“Where?”
My quick response was met with hooded eyes as his throat bobbed. I swallowed myself, unable to look away from his heated gaze. I knew exactly what sensations filtered through him, they travelled through me also, burning my nerves.
“Jimmy knows where your mother is, I’m going to find him.”
Narrowing my gaze on him when my bullshit detector rung alarm bells, I shook my head. “Why not do it with your brother? Why are you going alone?”
His hands clenched by his sides as he turned from me. “Naz told you what happened to Henrick.”
The sentence ended without the typical raised tone of a question. I didn’t really know how to reply to his statement. It was as if I should’ve known why he was going without Naz. Nope, I still didn’t get it.
Side-eyeing me like the broody warrior he was, he huffed gently. “When I took the man’s leg, I saw something in my time spell. It’s too dangerous for Naz. I won’t…” His throat closed, shutting off his words.
I stared at him, my heart pounding and my skin tingling. He would do anything to protect his brother, I could see that in the way he hung his head, clearly burdened by what had happened to Henrick.
“How did Henrick die?” I whispered.
His gaze shot to me, burning me even more. Every fibre of my being cried to be touched by him, to comfort him with my own hands and mouth. Thank goodness Naz wasn’t there to hear my inappropriate thoughts.
“When I travelled back to the moment our brother’s legs were severed, I wrestled the attacker to the ground. Our hit pulled out his gun and instead of aiming for me, he shot Henrick straight in the head.”
Sucking in a breath as my stomach rolled, I pressed my hand against my chest. No wonder Tinniel held a lot of guilt, it must have been torture itself to live with it for all these years.
“Don’t pity me,” he barked.
Blinking, I opened my mouth to reply. Nothing came out. What could I say?
A growl slipped up his throat and twisted his lips as he rushed over to me, not stopping when he reached me.
Sweat broke out on my forehead as I skipped backwards, bumping into the wall behind me.
He pushed his face in mine, his breath heavy as he slowly shook his head. “I can see it in your eyes, the pity. Please. Stop.”
“You were just trying to save him from a life he would’ve abhorred.”
“No,” he whispered, his eyes closing as his fingers wrapped around my wrists, pinning them to the wall.
My skin prickled where he touched me, begging for more. Swallowing hard, I licked my lips and stared into his green eyes. I couldn’t help it, I was a sucker for… well, him, apparently.
Before I could reply, his lips crushed against mine, stealing my breath. A surge of heat rushed over me, igniting little fires on my skin. My arms were still trapped against the wall, unable to lace around his neck. The sensation of being overpowered by him made it even hotter.
Inhaling through my nose, I pushed my body against his hard chest, deepening the kiss. My forwardness made him tear away, releasing my wrists and turning from me.
“I’m sorry,” he hissed. “It’s the charge, I couldn’t help myself.”
A sharp pang made me bite my lip. Okay, so I wasn’t surprised that he blamed the weird connection between us. I mean, why would he be attracted to a girl like me anyway? He was a tough, highly successful bounty hunter. I, on the other hand, was a terrible tracker witch who knew nothing at all.
Running a hand through my bobbed hair, I straightened my spine. No, I shouldn’t think so poorly of myself. I was a good person who wanted to find my mother. That was all.
“I get it,” I said, shrugging my shoulders at the same time as swallowing the lump that rose to my throat. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine.” Jerking a hand through his delicious brown locks, he snarled. “You’re witch royalty, you should be bonded with another witch, not a sorcerer. Not me.”
There was that word again. Royalty. My gut wrenched as he looked at me, a hint of sadness pinching his face.
“How am I royalty? Every time I’ve asked, I’ve been ignored.”
Tinniel’s shoulders relaxed as he lowered himself onto a stool, indicating that I do the same. Releasing a shaky breath, I took Beauty off the island and sat, clasping the handle loosely as the tip rested on the stone floor.
“Your bloodline runs from a long line of tracker witches, the first type of witch to ever exist. The Ford magic comes from inside you, absorbed from the blood that runs in your veins. All other witches, warlocks, and sorcerers gain their magic from the Earth. Your ancestors created the link between Earth and witch. That’s why you’re royalty. And there’s only two of you left. You and your mother.”
My head pounded as I tried to contemplate his words. The first ever witch? Surely not? Only weeks ago, I had no idea that witches existed, and now? It was too much.
“I can’t understand why your mother didn’t tell you anything,” he said when I remained silent.
“We… I started to behave like a spoiled brat when we lost our money.”
I hung my head at my confession, my hair covering my face. I didn’t want to see the judgement that would clearly come from the sorcerer who knew my mother better than I did.
Clearing his throat, he scooted his chair closer. “I suppose she was trying to protect you. Do you see why you’re so important? Why everyone at the Federation is in awe of you?”
“They are?” My gaze snapped up, sinking again when he looked at me intensely.
His hand briefly touched mine before he pulled away and sloped off of his seat. “You’re more powerful than you realise. You’ve only just begun to connect to your magic. Look what you’ve done already. You tracked a powerful witch and led us to our hit. That’s why we need you.”
“You don’t need me,” I muttered, pressing a palm against my heated cheeks. “Although, I have to admit, that was pretty incredible. I had no idea I could do that.”
Shuddering from the memory, I smiled at him as he paced the small area between the island and the door. Why was he so riled?
Maybe, just maybe, it was because we’d just shared an intense kiss. One that had shifted our relationship completely.
“Can you see why…” Pointing between us, he came to a stand in front of me, “…this can’t happen?”
My chest squeezed a little, forcing me to admit that his rejection hurt. Why was that? I had known the bloke for five minutes, and yet, the charge was real. It resonated through me every time I looked at him, reminding me that I’d been drawn to him from the moment I’d believed that he was a figment of my imagination.
“No,” I said bluntly, quite surprised by my own lack of self-preservation.
Raising his eyebrows, Tinniel might have let the corner of his lip lift into his cheek. Wait, no, it was gone again, replaced with a slight frown. Jeez, he looked even more attractive without his permanent scowl.
Clenching his hands into fists, he came closer, his gaze intent. “I’m not good enough for you, regardless of the charge. I killed my own brother. Please,” he whispered, his breath hitching in his throat, “forget about it. Just see me as a colleague.” Said the man who had just ravished my mouth with his delectable lips. If he thought it would be easy for me to erase such an intense kiss from my mind, he was crazy.
“Okay,” I agreed, not wanting to force the sorcerer.
Although everything in me wanted to fall to my knees in front of the hulking warrior, my pride won out. Just about. Plus, who wanted a man who never smiled? Not me, nope.
“On one condition,” I followed up when he nodded and turned to go.
His shoulders tensed as he looked back at me. I licked my dry lips, dropping my gaze when his eyes zoned in on them.
“Go on.”
“Don’t go and find Jimmy alone. No matter what you believe, Naz will be safe with you.”
Chapter Twelve
My footsteps slowed as I d
ucked into the park. The green grass glared in the bright sunlight. I squinted as I shifted my sunglasses to cover my eyes. It had been a long night, tossing and turning as I tried to push out the memory of Tinniel’s kiss. Had it worked? Of course not. I was hot and flustered with a hint of tiredness. Bloody man.
A brush of wind whipped my messy hair around my head. The chill that followed had nothing to do with the weather.
Glancing over my shoulder, I checked to see who watched me. There were a couple of dog walkers scattered here and there, but no one acted suspicious or even looked in my direction.
When Tinniel had left me, he hadn’t replied to my demand, which, quite frankly, was rude. However, I’d let him go, determined to forget about him and his stupid sexy-arsed lips.
A rustle in the hedge nearby made my heart and my feet speed up. Almost running, I jogged towards the exit of the park, deciding that it was high time I got fit. It had been too long since I had worked out properly.
My boots moved even quicker when I darted onto the street, checking behind me again. The sensation of being watched slowly faded as I hurried across the road and ducked into the little alley that led to the club.
“Lyla,” Naz called from outside the door. “Everything okay?”
He had left a note for me to join the team at the club when I awoke. Not that I had slept much. My stomach rolled at the idea of seeing his brother, especially after our intimate moment–
“No!” Naz barked. “Please, stop thinking. I don’t want to know.”
Smacking the side of my head as I approached him, I tried to dislodge the memory that wouldn’t shift. It was too late. Naz’s mouth screwed up in disgust before he shrugged.
“It was inevitable.”
“What was?” Synthia asked, coming through the door.
“Nothing,” I quickly interjected before Naz could reply.
The last thing I needed was the whole team to know what was going on in my love life. If it could even be called that.
Glaring at Naz as Synthia smiled and threw her arms around me, I warned him to stay silent. He held up his hands and backed into the club, indicating that we follow him.
“I heard all about your awesome hit,” Synthia cried, jumping up and down as we went through the hallway and into the main club. “How did it feel?”
The room was lit by bright lights as cleaners worked around the bounty hunters who sat in groups or at tables with laptops. I still wasn’t used to seeing the different paranormal creatures working together. In fact, I couldn’t really tell who was what. And I certainly didn’t know where I fit in.
“It felt confusing, crazy, and a tiny bit kick-arse,” I replied, laughing when Synthia giggled.
“Klarita has put together a team. She asked me to invite you to join it, just to see if you like being a bounty hunter, no pressure.”
Naz guided us into one of the booths under the floor.
“Lyla.” Zac nodded a greeting before going back to his laptop, which sat on the table.
Licking my lips, I mumbled a welcome, needing coffee to raise my heavy eyelids. Luckily, no one seemed to notice that I was a walking corpse. Although, who knew what type of supernatural creatures actually existed. Did zombies exist?
“No,” Naz said, barely keeping a smile from his face. “Zombies don’t exist. Well, not legally, anyway.”
“Huh?”
Synthia frowned as she guided me to a seat at the table and invited me to sit. Clearly I needed my hand held on the first day of being in a bounty hunting team.
“Coffee?” She didn’t even wait for a reply before Naz waved his hand and a steaming mug of caffeine goodness appeared right in front of me.
Smiling my thanks to both of them, I settled my butt more firmly against the semi-circle bench. Might as well get comfortable for my next assignment. If the coffee was a regular thing, there may be a chance I would enjoy being a bounty hunter. Plus, the money would help.
I had left Jamie at the twins’ home, asking him to lay low for a while. With gorgeous hulking men, delicious free food, and satellite TV, he hadn’t resisted too hard. Which was a little surprising, considering the nomad usually preached about the evil of consumerism.
Sipping the coffee, I closed my eyes as the liquid warmed my throat and sent sparks of energy racing through my veins. It was magical caffeine that left me wanting more. “What’s the plan?”
Naz paced beside the table, checking his phone before he looked up. “We wait for Tinniel, who’s unusually late, and then we use a tracking spell on the note to see if any of Jimmy’s energy residue is on it. Zac is currently running a handwriting trace to see if it matches Jimmy’s. We don’t want you getting a false positive and leading us astray.”
Tinniel was late?
Frowning, I held up a hand, interrupting Zac as he went to talk. “Is Tinniel ever not on time?”
“No.” Naz’s eyebrows drew low when I swore under my breath.
Taking out my phone, I typed out a message to Tinniel at the same time as voicing my concern. “I caught him about to leave last night. He claimed that he saw something in the dead man’s time spell. Said it was too dangerous for you.” My gaze traced Naz as his lips pursed and his hand clenched into a fist.
“Bastard.” Grabbing his phone, he stepped to the entrance of the booth and paced even harder. “Tin! Where the fuck are you? We promised that we’d always work together, no matter what. Why are you bailing on me? Ring me back. Now!”
Biting her lip, Synthia glanced at me, her eyes searching my gaze. What was she looking for? Did she blame me? “You’ve come to care for them very quickly,” she said quietly, shaking her head when Zac looked up from the laptop.
He turned from us, asking Naz if his brother had said anything to him about the time spell.
When Naz shook his head, Synthia took my hand and squeezed hard.
“What the-?” I started, slamming my mouth shut when she placed a finger over her lips and closed her eyes.
Er, what was she doing? If she was casting some voodoo rubbish, I wouldn’t appreciate it. It was bad enough that Naz could read my mind, let alone Barbie from America. Okay, that was a little judgey and mean.
A low vibration thrummed in my hand as Synthia let go. “You really do have a charge with Tinniel. I’ve never known anyone to rile the brother. Until now. I must admit…” Her voice dropped low. “…I had a feeling you were coming.”
“You did?”
Naz and Zac spoke between themselves, both trying to reach Tinniel on the phone. My heart thudded in my chest as I inhaled, afraid of what might happen to the man who had kissed my socks off the night before.
Jimmy was a vampire, surely he would be more powerful than Tinniel? The movies showed them being indestructible. And what evidence was so important that it made him a hit for the bounty hunters in the first place?
“You’ve been lost,” Synthia said, breaking into my thoughts. “Now you’re where you belong, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. We’ve sworn to protect you and your bloodline, we’ve got your back.”
Blinking, I glanced at the blonde-haired blue-eyed healer. She smiled, her lips spreading across the bottom of her face and transforming her into even more of a beauty. Was it bad that I was suspicious of them still? Not only that, it had been a hellavu long time since a woman had shown me any kindness.
“Thanks,” I replied, “I think.”
Synthia giggled, the sound drawing the men’s attention. “There’s no thinking about it, girl,” she said. “You’ll learn to have our backs, too.”
“Yes, of course.” Was that a flicker of gratitude warming my cool heart? How would it actually be to feel like I belonged?
My stuttered words were soon forgotten when Naz barked a laugh at Zac and abruptly came to stand in front of us. Crouching down at my feet, he took my hands in his, a pinched expression morphing his handsome features. He was concerned about his brother. “You’re right,” he said. “I am.”
�
�What do you want me to do?”
I didn’t have to read his mind to know he wanted something from me. The brief blink of his eyes made it quite obvious that he was about to ask me to do something serious. “If Zac gets a trace on the note, would you track it? We’re hoping Jimmy wrote it, but even if he didn’t, it would’ve been one of his men.”
The way he almost begged made my throat go dry. A sudden rush of power stroked my muscles as I swallowed. Weren’t there other witches capable of doing what I did? Surely a tracking spell had been perfected by the Federation before now?
Clearing his throat, Naz shifted on his feet, yet stayed crouched in front of me. “We have very talented witches who can use Earth magic to do a location spell. However, none of them can link into someone’s energy and see through their eyes. Even your mother can’t do it like you do.”
“She can’t?”
There he went, stroking my ego. Not that I would allow him to manipulate me – oh, who was I kidding? My head was getting bigger by the second. It took all of my strength not to tell him to elaborate.
An image of Tinniel flashed in my mind and my chest squeezed. I had seen what Jimmy was capable of. Not only was he brutal, he had other vampires around him. Tinniel would be outnumbered. And that bothered me far more than I wanted to admit. “I’ll do it,” I said before I could change my mind. “We better hurry.”
Nodding, Naz launched to his feet without so much as a thank you. Not that I needed one, I supposed it was now my job to track a hunter’s bounty.
“Get on that trace,” Naz commanded Zac before turning to Synthia. “Prepare Lyla with a magic boost. If it is Jimmy, his vampire energy will drain her quickly.”
Zac returned to his laptop, his eyebrows pulled low as he typed furiously. His short blonde hair was fluffy from endless tugging. He was a man on a mission.
Standing, Synthia gestured for me to move. Doing as she said, I stood near Naz, waiting for her to perform magic.
Instead, she reached forward, took my hand, muttered two unrecognisable words and then let go. A giggle escaped her as I stared at my fingers, completely underwhelmed. Nothing had happened. Surely there should’ve been colour, or electricity, or something.
The Witch & the Bounty Hunter (Federation of Magic Book 1) Page 12