Half Past the Witching Hour (Paranormal Personnel Saga #3) (11 page)

Fuck, what the hell is wrong with me?

Yeah, and you have a supernatural genes, whether you like it or not.

‘Are you shitting me? He came to let you know that he wasn’t going to go through with the wedding?’

Kelsie was equally as shocked as I was. Apart from Nathaniel’s confession, the mug incident was quickly forgotten, but I thought my best friend would at least be more impressed with my newly unscrewed magical skills.

‘It doesn’t matter what he said or did; I’m with Quentin and I don’t have time to think about what is going on with his fucked up life.’

‘What did he do? Kissed you, touch you up?’ she asked.

I shot her an angry look. ‘No, he didn’t, and I can’t believe you would think that I’d let him touch me. We are over. I gave him my heart and he threw it away. I’m not going to be responsible for the fact that he can’t be happy.’

‘Shut up. You love the attention.’

Kelsie knew that I was weak. She also knew that I was emotionally drained. I wanted to prove her wrong, but he stripped me of my control whenever he showed up.

Quickly enough I switched into a conversation about the appearance of her ex-boyfriend and last night’s events. She argued that she could deal with Craig if he showed up at her apartment, but I wasn’t so sure. We couldn’t discuss this situation any further as we both had to get ready for work, but in the back of my mind I thought of getting in touch with Dad. I knew that he was up all night and he needed at least a few hours sleep. I had Michael’s number on the system at work, so I could call him from the office.

Kelsie borrowed some of my clothes and we left just after nine. She didn’t have to be in La Caz Corporation until midday, so we both decided that it would be best if she wasted a bit of her time in the agency. She had to collect some paperwork for Lucinda, and it was just easier for her to catch her train from Croydon.

In the tube I couldn’t stop thinking about last night. I wanted to call Kate, but she wasn’t going to be back until tomorrow and I didn’t want to ruin her trip. I was reluctant to tell Kelsie about Tron and my magical blackouts. She was my friend, but I’d promised to keep quiet about this whole mess. Nathaniel was also in my head, placing me in an uncomfortable position with Quentin.

Kelsie was quiet through the whole journey to the office and I didn’t want to talk anymore. As soon as we walked into the office my chest heaved and I was relieved seeing Michael Longbridge on the sofa by the entrance. He was alive, although it was easy enough to spot that he was injured.

‘Miss Taylor, I’ve been waiting for you for a little while now.’ Michael greeted me with a smile on his face. I noticed a bandage on his neck and arm and felt even guiltier now, although it was good sign seeing him in the office. Kelsie stopped next to me, eyeing our hero closely.

‘Mr. Longbridge, oh gosh, we were so worried. How are you? I see that you managed to get out of the hotel fine? I hope there was no more trouble?’ I asked. Michael was handsome and we’d met a few times before, once when he was threatening me with a chain saw and once when he saved my skin from a group of dangerous bikers.

‘I’m fine. Not quite healed yet, but getting there,’ he sighed, shifting his gaze to Kelsie. His pupils dilated as he hovered over her gorgeous body. My best friend beamed, biting her mouth flirtatiously. It was clear that those two were going through some kind of moment together.

‘So how did you know that we were in trouble?’ I pressed, trying to bring his attention back to me, but his eyes were on Kelsie, moving over her body a little too eagerly.

‘Let’s say that I have a sixth sense. I was late for the meeting. There was an accident nearby and I was held up. I heard your screams and reacted,’ Michael explained with a tight nod.

Kelsie was beside me then, lifting her hand. ‘Mr. Longbridge, right?’ she asked, fluttering her eyelashes. They shook hands staring at each other intensely.

‘Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet Miss Taylor’s friend,’ said Michael, smiling. Kelsie blushed and my jaw hung open. I couldn’t quite believe it. She flirted and used her charm to get what she wanted, but no one ever made her blush.

‘Oh right, I’m sorry. This is my friend Kelsie. I can’t quite believe that we were both so lucky. If it wasn’t for you, Mr. Longbridge, I don’t know what would have happened.’

I could have talked for another half an hour or so, but Michael wasn’t paying the slightest attention to me anymore.

‘So you are shifter, Kelsie. I mean—’

‘Please call me Kel—’

In the end I gave up trying to have a civilised conversation with those two. I went back to my desk. They were talking as the air around grew thicker, surging with steam and unexpected chemistry. I kept wondering if Kelsie was planning to treat Michael like her usual dates or if she was lost in love at first sight. Maybe she was just acting to get him to bed. I had no idea.

‘Morning, Julia. I made you coffee. Who is that shifter with Kelsie?’ Sara asked, placing a mug of coffee on my desk. I rolled my eyes, annoyed because I didn’t want Michael to become one of those guys that Kelsie used and then left with broken heart. After all, Michael Longbridge wasn’t one of those guys.

‘Thanks, Sara,’ I replied. ‘That’s Mr. Longbridge and he is a friend of mine.’

‘He is so good looking,’ Sara sighed, going back to her filing.

After another fifteen minutes Michael left, giving me a stiff nod. I couldn’t quite believe that I didn’t even get a proper goodbye. By the door I overheard him exchanging numbers with Kelsie. She strolled back to my desk beaming like it was Christmas.

‘I hate that smirk on your face and I don’t like the way you were looking at our hero.’

She gave me a dirty look, pinching her eyebrows together. ‘That man nearly enough kicked Craig’s arse and saved our skin. He is a shifter and he is bloody handsome, so I’m going to go out with him,’ Kelsie announced.

‘No, you don’t. He is a nice guy and he cannot be on your list of guys that you use and dump. Don’t call him. I mean it!’

She placed her hands on her hips, tightening her jaw. ‘Shut up, you hypocrite. I’m not planning to use him like the loser that I went out with before. I feel it in my gut, he is different.’

I didn’t say anymore, glaring at her with suspicion. I didn’t trust her. Michael was a decent guy. He didn’t deserve to get hurt.

Once Kelsie had everything she needed, she left in a hurry. Soon after that a client kept me busy and I didn’t have time to think about Kelsie’s love life. Work was hectic until lunch. When I came back to the office munching on a pastry, my cousin Claudia called. Apparently our grandmother was organising a family dinner on a weekend and I was invited.

My cousin came back from Switzerland a few months ago. She was one of the elves that had been kidnapped when Caleb McGregor was still alive. She’d been taken from the street, right in front of my eyes. Claudia went through a massive trauma, so I wasn’t surprised when her mother decided that she had to get away from London, to pull herself together. Now Claudia was back and we both had to attend the family dinner in Canterbury.

Throughout the day I focused on work and reprimanding Sara, who was clumsier than usual. Although we had clients all day, I couldn’t escape my thoughts about the unexpected confession from my ex and the nightmare from last night—that terrifying vision about my mother’s death kept hunting me down.

The rest of my weekend and following week passed quickly and without more drama. I tried to get through to Tron, but his number was constantly engaged. I took a taxi to his home, but I didn’t get anywhere there either. It looked liked he was out of town.

Since the arrival of new shifters to London, Dad had his hands full. It seemed that Craig was running around London using his contacts to gather new followers. I had no idea what he was planning next. Dad was happy to send a police unit by Kelsie’s apartment after I told him that she was in trouble. I didn’t mention the meeting from a few days ago, but he muttered something about being more careful around shifters these days. Of course my friend had no idea that I was looking after her through Dad’s connections.

On Monday evening after a long and very stressful day, I came home shattered. Twelve trolls had come in to complain about conditions in one of the factories. I promised to talk to the their employer about issues that they were facing, but my arguments weren’t going anywhere. They refused the move until I agreed to give them a rise. The odour of sour milk and cat urine gave me a gag reflex and if they had stayed in the office for a minute longer, I would’ve had to vomit right in front of them.

Next day I was determined to visit Ella. It’d been too long and with everything that was going on in my life I thought that I had to finally see her. Quentin dropped me outside her house after I finished work. My stomach was in knots when I stood at her door. My mind raced through a few scenarios.

Ella’s behaviour had been a mystery to me recently and I had to figure why she became so distant. It wasn’t long before I heard steps and Ella stood in front of me. From what I could tell, she didn’t look too happy to see me.

‘Oh, Julia … hi,’ Ella said, staring at me, baffled. She looked like her old self again and I saw that she was obviously coping without me. Our recent meeting hadn’t gone too well. We’d had a coffee together, but Ella had barely spoken. Then, right in the middle I had a phone call from work, so I had to leave. It’d been over two months since we’d seen each other. She was my dearest friend, so I had decided to give her some time to adjust to the fact that I was half elf. ‘Uhm, what are you doing here?’

‘Visiting you, of course. Why? Isn’t this a good time?’ I asked, hating the fact that we were talking to each other like we were on a business meeting, not like best friends since kindergarten.

‘No, it’s fine. I wasn’t expecting you, that’s all,’ she replied, shyly opening the door. For a second I thought she wasn’t going to let me in.

‘Are your mum and brother in?’ I asked, moving as usual to the kitchen.

‘No, Mum is at the hospital and Matt is out. I guess chasing after girls,’ Ella said, giving me a faint smile. I was trying to guess if Ella was all right and sense her mood. She looked fine from the outside, but there was a reason that she had been avoiding me for so long.

‘So how you been, you know, with everything?’ I began, avoiding the use of word
magic
or
paranormal
. ‘I’ve missed you, Ella. I thought that after our conversation in hospital we were going to be back on track?’

Ella sucked on the bottom of her lip, looking down at her slippers as I waited.

‘I’m all right. I haven’t called because I didn’t know what to say,’ she stated, playing with her fingers.

I took a deep breath.‘I’m sorry Ella, I truly am, but life goes on and our friendship has survived this. I know that everything isn’t as it used to be, but I haven’t changed.’

‘Julia, I know that you are the same, but this whole supernatural stuff is scary. You were involved with a real vampire. Oh my God, Julia, a vampire!’

Yeah, and you have a supernatural genes, whether you like it or not.

‘
He was a half vampire and we are both using past tense. It’s over, now I’m dating—’

Okay, maybe this wasn’t coming out exactly as I planned, but now I had no choice. I had to tell her about Quentin.

She sat up. ‘What? Who are you seeing now? Please don’t tell me that your new date is another supernatural?’

‘He’s a giant and paranormal like me,’ I said, adding quickly. ‘I think you’ll like him. He’s great. We met in a gallery.’

Ella gave me another faint smile and put the kettle on. Usually she would ask me if I wanted soda or some biscuits, but tonight she looked uncomfortable. ‘I’m also seeing someone. A normal, you know, human and he is sweet and he doesn’t know about your world.’

I gave Ella a smile and placed my palms on hers, somehow thinking that this would comfort her. She looked scared at first but she didn’t move her hands.

‘Ella, it’s all right, really. I want you to be happy, but I miss you like crazy. Maybe we should organise a double date or something?’

‘I don’t know, maybe, but if we do this, then you have to promise not to mention anything to Will,’ Ella exclaimed, tossing her long hair behind her as if she wanted to show me that she wasn’t weak anymore, like before she knew the truth.

I swallowed hard and touched her hand again. I wanted my Ella back, remembering how close we were before everything changed. In order to do that I had to be honest with her. I had to tell her about my blackouts, about being involved in a murder.

‘Listen, there is something that I have to tell you, something important, and you won’t like it. I don’t want to keep any secrets from you.’

My words came out blurry and I felt pressure on my chest, like someone was pushing a hot wire, trying to stop me from breathing and talking. I had to close my eyes for a second or so, Ella was saying something to me, but I couldn’t understand her. The blackness came unexpected and I dived right in, forgetting about reality.

***

At first I felt that clean antiseptic smell that followed the odour of disinfectant. All the shirts felt rough like they had been washed with cheap washing powder. When I opened my eyes I wasn’t sure where I was. Everything was blurry and my mouth was dry, throat raw. I searched for my excess magic, wanted to feel my energy flowing through me, but I felt empty, wiped out and drained. It took me a moment to realise that I was in the hospital. I turned my head to the right feeling weak, wired up with drips on my right side. I searched for any injuries but my body was exhausted, like I’d just run at least a hundred miles without a break.

‘We are still trying to figure out what happened. Mrs. Jenkins is very worried. She is with Ella now,’ said the voice that belonged to my father.

Quentin’s voice answered. ‘Mr. Taylor, this isn’t normal. Julia’s magic never usually bothers her. You are saying that someone attacked them when they were talking?’

I opened my mouth to ask Quentin what was going on, but then I thought that I would find out so much more if I kept quiet. Otherwise, Dad and Quentin would fuss over me without explaining anything at all.