The Witch Is Back (20 page)

“And you didn’t even call to tell me?” she demanded, following me into the front of the store. I glanced at the clock on the wall and noticed we had five minutes until my client was due.

“Well, I didn’t really have time to call you, Chris.” I shot her a look over my shoulder. “I mean, I am late this morning, in case you didn’t notice.”

She muttered something unintelligible, but I couldn’t say my mind was on her. Instead, I couldn’t help but
focus on the beautiful woman who had just walked through my front door.

With her arms crossed against her chest, she didn’t look happy. Well, happy or not, she was unarguably stunning. She looked like one of those femme fatales in the James Bond movies—perfect hourglass figure, large breasts, tiny waist, and generous hips. Her oval face finished in a square jaw and extremely high cheekbones, which emphasized her incredibly shapely, full lips. Her hair had a reddish tinge but was overall dark, and she had to have the most beautiful skin I’d ever seen. She was dressed in fitted black slacks and a low-cut, ivory satin blouse with heels that were so high, she appeared to be over six feet tall.

But despite her incredible beauty, there was something hard about her, something bitchy.

“Which one of you is Jolie Wilkins?” she asked, glancing between us. She had an American accent, which surprised me; her looks gave her a certain foreign vibe.

“Um, that’s me,” I answered and stepped forward.

She arched a brow at me, taking me in from head to toe and frowned, seemingly unimpressed. “Sinjin sent me.”

“You know Sinjin?” I asked, feeling my heart plummet to the floor. Almost immediately, jealousy began to well up within me.

How does she know Sinjin? And furthermore, why is Sinjin carrying on with such an incredibly beautiful woman?

They must have been an item in the past
.

Who knows, maybe they’re an item now?

Don’t think that or you’ll just drive yourself crazy. Besides, it isn’t fair to Sinjin to just make assumptions
.

Remember what happens when you assume. You make an ass of
u
and
me.

I shook my head, forcing the voices to shut the hell up.

“Yes, I know Sinjin,” the mystery woman said hurriedly, like it was a given since she was here and he’d apparently sent her.

“Who are you?” I asked, not liking the fact that she knew who I was and yet I had no clue who she was or why she was here. “And why did Sinjin send you?”

She glanced at me and then at Christa, as if she wasn’t sure if she should say certain things in front of my friend.

“Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of her,” I managed.

The woman narrowed her eyes. “I’m Bella Sawyer, and I’m here to perform a protection spell on you.”

“You’re a witch?” Christa piped up, sounding like a five-year-old, excitement brewing in her tone.

Bella faced her but said nothing, merely scowled. It was pretty apparent she was a witch, and just then, I registered her electric blue aura, which I hadn’t even noticed. No, I’d been too busy sizing her up and feeling dejected and jealous all at the same time.

Apparently dismissing Christa as unimportant, she faced me again. “Sinjin told me about your little visit from the warlock, which is why I’m here.”

“Rand,” I said. She nodded, taking a few steps closer to me as she eyed the surroundings of my store and frowned with distaste.

“Yes. Apparently Sinjin doesn’t want a repeat of Rand’s last visit. That’s why he called me.”

“When you say a protection spell …” I started.

She huffed, apparently annoyed that we weren’t getting down to business. But before anyone put any sort of spell on me, I had to understand just what that meant.

“Think of it as a magical restraining order. The warlock won’t be able to get within twenty feet of you.”

I felt myself sigh in relief, grateful that Sinjin seemed to think of everything. Just as quickly as the relief overwhelmed me, another feeling reared its unwanted head,
which was hard to describe. It was maybe something of a cross between regret and sadness. I trampled the feeling down, though, because it was ludicrous. Rand wanted to control me. Sinjin had said so himself. I glanced at Bella as it suddenly occurred to me that maybe I shouldn’t be so trusting of her either. I mean, how did I know Sinjin had sent her and not Rand? Maybe this was some sort of setup, and she was really going to drug me with her witchcraft. Who knew where I’d end up? “How do I know you are who you say you are or that you were really sent by Sinjin?”

Bella frowned and glanced at her watch, obviously wanting to get the message across that she had places to go and people to bespell. Well, join the club. I still had a client who was probably going to walk in any second.

“Check your cell phone,” she ordered. “You should have a message.”

Surprised, I glanced at Christa. She reached for my purse underneath the counter, handing it to me. I fished through it until I found my cell phone. I clicked the voice-mail button and listened.

“Good morning, my love,” Sinjin’s voice rang out. “A witch under my employ, Isabella Sawyer, will be visiting you today. I apologize for not giving you adequate notice but I am worried by the warlock’s visits. Isabella is a very capable witch and will ensure your protection. I apologize that I could not introduce you both in person. I do hope you understand.” He paused for a second or two. “Last evening was magical, little poppet.”

He hung up and I turned the phone off, facing Bella. “I didn’t know he’d called.”

She frowned again. “He contacted me early this morning before the sun came up. Apparently you were sleeping.” Then she eyed me up and down again, her expression one of repugnance, as if she were beholding Jabba the Hutt. She was, no doubt, shocked that girl-next-door
me was now Sinjin’s newest flavor. At that moment I knew Bella Sawyer and I would never be friends. And it was also at that moment that I realized that she realized Sinjin and I were sleeping together. I couldn’t seem to find it in myself to be embarrassed.

She clapped her hands together as if we were now moving to step two.

“Do you believe her?” Christa asked me, reminding me that she was still in the room. She was eyeing Bella with daggers.

I smiled at Christa, appreciating the fact that my best friend was so protective. Then I glanced at Bella and nodded as I approached her. “We can go in the reading room.”

“Um, you do have another client coming in soon,” Christa announced.

I gulped and nodded, thinking this might be an issue. “Can you just have him or her wait for a few minutes?”

“Her,” Christa corrected.

“Maybe offer her some coffee and make small talk,” I finished.

Chris nodded and glaring once more at Bella, returned her attention to the
Vogue
magazine that was spread out on the counter.

I started for the hallway, Bella just behind me.

“I’ll be out here if you need me,” Christa called.

“Thanks, Chris,” I answered as I faced the reading room. When I opened the door, the darkness seemed to accost me; it took a second or two for my eyes to adjust to the red lightbulb that fought against the otherwise pitch blackness. Approaching the reading table, I pulled out the chair for Bella as I took a seat on the opposite side.

She motioned for my hands. “I need to touch you in order for the spell to work.”

I nodded, giving her my hands. I felt a slight pinch of
electricity flow through me, which automatically reminded me of the first time I’d touched Rand—how his electricity had jolted through me and how overcome I’d been by my feelings toward him.

Do you think this could be a mistake?
I heard my inner voice.

No, Rand wants nothing more than to control me, and who knows how desperate he’ll get. Who knows what he’s capable of
.

But what if what he said was true? What if you really should trust him? What if those feelings you get around him are valid?

They aren’t. Now stop talking, stupid voice!

“So Rand won’t be able to ever get near me again?” I asked, suddenly impatient to get this show on the road.

Bella closed her eyes and nodded. “That’s the plan.”

“How foolproof is this?” I continued, worry lacing my voice. Hey, it wasn’t like I’d ever been on the receiving end of a spell before …

She opened her eyes as she dug her nails into my hands. “I am an extremely powerful witch,” she barked, clearly offended. “It’s foolproof.”

I swallowed hard. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”

“Close your eyes,” she said, obviously still affronted. “And focus on receiving my power.”

“How do I do that?”

She shook her head and grumbled something unintelligible. “Just clear your mind, and for God’s sake, stop talking.”

I frowned but closed my eyes and did my best not to think of anything, which was damn hard to do. My brain instantly switched into overdrive with thoughts of everything from what I was going to eat for lunch to what relationship this woman had with Sinjin. Finally I was able to focus on the blackness of my eyelids.

“It’s done,” Bella announced and dropped my hands, standing up.

I glanced up at her in surprise. “That’s it?”

“Yes,” she said impatiently.

“I didn’t feel anything.”

“You weren’t supposed to.”

Somehow I just couldn’t fathom that there hadn’t been any sign at all that I’d just been bewitched. I mean, she hadn’t even chanted or done anything resembling hocus-pocus. “Are you sure you did it right?” I asked and then gulped at her expression of pure hostility. “There wasn’t anything I was supposed to say or you were supposed to say or some potion I should have drunk?”

She started for the door. “I hope Sinjin knows what he’s doing,” she said and turned to face me, scowling as she exhaled her pent-up frustration. Then before I could respond, she walked out of the reading room. Moments later I could hear the sound of the front door closing behind her.

If I’d thought my dealings with Bella Sawyer were over, I was sorely mistaken. That evening marked meeting number two, and to say I was disappointed was an understatement.

After getting off work, going home and showering, feeding the cat and myself, I headed for Sinjin’s. I wanted to throw my arms around him and forget the stresses of the day in his embrace. So you can imagine my frustration when he announced we were due at Bella’s house momentarily. He escorted me to his Ferrari and, once we were en route, glanced over at me with that winning smile of his.

“Isabella is going to act as your teacher, love,” Sinjin responded when I gave him a pouty face that said just how much I was looking forward to this.

“I thought you were my teacher,” I replied.

He chuckled and shook his head. “There are only so many subjects I can teach you, my pet. Unfortunately witchcraft is not among them.”

I just nodded but didn’t say anything more. I glanced out the window, getting lost in the scenery as it blurred past, and wondered about my life. It was like I’d just woken up one day and everything was turned upside down. Well, more like inside out.

I felt Sinjin’s hand on my thigh and glanced up at him. He smiled over at me as his attention moved from my face to my bust and down to my legs. “I dreamed of you today, poppet,” he whispered.

“I didn’t know vampires could dream,” I said.

He just nodded. His eyes seemed to glow with the whiteness that meant that he was either angry or aroused. “I dreamed of being inside you, feeling you writhing beneath me.”

I swallowed hard and damned Bella to hell for even existing. “Why do you have to talk like that when we aren’t going to be alone anytime soon?” I demanded grumpily.

Sinjin chuckled. “All in due time, my pet, all in due time.”

Before I could say another word, he pulled up in front of a plantation-style three-story home that looked like something out of a magazine. “Is this where Bella lives?” I asked, shocked.

“It is,” Sinjin said as he turned the car off and opened and closed his door, materializing in seconds at my side. He opened the car door for me and helped me up, offering a chaste kiss on my lips as he closed the door behind me. “We will not tarry long.”

I just frowned and accepted his arm as we approached the front door. He rang the bell and Bella opened it instantly,
pasting on a smile as soon as she saw him. Once she saw me, her smile dropped.

“What a pleasant surprise,” she said in a way that made it pretty apparent there was nothing pleasant about the surprise at all. Well, about the me part of the surprise anyway.

“How did the spell go?” Sinjin asked and helped himself into her house. She stepped out of the way and looked pissed off.

“Do you doubt me?” she asked, obviously miffed.

He faced her and smiled. “Of course not.” Then he turned to me and motioned for me to come in. “Poppet, stop lolling about.”

I didn’t say anything but nodded a small greeting to Bella and stepped into her vestibule, craning my neck as I took stock of my surroundings. She breathed out what sounded like irritation and started forward, Sinjin just beside her and me bringing up the rear. We walked into her living room and she took a seat on her sofa, crossing her legs seductively as she stared up at Sinjin. I couldn’t catch his reaction since his back was to me, so instead I turned to take in the room’s furnishings. The ceilings were incredibly high and with the white tile floors, white slip-covered furniture, and bright white walls, the whole place felt like a hospital—antiseptic and cold.

“Isabella, I want you to cast a spell in order to judge the Lurker threat,” Sinjin said, all matter-of-fact and businesslike.

“And how do you propose I do that?” she demanded and stood up as if shocked by his request. “The spell requires more than one witch.”

Sinjin smiled and glanced at Bella furtively. “One,” he started and then turned to me. His smile broadened. “Two.”

“She’s hardly a witch,” Bella said and harrumphed.

“She has more power than you could dream of,” Sinjin responded, his tone icy.

Bella scowled at him and turned to face me. “Do you even know who and what the Lurkers are?”