The leader of the little group scowled down at the young man. “It might be hard to believe, but we were witches once. Our magic changed, so we evolved into a different species, but Isaac forced us to become friends with them. There may be one big guy out there who wants us all dead, but most of them don’t. Do you?”
The witches shook their heads, their postures confident, their conviction evident. A part of me understood exactly why the warlocks were making the choice to breed. The threat was very real. My ancestor’s spells were powerful, ones that could easily wipe out a species. But… ewwwww.
Gerard nudged me when the leader told them that they would reconvene soon. Scrapes of chair legs against the floor warned us of our time to leave. They would be coming through the door any moment now.
My feet were quiet as I rushed out of the back entrance behind Gerard. My skin started to sweat when the inner door opened before I had closed the back door. A shout inside alerted me to someone seeing the door close behind me.
“Shit, run!” I told Gerard.
The cries of alarm in the shop made me sprint out into the alley, following behind Gerard. They couldn’t see me. If they saw me, everything would be ruined.
“Gerard, flash us,” I called.
He slowed, his hand reaching out as I caught up to him. I could hear shouting just as his fingers wrapped around my wrist and he blasted us out of there.
“Ouch!” I fell to the floor, my face planting against the concrete on the river bank.
The salt in the air made me sit up, my hand cradling my cheek where I had grazed it. Pain was throbbing in the bone, making me whine. Gerard knelt down next to me. Tugging my hand away, he checked the damage.
“Sorry, we were both in motion. I told you, you need better combat training.”
Winking, he stood and gestured towards the agency building. I followed his gaze, not bothering to stand. Nope. The hard floor was comfort enough for me right now. I needed a moment to recover. From our violent landing, but also from the shock of what I’d heard.
“Gerard,” I said, a realisation coming into my mind. “They… they’re going to make more of me.”
The corner of his lip lifted into his cheek. Shaking his head, he grabbed me under the armpits and launched me to my feet. “I know. You know what that means, don’t you?”
I looked up at him as he bent his head towards me. My breath hitched in as he stared into my eyes. Oh, how I wished for some intimate moments with him. Just like this.
“It means we’re doomed.”
Chapter Five
My hand shook as I placed the dagger on the kitchen side. If the warlock had been right, it meant that…
“I knew the dagger was a talisman, but I had no idea of its power. I just assumed it was a good dagger.” Justina picked it up, examining the blade to see if there was anything unusual about it.
I had already looked, but I hadn’t seen anything other than a dagger. It was silver with a handle and a blade. That was it.
“I don’t believe they knew what they were talking about,” I said, lowering myself onto a stool as Kurt came through the back door.
“You’re both fired.” His expression was half serious, the not very stern expression failing when he glanced at Justina.
She screwed up her lips, staring him down. “We do have to talk about the last twenty-four hours. It seems our best agent let his emotions trip him up. And, our new agent was… being herself.”
Duh. I couldn’t be anything but myself. However, I had gone against Justina’s orders to stay hidden while they spoke to Theresa.
“I found out some pretty amazing intel on my escapade, you can’t be too angry with me. I promise to be a good girl.” I gave them both my best smile.
For some reason, I’d always had a talent for blagging my way out of things. It wasn’t something I thought I’d have to use at the agency, but needs must and all that.
“You’re a pain in the arse.” Kurt was deadly serious now.
Ah, crap, my charm had backfired on him. Justina on the other hand was shaking her head, her blonde hair brushing against her strong chin.
“I can’t have these indiscretions. Yes, Devon, we know that you’re a bit of a loose cannon. I knew that when I hired you. Just because I’ve been lenient so far, doesn’t mean I’ll keep you on.” Looking at Gerard when he placed a mug of tea in front of her, she grabbed his hand before it could retreat. “But, you… What happened?”
He couldn’t look her in the eye. Killing Jeremy had been crazy. His emotional trigger had taken over. I had never seen him act so cool, calm and deadly. With just a flick of his wrist, he’d broken Jeremy’s neck.
I was going to answer for him, but I changed my mind. I had just been told off, I didn’t need to invoke anymore ill feeling. My partner was handsome enough to fight his own battles. Especially as he had much more history with the agency than I even knew about.
“I have no excuse. A moment of rage overtook me. He… he was ogling Devon like she was…” Shuddering, he took his hand away from Justina and retreated to lean against the sideboard.
Kurt stood beside the breakfast bar, where we sat, staring at his friend. “You killed a man because you were jealous?” For once, his bluntness took a back seat. “What an idiot.” Or not.
“No, it’s okay, Kurt,” Justina said, putting a hand on her partner’s leather sleeved arm. “I know why that might have triggered something in you, Gerard, but it’s not on.”
My heart sank at the idea of Gerard suffering because of me. Yes, it had been his choice to kill someone, but-
“It wasn’t just that. I was about to use my warlock magic on Jeremy. He’s been threatening me since I was twelve. I’d had enough. Gerard saved me from myself.”
Kurt ran a hand over his hair as he sighed loudly. “So, you were about to kill yourself by using your magic and severing your link to your witch side?”
Nodding, I bit my lip. Yes, my stupidity was soaring almost every day. Even though I was at risk of dying, I still put myself into dangerous situations.
“Right, then you’re not allowed into the field until you sort your life out.” Slamming the worktop surface with his hand, he looked at Justina for approval.
Air sucked into my lungs as she slowly closed her eyes, her disappointment evident in her expression. She needed us to be working the witch case. We were so close to finding the culprits. And, yet, neither of us had proven to be very professional recently.
“I have an idea that might help Devon,” Gerard said, picking up the dagger.
We watched him as he spun it, making the blade land in his hand. Holding it out to me, he gestured with his head.
Taking the handle, I swallowed when he came closer. What was he going to do? I had no idea how the dagger worked. It kinda scared me.
“The warlock said that the dagger can contain your magic. Wait…” He quickly stopped my disagreement. “…hear me out. If you put some of your warlock magic into the dagger, it might be enough to help your witch magic come back slowly. That way, you’re not left completely vulnerable.”
Blinking, I looked down at the dagger. Okay, that could work. As long as my power wasn’t too strong for the blade.
“What if it can’t hold my power? I am pretty awesome, remember.” My smirk was ignored as Justina got to her feet.
“No, he’s right. If you put some of your magic in the dagger, it will stay there until it’s claimed. You’ll have to keep it on you at all times, or another warlock could steal it. But, it just might be enough to clear your connection to earth to access your pure witch magic.”
“That way,” Gerard continued, “when you give up being a warlock, you’ll have enough witch power to work with.”
Kurt grunted, his expression confused. “I don’t see why you should give up your warlock magic. You’d be losing a part of your identity.”
The silence almost echoed around the room as we stared at him. I had made the choice to become a full witch. My lif
e depended on me choosing between the two. And several factors outweighed being a warlock. Dating Gerard wasn’t that high on the list. At all. Probably. Just number two.
“If she doesn’t chose, she’ll die.” Gerard’s sharp reply made Kurt smile.
Oh, great, and now he was going to…
“You want her to become a full witch so you can bang her. I don’t see a problem with banging her anyway. There’s tons of multi-cultural relationships nowadays, just ask Devon’s parents.”
Emotional pain sliced my chest as a lump came to my throat. Justina stared open mouthed at her partner, her shock unable to even express itself.
Gerard shook his head before he looked at me. Taking my hand, he pulled me from my seat and dragged me out of the kitchen.
“Gerard,” Justina called before the door shut behind us. “You’re on probation from now on.”
Clenching my eyes shut to try and clear the tears that had gathered there, I didn’t take any notice of where Gerard was taking me. The cool air of the basement cavern made me shiver as my feet hit the last step.
“They’re going to kill you,” I muttered as I hugged myself.
He moved to the centre of the room, his boots kicking up a small amount of dust. “They’ll do all the paperwork, but they need me working this case. It’ll be fine.”
Clearing my throat, I moved to join him where he stood, watching me.
“Do you feel confident enough to try and put some of your warlock magic in the dagger?” He asked.
So, we were just going to ignore everything that Kurt had just said about us, about my parents. Even though it was technically the truth.
“Would you…? If I…?” Oh, man, how did I ask him such a monumental question? “If I had lost my connection to my witch magic, would you still be attracted to me, or would you have-?”
“Don’t,” Gerard interrupted, flicking his wrist to light the torches.
The flames danced, even though there was no breeze. The power in the room was palpable. And, there I was, asking him about dating.
“Right now, all I’m interested in is helping you to be able to function as an agent so we can catch the ringleader of the slave trade. The rest of it, it’s your choice. And, something that has to wait. If you stop being a warlock now, you’ll be useless in our hunt.”
Professional Mac-cold had come out to play. Fair enough. It had been a weird few days. It was time we got back on track. Our top priority was to save the witches who were being kidnapped and the warlocks who were being threatened.
“Okay,” I said, going to the centre of the room. “Let’s try this.”
My whole body shook gently as I held the dagger by the handle, extending it in front of me. It was hard to imagine that it could work, but maybe if I siphoned some of my warlock power out of me, I would be able to build my witch magic.
I jumped when Gerard’s hand rested on my shoulder. Turning my head to look at him, I frowned. His eyes were closed. A jolt of his magic jerked into me, making my eyes close. He was supporting my witch magic, just in case it didn’t work. If I used my warlock magic, at least I could still hold on to that tiny thread that was still connected to the pure magic of the earth. Well, with Gerard’s help, anyway.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Opening my eyes, I took a deep breath and tugged on the impure energy that ran under my feet. I envisioned a stream of magic that sucked through my body and came out of my hand. As soon as the yellow ethereal power hit my palm, it moved along the handle of the dagger and down the blade.
I gasped when it disappeared, leaving the dagger looking normal. Did it work?
“Try again,” Gerard muttered.
Doing as he said, I repeated the process of bringing my magic through me and into the blade. Eventually, it started to glow a very slight yellow. My body was revitalised, energised. My veins hummed, like they used to when I had enough of both magic winding through me. I missed the feeling.
When I had finished, I reached up and laid my free hand over Gerard’s. Squeezing gently before he pulled away, I smiled to myself. Once our connection was gone, my body swayed. His hands came around my waist, steadying me. Tingles fanned out on my skin under my top where he touched me.
“Are you okay?” His deep voice was huskier than normal.
My eyes closed, my body tempted to lean back against him. Something about the intimacy of sharing magic made me want to surrender to him. And, yet, he stepped away as soon as I was firm on my feet.
“I think it worked. I feel weaker, but…”
Concentrating on the witch magic that was pulsing at my feet, I pulled gently, surprised when some of it poured into me. Tears popped into my eyes, squeezing out of the corner as the power flooded me.
“Invisique,” I whispered, laughing out loud when Gerard gasped.
“It worked!” He laughed when I reappeared. “Be careful though. You still need to keep that balance.”
The muscles in my legs wanted to move. I hadn’t realised how weak my body had been. I’d tried to keep up with losing my magic, but until this moment, I hadn’t realised quite how much I’d lost.
“What now?” I asked my partner, ready to get to work.
He grinned for the first time in days. “Now, we sort out the mess we’ve made. And, catch that son of bitch who has been eluding us.”
Chapter Six
“What the hell was that?” I shouted to Gerard when he paused on the other side of the road.
Something had been thrown out of a window of a car as it passed. Liquid had rained over several people, most of them dropping to the ground as they cried out.
“Shit,” Gerard called. “It’s acid.”
A few splashes had caught my arm, but nothing serious. My skin started to burn as I rushed back to where Gerard was trying to help a man on the floor.
“Water!” he shouted. “Get some water!”
Spinning back, I almost got run over by a car as I sprinted across the road and pounded my fist on the glass of Maxwell’s shop door. We had arranged to meet him to tell him all about the group’s little plan. Justina and Kurt would be joining us in fifteen minutes.
The door swung open, the smiling huge-framed figure of Maxwell blocking my way. Trying to push past him, I almost gagged when my face somehow ended up colliding with his armpit.
“What’s going on?” His booming voice carried all the way outside.
“Help her!” Gerard shouted.
Stepping out of the way, he gestured wildly for me to do what I needed to do. His tanned hand shot out and grabbed my wrist, just as I was about to go out to the kitchen.
“Your arm.”
Not taking the time to inspect my own injuries, I yanked myself out of his grip. “We need water. Lots of water.”
Without another word, I shoved my way to the back of the shop. In a way, it was handy, because I could see that no one else was with Maxwell. He was on his own, like we’d asked.
“Buckets are under the sink,” he called.
Filling them both up, I grabbed mugs and floated them in the top. We needed to wash the acid off the human’s faces as soon as possible.
Maxwell took one of the buckets off me as soon as I came into the shop. He followed, not even asking why we needed it. “I know who did this,” he said when he spotted Gerard bending over a woman.
“Who?” I panted as I lugged the bucket to my partner.
Grabbing a mug, I filled it and went to a man who was sitting on the floor, cradling his eye. His cry of anguish was enough to make me yank his hand away and pour water over his head. The acid had almost burnt away his eyelid. Red welts covered his cheek, but his eye was ruined.
“Why would someone do this?” I cried, going to get more water.
Maxwell was helping someone else, dowsing their arm with a line of magic, instead of using water. That was interesting. And, stupid.
“I may have let the others know that you were coming here today. I promised them that a solution was o
ngoing and they expressed anger that I was allowing you into our territory.”
Great, the acid attack had been for me. Just because I was technically their leader. Or, was it that the group had seen me at the shop after their meeting? Maybe they were threatening me so I didn’t tell Maxwell their plan. Either way, it wasn’t going to work.
Gerard came over to check the guy I was trying to help. An ambulance had been called, but the man couldn’t see anything out of his injured eye. It was too late.
“Move,” someone shouted at me.
Kurt. He bent down to inspect my patient, taking out a small bag and laying it on the ground. Unzipping it, he picked out a pot of salve. “My friend, this is going to hurt like a bitch. But trust me, it will help.”
The man’s screams as Kurt smeared the clear gloop onto his eyeball made me heave. Looking away, I blinked when my gaze caught sight of Gerard’s arm as he took some of Kurt’s healing salve and spread it on a woman’s chin and neck.
Going over to him, I grabbed his hand as he was about to use the last of it on her. He frowned up at me, his eyes blinking as I pointed to the huge red welt that spread across his forearm.
“Put some on yourself!”
My order almost went ignored. He was about to reach for the woman again, but I swiped my hand over his fingers and collected the pile of gloop. Holding his arm firm, I rubbed it over the blister that had formed. His sharp intake of breath made me smile. Good, it served him right for trying to play the hero.
“A couple of your tattoos are ruined.”
He barked a laugh, his teeth gritting as I finished. All along, he’d been in pain, but he’d ignored his discomfort. What a bloody hero.
Pulling away, I was about to go back to my poorly man when his fingers intertwined with mine. Getting to his feet, he pulled my arm out, pointing at the small blisters scattered on my skin.
“You missed a spot.” Taking some of the salve off his arm, he gently soothed it over my tiny injuries.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling gently.
The noise of a siren made every one of us look up. We didn’t have time to go to the hospital or to speak to the police. Maxwell already knew who it was, so we didn’t need the police’s help to determine the culprit.
Magically Bonded_An Urban Fantasy Novel Page 4