She pulled away with a drop of my blood on her fingertip. She licked it, and I swore her eyes rolled back, and her magic flickered again.
At first, I thought the focus object was the knife, but now I knew it had to be something on her if she was still being affected by my blood without holding the knife.
“Something…different.” She licked her lips. “I shall bath in your blood, little witch, and you shall fuel my immortality.”
The door to the room opened, and the little girl came in. “Mama…it hurts.”
Adrianna’s head snapped to the side. “Go back to the circle, little one, let it heal.”
The little girl met my gaze before she looked back at her mom and held her hand up. “Can I have the jewel to help?”
“Not right now,” Adrianna snapped. “Get back to the circle. You don’t need to be here for this.”
The little girl cringed and walked out of the room. Adrianna turned back to me. “She’s going to be a great witch one day if she doesn’t die first. Now, where were we?” She spun away from my cage and went back to Jude on the table. “Let’s stitch you up now, dear.”
Adrianna pulled a curved needle and some thread out and started to stitch the wound up. My stomach rolled at the thought of being on that table, but hopefully, all I’d have to do was spill a little bit of blood and be okay.
Jude whimpered as Adrianna dragged her finger over the newly stitched wound. She wiped the blood on her face and let out a sigh. Again, her magic faltered, but this time, she looked at me.
“What are you doing to my magic?” she hissed.
I shook my head. “Nothing. I haven’t been able to touch mine since I got in here.” It wasn’t a lie, and it would work to my advantage. Her words brought me reassurance, though. Maybe Merick was working on something outside since he couldn’t get in.
She got Jude off the table. Jude swung her arm around and hit Adrianna in the face. On the downswing, Jude grabbed Adrianna’s shirt and pulled, ripping the fabric.
There, on a thick cord coated with blood, was a charm. I wouldn’t call it a jewel because it wasn’t shiny or particularly pretty, but that could have been because of the blood that was coating it.
Adrianna grabbed Jude’s hair and grabbed the knife.
Jude froze the moment she saw the knife. “That’s what I thought.” Adrianna laughed and then shoved Jude into a cage next to Gabby’s.
I looked at Jude, who curled up to protect her new wound. Adrianna opened my cage and grabbed my arm, pulling me out. “Little witch, little witch, what have you done?” she hissed as her magic started to shake again.
I gave a wicked smile and went to pull my other gun.
She caught my arm, and once again, I was immobile. “I control you. I own you because your blood is part of my magic.”
In theory, it should have worked the other way around too. I just had to figure out how it worked and possibly get her blood. Which was going to be really hard to do if she could paralyze me.
She dragged me to the wall and shoved me against it, clasping the chains around my wrist. Her magic faded around me for a moment, and I could breathe. Hannah’s magic was similar to this. I broke it once, and I could do it again.
Magic shot through the room, and everyone cried out as it hit them.
“What are you doing to my magic?” Adrianna screamed and grabbed my throat.
“That wasn’t mine. Something is outside,” I gasped. I didn’t know if it was coming from outside or not, but I knew it wasn’t me.
She let go of me and rushed out the door. I took a deep breath as my magic returned to me completely. “Holy shit.”
I looked up. “Can either of you transport?”
“That’s a Cult spell,” Jude snapped.
Gabby nodded. “I still can.”
“We have five minutes, maybe, until she comes back here. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want you two here when she gets back.”
“What about you?” Jude looked up.
“I’m going to take care of her. The next time you feel her magic flicker, go. Call Liz.”
Gabby nodded and reached through the cage to touch Jude’s hand.
The magic flickered again, and the two of them disappeared. That was one thing down. The door burst back open, and Adrianna’s magic flooded over me again. She didn’t even notice the empty cages as she stalked toward me. “Do you know what I feel out there?”
“Haven’t a clue.”
She turned and grabbed her knife and then came back to me. “Cult magic. They are coming for the girls.” She put the knife at my collarbone. “They can have the girls. You. You are mine.”
She drew the knife down the ridge of my bone.
I hissed at the pain. “How could you introduce your daughter to this life?”
She paused. “She wasn’t supposed to exist,” she muttered and dug the knife deeper. I couldn’t ignore the sticky blood dripping from the wound.
She ran her hand over the cut and smeared the blood over her face and down her neck. “She lived through my attempt to kill her.”
I stared at her, trying to imagine how someone could look at that child and think she needed to die. “There’s something about crazy witches and killing their daughters,” I muttered, not realizing I was speaking out loud.
“What?” She snapped, paused in her smearing of blood.
“There was another woman who thought it best for her daughter to die instead of being soul bound to her magic.” I glanced up at her. “You’re not the first crazy I’ve dealt with.”
She dragged the knife down the other collar bone, and once again smeared her hand in it. This time, she dragged it up her arm. “Mmm, but I’ll be the one that kills you.”
Currently, I didn’t doubt that. She closed her eyes and moaned as if the blood bath got her off.
The charm around her neck glowed a little bit as her magic flickered. I pushed out my magic at the same time hers flickered. Mine hit at the same time as the strange magic, and Adrianna cried out and glared at me. “How?”
“I told you I was more powerful than that girl. You can feel it in my blood.”
And that would be her downfall. I smiled. I just needed another break in her magic to try something.
She spun the knife in her hand. And this time, dragged it over my stomach, cutting the shirt there. The wound there hurt more than the others. I took a deep breath and tried to focus through the pain. She dug her fingers into the wound this time and wiped the blood on the charm. She closed her eyes. Instead of the power flickering, it pulsed out.
I groaned as I felt it through my body.
“Time to stitch you up, little witch. Don’t want you losing too much blood.”
That was the truth. I cringed every time she pulled her needle through my skin to stitch me up. My body shook from pain when she was done. She leaned close to me and whispered, “The pain keeps you docile. You can’t focus magic when you can’t think through the pain.”
I looked up at her, my eyes half hooded with pain, and I did the only thing I could think of. I spat on her.
She shrieked and slapped me, dragging the needle across my cheek. My blood dripped in a fine line down my skin, and I tilted my head as I waited to see what she would do.
She spun away from me and walked out of the room.
I hung my head and breathed through the pain. She was right, pain kept most people docile, but I had enough practice that pain grounded me in reality.
I waited for her magic to fade. I could still feel the circle around the house, but she was gone. I closed my eyes. Two feet could save a life.
It was what Oliver told me before I faced Ira.
He was talking about the transportation spell, and that’s what I’d use here to get out of the chains.
I whispered the Latin words under my breath and pictured myself outside the chains.
It worked, and I rolled my wrists and dug my phone out of my pocket. I sent Merick, Nick, and Oliver all an
S.O.S. text before shoving my phone back into my pocket.
Two seconds later, Adrianna walked back into the room. “Think you could get away with using magic?”
Fuck. I’d forgotten that she could feel my magic now. I took a fighting stance. She approached me with a sickening grin. The fresh blood had dried on her face and now was cracking with each movement of her skin.
“You want to fight me? That’s cute.” She grabbed the knife off a shelf and spun it around in her hand. She threw her empty hand up, and I felt my body seize up. This was getting me nowhere. My blood was on her charm, all I had to do was reach out to the magic there.
But I needed her distracted. With all the blood around and all her magic, I wouldn’t be able to break through it. She’d assimilated all the magic of the blood for herself.
A noise crashed through room, making my ears ring, and I shook my head. But I could shake my head. A moment later, the whole house shook. I launched forward as Adrianna was looking around, and I grabbed her necklace. I used the transportation spell to appear on the other side of her.
I called on my elemental ability to heat the charm up and melt it away. She cried out as I started to destroy the charm. Once charred, it fell away from my hand.
I spun around as she came back at me with the knife. I moved away in time, but she grabbed my arm. Pulling me back, she stabbed the blade into my side. I swore I felt the steal hit my ribs before she pulled it out. She laughed as I fell to the ground.
“You can’t stop me.” She laughed. “I’ll just make another charm. Like I have every time some little witch thinks they can kill me.” She went to lick my blood off the knife, and I smiled as I put a hand to my wound. “Fuck you.”
I laid my bloodied hand to the ground and called on my magic. “You can’t control me now.”
My magic pulsed, and I knew why. I was becoming weak. My magic was trying to protect me.
I was losing too much blood. I shoved all my magic into a spell to trap her in a circle. The door to the room burst open, and Oliver ran to my side.
“Trap her,” I whispered as my magic pulsed again. “Don’t let her…” The words died on my lips as my magic slipped back into me, and the world started to tip.
“Abigail!” My uncle cried as the darkness took over everything, and I felt my magic pulse one last time.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
No hospital machines beeped. No one spoke at the moment. If I hadn’t heard footsteps, I would have sworn I was alone when I woke up. A heavy comforter lay over my body, and I knew it wasn’t mine. Mine was worn, this one felt almost new. My eyes flickered open, and my body ached at just that movement. I recognized the blank walls of the guest room at Oliver’s house.
“Abigail.” Oliver almost sighed as he came over to the bed.
“I’m alive.” I sounded surprised, and I couldn’t help it. I’d felt that last call of my magic and remember Oliver right there. “Am I a vampire?” I ran my tongue over my teeth as the panic set in.
He shook his head. “No, you’re not a vampire. You are very much alive. Had I not been there, though, you would have died.”
“But I would have taken her out with me,” I muttered. “What happened to Adrianna?”
“She’s detained in containment and awaiting trial.”
“She used magic to kill.”
“No, she never used to magic to actually kill, just aid. She has a witness to that.”
I cringed. “The little girl?”
He nodded. “Hope. She was never given a name by her mother. Her mother despised her, but apparently part of the magic kept her alive when her mother tried to kill her.”
“What now?”
“Now she goes to the state, gets some intensive therapy, and hopefully becomes a productive member of society. The local Coven has stepped in to help.”
I nodded and sat up. “I’m still sore.”
“Abigail, you were stabbed. You’re going to be sore regardless of my healing.” He went to the side table and handed me a cup of tea. “Drink.”
“What happened? How did you guys get in?”
Oliver smirked. “A little blood magic and a lot of help. Nick, Merick, Liz, and I all helped break that circle down. And PIB blew up the door.”
“That provided the much-needed distraction.” I snorted and then flinched. “How are Liz and her sisters?”
“Jude and Gabby are healing. Liz is taking a week off to take care of them.”
“Good.”
“That leaves the paperwork for you and dealing with Nick.”
I sighed. “She left me with the paperwork?”
“She wasn’t officially on the case anymore, remember?”
I nodded. “That is a very good point.” I sipped the tea and sighed. “How pissed is Levi?”
“He’s not. He said it was better to go after Adrianna than Samuel.”
“Speaking off.” I touched the bite on the side of my neck. “This needs to be cleansed.”
Oliver sighed. “We should have done it before you went after Adrianna. Right now, you and your magic aren’t strong enough to handle that spell.”
“He’s in my head Oliver, we don’t have a choice.”
Oliver nodded. “I know, trust me, I know. You were speaking about him while you were sleeping. But I can’t risk killing you because of it. A couple weeks, Abigail. That’s all I ask you to wait. Let yourself heal completely and let your magic back into your soul.”
I knew that he wouldn’t ask unless he absolutely needed to wait. I sighed. “Okay.”
“Thank you.” Oliver gave me a small smile. “Drink your tea. I have coffee and pastries out in the dining room for us. Clean clothes are on the chair.”
I waited for him to leave before I got out of bed. I was thankful to find that someone had cleaned the blood off me, and in place of all the wounds were pink scars. I found a pair of yoga pants, a t-shirt, and undergarments. I got dressed and found my way out to the dining room, where Oliver kept good on his promise.
A big cup of coffee and a plate with a danish sat on the table. Oliver was sitting a couple seats away from the plate. He crossed one leg over the other and sipped his tea. “I’ve let Simon and Liz know that you’re awake. Levi will be stopping by as soon as the sun sets, like he has every night.”
“Like every night? How long have I been out?”
“Three nights.” Oliver shrugged. “You took a lot of damage. You’re lucky you didn’t die.”
“Once again, you were there to save my ass.”
“One day, I won’t be there.” Oliver shook his head. “And then your fate will be up to your bloodline. You’ll either die and stay dead or come back as a vampire.”
“You know me, always tempting fate.” I took a drink of the coffee and let out a content sigh. “Thank you.”
‘Abigail…’ I cringed as Samuel’s voice came through my head.
“He’s there, isn’t he?”
I nodded. “There’s nothing I can do about it. He calls for me to come to him, and I don’t want to. I’ve seen what he does to witches.”
“A couple weeks, Abigail. And until then, we will make sure to have someone by your side at all times.”
“I guess that’s all I can do right now.” I took a bite of the danish as my stomach growled.
Oliver nodded. “Just take it easy for the next couple days.
Pretty sure Oliver’s idea of ‘take it easy’ wasn’t me returning to the office the next day, but I needed to go in to file paperwork. When I got to the office, I found Nick situated at a desk, back in his old spot.
I tried to keep all snark to myself as Simon and I walked in. Nick looked at Simon. “What’s he doing here?”
“I’m only here to file paperwork, and then I’m going out to lunch.” The lie slipped easily off my tongue. “Thank you, by the way. Oliver told me you helped with that circle.”
“That woman’s power is beyond anything I’ve seen before.” Nick shook his head. “And the little g
irl? If she has a fraction of the power her mother does, she has a chance to go down the same path.” He shivered. “I don’t know if I ever want to see something that dark again.”
I sat down at my desk and started up the computer. “Yeah. I think I agree.” I checked my email first and scrolled through the updates and different things that I didn’t need to pay attention to. But when I got to one labeled ‘I ain’t afraid of no ghosts,’ I paused.
Levi had sent Oliver out to deal with the phone calls, and I had assumed that was the end of them. I clicked on the email and saw a picture of the old house Nick and I had found that was full of ghosts. I sighed as I saw something in the window. I couldn’t tell what it was, but my mind wouldn’t let it go. Was it the ghost of the one soul that wasn’t able to be released? Was it someone else?
I sighed and stood up.
“Where are you going?” Nick asked. “There’s no way your paperwork is done.”
“I’m going to get coffee. I don’t want to do paperwork without coffee.” I grabbed my bag and started out of the office with Simon on my heels. I got down the stairs and out the door before Simon spoke. “Are you really going for coffee?”
“Yes, but we’re going to need to take a small road trip after. There’s something I need to check out.”
“Is this PIB related?” Simon glanced back at the building. “Do we need to get Nick or Liz?”
I shook my head. “No, we don’t. Just you and me right now. Once I know if I’m being paranoid or not, then we’ll call in more back up.”
“Abby, you are still recovering from almost dying. Do you think this is smart?”
I smirked. “It’s why Levi gave me bodyguards, isn’t it? For you guys to protect me when I do stupid things?”
“No, our job is to protect you against the things coming after you and to keep you from doing stupid things.” Simon sighed. “Will you at least tell me where we’re going?”
“Coffee shop first, haunted house next.” I grinned at him over my shoulder. “I’ll stay in the car until I know it’s safe.”
He sighed and followed me to the yellow Hummer. We got in and buckled up. He shook his head. “You better not get us both killed.”
A Little Blood Magic (Here Witchy Witchy Book 10) Page 18