My voice was strong. I really didn't want him to leave, but everyone was watching me.
But then Nathaniel turned around and our eyes locked, melting my self-control. That pulsing strong emotion of love was still inside me, wrecking my shattered soul. His eyes moved downwards and for about thirty seconds he kept checking me out, parting his lips, before a smirk appeared on his face. My heart reminded of the night that we spent together about a week ago, beating so fast that I couldn’t keep up with it.
"Julia, I don’t want to fight. I lost control. There’s so much going on—"
"Nathaniel, there you are," a blond witch said approaching us. I recognised her from the restaurant. Tonight, she was wearing a ridiculous amount of makeup. Her pale blue eyes flickered when she spotted me. "We met before, right? Outside the restaurant?"
I stood there frozen, filled with anger and anguish. I didn't understand why he had been such an arse before, being disgusted with me when he was now dating other people and most likely sleeping with them. The witch smiled, moving her long, thin finger over Nathaniel’s jacket.
He tensed his body so much that I was surprised he didn’t break any bones. His eyes softened on mine.
"Julia, meet Elvira again, my date," he said quietly.
"Oh, Julia, I’ve heard so much about you. It’s great to finally meet you," she said, nodding. The air got sucked out of my throat. I didn’t understand. He was talking to her about me? Why?
“Oh, I hope Nathaniel didn’t spill all my secrets?" I asked.
She laughed.
"I heard you work at that paranormal agency supplying staff to Nathaniel. Well, let me tell you; I admire hardworking women. Nathaniel’s business is booming, thanks to you."
"I'm just doing my job. How about you, Elvira? What do you do?" I asked with a squeaky voice, feeling his burning gaze. My skin ached for his touch, for his kisses, but no, that was the painful past. I had to stop thinking like that.
She patted her blond hair, looking away.
"This and that, some beauty stuff, you know, but I'm more interested in you. Have you got a date here?"
"No, I'm here to network, to bring more business."
"I see, terrific. Well, maybe you should join our table, so we can chat a bit more—"
"Elvira, I'm sure Julia doesn't want to be kept away from her task," Nathaniel cut her off. His voice was slightly on edge and I wanted him to just disappear. He didn’t want her to talk to me and that was fine with me. My heart missed a beat, my skin tingled and flushed. My energy reminded me to move along, but then something else happened. At times when I couldn’t control my emotions, other people’s thoughts slid through. I heard Nathaniel. I heard what he was thinking, standing so close to me.
“You're right, Nathaniel. It’s so nice to meet you again, Elvira," I said and then walked away before she had a chance to say anything more. My heart rate tripled, pain erupted, and dizziness came in waves. I was shaking from head to toe when I sat down at the table next to Kelsie, not knowing if I heard Nathaniel correctly. Shock rippled through me, dark emotions deepened. Nathaniel was no longer the man I thought he was. All this time, he had been sponsoring these bitches, for what? So, he would be able to get his hands on some spell?
I was ready to run to the bathroom and throw up, but then Dannika's voice roared through my head.
What are you doing by the bar chatting up your ex-boyfriend? I want suspects. Stop wasting your time!
I'm sorry.
Don’t be sorry; just start acting like the chief’s daughter.
That was it. I could’t psychically respond because I was in shock. My heart was throwing itself against my rib cage; my emotions were in turmoil. Then some other things happened. The catering staff began walking in with the first course, and Kelsie kicked me under the table.
"I see one at one o’clock, blonde with magic wand in her hand," she hissed. I didn’t have time to have a fit or to leave the room to vomit. The lives of my friend and my father depended on me.
I followed Kelsie’s eyes. A few tables away from us, I counted at least three witches and two elves. I recognised one: it was a friend of Donna’s, the one who fancied the handsome wizard from the factory. Next to her was a tall, skinny blond witch, wearing a pale satin dress. My mouth went dry; from her posture I recognised the bitch assistant from the industrial park.
Kelsie was holding her breath. I swallowed hard, ignoring the nausea, and sent a message to Dannika.
We have one of them. Once she moves, I’ll follow her.
Good. Don’t do anything stupid. Just let us know who she is.
When the staff put the plate of pumpkin soup in front of me, my stomach revolted. I didn’t know where Nathaniel went with his new date because I was keeping a close eye on the pale witch. My body was in agony, my heart shattered. I didn't want to believe that Nathaniel was a traitor, that he never even planned to help me. This betrayal was worse than anything I’d ever experienced, even him getting engaged to another woman.
Kelsie was saying something to me about the soup, but I couldn’t speak or swallow anything. I felt like I was locked in a cage with my own tainted love, feeling as if someone was squeezing my neck cutting off bits of oxygen.
The witch didn't eat anything. She stared back at the bar while the two other women were chatting away. She was important to me, but she wasn't the witch who I needed to find. I began scanning the room, waiting for the energy to hit me again. The witches were everywhere, but I just couldn’t feel that pull from earlier on. After the starter, the catering staff brought the main courses. It was a typical Christmas dinner, but the smell of meat made me even sicker. Besides that, my magic weakened, sending cold surges of sweat down my back.
"Julia, what’s wrong with you?" Kelsie whispered. “You're very pale. Are you sure you’re feeling all right?"
"No, but don’t worry. I won't be moving from here until we find the main witch," I said quietly and concentrated on my breathing.
"I saw you talking to Nathaniel? Who was that woman beside him?"
"His new date."
Kelsie probably understood this wasn't the time and a place to discuss this, because she didn’t ask any more questions. I didn’t know what was happening to me. This was the worst time to have a meltdown. I needed to concentrate. Dad had three days of his life left; my love life didn’t matter.
I tried to swallow a few bites of meat, but I gave up, and a few giants at our table were eyeing me with open curiosity. An hour later we had a break and once the staff started clearing the plates the witch moved. I volunteered to follow her, barely keeping my balance.
I saw Dannika a few tables away from us nodding to a couple of her people. I just needed them to see who they had to grab, that was it. Luckily for me, she headed right towards the bathroom.
We left the main ballroom and walked through the long narrow corridor.
Satin pale dress; she’s very skinny with long dark hair. She just walked into the ladies’ room.
I stopped on the other side, pretending to be checking my phone. A few minutes later Dannika strolled up in her black dress, looking like she was struggling to walk in heels. Two other officers were by her side. One of them waved his wand and a sign appeared on the door entrance saying, “out of order.”
Go back to the room and find others.
Dannika had to make sure no one saw her. I took a few deep breaths trying to clear my mind and started walking back to the room, when someone pulled me away into an empty space, covering my mouth. Panic punched the air out of my lungs. A musky oriental smell surrounded me, and my stomach dropped.
"Please don’t scream. I really need to talk to you."
It was Jasper and he was crashing the party. He was going to ruin everything. I had to let Dannika know that I needed help, but she was dealing with the witch. There was no time, so risking everything, I sent Kelsie a message.
Kelsie, I'm stuck with Jasper in the corridor. Please send someone. Fast!
; I had no idea if she heard me, but then I heard a loud bang coming out of the bathroom, then the smoke came.
Jasper lost his concentration for a split second and I slammed my elbow into his stomach from behind. My legs felt weak as I pulled away from his grip. Jasper tried to grab me again, but I stumbled forward.
"I found the white witch for you. I know where she lives—"
"Fuck you," I shouted, and then someone else shoved me to the side. Stewart and another fairy were already on Jasper. He didn’t have his magic wand and I didn’t think he anticipated what was happening.
Then we heard another loud bang, and someone screamed.
"Julia, the white witch!" he yelled, but then he was already getting handcuffed. Stewart slammed him on the floor, reading him his rights. In a matter of seconds, the fire alarm started going off. My body swirled with power and instead of staying where I should, I ran back to the main room knowing that we hadn’t caught the head of the coven yet.
"Miss, miss, everyone is evacuating. Please follow through the fire entrance," a small uniformed troll shouted. Another wave of surging power slammed into me unexpectedly. The witch was somewhere in the crowd, but the paranormals started to panic, many of them hurrying towards the entrance.
I tried to locate Kelsie or Dannika, but the spell was fading. I was looking around, trying to see, but magic coursed through me, giving me an agonising migraine. A burst of energy raised all the tiny hairs on my body. I held onto the post, being pushed from every direction. Nausea heaved in my stomach and I felt weak, exhausted. Someone was using spiking power attempting to knock me out. I fought, but my skin was hot and flustered.
“I've got you," someone said, wrapping arms around my waist. Pain exploded in my head, shooting through my limbs. Then blackness obscured my vision and all that was left was nothingness.
CHAPTER 32
THE SWEDISH WITCH WHO DESIRES IMMORTALITY.
I felt so relaxed, snuggled up in soft and amazing sheets. I spread my legs and arms, stretching. The soft aroma of lavender and lime zest permeated the air; my muscles relaxed, and I wanted to drift back to sleep. Alerting thoughts made me realise there was something that I’d forgotten. I shut my eyes after recognising my own devastated bedroom. The memories from last night came back slowly until I concentrated. My dress was on the chair and I was in my underwear; the morning light was streaming into the room.
How the hell did I get here?
The pain in my skull reminded me of the party. Someone in the venue used their magic against my own. The penetrating sources of power came unexpectedly, knocking me out and I lost focus. I flinched, hearing my phone vibrating somewhere on the bed. I started to search for it and after a moment I found it under the pillow.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Julia!" Kelsie screamed into my ear. "Where the hell have you been all night?"
"I don’t know. I just woke up," I replied and then the realisation of yesterday’s event hit me and I slid off the bed. "Oh, my God, Kelsie! The party! Did Dannika get the witches?"
"Wow, chill. The party ended early; there was a gas leak or something like that. They had to evacuate everyone, but a few of those bitches are in custody right now."
I was going to ask her what happened to me, but then I spotted a note on my dressing table. Still holding my phone close to my ear, I picked it up, recognising the handwriting.
JULIA.
YOU PASSED out and I managed to get you out of that party.
We need to talk. I have something really important that I have to tell you. I’ll call you as soon as I can.
NATHANIEL.
"HOLD ON, Kelsie. I have to throw up," I said and then ran to the bathroom. In a matter of seconds all the memories were back, and I was violently sick. My stomach heaved, cold sweat soaked my body. I lifted my head, breathing hard. It took me a long moment to pull myself together and find the phone on the bathroom floor.
"I'm here," I gasped to the phone.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothing, it’s complicated. Just tell me if Dannika got anything out of those witches."
"Things got messy last night. The witch was trying to fight back. She killed one of the officers in the bathroom and injured Dannika. She was kept in isolation for a few hours and Dannika was in bad shape, so she couldn’t interrogate her straight away. I'm sorry, Julia, but once the alarm went off everyone went berserk."
I sat back down on the bed, swallowing my tears. Kate had less than twenty-four hours left, Dad probably a day more.
"Jasper showed up; he tried to talk to me."
"Yeah, he was arrested last night, but someone paid his bail today, so he got out."
Kelsie asked a few more questions about last night. I wanted to know if the witches were ready to talk about their plans. There was so little time and we still hadn't caught the head of the coven. I had to rely entirely on the unit. Apparently, the witch injured Dannika pretty badly. I had no idea if she was in the station or in the hospital.
I tried to gather my thoughts to understand what happened with my magic yesterday. Nathaniel brought me to my apartment, undressed me and then vanished. Everything was clear. He paid witches, so he could get close to them.
I couldn’t physically come to terms with this. At first, I had to rely on Jasper, a scum like him to get to Gordon, because Nathaniel was blind to the coven. Magic had never concerned him; it was always blood. What changed?
I wished he had stayed until I woke up. I was ready to question him. My phone started ringing again, but I didn't pick it up this time around or check the caller ID. I put some clothes on, brushed my hair and headed out.
First, I went to the station trying to speak to Dannika, but the paranormal in the reception didn’t want to let me in.
"She can’t see you now. She asked that you leave her a message."
I didn’t understand what was going on. Why all of a sudden couldn’t Dannika spare five minutes with me ? But the officer in reception refused to say anything more. Apparently, the station had been locked down. No one was able to speak to the officers. My vision blurred and I felt weak, but I needed to go to the hospital.
When I arrived, Kate’s whole family was sitting in the corridor. Her sisters were crying; Mr. Broomfield was hugging one of them to his chest. When her mother saw me, she only shook her head.
"She has until tomorrow afternoon."
"Be strong," I said to them, knowing that there was nothing that I could do for them.
My head was completely screwed, and I wasn't thinking straight. I didn’t go to see my father. I couldn’t bear looking at him when his life was slowly drifting away. I put my foot down and headed straight to Canary Wharf to see Nathaniel. I had to be certain about him betraying me with those witches. If there was any evidence, I could easily find it in his apartment.
The traffic wasn't so bad on Sunday, but it still took me around forty minutes to get to his complex. My gut feeling told me that he wasn't going to be there. Either way, I was ready to use my magic to make him talk, once and for all. His lies were sickening. I trusted him, gave him my life and now I just wanted answers.
I parked the car somewhere where I shouldn't and called reception. Luckily, it was the same porter who had seen me here before. I had to manipulate him to let me inside Nathaniel’s apartment.
The guard was sitting in his usual spot, his face was nearly enough glued to the TV. He was human, so this seemed easy. I switched on my girly mode and plastered a smile on my face. Maybe I wouldn’t have to use my magic at all.
I cleared my throat at first just to give him a chance to notice me. He sighed heavily and turned around.
"Hey, I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm Nathaniel La Caz’s girlfriend. He asked me to get something from his apartment and, silly me, I forgot the keys," I said, making a face and lying through my teeth. I had no idea if Nathaniel was inside. The guard looked me over up and down, twisting his lips. There was also a plan B, just in case he w
asn't prepared to let me in. Now that I was so much more in control I could try a little spell.
"I don’t think he would like it if someone went into his apartment."
"I'm not just someone; I'm his girlfriend. He forgot his wallet, but he had to go to the office. Mr. La Caz won't be very happy if he finds out you didn’t let me in."
The guard frowned and scratched his fat chin. I was already searching for a spell in my head that would allow me to make him do what I wanted.
The guard with the name tag "Graham" lifted his large arse and reluctantly walked to the boxes with numbers. He found C21 and grunted at me.
"Follow me."
Satisfied with the outcome, I followed him.
"So, what were you watching?" I asked, pretending that I was interested when he opened the door to Nathaniel’s apartment.
"New episode of that American drama about a forensic unit," he replied, shrugging.
"Well, I'm sure you don’t want to miss any of it. I’ll be downstairs in ten minutes."
The guard hesitated for a second. He looked like he was really into that show.
"Just be quick. I don’t want any trouble," he barked and then strolled back, hurrying down the stairs. I was alone. Perfect.
I felt a little sick and on edge walking back into Nathaniel’s apartment. Memories shot through me like an arrow and I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic about his place. I really needed to pull myself together.
I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for. Maybe I just wanted to make sure that he was clean, that he didn’t sleep with that witch. Every room I went to was immaculate and his scent only enhanced the space, bringing my lust back. I had to stop thinking that he couldn’t betray me.
I opened some drawers in the living room, but found nothing. There was no paperwork in the kitchen drawers. He barely had any food in the fridge. Pictures of his sister and father were on the side table. I ran my hand over the edge of the table wondering why he lied about everything.
After a few deep breaths and searching in the guest bedroom, I went to his room. The bed was messy, and it looked like he had slept in it last night after he dropped me home.
Witch's Promise : The Witching Hour Series Book 4 Page 22
