Family Feud: The Witching Hour Series Book 5

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  "Yes, you two already know each other and I think he’s proven to me that he can be trusted," Nathaniel said.

  In plain and simple English, it was either Michael or a bodyguard that Nathaniel would have picked.

  "Okay."

  It was pointless arguing about it. I gathered my things, and we left his apartment. I thanked Roberto for saving my life, but he smiled and said that he was only doing his job. Nathaniel was on the phone most of the time and I kept thinking about that stupid contract.

  Anthony’s partner had found me in Tron’s house. I had no idea how to get in touch with him. Nathaniel kissed me and then dropped me home around four in the afternoon. His energy was darker than normal, and he didn't seem himself. I didn't ask him what was wrong, in case it had something to do with work. He promised to call as soon as he was free. I couldn't stop thinking about this stupid letter. I locked the door, then created protective charms around the doors and windows before I stripped off and headed to the shower.

  I had multiple scratches and bruises down my arms and face. My back was sore as hell, and whenever I needed to bend, pain shot down my entire left side. I failed to ask Roberto what happened to the witch. I hoped she wasn't dead, but nothing was ever guaranteed when it came to trolls’ magic.

  I didn't need to be at work until Thursday. I made some food and sat down in the darkness wondering if I’d turned into a paranoid freak. Jasper wasn't dead. I was certain of it. I had hit him pretty hard, but Michael failed to find the body. It was clear from the very beginning the black magic messed with his head. He was freaking psycho.

  I was sparkling like a Christmas tree, feeling that something was wrong. Nathaniel was acting kind of strange again and it worried me.

  I stretched my legs, pulling my tender muscles, thinking about my grandmother’s friends within the Association, when my phone started vibrating. Kelsie’s name was flashing on the screen.

  "You won't believe what happened to me yesterday," I told her.

  "Let me guess, you blew up your apartment?" she chuckled. I rolled my eyes. Of course, I had done this before.

  "No, I was attacked in Tron’s house. Anthony’s girlfriend wanted to stick a knife in my throat."

  "What? You’re kidding."

  I sighed. "No, unfortunately I'm not. Roberto saved my arse. That girl, Anthony’s partner, went crazy, blaming me for what happened."

  "You’re lucky he was around. God, when this will stop?" she muttered, probably reading my thoughts.

  "Probably never. Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. I have some news, too. I'm texting you the address now. Meet me there in two hours… oh, and bring Ella."

  "What? Why?"

  "What do you mean, why? You asked me to get in touch with my friend in Scandinavia."

  "Yeah, sorry," I said, finally remembering our conversation in the car. After what happened I completely forgot about it. "Okay, I'm waiting for the address. I’ll pick her up on the way. Kelsie hung up and a minute later I received the text message. I checked Google maps and then dressed as quickly as I could. My excess magic surged down my back, and on top of that I had a splitting headache. I hadn't seen Ella since the funeral, and was worried she might be upset with me, because I hadn't made any progress, still having no information about Alex.

  I picked up my car keys and left my apartment on that gloomy Wednesday evening. Nathaniel didn't say I couldn't visit Ella. He couldn't possibly expect me to stay locked up in the house. Besides, I was going to be with Kelsie and Michael.

  The car park was empty, but my fingertips were beaming with light. I shoved my hands into my pockets and ran to my car. My heart was pounding loudly as I drove away from my street.

  These few words of encouragement didn't make me feel any better. Jasper was waiting for one small error. There was no way he would just give up on kidnapping me. The traffic tonight was horrendous, but eventually I made it to Ella’s house. We didn't have much time and I didn't want to be late for our meeting with Kelsie.

  Mrs. Jenkins opened the door.

  "Julia, how good to see you. How’ve you been? I'm so sorry about your grandmother."

  I smiled, keeping my hands behind me.

  "Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins. I'm okay, coping," I said. We chatted for a bit and then I went upstairs. Kelsie had never rushed me to do anything, so this was probably important. I used to come to visit Ella after work, worrying about my early days in the office, complaining about Jasper. Then, no one had ever tried to kill me, stab me or steal my power. I was much more relaxed then.

  My best friend, Ella was sitting in front of a laptop. She had dyed her hair dark brown.

  "Hey, chicken," I said.

  "Hey, Julia. Is everything all right?"

  "Yes, I'm fine. Kelsie called. She mentioned that she had a friend in Scandinavia who worked with the royal family. She wants to meet, and she asked me to bring you."

  Ella went a little pale. We hadn't brought up the issue of her blood since that trip to the registry office, and now I showed up without warning, wanting her to come with me to discuss the fact that she wasn't even human. I’d yet to reveal to her that Tron was back, too.

  "Okay. I’ve thought about it… you know. I’ve been going crazy, thinking the girls at work would notice I was magical," she said, putting her jacket on. “Maybe Kelsie will have some answers.”

  I drove, using another spell to navigate me to the address Kelsie had given me. We were stuck in a traffic jam for about half an hour. I asked Ella to text Kelsie telling her we were running late.

  We reached Peckham, a part of the city that I had never visited before. I decided to leave the car on the street. Kelsie wanted us to meet in The Hunter’s Head; she’d mentioned it was a bar.

  I promised Nathaniel that I was going to be responsible and walking through dodgy streets in the dark was the exact opposite. Luckily no one stopped us, and we managed to find the obscure bar within twenty minutes.

  "Are you sure you have the right place?" Ella asked, when we heard a terrifying scream a few streets away. I sensed a strong current of powers near us. It was like a mass of paranormals were gathered in one place, throwing magical spells towards each other.

  A group of bikers started whistling when we passed by, shouting some sexual remarks. We hurried inside, trying not to pay attention to any of them or the dodgy screams in the alleys. I needed to remember that I had Ella with me and I had to keep her safe. Kelsie had chosen a paranormal location, where humans were kept away for a reason.

  The bar was small with a couple of tables in the back, playing old-school music. I spotted Kelsie instantly. She was sitting with someone, and Michael was at the bar, keeping an eye on everything.

  When we approached I felt instantly calm, less anxious. My excess magic wasn't bothering me anymore. It took me a moment to realise that I was facing a white fairy, the most pure-blooded kind. No wonder Kelsie picked this location. This white fairy was one of the few still alive.

  Chapter 22

  Royal Secret.

  "Can you sit down? We haven't got much time tonight," Kelsie said, looking serious. Ella seemed to be the first one who snapped out of it. She smiled and sat next to Kelsie, looking at the white fairy with interest.

  "Right, sorry," I muttered, not quite believing Kelsie had managed to bring the fairy all the way to London. I was impressed.

  "This is Karina. She worked with the royal family for over twenty years," Kelsie introduced us. "This is Julia, the half elf I was telling you about, and Ella, our mutual friend."

  Karina had snow-white hair and the most striking blue eyes I had ever seen. She was beyond beautiful, with a pale completion, rosy cheeks and full lips. White fairies resided mainly in Norway or Sweden, away from other paranormals. They enjoyed their solitude. It had been known throughout the years that many vampires hunted them, because of their scent and purity of their blood. I couldn't figure out her age, but she was much older than me, possibly in her late thirties.

 
Karina touched Ella’s hands and closed her eyes. I felt incredibly light; the elf was doing something to me. I felt her magic rolling down over my head, taking the unease away.

  "Royal blood, I feel it in her veins. It's faint, but it's there. Someone has used a spell to mask it," Karina said, opening her eyes. I shifted in my chair, wondering if she could really feel it. Ella was frozen, looking eager to hear more.

  “I was introduced to a royal fairy who claimed to be my father. His name was Alex. Do you know him?” Ella asked, but Kelsie shook her head.

  "Ella, I know that finding him means a lot to you, but we need to connect other facts first. I'm sorry," Kelsie said, and Ella nodded. "The royals have been doing everything in order to keep their blood pure. Over the years many of them married their cousins. Karina, have there been any "incidents" that you’ve heard of? Any royals who didn't want to comply with these rules?"

  Karina obviously knew what Kelsie was talking about. In any community there were rebels, people who wouldn't follow the rules. I bet the royals weren’t saints either. My grandmother shared similar beliefs. She hated the fact that Dad married Mum.

  "I can certainly say that you’re half fairy,” she said looking at Ella, “but I wouldn't be able to tell who your father is. The royal who conceived you went to a lot of effort to cover it up. I have never come across such a strong masking spell. However, I have never heard of Alex. He was most likely lying to you.”

  Ella looked discouraged. She’d had a lot of time to come to terms with what happened since she found out who she was. Maybe my best friend who’d always had problems with self-esteem really was a lost royal princess, even if Alex had lied about his name. This was possible.

  "Do you have any idea who might have been interested in Ella’s mother in a romantic kind of way?" I asked, cutting right to the chase. We were here to find out more about Ella’s father or at least shed some light onto who he really was.

  I had a feeling Karina was reluctant to speculate. I couldn't get that theory out of my head, and I needed to mention the fact that my grandma had been murdered because Dad broke the contract from years ago and married for love. It was an old-time tradition for male elves to take their wives’ surname after the wedding but because Dad married a human, the tradition stopped. Maybe I was crazy thinking that royals had something to do with it, but Anthony had mentioned it. I didn't make it up.

  "There had been rumours that the king’s nephew, Sid, enjoyed seducing human women. No one has ever confirmed anything, but this story has been on everyone’s lips in the palace. My mother worked for the queen, so did most of my family. I got a job as a PA to the prince."

  Okay, finally we were getting somewhere. Karina was probably bound to keep a secret. The royal world was always out of reach to other paranormals. There had been many stories about Scandinavian fairies, their ways of living and the magic they had.

  "There’s something I need to add before we discuss Ella’s father," I said, clearing my throat. It was time to go through my what I’d learned from my investigation. I started telling Karina about my trip to my grandma’s house, her death and the information I’d gathered from my trip to North Wales. Then, I took the letter out of my bag and laid it out on the table. Ella looked disturbed. She didn't know half of the things I’d been doing since the funeral. I was hoping that in the end Karina would tell us a bit more about secrets the royals had been protecting for years. Secrets that were possibly linked to me and Ella.

  Once I was done, Karina looked stunned. For a moment, all we heard was the rambling of the barman about taxes and the government.

  “That's terrible what happened to your grandmother," Karina finally said. "This letter, do you believe it's genuine?"

  "I was hoping you could tell me that."

  Karina looked at it for a long time, her eyes moving over the old paper.

  "The initials suggest it might be the king’s nephew."

  "The one who liked sleeping around?" I asked. "How long have these rumours been going around?"

  "Years and years. The king had passed away, so his nephew should be in his fifties now, if he’s still alive."

  "What do you mean, if he’s still alive?" Kelsie interrupted, frowning. Karina twisted her lips and then entwined her fingers tightly.

  "I heard the king found out about his romances and disowned him. There was never a big scandal or anything, but Sid was forced to leave the palace. The older fairies had said Sid couldn't take the fact that he was never going to be in power. Apparently, he was ready for anything. There’s a possibility that he pretended to be this Alex person.”

  "Anything?" I queried.

  "He wanted to become king, but that was going to be impossible. He conspired against his uncle and then just vanished. There had been talks about his involvement with vampires. He was in their debt and some say they murdered him." Karina paused, biting her lip. "You probably want to know how I know all this, well… a couple of years ago I had an affair with the prince, who is now the king."

  Kelsie inhaled sharply. Ella’s jaw dropped. I was stunned that she so willingly told us about it. There was no doubt, Karina was beautiful, and no doubt that the prince would be interested in her.

  "You managed to get it on with Prince Jurgen? Are you fucking kidding me?" Kelsie hissed in disbelief.

  Karina only smiled, she didn't look like she was shy about it at all. "Things get complicated sometimes when you work closely with someone. I was stupid thinking that it could ever work out. His father would never agree for him to marry me. We were naïve and in love."

  It was a sad story and I already suspected that the prince was forced to marry his cousin.

  "Going back to Sid," I said, feeling it was time to change the subject. "Is there a possibility he might be Ella’s biological father?"

  Ella shifted in the chair, twisting her fingers together. We both needed to know if we could get some answers. Yeah, this wasn't the conclusion we expected, but at least it was something.

  "Possibly. The years seem to match. From what I heard, he lived in London for a bit and had been seen with human women. I don't know how much to read into that. You said that Ella’s abilities evolved only a couple of years ago. Maybe this has something to do with the letter. Sid’s surname was Harrow, so everything makes sense."

  "Hold on, let me get that straight, Julia," Kelsie said. "Do you think the royal fairy who liked banging humans—no offence, Ella—is the same paranormal from the letter, the same paranormal who murdered your grandma?"

  Yes, this is exactly what I'm thinking.

  She was finally catching up with all the facts.

  "I'm just thinking out loud here. Anthony mentioned the royals. My grandmother was murdered by someone with the initials S.H. who was talking about some sort of contract." I was trying to explain this whole thing to myself. Then again, my abilities were underdeveloped, so why would any royal elf want to marry me? I had no answer to that.

  "If I may take the letter, I will ask someone to look at the handwriting," Karina suggested. "My aunt still has letters that he sent to the king. We can compare them. She could tell you straight away if it's Sid’s."

  "Nathaniel believes my grandma had promised someone my hand. He says the letter proves the contract is genuine. My dad was the first one who didn't adhere to the conditions and then I got involved with Nathaniel," I added. Slowly, everything began to unravel. Kelsie rolled her eyes and Ella looked at me like I was having a problem with my head. Yes, after the whole thing at the funeral everything was normal again. I just couldn't stay away from him.

  "Who is Nathaniel?" Karina asked.

  "The half vam—”

  "Never mind," I cut Kelsie off. "Karina, this would be fantastic. If you could take the letter and see if our theory is right."

  "Of course I will, but you must not mention this to anyone. I wasn't supposed to be seen by anyone. I used the portal to gather some ingredients for a fertility potion."

  "No, you can count on
us. We’ll be discrete," I assured her. Karina touched Ella"s hand again, smiling.

  "Your abilities are still evolving. There is a possibility that the fairy who conceived you might come back. He knows his shielding charms have been broken, so don't fear and have faith."

  I swallowed hard, giving Ella an encouraging smile, although I wasn't quite sure if the connection was a good thing. That name, Sid, was bothering me for some reason and I wanted to hope he wasn't related to Ella in any way. However, my theory had too many loose ends. It was time to speak to Tron, urgently.

  Karina left, masking her scent and appearance several minutes later. By that time the bar was empty. Michael joined us, kissing Kelsie on the cheek.

  "I think it's better if we accompany you guys back to the car," he said, shrugging. Ella was quiet. I didn't know what was going on inside her head, but this was a lot to take in, especially if her father was yet to reappear.

  I was glad that Michael offered it, because there were a few bulky-looking vampires around.

  "Do you think I'm crazy?" I asked Kelsie on the way. She patted me on the back and rolled her eyes.

  "I think you’re bonkers getting back with Mr. Dumbass, but hey, if I had an ass like him I wouldn't hesitate either," she said. I laughed. I couldn't help it. Kelsie could always joke even in the most serious situation. "No, for real now, I don't know. This situation stinks like horseshit. You don't mess with royal fairies. They’re lethal."

  "But what if my grandma had promised someone my hand?"

  "Then you’re screwed; that’s all I can tell you."

  "Thanks, you can be really encouraging, you know."

  "Not a problem, flower, I'm just telling you how it is, but I doubt it. Royals just wouldn't go for a half-breed. It just wouldn't happen."

  I nodded, although I wasn't so sure. Once we walked back to the car, Ella got inside without a word. Michael was looking around with his gold eyes, making sure we weren’t followed.

  "Now that I remember, did Nathaniel make a deal with your company about protecting me?" I asked him, wanting to make sure Nathaniel hadn’t lied to me.