I’m glad Victor isn’t offended by my turning down his offer. But with how gross I feel, the thought of intimate contact just feels wrong. An hour later, I’m still scrubbing myself clean, and I’ve run out of shampoo. Finally I switch off the shower, climb out looking more like a prune with raw skin, than a human. I dry myself, put on sweats, comb my hair, and jog barefoot down to the sitting room to do my summoning spell.
I take a few moments to myself just to breathe, clearing my thoughts from everything that is happening. Once all is quiet, I light the candles, scattering white sand in a circle around me. I call my power to me, placing my hands flat on the ground drawing the earth’s energy into me.
Normally for spell work I’d use salt, but for a summoning like this, I use sand as it’s part of the earth. The sand glows pink, then gold, until it turns into a shimmering bubble of golden energy with a pearl tinge, surrounding me in a bubble of protection. Bringing the bowl to me, I circle my fingers around it faster and faster, until it sings.
I summon you, my family of warriors, I summon you, on a quest of mine, Come to us, my sisters in arms, Come to us, your sisters in arms!
With a clap like thunder, the bowl rises into the air, spinning its song, before slowly lowering back to the ground, until it stops spinning and grows quiet. I place a palm on my forehead, and the other flat on the ground, returning the borrowed energy to the earth with a quiet thank you. The golden bubble retreats, until finally sand is all that remains. I send the sand back into its container. Taking a deep breath to centre myself once more, I look up to see Victor in wide-eyed surprise.
“You okay, Victor?” I’ve never seen him look so, so flabbergasted before.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Victor finally manages, while walking into the sitting room. His lean body moving like a large jungle cat, all muscle and power, in a divine wrapping. “Sorry, did you say something?” I blush, realizing Victor was still talking.
“Do you want to grab a drink from the kitchen, before getting ready for tonight?” Victor repeats grinning.
“I’d love one.” Clambering to my feet, I leave my candles and stuff behind; we leave the sitting room to join a clean Jasmine and Kheda, who are both in human form. With a contented smile of gratitude, I accept the rum and soda I’m passed. Leaning against the counter to support myself, I take a fortifying gulp.
We have a couple of drinks and get ready for a night on the town. Hopefully tonight will just be a nice night out, no murder involved. Two hours later we’re all finally dressed and ready to leave. I’m in a gold tie back PU top and a pair of black trousers with black heeled boots. I’ve twisted my hair up and secured it with a clip in the shape of a black and gold butterfly. A bit of eyeliner, green eye shadow, and a little lip gloss, and I’m ready to go. Leaving the bathroom where I’d applied my makeup to retrieve my purse, I spot Victor.
I come to a screeching lust-filled stop. Dressed all in black, he looks like a sultry dark God, come to wreak pleasure and decadence upon me. I suck in a breath as I gaze at him. My God, he’s divine! His black shirt hinting at his muscular torso is open at the throat. Such a tiny glimpse, but I want to lick the barely visible skin. His black trousers mold to his muscular legs, making me jealous of their close proximity. I blink, a smile twitching at the corner of my mouth. His shoes are the most comfortable-looking trainer boot I have ever seen. I have no idea what they’re called, but I want a pair.
“You look stunning,” Victor states, crossing to stand in front of me. “I want to strip off your clothing and make love to every inch of you.”
I turn shy at this statement, looking down, then back up at him through my eyelashes and finally away, smile and back at him.
“My God, have you just gone shy?” demands Victor in amazement.
“Apparently, and I have no idea why,” I mutter as I grab my purse and turn to leave.
Victor stops me by wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me against his rock-hard body. “If it wasn’t for the fact we have to leave, I would take you right here, and savor every inch of your delectable skin, before making you come over and over again,” he whispers into my ear, before nibbling at the side of my neck and sinking his fangs into me. A moan of desire ripples up my throat, escaping me as Victor drinks.
Extracting his fangs, he places a kiss on the now healed skin of my neck. Releasing me from the circle of his arms, Victor takes my hand and leads me into the hallway, down the stairs to await Jasmine and Kheda.
The music vibrates through my body, as we enter the club. God, I love dancing. Jasmine and I head straight for the dance floor, joining the writhing bodies moving to the beat. I let the music enter me and dance to its pulse, my body becoming one with it, as I move my hips and legs in fluid motions. My arms and shoulders sway with the tempo.
Victor and Kheda have gone to the bar to get us drinks, but apparently change their minds as they watch us dancing. The scent of lust is strong in the club, as people writhe and grind against each other. A couple of men try to reach for us, but we ignore their sweaty hands, and they soon turn toward others willing to dance with them.
Suddenly, Victor’s in front of me, his hands on my hips as he moves his body to dip and move against mine. I move one of my legs around his and our bodies move in a sensual dance. I wrap my arms around his neck, and as one we move in beautiful sync with each other and the music. Eventually we pull apart to get a drink. Every nerve ending in my body thrums in happiness. As I look at Victor, I see his expression, one of such raw desire, and something else, causing my heart to take joyous flight.
****
Looking at the vampire maul the witch, I feel hatred for him erupt through me. I’ll liberate her from him soon. But first, those troublesome sisters are at it again. Seeing them zero in on a young couple, I decided to phone the police.
The Protectors do not keep trophies! They were warned, and yet they still disobey. Stupid bitches, tonight the police will arrest them. Feeling smug, I leave the club to make my phone call. After all, there is only one place they’ll be heading with their prize.
****
All four of us are standing at the bar when feelings of anger, hatred, and jealousy bombard us in a rush of malevolence. It leaves me shaken. Catching sight of Jasmine, I see I’m not the only one. Victor puts a protective arm around me, drawing me close to his side as he casually looks for the source of the hatred filtering through the club.
I spot the red-haired witch first, prowling around the outskirts of the dance floor, watching the dancers. Every now and again she looks back as if seeking an unspoken answer.
“Who is she looking at?”
“I don’t know, but I think we need to find out fast,” Kheda answers, as he watches the red-haired witch give a slight nod of acknowledgment. She starts dancing toward a young couple on the dance floor.
We separate. Jasmine and Kheda head to the left, Victor and I toward the right. We join the dancers and slowly spin, dip, and twirl our way around the dance floor. Each time, getting closer to the back of the room where the red-haired witch had looked. To my eternal frustration, I don’t spot anyone watching the dancers in an obvious way. Victor spins me, just in time to witness Jasmine and Kheda being led outside by the red-haired witch and someone else.
“Christ on a stick, what the fuck!” I exclaim in panic, as we come to a screeching stop, knocking over a couple of other dancers. With a muttered sorry, we rush outside. Looking about, I realize there’s no sign of them.
“Oh my God, oh my God, where are they?” I panic. “Breathe, Candi,” Victor sooths me, rubbing my back in comfort while searching for any sign of our friends. Anger ripples through me, so strong it knocks Victor back a step. Power zips up my arms and lightning hot and strong ripples across the sky. My eyes turn violet; the intensity of the sudden change turns everything violet for just a second, before settling. I feel the change as power vibrates through my body, and sparks shoot from my fingers into a trail of violet fire. “Follow the trail and protect your brother and sister.”
A voice like thunder erupts from the sky, into me, and then out my mouth.
A couple of partygoers scream in fear, then giggle, as if to pretend they’re only messing at being scared. Victor and I ignore them; I transform into my wolf, running after the violet trail with Victor keeping pace at my side.
****
I watch as again he lays his hands on her. Her eyes turn violet and all hell breaks loose. Some stupid girls scream and giggle away their fear, but all I can do is stare, transfixed as power, so much power surrounds the witch. Trailing violet lightning, she transforms into a wolf and chases the trail to the caves. “I have to tell the high council,” I mutter in shock as I realize the Double Magick one is alive. As the silver wolf and the vampire disappear into the night, I grimly stare at the spot I last saw them, knowing a war is beginning, and her death will come at the hands of The Protectors.
****
The trail leads us through town toward Hunters Park. With a howl of anger, I run harder toward the caves where we found the bodies. Outside the cave I stop, transforming back into my human form. I turn to Victor. “Can you get through the roof of the cave?”
“I could, but it will take too long and they’d hear me coming,” Victor apologizes. With a frustrated nod, I transform back and slink into the cave. Victor creeps in, hugging the other side of the wall from me. As one, we prowl through the cave, until we reach the back. I spot the red-haired witch shivering on the floor.
The moment she spots me, she gives me a pleading look, and without speaking, she turns toward the main cave, where the two vampires and the werewolf had been. Creeping closer, I spot a figure cutting off Kheda’s clothes; Jasmine’s have already been removed. I can hear their heartbeats, slow and sluggish. I have no idea what they’ve been drugged with, but it’s fast.
A silent growl vibrates through me as I watch my helpless friends. Fury explodes through me as I realize this unseen person is going to use my best friend as her plaything. A deep, hate-filled roar erupts from me as I pounce. The witch swings around to face me, raising the scissors she’s holding to stab me.
I open my mouth to howl in fury when a ball of violet power erupts from me. It shoots straight at Beatrix. A yelp of fear escapes her as she dives out of the way only to be tackled by Victor. My power bubble smashes into the wall sending shrapnel flying.
I hadn’t even seen Victor move. He punches her in the face, knocking her unconscious. Quickly I swing around to face the red-haired witch, sending a snarl of warning to her as she tries to escape. Transforming back into my human form, I go to Jasmine, checking to make sure she’s okay.
“I’m heading out to the entrance, so I can call this in,” Victor informs me as he puts a gentle hand on my shoulder, before heading out of the cave with his phone in hand. Looking at the red-haired witch for the first time, I realize just how young she is. Probably eighteen years old, if not younger.
“What’s your name?” I demand.
“S-Sarah, Sarah Sullivan,” Sarah stammers in fear. “Are you related to Beatrix?”
“S-she’s my sister.”
“How long has she been killing, and how long have you been helping her?”
“She — she has been killing always, I think. W- when I was ten, our parents died. I t-think she k-killed them, too. S-she made m-me h-help from then on,” Sarah stammered.
“Christ on a stick,” I mutter in shock. How many more bodies are out there, and where are they?
Victor arrives and obviously heard what Sarah had said. He looks rather pale. It’s unusual; he normally looks so healthy.
“The police and ambulance are on the way,” he informs me. “The thing is…they were already called.” While he keeps an eye on Sarah, I try to cover up Jasmine as best I can. She’s so not going to be happy at the state of her clothes when she finally wakes up. Ten minutes later, the ambulance arrives with the police hot on their tails.
Beatrix has already come to and is throwing insults at Victor and me. She has such a potty mouth. I’m actually quite shocked. Jasmine and Kheda are rushed to the hospital. Words like “IV” and “drip” are mentioned as well as flushing out their systems.
The police arrest Sarah and Beatrix. I think they also wanted to arrest Victor and me, too, not sure what exactly for, but thankfully Nina of all people stands up for us. Victor and I are taken down to the police station so we can give our statements. We’re given a lift to the hospital, which I’m grateful for. I’m so exhausted by this stage, I just want to collapse.
****
Reaching the hospital, we find Jasmine and Kheda easily enough, though they’re in different rooms. Hospitals can be so fussy at times, and very inconvenient. Don’t they know we need to visit both of them?
“I’ll stay with Kheda tonight to keep an eye on him,” Victor informs me, pushing me gently into Jasmine’s room. I’m horrified at how small she looks, as she lies still in the hospital bed. Sorrow shudders through me, as I acknowledge how close I came to losing her again.
“Oh Jasmine, I’m so sorry,” I whisper, as I run my hands over my face in exhaustion. I plop down on the nearest chair, dragging another over to prop my feet up. I must have nodded off at some stage, because I wake up stiff and cold on the floor, with Jasmine peering over the side of the bed laughing at me.
“Hello, sleeping beauty. Are you comfortable down there?” She snickers as I rub my eyes blearily, climbing stiffly to my feet. When I finally register she’s not only awake, but talking to me, I let out a squeal of delight, flinging myself at her.
“You’re okay?” I demand, bursting into tears.
“I’m fine, just so glad you found us. How did you?” she asks as she hugs me in relief. Sitting gingerly back down on one of the chairs, I explain how we found them, and about Sarah’s role in the situation.
“She believes Beatrix killed her parents and has apparently been helping capture people ever since. I’m not sure how much was involuntary, to be honest. But, God, if you or Kheda had died, I’m so sorry.” My eyes well up with tears again. Placing a hand over my mouth to compose myself, I give a slight nod and look at her. I’m ready for whatever she says to me. I just hope she will forgive me.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Candi. You did nothing wrong, and you saved my life,” she reassures me, surprise and confusion in her voice at my feelings of guilt.
“If I hadn’t moved back here, you wouldn’t have been in this situation,” I explain, as if it automatically made me responsible for the killer’s actions.
“But Candi, if we hadn’t moved here, we wouldn’t have met Kheda and Victor. I wouldn’t change that for anything. And the killer wouldn’t have been found, so more people would be dead. I don’t regret moving here, how could I? I’m back to myself and feel better than I have in years. So don’t you dare apologize for bringing me here,” she finishes fiercely.
“Okay, outside of you and Kheda being kidnapped, and almost killed, I’m also happy to have met Victor and Kheda,” I admit.
“I’m glad to hear it. I would hate for you to wish you had never met me,” Victor informs me from the doorway, making us jump.
“Bloody hell, Victor, do I need to get you a cow bell, so we can hear you coming?” I demand, placing a hand over my racing heart.
“I know a much more interesting way for you to know I’m coming,” Victor answers with a wicked grin on his face, as he prowls into Jasmine’s room, with a wicked gleam of dark promises in his eyes. “I just came to say Kheda’s awake and restless, he’ll also be in to see you in a second, once he can find some clothing to cover up his ass that is.” Victor laughs. “Detective Nina was just in. Apparently, both sisters deny killing the human in the woods, Kheda’s nephew, the female werewolf, and the old witch. The sisters did recognize the human; he worked with The Protectors. They don’t know why he was killed, but they did say he must have gone against The Protectors in some way for him to be murdered. Most likely he warned someone they’d made the list. It appears The Protectors sent someone to stop them from taking trophies. They believe there is another killer out there, so there will be a guard on duty to watch over you and Kheda while you’re here.”
“They do believe the killer has left, after phoning the police to have Beatrix and Sarah arrested. Now I’ve come to take Candi home, so we can get some sleep. We need to rest, for tomorrow, we have a prophecy to find, and we also need to gather more allies to our cause.”
Giving Jasmine a quick hug, I tell her we’ll be back later to check on both her and Kheda. Victor and I leave the hospital arm in arm. As the breeze whispers around us, I hear the voices of my sisters in arms whispering, “We’re coming, sisters, we’re coming.” I look at Victor and realize I hadn’t imagined it. Victor is right, tonight is ours, for tomorrow, we really do have a prophecy to find.
Hand in hand, we walk into the dawn, heading toward Victor’s home. A new day for new beginnings. After the trouble we’ve had, our adventures are just beginning. Thinking of the cards I’d drawn, I realize, they really do make sense.
Seeing my smile, Victor turns me and pulls me into his arms. “I am falling so much in love with you, my Double Magick woman, it scares the shit out of me.”
He kisses me so soundly, words and thoughts fly from my head. All I can do is kiss him back and enjoy the moment.