Everyone has Their Demons (Here Witchy Witchy Book 6)

by A. L. Kessler

  I put my computer on the nightstand and curled up in bed. Exhaustion was eating at me, part of it mental, part of it physical, and a lot of it painkiller induced.

  My alarm went off the next morning, and I had to restrain myself from throwing it against the wall. I wanted plenty of time for Oliver and Merick to work the spell to get rid of Ira's influences and time for Merick and me to run the trace spell. I needed to be back to the mansion by dusk or Levi was going to lose his shit.

  Of course, Simon was going to meet me at the house, so he could honestly tell Levi that he was with me all day. It would be nice to have him there, and now that I didn't have to worry about Mario trying to court me, maybe Simon and I could give it another go.

  I got up and got ready. The keys to the Hummer were hanging by the garage, I grabbed them and found the Hummer parked outside today.

  I had to adjust the mirrors and the seat just a little bit, and then I was off. The drive to the city was quiet and peaceful. No one called while I was driving, no one sent a demanding text. It was nice.

  Until I pulled up to my house and I saw an unknown car sitting just outside my circle. I remembered the person I saw outside my house before and the man that looked like Nick who had crossed the road. I assumed demons didn't need cars, but glamour for a witch was something that was hard to keep up.

  The man that currently stood there was wearing a baseball cap pulled down low, covering his face. He leaned against the car with his arms crossed and head hung down. He didn't even move when I pulled up, and it made me wonder if he was sleeping.

  I parked the Hummer and got out, pulling my gun out, I climbed down and approached the person leaning against the car. He looked up at me as I aimed my gun.

  "Hello, Abby, miss me?" Nick's hazel eyes caught the sunlight, and my heart skipped a few beats. I wanted to shoot him. I holstered my gun and did the next, least damaging thing I could think of. I smacked him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nick cringed. "What the hell?"

  "You've been dead for six months. That's what." I tried not to scream at him. "And dropping all these hints that you're still alive. Driving me nearly insane. What the actual fuck? Not to mention you owe me a week's worth of coffee you bastard." Nick and I had made a deal on our last case together; he lost the bet.

  He hushed me and used his hands to tell me to lower my voice. "Because I'm not supposed to be alive. I wanted to let you know that it wasn't your fault that I was supposed to die. I sent your key card to an address associated with you."

  "My uncle's." I gave him a deadpan stare. "And my car?"

  "Crushed before I found it, but I put my fingerprints on it because I knew you'd know they were out of place."

  "Mason found them. How did you escape the morgue? Why couldn't you just tell me? Why are you faking your own death?" I resisted stomping my foot to help the demand for answers.

  "I can't give you the answers right now. But I wanted to let you know that I'm alive. Abigail, just trust me please?"

  I pressed my lips together. "You're standing outside my circle, which means you know that you can't come in."

  "Yes."

  "Nick, the only people not welcome inside my circle are those who plan on harming me."

  He gave a nod. "Yeah, I know." He got into his car and started the engine.

  He pulled away from me, leaving me standing at the end of my driveway. Speechless. What the fuck was going on? I was still standing there when Simon pulled up in his truck.

  He stopped and rolled down the window. "You okay?"

  "You're not going to believe what just happened, and I have no idea if I'm okay or not." I shook my head and went back to the Hummer. Simon let me pull my car up first, and he followed with his truck. We both got out and went to the front door. Merick was standing there waiting for me.

  "Who was out there?"

  "Nick." I put my bag down by the door. "He was letting me know that he was alive."

  "He could have come in the circle if he didn't mean you harm." Merick pointed out, and I nodded.

  "Yeah, I know, and that's the part that has me nervous. But right now, we need to focus. Oliver isn't here yet; it's not like him to run late." I went to the coffee pot and found a fresh pot already made. I got out four mugs and fixed the coffee for Simon, Merick, and I.

  I was in the middle of boiling water for tea when the doorbell rang.

  "It's your uncle," Merick called out.

  "Let him in." The teapot screeched, and I wondered for a moment if my uncle had a magical way of timing things.

  I poured the water over the bagged tea the moment he walked into the kitchen.

  "Hello Abigail, how are you feeling?"

  I shrugged my good shoulder. "A little overwhelmed, a little tired, and really confused. Did you know about Nick?"

  "For once, I knew no more than you, but Merick filled me in a moment ago."

  Simon walked in behind him and crossed his arms. "So the wolf just gets to sit around and watch all the magic?"

  "I appreciate you doing this." I smiled.

  Simon nodded. "Yeah, Levi won't be happy if he finds out what you're doing here."

  "On the other hand, Levi should be quite happy that I won't have Ira's stupid power influencing me anymore." I handed Oliver his tea and then grabbed my coffee. "Also, the terms of negotiation for Ira's visit have changed."

  I swore the whole room cringed. I put on my calm facade that I was starting to learn from Oliver and Levi. I sipped my coffee and observed everyone. Oliver wore the same look I did. Merick had his lips pressed into a flat line and his brow furrowed. Simon, on the other hand, was giving me wide eyes.

  "What has Ira negotiated for now?" Merick glanced at Oliver and then back to me. "Abigail, these are dangerous waters."

  And I felt like I was taunting the sharks. "Ira has negotiated for seconds to be allowed. I have no doubt that he's bringing Hannah. Levi wanted me to bring Mario, but I think Ira will be banking on that."

  Simon sipped his coffee. "So he's trying to set up another trap for you?"

  "Yes. He'll assume that Levi will send Mario with me, but Levi left it open for me to choose. I've already told Mario that I can't have him at my back."

  Olive's eyes popped up. "Then who are you planning on bringing, niece?"

  "Do you plan on running back and telling him?" The venom in my voice was clear, and Oliver shook his head. "No, I know how to play both sides without putting one in danger."

  "Merick, I was hoping you would join me. I know you're strong enough to face Ira if it comes down to it. Part of the negotiations was that I can't use magic; I don't think it was negotiated for the seconds."

  Merick crossed his arms, and I wondered what he was thinking. I wanted to know what the internal debate sounded like. "I'd be happy to go as your back up."

  Simon smiled. "Between your weapons and Merick's magic, you'll be protected if something happens."

  "And Ira isn't expecting me to be able to get his influences out of me. We'll be a little bit stronger this way."

  There was a collective murmur of agreement.

  "Levi isn't going to like this plan." Oliver pointed out and set his tea on the counter.

  "He left it up to me to choose who I wanted to back me. Maybe he'll realize that he can't control who I can trust." I met Oliver's gaze.

  His gaze flickered away, and I knew he was hiding something. "Let's begin, niece. I'd rather have Ira's influence out of you before dusk."

  Before the meeting.

  I nodded. "Okay, let's do this."

  Oliver motioned to the back door. "Out to the woods."

  Nature was the best cleanser. I had been out in the woods when the coven removed the hex from me, and since I had read the spell from my big book of everything, I had expected to go outside.

  Merick had already set up a circle for us. We walke
d in, and the power closed around us.

  We welcomed the elements and the directions, asking for guidance as we worked the spell. I sat down in the middle of the circle cross-legged and closed my eyes.

  Oliver's hand pressed over the bite, and the pressure of Merick's hand was added to it. They both spoke the Latin words, and the pain spread from the bite through my veins. I tried not to cry out as I felt like they were pulling fire from me. Even with my eyes closed the world spun, the Latin words grew louder, and the voices changed.

  To just Oliver's and my father's. Arms wrapped around me, rocking me as the hands were wrapped around my wrist.

  "Please work." My mother's voice whispered in my ears. "Please, please. Goddess please let this work." I could hear the tears in her voice, and I wanted to ask her what had happened. But I was just a young child, and I couldn't breathe past the pain.

  "I'm so sorry Abigail; I should never have let him that close to her. Oh goddess, please baby, hang on."

  Her voice broke my heart as the pain spread like wildfire through me. Tears wet my cheeks, and I saw Ira's eyes burning into my mind.

  The chanting stopped, and the scene faded from my mind. I opened my eyes to see Oliver and Merick both kneeling in front of me. Simon was pacing the outside of the circle.

  "You've done this before." I met Oliver's gaze. "You knew this spell." I went to grab his shirt, but he jumped away from me, my reaction time slower with my non-dominant hand.

  "I will tell you about it once we pull the circle down. I owe you that much."

  He owed me a hell of a lot more than that, but I'd take what I could get. I nodded and stood. We all dismissed the elements, thanking them for guiding us through the spell. Merick pulled the circle down, and Simon rushed to me, pulling me into his arms.

  I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed. "Why the big hug?"

  "You were screaming Abby; I would have thought someone was murdering you if I hadn't been standing here watching what was going on."

  I smiled, touched by his concern. "I've had worse. The hex tried to kill me when they removed it."

  He paled a little bit and shook his head; I swore he mumbled something about crazy witches and warlocks on his way back into the house. Mario, Oliver, and I followed him, and we all sat in the living room.

  I looked at Oliver. "Start talking."

  "By now, you know that Ira, Levi, Elizabeth, and Tobias all knew each other at one point." Oliver looked at the other two. "Most of this is probably news to you."

  Merick sat back with a smirk on his face, and I swore he knew I was going to smack him like I had Nick.

  "Continue." I waved my hand.

  "Elizabeth made the mistake of having you around a couple times that Ira came visiting. Once, Ira snagged you and fed from you. He made your life a living nightmare for almost a week before Elizabeth begged me to help create a cleansing spell that would remove his influences." He shook his head. "I couldn't refuse her, and I couldn't let him continue to torment my one-year-old niece."

  One. I was one when I had my first vampire bite. Here I thought my parents kept me protected.

  "Ira just wanted to spite Elizabeth. I don't exactly know what the connection they had was, but I do know that he's always spited her and you, Abby." He met my gaze. "He's toying with you even now because he cannot stand you, and even in death, he cannot stand my sister."

  "Swear to me you're telling the truth."

  "About Ira? I am." He nodded. "I'm not sure how he plays into things when it comes to my sister. Other than him and Levi having the same maker."

  I studied him for a moment trying to decide if he was lying or not. "Oliver I swear to the goddess if I find out you're lying to me I'm going to shoot you."

  "Don't make threats you won't go through with. My job here is done now." He stood and let himself out of the house without another word.

  I ran my hands over my eyes and sighed. "Okay, on to the next thing."

  "Are you sure you're up to it?" Merick raised a brow. "Your emotions are high, and remember what happened last time."

  Last time I performed this spell was the night Nick supposedly died. I'd taken over Merick's circle by force and widened the magic without a guide. The spell drained me of energy and left me cold and weak. It was a frightening experience.

  I nodded. "I'm not looking at their death, I know that would throw things into a spiral. I'm just looking for one piece of information."

  "If you lose control, I'm taking over and shutting it down."

  "Understandable."

  "Abby, what are you planning on doing? I don't like the sound of it." Simon said.

  "We're going to do a trace spell. Ira told me something about Levi, and I want to see if it's true or not. No one is going to tell me the truth, so I'm going to look into the past."

  He hesitated. "And you're not going to look at your parents' murder?"

  I shook my head. "This spell can be screwed up with strong emotions. If I try, I could get Merick and I trapped in a limbo land of memories. We don't want that."

  "No, we don't." He sighed. "Just be careful."

  ∞

  I'd gathered everything we needed and put my big book of everything in the middle of the floor where Merick had drawn the circle. We were working in the back room where I worked most of my magic. It had a physical circle carved into the floor when I moved in, so I assumed it was where my mother did all her magic.

  He looked at the book and then to me. "I thought you'd memorized the spell."

  "I have, this is to take us to the past. This has the names written in it, the family tree that I'm trying to prove or disprove."

  He nodded. "Okay, ready?"

  I took a deep breath and started to doubt for a moment, but I pushed it away. "Let's do this."

  We both raised the circle, and the magic crashed over me. I welcomed it instead of fighting against it. Merick held up the knife and pricked our fingers, the blood dripped to the ground. The blood would ground us to the present while the book would take us to the past.

  The magic pulses caused me to shudder as the blood hit the ground.

  "I'm going to let you lead." Merick held his hand out. I grabbed it and led the spell, saying the words with confidence. As the last syllable dripped from my lips, the world around us started to shift and change back in time. We watched as the house went back to its early eighties setting, but the desk in the room never changed. I stopped it when my mother appeared sitting there, with Levi at her back.

  "Because you are her father. Even if Tobias raises her. It's your blood that runs through her. She'll have to know the truth one day, Levi." Her mother didn't look up from the page.

  Levi put his hand on the page, over the tree. "No, Elizabeth, we can't risk it. We can't risk anyone knowing that she is my actual child. Too many people already know, Ira, Oliver." He shook his head. "Tobias. It's only time until my maker knows and he'll want her. Just like Ira wants her."

  My heart dropped. It was true. Ira had been telling me the truth. Merick's hand tightened on mine. I wasn't ready for the scene to change. I needed to see more, hear more, of my mother.

  "So she'll never know you?" The grief-laden tone struck me hard. She didn't want this.

  "You knew how we were going to handle it if she lived. Please, don't make my guilt worse." Levi turned her to him and pulled her into his arms. "My dearest Elizabeth."

  She leaned her head into his chest. "Our daughter though. Tobias…"

  "Is a good man and he'll make sure to take care of you both. Abigail can never know."

  He let her go so she could turn around. She took the pen and wrote down Tobias' name and then Abigail, her hand hesitated at the last name and Levi sighed. "Collins. Promise me?"

  "Collins. Will you tell her when the time comes?"

  Did
my mother know what was going to happen? Why would anyone ask that question?

  "If a time ever comes that she has to know, yes. I will do anything to protect her, even lie to her." He kissed Elizabeth gently on the lips. "No matter what, you three will be taken care of."

  She turned away from him and shut the book. "Does it pain you?"

  "That I'll be watching someone else raise my daughter? Yes. I've always wanted children, and now I have one that I cannot raise."

  The scene started to shift, and I let it take me where I needed to be. I frowned at Oliver standing in the room with my mother.

  "Ollie, please."

  He shook his head. "She's my niece, Lizzy. Mine. Levi didn't want her, so if something happens to you, she should go to me. My blood and flesh."

  She met his gaze. "She's his blood and flesh too, and if something happens to her and she changes? Can you handle her? Could you look her in the eyes and still swear that she is your niece?"

  "She will always be my niece."

  "You can't have her Ollie. I'm sorry." Her hand tightened. "We don't have much time to discuss this."

  He paused and put a hand on her shoulder. "Lizzy? You've seen something?"

  She nodded. "I have Ollie, so much blood. Death at the hands of a vampire."

  The scene shifted, but the words stayed with me. They were similar to what Clarissa had warned me about before which made me wonder whose death my mother had seen.

  With my thoughts the time changed and the room did too, not much, just subtle changes here and there. My mother was pouring over something in the book when the door came flying open.

  "Go get Abby."

  My father…no Tobias had burst into the room, sweat beading down his forehead and his body shaking.

  "What on earth?" My mother spun to face him and then her eyes grew wide. "No." She sensed something and rushed past Tobias. I went to follow, but Merick grabbed my shoulder and motioned to the edge of the circle.

  I knew what night this was. I knew exactly where she was going, and I wanted to follow her. I wanted to see who was invading our home.