Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 4-5 (Hunted Witch Agency Set Book 2)

by Rachel Medhurst

  The back entrance was unremarkable, almost invisible. Tons of rubbish lined the ground, a faint waft of it filling the air.

  About to thrust myself down the alley, I halted when Justina stuck out her arm to stop me. I backtracked as Kurt pulled me onto the main street.

  “You’re going to get on higher ground and watch the building. When Cameron comes out, we’ll storm it at the same time as grabbing him.” Justina pointed down the road. “Devon, Gerard, go and see if there’s an alleyway that connects further down.”

  Nodding, we marched away, careful to remain casual. Gerard took my hand with his free one, smiling down at me when I blushed. It was unlike us to walk along, holding hands, just like a normal couple.

  “If this gets nasty, you need to get yourself out. You have to be in Scotland tonight to do the ritual.”

  My heart sped up. He was right. If anything went wrong, I could be in danger of not getting the warlock link removed. Why hadn’t I thought about that?

  “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to come,” I murmured, letting Gerard lead me down another alley.

  He pointed at a ladder that ran up the side of the building. I went before him, trying not to giggle when I paused to get a better grip and he head-butted my arse.

  “This is hardly the time, Mr Eager Agent,” I said, looking down.

  His teeth were gritted as he glowered at me. “Keep going, I’m not exactly a fan of heights.”

  About to carry on, I paused when our phones beeped. That would be Justina. There was no point in waiting until I’d climbed to the top. Just in case we needed to go down again.

  “Reverse,” Gerard said before I could get my phone out. “Justina said he’s left already. They didn’t have time to grab him.”

  Fiddling with my jacket, I let go of one of the rungs. My balance was precarious as I went to lower my boot. My fingers slipped as the tip of my boot missed the edge of the rung. I started to fall, the wind pushing my hair so it whipped around my face. Gerard shouted a spell, freezing me in mid-air. My back was only inches from the ground. I hadn’t been too high, but the hard landing would’ve hurt.

  “Thanks, babe,” I said as Gerard took my arm, released the spell and dragged me to my feet.

  Indicating that we should go, he jogged away. I went with him, the shakes that moved through me slowing me down. That had been a close call.

  Coming back into the street, we checked that no one was watching. Moving closer to the alley where we’d left the others, we both thrust down it. My nerves were rattling, which meant something was going to happen. I was already on edge from the impending ritual, but catching Cameron out was high on my needs list.

  Justina put a finger to her lip as we approached. She held her gun beside her face as she approached the door. Kurt followed, his own weapon drawn. They all used guns. I was the only one with a dagger. Not that I minded, my dagger was precious to me. And, I was a kickass aim with it. A gun? Not so much.

  Turning to us, Justina counted down with three of her fingers. When the last one was tucked into her palm, she aimed the gun at the door lock and shot. The loud noise made me cover my ears. Before I could blink, the door was pulled open, and the others had gone through.

  Keeping close to Gerard, I smiled at the sound of shouting coming from a room that was at the end of a corridor. The place was grim and smelt of magic. If that was even possible. I couldn’t describe what the smell was as we thundered down the corridor and burst into the big room.

  “Freeze!” Justina shouted as five witches were revealed.

  All men, they were running out from behind long tables. The stench of unwashed bodies reached me, almost making me wretch.

  The room was dim with only a few dirty windows and old light bulbs illuminating the place.

  “Stop!” Kurt aimed his gun at the ceiling and shot.

  The men ignored him, most of them diving for a door at the back of the room. Two of them came towards us, their growls threatening.

  “You shouldn’t have come here,” one said. Extending his arm, he shouted a spell. “Incendia!”

  Fire ignited around us, the flames heating our bodies. I glanced at the others, my conscience torn. Not one of them looked at me. Instead, they were looking for a way around. Putting fire out was hard, not many witches could do it. Except me. If I used all my power, I could do it.

  “I can’t get through,” Kurt called as he checked the line of fire that went from one end of the room to the other.

  “Shit,” I muttered, catching sight of the witches as they ran for the end of the room. We needed to arrest at least one of them to persuade them to testify against Cameron.

  Holding out my hand, I started the reversal spell. Gerard grabbed my elbow, knocking my arm down. “Don’t,” he said. “Your addiction.”

  “This will be the last time. I can’t let them get away.”

  His face screwed up, but he pointed at the fire. “Do what you need to do.”

  Closing my eyes, I restarted the chant. My words were quiet as witch magic swirled up my legs and into me. Holding the dagger tightly, I drained some of the magic into it for balance. The handle was cool in my palm, a stark contrast to the heat that came with my warlock magic.

  “It’s wavering,” Kurt shouted. “Hurry!”

  Pushing my magic into my words, I almost laughed when the heat from the flames evaporated. The others were gone before I could open my eyes. The witches were right near the door, almost fighting each other to get out.

  Gritting my teeth, I threw up my arm and cast a barrier spell on the door. The rush of wind that flew from me travelled through the room, moving Justina’s loose hair as she ran down the middle aisle of the tables.

  “We fight!” I heard one of the witches say.

  Most turned towards us. I strode down another aisle, slightly behind the other three. Warlock magic burnt my feet as it tried to gain entrance. My step faltered when I let it enter me. The heat seared my bones, making me gasp. It had been a while since I’d allowed so much energy into my body.

  Grabbing the side of a table, I steadied myself as the witches formed a line. Each placed a hand on the others shoulder to connect their magic. Every one of them looked in my direction.

  “You’re that half-breed!” another of them shouted.

  “We need to end her!”

  End? What a funny word. Nothing really ended. Something new was always put in place. If I died, if anyone died, our bodies went back to mother earth, and our spirit went back to the main energy source.

  My hair was flying as I righted myself. Too much magic swirled within me, but I wasn’t about to go down. These people were evil. They knew exactly what they were doing. The bottles of drugs were laid out all around me, mixing bowls beside them. Huge vats of poison were near where the culprits stood.

  “Devon,” Gerard called. “Be careful!”

  Kurt and Gerard moved to get closer to the men, but they were stopped by a barrier spell. They both looked at me, but I was too interested in the poison. How would they like it if I injected them with it?

  A Gunshot fired. At first, I thought it was my people, but the sound of the bullet whistling past my ear made me cringe. Bastards. I would make them pay.

  A whisper of words created a crack of bone as the man holding the gun suddenly fell to the floor, his weapon skidding across the ground. Yep, I’d broken his wrist. Served him right for firing at me.

  “Devon!” Gerard caught my attention as another witch stared above my head.

  Looking up, I only just managed to throw myself to the side, my elbow scraping the concrete below me as a chain came crashing down from behind.

  Jumping up, I aimed my hand towards the man, almost smiling to myself when his knees buckled and he clasped his head. A little brain haemorrhage would help him sort his priorities.

  Someone grabbed me from behind. Swinging my arm, I grunted when Gerard trapped me against him. “You’re losing control,” he whispered. “Come back to me.”
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  Blinking rapidly, I took a deep breath, almost gasping back to life. Kurt and Justina had managed to break through the barrier spell and were fighting the witches with their bare hands.

  “I got a bit lost there,” I said as I turned.

  Shaking my whole body to rid myself of the hold the magic had on me, I clung to Gerard’s hand. He nodded quickly when I ran a hand over my hair, bringing it back into some form of messiness. The wind hadn’t helped my lack of style situation.

  “Let’s go.”

  Marching away from me, Gerard approached the group who were scuffling with the others. About to join them, I froze when one of them took out a knife and aimed it for Justina’s stomach.

  “NO!” I screamed, the force of my voice causing everyone to turn towards me.

  Lifting my arms, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Justina, Kurt and Gerard backpedalled across the room when I almost sang a spell. The vats of poison started to shake violently. The witches tried to run, but I stepped forward, my hand stopping them with a wall of fire. As they went back to the door and pounded on it, I brought my hands close together and hummed to myself. The link to the warlock magic pulled hard, causing bright green magic to pour from my fingertips to form a ball. Without thinking, I launched the ball at one of the big wooden vats. The magic was so powerful, it smashed against the wood, causing it to explode into a thousand pieces. The liquid flew everywhere, igniting the fire further. Screams echoed around the room, coming from the witches who had been hit with the very thing that they had been working with. If I was correct, it would be high potency, which meant they would be burnt if it splashed onto their skin.

  “Devon,” Justina said, grabbing my arm. “Put the fire out. If you don’t, we won’t have any evidence.”

  Taking a deep breath, I whispered a spell that made the fire vanish. On the other side of it, the witches were on the ground. A couple were motionless, their bodies steaming from the burns. The rest were cradling different parts of their bodies, their gazes glaring at me.

  “You’re all arrested for the murder of several witches and humans throughout the country. You do not need to say anything…”

  I tuned Kurt out as he and Gerard handcuffed the witches who were still alive. Justina put a hand on my shoulder, breaking me out of a trance. “Are you okay?”

  My whole body shook as the excess magic drained away. Tears mixed with sweat as my knees buckled, and I hit the ground. Justina was there, her hands checking me over.

  “It took control,” I said, barely able to talk.

  “I know.” Her words were strong as she placed her arms around me. “It’s okay. Let’s go home.”

  Before I could reply, we landed in the living room of the agency. My mother and father were sitting on the sofa, arm in arm. When they saw us, they rushed over.

  “Look after her. We need to clean up.”

  Justina was gone again, leaving the cool air to envelope me. My parents replaced her, my father digging his arms under my legs to lift me. Taking me to the sofa, he laid me down. My mother tucked a blanket around me. I was shivering so hard, my jaw rattled.

  “What happened?” my father asked.

  “The magic took hold.” My voice was shaky as I inhaled several deep breaths to calm myself. “We have the evidence. We can get Cameron. But…”

  “What is it, my love?” My father was sitting beside me, his hands holding mine.

  Tears streamed down my face as the memory of the power that radiated throughout me in that factory made me want to go to sleep and forget it. I’d never been so powerful, but in that moment, I didn’t want any magic. I didn’t want to be a witch, or a warlock. I wanted to be Devon Jinx, the girl who covered her pain with snark, the one who loved a man who was deeply troubled and good at singing. The person who wanted to help others, but somehow ended up hurting them.

  Taking a deep breath, I looked into my dad’s eyes. “Please,” I pleaded. “Get this link out of me. Now.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “I should come with you,” Gerard said, taking my hand as I tied my bootlace.

  Smiling, I cupped his cheek. “You need to stay and help the others with the witches. I’ll be fine. Mary said it would only take a few minutes at midnight.”

  Justina had to talk to the PM via Skype. Kurt needed Gerard’s help to get the evidence from the factory before it was contaminated. I needed to go and get rid of the warlock link. We all had a job to do.

  “It’s fine,” I said when he hung his head. “My parents are coming with me. So is Maxwell. Bradley’s dead, the stones are protected.”

  His sigh turned into a primal growl as he rose quickly from his feet, pushing me back on the bed as he landed on top of me. I giggled as he went still, looking down into my eyes.

  “I want to be there for you in everything,” he whispered, his green eyes dull as he leant forward and kissed my forehead gently.

  Stroking his stubbled jaw, I stared at him, unable to believe that he was mine. For a long time, I’d remained single, not able to find the right person to support me. To accept me. I’d not been unhappy, I’d been on a journey. And, now, I couldn’t imagine life without him. The one thing I’d needed through my growing pains as an agent was the space to be held. He’d managed to stick with me, even though I’d been through hell and back. He was a keeper. A very sexy one at that.

  “You are always there for me. I don’t think I would be here right now if it wasn’t for you.”

  His lips descended to mine. My fingers stroked the short hair at the back of his head as my skin warmed gloriously.

  “Time to go!” my father shouted, banging on my bedroom door.

  Kingsley squeaked, reminding us of his presence. Gerard grunted as I gently shoved him, laughing when he pinned my arms above my head.

  “I love you, Devon Jinx, no matter how much magic you’ve got.”

  “Even if I had none?”

  My whispered words made him frown. “Yes, even if by some miracle, you had none. Now, let’s get that link out of you so we can get back to our job.”

  Scrambling off me, Gerard helped me to my feet. One last kiss made me weak at the knees. Kingsley squeaked again, forcing me to detach myself from my man and go to him.

  “I won’t be long, little guy,” I told him as I stroked his head through the bars of his cage.

  He nudged me, whimpering when I gave him a biscuit and made my way to the door. Gerard held it open, a grin on his face as he went to grab me. Dodging out of the way, I looked over my shoulder at my best friend. Something wasn’t quite right with him. He hadn’t eaten his biscuit. He always ate his treats. Instead, he watched me, his tiny little eyes somehow telling me to be careful.

  “Come on,” my father said, reaching in to the room and dragging me into the hallway. “We’ve literally got twenty minutes until midnight.”

  My mother rushed up to us, taking both our hands as she did. Gerard put a hand on each of their shoulders before we could disappear. “Take care of her.”

  The last thing I saw before we flashed away was his beautiful face. A worried look had crossed it just before we left, but I knew that he would never be happy with not being with me. Still, it had to be done. He had a job to do. So, did I.

  We landed in the middle of the Clava Cairns clearing. Mary stood beside the tall stone, her hand resting gently against it. Maxwell was examining the round burial structure, built of ancient smooth stones nearby.

  “Well, good evening,” Mary exclaimed as she shuffled over.

  Throwing her arms around me, she almost recoiled as my hands patted her back. Slowly disengaging herself, she smiled at me. “I’m sorry, dear, but you’re full of magic. It’s rather zingy to a non-magical being such as myself.”

  Hearing voices, Maxwell joined us. “Glad you could come, you’ve left it a little late.”

  He looked over to the left, scowling when the three men who had threatened us came closer. “What did I tell you? Stay away from the inner c
ircle. Get back to your posts.”

  The warlocks rolled their eyes as they reversed, clearly bored.

  “How long have you been here?”

  “Most of the day,” the warlock leader chirped as he rubbed his big stomach. “Nice to see you, Kevin. Did Devon tell you about my proposition?”

  My father nodded as he offered his hand. I cringed when Maxwell extended the one he’d just been touching his stomach with. Ew.

  “She did, thank you. I’d very much like to work with you at the rehab centre.”

  Something passed between them. Respect? I sure hoped that was what it was, anyway. I couldn’t wait for my father to help the warlocks. It would be good for him to sink his teeth into something meaningful. My mother had been an important part of the agency. She was a witch, which meant she could work with us. However, my father, as much as he’d helped, wasn’t actually an official agent. He couldn’t be, he was a warlock.

  “We haven’t got time to talk.” Mary took my hand and pulled me towards the main stone.

  My parents took their positions either side of me. If, by some miracle, there was a threat, they would be there to protect me. My father had started to use his warlock magic again, albeit very slowly. He had been powerful in his day, apparently. I’d never seen it as a child because they’d predominantly wanted to bring me up a witch.

  “So,” Mary started. “When the solstice hits at midnight, your mother will recite the spell that she found in the grimoire. It’s a relocation spell. Your blood has bound the stone to the tree in London. Once the portal is opened, you’ll cut your hand again, placing it on the stone. It will then take the link out of you and redirect it to the tree. The essence from the bark that you cut has been rubbed onto the stone.”

  Considering Mary wasn’t a witch, she knew a lot about the ritual. When we’d first met, she’d not only fawned all over my boyfriend, she’d told me that she wasn’t going to get involved in my business. She’d been a huge help. I would repay her someday.

  Maxwell moved to stand slightly away from the stones. I trusted that he’d briefed his men. If any of them tried to access the link between the time it was taken from me and put into the stone, we’d have major issues. However, that wasn’t my problem. I might be half warlock, but Maxwell had taken the leadership, which meant he’d also taken responsibility.