“Unless you want to vomit, I wouldn’t touch that, Newbie.”
Newbie?
“You offered me a drink.” My growl was met with amused raised eyebrows.
Tinniel slid into the booth on the other side of me, his big frame only just fitting behind the table. Several drinks clanged when he knocked the underside of the glass with his knees.
“Here,” Naz said, winking at me. “I’m sure you can handle this.”
Waving his hand, he grunted when a bottle of beer appeared in front of me. My mouth gaped as I gingerly reached out to see if it was real. It was.
“I know you’re all kinds of messed up confused, babe–”
“Babe?” I spat the beer that had been pouring into my mouth.
Shrugging, Naz sat back and folded his arms over his heavily muscled chest. “Works on all the other ladies.”
Rolling my eyes, I looked at Tinniel. “Does it?”
Was that a very slight lift of the lips or did Tinniel just fart? Either way, for a split second, his face had lost a touch of the seriousness that constantly lined it.
“He believes it does,” Tinniel murmured.
His deep voice slunk over me, making me shudder. It was the type of voice that would seduce you, no matter who it belonged to. Not that I was going to allow any of these weirdos to seduce me. No, I was stronger than that.
“What do you know about my mother?” I blurted, choosing to ignore the strange goings on around me.
The twins shared an intense look, their gaze narrowing on each other. Neither one of them answered my question straight away. Instead, they just seemed to stare. At one another. As if they were playing footsie with their eyes.
“We’re not playing footsie with our eyes,” Naz said, his gaze snapping to me. “That’s disgusting.”
“How the–?” My mind was about to explode.
Had I just accidently spoken out loud? And not heard it?
“He’s a telepath.” Tinniel picked up a vivid green cocktail and downed it in one. “He can hear your thoughts.”
Bullshit.
“Bullshit,” Naz said, the corner of his lip lifting into his cheek.
“This isn’t real.” My words were quiet, pushed out on a breath.
“It is real.” Tinniel picked up a small tray of nuts and tipped them all into his mouth in one go.
Wow, he must have a big mouth to fit all those in. Maybe his tongue… no, no, no. Naughty Lyla, thinking thoughts like that right in the middle of a delusional episode.
A chuckle barked from Naz, but when I glanced at him, he merely shook his head and poked out his tongue. Ew, he hadn’t seriously just heard my thought about his brother?
“You’re not having delusions, you never were.” Naz glared at his brother when he crunched the nuts loudly, shrugging when we both stared.
Taking a long shallow breath, I looked around me, studying the drinks on the table, the people dancing on the floor just outside our booth, and the two men who watched me, their contrasting eyes – one light green, one dark brown – trying to read me.
“My mother?” I demanded, taking up what looked like a small glass of whisky and downing it.
The fire that burnt my throat almost made me spit the liquid out, but I wouldn’t do it. Forcing it down my throat, I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the water that came to my eyes. Oh boy, that was super strong alcohol. It burnt a path down my oesophagus.
The sting made me look down at my hands. They were perfectly smooth still, the burns from earlier completely gone. Zac had said that Synthia was a healer woman.
“A healer woman is someone who can cure most ailments with magic.” Naz waved his hand again, smiling as a beer appeared in it. “Here, this will help.”
Snatching it from him, I downed the drink in several gulps. The relief of the ice cold liquid soothing my throat made me sigh when I put the bottle down. A burp exploded out of my mouth.
My eyes widened as I covered my lips, my cheeks heating quite considerably. Man, how embarrassing! Super lady-like, Lyla. Way to impress the crazy hot twins. Although, my gaze did keep tracking back to Tinniel for some reason. What was it about broodiness that made women want to worm their way into a man’s heart? His was probably full of horrifying secrets.
“He does have a lot of secrets,” Naz whispered loudly, putting a hand beside his mouth in an attempt to not have his brother hear him.
It didn’t work. Instead, Tinniel pursed his lips and gestured at his brother. “Just tell her what she wants to know. We have somewhere to be.”
Ah, I was that important, I had to be dismissed. Saying that, my head was swimming, which wasn’t a good sign. Alcohol was usually a good friend of mine, not getting me in trouble. I was brilliant at holding my drink, but the potent whiskey made the whole of my vein system hum with a calming effect that could lead me to make stupid choices.
“You’re safe,” Naz said. “We wouldn’t let anything happen to you. Plus, Synthia would’ve already let everyone know that you’re here.”
“She would?” I hiccupped, unsure why the woman had reacted so bizarrely.
Growling, Tinniel slammed a fist onto the table, making everything jump. His eyes flashed with anger, red lining the edges of his irises as he leant forward and spoke directly to his twin. “Just tell her. We have a job to do.”
Naz shook his head and waved a hand towards his brother, dismissing his burst of aggression.
My hands shook as I reached into my pocket, gripping my phone, in case I needed to ring the police.
“Ignore him,” Naz said, turning to face me. “Lyla Ford, your mother was kidnapped right before you bashed your head. She’s alive, but the Federation of Magic doesn’t know where she is.”
“Federation of Magic?”
Looking between the two men – who both stared at me with such intensity, I almost jumped over the table to escape – I frowned, unable to understand.
Inclining his head slowly, Naz went on. “The Federation of Magic is a… club or guild, if you like, for those of us with magic. We’re bounty hunters and your mother was our leader.”
Well, shit a brick. I had well and truly lost the plot. There was no coming back from this, no matter what hospital I ended up in.
Chapter Four
“Jamie?” I said, looking at him over the laptop.
His affirmative mumble as he lifted his eyes from his meditation made me pause. Did I tell him what I had experienced the night before? He was a spiritual being, yes, but would he be able to stretch his mind to believe what I told him about magic? I didn’t believe in it, so why would I tell him?
“Never mind.” Ducking behind the laptop again, I sunk even further into his tatty dark brown couch.
I had been job hunting, determined to earn some cash in order to get my life back on track. The cleaning job hadn’t been for me, I was too lazy. I didn’t want to go back to my old life, which meant I had to start anew. It felt right. Although, a nagging thought about my mother made it hard for me to concentrate.
“Your energy has been all over the place since you got home last night. Is everything okay?”
Looking up again, I tried to keep a straight face when our gaze met. He slowly got up from his insect pose and sat next to me. He hadn’t known me for long at all, but he had quickly learnt to read my energy.
On the one hand, it was nice that someone cared enough to ask. I was so used to a mother who was cold and distant, it made a nice change. However, on the other hand, it meant I couldn’t really pretend to be alright. Which sucked because lying was a handy commodity in a cruel world.
“I’m wondering whether I need to get myself sectioned,” I said under my breath.
Frowning, Jamie shook his head. “Don’t joke about things like that, it’s not nice.”
A pang of guilt rushed through me, even though I was being serious. Wasn’t I? Hadn’t I imagined a club full of magical creatures who claimed that I was some sort of royal? I had kicked myself when I’d
been lying in bed, wondering how any part of little old me could be royalty. I should’ve asked, even if the delusion wasn’t real life.
Ah, who was I kidding? Something inside me was drawn to the idea of being something more than I was. Even the me who remembered her life didn’t want to go back to it. And yet, my mother was out there somewhere. How could I not want to find her?
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
Taking my hand, Jamie squeezed it. “Give yourself a break, you’ve been through a lot. I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to not remember who you are.”
An even harder pang gripped my heart. I was keeping my returned memories a secret from the one person who had tried to help me. Well, someone who wasn’t a figment of my imagination, anyway.
“Shall we sing it out?” he asked, a hopeful glint in his eye.
I quickly pressed print on the page I was browsing, ready to jump up and escape. Jamie had a habit of belting eighties classics in a high falsetto. Sometimes I had joined in, just to humour him. Okay, I admit it, my mother had played eighties tunes since I was a girl, so I knew most songs. But still, today wasn’t an eighties rendition day.
“Anyone would think you’re an old man,” I muttered, moving the laptop and pushing up from the couch.
Before I could escape, Jamie was on his feet, grabbing my hands. “I’m an eighties kid stuck in a nineties kid’s body. Indulge me!”
“You’re more like a sixties old fart stuck in a young man’s body.”
It was true. His bald head made him look years older than twenty nine, and yet, his playful nature often reminded me that he wasn’t a grandad yet.
“You spin me right ‘round, baby…”
“Noooo!” I groaned, trying to pull out of his grip.
My efforts were obviously half-hearted. I didn’t want him to know that I was actually a fairly decent kickboxer. I couldn’t quite understand why I was keeping everything from him. Was it because a part of me, deep, deep down, in the depths of Lyla Ford, had a sneaky suspicion that the twins had been right about me?
“Come on, you know it makes you feel better!”
Rolling my eyes, I finally grabbed my hand free of him. The drop of his smile made me stand back, throw my arms wide and sing the next line at the top of my voice.
“Right 'round like a record, baby. Right ‘round, ‘round, ‘round.”
Indicating that he take over, I literally spun like a record, and left the room, waving on my way out. His laughter followed me as I snatched my printed sheet from the wireless printer and made my escape.
The sun was starting to warm the streets, stroking the bare skin of my arms. Tucking the print out of my job interview into my jean’s pocket, I tiptoed down the steps of our entrance and headed down the road.
There were a couple of trees planted between the concrete slabs of the pavements. My mother had laughed at me when I had tried to dodge the cracks as a child. I had done it every day since, trying to hear that strange sound again. It didn’t come, even when I had tried it as an adult. Not that we’d often go many places together, there was no need.
“Good morning!”
The voice made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Naz appeared in front of me, leaning against the bus stop with his arms crossed over his thick chest.
Tempted to do a U turn, I looked around him. No one had noticed his sudden appearance, which was handy considering how bloody weird it was. Wait, did that mean he was only in my mind?
“What can I do to convince you that this is all real?” Falling into step beside me, the tall man rubbed a hand over his shaven head at the same time as – no, surely not. Yep, he reached down and righted himself through his tight, tight jeans.
“Sorry,” he said, his eyes glittering in amusement. “It’s an unconscious thing us men do.”
Unconscious, my arse.
“No, not your arse,” he said, reading my mind again. “Although, I’m not complaining about that feature.”
Spluttering, I stopped in the middle of the street, almost bumping into a little elderly lady who stared up at my new friend. Friend was a very loose term considering he was harassing me. Literally.
Holding up his hands in surrender, Naz raised his eyebrows. “I apologise, that wasn’t nice. If Tinniel were here, he’d chastise me.”
“He would?”
Indicating that we carry on walking, Naz took out his phone. “Yeah. He might be the broody one, but he’s all high and mighty, always doing what’s right. In this field, we’ve got to be a little…”
When his sentence trailed off, I waited eagerly for him to start back up again. A small fizz of excitement had tickled my insides – that sounded gross, but it was the truth – at the idea that the moody handsome Tinniel also had morals. What? I was a single female, I wasn’t going to pretend that I wouldn’t jump on the alpha male in two seconds if given the chance.
A laugh escaped me unbidden. As if I would firstly, have a chance with such a hunk of man, and secondly, have the confidence to even contemplate such a thing.
“Do you really think so little of yourself?” Naz asked.
Aw, man. I had to keep my mind quiet the whole time I was in the company of Naz. Surely, his ability to read my mind was enough to convince me that what he claimed about magic was real.
Nearing the end of the street, I paused, forgetting where I was actually heading.
Nodding down to my pocket, Naz licked his lips. “Looks like you have a job interview.”
That was it. After failing to turn up to the cleaning job, I had to try again. Jeez, confusion was my middle name right now. I had never been so messed up before, why now?
“Because you refuse to see what’s right in front of you.” Biting the skin on the corner of his nail, he spat it out, smiling when I grimaced.
Shaking my head, I marched down a side street, aiming for the office block nearby. When I’d seen the job for an assistant barista just down the road, I had decided to go for it. I was an amazing coffee maker. How hard could it be?
“I can’t imagine you pouring coffee somehow. You’re witch royalty, it’s far beneath you. Plus, we need your help. You’ll get paid. Well.”
Looking over my shoulder at him, I huffed. “Witch royalty? Please, give me a–”
The screech of a car, followed by something slamming into the wall beside me made me scream.
Naz crouched low, grabbing my arm and thrusting me behind him. Heart pounding, I covered my ears as a gun exploded nearby, the bullet whizzing past us.
“Stay low!” Naz ordered.
Getting down, I flattened myself on the concrete. Keeping my head covered, I looked up from under my hair where it had fallen over my face.
Naz took out a crossbow. Yes, a fucking crossbow. Who had one of those hiding in their garments?
Shaking, I watched as three men ducked up from behind the car that had halted beside us. They shot towards us, their guns releasing bullets and – was that multi-coloured dust floating in the air?
“Give up, Nazeriah,” one of the men shouted.
Barking a laugh, Naz moved behind a car that had stopped, its owner crouching low in the driver’s seat. Wait, he wasn’t going to put the man in danger, surely?
I couldn’t help but stare when Naz put his hand on the car and chanted something inaudible from where I lay on the ground. A film of transparent, bubble-like substance fell from his fingers, coating the car and settling into nothing.
A bullet ricocheted off the car as Naz put his arm over the bonnet and fired his crossbow. A small arrow exploded from it, leaving a trail of yellow dust in its wake. One of the men who was shooting a normal gun, as far as I could see through the funky coloured fairy dust flying around, burst out from behind their car, his eyes wide as he watched the arrow approach.
My whole body shuddered as he turned and ran two steps before the pointy weapon plunged into his back. His eyes almost popped out of his head as he collapsed on the ground, his limbs vibrating
with a force so strong, he smashed his head on the concrete several times. What was this witchery? A normal arrow would’ve either killed him outright or hindered him immobile. I’d watched enough Criminal Minds to know that coloured dust didn’t usually coat weapons.
Naz was busy shooting towards the other two men. I caught sight of one of them, coming around the other side of the car, away from where Naz’s crossbow was aimed.
“Careful!” I called to him, putting my head low down to the ground when the bad man looked directly at me.
Oh great, I had drawn the baddie’s attention to myself. Why was it always me who opened my big mouth? I could’ve crawled away and left Naz to defend himself. Although, my heart skipped loudly in my ears, making me aware that somewhere deep down, I was drawn to help him. And I had no idea why, considering I was a mere human with a severely doubtful perspective on life right now.
Naz saw the man too late. His crossbow aimed at him, firing within seconds. And yet, a bullet from the man’s gun was already heading towards me. I could see it, the small metal object, followed by sparkly blue dust.
Holding up my hand, I whimpered as I covered my head with my other arm. “Please don’t kill me, please don’t kill me.”
My eyes opened just at the moment the bullet froze right in front of my face. What the…? Scrambling back, I pressed my spine against the cold red brick of the building behind me. The bullet hung in mid-air, quickly clattering to the ground when I covered my eyes with my hands.
The sound was just a small ting, but I heard it all the same. Opening my eyes, I peeked through my fingers to see it lying close by in a splash of blue glitter.
“Don’t touch it!” Naz shouted. “Get on your feet!”
Usually, I would tell the arsehole not to boss me around, but considering we were in the middle of a turf war of some sort, I did as I was told. Yep, I was a good girl, pushing up to my feet, ready to run, even if my knees were knocking like mad.
Thundering out from behind his shelter, Naz headed straight for me. His head was lowered, his arm thrust out to the side, still firing the crossbow, which should’ve run out of arrows by now. I screamed when he didn’t slow, his huge bulk of a body barrelling into me.
The Witch & the Bounty Hunter (Federation of Magic Book 1) Page 4
