A Witch's Dark Craving (A Distant Edge Romance Book 2)

by Chloe Adler

  Instead, I took the time to try and focus my mind on the upcoming task. I was unsuccessful. My heart pounded in my chest, lurching forward at the thought of failure. Just this morning, I had been so ready to write this man out of my life, but now that the loss of him loomed as a possibility, I wished I'd done things differently. Thrown my arms around him last night. Nuzzled into him. Held his eyes. Listened. Agreed. Given him a second chance.

  The car door thunked open. Sadie slid in beside me. Jared and Burgundy got into the back seat.

  "Ready," said Sadie. "Let's go save a life."

  We drove to the hospital in silence. I had assumed that Sadie was going to go over the spell, explain it to the others, but she said nothing.

  The hospital parking lot was virtually empty. I parked near the entrance in case we needed to make a hasty retreat.

  "You know what you need to do?" Sadie was looking at the two in the back.

  "We do," Jared said, exchanging glances with Burgundy and nodding to her.

  "I thought they were helping us with the spell?" I said.

  "Can't, we're not witches," said Burgundy, "but we can help in other ways."

  I wanted to know but didn't ask. Time was slipping by. It would be morning soon. Sadie and I grabbed our supplies and got out of the car.

  Walking toward the hospital doors, Sadie put her arm on mine to stop me.

  "What?" I looked at her.

  "We wait here," she said, raising her eyebrows.

  Burgundy and Jared continued forward.

  Sadie motioned me toward the side of the doors and held up her hand, the universal wait signal.

  Burgundy's entrance was . . . loud as she burst through the doors. She ran to the front desk, where a very young male guard was on duty. Slinking in behind her, Jared rounded a corner and disappeared down a hallway. One that led to the elevators.

  The guard's full attention was on Burgundy as she draped herself across his desk, her cleavage in full, spectacular view. I giggled but Sadie looked at me reproachfully.

  Since Sadie had pulled the duo straight out of The V Club, Burgundy was dressed in a very skimpy pre-show outfit that was sexy as hell. A tightly laced, bright red corset showed everything but her nipples. Her dark skin looked wet under the fluorescent lighting, as though she'd just been rubbed down with oil. Contrasting with her red top was a black leather mini-skirt that rode up with every movement, thigh-high red fishnets peeking out from beneath.

  The guard was agog as Burgundy reached out and brushed his dark hair away from his pasty skin. He said nothing, staring at her in complete reverence.

  "What is she planning to do?" I whispered to Sadie, who immediately shushed me.

  "Just watch," she purred into my ear, the outside security light highlighting the gleam in her eye.

  I steeled myself a moment before a strong gust of wind blew through the lot, causing me to wrap my arms around my torso.

  The guard turned his head our way, hearing the sound of the gale, no doubt. I almost choked when Burgundy chose that minute to hop onto the desk he sat behind. From our angle, it was clear she wore no underwear and the sight of her gorgeous backside suddenly made it difficult to focus.

  I'd never thought I was a voyeur but watching her manhandle this guy was seriously turning me on. She clasped his face in her hand, turning it back to her and pulling it forward for a kiss. The guard did not resist and Burgundy quickly leapt forward, straddling him in his chair. She gently rocked back and forth as she put his hands on her breasts and kept kissing him.

  "Now." Sadie grabbed my hand and pulled me into the lobby. For a moment, I thought about arguing, wanting to stay and watch, but that was the height of stupid.

  We ran to the elevators without being noticed and got into one.

  "What about security cameras?" I asked.

  Sadie smiled at me. "Jared is taking care of that."

  Chapter Twenty

  When we reached Carter's floor, the elevator doors opened onto loud shrieking and high-pitched screams.

  "Get it out!" a squeaky female voice cried.

  "I'm not going near that thing. What if it's rabid?" said another female voice.

  "Give me that broom."

  "No way, that's how I'm keeping it away from me."

  "Well, shoo it out of the area, woman. Do something."

  "I'm trying. Maybe you can call the security guard while you're standing on that desk?"

  "I did. He's not answering."

  Sadie and I peeked around the bank of elevators to the nurse's station. Two different nurses were on duty now. One was holding a broom and the other was standing on the desk.

  "Was that the elevator?" said the woman on the desk.

  "I'm a little busy here, Jody," said the nurse holding the broom.

  In front of broom-nurse, Jared was in his fox form, gekkering loudly, inching closer to the woman and then backing away when she held the broom out. If there were an Oscar for shifters in their animal form, he'd win it for sure. He was also the only one facing us; both women had their backs to the narrow hallway we needed to sneak down.

  Sadie grabbed my hand and we darted around the corner, successfully sliding past the trio. The hall beyond the nurse's station was bathed in amber light, as though the fluorescents were on night watch. The rooms on either side of the hallway were darker still, with a windowed panel built into the wood so you could peer at the patients inside.

  "You know where . . .?" Sadie whispered and I squeezed her hand in response.

  Stopping in front of Carter's room, I inclined my head toward the door. Sadie nodded and put her hand on the knob, which was more like a lever. She tried to push it down but it wouldn't budge. We exchanged glances. I tried. It was locked.

  Her anger was palpable. "Why?" she mouthed.

  I leaned into her red waves; they smelled like strawberry. "Must have been that nurse that was on duty earlier, making sure we couldn't come back to help him."

  "Cunt," she growled.

  I made a loud noise, not prepared for her cursing.

  "Quiet," she hissed at me.

  "Really?" I mouthed, cocking my head to the side and shaking it.

  "You want my help, you play by my rules."

  Standing here and fighting with my sister was not helping Carter so I nodded curtly, eyeing the door.

  "We need to check the patients," one of the nurse's voices filtered over.

  They couldn't see us from their desks but if they even took one step down the hallway, they would. There was no place to hide.

  Sadie put her head in her hands and stood there, rubbing her temples. "We need to be careful," she whispered through her fingers. "Breaking ESH protocol is punishable by jail."

  "Not if we don't get caught." That earned me a half smile.

  "Let's get this door open."

  Sadie's magic was strong, stronger than anyone else's in our family or quite possibly the world, but she could only cast spells without using an incantation if she'd had a recent orgasm. I didn't know how long "recent" meant but my sister was a nymphomaniac--she was always fully charged. Right? Apparently not.

  She reached for my hand again and we both put our other hands on the doorknob, touching both the stainless steel and each other. Sadie looked at me and raised her eyebrows. I rolled my own in response and cast the circle verbally without candles.

  Sadie started reciting an incantation, her eyes glazing over for a few seconds as she focused, and then the handle moved beneath our hands with an audible click.

  "What was that?" The nurse again.

  We jumped inside the room and quietly closed the door.

  Jared would stop her or at least try to.

  Sadie rushed over to Carter's bed and dumped the contents of her muslin bags on top of his inert body. The sounds of the machine pumping air into his lungs and the one taking his vitals filled my ears. Attached to a feeding tube crammed down his throat, a large bag of blood swayed on a hook above his body. It was hard to look at. />
  "Time to cast the circle," Sadie said.

  "Can't we use the same one we cast outside his room?"

  "You know we can't." She moved to the other side of his bed and reached for my hands. We held our hands together over him and cast another circle before letting go. Sadie took one herb bundle and started crushing it over his body.

  "Wait." I held up a hand. "This will be proof we cast a spell here."

  She tossed her head. "You're right, I forgot this was an ESH for a minute. Ridiculous." She snorted and wiped the herbs off of his sheet into the palm of her hand. Placing a muslin bag on top of him with the sides rolled down, she sprinkled the herb back into it and added the others.

  "Palm your amulet," she whispered. "I'm hoping its power will act as a beacon, connecting us to Iphi."

  I did as she asked, my amulet growing hot in my hand.

  "Repeat after me," my sister said and I nodded, short and brisk. "Hac sanabo lamia."

  Sanabo meant heal. Lamia, lamia . . . vampire? I marveled that my younger sister, who used to know almost zero Latin, now knew more than I did. She must be acing her classes.

  "Hac sanabo lamia," I repeated.

  We chanted the spell over and over again as Sadie checked her watch, looking between her wrist and Carter. After several minutes, she stopped.

  "What's wrong?" I asked.

  "Obviously it's not working," she snapped. "We need Iphi."

  That's when Carter's hospital door flew open. Both nurses stood in the doorway, and they did not look happy.

  Three hours later, we were both sitting in a holding cell at the county jail without any of the herbs we needed. Even if we had been able to get Iphigenia away from our belligerent mother to complete the spell and save my boyfriend, now we didn't have the herbs. My boyfriend was in a coma and might die because of politics. My boyfriend. I kept trying the word on and it still sounded fake.

  A door creaked open from down the hallway, followed by heavy footsteps.

  "You two, come with me," a police officer said, unlocking our cell.

  "Where?" I asked. She turned away without answering. I exchanged looks with Sadie, who shrugged her shoulders and motioned for me to follow the officer. At least we weren't being cuffed. That had to be a good sign. She led us down the same long corridor we'd been brought in through and then out the door into some sort of lobby.

  "That door." She pointed to a solid metal door in the back and as we neared, we saw the placard: Police Chief.

  I tentatively knocked.

  "Come in," rumbled a voice from inside.

  The handle squeaked when I turned it and we both filed in. The room was small but not tiny. It held a metal desk, two chairs and several metal file cabinets. The man behind the desk motioned for us to sit in the chairs. He looked to be in his fifties with dark hair that grayed at the temples.

  "I'm Chief Sheldon. It looks like you ladies have caused some trouble at the DE Medical Center, yes?"

  "Yes, sir," Sadie said and I almost barked out a laugh. Sir, coming from her? She may not like authority figures but she wasn't an idiot. "My sister," she continued, motioning to me, "did not know what an ESH was. I know it sounds preposterous but she really didn't and her boyfriend is, well, dying." Sadie shrugged at him as if to say I have no control over what that crazy one does. Then, for effect I assumed, she blinked her eyes at him and threw in one of her over-the-top sexy half smiles.

  Sheldon nodded and stretched his jaw. Turning toward me he asked, "Is this true?"

  "Yes, sir." I followed my sister's lead. "My boyfriend had an accident last night, in the storm. A tree fell on him and--"

  He looked down at a file on his desk and then back up at me. "Carter?" he interrupted.

  "Yes, sir." I nodded. "Do you know him?"

  "I don't, no. But I was briefed on the accident. He was taken to the medical center; it was the closest. Paramedics made the call. It was likely he would have died en route to a non-ESH." He looked at each of us, his eyes widening. "Usually the family gets to choose but in cases like these . . ." He looked down at his file again and flipped a page.

  We waited in silence, exchanging glances with each other until Chief Sheldon finally looked back up.

  "Tell you girls what." He tapped his fingers together, leaning back in his chair. "I'll let you off with a warning this time." He was looking at me. "But . . ."

  I leaned forward in my chair, sucking in a large breath of air.

  "If it happens again, I'll follow the law, especially if the hospital wants to press charges. You girls are lucky they declined to do so . . . this time. Understand?"

  We both nodded and I let out the breath I'd been holding.

  "Now, I also recommend that you girls move him to a non-ESH as soon as possible so you can perform whatever rituals may be needed for a speedy and healthy recovery." He pressed his lips together in a tight smile that carved through the bottom half of his face.

  "Yes, sir," said Sadie quickly, moving to get up. "And thank you, sir." She dragged me to my feet as I opened my mouth.

  "Don't you have the authority to allow us to use our magic to help him now? Where he is?" I sputtered as Sadie tried to pull me toward the door.

  "If I could, I would." He held his hands up. "I have no jurisdiction over civil matters." He shook his head rapidly, then shrugged. "Good luck to you," he called out, almost too jovially.

  Sadie practically pushed me through his door, and once on the other side, she shot me an annoyed look.

  "It didn't hurt to ask," I said.

  "We just got out of being thrown into jail," Sadie whispered. "That was not a time to ask for another favor."

  "Well, what are we supposed to do now?" I whispered back.

  "First, let's get Iphi and the herbs. Then we'll form another plan."

  Standing outside the police station, Sadie looked around while she was on the phone, talking to Jared.

  "Yeah, I see that building," she said looking down the street. "Okay, we'll meet you on the roof in ten minutes."

  She hung up the phone and motioned to an office building a block away. Most of the buildings in the Edge were subject to a height restriction to protect the ocean views, so this particular building was only five stories high. Flying shifters were not allowed to land in the street--before they'd passed that law, there had been more than a few auto accidents from rubberneckers--but a discreet roof-side landing would be okay.

  "Let's go." She led the way.

  "What's the plan?" I asked as we walked.

  "We'll have to figure something out on the fly," she said.

  I giggled. "Nice pun." Sadie looked at me with confusion, then laughed along with me.

  We waited on the roof for only two minutes before Jared approached. He landed with complete finesse next to us.

  "Climb on first, I'll get behind you," Sadie said, motioning toward his bulk with one hand.

  The half lion, half eagle spread before me was a familiar sight, even if it had been a few months since I'd seen this shape. Then, we'd been in a cave, saving Earth from the Scrim, a demon from another world. I reached up toward his neck feathers as my sister weaved her palms together in a step for me, just like when we'd climbed onto the back of equine shifters as kids. I put my foot into it and hoisted myself onto Jared's back, then reached down with one hand to help Sadie up too.

  Before I was settled, he was standing up on his back lion legs and front eagle legs. What a weird creature. Leave it to Jared to have this as his large shift. My sister wrapped her arms around me and grasped the feathers at the back of his neck, holding me in place.

  Jared veered and banked over the street. Discovery Highway stretched below like a stream running through our town, connecting the north to the south.

  After just five minutes, Jared was hovering near Aurelia's. It was illegal to land in a residential area and her roof did not have a landing pad, nor did any others near her. Sadie shimmied up Jared's neck to whisper something in his ear and he turned to a
different street, dropping a few feet in the air toward a eucalyptus.

  We were going to climb down a tree? As we got closer, a tree house came into view, nestled among the branches. Sadie motioned for me to follow, and holding onto Jared's feathers, she scooted down and reached for a rope that was dangling off the side. After her graceful dismount she reached for my hand. I wasn't nearly as agile. I really needed to take Iphi up on her offer, but at least I didn't tumble head over broomstick into the brush below.

  Sadie helped me down the tree house's rope ladder. I'd had no idea that a tree house was even there, and I'd lived a block away for most of my life. Impressive. I had a momentary surge of wonderment over my sister and her abilities.

  When we got to Aurelia's house, Sadie's plan was to barge in and demand Iphigenia, which I calmly talked her out of.

  "What if we don't involve Aurelia at all?" I asked her.

  "How can we do that?"

  "We take Iphi out her window." I had given this part a lot of thought on our flight over.

  "How do we get her attention? Aurelia has her phone, we can't text."

  "Think old school. We'll just tap on her window. Knowing Iph, she'll be waiting for us."

  "Worth a try." My sister sounded impressed that I had an alternative to "guns a'blazin."

  We snuck through the bushes and she let me do the tapping. Within seconds, Iphi's round face appeared, smiling behind the window.

  "We need to get back to the hospital, now," I said to them when we were far enough from the house.

  Sadie shook her head. "We can't try another spell until tomorrow. You know we need to rest between casting large spells. It won't work tonight, even with Iphigenia and the right herbs."

  "I almost forgot. Iphi . . ." I turned to look at our younger sister and she pulled a plastic baggie out of her pocket, nodding. It was stuffed with exactly what we needed. Always one step ahead, that one.

  "Let's get some sleep and we'll try again tomorrow," said Sadie.