Half Past the Witching Hour (Paranormal Personnel Saga #3) (22 page)

You have to tell her, you have to.

I wanted to respond, tell her that we were through. Nathaniel came for me, but our relationship had been damaged so many times. We were both pretending that our strong connection could change everything, but it only made our lives complicated. I didn’t have a chance to say what was on my mind. I was slowly drifting into sleep, listening to her calm voice.

I was awakened later, as the darkness settled outside. For a brief moment I had no idea where I was, but vivid memories rapidly piled up in front of my eyes, reminding me about everything that happened. The sheet smelled of lavender and lotus. I was still in the same hotel room where Nathaniel brought me after my near enough life-death experience. My whole body ached with pain. I felt long zooms of magic, prickling over my sensitive skin.

‘I want to know everything that went on last night.’

The voice startled me. It came out of nowhere sizzling my blood with a dose of fresh blossoming desire. Nathaniel was sitting on the chair by my bed, semi naked. In his right hand there was a glass of scotch and he was staring at me with burning fury.

‘How long have you been sitting here?’ I asked, aware of his apparent anger. ‘It’s not like I asked to wake up in the middle of the night, next to a dead body.’ He closed his eyes, breathing steadily. The vein on his neck throbbed through his sudden outrage. He switched back his ugly side, letting me know that I was his possession.

‘Julia, this isn’t a joke. If you force me I’ll call your father and then you won’t have any choice but to explain what’s happened to you,’ he snarled, placing his glass on the side table. Then he got up and walked to my bed.

‘I’ll explain, but you need to calm down first.’

‘I’m fucking furious with you, not as this matters right now. Trust me, you don’t want to see who I can became if I don’t get what I want,’ he said, touching my palm. I tried to tell him about my blackouts, explain what was going on but he didn’t believe me.

‘Do you remember the auction and our conversation in that box room…’

I started talking, explaining about everything from the very beginning. He listened, clenching his fists, baring his teeth. I talked, not slipping through any details, from the moment I woke up on the floor in my kitchen, remembering the blood on my hands.

Nathaniel’s face shifted, from angry to pale as I talked about Gordon. There was no point hiding anything. He had to find out about our unique connection.

When my voice started shaking, he climbed into the bed with me and pulled me to his chest. For a moment I was seeing Abi’s face and her wide open eyes. I was the one that murdered her, the evidence was clear that I was the one involved.

‘This is beyond what I imagined,’ he replied, quietly shaking his head. ‘Why didn’t you mention anything earlier when we—’

‘Were fucking?’

He growled, running his hand over my back.

‘Yes, when we had sex, the best sex of our lives.’

I pulled away from him, aware that my energy illuminated, pumping out of me.

‘We have to stop pretending that this is okay. You’re engaged and I’m in a relationship. We were good together, but that’s past. You trigger my energy and I can’t afford to hurt any more people. Tron assured me that after the incident with Ella I wouldn’t have any more blackouts,’ I said, raising my voice, angry that he drifted off from the important subject, wanting to talk about us again.

‘That elf isn’t a god. He was wrong. I don’t fucking believe you were convinced that he helped you,’ he argued, running his hand through his hair.

‘I’m worse when you’re close. We can’t argue about that.’

’I’m going to call Meredith now and tell her about us and then you’re going to do the same. Then we will deal with your magic. I know people, have resources. We don’t have to rely on Tron,’ he said and reached for his phone by the dresser.

‘No, we will not do anything about our situation,’ I insisted. ‘It’s not just the blackouts; I had visions. I’ve seen a fire in my parents’ home. My mother was burning alive and Tron believes that’s it’s in my future.’

‘Let me talk to people that I know. Find out if they can help. You nearly died today and you don’t know what that bastard Gordon would do to you if you hadn’t escaped.’

A cold chill rushed over my spine when I thought about those stone cold eyes that penetrated my soul, feeding on my energy. I was lucky, really lucky, because eventually he would have gotten anything he wanted from me.

‘I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about the training. I can’t let you get muddled up with this. It’s not only about me; it’s also about Ella!’

Nathaniel eventually agreed that it was best for me to keep my sessions with Tron open, but I knew that he was already planning to get in touch with people that he mostly relied on. He made me get back to sleep, telling me that he was going to take care of everything, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

When I fell asleep again I stayed away from dreams and nightmares. In the late morning I opened my eyes, feeling stronger but still aching everywhere. My feet looked terrible, but the stitches were even and the healer promised that I wouldn’t have any scars. Nathaniel was the one that charged my magic that was glowing through me now, increasing my heartbeat. He was asleep snuggled into me, his breaths even.

This was what I’d always dreamed of: waking up in the morning in his arms, calm and turned on. For many days after he left for Geneva, I kept telling myself that we were never compatible. Elf and vampire, a relationship like ours didn’t exist. We weren’t supposed to be together.

The smell of mint, lime zest and lemon caused an eruption of those old emotions that I desperately wanted to keep away. And then…just like that, with a switch of the light my shocking, possessive desire swirled inside me. I forgot about the rough night and my injuries, dismissing my promises that we wouldn’t be sleeping together anymore. Quiet sensuality brewed in me, pulling me out of the darkness.

I tried to move slightly, not to wake him up, but he rolled on top of me and started kissing my neck, so gently, thoroughly licking every inch of that sensitive spot. He was fully awake, growling hoarsely. Giggling, I pushed him away and dived under the covers, kissing his ripped stomach, rolling my tongue over his abdominals. It was a meaningless path of destruction, but he clouded my reasonable side, shutting down any hesitation.

‘Firecracker, what are you doing to me?’

He moaned as I stroked his nipples, plugging kisses around them. I was drunk just being there tasting him again, high on magic that needed to be released again. He deepened his long fingers into my hair and moaned words in French, luring me with the narcotic power of his voice. He growled, tensing his muscles when my fingers brushed over the waistband of his boxers.

He was fully erect and I craved to feel him inside me, but I wanted to pleasure him, igniting his hunger. I pulled down his boxers and started running my tongue over his hardness, gently at first, tasting and savouring it. The throbbing between my legs continued wrecking my senses.

I took him into my mouth, running my tongue over the tip of his hardness.

‘God, I’m going to explode, Julia,’ he moaned, as I started moving my head up and down, licking his length all over. I was so turned on focusing entirely on his pleasure. He stretched his hips and I continued to stroke on, losing my breath. When he was close, I dived out from under the covers and continued giving him a hand job until he came. I grabbed a tissue from the dresser and cleaned him up discreetly.

‘You’re going to regret this, in a good way, my firecracker,’ he growled, pulling me towards his chest. ‘We need to get rid of these.’

He was talking about my knickers, and before I could protest, he pulled me on top of him, his breath heavy, the air sticky, and our sweaty bodies slamming together with burning lust. Then he was kissing me violently, starving for more; his kisses held the promise of fulfillment. His husky voice whispered want and need. The cracks of magical energy began moving over my exposed skin. He turned me around and dived into my breasts, kissing and nibbling my nipples. I cried out, hearing something crack, but I didn’t care, because his hand was dipping in between my legs.

‘Don’t worry, I’m just starting out,’ he said with a wicked smile and then thrust his two fingers inside me, as his thumb started circling my wetness. My head started to swim and I moaned as the fire inside me grew brighter. My energy ran through my body, making my skin hypersensitive to his touch. The heat between my legs throbbed and I tried to breathe, but I couldn’t stop thinking that if he didn’t stop I was going to come. His lips were on mine again and I panted as my release was close.

‘What are you doing? You’re an arsehole,’ I shouted, when he stopped doing all these wonderful things to me.

‘Shhhh, stop being impatient. I’m planning to fuck you all day long until you can’t take it anymore,’ he whispered and he pushed my legs apart with his knee, thrusting himself inside me. Nathaniel was a man who savoured my pleasure. He pushed me to the edge of climax, taking control of my energy, and kept torturing me until I pleaded for him to stop.

Many more orgasms later, I fell exhausted on the bed, drenched with sweat and soaked with his scent. We lay next to each other naked and high on love, knowing that this couldn’t continue. It was late afternoon, when Nathaniel ordered room service and forced to me eat breakfast.

‘I have to go home today. I’ve been out since last night and Quentin probably left me tons of messages,’ I said as the quilt slowly settled back. For the first time since I woke up I took a closer look at the space around me. Cream carpets, large bed and pink wallpaper. Nathaniel chose wisely, staying away from the kind of place where he would be expected to show up. He got out of bed and put on his boxers and jeans.

For a blissful moment we enjoyed the food and each other’s company, but then his blackberry started vibrating. He took one look at it and frowned, rejecting the call.

‘It’s Meredith; she called?’ I asked, swallowing the food. I kind of lost my appetite as the realisation of this fucked up situation hit me again, punching my guts. I tried to imagine how Quentin would react if I’d revealed to him that I’d been sleeping with my ex-boyfriend, who was also my current employer. Every time I played this scene in front of my eyes, it made me feel more damaged that I’d ever been.

Nathaniel didn’t reply straight away and his silence only confirmed it.

‘I’m ready to talk to her, but you keep saying to wait,’ he stated, sounding angry.

‘One problem at the time. I can’t break Quentin’s and Meredith’s happy lives right now, especially after what happened last night,’ I said. The fire was a threat and Tron had promised me that the blackouts were under control; now everything changed.

‘I think you should let me talk to those guys. I have to check them out, find out what they actually want from you.’

‘And what are you going to tell them? That we fuck from time to time? Tron can read me. He always knows if I was with you, or not.’

‘I have connections. I can figure out what they want and maybe you should talk to your father. Tell him that you don’t feel safe and let him assign a few officers outside your apartment.’

‘You cannot be serious. My father has no idea what kind of mess I’m in,’ I said, shaking my head.

Nathaniel folded my blond hair around his finger, looking at me. ‘In that case, I’ll hire someone, and I don’t even want to listen to your arguments. Gordon won’t forget that you got away. He knows your scent and he will look for you because you caught his interest. Gordon doesn’t forget, Julia.’

I didn’t like the sound of what he was proposing, but Gordon petrified me. Dad had been hunting him since I could remember.

‘Then I have to practise, use every free evening that I can get. The blackouts will continue to happen if I don’t train.’

‘You do what you please, Julia, but if you think that I’ll stand by and watch how you keep hurting yourself, then you’re insulting me. You’re mine and I don’t want to lose you.’

He was frustrating, but I knew him too well to believe that he would give up. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut, because now he was involved, more than I wanted him to be. We didn’t stay in the hotel room any longer. A few hours later Roberto dropped me at my place. Nathaniel needed to get back to Meredith.

I was expecting to see Quentin in my apartment, but for some reason he didn’t show. I felt that I owed him an explanation. I’d been dragging the truth for so long. Quentin was a decent man, who deserved someone better than me. I wasn’t surprised when I got inside and found several missed calls from him and Kate. My stomach turned as I stared at my phone, wondering what I was going to tell people that loved me, when I heard a loud knock on my door.

‘Come on, Julia, it’s Kelsie; open up!’

I hurried to the door. Kelsie barged inside, looking angry.

‘So you’re alive. Great. Thanks for letting me know. Now I can leave,’ she shouted.

‘Hey, hold on. I just walked through the door, right at this minute.’

She placed her hands on her hips, eyeing me suspiciously. She was out of breath and looked like she’d run all the way here.

‘What? What do you mean? Where the hell have you been since Sunday night and why did my boyfriend call your ex to come rescue you?’

There were the questions, uncomfortable questions that I could no longer ignore.

You have to tell her, you have to.

Oh, Ella, if I could just explain everything.

I opened my mouth to start my pathetic story when she slammed her hands over her face, widening her eyes.

‘Oh my God! You are sleeping with him!’

I didn’t even have to say anything. My guilt was written all over my face.

‘Kelsie, please. Sit down first before you judge me,’ I began, trying to explain that we couldn’t help loving the wrong people, but Kelsie looked like she was ready to slap me.

‘No, Julia, please tell me that I’m wrong. I’m the one that sleeps around, not you,’ she shouted, pacing my apartment. ‘And for the record, this was before I started going out with Michael.’

I exhaled, looking at her, trying to tell her how all of this mess began.

‘Why would you do this to Quentin?’ she shouted, shaking her head. I didn’t expect her to understand, and I felt like she stabbed me right in my gut. Quentin was part to my life. Kel was right—how could I do this to him?

‘I didn’t plan this, but we kept meeting each other in all these random places and I kept saying that he made a mistake. Then I went away for a romantic weekend away with Quentin. I was supposed to forget about Nathaniel, relax, then Quentin had to leave, because his partner had an accident,’ I began, pausing to gather my thoughts. ‘I had no idea that Nathaniel had followed me, but then he showed up in my hotel room shouting that he loved me, like he could never admit this to himself.’

My story was lame, and I knew that Kelsie was upset finding out like that. It was clear that I shouldn’t have gotten involved with Quentin in the first place. I kept pretending that I was over Nathaniel, when it just wasn’t the case.

‘In love? Oh come on. He chose another woman because he loved you?’

‘God, Kelsie, please stop telling me that I’m an idiot. I fucking love him and I can’t help it, even if he isn’t right for me. Sometimes we keep falling for people that are destructive and wrong. I don’t expect you to understand.’

She rubbed her hands over her tights, biting her lip.

‘I love Michael, too, but you’re fucking stupid. Nathaniel is never going to be fully available. He is your obsession, and you won’t let anyone else in. La Caz is destroying your life. I’m telling you to end this, before it’s too late.’

‘He is going to leave Meredith, but I need more time. Quentin—’

‘He might leave her, but we both know that you fuck guys like La Caz and end up marrying guys like Quentin. That’s the truth; take it or leave it, Julia, but I’m right.’

I shook my head knowing that she was right. Nathaniel chose to marry a girl like Meredith, not me. I didn’t see it so plain and simple.

‘You’re tough, Julia, and you’re going to make the right decision. Don’t let him play you. It’s not worth it.’

She was gone before I had a chance to tell her that I went too far and now I had no idea how to end this affair. I threw my shoe across the room, feeling frustrated and angry. The ship had already sunk in shallow ground. It was just a matter of time before someone found out, and I had to make a decision.

The next day was my day off, so I spent it trying to get through to Quentin. He didn’t answer my phone calls at all that day. Nathaniel thought that we were together, and he was waiting for a signal from me. It didn’t matter that I loved him. I couldn’t continue falling back to the same destructive routine.

I went to Quentin’s house instead of talking to him over the phone. He didn’t look too happy to see me. Gomez wasn’t helping either when he asked me if I was planning to ditch Quentin. After that comment Quentin threw Gomez out to the garden and didn’t let him in until midnight. By that time we made up and I just couldn’t break up with him. I was pathetic.

On Wednesday I walked through the door afraid to look at Kate. I’d changed. A few months ago I cared about my friends, now I couldn’t even face Kate. Kelsie promised to keep Kate out of my latest blackout and the fact that I had an affair with Nathaniel. Thoughts about the fire, blood, and Abi were in my head all day. Kate was too busy to notice my distraction. I had no idea how to prevent my vision from becoming real, but later on at home I looked for an answer online, searching through a paranormal digital library, hoping to find the right spells. Tron said he was there to help me, but I was losing faith. Nathaniel might have been right. I knew nothing about him. He showed up in my life unexpectedly and out of nowhere. I didn’t find any answers online. I wasn’t sure if I should let Tron know that I blacked out again. Nothing had changed since I started seeing him. I was still a killer.

Later that evening when I switched on TV, the story about Abi’s murder was all over the news. I started shaking when Dad appeared on the screen. He normally didn’t give any interviews, so I was gobsmacked when he started talking about this case on the main BBC channel.

‘This murder has shaken up the whole community. Abi was quiet girl who worked as a recruitment consultant in North London. She was found stabbed to death in the early hours of the morning with the suspect. Unfortunately the suspect escaped. We are appealing to the public to let us know if anyone has seen anyone suspicious near the crime scene.’

Dad was probably under a lot of pressure. Dead bodies had been piling up on him and his investigation was going nowhere. I wanted to help him, but I had no idea how.

In order to deal with my anxiety, I started cleaning the house. I went to the wardrobe and took out my massive Hoover. If my grandmother saw me now she would disapprove, stating that I should have used my magic, but I was too freaked out to even think about using my energy again.

In the morning my head was pounding and I felt like I hadn’t slept at all. My excess magic was back. I felt it in my bones, as it spread fast, igniting my blood. I could feel it when I was moving my cramped muscles. My mind was clouded with dreams that didn’t make much sense in the morning. I got up knowing that I had work and there was no way that I was taking a sick day.

On my way to the office I started reading a morning paper, recent articles reminded me about Abi’s dead body. Murders. I was in the centre of two violent homicides. Maybe my memory was letting me down, but I had blood on my hands, and I couldn’t deny it. Anxiety kicked in when I thought about the fire. It scared me that I didn’t know if my mother was safe or not. On top of that I sill hadn’t dealt with Nathaniel and Quentin. I had to end my explosive relationship with Nathaniel and then confess to Quentin. I didn’t see any other way.

‘Rough night?’ Kate asked, when I entered the office.

Do I really look that bad?

‘Couldn’t sleep. My magic was driving me insane,’ I said. I had to stop lying to people about my life. Everyone was only trying to help, but I kept making up stories, pretending that I was fine.

‘So when are you moving in with Quentin? That poor giant has been waiting for you to talk about it for weeks now,’ she added, while I looked through the post on my desk.

‘Don’t know yet. I don’t think I’m ready,’ I said, not looking at her. I didn’t think that I could tell her that moving in together was never going to happen.

‘Fair enough.’

I felt like an idiot, but I kept telling myself that it was for the best, that I didn’t have to pull Kate into my messy life. Our morning was hectic; by the time Sara arrived we had a full house. Giants, trolls and elves were queuing to register for our latest vacancy. Kate managed to win the business with another call centre and the employer needed at least a dozen paranormals.

We were busy right until lunchtime, and when I finally managed to get out to grab something to eat I was relieved. I tried to call Ella, but her phone was going straight to voicemail. My headache only got worse and the tingling in my body didn’t stop. I repeated the spell that Tron taught me, afraid that I might have another blackout. On my way back to the office I told myself that either I’d confess to Quentin or end ties with Nathaniel by the end of this week. I had two more days.

‘Julia. Good, you’re here. I need to talk to you,’ said the voice that caused so much turmoil in my life recently. Nathaniel was sitting on the sofa in the reception area, probably waiting for me. I glanced back at Kate, who was burning with anger, tapping her magic wand over her desk viciously fast.

‘I told Mr. La Caz that you were very busy and he had to make an appointment,’ Kate snarled, standing up. A few cracks of electricity escaped from her wand.

‘My matter is urgent. Besides, if I want to talk to Miss Taylor, I don’t need an appointment,’ Nathaniel snapped, tensing his jaw. Right now for Kate, La Caz was our most important client, and she had to be polite, but I didn’t think that she cared. Nathaniel was the guy that broke my heart and her hatred towards him was very apparent.

‘It’s all right, Mr. La Caz. We shall go to the interview room where we can talk,’ I said quickly, ignoring Kate’s burning stare. When I touched his arm my skin prickled. I knew that I’d be facing lots of questions from my friend later on, but I had no choice. Nathaniel was persistent and he always got what he wanted. I chose the office at the back, and my stomach rolled when I thought about the last time we were in this room together.

‘You can’t just come in here demanding to talk to me. No one knows about us!’ I hissed. He looked delicious with his navy suit, pinning me down with his heavy hazel eyes. My breath came short, but I dismissed the desire, hoping that I could get rid of him fast.

‘I’m going to talk to Meredith today, Julia. I can’t fucking do this anymore. You need someone to take care of you,’ he said, attacking me with his scent. We had sex not long ago, and I wasn’t supposed to be all that bothered, but every time I saw him, it was like I wanted him all over again.

‘No this is not a good time. Tell her if you want, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll jump into your bed straight away. I can’t be in a relationship right now. My life is out of control.’

‘This is what you always wanted. A relationship and us together and I’m giving it to you,’ he growled.

‘Yes, but not like this. You had your chance, but you blew it, and I’m tired of being the second choice,’ I said, knowing that I had to be straight and cold. ‘We aren’t going to see each other anymore, Nathaniel, and I mean it.’

It was time to end this silly romance. I should have done it weeks ago.

‘He won’t like that you’ve been fucking me all the time you were with him,’ he snapped narrowing his eyes.

‘Maybe he won’t, but at least I’ll be honest with him. I’m fed up with constant lies.’

‘Julia, come on. I love you and you love me. That’s how it works. I didn’t realise what I had, but now I get it.’

Now he gets it. Now after two attempts he finally understands what I want. Oh well, too late.

‘I’m backing off, Nathaniel. People are getting hurt. You are aggravating my magic, disturbing it. My life is too complicated, and I don’t need you in it, so please leave before I call my father to throw you out.’

He was beside me before I could anticipate his next move. He wrapped his scent all over me. His arms were around my waist, his hardness pressed over my hip. I closed my eyes, knowing that I couldn’t give up now. I had to be strong.

‘Firecracker, please. We can be happy together. I talked to a friend about the blackouts. He said he could help. Meredith doesn’t mean anything to me.’

I learned that when I was around him, I had no control, but when he pinned me with his strong body I saw my mother burning alive, and that image did it for me. I’d learned a lot in those past two years.

‘No. You’re not going to help me or get your buddies involved. We were over when you chose Geneva, so please leave and let me deal with my life.’

I didn’t wait for his response. Instead I left the room and kept walking back to my desk, feeling like my heart was going to split in two. He hated when people walked away from him, but at that point I couldn’t keep arguing.

I didn’t expect him to do anything after that. We had nothing else to talk about, but what came next surprised even me. He came after me from behind and slammed me to his chest. Then his lips were on mine and he kissed me hard, his tongue slipping into my mouth. This mind-blowing kiss lasted only for a few seconds. When I was ready to pull away, he stopped and left before I could make out what happened.

Kate’s jaw was literally on the floor. My magic was whipping through me fast and a few clients sitting by the entrance were staring. It was his last goodbye kiss and I accepted it. Our affair was officially over.

Kate couldn’t start bombarding me with questions about Nathaniel’s visit because she had clients that she had to take care of. She kept staring at me, gripping her magic wand at the same time. I felt like crap, but I knew this was for the best, now I had to just confess to Quentin that I was a whore.

‘If he can kiss like that, I can’t even think what he can do in bed,’ whispered the witch at the end of the registration to another. I could hear her loud and clear, but I chose to ignore it.

Tron led me to believe that someone else disturbed my energy and every time I was around Nathaniel my magic went crazy. He was my addiction, my food, but sometimes we had to give up things that we desired the most. Sara went on flapping about Nathaniel for the next ten minutes, contemplating if he was going to come back. As soon as the last client left I was ready to deal with Kate’s questions.

‘What the fuck, Julia? How does he dare to come here, disturb you while you working and even touch you?’

‘It was a goodbye kiss. I declined his offer.’

This was the truth, but if she was going to ask me if we were sleeping together I didn’t think that I could lie. ‘He was ready to leave his fiancée for me. He said that he finally understood what I wanted.’

Kate normally didn’t swear, but what came out of her mouth in the next thirty seconds was disturbing. She called him all the names under the sun, but I’d have preferred if she would slag me off instead.

‘Obviously you’re not that stupid, Julia. I’m proud of you for throwing him off. This self-centred bastard deserves to know his place,’ Kate added, then she told Sara to shut up.