Hells Magic (The Armistice Book 1)

by Leslie Vatenar

  The movement didn’t escape him, and his smile morphed into a bitter expression.

  “Everyone I met in my life was terrified of me. Until then, it was a real blessing.” He took a deep breath before looking at me in the mirror. “Show me. Please?”

  Despite myself, I smiled at the question, and he gave me back my smile. I removed the illusion. I knew I hadn’t resisted for long, but his smile had melted my heart and all resistance had evaporated in the air.

  His expression turned focused. He parted my hair to get a better view of the wound.

  “Why don’t you heal?”

  “I must have drained that power by healing Liam.”

  “Do you no longer feel it?”

  “Yes, but it’s weak. It needs time.”

  Quite the opposite of his magic that filled the bathroom. It didn’t seem at all threatening or terrifying like the first time we met, it seemed benevolent. It was like being in the eye of a cyclone; everything could crash around us, but where I was, I felt safe.

  It was a roller coaster with him. Sometimes I’d feel his power around me, caressing me like a flower he was afraid to break, and at other times he became a dangerous man to avoid at all costs. Maybe I should have differentiated the man he was from the man he was with me. Maybe that would have been stupid. People shouldn’t change depending on whom they were talking to. You could call it hypocrisy.

  He thought about it for a moment. “What if I boost it?”

  “No. I’ll get better. I gave a lot of my energy to Liam; I’m exhausted, that’s normal. We need you to be at your best.”

  “Katy, I have the energy to spare.” He gently took my head in both hands and closed his eyes, focused. “Go ahead. Use your healing power.”

  I did as he said. At first, my power remained unchanged, weak. But more and more it took energy, and I felt it work until I felt no more pain. My back was better, so was my head. My wounds had closed.

  Jayden opened his bright eyes, shining with an eerie blue. His gaze swept over where the wound was, and he smiled with a satisfied look.

  I touched my head. There was nothing left. “Thank you,” I whispered, turning to him.

  His smile reached his eyes and my heart skipped a beat. He inched forward. Only a few millimeters separated our bodies now. He stared at me and his knuckles brushed my heated cheek. His fingertips lingered on my lips, tracing them. His gaze changed. A burning desire in his ocean eyes mesmerized me.

  In those eyes I saw him lean over me until his lips touched my bare neck. And I’d let him do it. There was no more Craid, no more danger and a powerful man; there were just a woman and a man who shared an intense and unreal moment. During this millisecond, I could pretend I didn’t have the fate of mages to carry on my shoulders and Jayden wasn’t a dangerous mage. Just a man who seemed to be attracted to me. Like I was attracted to him.

  I didn’t move. The delicate, virtual touch of his lips on my skin was exquisite. I shuddered as if all this was real. A fantasy more alive than ever. His hands slid under my shirt and stroked every part of my body. Desire licked through my veins. Electricity shot through me like a bolt of lightning as I leaned over, drowning in his tantalizing scent. His lips brushed my cheek and he kissed the corner of my mouth. His intense look, his warm breath and the caresses he was planting on my body, it was too much for me. At these mental images, I felt as if I caught fire. In this moment I saw it in his eyes, he wanted it too; he lived it too. But in reality we were there, looking at each other without moving, without breathing.

  CHAPTER 15

  A knock on the door startled me as I stood still in front of Jayden. An angry grimace appeared on his face and he turned to open it. Maurice stood at the door. An expression of disgust and conspicuous contempt marred his face. I didn’t pay attention to his show of hatred. I was far too busy trying to calm the firestorm raging inside me.

  Jayden left without a word.

  “You’re making a big mistake! Never in my life have I seen such a naïve woman, and they’ve accepted you as a guardian of supernatural minors? Have they lost their minds at the Armistice? Or have you received special treatment because of your relationship with Alice?” Maurice raged, blowing up my daydream.

  When I heard Maurice’s words, I felt much more than anger. Now I wanted him to catch fire.

  “I’ve become the guardian of supernatural minors through my work and my abilities, nothing else,” I retorted, my blood boiling with rage.

  I worked hard for that job. I would never have accepted it if someone told me I didn’t deserve it. This job would allow me to protect young supernaturals. I’d only deal with the minors’ cases. They would come to me to confide in me or to report a crime they would have been victims of.

  Because of Craid, I couldn’t start this work, but I cared a lot about it.

  “You have a job, making sure the books don’t fall into the wrong hands. You tell me how you’ll fight The Reaper without our help? You should be more grateful,” I said before turning my back and joining the two supernaturals, uncomfortable being there.

  “We’ll wait for The Reaper, we’ll catch her, and then we’ll question her. We can’t miss an opportunity like this. If The Reaper is involved, Craid is planning a big move. We have to stop him,” I said to Liam when we met in the living room. “The Hells soldiers pursued me… I thought they wanted to kill all the Armistice members and seize the power so that Craid would impose his dictatorship, but I’m thinking maybe that wasn’t it. Maybe he was trying to kill me to keep me from spreading the news that the Armistice had been attacked without knowing that I didn’t want the public to know.”

  “He’s got something other than a dictatorship in mind?” Liam asked.

  “Maurice, what magical spells require a place in power?”

  The guardian, who had joined us, thought about my question. Meanwhile, my brain was working at a hundred miles an hour, assessing the possibilities. “He took Alice’s powers, why?” I thought aloud.

  Maurice shrugged. “No idea.”

  I looked at Jayden. “He’s powerful and deadly. Like you.”

  I was getting more and more worried.

  “He isn’t like me. Under no circumstances are we equal.”

  Maurice became paler and paler as time went on. His eyes roved over the books with uncontrolled anxiety. “Whatever happens we must protect the books and stop The Reaper.”

  “You know what she wants,” I said.

  “I know what we don’t want. Let her get what she wants.”

  ***

  Hours later, we were in the car. A heavy silence reigned. Liam felt he’d explode if he spent another minute in that library, and I had gladly accompanied him in the car. I also wasn’t very comfortable with this place, visited every night by The Reaper. What terrible publicity it made for the world’s most famous library of the supernaturals.

  And I was stressed. I didn’t know if Alice was safe, I missed her and I hoped she was okay.

  My heart was pounding in my chest. The night wind and the shadow of tree branches moving in the moonlight added a disturbing feeling to this gloomy atmosphere. If I was burning up earlier in the afternoon, I was frozen now. I felt like if I didn’t move at all, I could disappear from this hell.

  How were we supposed to capture The Reaper? Maurice had explained to me she was indeed The Reaper described in the legends. Death personified. How could we stop death?

  She was known for her deceptions and masterful illusions. She could make anyone believe that he was dying then kill him better. She could also make herself invisible. She was immortal, and no weapon to our knowledge could defeat her. I was wondering how on earth we were going to come out of this fight alive.

  “Katy, you’ll stay with me. Whatever happens, you don’t disappear on me.”

  I would have had the arrogance to tell him I didn’t need a bodyguard, but I preferred honesty. So I shook my head in a definitive yes. I wouldn’t
run behind him but do my best to get us all home one day. I’d have his back. However, he seemed to want to clarify the situation.

  “She’s sneaky; she can play with the mind. I’m counting on you to bring me back to reality if she gets a hold on me and I’ll do the same for you. Liam, you make sure Maurice stays alive. I know you don’t carry him in your heart, but it’s the collective that will save us tonight.”

  Liam didn’t answer. I wondered what had upset him so much. But he didn’t seem willing to explain.

  “Did you understand, Liam?” Jayden insisted.

  “He can burn in hell as far as it concerns me. If he dies, the books burn. No more books, no more reapers. Problem solved.”

  “Liam, these books are historical and important, we can’t allow their destruction if we can help it, the Order needs them.”

  “I don’t care; they shouldn’t have left them to a disguised demon. You can stay calm, show an air of detachment as much as you want in front of others, but I know you. I know you want to bang his head against a brick wall as much as I do. You’re doing the good guy in front of Katy, but a few weeks earlier you’d have burned him along with his books without hesitation.” He opened his door. “I’m going for a stroll.”

  With these words, Liam got out of the car. Jayden did the same, pursuing his angry friend.

  I found myself alone. Me and the morbid sound of the wind. A simple draft and I was under the impression that Death was whispering in my ear. A shiver ran through my spine.

  I felt her power caress my skin, offering me a thousand and one ways to die. The sound of my heartbeat resonated in my head; the striking anguish of an unexpected attack made me tremble.

  The driver’s side door burst open. I lost it. A cry of dread eluded me. Meanwhile, I called my magic for the most powerful attack of my life. I couldn’t see anything, it was dark, but I was sure, no matter how close Death was, my attack would have its effect.

  Only I heard Jayden’s voice. “Katy! It’s me.”

  “What? Jayden!” I opened my eyes.

  Oh, that’s why it was dark.

  “Dammit! You put the fear of God into me!” I hissed.

  But as I was looking at him, a tall, black figure behind him brandished its scythe.

  “Watch out!” I shouted, grabbing him by the T-shirt.

  I held him against me and the scythe cut the seat.

  The figure disappeared. With a deafening noise, the door closed. The monstrous face of an old lady appeared behind the glass. Her eyes were gouged out, the empty sockets shedding black blood; her skin was wrinkled to the bone, and her smile revealed steel teeth cut like bear traps.

  “Ah!” I shrieked.

  Then the image disappeared.

  Jayden was lying between my legs spread wide. My breathing was getting out of control. Icy dread rolled down my spine. Adrenaline flowed hot in my veins. Give me a mage, a necromancer, a shapeshifter. Okay, I could try to get out of trouble, but The Reaper, Death; that was beyond my capabilities. Staring Death in the face made perfect sense.

  “Katy!”

  I didn’t listen, I scrutinized the surroundings, on the lookout for the slightest attack, which I knew was soon to come. He placed his hands on my shoulders and his face in front of mine.

  “She’s playing with us. Keep calm, I’m here. You just saved my life. Keep going like this and everything will be fine,” he said with a reassuring smile.

  To my surprise, I calmed down. Keep him alive, I’d do anything for that, including calming down. We were together. It was already a blessing. I nodded.

  “You’ve listened to my thoughts,” I whispered.

  “I’m sorry.” He didn’t seem sorry. “I made sure she didn’t enter your mind.”

  “I can perfectly scare myself. She’s wasting her time.”

  “I can’t feel her presence. We have to go inside.”

  Go inside, walk… I was hoping my legs would have the strength to carry me. We got out of the car, heading for Maurice’s house. I was surprised my legs didn’t wobble.

  Inside, there wasn’t a trace of Maurice or Liam. It was dark, and silence reigned. I inspected everything, from the dark corners to the ceiling. My eyes didn’t miss any information.

  Jayden was in an attacking position, but, unlike my power, which was ready to emerge, his magic was non-existent. He hid his magical essence. I didn’t know why. However, one of us had to be ready because I knew The Reaper would be fast.

  All my senses were razor-sharp; I felt the ambient energy, noticing the slightest kinetic energy that could alert me to a movement. And when a presence appeared behind me, scythe in hand, I was a second ahead.

  I stooped, dragging Jayden with me. The deadly weapon missed our heads. When we stood up, we were alone again, but the deafening cry of a baby echoed in the living room. The baby seemed so close; his cries filled every nook of the room. A frigid draft paralyzed me and, soon after, a scorching heat came to contrast with the polar air. My teeth chattered and the next second I wanted to throw my clothes on the ground.

  The room was spinning, and the shelves became blurry. The baby’s cry annoyed me, causing me to lose my concentration. From behind me, Jayden extended his arm, and I grabbed it, using him as a landmark.

  In front of us, Liam appeared out of thin air. He was motionless; his eyes were wide open with terror. He was held by The Reaper who brought her scythe to his neck.

  She had a long black gown with a hood that hid her face. However, even when she was right in front of us, she didn’t seem to have a face, only darkness appeared below her hood.

  “No!” I hollered.

  I tried to run to help Liam, but Jayden held me back.

  “Nothing that happens in this room is true,” he said.

  A playful and childish laugh resonated in the room. Liam’s image, his throat slit, covered in blood, froze my bones before he disappeared.

  “Your lifeless body; that will be true!”

  The voice far too close caught my attention. I saw a huge scythe swinging in front of us at top speed. Jayden dived to the left as I took the right. The figure appeared in front of her scythe and seized her weapon stuck into the ground.

  She wielded her weapon, swinging it toward Jayden. He rolled on the ground to avoid it and I threw myself without thinking on the back of The Reaper, holding her by the neck. Without delay, I poured pure energy into her body.

  She burst out with a playful laugh, elbowed me, and attacked me with her scythe. Something pulled me from behind and I landed a few meters away on my butt, avoiding the fatal blow. Jayden had gotten up and used a draft to throw me backward. Then he created a fireball as big as a football and threw it at The Reaper. The blow hurled her to the ground. She disappeared.

  Jayden’s face darkened, anger and determination swirled in his eyes. The Reaper appeared again behind him, but he felt her coming. He spread his arms. A gust of wind and fire spread out of him with impressive power and speed.

  It hit The Reaper head-on. She was tossed in the air and collapsed against the shelves. It was the most impressive gust I had ever seen. The Reaper struggled to get up, and I took advantage of that moment when she couldn’t disappear. I placed my hands on the ground and released a powerful beam of pure energy that crossed the distance between us. She convulsed as the energy invaded her body and screamed in pain.

  Behind me, I felt Jayden’s power. He had created a portal and this portal, this portal… No, it wasn’t what I saw.

  Fierce barking petrified me. The portal, red in the background, let in two hellhounds. Dogs as high as my shoulder. Jayden stroked one of them, his eyes so blue it was painful to look at him. They were the same dogs with which he’d threatened me the first day we met.

  He and the hellhounds turned to The Reaper who was getting up. Jayden raised both hands, and the hellhounds attacked. The Reaper whirled around until she was in the middle of a tornado that delayed the dogs in their attack. J
ayden ran toward her. He passed through the tornado as if it were not there. A circle of blue fire emerged from the inside and destroyed the tornado.

  The Reaper appeared again on her knees. The hellhounds barked, starving for blood. They threw themselves at her and shredded her. But the more they did the less physical the figure seemed to be. They just seemed to shred a dress with no one wearing it.

  “I have underestimated my opponent,” said a slow, tired voice behind me.

  I turned around and found myself in front of a tall bewitching woman with deep black eyes and long black hair floating around her. Her never-ending legs were those of a model. A long black trapeze dress kissed her slender body. She was as beautiful as she was deadly. I understood why her illusions were legendary. The details were impressive, from the vegvisir tattoo on her right shoulder to the Italian phrase tattoo on her left leg. She had created a real human physique.

  “Although I doubt the outcome may be any different,” she drawled.

  Her voice was hoarse, and her callous tone made my toes curl. She gazed at Jayden surrounded by his two Hells dogs. “You’re as strong as he is.” She stopped, motionless. “The only difference is that you have a weakness and not him.”

  I felt her presence behind me before I saw her move. She grasped me, and a sharp stabbing pain ran through my entire body. An ear-splitting cry escaped from my mouth. I’d never felt such pain before.

  I was sure I’d caught fire. Every part of my body was burning; my bones were breaking, my muscles were tensing to the extreme. There would be nothing left of me.

  “If you take a single step, she’s dead.”

  I couldn’t see anything, I couldn’t even think, I could only smell my burned skin.

  “Bring me the heart.”

  “Let her go now or I swear I’ll rip each of your bones off one by one,” Jayden threatened.

  “I can’t die, you idiot.”

  “But that isn’t the purpose of the operation.”