Spellbound Murder Complete Trilogy (Spellbound Murder Box Set Book 1)

by Amanda Booloodian

  “Let’s move,” Emmit said. “Then I’m going to need you to work a bit of quick magic.”

  She looked at him blankly. Before she could say anything, he stood and pulled her to her feet, still trying to block the room from view.

  Emmit gripped her arm. The strength of the hold increased, boring down on Mira.

  “What’s wrong?” Mira asked trying to shake him off, though she was exhausted and couldn’t muster any strength.

  Emmit said nothing.

  When Mira glared up at him, she saw something in her eyes that surprised her and her face softened. His eyes showed exhaustion, but the fear took her by surprise.

  “Emmit?”

  “Go upstairs and wait for Gabriel,” he said, then gripped harder.

  Mira harshly sucked in air and tried not to curse the man.

  The pressure released and Emmit wavered. Mira grabbed hold of him, trying to keep him steady.

  “You need to sit,” Mira said.

  Emmit’s body went limp in her arms. She tried to hold him up, but fell with him.

  Chapter 28

  She pushed herself up—tiredness had been replaced by dread.

  “Emmit?” She ran a hand over his forehead and cheeks, but Emmit was unresponsive. “Shit.” Mira started to look Emmit over expecting to find blood or a wound somewhere.

  When she moved to check his legs, the full carnage of the room came into sharp focus. Mira slapped a hand over her mouth and tried to breathe steadily through her nose. The acrid scent burned her nostrils.

  It took her a minute to really understand what she was seeing. The tar-like blood of the creatures was splashed across her entire workshop. There were… parts.

  Mira’s stomach heaved. She turned away from Emmit and the room in time to throw up against the wall. With so little food and water, stomach acid rolled up with the remains of her last meal.

  She closed her eyes and sat back. Her leg radiated pain and the darkness greeted her with images of torn leathery flesh. Furry portions of limbs were seared into her conscious. It didn’t matter if her eyes were shut or open, so she looked down at Emmit, trying to focus on him and not the remains.

  “Emmit, you need to wake up.” A sob escaped her and she held back more, swallowing them down before talking again. She put her face close to his until she felt his breath across her skin.

  A puddle of inky liquid had reached Emmit’s other side. Mira desperately wanted to pull him away from the blood, but there was nowhere to move him.

  Mira wanted to shake him to try to get him to wake up, but she was afraid of what that might do. She couldn’t see any marks on Emmit. Internal injury was a possibility.

  She got to her feet and steeled herself to look around the room again. Maybe there was some indication of what happened to him.

  The disaster in front of her made her swallow hard. She couldn’t help but glance down at Emmit, knowing he been responsible for this butchery.

  A hint of lighter color could be seen in several places in the room. She even caught sight of something that looked remarkably like human flesh.

  Movement in the garage made her cringe back, trying to meld into the wall.

  Gabriel stepped into the doorframe and froze. Mira let out a relieved sigh, letting go of the breath she had been holding.

  After scanning the room, Gabriel locked eyes with Mira. He lurched forward a step and stumbled, having been tripped up by something Mira didn’t want to see.

  “Are you okay?” he asked hoarsely, his voice almost a whisper.

  Mira shook her head. “I need help. Emmit… I can’t move him.”

  Gabriel looked bleakly around. “We need to move upstairs. Have you… has he been upstairs?”

  “No. I don’t think so. It was… it…” Mira swallowed hard trying not to break down, but her eyes filled with tears.

  “It’s okay,” Gabriel said, his voice still soft in the silence. Mira carefully he walked into the room, towards the stairs. “We can take Jean upstairs and I’ll come back for Emmit.”

  Mira watched him carefully try to avoid what he could. Jean, still unconscious, was on his back now.

  “Come on,” Gabriel said, waving her over. “Just go slow and stick as close as you can to the sides of the room.”

  Mira began to shake. The idea of leaving Emmit alone was one she couldn’t handle—not here, surrounded by the dead.

  “Mira, I’m not leaving you down here. Harker will be okay for a few minutes.”

  “I don’t think I can.” She not only didn’t want to leave Emmit behind, but she wasn’t sure she could get across the room on her own.

  Gabriel rubbed his forehead. “Okay. I get it. Don’t move.”

  Mira held her breath when Gabriel moved through the door to the steps. Moments later, the air whooshed out again as Gabriel reappeared, sans Jean.

  “She’s on the stairs,” Gabriel said, starting to work his way towards her.

  More than once Gabriel had to look away or squeeze his eyes shut tight so he didn’t have to look at something he was trying to push aside with his feet.

  When he reached her, he pulled her into a fierce hug, which Mira returned, laying her head on his chest.

  “We should move Emmit,” Mira said, not letting go.

  “What happened to him?” Gabriel asked, breaking contact and squatting down over Emmit.

  Mira’s breath became short and sharp when she realized Gabriel’s wings touched the ground. Trying to ignore it, she took a deep breath and concentrated once again on the person in front of her.

  “John set a trap,” Mira started. “Emmit was caught in a circle. John was trying to… persuade me, to turn myself over to him. When I said no, he shrunk the circle, squeezing Emmit inside.”

  “That man is sick. Where’d he go?”

  Mira looked at the bloodbath behind Gabriel and he took the hint.

  “That’s one less worry,” Gabriel said, not sounding as though he regretted the loss. “How did Harker get out?”

  Trying to keep it short, Mira gave Gabriel an overview of what happened.

  “I see the problem,” Gabriel said. “What happened to him?”

  “John’s prison was pressed down pretty hard. I’m worried something serious is wrong.”

  “I think you’re right. Normally I wouldn’t want to move him, but we have to. We can’t stay here.”

  “What do you see that I don’t?” Mira asked.

  Gabriel picked up the pendant that was hung around Emmit’s neck. “You may not be able to see it without seeing him as he is. Let’s get him upstairs.”

  More carefully than she expected, Gabriel eased Emmit off the ground.

  “It’s better to only move him once,” Gabriel said as he made his way to the staircase. “We can take him straight upstairs.”

  Mira looked down at her leg and gingerly put weight on it. She gritted her teeth against the pain leaned against the wall, then her workbench, trying to relieve as much pressure as she could.

  “Can you get around Jean?” Mira asked when Gabriel reached the door.

  “I’ll manage. Stick close.”

  “Right behind you,” Mira said, to avoid lying.

  Gabriel was halfway up the steps when Mira reached them. She grabbed the banister and carefully tried the first step.

  It was a step she couldn’t take. Only the bannister stopped her from falling.

  “I’ll put him in the living room,” Gabriel said, not looking behind him.

  “Good idea,” Mira said, trying to keep the agony out of her voice.

  Gabriel disappeared upstairs and Mira sank onto a step. When she was little, she had scooted up steps, one at a time. She sat down and using her good leg and her arms she moved up a step.

  “Mira?” Gabriel called in a croaky voice.

  “I’m coming.” One at a time. Halfway up, her strength gave out. She leaned against the bannister and rested her eyes, listening to her own breathing.

  Gabriel’s footstep
s soon pounded down the stairs. “Are you okay?” His voice was quiet, but she heard the hint of panic.

  Mira forced her eyes open. “Tired. And my leg… I think something bit me.

  “You should have said something,” Gabriel grumbled, delicately picking her up.

  Mira shrugged and leaned against him, happy to soak up his warmth.

  “Sit next to Emmit,” he said, setting her down. “I’ll get Jean.”

  He rushed away before she could say anything. He was back much faster than she anticipated.

  After laying Jean down, he sat next to Mira and looked at her leg.

  “How bad is it?” Gabriel asked as he started to untie Emmit’s handy-work.

  Mira was thankful she could give him an honest answer. “I have no idea.”

  “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

  She stuck with honesty. “There’s nothing else that’s new.”

  Mira winced when Gabriel pulled back the cloth.

  He sucked in sharply and his feathers twitched.

  Now worried, Mira leaned forward. “What’s it look like?”

  Gabriel quickly covered it again. “It’s not good.”

  He looks even more tired than I am. “You need to rest.”

  “Not here.”

  Mira knew that sentiment. “We need to find a way to get Jean and Emmit to Lance’s.”

  Gabriel looked bleakly from Jean, to Emmit, and then to her. “Unless you have a magic carpet stashed somewhere, there’s no way and no time.”

  “No carpets,” Mira said. “But I haven’t heard anything coming close since…” She waved her hand towards the basement door, unable to say what had happened another time. “We should have at least some time.”

  Gabriel looked so deep in thought, she wasn’t sure if he had been listening.

  “If we mask the smell, we might be safe for a while,” she said.

  “The first time we were here, you took something. Relief, I think it was. It healed your leg.”

  “It didn’t heal me, it only made me feel better. It’s not going to fix my leg or he burns. Some of the cuts, it might help with, but we need to get out of here and to a hospital.”

  “I don’t think there’s time, and I’m not sure they can help.”

  It felt as though a pit were opening up under Mira. “Why not?”

  Gabriel shifted and took her good hand. “Do you know what bit you?”

  “No. I don’t know what anything here is.” A touch of hysteria tried to break into Mira’s voice. “Emmit said they were once witches, but whatever they were, that’s not what they are now.” Mira looked down at her leg and shook off Gabriel’s hand so she could remove the covering.

  Gabriel stopped her. “Careful.” He patted her hand before letting go. This time he was mindful about what he was doing. Slowly he pulled back the cloth.

  Mira could only stare. That’s not me. Her flesh had been stripped away but the wound itself had turned black. Under her skin, black veins stretched out, turning green and returning to normal a few inches away from the bite.

  Staring longer, she thought she saw the area around the bite mark pulse.

  Gabriel dressed the wound once again.

  It was a figment of your imagination. Telling herself this over and over again didn’t help.

  “Is there something that can heal? A potion or a spell… anything?”

  She felt disjointed. “Heal is a difficult potion in the best of times.” Her voice sounded hollow, even to herself. But that was okay, because some part of her mind was screaming and another was freaking out about parasites and monsters. Outwardly, Mira began to feel numb. “I’m not sure I have everything.”

  “We have to try.” Gabriel looked at the others. “It might help the others too.”

  Mira stared at Emmit for a minute.

  “We need to get this started, Mira.” Gabriel stood and helped her to her feet. “Where do we start?”

  “I don’t think I have—”

  “Let’s focus on where we start. We can substitute what you don’t have.”

  “I’m too tired to focus. Let’s start with some Awake. I have a feeling we might need a lot of it before we get home.”

  “I’m not sure we have time.”

  “There’s some already made in the kitchen. It might be stale, but the magic should still be strong enough to be mirrored on this side.”

  Gabriel wrapped his arm around her, making her lean on him as much as possible on the way to the kitchen. Once he settled her into a chair, he appeared to study her eyes for a moment.

  “Tell me what to do,” Gabriel said, taking her hand again.

  “Anywhere else and that might sound like fun.”

  Gabriel raised an eyebrow at her and she forced a grin.

  “Try the cabinet next to where the refrigerator should be,” Mira said. “There should be a few packets in there.”

  “In the open?” Gabriel asked, checking it out.

  “Sure. There’s nothing illegal in it. It’s like tea. In our world, it’s almost like caffeine that lasts longer. We’re going to need water as well,” she added when he found the packets.

  He left and returned quickly with the backpack. Mira took the water and after a few more instructions to Gabriel, she had everything she needed to make a paste out of the Awake.

  “This is going to taste awful,” Mira warned.

  She and Gabriel both used their fingers to scoop up the concoction and took it. Their faces twisted up at the flavor.

  “That’s so much better as tea,” Mira said.

  “I’m going to try to give some of this to Harker. Maybe it will help.”

  “Not too much.”

  Gabriel hesitated at the entry to the living room, but after a moment, hurried in. Mira was surprised at how fast he returned.

  “You should make sure he doesn’t choke.”

  “I’ll watch him from here,” Gabriel said. “I don’t like letting you out of my sight.”

  Mira smiled at him, a warmness spread inside her.

  “It would be easier if I still knew when something was going to happen to you. I need to make a new promise,” Gabriel said.

  “Actually, I think it’s a spell blocking the previous link.”

  Gabriel looked at her appearing confused and a little hurt. “It was something John said. I think he did something to hide the connection. I think Jean can break it.”

  “The sooner we get her on her feet, the better, then. Until then, I want to be able to see that you’re safe. Well, as safe as we can be here.”

  Mira shook her head, but felt closer to normal after his show of affection. “I’m going to have to send you out of the room. Maybe even out of the apartment.”

  “We can go together,” Gabriel suggested, but he wasn’t excited about the idea.

  Mira squirmed in her seat. “Some of the things I need are downstairs as well.”

  “Right,” Gabriel said, sounding defeated. He stared into the living room. “Maybe we can wake Harker up now.”

  “If we can find everything, we might be able to wake him and Jean.”

  Gabriel nodded. “If you know everything you need, we should try to get as much as we can out of the first floor now. The smell will eventually attract something.”

  “We should get started then.”

  With the Awake in her system, Mira started thinking more clearly. She put Gabriel to work, first gathering items from everywhere around her apartment, including her bedroom where very little was stored. Once everything was gathered, Gabriel began using the mortar and pestle to grind herbs together.

  There were ingredients missing, but she knew that before they started. She made substitutions where she could.

  While Gabriel worked, Mira poured over a few of her spell books, trying to find ways around the items she didn’t have. It might have been easier if she had a pencil and paper. She was used to jotting her notes down as she went.

  When she found that bloodstone might be a d
ecent substitution for calcite, at least in this situation, Mira sent Gabriel back down to the basement.

  She could hear Gabriel downstairs as he worked to get into one of her secret compartments. It bothered her to send him into such a vial place. Mira watched the door to the basement and absentmindedly scratched her leg.

  The wound pulsed. Mira sucked in air as fire seemed to burn through her veins, radiating from the bite.

  She gritted her teeth. Each cell in her body ignited in a way she never expected after the death of the creature in the city.

  Holding back the scream wasn’t possible. The intensity increased and the only thing that existed for Mira was the pain.

  Chapter 29

  There was no way of knowing how long she laid on the floor. As the agony leaked away, her awareness began to return. All of her muscles had contracted so that she was curled up.

  Slowly she began to relax, afraid that moving too fast might end up causing another flare.

  “Mira?”

  Gabriel was hovering over her, pale in the face, but trying to maintain a stoic expression.

  “I need a minute,” Mira said, her hoarse voice now matching Gabriel’s.

  “What happened?” Emmit’s voice was tight.

  Mira looked around, happy to hear his voice, despite his tone. She saw that he was slumped against the wall and wasn’t looking well.

  “Lay down before you hurt yourself,” Gabriel snapped.

  To Mira’s surprise, Emmit followed the suggestion without argument.

  “I didn’t expect… I mean, the thing in the city is dead. Isn’t it?” Mira hated to have to ask the question.

  “I don’t think it has to be alive for the symptoms to continue,” Emmit said.

  With Gabriel’s help, Mira sat up. “It’ll continue?”

  Emmit’s eyes were closed when he responded. “Not for long.”

  Mira noticed Gabriel’s face fall. She could only hope that it wasn’t because Emmit was lying.

  “Did you check her leg?” Emmit asked.

  “Earlier,” Gabriel said.

  “Check again.”

  “Don’t go back to sleep,” Gabriel said.

  A strained smile crossed Emmit’s face, but he didn’t open his eyes. “I’ll do what I can.”