Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 1-3 (Hunted Witch Agency Set)

by Rachel Medhurst

  “No, we don’t,” I bit through my teeth. “We get bloody headaches, that’s what we get.”

  “I wasn’t talking about you.” She laughed to herself. “You’re not exactly an Essex witch, are you? You have warlock in you. You’re impure.”

  Heat flared through my muscles, my bones, and my skin. My legs were moving, my arms were raising, and power pulsed through me as a red haze covered my eyes. Trying to pull magic through me, I swore when I remembered that I was in a cell, unable to access the earth.

  My body flew over the table, my fist smacking straight into Lucia’s jaw. I shook as I landed on her, sending us both flying backwards.

  “You’re a bitch!” The words crept out of my mouth before I could stop them.

  “Devon!” Justina’s voice came from far away. “Get off her, now!”

  The boiling rage that had taken over made my arms shake, but they still ploughed into Lucia, hitting her wherever possible.

  Hands grabbed my hair, pulling so hard, I shouted a swear word so vile it tasted nasty coming out of my mouth.

  “Enough!” Justina’s hiss in my ear brought me back to reality.

  Every part of my body went still as the energy that had flooded me drained away. The anger left, leaving me standing in the middle of the cell, my hands balled into fists, my breath hard and fast.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Justina was breathing hard too.

  Going over to Lucia, she checked her over. The witch groaned, batting her away when she felt for injuries.

  “I’m going to sue her,” she muttered, spitting blood on the floor. “And, she can forget about me helping. I hope Helena kidnaps her and drains her of all her magic.”

  Running a hand over my face, I winced when she sat up. Blood coated her chin, bruises were already forming on her cheek and her eyelid had swollen. What had I done?

  The door opened and a guard came in. He approached me, handcuffs swinging by his side. I backed into the corner, ready to fight. Dropping to the floor, I covered my head with my hands. I couldn’t breathe. If he thought he was going to tie me with those handcuffs, I would-

  “No, leave her.” Justina stopped him. “I’ll deal with it. Take that one to the infirmary.”

  Sounds were loud around me, but all I could see was little me swinging on a swing. Look, Mama…

  “Devon, I’m going to teleport us back to the agency.”

  My hands moved just as she reached for me. Screaming, I pressed myself against the wall, confused. Where was I? The tree. I had to remember something about the tree. How could I remember? I didn’t know anything about a tree. And, if I didn’t tell her, she was going to starve me to death. In fact, I was already starving. Thirsty, too. My lips were drier than they’d ever been.

  Something grabbed me, and I jerked away, blinking when the scene around me changed. The library.

  “Take a deep breath, you’re safe.”

  Shuddering overtook me as I laid on my side, cradling myself on the cool wooden floor. My eyes were squeezed closed as I tried to block out the video. It was so ingrained in my mind, I couldn’t keep control of when it played out.

  “Listen to me,” Justina said. “I need you to work with me. Do you feel like tackling this right now? While you’re in this trauma?”

  Seriously? She wanted me to have a therapy session when I was a wreck? My eyes opened, looking straight into hers. She was on the floor with me, laying by my side. Her expression was clear, no emotion showing whatsoever. That was probably a good thing. It seemed to ground me a bit.

  “I can’t control when the images come. I… don’t know what just happened to me. I… I’ve never been an unnecessarily violent person.”

  My eyes followed Justina’s light blonde hair as a chunk of it fell onto her cheek. She closed her eyes, asking me to do the same. I did.

  “Okay, so I’m going to take you back to your experience. Hopefully, we can rewire your brain to see something less traumatic.”

  Sighing, I allowed my whole being to relax into the floor. If I didn’t do this, I would be forever haunted by what had happened.

  “Start at the beginning. See yourself wherever you woke up. Don’t connect to her, just see her.”

  An image of myself, curled up in a stone cell came into my mind. My pyjamas were soaked from the mildew on the ground. They weren’t thick enough to protect my shivering body.

  “I look like a right state,” I muttered. “My hair is knotty and greasy. Does it look like that all the time?”

  “Concentrate.” Justina brought me back to focus. “What happens next?”

  When the door of the cell opened, I jumped, smacking my cheek against the hard library floor.

  “You’re still safe, remember that. I’m here.” Justina touched my arm briefly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Replaying the drugging, the hallucinations, the dingy hospital… it was horrific. However, my heart beat strong in my chest and my breathing evened. I had to see Helena again. I had to get to the bottom of what she was trying to force me to remember.

  “I’m not sure about time at this point.” We had reached the bit where John was forcing me onto the bed.

  The restraints. They… I couldn’t go in them again. “Justina, I can’t…”

  “You can,” she whispered. “Look, put your hand on your wrist now so you know that you’re not there anymore.”

  Lifting a shaking hand, I did as she said, keeping my eyes closed as I felt my freedom. The memory carried on in my mind. Tears crashed down my face as I watched that horrid man force my eyes open. How could Justina make me relive this?

  “The video is playing. I’m pointing to a tree. My parents are talking about how I shouldn’t be telling my grandmother what was…”

  Jolting out of the memory, I sat upright. Justina rose with me, steadying my shoulder with a hand. She knew exactly what I was aiming to do.

  “I need them to tell me.”

  Just as I spoke, my parents came into the room. Their shoulders were drooped, their eyes red. Why were they so tired? What was going on?

  “You need to tell me about the tree.” My words were strong as I got to my feet.

  The adrenaline of the last few hours sunk out of my body. To counteract my weakness, I pulled on my warlock magic. It filtered into me, making me stronger.

  “Devon,” Justina warned. “You need to be careful, that’s too much.”

  Grabbing my dagger out from the inside of my jacket, I closed my eyes and allowed the power to move through me and into the blade. It felt good. Better than it ever had. In fact, it soothed me.

  “Okay, I feel better now. Ready to hear the truth.”

  My mother’s hair was tied up in a bun, her big brown eyes staring at me. She still hadn’t got used to how I was channelling my magic. She had skirted around the issue but hadn’t spoken to me about it outright yet.

  “There’s something we need to tell you.” My father went over to the window and looked out. “We didn’t want to say anything before because… well, you’ve not been yourself.”

  “I’m still not myself,” I said, going closer to them. “I won’t be myself until I figure out what she wanted. If she was desperate enough to let me starve to death, she might try and capture me again. I won’t allow that to happen.”

  Taking a step towards me, my mother tucked her hands into the pocket of her cardigan. She shrunk in on herself when I studied her casual clothing. Why wasn’t she the mum I remembered? The powerful witch who had been respected wherever she went.

  “Please, sit down with us so we can talk.”

  Gesturing to the chair nearest to her, I did what she asked, sitting directly opposite her. My father sighed, his back straight as he came to join us. Justina stood, a bystander who knew that I needed her support.

  “We didn’t tell you about our experience before, but Justina knows about it. We went missing when you were ten.”

  I nodded when my mum paused. Of course I knew that, I had
been alone in the house for days. It had been great for about twelve hours. Having the television to myself, using the internet, and even eating a whole pack of cookies.

  My father took my mother’s hand. His mousey hair was dishevelled, the top pulled up into spikes. It reminded me of Gerard for a moment. Ew, that was weird. “We didn’t just leave you, we were taken. By Helena. She tried to get us to tell her about the tree too. But, we refused.”

  Frowning, I glanced at Justina who nodded. She had known about this little bit of info. Well, a bloody huge bit of information actually.

  “Why didn’t you tell me this? Don’t you think that was a huge factor that I should’ve known about?”

  My anger was short lived as Justina squeezed my shoulder. Not in comfort this time, but in warning. She had seen what I had just done when I lost my temper. Poor Lucia. Not.

  “We were trying to protect you. We had no idea she would manage to get to you. We’d persuaded her that you’d died.” The tear that escaped my mother’s eye was real.

  It was my dad’s turn next. “Eventually, your grandmother got so angry when we wouldn’t tell her anything, she threatened to take away our memories. Of you.”

  I froze. She did what? That witch had the audacity to threaten to erase me? As if she would ever succeed. Or…?

  “She did it,” Mother said, dropping her head into her hands and sobbing. “She took away our memories of you.”

  Words were stuck in my throat. Wow. So, they had forgotten their daughter. They’d forgotten me.

  “Before you panic,” my father said, holding up his hand. “It was short lived. One of Helena’s friends helped us escape. She reversed most of the spell. Although, there are some memories we can’t remember, including that day in the park. With the tree. After that happened, we decided that it was too dangerous to come back to you. We contacted Isaac Senior, who was already close to you, and asked him to raise you as his own.”

  Leaning back in my chair, I absorbed the information they’d just given me. Why hadn’t they thought to tell me this before? It was important. It explained everything that had happened even more. I was never abandoned. They hadn’t even run away without telling me, they’d been taken by force. It brought a whole new perspective to my life.

  “I wish you’d told me a few weeks ago, when you came back into my life. I resented you a ton when I was tied up. I believed that you’d abandoned me, even if it was to save me. Now, I know that you didn’t make that choice, it was made for you.”

  Getting to my feet, I went over to them. They stood at the same time, embracing me in a hug so tightly, I couldn’t get any air into my lungs.

  A lump came to my throat, but I swallowed it down. I wasn’t going to let my emotions, or my experience, stop me from finishing what my parents, and Justina, had started all those years ago. My grandmother had to be taken down. She had to be finished. But, first, I had to find out what that bloody tree was all about.

  Chapter Six

  Sweat lined my whole body as I stepped over the police tape. Yes, I was insane. In fact, I was walking straight back into the asylum. Crazy wasn’t the word for it. Mentally lost-the-plot may just about cover it.

  The night was cool, the air damp. Every time the clouds moved, the moon shone down to highlight the hospital. It was eerily quiet. Scarily dark.

  I had been standing before the doors for a full hour before making the move to enter the place. The agency had stripped all the evidence, including the video. However, after waking up from my sixth dream of the night, I had felt called to return to the building of my torture.

  At least if I snapped, I’d be in the right place. As long as they actually fed me this time. Not that there was anyone there to look after me if I slipped into psychosis, but…

  I was losing it.

  “What are you doing?” I asked myself as I stepped through the broken glass and into the lobby.

  The agency had obviously blown a hole in the barrier spell to allow them to enter. Why had they left it open?

  It was dark, very dark. In fact…

  Gasping when the lights flickered on and off, I slunk to the wall, trying to hide in the shadows. Had someone just put the electric on? Or, had it been doing that all along? I hadn’t noticed the lights when I was standing outside. Shit, this was creepy as hell.

  My boots were soundless on the lino floor as I moved towards the room. My hellhole. The place I had lost myself. Maybe I could find her there, still strapped to the bed.

  The skin on my arms became cold as I glanced down the hallway to check if anyone was there. No, it was all clear.

  The light went off, making my heart beat in my ears. Why did I come here? Who in their right mind would go into a scary, abandoned hospital? No wonder Gerard had stayed away from me. I wouldn’t want to be around me right now either.

  When the place was illuminated again, I rushed over to the open door of the room. Sticking my head inside, I looked around. The bed was exactly where it had been. The padded walls were still padded. Everything looked the spitting image of where I had been.

  Going over to the bed, I picked up one of the straps that had tied my wrists. My stomach churned as the image came into my mind. As the pain sliced my skin again. It wasn’t real, though. It wasn’t real.

  Backing away, I went to the corner of the room. Bending over, I retched, my whole body shaking as I managed not to be sick.

  “I’m such a fool.” My words echoed around me, making me laugh.

  “I agree.”

  The masculine voice made me spin. I grabbed my dagger out of my pocket and held it towards the door. A short man stood in the entrance, his head cocked to the side. “What are you doing in here?”

  Ah, a vampire. That shouldn’t be surprising. My rescue would’ve been spoken about in the supernatural circles. Not much got past the creatures of the underworld. Still, it was a little odd that he was hanging out in the hospital.

  “I’m an agent. I’m making sure no one’s using this place as a squatter’s home. What are you doing here?”

  Raising his hands, he shrugged, a sly grin on his face. “I’m just arranging some swaps, that’s all.”

  Oh, great, I had stumbled on a dealer. That wasn’t the best type of person I wanted to be around while I was trying to exorcise my demons.

  “You need anything?” he asked when I stayed quiet.

  “No,” I snapped. “I could arrest you. It’s just as illegal to sell drugs in our world as it is the humans. The government will give you a hefty sentence.”

  Retreating, he put his hands in his pockets. He probably had a weapon. Without even thinking about it, I drew a ball of flames into my hand, rushed forward and threw it at his chest. It smacked into him, sending his body flying across the lobby.

  “Woah!” he shouted, patting himself down as I put my dagger away and came out of the room. “No need to do that, I was just going to leave you alone.”

  A hole had formed in his shirt, the edges a dirty singed brown. Oops, maybe that was a bit reactive, especially as a burn mark appeared. Fire could kill vampires, but his wound would heal in the next few days.

  “I’m sorry, I’ve been a bit jumpy recently,” I muttered, going to walk past him.

  It was better that I leave the dealer to get on with his swaps. My usual agent head wasn’t working as well as it should be. If Justina found out that I’d come here without her, she would probably take me off the case. That wasn’t something I was willing to risk.

  “I can help you with that, girl,” the vampire said as he got to his feet.

  His blonde hair was flat against his head, his light eyes barely visible under the flickering lights. His energy wasn’t threatening.

  Crossing my arms over my waist, I stared at him. “Firstly, I’m not ten, so don’t call me girl. Secondly… how?”

  My curiosity was piqued. The tension in my muscles as I stood still made me want to punch a wall. If I couldn’t release the crap from what had happened to me, I woul
dn’t be able to stay an agent. Especially if my little show of magic, just seconds before, became a constant reaction.

  “You’re suffering, I can tell. I’ve been where you are. I was in the army.” He waved, stopping me from speaking as I went to open my mouth. “Yes, the supernatural army. You should know how the human government use us for our powers.”

  It didn’t surprise me. Come to think of it, my mentor, Isaac Senior had mentioned something about a division in the army being solely made up of the supernatural. Apparently, they were rewarded generously.

  “I’ve never been in the army,” I said, not relaxing my stance, even though he had my attention.

  The army would’ve never taken me. I was sloppy, terrible at fitness and lacked discipline. Maybe it would’ve been the best place for me? Nah.

  “I’m talking about PTSD. Quick reactions, harsh breath, panicked look. You have the typical symptoms. I managed to overcome mine.”

  Swallowing, I stared at him. Was it possible? The way I felt at the moment, my skin constantly crawling, my wrists continuously itching… Would it ever go away? “How?”

  The corner of his lip quirked as he reached into his pocket. Bringing out a vial, he held it towards me. “Vampire blood. For other supernatural beings, it’s a natural high. One that can numb the pain.”

  Numb the pain. That sounded so inviting. “I can’t take that, I’m an agent.”

  Shrugging, drug man tucked it away. “Okay. Good luck with sorting it on your own. I sure wish I could’ve done it without narcotics.”

  He wasn’t being sarcastic. His tone was edged with a touch of sadness. The life he’d chosen for himself wasn’t making him happy.

  A bang down one of the corridors made me duck to the floor, my arms over my head. Breathing heavily, I stayed still as the man laughed.

  “It’s okay. That’s my friend, just letting me know he’s impatient.”

  Straightening, I tapped my jacket pocket to check that my dagger was there; yes, I had replaced it when I left the room. Checking it had become an annoying habit that I couldn’t shake.

  “Wait,” I said when he went to turn. “I… How much for…?”