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

by Amanda Booloodian

  "I need to shower first, though," Mira said. "All that smoke is still clinging to me."

  ***

  The idea of having a 'normal' night probably didn't mean the same thing to Ian and Gabriel as it did for Della and Mira. Magic was a part of their everyday lives. Although, Mira would be the first to admit that she had gone a long time without doing any magic.

  Since it had been so long, the couples were starting the evening out at Della's house. That gave Mira the excuse she’d needed to raid her apartment.

  Walking up the stairs to the apartment felt eerie. Mira couldn't help but grip the banister and look around for any nasty surprises that may try to befall her. The last time she had been at her apartment in this world, she had been kidnapped and taken to the Ether by a crazed monster masquerading as John.

  Mira had unlocked the door and was turning the knob when Gabriel's hand fell on hers, stopping her from opening the door. He didn't say anything, only looked around, as though studying the surroundings before going inside.

  "What’s wrong?" Mira asked.

  "It feels off, is all," Gabriel said, keeping his voice low.

  Mira jumped and yanked her hand away when her cell phone rang. Embarrassed by her skittishness, she fumbled in her pocket for the phone.

  "Hello?" she said, stepping away from the door, which Gabriel was still holding.

  "I thought that I would be accompanying you to visit your apartment." Emmit's British accent held a barb.

  "Are you following me?" Mira asked, looking around again. She spent more time gazing into shadows cast by the dying sun.

  Emmit sighed. "I have someone watching your apartment."

  "Of course you do."

  Before Mira could say anything else, Gabriel got her attention and wordlessly asked her to pass over the phone.

  Shrugging, Mira said nothing, but gave it to him.

  "You've done something to the apartment, haven't you?" Gabriel accused.

  Mira couldn't hear Emmit's response.

  "Yes, I felt it. You could have hurt someone." There was a lengthy pause before Gabriel said, "you're such a god-dammed prick sometimes."

  Mira couldn't help but grin at him whenever he cursed.

  He followed it up with, “Fine, make it fast," before he ended the call and passed the phone to Mira.

  "What did he do to my house?" Mira asked, not able to hide the smile.

  "I don't know," Gabriel said. "This was exactly the type of thing I wanted to avoid tonight."

  Her smile fell, and she felt her heart try to seize up. This is never going to work, is it?

  She wanted to say the words out loud, but was terrified he'd agree.

  "I can come tomorrow and get this stuff on my own," Mira said.

  "You shouldn't come here on your own. Harker is right about one thing—it's probably not safe."

  "Sorry to start the night out like this."

  "It's not your fault. Harker is the one that did… whatever the hell it is he did."

  Lights emerged from around the big house as a black Escalade drove up.

  "We're here for magic, though." She spoke softly in case the mention of magic made him run.

  Gabriel shifted, looking uncomfortable. He didn't say anything as a man in a black suit climbed the stairs while another walked around the garage.

  "Good evening," the man said.

  Mira and Gabriel watched as the man put on a thick glove, and then slid his hand over the door frame. He pulled his palm back holding what looked like a small pale stick with a patch of hair wrapped around it. He stored the thing in a small ornate box before moving aside Mira's welcome mat and picking up another object similar to the first.

  He didn't take off the glove and continued to hold the box in that hand.

  "Mr. Harker said that you might need assistance packing or moving things to your new living arrangements." It was as though he was pretending that the box didn't exist.

  "Did he curse my apartment?" Mira's voice came out in a screech, but she didn't care. "That complete ass." She took out her phone again and called Emmit. He didn't answer. "Coward," Mira mumbled, putting her phone away. "Thanks for the offer," Mira said to the waiting man, "but I think we can—"

  "Actually," Gabriel interrupted, "if they took your stuff over to my place until we got there, it might be safer. Then we could enjoy the evening."

  Mira's mouth opened to disagree, then she closed it again. The idea of someone having access to her spell books unnerved her, but it would make her feel better to know her books and potions weren't locked up unprotected in Gabriel's trunk.

  "You're right," she said at last. "That would be great."

  The other man appeared from around the garage. He was also wearing a large glove and carrying something.

  "We'll join you inside whenever you wish," the man said before going downstairs.

  Gabriel opened the door and Mira hurried in, long past ready to get out of the cold. Once inside, she could only stop and stare forlornly around the room. It was so quiet without Alchemy and Oracle. The apartment felt empty.

  It didn't help that the bad memories were starting to outweigh the good. Gabriel stood behind her and rubbed her arm, which helped soothe the melancholy her apartment caused.

  "At least the heat was left on," Mira said. She was reluctant to dislodge Gabriel's arm, but it was time to shrug off her coat and get to work.

  "Is this the first time you've been back?" Gabriel asked.

  "Yeah. I wanted to come yesterday, but Emmit talked me out of it. Before that, I didn't see the point."

  "Where do you want to start?"

  "I have some luggage in the closet. The stuff I need to pack is everywhere. Most of it’s downstairs, though."

  "Let's start there, then."

  Mira wanted to tell him he could stay on the second floor if he wanted to, but the fact was, she didn't want to be alone down there.

  Gabriel got the suitcase and followed Mira downstairs. She froze in the doorway, Gabriel almost walking into her.

  "What's wrong?" Gabriel asked.

  "This place is a mess," Mira said. "I think someone's been in here."

  Chapter 14

  Gabriel looked around her and studied the room. "Actually, I think we left it this way. Sorry about that. Harker needed supplies and we were rushed."

  "That's a relief," Mira said.

  "We may have broken a few things."

  "No big deal." Mira was still having a hard time forcing herself into the room. She used to love her workshop, yet now she just wanted out as quickly as she could.

  "You don't mind?" Gabriel asked.

  Mira gave him a weak smile before going to her workbench. "Mind that you two were in a hurry to help me? No. I don't mind."

  Gabriel sat the suitcase on a chair and started looking around while Mira weeded through her supplies.

  "I thought I'd invite Ian and Della to my place for drinks after dinner," Gabriel said before sniffing the contents of a bag.

  Mira had already started making two piles. "That sounds like fun."

  "Yeah. I need something normal tonight.

  Mira winced. "You can wait upstairs if you want to."

  "I'm good. Is there anything I can help with?"

  "Not yet, but maybe later." After a few minutes of quietly working, Mira said what she had been dreading. "I didn't realize you were so against magic."

  "What do you mean?"

  She couldn't look at him, but he could feel him watching her. "I mean tonight. The need for normality and wanting to avoid anything magic."

  "Oh." He came over to her, taking a bottle of what could have been beetles and setting it aside before holding her hand. When she still didn't look up at him, he put his hand on her cheek. "I didn't mean for you to think I didn't like magic. Your magic is normal."

  Mira's loved the feel of his hand on her, but she felt her eyebrows raise in disbelief.

  "To me, I mean. Your magic is normal to me because it's a part of
you. Things about you didn't make sence before I found out you could do magic."

  "Then what is it? Because something’s bothering you."

  He took his hand off her face, which she immediately missed. "I think the bookstore got to me. That's all."

  She waited, but it didn't seem like there was more to come. He said he didn't mind her magic, but did she believe him?

  Even to herself, she couldn't give a definitive answer. She was missing something, that was a certainty.

  "And, you don't believe me," he said as though reading her mind.

  Mira shrugged, trying to play it off. "I guess I just don't understand what happened."

  He sighed. "It's not you, it was that stupid book."

  It felt as though he were going to let go of her hand, but she gripped it tighter so he couldn't. "The book about the Ether?" Things still weren't adding up for her. "Because the words changed?"

  "No. It's because they didn't change for me. I could read it."

  Comprehension dawned, Mira's eyes widened, and a smile spread across her face. "You could read the book? That's great."

  He shook his head and pulled away. "It's not great to me."

  "Oh. I see." She let her arm fall by her side, suddenly depressed. She didn't understand his aversion, not really.

  "We should get to work if we're going to make it to Della's on time."

  "Right." She turned to her workbench, determined to ignore the fact that Gabriel seemed intent on ignoring the world around him. Maybe she too needed a normal night.

  A normal date, anyway. The realization that it would be a date cheered her up some.

  Mira opened two drawers a few inches. On the side, she twisted one of five decorative pieces, and then reached behind her workbench and pressed hard on a piece of wood that fit seamlessly into the surface. Up front, a thin drawer between two regular drawers slid open.

  "That's something I didn't expect to see," Gabriel said, moving up behind her to watch over her shoulder as she pried the drawer out.

  "You don't know what's in it yet," Mira said. “This drawer was always tough to budge.”

  "I mean that you opened it in front of me. Unless this is one of the ones that wouldn't matter if people knew about it."

  "No one knows about this except me and the furniture maker."

  "I didn't expect to see any secrets that I hadn't been able to find on my own."

  Mira grinned and turned to him. "Did you expect to find them on your own?"

  He was smiling as well. "Maybe."

  "Why do you want to search for my hiding places?"

  "I'm curious."

  "You may regret that when you start seeing what I keep in some of these."

  "Why are you letting me see?"

  She hesitated. Why was she opening her secrets to him? Then she shrugged. "I trust you."

  "Because I'm an angel?"

  She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure angels are normal people, like any other supernatural. I trust you because you're Gabriel. You're still you, even when you sprout wings."

  He chuckled.

  Mira felt uplifted by his change of mood.

  "There's something else I'm curious about," he said.

  "What's that?"

  He put his arms around her and kissed her. His lips were soft and pressed against hers delicately. She was almost as hesitant as he was, feeling like if they moved too quickly their small world would crack and tear them apart.

  When he broke the kiss, they remained wrapped in each other's arms. Gabriel stared into Mira's eyes and she never wanted to look away. She was dazed, but she didn't care. They had been talking about something, but that didn't matter either. What mattered was this moment.

  The room was silent, but their eyes spoke volumes to each other and spoke of future promises. When he kissed her again she let herself forget everything except Gabriel. As the kiss deepened, Gabriel pulled her closer and her insides ignited.

  As their breathing became faster and more urgent, Gabriel slowed things down until their lips released each other again, but he didn't let go.

  "Are you still curious?" Mira asked playfully.

  "Even more so." He cupped her face in his hand and brushed it down her neck, making her shiver. "But, we have some people waiting for us."

  Mira wanted badly to let them wait, but she also remembered where she was. The room didn't have a plethora of warm, safe memories. Postponing their exploration made the most sense.

  Besides, she told herself, I'm going home with him.

  "What?" Gabriel asked.

  "I didn't say anything."

  "No, but you have a glint in your eyes that makes me think I should hold onto you a little longer."

  "Do you need an excuse?"

  "No." He kissed her again.

  Mira broke out into a wide smile and put her hand on his chest, gently pressing him back. "No. You were right. We should pack some stuff up and get over to Della's.

  Feeling light and dazed, she turned again to her workbench. Gabriel stayed so close behind her that she could have laid her head back onto his chest.

  It took her a few moments to refocus on the task at hand. Feeling Gabriel's charged presence behind her wasn't helping, but she wouldn't have given it up for the world.

  "Is there anything I can do to help?" Gabriel asked.

  She almost said no, but decided against it. "Sure. I'm taking a bunch of different things with me, so I’m going to need some boxes I keep under the stairs. Can you grab one of them?"

  "Sure."

  She missed his presence as soon as he stepped away, but while his back was turned, she used the opportunity to fan her face and take a deep breath before pushing aside thoughts of a more carnal nature.

  When Gabriel returned with the box, he wrapped one arm around her waist as he moved up next to her.

  "Do you know what you're bringing with you?" he asked.

  "I know what I'll need right away." She started sorting glass, metal, and plastic containers of various sizes.

  "So, you have some spells in mind?"

  "A few. I haven't done any magic since... well, since we got back."

  Gabriel shifted. "No spells at all?"

  Mira sensed a shift in the atmosphere. "Nothing."

  "In the Eth—where we were, you had spells already put together, but not fully cast. Like the lightning."

  The smell of burning tar seemed to ghost around the room, and Mira cringed at the memory. "Yeah. I put one like that together there as well. The fire."

  "You have more like that ready, right?"

  "Not yet."

  He shifted again and seemed to tense. It might have been Mira's imagination, but it felt as though he disapproved. That was a surprise, coming from someone who wanted a magic-free evening.

  Out of the first secret drawer, Mira was taking with her more items than she left behind. While she separated out ingredients in the next spot, she had Gabriel carefully pack up what they were taking with them.

  It took a little while to scavenge all she wanted from the workshop. Upstairs was a little more difficult. She only kept a couple of books downstairs, but had a small library upstairs. There were other, more important things to get as well.

  "We are still alone in here, right?" Mira asked.

  Gabriel twitched a curtain aside. "Yeah. They're still in the car."

  "Good." Mira went to the laundry room and was surprised when Gabriel didn't follow. He stood in the middle of the living room, holding the box and looking unsure as to what he should do. "You can leave the box."

  He set the box down but didn't hurry on his way over. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me to come with you."

  Mira grinned. "You're always poking around, trying to see if you find one of my hiding places."

  "That was different."

  "How so?"

  "Then, it didn't matter as much if you thought I was nosy."

  "And now it matters?"

  "I just don't want you to feel pressured to show
me everything."

  She chuckled and started to feel a flutter in her chest. He really did seem worried. "Trust me, I don't feel like I need to show you everything. Rest assured, you are only seeing a small portion of my hiding spots. This one, though, I should have shown you before. Come on."

  She ushered him inside and closed the door. The laundry room was a decent size, but even without wings, Gabriel took up a lot of space

  "There's no one here," he reminded her. "You don't have to close the door."

  "Actually, I do. You could investigate the area all you want and you'd never find this space unless the door is closed." She gently nudged Gabriel into the corner and crouched down.

  "How many hiding places do you have?"

  Mira carefully lifted up a long section of baseboard and set it out of the way before pausing to count them all up in her head. "Um, I think there are around nineteen."

  "Wow. I never would have guessed."

  "This one is the most important, though." Mira stuck her hand into the wall and pressed down on something. A tile directly in front of the door popped up.

  "Why are you showing me the most important one?"

  "Because it has the most important stuff. And probably the most dangerous." Mira lifted the tile and then the one next to it. She carefully picked up a small wooden puzzle box. After a few twists, turns, and slides, she had the box open. Inside were three snow-white feathers. "I should have given these to you long before this." She took them out and held them out to Gabriel.

  He didn't look happy about it and didn't reach for them. "Why are you doing this now?"

  "I shouldn't have left them here this long without being around."

  "Keep them," Gabriel said stiffly.

  "It might be better if you—"

  "Can we not?" Gabriel waved them away. "Not tonight."

  "Sorry," Mira said, feeling stung. "I just didn't want to leave them behind."

  He squatted down next to her and his voice softened. "I get that." He picked up one of the feathers and ran a finger over. He brushed it across his hand and then held it up for closer inspection. After a few moments of what looked like deep contemplation, he returned the feather to Mira, taking the opportunity to stay in contact with her. "Keep them. Once this case is over we can talk about it, and then you can tell me what to do with them."