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

by Amanda Booloodian

  The cool energy whipping around Mira made her shiver. She was surprised that there was no matching response from Emmit. Instead, Emmit sat down opposite from them. He looked uneasy and unsure of himself, something Mira had never seen.

  Gabriel cupped her cheek. "Tell us what happened."

  Mira frowned and felt confused. "What happened? No. That's not what I'm talking about. That's not—" She stopped and looked around the room for Jean.

  It was the first time she had actually taken in the room they were in. It was like a small box. They had pushed the table and chairs aside. Looking around, Mira realized she'd been here before. They were still in the police station, but upstairs.

  "Where's Jean?" Mira asked.

  "Jean is in the room next door," Gabriel said. "She felt... safer over there."

  Mira shot a glare at Emmit, figuring he had scared the woman off. "She's all right, though?"

  "At the moment, we're all okay." Something under Gabriel's calm demeanor felt like it was going to erupt.

  Mira glanced at Emmit, wondering if he felt the same volcanic energy coming from Gabriel. He was watching Gabriel closely but didn't seem concerned.

  "Now," Gabriel continued, "we have time. Talk to us, and then we can decide on what happens next."

  Emmit's eyes looked pinched around the edges.

  "Tell us what happened," Gabriel said again.

  "That's not what I was talking about," Mira said.

  She looked up at Gabriel. It was his secret to tell. He had seemed so upset when he’d found out he could read Chris's book. It was possible that he wouldn't want Emmit to know, but what needed to happen was more important.

  She bit her lip and turned to Emmit. "You said there was a way to end this. Permanently."

  He was already shaking his head. "I can put it to sleep, possibly for a few centuries. You won't have to worry it waking up in your lifetime, or even your children's lifetime."

  "It needs to die," Mira said with more force than she’d intended. She took a deep breath, making sure to rein in her anger as much as possible.

  "We know," Gabriel said.

  "But there is a way to do that," Mira said. "With the book. Chris's book."

  "No one knows how to kill it," Emmit insisted. "I'm sorry, Mira. We've searched and there's no way. The ritual has been lost for centuries."

  "The ritual you mentioned," Mira said. "You had a page that showed a point and three others around it. I've seen a book that had that exact same diagram on the cover."

  "That’s why you swapped places with me?" Emmit said.

  To Mira's surprised, Emmit was angry—even more upset than he was when she first found him.

  Gabriel hugged her closer.

  "Why didn't you tell me?" Emmit asked.

  The room seemed to flicker, and Mira blinked, looking around for the source.

  "It doesn't matter what you found," Emmit seethed. "I thought you understood that. You stupid witch! It’s written in a language that can’t be read. Why would you do this?"

  "Hey!" Mira yelled back at him. "I did it because I needed to! You were ready to just walk in and die!"

  Again the room seemed to stutter, and the strange light of the place seemed to dim. Shadows grew in the corner.

  "Shut up!" It was one solid, demanding phrase.

  Both Mira and Emmit stopped talking. Mira glared at Gabriel, remembering that he had done that to her before, the night he had been taken. He’d told her to run, making her do so.

  Gabriel took a deep breath. His energy was beginning to feel erratic and wrong.

  Mira glanced at Emmit. It seemed like he felt the difference.

  Mira put a hand on Gabriel's chest. He took another deep breath and patted her hand before, lightly holding it in his.

  "Get a grip on yourself, Harker. This book," Gabriel said, softening his voice for Mira, "It's the one that we saw together at Chris's?"

  She nodded.

  He stared at her for a few moments before shaking his head. "And you didn't tell Harker because you thought I'd be upset."

  The only thing response she could think to give was to shrug.

  There seemed to be a great flexing of energy across the room.

  "As I said, it doesn't matter what you found. It can't be read." Emmit glared at Gabriel. "Don't try that again."

  Gabriel seemed unconcerned by Emmit's threats. "It can be read. That's why she didn't say anything. I can read it."

  Emmit was quiet for a while. The whole room fell quiet. The shadows that had stretched across the room began to fade.

  Now that it was out in the open, she laid her head against Gabriel's chest and closed her eyes.

  "She should have told me," Emmit said.

  "Shhh," Gabriel said. "Let her sleep."

  They spoke in soft, muted tones. Mira wasn't quite asleep, but wasn't quite awake, either. Her body needed the rest, but her mind was afraid to actually fall asleep. The idea of sleeping in the Ether, even in Gabriel's arms, freaked her out. Especially now that she knew how bad the place can be.

  "This might be what we need to kill this thing," Emmit said.

  "It will die," Gabriel said. "One way or the other."

  They were quiet for a while. Mira enjoyed hearing the sound of Gabriel's heartbeat and concentrated on the warmth of his skin,

  "Do you know how angels fall?" Emmit asked.

  Gabriel sighed deeply. "Give it a rest, Harker. I'm sure this can wait."

  "I'm not certain it can. Anger and vengeance can weigh any man down. For an angel, it can permanently chain him."

  Gabriel tensed. "You don't think this thing needs to die?" The buzz in his energy made Mira shift uncomfortably.

  They were still for a few minutes.

  "Of course, I agree with you," Emmit said. "But then, I don't have to worry about the fall."

  "Some things are worth it."

  "But some things," Emmit paused and Mira sensed movement, "some things are worth more."

  Worried that the movement meant Emmit was going to try to leave again, Mira wearily opened her eyes. The rest didn't do anything to revive her.

  "You should eat something," Emmit said. "You both should." He dug around in his bag and pulled out some sort of protein bars, handing them over. "And here." He passed Mira a bottle of water.

  A longing sigh escaped her before she could stop it, then she blushed and took the bottle. "You've been here longer." She held the bottle out to Gabriel. "You first."

  Gabriel shook his head. "After I eat. You go ahead."

  Mira took a few sips of and the water felt cleansing and cool on her throat. She forced herself not to drink too much. "We should give some to Jean. You have any more food?" Mira asked.

  This was met with stony silence.

  "What's wrong?" Mira asked.

  "Nothing," Emmit said. He seemed rather reluctant to Mira.

  She pulled away from Gabriel to look up at him. "What am I missing?"

  Gabriel jammed a power bar into his mouth instead of answering and pulled her to him again.

  "Well, if you don't have anything else," Mira said, "she can have part of mine."

  "I have more," Emmit said. Then he smiled and stood up. "I'll go give it to her."

  "No." Mira put a hint of warning in her voice. "You scare her. I'll go instead."

  Gabriel automatically stood when Mira did. "What do you see when you look at Emmit?"

  Mira gave Gabriel a puzzled look. "He looks like he always does. He looks like Emmit."

  She took the food and the bottle of water. Before walking out of the room she peeked outside. Seeing the hall was empty, she stepped out. When she moved to the room next door, Gabriel followed close behind.

  Mira stopped. "I've got it. She knows me."

  "I don't want to leave you alone with her."

  "What—"

  "With anyone," Gabriel corrected. "I don't want you alone with anyone."

  Mira shook her head. "You have a lot of nerve saying that."r />
  He frowned. "Why—"

  "Run," Mira snapped. "You told me to run. You know I had no choice, right? You made me run away and leave you behind."

  "Mira, I—"

  "I know." Mira put a hand on his arm. "I get it, but I'm not happy about it." She ran a hand over his face again. He looked agitated. "Are you hurt? You look like they beat you. What happened?"

  "You first," he said.

  Mira froze, and her hand started to shake. He hadn’t compelled her to say anything, but even the idea of trying to explain what happened to her made her skin turn cold.

  The flash across his face made her know he regretted what he said. "Shit, I didn't mean that. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to."

  Her hand dropped and he engulfed her, wrapping himself tightly around her. She stood rigid for a while, but then let herself melt into him, pushing the whole thing out of her mind.

  "I don't know what happened,” Gabriel said. “They dragged me out of the house. I shot one of them, but there were others. They knocked me out. I came to once, but they didn't let me stay that way long. Then I woke up here. Alone. Mostly alone. Those bugs were outside the cell, but they kept their distance."

  "I'm sorry that happened to you," Mira said.

  "Next time we stay together."

  Mira nodded and pulled away. "I'm going to go see Jean."

  "Together?"

  She shook her head. "Being in the next room over doesn't count as being apart unless we're being kept apart."

  "I'll wait outside."

  "Go talk with Emmit. Make sure he doesn't run off on his own."

  Gabriel refused to leave until he checked the room. Mira appreciated the gesture but closed the door firmly behind him when he left. She wasn't actually upset with Gabriel, not after everything else that had happened to them.

  What she needed now, though, was to talk to Jean alone for a few minutes.

  Jean was sitting in the corner with her head leaning against the wall. She didn't look up at Mira and hadn't taken notice of Gabriel as he inspected the room.

  "I brought you something to eat and drink," Mira said, settling in next to her. "You don't have to sit here alone, you know."

  "The more I'm out of their sight, the better for everyone." Jean seemed unsure if she should take the proffered food, but relented when Mira pushed it at her.

  "The water may need to last a while."

  Jean drank a little before passing it back. Mira put it behind her. Seeing the water was too much of a temptation to drink it.

  Mira gave Jean the chance to eat a little before she asked the question that was on her mind. "Do you know what happened? Downstairs, I mean."

  "Your friends asked me the same thing."

  Mira stifled a groan. "What did you tell them?"

  "I told them I don't know. Not really, anyway. I gave them an idea of what happened."

  "Crap," Mira said, not quite under her breath.

  "I didn't dare give them details. They were... upset, and very, very unhappy with me."

  "You didn't tell them your part, did you?"

  "I couldn't."

  "That's good, at least. So what do they think happened?"

  "They just know that John hurt you. I told them there were side effects, but I really don't know what it all means. They're understandably concerned."

  "So what drove you in here?" Mira asked, wondering what had been so bad that the woman would rather be alone in the Ether.

  "I felt safer in here. The other room felt crowded."

  That made sense, at least. Any time Emmit and Gabriel were in the same room arguing, it could easily feel like the space wasn't big enough for anyone else.

  "We're going to leave soon, I think," Mira said.

  "Back to our world?"

  Mira felt bad about squashing the look of hope on the woman's face. "I think we're going to go get something first."

  The sound of raised voices outside the door made Mira roll her eyes and shake her head. Jean, on the other hand, looked as though she might try to become one with the wall.

  Mira got to her feet. "I'll come and get you when we're ready to leave."

  When she pushed the door open, eyebrows raised at the men outside, their conversation ceased.

  She closed the door to Jean's room and, not feeling comfortable in the open, went back to the room they had been sitting in. Gabriel followed closely behind.

  "Are we going for the book?" Mira asked.

  "We can't even be sure it has shown up in this world," Emmit said.

  "It'll be there," Mira assured him.

  "Then I'll go get it and bring it back here," Emmit said.

  Mira shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think that's a good idea."

  "It's the most sensible," Emmit said.

  "I'd feel better if we stuck together," Mira said. "How do you feel about it, Gabriel?"

  Gabriel tentatively put an arm around her. "To be honest, I'm torn. I want to take you home and then come back to finish this. But then, I can't leave you back home. Not again. Not now."

  "Then we go together," Mira said. "Emmit, you said they'd notice you right away. We need to do something about that first."

  He smiled at her. "You already have." He indicated the chain around his neck.

  "What is it?" Gabriel asked.

  "It's something I made for Levi," Mira said. "It hides someone's inner self from witches. You’re saying it works on those things as well?"

  Emmit nodded reverently. "They don't see me for what I am."

  "Then let's work out what we have and make a plan."

  Mira was pleasantly surprised that they had more than she’d ever had in previous ventures into the Ether. She still had most of her spells, and Emmit had his as well.

  "We are moving closer to the inner-city area," Gabriel said to her, once they had a loose semblance of a plan. "Are you going to be okay?"

  Mira's automatic response of yes died on her lips, knowing he'd be even more worried if she lied. "I don't know. What I do know is I feel better with you two close by, and I want to get this over with. How about you?"

  He looked puzzled for a moment, and she put a hand to his face.

  "It's not as bad as it looks," Gabriel tried to assure her.

  For a moment, Mira wished she had Gabriel's power of lie detecting. She could only take him at his word and move on from there.

  "Let's get Jean, and we'll go."

  Chapter 24

  In the lobby of the building, Mira tensed. "The lack of windows in this place really sucks."

  Gabriel took the lead. He carefully opened the door and looked around before stepping outside.

  The moment the door swung shut behind him, Mira's heart started to beat faster, and she moved to follow him. Emmit caught her arm, holding her back. She cast an anxious look at Emmit, but his attention was fixed to the door. He looked as though he was seeing through them.

  Moments later he relaxed, and Gabriel swung the door open again, gesturing for them to follow. He took Mira's hand and they led the way. Emmit was adamant about walking behind, watching their backs.

  Jean looked small, uncomfortable, and lonely in the middle. After they had walked a few blocks Mira mentally cursed herself as she began to slow and falter. She didn't want the others to notice, so she reluctantly left Gabriel's side and fell back to walk with Jean.

  "Are you all right?" Mira asked softly.

  "I won't be until I get home and can see my children," Jean said.

  "If anyone can survive this place, it's us."

  "I'm afraid I feel rather useless."

  Mira hadn't even thought of that. She dug into her pocket and handed Jean the piece of string tied in a circle. "Take this. It's Gust. Magic is strong in this world—if the air hasn't eaten it away, at least—so make sure we are close by, but behind you when you use it."

  "You have the spell trapped in the string?" Jean held the circle, inspecting it.

  "Something like th
at. To finish the spell, you just untie the string in the direction you want the spell to go."

  "Thank you," Jean said, closing her hand around the string. "This is really nice of you." Jean seemed to stand a bit straighter, armed as she was now. "We should rest," she added, looking Mira over.

  Mira shook her head. "I'd really rather not."

  Jean hooked her arm around Mira's, letting Mira lean against her as she needed.

  "Thank you," Mira whispered.

  Two blocks later, Mira's body seized up. She crumpled to the ground, and Jean, trying to keep her up, fell with her. Attempting not to cry out as the phantom pains assaulted her senses, Mira lost track of everything else around her. She didn't see or hear anything. Her world was the agony that traveled through her.

  As normal sensations returned, she found her muscles felt weak. She also realized she wasn't on the ground as she had expected. Numbly, she opened her eyes and saw that Gabriel, glowing softly, had her in his arms.

  They were sitting alone in the doorway of some old store. It was inset into the building, so they couldn't be seen immediately from the street.

  "Where are the others?" Mira asked.

  Gabriel started and looked down at her. "Thank god." He pulled her as tight as he could to him. "Mira, you have to tell what's happening."

  "It's passing. I just need a few minutes."

  "I'm taking you out of here. Rest while you can, then we're leaving."

  "We can't do that."

  "Then tell me what the hell is going on!"

  It wasn't an order or demand that she'd be forced to obey. If it had been, Mira probably wouldn't have forgiven him. She didn't want to talk about it, but if she got it over with—

  "Don't." Emmit stepped into sight.

  "You don't get a say in this, Harker!" Gabriel began trembling, and once again the energy around him became erratic.

  "While we're here, I do." Emmit kept his voice even and level. "Let's do what has to be done."

  Mira winced as the atmosphere became charged.

  "Emmit, can you give us another few minutes?" Mira asked.

  "Don't—"

  "Now," Mira interrupted.

  A flash or irritation marred Emmit's face momentarily, then he turned and left without a word.