Gasping for air, I glanced around to see where it came from. Francesca. Mom was lying at her feet, unconscious. My pain and Marcus were all but forgotten. I jumped to my feet, then went for her throat.
“Danny, get my mom!” I shouted after I had Francesca firmly in my grasp and shoved against the wall. I punched her in the throat, then held her by one hand, cutting off her airway. Her hazel eyes were bulging.
Danny took off toward Mom, then picked her up and ran downstairs. Danielle took on the male witch he was fighting, discharging a purple orb straight to his face, and he went down screaming.
She ran up to me. “Need some help? I think you might be killing her, Abbs.”
I loosened my grip, but only a little, and Francesca took a long pull of air into her lungs. “You insolent little bitch. I should’ve killed you when I had the chance,” she spat.
“Wrong answer.” I tightened my grip once more and punched her in the gut. “That’s for my mom. Now, where’s the talisman?” I asked, raising a fireball to her face.
Francesca inched back as best she could, pulling at my hands.
“I’ll go check on Marcus. It seems you’re all set here,” Danielle said, then took off to the other side of the attic.
“I… I don’t know,” she gasped, trying to breathe. I loosened my grip again slightly.
“That’s a start. What do you know?”
“Roger…”
Then Francesca’s eyes closed and her head fell to the side. She passed out. Damn. I guessed I choked her a little too long and the throat punch probably didn’t help. I let go of her and allowed her to fall to the floor. Her black hair cascaded around her chocolate-colored skin. She really was beautiful. I didn’t understand why any witch would want to venture into dark magic. It was beyond me. From what I understood, she used to be a good witch, one of the best, but that wasn’t good enough it seemed. I just shook my head and walked over to Marcus and Danielle. He too was passed out from his injuries.
Things were calming down and after I checked on Liz, I needed to find Danny, my mom and the others. Then we had to resume the search for the talisman. If what Francesca said was true and Roger Braud had it, then we were in another heap of trouble. We’d have to find him soon.
Liz was sitting up against the wall, looking much better than when I first crashed through the attic. “Hey, Sis, you feeling okay?” I asked, kneeling down beside her.
“I’ve been better, but yeah. The bastard got the jump on me and I thought I was dead until you showed up. Thank you. Again.” She smiled and hugged me.
“What are big sisters for? I’ve always got your back,” I said, then thanked Genevieve for healing her.
I reached out to help Liz up and told her we all needed to head downstairs to check on Mom and look for the others. I hadn’t seen or heard from Catherine or Allison and was beginning to worry.
“They were fighting outside,” Genevieve answered.
“What? Who?” I asked, confused.
“While you were in the parlor and Danny was trying to protect you, a good number of witches and vampires showed up and we were outnumbered significantly.
“Danny did all he could to keep your body safe. Then the fighting continued inside the home.” Genevieve continued. “Then all hell broke loose and we lost quite a few of our own.” She hung her head attempting to hold back the tears.
“Oh, Genevieve. I’m so sorry. Marcus had me under some kind of memory spell and I couldn’t get out of it. Not until Daddy…” I broke off when tears began to fall down my face.
She wrapped her arms around me and said they were all in a better place now and fought valiantly to protect me and my family, that they were finally with God. My heart broke.
We continued to walk down the steps to find Danny sitting next to Mom on an old ratty sofa in the living room off the parlor. She was awake and seemed to be fine. I rushed over to her.
“Mom! You’re all right. Thank God and the ancestors.”
“I’m too stubborn to die, my dear. I’m fine,” she said, clutching my face and kissing my cheek. “Now that we’re all together, we need to subdue Francesca and Marcus and get the council over here to restrain them and lock them up. I already have Catherine making the call.”
“I think Abbs already took care of that part,” Danielle said walking into the room. “She nearly choked Francesca to death and let’s just say Marcus is a little on the extra crispy side.”
“Abby. You didn’t.” Mom shook her head, but smiled a little.
“Well, I was a bit pissed off, Mamma. They didn’t die,” I said and shrugged my shoulder.
Danny, Liz and Danielle tried not to laugh, but ended up covering their mouths and turned away. Well, it was true. They were still alive.
“Did you get anything out of them?” Mom asked, sitting up.
“Marcus was a bust, but Francesca said Roger’s name just before she passed out.”
“That sneaky son of a—”
“Mom. Language!” I teased, cutting her off.
“Oh, be quiet, Abby. Let’s get back to the attic before they wake up,” she said, giving me the stink eye. She got up from the couch. Danny tried to help, but she swatted his hand. Man, Mom was in rare form tonight.
I wanted so badly to tell them that Daddy had come to me while I was unconscious, but I knew it was bad timing and needed to wait until we were all home. Mom would probably be beside herself.
We trekked back up the long staircase to the attic. Again.
Chapter 9
“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” I shouted, looking around the almost empty attic. Marcus was gone and only Francesca and the witch Danielle had nearly fried to a crisp remained. What was he? Some kind of witch who could reanimate himself—a super healer?
“Shit!” Danielle said, walking around the room. “The one person we needed more than anything is gone.”
“Not to worry. I can track him now,” Genevieve said. “He’s injured and no longer cloaked. He’s not too far from here.”
“Where?” Mom asked, looking pissed.
Genevieve closed her eyes for a moment, then they snapped open in shock. “It seems he’s heading toward your home or mine,” she said looking between us.
“We need to leave. Now,” Liz urged and I agreed.
“I’ll leave Catherine and Allison in charge. Genevieve, is James okay? Will he be able to take over your duties and look over the hybrids while we’re gone?” Mom asked.
“Yes, he remains mostly unharmed. I’ll see to it that he knows where we are going and what to do.”
Mom called Catherine while Genevieve rang James. Everyone knew what to do with Francesca, then Allison rushed to the attic to make sure she didn’t perform a disappearing act like her boyfriend. We still had no idea who the mystery woman was from the vision, unless it was one of the witches who ambushed the hybrids. I assumed it would remain unknown until we could get our hands on Marcus and Roger. Speaking of Roger, where the hell could he have gone? More questions and not enough answers. That seemed to be the usual these days.
We schlepped down the steps to the main part of the house and ran into Catherine.
“We’re leaving now. Is Gregory on his way?” Mom asked, then looked around in horror at all the blood and dead bodies lying on the floor. She quickly averted her eyes back to Catherine.
“Yes, he should be here soon. He and Jeffrey think they might have a lead on Roger,” Catherine said, stepping over a dead witch, shuddering.
“That’s good news. Please keep me informed,” Mom said and thanked her for her help tonight. Then we turned to walk out the front door.
“I’m so glad we performed that barrier spell,” Danielle said, looking around at even more dead bodies in the front yard. It looked like a war zone.
I recognized a few hybrids and my heart sank in my chest. I sent a silent prayer to God and the ancestors to welcome them home.
Once we made it back to my vehicle, Mom opted to drive with Geneviev
e up front. Danny and I were in the middle with Liz and Danielle in the back. It had already been a long night and was nowhere near over. I sighed and rested my head on Danny’s shoulder.
“Do you think you can locate Marcus again, Genevieve?” Liz called out from the back.
“Yes, just give me a moment.”
We were already heading back toward Saint Charles Avenue and about eight minutes out.
“Jaqueline, he’s attempting to break into your greenhouse. Hurry!” Genevieve shouted.
Mom stepped on the gas. We were flying through the Garden District and I prayed we didn’t get into an accident or pulled over. What the hell was Marcus looking for in our house? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks to the head. Shit! Daddy’s book! He must have seen it when he sifted through my memories.
“Mamma, hurry! I know what he wants. Daddy’s book. I’ll explain later, but he can’t get his hands on it or we’re screwed.”
In three minutes flat, Mom peeled into the driveway practically on two wheels. We jumped out of the vehicle and didn’t waste time on keys. Mom blasted the door open and we went in search for Marcus. Danny, Liz, Danielle and I went straight to my room, while Mom and Genevieve searched the first floor.
I just knew he had to be in my room. The last place I remembered having the book was on my bed. I was reading through it, then put it away in my bedside table. It was after Mom and Genevieve went over it.
We crashed through my door to find my room ransacked and no sign of Marcus. I ran straight to my drawer and it was empty—the book was gone! I only hoped that maybe Mom had taken it to go over some spells. Everything was turned upside down, even my mattress was torn. Really? Was that necessary? Asshole. Liz and Danielle darted across the hall to find their room in much the same condition. Where the hell was Marcus? He couldn’t have gotten in and out that fast. He was injured. I yelled out for Mom, but she didn’t answer. I got a sick feeling in my gut, then looked to Danny. I told Danielle and Liz to move their asses and follow me downstairs.
We found Marcus holding a knife to Mom’s throat and Genevieve lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor—she had been stabbed. Danny ran to her, then looked to me and nodded that she was still alive.
“Marcus, if you want to live, drop the knife and let my mom go. Now,” I said in a dangerous tone with my magic at the ready. Liz and Danielle were next to me in a fighting stance, their magic on full display.
“I don’t believe you are in any position to tell me what to do, Abigail,” Marcus said, making a small cut along Mom’s neck.
It took every bit of willpower I had not to blow his ass up. If he weren’t holding my mother, I would’ve killed him where he stood.
“Marcus, you’re outnumbered. Let my mother go and no one gets hurt,” I said, taking a step forward into the kitchen. Mom didn’t move or make a sound, not even when he cut her. Her eyes were glowing and she had a look that called for death. She was pissed.
“Don’t come any further or your mother dies, just like your father.”
“Do it, Abby. Now!” Mom shouted, grabbing his arm with fire raging in her hands, then elbowing him in the gut. She twisted and turned, releasing herself from his grip, and dropped to the floor.
I wasted no time. Liz, Danielle and I blasted our magic at the same time, knocking his ass out cold. He crashed to the kitchen floor and all I heard was the clank of the knife as it hit the counter, a sound I might never forget.
I ran toward him and performed an immobilization spell while Mom went to help Danny heal Genevieve. I searched Marcus’s pockets and found Daddy’s book, then thanked God and the ancestors once again. I honestly wanted to kill the piece of crap for harming my mother and Genevieve, but I knew that was one stain on my soul that I didn’t think I could ever get past.
Liz threw me a rope from the greenhouse and I hogtied Marcus for good measure and enchanted the ropes just in case. Then went to the foyer and called Catherine to tell her that we found him. She advised that she was sending Jeffrey and two other council members over to detain Marcus. Apparently, she had some good news as well. Gregory had gotten Franklin to talk. She asked that we meet them at the coven tomorrow morning and go over everything to put the pieces together. I told her that we needed to wait at least a day so Genevieve could bury her dead hybrids and she understood. They now had Francesca in custody too and I was going to find a way to make her talk. We were finding that talisman one way or another.
Mom yelled for Liz from the kitchen. “Come quick! Genevieve isn’t healing and I need you to go to her home. She needs blood soon or she’ll die.” Mom was frantic. Liz stood there looking down at Genevieve’s unconscious body. There was so much blood and she was even paler than usual. Marcus had stabbed her in the heart.
I walked over to Liz. “Hey, do you need me to go? Are you okay?” I asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m fine, I’ll call the Hybrid Coven and let them know I’m coming.” She took a weary breath and turned to leave. “I’ll hurry, Mamma.”
Danny was kneeling next to Mom, attempting to slow the bleeding. “Mom is there anything I can do to help?” I asked. My heart was hurting. We couldn’t lose Genevieve.
“Just pray, Abby. Pray and help me heal her if you can. I’m afraid if Liz isn’t back soon, we may lose her,” Mom answered with tears streaming down her face.
I knelt beside Mom and touched her hand. “She’s gonna make it, Mamma. Have faith.” She only nodded, then began trying to heal Genevieve again.
I focused on my power, the gift of God’s light, closing my eyes and pressing my hands against Genevieve’s wound. I felt warmth spread throughout my entire my body and opened my eyes. White light burst from my hands, bathing the room in a heavenly glow. I watched in awe as the blood receded and the gaping hole in her chest slowly began to close. I could feel the power of God rushing through my veins. Daddy told me that I had something special, that I would do great things. I had no idea that I could heal, not like this.
Mom and Danny gasped, sitting back on their heels, watching as the knife wound healed completely and the white light faded from my hands. I prayed to God, thanking Him for his almighty gift and allowing me the power to wield it.
Danielle stood in the archway in shock. She kept opening and closing her mouth as if to say something, but she’d been rendered speechless. I looked up at her and smiled.
Genevieve wasn’t awake yet, but at least the bleeding had stopped. Suddenly, Liz crashed through the front door running with a bottle of animal blood. “Mamma, I’m here. Is she all right?”
Mom could hardly speak; she just shook her head and reached for the bottle, thanking Liz. Danny gently opened Genevieve’s mouth and Mom began to drop a small amount of blood from the container.
Danielle went to Liz and started to tell her what happened and then, all of a sudden, Genevieve’s eyes snapped open and her fangs elongated. She sat straight up, looking around at all of us in horror, gasping for breath.
Mom handed her the remaining blood. She glanced at it for a moment, then took the bottle and drank it in a few large gulps.
When she was finished, she cleared her throat and her fangs retracted. “Abby, I saw you in the light. I was dying, but you saved me,” she said, looking up at me. “I could feel the presence of God. I thought it was my time.” She clutched her face and began to cry.
Mom hugged her. I didn’t know what to say or how to respond. Danny, Liz and Danielle were still in a state of shock it seemed
— the whole room was silent except for the sound of Genevieve’s sobs.
After several minutes, Danny helped Genevieve to stand. She looked around the kitchen, then noticed Marcus lying on the floor. She roared and in a blur, was sitting on top of him, slapping his face. “Wake up, Marcus!” He didn’t move—he was still under a spell and motionless.
I went to her and placed my hand on her shoulder. “Genevieve, he’s not worth it. We took care of him and he can’t hurt us anymore. Come on,” I s
aid, extending my hand.
She looked ready to kill him, but when she saw my face, she took my hand and stood. “I apologize, Abby. For my actions, and the actions of that man.” She pointed toward Marcus. “He does not represent my kind and he doesn’t deserve his freedom.”
“I know and he’s not going anywhere.” I took her hand and led her to the kitchen table. Liz, Danny and Danielle were cleaning the blood from the floor. I glanced at the counter and saw the knife Marcus had held to my mother’s throat and a chill ran down my spine. I wanted to get rid of it, throw it away and never see it again.
Mom asked Genevieve if she wanted some jasmine tea to calm her nerves and she accepted. I grabbed the knife and threw it in the trash. “Abby, what’s wrong?” Mom asked, looking back at me from the stove. I heard a clank when the knife hit the metal trashcan and cringed.
“Nothing, Mamma. Just throwing out the trash.” I turned and started to make a pot of coffee.
Just as I was about to sit down with a cup of coffee, a crash rang out near the foyer. Everyone stood and turned, but no one was there. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest. Was it another of Marcus’s minions coming to finish me off? Then I heard a commotion near the greenhouse entrance. When I turned to see what was going on, I had to brace myself against the kitchen table.
The house erupted in chaos, but everyone except me was thrown back by an invisible force. “What? How are you here? I thought I killed you.” It was the redheaded witch from the Dauphine Orleans Hotel. The same one who followed us to the bar, the one I thought I’d burned alive in the street when the darkness had consumed me.
“You silly girl. I’m not that easy to kill,” she said smiling, untying Marcus at the same time.
“Leave him!” I shouted. “I’m much more powerful than before and my darkness is gone.” I stepped away from the kitchen table and walked toward her, blue and white flames erupting from my hands.
“This won’t end well for you. Don’t make me hurt you, Abigail.”
Magic Unleashed (Delphine Rising Book 2) Page 10
