Warmth entered my hands, my warlock magic filtering gently into me. I couldn’t take too much, it would risk my witch ties.
I was about to leap from where I was, ready to throw a fireball at my opponent, when something thin was pressed to the crown of my head.
“This wand will obliterate your brain if you try anything. She’s waiting, and you’re costing me precious time. Let’s go!”
And, just like that, I decided to meet my evil grandmother.
Chapter Two
The meeting room was just as creepy arse as the rest of the hospital. I’d been waiting, tied by my wrists, for at least an hour. The horrible man had complained that we were late, and my grandmother hadn’t even been there.
I glanced around at the almost bare room. It had an old worn out bed in the corner, the mattress stained with dirt. My thousandth shudder made my body hurt. I wasn’t going to be able to walk in the morning after my flying lesson earlier. I should’ve guessed that a barrier spell would encase this hell.
A noise outside made me sit up in my chair. It was actually clean, which had surprised me considering how gross the rest of the place was. There was no window in the room, which didn’t surprise me considering it had been an insane asylum.
When the door unlocked, I got to my feet. My captor came in, his wand held out before him. Ah, he was wary of me. So he should be. I was going to feed his eyeballs to Kingsley. Okay, the place was obviously having an effect on me because that was horrific and something I could never do. Besides, Kingsley liked biscuits, not eyeballs.
“Sit down.” His barked order was almost ignored, but when I heard footsteps behind him, I did as he’d demanded, my butt screaming in pain when it hit the hard chair.
“Devon Jinx,” a strong female voice said before the attached body came into view. “It’s been a while.”
My jaw dropped open at the beauty of the woman. She was the spitting image of me, albeit a little older. Wasn’t she supposed to be ancient? How did she look so young?
Her small frame was counteracted by the vastness of her energy. She engulfed the room as soon as she closed the door, her power trying to push its way into my skin.
Hiding another shudder, I stared at her, unable to look away as she stepped forward. Her hair was long, coming just above her waist. It was dark, just like mine, the ends curling slightly. She wore a floor length dark red dress, Victorian in style, with a short black jacket to keep out the chill.
“I’ve never met you,” I murmured, suddenly realising what she had said.
Placing her hands on her hips, she cocked her head to the side. “Really?”
The lift of her arm had revealed a tattoo on her wrist. The pentagram. The roses and vines. Of course.
“I remember…” My memory was still hazy as I tried to place where I’d seen that tattoo before.
“No, you don’t. You were a very small child when I saw you last. We were playing in a park in South London. Your parents arrived and took you away.”
Shaking my head, I chewed the inside of my cheek. A hot burning sensation started in my chest, my anger suddenly bursting into life.
“I can see that you judge me for what I do…”
“Judge you? You’re evil. You’re draining witches of their magic, just so you can be powerful again. Your failure as a ley line Essex witch-”
The breath was sucked out of my lungs with a flick of Helena’s wrist. I gasped for air, my body flailing as I tried to breathe.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about!” My enemy-by-blood almost screamed as she stood stock still, totally in control of her frame.
My eyes bulged, my veins hot. I was going to die. She was going to kill me straight away, which meant I would have failed. As an agent. As a decent person.
“Madam,” the man said, drawing her attention. “You need to keep her alive.”
A burst of energy vibrated around the room as she swirled her hand again. Oxygen rushed into my airways as I fell forward, almost retching from the lack of air. The man nudged me into a sit, my back pressing against the chair as I stared at the woman in front of me. Bitch witch, more like.
“You will not speak. You will listen.” Waving a chair towards her, she smiled when it scraped across the room.
The man moved it to the right position as it stopped in front of me. Lowering herself onto the chair, Helena leant her elbows on her knees as she faced me. Not as elegant as she made out.
“Your parents went against tradition. At first, I hated you. You were half warlock, half witch, and the light of your mother’s world. I was forgotten when you were born. You see…” She paused as she narrowed her eyes on me. “I’d been against the illegal match for a long time, but when your mother fell pregnant, I saw it as an opportunity to make amends.”
Yawning, I held back a laugh when her jaw tightened. I wasn’t bored with her story, well, not much, anyway. I was just tired from all the hallucinating.
Resting her chin in her hands, she watched me. “You look so like us. I fell in love with you as soon as you were placed in my arms. Julia had come round to the idea of me being in your life. I wanted to help raise you. To make amends for the mistakes I’d made when she was young.”
“Your greed of magic, you mean? Er. What happened?”
Grinding her teeth, Helena sat back. I wasn’t going to call her grandmother anymore. She wasn’t related to me as far as I was concerned. She might be beautiful on the outside, but her evilness was saturating the room.
“Have you ever had an addiction, Devon?”
Her question was genuine. She wanted me to answer. How could I? Was there any point in revealing a weakness? No, my agent mind knew that to get friendly with her would be pointless. Even if diplomacy would’ve been Justina’s answer. Something couldn’t quite persuade me to befriend my grandparent.
An image of Gerard came into my mind as I thought about her question. I could be addicted to him. He did enter my mind a lot more than I would’ve liked. Plus, he was the thing I looked forward to most when on my way to work. Oh, crap, that wasn’t a good thing. Hunky Mac-Gerard was getting under my skin. And, I didn’t like it.
“No, I’m afraid not. I have seen people who are addicted to magic. Warlocks more than anything.” I snapped my teeth together, but the words were already released. Stupid, stupid, Devon.
Helena’s pale cheeks turned pink as my sentence sank in. “Yes. Warlocks have a lot to answer for.”
Coughing, I pulled on my warlock magic. Helena could stop me doing anything with her power, but she wouldn’t be as strong against warlock magic. Or, that’s what I convinced myself anyway.
“You’re part warlock. When your mother found out what I was doing to build up my magic, she stopped me from seeing you. That was a while after I met Vernon Jupiter.” The smirk on her face made me question her sanity.
“I killed him, you should thank me.”
My flippant remark was met with a sneer. “I didn’t want him dead, you idiot. I enjoyed torturing him. You put him out of his misery.”
Considering I was sitting across from the woman I had been hunting with the agency, I was feeling numb. Where was my anger? Why wasn’t I more emotional? She was evil. She had been draining witches of their magic and selling them on as slaves. For some reason, in that moment, it didn’t matter. I was powerless.
“Glad I’ve done something to combat your plan.”
My deadpan reply made her sit back and cross her arms over her chest. “You seem less bothered than I imagined. I’ve had reports from my friends that you’re pretty tough. You’ve developed both witch and warlock magic, but you’re not impressing me yet.”
Tilting my head to the side, I lifted the corner of my lip into my cheek. “You’ve made it impossible for me to impress you. You’re too scared to allow me freedom, so you had your slave drug me. You don’t think I see how weak you are under all that borrowed magic?”
Good, I had ruffled her feathers. Her cheeks turned bright red
, her lips pressed together. The witch was unstable, too much power running through her body. She might pretend she was the almighty powerful goddess of magic, but I could see straight through her.
“You really think you’ll be able to keep me hidden here? Right now, the agency will be searching for me. And, I have a way of being caught. It’s in my nature. I’m not as slick as you.”
Helena rose to her feet when the man next to her went to speak. “John, what did I tell you about remaining silent?”
I glanced at the man as she started to pace the room. His tall frame was hunched even further now she was around. His dark hair was greasy, stuck to his head. The tatty dark trousers and white shirt were supposed to make him look respectable, but he just looked lost.
“I wouldn’t have been worried about your team finding you. The agency has a lot of tools behind them, including the human government. However, the spells cast around this place makes it impossible for them to see it.” She wrung her hands together as she turned to face me. “Your mother, on the other hand. She inherited my link to the ley lines, so…”
Letting her sentence drop, Helena went still as she stared at me. “There’s no denying that you’re an Essex witch. Just look at your face. If only your mother hadn’t married a warlock, you’d be a full witch, able to carry on the line.”
It was interesting that she didn’t know anything about my magic predicament. Becky, the seer, had told me that I could release my warlock side and become a full witch. If I did that, I would become a full Essex witch, allowing me to carry on the line… as long as I married another Essex witch line. Which meant I couldn’t be with Gerard.
Helena noticed my sharp intake of breath as I had my realisation. She thrust forward, clicking her fingers as she bent in front of me. My hands were suddenly loose, the sting tying them gone.
“You’re powerful, my child. I watched you when you were young. I loved you so very much. You might not remember, but you adored me too. We were inseparable. I wrote you stories to send you to sleep.”
The inside of my body shivered at her revelation. No, my mother wrote me stories, not her. She hadn’t even been around. I didn’t remember her at all.
Bringing my hands forward, I reached out to push her shoulders. She grabbed me, forcing my hands down into my lap. Her magic made her physically strong, too. There was no way I could ever beat her in a fight. Not when I was still both witch and warlock.
“I don’t know you. And, even if I could remember, who you’ve become is so deplorable to me, I would never accept you as my grandmother.” My teeth were clenched as I spoke, the tension mounting inside me.
She was trying to win me over. Why would she do that? I was my mother’s daughter, through and through. I hunted Helena, wanted to end her. And, I would.
An image of my mother and father came into my mind. They had explained how they’d tried to get the evidence needed to prove that Helena was kidnapping people. Unfortunately, she had found out about their quest and threatened them.
“I must admit, it’s been a while since I’ve thought about any of you. It hurt too much to remember the happier times.”
Maybe studying psychopaths should have been part of the training at the agency. Did the woman know what she was talking about? She was certainly in the right place if her views on life were anything to go by. Insane was an understatement.
“What are you going to do with me?”
There was no point in dragging up a fake past. She might as well have killed me if that was her plan. I was too strung out to play mind games. My little brain was far too weary to figure out her motive.
Sighing, she stood up and went towards the door. “There’s something, deep down inside of you, that I need.”
“You’re going to drain me?” I blurted, thrusting up from my seat.
Her hand flung up, the fingers spread wide. I froze, one foot in front of the other. I couldn’t move. Her power was crazy strong. No matter what I did, I wouldn’t get very far. It looked like I would have to do as she wished.
“John,” she said, glancing at her slave. “Take her to the room.”
Chapter Three
As soon as John marched me into the room, I spun and slammed my fist into his jaw. There was no way I was staying here. Thrusting my chest with his big meaty hands, he sent me spiralling into a padded wall. Yep, padded wall.
“There’s no point in fighting, I’ve told you that. Just tell her what she wants to know.”
Locking the door behind him, John came for me. His wand was extended as he approached. My hands were against the soft grey padding of the wall. My hair was over my face as I huffed. I wouldn’t go down without a fight, not when there was a bed with ties attached nearby.
Holding my hands behind my back, I pulled on my warlock magic, forming a ball of flames in my palm.
“John, she has you on a lead. Why don’t you unlatch yourself? Help a girl out here.”
Throwing my hands up, I unleashed the ball, sending it straight into his chest. He stumbled back, patting his shirt where a scorch mark revealed a singed hairy chest. Ew.
Running for the door, I dodged past him when he dove for me. He thudded straight into the wall as I reached the door. Yanking on the handle, I screamed when it didn’t budge. Whispering an unlocking spell, I pulled again. It still didn’t move.
An arm came around my waist, hauling me off the ground. I squirmed as I clung onto his fingers, trying to wrench them off me. He dragged me, literally kicking and screaming, to the bed. No, he couldn’t tie me up! I was a wild woman, a free person. Someone who would never be tamed.
“Get off me!” I kicked my leg back, my fluffy heel ploughing into his shin.
He swore but didn’t loosen his hold as he tackled me to the bed. I bucked, trying to dislodge his hold, but he was stronger now. Had Helena given him some of her magic?
I was about to drag on my magic when my body flipped on its own, landing with my back against the bed. Scowling, I glanced towards the door where Helena stood, a grim look on her face.
“Why do you have to make it so hard? I just want one memory. Then you can go.”
“Go?” I instantly stopped resisting, allowing John to tie my wrists and ankles to the bed. What memory was she talking about? Didn’t she realise that my brain was either full of magic related nonsense or Gerard? Yeah, he pretty much filled my mind most of time. Who would blame me, he was a hot witch agent. No sane woman who was into men would pass him over.
“Well…you know, go from the bed…”
An actual growl came out of my chest as I tugged on the restrains. The bitch had tricked me. Although, I was a little stupid to think she would let me go.
“I don’t have memories, you weirdo!” I didn’t want to insult her too much, not when she had me tied to a bed.
The roll of her eyes made me clench my hands into fists. What the hell was she going to do to me?
“Turn the video on, John. Let it play for a few hours. I’ll be back after my meeting.”
As the door closed, it automatically locked behind her. She was leaving? What video was she talking about?
John stood back and switched something on. A moving picture flared to life on the ceiling above my head. A projector cast the scenes onto the white surface. Going over to the light, John switched it off before opening the door.
“Wait, where are you going?”
Looking over his shoulder, John hunched even more. “I… I’m sorry, Devon.”
And he was gone. I was alone with my thoughts, and the stupid video playing above me. At first I ignored it, too wired to concentrate. How could I get out?
Looking at the straps, I cursed to myself. They were a similar material to the bands that Justina used to defuse magic. Great.
My dagger was tucked in my boot at home. On my floor. Next to my comfy bed, where I should be snoozing before a hard day at work. Were the others looking for me?
“Look, Mama.” A child’s voice rang out from the video a
bove. “I’m swinging.”
I knew that voice. It was… mine. My attention was drawn to the video. I was a child, running around a park. My mother and father were sitting on a bench, hand in hand. Someone else was filming us as I pushed myself higher on the swing. I must have been about six years old.
My breath quickened as I tugged on my binds again. No, I didn’t want to watch a happy childhood video. Why would Helena force me?
“Mum,” my mother said as she came up to the person holding the camera. “Why don’t you go and push Devon?”
The camera swapped hands. Helena waved at it as she approached the younger version of me. I squealed in delight when she tickled me under the arms before pushing the swing.
“They love each other so much,” my mother said from behind the camera.
Jumping off the swing, I took Helena’s hand. She didn’t look a day older now, even though it was almost twenty years ago.
I cringed against the bed, not wanting to believe that I had adored the witch who had been draining others of her kind. Just so she’d have enough power to kill the warlocks.
“What’s Devon pointing at?” my father said in the video.
The camera zoomed in. I was pointing at a tree, my whole body shaking as I dragged Helena to it.
“That’s the tree, Kevin, you need to stop her from telling my mother about it. Go!”
My father dashed in front of the camera, running at full speed to join us by the tree. Quickly diverting our attention, he uncharacteristically picked me up and threw me in the air, bringing us both back to my mother.
The video clicked off, and I heaved a sigh of relief. Helena wanted me to remember something, but I was too het up to even think about the video. It was cute, I was adorable, or whatever.
“Mother earth, please help me get out of here,” I whispered, feeling the sudden urge to ball my eyes out.
Gritting my teeth, I swallowed the lump that came to my throat. I was useless. There would be no way for me to escape with the amount of power that woman had. Everyone else was probably getting on with their lives, already forgotten about me.
Magically Betrayed: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Hunted Witch Agency Book 3) Page 2
