by Vivian Arend
An hour later, I was fresh from the shower when a knock sounded at my door. I pulled on clean jeans and headed to greet my guests.
The strawberry-blond witch stood with Boulard, a woman with curly red hair, and Beatrice Kelton, the longtime New Orleans coven leader. “Mr. Paxton?” Jade said. “I believe you were expecting us.”
I flashed her a smile. “Ms. Calhoun. It’s good to see you well. Our last meeting… uh, that was an unpleasant piece of business. I’m glad the Brotherhood was able to get the situation under control.”
Lucien scowled. “Under control? You’re the one who delivered me there.”
My smile vanished. He had every right to hate my guts. “My apologies to you, Mr. Boulard. I can assure you that as soon as I assessed the situation, I called in the Brotherhood.” I opened the door wider. “Please, come in where we can talk.”
Jade glanced around outside. “No offense, but you do realize we could be being watched, right? I mean anyone staking out your apartment could’ve just followed us. Your wild goose chase seems a little pointless.”
I laughed, loving her spunk. “They could’ve, but why would they? As far as they know, you came by my apartment, realized I wasn’t home, and left. Besides, there’s a spell on this house. Only those invited can see it. We’re all safe here. Don’t worry about it. Have a seat.”
I led them though my sparsely furnished house until we got to my couch and two club chairs.
Jade introduced me to her friend Kat, and Beatrice and I exchanged hellos. Then they turned their attention to Jade. She was clearly in charge.
“I’m here for two reasons,” she said. “They are both of equal importance, but one matter is more pressing.” She waved to Lucien. “He’s been spelled with a Black Heart curse. One person has already died. And now one of these two”—she indicated Lucien and Kat with a wave to each of them—“is next.”
“A Black Heart curse?” Narrowing my eyes, I studied Lucien. And deep in my gut, I knew Mitch was a part of whatever had happened to him. Mitch’s anger at not being able to question Sam’s attacker was making a lot more sense now. “I see.”
“We know who cursed him,” Jade said. “We need him in order to reverse it.”
I turned to meet her gaze. “And how can I help?”
“It’s your brother Mitch. We need you to help us find him.”
Nausea rolled through me. My brother was responsible for the awful curse. I’d thought he was involved, but hearing it from her lips made me want to vomit. I stood and paced the room. “You’re sure it was him?”
“I’m positive,” Lucien said. “We were acquaintances back then. He was there when it happened and today he admitted it to me.”
“Dammit.” I ran my hand through my hair, frustrated. This was going to kill my parents. “This is going to get messy.”
“I suspect it is.” Jade’s tone was low and full of compassion. But her next words were straight and to the point. “And since the Brotherhood didn’t take him down, I imagine he’s on the run or in a safe house until this blows over.”
I sat back down. “I can probably take you to him.” I’d already started my trace and had some leads.
Beatrice gave me a grim smile. “You’re sure about that? You’ll be signing your brother’s death warrant before long.”
I met her eyes with a cold, hard stare. “Ms. Kelton, I’m an undercover agent. It’s my job to take down those who make deals with the devil.”
She regarded me for a minute and then nodded. “Understood.”
Turning my attention to Jade, I asked, “What’s the second piece of business?”
“It’s Matisse.”
Mati? Was she hurt? Fear sliced through my chest as I sat up straighter. Had a demon come for her again?
“She’s trapped in a void world and we need you to help her cross back over.” Jade kept her penetrating stare on me.
She was in trouble. And her magic wasn’t one hundred percent. Shit! That was my fault. Self-loathing gripped me and wouldn’t let go. “Trapped?”
“Yes, and she’ll fade away into nothing if we don’t get her out soon.”
“And why do you need me?” I shouldn’t be anywhere near her. I’d broken the strong, sexy witch with my incubus curse. Damn the Brotherhood. Damn my destiny.
“Dayla says you stole something from her. And in order for her to cross, she needs it back.”
“What?” I stood. “Stole? I took nothing from her.” But even as I said the words, I knew that was wrong. I’d taken her magic. But I didn’t have it now. How could I give it back?
She gave me a sympathetic smile. “But you did. Do you know what kind of witch she is?”
“Yes.” She knew. They all knew. Son of a…
She leaned in and lowered her voice. “Did you know that after the last time you saw her, she spent a month recuperating?”
Hearing the words, the nonjudgmental way she said them, only served to heighten my self-hatred. Yeah, I knew. And now this woman was confirming whatever happened to her was my fault. Fuck.
There were a million questions on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to know how Matisse had ended up in another world. And why. But none of that mattered. We had to get to her. “I’ll do whatever’s necessary. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get dressed.” I strode off to the back of the house, calling over my shoulder, “We’ll leave in five minutes. Be prepared.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
VAUGHN
In the end, it didn’t take very long to track Mitch down. The magic he’d been wielding must’ve fried his brain because he’d chosen to hide out in an empty rental that was owned by our parents.
I knew he was there as soon as we pulled up. It was the way the curtains were closed in the front. When it was empty, my parents were careful to keep them open for drive-by renters. I convinced the group to let me go in first. Told them I’d distract him to make the raid go easier.
My rage for what had gone down today consumed me, and as stupid as it was, I wanted to take a shot at him before the magical showdown. He wouldn’t run out on me. Why would he? He knew he could overpower me with that magic of his. I didn’t give a shit. As long as he didn’t kill me before I could help Matisse, he could do his worst. I knew I would.
Not caring if he heard me, I strolled right through the front door. “Mitch,” I called. Better he knew it was me. Maybe then he wouldn’t come out magic blazing like he would if he thought the Brotherhood was still after him.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he said from the threshold to the long hallway.
“Looking for you.”
“Why? Planning on leading more meddlesome do-gooders my way?” The red was gone from his eyes, but his sneer was proof enough of his loyalties.
“Are you planning on torturing anymore innocent witches?” I wasn’t holding anything back now. He was going to hear every word I had to say. “Cursing your friends? Really, Mitch? What a bitch move.”
“You!” His eyes narrowed as he advanced on me. “You sent those assholes. You ruined everything. And after I kept you afloat all these months with bounty jobs. You ungrateful piece of shit.”
I held my ground, waiting until he was less than a foot from me.
“Think I won’t spell you, too? Think I’ll spare you for good old Mom and Dad? Think again, little brother. I hold all the power here, and you’ve crossed a line you can’t recover from.”
“Why did you do it, Mitch? Black magic? You had a sweet deal with the Council. Why ruin it?”
His face contorted with disgust. “Fuck the Council. They treat me just like Rissa did. Zero respect. Boulard and his bitches deserved what they got. Boulard especially. He stole the one person I ever loved.” His eyes flashed with buried emotion. “All I wanted to know was why the Black Heart curse that I hit him with failed. Why the white witch was able to neutralize it. Why do you think I wanted to question Sam’s attacker? I need to know more about that curse. But you fucked everything up!”
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Rissa had been his girlfriend a long time ago. After she left him, I’d heard she died from a freak spell that had backfired, but now it was all coming together. Mitch was responsible. He’d killed her. And all because he’d been dumped. Sick bastard.
I cast him a horrified look. How could I be even remotely related to this monster? Without a word, I swung. My fist hit his jaw with a satisfying crunch. He went down in a heap. The loser. Without his magic he was nothing.
I stood over him, rage still streaming through my veins. “Get up.”
He rolled, curling into a ball.
“Jesus.” Disgusted, I pulled out my zip ties, ready to apprehend him. Only just as I reached for him, he twisted, and a bolt of magic caught me right in the chest.
Shit!
I collapsed, my entire body numb.
Mitch got to his feet and snarled. “You stupid, idiotic, no-good mama’s boy. Don’t ever touch me again.” Blood dripped from his lip. “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll wish I’d given you to the demons.”
With me unable to fight back, Mitch dragged me from the living room into a room toward the back of the house. Grunting, he kicked me and spat his blood in my face. I couldn’t even flinch and had to endure the sickening ooze as it slid down my temple. Death would’ve been kinder.
Mitch was eyeing me, and I felt magic growing around him. But before he could attack me again, I heard the boom of the front door crashing open. The witches were here.
With his magic already pooling at his fingertips, Mitch spun and tore through the house. Shouts mingled with heavy footsteps and the sound of magic bouncing off the walls. I lay motionless, utterly frustrated and seething until finally the feeling started to come back into my limbs. I sat up but realized Mitch had cuffed me to an armoire. Goddamn him. I struggled to reach the knife stashed in my boot, but my hands were tied too tight. There was nothing to do but wait.
After what seemed like forever, the white witch finally came for me. She looked no worse for the wear as she asked, “What happened?”
“The bastard spelled me. My fucking brother’s a lunatic. He blames me for what happened earlier today. He’s figured out it was me that sent the demon hunters. Did you dust his ass?” I asked hopefully.
“First of all, he isn’t a vampire. And second, no. We need him in order to force Lucien’s curse to reverse itself.”
Beatrice came up behind her and with one zap of magic my hands were free of the zip ties.
I rubbed my wrists. “Thanks for saving my ass.” Then I staggered to my feet and strode back into the front part of the house, eyeing my piece-of-shit stepbrother. I sat there, doing nothing to help him while the witches forced him to reverse the Black Heart curse on Boulard. The way they worked together and the obvious love they had for each other was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. These witches would die for each other. Had I ever felt that way about anyone? Matisse’s image floated into my consciousness. Right then and there I knew I wanted to be that person for her.
When it was all over, they called the Witches’ Council and I felt nothing. No grief. No relief. Just resignation. I’d lost a brother today, and I didn’t even care.
“See you in the morning?” Jade asked.
I nodded as I headed out. We were going to bring Matisse back. Even if I had to die trying.
MATISSE
The white witch, Jade, had come to check on me once more. And that’s when she dropped the bomb that she was bringing Vaughn to help get me home. I’d instantly resisted, but secretly I wanted to see him. Wanted to rage against him. Make him suffer for what he’d done to me. But at the same time, I just wanted to be near him. Being alone in this world was slowly killing me, and he was the one person I’d connected with. After all I’d been through, I no longer cared about my pride. I only wanted to feel something. Anything. And he was one who could make it happen.
After spending over a week in the void world, I’d started to waste away. The witch had brought me some nourishment pills. They’d given me a small amount of energy, but what had been the real help was the pendant she’d left me. She’d said it might help ground me to her and our world. I think she was right. It was infused with her magic. A magic I could cling to.
I lay on the bank of the river, clutching the pendant to my chest, just letting the power pulse through my hand. Time was nonexistent. All I had to focus on was the magic. It was like a spark waiting to go off. And then it happened. The air rippled around me, and power rushed into me, making me strong. I felt myself stand as wind whipped through my hair. Only the power wasn’t normal. It was like a psychedelic high, causing images of a life I hadn’t led to flash through my mind.
Me as a little girl sitting on a man’s knee. My father. The one I’d never known. Friends surrounding me at a birthday party I’d never had. And Vaughn, saying good-bye to me on the bank of the Mississippi.
“We’re not meant for each other, Mati,” he said, cold and uncaring.
“You don’t mean that,” I said softly, refraining from clutching at his shirt.
“I do. I got what I came for. Now you need to lead your life, and I’ll lead mine.” No emotion rolled behind his eyes. He was a completely different person than the one I’d given myself to.
The pain clutched at my gut and left me hollow. Used. Unloved. “You never cared for me.”
He said nothing as he stared at me, his blank expression morphing into one of pity. “Don’t, Matisse. You’re better than that.”
I hated him. Hated everything about him in that moment. He’d used me. Taken my trust. My power. And had left me for dead. The calculating bastard had gotten what he wanted. And I’d meant nothing. Gut-wrenching pain coursed through me. I wanted to scream. To beg him to stay. And I hated myself for it. He’d taken something precious from me. That piece of me that I held close and never gave up. The one I’d given to him freely and he’d stomped on it, leaving me broken and damaged.
I was lost in my pain, uncontrollable foreign magic sparking through me, when I heard a faint feminine voice. “Matisse?”
A war battled inside me as the voice worked to pull me from my vision. I fought it, not wanting to go back to nothing, to my world cloaked in gray. Power rushed through my limbs, and a bolt of lightning struck somewhere near me, crackling over the river.
“Matisse,” the voice insisted, compelling me to jerk my head in her direction. I stared at the wide-eyed witch, waiting to see what she wanted.
“You’re okay,” she said, taking tentative steps toward me. “We’ve come to take you home.”
“I don’t have a home,” I said, shifting my gaze past her to the one person I both hated and wanted to run to. “He stole it.”
“Who? Vaughn?”
I laughed humorlessly, still feeling the remnants of the vision. “You could say that.”
“Mati,” Vaughn said, his voice enticing and seductive in the worst possible way. His body was calling to me, making me want him. I couldn’t let that happen.
I stiffened, letting the power build around me. The glow shifted from pale blue to a brilliant purple as I focused on him. “You’re not welcome here.” I meant the words to be a command, but they came out soft and tentative.
He took two steps and was in front of me, clasping his hands lightly around my wrists. My arms cooled with his touch, bringing me back to myself. Love and desperation warred for dominance in my heart. “Why did you come?” I demanded, angry at the way he could make me feel things I never wanted to feel again.
“To restore what I took from you.”
The reminder of his betrayal sent me into a frenzy, unraveling any last shred of self-control that I had. The magic burst from my fingertips, owning me, using me, until all I felt was the sweet release of power.
Crack! The rocks beneath my feet rumbled as the magic tore through them. And through it all, I kept my gaze locked on Vaughn’s.
He raised his hand, holding it out to me, and said in the most soothing voice pos
sible, “Come back from that place, Mati. Don’t let it take you.”
As I stared at him, something shifted inside me. The visions slowly faded away, taking the pain and utter heartache with them. The world started to right itself, and Vaughn, the decent guy I’d given myself to, stood before me, offering himself. He’d give me anything he had in order to save me. I knew it deep in my heart. Could feel it deep in my bones.
I slowly leaned into him, and when his arms finally came around me, tears burned my eyes. He cradled me, whispering, “Everything’s going to be all right now. I’m here to bring you home.”
He’d come for me. The scene at the river wasn’t real. I hadn’t been abandoned. Vaughn’s arms tightened around me. I pulled back to gaze at him, to see his intention in his eyes. And there I found love. Passion. Protectiveness.
Vaughn’s gaze turned soft as he searched my face. His look was so tender, so focused, that I brought my hand up and lightly caressed his cheek. The stubble beneath my fingers was so real it grounded me, solidified that he’d come for me.
“I’m here to give you what I took from you,” he said again, his tone so low I barely heard him. “And I won’t leave here without you. Not ever. You belong in our world… with me.” As he said the last words, he stroked my neck and the spot where he’d marked me. Instantly my insides lit with a small bolt of desire. He had marked me. The bruise was gone, but the memory never would be.
“I didn’t know,” Vaughn said. “I wouldn’t have—”
I placed my finger over his lips, silencing him.
He kissed my palm softly, then pulled me to him abruptly, holding me close.
I barely noticed as the white witch and her companion stepped out of this world, leaving me and Vaughn alone. All I could focus on was the man who’d come for me when no one else could. “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me,” I said, unable to go on before I knew the truth. “You took my magic and left.”
Pain filled his dark eyes. “Not on purpose. I wouldn’t have ever left if I’d had a choice. The Brotherhood spelled me and took me from you. I had no idea that was going to happen. I didn’t know what I was. What I am. All I knew was that I wanted to be with you.” He scanned my face, peering at me, searching for something.