Charmed & Dangerous (6 page)

While I thought about the one hundred and one ways I could kill him, he summoned another spell to throw at me. Knocked me backward and nearly tripped on my own feet. Jerk. He was strong but absolutely no match.

Now why would someone send some half-assed warlock to fight me? Made no sense.

He raised his hands to throw another spell and I blocked it and threw it right back at him. Oops, he obviously hadn’t counted on that. Stupid warlock. The spell took him to his knees. Black sludge fell in tears down his face.

“You know, if you’re going to throw that nasty black crap around, you need to learn to protect yourself from it.” Idiot. The snow came down harder and a police cruiser pulled up. My wet hair curled around my face and my nose was cold.

I looked around to see everyone in the café pressed against the glass watching. Magical showdowns don’t happen often in public. We really do try to keep things behind closed doors.

The warlock still couldn’t move, and I explained to the officers what had happened. They called for a special unit that handled crimes of magic, and they let me go. I didn’t know if the warlock would die from his own black garbage, but I knew I had to get it out of my system. I couldn’t go home to renew, so I’d have to do the next best thing. I pulled out my cell and called Garnout.

“Hello, blessed one. I got sludged by a nasty warlock. Can you help me out?” I coughed. More had seeped in than I thought.

“Bronwyn, my dear, I’m always happy to help you.” Garnout’s kind voice rang in my ears. “I’m at the same place but upstairs in apartment twenty-four. I’ll get everything ready.”

“Thanks, Garnout. I’ll be there as soon as I can find a cab.” Before long I was on my way to be healed by the most powerful wizard I’d ever met.

Friday

Somewhere over Europe

Spells: 1

C
an I just say I’m happy that I’ve got two pilots sharing the duties of getting this beauty to Dubai? After Garnout’s whack ’em sack ’em potion last night, I would have never been able to fly this thing on my own.

I don’t feel bad, but I’m wiped out and need more rest to replenish my magic. I asked Garnout about the ingredients in the potion, but there are some things a great wizard never shares.

“Bronwyn, darling, I can’t tell you what’s in the potion. You know the wizard’s creed. But I’m more than happy to make a couple of extra vials for you to take on your journey.” He walked around the apartment picking up bottles of this and that and mixing it with a small mortar and pestle. “You’re going to feel nauseous and some pain. I’ve put a small amount of chamomile and blueberry in to help ease the discomfort.”

“I don’t care as long as it works.” I sat down on the red velvet sofa and looked around the room. Much like his shop, it was neat and tidy but filled to the brim with oddities he’d gathered in his many travels. “The last time I had to desludge myself it took three days.”

“Well, even for a high witch three days of purification is good. Most take at least a week. Now drink this.” He pulled at his graying beard, his green eyes kind and thoughtful. “In about five minutes you’ll think I tried to kill you, but in an hour you’ll feel good as new.”

Gave him a wary look and swallowed. The stuff tasted like pure ick as it slid down my throat. A bitter ginger flavor remained on my tongue.

“Now lie back on the couch there and be as still as possible. You’ll want to vomit, but best to hold it for as long as possible. The toilet is behind the door by the portrait of Beatrice.” He pointed across the room to a picture of an elegant woman with strawberry blonde hair, brown doe eyes, and flowing royal blue robes. From the loving way he looked at her, she must have been someone special.

“Garnout, why would they send someone so weak to fight me? The warlock I killed in Oslo was twice as strong as this one. He never had a chance.” My stomach roiled and I soon found myself in a fetal position trying to do deep breathing exercises to keep from throwing up.

“Ah, it’s working. I don’t know about the warlock, but I’ll do some checking. Could be someone’s put a bounty on your head again, and they’ll come crawling out of the woodwork. Remember the last time when that vengeful Sarafan wanted you dead? Every dark witch and warlock in the world descended on this city looking for you.

“You fought those battles and grew stronger with each one. As you no doubt will this time. I need to run to the shop for a bit, but I’ll be back to check on you. I wouldn’t leave, but I’ve got a new employee and he’s not quite adjusted to the clientele. Every time a dark lord or demon walks in he tries to kill them. Poor fellow can’t seem to distinguish between a tad evil and the really nasty fellows. Not good for business.” He gathered his coat.

As he walked to the door, he hesitated. I could tell he didn’t want to leave.

“Go, Garnout. I’ll be fine. I’m a big girl, and it’s just a little sludge.” I wrapped my arms tight around my stomach when the rumbling began.

He smiled and left. Good thing he wasn’t there five minutes later or I might have tried to kill him. Doubled over in pain, I cursed him—and his “special potion.”

Twenty minutes after sipping the potion, I ran for the bathroom. I swear Beatrice watched with a small smile on her face. I know those eyes moved across the room with me.

About an hour later my strength returned. Couldn’t say I felt 100 percent back to normal. The queasiness stayed with me for hours.

When he returned to his apartment I tried to repay his kindness, but he was insulted. “You’ve saved my loved ones more than once, young witch, and you owe me nothing.”

Guess he’s referring to the time I got his nephew out of a tight squeeze in Beijing. The kid had gone to study magic at the Okania School and hung out with the wrong crowd. Before he knew it, he’d been sold into the slave trade. Garnout made sure the human exporters no longer existed while I saved the kid’s life from some weirdo who liked to molest and kill young men. That was about six years ago and Garnout had been so grateful he set me up a meeting with the prime minister. The PM liked me and I’ve been protecting him ever since. When he, or one of his friends, calls, I go. And I’ve built a nice little business for myself.

Now I’m living the life of luxury sitting on a sofa in my own private jet, while the pilots plot a course across Europe. Okay, technically it’s not my jet, but this isn’t such a bad life. Of course, I’ve still got to find a way to give this baby back to the sheik, but for now I’m just going to wallow on the plush leather couches and maybe even take a nap. After I eat my big juicy steak and drink this champagne the sheik insisted be stocked on board. Yummers.

Saturday, noon

Dubai

Who would have thought all this sand would be so extraordinary? I expected desert, but honestly I’ve never seen anything like this. Out my window all I see is miles and miles of windswept dunes. It’s beautiful in a vast sort of way.

I’m expected at lunch. We got in really late so they were nice enough to let me sleep in this morning. That’s unusual considering Miles is a part of the “they.”

Guess I should get my butt in gear and find the dining room. It won’t be easy. From what I saw last night this palace in the sand has more rooms than most hotels. Wonder what’s appropriate to wear to lunch in a place like this?

Sunday, 3
P.M
.

Maybe it’s jet lag, but I could sleep for a week. The sheik and prime minster kept me in meetings for hours. These guys have no appreciation for the word
weekend
.

They wanted my opinion on security issues.

The problem lies with the sheik’s cousin. The jerk has gathered together some of the most powerful and evil warlocks in the world with one purpose in mind: to kill the very people I’m trying to protect. Man, that pisses me off.

“I thought he’d come after me because he wanted control of the family business,” Azir said of his cousin. “Now I know it’s about revenge.”

The prime minister didn’t say anything, but I couldn’t resist. “What happened?”

Azir leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms against his chest. The crinkling of his brow and frown on his face indicated he wasn’t comfortable sharing the story.

“Our mothers were sisters and very close. Years ago when I was at college in England, I received news from home that there had been some trouble.

“I returned here to discover that my uncle had nearly killed my aunt in a jealous rage. He’d been certain that another man glanced at her in town and he blamed her for the attention.

“I’m sure you know that my country doesn’t treat women fairly and my uncle had been perfectly within his rights to beat her into a coma according to our laws at the time.”

The PM and I sat stunned. Domestic violence is nothing new, but it’s hard to stomach when an entire country does nothing about it.

The sheik pushed away from his meal and ushered us into a plush garden sanctuary. Filled with exotic birds, palms, and a running brook, it was an oasis in the middle of his home. We sat at a small table and he continued his story.

“As I look back I’m certain I could have handled it better, but I was young.” Azir ran a hand through the waves of his black hair. His eyes had a faraway look as if the memories were just beyond his reach. “My mother suffered great grief by my aunt’s bedside, and you must know I adore my mother. ‘This cannot be allowed to happen again,’ she said. And I agreed.

“I went to my uncle’s home and confronted him. Threatened him, really. He pulled a knife to punish me for my insolence. I don’t think he intended to kill me, just wound me. There was a fight and he lost. My cousin, who was only fourteen at the time, had been hiding behind the door and saw the whole thing. Later that night his mother, my aunt, died.

“In her honor I opened the Women’s Hope Foundation to help those who have been abused begin new lives. I don’t know if my aunt would have accepted help, had she had any options. But I didn’t want another woman to suffer if she did desire to get out of her present circumstances.”

I picked up a flower that had fallen onto the table. “I had no idea you were behind that organization. It’s huge in America and there are success stories in the newspapers about women who you helped and then they went on to do great things.”

I shook my head. Here I thought this guy was all about business and I discover he’s trying to save the world. As obstinate and annoying as he could be, I found myself liking him. It didn’t hurt that he’s gorgeous.

“I’d like to take you both to visit the safe haven we’ve built here. But the organization has not made me popular among my countrymen, who have old-fashioned ideas about women’s rights. That, along with my research into solar power, has put me on several blacklists. This is why I need your help over the next several weeks.”

“Why is that?”

“I have a feeling it’s not just my cousin who is trying to kill me. While we try to unravel this mystery, I need your protection.”

“Sheik Azir, you’ve had my protection for a few weeks now, and you will until I round up all the bad guys.” Both men stood and I walked in the small garden with them.

Azir pulled on a leaf of a large palm tree. “I understand the prime minister must return to England tomorrow, but I would appreciate your staying for a while longer, Bronwyn. I need you here.”

I heard the desperation in his voice. Turning to face him, I almost toppled on a stone. “How long are you talking about?”

“Perhaps a week, maybe two.”

I blew out a breath. I’d expected to be here over the weekend but no longer. I had so much to do at home. Simone had emailed that she would be at my house on Tuesday.

“Please know you are a priority and I can protect you from wherever I am in the world. But I can’t stay here and ignore my other clients, or the work I do back in the States.” I touched his arm to take the heat out of the words and received a flash of energy that curled in my palm.

“I’m asking for two weeks, and you could very well save my life and the lives of several others in the process.” If he noticed that our skin touching had created heat he didn’t give any indication. From the look in his eyes I knew he held something back.

“Tell me why it’s so important. Why now?”

He opened his mouth and closed it again. Ripping to pieces the leaf he held, he told me, “My security detail discovered that someone plans to bomb some of the women’s shelters.”

I gasped. How could anyone be so cruel?

He continued. “You have to understand that I wouldn’t ask you to stay unless it was necessary. If you’re here and the people who are planning this are close, perhaps you can ‘tap into them,’ as you say.”

He had a point. The closer I was to the source, the more effective I could be. With so much at stake he was right. I couldn’t leave.

The PM spoke from behind me. “Bronwyn, I don’t see how you can turn the sheik down. Women around the world depend on that organization. Imagine what could happen if they have nowhere to go.”

The horror of the sheik’s story about his aunt came back and I saw it played out again a million times over. Simone would understand and hopefully so would Sam. I had to help these women and the sheik.

“Do you have any idea who might be behind the possible attacks?”

“At first I thought it might be my cousin because of what happened. But my people have been watching him and find no evidence of it.”

“If your people are watching him, why not eliminate that threat right away? The man did try to kill you.” I couldn’t believe he’d just let his cousin live after everything that had happened in Norway.

“He’s family. It’s even more complicated than I can explain.”

“I could have killed him in Norway if I had known about the warlocks protecting him. What’s the difference?”

The sheik turned away and pushed his hand through his hair again. If he didn’t tell me the truth I’d probe his mind.

The PM spoke up. “Azir, if you want Bronwyn to help, you must tell her everything.”

“I realize that, but—”

“Look, you can tell me or I can read your mind. Either way I’ll find out.” I stood with my hands on my hips.

The PM raised an eyebrow and I thought the sheik might blow a gasket. His head whipped around and those intense brown eyes bore into me.

“You can’t do that without my permission,” he whispered angrily.

“I’m not sure who told you that, but it’s wrong. Any ethics I have regarding reading minds are my own. There are no rules.”

“Well, this is my home and you are a guest and I do have rules. No reading minds!” He punctuated his words by pointing his finger.

I pushed his finger away. Stupid jerk. “See, now here we have a problem. I have issues with authority figures and people telling me what to do. If you’ll back off a minute you’ll only see I’m trying to help.”

The PM moved forward ready to step in, but the look in my eyes must have made him decide not to.

Rubbing his hand across his brow Azir whispered through gritted teeth, “If I say I’d prefer you wouldn’t read my mind while you’re here, would you listen?”

“Yes.” I smiled to defuse the situation. “But you need to tell me what’s going on.”

Just as he was about to speak, Miles walked out into the garden and interrupted. Damn twit.

“Sir,” he addressed the PM, “you have a call, and Sheik Azir, you’re needed in the office on the first floor. From what I understand it’s quite urgent.”

“Thank you, Miles. I’ll follow you in.” The PM walked to the door.

Azir started to do the same but turned to me. “We’ll talk after dinner tonight. I’ll tell you everything and there are some things I need to show you. But understand that you cannot tell anyone beyond these walls.” The worry in his eyes said it all.

“Your secrets are safe with me. I’ve taken an oath to protect you and in my world that covers everything.”