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  “They are from my mother’s collection of tea. She gave me a cup of it the night she was killed. I have a feeling it helped with whatever happened there.”

  “Witch hunters don’t use magic Abby, I can see that train of thought.”

  But what if it hadn’t been witch hunters? I shook my head. “It should help with the pain. Please, Clarissa.”

  “I can’t leave until Levi gets here.” She sat back down in a chair.

  “Okay, will you call him and ask him to get the stuff?”

  She let out a sigh and then stood. “I’ll be right outside the door.”

  “Hey, where’s my phone?”

  Clarissa shrugged. “I assume Levi has it.”

  I hope he did, because if the state called me while I was out and I didn’t answer…no, they probably knew that I was in the hospital, trying not to die from some nonexistent poison. That made me feel like pins were being shoved all over my body. Great. I hated magic some days.

  I fell asleep thanks to the pain medication, but I didn’t miss the feeling of power that came with Levi entering the room. My eyes flickered open and it took me a second to realize what he was carrying. A travel mug that had tea escaping from the tiny drinking hole and my dad’s book tucked under his arm. Other than Levi, the room was empty and I wondered where Clarissa had run off to.

  “You look peachy.” He said and came to the edge of the bed. His face was blank and I wondered what he was thinking. He had been there each night worrying or had he known I was going to pull through?

  I slowly held my hands out for the tea. I seemed to be moving a little better, as long as I didn’t put too much pressure on my arms or try to get out of the bed. I used the little button on the bed to move me up into a sitting position and started to sip my tea. I hoped I was right and that it would work.

  After a moment I answered him. “I’m pretty sure I was hexed and I think it’s the people who killed my parents.”

  “Abby—“ His voice held a warning and his careful blank face fell into a frown.

  “When I was unconscious, someone came to my dream and told me if I wasn’t careful I’d end up like them. I could see the runes all over the house in the dream. They said they were on a mission and that Ra had sent them.”

  “I didn’t think anyone worshiped the old Egyptian gods still.” He sat in the chair that Clarissa had abandoned when she left.

  I shook my head and instantly regretted it. “I didn’t think so either, but it’s what he said.”

  “So what do you plan on doing?” Levi asked. “I know I’m not going to want to hear the answer to this, but I also know that we can’t let it go unanswered.”

  That was the truth. “Once I get my pain under control and get out of here, I’m going back to my parents’ house. I think the answers are there. Or at least the start of it.”

  “And the state?”

  “I’m pretty sure whoever hexed me killed the man in the barn. I just don’t know why. Once I know who he is, I’ll have a better understanding of what is going on there.” I sipped my tea and sighed. “Clarissa said you had my phone, did I miss any calls?”

  “Detective Mason said they had identified the arm, but there was a problem. He wouldn’t tell me what, but wanted you to call him the moment you were feeling up to it. I’m not part of the team.” Levi snorted.

  The arm…I tried to imagine what on earth the issue could be with the arm. “Okay, I’ll add that to my list once this is under control.”

  “Your mother left you a pentagram pendent, you weren’t wearing it the night you were hexed.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t wear it to crime scenes, sometimes the spell on it messes with my abilities to see things.”

  “Do you think it would have helped with this?” He motioned to me lying in the hospital bed and then to the machines.

  Frowning, I thought about it. “I don’t know. She would’ve had to know what kind of magic would have been used. Mostly the pendent helps with simple stuff: nightmares, visions, that kind of thing.”

  “If these are the same people, she might have known.” His voice was somewhere between mocking and concerned.

  Well shit, he was right. “Any chance you brought the necklace?”

  “Yes.” He pulled it out of his pocket and tossed it to me.

  I studied the silver star, laid in a circle made from Celtic knotting. A small green stone sat in the middle of the star and just looking at it gave me comfort. I wrapped my hands around it and it was like the pain just disappeared. I met Levi’s gaze. The vampire was right.

  “I really wish my parents would stop hiding things from me.” I growled and put the necklace on.

  He chuckled. “They’re dead, it’s not like they have much of a choice.”

  He had a point but I rolled my eyes anyways. Until I figured out how to break the spell, the tea and the pendant were just going to have to work. “Let me call Detective Mason back, and then I’ll talk to the doctor about getting out of here.”

  Levi handed me my phone. “You’re not going to your place alone. Clarissa will go with you, or Simon.”

  “Simon,” I said without hesitation. Clarissa was great to have around when dealing with magic, but she wasn’t great during a crisis. “Clarissa tends to over react, I need someone who can keep their head on straight.”

  Levi nodded. “Then I shall call the wolf.”

  “Tell him I’ll do the wards tonight too.” I rubbed my eyes. “Losing three days of my life sucks.”

  Levi met my gaze. “I’m glad you’re back though.”

  I knew he meant it.

  CHAPTER THREE

  I finished my tea and Levi left the room so I could call Detective Mason. He answered on the first ring. “You alive?”

  “Yeah, seems our killer sent me a personal message that included sending me into a coma. It’s great fun, you should try it one day.”

  “You sure it’s from our killer?” He ignored my sarcasm about trying the magic. He’d been a skeptic when I first met him. One of the humans who thought magic was just a parlor trick; boy did I change his mind.

  I put a hand over the pentagram around my neck. “Unless there are two people using the same kind of language, which if that’s the case then we’ve got bigger problems.” I took comfort in the fact that the pain had faded, but I knew we would have much bigger problems if I couldn’t get this hex off me and we had two people using the same old-style runes. My life could crumble because of the hex. I tried not to dwell on it. “Levi said that you ran into a problem with the arm?”

  “The person it belongs to doesn’t match the dental records from the body in the fire.”

  I blinked. “Wait, you were able to pull dental records?”

  “Yes, the bones were still there, which means the fire wasn’t hot enough to destroy all the evidence.”

  Well, wasn’t that lucky? “Okay, so what? Do we have any information on who the arm belongs to?”

  “The person is on the missing persons list, his wife turned in a report a couple weeks ago. We can also tell you that it was severed cleanly, there’s no blade marks.”

  Magic. I cringed. “Do we still have the arm?”

  “Yes, it’s in the freezer at the morgue. Why?”

  “Because if there is still a trace of magic, I might be able to use it to track down the person who did the spell and maybe the victim.” Why on earth was the arm there then? I shook my head. “I’ll have to do it another night. I have something to handle, assuming they let me out of the hospital. And a tracking spell takes more energy than I think I have.”

  “You’re going to work yourself to death.” He muttered. “I’ll let the morgue know that you have permission to stop by when you feel up to it. I’m sure the DA will understand that you were in a coma.”

  They better. I closed my eyes. “Yeah. I’ll let you know as soon as I do it and hopefully have some sort of answer.”

  “Try not to get yourself blown up, or back in the hospi
tal.” He chuckled and hung up.

  Yeah, it’d be nice to avoid that again. I didn’t need another forced vacation. I put the phone down and sighed. Next step was to get discharged from the hospital and then get to Simon’s bar.

  I stood outside the bar. I could feel the fading magic from the street and I knew that the wards were being messed with. He stepped up next to me. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m pretty sure someone is trying to destroy my life, but you know, I can’t tell if this has something to do with it.” I took a few steps towards the bar and Simon put his hand on my shoulder. I waited to see what his intentions were before I stepped away. Being thrown into a coma gave me the desire to be comforted, and part of me knew Simon could offer that.

  “Look, I know you’re not a damsel in distress here, but honestly you just got out of the hospital after flat lining.” Simon sighed. “You should be focusing on what you can do to get that spell taken off of you.”

  “Without knowing what it was, I can’t. Clarissa checked with the coven, none of them know what to do for me without knowing what the runes mean. Keeping the pentagram on is my only option right now.” I was starting to feel lucky that my mother had the foresight to know what kind of magic it was, but it just brought more questions.

  Simon nodded and removed his hand. “So you’re just going to dive back into work?”

  “It’s what I do best, Simon.” And it was true. I walked into the club and watched as the patrons went about their business. Some played pool in the corner, others sat at the bar talking, while others lurked in the shadows. It felt like home. No humans there to judge or walk on what they thought was the wild side. It was the reason I chose to help him hide the bar.

  I could see the fading glow behind the runes I had carved into the wood walls. I knew what I would have to do, but because of the hex it wasn’t a good idea. Playing with blood magic was never a good idea when one was carrying an unknown spell. “I can put more magic in them and hope that it holds until this hex goes away. Once it does, I can add my blood to the magic to help strengthen them. I don’t know what’s draining them.” I placed my hand on the closest one and I felt the other magic push against mine. “It’s not someone friendly, but that’s all I really know.”

  “So I have an enemy that wants the bar to be exposed. What happens if you put your blood into the magic now?” He sounded irritated, but I didn’t expect a werewolf to understand my magic anymore than I understood why the moon controlled him.

  “Best case? I blow up the building and everyone in it. Worst case, I accidentally spread the hex onto the people in here and put them all through what I’m going through.” I shrugged.

  He snorted. “Okay, strengthen them, I’ll pay you and then have you come back once the hex is done.”

  “Levi tell you about my parents’ house?”

  Simon nodded. “Sure did, says I’m supposed to go with you. He’s not keen on the idea at all, but he thought I might be needed.”

  “I chose you over Clarissa because you can keep your cool, we’ll call that payment for this.” I walked around the bar chanting and allowing my magic to reach out to the runes. Some of the patrons looked at me and others backed away without making eye contact. I knew many of them knew me on sight. Hard not to when Levi was the head vampire of the territory and he had raised me. Growing up, he taught me that most of them would fear me and the power I held. As I grew older I realized how true that was. Some days it bothered me, other days I knew how to use it to my advantage.

  I felt the magic lock into place and a pain hit my chest. It took me a moment to get over it and I leaned against the wall. It had to be the hex. I wrapped my hand around the pentagram and took comfort in the warmth it gave off to help fight the hex. This needed to stop though. Magic was part of my life and not doing it wasn’t an option.

  “You okay?” Simon walked up to me and I nodded.

  “Yeah, just… a consequence of doing magic when the hex doesn’t want me to.” I pushed away from the wall. “Let’s get going to the house. I want to get this done and over with.”

  “What are we looking for that the cops wouldn’t have found before?” He asked, putting a hand at the small of my back to lead me out of the bar. His touch didn’t bother me; his hand was warm against my shirt and calmed some of the shaking that still clung to me.

  “Magic. They didn’t have a magical division back then. Levi said it was witch hunters that had done it and that there wouldn’t have been magic.”

  Simon made a disapproving noise. “And what makes you doubt Levi?”

  “The message I received.” I shook my head. “I can’t explain it, but I have to be sure.”

  He led me to his car and I glared at him. “I want to drive.”

  “Levi made me promise to not let you drive all the way out there. Until he’s sure you’re safe from the hex, you’re not to drive longer than fifteen minutes or be alone for longer than that.”

  I was afraid to ask. “How am I supposed to get back to the mansion?”

  “You’re not, you’re coming back to my place after we go to the old house.”

  I was going to kill that vampire. I felt like this was a set up. It’s not that I wasn’t attracted to Simon, just that dating wasn’t an option. Ever. The few times I’d dated someone it had never worked out. “Seriously, I’ll be fine.” I got in the car and slammed the door. Simon got in on the driver’s side.

  “I know, but I have a guest room that’s right next to mine and it’ll get Levi off your ass.”

  That was true. “Okay, fine.” I pulled my bag into my lap and pulled out my dad’s notebook.

  “Studying while I drive? Are you avoiding conversation with me?”

  I snorted. “No, I’m trying to find the base of these runes so I can figure out another lead and hopefully keep someone else from dying.” Like Levi or Clarissa, or even Simon. My gaze slid to him. That was the crappy part of my job and my magic. If I screwed up, I lost the people I cared about or my own life. Just like my parents.

  “You’ll figure it out.” His voice was soft as he started the car. He flicked on the overhead light for me. “You always do, Abby.”

  I nodded, but I didn’t believe him. I hadn’t faced something like this before. Most of my cases were out of control supernatural creatures, or someone playing with magic who lost control. Nothing had been this personal.

  Simon pulled up to the house on the old property. A few acres of forest helped to keep it isolated from unwanted visitors. I hadn’t been out here since the murders, but Levi refused to sell it, saying that I would regret it later on in life. All my memories were from pictures and I suddenly found myself sick to my stomach at the thought of going in.

  “You sure you want to do this?” Simon asked as he put the car into park, his lights bounced off the ‘no trespassing’ sign reminding me of a horror movie.

  No, I wasn’t sure, but I nodded anyway. “Yeah, I feel like the answers are in there and I need answers.” I also needed to not throw up from anxiety. I, the big strong Paranormal Investigation Agent, was scared of going into her childhood home. I used to have nightmares about my parents faking their death and continuing their life without me. They normally started out something like this, except Simon was never with me.

  “Let’s go then.” He reached across me and grabbed two flashlights out of the glove compartment. He handed me one and then got out.

  With a deep breath I got out of the car and looked at the house. A tri-level house that had been custom built for my parents from Levi as a thank you for something they did. He would never tell me what it was, but I didn’t push because I had a feeling I wouldn’t want to know. Three thousand square feet and I needed to search every inch for answers. It could have turned into a very long night for us.

  I walked up the cracking sidewalk. It had been weeded and the yard taken care of. I was sure Levi hired someone to take care of it. I pulled the key out and unlocked the door. It opened and out of inst
inct I went and hit the light switch. To my surprise the lights turned on.

  Simon paused behind me. “Guess Levi’s been paying the bill. Or he called and had it turned on for tonight.”

  I looked around; everything was covered in white sheets and hidden from view. I was grateful for electricity, because I was sure Simon and I would be jumping at shadows. A thrill went up my back when I crossed over the threshold and I felt instant comfort. Magic welcoming me home. My anxiety disappeared despite my heart speeding up at the idea that I was finally home.

  “So where do we start?” He asked.

  And instantly I felt sick again. “In the room they were murdered in.” I walked into the living room. Searching for the light switch, I found it and turned it on. To my left was a door that led to the basement and I saw a rune carved there. How had I missed that as a child? I cringed as I realized it was the same language as the note. I was right; they were connected to the death of my parents.

  Levi had to have seen this. Of course, maybe he assumed that it was just one from my parents. It would make sense if there were runes in our house. I swallowed and put my hand against it. There was no more active magic, which was a good sign for me and my luck. It meant nothing would be exploding tonight. I opened the door and flicked the lights on to the stairs. My heart sank with each step that I took.

  “Simon, leave the door open.” I called over my shoulder. I didn’t sense magic, but I wanted a quick escape. My emotions might have gotten the best of me and spoke to my paranoia.

  “Why?”

  “Just…just indulge me, okay?” I continued down the stairs and didn’t hear him shut the door. I was the witch, it was my job to take lead on this. Luckily for me, Simon seemed to understand that and listen to me. I reached the bottom where the stairs opened up into a huge family room. The memories hit me hard. My mother’s body had been three feet away from the stairs. I had made it to her before Levi pulled me away. She’d been dead for hours at that point, her body cold and laying in a pool of her own blood, her lifeless eyes staring. The bloodstains were gone now, but I swore I could remember the feeling of it soaking through my pants as I cried over her. Simon’s hand on my shoulder made me jump. “See anything useful?”