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“Okay,” Dave murmured. “I've cast the illusion spell. No one can see us, even if they look out of the window. Instead, they'll see a normal courtyard with a fake cat or two.”
Smiling, I put my hand on the fence, dragging up magic from the ley line. The impact of it jolted my body. I hadn't used much in the last few days, preferring to try and get by without wasting it. The balance of magic might have calmed, but it hadn't restored completely. Brianna's kidnap would lead me to Xvair, I just knew it. His death was the only thing that would restore Mother Earth back to her natural state.
“Can I walk through now?” Archie asked.
Nodding, I indicated that he should try. I was casting a science matter spell, making the atoms in the fence soft enough for us to travel through.
Archie had surveyed the courtyard as I reassured Brianna that we were on our way. My heart was heavy with sadness. She'd gone through so much because of me. Xvair Harvey would have a slow and painful death. I would make sure of it.
“It looks like the door to the flat is beside the pub's backdoor. We need to be extremely careful.” Dave took my hand, pulling me through the wood.
Walking together, we approached the door. Punters were filing into the pub, their heads bobbing in the windows. If only life was so simple. A human had no idea what it was like to live a life of fear and longing as a paranormal creature.
“The door's locked,” Archie announced when he tried the handle.
That wasn't a surprise, of course. Stepping forward, I joined hands with Dave, indicating that we both grasp the handle together. Smiling, he did as I asked, allowing the magic to move through him. As the magic poured from us, almost making me shudder, it clicked the lock, forcing it to release.
Smiling at one another, we lost ourselves for a moment. Sharing magic was quite an intimate thing. If we wanted to double our power, we could work on it. Although, would that mean I would be Dave's conduit for magic? Would that be a healthy thing? I wasn't quite sure how other illusionist witches lived from day to day when they had a magical partner.
“Love-birds!” Archie breathed, the sound only just reaching our ears. “Get on with it.”
Pulling back, Dave indicated that I should open the door. Snapping out of my moment of infatuation, I switched into agent mode. The handle moved easier in my hand, the click of the latch satisfying as well as terrifying. If there was anyone inside, they might have heard it.
Opening the door a crack, I listened. The others stood silently as I waited, only pushing the door open when silence ensued. Tingles shot down my spine as my foot stepped into the hallway. It was a small landing, stairs almost immediately going down to a wooden door. The area was lit by a dim bulb with no shade.
The smell of sage hit my nose as soon as I took a step down. Someone had tried to cleanse the place, but it hadn't worked. The energy was heavy with darkness. Poor Brianna had been locked in a flat full of evil. Xvair Harvey must have been with her for some of the time. He had terrible beliefs, which lead to terrible crimes.
Tapping me on the shoulder, Dave held up his tablet. “There's someone down there,” he mouthed.
A red light flashed on the screen, although the jargon on it made no sense. We already knew that Brianna was down there. She had said she was alone, so it appeared her story matched up. That was a positive sign.
“Let's hurry before anyone comes back,” I whispered.
Nodding, they indicated that I go ahead.
Skipping down the steps, I kept my footsteps silent, even though no one else was there. I didn't want to scare Brianna too much, although she would be on guard anyway. The poor vampire would never forgive me.
Reaching the door, I wasted no time in twisting the handle. It moved easily, the hinges quiet as it swung open. My hand found my dagger automatically, pulling it out from my holster. I missed my gun, but the blade would do. It was my pride and joy, my witch heritage.
The living area smelt of dirt and unwashed bodies. A stained sofa was pushed against the wall, an old cover ruffled up on top of it. Someone had been sleeping in the flat. Who was keeping guard? Or was it Xvair? I somehow doubted the old man could even get down the stairs.
A kitchen area consisted of two cupboards, a fridge and a table top cooker. A pile of dirty plates and empty mugs sat on the drainer next to the sink. Whoever had been looking after Brianna clearly didn't believe in washing up. No wonder it smelt so bad.
Stepping beside me, Dave pointed at the two doors leading off to presumably the bathroom and bedroom. Nodding, I indicated that he take the right hand door, while Archie and I took the other one. I intuitively felt that we were heading into the bedroom. Having Archie with me meant that the vampire would be a comfort to Brianna when we found her.
Both of them moved silently as we approached the doors.
Dave opened one door, going straight into the bathroom with his hands raised, ready to use his magic.
Nothing happened, so I gently thrust open the bedroom door and quickly moved inside, my dagger raised in front of me. My heart pounded in my chest, my breath fast.
“Brianna?” I whispered.
The bedroom was just as dirty as the living room, bed covers strewn all over the place. Someone huddled in the middle of the mattress, their back to us. Brianna's long lush locks were not attached to the person's head. Had they shaved them off or-?
“Nice try!” a masculine voice came from the figure.
Spinning, he pounced, his canines extended. Archie shoved me out of the way, his own teeth protruding as he bared them with a fierce hiss. The skinny vampire wrestled Archie to the ground, his teeth snapping in his face.
My dagger slipped in my palm a sweat burst from every pore. What was happening? Had we got the wrong pub? Had Finlay Harrington set us up?
“Get out!” Archie told me as he punched the vampire straight in the balls.
His screech went through me, almost bursting my eardrums.
My arm flung out before I thought about what I was doing, my fingers latching onto the vampire’s throat. Magic poured through me as I cast a blood vessel bursting spell. His scream got louder as the vessels in the whites of his eyes popped causing blood to pour from his eyeballs.
Pushing him off Archie, I released his neck, trying not to smile too much when he slumped to the floor. Archie scrambled to his feet, brushing his smart suit down in an attempt to get rid of the dust from the carpet.
“Help!” Dave shouted from the other room.
I was out the bedroom before Archie, my dagger extended as well as my free arm. Whoever was hurting Dave would pay. No one threatened my team... or my boyfriend.
“Wait!”
Dave was on his knees, his hands held behind his back by a hulking vampire. I could see that his left shoulder was already distorted, the force of the vampire's pull dislocating it. Holding still, I froze when Brianna stepped out from behind the beast.
“Hello, Gemma,” she said, her pretty face fresh and somewhat bright.
Her jeans and leather jacket were pristine, her makeup perfected. There was no way my friend had been kept captive, which meant...
“You set me up?”
Resisting the urge to vomit, I clasped my stomach as it rolled. Looking at Archie, I scrutinised his face but his eyes were wide, his mouth opening and closing. He hadn't known either.
“What are you doing?” he asked his vampire friend.
Sauntering over, Brianna took a gun out of her pocket, aiming it towards me. “Don't try anything, witchy poo. I know that your mother would very much like to keep you alive. I can't have one of the top Paranormal MI5's agent’s death on my hands now, can I? However, I will kill the others.”
Raising the gun towards Archie's head, Brianna laughed gently. She knew that I was an agent? I had tried to keep that secret, but then again, I hadn't anticipated Xvair's ruthless attempt at getting to me any way that he could.
“What are you doing? You're my friend. Did he brainwash you?”
My hands shook as I kept my weapon in front of me. A quick glance at Dave told me that although he was in a lot of pain, he was okay. If that vampire dared to hurt my beloved, I would chop off his you know what and feed it to him.
“Aw,” Brianna crowed, “you think I'm affiliated with that evil man. Well, I suppose in a roundabout way, the PFF are involved with him.”
Licking her lips, Brianna looked between Archie and myself. My free hand clenched into a fist, the force of my anger sending a burst of magic down my arm and shaking it so violently, it released a stream of fire to the ground.
The carpet instantly singed, distracting Brianna. Her arm dropped slightly, giving me the opportunity to lunge at her. My fingers wrapped around her wrist, cranking it down in one swift movement. Her screech followed the crack of bone as she flailed. My arm came up to her shoulder, wrenching her back against me, my blade coming up to sit by her throat.
The thundering of footsteps behind made me spin the vampire to face her hulking friend. Dave was on the ground, his face contorted in pain. The vampire reached for me, a grumble rushing up his deep chest.
“Stop, you idiot!” Brianna snapped.
Coming to a halt, the vampire glared at me. “Let me kill the witch.”
Tilting her head to the side as much as I would allow, Brianna giggled gently. “Don't worry,” she said. “Her time will come on the equinox.”
“Gemma,” Archie's strained voice reached my ears.
I had been about to question Brianna about the equinox. The bitch was working with the PFF, meaning that she was trying to claim the bounty on my head. Wow, with friends as enemies, I had no chance.
Wrenching Brianna around with me, I paused when Archie shook his head. The vampire from the bedroom held a stake behind Archie’s back, the tip pushed into his jacket suit. I didn't really know the vampire who had tried to woo me but seeing the wide eyed terror of someone who had lived a few hundred years made me gulp. Was there ever a time when someone didn't fear death? Even though Archie had died in the past, he had still lived on. If that wooden stake pierced his heart, he would cease to exist forever.
“How could you do this?” he asked Brianna.
Waiting for her reply, I pulled the blade tighter against her throat. Hopefully Dave had somehow managed to recover using the magic I had given him. We could take the vampires down, we just had to implement our agent training. I had been doing this job for years, I was one of the best in the field... and yet, my heart was heavy with sadness as I held my Essex dagger against my best friend's throat.
“You two are perfect for each other, but I had a feeling she would go for the handsome nerd in the end.”
Brianna's hand swung back, her long nails slicing into the skin of my arm. Spinning me, she thrust her head backwards, sending her skull into my nose. Thrashing my blade forward, I sliced her ear as she spun away, her leg kicking out. Her high heeled shoe ploughed into the back of my knee, sending me sprawling to the ground.
“All those books have made you weak. You think too well of people. You don't have much use anymore, do you, Gemma?”
My face grazed the dusty carpet, the pain adding to the throbbing of my nose. My friend had betrayed me. How could she have sold me out to the PFF? When she knew that they planned to kill me?
“Nothing you do is good enough. The nerd doesn't really love you, he's probably just saying that to get your magic. You're supposed to be one of the most powerful witches, after all.”
Looking up from where I was a heap on the floor, I watched as Brianna came closer. The air around me was hot, stifling. I wanted to look at Dave as my stomach squeezed. Was she right? No one had been interested in me before, why would such an intelligent man want to be with a book nerd? A dead one at that.
Pushing up on all fours, I looked at Brianna as she came closer. Her hand appeared above my head before she swiped it against my cheek. Pain exploded as blood spurted from the wound. The bitch had a sharp ring on her finger, the gold catching a glint of the bulb overhead.
Clasping my skull, I dug my knees into the carpet, trying to drag as much magic into my body as possible. Brianna's pretty red heels came in line with my face, the front kicking up and throwing my head back with impact.
“Gemma,” Dave called. “Fight back!”
Glancing over at my man, I blinked rapidly. The huge vampire made his way back over to him, his arms outstretched and ready to do harm. If Dave was killed, I would never forgive myself.
Archie was on the other side of me, his hands trembling as the stake pressed firmly into his back.
“You have a choice,” Brianna sang. “Give in to me, drop all that magic bubbling under the surface, and you might all live.”
Relaxing my muscles as Dave grunted, I spat blood from my mouth before I replied. “Okay, I surrender, let them go!”
“Did you hear that?” Brianna asked her vampire friends. “She surrenders!”
The vampires went to stand down, but Brianna waved a hand. “I didn't tell you to stop.”
Frowning, I tried to get to my feet. Letting the magic drop, I left my dagger on the ground, showing her that I wasn't a threat. How much proof did she need to let my friends go free?
“That one can go,” Brianna said.
Her gaze stayed on me the whole time she spoke. Who did she mean? What did she mean? Before I could ask, she ducked behind me, grabbed my head and yanked my hair so I faced Archie.
“I never did like the smarmy goody two shoes.”
“No!” I cried as the vampire thrust the stake straight into Archie’s back.
As the wood connected with his heart, Archie stared at me, his eyes wide and his mouth stretched in pain.
The fear that pulsated from him made my skin icy cold. His own skin started to crumble, his chest almost exploding as his vampire body turned to dust. The last to go were his eyes, the pupils fixed on me in his last moments. My heart squeezed hard in my chest, making it almost impossible for me to breathe.
“You had become fond of him,” Brianna whispered. “But, his obsession with taking down the PFF had become a little boring.”
Releasing my hair, the vampire shoved me to the ground. Tears fell from my eyes as I stayed there, almost touching the dust from Archie's body.
Spinning on her heel, Brianna looked at her vampire friends, threw back her head so her long curly hair hung to her waist and laughed.
The sound sent fury so hot through me, I placed my palms on the carpet and closed my eyes. My shaking limbs throbbed as I pulled magic up into my body, staying silent while it filled me.
“You've forgotten one thing,” I muttered as Brianna's laughter died down.
Feeling into the ground, I connected with the earth beneath the house. My fingers started to sink through the carpet and into the floorboards. Once they were almost buried in the wood, I gripped the floor and started to rock my hands back and forth. The movement caused the ground to shake.
Spinning, Brianna glared at me, her canine teeth extending as she lifted her lips in a sneer. “Oh, no you don't!”
Opening my mouth, I screamed as loud as I could. Magic poured through the sound, creating an ear deafening screech that was strong enough to pierce the vampires’ eardrums. Even Dave cringed as the ground continued to shake.
Releasing the floor, I slowly got to my feet. “I'm an Essex witch!” My shout made Brianna cover her ears, her head bent low. “I will not be taken down!”
Keeping an eye on Dave, I nodded at him to free himself. He thrust his head back, his skull connecting with his captor's chin. The vampire managed to grab his shoulder, his head dropping to my boyfriend's neck.
Lifting my arm, I cast a freezing spell on him, smiling when he literally froze in mid-movement.
“You might be an Essex witch,” Brianna shouted from beside me. “But you're weak. You're done.”
Arms came around me from behind, the vampire who had killed Archie fastening me in a grip. Squirming, I grabbed out my dagger and thrust it back into his leg. He howled in my ear, but his grip tightened. I was about to conjure a fire spell when something smashed over my head. As darkness crept into the corner of my eyes, Dave slumped to the ground, his gaze locked on mine. We had been defeated.
