Here Witchy Witchy Box Set 2

by A. L. Kessler

  He held his hand out to me, and I rolled my eyes. “Do you even know how to drive?”

  “A horse and cart. Yes.”

  I stared at him, and it took me a minute to realize that he was joking. His lips quirked up in a smile, and he shook his head. “This is faster, and the faster we get there, the sooner I can get you home and tuck you in.”

  I took his hand, and for once didn’t flinch as he wrapped his fingers around me.

  We appeared in the hall from before, and I looked around. No Levi to walk in with us, no sounds in the hall, nothing. I looked at Mario, and he nodded.

  “They’re all waiting.” He motioned to the heavy doors. “Let’s go.”

  I took a deep breath and Mario opened the heavy door for me, so I didn’t have to move my arm too much. Once again, I stood facing the table of vampires, and they all stood until I sat down on Levi’s right. Mario sat next to me and put a hand on my knee. We couldn’t hold hands on the table since lifting my arm that high hurt like hell.

  Grayson spoke, “I want to congratulate Princess Abby on dealing with the case commendably, as well on her recent promotion to Special Agent.”

  There was a small murmur around the room, and I nodded my head. “Thank you very much, Grayson. I had some help with closing the case.”

  “We’ve heard,” Catalina spoke, “that Mario had to face his fledgling.”

  I nodded. “He did. He was able to pull Drake off me to save my life. However, Mario abided by vampire law and did not kill Drake.” I kept my voice even. “I killed Drake with two shots to the head, two to the heart. In a previous encounter, I had shot Drake two other times. PIB does a thorough inspection of every death, and they’ll find that the bullets match my gun and that every wound is consistent with self-defense.”

  Grayson looked at me and gave a subtle nod. Levi cleared his throat. “This leads us into our next topic of discussion. During the investigation, it was shown that Keira was here in order to collect to dolls that held human souls.”

  “Impossible,” one of the members cried out. “No one has been able to work that kind of life magic for centuries.”

  Oh well shit, there were other people who knew about this. I kept my mouth shut; I wasn’t going to weigh in on something I wasn’t practiced in.

  “Drake is the only person that we know that was still alive who was capable of Life Magic in that capacity. The covens do not encourage the study of Life Magic in any way.” Levi looked at me. “Abigail?”

  “Life Magic is considered to be a Black Magic because in order to do it right there must be a human sacrifice. The only recent cases involving it were a man who wanted to bring his ex-wife back and was practicing on dinosaur fossils, there was a little boy who managed to hatch a raptor egg. Other than that, there hasn’t been anything.” I looked around the table.

  “Levi is correct, it’s not something that the covens teach, and it is extremely hard to get your hands on information to perform the spells needed to do life magic properly. Hopefully, the practice has died out with Drake’s death.”

  Grayson raised his hand, and Levi nodded toward him. “With respect, my king and my princess. There are a few cases on file with PIB, one of them concerning Calico Research and Ira.”

  That was news to me, but I tried to keep my face blank. “Then I suggest we look into those cases and reopen them until we find out what exactly Ira was looking into and who was involved.”

  “That would fall under the Black Magic team.” He pegged me with a stare.

  “Then I’ll make sure to talk to the team lead about it and see what I can do from there. It was mentioned in an interview with Drake that he had contact with Ira, but it was never said for what. We may get lucky and have that die out as well.”

  Levi nodded. “Ira is still in hiding, so anything we can do to make progress on him and his intentions while he is dormant, the better.”

  There was agreement around the table.

  “As for Keira,” Levi spoke again, and the noise died down. “Mario and Abigail will go speak to her tomorrow night. The ultimatum will be given on her going back to her maker to be rehabilitated or being executed by my guards.”

  I wasn’t sure who that meant, if it was Mario or other guards. Either way, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

  “You are sure your guards are capable of handling her?” Catalina spoke.

  Levi nodded. “I am sure. Her maker is well aware of her behaviors and is expecting her to return. She knows the consequences if Keira does not.”

  My shoulder started to ache, and the exhaustion was creeping in. I just wanted this meeting to be finished, but I reminded myself that being rude and impatient wasn’t going to win me any favors. The painkillers weren’t kicking in yet, and each moment I felt like the muscle was stretching. I bent my elbow to put my arm close against my body.

  Mario looked at me and then to Levi, nodding. Levi stood. “It has been a long night; we have our answer on the situation with Drake and our plans with the situation with Keira. It’s time to adjourn this meeting.”

  They all stood as Mario helped me stand and kept an arm on my elbow to guide me out of the room. Levi walked with us.

  “Take her home, make sure she’s taken care of before you leave for the day.” Levi didn’t even look at me. “I’ve arranged a meeting for you both with Keira under a truce. Abigail—”

  “Yes, yes, that means no guns, no knives. I’ll be okay as long as Mario has my back.” I waved my good arm. “Can I go home now please?”

  They both stared at me.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.” Mario shook his head. “She just said she trusts me to have her back.”

  Levi nodded. “We’re making progress. This is good.”

  “Home, please. Before I change my mind.”

  Mario smirked. “As my princess wishes.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Mario stared at me as I answered the door. “You look like shit.”

  “Gee, thanks, honey. I feel like it too.” I gave him a blank stare. “Let’s go see the baby vampire.”

  He waved at the Hummer. “I thought we’d drive.”

  “She’s allowed in the territory under the truce?”

  “With the understanding that she’s not supposed to be killing anyone.”

  I pressed my lips together. “Are you kidding me, can we trust her? I’m not going to end up with a slew of dead bodies all over am I?”

  “No.”

  But he didn’t specify which question he was answering. I walked to the Hummer, and he once again held his hand out. “Keys?”

  “I can drive.”

  “Please, Abigail.”

  He didn’t say please often, and his voice was low, quiet, like maybe he was tired of fighting the last few nights as well. “Fine. Don’t wreck my Hummer.”

  “It’s not yours.”

  “It might as well be. No one else drives it.”

  He chuckled as we got in. I had a little bit of a problem climbing up with my injured shoulder, but I hid it the best I could.

  I buckled up and loosened the sling a little. “I’ll make sure to take it off.”

  “No, don’t. We’re going on the grounds of a truce. Showing her you’re hindered will help put her at ease.”

  Great. Because the creepy child vampire needed to be put at ease. “Okay then.”

  He eased the Hummer out of the driveway and headed into town.

  “Just exactly where is this meeting?”

  “The wolves are allowing us to borrow one of their clubs tonight. They have it closed for the night.”

  I sighed. “Wolf’s Bane.”

  “Yep.”

  Lovely. “Is Simon going to be there?”

  “He is, just because he owns the club and his second-in-command didn’t want to be involved.”

  I couldn’t say that I blamed Travis on this one. “Okay, as long as I know what I’m walking into.” I tried to get comfortable in the seat and kept adjusting the seat belt
.

  “I was trying to keep your wishes in mind about traveling, are you not happy with the arrangements?” There was a tone of amusement lacing his words.

  I forced myself to settle. “I’m fine, just between the sling and the seatbelt, I’m a tad bit uncomfortable. But I’d rather be uncomfortable than dizzy and disoriented.”

  “I suppose that is fair.”

  We passed the rest of the car ride in silence until we got to Wolf’s Bane downtown. Mario opened the door for me, and I got out.

  Simon greeted us on the sidewalk in front of the door. He reached out to hug me but hesitated when he saw Mario.

  Mario nodded. “It’s okay.”

  Simon gave me a gentle hug. “What the hell Abby?”

  “You know me, picking fights with people bigger than me. That’s all.”

  He laughed and opened the door. The house lights were on again, giving the place a normal look. Except for the vampire sitting at the table in the middle of the dance floor.

  Keira seemed even creepier this time than the last time I met her. She wrapped her finger in the curl of her hair while her short legs swung at the chair.

  Mario urged me to go forward, and he pulled out a chair for me to sit in. I lowered myself down and adjusted my sling.

  Keira giggled. “I see that Drake beat you up a little bit.” Her gaze cut to Mario. “Do you regret letting her kill him?”

  “No, not a bit. I’m here with a message. Abigail is here to play witness.”

  “Oh? As daughter of the territory leader?”

  I nodded. “Yes. Because this is in his territory.”

  “I’m here because they hope you’ll listen to me.” Mario leaned forward. “Go home, Keira. Go back to our maker and let her help you.”

  She leaned forward and spread her small hands on the table. “Or what? You’re going to kill me? Get revenge on me?”

  “Or you’ll be killed, and not by PIB standards, but by vampire.” My voice didn’t shake, and the words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them.

  She looked at me. “And you would kill a child?” Her voice dropped to matching what age she should have been.

  “You might have been a child once, but some monster changed you into this.” I motioned to her.

  She laughed. “How cute, you think that I was changed? I wasn’t changed. Not like you think. I died, and this is what I became.”

  What on earth was she talking about? Mario cleared his throat. “Stop trying to scare the PIB agent. Do you understand the terms of this agreement?”

  “Yes, run back to mommy or be killed.” She rolled her eyes and slid off the chair. “Really, Mario, I thought better of you. I thought you were ready to embrace a world ran by the vampires, not live next to humans, and date witches.”

  Mario squeezed my good hand. “The world is changing, Keira, and it’s time that we adapt to it.”

  “Did your wife think that way?” She hmmed for a moment and stopped walking when she was even with us. “Does your lover know that you had a wife and children?”

  Mario froze. I gave a small smile. “He’s an old vampire; I would be a fool to think that he didn’t have others before me.”

  She nodded. “I’ll go back to my mommy for now. Make sure you tell Levi that, and Lady R, so that they can leave me alone.” She disappeared, and I looked at Mario.

  “She murdered my family.” He didn’t look at me. “Tricked my wife into thinking she was an innocent human child and drained them all.”

  “What did she mean that she wasn’t made.”

  Mario snorted. “She has a maker; she was just trying to freak you out. She and I share a maker. She has her message; now it’s out of our hands. Head home. I’m going back to the mansion.” He handed me the keys and disappeared without another word.

  That wasn’t exactly the story I expected, and I felt like there was more, but he was still a very private vampire, and despite the fact that we were fake dating, he didn’t have to tell me anything.

  Simon came up next to me. “So dating the vampire is going well then?”

  “Has its perks.” I kept my voice light. “But you know the one thing I can’t do with him? Watch the sunrise.”

  Simon started laughing. “Go home, Abby. Get some rest.”

  I hugged him and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

  “For?”

  “Not freaking out too much.”

  Simon shrugged. “I’m freaking out on the inside.”

  I shook my head and walked out of the club. I got in the Hummer and closed my eyes for a moment. The pain in my shoulder was getting out of control. I needed to take something for the pain again.

  I started the car and pulled out onto the road. I swore that I heard a child singing as I drove off, but I passed it off as paranoia. Too many children and too many dolls.

  I woke the next morning to a knock on my bedroom door. “Ugh, I don’t want to get up.”

  Merick laughed. “Clarissa came by to drop off a potion for your pain.”

  I shot up in the bed. “Tell her I’m coming.” I got out of bed and flung the door open.

  Merick shook his head. “She didn’t stay; she dropped it off on the porch with a basket filled with coffee, a bottle of wine, and the potion.”

  I narrowed my eyes thinking about Drake dropping gift baskets off. “Are we sure it was her?”

  “Yeah, she’s on camera. I have coffee brewing.” He turned and walked back down the stairs.

  I followed him and tried not to feel the disappointment at missing Clarissa this morning. I stopped at the panel and watched the video. She seemed fine. She simply sat it down and returned to her car. She walked in her bouncy way and was smiling the whole time. Maybe she just had places to be.

  Merick looked over my shoulder. “You’re reading too much into it.”

  “What would you know?” I stepped away from him and went to the basket. Under the potion was a little card. Handwritten instructions covered the front of it and on the back was a little message.

  ‘Still working on your request, sorry for the lack of contact. Things have been busy. Love you. Clarissa’

  I set the card down and looked at the potion. It was the same color as it normally was when she gave me some, and when I opened it, it smelt the same.

  Merick laughed. “Really Abby, neither of our magic tripped. It’s safe.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought about the wine too.” I glanced at him. “I’ve got to get to work. There’s paperwork to fill out.”

  “Images Abby.” He reminded me and tapped the binder. “I’m not making any headway on them.”

  I nodded. “I know, I know I’ve seen them somewhere.”

  “Well until you remember, we’re at a dead end.”

  I rubbed my eyes. “Are we on a deadline?”

  “Luckily, no, but the faster you figure it out, the faster you get some of your information.”

  Except, I was at a dead end with the runes because researching them wasn’t pulling up anything and I was missing a source somewhere. “Then it’s going to have to be on hold for now.”

  He nodded. “Then get ready.”

  There was no argument from him, so I wondered if he didn’t want to put it on hold as well. I made myself a cup of coffee and took it upstairs with me so I could get ready for my day.

  I pulled up to the office to see Tayler standing there in PIB black, his hands on his hips. I still had the flamingos in the back of the Hummer, and I wondered if he was finally going to get the balls to ask me on a date in person. Which of course meant that I was going to have to turn him down.

  “Hey,” I said as soon as I got out. “What are you doing here?”

  He motioned to the Hummer. “Wondering if you even looked at the note. I surrounded your Hummer with flamingos, and you never questioned it. I started leaving more at different places, and it didn’t even phase you.”

  “Until I got the picture. But there’s a couple things, Tayler. There’s a
lot going on in my life, including the fact that I am seeing someone. Which you probably should have looked into first.”

  His face fell. “I was told you were married to your work.”

  “I’m dating a vampire.” I shrugged. “Not a lot of people see it because it’s kind of a night thing.”

  He didn’t even crack a smile at the joke. “I just assumed.”

  “It was cute, a little creepy sometimes, but cute. I just can’t go on a date with you; I can’t give you that dance.” I did give him a one-armed hug though. “Thank you for bringing a little bit of laughter to my tough week.”

  “You know, someone suggested that I get you a doll.”

  I paused and looked at him, studying his face.

  “But you don’t really seem like a doll kind of girl.”

  So he was the SWAT member Loraine had snagged a badge from. “I have a doll, and it’s kind of creepy. Do you want the flamingos back?”

  “Sure, I can use them to decorate my yard.” There was a small smile on his face. “I’m glad you thought it was kind of sweet.”

  I popped the trunk of Hummer, and he started taking the flamingos one by one and putting them in the trunk of a nearby car. When he got to the last one, I put a hand on his arm. “Can I keep this one?”

  “Why?”

  “Because I think the doll in my office could use a friend?” It sounded cheesy, even to me, but I wanted to give my new office a bit of personality and not leave it blank as I usually did.

  He laughed. “Sure.” He got in his car, and he drove off. I really was glad that he brought some strange light into my week, because after all the death and gloom, it was nice to see something bright pink.

  I hauled the flamingo up the stairs and got it into my office. I sat it next to the desk so that it was close to the doll, it looked silly, but just the sight of it made me smile. I sat in front of my computer and unlocked the screen with the stroke of a few keys. I started entering the paperwork for Drake. Liz had already been nice enough to start the report and just left the details open for me.

  She mentioned the fire at the house, but not why we went, except that it was our crime scene. No mention of how the water behaved oddly, but that the firemen did their job. The details of Drake’s death were left blank, and I put my good hand over the keyboard and started to type in the text box.