HUNTED: The Midnight Series, Book Two

by Toni Goode

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let this go on. I don’t love you John. I don’t.” She said as his hand dropped from her arm and he stared at her with such hurt that she wanted to find a way to bury herself so deep in the ground that she would never find her way out. That way she could never hurt him again. She turned from him and leapt into the air as her wolf landed. She didn’t look back as she took off running. She couldn’t look back; things were already too complicated and too messed up. She needed to get far away from him.

  Chapter Seven

  As soon as Briana got back to Clara’s place, she quickly took a shower. The tears streamed freely as she stayed under the warm water. The look on John’s face was burned into her deep. She felt like she had no soul! She had broken him, and she loved him more than anything. She loved him more than she could even understand but this time was not where she should be. She wasn’t even born yet technically, and she was so scared that maybe she wouldn’t be born at all. What if she messed things up so bad and her life was really over?

  She got dressed quick and she headed downstairs to see Clara. She just wanted to get that damn book and be over with it already. The sound of voices alerted her as she stopped at the top of the stairs. There were people in the store. She could hear Clara talking to them and then Clara walked over to the stairs. Looking up she smiled softly. “It’s ok Briana. You can come down; I have some people I want you to meet.”

  Briana felt her throat tighten but she headed down the stairs anyways. Once down she saw one man and one woman. They both looked to be in their forties. The man had dark short hair. He was of average build and height. He wore a button-down shirt that looked like a Hawaiian shirt that Briana’s dad used to wear all the time. He smiled at her as she looked at the woman who had short blonde hair. Her hair almost resembled a pixie hair cut but toned down. She was dressed in a pants suit. She was petite, and she looked wise. She looked professional, almost like a lawyer. She smiled as well, and Briana walked over to them.

  The woman spoke first. “I’m Patti, it’s nice to meet you Briana.” She shook her hand and then her eyes got wide as she looked at Clara. They shared a look; the same look Clara had the first time they shook hands.

  “I’m Mark. I’m sure you have a lot of questions Briana.” He shook her hand and then looked at Clara and Patti. Briana swallowed hard. They were all looking at her like she belonged in a freak show. “I have to ask because I know were all wondering the same thing.” Mark began with a smile. “Are there flying cars?” His eyes were wide.

  “Seriously Mark! Don’t mind him.” Patti said with a shake of her head.

  “Hey, it’s a genuine question. I mean in all the futuristic movies there are flying cars and stuff.” Mark said with a shake of his head.

  “There isn’t, unfortunately.” Briana said with a smile as Mark sighed heavily.

  “I’m sure that if there was flying cars then you would be denied a license.” Patti said with a smirk. “I was in the car with him for the last half hour, and they say women are bad drivers.” Patti said with a soft laugh.

  “Hey, it’s New York City. Everyone is a crazy driver.” Mark smirked.

  “You drove down the road in the wrong direction.” Patti rolled her eyes playfully.

  “Have you seen all the one-way roads down here. Seriously who came up with the idea to have all these crazy streets.” Mark shook his head, but he had a smile on his face.

  “How about some coffee?” Clara finally spoke up.

  “Yes please. I have only had about three cups so far, so I am a bit short on the caffeine.” Patti smiled big.

  “And I’m the hyper one?” Mark shook his head as he laughed, and Patti walked over to Briana.

  “I know this must be very confusing and scary for you but were all going to figure this out. “Patti said with a warm smile and Briana returned it. They all headed into a small room that was adjacent to the actual store. It looked like a kitchen just smaller and more compact. A round table with four chairs filled the room. They all took a seat as Clara began to pour coffee into cups. “I take mine black.” Patti interjected as Clara went to grab the milk.

  “Yeah well I like mine with a little coffee and a lot of milk. “Mark grinned as Patti rolled her eyes at him. “What? I like my coffee light and sweet.” He grinned and then looked at Briana.

  “I drink mine with hazelnut creamer, or at least I use to.” She said honestly because she hadn’t found any hazelnut creamer anywhere in this city.

  “Hmmm never heard of it but then again.” He grinned.

  “Oh, keep it in your pants Mark, your embarrassing yourself.” Patti smirked as she shook her head. She brought her attention back to Briana. “Is this your first time to the city?” Patti asked as she sipped her coffee. Clara began bringing all the cups to the table as well as milk and sugar.

  “Yes, it’s definitely bigger than I thought.” Briana said as she sipped her coffee black and she cringed a bit as she reached for the sugar and milk.

  “See.” Mark smirked at Patti and then looked at Briana. Patti just rolled her eyes playfully.

  “So, let me explain why I brought Mark and Patti here. I told you that I had some people that I know that may be able to help with your current situation.” Clara began. “Mark here is an expert on Astral Projection.” She began as Briana looked at her confused and then she looked at Mark.

  “I study out of body experiences and I am able to project my astral body with ease now. After a lot of practice of course.” Mark added.

  “And I help to communicate with the other realms. I can see in between worlds and in some instances, I can see the future.” Patti said with a soft smile. Her blue eyes held a deep mystery to them. Briana was sure that Patti had quite the background to her. “So technically we are witches though that term is pretty degrading to be honest. I prefer spiritual adviser.” Patti said with a smile.

  “I think what everyone is trying to say, is that we’re going to help bring you back to your time.” Mark said with a smile. “You have to admit though that the 90’s is pretty nice.”

  “It’s um, interesting to say the least.” Briana said with a smile. “Can I ask something though. Without giving away any information. What if I knew of a particular person in my life who was going to be killed by someone they trust. Could I change that from happening?” She asked seriously. She was glad to have someone to talk to about all of this. Even if they didn’t have the answer, at least they were there and listening.

  “There is a meaning for everything, and we should not stop something bad from happening even if we feel we can.” Patti began seriously.

  “Actually, I don’t believe that. I mean what is the use of having that sort of knowledge and not using it to help others. Imagine if someone stopped Lincoln’s assassination or even John Kennedy’s.” Mark began with a shake of his head.

  “But that could set the world off in a completely different direction. It is not good to meddle in things we do not understand.” Clara said quickly.

  “I agree with Clara. Somethings we should not mess with, you know this Mark.” Patti said seriously.

  “Right now, we are living a life based on decisions made by others. Hell, I could have been a millionaire by now if only a few things had changed in my life.” Mark said with a smirk. “By the way you wouldn’t happen to know any lottery numbers?”

  “Mark, cut it out!” Patti said as she raised her voice. “This really is no joking matter. This young girl needs to get home and were here to help that happen.” Patti said seriously. “Do you have that book we talked about?” Patti asked to Clara who quickly got up and grabbed the book from the counter. She placed it on the table.

  “I’m just saying that a new car would be nice.” Mark continued quietly as Clara and Patti both shot him a look. Briana held in the urge to giggle. She really felt at home with all these witches. She wondered that if in a different turn of events she would have been a witch?

  Clara flipped through s
ome pages in the large book. “Ok do you see this?” Clara moved the book over to Patti and Mark. Briana tried to look on, but she was on the other side of the table. “This right here talks about the use of black magic to go through wormholes, but the process is a long one. There are items needed, some incredibly rare.” She added.

  “If Selena was able to do this in the future then she must have been planning this for a while. Perhaps she has a lot of these items already.” Patti said with a raised eyebrow.

  “You could be onto something.” Clara began as she then looked to Briana. “What do you remember before you were thrown here? Did you see anything in particular? Any books nearby?”

  “I don’t really remember. It’s all really foggy. I was more worried about breaking free from the rope she had tied around me.” Briana said seriously as she sighed.

  “Ok, then let’s see what a little hypnosis can do.” Patti said with a smile.

  “What? Hypnosis? Seriously?” Briana shook her head in confusion.

  “Please don’t tell me that you don’t believe in hypnosis? You’re a time traveling wolf in a world full of supernatural beings. A little hypnosis is nothing.” Patti laughed a little and now Briana did too. She kept forgetting those little details. “Mark will you do the pleasure of helping Briana to remember?” Patti smiled.

  “Absolutely, let’s do this!” He said with excitement as they all stood.

  “I’ve already locked up the store and put the closed sign up. So, let’s move into the study. There are more comfortable chairs there. This could take a while.” Clara said honestly as they all followed her through the store and to another room.

  The study had a large mahogany desk, a black leather couch as well as a reclining chair. A small coffee table was between the couch and the chair. The décor was quite bland in this room. There was a wall full of books. The place looked like it had barely been used over the years.

  “Please don’t mind the mess in here. Frank’s work keeps him traveling a lot, so he isn’t in here often.” Clara began as everyone took a seat. Briana sat in the big reclining chair.

  “Is he a witch too? What does he do?” Briana couldn’t help but ask.

  “No, he is more of an interrogator for those who wish to do all of us harm. You know, the bad seeds out there but he is not a witch. He is mortal, but he has a great gift of interrogation. The government calls on him every so often to help with crimes of the supernatural beings. There is a truce between all species but of course not everyone is willing to follow the rules. He is going to retire in a few years and then we will travel the world.” Clara smiled, and Briana couldn’t help but feel sad for her.

  Clara had no idea what her future would bring, and that Frank wouldn’t be there to share it with her. Briana didn’t speak but Clara’s body tensed as she swallowed hard and she looked at Mark who walked over to Briana.

  “Have you ever been hypnotized before?” He asked as Briana shook her head. “Ok, so the first step is to let your body relax. Close your eyes and focus on a happy memory. One that brings you the most peace.” He began as Briana closed her eyes. She began to think of John. There were so many good memories it was hard to pick just one but that was when she realized that most of her good memories were before they had gone rogue. Since they had gone rogue, he had been completely focused on revenge.

  Her mind went to the John she knew now. She thought of the dinner the night before. She thought of the roof. She could feel his touch and his kiss.

  Her mind flashed to the first time she ever saw him on that road. She thought about how he had saved her life. He could have let her die from that vampire, but he saved her instead. Memories flooding her mind in such an emotional way that she fought back tears. She just wanted to go home. She wanted to be back in his arms.

  The sound of Mark’s voice broke through her memories. She could hear him faintly, but she couldn’t open her eyes. They felt so heavy. She felt drowsy as he spoke. “I need you to remember back to the day that brought you to this time. I need you to go back to when you were being held by Selena.” His words rushed through her mind.

  Briana arrived at the address she had on the paper, but the building was an old one. It looked deserted and empty. There were a few broken windows and not a car or person in sight. She got out of her car and she looked around at the abandoned area. It looked like old factories, but they had been shut down, for quite some time. She walked up to the large building. The door was cracked open some and she pushed it slowly. It was dark inside; no lights were on.

  “Hello?” She called out as she walked in and darkness surrounded her. Thankfully, she had wolf sight for situations like this, but it didn’t help much. No one answered as she looked left then right. She heard a sound across the factory. It sounded like something had dropped and was rolling around. She walked towards the sound as it got closer and closer. Finally, she saw something rolling towards her. It was an odd shaped object, oblong with strange writing on it. She reached down to grab it but within seconds it opened with a flash and an explosion as she was tossed backwards like a ragdoll. The impact knocked her out cold.

  Briana felt her world turning black as fear washed over her. Where was she? “Briana, can you hear me. I need you to relax your body. You are safe.” She heard Mark’s voice in the distance as confusion ran through her. Was she hypnotized right now? She felt odd as she looked around. Why was it so dark in there?

  “Hello? Hello? Can anyone hear me?” She called out as anxiety filled her.

  “Briana we’re here. You’re safe at Clara’s. Everything else is just a memory. Focus on being with Selena. Tell us what you see?” Mark’s voice echoed all around her and then a spotlight came on her. She used her hand to block out the blinding light.

  “You were stupid to come. Where is he? Where is John!” Selena yelled as Briana opened her eyes and stared at the tall witch. She quickly looked down and saw the rope holding her in place. “Answer me!” Selena yelled as she slapped Briana hard across the face. She saw stars and she tasted blood.

  “I came alone.” Briana yelled out.

  “I highly doubt that John would have sent you as a replacement!” Selena yelled.

  “He doesn’t know I came. I just want all of this to end. You said you had information.” Briana began as Selena laughed.

  “Oh, you stupid girl. How heroic of you to come to John’s rescue.” Selena said sarcastically.

  “Briana focus on my voice, she can’t hurt you in there. I need you to look around and tell me what you see. Tell me what books you see or items?” Mark’s voice filled her head.

  Selena yelled at her again but this time she tried to focus on the room and the objects in there. She saw a desk. “I see a desk with books on it and some containers. They are labeled. It’s so fuzzy and hard to see.” Briana said as she squinted her eyes and tried to make out the names on the containers. One came into focus. “I see Wolf’s bane, nightshade and ginseng.” Briana said as she looked at the containers. “One says something like devils claw I think and sulfur.” She continued as she looked around. She saw two books sitting on the counter, “I see books, I can’t make out the entire name, but one has the word Atharvaveda on it and the other has Shaitan on it.”

  The room began to shudder, and a darkness filled it quickly as Briana looked around. She could see things moving in the room. They seemed like shadows and they moved fast. One of the shadows came right up to her. She saw red eyes as it grabbed her face and she let out a scream.

  Briana used her hands to hit away at the creature as she screamed but then she heard Mark’s voice yelling. Her eyes opened immediately as she breathed heavily and looked quickly around the room. Clara, Patti and Mark were all staring at her. “I don’t want to do that again.” She said seriously as she sat there. She still had some images in her head. Clara quickly went and got her a cup of tea. She sipped it slowly as Patti and Mark could be heard having a very loud conversation in the other room.

  “Don’t wo
rry about them. We’re going to figure out a way to get you back to your time.” Clara said softly.

  “I saw things. They weren’t real, were they?” Briana asked with fear in her voice.

  “When you start to play around in the dark arts anything is possible. Selena is consumed with it and because of that she is a perfect target for demons to latch onto her. She feels like they give her strength but in reality, they are using her, draining her until she is no longer of use to them.” Clara said seriously.

  “So, demons are real too? Great, just when you think things can’t get crazy enough.” Briana shook her head. She did not like the idea of demons hanging around.

  “Demons have been around longer than just about any being on this planet.” Clara said softly. “They are part of an intricate balance. Sure, they can cause issues and mayhem if they wanted but humans are far more dangerous.” She said seriously.

  “Yeah well I don’t want to have a run in with them either.” Briana said seriously as Patti and Mark came walking back over to them. “Did I give you enough information? Do we have what we need?” Briana felt anxious to get this over with.

  “Yes and no. “Patti began. “We know what the items are now, but we only have two of them. The others would need to be obtained.” She said softly.

  “I have a friend in Florida who collects rare items. He may very well have what we need but I need to make a trip there.” Mark said softly.

  “And we still have that book to obtain, the one at the museum. The grand opening is in an hour. We can all head over there and get that book.” Clara said as they all agreed. “Let’s meet up in an hour at the museum and keep your eyes open. We don’t know who is going to try and steal the book.”

  Briana headed back to the room to freshen up. Clara had let her borrow some clothes which consisted of a pants suit and heels. It wasn’t what Briana would typically wear but it would be good enough for the Museum opening. Apparently, it was going to be quite the event. People from all over the world were going to be there. Some rich and famous, others not so much. Briana’s mind kept going to John. She knew she had to push him away, but it still hurt regardless.