I didn't want to stay and get engaged in conversation, so I left, not waiting for Nathaniel’s response. I got what I wanted from him. Now I needed to put this money into my account as soon as possible and get to Jasper. Something was off with Nathaniel and that witch. He acted like he wasn't happy introducing us. Besides, she was a witch and vampires weren’t too keen on them. Their magic pushed away their thirst for blood.
Elvira wasn't his usual type, but the more I analysed this, the more it hurt me, so it was better for me not to think about them at all.
After I left the restaurant, I stopped at the hospital and spoke to Mum for a little bit. She looked much better than the last time I saw her. There wasn't any change in Dad’s condition. They were giving him another fifteen to twenty days to live.
When the clock struck ten, I managed to convince Mum to go home and get a decent night’s sleep. I dropped her home and settled in my own living room for the evening, thinking about Gordon and Jasper. No one was going to screw me over this time.
The next day I woke up early and I deposited the cheque as soon as I could. Then I went to work.
Rufus was in the office today. He had a few meetings throughout the day, so he was kind of busy. In the afternoon we had an invasion of stinky trolls who were searching for retail work. It was me who got stuck with most of them. I had to pretend through the whole registration I didn’t have a gag reflex.
Close to five, I knocked on Rufus’s office door, aiming to talk to him about the work schedule.
"Oh, Julia, come on in."
I sat down in the chair opposite him wondering how I was going to tackle this request without telling him exactly what I was up to.
"I need to ask a favour," I began.
Rufus had been through a lot: he was kidnapped and held for months by vampires, all because of the contract with La Caz Pharmaceutical.
"Yeah, what is it? Something to do with Kate and your father?"
"No, I need to take a few days off, but I'm not sure when. This might be unexpected, so I just want to give you the heads up."
He frowned, and his giant eyes narrowed. I hated hiding the truth from my friends, but it was easier to lie. He would’ve tried to talk me out of it straight away.
"What do you mean, you don’t know when?"
“It's complicated. I might need time off soon, but I don’t know for how long and when. Please, Rufus, this is important."
Okay, I had to admit my request sounded ridiculous and he was staring at me like there was something wrong with me. He exhaled and shuffled some papers on the desk.
"Fine, just let me know. I hope you’re not doing anything stupid."
"No, of course not."
Shortly after that, Rufus started asking a few questions, trying to dig some information out of me, but I couldn’t share my plans with him. The less people knew about what I was up to, the better. It was best to keep everything a secret.
Once I was done with the money and sorted the time off with Rufus, I went to the hospital, remembering what my mother had said about a family meeting tonight. I really didn’t want to see everyone, but I went there for my dad’s sake. My grandmother had already tried to contact me on a number of occasions, but I purposely avoided her phone calls.
In the car park I looked at my reflection in the mirror and took a few deep steady breaths, clearing my mind. My grandmother could read bits of my thoughts. Normally I knew how to close my mind, but I’d been through a lot of shit in the past few weeks, so my mind was all over the place. I didn't even know how I was still functioning after what I’d done to that poor Dhampir girl in front of Gordon.
Not wanting to think about the past few days, I marched into the hospital building wondering what my grandmother wanted from me. We hadn’t talked probably since the night in the hospital when she told me to let my father go, and that family party when my cousin announced that I was seeing Quentin, a giant. Grandma hated Nathaniel. In her opinion I was the black sheep of the family, because I dared to get involved with a non-elf or non-fairy breed and she considered it disgraceful.
I took the lift to my dad’s floor and then decided to buy a cup of coffee first before I had to face everyone. Mainly the paranormal creatures were treated in the same part of the hospital where Dad and Kate were staying. These days no one really minded if humans hung around the ward, as long as magic wasn’t performed in front of them.
I turned and walked towards the vending machines when I heard a familiar voice.
"What about your contacts, Mum? For God’s sake, you’re the head of the Elves Association."
It was my Aunt Dorothy who was talking, so I automatically stopped to listen in. I wasn’t stupid enough to interrupt them.
“It's not that simple. Paranormals don’t believe white witches exist. Everyone I know claims they have no idea how to find them. My friends are washing their hands of it all."
Aunt Dorothy snorted loudly, like she didn’t believe her.
"They’re afraid, and let me guess—this has something to do with that new coven?"
Silence. My heart began to beat faster, and I wasn't sure if Aunt Dorothy hit the right spot, but I’d definitely heard the rumours. This wasn't good. Either way I was staying put.
"Probably, elves are scared, and no one wants to talk after what happened to Jerry. I went to Jonathan Trayis, but he refused to help me, claiming that he had nothing to do with these Swedish witches."
I had heard that name before; this guy was some minister in the government. From what I could remember, he owed Grandma some massive favour in the past.
"What a stuck-up twat… pardon my language, Mum. After all you’ve done for him."
"Yes, so I'm stuck. Julia’s probably running after that vampire, infecting her blood, not caring about her own father. If Jerry would’ve married a paranormal, maybe she wouldn't be pulled towards other creatures," Grandma said sounding irritated.
"But that’s better, right? That Julia’s away. Any paranormal who’s close to Jerry is only draining his energy."
"True, but she can at least show some respect and visit him. At least Mary’s turning around. For a second I thought their marriage was over."
"Human love and emotions."
I walked away then. My brain felt too wide for my head. Instead of going to my father’s room to meet the rest of the family I went home.
In the car I felt like there wasn’t enough air. Maybe I intentionally kept away from being close to my father. It was a difficult decision and my mother was probably going to hate me for it later, but he needed as much peace as he could get.
Jasper didn’t answer his phone when I called him later that evening. I was anxious and barely slept.
I had to wait at least two days before that cheque cleared and finally on Saturday night I managed to transfer the cash to Jasper’s account. He insisted on taking the money by himself. Jasper assured me that Gordon wouldn't screw me over. Then he asked me not to wait for him, saying he would call me on Sunday. I was hoping to see Ella, but then decided against the idea, knowing she would try and talk me out of this whole thing.
Nicky and Kelsie, we were close, but I already knew what they would say, well, especially Nicky who detested Jasper as much as Ella did.
When I woke up on Sunday morning, Jasper called asking me to pack a bag for a few days. He didn't say anything else, only adding that he would be outside my apartment in an hour.
I had no idea where he planned on taking me or if I was going to come back. For the first ten minutes I contemplated if I should call Kelsie, Nicky or even Mum. Someone needed to know I was going to be out of town, but at the same time I didn’t want Nicky to know I was with Jasper.
After staring at my bag for several minutes, I started packing, thinking I could deal with questions later.
I heard a horn outside and with my stomach churning, I ran downstairs. Jasper was smoking, staring at me through the window of his car.
"Where are we going?" I asked once I
met him outside.
"Wales," he replied with a shrug. "I don’t know how long we’re going to be away. It depends on how quickly we find a white witch."
"Gordon gave you the exact location?"
"Yes, you impressed him. Besides, despite everything, he likes your father."
"Right," I muttered, thinking that was the most ridiculous statement I had ever heard, but I chose not to comment. "And how are you so sure he gave you the right location?"
"Gut feeling."
"What? So, I had to cut someone’s finger off and pay twenty thousand pounds just to rely on your gut feeling?"
He was fucking kidding me. This entire trip was probably pointless. Gordon could’ve given him any location just to shut me up.
"Trust me on this, Julia."
I folded my arms together and sat back, drowning myself in misery.
"Just chill out. We’re going to find that witch and help your dad. Stop worrying."
He moved his hand over my thigh and squeezed, only making me more uncomfortable. I pushed his hand away and glared back at him. He shrugged his shoulder then pulled out onto the road.
We drove through Sunday morning; the traffic wasn't bad, as we were on the motorway. I texted Rufus to say that I wouldn't be in on Monday. I hoped he remembered our conversation from Wednesday.
Jasper kept the conversation going, trying to lift my miserable spirits, but he gave up after some time realising I wasn't even listening. Questions and worries were mounting in my head. My family thought I didn’t care about Dad and my friends thought I was slowly going loco. Nathaniel had moved on—all right, it was my own fault that he was dating someone else—but my heart bled.
Jasper drove, listening to some rock station, glancing at me from time to time. Deep inside I was torn, knowing I was doing the right thing, but relying on a man who still had strong feelings for me and the situation I was in could have fatal consequences. Jasper was unpredictable and dangerous.
We stopped for a coffee break and a quick spell casting, so I could drain my excess magic away. Shortly after that we passed a sign and paid for the toll going into to Wales.
"Wales. I can’t believe this is it," I said looking around.
"Abergavenny, that’s where we’re heading. Gordon gave me a very specific and a very accurate location. Exciting, right?"
CHAPTER 17
THE OLD WEREWOLF.
I took out my smart phone and Googled Abergavenny and found out that it was a tiny village in mid Wales. Many paranormals told me that they lived away from humans, keeping their distance from the paranormal world as well. A remote village in the middle of nowhere fit perfectly. I could only hope that Gordon Lancaster had given us accurate enough information and the white witch truly lived out here.
An hour later the scenery began to change. Dark green fields stretched in front of us, the sky was grey, and the temperatures dropped to minus five degrees Celsius. We were passing through high misty mountains, and the views were staggering, reminding me of my holidays from years ago.
Once when I was young, my parents took me camping around the Welsh coast. It was one of the best times of my life. I remembered playing with human children and just enjoying myself away from crowded London. Mum and Dad took me for long walks on the beach; we had barbecues, and life seemed perfect then. My mood shifted when I thought about Dad. He didn’t have much time left at all.
"I booked a bed and breakfast for us," Jasper said. I flinched, when my thoughts drifted back to the real world.
"What?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"The B&B close to the village. A pair of giants run it," he added.
"Right, so you’re certain we’re staying for the night?"
Jasper frowned. "I don’t know what you were thinking. We can’t just knock on the witch’s door and ask her to go to London with us to save your father."
"Well, not real—"
"Then, stop asking silly questions."
I decided to stay quiet after that comment. Jasper organised this whole trip, so I had to act like I cared about his opinions.
My ears popped as we reached the top of the mountain. From there the road went straight down. Mist circulated all around, sliding in between the trees. I felt isolated, miles away from home with a man I didn’t trust. I only now began to realise that I was making a huge mistake.
From there on, the drive became uncomfortable. Potholes were everywhere, the road narrowed, and it started raining again. For some reason I was nervous and on edge. My pulse was going faster than it should and the warmth of uneasiness began crawling down the base of my spine.
It was after two o’clock in the afternoon when we arrived in front of a very old cottage in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by woodlands and hills. Smoke was coming from the chimney. The cottage looked inviting, settling well with the surroundings. I kept breathing, trying to steady my racing heart. I sensed paranormals inside. There were another two cars parked by the garage.
Jasper put his magic wand away and winked at me. He was so confident that this trip was going to be successful, but I couldn't get rid of that strange feeling in my gut.
"We’ll unpack, grab something to eat, then on to business."
"I see you’ve got your priorities sorted," I muttered, but my stomach growled. I was starving. He was right: we hadn’t eaten anything since early morning.
Although I sensed paranormals inside the cottage, I felt much better than a moment ago. The tingling and sparkling vanished. My heart rate went back to normal. It was as if all of a sudden, my magic was sucked out of me. Back when I started experiencing blackouts, I kept waking up drained of power. I was hoping that this time around it was Jasper’s doing, not my own.
Jasper grabbed our bags from the car and we walked through the cottage to the small reception desk. A nice looking older giant greeted us. Jasper filled out some paperwork, chatted with the paranormal about the weather, and we headed upstairs straight after that. That was where I figured out why Jasper was so keen on this whole trip. There was only one bed in the room.
"This isn’t what I agreed on. We aren’t together, Jasper," I said, folding my arms over my chest. He’d promised to help me, and I had agreed to give our relationship another shot. I never thought that it would come to this, but now I had to really reconsider what I’d promised him.
"We aren’t yet, but it’s safer to sleep together."
I frowned. "I’m not falling for this, Jasper. Why would anyone attack me in Wales? In the middle of nowhere?"
"Word has already spread. Other paranormals from the area know we’re here," he explained, pinning me down with his brown eyes. "Locals don’t like strangers, especially half-breeds."
"Right."
I didn't believe anything he was saying. He simply wanted to get into my pants again. I chose not to say anything, unable to fight on my own ground. I had to stay vigilant, just in case he was right.
Outside was peaceful. Thick mist settled on the ground, the grey surroundings weren’t appealing, but it was the perfect spot for taking some time out, recharging my batteries and just relaxing. Jasper took a lot of books, flasks and boxes out of his bag, then placed them on a desk across from the bed. After that we went downstairs.
"Welcome. My name is Claire," the giant woman who greeted us said when we entered the small restaurant downstairs.
I guessed that Claire was married to the giant from reception. She was around six feet seven with white hair and a long neck. She had a lovely smile and a spark in her eyes that told me her powers were intact.
"Hi, Claire. I'm Julia and this is Jasper."
"From London, right? Your boyfriend mentioned that when I was talking to him on the phone."
"Yes, yes, that’s us," Jasper quickly said, smiling and handing me a menu once we sat down. There was another older couple sitting by the fire. The restaurant was cozy, filled with bookshelves and old rustic tables by the windows.
"Well, you’ll have plenty of places to see aroun
d here. Not many paranormals appreciate this part of the country."
Jasper kicked me under the table when I opened my mouth to ask her about "other paranormals."
When Claire left us alone with our menus he hissed at me.
"We’re here to hike and enjoy the views, nothing else. I'm the one who asks uncomfortable questions."
This was absurd. We’d only just arrived. Most likely, no one even knew that we were here, and Claire looked harmless. As usual, Jasper was exaggerating.
"Stop bossing me around. I'm not an idiot."
The couple from a few tables away glanced at me and I went back to staring at my menu. I decided on sausage with mash and, once the older couple left, I was itching to ask Jasper about his plans.
This place wasn't particularly remote. Claire arrived at the table after twenty minutes, carrying food.
She smiled and left us alone. I tried to pre-heat my mash, but I gave up after a few sparks came out of my fingers. Nothing else happened. Everything tasted delicious, but I was worried about my lack of magical abilities. This wasn't good.
"We’re going to visit someone first," Jasper announced, taking a sip of his beer. I swallowed my food, staring at him in confusion.
"Someone? Does this person have anything to do with the white witch?" I asked, giving up on using my magic. My energy was blocked, possibly by another paranormal.
"Julian Savage, an old fairy who knew Gordon from years ago," Jasper explained. "He’s supposed to give us directions."
I stopped eating the delicious meal and glared at Jasper, anger overcoming me.
"But I thought you had the location?"
"I do, but you need a giver, someone who has the witch’s trust. Or else, you’d be dead before you stepped through her door."
"Just tell me you know where this person, Julian, lives?"
"Eat your food and let me take care of the rest."
Jasper was complicating everything. I should have seen this coming. He obviously had no idea where Julian Savage lived. I was angry with myself, pissed off that I’d allowed him to manipulate me into this trip. Jasper looked tense, although he was trying hard to hide it. Something was going on with him.
Witch's Promise : The Witching Hour Series Book 4 Page 12
