A Little Blood Magic (Here Witchy Witchy Book 10)

by Kessler, A. L.

  “Come on, keep going,” she urged and pulled her phone out. “I’m going to give Merick that little update.”

  An image of Merick in his cat form pawing at the phone came up in my mind. I giggled. Full-on giggled.

  “Abby?”

  I shook my head, causing the world to spin like a tilt-a-whirl. “Nothing, nothing. Just silly things.”

  “Maybe I should text Levi too.”

  “No!” I shouted and then took a deep breath. “No. He doesn’t need that update. This was a random act of violence. I just need to sit down and let whatever it is get out of my system.” I put my hand against the wall. “I need a lot of water and some coffee.” Because I never got mine before being shot.

  I shook the selfish thought away. There were others out there hurt, and if their bullet was laced with the same thing mine was, there would be a body count.

  We finally made it to my office to find O’Donald standing outside the door with his arms crossed. An officer was with him, who looked a bit more pleasant and sympathetic.

  “Agent O’Donald, sorry it took me so long to get up here.” I went and unlocked the door to my office. Liz and the officer walked in, but O’Donald stayed on the outside.

  “Are you going to join us for the statement?” I tried to keep my voice even and give no sign that I felt like I was three feet off the ground and being tumble dried.

  He eyed the office and then shook his head. “You’re a big agent, Agent Collins. I expect you to get your statement done and go back to your paperwork.”

  I had actually been planning on going home, but I guess I should probably complete the facade of feeling okay.

  I watched him walk down the hallway toward the elevator before shutting the door. It was interesting that he didn’t want to enter my office. Maybe he had other things to do than babysit me. I glanced at the doll on my desk.

  Or maybe he couldn’t enter.

  “Special Agent Collins?” The officer asked, and I went to sit down at my desk. I frowned because something seemed off about him now.

  His face started to roll with waves as if the ocean lived under his skin. I tried to keep any reaction off my face but apparently failed because he tilted his head to the side.

  Liz made sure the door was shut before coming over and sitting in the chair in front of my desk.

  “Special Agent Collins, I’m here because of the shooting that happened down the street. I’m sure you’re aware of that?”

  His face started to swirl, but I nodded. “I am.” I was going to throw up.

  “Abigail, I also have to make you aware that I work for the King’s Guard as an ambassador with the human police force.”

  Oh, that was really good to know. “Oh, good. So you’ll report all this to Levi.” His whole body started to swirl. “You know, fuck it. I’m pretty sure I’ve been drugged somehow, and you’re a rainbow ball of swirls right now.”

  He glanced at Liz, who came to my side. Her hair started shimmering, and I blinked a few times. She wasn’t swirling, but she was glowing with a silver aura.

  Yep. This was weird.

  She put her hands on my face. “Pupils dilated.” Her fingers went to the pulse point on my neck. “Pulse erratic.”

  “Others down the road are acting the same way.” The officer reached for his phone.

  I jumped out of my chair as his skin turned red. “Liz…Liz!”

  She came back to my side. “Abby, I need you to take a few deep breaths. We don’t want O’Donald coming in here.”

  That was true. I took a few deep breaths and let her guide me back to my chair. “I need coffee.” Coffee fixed everything, right?

  “I’ll call an ambulance for her.”

  I shook my head. “No. Press, have to avoid the press. Let Liz take me.”

  He glanced at Liz, and she nodded. “I’ll get her taken care of. As soon as we’re settled, she can give you an unimpaired statement.”

  There was a knock at the office door, and my eyes darted to it. Liz put a hand on my shoulder. “Merick,” she said gently. “Remember, I texted him earlier.”

  Ah, yes, that’s right. I tried to push past the haze running through me. I wasn’t sure how anyone could find this fun. Of course, I didn’t know what drug it was or how much the bullet had put in my bloodstream.

  Liz opened the door, and Merick walked in. Except it didn’t look like him. Instead, he sported the head of a fucking Sphynx cat. The rest of him was human, dressed in a suit as if going to an important business meeting.

  I stared at him wide eyes and tried to think of something to say but snapped my mouth shut. I was drugged. I was hallucinating, but even though I shut my mouth, I couldn’t help the insane giggle that bubbled up from my throat.

  The giggle turned into rolling laughter that almost knocked me out of my chair.

  “I feel like things have escalated.” Merick watched me closely.

  Liz crossed her arms. “You have no idea.”

  I looked at him again and tried to stifle a giggle.

  The officer stood up. “Get her somewhere safe. When she comes down, please call me so I can get her statement.” He handed Liz a card. “If she wasn’t the Princess, I’d insist on the hospital.”

  “Oh, I know. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.” Liz took the card and put it in her pocket. She still shone with silver, and the officer was still red.

  I frowned as the world started to swirl again, and the office was replaced by my house.

  “My entire office just changed.” I glanced around. “This is getting weird.”

  “I brought you home, Abigail.” Merick led me to the couch. “Lie down, close your eyes.”

  I wasn’t paying attention to him, though. I was watching the shadows move around my house. People just walking around as if stuck between worlds, not quite solid, but still there.

  My very solid uncle suddenly appeared. I frowned because he looked completely normal in this current world of chaos. “Abigail, what are you seeing?” He put a hand against my face, and it felt warm.

  “People, shapes.” I frowned as a translucent version of him moved through the living room. I followed the illusion into the kitchen, pushing past the real version of Oliver and Cat-Merrick.

  My breath caught as I saw my mother standing there. She seemed to glow more than any of the other people around. She wore the same dress she’d been in when she’d died. A beautiful gray summer dress that nearly brushed the floor as she walked. She looked over and saw Oliver.

  “You aren’t supposed to be here tonight.”

  “I’ve come to warn you. Get out. Take Abigail and run. The Cult is coming. I wasn’t able to dissuade them.” He grabbed her wrist. “Lizzy, please.”

  She ripped her arm away from him, and then they disappeared.

  Levi’s words came to mind. ‘He had something to do with her death. He was there that night.’

  The world started to spin, and the real Oliver turned me around. “Abigail.”

  “You bastard, you knew!” I screamed and tried to punch him, but the whole world tilted, and I stumbled with it. “You knew they were coming. You let them come and kill her.” I tried to stand back up and hit him again. This time Merick grabbed me.

  “Abigail, you’re imagining things. You need to calm down.”

  But Oliver hadn’t denied it. He stood there, staring at me. His face began to change, turning black with white cracks in it. I let out a gargled scream as I tried to shuffle back away from him.

  Merick guided me to the couch. “Sit, stay here.”

  I felt like I was floating when I sat on the couch. Merick urged Oliver into the other room. My mother appeared in front of me.

  “It’s okay, Abigail.” She sat on the couch next to me and cupped her hand against my cheek.

  “Mommy?”

  “Rest, child. It’s all just a bad dream.”

  With her words, my eyes grew heavy, and I sank into the couch.

  #

>   When my eyes opened again, pain shot through my head and my shoulder. My body ached like a truck ran over me and backed up a few times. I was on my couch, with a blanket, and Osiris was curled against my leg. Which told me someone who wasn’t in on our secret was in the house.

  Levi walked into the living room. “Good evening, Abigail.” His voice was calm, steady, and scary.

  “Levi,” I said softly, afraid that speaking would make my head pound more. I sat up, carefully moving Osiris, so I didn’t just dump him on the floor. “Who else is here?”

  O’Donald came walking into the living room, and I had to try not to curse. “Good Evening Abigail.”

  “Agent O’Donald, I don’t remember agreeing to you coming to my home.”

  “And I didn’t agree for you to miss a day’s work.” He crossed his arms. “I came to speak to you about the shooting at the coffee shop.”

  I pressed my lips together. “Officer…” I closed my eyes, trying to remember if there was a name attached to the officer I briefly remembered from yesterday. “The officer that you were with yesterday. He’s handling the case.”

  “It was handed over to PIB because it turns out the shooter was a shifter, and the bullets were laced with a drug some rogue vampires were pushing a few years ago.”

  I wracked my brain, trying to remember the case. “Wasn’t one of my cases.”

  “No, it was one of Agent Yorkingson’s cases.”

  Oh, and he was dead now. Wonder if O’Donald knew that. I shook the thought from my head. Now was not the time to bring that up. “Lovely. My statement is this. I went to get coffee on a break, heard gunshots, shot the bastard, and took a bullet in the shoulder. Don’t really remember much from there. I remember getting back to the office, kind of remember the bullet being removed, you at the office, and then waking up here.”

  It wasn’t completely the truth, but those were the only memories I knew were real. No need to mention a cat-man coming into my office, or Liz glowing silver, or the officer being red. Nope, best to keep those to myself.

  “You shot someone.”

  “Did no one really warn you about my track record here? I’ve shot people, killed some in self-defense, blown up a few cars, I mean come on, my car issues are legendary.”

  Agent O’Donald did not look amused.

  I let out a sigh. “I know it means you have to open an investigation.”

  “You should be suspended if you have an investigation opened against you.”

  I met his gaze, damn near daring him to do it.

  “But you’re already on desk duty, so I’ll just keep you there. I expect to see you in the office tomorrow, Collins.” He walked out, and Levi walked with him. I heard the alarm disarm and the door open and shut.

  I scratched Osiris’ head, because that’s what one did with a cat, even if they were in disguise. “I think I like you better when you’re not part cat and part man,” I whispered. He looked up at me, and I chuckled.

  Levi walked back into the room. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I was drugged and then ran over a few times.” I shrugged. “Why are you here?”

  “Because Oliver called me. He said you attacked him.”

  I tried to remember that and then shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

  “The drug that the bullets were laced with is Thrills.”

  I’d gone after a vampire selling Thrills once. “I didn’t know Grayson opened a case on it. You sent me after the vampire when he didn’t take your threats seriously.”

  “I didn’t know Grayson did either. So I don’t know what’s in the system, and thanks to your new boss, I don’t have access to the system at all.” He sat down next to me and eyed the cat. “He hasn’t left your side at all since I got here.”

  I shrugged. “He probably sensed something was wrong.” “Look, I wasn’t even out doing something dangerous. I wanted coffee and a break from the desk. I neutralized the situation and made sure that I was out of the limelight. Liz and I made it back to the office without press coverage or anything.”

  “You’re not in trouble, Abigail. I simply came to make sure that the effects were gone and that you were safe.” He wrapped an arm around me. “I think we can add ‘getting coffee’ to your ‘puts you in danger list.’”

  I rolled my eyes, but his comment reminded me of something. “When I was walking to the coffee shop, I saw this woman. She had blonde hair and was dressed in leather. Was she one of your watchers?”

  He frowned and shook his head. “No, not one of mine.” His face changed into a careful blank mask, and he pulled his arm away from me a moment before Mario walked into the house with Catalina by his side.

  Catalina wasn’t a fan of me, and I wasn’t exactly a fan of her, though we’d spent very little time together. “Princess Abigail.” She bowed her head.

  “Catalina, what brings you here? I’m not planning on going anywhere tonight. Take a shower, maybe order some dinner.”

  “I came to speak to Levi, actually. He hasn’t been answering his phone.”

  I glanced at him, and he shrugged. “Sometimes I turn it off to annoy them.”

  I snorted. It was the most human thing I had heard him say in a long time.

  “In this case, I wanted to sit with you to make sure you were okay without being interrupted.” Levi shrugged and then stood. “You’re fine, you’ve told me you’ve managed to stay out of the press’ eye. I saw the news, it looked like a random crime. Because it’s related to Thrills, I’ll look into it with or without PIB’s help.”

  I nodded and pulled my blanket tighter around me. “I think I’m going to sleep for the rest of the night if that’s cool. Since I have to be in the office tomorrow, I’d like to not feel like I was drugged.”

  Levi motioned for the other two vampires to leave. “I’ll be back at the mansion in a few minutes.”

  They both disappeared, and I looked at him. “I thought we agreed for you to keep Catalina out of my house.”

  “A one-time thing, I promise. I’ll fill you in on what she has to say. For now, rest, and let me know if anything else develops in this case.”

  “If Agent O’Donald lets me know, I’ll tell you. He seems pretty keen on keeping me isolated. Which scares me.”

  Levi nodded. “Me as well, but I have to go be King now.” He bowed his head and disappeared.

  I leaned back on the couch and closed my eyes. “Wake me up in a couple hours, Merick. I have things I want to look into.”

  He didn’t respond. No meow or anything, but I let it be, and my tired body dragged me back into the world of sleep.

  CHAPTER THREE

  I walked into the office the next day to find my uncle sitting in my chair. I raised a brow. “O’Donald will shoot you if he finds you here. Hell, he’d probably fire me.”

  “He’s actually the one who let me in.” He stood, and I saw the white visitor badge on his jacket. “Strangely enough, I’ve seen activity on Nick’s keycard for the office lately, and it’s not me.”

  Interesting. I didn’t realize he had access to those records. Though I was learning to never really doubt what access my uncle did or did not have. I went to go sit on my side of the desk. “What are you doing here then, all official-like?” Official typically meant that he needed a paper trail of his visit.

  “I wanted to take my niece to birthday coffee. At a shop which you won’t get shot at.” He smirked. “Or are you still mad at me?”

  I studied him for a moment. “I don’t remember why I attacked you. Also, you’ll have to come back around lunchtime. I just got here, and O’Donald isn’t going to just let me leave.”

  “He left to help Liz on a case. I heard him take the call and watched him leave the building.”

  I had almost forgotten that Liz had a case. “Okay, let’s go then.” I turned back around to head out of my office. I was trying to remember why I had attacked Oliver. I obviously hadn’t been in my right mind, or I would have just shot him.

 
“Don’t think too hard on it, Abigail. Whatever was in your system was making you see things that weren’t real.”

  We walked out of the office and down the hall together. I realized that he remained quiet about the situation until we were in the stairwell. “Thrills is a dangerous drug. That’s why Levi wanted it off his streets. It killed one of his donors when it first appeared.”

  “I could see how that could kill someone. I feel like a truck ran over me. I’m not sure what I felt when I was on it. There was the sensation that I was like floating all over, but some of the things I saw…” I shook my head.

  Oliver nodded. “Some strong coffee will help that.”

  “More strong coffee.” I laughed as we walked out of the stairwell. We walked past the reception desk and out the door.

  He led me to his car, and we both got in. After he started the engine, we just sat there for a moment. “Happy Birthday, niece.”

  I glanced at him. “You’re a couple days early on that.”

  “I know, but after last night, I realized that I might not get the chance to tell you happy birthday. Your life becomes more and more dangerous, and I’m worried that you’ll die before I have a chance to tell you anything.”

  I looked at the parking lot, watching PIB agents wander into the building a couple at a time. “I’m not going to just up and die on you. You sound like you’re planning on disappearing again.”

  “I might have to for a bit. There’s a client who wants my help overseas. I haven’t told Levi about the job yet, but you’ve replaced me as his magical backup, so there is no reason for me not to take the job.” He put the car in reverse and backed out.

  I let that thought sit with me for a moment. “Are you worried about me dying while you’re gone, or you dying?”

  He laughed. “I’m more worried about you and the dangers that Levi has brought onto you. The job should only take me a couple months.”

  It was strange that he was telling me this. Typically he just popped in and out of my life as he pleased. “I’ll be okay. My elemental abilities are under control, my magic is stable, and I’m already over the Thrills adventure. O’Donald has me on desk duty. There’s not much trouble I can get into.”