No More Black Magic (8 page)

I took a deep breath and tried not to think about the people around me. I knew this wasn’t sexual, it was ritual. The earth grounded us, made us closer to Mother Earth and the Goddess. It was the easiest way to reset ourselves. Normally, walking around barefoot did it for me. It was one of the great things about going to Levi’s, easy access to the undeveloped land. I took my clothes off and folded them. I handed them to Jack who placed them on a bench outside the circle limits.

I lay down and closed my eyes, feeling the circle close with a warm shiver over my body. We welcomed each of the elements in with the traditional welcome in each direction and asked the Goddess to grant us help with what we asked. They were words and traditions we all knew, and with each one we invited in, the magic grew.

Pain started to crawl up my spine and I knew it was because the hex was not welcomed in the circle. This cleansing was going to hurt, I had a feeling I’d be lucky if I didn’t end up in the hospital again. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the earth. The cold dirt felt soft under my naked skin. Little pebbles that were mixed in with the soil bit into me, but it wasn’t painful. No grass here to tickle me and the cold breeze blew through the clearing, brushing over my body. Despite the pain, I was calm. I could feel the Goddess’ presence welcoming me into the circle and into her arms.

Chanting filled the circle, each voice matching the other in perfect timing. I caught enough to know that they were starting the cleansing. They called on the salt of the earth and the blessing of the Goddess. The pain twisted and turned through my body, making my muscles feel like they were being torn apart.

My heart pounded and my breath caught in my throat. I felt a physical battle in my body as the cleansing tried to take hold. The pentagram heated up against my skin, but it was nothing compared to the pain ripping through me. A scream escaped my mouth as the pain made it to my head. I balled my hands into the dirt and prayed to the Goddess that the cleansing would work and that the pain would stop soon.

I could see the red runes in my mind. The Cult of Ra was honestly trying to kill me through this hex. The Goddess would not forgive them. I wasn’t exactly innocent in all my magic, but I’d never killed anyone with it. The pain started to fade as the words grew louder. A warm calm flowed through me like water, washing the pain away. I could physically feel the hex sliding off me and my aura. I could breathe again.

The chanting ended, but I didn’t move. I didn’t dare do anything to risk this. They dismissed the elements with each direction, thanking them and the Goddess for aiding us. Someone broke the circle. I cringed, waiting for the pain from the hex but nothing. I could still breathe and I could move if I tried.

I opened my eyes to see Clarissa looking down at me. “Abby? How do you feel?”

“Better. Much better.” I smiled and took a deep breath. “Damn, that hurt though.”

“You’d be wise not to activate anymore spells, regardless of if you get a message or not. Next time you might not be so lucky.” Michele said and crossed her arms. “I know you have your father’s research, but I suggest you leave it be once you’re done with your case.”

I didn’t want to think about that right now, but I needed to. I ignored the fact that her voice was reprimanding. “Once the case is done, I’m putting the Cult of Ra out of my mind and sight. My father’s research will be bound in a book and put in a locked case in the library at home.” Home. It’d been a long time since I referred to Levi’s place as that.

“Good. If you need any help, please let me know. I’d be happy to help you.” She smiled and I found myself suspicious.

I narrowed my eyes. “Clearly, they haven’t shared their rule with you. You don’t help me unless I start coming to gatherings.”

Jack laughed. “It would do you good. Community.”

I didn’t need anyone else to care about or worry about. “Yeah, a sense of community. Maybe once I get murderous cults off my back.” I went and grabbed my clothes, getting dressed and ignoring the itch I felt thinking they were staring at me.

“Thank you.” I said when I turned around, and I knew they heard the honesty in my voice. “I would be dead without your help tonight.”

They all nodded, but only Clarissa smiled. “You live to see another night! So what are you going to do with it? We can celebrate in the full moon light.”

As if on cue howls echoed in the distance and my mind wandered to Simon. “I promised someone that I would stay in and safe tonight. I was thinking wine and stupid TV.”

Clarissa nodded. “I’ll drive you home.” She turned and hugged everyone. “I’ll be back in a couple hours.”

I frowned. “I thought you had to stay with me all night.”

“That was if the spell was still on you. There’s no worry about you randomly being attacked.”

I raised a brow. “Well, in that case, take me to Simon’s and I’ll drive myself home.”

“Do you think that’s wise? You can be alone, but your house could be targeted.”

That was true, Levi did say that they’d checked out my house first before going to his place. “Ugh, okay, I’ll stay at the werewolf’s.”

Clarissa laughed as she led me back to the car. I could already feel the difference in my body without the hex on me, but there was no way I was going to take off my mother’s pentagram. Not until all of this was over.

I spent the night drinking wine in front of the TV. I didn’t expect Simon to be home that night and Clarissa only dropped me off. I wanted to take the night completely off, but I still had my notes spread around me. I hadn’t heard back from Detective Mason yet on those locations which meant either there wasn’t anything there or he hadn’t gotten a crew over there.

I leaned back and swirled my wine in the glass. Something wasn’t sitting right with me with Michele. I didn’t know my father had partners when it came to his research. His work wasn’t something people talked about often and for Michele to bring it up so casually raised my red flags. Seemed to me that the coven should have mentioned something about her to me. Of course the coven didn’t like me. Or so I thought. They went through a lot of work to save me tonight.

The Cult of Ra...

They went through an awful lot of work to try and kill me and I didn’t have the slightest clue why.

My phone buzzed and I glanced at it. Levi’s number flashed on the screen. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I just wanted to see how the meeting with the coven went.” It was strange that he was starting to check up on me, but honestly I knew he cared and the hex probably scared him.

“It went fine, I’m clean, was scolded about activating spells, met someone named Michele who said that she did research with my father. Know her?”

He was quiet on the other end of the line for a moment. I imagined that he was shifting through years of memories trying to bring up one. He was, after all, an old vampire.

“Yes, I do. I wasn’t aware that she was still alive. Your father talked like she had been killed.”

That wasn’t comforting. “And my mother?”

“Had never met her before. I’d be wary of her.” Levi warned, as if I didn’t already know.

I sighed. “I hate when my parents’ past comes up to bite me in the ass. I thought you were supposed to bury the past.”

“In your case, we should probably burn it.” He mumbled. “Clarissa staying or did she go back since you were cleansed?”

“She went back. You know her, she loves the gatherings. Tonight is the full moon, I’m sure they are working all kinds of spells.” I smiled and sipped my wine. “Don’t worry about me though. I’m at Simon’s watching stupid reality shows and drinking wine.”

He chuckled. “You’re taking the night off, but I know you.”

“Research, but that’s it, I swear. I’m waiting on Detective Mason to call me back. So unless you have anything for me, I’m free for the night.”

“Actually,” He started.

Ah ha! The truth comes out, I knew there had to be another reason for him calling.

“There’s a vampire in the territory that’s selling thrills downtown. I need you to locate him and put a stop to his antics.” Levi broke out his serious voice, the one devoid of all humor.

I took another sip of my wine and tried to imagine what selling thrills counted as. “Stop him how?”

“Put the fear of god into him and if that doesn’t work kill him.” He said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world, but killing wasn’t always my first choice of action.

I’ve killed people, I wasn’t proud of it and it all was out of self-defense or a life and death situation. Facing the rampaging werewolf last year, I didn’t really have a chance to reason with him. “I’ll get on it.”

“Thank you. Not tonight, you can start tomorrow.” He disconnected the call before I could ask any questions. I had no idea where to find a vampire downtown. Of course I could use my magic, or I could do what any logical human would. Go look and ask if someone knew where I could buy a thrill. Whatever the hell that meant.

I finished my wine and washed my glass out. I wouldn’t sleep until the sun came up and I had a couple hours before that would happen. I returned to the notebook and started putting my notes in order with my dad’s. I shuffled the papers and something fell out.

I picked up the old photo and looked at it. A picture of my mom and dad, their smiles shining through. They looked happy. Judging by the clothes it was a few years before I was born. Mom wasn’t wearing her ring and neither was dad. They weren’t even newlyweds yet.

I sighed. I missed them, even though I didn’t have them very long I missed them. Though I wondered what they got mixed up in that brought me here. I ran my finger across the photo and it shifted.

Not the people, no, but someone else appeared in the background. A smiling man whose head was thrown back in a laugh. I didn’t know him, but I knew the spell used to hide something in a photo. It was normally used to spread messages or spells in the days that witches were still being hunted.

Though many people thought witch hunting died during the time of the Salem trials, it didn’t. Hunters just became craftier. I tucked the photo away in my bag and made a mental note to ask Levi about it later. If anyone knew who it was, it’d be him. He was the closest person to my family.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!” Simon’s voice echoed through the house and made me jump.

I had fallen asleep on the couch again. I really needed to learn how to at least make it to the bed before I slept. Maybe I should have considered doing research in bed so when I fell asleep I was in the right spot. Of course, the guest room didn’t have a television. “Dear lord, why are you so happy after such a late night?”

“Had a great run, the pups did awesome, no one was eaten alive and now I’m here with a beautiful girl on my couch.” He sat down in the chair and wiggled his eyebrows at me. He looked perfectly clean and not like he’d been out most the night. It made me hate him for a moment.

I rolled my eyes and reached for my phone. “Holy shit, it’s three in the afternoon! Why didn’t you wake me earlier?”

“I just got home.” He shrugged. “Besides, I figured after your late night you could enjoy some sleep.”

That was true. It was nice to sleep in, but seriously, it was already late. I scrolled through the missed calls and notifications. I saw Detective Mason had called a few different times, clearly he didn’t want me sleeping in. Thank the Goddess for silent mode. “Did anyone know the werewolf victim?”

“Nope, so you’re on your own there.” He sighed and leaned back in the chair. “You’re all cleansed?”

I nodded. “Yep, as good as new and learned my lesson.” I snorted. “So you don’t have to follow me around, which is good, because it looks like I have a crime scene to go to.”

I stood and went to the spare room to get ready. I brushed my teeth and ran a quick hand through my hair. I’d grab a burger from somewhere for breakfast. I ran back through the living room and waved at Simon on my way out the door.

I called Detective Mason on my way out to the car. “Hey, sorry, long night, but I’m back to being a hundred percent.”

“I found something at the library. You’re not going to like it and I suggest you don’t wear good clothes.”

That sounded fantastic. “What about the other place I sent you?”

“Yeah, I’ll drive you out there when we’re done here. My men checked it out, but said there wasn’t anything they could see. Bill freaked out though.”

I frowned and pulled the car into the road. “Bill? Isn’t he the psychic?”

“He likes to be called a seer, but yeah.”

It was never good news when the psychic freaked out, at least if they were the real thing. That of course meant that I would find something with my magic there. Made me grateful that I was back at full strength.

“I’m on my way to the library now.”

“Also, Abby, I suggest you don’t eat.” He disconnected the call and I sat at a stoplight debating on if I should take his word for it. Normally Mason’s stomach was made of steel, so if he didn’t think I should eat I probably should heed the warning.

I gave a longing look as I drove past my favorite burger joint and continued to the library.

The flow of traffic moved swiftly, making my commute easy and almost enjoyable. I pulled into the parking lot at the library and saw all the police tape. It had to have been bad if they blocked off the main part of the library. I got out of the car and grabbed my badge from my bag.

I knew many of the police that were working the crowd and they waved me through. Unfortunately, I also knew the media people trying to get into the crime scene. Ah fuck, now they knew that there was something paranormal involved. I tried to cover my face as I moved under the yellow tape and to the entry of the library, but really, there was no fooling those people. My face and name would be plastered all over the media. Lovely. I hated the attention.

I made it to the entryway and showed my badge to the police officer at the door who didn’t know me. Once inside I clipped it on my belt and checked that my firearm was accessible. Not that I would need it here, I hoped.

I followed the strange amount of people who seemed to be standing around and found my way to the staircase. I walked down the dimly lit stairwell and found Mason standing at the bottom with his arms crossed.