Sharon Karaa The Last Challenge (Northern Witches Series #1)

by Unknown

  “She’s right, just hang about here poppet,” he said, dashing off.

  “Agnes, how much have you had to drink?” I whispered, crossly.

  “Not near damn enough,” she shouted, taking another glass from the waitress hovering discretely nearby and almost upending the tray when she slammed down her empty.

  I gave up and grabbed another one for myself just as the music faded to nothing and Stephen’s voice came over the speakers.

  “Dear guests, please make your way to the dining room for a short announcement!”

  We were pushed along with the crowd until we were almost in the centre of the room. I wondered what Stephen was up to. He had Andrew by the arm and they were standing on a hastily erected podium next to the food tables.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen...” Stephen started and the noise levels dropped significantly. When all was silent he continued.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, honoured guests, friends, family..” said Stephen as he took in the sea of faces looking up at him “…colleagues, and Lucinda,” Stephen stopped short in shock as a tittering went up around the room. I looked about to see what had startled him and spotted Lucinda, draped around Geoffrey, whose comb-over was sticking up where she’d obviously run her hands through his hair. Lucinda blushed. Stephen turned away and continued.

  “As you know, Andrew and I have been together now, amazingly, for ten years!” Some laughter and a spattering of applause followed. “I am pleased to announce, that despite my many faults, Andrew has now kindly consented to be my husband!”

  A rowdy cheer erupted as Stephen and Andrew embraced. Andrew positively glowed and I looked on, proud of them, and a teensy bit jealous that they’d managed to find and hang on to each other, despite their ups and downs. Stephen pulled a small case from his jacket pocket and with a flourish, opened it and put a ring on Andrew’s finger.

  “Now I would ask you all to raise your glasses to Andrew, my handsome husband to be!”

  The place erupted. Stephen helped Andrew down off the podium and they made their way through the throng to slaps on the back and hugs and kisses from their friends.

  “Awe now isn’t that lovely,” said Agnes, pursing her lips. “Now, why can’t you find a nice man like that?” I looked at her in disbelief but before I could respond, she looked over my shoulder and smiled.

  “Oh! Hello there, Samuel!”

  I turned to see those lovely Irish eyes standing right behind me.

  “Lovely to see you again, Agnes,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Could I just borrow your granddaughter for a moment?” He grabbed me by the elbow and escorted me out onto the veranda.

  Once we were away from the throng of people, he turned to me.

  “Hey.”

  “Hi.” I replied, feeling my cheeks turn red.

  “Jack filled me in on your curse,” he said, smiling. “You know, before I met you, I wouldn’t have believed in all that clap trap, but now I’m not so sure!”

  “I hope your boils have gone away,” I replied ineffectually. Now he blushed.

  “Does the same curse affect second dates?” he stared intently at my face and I so wanted to say no.

  I lowered my eyes and thought for a moment. He was handsome, very handsome, and he made me laugh. So why did the thought of a second date fill me with dread? I looked up into his eyes and saw how nervous he was, waiting for my answer. Bad Luck had outdone himself tonight. A first-class, eligible bachelor, handsome to a fault, was interested in me and wanted to take me out. And I didn’t want him, I wanted the man-whore bastard who called me names and wasn’t interested.

  “Samuel, you’re a lovely man, but if I’m to be honest and fair, I think I’m in love with someone else.”

  He flinched slightly and looked across the garden.

  “He’s a lucky guy,” he replied.

  Then he walked away and left me there.

  10 - Something in the air

  I stayed outside in the cool air and propped my back up against the stone wall. God, I could kick myself. The first decent prospect in years and I had sent him away for a man who couldn’t bear the sight of me. And now that I’d finally admitted to myself the depth of my feelings, I just wanted to go home and cry it all out. I let the cool air soothe my skin as I contemplated being old with sixteen cats, a fate Selina and I had always predicted for ourselves.

  When I finally turned to go back in, Daniel was standing in front of me. I jumped in fright. The cherry on the cake! Just what I needed to round this evening off was another bloody fight.

  He eyed me warily. “Is it me, Lauren?”

  I looked at him, trying to gauge his mood. His eyes looked pitch black in the darkness of the garden. “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Are you in love with me?” He didn’t move a muscle and his face gave nothing away, mouth set in a grim line and hands fisted at his sides.

  I spoke softly. There was no point in denying it anymore. “Yes.”

  Within seconds he had eliminated the gap between us and captured my face in his hands, bringing his lips down to mine and kissing me fiercely. I sank into him as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me with a passion I’d never before experienced, his lips firm and his tongue thrusting into my mouth.

  Then sanity returned and I wrenched myself free.

  “Daniel, did Agnes tell you about the potion?” I asked, looking in to his eyes. “What you’re feeling isn’t real.”

  He smiled down at me, brown eyes twinkling. “Agnes gave me the potion the night you came over to my house. I’ve been in love with you for years, Lauren. Why do you think I couldn’t bear to be with you when you went on dates with other men?” he asked, stepping towards me and tilting my chin with his index finger.

  A surge of joy flooded my being. This time, I pulled him to me and found his lips. His tongue slid gently into my mouth as our kiss deepened. What started as a purely emotional connection quickly became physical and I felt the evidence of his need pressing into me. Heat flared between my legs and my nipples turned into bullets, pushing against his chest. I pulled away, scared I wouldn’t be able to stop and we were still very much in a public place.

  “I would transport us both to somewhere more private but I can’t wait the three hours for you to get over the bends,” he said, pressing his forehead to mine. “My house isn’t far, care for a walk?”

  I nodded at him, unable to speak, and took a moment to get myself back under control. I looked into his eyes, happiness bubbling up inside me. “Let me just go tell Agnes and the others where I’m going,” I said, loving his eyes, his face, his smile.

  “I’ll come with you, in case you need protecting from the midget playboy,” he said, laughing, as he tucked my arm beneath his and we made our way back in to the party.

  Agnes was now leading the line in DJ Casper’s Cha Cha Slide, and to be fair, she was doing a half decent job, considering the heels and the umpteen glasses of champagne she’d consumed. I spotted Selina’s blonde head and made my way to her, or as close as I could get, given the throng of men that seemed to be in the way. I managed to catch her eye and looked up at Daniel then back at her, pointing towards the door. She got the message, smiled and winked.

  We walked to the front door and managed to escape without further interruptions, running down the steps and holding tightly on to each other’s hand. When we got to the end of the drive, Daniel pulled me to him for another earth shattering kiss.

  “It’s about a mile and a half from here, should take us about thirty minutes to walk, but you know what, I don’t think I can wait that long to kiss you again,” he said, spinning me into his arms and cupping the back of my head in his hand. He pulled me into him and captured my lips, his desire becoming increasingly evident. He devoured me as I groaned into his mouth then pulled my lips from his. I watched, fascinated, as his pupils dilated. His head came down and he again claimed my lips, his tongue meeting mine and embracing it. I pulled away again. I didn’t think I could make t
hirty minutes either, but I really didn’t want to get caught in a compromising position by guests leaving the party.

  “Come on,” he said at last. He took my hand and we walked quickly for about ten minutes down the road then across a turnstile into a field, neither of us saying a word as we struggled to get our breathing under control. Walking on the grass in heels was difficult so I stopped a moment.

  “Help me take off my boots?” I asked.

  I sat down and lifted a leg to him as he pulled at the heel and toes to release me from it, his hand capturing my leg and running his fingers down the length of it. I wanted to take him then and there in the field, sod the consequences. His hand stopped just before the point I really wanted it to reach and he lowered my leg to the ground and grabbed the other, repeating the process. By the time his hand reached the hem of my dress I was panting. But he reached down with his other hand and pulled me to my feet.

  “Honestly baby, if you don’t want our first time to be in a damp field, you had better hurry.”

  I would have laughed, had I not been so frustrated myself. We continued walking but picked up the pace, his hand in mine and my boots slung over his shoulder. I revelled in the feel of the cold grass beneath my toes.

  Eventually, I plucked up the courage to ask him a question I was dying to know the answer to.

  “So was it you?”

  “Was what me?” he said, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand as we walked.

  “The date, Daniel.”

  He looked shamefaced for a moment. “It was Natalia, but I asked her to do it.” he said. I stopped in my tracks and looked up in to his face. He captured me in his arms and pulled me closer.

  “Are you mad at me? After everything you said about feeling inadequate, and I then went behind your back and got someone else to do the same thing?” he looked down at me, worried.

  “No, I’m not mad… but why did you do it? I mean why now?”

  He rested his forehead on mine and closed his eyes. “I don’t think I know myself. All I know is that since you started actually seeing me and we really got to know each other, it was getting harder and harder to keep my hands off you. When Agnes said you were attracted to me and you didn’t deny it, I knew you were mine. I didn’t want you falling for someone else before I had the chance to make you fall in love with me. It was selfish and I’m sorry.”

  His beautiful face pierced my soul and I tilted my head to find his lips, kissing him gently as his stubble tickled my chin.

  “I’m not,” I said and smiled as his eyes opened and he pulled me in tight for a hug. “Mind you, the rain was a bit much!” I laughed.

  “I don’t think that was down to Natalia,” he said, chuckling. He took my hand and we continued walking.

  “Was that why she kicked you in the whatsits?” I asked, grinning at the memory.

  He grimaced. “She was furious with me. She thought she was helping us find each other and when she saw Claire running out of the house, I think she thought I was playing you.”

  At the other end of the field was a small copse of trees and Daniel picked me up and carried me straight through the middle of them and out the other side. I revelled in the feel of his muscular chest beneath my head and wrapped my arms around his neck, pushing my breasts against him.

  Too soon, we came to another field, almost entirely surrounded by trees and Daniel released me. He pulled me to him again, kissing me fiercely. I couldn’t keep my hands off him any more than he could me, and my fingers went to his chest, savouring the feel of his solid muscles and pressing my pelvis against him as we kissed.

  “I really don’t want to make love to you in a field, Lauren,” he said, pulling away from me. “I want you in my bed, warm and naked and private.” I shuddered at the look of lust in his eyes. “It’s not far now, come on.” He took my hand and pulled me along.

  As we reached the other end of the field and out past another line of trees, I recognised the road we had stood on the night I had ran from his house. Butterflies started in my stomach. Daniel pulled me across the road, and within minutes, we were at the turn off leading to his home. He yanked the keys out of his pocket then pulled me in for another quick kiss. His nose was cold now and I realised for the first time how cold it actually was. In fact, my entire body had developed a strange chill.

  Daniel dropped my hand and turned to open the door.

  Then something grabbed me by the waist and dragged me backwards into the sky, tearing me away from him.

  I must have been about ten feet in the air before Daniel turned and realised I wasn’t beside him anymore. He looked up and I could just make out the fear in his face as he raced towards me.

  “Transport Lauren! Do it now!”

  I didn’t give myself time to think, I just closed my eyes and saw myself back on the ground with Daniel. Nothing happened. The pain in my waist was excruciating! My captor’s nails were like talons, digging into my flesh and drawing blood. I struggled to free myself, but each twist buried his yellowed talons further into my flesh. That’s when the stench hit me.

  I tried to transport again, but again, nothing happened and panic rose like bile in my throat. By now, I must have been about twenty feet up in the air and still rising. I could see the roof of Daniel’s house. In desperation, I reached above me, and feeling with my fingers, managed to capture my attacker’s head in my hands. Pulling all of my anger and every ounce of energy I could glean from my surroundings into my core, I released a strong burst of energy directly into his head. His arms loosened as I continued to discharge energy into him, until eventually, I slipped free. Oh boy, this was going to hurt, I thought as I hurtled back to earth.

  I quickly visualised myself standing on the ground and managed to transport safely the last ten feet but the momentum dropped me to my knees. I rolled then jumped to my feet and ran toward Daniel. He was already sprinting towards me, arms outstretched and ready to release a burst of energy.

  We had almost reached each other when an iron grip seized me by the hair. My head snapped backwards and I landed sharply on my back, unable to catch my breath before I was dragged away at top speeds. Groping blindly, I reached behind me to try and pull my hair out of its hands. The pain in my head was so intense I thought I would black out.

  Daniel stopped running and took up position, sending an arc of energy towards my attacker. But the thing was too fast, and I suddenly found myself changing direction, dragging at an angle and still going at pace. Another bolt flew to my left, missing its mark. Suddenly, a white bolt of energy came flying out of nowhere, and whizzed over the top of my head. It must have found its target because the pressure on my head suddenly released and I skidded to a painful stop.

  I rolled over to my side, silently panting, as my pulse pounded in my ears.

  Daniel released yet another blue arc and I turned in time to see it hurtling towards a frightening man. Blood seeped through his shredded skin, and his face glowed fanatically with the light from the two arcs of energy that had encased his body. As the beams wound around his body, his eyes flashed yellow and he screamed. Half of his teeth were missing and the other half were mottled stumps sitting crookedly in his sunken mouth.

  The energy beams seared his flesh to the bone, melting it off his skeletal frame. But even in his death pains, he kept his eyes fixed on my face, straining towards me to recapture his prize.

  The smell of cooking flesh was nauseating and I put my hand over my mouth, retching, and pushing myself backwards on my heels, away from the hideous vision before me. The spirit released another blood curdling scream as Daniel threw something red into the air, chanting strange words in a language I didn’t recognise.

  In an instant, the spirit was sucked up, energy bolts and all.

  There was a moment of chilling silence as his screams echoed away into the night, before the red bottle plopped down harmlessly on the grass, ten feet in front of me.

  I stop moving, both of my hands in the grass now and my feet s
played out as I checked and double checked to make sure it was gone.

  Daniel ran towards me and scooped me up into his arms just as Natalia materialised directly above the area where the red object had landed. She stooped down and picked it up, inspecting it, and I realised it was another vial. Spirit number two was now safely tucked away in his new home. Putting it in her pocket, Natalia started running towards us.

  Two down, one to go, I thought, as Daniel turned back towards the house and started running.

  We seemed to have travelled quite a distance, and I struggled not to pass out like a wimp from the pain as Daniel ran with me back to the house, Natalia hot on his heels. The door stood open and he sprinted straight through into the kitchen. I could feel the pain radiating from my side to every part my body, and I started to shiver with cold.

  “You’re doing fine, sweetheart. Just hang in there, you’re safe now,” Daniel said, panting, as he lay me down on the cold, stone floor. “Stay with her, I’ll get the athame,” he instructed Natalia as he ran from the room.

  Natalia bent down before me and looked into my eyes. Gripping my fingers, she placed her other hand over my wound and carefully pressed down. Pain exploded from my side and I screamed, almost breaking her fingers as my hand clenched.

  “Don’t be a girl, you’re tougher than that,” she said, her face set in concentration. I vowed I was going to kick her arse if I managed to get out of this alive.

  “Can I shag Daniel, if you don’t make it?” she asked, licking her lips and grinning at me.

  I roared, eyes flashing, trying to convey how much pain I was going to inflict on her if she laid a hand on him.

  “Good girl!” she said. “Get good and angry, you’re going to need it!” She pushed harder on my wound, still staring into my eyes.

  Daniel ran back into the room carrying a double-edged dagger and I looked at it in fright. Sweat was pouring from my skin, but cold shivers still racked my body. Killing me would probably be a mercy.