Finally it faded, and I came back to Mario holding me tight.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry; I never wanted to hurt you.”
I could barely make out the words as I came back to reality. “You can let go now.” I tried to make it an anger-filled demand, but I couldn’t. “I’m okay, I promise,” I added to try and ease some of his grief.
“I left you to those two monsters, and it wasn’t by choice.” He let go of me. “Abigail, the full amount of Hannah’s power is enough to make a human go insane. She was a very powerful witch before she was changed.”
“You could have warned me, about everything.” I took a deep breath. “But that’s over now. I’m sorry, I can’t take you in there. It’ll be used against me again, and I won’t let that happen.”
“Then who are you going to take? Who on earth can you have at your back that you trust enough to face Ira with.”
I smiled, and I knew it wasn’t a nice one. The answer I had in mind wasn’t one that Mario or Levi were going to approve of. Merick. Of course, I had to ask him first.
“I have someone in mind, and if he agrees, then I’ll let you and Levi in on it.” I looked down at the mess of coffee and sighed. “Let me get this cleaned up, and then I’ll eat.”
Mario put a hand on top of mine, stopping me. “I’ll clean it up. You eat and get some of your strength back.”
I was about to argue that I wasn’t weak, but I knew he was just worried. He wasn’t being an ass, he wasn’t trying to blame anything on me, and it was weird. I sat down in front of the plate of food. “Thank you.”
He nodded and cleaned up the coffee. A few minutes later Levi came to join us, and we were sitting in silence. We hadn’t even bothered with the awkward talk.
“Mario fill you in?”
I nodded and sipped my new cup of coffee. “And I told him that I can’t have him at my back, but there is someone I trust and can hold his own against Ira. I just have to ask him if he’d be willing. And I will, tomorrow.”
“That’s cutting it close.” Levi shook his head. “I'd rather know now.”
“Well, if he says no, just be prepared to be on back up.” I pushed my plate away. “I’m well fed; I’m going to take some painkillers and sleep for a little bit.”
Levi pressed his lips together, and I gave him a moment to argue with me, but he said something else entirely. “Liz thinks she knows why Clarissa was killed.”
It made me freeze. A chill went through me, and it wasn’t a residual effect of Hannah’s magic. It was worry that Clarissa’s death had been my fault in some way. That was linked to me somehow.
“Why?”
“Someone got their hands on the magic that was detailed on that tablet your parents translated.”
Oh goddess, here it came. My breath caught in my throat as I tried not to panic. “That doesn’t explain why.”
“Clarissa was sacrificed in an attempt to heal someone or bring them back from the brink of death. Liz doesn’t know who, but it all matches details in your father’s notes.”
The world spun as a new wave of grief hit me. It had been just a theory before, but now that it was confirmed it held a new punch. I closed my eyes. “How would someone get their hands on those notes to perform such a spell?”
“Your father was an idiot and used a bunch of the runes for training manuals.”
I knew that. I had been the one to discover that information. “So it’s my father’s fault that Clarissa is dead.”
“Abigail, we all know we like to place grief and blame on something, anything to help rationalize death.”
I swallowed and opened my eyes. He was right. My father was no more to blame than I was. “But why Clarissa?”
“We don’t know the motivation behind that yet. All we know is that the local coven sent him in that direction.”
It was like the pain was new and raw again, but I wasn’t going to allow myself to break down. “Thank you for letting me know. I need to go take my painkillers,” I said again, really just using it as an excuse to go to my room where I could process the information.
I needed to call Liz and see if she’d talked to the coven about Starla Porter to see if she was connected. I had a feeling that she was the visiting witch. I felt numb by the time I made it back to my room. I struggled with the prescription bottle for a moment before finally getting it open and tipping out one of the white pills.
I grabbed my water bottle and took the pill. Then snagged my phone and called Liz.
“I figured you’d call as soon as Levi updated you.” Her voice sounded grim. “I’m sorry Abby.”
“Don’t be; it’s not your fault.” I took a deep breath. “I need you to go to the coven and show a picture of Starla Porter AKA Agent Melody Grace. She’s connected to my case, and when I was attacked there was a man there with a rune on him that matched that language. I’m hoping she went to the coven meeting with him and someone can identify him for us.”
“You got it. How are you feeling?”
“Like a truck hit me, but I promise I’m being good. I’m tucked in at the mansion, took my painkillers, and I’m going to take a nap. When I get up, I’ll do some more research and work on the report and details for Mason.”
“He always grumpy?”
“Bring him a black coffee tomorrow morning, and he’ll lighten up some. He’s a good detective, don’t let his grumpiness fool you.”
She snorted. “Okay, I’ll try the coffee trick. You learn anything new, send it my way.”
“Of course, I also have to keep Boss Man in the loop on Grace, he seemed concerned, so I don’t know what we might run into.”
Other than she was working with a warlock who had a gun and was a damn good shot. “If you go after her, take back up.”
“Don’t worry; I’ll learn from your mistake. Rest up Abby.” She disconnected the call, and I pulled my computer to me to send Boss Man a quick update.
Of course it wasn’t as quick as I would have liked with one arm fully working.
I put my computer on the nightstand and curled up in bed. Exhaustion was eating at me, part of it mental, part of it physical, and a lot of it painkiller induced.
My alarm went off the next morning, and I had to restrain myself from throwing it against the wall. I wanted plenty of time for Oliver and Merick to work the spell to get rid of Ira’s influences and time for Merick and me to run the trace spell. I needed to be back to the mansion by dusk or Levi was going to lose his shit.
Of course, Simon was going to meet me at the house, so he could honestly tell Levi that he was with me all day. It would be nice to have him there, and now that I didn’t have to worry about Mario trying to court me, maybe Simon and I could give it another go.
I got up and got ready. The keys to the Hummer were hanging by the garage, I grabbed them and found the Hummer parked outside today.
I had to adjust the mirrors and the seat just a little bit, and then I was off. The drive to the city was quiet and peaceful. No one called while I was driving, no one sent a demanding text. It was nice.
Until I pulled up to my house and I saw an unknown car sitting just outside my circle. I remembered the person I saw outside my house before and the man that looked like Nick who had crossed the road. I assumed demons didn’t need cars, but glamour for a witch was something that was hard to keep up.
The man that currently stood there was wearing a baseball cap pulled down low, covering his face. He leaned against the car with his arms crossed and head hung down. He didn’t even move when I pulled up, and it made me wonder if he was sleeping.
I parked the Hummer and got out, pulling my gun out, I climbed down and approached the person leaning against the car. He looked up at me as I aimed my gun.
“Hello, Abby, miss me?” Nick’s hazel eyes caught the sunlight, and my heart skipped a few beats. I wanted to shoot him. I holstered my gun and did the next, least damaging thing I could think of. I smacked him.
Chapter Thirteen
“You’ve been dead for six months. That’s what.” I tried not to scream at him. “And dropping all these hints that you’re still alive. Driving me nearly insane. What the actual fuck? Not to mention you owe me a week’s worth of coffee you bastard.” Nick and I had made a deal on our last case together; he lost the bet.
He hushed me and used his hands to tell me to lower my voice. “Because I’m not supposed to be alive. I wanted to let you know that it wasn’t your fault that I was supposed to die. I sent your key card to an address associated with you.”
“My uncle’s.” I gave him a deadpan stare. “And my car?”
“Crushed before I found it, but I put my fingerprints on it because I knew you’d know they were out of place.”
“Mason found them. How did you escape the morgue? Why couldn’t you just tell me? Why are you faking your own death?” I resisted stomping my foot to help the demand for answers.
“I can’t give you the answers right now. But I wanted to let you know that I’m alive. Abigail, just trust me please?”
I pressed my lips together. “You’re standing outside my circle, which means you know that you can’t come in.”
“Yes.”
“Nick, the only people not welcome inside my circle are those who plan on harming me.”
He gave a nod. “Yeah, I know.” He got into his car and started the engine.
He pulled away from me, leaving me standing at the end of my driveway. Speechless. What the fuck was going on? I was still standing there when Simon pulled up in his truck.
He stopped and rolled down the window. “You okay?”
“You’re not going to believe what just happened, and I have no idea if I’m okay or not.” I shook my head and went back to the Hummer. Simon let me pull my car up first, and he followed with his truck. We both got out and went to the front door. Merick was standing there waiting for me.
“Who was out there?”
“Nick.” I put my bag down by the door. “He was letting me know that he was alive.”
“He could have come in the circle if he didn’t mean you harm.” Merick pointed out, and I nodded.
“Yeah, I know, and that’s the part that has me nervous. But right now, we need to focus. Oliver isn’t here yet; it’s not like him to run late.” I went to the coffee pot and found a fresh pot already made. I got out four mugs and fixed the coffee for Simon, Merick, and I.
I was in the middle of boiling water for tea when the doorbell rang.
“It’s your uncle,” Merick called out.
“Let him in.” The teapot screeched, and I wondered for a moment if my uncle had a magical way of timing things.
I poured the water over the bagged tea the moment he walked into the kitchen.
“Hello Abigail, how are you feeling?”
I shrugged my good shoulder. “A little overwhelmed, a little tired, and really confused. Did you know about Nick?”
“For once, I knew no more than you, but Merick filled me in a moment ago.”
Simon walked in behind him and crossed his arms. “So the wolf just gets to sit around and watch all the magic?”
“I appreciate you doing this.” I smiled.
Simon nodded. “Yeah, Levi won’t be happy if he finds out what you’re doing here.”
“On the other hand, Levi should be quite happy that I won’t have Ira’s stupid power influencing me anymore.” I handed Oliver his tea and then grabbed my coffee. “Also, the terms of negotiation for Ira’s visit have changed.”
I swore the whole room cringed. I put on my calm facade that I was starting to learn from Oliver and Levi. I sipped my coffee and observed everyone. Oliver wore the same look I did. Merick had his lips pressed into a flat line and his brow furrowed. Simon, on the other hand, was giving me wide eyes.
“What has Ira negotiated for now?” Merick glanced at Oliver and then back to me. “Abigail, these are dangerous waters.”
And I felt like I was taunting the sharks. “Ira has negotiated for seconds to be allowed. I have no doubt that he’s bringing Hannah. Levi wanted me to bring Mario, but I think Ira will be banking on that.”
Simon sipped his coffee. “So he’s trying to set up another trap for you?”
“Yes. He’ll assume that Levi will send Mario with me, but Levi left it open for me to choose. I’ve already told Mario that I can’t have him at my back.”
Olive’s eyes popped up. “Then who are you planning on bringing, niece?”
“Do you plan on running back and telling him?” The venom in my voice was clear, and Oliver shook his head. “No, I know how to play both sides without putting one in danger.”
“Merick, I was hoping you would join me. I know you’re strong enough to face Ira if it comes down to it. Part of the negotiations was that I can’t use magic; I don’t think it was negotiated for the seconds.”
Merick crossed his arms, and I wondered what he was thinking. I wanted to know what the internal debate sounded like. “I’d be happy to go as your back up.”
Simon smiled. “Between your weapons and Merick’s magic, you’ll be protected if something happens.”
“And Ira isn’t expecting me to be able to get his influences out of me. We’ll be a little bit stronger this way.”
There was a collective murmur of agreement.
“Levi isn’t going to like this plan.” Oliver pointed out and set his tea on the counter.
“He left it up to me to choose who I wanted to back me. Maybe he’ll realize that he can’t control who I can trust.” I met Oliver’s gaze.
His gaze flickered away, and I knew he was hiding something. “Let’s begin, niece. I’d rather have Ira’s influence out of you before dusk.”
Before the meeting.
I nodded. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Oliver motioned to the back door. “Out to the woods.”
Nature was the best cleanser. I had been out in the woods when the coven removed the hex from me, and since I had read the spell from my big book of everything, I had expected to go outside.
Merick had already set up a circle for us. We walked in, and the power closed around us.
We welcomed the elements and the directions, asking for guidance as we worked the spell. I sat down in the middle of the circle cross-legged and closed my eyes.
Oliver’s hand pressed over the bite, and the pressure of Merick’s hand was added to it. They both spoke the Latin words, and the pain spread from the bite through my veins. I tried not to cry out as I felt like they were pulling fire from me. Even with my eyes closed the world spun, the Latin words grew louder, and the voices changed.
To just Oliver’s and my father’s. Arms wrapped around me, rocking me as the hands were wrapped around my wrist.
“Please work.” My mother’s voice whispered in my ears. “Please, please. Goddess please let this work.” I could hear the tears in her voice, and I wanted to ask her what had happened. But I was just a young child, and I couldn’t breathe past the pain.
“I’m so sorry Abigail; I should never have let him that close to her. Oh goddess, please baby, hang on.”
Her voice broke my heart as the pain spread like wildfire through me. Tears wet my cheeks, and I saw Ira’s eyes burning into my mind.
The chanting stopped, and the scene faded from my mind. I opened my eyes to see Oliver and Merick both kneeling in front of me. Simon was pacing the outside of the circle.
“You’ve done this before.” I met Oliver’s gaze. “You knew this spell.” I went to grab his shirt, but he jumped away from me, my reaction time slower with my nondominant hand.
“I will tell you about it once we pull the circle down. I owe you that much.”
He owed me a hell of a lot more than that, but I’d take what I could get. I nodded and stood. We all dismissed the elements, thanking them for guiding us through the spell. Merick pulled the circle down, and Simon rushed to me, pulling me into his arms.
I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed. “Why the big hug?”
“You were screaming Abby; I would have thought someone was murdering you if I hadn’t been standing here watching what was going on.”
I smiled, touched by his concern. “I’ve had worse. The hex tried to kill me when they removed it.”
He paled a little bit and shook his head; I swore he mumbled something about crazy witches and warlocks on his way back into the house. Mario, Oliver, and I followed him, and we all sat in the living room.
I looked at Oliver. “Start talking.”
“By now, you know that Ira, Levi, Elizabeth, and Tobias all knew each other at one point.” Oliver looked at the other two. “Most of this is probably news to you.”
Merick sat back with a smirk on his face, and I swore he knew I was going to smack him like I had Nick.
“Continue.” I waved my hand.
“Elizabeth made the mistake of having you around a couple times that Ira came visiting. Once, Ira snagged you and fed from you. He made your life a living nightmare for almost a week before Elizabeth begged me to help create a cleansing spell that would remove his influences.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t refuse her, and I couldn’t let him continue to torment my one-year-old niece.”
One. I was one when I had my first vampire bite. Here I thought my parents kept me protected.
“Ira just wanted to spite Elizabeth. I don’t exactly know what the connection they had was, but I do know that he’s always spited her and you, Abby.” He met my gaze. “He’s toying with you even now because he cannot stand you, and even in death, he cannot stand my sister.”
“Swear to me you’re telling the truth.”
“About Ira? I am.” He nodded. “I’m not sure how he plays into things when it comes to my sister. Other than him and Levi having the same maker.”
I studied him for a moment trying to decide if he was lying or not. “Oliver I swear to the goddess if I find out you’re lying to me I’m going to shoot you.”
“Don’t make threats you won’t go through with. My job here is done now.” He stood and let himself out of the house without another word.
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