Spellbound Murder Complete Trilogy (Spellbound Murder Box Set Book 1)

by Amanda Booloodian

  There were too many for one person to fight.

  Mira drew her athame and held it out like a dagger. A beast, low to the ground, jumped out at her. It grabbed her leg, and pain lanced out as she slammed her athame into its flesh. When she scrambled backward, it didn't move. Two more faced her.

  Before one could reach her, Gabriel stepped in front.

  "Go away!" Gabriel's voice boomed through the room.

  A frenzy rose up around them and the beasts trampled each other in their need to follow his command.

  She could see him panting heavily before he rushed to meet the next wave. Something huge lumbered in, blocking the path.

  Gabriel hacked at the beast, hitting it once. When he tried to pierce the beast again, hundreds of tendril-slim hands shot out and gripped the sword. The sword sliced through anything that touched its blade, but the monster stopped the swipe by gripping the hilt. It roared and swung down a club.

  "Go away!" Gabriel shouted.

  The club still came, but the tiny hands retreated. The wood smashed into Gabriel.

  The magic in the ward she had created winked out.

  The beast trampled everything in the hall on its mad rampage out of the house, but more came from another direction. Mira wanted to cry. They kept coming.

  Smaller creatures entered in a swarm. Tiny claws slashed through Mira's clothes, slicing the skin beneath. Blood poured down one side of Gabriel's face, and in a few moments, his shield dropped from his hands.

  "Go—"

  Gabriel breathed deep and tried again. "Go away!"

  His strength was fading.

  Mira was doing what she could with her athame, but it wasn't enough. Not near enough. A chunk of wood flew into the room from the hallway and hit Gabriel.

  The world slowed for Mira.

  Her heart shattered when he fell. Mira stabbed the beast that had jumped on top of Gabriel before it could do any more damage.

  Mira had the crystal in her hand before she realized it. She fell down next to Gabriel and released her spell.

  Fire sprouted around them and burst in all directions. The intense heat scalded her skin in a flash that quickly receded. Mira numbly watched a wall of fire speed away, using the creatures as fuel.

  Gabriel didn't move. His skin appeared sunburned from the burst of fire. She leaned over him, trying to find his pulse and check his breathing at the same time. She held onto her breath until she felt air blowing across her skin. It took her longer to find a pulse. She was shaking so badly it was hard for her to sense anything.

  When she felt his heart beat, she left her fingers against his neck and glanced around.

  Nothing moved. Charred lumps could be seen here and there, and the remains of a house burned next door.

  It took her disorientated brain a while to figure out what was wrong. Mira stood up and turned slowly in a circle.

  Large parts of Lance's house were gone, and the rest was black, smoldering remains.

  A roar went up through the city and the ground shook.

  Mira sank to her knees, tears running freely, and tapped Gabriel on his cheeks.

  He didn't stir.

  Mira let out a sob, and bleary eyed, she looked around at the watery glow that rose around them. She rubbed her face and blinked several times until she saw the magic that had returned. As she watched, the swirling yellow mass began to form. She shook Gabriel, but wasn't having any luck getting him to wake up.

  Her heart beat madly in her chest. She was almost home. They were almost home. A few steps away the noise, haze, and smell of burning tar would disappear.

  Mira forced herself to her feet, grabbed Gabriel's arm, and pulled. He moved a few inches and stopped.

  It didn't take her long to realize his wings were getting caught up.

  Frustrated, Mira rolled him over, wincing as a wing bent in a way she was sure wasn't good for it. Once he was on his stomach, she grabbed both his hands.

  "You are coming with me," she said, moving a few inches. He stopped again, and she took a few deep breaths and tried once more. "You're coming with me or I'm staying here."

  She closed her eyes, dug her feet in, and pulled back step by step. When hands reached out and touched her, she screamed, let go, and then fell backward onto the floor.

  Everything went fuzzy. Mira had no idea how long it stayed that way. Emmit was there the moment she opened her eyes.

  Mira had never used the word hubbub, but she figured this is exactly what it would look like.

  "The doctor is seeing to Tyler," Emmit said, his face unreadable.

  Mira winced when something was pressed hard against her arm.

  "Tell me where you are injured," Emmit said. "I'll call the doctor over."

  She tried to shrug him off, but it seemed to be a fruitless endeavor.

  "I'm not hurt," Mira said.

  Emmit raised an eyebrow. It looked out of place with the rest of his impassive face.

  "Not badly, anyway" she corrected. "Where's Gabriel?"

  "His partner and one of Reinfield's men are with him," Emmit said.

  "Is he..." Mira wasn't sure how to finish that thought. She didn't want to breathe the word 'dead,' for fear that it might be true.

  "Unconscious," Emmit supplied. He turned to someone else. "Hold this tightly."

  Mira nodded and closed her eyes. "And Tyler?"

  "His arrival and that of the children was a surprise," Emmit said.

  Mira cried out when someone else gripped her arm. She inhaled sharply, trying to bite back the pain. Emmit moved to the other side and began to clean blood away from the numerous cuts.

  "That's why the portal closed so suddenly," Emmit continued. "Mr. Singer thought he was bringing one of his witches back, not four witches and a detective."

  Hearing Mr. Singer's name should have worried Mira, but she was so tired that she was beyond caring.

  Mira tried to leverage herself up, but with men holding her arms to check for injuries, she didn't get far.

  "Don't move around until the doctor has a chance to see you," Emmit said.

  She saw Tyler lying on the couch, eyes closed, with what must have been the doctor and two other people over him. Andrea was sobbing and being comforted by someone unfamiliar to Mira. The little girl clung to her brother’s hand as tightly as she could.

  "I want to see Gabriel," Mira said, searching for him as best she could. He has to be all right.

  Three witches familiar to Mira, including Mr. Singer, seemed to be wavering in different spots around the room.

  Ian's voice began to rise, even over the sound of Andrea's sobs. "I said, call an ambulance!"

  Emmit gave him a dark look from across the room. "We have another doctor on the way."

  "That's not good enough!"

  Mira struggled with more effort to sit up.

  "Lie still," Emmit snapped.

  Mira's eyes narrowed. "What?"

  "You were lost once, it's not going to happen again," Emmit said, his face showing hints of pent-up anger. Tight lines appeared around his eyes and his lips pursed.

  "You didn't lose me, you gave up on me! I want to see Gabriel now."

  Emmit didn't look abashed, but he stared at her for a few moments before glaring at the man holding Mira. "Keep pressure on her arm." Turning back to Mira, he spoke in a more gentle voice. "We'll help you."

  The world spun for Mira when she sat up. Emmit didn't say anything, but waited until she was ready to stand. When she finally got to her feet, she wished she hadn't tried. The exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her, and the stinging pain of hundreds of cuts became more pronounced.

  Tiredness fled her mind, however, when she spotted Ian's beet-red face. He was seething and Mira didn't blame him. She didn't say anything when she joined Ian. There was nothing she could say that would help.

  Ian didn't feel the same way. "You can talk some sense into these people."

  "How's he doing?" she asked, ignoring the comment.

  "He's unc
onscious, what do you think?"

  Mira knew the answer, but she had to ask Emmit the question anyway. "Why aren't we calling the ambulance?"

  "We might have to," Emmit said, looking across the room to the doctor. "But we can't exactly tell anyone what happened. I’m not certain we can get away with that due to Tyler's condition. Especially when an injured detective comes in at the same time."

  "You people should be good at lying by now," Ian said. "Call the damned ambulance."

  "You people?" Emmit asked.

  "And what about her?" Ian asked. "You're willing to let her bleed out?"

  Emmit had Ian by the throat before anyone knew what was happening.

  "You are trying my patience," Emmit said quietly.

  The noise in the room seemed to die away. Mira held her breath and watched, hearing only her heartbeat for a few seconds. That was all it took to have her wavering.

  "Emmit," Mira tried to sound stern, but couldn't make it work. The room began to spin around her. She reached out and grabbed the man that was holding her arm, trying to steady herself. "Leave him alone."

  The room began to dim. Mira's muscles felt watery. She saw Emmit turn to her before the noise died away and the world went black.

  ***

  Mira woke for short periods of time. She was coherent enough to know that she had suffered blood loss and exhaustion. It felt like ages before she woke up and felt like a person again.

  Looking around, she first noticed that the bed wasn't hers and she had never seen the room before. Then she noticed that she wasn't alone.

  A man stood nearby, facing the door and seeming to ignore the bed.

  Mira sat up slowly. She didn't get any sense of danger, but she jerked back when the man moved toward the door and out of the room. He said nothing.

  When she threw off the covers and moved to get up, her muscles felt sore and tight and her bones were stiff. She’d only made it as far as the edge of the bed when Oracle jumped up beside her.

  The cat rubbed against her and she scratched his ears. As Oracle began to purr, Alchemy joined them. Seeing the cats calmed some of the building trepidation.

  There was a knock at the door and Emmit entered. Mira quickly made sure that she was covered, only to realize that she was in a long white night gown. Something that definitely didn't belong to her.

  "You should be resting," Emmit said, striding across the room.

  Mira had to clear her throat before she could talk. "I feel like that's what I've been doing." Still, she eased back in the bed and Oracle curled up on her lap.

  "For good reason."

  "Where am I?"

  "You are in my apartment," Emmit said. "The doctor is on his way."

  "Where's Gabriel? And Tyler? What happened to them?"

  "Tyler is in the hospital. Gabriel has been released."

  "He's okay?" Mira asked, feeling a sense of relief so deep that she teared up.

  "He will fully recover," Emmit said. "Unfortunately, he hasn't been willing to go into detail about what took place on the other side."

  Mira let herself fall back into the bed. "I don't blame him."

  Emmit steepled his hands in front of him and leaned forward. "I do need the details."

  Alchemy sat up straighter and watched Emmit closely. Mira didn't want to remember the tar-like smell of death that had surrounded her in the other world.

  "How did you get us back?" Mira asked.

  "I was hoping to wait on that part." When Mira didn't respond, Emmit leaned back and sighed. "I didn't. The witches did. I just helped... move things along."

  "We don't know how to do that."

  "That's where I played a part."

  "I bet Mr. Singer flipped."

  Emmit cleared his throat and appeared uncomfortable. "There is a message for you related to that."

  "What message?"

  "A letter." He nodded toward the bedside table.

  When Mira went to grab the message, Emmit reached it first, and then handed it over. "You really do need to rest."

  "You were ready to interrogate me a minute ago," Mira said, trying to keep the pang of sadness out of her voice. "Don't deny it." He had given her up for dead, and now he wanted her for information. How did I ever think dating Emmit Harker was a good idea?

  "If I could avoid it, I would, but everything in the Ether is stirred up, and I need to know how bad it is."

  "Why?" Mira asked.

  A flash of irritation crossed his face. Mira sat back up and turned her attention to the letter in an effort to avoid Emmit's gaze.

  Mira popped open the wax seal and pulled out a piece of cream-colored parchment.

  If Mira were honest with herself, she would have expected a thank you for finding the kids and Tyler and bringing them back. She had never been so wrong.

  The first time through, the words didn't really sink in. She read the lines again:

  The witches council has formally requested that all witches avoid contact with Miss Mira Bluebell Owens, unless she is accompanied by an elder or a member of the police department on official business. On the night of the next new moon, full judgment on her status in the community will be decided.

  But... why? Stunned, Mira couldn't follow the logic.

  "What is it?" Emmit asked, still looking cross.

  "I've been shunned," Mira said, staring down at the paper and seeing nothing.

  Emmit took the letter from her numb hands. "Surely such a thing isn't done."

  The room became as silent as a grave.

  "It's only for a week or so," Emmit said, at last. "I'm sure the council won't—"

  "Are you sure?" Mira broke in. "Actually sure?"

  "I'll speak with them," Emmit said, putting his usual confidence back into his voice.

  "I should let Gabriel know," Mira muttered. "It may slow things down during the case."

  "Ian," Emmit said, "you should let Ian know."

  Mira's forehead wrinkled. "Gabriel will let him know."

  "Ian will let Gabriel know," Emmit corrected.

  Mira's eyes narrowed.

  "I think that Gabriel would prefer a little time," Emmit said. "He's taking a step back, you could say."

  "He's not on the case?"

  "He's not returned to work yet, but he will still be partnered with Ian." Emmit looked as though he weighed every word before saying them.

  As realization rolled over her, Mira's heart sunk, and she hated the fact that her eyes started to burn. "He's stepping away from me, you mean."

  "Don't worry," Emmit said. "You'll have a guard on you at all times. Gabriel has direct access to them in case of anything unforeseen."

  Mira nodded. If she spoke, she knew she would cry. Being shunned by the witches meant her family would have no contact. She had lost both them and Gabriel in the space of a few minutes.

  "I'll give you some time," Emmit said, standing quickly and stepping away. "Let Thomas know if you need anything."

  Mira looked quizzically at Emmit, glad for the momentary distraction.

  "He'll be in here on guard," Emmit said.

  "In here?" Mira managed to ask.

  "Don't worry," Emmit said, stepping into the hall. "Reinfield's men are very discreet."

  He was gone for only a few moments before someone else—Thomas, she supposed—replaced him. The man assessed the room, then took up station where he’d previously stood, staring at the door, away from her.

  The room was now uncomfortable. She felt crowded, as though the man took up more space than a normal person did.

  "Could you, um, wait in the hall?" Mira asked.

  "Sorry, Miss Owens." He didn't even turn around. "I have to be here."

  Mira got unsteadily to her feet and gazed around the room. He can't do this, Mira thought fiercely. Not Thomas, of course, but Emmit. The man in her room was only doing what Emmit had ordered.

  "Do you need any assistance?" Thomas asked, still looking away.

  "No," Mira said quickly. "I just need
to, um, find some clothes, and um, get cleaned up."

  "There is clothing in the dresser and the closet," Thomas said. "Your bathroom is the door to the left."

  Keeping an eye on Thomas, Mira found a mixture of clothes that were hers and others that were merely her size. When she walked to the restroom, Thomas moved to follow.

  "You're not following me in there," Mira said, more shocked than angry.

  "I'll inspect the room before you enter and wait at the door," Thomas said. "I'll only enter the room if required."

  While Thomas searched the room, Mira thought over what might 'require' the man to enter, but she gave up. When he left, Mira went in, Alchemy and Oracle trailing after her. She closed the door firmly behind them and looked around, finding a fairly modern bathroom.

  After splashing water on her face, Mira grabbed a thick, heavy, white cotton towel. Numbly, she sat on the floor and covered her face, letting the towel soak up the tears and muffle her sobs.

  ***

  Creating a new series has been nerve wracking and a lot of fun! Mira was a fun character to write and I love watching her get to know Gabriel.

  If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review on the site where you made the purchase. Leaving a review helps the reader and author in many ways. Your support is appreciated!

  Thank you for reading!

  Amanda Booloodian

  ***

  Jump to Fallen Witch (Spellbound Murder Book 3) Table of Contents

  Acknowledgements

  The first book in the Spellbound Murder series, Oath Bound, made the USA today bestsellers list in The Shadow Files box set. Thank you to all my friends and family who helped make that a reality!

  Special thanks to Christina Benedict for giving me feedback! I’d also like thank the ARC readers for Grim Magic and Oath Bound. Special thanks to Sarah Landis for being an awesome cheerleader! I also need to thank JD Book Services and Frankie Sutton, my editors, for their feedback on the book.

  Deranged Doctor Design has done another amazing job with this series! They’ve provided the entire series with wonderful covers. I love their work and their flexibility.