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“There’s something you need to tell me!” Dave demanded as I walked into the office.
My hands went up in defence, my magic ready to wield. Oh boy, I was certainly jumpy.
“Don’t freak me out like that,” I muttered as I went over to my desk.
Storming over, Dave slammed his fist onto the wooden surface, making me jump. Okay, what the hell was wrong with him?
His eyes were wild, his hair free and flowing around his head. My breath came short as I examined the way he stood, legs straight, back tall, but... something weighed on him. What was it?
“What’s happened?” I asked, trying my hardest not to laugh at his extremely serious expression.
When he waved a piece of paper in front of my face with the same Essex coat of arms on it, a chill gripped my body. Reaching out to snatch it from him, I scowled when he threw up his arm to block me. Stepping forward, he walked towards me. Backing up as he growled down at me, yes, a literal growl came from his chest, I swallowed the lump that rose in my throat. I had never been afraid of my desk friend. Why now?
“Gemma,” he whispered when my back hit the glass wall of the office. “This is not only the same coat of arms that’s been at the crime scenes, it’s...”
His big chest rose and fell as he came to a stop right in front of me. He was inches away, his nose in line with my forehead. If he really turned threatening, my head could easily smash his nose. But, it was a pretty nose, I didn’t want to hurt it.
“Where did it come from?” I asked, rubbing the goose bumps on my arms.
“It was sent in the post. Addressed to me. I just ran a DNA test for the blood.”
“And?” I asked quickly, reaching out to attempt to take it.
His exhaled breath made my hair move around my face. The intensity in his eyes made me nervous. This was personal. He was-
“It’s your blood.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Before he could ask any questions, I grabbed his wrist and whispered a momentum freeze spell. His glare grew even deeper as I took the paper from his hand without him being able to do anything about it.
“I’m sorry,” I apologised, hating the fact that I’d had to force his hand. Literally. “I wouldn’t have done that if you’d just given me the evidence.”
Stepping away from him, I dropped the spell and sat behind my desk. Laying the paper in front of me, I ignored him as he stood behind my chair, looking over my shoulder.
“How did the killer have your blood?”
Hovering my hand over the crudely drawn blood picture, I felt for the magic. It instantly melded to mine, confirming what Dave had said. How the fuck was I going to get out of this one?
“I’ve never seen you so angry before,” I murmured as I glanced up at him.
Dismissing me with a wave, he stormed over to his desk. “I’m not angry, I’m baffled. And, quite frankly, I’m upset that you haven’t told me what happened. Someone managed to get your blood. How?”
As he punched something into his keyboard, I studied the lines of blood that made up the shape of the coat of arms. It looked like a quill had been dipped in my blood and dragged across the page.
How long could I pretend that there was nothing wrong? Dave was a man who was constantly in my life. And, quite frankly, he wasn’t a stupid man. In fact, he was incredibly astute. Which was good for the job but frustrating for me.
“We’ve worked together for years now.” Pushing away from his desk, he sauntered back over to me.
Dragging one of the chairs, he placed it right in front of my desk. Leaning his arms on the surface, he brought his head as close to me as he could reach. It was a fairly wide desk, which meant there was a little room for me to breathe. However, his eyes, almost black, so piercing, were searching my gaze, trying desperately to peer into my soul to retrieve the answer.
“I’m... I’m scared that if I say the words out loud...” I couldn’t finish speaking.
The lump that had risen in my throat was unbidden, and yet, it rose like the mother fucker it was. And that made me vulnerable. I wasn’t good at opening up. Something about the way Dave was staring at me made me realise that I didn’t have a choice. I had to come clean.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “You can tell me.”
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and blurted it out like the socially awkward person I was. “Peter’s shot hit me. The bullet is still lodged in my chest. I went to a seer, and she confirmed that I was technically dead, but my connection to the ley line is keeping me alive.”
My hands had crept over my face at some point, although I couldn’t remember when I’d placed them there. When it stayed silent, I gingerly moved them away so I could see Dave’s reaction. My heart was pitter-pattering all over the show.
“I knew there was something different about you, but this...” He gestured towards my chest.
Swallowing hard, I took the top of my Bored with Reality, Give me a Book T-shirt and tugged it down to reveal my bullet hole wound. His intake of breath was the only giveaway that he was affected by what I’d told him. The dark of his pupil bled into his iris, making his big brown eyes appear larger than they were.
“Okay,” he breathed, looking up at my face. “How do we bring you back to life properly?”
“Er...” Wow, that wasn’t a question I’d even considered. “There’s something else... when we were at the book convention there was a man wearing a demon mask. I may have had an encounter with him that resulted in him telling me that he knew what had happened to me. I tried to fight him, but he flashed away.”
Shaking his head, Dave frowned, the tiny crease between his eyebrows deep enough to bridge them together and cause a mono-brow. Why would I notice that at such a serious moment?
“So, someone knows about you. Did they threaten to tell Paranormal MI5?”
That’s why Dave was such a good agent. He knew that I was afraid of there being someone out there with the knowledge that an agent was technically dead.
“I...” Thinking back to the evening, I rubbed my cheek absentmindedly. “...don’t think so. I didn’t give him much of a chance to say anything to be honest. He said he didn’t want to fight me.”
Getting up from the chair, Dave started to pace the room, his boots heavy on the light green carpet. “Of course he doesn’t want to fight you,” he said, getting out his wand. “You’re Gemma Abbott.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? And, what are you doing with your wand?”
Coming over to the desk, he held out his empty hand, palm up. “It’s supposed to mean that you’re a powerful Essex witch. This paper...” He pointed to the evidence at the same time as wiggling his fingers to indicate that I give him some magic. “...is a message to you. So, not only has the serial killer got a grudge against Essex witches, he’s made it personal.”
Putting my hand in his, I let him take some of my magic. The tingling pull through my fingers was similar to what kept happening underneath my feet with the ley line.
“Shit!” I exclaimed as Dave let go of me.
“What?” He placed the paper the right way up and waved his wand over it.
I didn’t recognise the spell he whispered, but as an illusionist, his magic was different to mine.
“Someone is connecting into the ley line somehow and trying to drain it. I think.”
His gaze snapped to mine, his task forgotten with my words. “How do you know that?”
“I’m not completely sure, but I can feel a tugging on the line. The magic hasn’t lessened, but something within me knows it’s changed. Maybe... maybe it’s because I’m dead.” The last part of my sentence was whispered.
Our eyes danced around as I avoided looking directly into his gaze. He tried to get me to make eye contact, but for the first time ever, I was vulnerable, open, with another person.
“Gemma.” Dave came around the table, grabbed the top of my arms and turned me to face him. “We will find a way to get you back. Do you understand?”
His matter of fact attitude made my heart rate calm slightly. The confidence in his gaze gave me the courage to take a deep breath. He was right. Maybe we could find a way for me to come back to life. Or, my body... although, that technically was still alive, otherwise I’d be smelling like the corpse of a dark crawler.
“Thank you,” I said, my arms surging forward and wrapping around his bulky chest.
He froze for an instant before enveloping me in a tight bear hug. “Well, you feel perfectly alive to me. You’re pressed so tight against my chest, I can feel your-”
“Okay!” I blurted, ripping away from him.
Holding up his hands in defence, he tried to stop himself from laughing. “Before you get all worried, I was going to say your heartbeat.” As he went back around the desk, he carried on chatting. “Which is a good thing because it means your body is working exactly as it should be.”
“Stop talking about my body.” Even I could hear the deadpan tone of my voice.
“I’m just saying,” he continued as he picked up his wand again. “If your heart is still beating, there’s a way to...” His sentence trailed off as he stared at the piece of paper with my blood on it.
Leaning over, I glanced at it, my stomach dropping when I saw why he was so distracted. The blood had faded to show writing underneath.
“What does it say?” I asked, reaching to pick it up.
Catching my hand gently, Dave shook his head. “Don’t, you’ll dislodge the spell. It’s an illusion, remember?”
Ah, of course. He’d borrowed some of my magic to fade out the blood and see what was underneath. His way of working was pretty handy considering that once the magic was used up, it would leave the evidence exactly as it had originally been.
Getting his phone out of his jacket pocket, Dave quickly took a photo before the blood thickened to cover our new evidence.
“How did he get your blood?”
Licking my lips, I cringed at how dry they were. I might be dead in theory, but my body still needed hydrating. Grabbing the glass of water beside me, I downed it, the whole time trying to block out Dave’s stare.
“I bled out, in the middle of the street.” Almost coughing, I indicated that he should show me what was written on the paper.
“Wow, you did? Gemma, why didn’t you tell me? You must have been churning up inside dealing with this alone.”
Sniffing, I folded my arms across my chest. “I haven’t been dealing with it on my own. I’ve been talking to Smudge.”
Raising his eyebrows, Dave stared me down, his condemnation slicing through the air. “I suppose you told your book boyfriend, too. How did he take it?”
Taking a deep breath, I decided to let it go. He was-
“Did he become the all-powerful alpha male and go searching for revenge to-?”
Scrambling over the table, I dove for him. He yelped in surprise, yes, the grown arse man actually yelped as he hastily backed away.
My feet hit the ground running, the crash of the items on my desk not phasing me. The bastard could take the piss out of me all he liked, but my book boyfriend? That had pressed a button too far.
“What’s going on?” Jake thundered into the office, his stance ready for battle.
The bright blue of his eyes caught my attention as he glanced between us. I’d stopped mid-room, whereas Dave had retreated into the corner by his desk. The stupid fool couldn’t hide from me.
“We were just...” How did I finish that sentence without sounding completely insane?
“I gave her some startling news,” Dave said, straightening his jacket and holding up his phone. “She might have overreacted.”
Jake eyed us for a second longer, seemingly able to see through the pair of us, but when Kate came in behind him carrying a tray of mugs, he relaxed his shoulders and joined us as we gathered round.
Taking the lead, Dave held up the new evidence, graciously not mentioning that the blood was mine. How we would keep that a secret, I didn’t know.
“By the looks of it,” he started. “The killer has something against Essex witches. As you know, both Gemma and I hail from two different lines.”
Kate looked between us as she nodded. She had obviously felt the tension as soon as she’d walked into the room. By including himself in the threat, Dave had taken the focus off me. What had I done to deserve a desk friend like him?
“Where did that come from?” Jake asked, nodding his head towards the piece of paper.
Coming into the middle of the room, Dave handed it to me. The others watched as I held up the paper for them to peruse. Jake’s nostrils flared. Taking a slow quiet breath, I prayed that the dried blood was too old for him to detect that it was mine. As a wolf shifter, surely he would be able to smell the DNA.
“It was sent in the post.” Dave went to his desk to show the others the envelope it had come in. “I’ve run it through the database, and tested it for fingers prints, but it’s completely clean. Someone used gloves to post it. It’s a normal stamp, so there’s no record of what post box it was dropped into.”
Kate held out her hand, palm up. Blinking quickly, I pushed the panic down to the pit of my stomach where it squirmed. Lying had never come naturally to me, but I didn’t have a choice right now.
“Give me the envelope,” Kate said when no one made a move.
Dave didn’t hesitate, placing the envelope straight into her hand. She rocked back as she closed her eyes. Her hair bounced slightly as her spine hit the back of the chair.
Jake glanced at me, a frown on his face. “This could so easily link the PFF to the murders. They’ve been vocal about their grudge against the Essex lines. To send the same image to you two is declaring a war on those that protect the ley lines.”
“I want to interview the Cambridges, but we need evidence to pull them in for questioning. At the moment, the connection is too loose.” Going behind my desk, I grabbed my tablet and took a photo of the paper before sliding it into an evidence bag. Something Dave should’ve done immediately. Shit, if the others noticed how we’d mishandled it, they might realise that something was up. This was becoming bloody hard to control.
“I can’t get a reading on this, it’s that same fuzzy feeling I’ve had at both crime scenes. I think someone is using magic to distort reality so I can’t see it.” Kate let out a long sigh as she handed the envelope to Dave, who bagged it immediately.
Clearing his throat, Jake glanced at me. “Getting close to PFF is going to be hard. I’ll put a call out to a couple of friends. They may know some people in the group that are loose-tongued.”
It was often a rule that we wouldn’t involve any of our friends and relatives in our investigations, but if Jake had contacts who might know members of the group, it was well worth checking in with them.
“In the meantime,” Dave said, straightening his jacket. “I’m going to come into the field as Gemma’s partner. I think it’s best for her safety.”
“What?” I blurted, my knees knocking my desk and making everything rattle as I surged to my feet. “Erm, I mean... is that necessary?”
His quick narrowed gaze made me resume my composure. It was getting harder and harder to keep my agent head on. Maybe a training session with Kate would help ease some of the tension that currently sizzled in my energy field.
“He’s right,” Kate said as she got to her feet. “You both need to keep tabs on each other. It’s hard to know if this is personal to you, or to all of the Essex witches. Not that there’s many of you.”
“How many are there? What about your mother?” Jake asked as he licked his canine.
The small gesture made me swallow. If he’d smelt my blood on the evidence, he hadn’t come forward with the information. We were practically strangers. Which meant there was a chance their loyalty could easily be bought. Maybe it was time to get to know my team.
“I’m meeting with her in the morning to give her an update. I’ll pass over the responsibility of updating the top. In the meantime, who fancies a beer?”
All pairs of eyes swung to me, mouths dropping open. Shrugging, I grabbed my jacket and flung it over my shoulder. Okay, so maybe I didn’t ever go for a beer, even though the others did, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t interested in... Who was I kidding, I hated the pub/club scene. It wasn’t the most intellectually stimulating place. However, it was time to figure out who I could trust.
“Are you buying?” Jake asked, winking as he got up from the chair and spun the gun belt around his chest into a more comfortable position.
Dave chuckled as he went over to his desk to shut down his computer. “Of course she’s bloody buying, the woman has never offered us a beer, we need to take advantage of it.”
“Time to get wrecked on the boss’s expense,” Jake jested.
“As if,” I muttered, following them out of the room.
“Be careful,” Dave said over his shoulder. “We might start thinking that you’re a bit normal after all.”
Laughing, I locked the office as they waited. “I don’t think there’s any threat of that.”
“I agree,” Kate piped up. “And, you should be proud that you’re quirky.”
“Quirky?”
The others walked ahead of us as Kate waved to a female agent. “She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?”
“Er...” Glancing over at her object of affection, I blinked. “... yes, I suppose she is.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, grabbing my hand. “None of us want you to be normal. Your sense of self makes you one of the best agents in this building. Don’t ever lose who you are just because you worry about what others think.”
“I don’t care what others think.”
My immediate response was met with raised eyebrows. Kate could probably see through everything. A part of me was terrified that she’d had a vision, but there was nothing in her demeanour to suggest that she knew anything. Maybe both her and Jake knew that there was more going on, but were playing it cool. It was time to get them on my side, otherwise they might use me to climb their way to the top.
