Family Feud: The Witching Hour Series Book 5

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  "Don't you dare talk about my daughter like that or I swear to God, I'll teach you proper manners and your face won't be pretty anymore," Dad snarled back.

  Nathaniel was scrambling back to his feet, touching his bleeding nose. His eyes were darker, not recognisable.

  "I should have never proposed to her. Getting involved with her was the worst thing that ever happened to me," Nathaniel said, brushing the dust off his clothes. These words stabbed me right between my ribs, piercing my heart.

  "Nathaniel, you don't think that. This isn't you," I shouted, trying to fight with my magic that was going berserk around us. His eyes were suffocating me, and he was looking at me like there had never been anything between us. Is that what love was? Constant fighting, and now the hatred? I couldn't believe he was capable of speaking to me with so much repulsion.

  He laughed and shook his head.

  "I have never loved you. I only wanted to fuck you and then suck your delicious blood, you slut!"

  Dad swung again, but Nathaniel beat him to it. He roared and smashed Dad’s jaw then sunk his fangs into his neck. Mum started screaming. Blood was everywhere and all of a sudden, I lost control of my magic. I used the raw energy to separate him from my dad. My so-called fiancé went flying across the landing, crashing against the wall, and parts of the ceiling came down. My fingertips were sparking; magic buzzed in my ears. I was ready for so much more.

  I didn't remember much about what happened later. I must have unleashed more power, because every movement was suddenly painful. Potent, dark energy swirled around the room, trashing everyone in its path. The pain in my chest kept spreading. Mum was trying to take care of Dad’s wound. Nathaniel went flying through the door, landing on the pavement outside beyond the porch. Dad had thrown him out, not paying attention to the fact that he was bleeding and told him to stay away from me. I was shaking when the magic finally faded. The room looked trashed.

  "Hon, hon…it's okay. Calm down. He’s gone," Dad kept saying, holding my hand. The buzzing had stopped.

  "I'm sorry, Dad. I don't know what got into him. He’s never behaved like that," I said, sobbing. The headache was gone, but my dignity was crushed. Dad used his own spells to put the house to the way it was before I showed up. When we looked outside, Nathaniel was walking away; he was on the phone. My heart was pounding away, and I’d never felt so numb.

  "Julia, that man is no longer welcome in this house," Dad said once he was back on his feet. He was bleeding but used his magic to heal himself. I didn't know what I was supposed to do now. Nathaniel had hurt me before, but this was something else. He sounded like he was possessed.

  "I don't understand, darling. He was always so polite. What’s gotten into him?" Mum asked.

  "No idea, Mum."

  "It's better that you didn't marry him. He nearly killed your father!"

  I couldn't speak. My father was still cursing looking out the window. I tried to count, but that didn't work. My head started to hurt. All the information about my grandmother, and the contract, none of this mattered anymore. I was broken, my heart shattered.

  "Dad, can you please take me home?" I asked, trying to sound normal, though my voice vibrated. I was still breathing, but the past few minutes were a living nightmare.

  "Julia, maybe you should stay here. Being alone in a situation like this might be difficult," Mum told me when I picked up my stuff.

  "No, I need to be alone right now," I said. "Dad, come on."

  We didn't talk when we got into the car, and for the first time in my life, I was glad my father was silent. There was no point going over and over what happened in the house. Nathaniel had humiliated me again, this time crossing the line even more. I didn't cry. I didn't want to appear weak in front of my father. An hour later we were outside my apartment and neither one of us moved. There were a lot of things that I wanted to say to my dad, but I couldn't. I felt like I had no voice, no dignity left. All my life I’d looked for a man who would love me and I thought I’d found him, but Nathaniel never cared for me. Our love was an illusion.

  "Julia, if he ever contacts you again, you let me know right away," Dad told me, turning to look at me. His pupils were dilated, and he looked like he was ready to explode. When I left the house this morning, I never thought that I would end up like this. Lost and hurt.

  "Okay."

  "Are you sure you want to be alone?"

  "Yes, Dad. I don't want to talk to anyone right now."

  "Fine, Julia. Remember, let me know if that creature bothers you again. In the meantime, try to get some rest."

  He kissed me on my forehead. I got out of the car and started walking towards my building. Somehow, I managed to get inside without throwing up and without trashing whatever was under my hand. I locked my apartment door and then ran a bath for myself, trying to clear my head. My excess magic didn't bother me anymore; my energy was gone. Something had shifted inside me. I was hurt, but I couldn't cry. We were done with each other. When the bathtub was filled, I slid into the warm bubbles, closed my eyes and tried to forget about everything that happened.

  I had no idea how long I was in the bath, an hour maybe. I kept staring at the water, thinking that my life was in shambles. Then I heard banging. Someone was at the door.

  "Julia, open up, come on."

  "Yeah, we know you’re inside. There’s no point hiding!"

  For some reason Kate, Nicky and Kelsie were here. I closed my eyes, counted to five and got out of the cold water. I wrapped my robe around my body and marched to the door, feeling lightheaded and still pretty numb. Nicky, Kelsie and Kate stood on my threshold.

  “What's going on? What are you guys doing here?"

  "Are you fucking kidding us? Nathaniel broke the engagement. The story is all over the paranormal news," Nicky shouted, marching inside. "What the hell happened? Why didn't you call?"

  I stood there, looking at them unable to say anything. I had no idea how they and the press knew what happened in my parents’ home only a couple of hours ago. Kelsie pushed me inside and Kate shut the door, locking it with magic.

  "This just happened a couple of hours ago. How do you—"

  Nicky picked up my laptop and brought up the paranormal gossip page. There across the screen was the latest gossip.

  Exclusive: Julia Taylor and Nathaniel La Caz split.

  I started checking paranormal Facebook and Twitter feeds. This story seemed to be everywhere. I sat on the sofa, feeling sick. He must have gone straight to the papers. I couldn't believe it. The girls were looking at me in silence.

  "We were at my parents’ house. I needed to talk to Dad about the letter, but the conversation didn't go very well. When Dad heard everything, he started accusing Nathaniel of not keeping me safe. Then Nathaniel flipped. He called me a slut, told my parents that I’d been sleeping around. Dad lost it and punched him."

  "Oh, my God," Kate said.

  "I can't believe this," Kelsie shouted. "He must have gone to the press straight away. What a prick!"

  "Unbelievable," Nicky added, shaking her head.

  I couldn't talk about this anymore. I was suddenly glad they were here; I needed their love and support and could feel instant warming energy coming off of them in waves. Nicky hugged me, and I started sobbing. I thought I could be strong, but it seemed like my life was just one catastrophe after another. Kate and Kelsie joined her.

  "Don't cry, darling. He doesn’t deserve your tears," Kate was saying.

  "Julia, maybe your grandma was right. Maybe it was never meant to be," Nicky said, holding my hand.

  "I don't know. He was normal the day before. He just said it, out of the blue," I said, wiping my tears. "Nathaniel was right about the letter. I had to tell Dad what was in it. Apparently my great-great-grandmother made some sort of deal with the royals."

  I told them everything I knew, what I found out right before my ex-fiancé flipped. Once I was done, the girls were in shock. It was a lot to take in and I hated myself for what happe
ned with Grandma. She could be still alive if I hadn't gone out with Nathaniel. I felt Nicky's energy moving, calming me, the same way that Ella’s did.

  "Hold on, didn't that witch who tortured you want to gain immortality?" Kate asked, all of the sudden.

  "Yes, she believed I was the perfect vessel or some crap. Half of the time I didn't know what was going on. She was using her magic to hurt me."

  "Okay, but your father was right,” Nicky began. “There haven't been any boys in your family in over sixty years. Maybe your grandmother had no choice; maybe her mother signed the contract with the royals and she couldn't cancel it. Your father married a human and then you were with a vampire. Don't forget that elves’ magic goes back centuries. Years ago, families were obligated to marry their daughters off, sometimes even to a complete stranger. Obviously, that changed as years went on."

  Nicky had a good point. My grandmother had to make sure our bloodline remained pure. Apart from Dad, I was the first woman in our family who dated a non-elf.

  "Maybe, but this thing about immortality sounds absurd. I appreciate all of you coming over, but there’s no point dwelling on what Nathaniel’s done. We’re over and that killer is still out there."

  "Fuck men—let's have a drink,” Kelsie said, pulling a bottle of vodka out of her bag. “We’re not leaving you on your own right now."

  “She's right. We’re celebrating, not crying. I'll get the glasses," Nicky added, then vanished into my kitchen.

  Kate nodded, letting me know I wasn't going to be alone. I had friends who cared for me. Maybe they were right. Tonight, I needed to forget about my shitty day, and if vodka was the solution, then I was all right with it. For the first time in my life I didn't feel I had to prove something to anyone. Tonight, I squeezed my love so hard that it burst. It was easier to think that love didn't exist anymore.

  Chapter 25

  Nathaniel’s spiteful game.

  My lids were heavy, and my head was pounding painfully. The sound of my alarm was slowly making me feel sick. Hazy memories ran through my head like a corrupted film, but I knew it was just a terrible dream. Yesterday didn't happen, it couldn't have.

  "Someone please switch off the alarm!" Kelsie shouted, pressing a pillow over her face. I remembered that the girls came over yesterday to support me. That’s why we all got drunk, so I could forget about the half vampire who ripped my heart out of my chest.

  The alcohol was a dangerous idea and right in that moment I wanted to murder Nicky for bringing more bottles. We didn't just stick to wine like normal women would. No, we had to drink the heavy stuff.

  "It's nine o’clock, and my head feels like it's been split in two."

  I opened my eyes, seeing Nicky scrambling off the floor, cursing loudly. Yesterday was a bad day. I realised my grandmother truly wanted to separate me from Nathaniel because of some stupid piece of paper. Now she’d achieved what she wanted, even in death. We were no longer together. He had cancelled the engagement and called me a slut. He turned into a monster.

  "Please tell me yesterday didn't happen," I said to Kelsie who’d fallen off the bed and was moaning on the floor, holding her head. Kate was standing at the door looking grim. I’d never seen her drunk, but last night we’d all crossed over to the dark side. I doubted I would be sober for a day or so.

  "No, Nathaniel La Caz broke the engagement and we’re both late for work," Kate said.

  I groaned feeling enveloping sadness spreading through my heart. It was the worst feeling I had ever experienced and now I had to face the reality of it. The next twenty minutes were manic. Nicky started screaming that her husband was going to kill her, Kate had lost her phone, and Kelsie threw up on my carpet. Eventually I managed to call a taxi. Half an hour later, the three of us squashed into the cab, feeling like crap.

  "Holy shit, please tell me that all these people aren’t here for us," Kate whispered when we arrived an hour later. On the street at half past nine in the morning a bunch of reporters were standing just outside the entrance to the building. I didn't believe the human world cared much about the fact that Nathaniel and I had split. All the reporters were paranormals. I’d seen a few of them before, stalking me outside my home and the agency when my grandmother was accused of stealing five hundred thousand pounds. In our world, Nathaniel was a well-known businessman, and I knew they wanted to hear my side of the story.

  "Those snakes want the juicy details. You guys go. I’ll deal with Lucinda somehow. Nicky you need to get home first," Kelsie said, putting her headphones on. "Just don't talk to them, Julia. They’ll go away later on."

  It was easier said than done. As soon as we headed towards the agency, the reporters surrounded us. I could only hope that Dad didn't read the paranormal press, because this was really embarrassing.

  "Any comment about your recent split with La Caz?"

  "Miss Taylor… do you still love Nathaniel?"

  "Julia, can you tell us more about Mr. La Caz’s ex- girlfriend, the—"

  "There have been rumours about a prenup. Can you tell us more?"

  I couldn't listen to this anymore, not wanting to believe that we ended up hating each other. I stormed inside the office with Kate right behind me. The reporters were taking our pictures, trying to barge inside. Sara came out of the kitchen looking worried. I locked the door with my magic. I hated myself for letting it go this far.

  "They’ve been standing there since seven o’clock in the morning," she said. "Is it true, is your engagement off?"

  "Yes, Sa—"

  Kate interrupted me sharply. "Why don't you make us a cup of coffee, Sara? It's going to be a long day and we have lots to do." Sara nodded, looking quite surprised that Kate had snapped at her like that. Since I’d known her, she’d never been so abrupt. I bet it was the hangover. I was suffering badly too.

  I logged into the system, and an hour later, Sara let in a few clients. I had a long induction today, plus a couple of factories needed skilled workers. I gave them a few forms to fill out and then started going through the terms of the contract.

  Every time I had to mention Nathaniel’s surname, my voice vibrated. I still had the engagement ring on my finger, so during the first break I went to the bathroom and took it off. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, wondering what I had done to be so unlucky in love. My power had been quiet until yesterday, but now the waves of electricity were whipping through me, reminding me that my excess magic needed to be released soon.

  Once I drank two litters of coffee, I took my group of inductees to the boardroom. When the presentation started rolling, I was able to divert my thoughts into something else rather than my hangover and Nathaniel.

  My group consisted of giants, witches and two werewolves. It turned out that one of them was a reporter from Daily Secret. I got suspicious when he pulled me aside during break and started asking personal questions. By that time, I had lost my temper, cried and managed to look like a complete idiot in front of the entire group. I cut the induction short and told them all to come in the next day. I was surprised Lucinda hadn't called yet. By that time, she was normally on the phone asking for numbers for the night.

  "I wish we could go home early today," I muttered.

  Kate shook her head, typing furiously. She looked unwell too. Neither of us wanted to be stuck in the office, but we had tons of work. I needed to keep myself busy.

  "It's not even lunch yet, Julia. Cut it out. I'm going to get us some painkillers in a minute," she told me. "And freshly squeezed orange juice."

  "Thanks, I really need to stop drinking vodka," I added. Then, we looked outside, hearing some cursing and seeing sudden flashes. A moment later Kelsie barged inside, showing the middle finger to a few wizards. She slammed the door and then walked towards my desk.

  "He fired me, that motherfucker… that scumbag bloodsucker fired me!" she roared, waving her fists. I’d never seen her so furious. Kate stood up, opened her mouth, but didn't say anything.

  "What are you talking a
bout, Kelsie? Who fired you?" I asked, wondering if she meant Lucinda. Technically Kelsie didn't work for the agency anymore. After a couple of months, she got a permanent contract with La Caz Pharmaceutical. Recently her boss wasn't too happy with her work, and maybe after this morning Lucinda had finally had enough.

  "That motherfucker, La Caz came to my office today and told me that the company didn't need me anymore. Lucinda was gobsmacked. She had no fucking idea! He doesn’t even deal with personnel; its Lucinda’s department!" Kelsie shouted again, breathing hard, looking around, like she was ready to smash something. Only now I noticed that her face was red and swollen and her jacket was torn.

  I couldn't wrap my head around it.

  "Nathaniel fired you?" I repeated.

  "Yes, the bastard told me to pack my bags and get the fuck out," she said pacing around.

  Kate was staring at her in disbelief. I had no idea what to say. Maybe this was some sort of misunderstanding. Maybe Kelsie had offended Lucinda in some way and she told Nathaniel that she didn't need her anymore.

  He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't fire someone just because we’re no longer together.

  "What happened to your face?" Kate asked all of a sudden, walking up to Kelsie.

  "Well, I told him a few things that he didn't take too well."

  "Kelsie, what did you say?" I asked.

  "Just that he was pathetic and I was going to wipe my arse with his last paycheck. I think I spit in his face, too," she said, smiling weakly.

  My head was dizzy. I told myself that Nathaniel wouldn't have fired her for no reason. Kelsie must have done something; she wasn't telling us everything.