The Witch & the Bounty Hunter (Federation of Magic Book 1)

by Rachel Medhurst

  Forcibly pushing down grief, I stared at him as he led us out to a flash car, waving for me to climb in behind him.

  Jamie had been happy to hang out at their house, researching the supernatural over a cup of tea and endless cookies. He was technically in protective custody, or the bounty hunter version, anyway. I wasn’t sure he would mind too much.

  “I can’t believe you have such an inconspicuous car,” I muttered as he started the engine, and we made our way across the city.

  The lads laughed in the front, glancing at one another as they shook their heads. I didn’t need to read minds to know that they probably thought I was as female as they get. It wasn’t technically true, I liked a nice looking car. However, I was wise enough to know that a bounty hunter should stay hidden from his prey.

  “That’s very true,” Naz said, looking over his shoulder. “However, we’re sorcerers, we have a magic trick or ten up our sleeves. Plus, we ditch the car somewhere further afield so our hit doesn’t see it.”

  I was about to moan about the distance that we’d then have to walk when an image popped into my mind, blinding me to the two men in front of the car.

  “The man,” I said, blinking my eyes open. “I can see… his… errr… world.”

  “What’s happening?” Tinniel called.

  Trying to calm my shaking body, I glanced around. My spell had kicked in when I hadn’t even cast it. How was that even possible?

  “Whoa, you’re still connected to your hit.” Naz’s voice was calm in the distance.

  “There’s a man approaching with a gun,” I muttered.

  The man had red eyes and pockmarked skin. He wore a suit of navy blue, the material finely cut and shaped around his lithe figure. As he approached, he eyed the area above me, his gait full of confidence.

  Glancing up, I cringed. I was tied by my wrists to ropes that hung from the ceiling. My face throbbed where they’d obviously given me a beating. A chill raced over my skin, making me shudder.

  “You said you had information about the girl,” the vampire said.

  Wait, how did I know he was a vampire? I’d never seen one before.

  A grunt came from me before I spat blood. Wait, it wasn’t me. I was in the head of the man who had attacked me. Naz was right, I was connected to him. Just like I had managed to connect to the memory of Klarita.

  Was this a memory though?

  “I found her in South London. She’s living with a human. I told your men!”

  The tense tightening of the man’s throat forced me to take a deep breath.

  “Where is he?” Tinniel called.

  Glancing around the room, I tried to blink the sweat out of my eyes. There, on the wall high above me, was a clock. “What time is it?” I asked.

  “I don’t think you’re telling us everything,” the vampire, Jimmy, said, raising the gun that was held loosely in his palm. “Maybe you’ve run out of usefulness?”

  “It’s ten thirty,” Naz replied, distracting me from the immediate threat.

  Whoa, I was seeing the man’s reality in real time. I was tracking him to the warehouse, living in his memory of the present.

  “Put your foot down,” I told Tinniel. “They’re about to kill him.”

  A lurch of the car caused me to jolt out of the man’s mind, throwing me back against the seat.

  “Balls,” I gasped. “I lost him.”

  Smacking the back of his seat where he hung over it, Naz almost jumped up and down. “Concentrate. Go back to him. You can do it. You’re a royal tracker!”

  There was that weird royal word again. I would have to question them on their strange notion that I was royalty. In the meantime, I had a bad guy to catch.

  Adrenaline shot through me, the thrill lightening my mood. Taking that emotion, I closed my eyes and felt for the man’s energy. There, he was still alive.

  “She killed Gideon,” the man was saying. “With a sword.”

  “So, she knows how to fight. I thought as much after the gym episode.” Jimmy rubbed the barrel of the gun against his temple. “Your spell to use her fellow kickboxers against her was pathetic. She killed them all. How is that, exactly?”

  “She’s stronger than we realised. It’s like she knows who she is now.”

  Screwing his lips up in disgust, Jimmy swore under his breath. “The Federation have probably got to her."

  I was transfixed as the man in the chair coughed, trying to clear his throat. “Please, give me a chance, Jimmy. I had no idea she had the sword. I promise not to fail you this time.”

  “What’s happening?” Naz’s smooth voice broke through, almost drowning out Jimmy’s reply.

  “They’re still talking about me, saying that it’s not good that you’ve found me.”

  There were a couple of choice words echoing in the distance of the car. Blinking, I tried to concentrate on the scene in front of me. It was an effort not to be sucked back to the car.

  Cocking his head to the side, Jimmy tutted. “Anything else before I kill you?”

  “Yes,” the man gasped loudly. “Her magic had been activated. Surely that’s enough information for you to let me live. You can track her magic with the wand now.”

  Jimmy’s face contorted as he rushed forward, getting in the man’s face. His dark eyes bulged as spittle flew from his lips. “She has her magic and you’ve come here to see me? She’s a tracker witch, you fool!”

  A shove to the chest made me gasp in air and choke, bringing me back into the car as it screeched to a halt.

  “We need to hurry,” I managed to rasp through my throat as Tinniel helped me out of the back seat.

  Naz was already approaching the door I had indicated. My memory was fuzzy, the blur of the man gone from my mind. Somehow, our connection had been lost. Maybe Jimmy had cut the connection when he’d hit his spy.

  Shaking myself, I focused on the door and ran, using all my energy to get inside.

  Tinniel was beside me, his long legs taking only one step to my three. He was cool, calm and carried a gun by his side as if it were an umbrella. How could the handsome warrior be so collected? My limbs shook like a washing machine on fast spin, my sword almost dragging behind me as I caught up with Naz.

  Putting a finger to his lip, Naz gestured for us to follow him. The lights flickered above, creating an eerie yellow glow, even though it was the middle of the day. There was a set of double doors ahead, fastened by a chain and padlock.

  “I’ll get this,” Tinniel whispered in my ear.

  The rush of his warm breath made the skin on my neck tingle so much, I had to scratch it. Tinniel was too busy grabbing hold of the padlock to notice my totally inappropriate sexual reaction to his innocent comment.

  Naz nudged me in the ribs, his raised eyebrows almost reaching the line of his shaved hair. Okay, so I might not be having the best thoughts at the time of our first mission, but he had no right to chastise me with the brows. I was only human. Sort of.

  “Ready?” Tinniel mouthed when he glanced over his shoulder, seemingly oblivious to the eyebrow conversation I was having with his brother.

  Focusing, I took a deep breath. My energy was back, rushing through my body and sending pinpricks of sensation all over me. What had happened to the grogginess I had experienced only moments before?

  Naz pushed me behind him as he watched his brother melt the metal of the padlock in his hand. Silver dripped through Tinniel’s fingers, cascading to the grey carpeted floor in a pretty river. Before I had the chance to contemplate our next move, the brothers shoved through the doors, their weapons aimed in front of them.

  I came in behind them, my training overtaking my initial instinct to run as far away as I could. My heartbeat was so loud, it vibrated my head as I glanced around, searching for our hit.

  The thud on the other side of the warehouse caught our attention, our gazes snapping to a door that swung closed. Naz was gone, his legs carrying him across the cold, empty, concrete ground. Tinniel glanced at me, his
teeth clenched, clearly in frustration.

  “Go!” I ordered him, holding my sword up in the defence position to let him know that I could look after myself.

  Not that I believed I could, of course. However, I had killed a few people now. I’d be fine.

  The shake of my hand grew stronger when Tinniel nodded once and surged away from me, his legs taking him towards the door quicker than a greyhound.

  Crap, I was now on my own in a creepy warehouse. Could the twin not see that I was lying? I was petrified, my whole being shuddering violently. How dare he leave me?

  Right, I had to be useful, if I looked for the clock, I could find the spot Jimmy had tortured our man. A shiver rocked me as I searched the empty space, my throat constricting when I spotted the clock in a corner, just about visible behind an old shelving unit. It was piled high with junk, obscuring part of the room.

  My boots trod slowly across the concrete, silent as I gripped the handle of Beauty, bringing her up in front of me. The sound of a slow drip reached my ears as I approached the clock.

  “Please don’t be gruesome,” I whispered to myself before swinging around the shelf.

  The squeak of the rubber on my boots was accompanied by my gasp as Beauty dropped to the ground and my hand covered my mouth.

  “Shit.”

  Our hit hung from the ropes I’d seen, his head slumped forward and blood dripping from a deep gash in his chest. The bright red liquid travelled down his legs and formed a glistening pool on the grey floor below.

  Swallowing the bile that rushed up my throat, I looked around. Jimmy was gone, taking any evidence of his involvement with him. There wasn’t even a speck of fluff or–

  Wait, there was something on the man’s shoulder. Bringing Beauty up again, I checked over my shoulder as I edged around the body. A piece of paper fluttered in an invisible breeze. What the actual hell? Why was it moving when the air was completely still?

  A groan sounded, causing me to jump back ten thousand feet and drop Beauty in the process. The clatter of the steel blade made my heart flip into my throat even more.

  “Lost him. What’s–?”

  Spinning, I threw out my fist as a squeal escaped my mouth. My knuckles cracked straight into Tinniel’s jaw, knocking his head back.

  “Nice,” Naz said, appearing next to us.

  Tinniel’s eyes narrowed on me as he rubbed his jaw, stretching it out to ease the pain. If I hadn’t just discovered a dead guy, I would’ve probably laughed at his expression.

  Another groan from the man kicked me into action. Oh yeah, he wasn’t quite dead. Apparently, finding him had scattered my brain. If I wanted to be a tracker witch bounty hunter, I would have to train my brain to focus better.

  “He’s alive?” Tinniel darted around me and joined Naz.

  Naz shook his head. “Not for long.”

  Reaching up, Tinniel wrapped a hand around the man’s calf and closed his eyes. I stepped forward, shocked that he was using his magic to see the memory I had told him about when the man would’ve clearly been in horrendous pain.

  When his eyes snapped open, just as I was about to voice my opinion, they landed on me. A bolt of desire fizzed over my skin, ending up in all the wrong places. Swallowing, he looked away, breaking the connection and making my skin go cold. Wait, what had just happened? We were in the middle of an investigation and my body had gone rogue on me.

  “You need to sort that out,” Naz said to Tinniel at the same time as gesturing his head in my direction. “Let’s get him down.”

  “There’s a note on him,” I pushed out, my voice far too high-pitched.

  Biting his lip between his teeth, Tinniel ignored us both as he reached up on tiptoes and wrenched the rope free from the hook in the ceiling. He didn’t need to cast a sorcery spell, his brute strength was enough.

  As the man slumped to the floor, I knelt next to him. My tummy churned as tears popped into my eyes. Although he had attempted to kill me twice, I didn’t want to see him suffer. No one should die so violently.

  “You’ll have to get used to this in our world,” Tinniel said, his hand gently pressing against my shoulder before he glanced up at Naz.

  Taking the note off his shirt, I leant over the man to peer into his face. He was unconscious, his breathing extremely heavy and rasping in his chest.

  “Can you…?” I didn’t need to finish my question, the boys nodded in unison, understanding what I had meant.

  Clambering to my feet, I moved back, not quite ready to witness the man’s death. My gaze slipped to the note, tracing the words. My eyes widened as I sucked in a breath.

  “Wait,” the man on the ground whispered, just as Naz placed a hand on his forehead.

  The twins shared a look, both leaning closer.

  I stayed where I was, my breath held.

  Tinniel encouraged him to talk, his cheeks draining of colour when the man uttered words I couldn’t hear.

  “Thank you.” That was the only thing I heard as Naz took out a dagger from a pocket in his leather trousers and plunged it into the man’s neck.

  My hands shook as I twisted away, unable to watch as the echo of gurgling filled the room. I’d been able to feel the man’s fear with my magic, and yet, that connection had gone.

  Water, seemingly appearing from nowhere, dropped from my eyes and slipped down my cheeks. For the first time since Jamie had found me wandering the street weeks ago, my demeanour cracked. Sobs wracked my body as I dragged my feet into the corner and rested my forehead against the cold brick. My chest squeezed as the last moments of my mother played in my mind. She had tried to protect me, even though she broke my young girl’s heart by shutting me out. Why hadn’t she just told me about her world?

  Fingers gently wrapped around my arm, tugging me. I moved, somehow getting enveloped in Tinniel’s embrace as I mushed my face into his chest, accidently getting snot over his black T-shirt.

  “What did the note say?” he muttered into my ear.

  Clinging to him with one arm, I shoved the note into his free hand. Warmth spread through me as he enfolded me tightly against him without saying a word.

  “It’s a bargaining chip,” Naz announced.

  My erratic breathing eased as the pent up emotion left me. I stayed where I was, enjoying the comfort of having someone to lean on for the first time in over a decade.

  “What does it say?” Tinniel’s voice rumbled in his chest, vibrating on my ear where it rested on his pec. No, I hadn’t decided to take advantage, I was just trying to look out from my hiding place. Alas, his muscles were so huge, I couldn’t see around them.

  Naz cleared his throat rather too loudly.

  Taking the hint, I stepped out of Tinniel’s arms, keeping my no doubt snot-ridden face hidden by my hair. “It says that Jimmy knows where my mother is.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Beauty laid on the island in the middle of the kitchen, her silver blade glinting in the light from the weak bulb over it. When we’d returned from the warehouse, I’d passed out from using all my magical energy. The twins had assured me that the Federation would take care of the man’s body, hiding any evidence from the humans.

  Releasing a breath, I sipped my steaming mug of hot chocolate. I’d woken in the middle of the night, my energy restored and questions rushing through my mind. What did Jimmy know about my mother?

  After silently making my way downstairs, I’d settled on a seat, watching my sword and contemplating my new life. Just a week or so ago, I’d been a poor human with no memory of who I was. And now? I was a tracker witch whose mother had hidden a whole world from me. My world. A world where I actually fit in.

  As hard as it was to admit it, I was one of these freaks. I had powers beyond my imagination. And yet, my insides quivered as I rapidly blinked away tears that threatened. The others, quick to accept me, trusted that I could meet their expectations. I wasn’t so sure.

  Swallowing, I glanced at my mother’s phone. We had searched it, trying
to find clues on who had taken her. There was nothing, not even a message to me. I wasn’t surprised, she had never loved modern technology.

  My mind skipped back to the day she had handed me my first phone. Her face had screwed up and her eyes had watered. It had been the first time she’d shown emotion for years. And yet, I’d snatched the phone, grunted a thanks and left to show my friend.

  Knowing what I did about her now changed everything. Why hadn’t she just trusted me enough to share our secret?

  A footstep in the hallway made me slip off the stool like a guilty child sneaking into the biscuit jar. The house was completely silent, everyone sleeping in their bedrooms. The boys had let me have the cute guestroom with the en-suite. A girl could get used to a featherbed mattress and soft linen sheets.

  Treading across the tiled floor, I froze when a deep masculine tone expelled a hushed curse. Was that Tinniel or Naz?

  My heart skipped several beats as I moved closer to the door. Opening it, my eyes fell on Tinniel as he reached the front door. His hair was loose around his head, falling forward when he bent to retrieve a bulging holdall on the floor.

  Reaching out a hand as he slung it over his shoulder, he unlocked the front door.

  “Tinniel!” I hissed, coming out of the kitchen.

  His shoulders tensed as his head whipped around.

  My chest fluttered when his gaze met mine, lit by a candle that flickered on the shelf near the front door. Was he trying to leave without anyone knowing?

  “What are you doing up?” he whispered, coming over to me.

  Opening my mouth, I went to speak, saying nothing when he grabbed my arm and ushered me back into the kitchen. His gaze traced my sword in its glory pose before he turned to look at me.

  Licking my lips, I ducked my gaze when his eyes zoned in on my mouth. “I slept too much yesterday, I wasn’t tired. Hot chocolate?”

  My feeble offer went ignored as he huffed and looked towards the door. Why was he acting shady? I might not have known him very well, but Tinniel was not a shy and retiring sorcerer.

  “I have to go out,” Tinniel said.