Family Feud: The Witching Hour Series Book 5

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  "We drove here, so we could talk about your letter," she explained. She didn't understand my question. I took a deep breath, trying to concentrate on the past few hours. Anxiety overwhelmed me, and I knew that I’d caused pain. God, I was in so much trouble.

  Karina brought me here because of the letter.

  "Tell me, did you manage to find out if Sid was the one who sent the letter to my grandmother?"

  She reached into her pocket and took out the familiar envelope.

  "Yes, the writing is identical. He’s the sender, Julia. My aunt confirmed it. He must have impersonated that other fairy, Alex, too.”

  Chapter 27

  Nathaniel crosses the line.

  For a long silent moment, I stood in front of her, trying to digest her news. It was official. My grandmother was murdered because she was protecting me, because I violated the conditions of that absurd contract. I took the letter away from her and shoved it inside my bag. That small piece of paper was my evidence, the only thing I had.

  "Are you certain about it?" I asked.

  "We compared his letters from the past and it matches perfectly. My aunt recognised the handwriting. I shouldn't be telling you this. I gave my word to keep away from the outside world, but my vision required that I see you. You said that the other fairy vanished. I suspected that Sid must have used his magic to take on his appearance.”

  "A vision?"

  "Sometimes I foresee the future, some significant events that might impact certain individuals. You must do what you think is right."

  She didn't make much sense. I knew that royal fairies had very specific abilities, but I wasn't convinced that she could see future. Whatever, I couldn't argue with her, as I had no idea what she was talking about. She had given me a lead, and now I needed to speak to Dannika about what I found out.

  "So, do you have any idea where Sid might be now?" I asked. Karina tossed her snow-white hair behind her and smiled.

  "No, I can't help you with that, but you will find him. I have never been wrong."

  "What else did you see in the vision?"

  She looked distracted, and slightly dopey. Her vibes were more vital and her magic stronger. Maybe I had made a mistake, not letting Dannika know about the letter earlier.

  "I have seen you happily married, and you will have a child. A son," she added, touching my shoulder. Her bright blue eyes were staring at me intently. Chills passed down my spine.

  “That's impossible. I'm not with anyone and the man who I thought I loved betrayed me."

  "I'm never wrong, Julia, and now it's time for me to go back. Others are searching for me. They cannot find me here. It's against the rules."

  She was wrong about Nathaniel. He was dead to me. Maybe she meant someone else. Another elf who I would meet in the future. I didn't have time to think about it. I needed to find the royal fairy, Sid, and bring him to Dannika. Also, I had to track down Tron. He knew more than he was willing to reveal. Justice needed to be served. Karina turned around and started walking towards the forest. She glanced at me over her shoulder, turned one more time, and then vanished. One moment she was there, the next she was gone.

  I squeezed the letter in my hand and marched back to the car, feeling lightheaded. The smell of burnt rubber wafted under my nose. I lifted my sleeves, seeing burn marks, I remembered how I’d lost control in the boardroom, how my power took control of my emotions. I had hurt some of the vampires and werewolves. I’d made this entire situation so much worse. The agency would go out of business and everyone would blame me. Nathaniel was ruthless. He didn't care about the money; all he wanted was to punish me. Five years together meant nothing to him.

  I started the engine and decided to go back to London. Dad was right. I would have to fly to Norway. The royals knew about the contract, and I needed to find out if they could help me track down Sid.

  It was pouring when I got back, and blood was pounding in my ears. My anger didn't fade, it grew deeper, especially when I started to remember what I did only a few hours ago. I wanted to blame Nathaniel for what happened in the boardroom. He provoked me, knowing I could easily lose control, but deep down I’d wanted to hurt him. It was like I was possessed with hatred and pain. I needed Nicky, Kate and Kelsie’s advice. Sid couldn't be Ella’s father, because I truly wanted him dead and I couldn't do that to my best friend. I parked just outside the apartment, not wanting to be soaked. A moment later I saw flashes of red and blue lights. A police car pulled up just behind me. Stewart and another officer scrambled out of the car. They had a flashlight and they were pointing at me.

  I frowned, wondering what they were doing here.

  "Julia Taylor, you’re under arrest for the assault of four paranormals. Anything you say or do may be used against you in a court of law—"

  The other officer came out from behind me, pulling my hands into handcuffs. I didn't think they were serious at first, but when the handcuffs dug into my wrist painfully I started to panic. Rain was running down my face, as Stewart continued to read me my rights.

  "Stewart! What’s going on? Is this about earlier on?"

  "Julia, it's better if you don't talk. We’re blocking your energy, your power is useless if you try to use it," he said. I inhaled sharply, feeling like the world was sucking me into the oblivious darkness, like I was drowning in shallow water. Nathaniel had reported me. He must have called the police when I left. He must have realised that I’d lost control. Maybe that was what he was aiming for when he kept saying all those horrible things in front of his board members. He needed witnesses for my ultimate humiliation, my arrest and to discredit my father.

  I was led into the police car. My clothes were soaked when I sat in the backseat. The other office was a shifter. He climbed inside and sat next to me. I bit my lip, thinking fast, wondering if they’d informed my father yet. Maybe it was a good thing that I was going to the station. Dannika would be there. Maybe I could ask to speak to her, find out if she could find the royal fairy in the system.

  "Is this about earlier on, at La Caz Pharmaceutical?" I asked, looking at the man sitting next to me, vaguely recognising him from the times when I visited my father. The rain kept splashing on the windows, and my building seemed pitch black. The drive to the station was silent, and the clock on the dashboard read 11:08 p.m. I hadn't realised it was so late. I had arrived at La Caz Pharmaceutical after sunset, and spent a few hours with Karina.

  The station was still busy, some giants were roaring while three officers were dragging them to their cells. The woman at the desk was a vampire. She shook her head, when she saw me.

  "Please let me speak to Dannika. She must be at the station," I said to Stewart while he was filling out the paperwork. I deserved to be locked up after I lost control and hurt people, but Nathaniel had provoked me. He wanted to see me miserable and humiliated.

  “She's out, but even if she was in, you wouldn't be able to speak to her," Stewart told me.

  "But I have information for her about the case, about my grandma’s murderer."

  "I'm sorry, Julia, but I have procedures that I need to follow. You committed a crime and I have to lock you up."

  "What about my phone call? I'm entitled to a phone call, right?"

  "Later, come on, ladies, take her away," he said, looking tense and uneasy. He probably hated doing this to me.

  I needed to call someone, but who? I couldn't tell Dad or Mum. They probably didn't even know. The girls, yes, maybe, but then I would have to confess that my power had gotten out of control again. Kate had warned me that this might happen. Stewart didn't listen as I pleaded on the way to my cell. He locked me up and told me to wait until morning.

  I started pacing around, trying to find a way to give Dannika a message. I thought about everything that I’d done wrong in the name of finding the killer. After some time, I went to lie down on the bed. I was drained of power, of hope. I’d had risked the lives of my friends, but it was because of my love for Nathaniel; my grandmother died.
There was no tingling or buzzing and the air was still. I was drifting before I knew what was going on.

  "Julia! Hey, wake up."

  I heard a loud banging noise and opened my eyes. The shifter who’d brought me into the station with Stewart stood outside. I rubbed my eyes. I must have snoozed for an hour or so.

  “What's going on?" I asked.

  "You wanted to use the phone. The boss says that now is your chance," he said, looking unhappy about the fact that I had the privilege of a phone call. I got up and followed him through the long corridor when he let me out.

  "You have five minutes. I'm watching the clock."

  The only number I could remember was Nicky's. We had been friends for years and I used to talk to her all the time before Nathaniel was in my life. It was really late, well after midnight. I was praying for her to answer. She finally picked up, sounding tired and cranky. The shifter kept staring at me, like he was counting the seconds in his head.

  "Nicky, I have to be quick. I'm at the station. I was arrested, but I have the confirmation. It's that royal fairy, the letter is from him," I said all of it in one breath.

  "You got arrested? What?" Nicky repeated.

  "Paranormal Personnel lost the contract with La Caz Pharmaceutical. He fired Kelsie and thousands of other people, so I went to talk to him," I explained,

  "What? He wouldn't do that, Julia. You guys broke up before," she said.

  "Yes, I thought that, too, but it turned out that he’s changed. He’s slowly ruining my life and he wants to punish me probably because Dad hit him. The talk didn't go well. He started humiliating me in front of all his board members, and I lost control. My power exploded, and I might have hurt a few vampires."

  "And he filed charges against you. What a mother…"

  I had never heard her curse that much, but now she shouted with fury. I quickly explained to her what happened with Karina, her confirmation and the fact that the police had confiscated my letter.

  "Julia, this is messed up. Demand to speak to that woman, Dannika. She’s leading the investigation over your grandmother’s murder. She should know more than you do."

  “That's the plan, but the guy who works with Dad said she isn't at the station right now. I can't do anything else. I'm in a cell."

  "The royal fairy, Sid. I know who can help find him. There’s this person—"

  The line was breaking up, then it went dead. I kept saying, “hello,” but Nicky was gone. I put the phone down and then redialed.

  "No, only one phone call," the shifter said, taking a step towards me.

  "But it got disconnected," I complained.

  "It doesn’t matter. Stewart shouldn't allow this. I don't care about your status. I still need to do what I have to do."

  He grabbed my elbow and started dragging me back. After he made sure that the lock was charmed, he gave me a list of spells that were enchanted around the floor. These spells were supposed to prevent the prisoners from escaping. My head was spinning by the time I laid back on the bed. Tron was the only other person who could help me. He taught me so much and we had a connection. I knew that if I concentrated he would know I wanted to talk to him. I closed my eyes and attempted to bring my magic forth. For a long moment nothing happened, then I felt like my lids getting heavy. I didn't want to sleep; it wasn't the time.

  I must have fallen asleep at some point, because when I woke up Stewart was standing next to me, blinding me with light. My muscles were aching, and I felt my energy in the cell. The spell didn't work.

  "What now?" I asked, annoyed with myself. "I thought I could at least get some peace and quiet here."

  "You’ve been bailed out, so you can go,” Stewart said, smiling. “The hearing is set for next week. You’ll get a notification with the details."

  "Someone paid to get me out?" I asked, back on my feet, unable to comprehend what was going on.

  "Yes."

  "You called my father, didn't you?" I asked, not wanting to believe that Stewart would do that to me. This wasn't helping his reputation. I didn't want to be labeled a criminal.

  "I didn't call your father. I have too much respect for him to break this sort of news to him."

  "Then who paid the bail? I mean, what’s going on? Nicky wouldn't have that kind of money."

  "No idea, Julia. Just don't get yourself into any more trouble. Now you’re free to go."

  "What about Dannika? Can I speak to her?"

  "No, she’s not working until tomorrow."

  Apparently, Stewart didn't know anything else. I didn't trust him enough to talk to him about the letter.

  For a moment I thought that maybe Nathaniel came to his senses and withdrew the charges. He had screwed me over, so why would he do this now?

  Stewart took me back to a much smaller room and returned all my things, along with the letter. I truly expected to see my father outside. Someone from the station must have let him know that I had been brought in.

  It was five in the morning when I left the station. It was still dark and cold outside. My father wasn't in the parking lot. My wallet was in the car, and I only had a few pound coins on me. I walked to the main road until I crossed the zebra. I needed to get to the subway and catch a tube back to the apartment.

  I didn't get far, because suddenly, I couldn't move my legs, then my arms. I didn't fall on the ground. I was standing in the middle of the street, paralysed from head to toe. I smelled magic, waves of powerful energy. My heart kicked me right in the chest when I saw Jasper materialising right in front of me.

  "Good to see you again, darling. I thought they would have let you out earlier. You owe me five grand, chicka. Let's have fun, shall we?"

  Chapter 28

  Sidheart.

  I panicked, trying to scream, but no sound came out of my mouth. It was like he muted me, made me immobile, not receptive to any energy that flew around me. Jasper must have used a spell to disable me and the power that I had. He gave me a huge smile, lifted me up and threw me over his shoulder. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching us and continued carrying me over to the other side of the road.

  This was so obvious, and I couldn't understand how I didn't see the trap. Jasper must have known about Nathaniel, about my arrest. I wished I’d killed him back in North Wales. I fought with the spell, trying to bring up my magic, like in the boardroom, but nothing happened. My body was numb, and he was humming under his breath, like this was the best day of his life.

  My heart pounded loudly in my chest when he reached a black Mercedes and shoved me in the back seat. I couldn't read anything from his expression. As always Jasper was focused on the task at hand. The car reeked of dark magic, energy that spread dread and fear. I hoped that Dad could feel my distress. Maybe he knew what was going on. I had no idea what Jasper was planning. He was kidnapping me, but for what? I couldn't give him love, now that I was so broken. I wouldn’t even if I wasn’t.

  "I had high hopes for us, Julia. I thought we would finally be happy together," he said, shaking his head. "Seven years is a long time. I really did love you back then, but now I have to go against everything I always believed in."

  Jasper had lost the plot; dark magic had clouded his mind. He was going to drag me down below, when I was so close to finding my grandmother’s murderer. I tried to move, to scream, do anything, but Jasper was controlling me, deep inside my mind.

  I couldn't respond to him, and after he got everything off his chest, he went quiet. The drive was long, and I was lying down, so I couldn't see where he was taking me. Two hours in, my head started hurting. As the minutes passed by, the pain was getting worse, and soon my skull felt like someone was cracking it from the inside out. I moaned, but I was still muted, trying to figure out what was going on. When the car finally stopped, the pain eased off.

  He opened the door and pulled me out. I didn't recognise the space around me. All I could see was pitch-black darkness and the shadowy rustle of trees. I figured out that we were in the forest,
because all I could hear were birds and the leaves from the wind. The air was fresher and earthy. My head exploded in overpowering pain when he finally put me down. Part of me registered him moving around me, the other was trying to deal with the unbearable pain in my head.

  I didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like hours. I breathed in, lying on the ground. I felt and smelled grass, trying to move my limbs. Jasper must have eased off the magic. He stood a few meters away from me, holding something in his hand. I noticed a circle around me. It was made of salt or some kind of white powder. When my head didn't feel like it was just about to split in two, I looked around, trying to see where I was. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I noticed water a few meters away, a body of water. Fear crept down to my toes. I couldn't use my magic at all. My energy seemed empty, ceased, like someone had drained me of it.

  "Stay where you are. If you try to get out of the circle, you will get a very uncomfortable headache," Jasper said, He waved his magic wand and the circle lit up with flames. I wasn't obedient and maybe I liked torturing myself, so I took a step forward to test him. The unbearable pain shut down my mind, like an arrow piercing me.

  "Told ya." Jasper smirked.

  "Why are you doing this?" I asked, surprised that my voice was back. "You can't force me to be with you. No one can."

  Jasper laughed loudly, marched to the car and opened the boot. I could see him, because his wand was burning with bright yellow light.

  "Silly Julia, this isn't about you and me anymore. I thought that we could have straightened things out, but I’ve moved on, darling," he said and then dragged something or someone out of the car. I heard moans, like someone was trying to scream, but couldn't.

  "It's a surprise," he said and then pulled the cover off the person’s head and pointed the light at her. For a split second I thought I was hallucinating. My best friend, Ella. He had her in there all this time, possibly for hours while we were driving.