Witching Hour: Blood Magic Book 3

by L.H. Cosway

  Sweat broke out on his forehead as he struggled to move forward but couldn’t.

  “Oh, just sit back down,” Rita said in annoyance. “You’re not leaving here until I allow you to go. It’ll be easier if you don’t fight this. You’re only wasting your energy.”

  Brian’s shoulders slumped as he let out a long, dejected breath, turned on his heel, and sank back into the chair he’d vacated seconds ago.

  Rita shot me a wink and pulled out the seat closest to Brian. She leaned one elbow on the table and stared at him intently. “Feeling chatty yet?”

  Brian cut her a cold glare. “Piss off, witch.”

  Rita pouted. “Now you’re just being rude.”

  “Have you ever done this before?” I asked her.

  “Once or twice.”

  “And it worked?”

  She grinned. “Oh yeah.”

  Brian, unassuming and a touch nervous when he first arrived, now stared hatefully at Rita. “You should let me go. My mistress won’t be happy if you hurt me.”

  “Oh really? Who’s this mistress then?”

  His eyes narrowed, and he turned his face away from her. Rita clapped her hands happily.

  “See? It’s starting to work already. Come on, Brian, tell me who she is. You know you want to.”

  Brian looked like he was about to spit in Rita’s face, but she held her hand up again and his jaw stilled. “Don’t do that. It’s no way for a gentleman to behave.” She swept her hand downward, and I watched Brian swallow the saliva back down his throat. Had Rita always been this good at magic? I knew she was brilliant before, but it seemed to be becoming even more effortless to her as the days went by. When Brian turned his head again, I caught a small glimpse of a wound on his neck.

  “Oh, my God,” I whispered, getting up and walking over to see if my suspicions were correct. I took hold of his collar and pulled it down, revealing several fresh bite marks on his neck and a few old ones that left scars. They reminded me of the ones I’d seen on Amanda when I’d first come back to Tribane. I glanced at Rita. “I think he’s a vampire blood donor.”

  “Oh,” she said like she didn’t expect that. “I thought it might have been Theodore or Marcel who sent him.”

  “Not judging from the bite marks all over his neck.”

  Brian’s whole face tensed up, as though he was trying very hard to keep from talking. A vein in his forehead bulged with the effort.

  “My mistress sent me here to spy on you,” he blurted then, the words spilling from his mouth involuntarily.

  “Oh yeah? And who’s your mistress?”

  Brian’s face tensed again, but no matter how much he tried to stay quiet, he couldn’t fight Rita’s magic.

  “Eliza Whitfield, daughter of the vampire governor, Jeremy Whitfield,” he sputtered the words out against his will, before swearing, “Fuck!”

  A shiver of fear ran through me. I’d hoped Eliza had forgotten about me, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

  “Why did she send you here?”

  “She told me to get as much information as I could about your routine and to find out a time of the day when she would be alone.” He nodded his head to me.

  “When Tegan’s alone? Why?”

  “Because she wants me to take her and bring her across the river to be killed in front of all the vampires. She wants to make an example of her for deceiving them.”

  Rita reached out and slapped Brian hard across the face. She was absolutely fuming, even more so than me and I was the one Eliza wanted to murder.

  “What kind of person are you, allowing vampires to use you to kill an innocent woman?” she spat at him harshly.

  I grabbed her hand as she moved to strike him again. “Hey, Rita, it’s okay. You don’t need to hit him. It’s not his fault. He’s just an addict. I remember when Amanda was like him. She’d have done anything just to have Lucas feed from her one more time.”

  Rita’s eyes cut to me, and for a split second, they seemed almost black. I startled and let go of her hand. She shook her head and moved away from Brian. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” she said, a perturbed look on her face. I was perturbed, too. I mean, yes, Brian was a spy, but her anger towards him seemed displaced. She’d been amused to watch her truth spell take hold but turned furious almost instantly.

  “So, you’re a blood donor of Eliza’s?” I said as Rita stepped away for a moment. “Tell me, what else are the vampires planning? They’ve been very quiet.”

  Brian let out a derisive snort. “How would I know? Eliza only uses me for my blood and my body. Occasionally she gives me daytime tasks—like this one.”

  Rita stood, that dark look returning to her eyes. “If you don’t know, then you’re no use to us. I’ll give you the poison now I suppose.” She walked over to one of the cupboards and opened it, making a show of searching for something. “Now where did I leave that arsenic?”

  “Arsenic?” Brian asked, a quiver in his voice.

  Rita peeked her head around the door of the cupboard. “You didn’t think I was going to just let you walk out of here, did you?”

  “But you said you’d let me go once you were done with me,” Brian argued, sweat pooling on his forehead.

  “That was before you told me you were going to help kill my friend.”

  “Rita,” I said, worried she might be serious. She shot me a silencing look and pulled a clear glass bottle containing a yellow substance from the cupboard.

  “Eliza will come for you,” Brian threatened. “She’s very powerful. She’ll be angry if you kill me.”

  “I’m not afraid of a vampire,” Rita snorted as she brought the bottle over and set it down on the table. I chewed my lip, anxiety roiling within me. I honestly couldn’t tell whether or not she was serious or just trying to terrify him. She stared Brian down while sliding the bottle back and forth over the table, reminding me of a cat toying with a mouse just for the fun of it.

  “We should let him go,” I said. “He’s just an addict. It’s not his fault Eliza sent him.”

  Rita didn’t acknowledge what I said. In fact, she didn’t seem to be even listening as she continued to stare Brian down. “Are you scared?” she asked. “Does it terrify you, the idea of being forced to drink this?”

  “Yes,” he whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek.

  “Good. Now you know how Tegan would have felt if you’d taken her to be killed by your bitch of a mistress.”

  I let out a relieved sigh, thinking she was only trying to teach him a lesson. She wasn’t really going to make him drink it. But then, just as I started to relax, Rita shot up from her seat, rapidly uncorking the bottle. She grabbed Brian by the jaw, forced his lips open, and spilled the contents into his mouth.

  Oh, my God.

  “What the hell have you done?” I yelled at her.

  She laughed and gestured to Brian, who sat placidly in his chair now, a vacant expression on his face.

  “Why are you laughing? Have you gone mad? You’ve poisoned him!”

  “It’s not poison,” Rita explained. “It’s a hypnotic. See,” she waved her fingers in his face, but he didn’t react.

  “You frightened the life out of me.”

  “Yeah. Sorry about that. I thought he deserved a bit of a scare, and there was no way for me to explain to you what I was doing without giving the game away,” she replied casually and my annoyance built.

  She put both of her hands on each side of Brian’s head. His eyes followed her in an empty sort of way. “You won’t remember any of this,” she said to him, her voice a low monotone. “You will tell Eliza that Tegan is never left alone. Tell her that her witch friend keeps a constant watch over her and that she’s extremely powerful. You will say that even ten of her strongest vampires wouldn’t be able to get past me.”

  She clicked her fingers in his face, and he blinked, waking up from whatever kind of trance he’d been in. “Now that’s you all done. Let’s hope you get that work
promotion you were hoping for,” she said with a big smile.

  Brian nodded, looking a little dazed. He shoved his hand in his pocket, pulled out a wad of cash, handed it to Rita, and left.

  I shook my head at her. “I can’t believe you just did that.” I paused, looking out the window to make sure he was really gone. “I also can’t believe you let him pay for the privilege.”

  “Hey, I’ve got bills to pay.”

  “You didn’t need to torture him the way you did.”

  “Are you forgetting what he said? The vampires basically plan on nailing you to a crucifix for their entertainment. I should be wondering why you aren’t angrier.”

  “I am angry. I’m also scared, but taking it out on someone like Brian doesn’t achieve anything.”

  “If you don’t like my tactics, fine, but you can at least thank me for saving you from being kidnapped.”

  At this, I lost some of my steam. “You’re right. Thank you.”

  Rita smiled as she put her money away in her purse. “You’re welcome.”

  Something niggled at me. Something that said I should mention Rita’s odd behaviour to Noreen as soon as she, Gabriel, and Alvie returned from their trip.

  ***

  Finn and Ira arrived home later in the evening, and Ira went straight out to the back garden to meditate. He seemed happy that the mist had all been cleared from the shed, thanks to Rita and the vamps. I noticed he often preferred to be outdoors, and having the chaos mist in the shed was obviously messing with his chill vibes.

  About an hour later, Rita came into the house carrying Chinese takeaway for everyone. It was a good thing Finn and Ira ate so much or we’d never get through it all. Rita brought Finn up to speed on our encounter with Brian, and his lips formed a straight, unhappy line.

  “Fuck’s sake, that’s all we need,” he said, dragging a hand through his hair. “As if we don’t already have enough to deal with now the vamps are itching for a fight. Well, if they cross the river, they’ll get one.”

  “Eliza despises me. Whitfield, too. It was only a matter of time before they were going to try to get their revenge,” I said.

  A foreboding silence filled the room as we finished eating. Finn went upstairs to take a shower while Ira and I started filling the dishwasher. We were interrupted by a knock on the door, and I knew it was Ethan from the way the lust potion woke up inside me. It was much duller now, more of a mild annoyance than an all-consuming need. Rita went to let him in, and he strolled into the kitchen with Lucas and Delilah on his heels.

  “Hey, any way for you to tell Eliza Whitfield to fuck off sending her blood donors to try and kidnap me?” I asked, annoyed at how he just stood there staring at me in that cold, judgemental way of his.

  Ethan’s look was impassive. “What are you talking about?”

  “Eliza sent one of her blood donors here today to spy on us. If it weren’t for Rita giving him a truth spell and hypnotising him, then he might have gotten away with it, too.”

  The only indication of his surprise was a slight raising of his eyebrow. “Did he say why he was spying?”

  “Yes, apparently she wanted him to cart me across the river to vampire territory so that she could kill me publicly as some kind of an example to traitors.”

  Ethan scratched at the stubble on his jaw, his expression uneasy. “Eliza isn’t the kind of person to let go of a grudge, and after what you did to her in her father’s home, I’m assuming that her ill will against you is now quite substantial.”

  “All of you aren’t the kind to let go of a grudge,” I muttered under my breath.

  Ethan’s eyebrow rose higher. “What was that?”

  “You heard me,” I replied, not dropping his gaze.

  “You’re acting like a petulant child.”

  “It makes sense that you’d think that since you’re, oh, two-hundred and fifty years older than me.”

  “Oh, burn,” Rita said, chuckling.

  Ethan stared me down. “Are you calling me old?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you need to learn some manners.”

  “I think you need to pull that stick out of your backside.”

  “For crying out loud,” Delilah said, exasperated. “Can you two either go fuck or just not speak at all? Because this bickering is getting old.”

  Her statement plunged me into a pool of embarrassment. My cheeks heated as I turned away from Ethan, unable to look at him. Lucas cleared his throat, a hint of amusement in his voice as he addressed Rita. “We came to see if you’d like to join us tonight.”

  “Oh? Are you going mist hunting?”

  Lucas nodded. Rita grinned. “Count me in. I just have to wait until Mum, Alvie, and Gabe arrive. They should be home within the hour. Apparently, they have news.”

  “Of course,” Ethan answered as he took a seat by the table. “We can wait.”

  “Good news or bad news?” I asked.

  Rita pulled a stray bit of lint from the sleeve of her top. “Um, I’m not entirely sure.”

  “Well, you told them you figured out how to kill the mist, right?”

  “Yeah. It’s not about that. The warlock they visited has crazy psychic skills. He can cast spells that allow him to project his mind into another person’s and see their intentions.”

  “Can he see anybody’s intentions or just those who are in the room with him?” Ethan questioned.

  “Anybody’s, I think,” Rita answered.

  “This news should be interesting then,” he said, sitting back in his chair, a contemplative look on his annoyingly handsome face.

  7.

  We spent the next half hour in awkward conversation, and it became even more awkward when Finn entered the room. He and Ethan didn’t breathe a word to one another; however, I did notice a few cutting looks thrown back and forth. I made some tea and sat on the kitchen counter since there were no seats left. Sensing someone’s attention, I found Ethan watching me closely.

  “Has Marcel’s potion worn off yet?” he asked quietly over the conversation of the others. Finn was describing Pamphrock’s idea for modifying the fire extinguishers.

  “Yes,” I answered, a half-lie. I wasn’t sure whether the tingles I felt when he looked at me now were from the potion or just the usual Ethan effect.

  “Good,” he replied, voice low. “I’m sorry for how I spoke to you earlier.”

  I lifted my hands. “Hey, I was a bitch, too. I shouldn’t have called you old. It was a low blow.”

  His lips twitched ever so slightly. A beat of silence fell between us, and his eyes wandered to my lips before darkening when they reached my neck. Crap, I’d forgotten to cover my bruises.

  “Who did that to you?” he questioned, voice tight.

  “They’re from yesterday when Finn was possessed by the mist.”

  “He tried to strangle you?”

  “He didn’t try anything. It was the mist.”

  Ethan nodded, though it looked like it took all his willpower not to confront Finn right then. He lowered his voice instead, asking, “Do you want some blood to heal the bruises?”

  His question sent tingles all down my spine. I remembered the last time I drank his blood, how passion had almost overwhelmed us. “No, thank you,” I replied, because although I’d love to relive the experience, it was too risky. Drinking Ethan’s blood too often could lead to an addiction, which was something I very much wanted to avoid.

  “If you change your mind, let me know,” he said just as the front door opened and Noreen, Gabriel, and Alvie spilled into the kitchen. Warm greetings and hugs were exchanged, cups of tea were offered, and then everyone settled down to hear the news they had to share.

  Gabriel placed both hands around his mug, but he seemed a little hesitant to talk.

  “Out with it,” Rita said impatiently. I felt the same way, realising I’d taken the blade Finn gave me from my pocket and was absently flicking it open and shut out of anxiety.

  Gab
riel glanced around the room. “I take it you all know about the spells Neil can do,” he said finally.

  “Neil’s your warlock friend?” Delilah asked.

  “That’s right.”

  “Yeah, we know. Rita told us.” I interjected.

  “Okay,” Gabriel swallowed tightly. “Well, after Rita called to let us know that she’d figured out how to kill the mist, we decided to make use of the trip by getting Neil to perform one of his spells. This was with the intention of projecting himself into Theodore’s mind.”

  There was an audible communal intake of breath during Gabriel’s brief pause.

  “He managed to successfully connect with the sorcerer, and he discovered that Theodore has an active affiliation with hell and can now bring small entities over to this side whenever he likes. That’s what he’s been doing with the mist.”

  “The bastard!” Rita exclaimed.

  “That’s what I said when Neil told us,” Alvie commented with a quirky grin.

  “But that’s not all,” Gabriel went on. “He’s been bringing the mist over here with a precise purpose.”

  “And what’s that?” Ethan questioned.

  Gabriel levelled his half-brother with a serious look. “He wants to drive the humans insane so that their numbers will dwindle. If the humans start to die out, there’ll be fewer and fewer blood sources for vampires, forcing them to leave the city. The ones who stay will end up fighting amongst themselves for the remaining humans to feed off. In other words, things on the south side will be left wide open for Theodore to step in and take control.”

  Ethan rose from his chair at this piece of information and started to pace back and forth across the small room.

  “Well, I can’t say I find the thing about the vamps very upsetting,” Finn said. “But I can certainly see the disadvantages of Theodore having the run of the city. The DOH is still recovering its numbers, so if he gets rid of Whitfield and sets his sights on Pamphrock, it’ll be lights out for us.”

  I couldn’t help watching Ethan as he paced. “Why are you so on edge?” I asked. “The vampires exiled you. Do you really care if they’re forced to leave the city? It’s not like they’d stay just to prove a point. They’d starve if they did that. Obviously, they’ll just move on to some other place.”