by D. N. Hoxa
But two years later, after my mother died and I tucked away her bones, I realized I no longer wanted it. I was used to relying only on my body. I wouldn’t even know what to do with magic now. I was already too old to understand it in the first place. So I kept Mother’s bones because she wanted me to, just in case I someday wanted to do the ritual myself. At twenty-three, that hasn’t happened, and I was happy that way. Magic could be a burden, and I didn’t want another one of those.
That was why I was now in my ex’s car, driving all the way to Inwood to deliver a stupid package for three gold coins because I didn’t have the heart to sell Mother’s jewelry.
The address James had written on the package along with the name of the recipient took me to an old but well maintained building on a relatively quiet street. The fences were high, freshly painted and very sharp at the top, as if to make sure nobody made it over them if they somehow broke all the spells that guarded the place. The stairs that led to the white, two-story building were massive, the lawn on both sides of them perfectly mowed. I was early, but I wasn’t about to wait for noon.
The few people walking down the street didn’t even look at me twice as I made my way to the building. The gate was pretty heavy, but it wasn’t locked. The smell of magic, like wet wood mixed with a bit of menthol, confirmed my suspicion of spells being cast all over the place. If I so much as thought about attacking, they would all come to life against me. It took a very powerful witch to conjure spells as strong as these. For a second, it made me wonder who these people were.
Since I wasn’t there with any bad intentions in mind, nothing stopped me. I took the stairs two at a time and was about to knock on the double doors when one of them opened. Out came a young man with eyes like liquid metal. They were blue and they were grey and every color in between. I took a step back involuntarily as he took me in, his thick brows narrowed.
Then he smiled. His brows weren’t narrow. They just missed an arch, which made him look pissed off even when he wasn’t. But the smile…oh, that smile could melt hearts in a blink of an eye. Even Dylan hadn’t made my heart race the same way it did now as I stood in front of the stranger.
He stepped outside and closed the door behind him, one arm inside his leather jacket. Strings of chocolate brown hair fell over his left eye, and his attempt to smooth them back was useless. They fell right back.
“Can I help you?”
The sound of his voice pulled me out of the trance I was in. I realized I was acting like a little witch, but it couldn’t be helped. I was probably going to remember that face for a long time, but for now, I got my shit together and took in a deep breath.
“I’m looking for Julian Walker?” My voice came off a bit scratchy. Probably because my throat was super dry at the moment.
“Who’s asking?” the man said, half a smile still playing on his lips. Now was not the time to think about how juicy they looked, but I did anyway. Such a rebel.
“Winter Wayne. I have a package to deliver.”
I showed him James’s package, and his straight brows rose. Not that bad a look on him, to be honest.
“Well, Winter Wayne, you’re in luck.” The man offered me his hand. “Julian Walker.”
Did I really want to shake this gorgeous man’s hand?
No, wrong question. Should I?
Probably not.
“I’d like to see some ID.”
I hated to leave the man hanging, but I had no idea what kind of a witch he was—he was no werewolf, and definitely not a vampire—or what his touch could do to me. Hotness be damned, I wasn’t about to turn this delivery into a wreck like I had my last job.
With a tight-lipped smile, Julian pulled his hand away and reached for the back pocket of his jeans. His brown leather wallet looked a thousand years old, but he somehow made that work in his favor. When he showed me his driver’s license and I read the name on it, I sighed in relief. I just loved easy jobs.
“Here you go.” I offered the package, and he took it like he couldn’t wait to look inside. Which made me wonder… “What’s in there?” Now I really wished I’d cared enough to look inside.
“Nothing you need to worry about, but thank you,” Julian said with a determined nod. “What coven?”
I hadn’t been asked that question in so long, it was almost weird. Especially since Bones no longer had a coven. All of them had gone off on their own, just like my mother and I. “Bone.” The need to know his was exactly what stopped me from asking back.
But Julian squinted his gorgeous eyes in suspicion. “Are you sure?”
His question was laugh-worthy. Was I sure about what I was? Um, yes, sir. “Very.”
With a nod, he looked down at his feet. “I’ll see you around, Winter Wayne.” This time, he didn’t offer me his hand. He walked around me and ran down the stairs.
Done.
I took the time to zip my jacket—it was pretty cold out there—and I slowly walked myself out, three gold coins richer than the day before. Next stop was Dirty Joe’s bar back home. I was sure to find Elijah holed up in there, and he was the best exchange guy around.
I pushed the gate closed with my foot, feeling wonderful for having completed a job successfully, and debated giving Finn a call to tell him about it. He needed to be reminded of all the jobs I’d done better than anyone at the agency. Of all the people that had come back over and over again because of me.
No other freelancer could have caught Jimmy Nolan stealing spell stones with the illegal one he’d probably bought off the black market, because he was not a smart enough witch to create one on his own. It took every stone I had to nail the guy that the ECU had been looking for, for months, but I did it, all by myself.
No other freelancer accepted the job to go after Amy Raid, the Blood witch who had figured out a way to manipulate a whole neighborhood of humans to do her bidding, playing queen-and-slave with them all day long. Everybody feared they’d end up with a screw loose in their heads if she got to them, but not me. I went in, guns blazing, my braid full of stones, and I nailed the witch. It made my career, and Finn was sure happy about it, but did he remember how much richer he got for that job when he gave me the proverbial foot up my ass?
No, sir.
Maybe this was what I was meant to do now. Go solo. What else was there left?
When the door to the building behind me opened again, I looked back to see three men coming out. They seemed to be in a hurry. The first thing I noticed about them was that they all had guns in their hands. The second thing was that they were all wearing black suits.
The guy in the middle met my eyes before I could look away. Instinctively, my hand went behind my back, under my jacket, fingers wrapped around the handle of my gun.
“Stop,” the man ordered, and he rushed down the stairs. Was he talking to me?
My beads began to vibrate around my fingers, a reflection of what I was feeling inside. I fell back and took out my gun and a knife, my muscles preparing for a fight, though I knew this was just a misunderstanding. I hadn’t done anything wrong—that I knew of.
Subject: werewolf.
Weakest points: neck, heart.
Favorite killing method: bullet through heart.
It was never a smart idea to get close and personal with a werewolf. I’d learned that lesson the hard way when I killed my target and got myself kicked out of the Agency. More suited werewolves came out of the door when the first one reached the gate—and me. My arm was already raised, gun pointed, finger on the trigger.
“This is a misunderstanding,” I said though my gut was telling me that it was useless to try and talk to him. But I’d killed three vampires the night before. I didn’t want any more blood on my hands if I could help it.
“Where is the package?” the werewolf said, his voice thick with anger.
“Delivered,” I breathed. Julian’s smile came to my mind. Had he somehow tricked me?
No, I’d seen the driver’s license. I would have smelle
d the spell if he’d altered it.
“To who?” the man continued as if his gun wasn’t pointed right at my head, and my gun right at his heart. Shit. Just when I thought the job had been easy. What the hell had I gotten myself into this time?
“Julian Walker.” There was no reason for me to keep the name a secret.
Six werewolves in front of me now, all of their guns aiming at my face. My four beads floated above my head, ready to unleash against the werewolves’ eyes. That was going to gain me some time, at least. I called to my powers, to what little magic I had, and I prepared a shield in front of me. It was the only thing I’d rehearsed and the only thing that worked as it should, though I’d never tested it against six bullets. I’d only ever tested my magic against two, and that did wonders to my confidence at the moment.
“We’re going to need you to come with us,” the werewolf said, and I almost laughed. What the hell was it about me recently? I seemed to be a magnet for trouble.
“I’m not going anywhere. I delivered the package to the person I was supposed to deliver it to. My job here is done.”
I sounded braver than I felt. Usually, in my jobs, I had the element of surprise going for me. My targets never expected me. Now, as I watched all six of them looking at me like I was their target, for the first time in my life, I considered escaping. Too bad there was no way in hell I could run because I was in the middle of the street. Bullets were much faster than my legs.
The first werewolf’s hand tightened around his gun. A shiver ran down my back. All my being focused on the shield in front of me, hoping against hope that it would hold all the bullets that were about to fire at me. My finger squeezed the trigger just a bit and my beads buzzed as if they were impatient. I was as ready as the werewolves, and they didn’t look like they would go down without a real fight. Chances were I was going to lose, and I really didn’t want to find out how this ended.
The sound of screeching tires made all of us turn right. A bright red car was coming at me, full speed. Shocked, I jumped back a second before the car stopped right where I’d been. The werewolves fired. My shield was long gone, but for some reason, no bullet reached me. It took me a second to realize that they were all now aiming for the car. At the person in it.
Julian Walker.
“Get in!” he shouted as he lowered his head.
I didn’t need to be told twice. I opened the door and jumped in the backseat, face first.
Gunshots everywhere. I kept expecting to feel pain, but the pain never came. When the car began to move again, it nearly knocked me against the front seats. My gun and knife were in my hands, so I couldn’t hold onto anything. The bullets kept coming, and it sounded like they were hitting the back of the car now. That was confirmed when pieces of glass fell all over my back when the rear window was shattered.
The car turned left fast, and I was nearly knocked out again, but a second later, all that was left of the gunshots was their sound.
Pieces of glass everywhere. I barely managed to sit up, breathing heavily. We’d turned the corner, but it was probably only a matter of time before those werewolves followed our trail. They looked pretty determined.
Fucking hell, just when I’d made the easiest money of my life.
“Are you okay?” Julian Walker asked. I was a second away from shooting his brains out, but the man was driving.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” I hissed and climbed over to the front because I couldn’t sit on glass.
“I just saved you. They were going to kill you,” he said, his eyes glued to the broken windshield. I didn’t even know how he could see through it.
“Why did they ask for the package? Your name was on it.” It just didn’t make any sense. Julian’s name was written on the package; otherwise I would’ve never given it to him. I kept looking back to see if we were being followed, but so far, no car was behind us.
“Because the package was meant for me,” he said, shaking his head, his knuckles white as he held the steering wheel with all his strength.
“What’s in that package?” I asked. Nobody was going to come out guns blazing over something that wasn’t very important.
“Let’s just get to safety first,” said Julian.
It made me want to slap the hell out of him, but I held on tightly to my gun and knife.
“There is no safety. They are going to follow us,” I hissed. When werewolves like that looked for you, there really wasn’t any place you could hide.
“I could’ve just left you there, you know? They’re not going to find us. Just let me drive,” Julian insisted, his voice rising.
It was true; he could’ve left me there. There was no way I’d have been able to fight and kill six werewolves with guns. Hand-to-hand combat would have been a different story. Had I had my magic, that would’ve changed things, too. But as it was, if Julian hadn’t come with his car, those werewolves would have killed me, or worse: they would’ve taken me to God knows where.
I let him drive and tried to focus on creating a shield to cover up the whole car because the werewolves couldn’t be too far, though Julian kept switching roads every chance he got. I managed but only barely, and for a second, I almost wished I’d performed that stupid ritual. I wished I’d had all my powers with me.
Bone witches were strong. Not as strong as Blood witches, but only because blood was stronger than bone. It stored magic better. Green witches got their magic from the ground, and they were the weakest among us. And as for Hedges, they used to be stronger than all, but only during the night. I guess that’s why they disappeared.
“Don’t do any spells.” Julian’s voice cost me half the focus and the shield I had around us began to fade.
“What?”
“They can track spells. Don’t do any,” he said. “Including those.” He nodded at the beads around my bloody fingers, swirling as if they had no care in the world.
“Not a spell.” It was not a spell conjured by me. It was conjured by my great-great-grandmother who was long dead, and therefore, it couldn’t be tracked. But now I realized who we were dealing with. Only the strongest witches could pick up a trail of magic. And the strongest witches were all in one place: the Executive Control Unit.
The ECU was the equivalent of the government, only the rules set by them weren’t as generous as those of humans. They laid low for the most part and only intervened when shit hit the fan—like in the case of Amy Raid. Rumor had it they were connected to the U.S. government, too, just in case something went awry. They had connections everywhere, and the paranoid among us even believed the ECU spied on every witch, vampire, werewolf and fairy in the state on a daily basis. They were the ones who’d practically created Finn’s division where I used to freelance. Only they were allowed to want something stolen, someone captured or dead.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” This was ridiculous. Nobody messed with the ECU. Nobody even talked about them, and now I was on the run from the very same.
“Just hold on tightly,” Julian said. “They’re not going to find us.”
“How the hell would you know?”
“Because the spell I’m using isn’t registered.” For a second, Julian grinned.
“Every spell is registered.” There was a magical book somewhere that contained every spell of every coven in the world. Guess who had it?
Yep. The ECU.
“Not this one,” was all the explanation Julian gave me. Double shit. The people who used unregistered spells were the ones I hunted for a living. Used to hunt for a living. Being seen in a car with one of them made me a target, too. But then again, I was already a target for those werewolves. And to be honest, a lot of people used unregistered spells and never got caught. To prosecute us, the ECU and my former colleagues at Finn’s agency had to catch us first. Or at least that’s what I told myself.
My muscles began to relax. I didn’t want to trust in any word he said, but my instincts were telling my body that I could. I wasn’
t always a great judge of character, but when I felt so strongly about something, the chances that I was wrong were few. Squeezing my eyes shut, I breathed deeply to calm my racing heart. I was all right. I was going to make it out of whatever mess I was in. It was only a matter of time.
And if I couldn’t, then I’d do what I always did: I’d stand and fight until my dying breath.
Three
“Where are we?” I asked almost an hour later when Julian finally stopped the car. The underground parking lot was dark and not that many cars were in there.
“Harlem,” he said.
My eyes rolled all on their own.
“I know we’re in Harlem. I mean where are we?” I didn’t like the grin that broke on his beautiful face, and I didn’t like his arrogance, either.
“Just under my apartment building.”
“Oh, wow. First time we meet and you’re already taking me home?” No emotion in my voice. Damn it, I couldn’t even tease right. I was too exhausted and the vampire bite under my black turtleneck was beginning to sting again. Guess the meds had already begun to wear off.
“I’d actually prefer to take you right here, if this was that kind of a meeting,” said Julian, and to his credit, his teasing was much more subtle than mine.
“If this was that kind of a meeting, I’d probably even ask you how.” Two could play the game and I wasn’t one to back down, no matter how tired I was. In fact, the stupid game served to take my mind off things and give myself a break for a second. I grinned.
“And if this was that kind of a meeting, I’d say on my lap. I would’ve even given you details.”
For a second his eyes moved down to my breasts. I almost blushed. Almost.
“I’m very good with words.”
Somehow, I was pretty sure he spoke the truth. And now that he’d mentioned it, I could picture myself on his lap, my ass against the steering wheel, and his hands…stop.