There was a brown sack on the end of a table that she was adding something into before she picked it up. She turned quickly, our eyes locking, as she came out to deliver the bag.
“Thank you,” I said. Her eyes didn’t leave mine. “How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing at all. Please. Just make sure everything is in there before you get too far,” she said quietly. Her eyes widened as her gaze went to the bag and back to me.
Logan stiffened as we both picked up on Salinah’s uneasiness, and I grabbed the bag. Smiling at her, Logan and I walked toward the door. Opening and closing it without stepping a foot outside, we let the jangle of the door chime echo through the room. That ought to have signaled our false departure. I reached into the bag and found a note. Reading it quickly, I passed the note to Logan and put the bag on the ground.
“Salinah, my dear. You did wonderfully,” a man’s voice erupted from the backroom. “I knew I could count on you.”
Logan readied his stance and pointed to Salinah to hide behind the counter.
“Salinah, did they mention where they were heading next?” the man questioned as he entered into the storefront. Shock registered on his face, followed by anger.
“Big mistake. No one messes with my payday,” he roared. His eyes turned crimson red as he lifted his arms, readying for a fight.
“What is it you want?” I yelled, feeling the anger race through me.
“There’s quite a bounty on your head,” he said, “and I’m not the only one searching for you. But I’m the only one willing to deliver you alive.”
“What are you talking about?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes on him.
“I’ve got directives from two different organizations to bring you in. And that’s what I intend to do,” he said, taking a step toward me.
“Don’t count on it,” Logan shouted.
The sorcerer wore a sardonic smile as Logan shot across the room, barreling toward him. The man threw a cast around his own body, blocking Logan’s efforts before I even had a chance to breathe. Logan slammed to the floor with a thud. He was out cold. All he did was run into the man’s wall of energy. Who was this guy?
Salinah, still in a crouched position, tossed a sheathed knife to me, which I caught and brought into my side. Sliding the sheath off the blade, I watched the sorcerer’s eyes dart toward Salinah. I cast a protection spell over her, but my efforts were too late. She was frozen. The man had unnatural speed. This man was more than a simple bounty hunter.
I glanced at Logan’s crumpled body. His finger twitched slightly. He was only stunned. I brought my eyes back to the man who was determined to capture me.
“Why am I so wanted?” I asked.
“You probably know more about that than I do,” he quipped, stepping over Logan’s body.
“Undo the damage here, and I’ll come with you,” I said, taking a step toward the man. “Who’s offering the highest reward? Where will you take me?”
“That depends. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to have a bidding war. Now drop the knife.”
Nodding, I tossed the knife down. The clanking aroused Logan. His eyes blinked open, startled, but he didn’t move.
“I’ve got a pretty good idea why,” I said, raising a brow. “It should have you concerned.”
The air in our small space shifted. My senses were all-consuming as I watched the man move closer. A splash of excitement mixed with the blood pulsing through my veins. A euphoric sense washed through me. He had no idea.
“I’ve seen everything, baby. Nothing can surprise me.” He laughed.
Not everything.
I felt a jolt of electricity scatter across the nape of my neck as the sorcerer’s hand reached around my throat. I fell to my knees in agony as the pulsing current ran through my body.
I didn’t want to disarm him. I wanted to use him. I straightened my back and looked him in the eyes.
Drop your hands. Back away from me.
The sorcerer’s hands dropped from my neck, and I stood quickly to greet him. Something had changed between us. He eyed me suspiciously, slowly backing away from me.
“Where are you going?” I asked. “We have business to finish.”
The shop began to fall away as the energy in the air shifted. It was happening again. Darkness replaced the shop. The silhouette of the sorcerer still hovered in front of me, as did Logan and Salinah’s, but their features were vague.
“What Order are you handing me over to?” I asked.
“It’s not that simple,” he replied. His voice was flat.
Why was he answering my questions?
“Would you have killed me?” I asked.
“Yes.”
It was silent between us. Was I really in his mind?
“Do you have any remorse?” I asked.
“Always,” he whispered.
There was only one way to find out how deep I was inside his world. Was I only manipulating his answers with ones I wanted to hear?
I took a deep breath in and imagined countless fairies surrounding us. In every direction there were thickets of the tiny, winged creatures. Their sharp fangs exposed, glistening, as their mouths formed into song. The infinite space was filled with the breezes from the wings of the fairies as they flapped to the rhythm of their song. It all felt real, not imagined. The sorcerer began jabbing at the fairies, slapping them away. But my mind filled the space once more with these tiny beings. The sorcerer turned in circles as the power of my imagination dreamed the fate of this man. The fairies returned, this time dipping and swooping around him. Some landed on his shoulders, while others pulled on his hair. He whipped his hands through the air frantically, trying to stop the imagined fairies from taunting him.
“Get these creatures off me,” he yelled, flinging his arms in all directions.
My mind moved from the land of fairies surrounding us to Golem. Each step of the giants vibrated the non-existent earth beneath us. The pounding of their footsteps, as the army grew larger, echoed between us. His mind was breaking right in front of me.
“Let me out of these hallucinations,” the sorcerer yelled, dropping to his knees as the Golem surrounded him.
His world was cracking. His soul was shattering. I understood what Maddie meant.
I let my spirit detach from his, and the herb shop quickly replaced the darkness. I watched the man cower in front of me as I disengaged the images from his psyche.
I stood over him. Sweat was rolling down his face, and he held his trembling hands near his eyes as if to shield himself from me.
“So let’s try this again,” I said. “Salinah, it’s okay. You can get up. This man won’t hurt you. Will you?” I arched my brow at the man.
“You were in my mind,” he whimpered, holding his head.
“I was,” I confirmed. “And there’s plenty more where that came from.”
Salinah stood up slowly and took a step forward. She glanced at Logan and back at me.
“Can you help rouse him?” I asked, looking at Logan. She nodded and went to his side while I continued to focus my attention on the sorcerer-turned-bounty hunter.
“Now, when you did get your hands on me, where were you going to take me?” I questioned.
“They gave me an address,” he said, rubbing his temples.
“And?”
“I don’t have it memorized,” he grumbled. He began to slide his hand into his pocket.
“Nope. Keep your hands where I can see them. We’ll get the information from you in a sec,” I paused. “Are there others like you out there?”
He nodded. “I would say so. Not everyone is looking for you. The list is massive.”
“List?” I asked.
Logan started to move. Sitting upright with Salinah’s help, he leaned against the counter watching us.
“You weren’t the only one on that list.” The sorcerer replied, grimacing as he attempted to get up. “And no, I don’t remember who else was on there. I only focused on you.”
“Three hundred thousand,” he replied, getting to his feet.
I didn’t know whether to be flattered or insulted. I thought I would have been worth more.
“And immortality,” he finished.
A shot ran through my system.
“Immortality? Who’s offering that?” I asked.
Salinah whispered something to Logan and he stood up and came to my side.
“They are offering the promise of it. Word on the street is that they’re pretty close to finalizing the formula.”
“Interesting,” I replied. “Now, I just wonder what we’re gonna do with you.”
“Certainly can’t release him,” Logan agreed. “Maybe he’ll have to go with the collection of others.”
“Others?” the man asked.
I started laughing and shook my head, catching his glance. “You think you’re the first person we’ve thwarted? We’ve got quite a little colony building. As it keeps growing, I’m not sure what we’re going to do with you all.”
Salinah looked rattled and went to the side counter where an electric teakettle was plugged in. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I need something to calm my nerves. I’m not used to this type of thing.”
“Completely understand,” I replied. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around these things every day.”
“Just texted Trevor. He’s on his way,” Logan said.
“Thanks. Can you grab the stuff out of his pockets?” I asked Logan.
Logan quickly grabbed the guy’s wallet and a small post-it note and handed them to me. I took the pile over to the counter and spread everything out. I grabbed the identification out of his wallet. Len Blanes. Lives in Idaho. I glanced at the paper where the address was written.
“Len, is this where you were supposed to bring me?” I asked, waving the yellow post-it note in front of him.
He nodded.
The chime on the door sounded and Trevor walked in. It was hard not to notice something different about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It wasn’t anything bad – just different.
“Well that was freakishly fast,” I said, laughing.
“I was at Pike Place Market, getting fish for tonight if you must know,” he said, laughing. “Hey man, what’s up?” He brought Logan in for a quick hug and then eyed Len. “This is the guy, huh?”
“Sure is,” I said. “Thanks for doing this.”
“The least I can do,” Trevor said.
Trevor tied up Len’s wrists in an almost unnoticeable restraint and cast a quick spell on it.
“You didn’t park far from here, did you?” I asked.
“Right out front,” Trevor said, laughing. “It’s not my first time handling something like this.”
“Right! Sorry. I just get nervous,” I replied.
I rounded up everything of Len’s, minus the address, and handed it to Trevor before he exited.
Salinah looked over at me. “It was like time stood still. You and the guy weren’t moving. And then he dropped to his knees. I’ve never seen or felt anything like it,” Salinah said quietly.
“I’m sorry you had to experience it.”
“Is it true about the formula for immortality?” she asked softly.
Shoot! I shook my head and looked over at Logan. “I think we need to go check out who’s at this address,” I said, trying to change the topic.
“I’m sure you do,” he said, shaking his head. “I propose we send Trevor to check it out.”
“And let him have all the fun? No way.”
“You know, I don’t think you need anything in there,” Salinah said, pointing at the bag of ingredients. “I don’t think there’s anything in there that will help you do more than you already can. Why was it you were picking it up?”
“Clarity,” I said, shifting my gaze back to Logan. “I was told things might become clearer until my abilities completely honed in.” I knew it didn’t matter what all I told her because soon she wouldn’t be remembering any of it. Truthfully, I didn’t think I needed those remedies either.
Salinah looked at me suspiciously, and I realized what had to be done. I didn’t want to do it, but I had to do it. I needed to shift her memories, maybe misplace a few. I looked at Logan who gave me a slight nod as I gently touched Salinah’s hand, melding our minds into one.
***
“I feel really guilty about doing that to Salinah,” I confided.
“There was no other option,” Logan confirmed. “She saw too much, heard too much.”
Logan pulled into the driveway back at our house only to have Dace and Bakula frantically fluttering around the front of the home.
“So much for relaxing,” I whispered, as Logan put the car in park.
“Funny how that works with these two,” Logan said, swinging open the car door.
“Things are far too dangerous for you to be out and about,” Bakula said. “Now hurry inside.”
“Let’s not overreact,” I said, arching a brow.
“You don’t know what we do,” Dace confirmed.
“Well, maybe it’s about time you start sharing these things before it gets to this level.”
“She’s got a point,” Logan agreed as he pushed open the front door to our home.
Our house was just as we’d left it, and all I really wanted to do was hop in the tub, take a nap, and then head out to the address we’d gotten from Len. Judging by the looks on Dace and Bakula’s faces, I’d be lucky to get one out of the three.
I flipped on the living room light and walked over to the couch. If I couldn’t let my body rejuvenate under a blanket of bubbles, the least Dace and Bakula could do was let me sink onto the couch.
“Oh, dear,” Bakula said, noticing Logan’s neck.
“It’s nothing,” he said, waving her away from his neck. “You’re kind of making it worse whipping around it like that.”
“Why hasn’t this been tended to?” Bakula asked, eyeing me.
“It’s been on the list, but our day hasn’t gone as planned. Your arrival is included in that.” I sighed, letting my body slide against the cushions.
“You’re not going to like what we came for,” Dace said.
“Let me have it then,” I said.
Dace and Bakula sat on the coffee table right next to each other. She looked a little more robust than when I last saw her. The slender fingers I was used to seeing had been replaced with pudginess, and it suited her. It softened her a bit, as long as she didn’t open her mouth too wide to expose her fangs.
“We need you to go into hiding again,” Bakula replied, pinching her lips together.
“Not gonna happen,” I replied.
“It has to happen,” Dace said, standing up to make his point.
“I’m sorry. I’m not going to go into hiding when our covens are being targeted. My father and grandfather’s vacancies created an open invitation for all of the corrupt and exploitative members to step forward. I’m not going to run into the forest every time things get rough,” I said, sitting up slightly on the couch.
“We know you went to see Maddie,” Bakula said, ignoring my protest. “And I’m glad your mom and aunt pointed you to her. Did she explain things to you or—”
“Let’s see…After setting us up and attacking Logan, she opened right up. I’m really looking forward to our next encounter, actually. I’m hoping she can step up the hostility.”
Bakula shook her head and flew over to me. Sitting on my leg, she looked over at Logan. “That’s where you got the injury?”
He nodded.
“We told her you were to be trusted,” Dace said, pacing on the coffee table.
“You knew about her?” I asked.
“Of course we know about Maddie. We communicate with the undercities on a regular basis. Did she help clarify things for you?” Bakula said, turning her tiny frame to face me.
“Why didn’t you have us go talk to her earlier or take us there
so she wouldn’t attack us?” I asked, feeling a bit of anger swell.
“Timing is everything. And unfortunately, we figured it would be best if it came from your family. We knew their relationship with the—”
“Relationship?” I interrupted.
“Didn’t Maddie talk about how she knows your mom?” Bakula asked, puzzled.
“No. We were on edge, and she was too. Did my mom frequent the undercity a lot?”
“Not for the reason you’re probably thinking,” Bakula said, pausing for a moment. “Your mom was the muse for one of the practitioners. For Maddie, actually.”
“The muse for Maddie?” I asked.
“I think that’s what you’d call it in your language. Sometimes language is so inadequate…” her voice trailed off. “It’s kind of ironic, really.”
“What is?” I felt my heart pounding with every passing second.
“Well, your mom allowed Maddie to perfect her abilities on her. Play with reality and…”
“That’s not being a muse. Was Maddie in on it with my father?” I asked. The fury building inside of me was unstoppable. My mom was used as a guinea pig before my father ever got his hands on her. I looked at Logan who realized the same things as I did. My mom wasn’t weaker than anyone else. It wasn’t love that wore her down. It was more logical than that. Her brain had been pre-wired by science experiments in the guise of magic by Maddie. She had been preconditioned to fall prey to the mind games.
“No…no definitely not,” Dace said, flying over to stand next to Bakula. “In fact when she found out what might have happened with your mother she fell into a deep depression. She realized all of the practicing she did on your mother made your mom more susceptible to mind altering of any sort.”
“That’s why Maddie’s so protective of you,” Bakula offered, glancing at Logan. “She knew your mother and father in good times and bad. I think she wanted to make sure it wouldn’t happen twice.”
“We can say whatever we want about Maddie and her so-called good intentions, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to trust her. And I can’t believe my mom would send me there, knowing what happened to her.” I shook my head in disgust.
Witch Avenue Series (The Complete Set) Page 72