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

by Amanda Booloodian

Mira stared at the sky, still seeing nothing. When she tried to push away from the wall, she found she couldn't.

  She bit her lip, fear and frustration welling up.

  "Come on." Jean moved around the corner but came back when Mira didn't follow.

  "I can't," Mira said.

  "We're almost to your friend, right? He can help us."

  They were close.

  But not close enough.

  It was time to take a stand. "Whatever John has sent after us," Mira said, "I think I can slow it, or them, down."

  "Dear god, it's coming around the corner." Jean dodged around the corner herself, peering around.

  "Stay there," Mira said. "Keep out of sight."

  "You have to see it." Jean once again sounded as though she were pleading.

  Mira shook her head, saving the effort of speaking for the work ahead.

  "Maybe... maybe there's nothing there," Jean said, a tincture of hope trying to peek through.

  Mira considered what she said. The woman had been here for a long time. Would it be a surprise if she was starting to crack?

  "You could go on ahead." Mira didn't look at Jean, afraid the woman might sense that she silently pleaded for her to do the opposite.

  "And go where?"

  "I—"

  "There it is," Jean hissed before she disappeared.

  This time, Mira did see something. Even through the haze and bad lighting, she couldn't miss it.

  Emmit, scowling deeply, jogged out into the street. He slowed to a walk when he saw her.

  Mira began to cry again. Emmit could fix this. He looked like he wanted to tear seven hells out of someone, probably her, but she didn't care. It took two tries before she could push herself off the wall.

  "You," there was acid in his voice, but again Mira didn't care, "how could you—"

  She staggered up to him and hugged him, cutting him off short.

  He stood rigid, clearly startled by her reaction. After a moment, he wrapped an arm around her.

  "You," he snapped.

  Deliriously relieved, Mira wasn't even startled at his outburst.

  "What's happened?"

  Mira looked up, not sure what to say, but she saw that he was pointing at Jean, who looked frozen and caught in his gaze.

  "That's Jean," Mira said quietly before resting her head against his chest. "Jean Henderson."

  Emmit looked down at Mira and lifted her chin with his finger, searching her face. She didn't know what he was looking for, and she didn't care. She didn't care that he looked angrier than she had ever seen him.

  Emmit released her chin. "Jean." Mira was impressed at how level he managed to keep his voice. "Come here."

  "Mira?" Jean's voice wavered, unsure.

  "He's a friend." Mira peeled herself away from him, but he kept a protective arm around her.

  Jean approached, looking like she might run the other way at any moment.

  "What happened to her?" Emmit asked.

  Mira started to feel cold.

  "She—"

  "Nothing," Mira said, cutting Jean off. "I mean," she tried to make her voice sound normal, "I hit my head. Um, something hit my head. John had me, and Jean helped me escape." She reluctantly stepped away from him.

  Emmit glared at her. "What did he do?"

  "When I left my shop, something jumped on me." Mira felt she was talking too fast, but couldn't seem to slow herself down. "I hit my head when I fell to the ground, but then it... it slammed my head into the ground again and it knocked me out."

  This time he looked uncertain but no less unhappy.

  "Jean?" Emmit said, putting a demand into his voice.

  "She was unconscious. I don't know for how long," Jean said.

  "Leave her alone," Mira said. It looked as Jean would tell him everything if he pushed even a little.

  Emmit looked like he was going to argue or explode. Jean stepped back.

  Then he shook his head. "Why did you do this?" His voice was closer to normal this time. He began examining her wounds as he spoke.

  Mira reluctantly let him, figuring if he saw the evidence, he'd drop it. "We need to get Gabriel first."

  "You know where he is?" Emmit asked.

  "Ouch," Mira said when he hit a sore spot. She slapped his hand away. "I have an idea of where he is. How did you find me?"

  Emmit handed her a pentagram pendant, hanging from a chain. It had been her ward for many years—useless now, but sentimental all the same.

  "Who spelled this for you?" Mira asked, turning it over in her hands.

  "Mr. Singer obliged when I told him I needed to find you."

  "You don't happen to have the ingredients for another, do you?" Mira asked.

  "For Gabriel? I thought you knew where he was."

  "I think I know. Come on, I'll explain on the way. We're almost there."

  Mira led the way, her fear almost extinguished now that Emmit was with them. She told him what Jean had heard and what she suspected. Jean herself stayed behind them. When Mira turned around she noted that the woman was pale and shaky, her eyes wide, and she was hugging herself.

  Seeing Emmit had revitalized Mira. It was short lived, but when the police station was in sight she forced herself to it, eager to find Gabriel.

  "These seem too easy," Emmit said.

  "Nothing about this place is easy," Mira said.

  "But there are no guards," Emmit said. "And I've run across very few creatures since I've been here.

  "There are less of them," Jean said.

  Mira turned to her as Emmit moved toward the building. "What do you mean?"

  "There have been fewer around. John was in a rage about it not long ago. He—well, there are fewer."

  "From what I understand," Emmit said, "Mira and Gabriel have taken a toll on their numbers."

  "They've also been used to feed that thing in the city… when other food isn't available," Jean said.

  Mira wanted to get off that train of thought. "I wonder if they'll have any guards inside? It seems unlikely that they would. Gabriel could just force them to release him."

  "If he can still talk," Emmit said.

  Mira blinked at him. She tried not to think of that. There was so much someone could do to stop a person from talking. Her heart skipped a beat and she gazed at the building, her breaths becoming shorter. What could they have done to him? Was it possible, even from here, that they could have done to him what they had done to her?

  With a jolt of speed, Mira raced to the door. Emmit stepped between her and the building, but she only had eyes for the door. He had to physically bar her way before she even noticed him.

  Mira opened her mouth to yell at him, but he put a finger to her lips, looking stern. "We don't know what's inside."

  She lost steam and could only nod in agreement. The little burst of fear and panic left her tired.

  But she was still determined. "Let’s go find out."

  "Maybe you and Jean should wait out here," Emmit said.

  He wanted to leave her alone. Alone in this god-awful place. He was going to leave her behind.

  Emmit must have seen at least some of the abject terror in her face. "Never mind," he said. "We'll go together."

  Her nod was needy, but she didn't care at this point. The only thing that mattered was getting to Gabriel. If she could manage to do that with Emmit by her side, she felt all the better for it.

  Still holding her arm, Emmit went inside. "Do you know where he might be?"

  Mira wasn't sure if he was holding her arm to ensure she didn't run ahead or to keep her on her feet. "I'm not sure. I think there are cells on the main floor, but I’m not positive."

  Emmit seemed to inspect every inch of the room.

  "We get inside over there," Mira said. "I had to be buzzed through in our world."

  "My guess is the door is always locked except when it’s in use." Once Emmit seemed satisfied they were alone, he strode across the room, taking her with him.

 
Looking back, Mira saw that Jean was still following, but seemed like she may bolt at any moment. Emmit tried the door, not appearing surprised to find it locked.

  "Most doors are unlocked in this world," Mira said.

  "If I understand the way things work here, if the door remains locked the majority of the time, you'll find it remains locked here.”

  When Emmit let go of her, she stepped back, watching as he studied the door. He gripped the knob and pushed. Nothing happened.

  "You should check on Jean," Emmit said, not looking back at them. "She seems unnerved by my presence."

  Mira couldn't help but agree. "Are you all right?" she asked softly as she approached Jean.

  Jean shook her head vehemently.

  "It's okay. He's a friend of mine."

  "What... What is he?" Jean asked, almost too low for her to hear.

  The squeal of metal on metal made Mira turn. It was hard to say how he managed it, but Emmit had pushed the door open.

  "He's a friend," Mira said. "That's all that matters."

  Emmit disappeared and she heard another door under strain. Mira rushed through the first in time to see Emmit slam the second shut, himself on the other side.

  Mira's heart jumped to her throat. He had shut her out. It was startling to feel so lonely with just that one door between them. It was as though he had turned off a light and left her in darkness.

  Hearing shrieks on the other side of the door brought her up short when she went to follow him. A reedy scream reverberated around the building. Growling joined the cacophony. Just as suddenly as Emmit had slammed the door, the noises stopped.

  Mira approached the door uncertainly. It opened before she had a chance to try opening it on her own.

  "Forgive me," Emmit said. "That was rude. It seems, however, that Gabriel was not left on his own."

  Peering around him, Mira saw scorched and withered bodies of multiple hues. Emmit held up the broken wire as explanation.

  It wasn't as strong as Mira had hoped for, but it had done the trick. The three moved through the room, moving wide around to avoid the worst of the mess.

  The desks in the room had the same blurred edges that Mira remembered from her first trip to the Ether. Looking directly at them made her uneasy.

  They had almost reached a door on the other side of the room when they heard a skittering sound, as though an insect were stuck in a heating duct. Instinctively, Mira looked up but didn't see anything.

  Emmit appeared to be on high alert, trying to watch all directions at once. "Stay close behind me."

  Mira had to grab Jean's arm and coax her forward. She tried to drag the woman forward, but she didn't have the strength. Jean seemed to sense that and hooked her arm around Mira's dragging with her closer to Emmit.

  The next door swung open easily. Emmit froze in the frame. "We're in the right place."

  The noise was louder here. Peering around, Emmit didn't give Mira any clue as to what might be causing the noise. At the moment she didn't really care. Up ahead, she could see cells. The police station was old, and the cells looked like they were the originals.

  Mira tried to push past Emmit but only succeeded in getting him to move forward. The cells appeared empty. When they reached the corner, though, Mira saw that there were two halls lined with cells. The one in front looked empty.

  The other...

  "Gabriel?" Mira called, not as loudly as she had wanted to. The other noise was a constant, and she was afraid of what might hear her.

  There was something in one of the cells, but it didn't move or respond.

  Between them and the cell was a sea of black running toward them. Mira looked up and saw the same thing on the ceiling.

  Jean pulled Mira back, causing her to stumble and fall. They both crashed to the ground. Thousand, maybe millions of insects surged toward them.

  Emmit grabbed Mira and put her on her feet. He fumbled in a backpack. "A circle," he said quickly. "Can a circle keep them back?"

  Mira wasn't a hundred percent sure, but she grabbed the proffered skein and unwound a large amount.

  They backed quickly down the other hallway, keeping the cells in view. Mira didn't want to lose sight of what might be Gabriel.

  It was messy and not as sturdy as it could have been, but Mira dropped the circle and charged it. She concentrated hard on making sure it was as strong as possible under the circumstances.

  The ground beneath them began to shake. Then thousands of insects met her circle. Some died when they touched the magic. Others were able to crawl up a few feet before perishing and falling back to the ground.

  Up above, tiny pops sounded like rain on a tin roof as insects fell. The dark wave broke in half and surrounded the three. The ground heaved and shook, but still the circle remained.

  Then, the insects fled. They ran through the door into the room Mira and the others had just left.

  Emmit looked confused. "That was not what I expected as a sentry."

  "They eat their dead," Jean said, shivering. "My guess is they caught the smell and..." she trailed off as she waved her hand in the direction they had disappeared.

  Mira was clinging to Jean's arm at this point. She didn't want Emmit to know just how much support Jean was giving. With the ground still turning under their feet, she hoped it looked like she was just trying to keep her balance.

  "I think it's safe to let go of the circle," Emmit said.

  Mira looked at the ceiling one last time, just in case. Then she let the circle drop. A small hill of tiny corpses surrounded them, and Mira stepped gingerly over them. The ground stopped moving. Mira breathed a sigh of relief.

  Emmit cautiously moved toward the shape in the cell ahead.

  "Gabriel!" Mira cried out. Closer, she could see white feathers on the figure.

  He twitched and raised his head.

  Mira's heart felt full and she had eyes only for Gabriel. He didn't quite look the same, but it didn't matter. It was him.

  Emmit was still being cautious, which made Mira frustrated at the slowness of their pace.

  He was there. She found him.

  A roar ripping through the city beat the air, assaulting them all.

  Every inch of Mira's body seemed to pulse. It felt as if the roots were there, wrapping themselves around her, digging into her flesh, pushing their way inside, invading her. They pulled on her essence, straight down and into the bone.

  Her screams rivaled that of the creature in the city until she got what she wished for. Mira fell into darkness fell and there was nothing.

  Chapter 23

  The argument had started. Mira could hear the two voices rise and fade.

  Would they ever get along?

  The noise went away and Mira fell with it; her mind hummed blankly, drawing her back down.

  "There's no time for this," she heard Emmit yell.

  She could feel the heat of his frustration.

  "You're going to make the time!" Gabriel's cool anger greeted Emmit.

  "I'm going!"

  Going. He was going. Mira's breathing quickened. He was going to leave her. They would leave her alone. Her eyes snapped open and she jolted up.

  The world spun, and it wasn't her world. The Ether was all around. The nasty haze of the air was being pushed back, though. Gabriel had a soft glow about him, burning the air clean.

  Emmit looked the same, but once again, the air appeared like it was clearing.

  Had it been that way before?

  Her mind felt disjointed and spacey. She watched the air around her friend become clear.

  She started, not noticing Gabriel move until he kneeled down beside her.

  "What?" she asked, knowing she had missed something.

  He brushed the hair off her cheek. The moment he touched her skin, the feeling of thousands of tendrils spreading across her face made her unsure of where reality began and imagination started. She started to shake but felt frozen to the spot.

  Was anything in the Ether re
ality? She had already missed what he said, but she looked into his eyes and latched on to her reality. Gabriel was real, feathers and all.

  But he looked...

  "Oh my god." Her hands reached up to his bruised face, lightly touching skin that was purple and caked with blood from wounds on his head.

  He took her hands in his. "Can you hear me?"

  She nodded. "What did they do to you?"

  He drew her into a hug that she never wanted to end.

  "Take her to Lance's," Emmit said. "Get her home."

  He turned to leave.

  "No!" Mira broke away from Gabriel and rose unsteadily to her feet. "You can't go."

  He had frozen at her demand but didn't turn around. "This has to be taken care of now."

  "It does," Mira said. "That's why I came. The book. We need Chris’s book."

  Gabriel wrapped an arm around her waist, for which she was grateful.

  Emmit turned, looking confused before addressing Gabriel. "The witches might be able to help, but take her to see my sister. If there's anything that can be done, she'll arrange it."

  It was Mira's turn to look confused, but when he turned to leave again, she started yelling, "You have to stay!"

  "Ssshhhh," Gabriel said, trying to sound soothing.

  Mira glared at him. She wasn't amused when he smiled at her softly in return. "Damnit, Emmit, will you just listen?"

  "Hold up," Gabriel said, keeping his voice light and even. "A few minutes isn't going to hurt."

  "You don't know that," Emmit said, but there was defeat in his voice.

  "I know that we could use a little rest," Gabriel said, watching Mira. "Come on. We'll sit and talk it over."

  Mira looked at him suspiciously. He was being too calm, but she sensed him storming underneath.

  He sat down with her, pulling her as close to him as he could. "Tell us what's going on."

  Mira felt safe and protected in a way that she had never felt before. His wings behind her were soft and curled forward slightly around them.

  "I'm not sure—"

  "Emmit," Gabriel said, in the same tone, "shut the hell up and sit down."

  Mira grinned up at Gabriel. The word hell on the angel's lips always seemed to be able to crack a smile out of her.

  "I don't want—"

  "Emmit," there was a touch of steel in Gabriel's voice this time, "let her say what she needs to say."