holding up three fingers, Gerard counted down to zero. Once there, he kicked open the wooden door and stormed into the room, just like he had at the mansion.
His gun fired before I even made it out behind him.
“Good job,” Justina said when we were gathered in a room full of mirrors.
A man was on the ground, grunting and groaning to himself. Blood lined the back of his jacket, revealing exactly where Gerard’s bullet had entered. A woman stood beside him, her hand over her mouth and the other held up in surrender.
“Don’t shoot,” she said, looking between the four of us.
There were only two in the room. The ornate gold armed sofas were empty, the door to the hallway open wide. It was almost an entirely open planned penthouse suite, except for an extra living area and six bedrooms leading off the hallway.
“Where’s your friend?” Justina asked, coming forward.
She didn’t hold a weapon in her hand, her dagger hidden just inside her tight leather jacket. Her approach was always diplomacy before fighting. Gerard had shot the male witch because he had tried to run. The bullet was in his right shoulder, away from his heart, above his lungs.
My man had a mean aim. My man? What a thing to think in the middle of a covert operation. Pfft.
“We’re from the Hunted Witch Agency. You’re under arrest for suspicion of kidnapping and-”
The glass of the mirrors on every wall suddenly shattered. Gerard pushed me to the ground, throwing himself over my body as the fragments shot into the room, tumbling down onto us.
That would be the third witch.
As soon as the last piece of broken mirror clattered to the ground, Gerard tugged me to my feet.
“That’s a thousand years’ bad luck,” I shouted at the woman who stood in the doorway.
She was older, her skin wrinkled, her hair grey. A hand was in the air, a spell whispered on her lips.
Clenching her fist, Justina muttered a disablement spell. The aim was to disarm all magic in the building, but…it didn’t work.
“She’s stopping my magic.” Snatching her dagger from her pocket, Justina went after the witch when she ran.
Kurt stood beside the other culprits, his gun aimed towards them. He shook his head when I glanced at him. His magic was useless, too. Ah, that was a powerful witch. It made sense considering she’d obviously had magic siphoned into her.
“Go with her,” Kurt said, indicating that we should follow. “I’ll kill them if they try anything.”
The man glanced up at me, his mouth dropping open when he saw my face. “You look like someone.”
Ignoring him, I rushed out ahead of Gerard, following the sound of Justina’s running footsteps. I caught sight of her as she disappeared into the main area of the penthouse.
A kitchenette was to the side, a big sunken seating area in the middle. And… Was that a pool on the other side of the room?
“Freeze,” Justina shouted before the older lady could reach the lift.
Her step faltered. She wore a long flowy dress, the age of hippy reminiscent about her. If we couldn’t use magic, we would have to use force. Which wasn’t exactly something I wanted to do on a lady who wore beads around her neck.
“You think you’re clever, don’t you?” Her cackle made my skin go cold.
Sympathy for the enemy was not allowed. Check. Digging out my dagger, I waited behind Justina to see what she would do. My boss was strong, she was capable. I would be there to support her, but I wouldn’t try and take over.
“If you come quietly, we’ll-”
The woman’s expression hardened as she threw her hands high. Chanting a spell, she laughed when Justina and Gerard grabbed their heads and fell to their knees. Groaning, they both dropped their weapons.
Wait! What was happening? Why wasn’t her spell effecting me? She had completely crippled my friends, but I stood standing, dagger in hand. Ah, I was part warlock.
“Why aren’t you going down? You’re a witch!” Her shriek made me smile.
I had such little witch power, her spell wasn’t disabling it. I was free to do as I pleased. And, once again, I was reminded why it had been so hard to choose which supernatural creature I should be.
“I might be a witch, but I’m part warlock, too.”
Throwing a ball of flames at her before she even had the chance to blink, I smiled to myself as I rushed forward. The magic hit her arm, making her howl out in pain. Oh yes, old lady.
I would usually feel guilty fighting someone much older than me, but sometimes, needs must.
Her snort made me frown as she cast a spell in my direction. A circle
of flames surrounded me before I could get to her, trapping me in place. Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t have been so cocky.
“You think you know what you’re playing with!” she shouted before she went to turn away.
A dagger flew from Justina’s direction, planting straight into the witch’s leg. She fell forward, screaming as she felt for the blade and tugged it out.
“You’re not leaving here,” I shouted.
The heat from the flames was starting to irritate my skin. The sequins on the bottom of my dress started to melt, sticking to my legs. I gritted my teeth, determined not to let her win.
Drawing in my breath, I pulled on the warlock magic that was stored a little deeper than I’d usually pull. The balance would not be good. It would need to be paid. But, right now, I was going to make sure that the people who were draining witches of their magic were caught.
“You’ll never get me.” The witch twisted her hand, sending the other two to the ground again.
Gerard lifted his head, his eyes barely open as he clutched his skull. He was willing me to do something. He was willing me to use my warlock magic.
Holding my hands up, I closed my eyes and pulled on the darker energy as the woman ran towards the lift again. My whole body shook as a wet trickle came out of my nose. Blood. It didn’t matter, I had to do this.
As soon as my body was full of magic, my skin tingling and my arms aching, I jumped into the air and unleashed it. Crashing through the flame barrier as streams of magic extended from my hands, I fell to the laminate floor, my knees jarring against the hard surface.
The magic thrust forward and wrapped around the witch. I was somehow able to keep my balance with my arms extended as the power poured from my palms. My vision started to blur as she fought me, her magic pushing against mine as she writhed on the floor.
“You can do it, Devon,” Gerard called through gritted teeth. “It’s working.”
His voice grew stronger as the witch became weaker. I couldn’t move, my knees pressed hard into the ground. I wouldn’t be able to hold on for long, my legs were shaking too much.
Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 1-3 (Hunted Witch Agency Set) Page 16
