The others nodded as a lump came to my throat. Gerard had found a way to help me keep my secret at the same time as doing my job. He might well deserve a medal, although I would never admit that to him. He didn’t need to know that my heart expanded at his kindness. Nope. I would still pretend that I wasn’t impressed by his impressiveness.
“This could well work. Can you go and get the spell?” Justina stood from her seat. “We’ll talk to Lilia.”
“Actually,” I said, getting out my phone. “I’ve got a photo of it. We can work from that.”
A grin split Justina’s lips as she pointed at a separate desk. There was a pad and pen, ready to be written on. Nodding, I went over to the desk and sat down. Finding the picture on my phone, I wrote down the ingredients and directions of the spell.
Kurt came over when I had finished, taking the list to gather the items needed. Justina went to get Lilia, leaving me and Gerard alone.
“Thank you,” I said before he could say anything.
To be fair, it didn’t look like he was going to say much, anyway. He stood, his hands in his jean pockets, staring at the bank of screens on the wall.
“Let’s hope the spell works. We need to get a good lead on these witches.”
His frustration was obvious, just in the way his shoulders slumped. The team had been working this case for years without much luck. But, now the enemy had left more clues than before. They were getting sloppy, which meant we would be able to find them.
“Their time’s running out. We will bring them to justice. Just…keep the faith.”
A small smile came to his face as he looked over his shoulder at me. “We better go and meet the others in the basement.”
Allowing him to lead the way, I got goose bumps on my skin as we went down the stone steps that led to the bottom floor of the building. I had never been invited down there. It was the only place that intense magic was performed.
The room was like an old stone cavern. Torches lit the walls, hidden in tiny crevices. It smelt a little damp, but was warm and welcoming. A pentagram of salt was already laid out in the centre, four torches planted in the ground at the exact degrees as explained in the spell. They represented each one of us.
“Hello, Devon,” Lilia greeted, coming over to me.
Her step was confident, her smile genuine. She was slowly coming to terms with her ordeal. If the spell worked to reverse her memory loss, it might well set her back emotionally.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I took her hands in mine, conveying my worry for her mental health.
Licking her lips, she glanced at the other three agents as they spoke amongst themselves. “Yes, I’m sure. We need to find the culprits. Too many witches are being kidnapped, and probably drained of their magic. We have to stop them.”
Her blonde hair was fresh and shiny, complimenting her blue eyes. Her tall frame was skinny, but she was slowly getting back to eating properly.
“Okay, good. As long as you know that what the spell unveils could cause you pain.” I didn’t want to be the one to make her feel it, but we didn’t have a choice.
Sucking in a breath, Lilia squeezed my hands before letting go. “Let’s do this.”
Going to the centre of the pentagram, Lilia stood with her arms to the side. She was still a witch, even if she didn’t have much magic left. She knew how it worked.
Stepping forward, I read the spell on my phone before tucking it away. The others had memorised it from the paper.
My dagger was heavy in my pocket as I hesitated. Gerard smiled at me, his encouragement bolstering me for what I needed to do. Slipping my weapon from my pocket, I quickly drew it across my palm. The blade sliced my skin, pain exploding as I cringed. Bloody ritual. Why was I the one getting hurt?
Droplets of blood fell from my hand as I clenched it over the edge of the salt circle. The sizzle that rose when the blood made contact with the natural element made me smile to myself. At least I knew it was working.
“Ready?” Kurt held his hands out to Justina and me.
Taking it, I nodded without replying. Gerard was on the other side of me, already offering his hand. As soon as all four of us were joined around the outside of the pentagram, we started to chant the spell.
Closing my eyes, I relaxed, allowing the others to use their magic. If the spell depleted my power anymore, I would have a huge issue. It could very well disappear completely.
Pins and needles ran up and down my arms as the others’ magic filtered through me. I kept breathing, my lungs expanding and contracting to try and at least channel the energy towards Lilia.
As our voices rose, Lilia clutched her head. The flames of the torches flared, sending a bright light all around the basement. The spell was working.
“This hurts!” Lilia pushed through her teeth.
The room vibrated with energy, the magic from the spell flooding through me. My eyes watered as I wished so hard that I could be part of the spell. My lack of magic was hindering me in more ways than one. My warlock magic was no good combined with their witch magic.
I almost shouted the last part of the spell. The torches went out as Lilia dropped to her knees, darkness enveloping us all.
Someone lit the torches again, showing us what had happened. My blood had stained the floor, burnt into the ground. Lilia rocked as she sat on her knees, her hands clenching her head.
“Don’t!” she said as I went to go to her. “It’s all coming back.”
Her cry of anguish echoed around us, making us glance at one another. The spell had worked, but would it be detrimental to our new friend?
“I remember.” Her whispered words were audible in the cavern type room. “I remember bits and pieces, but not everything.”
Tears came to her eyes as I went into the circle. Crouching in front of her, I took one of her hands from her head and forced her to look at me. The tension in her whole body was making her shake, just like I thought it would.
“It’s okay,” I said quietly. “You’re safe.”
Nodding, she licked her lips as she stared at the floor. “It’s two men. They’re the kidnappers. One of them was my boyfriend, Luis Camos. The other was a shapeshifter, he would shift into a tiger and scratch me when I fought them. They tried to drain me of my magic, using another witch as a grounding energy.”
Glancing at Justina, I kept my gaze straight. Luis Camos was the one who had taken my boss, and his blood was at the first crime scene. He was the man we were looking for. And, we would take him down.
“I… I actually remember where they first took us. They thought I was unconscious, but I was awake. It was a property in Chelsea. I remember thinking that it was strange that they were using a dirty apartment to house us when there were luxury ones all around.” Squeezing my hand tightly, Lilia stared into my eyes. “It was Angel Road. I remember clearly seeing the sign and thinking it was ironic.”
An address? That wasn’t something any of us were expecting. But, boy, my heart skipped a beat or two. I was ready to meet this Mr Camos. He was going to get a fireball, straight up his arse.
Chapter 13
The engines roar cut out as we parked two streets away from Angel Road. Justina had turned up with her own howling motorbike just as we were about to leave, telling me to jump on. Apparently, the pair of them often went on excursions for fun. Who knew?
“Do you think the agency will put me through my motorbike test?” I asked Gerard as he climbed off the back of Kurt’s bike and came over. “I think I’d look good on a bike.”
Taking his leather gloves off, Gerard rolled his eyes at me. Okay, Dreamy Mac-judgey wasn’t amused by my idea. I thought it was a pretty good one.
“Why don’t you ride a bike? Look how hot it makes Kurt look.” Pointing at our boss as he waved a hand over the bikes to cloak them with an invisibility spell, I chuckled to myself.
Gerard watched the blonde haired man run a hand over his face. He couldn’t deny that he was a little bit sexy.
>
Shrugging, Gerard looked away. “Who’s to say I don’t ride a bike? And…if I was a girl, I’d do him.”
My snort made him smile as the others came over, their eyebrows raised in my direction. I couldn’t help the laughter as Gerard wiggled his eyebrows in Kurt’s direction. Luckily, the alpha male was too busy making sure that his hair was fluffy to notice what Gerard was doing.
“Okay, let’s focus.” Justina rained all over my fun man-sandwich parade. “Lilia said that the front door stood out because it was painted green in a row of white. So, I pinpointed that house on the map. It’s the third house on the right. We’ll enter the street from this end. Kurt and I will go around the front. If you two could go around the back to find a way to get in. We’ll hide ourselves and cast a heat thermal detector spell to see if there’s anyone inside.”
“Oh, I like a bit of heat,” I muttered, straightening my face when they all stared at me.
Right, I had to make a note to myself. Act professional at all times. Especially when in the company of Kurt. His scowl was one I didn’t want to encounter too often.
Adrenaline pumped through me as I shrugged and allowed them to continue to plot our mission. They were including me, actually including me. As if I was good enough to actually be there. It was a nice feeling. A warm fuzzy one.
“We’ll text to let you know if anyone is in the house and where they are. Gerard, you know what to do once inside. Devon, follow his lead and do everything he tells you.” Justina glanced at the watch on her wrist. “I want everyone out of there in thirty minutes. If you need backup, let us know and we’ll come in.”
Nodding once, she clicked her finger and walked off. Kurt went with her, his back straight, his gaze forward. Not one of them had an ounce of emotion troubling their calm demeanour. Wow, they were highly trained. Shit. How was I going to get to that stage?
“If there’s anyone inside, you’ll allow me to face them. You have to stay back at all times.” Gerard zipped up his jacket so it sat snugly over his muscular frame. His mousey hair was sticking up from wearing the helmet, but he still looked broodingly handsome. His serious face was a serious turn on.
“What’s the point in me going in?” I asked, trying my hardest not to sound whiney. And, failing miserably.
Gerard marched down the street, expecting me to follow him. Oh, that’s right, I was a puppy dog. Doing everything that he told me. Professional. I had to be professional.
“You’re my backup. Firstly, you’re here to learn and experience a break in. Secondly, if by any… miracle… a supernatural creature gets the better of me, you’ll step in and help.”
“Don’t think too much of yourself, do you?” I muttered, shaking my head and forcing a fake smile when he glanced over his shoulder.
Tucking my hair into a band, I tightened it before pressing my hand against the left side of my jacket. My dagger was safely there, ready to be used if I needed it. At first, the weapon had felt clunky on my person, especially as I had no real need for it, but I liked the idea of using it if for any reason my magic didn’t work.
We had to go down the street behind our target building so we could access the back. Small concrete courtyards made up the gardens of the row of apartments. They were two storeys high with ugly facades.
“Third one down,” Gerard whispered. “There’s a gate.”
The wooden fence was much taller than me, so I couldn’t see into the back entrance when we came to a stop outside the gate that Gerard had indicated.
Holding his finger to his lips, he checked his phone. Showing it to me, he grinned. Justina had texted him. One person was in the building, it looked like they were sleeping. Oh goody, a baddy.
Trying the handle on the gate, Gerard cringed when it stayed closed. Waving his hand over it, he threw a smug expression at me when it clicked open. Something about the mission was making him show off. Why bother? I was already impressed by him. Not that I would let him know that, of course.
Stepping into the courtyard, we both surveyed the area. There wasn’t much there. In fact, it hardly looked used at all. If this was the place that held the kidnapped victims, it would make sense that they didn’t use the outside very often.
Motioning towards the back door, Gerard indicated that he would use his magic to unlock it. We had to get in as quickly as possible. The more we tried to surprise whoever was inside, the more we risked being caught first.
Waiting for him to cast his spell, I wrapped my hand around the handle of the dagger. Since my witch magic had almost drained, I felt vulnerable. Even though my warlock magic was still strong.
The door opened silently when Gerard had finished. A smile lit my face when we stepped inside. Excitement made my skin tingle. Something about catching the bad guy made me on high alert.
The kitchen was untidy, dirty plates and cups lining every available surface. At least it looked like they fed their prisoners. They would have to if they wanted to keep them alive.
Gerard’s arm came up as we went through the kitchen door. We wanted the bedroom, which was at the front of the apartment. Our footsteps were silent as we tiptoed down the hallway. I poked my head into the living room, but there was no one there. A door was standing ajar ahead, near the front door.
Stopping, Gerard pulled out his gun, holding it by his side. The agency was right not to completely rely on an agent’s powers. It was smart.
A deep snore swept the air as we crept closer. Nudging the door with his booted foot, Gerard pushed it open. The bed was behind the door, invisible to us. But, the person who was snoring was well and truly asleep.
Stepping into the room, Gerard looked straight behind the door. His eyes widened as the snoring stopped, and a flash of movement alerted us to the shapeshifter. It was the person from the station, I could feel his energy.
Gerard raised his gun as the shapeshifter ploughed into him, sending him flying. Hitting the window, the pair struggled, their arms interlocked as they fought with the gun.
“Devon!” Gerard called out.
The shapeshifter was wearing a tracksuit, his hair disarrayed from his sleep. He looked at me, giving Gerard the perfect opportunity to get his hand free and punch him in the face. Stumbling back, he groaned as blood poured down his chin.
Forming a ball of red magic in my hand, I raised my eyebrows when he looked at me. Daring him to try and escape.
“You might as well give up,” Gerard said, his shoulders relaxing.
No. Gerard couldn’t let down his guard. We didn’t have him…
Dropping to his knees, the shapeshifter roared as his body instantly formed into a tiger. Throwing the ball of magic towards him, I swore when he dove past Gerard, who was attempting to jump on his back.
The full force of the tiger ploughed into my legs, taking them out from under me. My arms managed to wrap around his back leg as Gerard got to his feet. The tiger kicked out, his claws ripping into my thigh.
Whispering a tracking spell, I let go of him as pain sliced through me. My teeth gritted together as he pushed off me at the same time as Gerard launched himself. Instead of catching the tiger, he landed on top of me, sending the air streaming from my lungs.
“Get up,” he ordered as he shoved to his feet and ran out of the room. “Shit!”
Scrambling to my feet, I paused when my head started to swirl. My magic wasn’t strong enough to hold a tracking spell, but I could feel it working. We just had to get back to the agency to get a map and see where the shapeshifter was.
“Are you okay?” Gerard came back into the room, his arm instantly supporting me. “We lost him.”
“How was that such an epic fail?” I asked.
Gerard ignored me as he looked at the red smears on my hand. I had been holding my thigh, trying to stop the flow of blood. It’s wasn’t a deep wound, just a surface one, but it still stung like a bitch.
“We thought we had the element of surprise, we didn’t.” His words were spat through his teeth as he started to
search the room. “Go and stand on guard. Just in case he comes back.”
Sucking in my breath, I did as he said, waiting by the back door. Had I been too slow to react when the shapeshifter had gone for Gerard? Probably.
“Okay, I’ve got everything I need,” Gerard called, gesturing for me to join him at the front door. “Let’s go.”
Limping towards him, I kept my head high as I tried to push away the dizziness that kept threatening to overwhelm me. “There’s something you should know.”
My heartbeat slowed as magic pulled from me, the tracking spell working, even though I wasn’t very strong. Gerard came to meet me in the centre of the hallway as I stumbled. His arms came around me, holding me up.
“What is it? Are you hurt?” he asked, his deep voice full of concern.
So, he’s worried about me now? That made a nice change from him being so aloof on the job.
“I placed a tracking spell on the shapeshifter. We better hurry, I don’t know if I can hold on to it for long. If I don’t let go of the spell soon, I might lose my witch magic…forever.”
Chapter 14
“And, you failed to mention this to me, why?” Justina snapped.
Trying to sit up from where I lay on a sofa, I moaned when Gerard forced me to lay back down. We had come straight back to the agency, waiting for the others to join us after fetching their motorbikes. Gerard had forced me to tell them about my witch and warlock predicament.
“I’ve always been both, I thought I could work it out. I don’t want to lose any of my powers.” The anger that bubbled underneath the surface every time I thought about having to choose between being a witch or a warlock made me clench my fists.
Slumping into a seat opposite me, Justina cupped her chin as she thought. Her hair was tied up, her usual pale cheeks pink from annoyance. Kurt leant against the door, stopping anyone from interrupting us.
“I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t my secret to tell.” Gerard was crouched on the floor beside me, his gaze flicking over my body constantly. Checking that the bandage around my leg held.
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