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

by Amanda Booloodian

  Movement off to the side caught Mira's attention.

  Was that scale or fur? Mira froze. "Did you see that?"

  "See what?" Gabriel asked.

  Mira scrambled for her seatbelt, not taking her eyes off the spot where the creature disappeared.

  "It's not possible." Mira finally made her fingers work and unbuckled herself.

  "What's not?"

  "I think we need to know what happened up there," Mira's voice wavered. She had her hand on the door handle, but was having trouble making herself get out of the car.

  "What's wrong?" Gabriel asked. He appeared uneasy and was looking around.

  "One of those things. I could have sworn one of those things was here." There were only one of ‘those things’ that could cause Mira's reaction, so she didn't bother explaining further.

  "That's not possible," Gabriel said.

  Mira bit her lip. "I hope you're right." She forced her shaking body to move quickly out of the car.

  Gabriel's yell of "Don't!" was cut off by the slamming of the car door. Mira ran across the sidewalk and was surprised and somewhat disappointed that nothing tripped her up.

  "Mira!" Gabriel was attempting to yell without attracting attention.

  Mira ignored him and ran into the alley. She had to see—had to know.

  The alley was exactly as she expected it would be. Halfway through, she realized why. She'd been here before—a few times. She'd had to pass this way sometimes when she had trouble parking her car.

  Even more recently, she'd walked through here a few weeks ago, in the middle of the night, while her store burned.

  "Stop!" Gabriel called.

  Mira stumbled, surprised that her legs followed his command and stopped. When she caught her balance, she turned to glare at Gabriel, who was quickly running straight for her.

  Chapter 10

  He hadn't actually caused her to stop, had he?

  "What—"

  Mira was cut off when something slammed into her side, and she rushed from surprise to pain before she hit the ground. A scaled foot with talons struck the ground in front of her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting claws or fangs at any moment. Pressure bore down on her and she couldn't help but cry out.

  Death didn't come.

  Gabriel reached her side and the weight lifted. He turned her over, his face all stony seriousness while his eyes showed her own fear mirrored.

  The smell of burnt tar cut through her confusion. She was afraid to take her eyes off of Gabriel, even as other feet pounded through the ally.

  "Did it get her?" someone asked.

  "You could have killed her," Gabriel said.

  "I assure you, Detective Flint, I wouldn't have risked it if I wasn't certain."

  "Who are you?" Gabriel yelled, breaking eye contact with Mira.

  He glared at a man standing over them. The stranger wore jeans and what looked like an old brown leather coat that looked ready to fall apart.

  "I'll take care of this," the man said. "Get her out of here."

  Gabriel jumped up and got into the man's face. "You shot at her!"

  Mira felt dazed and looked around; beside her, she saw the thing that she has followed into the ally.

  Scales and fur. When she looked closer she saw what appeared to be an arm had grown out of the thing’s side and its head was distorted.

  It was also dead. Black blood oozed out around her.

  The idea of the foul muck touching her made her try to backpedal. She immediately bumped into Gabriel's leg.

  "Gabriel," she squeaked, trying to grind herself into his legs in an effort to move away.

  "Shit," Gabriel muttered, dragging her to her feet.

  Agony spread across her arm, which felt damp in her coat. Stitches, she told herself, you just tore them open. It was a flighty thought, quickly to be replaced by stubbornly trying to stay standing until the vertigo passed. Gabriel's arm was wrapped around her, securing her in place, but he was shaking.

  "I'll make sure a doctor meets up with you," the man said. "She might need it."

  "You're coming with us," Gabriel snarled.

  "No." The man put a hand on Gabriel's shoulder as though he were an old friend. "She's alive, but shaken. I'll take care of this."

  Gabriel pulled Mira a little closer and she winced as new pains were discovered.

  "Where are you hurt?" Gabriel asked, lowing his voice, but sounding tense.

  "I think I ripped open the stitches in my arm." She was unsure about the man. Seeing him more clearly now, he was maybe in his late forties, with a little gray seeping from his scalp.

  "Anywhere else?" Gabriel asked.

  Mira didn't know where to start. "Not as bad as my arm."

  "I should stay here," Gabriel said. "I'll text Ian and he'll pick you up."

  "No," the older man said again.

  "They're Reinfield's men," Mira whispered.

  "That doesn't make me feel any better," Gabriel said. "Can you walk?"

  Mira gritted her teeth and the told the truth even though she didn’t want to admit it. "I—I'm not sure if I can by myself."

  Gabriel's stony expression broke, revealing fear and concern. "To hell with this. They can do... whatever. Come on. I've got you."

  Mira wrapped an arm around Gabriel's waist and they awkwardly walked to the main street. Gabriel didn't turn around to see what was taking place behind them, but continued to the curb where he stopped and looked her over. Mira didn't see Ian, but Gabriel didn't seem worried.

  Mira started to shake and turned to look at the mouth of the ally.

  "As soon as we get someplace warm, I'll look at your arm." Gabriel checked the street at incoming traffic. "Here he is."

  Gabriel eased her into the backseat and circled around the car to join her from the other side.

  "What the hell happened?" Ian asked, appearing aggravated.

  Mira eased out of her coat.

  "Shit," Gabriel said, quickly pulling her sleeve up.

  "The hospital isn't far," Ian said, all traces of irritation gone.

  "We're going to Emmit's apartment," Mira said.

  Ian curled up his nose. "Gabe?"

  "Yeah," Gabriel said, taking off his coat and shirt. "There's a doctor meeting us there." He tried to catch Mira's eye, but she felt dazed.

  "She looks pale," Ian said.

  "She'll be fine," Gabriel said. "But getting there faster is better."

  Mira heard a tearing noise and looked over. "You're going to run out of shirts." Sadly, he was wearing another shirt under that one.

  One of these days...

  "They need to be replaced anyway. This is going to hurt."

  Mira took a deep breath. She gritted her teeth as Gabriel wound the cloth tightly around her arm.

  "How's that?" he asked.

  "Not as bad as I thought."

  Gabriel looked around. "Drop us off out front. I'll get a ride or something, just let me know where you leave my car."

  "I can park it and come up," Ian said.

  "It’s no problem. I've got this." As he said it, he put his arm around Mira and drew closer to her.

  He was calm now, and Mira took comfort in that.

  She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest at the same time the car pulled to a stop.

  There hadn’t even been time to enjoy it.

  Gabriel helped Mira out of the car and tried to hurry her into the building. In this part of town, there were people on the streets, but the cold kept their time outside brief.

  The cold sliced through Mira like a knife. She wrapped her arms around herself. Gabriel threw his coat over her shoulders and got her moving again.

  Mira felt a little better than she had in the ally. Once Reinfield's men had them ensconced in the elevator, Mira took stock of herself.

  "I think I got blood on your coat," she said.

  "Don't worry about it."

  She tugged her jeans away from her leg where blood was making the f
abric cling.

  "Damnit," Gabriel said, squatting down to try to pull up the leg of her jeans.

  "It's just a cut," Mira said, but she didn't try to push him away. "I think that thing—"

  "Not here," Gabriel said, nodding slightly to the man staring straight forward who was undoubtedly her bodyguard.

  "It's a cut," Mira repeated.

  The door chimed and opened.

  The man stepped outside and waited beside the door. "Can I assist you into the apartment?"

  "I've got her," Gabriel said.

  The man said nothing, but opened the front door for them.

  "Take her to the second door on the left," Emmit said stiffly when they walked in. "Then, you and I are going to have a chat."

  "Not now, Emmit," Gabriel said.

  Mira sighed. "I just want to—"

  Emmit cut Mira off. "The second door on the left."

  Mira stopped and glared at him.

  Emmit stared blankly at her for a few moments, then his voice softened. "Sorry. I've been worried. The doctor wants to see you; he’s already in there."

  Mira shook her head and moved down the hall, not letting go of Gabriel. Emmit sounded more than a little perturbed. She didn't think she wanted him alone in the same room as Gabriel.

  The doctor greeted her and started his examination at the same time.

  "It looks like you've been busy. I’ve got some local anesthetic I'm going to give you," the doctor said.

  Gabriel led Mira to the bed. He looked around the room much like Reinfield's men did, checking all the corners to make sure there was nothing waiting.

  "It looks like you're in good hands," he said while the doctor gave her the injections. "I'm going to talk with Emmit. I'm not sure how much he knows."

  "He knows very little," Emmit said at the door.

  "While that starts to work," the doctor said, ignoring everyone but Mira, "I'm going to cut your shirt off."

  "Why—"

  "It will be better than risking it dragging along your arm."

  "Okay," she said with a sigh. She had purposefully chosen one of her favorite shirts since she knew she'd be spending the day with Gabriel. She smiled weakly at the angel. "Looks like we're going shopping together."

  "I'm getting no information from Reinfield's men beyond them saying, there was an incident," Emmit said.

  "I thought they told you everything," Gabriel said.

  Mira bit her lip. The doctor had a large pair of scissors in hand and she wondered how bad the skin under her shirt looked this evening. She'd been rolling on the ground more often than any adult should, so there were bound to be some blotchy bruises.

  "They usually do," Emmit said. "This time, you're telling me."

  "Once this is off," the doctor said as he snipped along the neckline, "we'll do the same with your jeans."

  That, she knew she didn't want either of the men to see. Her hip was likely still bruised and turning green along the edges.

  "It's probably best they didn't say anything," Gabriel said.

  Mira cleared her throat.

  "Start from the beginning of the incident," Emmit said.

  "Excuse me," Mira called out. They both turned to her, though the doctor kept clipping as though nothing was happening.

  "Yes?" Emmit asked.

  "Can I get a little privacy?"

  Emmit's forehead crinkled in confusion. "Why?"

  "Are you kidding me?" Mira asked, the shirt already cut down her back—the doctor had started at the top and was working his way down the arm.

  "I've seen you before," Emmit said. "There's—"

  "That’s enough," Gabriel said, grabbing Emmit's arm and pulling him to the door. "Let's go."

  Once he nudged Emmit out, he turned around. "Do you need anything?"

  "There's a robe in my bathroom, would you mind getting someone to grab it?"

  "I meant the last time she was injured," Emmit said to Gabriel's back. "I wasn't talking about—"

  "I'll make sure it's waiting in the hall for you," Gabriel said, closing the door.

  "Thank you," Mira called.

  Mira heard Gabriel's voice, muffled by the thick doors. It sounded as though he said the word idiot causing her to smile again.

  "Your other arm appears to be uninjured," the doctor said. "You can pull the shirt off that way. I'm going to start at the bottom of your jeans. Usually I have assistance on this, but with the short notice I wasn't able to reach anyone."

  "I can take my own jeans off," Mira said, standing and taking the shirt the rest of the way off. Before the doctor could argue she stripped the rest of the way.

  The doctor made quick work with her arm, admonishing her for being so active and rough while still injured.

  Mira kept her head turned and her eyes shut tight the whole time. She wasn't a fan of needles.

  He let her know that stitching the skin multiple times raised the chance of scarring, but he would do everything he could to preventative that.

  After her arm was sewn up and covered, she opened her eyes again. The doctor had just started cleaning the cut on her leg when the yelling started.

  Trying to ignore it was like trying to pay no attention to someone bouncing a balloon against your head repeatedly. It wasn't painful, and it really didn't worry her much, but still seriously aggravating.

  "Thank you," she said as the doctor finished bandaging her leg. "I appreciate everything you've done for me this last week."

  Mira's eye twitched as the noise in the other room rose again before dying away.

  "I have some pain medicine called in to the pharmacy. I'm certain Mr. Harker's, eh, employees will pick them up.”

  The arguing grew louder again. Mira stood and strode out of the room. She yanked the door open, and her cheeks turned red when the man in the hall held out her robe while trying to remain professional.

  Mira snatched the robe from him. "Thank you," she said as she turned and tugged it over one arm before gently maneuvering her arm through the other sleeve.

  "I'll leave instructions," the doctor called.

  She cinched up her robe and marched to the living room, where the noise had once again died away.

  "What is with you two?" Mira snapped.

  They both gave her their best innocent looks, which made her roll her eyes.

  "Whatever," she said under her breath. She moved to the couch and made herself comfortable, ensuring the silky fabric of the robe covered everything it should.

  "Shouldn't you be resting?" Emmit asked.

  "I'm not sure anyone could sleep when you two are nearby in the same room. Emmit knows everything?" she asked Gabriel.

  "Yeah," Gabriel said.

  "So, who was the guy in jeans?"

  Emmit stared accusingly at Gabriel. "I thought I knew everything."

  "He's the guy that shot the... whatever the hell it was in the alley. I didn't describe any of the men to you—why would I bother with one just because he wore jeans."

  "It explains why I didn't get any information until after you arrived," Emmit said. "Was he wearing a brown leather coat?"

  "Yeah," Mira said.

  "I feel much better about him shooting in your direction. You've been lucky enough to meet Reinfield himself," Emmit said. "He doesn't miss his shots."

  "The man who runs the concierge service?" Gabriel asked.

  "He has other people for that. Reinfield is more specialized," Emmit said. "I'd quite like to know why he's in town."

  "Apparently he's killing monsters," Mira said. "There's something seriously wrong if that thing came from the Ether."

  "There's no way it came from this world," Gabriel said.

  "John must have pulled it here at some point," Emmit said. "It's the only logical reason for the creature to be here."

  "What if there are more of them?" Mira asked.

  "If there are, I'll hear about it at the station," Gabriel said. "In fact, I need to get over there now."

  "Are we doing more in
terviews?" Mira asked. "If you wait for me to get dressed, I'll go with you."

  "Not today," Gabriel said. "Get some rest. We'll see about tomorrow."

  "Are you—"

  "I'm sure," Gabriel interrupted. "It may be best to stay in for a few days anyway. At least until we're sure nothing else from the Ether has slipped through."

  She could feel herself being shoved aside and the thought thoroughly depressed her. "And tonight?"

  The fact that Gabriel looked confused for a few seconds made her feel even worse. He’d apparently already forgotten that he’d asked her out.

  "Another time," Gabriel said.

  "No problem," Mira said, trying not to let her face or voice expose the despondency she was starting to feel.

  "I need to return that book tomorrow," Mira said.

  "I'm sure Emmit will be happy to help," Gabriel said.

  The fact that he looked dejected didn't make her feel any better.

  "Of course," Emmit said. "I'll assist with anything you need."

  "How are you now?" Gabriel asked.

  "Fine," Mira said, not feeling a bit sorry when she saw Gabriel flinch. "In fact, I should get dressed. I have some errands to run."

  "Maybe you should—"

  "I'll see you around," Mira said, cutting him off. She left before he had time to debate.

  Once out of sight from the living room, she slowed down her pace, wanting to catch what they said after she left while at the same time telling herself she didn't care.

  They didn't say more than a few words to each other, and she couldn't make them out.

  Which is good, she told herself. It doesn't matter what they said.

  Her guard was waiting for her at her door. As she approached, he entered the room. When Mira walked in, he was returning from the bathroom, doing his usual security sweep.

  "No monsters under the bed?" Mira asked.

  "Not at the moment," he said. "Is there anything I can assist you with?"

  "No thanks. I'm good." What she needed help with was something he could do nothing about.

  "I'll be in the hall if you need anything."

  She nodded and sat on the corner of her bed. Two days out of the tower and she was already sent back. The building felt like a prison that had forgotten to put bars in the windows.