Family Feud: The Witching Hour Series Book 5

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  "Sit by the fire. It's an important night for you and probably the last one we’ll have together," he told me when I was lucid again. I obeyed him, making sure I appeared to be under his full control. My fingertips were tingling like crazy, and the energy vibrated, fighting with his magic. I didn't know how long he was planning to keep me in the forest.

  Then we both heard it. Something or someone moved behind the trees. Jasper shot back to his feet and lit his wand. His eyes shifted back into focus, looking around. I had a moment to make a decision, to run. Jasper threw a ball of light that travelled around the forest. We both spotted a deer in the distance. I could barely make out the form, but it was an animal, for sure. I saw a heavy wooden branch lying next to my leg.

  My ex-boyfriend’s eyes were glued to the forest. He wasn't paying much attention to me. I leaned down and picked up the branch, and when he used his wand to send his magic between the trees, probably to kill the deer for our dinner, I swung my arm and hit him in the back of his head as hard as I could.

  Jasper was too slow to react, and never saw it coming. He crashed to the ground and I stood there paralysed for a good few seconds. My stomach revolted when I saw blood. His energy flooded away. I threw the branch to the side and started running.

  There was a strange voice in my head that kept telling me to come back, that Jasper needed me, and I couldn't leave him. I heard noises all around me, but I kept moving my feet, jumping around the trees to get away from him. The further I ran, the weaker the bond became.

  Slowly I started thinking for myself. I was almost out of the compulsion spell. I was petrified that I may have killed him, but I knew I had to keep moving. I had no sense of direction, and no idea how far I was from the main camp, from civilisation.

  At least a day must have passed. Maybe everyone had already left, and I was alone. My breathing was heavy, my legs were tired from running, but I didn't want to stop. Jasper could wake up and heal himself. I hit him pretty hard. Still, what guarantee did I have?

  Adrenaline was pumping through me, my heart pounding behind my rib cage. I stopped for a brief moment, catching my breath in the process. Another wave of power slammed into me and I stopped.

  I started running again, until I reached a hill, losing all sense of direction. Rain began falling from the sky. My legs were aching so much, and my stomach was empty. I started to climb the hill, gasping for oxygen. It was getting dark fast and I couldn't feel my magic anymore. It was like someone had cut off my circulation, the source of my power. I stopped and tried to concentrate—to bring my energy forth—but nothing happened.

  I tripped on the way down from the hill and started rolling down. I must have blacked out for a moment or two, because when I opened my eyes the pain in my ankle was unreal. I reached down to touch it and cried out when I was hit with stabbing pain.

  "Julia, you have to get up," a voice said. "Jasper’s clever. There’s someone after you and he’s close. I can feel the magic. It's lethal and powerful."

  It was my grandma telling me to move. I was still in the forest, but I was too exhausted to lift my limbs. She looked so beautiful in her white dress, kneeling down and touching my face. I tried to speak, but my voice was muted.

  I was shivering, my teeth chattering, and the rain was pouring down. The ground was so cold; it was just a matter of time before Jasper would find me. My grandma was trying to protect me, but from who?

  Then, moments later, something wet and sticky touched me, and I stirred back to reality. Someone was licking my face. I opened my eyes, seeing a large wolf with the most terrifying gold eyes filled with gleaming superiority. I screamed at the top of my lungs. I was petrified and tried to move away.

  The wolf moved back and then I saw another one, smaller and leaner. My head hurt and for a moment I thought I was hallucinating when the wolf started to transform itself into a man, the fur changing into a human skin, his paws into legs and arms.

  "Julia, Julia. Calm down. It's just me. Michael."

  Then I remembered my werewolf friends. I still felt the pressure in my chest and my ankle was hurting like hell, but I finally realised I was safe. Michael had found me.

  "Is she all right? What’s wrong? Julia, why are you crying?"

  That voice. It was Kelsie.

  "Oh, thank God. I thought I was dead. I'm so glad to see you," I said, trying to get up, but pain blinded me for a moment.

  "Julia!"

  It was Kate, she screamed running towards me with her crazy purple hair.

  "Christ, Kelsie, cover yourself," Kate muttered, throwing some clothes at them. I was so happy to see them but still anxious being here alone. Maybe Jasper was watching us from a distance. "Julia? Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

  "No, I'm fine, but my ankle is sprained. We need to get out of here," I said and tried to take a step, but the shattering pain crushed through my leg. It turned out that I didn't just sprain my angle—my leg was fucking broken. I didn't know what happened after that because as the adrenaline drained from me I passed out again.

  It was probably the third time I’d woken up in the past forty-eight hours, escaping death. For a change, I realised that I was in a comfortable bed in an oddly shaped room. The sheet smelled of lavender and I felt warm, less anxious.

  "Kate?" I asked, lifting myself on my elbow, looking at my friend who had her eyes glued to her phone. She jumped, and her mobile went flying. Crap, I didn't expect to startle her that much.

  "Julia, you’re awake. Thank God. I was sure I screwed up your leg."

  The memories slammed into me. Jasper had used a compulsion spell, tampered with my free will.

  I touched my head, remembering that I kissed him. I needed to forget about this forever.

  "What happened? How did you find me?" I asked, looking at her.

  "We lost you in the camp. Someone must have used the jigsaw spell to distract me. Five minutes later, when Michael noticed you were gone, I was myself again," Kate explained, sitting next to me on the bed. "We looked for you everywhere. Michael was trying to find the tent of that wizard, but no one wanted to help us. Kelsie nearly killed one of the witches who tried to sell us a snake potion. Then we heard someone’s tent was vandalised and it was the one that we’d been looking for all along. God Julia, I don't know how to tell you this, but that wizard—"

  “He's dead, isn't he?" I asked, already knowing what happened.

  "He was just lying there—someone had stabbed him. There was a woman there with purple hair like mine. Kelsie sensed your magic, but the witch was just screaming, howling and hugging his body. We couldn't get anything out of her."

  "Some trolls showed up when Anthony was just about to tell me who my grandma was protecting me from," I said, looking at my perfectly healed leg.

  "What? You were there? With that wizard?" she asked, shocked. It didn't take me long to run through what happened in the tent and what Anthony revealed to me. Kate nearly broke her wand when I told her that Jasper must have followed me, and that he kept me in the forest for at least twenty-four hours using a compulsion spell to make me want him again.

  Kelsie and Michael showed up in my room several minutes later and I had to start over. My ex-boyfriend had gone to a lot of effort to get me away and hold me prisoner. I could tell he was waiting for someone. He had lost his mind.

  "We have to be more careful next time, Julia. Jasper crossed the line. Again. He’s disturbing and dangerous," Kate said shaking her head.

  I swallowed hard, remembering bits and pieces from that night, knowing I’d hit him pretty hard.

  "What if I killed him? What if he’s lying there dead?"

  "We went through the forest after we found you, but we didn't find anyone," Michael told me. "He must have run away when he sensed us nearby."

  "Are you sure? We had a camp with a fire. There was blood everywhere."

  "We did track the place where you two stayed, but he wasn't there, Julia. Kelsie recognised your scent, but we didn't find his body. Jasper
must still be alive."

  Chapter 16

  Charlotte’s visit.

  Kate had done an excellent job healing my leg and arm. Physically I felt all right, but mentally I wasn't doing so good.

  We left the B&B shortly after twelve on Sunday. During the long drive home, I had a chance to think for the first time since the breakup, and oh boy, there was a lot of catching up to do.

  Nathaniel’s theory about me being in danger seemed to be dead on. I was certain that Jasper had managed to survive, that he healed himself and disappeared into the forest. I knew he couldn't hurt me anymore, but my gut feeling told me he wasn't done with me yet.

  According to Anthony, my grandma had murdered people in order to produce a Dragonfly potion, one of the deadliest illegal potions out there. She died because of a mysterious contract that wasn't honoured. On top of that, Anthony mentioned royals. I had only heard about royal fairies who lived in Scandinavia, away from other paranormals, governed by their own rules. My grandmother seemed desperate and whoever the S.H was made sure that she paid for disobeying him. Jasper was talking about someone, a third person who was coming for me. I didn't know what he thought he could achieve by keeping me with him. We weren’t going to be together. He was crazy.

  Then I thought about Ella. The registry office had confirmed that she was the daughter of a royal. I still had no idea what happened to Alex. I should have pinned Tron down, making him tell me everything.

  "Ella isn't fully human. She has royal fairy blood in her veins," I said all of a sudden. My grandma was murdered because she was protecting me, possibly from the royal family.

  "What are you talking about, Julia?" Kate asked, looking behind her seat. I met Kelsie’s eyes in the mirror—she already knew, but not everything. They were Ella’s friends too and I should have discussed this earlier. I felt guilty that I hadn't spoken to her much since our trip to the registry office. She was taking this well so far and I’d promised to help her find Alex.

  "We went to the paranormal registry office a while ago, and they did the tests. She has some fairy genes in her blood, not just any, but royal fairy genes. I didn't say anything because there was a lot that had been going on, but now I'm telling you. I have a feeling that her father, Alex, might have something to do with my grandma’s death. Maybe that’s the reason he vanished along with Tron,” I said, trying to connect everything together somehow. The wizard mentioned the royals, and for years I believed my best friend was only human. Maybe this theory sounded absurd, but it was worth thinking about.

  Kate’s jaw dropped, and Kelsie nearly ran the car off the road into a ditch. Michael made a growling sound and frowned at her. I didn't even know why I said anything, but on top of everything else, I felt guilty, because I hadn't really helped Ella at all. Since my grandma died I hadn't even bothered to text her.

  "Are you sure they didn't mix up the blood? For years, she hadn't shown any signs. This is impossible," Kate said, looking like she was reluctant to believe that Ella was truly a royal fairy.

  "The staff in the registry office was equally as shocked as I was. Last year, when Tron showed up, he was with this fairy, named Alex, claiming to be a royal. Apparently, he was Ella’s real father. He told her the truth and she took it well, but then he vanished. He said Ella’s life might be in danger if the royals ever found out she existed. Ella’s father left when she was just a baby. Her mother and brother are both humans. Alex said that he cast a spell to block her brother’s and Ella’s powers. Ella’s, as you know, started to manifest after she witnessed Ludwig’s murder. And now Tron is on his own again, which is strange.”

  "Didn't you say that you had friends in Sweden or somewhere who worked for the royal family?" Michael asked Kelsie all of a sudden.

  "When I was with Craig I knew of two fairies who were close to the queen," Kelsie said. "There had always been affairs and all sorts of scandals. Years ago, I heard that the king’s brother or nephew liked whoring around with humans. You know, I'm not saying Ella’s really a lost princess or something, but it seems to me that someone screwed her mother, probably without her knowing."

  "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that these two things are somehow connected. Anthony mentioned royals. He was certain about it and Alex has simply vanished from the face of the earth. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that someone must have known about the fact that Ella has royal genes."

  "I can get in touch with these fairies and see if they can give me anything, a lead. Whatever," Kelsie offered.

  I thanked her, knowing that this was enough at that moment. We all agreed to speak to Ella about Tron and Alex once this whole adventure was behind us.

  "I promised her I would find out why Alex disappeared, but I haven't kept that promise. Ella’s been left alone with this knowledge," I told them both.

  "Julia, I believe you have quite enough on your plate already,” Michael said, looking back at me. “The murderer is still out there, and that psycho, Jasper, is going to remain a problem. He won't leave you alone."

  I rubbed my face, feeling tired and stressed all of a sudden. There was so much going on, so many new facts coming to light. Jasper had pushed me too far again and I was ready to send my father after him. I felt like I had too many loose ends and no way to connect them properly. I guessed it was time for me to call Tron and demand to know what was going on. He was hiding too much from me and he was supposed to be my mentor.

  I needed to get to my bed, forget about Jasper, if that was possible, and call my parents. It had been almost three days and I hoped my dad hadn't done anything stupid.

  Michael promised to hang around some nights with a few of his shifter mates when I was doing the late shifts at the agency. I felt unsafe and constantly worried; I truly appreciated his help. As we were getting closer to London, my stomach clenched with emotion because I knew Nathaniel hadn't been in touch at all. He had given up on our relationship and didn't even care if I was still alive or not. I needed to speak to him, find out if my new theory about his vampire instinct or dark magic made any kind of sense. I missed him like crazy and wondered if he thought about me at all. My heart couldn't handle another disappointment. It was time to reach out and talk to other vampires, someone who could explain what was happening to him. I could ask Michael to find a vampire who I could trust, without getting into more trouble.

  Nathaniel had warned me about Jasper a few times, but I always ignored it. The fact that I chose him instead of my psycho ex didn’t make a difference considering he was so hateful towards me.

  Kate, Kelsie and Michael dropped me home late in the evening. It was already dark outside. Kate wanted to go with me, but she was exhausted herself and I needed to be on my own.

  "Take care of yourself and get some rest. I’ll see you on Monday at work," Kate reminded me. She did something with her magic wand and then waved it over my head, then kissed me on the cheek and ran back to the car. I was left alone in the cold outside in the car park. Icy shivers ran down my spine. It was Sunday evening and the fact that I had to go back to my empty apartment made me uneasy. This thing with Nathaniel was unresolved and he was pretty much gone. He obviously didn't consider me when he was planning his trip to Geneva.

  I picked up my bag and started walking towards my door, looking around anxiously, wondering if Jasper was watching me from a distance. There was a good possibility that he had followed me back to the city. Michael didn't find his body, so he was obviously alive, and it was just a matter of time before he would come back.

  A car arrived, and a bright light blinded me for a second. A few moments later I heard someone shouting my name. I turned around to see a black Mercedes pulling up by the entrance to the building.

  "Julia, hey, Julia! It so good to see you again."

  I nearly dropped my bag when a petite female vampire jumped out of the car and started running towards me. It was Charlotte, Nathaniel’s half-sister from Paris. My heart stopped when she jumped at me, hugging me enthus
iastically, mumbling in rapid French.

  "Charlotte? What are you doing here? How did you know where I live?"

  She looked exactly like I remembered: small, blond and still like an eighteen-year-old girl. Well, what was I expecting? After all, she was a vampire, so she didn't age.

  When I glanced back towards the car, I spotted Jacque getting out of the passenger side. I was absolutely stunned seeing them both in front of my house. Charlotte probably had no idea that Nathaniel and I hadn't seen each other for weeks, and that I didn't consider myself engaged to him anymore.

  "Oh, I’ve been calling and calling Nathaniel all the time, but he isn't picking up. We met his driver outside his apartment and he gave us your address. It's so miserable. Do you mind if we talk inside?"

  I couldn't say no since she was once going to be my sister-in-law. I hated Jacque, only because he killed my very distant cousin Gloria in the eighteenth century.

  "Yes, let's go inside, but my apartment is a mess. I’ve been away for the past couple of days," I warned them when her vampire husband approached. This was going to be so awkward when I had to reveal that things between me and Nathaniel were more than a little complicated or simply that our relationship was dead, and the wedding was most likely cancelled.

  "Daddy is in London, too. That’s great, isn't it? Maybe we can all go out for dinner when Nathaniel is back, oui?"

  I opened the door and pushed through.

  "Oui, oui," I muttered, having no idea what to fucking say. Charlotte started telling me about their trip. Apparently, she wanted to surprise her frere and Papa.

  I was glad that I tidied a little bit before I left for North Wales. There was no point beating around the bush. She needed to hear that Nathaniel was simply a bastard. She needed to know my grandma was dead, and her lovely husband was a vicious killer. Well, maybe not in that order, but close enough.

  "Very pleasant apartment," Jacque told me, kissing me on both cheeks.