Between the Lines (Here Witchy Witchy Book 7)

by A. L. Kessler

  "You won't be able to do it tonight, but why are you meeting them?"

  "Oh you know, Carson wants to sacrifice me to a demon to get the remaining part of the spell he was trying to do to bring people back to life. No biggy." I couldn't keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

  Merick was silent for a moment. "I'll try my hardest to have the spell to you tonight." The phone went dead in my hand, and I let out a frustrated sigh. "This was not really what I had planned for this trip."

  Simon raised a brow. "Who was that?"

  "Merick. He's sending me a spell to undo all the spells that are connecting people." I looked at Simon. "I need you to promise me that you'll stay with Riley tonight."

  "I was going to go talk to Curt."

  I shook my head. "No, stay here. Please, because if this goes wrong, I don't want you unprotected."

  "How wrong could this go Abby?" He met my gaze. "On a scale of, one, blow up the warehouse, to ten, kill everyone, give me a ranking."

  I pressed my lips together. "Possibly strip everyone of their magic bad."

  Riley took a sip of her coffee. "Don't worry, Abby, I've got him covered."

  "Thank you."

  Simon narrowed his eyes. "What are the chances that you're going to get killed?"

  "I won't, so don't start planning my funeral or epitaph yet." I stuck my tongue out at him, and he rolled his eyes.

  "Just make sure if you die, there's a body left to bury."

  "I'm being cremated," I shot back. "If my body is destroyed, one less step for my funeral."

  I swear Simon paled a little bit. "Simon, it's a joke."

  "Yeah, but it's a pretty scary thought."

  I kissed his cheek as I walked by to go up the stairs. "I'm sorry, I won't make any more death jokes."

  "Much appreciate it," he muttered. He didn't follow me up the stairs but stayed at the table to drink his coffee.

  The moment I got up the stairs my phone rang again. "Merick, what else do you have for me?" I answered.

  "It's not your cat." Oliver's voice came across the line, and he didn't sound any happier this time around. "I have the information on those names you sent me."

  Oh goodie. "Well, let's hear it."

  "Ana Marsh, a PIB agent that is marked as in the field in the system. Apparently, she's been there since almost right after the academy, graduated with you, engaged or married to a Nathan Toots, last known residence was Luna Grove. I'm assuming that's the friend you went to go see." 'In the field' meant that Ana was undercover, it was part of her file.

  "Yes. Nathan is who they think is leading the Coven down here."

  "Nathan Toots, registered elemental, but labeled as a non-threat, son of Patrick Lawrence."

  I paused at that. "Patrick Lawrence?"

  "Know him?"

  "I just had an Agent Lawrence contact me today after a body blew up. He's a PIB agent here in the town, except I was told that there were no other PIB agents here." Except for Ana who was undercover.

  "I'd suggest getting his badge number and running it through your system."

  That would require seeing him again. "He wants to bind the entire city's magic."

  "What did he need you for then?"

  "He wanted me to be the one to hold the circle."

  "That means it'd be your aura it tainted. What did you tell him?"

  "I told him to give me seventy-two hours because there were innocent people here."

  Oliver hmmed for a moment. "I would check in on his badge number and see what he's up to. That doesn't sound like PIB, especially if you're on leave. There is a lot of damage someone can do to witches and warlocks trapped in circles. "

  "Apparently, there's no rest for me." I rubbed my eyes. "I have a meeting with the coven tonight. If anything goes wrong, Simon's here and so is a witch that's not bound to the coven."

  "And does Simon know to watch out for the assassin?"

  "He knows someone is tailing us. He has some local wolves watching our back."

  "You'd be safer at home, and you know I don't use those words lightly, Abigail."

  "I know, but thank you for the information. I'll send you a text to let you know that I survived."

  "That would be appreciated." Oliver chuckled and disconnected the phone.

  I closed my eyes and called Liz.

  "Agent Jefferson speaking."

  "Hey, it's me."

  "What's wrong?"

  I tried to figure out the best way to put it. "Things have kind of gotten crazy, and I need you to check a name in the PIB database for me. An agent that's down here."

  "There are no other agents down there except for you and Ana."

  "And Ana is not trustworthy at this point. She's been compromised by black magic. There's a Patrick Lawrence down here claiming he's PIB and that he wants my help to bind the entire city."

  She was quiet for a moment, but I heard the tapping of keys in the background. She drew in a deep breath. "He's considered AWOL and dangerous. I'd be avoiding him at all cost, especially if he wants you to do something like that."

  "I'll try my best, but it seems that I'm running into enemies every time I turn a corner."

  "Do we need to pull you out?"

  I thought about it. "No, I think I have a way to end all of this, and I'll come back, and none of it will be on PIB's record. I think I understand why it was so important that I do this on leave."

  "I don't want to know. I'll see you when you get back." She hung up without as much as a goodbye. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. I was going to either get myself killed or have to kill someone else.

  ∞

  I walked down the stairs to find Simon, Riley, and Betsy standing in the cafe shop talking. Simon looked up at me and sighed. "I don't like the sound of any of this."

  Riley went back to the counter. "I'm sure that Abby knows exactly what she's doing."

  I smiled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. Do we have what we need?"

  Betsy nodded. "Yes, Riley is mixing it up for you now. Everything you asked for is in there. Did you get a hold of the people you needed to?"

  I glanced at Simon and then back to her. "Yeah, I'll have the spell to end all of this before I go tonight. I have backup able to come if something happens."

  "Who is that?" Simon asked, his arms crossed.

  "Oliver. If something happens, you call him, and he'll come help."

  Simon nodded. "You're going to come back alive?"

  "Yes." I wasn't sure what made me so confident, but I was pretty sure that Riley would have warned me if I was going to die tonight, or at least encouraged me to change my course.

  Riley brought over a cup of tea and set it in front of me. "One anti-binding, anti-death, and protection spell. Drink up, I'm sure it tastes amazing."

  I raised a brow at her as I wrapped my hands around the cup. "No spell I've drunk tastes amazing, and there is no such thing as anti-death."

  She laughed. "Okay, I sweetened it with honey, and it's not anti-death, but I added a couple things to help you out." She winked and walked back to stand with her grandmother.

  I looked down at the dark brown liquid and took a deep breath. "Down the hatch it goes." I downed the tea. The hot liquid warmed my throat as it slid down. Riley was right, it was sweet with honey, and I appreciated that. It beat the bitterness of a typical potion. I could feel a tingle go through me as the magic worked through my body. I let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you."

  "We want our town to go back to normal, so thank you." Riley smiled. "It'll be nice to be able to leave my coffee house without the worry of black magic."

  "I hope I don't let you down." I looked at Simon. "Now, remember, stay here unless you hear from me, or I don't return."

  He let out an exasperated sigh. "And how long do I have to sit here and wait for you?"

  I pressed my lips together.
"If I'm not back by two, you can come look for me."

  Riley nodded. "I'll make sure to keep an eye on the time then. One more thing, if I may see your pentagram? I can do the spell so that the circle's effects won't hit you."

  I nodded and handed it to her.

  Simon shook his head. "This is going to go so wrong, I can feel it."

  I hoped he wasn't right. I looked at Riley. "Any thoughts on that?"

  She shook her head. "Your path is very dark, that's all I know. Be careful, trust the goddess, trust the allies you have, and we'll see you on the other side."

  I nodded and stood. "I'm going to go rest before I have to face Carson and Nathan."

  Simon stood as well. "I think that's a good idea."

  "I'll have this ready for you before you leave." Riley held up the pentagram, and I nodded. Simon and I walked up the steps together, and once we were in the room he closed the door. "Abigail…"

  "Please don't start on it. You aren't a warlock, you can't protect yourself if you come, which means I'll be distracted trying to protect you. And I'll be damned if they manage to link me to you." I put a hand against his cheek. "This is my life, and it's only going to get crazier, I'm sure."

  He turned and kissed my hand. "I was just going to say be careful, and if you aren't back by two, I'm coming after you."

  "Good. I need to know you have my back even if you're not right there." I relaxed. I was so used to people protesting things, and here Simon was trying to control his instinct to protect and let me do my thing.

  He snorted. "I'd follow you to hell and back if you'd let me, but apparently, you want to do that alone. So I guess I'll just wait for you."

  I rolled my eyes and walked over to the bed. Simon followed me and flopped down on the blankets. I laid down next to him and closed my eyes.

  When I woke, Simon was gone. Panic started to fill me, and I tried to take a few breaths to calm it. He was a big wolf though, he wouldn't do anything stupid. I pulled myself out of bed and looked at the clock. My phone had a text in Latin from Merick, and I assumed it was the spell. I had enough time to shower and get ready before having to be at the warehouse to meet with the coven. I took my shower and came back out to find Simon sitting at the table with coffee for the two of us. I smiled at him. "Perfect timing."

  "I try." He grinned. "I figured you needed a boost before you go fight the world of evil." He put a fast food bag on the table as well. "And food."

  I snorted. "You think of everything." I sat down and ate. We both were silent as we consumed the food, and I studied the spell, as if speaking would ruin the moment. I stood up when I was done and went to add my blades to my outfit.

  "No gun?"

  I shook my head. "They'll strip it from me the moment I walk in because they expect it. The blades, I have a chance that they will miss them."

  He nodded. "Okay, that makes sense."

  I ran my fingers over the sheath in a comforting manner. The blades would be my best friends tonight if Carson and Nathan didn't manage to strip them from me. Simon kissed my cheek. "You promised, come back alive."

  "Come back alive." I smiled at him. "Now, if you excuse me. I have a coven to face."

  He nodded and sat back down at the table. His face was tight like he wanted to say something and protest. I wasn't going to ask him, because he was fighting so hard not to say whatever it was and that meant more to me than he could know. I walked down the stairs to the empty cafe room, and then I left.

  The cold air of the city wrapped around me as I worked my way to the warehouse where the coven met. My heart sped up a little bit as I thought I might be walking to my death or some horrible fate. It was just a trick of the darkness and the cold, and I knew that whatever was coming I could handle it.

  I stood outside the warehouse and stared at the door. The side of the building was still black and charged from the fire. The shell of Ana's car still sat nearby as a reminder of what these people were capable of. I closed my eyes and let my magic flow out of me. It touched the circle of the coven. It could feel small fires flickering inside, which I assumed were candles, and I felt Carson. His magic flicked against my aura, and I cringed as his slimy tinted magic touched mine.

  I walked in and found him and Nathan standing side by side. Only a handful of coven members were standing around, making me wonder where the rest were. I glanced around trying to note where an ambush might come from.

  "Abigail." Carson smiled at me. "I didn't think I'd run into you out here." He took a step towards me and waved his hand. "Search her."

  I took a step back. "No need to search me. I didn't bring my gun." I held my hands up, thankful that my sleeves covered my knives on my wrists. "Let's talk before we start to get violent. What are you doing here, Carson? I figured you'd be on the run after killing all those people in Colorado, including the woman who was helping you."

  "Melody? I was using her, and she figured that out. That was why I killed her. She provided me with the research I needed after my last failed attempt to raise her sister, using a pure white witch for a sacrifice." He paused for a moment, and an evil smile crossed over his face. "I'm sure you knew that witch well, I believe her name was Clarissa."

  Anger welled in me, but I kept my emotions shut down. He was baiting me, I knew that, and rushing in blind wasn't going to help. "And who told you about summoning the demon to get your answer?"

  His smile faded a little bit around the edge. "How did you know about that?"

  I shrugged. "A little birdie told me." A couple members of the coven moved closer to me, and I glanced at them. "Seriously, no gun, back the fuck off."

  "Maybe they aren't looking for a gun this time, Abigail."

  Magic flared up around me as their circle closed. For a moment my chest tightened, restricting my ability to breathe, but I pulled my own magic through me and pushed theirs back a little bit. I tried to take a step forward, but my feet refused to move. I looked down to see red swirls of magic around them, trapping them. Fuck me.

  "I hope you said your goodbyes, Abigail, because you're about to become a sacrifice."

  ∞

  I tried to control my fear. "You have no way of controlling the demon once you summon it." I couldn't keep the shaking from my voice. I couldn't let him summon that demon, or I wasn't going to be able to survive the night.

  "You saw what I could control before. This one is no different."

  I took a deep breath to push my fear away as he turned his back on me. Carson looked over his shoulder. "Nathan, prepare the others."

  My eyes followed Nathan walking to one of the other members, they were also trapped. Nathan pulled out a knife with a black handle and muttered something before slicing the throat of the member. A cry echoed through the other members as they realized they were nothing more than sacrifices in this situation. If they were connected to others, their death would cause a second, bringing two sacrifices to the circle.

  Fuck.

  I was in the middle of a giant powerhouse of sacrifices to summon one hell of a demon. I'd broken a hold like this before. All I needed to do was shove my power out. I shoved my magic out, and it rushed through my body, leaving a warm tingling in its wake. The bonds around my feet shattered, and I smiled. It was the smile I got when I knew I was going to do something my enemy hated. I pulled out one of the knives on my wrists and slashed it over my shoulder.

  Nathan yelled and threw his hand at me. His magic hit me, sending me against the circle, but the deed was already done. My blood dripped down, and my magic flared. I could feel the circle around me, and I could take it. I put my hand against the edge of the circle and flooded it with my magic. What had been a cloudy gray circle became a swirl of purple and red. I looked up at Nathan and met his gaze. "Now what? The circle is mine, you being here puts Ana in danger. If I kill you, she dies, doesn't she?"

  His stepped towa
rds me and hesitated. "How do you know about that?"

  "I put it together. It's kind of my job. Listen to me, Nathan, step away from this situation, and you and Ana will survive."

  "Don't listen to her, Nathan, I told you that she would turn this around on us. That she was a lot stronger than you could imagine." Carson looked at me. "I don't have to own the circle to raise the demon, Abigail. And if he's raised, it's your aura that's tainted, not mine."

  I tightened my jaw. "Just like when you used a demon to kill, it didn't affect your aura at all."

  He nodded. "There are always ways around the rules, Abigail. You should know that."

  "I don't bend the rules of magic to my liking." I called up the spell that Merick had sent me. I didn't have all of the coven here, but I could at least save the members that were. I softly muttered the Latin words, but as I did, I could hear Carson also speaking something. The question was, was it a counterspell or something different?

  Magic hit me again, this time cutting my arm. I glanced at Nathan who still had his hand held out from throwing the magic at me. I didn't know if he realized that more of my blood in the circle would only strengthen my spell. He nodded to me as if realizing what I was doing. Maybe he could feel the spell on him loosening.

  The last word dripped from my lips, and the people in the circle cried out, clawing at their shirts for a moment and then looking to me. Nathan held his hand to his chest, his breath heavy as he tried to think through what I assumed was pain.

  I turned to Carson, and his face paled just a little bit.

  "Nathan, kill her."

  Nathan shook his head. "No, this has gone on long enough." He turned to Carson. "You've held control over this coven for far too long."

  "Without your hold on Ana, he has nothing to fear from you," I snapped. I gathered my own magic and flicked my wrist. I had been practicing with Merick over the last few months to form my magic into a viable weapon, and with that movement, a purple whip of magic curled from my hand to around my feet.

  Carson laughed. "You want to fight with magic, Abigail?"