Family Feud: The Witching Hour Series Book 5

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  Chapter 14

  A threat.

  His expression was serious, considerate, and he had no reason to lie to me. A cold shiver crept down my spine when I started to wonder who got under my grandmother’s skin so much so, that she needed to get rid of him. It was time to ask questions. There was no doubt this wizard was asked to help her. The press had gotten it wrong. She wasn't interested in him romantically.

  "Okay, I get it. She asked you to make the potion, but why? I mean, isn't it a bit strange that an old elf approaches you with that kind of request?"

  Anthony sighed, and clenched his fingers.

  "It didn't concern me. Barbra… she was very convincing. I had no choice in the matter. Dragonfly is the most complicated of potions out there, and the ingredients are … let just say, very difficult to obtain."

  I’d heard that Dragonfly potion was a satanic liquid, made from black unforgivable curses, and death.

  "So, what happened? How did you manage—?"

  "She brought me the blood of a virgin, and the tongue of a man who committed suicide. I'm one of the best potion makers alive, but I had never made Dragonfly before. She offered to supply everything and wouldn't reconsider."

  I swallowed hard, feeling beads of sweat forming on my forehead. This didn't sound good.

  "You don't need to explain. I get the idea. Can you remember what else she said?"

  "I didn't know how she found me in the first place. I’ve been on the move constantly for the last three years. Normally I don't stay in the same place for more than three days. She just showed up at my friend’s house without any warning, barging in like she owned the place. Apparently, she saved my father’s life once in Tasmania," he continued, sounding annoyed. "He was on an expedition there and he was being attacked by vampires. They wanted to take away his magic wand and she used a spell that put them all to sleep."

  My jaw dropped. Tasmania. I didn't know my grandma had ever been there. His story sounded like he was making it up as he was going along.

  "Right, so, you were in her debt?"

  "She saved my father’s life, which meant he owed her a favour. The magical law still binds me to return the favour, even if the incident happened forty years ago," the wizard said, smoothing his magic wand with care. I wished I had known about this.

  "So, you managed to make it? You know, the Dragonfly?" I asked, holding my breath.

  "First of all, I needed all the ingredients. It isn't a straightforward process. We needed to meet a few times, and she insisted on public places. It wasn't wise, but she told me I had no other choice."

  If Grandma needed him, then why wasn't Grandpa Fred with her? None of this made sense.

  "How was she then? Did she say anything when you were dining together? I know you came to visit her a few times."

  "She seemed angry and frustrated because she had to ask for my help. When it came to delivery, I had never seen anyone so ruthless. She always managed to get me what I needed."

  "She was murdered with black magic and you’re the only lead I have. Her husband is missing too," I said, not thinking about what my grandma had done. She couldn't have killed to save others. I didn't want to believe it. I couldn’t.

  "And why would I trust you? I have work to do, potions to prepare," he said, rising like he was dismissing me.

  "I don't care about what you do. I just need to find out who killed her. She must have told you more. Please, I'm begging you."

  "I don't know, I guess she was careful. Whenever we were together she was always checking to make sure no one was watching. After a few times, she told me someone was following her, that her family was in danger," Anthony said. "I can make any potion in the world, even the most complicated ones, but you know yourself there is a death penalty for Dragonfly."

  Anthony was right. My dad had mentioned it once or twice. This potion was lethal, and it had been banned by the magical council for years. Anthony needed to kill six people first in order to make it, but it was my grandmother who had promised to deliver everything. I didn't want to believe she was a cold-blooded killer.

  "Someone was after her. She had a plan, but she needed a potion. This was about a contract she spoke of."

  "Contract?" I repeated.

  "I never had much to do with my own parents. I left school and started doing my own thing. Dragonfly was the only potion I had never attempted to make before. Well, there was no reason for it. Your grandmother assured me I would be generously rewarded once I fulfilled my promise."

  "Who do you think she was protecting her family from?"

  "She said that her granddaughter was in danger and she needed to prevent him from getting to her. She did mention that royals couldn't be trusted anymore. She was on her own."

  "Granddaughter?" I asked, knowing he was undoubtedly talking about me, but there was also Claudia, Paula and Paulina. I wished I had known more about this stupid contract.

  "Right before I lost contact with her she didn't seem sane; she was paranoid and often talked to herself. I don't know what else I can tell you."

  I shoved my hands into my pockets, analysing everything he said.

  "My grandma had four granddaughters—did she ever say which of us she meant? My name is Julia, by the way."

  “You're Julia?" he repeated, standing up abruptly. His pupils went sharper all of a sudden, staring straight at me. "You shouldn't be here, it's dangerous. I should have known she meant you. I should have never agreed to meet."

  "Why? What happened? Did she say she was protecting me?"

  He started pacing around, dragging his hand through his hair and rubbing his eyes.

  “You're in danger. He’s coming for you. The spell is fading, and he knows," Anthony kept saying. Then he appeared all of a sudden right in front of me. My skin zoomed with power when he looked at me with those hypnotising diamond eyes.

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I never completed Dragonfly. I was waiting for her to get in touch, but she never wrote back. Then I heard the news, so I decided to disappear."

  "Okay, listen to me, is there anything else that you might have missed? Anything that sounded odd or unbelievable?"

  "There was one thing—she felt ashamed that the contract was still standing. She talked about it a lot, hated the royals and felt guilty because she hadn't dealt with it earlier on."

  Then we both heard a loud bang, like an explosion. A sudden wind threw me on the ground. Someone had torn their way into the tent. Two ugly obese trolls stood near me. The smell of cat vomit and vanilla moved my lunch right up my throat. They had yellow teeth and greasy hair.

  "Hello, tiger, we’ve been looking everywhere for you. Your payment is late," one of them said, looking directly at Anthony.

  The second one turned to look at me. His head was filled with large pus-filled spots. He had a sleeveless T-shirt on and large over-the-top muscular arms. I darted a glance at his tattoos, and my eyes widened. I recognised the blades: he was part of Gordon Lancaster’s gang.

  I only had a few seconds to find out if Anthony knew who murdered my grandma and I wasn't planning to waste it.

  "Who was after me? Please, I need to know," I begged, knowing they had no idea who I was, and this was my only chance. The wizard vanished. In a split second he stood a step away from me and in the next he was gone. The first troll roared in pain. His body went rigid and he rolled on the ground. The tent shook. Then I felt someone behind me, but I was too slow. A large hand covered my mouth, and an arm clenched around my waist.

  Waves of red raw magic began drifting around the room. My hair shot up straight, standing on its ends. Fear seized me as the person behind me laughed.

  "I'm sorry, little witch, but I have you now, and I will play with you for a bit," a raspy deep voice whispered into my ear. It was probably another troll. My stomach revolted as I tried to push him away. My lungs contracted as I called out for my power. I struck out at whoever had me with my elbow as hard as I could and then I let go of a surg
e of my lightning source, aiming for his chest.

  Balls of multiple lights started to crash around the tent, tearing it down. I heard another roar; the wizard was using protective spells, fighting with the trolls. Flasks and bottles exploded all around. Some of the animals escaped; the others were going crazy.

  Pain shattered through my face when one of the spells hit me. I went down like a sack of potatoes, losing my sight for several seconds.

  "Are you all right?" someone asked, pulling me back to a standing position. It was the girl who’d brought me to the tent. She had her magic wand in her hand and a very pissed off look on her face. Two trolls had cornered Anthony. He was probably a very good potion maker but a useless fighter.

  I considered my options, concentrating on my power. I brought my palms closer and pulled the energies together. This was going to be easy, I felt tingles in every part of my body. The power was pure and growing.

  I closed my eyes and heard a terrifying scream. The girl with purple hair brought her hands to her throat. She looked like she was choking. Before I realised what was going on, she collapsed. The tent was going down. Something or someone hit me on the back of my head. I felt the dull pain in my skull. Then I felt like I was being dragged away. I blinked rapidly trying to see, but my vision was blurry. I was hallucinating.

  "Don't worry, Julia. I got you out of there safely," said the familiar voice that chilled me down to my bones.

  The pain in my head was mounting. I smelled fire and a drizzle of thick suffocating smog. I reached out, touching my swollen cheek, and moaned feeling sharp pain. When I opened my eyes, I didn't recognise where I was. It was already dark, and my right side was completely numb. I must have lain on the cold ground for a good few hours.

  I hissed for more air, when my attempt at lifting myself off my arse didn't go anywhere. Thick threes surrounded me, reminding me of a horror film. A warm fire was blazing a few meters away.

  My stomach heaved when I remembered the last few hours in the camp. Anthony was just about to tell me why my grandma needed the deadly Dragonfly potion when a bunch of trolls barged in, demanding payment from him.

  I knew the last piece of memory was just a dream. No, there was no way he was here, but…

  "Good evening, Julia, I'm glad to see you’re finally awake. We have some catching up to do, don't we?"

  I felt Jasper’s presence before I even heard him. I would recognise the scent of cinnamon, mixed with heavy aftershave anywhere. Tron believed I was very powerful, and I could take on a full-blooded elf, but now I was alone with my psycho ex-boyfriend who probably wanted to kill me.

  He was beside me within a moment and grabbed me by my elbow, so I couldn't even consider running.

  "What the hell do you want from me, you psycho?" I asked, breathing hard. I wished I could spit in his face, but that was stupid. I didn't want to make this any worse than it already was.

  Magic pulsed through me, igniting the fire to fight him in my belly. Jasper had mastered the craft of black magic. He could kill me if he wanted to, but I knew he had other plans.

  "You. This time you’re mine to keep. I was foolish enough to believe you would even consider giving me another shot," he said, keeping his mouth close to my ear. Jasper was still delusional to believe that he and I would ever work. "There is no one coming to your rescue this time. Besides, you owe me, Julia. I saved your fucking skin from that witch."

  "I don't love you, for fuck’s sake. It's been five or six years. How long will it take you to understand that?" I shouted. He slapped me, unexpectedly and with enough strength for me to feel it. My face was already battered, so it freaking hurt like hell.

  "This isn't about love, you stupid bitch. I need you for something else. The leech has left you. Your family is finished. There’s no one coming for you," he snarled, leaning over me as I lay on the damp ground.

  I called for my power, trying pulsing, just the way Tron had taught me, but I was weak, away from any source. I was freezing cold and couldn't focus. My arm looked like it was broken, because it stuck out at an odd angle.

  "Are you going to keep me against my will? For how long? A day, two, a week?" I asked. I needed to know what he was planning. "We both know this won't work. My friends are in the area and they’re probably already looking for me. I'm sorry, Jasper. I'm truly am. You did save me and I'm grateful, but you can't force me to love you. We would have never worked, and you tricked me into sleeping with you the last time."

  Jasper shook his hand and waved his wand. My feet moved above the ground. New warm and pleasing energy began flowing through me, easing the tension and pain. All of a sudden, I wasn't angry with Jasper anymore. He only did what he needed to. We used to love each other before he started experimenting with black magic.

  "Have you changed your mind now? Are you going to be calm?"

  "Yes, I'm sorry. I’ve been stupid. I should have chosen you in the first place," I said, realising I was wrong about him.

  Chapter 15

  Twisted spell.

  Jasper was so good to me. I didn’t know why I ever wanted to run away from him in the first place. I fell asleep in his arms later on while he healed my wounds, kissed them, making them all better. It didn't matter that it was cold and windy. We were finally together, away from civilisation.

  "Julia, why did you choose him, tell me?" he asked me, later at dawn, when we were lying next to each other. I felt so calm around him. Waves of magic flickered around us, nibbling my skin gently, connecting with my own energy. A tiny voice in my head reminded me that something wasn't right, that I was supposed to be somewhere, but I silenced it quickly enough.

  "I thought I loved him. It was stupid, because for months and months I was certain he was helping Elvira," I explained, hearing the steady beat of his heart. He pushed me away, got up and started circling around the fire. He seemed agitated and angry about something all of a sudden. Maybe this wasn't the answer he was expecting from me. Nathaniel wasn't toxic, but he hurt me.

  The sun was slowly rising, and I hoped we would go back to London. It was cold and windy in the forest. We were together, but this wasn't the way. People needed to know how much he’d changed.

  “You're powerful, Julia, more so than you can imagine. You betrayed me and now I have to do what is needed. You didn't give me any other choice," he said, moving his magic wand around my head, using his charms to push away any doubts. I loved him—that was what mattered the most.

  "I'm sorry, sweetheart, please forgive me. We can be together now. Nathaniel doesn't mean anything anymore. Kiss me now, before he comes for you. I need to remember how it feels," he asked me. I sensed desperation and longing in his voice.

  I smiled, got up and walked up to him, feeling a slow stinging around my chest. The power was warning me, and I didn't understand it, because this was what I wanted. Jasper was the one for me, now and always.

  The hair on the back of my neck shot up, and slow waves of electricity sent tingles all over my body.

  He touched my cheek and brought me to his lips. The kiss was soft, and I liked it, wanting more, parting my mouth for him to taste me. I moaned into his mouth when he intensified the kiss, remembering how much I enjoyed it in the past.

  "He has so much power, Julia, and he promised to strip part of it and gift it to me. I risked my life for you. In the end it was for nothing, because you chose the leech instead of me."

  I was listening to him, knowing that he had been right about me all along. He was waiting for someone, an ally who could help him to fulfil whatever he was planning. When his voice faded that dull pain deepened. I touched my face, remembering I wasn't supposed to be here with him. I started fighting with his gripping spell, and I began to understand that Jasper was keeping me here against my will. My own power alerted me, stinging my skin. Compulsion wasn't one of Jasper’s strongest talents. I began waking up from this nightmare. Jasper sat under the tree, his eyes closed. Part of me still wanted to go to him and kiss him.

&nbs
p; My friends were waiting for me. The murderer, my grandmother’s killer was still out there. In a few minutes he was going to use the compulsion spell again and I needed to be ready.

  "Tell me that we’ll be together after this whole thing is over," I said.

  He opened his eyes but didn't smile. I swallowed hard.

  “He's coming. It's just a matter of hours. Things would have been different if I had known sooner. I'm sorry."

  I bit my lip, fighting with the spell running through my veins. Sweat covered my body. I had no idea what Jasper meant. This whole thing was about me and the fact that I loved someone else.

  I couldn't remember much from last night and I didn't think we slept together. Chilling shivers passed down my spine as I tried to remember how he knew that I would be at the festival. My family and friends wouldn't betray me. He must have followed me from the agency. Michael and Kelsie hadn’t been careful enough.

  I kept thinking about the plan, wondering if there was a way for me to escape. Maybe he realised that I would never be with him, and he wanted to use my magic for his own gain. Jasper had mastered black magic, and he taught himself well, but I kept thinking he was planning something else, something worse than a simple spell.

  He used his wand to keep the fire going and then told me he was going to get us some food. We hadn't eaten anything since last night. He tied me to the tree and then fed me with another spell. Later I awakened abruptly, unsure how much time had passed, but his compulsion spell was fading.

  He kept coming back, then disappearing again for minutes, sometimes longer. Every time he came back, he kept forgetting to use the spell. The pure magic had weakened him, making him sloppy. The hours were passing by, and every so often I awoke from that hazy feeling, knowing I needed to escape. Jasper was relaxing, thinking he had full control over my mind. He wasn't experienced with white charms. I knew this was my only chance before sunset.