I snoozed for another hour and by eight o’clock I was up. My fingers were shot with bright purple light, but I didn't feel any discomfort. The excess magic was gone.
I looked out the window and saw Roberto outside. It looked like everything was going back to normal. Nathaniel came back and convinced me to give him another chance.
Tron showed up last night wanting to talk to me. He was the only one who might know why my grandma believed royals couldn't be trusted. It was time to have a serious conversation with him. I hid the truth about Jasper and the fact that he was still after me. Whatever, I didn't want to think about him at all.
I made my coffee, wondering what I was going to tell the girls. Yeah, he came back last night, said a few nice words and we had sex. No, this was never going to work. Life was repeating itself without any resolution to the problems we had. My life was moving without my say so and this was my life, and I needed to take control. They weren’t going to understand why I’d forgiven him so easily.
I tossed my bag upside down and everything fell out. I found an old piece of paper with Tron’s phone number on it. This was strange, because I didn't remember him giving me his contact information.
I stared the paper for some time and then dialled the number. A minute later there was no answer and from there I made an instant decision. I needed to see him tonight after work. Maybe he wanted to talk to me about something very important and instead I chose Nathaniel. My grandma still needed me, and he was the only person who knew what had happened in the past.
Chapter 20
Eye for an eye.
"Morning, Julia," Kate said as I walked in to the office later on that morning.
"Morning."
She smiled and went back to her computer screen. I was a little apprehensive when Roberto offered to give me a lift to work this morning. I told him to drop me a few blocks away. I didn't want Kate to notice the limo. Last time when Kate found out that I had an affair with Nathaniel, she stopped talking to me and ended up in a magical coma.
When I dealt with the emails and the last client left, Kate appeared in front of me with a stack of paperwork. I was still somewhat distracted from last night.
"What the hell is that on your neck?" she asked, pushing my hair to the side. I tried to pull away, but it was too late. She’d already noticed the bite marks. Crap, I told Nathaniel to drink from me last night. I’d completely forgotten about it when I was getting ready. We fell asleep in each other’s arms. My excess magic was gone, and everything was finally back on track.
I opened my mouth to tell her that Nathaniel was back when Sara flew through the door. She landed on the carpet, probably tripping over it as usual. My co-worker was a giant and the clumsiest person that I’d ever known.
"Julia! There’s this article in the paper about your grandma," Sara said, waving a paper in her hand, scrambling back to her feet. She had a large bruise on her face. Kate and I stared at her, bewildered. I leaned over to look at the article she’d brought in, knowing Kate was going to give me a lecture anyway, probably later on.
An elderly pensioner cleared from all fraud allegations.
For a couple of minutes there was silence in the office. Kate and I read the article, leaning over. Nathaniel must have informed the press about his findings as soon as he came back to London. This was good news. I felt so relieved that my family didn't need to suffer anymore. I had no idea how Nathaniel managed to find this information, but deep down I knew he’d done it for me. Now, I just needed to concentrate on finding the killer. There was a possibility he was already after me.
"So… you were with Mr. La Arse last night and you’ve forgiven him, by the looks of things," Kate said, folding her arms over her chest and looking at me with her sharp eyes.
"Dad went to some vampires, through trolls, and he was in big trouble. Nathaniel found out, and managed to get him out of it. Also, he’s responsible for this article in the paper. He hired someone to check the files. That’s the main reason I forgave him."
I understood she didn't trust him, especially after the way he behaved at the funeral.
"It's your life, Julia, and we both know he spoke to you like you were a piece of shit on his shoe during Barbra’s funeral. Did he explain to you why he said all those horrible things?"
"No, he didn't, except that he didn’t remember," I said, knowing she had a point. "I love him. What do you want me to say? I can't just dismiss how I feel about him and the things he’s done out of love for me."
"No, maybe not. This is none of my business. If you want to keep getting hurt, then it's your decision. There are other men who can make you happy." Kate sighed. "Just don't let him lead you on and especially, don’t let him drink from you."
"All right, fine. I won't."
She didn't say anything else after that and we got on with our work. Kate didn't like talking about personal stuff especially when Sara was catching our every word. I was certain this conversation was finished. She was only looking out for me.
It was a busy day, but in the back of my mind, I was hoping that Kelsie had news about her friend who was close with the royals. Nathaniel had sent me a couple of text messages throughout the day, saying that he was thinking about me, which was nice.
After lunch I was swamped with orders from Lucinda. I had to deal with a number of invoices and a couple of unpaid bills. At least ten fairies came in to register for the newly opened call centre. My head started to hurt when Sara mixed up the paperwork right at the end of my shift.
I was glad when the day was finally over. Nathaniel had dinner plans with me later on and Kate had to get home to help her mother with some family gathering. I decided to head over to see if Tron was back, living in his luxurious home on the other side of the city. I needed to find out what he wanted to talk to me about last night when Nathaniel showed up. I remembered that he didn't like standard methods of communication, and he didn't use the phone.
That gave me at least a two-hour break between now and my date tonight. I wanted to ask Tron about my excess magic. There was a lot that I needed to discuss with him, especially when it came to my theory with royals and that mysterious contract.
I asked Roberto to drop me home first. He didn't need to know what I was planning, and I knew he would report everything straight to Nathaniel. This way I could kill two birds with one stone. Speak to Tron and then have a romantic dinner with Nathaniel, all in one evening.
I took my old Ford Focus and drove to the other side of London, hoping to find out if I was ever going to be able to control my magic. When I parked my car outside the house it was just before seven. It was already dark, and the streets were almost deserted. Everything looked the same. Some of the townhouses in this area were under renovation.
I didn't want to listen to my gut feeling tonight. Tron wouldn't just move, and he had a beautiful collection of antiques. The air around the house was filled with magical energy. He was inside. I recognised the connection from the past.
I noticed the front door was slightly ajar and that made me a little apprehensive. It was a really wealthy neighbourhood and Tron wouldn't leave his door wide open. Last year when I arrived at Kate’s house, I found it empty, too. Minutes later I found her in the park, cursed and nearly dead.
After a few minutes of silent contemplation, I abandoned the idea of waiting outside. I had to see if Tron was all right. He was powerful, but there was a possibility that he’d been burgled. The magic was alive, drifting by the door; the lock appeared damaged. I walked in, thinking about all the spells that Tron had taught me two years ago. Magic came to life thundering through my veins, enticing the blood and strengthening my muscles.
"Tron, hey, are you there?" I shouted, walking through the long corridor. Nothing much had changed around here. I noticed the same paintings on the walls, antique pieces, sculptures. In the living room, all the lights were on and there was so sign of him anywhere.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I felt incred
ible power circulating around me. Whoever was around wasn't Tron, so the energy I sensed earlier wasn't his; I could tell that now. The magic in the room seemed darker, unbalanced and disturbed. I had learned much more from him than my grandma, but maybe it was my own fault. I had never ever asked her to teach me anything that she knew. It was such a shame that she wasn't here to see that I wasn't as useless anymore. Maybe it was Alex who came back to get his revenge for whatever Tron had done. Either way, I needed to be careful.
"You’re going to pay for everything now." I heard a loud voice on my right. On the other side of the room, by the fireplace, stood a witch. She had dark hair and was holding a magic wand in her right hand. It took me a moment to grasp that it was Anthony’s partner, the one who brought me to his tent, but her hair wasn’t purple anymore. I believed her name was Linda. I didn't know what happened to her and Anthony after Jasper attacked me. Everything was slightly blurry.
"Hey," I said. "Are you all right?"
The witch looked like she hadn't had a proper shower for over a week. Her clothes were dirty, and she wasn't wearing any shoes. She had large dark rings under her eyes and wore very bright lipstick. She was gripping her magic wand tightly, breathing hard. When she took a step forward I noticed her clothes. She was also soaked from head to toe. Strong powerful energy beamed out of her, hitting mine and trying to break my protection spell.
She cocked her head to the side and looked at me with cold and vengeful anger. There was no doubt that she wanted to kill me.
"It's all your fault. Why did you show up there? You brought the trolls to him and now he’s dead," she shouted and then waved her magic wand creating a black cloud of smog. A bright yellow light struck me out of nowhere and I went flying across the hall. I must have been knocked out for a good couple of seconds, because when I opened my eyes the woman stood in front of me, smiling with satisfaction, her eyes filled with hate.
Strips of light beamed from my shoulders. My eyes were burning. I took long pulls of air, trying to control the sudden outburst of magical power. I didn't think I was ready to fight her. Maybe I deserved it, maybe it was all my fault the wizard was murdered.
"Hold on. I didn't tell anyone where I was going, just my friends. I didn't mean for this to happen. Please," I stuttered, scrambling back to my feet, feeling pathetic and sorry for her. The wizard had helped me, but it wasn't my fault the trolls had come straight after she brought me to him.
She smiled broadly, keeping her magic wand close to her head. She had beautiful eyes, but it looked like the grief had made her crazy and clouded her mind. I wondered where the hell Tron was.
"It all started with that old woman. She kept coming back, saying that his father owed her, that she needed his help. Now he’s dead. I loved him so much," she screamed, releasing more power. I felt the pain spreading in my bones. I tightened up my body, mumbling protection spells, but her energy was overwhelming, making me weak. The deceptively destructive power began entwining with my own. I was losing, my pulse was slowing down.
The pain came after, blinding me for a second, and I screamed, trying to fight back. The witch was so powerful. I didn't even know how she was able to produce that kind of energy. I screamed and lifted my hands, sending spheres of light towards her. I must have knocked her off her feet, because I landed on my ass, crushing my elbow painfully.
The noise in my ears was vicious, but I pulled myself together when another spell hit me. My skin burned, feeling as if flames were spreading deep inside me. She was trying to grip my source, until the heat was unbearable. Sweat rolled down my face, and I was struggling to stay on my feet.
"You will be dead in a moment. I just want to savour this for a bit longer," she shouted, laughing hysterically.
I took a sharp deep breath and screamed at the top of my lungs, attacking with everything I had, knocking her off her feet. She landed near the cabinet, cracking her head on the corner. Blood began to run down her cheek; she was spitting and coughing. I didn't want to kill her. She was grieving and needed help.
"We have to stop this, please. I don't want to fight," I said shaking with anger. "I’ve only done what I had to. My grandmother was murdered, too!"
She moved so fast that I didn't even see the sharp knife in her hand, but when I did, my whole life flashed right in front of my eyes. I caught her wrists, holding the knife away from my face. Her eyes were wild, enormous, and she wanted to end my life. The knife was only inches away from my throat. I had no more strength left to fight, to prove to people that I was only fighting against evil.
"Die, bitch."
That was the last thing I heard before bright white light blinded me and I was thrown across the hall, landing on a chair. I heard a petrifying scream, then a burning smell wafted across the room.
My heart was hammering between my ribs when I opened my eyes, hissing for a breath of fresh air. My body ached, my back was sore, and I struggled to move. I could smell dry rotting blood.
"Miss Taylor… Miss Taylor? Are you okay?"
I blinked rapidly seeing Roberto kneeling next to me. Then everything went dark.
Chapter 21
Anxiety.
When I opened my eyes later on, I wished that I was still asleep. My whole body was so sore that every time I moved, my heart started thumping loudly reminding about the girl with purple hair. There was an odd burning taste in my mouth, and bright, beautiful hazel eyes were looking directly at me.
"Why do you always get yourself in so much trouble?" Nathaniel asked, sitting on the chair next to the bed. I noticed that I wasn't in the hospital, but in his apartment, the room I used to use as our bedroom. Everything came back to me in an instant. Tron had either moved or wasn’t at home. Anthony’s girlfriend must have broken into the house. I had no idea how she knew I would show up there.
"What happened? I remembered Roberto?" I asked, ignoring the excruciating pain in my body. I knew Nathaniel too well; he was barely controlling himself.
"You were late, and he was driving around, waiting for my phone call. I had no idea that he cast a spell on your vehicle. Apparently, trolls use their own magic, only when they think it's necessary. He seemed concerned, so he followed his own lead. God, I think I need to give him a raise," Nathaniel said, shaking his head. "He was there just in time to get that witch off you. Then he called me."
I chose not to say anything. I didn't even know that Roberto could use magic. The bright white light must have come from him. The witch was just about to slash my throat.
"You didn't take me to the hospital?" I asked, partly glad and partly worried that maybe she cursed me or something.
"I took care of your minor cuts, and you’ll be aching for few days. Roberto didn't think it was necessary to take you to the hospital," Nathaniel muttered, obviously not happy that he thought it was wise to keep me in the apartment. There was something more to it. He was always so overbearing and overprotective.
I went over what happened inside Tron’s house. Nathaniel already knew about Anthony. None of us could figure out how his girlfriend managed to get inside Tron’s home. I thought Nathaniel of all people would keep in touch with Tron. They had worked together to save me when Craig nearly burned me alive.
"He doesn’t approve of me having a relationship with you. He made it completely clear. This has something to do with the fact that your power goes wild around me," Nathaniel added bitterly. Tron had warned me to stay away from Nathaniel from the very beginning. He believed we weren’t meant to be.
"Let's just forget about it for now. Grandpa Fred’s still missing, and we’re not any closer to finding grandma’s murderer," I said, throwing my covers off and stepping on the floor. I tried to ignore the pain that shuddered throughout my entire body.
"Julia. You should have told me that you wanted to see Tron. I would have come with you, but that’s beside the point now. I don't think you can afford to pursue this case any further. Someone just tried to kill you. That letter addressed to Barbra clearly states
that she promised to give your hand to another elf. Presumably to a pure-blooded elf. That’s how this normally works."
I didn't want to believe that Grandma would do such a thing. She wasn't stuck in the middle of a seventeenth century drama anymore, and I had things under control. Sure, she didn't approve of the fact that I had chosen a half vampire, but she wouldn't have known who I was going to marry twenty years later. This contract was ludicrous.
His phone started ringing while we were discussing other options. When he glanced at the screen he told me he had to answer it.
It was time to speak to my parents about the letter. They had a right to know. Nathaniel had managed to convince Dad to stay away from the case, but for how long?
Mum had been worried about the fact that the wedding had to be postponed. Now I needed to let her know we’d made up. Dad was still pretty much overwhelmed with the number of times we’d broken up. I didn't need to confuse them anymore. For the next couple of minutes, I was forced to listen to rapid French. The only word I managed to pick up on was factory and money. Nathaniel was talking about his business.
"I need to go; one of my suppliers is panicking. There are some transport issues in Calais," he said as soon as he hung up.
“That's fine. I need to go home and take a shower anyway."
"I'll drop you on the way. Michael will be keeping an eye on you from now on. You can't take any chances, especially after what happened with that witch."
Nathaniel had already made up his mind. I didn't need a bodyguard, but I was a little anxious knowing Jasper was still out there, hunting for me. Nathaniel didn't know I’d already made an arrangement with Michael.
"Michael? As in Kelsie’s boyfriend?" I asked, just to be sure.
Family Feud: The Witching Hour Series Book 5 Page 15
