Claire came over to our table after we finished. She told us that everything on the menu was homemade. She mentioned that the werewolf and his wife were leaving tomorrow, and we were going to be the only guests staying in the cottage. Once she cleared the plates, Chris, Claire’s giant husband, brought two bottles of homemade cider. He had a wide face and the biggest hands that I’d ever seen.
"Half-breed and a wizard huh? We’ve had many different couples here before, but never such a mix up like you two," he said, after our conversation about our made-up plans. Jasper gave me a look that said, "I told you so" and laughed. He took a sip of the cider and then cleared his throat.
"Well, we’re here for more than just hiking, Chris," he began. "We’re looking for someone."
Chris lost his smile and went still. My heart went a little crazy. Maybe he finally made a decision to act, rather than sit around and eat. We’d wasted enough time already.
"Oh, well. I was planning to recommend a few good hiking spots, but I presume it’s not a romantic weekend away?" he asked, pinning his grey watery eyes on me. Jasper moved his hand to my thigh and squeezed. I wanted to punch him.
"In some ways it is, but we need to speak to Julian Savage urgently. I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of his house?"
Chris dropped the bottle he was holding, and it smashed to the floor, spilling cider everywhere. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. He was holding his hand to his heart, breathing hard.
"I have a desire to live, young man, and if you do too, then I suggest you keep away from Mr. Savage," he said, leaning closer.
Jasper had his magic wand out before the old man knew what was happening. Then with the snap of his fingers my magic came back to me, surging from my head to my toes, heating me up like a fire in the winter.
My ex-boyfriend stood then waved his wand, and all the doors in the room closed loudly. He wasn't smiling anymore, and my breath became shallow.
"Julian might be dangerous, but I'm only asking for directions, Chris. You’re not breaking any laws."
"They’ll find out if I said anything and they’ll burn the house," the giant squeaked. I stood up, confused, panting and completely unaware of what Jasper was doing. His shoulders were tensed, and I felt dark magic rising in the room.
"He won't touch you; I can assure you. Just tell me where I can find him."
The old giant dropped his body in the chair, staring back at me.
"No one in the village talks about him—everyone is scared."
"I'm losing my patience with you. I'm sure your wife will be more helpful."
"Why are you doing this? Who sent you?" Chris shouted and the door to the kitchen opened up. Claire barged inside with a gun in her hand. I wanted to laugh. Did she really think that magic couldn’t compete with something like that?
"I knew you two would cause trouble as soon as I saw you!" she screamed, pointing at me.
Jasper narrowed his eyes and waved his wand faster than I’d ever seen. Then, the married couple relaxed, and their eyes drifted away like they weren’t aware of what was going on around them.
Jasper pointed at the chest of the giant who was staring, completely frozen, at the ceiling.
"Julian Savage, how can I find him?" he asked again.
"Jasper! What the hell are you doing? This is illegal," I hissed, standing in front of him. No wonder my father wanted to lock him up.
"Get the fuck away. I don’t have time for this. We won't find the white witch without that fucker, Julia, and these people know where he lives."
"There must be another way."
Jasper’s eyes burned with fury. He shoved me away with his magic, so I couldn’t move. Then pointed his wand at the giant again.
"Tell me how to find Julian Savage," he ordered again firmly, the magic flew from his wand. This spell was dangerous, and I’d refused to learn it. Chris was at Jasper’s mercy. One word and he would be dead.
"He lives in the forest by the old burned church. Locals believe the place is haunted, so no one goes there."
"Julia, go upstairs and get my stuff. We’re leaving."
He released the charm and I ran to our room. I picked up our bags and my clothes then ran back downstairs. I had no idea if this was the plan, but my hands were shaking. Jasper stood still holding Chris with his spell.
"You two will die."
Claire’s words rang in my head as we rushed to the car. Jasper looked pale as we were diving away.
"What the fuck, Jasper? Why did you have to threaten them like that? Where are we going to sleep tonight?"
"Shut up, Julia, and let me think. It wasn't safe to stay there. The old werewolf was trying to spellbind you. They made up their minds about us as soon as we stepped out of the car."
My jaw dropped.
"Spellbind me? What are you talking about?"
"Your blood isn’t pure, and they didn't like it. Now, concentrate on the spells you remember because we’re heading to meet Julian."
Jasper’s face was shadowed by gloomy magic that had crawled into me. I was out of breath, wondering why I had agreed to even come here with him. Jasper behaved like a lunatic and now my father’s life hung in his hands. I didn’t know if there was any point in crying over spilled milk. I was done, and Jasper was only just starting out.
CHAPTER 18
THIS ISN’T THAT BAD.
J asper was silent for the next twenty minutes. We drove towards high street and after a while we managed to ask some local humans about a burned church. It was getting dark, the rain stopped pouring, and a sudden unease cramped my stomach muscles. For some reason I felt like we were being followed, but the roads behind us were empty. I suggested to Jasper that we should stop somewhere and recharge our batteries. The intensity of my own magic was slowly draining me.
Gordon used us. I didn’t have the exact location and with every passing minute I began to believe that we were getting nowhere with this search. There was a possibility the white witch had never actually existed and was just a myth. Jasper didn’t want to hear about a break and I started to wonder if this whole trip was really about the white witch or something else Jasper was secretly pursuing.
A human farmer with a very thick Welsh accent directed us to the burned church. He kept saying that the place was haunted, and we were going to die out there. Apparently local contractors refused to take on the project of repairing the church after their workers repeatedly reported strange, scary noises. A few weeks later, one of them was found strangled to death. I was a paranormal, but I didn't believe in ghosts. Someone wanted humans to stay away. It was as simple as that.
Anticipation filled my body as Jasper drove through the narrow road surrounded by trees. The car rolled through slowly, and several minutes later, around the corner we spotted the church, or what was left of it.
Seconds passed and neither of us left the car. We just stared at the ruins of the holy building. It was nearly dark outside. I tried to ignore the strange shiver that wiggled its way down my back.
"Stay close to me and summon your magic," Jasper ordered, taking a sharp breath and holding his magic wand close to his body. Something was wrong with Jasper. He was normally cocky, confident, ready to take on anyone or anything, but now he seemed scared. When I opened the door, I understood his hesitation. The temperature around this place dropped significantly, the cold burned my throat and my fingers went numb. My skin prickled with unknown energy as I circled the car. The air stirred around me, and apprehension blossomed into thick unease. It felt like someone had slowly wrapped their hands around my throat and began squeezing.
Jasper looked at me, alert and focused as we walked towards the ruins. There, the temperature dropped even further, and I began struggling just to breathe. The chilling air spread into bones, and within a few seconds I was shivering, my teeth chattering. The winter was setting in, but snow was weeks away. It wasn't the weather that worried me but the black energy surrounding this place.
T
he silence was unnerving, pushing deadly fear inside me. We circulated around the ruins for a couple of minutes, neither of us really sure what we were looking for. Julian didn’t live here, no one did, but magic coursed throughout the empty space, giving the impression to non-paranormals that this area was haunted, undoubtedly to keep them away.
"Are you all right?" Jasper asked with slight concern in his voice.
"No!" I hissed. "This was bad idea. We should come back tomorrow in the daylight once we’re more prepared."
"He might not be here in the daylight."
We kept walking, passing the church that from my right looked shockingly frightening. The forest further down was getting thicker and colder.
The surrounding magic was sending violent tremors down my spine, becoming stronger with every step, overwhelming and blurring the world in front of my eyes. Jasper didn't slow down. We could see our breath in the frigid night air. After around twenty minutes I felt like I was frozen, not feeling my fingers and toes. I was just about to tell Jasper that he could go to hell, when we spotted the lights and then noticed a small cottage hidden within the trees. My stomach made a funny jolt and I swallowed, thinking about well-known fairy tales, wondering if an ugly, old witch who lived inside was going to eat us both for dinner.
Jasper was moving in on dangerous territory. He was definitely hiding something from me. It seemed as if the hunt for the white witch was becoming less and less important. The wind picked up as we approached the house. It looked like Julian didn't own a car. By the window there were crosses protruding from the ground covered with bloody stains. There was something written on them, but I assumed it was in Welsh.
"Julian!" Jasper shouted. "Your old friend sent me, Gordon Lancaster."
Only silence answered him. I didn't understand why Jasper couldn't just go and knock on the door like any other civilised person would. My patience was running thin while we stood in the cold for several long minutes.
“He's here," Jasper said, staring at the door.
"Really, Sherlock?" I snapped at him. "We can’t just stand here like two idiots. The door is right in front of us."
My voice was lost in the sound of howling wind. The door opened slowly, squeaking loudly and uninviting. It seemed Julian wanted us to come in.
“Don't do anything; he’s setting a trap."
I looked at him with reservation. "Whatever, I'm going in. It’s freezing out here."
"Julia, summon all your energy and keep close. I won't be responsible for your death."
"Give me a break, Jasper. I'm cold, hungry and very uncomfortable, so I'm ending this nonsense," I snapped and ignored him, walking towards the house. Jasper looked reluctant to follow me. The steps were squeaky, and my power was ready just in case anything happened. My psycho ex-boyfriend changed his mind, because he followed me a few seconds later with a heavy sigh. The warmth pushed me inside, my energy surrounded the unfamiliar space. The fire crackled, warming the room, two lamps were lighting the old-fashioned living room with a worn-out sofa and chair.
Jasper made a hissing sound standing near the door, holding his throat like he was choking. An unknown voice broke the silence.
"Half-breed in my home and a wizard?"
It was deep and scared the hell out of me. Jasper’s eyes widened in fear, blood drained from his face. I went to him while he tried to undo the spell, pointing his magic wand at his throat. Panic seized me fast and I didn’t know what to do, searching for Julian.
"Mr. Savage? We’re here to ask a question. We don’t mean any harm. Please!"
"Your blood is infected, and the wizard is cursed with black power."
The voice wheezed in my ear and then Jasper crashed to the floor, breathing like he was having a panic attack. He kept muttering the spell that I remembered, after a moment Jasper stopped shivering and shouted with raspy voice, struggling to get up.
"Savage, don’t be a coward and come out!"
Then, out of nowhere, birds, dozens of them, began flying into the room and attacking us, jabbing their pointed beaks in any flesh that was exposed. Then a bolt of light shot straight toward us. Jasper cursed, and using an invisible spell, blocking Julian’s magic.
All the birds dropped dead as Jasper waved his wand again, getting back on his feet. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a figure standing in the doorway on the other side of the room.
"Feel the agony, wizard."
Okay, I cheered for Jasper, waiting for him to do something spectacular. After all, he was incredibly skilled and in his day job he hunted vicious and dangerous paranormals. Shock curled up my toes when a mass of bright fairy light shined on us unexpectedly, wrecking our protection spells in a pile of dust. Streams of green and red light were coming at us like a hurricane, and at first, we were doing pretty good, until something small stabbed me in the back.
I went down feeling crushing pain in my lungs. Jasper was throwing his spells right, left and centre until black smoke came out of nowhere and overwhelmed him quickly. I flopped on the ground. Jasper managed to stay on his feet for the next ten seconds, before the smoke reached him. I moaned, widening my eyes when Jasper started burning, in a matter of seconds flames covered his chest, arms and legs.
Then I saw someone in the room, standing a few meters away: a short, slim man with a brown trimmed beard. He was smiling. Thick blackness obscured my vision, and the smell of burning flesh pushed the food in my stomach to my throat. I reached out, remembering a spell, but I couldn’t feel the lower part of my body; my back throbbed with pain.
"You little charlatan, your demands are worthless. You’ll die remembering it!" the man shouted.
I moaned, baring my teeth, forgetting that I was inexperienced and only blessed with half magical genes. The smell of Jasper’s burning body sent a rush of new power. I lifted myself off the floor. Deep, whistling energy circulated over my fingertips, igniting electric currents. Jasper was burning alive, screaming and shouting for help. I called out for an unknown twisting wind, and a gut-wrenching mass of colourful magic dropped from me like a heavy stone.
"Hey, fairy prince, have some of that!"
A tiny voice in my head told me that I was powerful enough to turn his own spell against him. As Tron said, I just had to open my mind towards any possibility. The fairy turned to look at me and burst out laughing. The fire burned out and vanished from Jasper. The ball of fiery red light crossed over the room until I redirected Mr. Savage’s own magic toward him.
It wasn't long before he began burning, standing right in front of me. I stood up, panting, my legs trembling. A bead of sweat rolled down my face. The four walls around me spun and then I heard him.
"The White Witch is here, and I know how to find her," he hissed, collapsing on the floor. With a deep heavy breath, I had to make a split-second decision—either I’d let him live or he was going to die. I waved my hand, concentrating, and then broke the spell. All at once everything stopped and the magic was released from the living room.
The fire was gone; the silence was broken by heavy panting and loud moans. Plumes of smoke were evaporating from Jasper and the fairy; they were both spread on the floor. They weren't in any danger, but the burns were profound. I didn't feel any pain but remembered the wound on my back.
"Now, you fucker; where is she? The white witch?" I demanded, standing in front of him. I felt invincible and I didn’t even know that I had this in me.
He opened his eyes and sent several insults my way. I placed my hands on my hips, smiling.
"That’s it? I was expecting more from you," I said, narrowing my eyes, as he stared at me with disgust.
"Fuck you," he spat. "Leave and come back tomorrow. I’ll take you to her then."
"Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Your wizard needs to recover. The white witch is amongst humans. You can’t see her tonight."
I ran my hand through my hair contemplating what to do. The fairy bastard was right. Jasper looked like death and my clothes were burnt. B
ut I couldn’t trust him.
"How do I know you’ll be here tomorrow?"
"I'm giving you my word," he snapped. Okay, so that was good enough for me. I knew what would happen if he tried to break the promise: the binding spell would kill him.
"All right, charlatan, don’t forget," I snarled.
Jasper was truly battered, with large open burn wounds spread across his torso and shoulders. The smell was horrendous.
Within an hour I had him back in the car, using whatever was in his bag to heal the wounds. I found a hotel on my smart phone, miles away from the village.
I used a spell on Jasper, so humans couldn't see how badly he was injured. When we got to the room, I locked the door. Our day couldn’t have gone any worse.
Jasper lay on his back; his eyes were closed, his breath uneven. I used my magic and potions from his bag to treat the worst burns. My own body ached and once he was asleep I took a shower. My back throbbed painfully. My worries about Dad and Kate were going to be over tomorrow, because the white witch existed, and I was certain she was only a few miles away.
CHAPTER 19
INTRIGUE.
M y strained muscles began relaxing as I stood in the shower, the warm water surging over my aching body. For some reason I knew that I was safe. Jasper was asleep, wounded and trapped. He was hiding something from me, but I didn’t want to think about that now. I was tired of violence. I closed my eyes imagining Nathaniel’s fingers tracing my body in the warm water, whispering calming words into my ear. I was alone, a hundred miles away from him, but every time I brought memories of us together my heart betrayed me. Without judgment I wanted him with me, shielding me from all my problems and worries. Flashes and memories of Paris, Brighton, and the time that we spent in his apartment collided in my mind. Nathaniel wasn't right for me in everyone else’s eyes, but for me, I knew he was the one. My love for him hadn’t faded.
Witch's Promise : The Witching Hour Series Book 4 Page 13