“No wonder Vernon Jupiter was after my dad. He probably believed that the Stonehenge coven had more right to look after it considering it’s just up the road.”
My words were met with a wall of silence. Oops. Bringing up Vernon was probably not a good idea. He’d had a real problem with the London coven. Luckily, we’d managed to kill the seer who was giving him access to earth. His soul would be rotting in hell right now, if there was such a thing.
“Anyway,” Maxwell said. “Tradition is tradition. It’s been in the care of the London coven since the warlocks were created, so it’s best to keep it that way, wouldn’t you agree?”
We all nodded, even Gerard. I was like a naughty schoolgirl who had questioned the headmaster.
“I’ll do it,” I blurted. “The blood spell. It’s the least I can do.”
It was true. I’d mucked Maxwell around when I was supposed to be leader. I’d then dragged out the inevitable, not bothering to keep him up to date. Adding to it was the accidental robbery of the warlock link. Something that I was definitely not entitled to. No one was. At least, if I cast a blood spell, which was pretty much frowned upon in the witch community, I’d make up for all that I’d done. Hopefully.
“Here,” Gerard said, quietly. “Here’s a tree that’s been recorded as the oldest in the whole area. It’s in a back garden. And… oh, the property is for sale.”
“Buying a property in London is extortionate.” I took out my phone to join the search. “Surely there’s a park nearby.”
“What do you say, boys?” Maxwell clenched his fists and screwed up his face in excitement. “Shall we open a warlock rehab clinic?” Looking at me, he tapped the end of my nose. “Your father might like to run it for us, but there’s no pressure.”
For some reason, emotion flooded me. The men were quick to encourage the idea, their faces lighting up. Having the link so close to a bunch of warlocks might be dangerous, but if the secret was kept until the next leader took over, it would be a win win situation.
“I love that idea,” I said, jumping up and down when Maxwell did.
“Me too! Although, we’ll need your influence to get that house. Tomorrow.”
Ah, yeah, that was a point. Although, we could easily pull an agency creepy style operation to get the spell done before the solstice.
“We can do that.” Looking at Gerard, I waited to see what he would say.
At first, he looked apprehensive, but his serious expression slowly lightened up. “I don’t see why we couldn’t pull a few strings.” Looking at me, he raised his eyebrows. “We do need to get going if we’re going to get some influence on that though.”
Ah. He was talking about our little deal with the government. Not only did we have to get the solstice ritual done, we had to find Mackenzie and Candy within the week. Jeez, if we managed it, I’d make a gold medal for each one of us.
Chapter Eleven
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I whispered to Kurt as we watched Justina and Gerard climb over the wall.
Kneeling, he offered me a leg up. Okay, so I did need help to get into the back garden that held the tree, but still, it was kinda embarrassing.
“It’s fine,” he whispered. “We cleared it with Gemma at Paranormal MI5. They’ll use their government pass to buy the house on behalf of Maxwell and the warlocks.”
As soon as he’d finished speaking, I put my boot in his hands, squeaking when he hauled me up. I almost flew over the top of the wall, only just managing to grab on to the edge. Hanging for a moment, I seriously debated whether I had the arm muscles to lift myself up and over.
“Get on with it!” Kurt hissed. “All I can see is your arse.”
That was enough motivation to get me going. Grunting, I engaged my biceps and somehow scrambled my feet up the wall, hooking them over just before my arms gave out.
“Just fall,” Gerard called from the other side.
The garden stretched out behind him to a gorgeous detached townhouse. My eyes surveyed the area, almost wishing I’d suggested that Gerard and I buy it. Not that we could afford it on our agent salaries. We’d both need to become Justina in order to have enough. Or, maybe Gerard could sell his body. No, that wasn’t a good idea. There was no way I could share.
“Devon!”
Almost rolling over the wall, I let myself fall. It was a bloody good job I trusted my man. If he hadn’t caught me smoothly, albeit with a grunt, I would’ve hurt myself. A lot.
“Elegant,” he muttered as he put me down and turned back towards the tree.
“I can be elegant,” I whispered. “I’m a lady, don’t you know?”
Looking over his shoulder at me, he winked. His bright green eyes were highlighted by the rising sun. A pang of fuzzies made my shoulders rise up in a happy shrug as he turned back to the job at hand.
“Stop fawning over him and get over there. We need your blood.” Kurt pointed at Justina who stood beside the tree.
The spell was the same as the one cast on the stone in Scotland. I would use my blood to conjure a protection spell around the tree. No one would be able to break it. Except maybe an Essex witch. It was my DNA that made the spell stronger than most. The ancestry lines of Essex witches were no longer connected by DNA. If they were, we wouldn’t have been allowed to marry each other and produce children. However, the ley line always recognised the DNA of a descendent.
My breath hitched as I remembered my decision. I would no longer be a proper Essex witch, although the blood would always run through my veins.
“We’re ready,” Justina said as I strode up to the tree.
The salt and earth circle was around the tree, the candles spaced out. We had to get the ritual done as quickly as we could. We had a busy day of hunting Mackenzie and Candy ahead of us.
“Okay.” Going over to one of the candles, I waited for Kurt to join us. “Let’s get this done so I can get on with my life.”
Instead of going over to his candle, Kurt went to the tree. Putting his ear against it, he… listened?
“Devon.” He waved me over. “You need to use your dagger to slice some of the bark. That way, when we do the unlinking spell on the solstice, we can direct it here.”
Moving to stand beside him, I took out my dagger. There was a slight crack in the ancient bark, but I hesitated. Cutting it would be like slicing into its skin.
“Don’t get all sentimental on me,” my boss said. “You eat meat, you hypocrite.”
He had a good point. Regardless, I whispered sorry as I cut a small piece of bark from the tree. Mother earth gave so we could survive, but we were quickly taking over, forgetting to thank her. I’d have to do something to change that somehow.
“Let’s go,” Gerard said, his voice tight.
It wasn’t like him to be anxious about a ritual. He was pretty calm and collected, often miserable, but still…
Tucking his phone away as we took our places, he glanced at me quickly. Something was up. What was it?
Instead of saying anything, I started the chant. The others quickly joined, using their magic more than mine so I could keep control. The buzzing beneath my boots heated the soles of my feet. I ignored it, only allowing a small portion of witch magic to siphon through me to complete the spell.
Once done, Kurt gestured for me to join him next to the tree. My mind was on Gerard. He was shuffling his feet as Kurt took my dagger from me. What was wrong with him?
“Give me your arm.” He demanded. “And please consent for me to use your blood for this spell.”
Holding my hand out, palm up, I recited the words he’d told me to say. “I, Devon Jinx, of Essex witch ancestry, give my blood to protect this sacred tree. If enemies try to break the spell cast here, they will be exposed.”
I had no idea what that meant, but I trusted Mary. She’d asked Justina to find the spell in Helena’s grimoire.
Closing my eyes, I cringed.
“I haven’t done it yet,” Kurt said. “Stop squirming.”
Taking my hand, he held it softly, almost caressing, although in a supportive way, not sexy. That would’ve made it completely weird. Not that this wasn’t weird anyway.
“Concentrate,” he said.
Clearing my mind, I opened my eyes. Kurt lowered my dagger, quickly moving the blade across my palm. The sting made me grit my teeth. I was a big girl, I could handle a little cut.
Blood seeped out of the wound, making my stomach churn. Okay, maybe I couldn’t.
Placing my hand on the tree, Kurt recited the spell clearly. It was in Latin. I didn’t recognise the words as he held my palm flat against the bark, only lifting it when he stopped speaking.
“It’s done.”
About to take my hand away, I frowned when he smiled at me. “Let’s just fix this.”
Leaning down, he brought his mouth near my palm. “Er. As much as I like you Kurt, I don’t think that’s very appropriate.”
Blowing on it, he laughed when I almost jumped into the tree’s branches. Ice lined my palm, sealing the wound.
“How did you do that?” I gasped when he let me go.
He put his arm around my shoulders, having to bend down to do so. “I used one of the spells from your grimoire.”
Handing me my dagger, he grinned, clearly proud of his new healing ability. I had to admit, it was pretty impressive.
The others joined us, Gerard scratching the stubble on his chin profusely.
“I haven’t got a grimoire,” I said, not knowing whether to ask Gerard what was going on.
Justina opened her bag and pulled out Helena’s book. “Actually, a fair few of these were written by you. When you were a child. Which means you get to keep it.”
“Ah, that’s… lovely? I think.” I took the book, pausing when Gerard looked like he was about to wet himself. “What’s wrong, Mr Impatient Man?”
“I just got a text from Mackenzie. He wants us to meet him. He has information, but he’ll only speak to me and Devon if we’re alone.”
All three of us stared at him. We’d been struggling to find Mackenzie, and he just texts us out of the blue. Something must be up.
“We can’t let this opportunity go,” Justina murmured as she rubbed her tiny weeny belly bump.
“Let us do it.” Giving the grimoire back to Kurt, I went over to Gerard and took his hand. “We can meet them straight away, get the info they want to tell us and be back at the agency building before the sun has completely risen.”
Justina and Kurt shared a look. They knew that if we agreed to a meeting, we couldn’t just arrest Mackenzie. It would be unethical to lead him in and then jump. We would have to let him go after. Which would hurt. A lot.
“Go,” Justina said eventually.
Apparently, the pair had had a whole discussion with their eyes. I hadn’t even noticed.
Goosebumps rose on my arms. We would get to see Mackenzie again. The temptation to arrest him would be strong, but I was ready to do my job properly.
“I’ll record the conversation,” Gerard said. “Sending it back to you in live time. That way, if we need backup, you can join us.” Pressing something on his phone, he smiled when it beeped.
Justina took out her tablet, clicking something to connect the two devices. “Where does he want to meet you?”
“At London Bridge train station.”
Clicking on an app on her tablet, Justina brought up a map. A small light blinked right where we stood in the garden. She would track Gerard’s phone. “We’ll only come if there’s a problem. Otherwise, we’ll leave you to it. He might trust you more because he approached you in Scotland.”
“He’s also aware that you’re in a similar situation as him. Being in love with a different breed is difficult.” Kurt was distracted by his phone as he spoke.
Glancing at Gerard, I held back the swear words I wanted to throw at Kurt. He had no idea how insensitive he was being. Yes, Gerard and I had agreed to be together, no matter what. We hadn’t however, discussed the fact that I would still be half warlock, even when the link was gone. Which meant there would probably be no children in our future. It wasn’t fair on them.
“Let’s go,” Gerard whispered, taking my hand.
We landed in London Bridge station before I could blink. My eyes were watering ever so slightly, so I pretended I was blinded by the bright lights of the main station. It was quiet, hardly anyone around.
“Gerard,” a thick Scottish accent called.
Spinning, we strode straight over to Mackenzie, who was leaning against a wall. Alone.
“How are you doing?” he asked, his hand flicking open his long leather jacket to reveal a gun tucked underneath.
Raising his eyebrows, Gerard stood directly in front of him. I stood just behind to the left. The energy that pulsated from him was anxious. Sweat broke out on my palms as I checked around to make sure there were no other suspicious people.
“What do you want?”
Gerard’s demanding question was met with a smile. “Oh, no need to be like that. I’m here to tell you the truth.”
“Where’s Candy?” I asked.
My dagger was in my pocket, although, I did wonder if I should take it out, just in case. A human walked past, head bent with music playing through his earphones. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. I did still have my magic if I needed protection.
“She’s in hiding. Cameron has a huge bounty on her head.” He shuffled on his feet, not quite as confident as he was pretending to be. “And mine, of course.”
“Do you blame him?” Gerard snapped. “You’re killing people.”
Mackenzie shook his head violently. “That’s the thing, we’re not. You were so quick to believe Cameron Fieldman, you didn’t take the time to find the evidence. Tell me, what evidence do you have that proves we did it?”
I kept my stance strong when he moved away from the wall. If he wanted a fight, we would give him one. However, something in my gut made me pause. He was right. We were going on circumstantial evidence.
“Why were you at the club the other night?” Gerard tucked his hands in his pockets.
Ah, he was going for the non-threatening vibe. I wouldn’t play to that, not when Mackenzie had a habit of disappearing on us. He was still our top suspect in the drug killings.
“We were trying to stop the drugs from being taken. We spoke to some of the people, asking them to give them over.”
My snort was met with a glare. Mackenzie’s cheeks were pink, clashing with his red hair. He wasn’t someone who I’d ever imagine killing tons of people. Doubt was starting to set in.
“Cameron has set us up. I’m the perfect scapegoat. You caught up with him. He knew that you were on to him pretty quickly, so he used my relationship with Candy to manipulate you.”
Frowning, I stepped in front of Gerard, leaving him to check for threats. “Why were you at that factory in Scotland? I killed people because of you. If you weren’t guilty, why would you run?”
I was as in his face as I could get, considering I only reached his chest. Yeah, being short sucked when I was trying to intimidate someone much taller than me. Maybe my dagger would be better.
My thought was squashed when Mackenzie’s eyes started to water. No fucking way. Was he…? Yeah, he was. He was bloody well crying.
“I was there to try and find evidence, like you were. I ran because I saw your reaction, your judgement. I get how bad it looks. Especially the bomb at Cameron’s place.”
“Yes,” Gerard said through his teeth. “Hardly innocent, are you?”
Mackenzie’s head hung forward. “The bomb was linked to Cameron’s house, which was empty at the time. If you hadn’t have managed to break the link, no one at the building would’ve been hurt. Cameron’s house would’ve blown up instead. I was trying to get him to save his people. To confess in prison. He doesn’t care enough about them. He doesn’t care about anyone.”
Looking at Gerard, I cleared my throat. Everything he said could add up. We wo
uld have to check the evidence, but my gut feeling was leaning towards him telling the truth.
“Check Cameron’s house. You’ll find the explosive there, sitting in the middle of his living room.”
Nodding, I agreed that we would. Justina would probably send another agent to Scotland instantly to see if he was telling the truth.
“Do you have any evidence that Cameron is the one poisoning the drugs? He’s been in prison, and yet, the deaths are ongoing.” My whole body hummed with energy.
If we had the real culprit in custody already, we’d be laughing. The government could shove their ultimatum up their arse. And, we could celebrate a case closed. I was totally ready for this case to be closed.
“No.” He sighed. “We’ve been trying to find it, which is why we searched the club for the drugs. We’re amateurs, we don’t know what we’re doing. Cameron has a team of people who work for him. They’ll be running the mob coven for him, including the drugs.”
Tapping the top of my arm, Gerard let me know that he wanted to take over again. Swapping places, we kept our expressions calm as we relaxed slightly. Gerard obviously believed him. Otherwise, he would’ve accused him. He wasn’t one to placate someone when he thought they were lying. He was a good agent like that. He was a truth seeker. Ever since he’d let go of the past, he was much more personable.
“How about we make a deal?” he said.
Tilting his head to the side, Mackenzie watched him, his expression telling him to go on. This would be interesting.
“If you’re telling the truth, give us three days to find evidence of Cameron's involvement. Once those three days are up, meet us here again. If you’re innocent, you have no reason to hide from us.”
Tucking his coat around him, Mackenzie nodded. “Okay, I get what you’re doing. If you don’t get any evidence on Cameron, you’ll use me as a scapegoat.”
Keeping his body solid, Gerard looked him in the eye. “No, that’s not it at all. We’re professionals. If you’re telling the truth, we’ll find the evidence. If not, we’ll want to question you further. We never arrest anyone unless we have very good reason to.”
Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 4-5 (Hunted Witch Agency Set Book 2) Page 24