Danny and I climbed in the third-row seat, placing our packs in the floorboard. It was a bit unnerving having that old witch lying unconscious behind me. Liz and Danielle sat in the middle with Genevieve up front with Mom. Catherine and Allison followed behind us in another vehicle.
I kept wondering how long Francesca had been disguising herself as Harold and why. Where was the real Harold? If she was in league with Marcus and the demon this whole time, that meant she knew all of our secrets—everything that had been shared up until the vanquishing. It also made sense as to why Harold wasn’t answering Danny’s calls or living in his home. Crap balls, this was bad.
I reached out and took Danny’s hand in mine. “You okay?”
“I guess. I just want to know where my dad is and this witch is gonna tell us,” he responded in an angry tone, looking back at Francesca’s unconscious form.
“Hopefully, Mom and the council can make her talk.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that, Abby,” Mom said from the front.
I didn’t realize she was listening, but okay. She was still mad, that much was obvious. She and Francesca had a long history and we were about to witness a reunion that was a long time coming.
When Daddy and Uncle Julian died, there was only one body: Uncle Julian’s. The fire in the attic left no trace of Daddy, yet Francesca brought Mom an urn with ashes claiming they belonged to my dad. Mom had known something wasn’t right, but was too caught up in her grief and scrying for Daddy’s soul to investigate. That’s how she eventually learned that he had been trapped in Delphine’s talisman.
Liz and Danielle were unusually silent. I wondered what was going on in their heads. “Hey, you two. Everything all right?”
“Yep,” Liz replied curtly.
Okay. I knew I was upset over Marcus and the two mystery people being in our old home, but I wasn’t sure what had crawled up Liz’s butt. I also wondered why no one was talking about the two people in the house. Was I the only one who saw them?
“Is it about the coven?” I prodded.
“Yep,” Liz said and Danielle agreed with a shake of her head.
I understood then it wouldn’t just be Mom giving them a piece of her mind, but Danielle was going to make her grand appearance and Liz was most likely going to tell them to go to hell. Awesome. I’d ask about the mystery man and woman later.
I ran my hands through my hair and sighed. This was gonna be a long night, but one thing was for sure, if the council so much as attempted to disrespect my family in any way, they would hear from me as well.
Danny wrapped his arm around me and I leaned into him. The rest of the drive to Mystical Magic was silent.
We parked around back to find three black SUV’s already waiting. The council didn’t waste much time in getting there. We filed out one by one and stood by the door waiting for instructions. Once Mom stepped out of the driver’s seat, Roger Braud exited his vehicle and quickly began walking toward her.
Mom held up her hand. “Stop. I’m not discussing anything with you until we’re all settled in my shop. Catherine and Allison should arrive momentarily.” She turned away from him to unlock the shop doors.
Mr. Braud followed. “Jaqueline, I believe you have forgotten how this works. You are to answer to the council. We do not answer to you,” he huffed.
Mom turned and glared. “No, Roger, I’m afraid it is you who is mistaken. I answer to no one but God alone. As for the council, it’s nothing but a formality, but I will answer your questions and provide you with proof that my family has been set up. Now, step aside.”
He angrily moved out of Mom’s way and we walked toward her. She looked at Danny. “Retrieve our guest from the back, please.” Then she unlocked the door to the shop.
Danny kissed me on the forehead, then went to do as Mom had asked. He hefted a sleeping, hog-tied Francesca over his shoulder and walked back.
Four more council members exited their vehicles when Catherine and Allison pulled into the parking lot. They glanced at Danny with an odd expression, but made a move to speak to Catherine instead. The two witches ignored them and walked toward the back entrance to Mystical Magic. The tension in the air was thicker than the humidity.
Once everyone was inside, Danny placed Francesca on the sofa near the front entrance. Mr. Braud, who it seemed had taken over as the coven’s council leader, began to speak.
“Jaqueline Blanque. You and your family have been summoned before the council to turn over the Delphine talisman, yet you have refused. We have it on good authority that you and your daughters have been consorting with demons and have allowed the evil within the talisman to escape—”
“Wait just one damn minute,” Liz said, cutting him off. “You have no idea what the hell you’re talking about. We saved your sorry asses from the demon. We didn’t allow shit to escape—that was the demon. We also sent his ass back to hell where he belongs. Funny, I didn’t see any of you come to our aid or lift a finger to help when my sister almost died trying to save all of you and this city.” She threw her hands out to the side. Her eyes were glowing dangerously and she was ready to kick some ass.
“Young lady, you are out of line,” Mr. Braud said, narrowing his beady brown eyes, taking a step toward her.
“Don’t move any closer to my daughter. She speaks the truth. All of you have been lied to. Your proof is lying on the sofa,” Mom said, pointing toward Francesca. “Gregory, you should remember Francesca quite well as you were the deciding vote when she was kicked out of our coven.”
Gregory Fielding was another one of the council members who had yet to speak, standing there with his slicked back salt-and-pepper hair and whiskey eyes, dressed in a ceremonial robe. He walked toward the sofa and gasped. “I thought she was dead.”
“We all did,” Mom said. “She played us for a fool and has been wearing a glamour, disguised as Harold for ancestors know how long. We caught her at the old Springs Hallow tonight. Catherine revealed her true form.”
Catherine stepped forward. “What Jaqueline says is true. We have no idea how long Francesca has been spying on the family or our coven. We also believe her to be in cahoots with the man who stole the talisman. It’s the only logical explanation after what we saw tonight,” she told the other council members.
Jeffery Beauchamp, an older, balding man with gray eyes, was the next to speak. He had also been a longtime member of the council and said he remembered how witches had mysteriously disappeared when Francesca was head of the coven’s council. He decided it was time to wake her up and ask the questions we were all waiting to have answered. The main one being: Where was Harold?
Mr. Braud started to object, but he was quickly outnumbered by the remaining council members. He stood by, red-faced in a huff with his arms folded. I wondered why he wouldn’t want to question her. It struck me as odd. He had always been an ass, but I’d never witnessed him attempting to stop someone from revealing the truth. I eyed him closely while Jeffrey and the others woke Francesca. I kept my magic at the ready, just in case.
It seemed Danielle was on the same page—her hands were beginning to glow in a purple hue. I was surprised she’d stayed silent this long. I glanced at her and she looked at me pointedly, nodding toward Mr. Braud. Liz was across the room standing next to Mom and Genevieve. I tried to see what Danielle was talking about, but he just looked like the same old asshole, but then a dark aura flashed around him for only a split second and I took a deep breath.
Holy shit. I wasn’t sure what we were dealing with, but we needed to be careful. Obviously, Mr. Braud had been compromised in some way. The more I looked at him, the more his aura changed. Liz was standing too close to him. I had to come up with a plan and fast while everyone was distracted.
I folded my arms and leaned down toward Danielle. “Move closer to Liz and get her out of the way. I’ll get Mom’s attention while they’re performing the spell,” I whispered.
She nodded, then casually walked across the room. Danny was
standing near the sofa, eagerly awaiting answers. I was afraid if we didn’t do something quick, we’d all be in trouble. Who knew if Mr. Braud was working with Francesca? Damn. This night sucked.
I strolled up to Mom and nudged her shoulder. She looked up at me and I shook my head, then glanced at Mr. Braud, hoping she would take the hint. Mom was the best at reading someone’s aura, so I wasn’t sure how she had missed it. Maybe she was too angry.
She took a step back and covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes were bulging when she looked at me. I nodded that I understood. Danielle had moved Liz over by the cash register.
All of a sudden, we heard Francesca’s voice. “What am I doing here? Untie me this instant!” she shouted. The council members were scrambling around and I couldn’t see what they were doing.
“No. You’re not moving until you tell me where my father is,” Danny shouted.
“I don’t have to tell you anything, little boy. He’s as good as dead as far as I’m concerned.”
Danny lost it. Green and gold flames erupted all around and the council members flew back from the sofa. Mr. Braud yelled out and I took that as my cue to jump in. Danielle followed right behind me.
Just before Mr. Braud’s magic left his hands, I tackled him to floor, straddling him. Danielle grabbed his hands and held them above his head, hitting him with an immobilization spell. The council members began to stir and demanded to know what was going on. Catherine and Allison came to stand by our side.
“Step back. He’s infected with dark magic,” Allison shouted. “How could you not see the dark aura surrounding him, you fools?”
I held a blue and white magical flame dangerously close to his face. “Who are you? Why are you here?” I asked, leaning closer.
Danny was holding Francesca down with his magic while she shouted obscenities. Mom and Liz were next to him just in case he needed backup.
Mr. Braud’s face contracted in anger. “You will regret laying a hand on me. You’ll be expelled from the coven—all of you!” he shouted.
“Fat chance, but at this point I don’t really give a shit. Answer my question. You have a dark aura. Either you’re dealing in black magic or you’re not who you say you are,” I said, allowing the flames to slightly touch his neck.
The council stood by and said nothing. Their expressions were of shock and horror. Mr. Braud yelped out in pain when my flames grazed his skin. Then his face contorted and his features changed. His red hair began turning dark brown, almost black, and his brown eyes were changing into a different shade of green. I gasped in shock. I was sitting on top of the damned shadow man—Marcus. Holy hell!
Genevieve ran toward me and jerked me off of him. “Marcus,” she seethed. “You’ve disrespected your heritage and everything that a hybrid stands for. You will not hurt this family.”
She threw a blast of blue magic straight to his torso. Danielle and I jumped back so we wouldn’t be hit in the crossfire. Marcus writhed on the floor, clutching his chest in pain.
“Nooo!!!” Francesca screamed. “Don’t hurt him.”
In a flash of green mystic light, she broke free of her ropes, sending Danny flying across the room, and suddenly appeared next to Marcus. “You will pay for this. All of you!” Then both Francesca and Marcus vanished in a cloud of smoke.
“Danny!” I ran to him. He’d crashed into one of our shelves, shattering it completely. He was lying there, barely conscious. “Can you hear me? Are you all right?” I was frantic. That piece of crap had escaped us again and that bitch had just hurt my man.
Danny coughed and struggled to breathe. Liz, Mom, Genevieve and Danielle ran over to check on him while Catherine and Allison talked with the council.
“Abby, let me heal him,” Genevieve said, kneeling next to Danny. “His ribs are broken.”
I moved out of her way, but remained next to him, holding his hand. “You’re going to be okay, babe. We’ll find them and your dad. Just hang in there.” I was done crying and ready kick some ass. As soon as Danny was better and we were all rested, we were taking a trip down memory lane back to my old house. I had a few scores to settle. No one hurt my friends or my family.
It was all becoming clear to me now. Marcus and his little band of minions were using glamours to take over the identity of witches in the coven to gain information about our family. This was also how Delphine was growing stronger—they must have been feeding her souls and guaranteeing that she would have me in exchange for an extension of her dark magic. They were going to help her rise from the talisman using anyone close enough to me in order to lure me in. That’s why Marcus was using lost spirits to possess vampires in hopes of killing one of us, knowing I would fight to the death and he would have me exactly where he wanted me, and a few demons at his disposal as well.
That was just too damn bad. I was on to him now. He had just played his hand and little did he know that we knew where he was hiding, giving us the advantage. We just needed a solid plan with a hell of a lot of magic. We’d have to call for reinforcements from the hybrids. I knew I didn’t even have to ask Genevieve—she and her coven would be on board.
“Abby?” Danny said, looking up at me, breaking me from thoughts.
“Hey, babe. I’m here.” I ran my hand along his cheek, then leaned down and kissed him. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah, thanks to Genevieve.” He shifted to get up and I hooked my arms under his shoulders to help him stand.
I looked to Genevieve and thanked her, then pulled her in for a hug.
The council members approached us with Catherine and Allison standing beside them. Gregory took a step forward. “It seems we owe you and your family an apology. We had no idea the council had been compromised and I’m not sure we would have listened without having seen it for ourselves,” he said, shaking his head, then looked to me and Mom.
“You have our deepest gratitude and whatever you need from us is at your disposal. We now have two council members missing because we were too blind to see what was going on right in front of our eyes.”
Catherine folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. “Gregory, I’ve been trying to persuade you and Jeffrey for weeks, but that’s neither here nor there. Thank you for finally coming to your senses. I’m just sorry it took all of this for it to happen,” she said, throwing her hand out and gesturing toward the mess in the shop.
Mom sighed. “Thank you, Gregory
— all of you. I hope now you can see that my family didn’t unleash the magic within the talisman. You’ve seen the man who’s responsible for stealing it and we know where he’s hiding. I propose we all come together for a meeting where my family will be able to explain everything in more detail. Right now, I’m just tired.”
“Mom,” Liz interrupted. “We need to go after Marcus now. What if he leaves? What if he thinks we’re on to him? It’s the only lead we have.”
She had a point.
“I hate to say it, but Liz is right, Mom. After what just happened, he might try and disappear again.”
“Girls, Danny’s ribs were just healed. He needs to rest. We’ll regroup first thing in the morning.” Mom looked to Genevieve, Allison and Catherine. “Do you mind meeting back at our home by six a.m.?”
They agreed and the council members asked if they could assist us. Catherine told them to begin searching for Harold and Roger and that we would keep them in the loop if anything changed. I understood her reluctance and didn’t blame her for keeping them on the sideline for now. I was surprised when Mom suggested taking a meeting with them to discuss the details of everything that had been happening over the past several weeks. I decided she was right and we needed to rest and reconvene in the morning after a good night’s sleep.
Liz and Danielle were standing beside me, unnaturally quiet, both with their arms folded across their chests throwing out death glares. It seemed they hadn’t accepted the council’s apology quite as graciously as Mom did. With Delphine attempting to take Liz’s soul along with
mine, I understood why she was still pissed. If the council would’ve helped in the first place, then maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess. Danielle, well, she was just pissed at the entire situation. She died because of a rogue council member—Franklin Davenport and his crazy ass daughter, Crystal, who had gone crazy with black magic—and didn’t trust any of them, except Catherine and Allison.
Danny tapped my shoulder and asked me to walk out front with him. Once we were outside, he pulled me close. “Abby, do you think Marcus has my dad? It’s obvious now that he’s been missing for weeks and wasn’t the one who betrayed us.”
“I’m not one hundred percent positive, but I have a feeling that he does. Did you happen to get a look at the man in the attic with Marcus? There was a woman there too, but their faces were blurry and I couldn’t make them out.”
“What man? I only saw Marcus in an old attic.” He shifted his weight and pulled back to look at me.
“I couldn’t have been the only one to see them. There were two other people in the attic with Marcus: a man and a woman. He was talking with the woman, but I have no idea what he said to her. He just seemed angry. Shit. I guess we need to tell Mom and the others.” I took his hand and led him back to the door.
“Yeah, we do. That man could be my dad. Who knows who the woman is?”
When we walked into the shop the four council members had already left. I was relieved and done seeing their faces. Liz and Genevieve were cleaning up the broken shelf, while Mom, Catherine, Allison and Danielle stood by the counter in a hushed conversation. I wondered what was so important that they felt they had to talk in a near whisper. I decided to interrupt and strolled toward them with Danny behind me.
“Hey, what’s going on over here?” I asked, nudging Danielle with my elbow.
She turned and looked at me with anger in her eyes. I hoped it wasn’t directed toward me.
“We were discussing Mr. Braud and the possibility of him being the ring leader of Marcus’s operation,” Danielle replied.
“But Marcus was only using his identity. Wouldn’t that mean that the real Mr. Braud is either his prisoner or worse—dead?”
Magic Unleashed (Delphine Rising Book 2) Page 6
