Wolf Witch (Victoria Brigham Book 1)

by D. N. Hoxa

  And then there was Red. My heart was in my throat every time some new soldier came out of the house with bags or cardboard boxes in their hands. I’d think, maybe they found Red hiding in there. If he’d survived, he wouldn’t have been able to walk outside in the sun.

  If he’d survived.

  I cried without realizing it. I’d been stupid. Again. I’d thought Red was invincible, that nothing and no one could kill him. I’d even thought that if he walked out in the sun, he’d still survive without a scratch on him. But those piles of ashes on the second floor said otherwise.

  Without him, I instantly felt weaker. He was my voice of reason, even though I’d never admitted it to his face. Now, there was only one thing left to do.

  Asking a soldier who was keeping watch of the car I was in to make a phone call was useless, but to my surprise, he let me. He handed me an old phone, one that didn’t have Internet access, and locked me back in the car. He watched me while I called Mandy first because I wasn’t very good at memorizing too many numbers. She was happy to hear from me, but she understood that I had no time. All I needed from her was a number.

  It arrived in the mailbox not a minute after. The soldier who’d given me the phone watched me closely from the outside, and I kept my eyes on him, hoping to intimidate him into looking away. It didn’t work.

  Finn answered the phone on his second ring. Maybe he’d known I would call.

  “It’s me,” I said. “Gia Hall. I’ve been caught in Haworth’s house.”

  “Jesus Christ, kid!” Finn said. Maybe he hadn’t known, after all.

  “I’ve got a proposition and I think you’ll be interested.”

  “Speak quick,” the werewolf said without hesitation.

  “I want out of here asap. My real name stays hidden.”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “Not at all. And I want you to find the safest place on the planet for a friend of mine. I want you to take her there and to make sure she’s protected at all times. Do you understand?”

  “You’ve hit your head hard, kid. What you’re asking for can’t be done. It just can’t,” Finn said. But he hadn’t heard the rest of it yet.

  “If you do these two things, I will be yours. I’ll go wherever you want me to, do whatever you need me to and report back to only you.” The words tasted foul in my mouth. I knew I was signing a contract with the devil, but I had no other choice. “It’s an offer I won’t ever make again, Finn. Think about it long and hard.”

  I wished I could take my sister out of here myself. But with a man like Haworth on the loose, I was no good. I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t keep her away. The only person who could do that was Finn. Since I had no money to pay his mad prices, there was only one thing I could give him to make sure he’d say yes. He wanted me to work for him. He’d been bugging me about it for two years. I doubted he’d let this opportunity pass. He was a smart guy.

  “You’re going to be the death of me,” the werewolf said, but he said it while laughing. I was right. I’d given him exactly what he’d wanted. A tear slipped from my eye. “Hold on tight while I track this phone. I’m on my way.”

  The line went dead.

  I might have been naive, but I was no fool. With a guy like Haworth on the loose now that he saw my wolf, I wasn’t going to make it for longer than a month, tops. If that guy could disappear into thin air right in front of my eyes, he could appear out of thin air in places I would least expect, too. I was untrained and had little knowledge of spells. Now that Red was…wasn’t here, I’d be asking for my own death if I decided to do this alone. It wasn’t a choice I wanted to make, but working for Finn was better than ending up dead. Better than failing to protect Izzy. As long as she was safe, I could learn how to protect the both of us even against guys like Haworth. And when the time was right, I’d go back for her. I’d find her wherever Finn hid her, and then nothing was ever going to hurt us or kill people we liked ever again.

  16

  I hadn’t allowed myself to wonder about a lot of things.

  Like, how the ECU had found Haworth’s house. I was just glad they had. But now that I was waiting for Amara to bring Izzy to me so Finn could take her to a safe place, I did.

  I don’t know what the werewolf really did the day before, but he’d never made it to Queens. Instead, two soldiers had driven me to Manhattan, and then they’d let me go as soon as I signed a piece of paper with my declaration as a witness on it scribbled by hand. I’d known it was Finn who’d done it, but it still surprised me that they didn’t even take me into the headquarters. Then, I’d found Finn waiting for me in a black Mercedes across the street. He’d taken me to Harlem, where he’d rented a one-bedroom apartment for me. Said he’d paid the first month, and I’d be able to afford the rest with my first paycheck. I hadn’t been interested to ask how much that would be, just that he’d make sure Izzy was safe.

  I’d called Amara the same day to tell her to meet me at my new apartment at dawn the next day and to bring Izzy. Now, Finn and I were waiting for them to show up. Downstairs, three guys, two werewolves and a witch, were waiting to take her away. Finn insisted I didn’t know the location, at least until she got there and set up her new life. Her new name was Amanda Long. She had a new ID and even a passport ready for her, and she was going to work as the secretary of a witch’s law firm. Not her dream job, I’d bet, but it would be safe. The witch lawyer was Finn’s friend, one he trusted, and Finn would be the first to know if something went wrong with Izzy.

  All these things convinced me all over again that I’d done the right thing. There was no way I could have gotten Izzy a new ID, a passport, a safe house or a job. Even if it cost me my freedom, I willingly gave it away. Haworth couldn’t be allowed to live. A man who could kill his own daughter as easily as he had the morning before was worse than a monster. He was a soulless creature, a shell of a man, and he had to be stopped.

  “You should consider buying new clothes,” Finn said. He was sitting in my new living room while I stayed in front of the window and waited for Amara to arrive with Izzy. I was still in my old clothes, torn in more places than was appropriate, but I’d had no money or patience to get new ones.

  “I will,” I promised. Just as soon as he paid me. “How did they find us in Queens?” I then asked Finn. It was just a question, and I didn’t expect an answer, but he gave one to me.

  “Your friend’s phone,” Finn said. “The ECU tracked it.”

  The only person who’d had a phone with her last night was Amara. “But how?”

  Just as the question left my lips, the answer shone in front of me, bright as day.

  Oscar Hogan, the man I called father. He was the only one who’d had Amara’s number. He was the only one who could have reported us to the ECU and given them said number to track.

  But to my surprise, it didn’t hurt. Not nearly as bad as the first time. I’d known I was taking a risk when I asked him for a favor, and by sending the ECU after us, he probably thought he’d be getting Izzy out sooner. The man trusted in the system too much. A lot more than I did.

  “I have no idea,” said Finn after a while, but he was a smart man. He’d put two and two together even before I did. I guessed he thought he’d hurt me if he told me the truth, that my father had betrayed me again. “They’re still looking for you, you know. You did good by not telling them your real name.”

  “I know.” The ECU still wanted to question me, and I’d let them when the time was right. “I want to go after Haworth.” It was the biggest reason why I’d decided to stay behind.

  “No,” Finn said with a sigh, but I’d expected it. It was okay. I’d do his jobs, and then I’d search for Haworth the rest of the time. “It’s too dangerous. Do you know they found seven of the most powerful enchanted items in that place? Not to mention hundreds of spell stones and weapons. It makes you wonder what else he keeps close.”

  I turned to look at him. “Seven? Are you sure?”

  Finn rais
ed a brow. “Yes, I’m sure. Why? Do you know something about that?”

  I looked out the window again. A cab was pulling over in front of my new apartment building. I was on the second floor, so I could see everything clearly. “Nothing at all. Just curious.”

  Amara had said Haworth had eight enchanted items. Eight, not seven. One of those eight items had been whatever Haworth had taken from Red. Could it be that Red had taken back what was his before the ECU got there?

  I didn’t know.

  Another thing I didn’t allow myself to wonder about was what Haworth had said. He’d touched me, grabbed me by my hair and pulled me up when he took the Reaper away, and then, it was like he’d sensed me. Sensed my energy. And he’d called me a half—half-human. I’d believed my whole life that I was just a werewolf gone bad. And Red had believed that I was a witch, somehow. Now, Haworth called me half human.

  I thought it was bad before, not knowing where I belonged. Not having a home. Now, it was true hellfire burning me every second I thought about it.

  But it all escaped my mind the second the back doors of the cab opened and both Amara and Izzy stepped out.

  I turned for the door. “They’re here,” I said to Finn, then reached for the piece of paper in my half torn back pocket. “I need you to deliver this to someone.”

  The man laughed while he stood up. “I’m not the delivery guy, Victoria.”

  I pressed my lips into a tight smile and put the piece of paper in his hand. “Sylvia Brigham. And please make sure she gets it personally.”

  A knowing look registered in Finn’s dark eyes. He knew the name of the woman who raised me. My mother. I might have not wanted anything to do anymore with Oscar Hogan, but my mother was a different story. I’d written letters to her every now and then for the past five years, just to let her know that I was alive. I was okay. This time would be no different. The letter didn’t say much. I just told her that Izzy was okay, far away from here and safe, and that I was fine, too. That we would both find her when the time was right. I told her I loved her, and my tears stained the blue ink right on those words.

  When Finn nodded and put the piece of paper in his pocket, I made for the door. It was time to take my sister to safety. There were still a lot of things left unsolved. I’d have to face all my demons eventually. I needed to train, to give myself a better chance. And then I needed to go after Haworth. I needed to kill him before he caused more damage. My life had changed in just a few days, and it had changed me, too. It had changed my wolf. We no longer silently fought. We no longer hated each other. We were learning to accept that we were part of one another, stuck together in one body. The things that mattered to me just a week ago now seemed like nothing in the face of what I knew was coming, but I was teaching myself to accept. I was trying to come to terms with the fact that my life was never going to be the same again, and that was okay. I’d spent my whole life searching for meaning. Maybe this was how I was going to find it. And when I did, maybe then I could finally face the truth of who I was and where I came from. Maybe then I could allow myself to live free without fear.

  Wolf Uncovered, Book #2 in the Victoria Brigham series, is out now!

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  Also by D.N. Hoxa

  SCARLET JONES SERIES (COMPLETED)

  Storm Witch

  Storm Power

  Storm Legacy

  Storm Secrets

  Storm Vengeance

  Storm Dragon

  WINTER WAYNE SERIES (COMPLETED)

  Bone Witch

  Bone Coven

  Bone Magic

  Bone Spell

  Bone Prison

  Bone Fairy

  STARLIGHT SERIES (COMPLETED)

  Assassin

  Villain

  Sinner

  Savior

  MORTA FOX SERIES (COMPLETED)

  Heartbeat

  Reclaimed

  Unchanged