“Hey!” I tossed my spoon down. “I was out gathering magic for your project. Don’t judge me.”
“I’m not.” She stepped back, clearly offended I would think such a thing of her.
Whatever. She had no idea what it was like to be me right then.
“I’m saying he might not have known. All of this might have been as big of a shock to him as it was to you. That’s all.” She backed up and clasped her hand over the doorknob. “Think about it, Mati. Who targeted whom?”
Startled, I jerked my head up and met her eyes. I had targeted him. He’d approached me only after I’d made my presence known. But… “If he didn’t know and this was all a massive mistake, then where has he been? He’s a tracker. If he wanted to find me, he could’ve.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. But wouldn’t it be better if you knew the truth?”
I averted my gaze. Did I want the truth? What if everything I feared was true? What if it wasn’t? Either way, was I going to sit on my couch for the rest of my life wallowing in my Blue Bell ice cream? Seeing Chessa standing there and treating me as if I weren’t broken lit a fire in my belly. Was I going to let him ruin my life? Eff that. I glanced back up and met her penetrating gaze. “I have someone I can call. I’ll have my magic back in a few days. Come back then. I’ll be ready to work.”
“That’s not—”
“It’s all you’re getting.” I didn’t want to sleep with anyone, but if I was honest with myself, I missed my magic. Was lost without it.
She let out a long breath. “I was going to say I didn’t come here to put you back to work. I came to make sure you’re okay. But do what you have to do.”
I plucked at the blanket. “Chess?”
“Yeah?”
“I have nothing. No school. No job without my magic. And even Ashley’s avoiding me right now. I don’t blame her. I’ve not been myself.”
She eyed the ice cream and snorted. “Some things haven’t changed.”
That made me smile. “Right, well… Anyway. I need something for me. And as long as I can get my magic back, I want to keep working with you.”
“Good.” She pulled the door open. “Call me when you’re ready.”
Chapter 14
Vaughn
I was in my new house unpacking my extensive book collection when the doorbell rang. I frowned. No one knew where I lived. And there was a spell on the house to keep strangers away. Who could possibly be on the other side of that door?
Maximus was my guess. That guy just wouldn’t leave well enough alone. No matter how many times I refused to join the demon hunters, he kept coming back. Why couldn’t he understand that I couldn’t commit my life to something that was only available to me by stealing magic from someone I cared about? The idea I was susceptible to becoming a demon bothered me, but I wasn’t willing to be ruled by fear.
I’d been by Matisse’s apartment a few times, but her friend had said she was with her mom for the time being. I hadn’t had the balls to go looking for her there. Call me a coward, but a house full of witches was more than a little intimidating. Besides, what I had to say to Matisse was private.
I crossed through the living room to the small entry of my Lakeview home and peered through the peephole. I recognized her immediately, with her dark hair and intense, dark eyes. Matisse’s mother. What was she doing here? And how had she found my new place? I pulled the door open and leaned against the frame. “Good evening, Ms. Ballintine. It’s a pleasure to see you.”
She frowned, clearly unhappy to be there. “Can I come in?”
I stepped aside, gesturing her into the entry hall.
She walked in straight to my empty living room. “No furniture?”
“It hasn’t been delivered yet.” I nodded toward the kitchen. “I do have stools, though.”
“Fine.”
I led the way and waited for her to sit. Her hostility should have put me off, but I found it more interesting than anything. It had been weeks since my night with Matisse. Why was her mother here now? Unless Ashley had been mistaken and Mati wasn’t getting stronger with each day. “How is Matisse? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. Or will be. And that’s why I’m here.”
I hated myself for hurting her. It didn’t matter that it had been unintentional. I was gutted by the knowledge. “What can I do?”
“Nothing.” Her eyes narrowed as she studied me. “That’s what I came to say. I know you’ve gone by her place at least once. Do me a favor and stay away. Nothing good can come of a visit from you. You’ll only make matters worse.”
“I need to apologize,” I said. “I don’t want to do anything to harm her. Quite the opposite, and she deserves to hear what I have to say.”
“Maybe she does. In that case, put it in a letter.” She stood. “Because if you go see her now, I’m fairly certain she’ll have a mental breakdown. But not before she tries to spell your dick off.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if she hadn’t just mentioned Matisse castrating me. “Got it?”
I nodded, not at all sure what I was supposed to say to that. But if Matisse really was that angry with me, if I did show up now, it would only serve to delay her healing. I could and would wait it out. “For now.”
“What does that mean, for now? Haven’t you done enough damage?”
“No doubt. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to find a way to make it right someday.” Matisse’s mother could think anything she wanted. It wouldn’t change the fact that even after only two days together, I cared about her daughter. Cared more than I should.
She scowled. “There’s no way to make it right.” Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Never mind. Just stay away from her. If not, you’ll have me to answer to.”
“Understood.”
Matisse
It took me all day to make the damned phone call. It shouldn’t have been that hard. Sex wasn’t a big deal. At least it hadn’t been. Now? I felt differently. What I’d shared with Vaughn had changed me. Now sex held meaning. Just the thought of being with someone else made my stomach hurt.
But at the same time, if I was able to help Chessa close the portal and cut off the demons, she’d be safer. And just maybe that would mean there would be less need for incubi. Maybe it was stupid, but if I could save one sex witch from feeling as used and violated as I had, it would be worth it.
The fact that I was going to use Brandon was not lost on me. The best I could do was to be up front with him from the beginning. Make sure he knew this was only about the physical act in order to get strong again. As a witch, he’d understand what I meant.
The phone rang only once before he picked up. “Mati! What’s up?”
“Hey, you. Are you busy?” I held my breath. He could have a date… or even a girlfriend by now. It had been four weeks since I’d seen him.
“Not right now. Just sitting here thinking about going out for a beer. Why?”
I sucked in a nervous breath. The feeling was so unnatural. I was never nervous around the opposite sex. It was part of my gift. “I was wondering if you might want to come over for a while. I, ah… Damn. Look, I need to get strong and I’m not up for spending time with a random stranger.”
Silence.
“Brandon?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m here.”
“Did you hear what I said?”
He chuckled. “I heard you. Just took me a moment to process. I’ve never been propositioned like that before.”
“Oh, crap.” I sat on my couch and hung my head, keeping the phone pressed to my ear. “I’m sorry. Forget I even called. It was a stupid idea.”
“No!” Another pause. “I mean no, it wasn’t stupid. And it’s fine. We’re friends. Of course I can help you out. But are you sure you want me to come to your place? That’s unusual for you, isn’t it?”
Instead of relief, a strange trace of trepidation shuddered through me. But I shut my feelings down. This wasn’t about me and my desi
res. It was about getting healthy enough to go back to work. “I’m sure.” If anything went wrong, I didn’t want to end up naked and passed out in someone else’s space. Never again.
“Okay. What time?”
“Now?” Goddess. That sounded desperate. I bit my lip and waited for him to laugh.
But he didn’t. “Sure.” His voice had turned husky. “See you soon.”
Vaughn
After Matisse’s mother left, Mitch called. He had another job for me. I changed into dark jeans, a gray hoodie, and black boots. To someone who didn’t know me, I could be a student or I could be a drug dealer. Both were good cover options considering I was heading to Mitch’s neighborhood.
His house was in Mid-City, not too far from City Park. It wasn’t the best neighborhood, but it wasn’t the worst either. The paint on his shotgun double was peeling and the porch sagged with years of neglect. It’s not a place I would’ve chosen to live, but if the rent was low enough, I guess the house and large yard afforded him some privacy.
I knocked once and then let myself in. The front room was virtually empty, not a stick of furniture in the place. “Mitch?”
“In the kitchen.” His voice floated from the back of the house.
I found him at a Formica table. His laptop was open and files covered every inch of the surface. “Good. You’re here.” He stood up and passed me a beer.
I took it but made no move to actually drink it. “You have a job for me?”
“Yes.” He rifled through the papers on the table, his movements jerky and overly excited. Looking up, he called, “Sam! He’s here.”
Light footsteps sounded on the hardwood floors. My eyes widened and then narrowed when my old friend came into view. She seemed even smaller than her five-foot three frame. Her hair was rumpled and her face was blotchy from crying.
“Sam?” I met my best friend from high school in the kitchen doorway and caught her as she flung herself into my waiting arms. “What happened?”
“Where were you?” she said, her words muffled against my shoulder.
I caressed her hair, trying to soothe her as she shook in my arms. “When? Today? I was at home.”
She pulled back, her pale blue eyes fiery with anger. “No. A month ago when I came to your shop. You said you’d always be there for me. But the one time I needed you, you weren’t. And no one there would give me your number or address.”
A faint recollection of Rick telling me a woman had come by to see me resurfaced from my memory. “I’m so sorry. They didn’t tell me who it was. Otherwise I…” I clutched her shoulders and took a good look at the faint bruises on her neck and temple. My muscles tightened with all-consuming anger. “Who did this to you?”
Her lip trembled, but she sucked in a breath and forced out, “My ex.”
“That son of a bitch.” Wilson Waters. I’d never liked him and now I knew why. “I’ll kill him.”
I was halfway across the kitchen, determined to go after Wilson, when Mitch said, “He’s a witch.”
“So,” I said and kept walking.
“He’s dabbling with black magic.” Mitch’s tone was laced with excitement, making me pause. “After you find him, bring him to me.”
I turned and met his impassive eyes. Maybe I’d imagined the excitement. “Why? If he’s using black magic isn’t it better to call the Witches’ Council for an immediate pickup?”
“Not this time. Sam says he’s working on black curses designed to be used on other people. If that’s the case, we need to find out if he has any cohorts. The Council won’t share their findings with us. If we want to keep New Orleans safe, that’s information we need to know.”
Keep New Orleans safe? I’d never known Mitch to give two shits about anyone but himself. Maybe seeing Sam battered had awoken his conscience. One could hope. “If you say so.”
Sam hurried across the room and grabbed my arm. “I’m going with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said, gently removing her arm from mine.
“Too damn bad.” She scowled at me. “I’m the one he’s been beating the last month, and I’m the one who knows exactly where he’ll be. I want to be there when you take his ass down. After the last police report, he promised to put me six feet under. I intend to see with my own two eyes that he gets exactly what he deserves.”
Fuck me. He’d been beating her for over a month. He’d threatened her life. And I’d moved and changed my number so often she hadn’t been able to easily get in touch with me. I tugged her to my side, wanting to hold on to her forever. She was the sister I never had. “How did you find Mitch?”
“A friend of a friend knew how to get in touch with a witch connected with the Council. I didn’t know it was Mitch until he opened his front door.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I know where he’ll be for the next hour. We should go.”
Goddammit. My self-loathing intensified. She was here by pure chance. No doubt she’d suffered more than she would even let on. I wanted to tuck her into my house and leave her there until I was certain this bastard was incarcerated, but I knew her better than that. She’d never go for it. “You’re staying in the car.”
Her posture didn’t relax, but I did sense a small bit of relief in her expression. “Fine.”
“Remember. Bring him here before calling the Council,” Mitch said.
“Sure.” I held my hand out to Sam. “Ready?”
“More than ever.”
Once outside, I opened the passenger door of the SUV for Sam and then climbed into the driver’s side. “Want to talk about it?” I asked.
“No. I have a therapist.” Her tone was firm. End of discussion.
“Got it.” I pulled away from the curb, heading in the direction of the university. “And you’re here now because things have escalated?”
She scoffed. “Escalated. Right. Yeah, when the death threats started, I figured it was time to take matters into my own hands.”
“Shit, Sam. I’m sorry.” I was fucking up all over the place with the women in my life.
“You should be. I needed you.” She crossed her arms over her chest and dug her fingernails into her forearms.
“You won’t have any issues getting in touch with me for now on,” I vowed. “Tell me about the black magic. I need to know what I’m up against.”
She went pale as the blood drained from her face. “He’s researching a Black Heart spell. It’s cast on witches and affects the people they fall in love with. It usually ends in death.”
Horror rushed into me. “And he wanted to use this on…?”
“My new boyfriend. He’s a witch, but I don’t want him involved in this. He’ll try to kill Wilson.”
“Shit!”
“That’s what I’m sayin’. Now hurry up. He’s hosting a weekly meeting for one of his frat committees.”
“He’s a frat guy?” Damn. I supposed everyone loved him, too. Classic abuser situation.
She didn’t respond and only spoke again to give me directions. We parked in front of a two-story craftsman house and waited until half a dozen college guys filed out of the front door.
“Which level does he live on?” I asked.
“Bottom. Apartment 1A.”
“Got it. Sit tight.” I grabbed my stun gun and zip ties. I could’ve used a tranq dart, but that would’ve been too kind for the likes of this bastard.
I didn’t bother trying to be stealth bounty hunter guy. Waters was going to know exactly why I’d come for him. The door was open a few inches, and instead of knocking, I strode right in. “Waters?” I called.
The tall blond guy appeared from what must have been a bedroom. When he met my eyes, he scowled. “Paxton, what the fuck do you want?”
“To kick your ass.” I took two steps and slammed my fist into his nose. He howled and crumpled at my feet. Idiot. He hadn’t even seen it coming.
Magic gathered around him, but before he could cast any spell, I slammed my boot into his gut. The
power dissipated. He wasn’t a very strong witch, was he? Normally when witches were pissed their power raged out of control. His reaction implied he was scared.
Recoiling, he rolled and grunted. Staring up at me with hatred in his eyes, he asked, “What the fuck is your problem?”
I leaned down so our faces were inches apart. “My problem, jackass, is that you seem to think it’s fun to beat on women. This is the last time you raise a fist to anyone.” I was dying to break another rib or two, but the bastard wasn’t fighting back. Instead, I put my foot on his back and held him down as I reached for my zip ties.
The door slammed open and Sam stood in the threshold, shaking with anger. Before I could stop her, she was by my side, slamming her foot into his side, yelling at the top of her lungs. “You son of a bitch! Think you can threaten me? Think you can force me to sleep with you? I told you, you’d regret the day you ever met me!”
“Sam!” I grabbed her arms and pulled her back. “That’s enough.”
She turned on me, daggers shooting from her blue eyes. “It will never be enough.” A sob got caught in her throat as she collapsed against me.
A groan came from Waters, and then I felt his magic build again. It was stronger and more forceful than before. I spun, shielding Sam from him. My stun gun was in my hand, but before I could connect with him, a blast of magic came from across the room. The light slammed into Waters and he went limp, his face white.
“That should keep him under control.” A petite older witch stood just inside the door. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun.
Sam stepped out from behind me. “Ms. Anders?”
I glanced between the two of them. “What’s going on?”
The older witch strode forward and held her hand out to me. “I’m a professor at the University. I also happen to work for the Witches’ Council. We got a tip about Waters early this morning. I’ve been watching him ever since.” She turned to Sam. “I assume you won’t have any problems testifying against the accused?”
Demons & Djinn: Nine Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Novels Featuring Demons, Djinn, and other Bad Boys of the Underworld Page 60
