Here Witchy Witchy Box Set 1

by A. L. Kessler

  "That's how the supernatural world works." Simon wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

  I knew that, but I didn't have to like it. "So now what? We drive home?"

  "Watch some late night stupid television?" He suggested and stood up. He held out a hand to help me up and I took it.

  "Sounds good." I dusted myself off and started towards the stairs. I stopped and turned to face Simon. "What were you and Levi talking about?"

  "Oh, you know, the typical threats on what will happen if you get killed while under my watch." Simon smirked. "And he wanted to know how our dating was going."

  I rolled my eyes and made my way up the stairs. "What did you tell him?"

  "That it'd be going better if he hadn't forced us to cancel our first date." He gave a dramatic sigh and I laughed.

  "I'm sure Levi appreciated the not so subtle hint to not bother us again." I shut the door at the top of the stairs once Simon was up. "Let's just go back to my place and enjoy each other's company."

  Simon's phone rang and I raised a brow. He dug it out and glared at the screen. "It's Greg."

  "Do not tell him you know. He made it very clear that I wasn't supposed to tell you." I gave him a death glare.

  He nodded and answered. "What's up? I'm on a date."

  We started down the hallway towards the foyer. Simon paused. "Um, maybe."

  I turned to look at him and Simon mouthed, "You don't want to know." I huffed and crossed my arms. Simon made a series of noises that I assumed meant he was agreeing with whatever Greg was saying.

  I checked my own phone and saw that I had an e-mail from the agent I’d contacted about the case. I debated on checking it while Simon had his conversation.

  "Does it have to be tonight?" Simon asked, he snarled. "Yes, I know my duties." He hung up and gave me an apologetic look. "I can't stay tonight."

  "The pack calls, eh?" I shrugged. "I understand duties. Don't worry about it, just drop me off at home, I'll be fine."

  He nodded and we went outside. I didn't bother saying goodbye to Levi, he was probably buried in work somewhere. We didn't have that kind of relationship. He no longer needed to monitor me on when I left the house like he did when I was a child. As an adult, he only worried about hiring werewolves to babysit me when needed.

  Simon dropped me off at my house and I firmly planted my ass on the couch to catch up on some DVR’ed shows. If he had pack duties to attend to that was fine. I had an e-mail waiting for me and plot lines to catch up on. I pulled my laptop to me from the other side of the couch. The nice thing about living alone was I could leave my stuff where I wanted and that meant where it was most convenient. I was sure my laptop lived on the couch.

  I opened the screen and sighed as I heard the rain outside start to fall. Another noise followed and made me pause. A meow? I didn't own a cat. I didn't know my neighbors well enough to know if they had one. I heard scratching at the door and tried to ignore it, but my heart wouldn't let me leave a cat out in the rain. I sighed and went to the door. There sat a mass of wrinkles and skin that would be a cat if you put fur on it.

  Weird black marked its face. I blinked a few times. Sphinxes were expensive cats and I couldn't fathom why someone would let theirs wander without a collar. The cat just walked in as if it owned the house. I swooped down and picked it up and flipped him to look at me. "And just what do you think you're doing."

  I swore he glared at me. I lifted him up a bit and saw his manhood dangling there. He wasn't neutered. Shook my head and put him down. "Just don't spray anything." I would put a lost and found ad up later, right now I needed to focus on my e-mail. I don't know why I was dreading it, the worst the agent could tell me was no.

  I put the computer on my lap and the cat jumped on the couch and curled up on the back of it. I shook my head. I had been contemplating getting a cat; maybe I would keep this one if no one claimed him. Some witches were granted a familiar and the creature normally chose the witch, not the other way around. Clarissa had taught me to always be open to that thought.

  I could hear him purring from where I sat and shrugged. Having company could be nice, I'd have to see.

  Reverting my attention back to my screen, I opened my e-mail program and clicked on the one from the agent. I wondered what he had to say about our vampire victim.

  "Dear Agent Collins, I know that you spoke with the vampire who helped us close the case. I will restate what he said, it's closed and there's no need to look further into the matter. However, I do not know how the victim's body ended up in your lake. I'd like to discuss this further. I assume you'll be in the office tomorrow. I will be there a little before noon."

  Well, wasn't that short and to the point? I opened a reply email and typed a response that was just as short and sweet.

  "See you then."

  I wasn't going to put more thought into it. I knew that his vague wording was meant to keep Levi out of this. I had a feeling neither one of us wanted Levi involved with the case, which made me wonder why Levi had been called into a case that was out of his area in the first place. He wouldn't discuss it with me, very much like the sheep wandering the mansion.

  I groaned and the cat meowed in turn at me. I raised a brow and wondered what he might be saying. It didn't matter, he was a cat. I rolled my eyes and took a picture of him with my phone, posting it on a few lost and found groups on social media. Someone would claim him if they knew him since he had pretty distinct markings. I'd set up a spell to tell me if people were lying if someone came to claim him.

  I shut the computer and leaned my head back on the couch. The damn creature came up and head-butted the side of my head. I glanced over at him and he meowed.

  Aw fuck, I bet he was hungry.

  I put the computer on the coffee table and went to the kitchen. I pulled out the only can of tuna that I had and looked to see that he'd followed me into the kitchen. I opened the can, poured the shredded fish onto a plate and put it on the floor for him. I also put a container of water down for him.

  I realized one very important thing was needed. A litter box. I glared down at the cat and sighed. I didn't want to go out in the rain, but there wasn't anything I could do. Nothing that I could use as a makeshift litter box until tomorrow. And I needed groceries.

  Glancing at the clock I knew I could go to one of the twenty-four-hour super stores and it wouldn't be too busy when I got there. I sighed and grabbed my coat. "I'll be back, cat."

  I locked the house up behind me and got in the car. Navigating the rain made me think back to the bodies. Had they been swimmers who got caught in the current of the lake? Maybe they had taken a corpse as a joke? Neither of those made sense. I pulled up to the store and got out. I ran through the rain and stopped as soon as I was out of the drops.

  "Abby?"

  I heard Nick's voice. I turned to find him standing behind me, also drenched from the rain. "Yeah, what are you doing here? I thought you lived on the other end of town?"

  "I was out and realized I needed to grab something before heading home." He shrugged. "What about you?"

  I took the hood of my jacket off. "Apparently I'm taking care of a lost cat until I can find the owner."

  His eyes widened. "A cat?"

  "Yes, a Sphinx. You know, a naked one."

  His eyes got bigger and I laughed. "He was outside in the rain, I wasn't going to leave him there."

  "Maybe he's your familiar." He said, "But just be cautious."

  I raised a brow. "He's safe and means no harm."

  "How do you know that?"

  "Because I made sure to put up a protection spell on my house last year after the Cult waltzed right in, oh and after Michelle waltzed in too. I decided it was the best type of defense."

  He pressed his lips together and gave me a disapproving gaze. "You never told me the Cult paid you a personal visit."

  Aw crap, I'd screwed up. "It doesn't matter. It wasn't any of your business anyways. The point is that they backed off."

  "
You're just a magnet for trouble, Abigail."

  We walked further into the store and I had no idea why he was staying next to me, but I let it go. "Don't I know it?" I laughed. "You've gotten the mild end of it. Just wait, if Boss Man makes you shadow me much longer you could start to see the really weird shit."

  "For our sake, I hope we only have to partner until the end of this case. Because it's only a matter of time until your bad luck starts to rub off on me."

  A shriek came through the nearly empty store. Nick and I both cursed and headed towards the sound. People were running the other direction, one screamed 'vampire' as they passed us.

  Well, crap. Nick and I drew our guns and continued to where the people were running from. Sure enough, a vampire stood there with his lips sealed to the woman's neck. His red gaze flickered to me.

  "He's blood starved." I told Nick and we both moved closer. We took aim. "Let the woman go." I didn't have to technically warn the vampire, but I wanted to give him a chance. Reasoning with a blood starved vampire was kind of like reasoning with a toddler, they may not realize what they are doing is wrong and need to be told to stop.

  He ignored me and went back to the woman. His blond hair fell in front of his eyes and he started to turn. I didn't hesitate. I shot his leg. I couldn't shoot him in the head without risking the woman, so the leg was going to have to do.

  He snarled and threw the lady away. Nick went to her without me having to prompt him. The vampire turned his gaze to me and rushed me. The problem with vampires was that they moved fast. Inhumanly so. I took two more shots in hopes of slowing him down, but I ended up pinned to the floor.

  He bared his fangs at me. I didn't have any desire to be a meal. I brought my hand up and slammed the butt of my gun into his temple. He reared back and I scurried away and shot the moment I could. Blood and vampire brains exploded all over the floor and me. The body fell and I wiped the blood off my face and stood. "What the fuck."

  "Don't put your gun away Abby." Nick called. "Two more!"

  Seriously, two more? What the hell was going on tonight? Buy two get one free on blood-starved vampires? I saw the two as they made their way towards me. I shot one and the vampire jerked, but kept coming forward. I put a bullet in its chest and Nick’s shots echoed mine. The bodies dropped to the ground. We both held our guns up, waiting for anything else to move. Nothing but silence surrounded us. We’d have to take the hearts and heads later, but for now the vampires were down. Judging by the state of blood lust, they weren’t going to be able to heal a direct shot to the heart.

  Nick turned to the victim and started talking to her. I assumed he was giving her instructions on what to do. Vampires, depending on how strong, could have a connection to the victim after feeding from them. That connection didn't matter once the vampire was dead, but bites, no matter the type, could get infected. Antibiotics were needed for the poor woman.

  Security came running towards the mess and Nick and I both pulled our badges out. One officer approached me while the other went to Nick. "We're lucky you were here. We aren't equipped to deal with vampires."

  Most stores weren't, but it needed to start becoming more commonplace. "No kidding. Call the biohazard crew, they can clean up the messes." I wiped more blood off my cheek and growled. "All I wanted was cat litter, seriously, can I not have a quiet night?"

  The security officer chuckled and then the manager came running up. I could hear sirens wailing and I assumed she'd managed to get through to the paranormal emergency hotline.

  "We're thankful for your presence." Her voice shook a little. "Who knows how many people they would have killed."

  Nick cleared his voice. "If you'd excuse us we need to walk the store to confirm that there aren't any deaths."

  I was hoping we wouldn't have to handle this case, but clearly that wasn't going to happen. I holstered my gun and looked at Nick. "An exciting trip to the store, eh? Glad I had my partner for back up."

  "Yeah, me too. Neither of us was going to be able to take on three blood-starved vampires." He spat the word vampire out.

  I could almost see the venom in his eyes. I knew that the moment I was out of earshot he'd be cursing Levi, because naturally it'd be his fault. I'd have to call and ask him or at the very least tell him about it, before the news got to it.

  "Let's split up, search the grounds. Yell if you need help." He muttered and walked off.

  I sighed and went down the aisle that the two vampires had come from. I paused and pulled out my phone. I shot Levi a quick text letting him know the brief details and that I couldn't call right that moment. Once the text sent I continued on my search.

  Two hours later, Nick and I had searched the entire store and found no bodies and no other vampires. Levi had called me three times to see if I was done yet and each one I answered with a 'no' text. We were an hour away from sunrise. The press showed up, but a detective handled them. Nick and I made our report with the crew on the case and told them to call us if they needed anything. The crew would take care of removing the hearts and heads of the vampires. It was part of their job description.

  The manager was nice enough to let me buy food, a litter box and litter for the damn cat. Nick walked me out to the car. I threw the items in my trunk and turned to face him.

  "You tell Levi yet?" He asked and met my gaze. "This is state business, not vampire."

  I clenched my jaw. "I know what's state business and what is not. I didn't tell him, but I'm sure he's seen it on the news."

  "One day, Abigail, you're going to have to choose what side you're on." Nick shook his head.

  I smiled at him, and I knew it had a bit of evil to it. "Our job is to protect and uphold the law and defend those who are innocent, human or not. It's not to choose sides of human or supernatural." I wondered what had happened in his past for him to think all supernatural creatures were evil. I never saw the black and white line between the two. Maybe because I was always between the two worlds. "One day, Nicolas," I mocked him. "You're going to realize that your past doesn't dictate everything."

  "You don't know what you're talking about Abby. I've seen things."

  "Horrible things?" I asked with an eyebrow lifted and my voice light.

  That got me a small smile and he nodded. "Yes, things when I worked on the Cult cases. Things that the supernaturals could do. Now's not the time to talk about all that, though. You need to get home before that cat decides to pee all over your house."

  And with that he spun away from me and walked back to his own car. I was covered in blood and ready to go take a shower. Plus, he was right, the cat needed a place to go to the bathroom.

  I got in my car and headed back to my house. I picked up the phone on speaker when Levi called for the fourth time. "I just got in the car."

  "How many where there?"

  "Three total that were in the store. All blood-starved. They didn't look familiar to me and I have no idea what the media is saying about it." I concentrated on the road.

  Levi was silent for a moment. "Are you all right?"

  "Other than being covered in blood, yes." I licked my lips. "Why are there blood-starved vampires in your territory?"

  "I don't know, that's not a punishment I use on my people. No one has owned up to changing any new vampires recently, so I don't think that's it."

  I could hear the worry in Levi's voice and it wasn't helping the situation. "What do you want me to do about this?"

  "Is it your case?" He asked and his voice was back to being careful.

  "I don't think there will be much of a case. Nick and I didn't find any bodies, that means it's not a murder. We did kill all three vampires and one woman was bitten. But it shouldn't be a case. Not unless more come up. They might double us up since Nick and I are a team of two." Anxiety tightened my chest; I didn't want that to happen. I hated working two cases and I didn't want to handle a vampire related case. Not with Nick.

  "If it's not your case then you solve it our way. You start at squ
are one, move from there, if it's someone in our territory we take care of it." Levi stated. Taking care of it normally meant killing. "And if it's not in our territory then I'll handle it."

  Which meant that he'd keep me out of the loop on what happened. I wasn't sure if I liked that option, but it was probably best. "Okay. I'll see what I can dig up."

  "If it turns into your case, you solve it officially and let me know what is going on. Partner be damned. Thank you, Abigail." He hung up and I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

  I didn't like how this felt. I wanted it to be an open and shut case. I knew that blood starvation was a popular and cruel punishment method for not staying within the laws. Whether those laws were human or supernatural I wasn't sure, it wasn't something I had a lot of experience with. Like with werewolves, vampires seemed to have their own form of laws that didn’t always line up with the human laws or authorities. The situation could get trickier than I wanted.

  I pulled up to the house and got out. I took my bags with me and unlocked the door. The cat sat there staring at me as if he'd been waiting for me to come home. "Sorry buddy, I had a long night."

  He meowed at me and then followed me into the bathroom where I set up the litter box for him.

  "There, now that's done, I'm going to shower and go to bed." I looked at the time on my phone. "Before Greg shows up." I'd almost forgotten about the werewolf Alpha's planned visit. Though I wondered if he'd still keep the plan since he dragged Simon out tonight. I could get a couple hours of sleep before I had to think about starting my day.

  CHAPTER THREE

  I was nursing my coffee and scratching the cat when I heard a knock at the door. I looked at the cat who did not look pleased to be interrupted. I stood and went to the door, Greg stood there with a Ziplock bag containing a few articles of clothing. I raised a brow and then stepped aside so he could come in.

  "I got these from her boyfriend." He shoved the bag at me as he stepped in. "I've read the statistics on missing persons. You need to make this a priority."