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

by Amanda Booloodian

  The explosion of power lasted only a moment before it was bottled up again. Mira gasped and clutched at the ring on her finger, which seemed to hum with the stimulation.

  "I see," Emmit said. He turned off the screen and, after a moment's hesitation, handed it to Ian. "I think you should be entrusted with this. If he continues to send a countdown, let us know that. The rest is irrelevant."

  Mira expected Gabriel to disagree, but he didn't. She did, however. "I can keep my phone, thanks."

  "We might need it this evening. Are we ready? Good," he said, not waiting for a reply. "Let's go."

  "I can carry the phone as easily as Ian can," Mira said.

  "You should wait here," Gabriel said.

  "But—"

  "It's police business," Gabriel interrupted. "We can't take you with us."

  Mira's eyes narrowed. "But Emmit's okay?"

  "I'm not worried about what will happen to Harker. You'll have people inside and outside the house."

  It wasn't that Mira wanted to go—she had no inclination to face John again. But even more so, she didn't want Gabriel out of her sight.

  "I thought we were sticking together." She couldn't manage to put any accusation into her voice.

  "We won't be long," Gabriel said.

  "You can take this phone," Emmit said, handing her one. "Reinfield's men will be here for your protection."

  Mira nodded. Gabriel was all business and didn't even try to get around Emmit to say goodbye. She watched him leave without saying anything else.

  Emmit didn't move until Gabriel was out the door. "Will you be up when Gabriel gets home?"

  "I doubt I'd be able to sleep even if I tried."

  "Good," Emmit said. "Be sure to wait up and talk with him tonight I think it will be important to do so. And I shall call tomorrow."

  "Sure," Mira said with no real feeling.

  Emmit nodded and followed the others.

  Mira went to the front window and watched the group walk to Reinfield's trucks, which were waiting for them on the street.

  "It will be safer if you stand back from the windows," Eric said.

  Mira waited long enough to see the trucks start down the street before she took Eric's advice.

  She felt at a loss for what to do. Alchemy and Oracle sat side by side on the coffee table, watching her intently. They were good at sensing her mood, but they seemed as much at a loss as she was.

  "Can I get you anything to drink?" Mira asked. She checked the phone and saw that it wasn't password protected, and a quick scroll showed her it was blank.

  "No, thank you," Eric said.

  "Can you let me know when they get close to my shop?"

  Eric paused before saying, "I can give you updates along the way."

  Mira nodded and went to the kitchen in search of tea or anything that might calm her nerves. She opened and closed a few cabinets before she realized she wasn't really seeing anything. Her mind was fixed on the threat ahead. Thoughts of John and what he might be doing had dug themselves in and taken root.

  "Detective Flint would like to know if you've been able to reach Mr. Singer," Eric said, interrupting her blind search.

  Mira latched onto the conversation. "Yes. I called him earlier and he's warning the witches. He said he'd call my family first."

  Eric nodded and said nothing.

  "Do you need to pass that on?" Mira asked

  "It has been passed on," he said, more formally than his grin conveyed. He tapped under his ear.

  Mira nodded. With Eric's conversation seemingly exhausted, she had to return to her search as a distraction. Her chest ached with an intense need to feel useful, and searching Gabriel's kitchen wasn't helping. She let a cabinet door slam shut and rubbed her temples.

  "Do you need assistance?" Eric asked.

  "Where are they now?" Mira asked.

  "They're still en-route to your store."

  Mira nodded and looked blankly around the room. Oracle bumped into her shin before winding herself around and through Mira's legs. She patted the cat causing the beautiful new ring to catch the light. It was smooth when Mira glided her finger across the surface. The power inside made her feel a bit steadier for a moment.

  Then she wanted to kick herself. Emmit seemed indestructible by any normal means, and she knew he would look after Gabriel and Ian. If anything happened to Ian, however, she'd be screwed and she knew it. Ian also still had his ward, which was more than she could say for Gabriel. That, at least, was something she could solve.

  Chapter 17

  When Mira left the room without a word, Eric was on her heels, quick to stop her when she put her hand on the door to the spare bedroom.

  "I'll need to clear the room." He didn't actually nudge her out of the way, but he seemed to cast an aura that made her pull away all the same.

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head, but waved him on. Unlike in Emmit's apartment, it only took Eric a moment to search the entire room, mostly because he had to walk over to the closet. As she entered, he dropped the blinds and curtains in the room, blocking out the empty darkness outside.

  At least Mira hoped it was empty. She firmly pushed that thought aside and started to raid the boxes scattered around the room. The ward would need to come first. Whatever she chose, it would need to be soaked in purified water to release any contaminants before she cast the spell.

  Before long, Mira had another necklace with a pendant soaking in a smooth dark glass bottle.

  She was at a loss as to what to cast next. Everything seemed important. A few weeks ago, she never would have thought about having offensive spells at the ready. Recently, though, they'd saved her life more than once, so it seemed a good place to start.

  Spark was becoming her lucky spell, so she pulled out everything she needed and began grinding ingredients together in her mortar.

  "They've reached their destination," Eric said.

  "You mean they're at my store?" Mira asked.

  "A few blocks away."

  Mira bit her lip. She imagined a number of scenarios where Gabriel and the others stalked the darkness of the streets, combing the area between themselves and her store.

  For some reason, that made her think of Lance. Dark deserted streets seem like a fitting place for a vampire to hang out. But the thought came from vampires you see in the movies. She knew Lance at least tried to be a people person—he knew everyone on the list of victims from the case.

  He was also setting up a meeting between herself and Levi. Whatever kind of supernatural the reclusive man was, Levi needed help. The person in the hospital even more so.

  Once Spark was ready, Mira grabbed a few other items. She didn't need to know what type of supernatural Levi was. Mira had hidden her inner self from an angel. Something similar might work to hide whatever Levi was from witches.

  The room was too small to use as an area for casting. Gabriel's bedroom had the space, but it would feel presumptuous and invasive to use it. Mira grabbed her things and moved to the kitchen, then hesitate there before bypassing it for the living room.

  Any news?" Mira tried to thrust away the incessant worry that filled her, but she wasn't having any luck. She put everything down on the coffee table before pushing it aside.

  "They are approaching your store from different directions," Eric said. "It's going to take a while before everyone gets in position."

  "Do you know where they are on the countdown?"

  "Less than fifteen minutes."

  "Any more messages?"

  "It's my understanding that the messages are still arriving."

  Mira waited for more. When nothing came, she raised her eyebrow at Eric before taking out a long strand of undyed cotton yarn.

  "Ian hasn't told anyone the contents of the messages," Eric finished.

  Mira let the yarn trail down to the ground. This house had never had a circle cast, so the thread didn't cement itself to the ground the way it would have at Mira's. She had to nudge it into place her
e and there, and wasn't completely happy with the finished result, but it was circle-ish, which would have to do.

  "Are there a lot of people listening into our conversation right now?" Mira asked.

  Eric looked uncomfortable with the question. "It's important that others know our status, just as it's important we know theirs."

  Mira shook her head and gathered her supplies around the inside edges of the circle. "That's a yes, then."

  His grin had a worried edge to it.

  "Are we being recorded?"

  "Generally speaking, we don't record everyday activities."

  "Hmm, another yes, right?"

  He sighed and nodded.

  "I need you to turn off the listening devices."

  "That's not the best idea."

  "If we are visually being recorded or seen, I want that turned off as well."

  Eric shook his head. "They're requesting the audio stays on."

  "I'm not saying you can't listen to them, but I'm about to cast. I'm not letting others listen in on this."

  "We are very discreet."

  "Good. You can discreetly turn off the audio."

  "The request is being denied."

  Mira lost her calm, which was never a good thing before spell casting. "You're lucky I'm not kicking you completely out of the room."

  Eric gave her an amused look that seemed to say, I'd like to see you try. "Keeping contact is for safety."

  She crossed her arms, tired of people telling her what could and couldn’t happen in her life. She readied herself to argue more, then she realized she didn't have to.

  "What?" Eric asked.

  Mira hadn't noticed that she'd started to smile. "If you don't turn them off, I will."

  He gave her a quizzical look, and held out his hands, palm up, silently asking what she was talking about. "Reinfield has denied the request."

  "Reinfield himself? I didn't know he did that kind of thing. You don't have any witches on your team, do you?"

  "Not that I'm aware of."

  "I can tell. Look, I'm not trying to be difficult. Really, I'm not." Mira settled down on the ground inside her circle. "But if it's not turned off, I'll short it out. It may take your cell phone, too. Sorry in advance."

  "Why?" Eric asked, forgetting any formality in his confusion.

  Mira sighed. "It's a witch thing. The whole being burned at the stake off and on throughout history has made us a little skittish."

  Eric's expression showed his dawning understanding.

  "Are you turning it off?" Mira asked.

  "For how long?" Eric asked.

  Mira looked at what she had spread before her. "Forty-five minutes, give or take?" When she saw the look on Eric's face, she continued, "You can turn it on between spells. Let's say, fifteen to twenty minutes."

  "Let's try to stick with fifteen." Eric put a finger in his ear. "Outgoing audio is off."

  "Thank you."

  "Could you really short this thing out?"

  "Sure. You'd be surprised at what a witch can do. Especially when motivated."

  Mira charged her circle, and then closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the first spell. Getting her mind clear wasn't easy. She shifted on the unfamiliar floor, then moved her legs. After the second time she fidgeted, her eyes popped open, and she noticed Eric was watching her intently.

  "I'm not going anywhere," Mira said. "The bad guys are outside."

  Eric chuckled and moved to the window to peek out before taking up a spot next to the front door.

  This time when Mira closed her eyes, she sunk straight into her spell. She had cast Spark so many times, the spell came quickly to her, which was why she had decided to start with it.

  Magical energy swirled around her, comforting her like a friend. She'd been away from magic for far too long. Somehow, it made her feel better—safer—to be in the flurry of her own power. It was as though Eric, the room, and the rest of the world folded itself away, settling snugly into the back of her mind.

  This time around, she tied the spell to a small piece of copper wire. When creating a spell to hold, one not fully cast, it used more energy than going ahead and casting it immediately. You had to freeze the magic a few moments before it was set to be released, and then anchor it to something. When she was ready to finish casting the spell, she'd break the anchor object and finish the incantation.

  If she had cast the spell for someone else to hold, it would probably only last a day or two. Since she was holding this for herself, her own power would surround it. The strength inside wouldn't fade as quickly, so the spell might be good for several days. A week, if she was careful.

  When she opened her eyes, Alchemy was sitting directly in front of her, outside her bubble of magic. She stretched and dropped her barrier in order to give Alchemy attention. Apparently, though, he just wanted to watch and objected to being touched.

  Mira didn't push it. When she looked around, she didn't immediately notice Eric. He was at the window again, peering out.

  "Everything okay?" Mira asked.

  "Yes," he said without moving.

  He didn't sound remotely convincing.

  "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing." He drew away from the window again. "I'm starting the audio again."

  "Wait. I feel like I'm missing something. What's happened?"

  Eric seemed to ignore her and turned the audio back on.

  Mira looked at him suspiciously before shaking her head and going back to her work. She was making something for Levi next. As she laid out the materials in front of her, her mind naturally returned to Gabriel.

  Her heart seemed to skip a beat and she quickly looked up at Eric. "Are the others all right? Have they reached the store?"

  "They have."

  She waited for more, but it didn't come. "Well, what's happening?"

  "I'm afraid we've lost contact with them."

  Mira stood up. "Why, what happened?"

  Eric held up a hand to stem the barrage of questions Mira was ready to throw at him. "It only means that they've turned off their audio. It's not uncommon."

  "So, they're okay?"

  "They're out of touch. That's all."

  It wasn't a solid answer, but it was one Mira would accept. She looked down at the materials for her next spell, wondering if she should continue. Then again, the thought of her pacing the house, wringing her hands and wondering what was happening didn't sound like the best use of her time.

  "This spell is going to take longer." Her voice was as hesitant as she felt.

  "It's not the best time to turn off audio," Eric said. "Mr. Harker and Detective Flint will want an update as soon as they are able."

  Mira knew it was true, especially since she wanted the same thing from them. "How is it they can turn off audio and I have trouble getting mine turned off?"

  Eric didn't answer.

  "Fine, give me five minutes. I'll work silently for a while, so the audio can be on. When I start working, though, I want it off. Will that work?"

  "Five minute intervals. No matter what you're doing, I'll only go silent for five minutes at a time."

  Mira didn't argue—she knew it was the best she was going to get.

  When Eric turned off the audio, she didn't get to work. "Why is it so important? The audio, I mean."

  "Believe it or not, it's not every day we watch over someone that is actively in danger of being killed."

  Mira shifted uncomfortably at the thought.

  "And our team hasn't worked directly with a Harker for any substantial length of time."

  "You knew about Emmit before you met him?" Mira asked, surprised.

  "Everyone in the company knows about him, but very few work for him for long periods of time."

  "Why not?"

  "The Harkers don't call on us often."

  "Then why do you know about them?

  Eric shrugged. "We keep track of the family. That's the way Reinfield set it up."

  "What do you do wh
en he's not around?"

  "Mostly the same thing we do when he is around, just less of it—there's a whole lot more travel, and shit doesn't get so weird." After a moment Eric looked as though he wanted to suck back the last statement.

  Mira smiled, though. "I could do with a lot less weird myself."

  "Don't worry. We've got you covered."

  "Hopefully after tonight there won't be a need anymore."

  "We'll still have you covered."

  "Emmit's not likely to stick around once everything here gets resolved."

  "You probably won't have someone looking out for you twenty-four, seven, but we'll still be around. Mr. Harker already has it arranged."

  Mira's eyes narrowed. "Has what arranged?"

  "For the agency to have someone in the area."

  Mira rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Of course he does." She turned to her spell. "He probably has you watching all sorts of people. Does he drive people crazy like this wherever he goes?"

  "People being watched, yes. People being protected, no. This is only the second request of protection he’s made. You, Tyler, and Gabriel will be guarded."

  "Only the second? Who's the first? His sister?"

  "I'm not at liberty to say, but his sister is a Harker. We work for her the same as we work for him."

  "Really? Do they spy on each other? That could get complicated."

  "A Harker's business isn't shared with anyone, not even another Harker."

  "Why are you telling me all this, then?"

  "You're an anomaly for us. That, and I haven't given you details."

  "I guess not."

  "Also, it gives you an idea of why you'll be seeing us around so often."

  Mira thought that over. She didn't particularly like the idea of someone looking over her shoulder all the time, but it seemed like a small concession with someone trying to kill her.

  "Audio's up," Eric said.

  Mira started. She'd been so absorbed in their conversation that she had lost track of time.

  She turned to her spell, wanting to give Reinfield and his men a few minutes of audio before starting, so she rearranged things in her circle and thought over what she was going to do.

  To help Levi, she didn't feel the need to purify the chain she used. In fact, purification might actually hurt the spell instead of help it. When she found nothing else to distract her, she charged her circle and began.