Half Past the Witching Hour (Paranormal Personnel Saga #3) (13 page)

I went through what had happened with my unsettled power, the visit from Tron, my first training session. Of course, I couldn’t leave out my encounter with Nathaniel and Kelsie’s ex- boyfriend. My story seemed like it was never going to end.

Kelsie and Michael? No this can’t be possible. She doesn’t do relationships.

There were no more tears by the time I finished my tale. They all looked surprised at how closely Jennifer was tied up to StaffSpell. It took them a couple minutes to digest everything. Three of them were shaking their heads in disbelief. I realized that they might all be scared of what I could do to them, because my magic was so unpredictable.

‘Why didn’t you say anything before about the blackouts?’ Kate demanded, after the initial shock.

‘I was scared and I didn’t even understand what was going on myself.’

‘Yeah, but we would have figured it all out together,’ Nicky said.

‘There is no point dwelling on what Julia could and couldn’t have done. We have to think about what next.’ Kelsie looked worried but she was making sense.

‘So how is Ella? The healers are positive, right?’ Nicky asked.

I sighed. ‘Ella is stable at the moment. She’s in some kind of magical coma because of me, but Tron told me that she’ll recover.’

‘Julia, think what are you saying for a moment,’ Kate said in a serious tone. ‘You’re convinced that you are hurting others, but you can’t be sure. You need help to control your magic. That curse is just a myth. That old elf isn’t doing a very good job with your training. What if he isn’t telling you everything?’

“Kate, I have done it. I’ve seen myself with the knife and if my visions about my mother’s death are real then I have to keep the rest of my family out of this mess. I’ll concentrate on these lessons, learn to control my power and keep taking that potion,” I said, pausing. “And I keep bumping into Nathaniel. He is bad news, bad for my magic and for me.”

“Yeah, from what I can see. Your hot, hot, hot and rich ex-boyfriend is drilling his way back to your faint heart.’

‘Kelsie!’ Kate snapped. ‘He isn’t drilling his way anywhere. Julia is with Quentin.’

‘Oh, please, it’s a lot of bollocks,’ Kelsie fumed, with an innocent expression on her face. ‘She still loves him. And what about the fact that he won’t be getting married to that fancy hoe?’

‘Shut up, Kelsie,’ Kate said. ‘La Caz isn’t your problem at the moment, Julia, and as long as you stay away from him you will be fine. You have more important things to worry about. These murders and your power. I’m sorry, but I’m not convinced that you would be capable of something like that.’

‘Yeah, Nathaniel isn’t in my life anymore, but all the evidence points at me,’ I sighed. ‘Everything seems so messed up. Now I have to stay away from Ella, and all of you are not safe with me, not even my mother. What if I’m cursed? What if my own grandmother was right all these years ago?”

The girls looked at each other exchanging silent thoughts.

‘Shut your trap, Julia. You’re not cursed; you just aren’t very good with spells. We will figure this out together,’ Kelsie assured me, rolling her hair over her finger.

‘Yeah, you have to take control of your darkness. I’m a decent witch, so I can help you with training. There must be a way to stop these blackouts and visions about your mother’s death.’

‘Then there is Jennifer. It’s only a matter of time before the police figure out that I was involved. God, can you guys imagine what will happen to Dad’s reputation?’

‘Julia, you’re exaggerating, darling. You have no idea what happened during that night, and your Dad knows less than you,’ Nicky said.

‘What about Craig, Kelsie?’

‘No idea. He hasn’t been seen since Michael kicked his butt,’ Kelsie said, smiling dreamily. I narrowed my eyes. For at least a minute I didn’t want to talk about what had been happening to me and just enjoy normal girly conversation, so I nudged Kel.

‘Right, spill it, Kel. What have you two been up to?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, Julia.’

‘Kelsie, just tell us. It’s obvious that you can’t hide your new romance,’ Kate nagged.

‘Fine,’ Kelsie said. ‘I’m dating Michael, and before you even say anything I need to let you all know that we haven’t had sex yet and I really like him.’

My jaw dropped; so did Kate’s.

Kelsie and Michael? No this can’t be possible. She doesn’t do relationships.

Nicky raised her left eyebrow, shooting me a questionable look. She didn’t understand why Kate and I were so surprised about Kelsie’s new relationship. Now I felt a little guilty that I didn’t introduce her to the girls before this, but she was always so busy with her kids.

‘What? No sex? Are you sure that you’re feeling all right?’ Kate asked, laughing.

‘Shut up.’

‘What do you mean that you’re dating?’ I asked. ‘You don’t date!’

‘Very funny. Yeah, I’m taking him seriously, and thanks for your support, by the way,’ Kelsie snarled back, getting off my bed.

‘Oh, come on, we’re only joking. You’re not really dating him are you?’ I asked, trying not to laugh.

That was it. Kel shot me a furious look and left my room, muttering something about the value of the friendship and hypocrisy. Kate and I were gobsmacked but aware that Kelsie probably wasn’t going to get married to him anytime soon.

We talked a bit more about my options, but Kate had to get back to work to check on an update from Lucinda. Apparently the agency was expecting a large order from her for tonight. She assured me that she would talk to her mother about visions like mine and get back to me. She was a good friend and I could use any help I could get.

When Kate left, Nicky stayed with me for a bit longer. By the time I caught up with Nicky on everything that was going on in her life, Quentin showed up to take me home.

‘You abilities aren’t quite back yet, right?’ I asked him when we were alone. He brushed his hand over his brown hair, kissing me passionately before he gave me an answer.

‘Not all, but I can live with it.’

His answer didn’t help me feel less guilty. It’d been at least four weeks since my blackout that sent him to the hospital and his abilities hadn’t regenerated yet.

In the next couple of weeks I kept away from the hospital and focused on my training. I couldn’t just cut all the ties with Ella. My magic was dangerous and even with the new potion in my system I wasn’t prepared to be around her in case I could harm her even more. Ella’s mother wasn’t in very good shape. I called her a few times trying to be supportive and show that after all I was still worried sick about my best friend. It killed me that I had to make up some lies about a contagious virus that I had been infected with, just to keep away from Ella. We talked a lot and from what her mother told me, Ella’s results were looking good. We both hoped that sooner or later she would wake up.

I arrived at Tron’s old Victorian home a few days after I was released from the hospital, determined to ask him when I was allowed to see Ella next.

Tron’s trainings were all about concentration. He wanted to show me how to capture tiny sparks of energy and gather them in one place, but my reflex was off and I kept missing the connection. Every time I tried to created a bolt of even power something around his house exploded. Soon all the bulbs in his living room were shattered.

‘Your mind is somewhere else. You are not talking to your magic!’ Tron shouted after I cracked his antique mirror. My magic was all over the place, electrifying my hair, burning my skin, giving me a headache.

‘I’m trying, but you are not telling me how to do it!’ I yelled back, swallowing my tears.

Tron muttered something under his breath. ‘Calm down and listen to your body, bring positive emotions into the source. Imagine the spell working its way to you.’

I closed my eyes, focusing on that tiny warmth that pulled my body and lifted my hands. I stood there for about a minute, feeling haunted and useless. That evening Tron lost his patience with me. We both agreed that I wasn’t focused enough and there was no point training more tonight.

The next few days or even weeks were hectic. My days were filled either with training or Quentin. Ella woke up and we spoke briefly over the phone. She was confused and didn’t blame me for anything. She believed that I was at home ill filled up with a serious virus. My heart ached that I had to keep lying to her, but I knew that this was for the best. I continued to practise defence spells, read Tron’s books about elves magic, trying to find out any information about blackouts like mine, but it seemed like I was getting nowhere.

Some nights when Quentin was around, thoughts about Nathaniel slipped through my mind, but I pushed them away, afraid of what might happen to my lethal energy if I brought him back to my life. Lucinda didn’t mention him while I talked to her and there was no news about his wedding. Kate was watching me more closely at work, as if she was afraid that anyone around me was in danger. I didn’t mind that someone was looking after me. It was easier that way, knowing that I had people that cared about me.

There was no news about Craig, but I’d been hearing news about a new group of shifters that tried to take control in certain areas of London. This news was alarming and it meant Kelsie had to be more careful.

It was Friday night and nearly the end of the day for me when Quentin walked into the office. He showed up unexpectedly, dressed in a red jumper and jeans. He was in a good mood and smiled as soon as he saw me. Rufus was in the office, collecting some reports before he headed home.

‘Julia, who is that giant by the door?’ my regional manager asked, eyeing my boyfriend suspiciously.

‘He is the guy I’m currently seeing,’ I said, ignoring his eyes, my voice high.

Rufus widened his eyes in surprise. He gave me a friendly pat on the back. ‘At least you’re choosing less bloody breeds this time.’

‘I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear that,’ I said, laughing.

Rufus sent me a wink. He obviously approved that I was going out with a giant. He often looked out for me and had tried to warn me about Nathaniel before I got hurt. In fact, I remembered everyone warning me about Nathaniel, but I had thought I knew better and now I was paying for my mistake.

‘Hey, what are you doing here?’ I asked. ‘I thought you were going to wait for me at home?’

‘I have a surprise for us,’ he said, beaming. ‘It’s the start of a weekend and the weather is supposed to be glorious. We are going to Brighton. You had a tough few weeks, so you deserve a break.’

‘What? When?’

‘Right now. I packed all our bags; we can leave straight away. If you’re all right with this, of course?

‘Are you joking? Of course I want to go.’

I liked Quentin’s idea and we both knew that I needed a break. Kate wished me good luck as I left. My mind was spinning with excitement.

Surprisingly, I’d never been in Brighton and I’d lived in London all my life. My parents were more settled on Cornwall and holidays abroad.

I sat back and closed my eyes, knowing that this weekend away would be bliss. I had a lot of on my shoulders recently, but I was determined to enjoy myself. My stomach made a small contraction because I remembered Paris and how happy I was with Nathaniel. That time seemed so far away now, when I had to deal with blackouts and terrifying visions. I felt that my mother would be safe if I was not near her.

The drive to Brighton should have taken an hour and a half, but we left on Friday afternoon when the weekend was just about to begin. By the time we reached our hotel, it was dark outside. Quentin booked our break in a hotel just on the beach.

I dragged Quentin to the shower and after getting rid of all his clothes we made silky, slow love under streams of water. I loved that he made me so relaxed and calm. He took care of me, not expecting anything in return.

‘My turn now,’ he muttered, lifting me up and carrying me to the bed after we were both clean. My fingertips started sparkling and I giggled with excitement. Quentin was tall and well built, but his gentleness was reviving. He moved on top of me, kissing my breasts, swirling his tongue around my pink nipples. I stroked his back feeling the desire blossom in me fast. His mouth was on mine and his hands started moving inside me. I groaned with pleasure, ready for a long lovemaking session, when we both heard a knock.

‘Who is that?’

‘I ordered some room service, to have a little nibble before the dinner.’ He breathed out, moving his fingers down to my stomach before he got up and put on a dressing robe.

After I had a bite to eat, my energy settled down and the tingling all over me stopped. We enjoyed our small canapés and made love. When he was inside me, kissing me throughout and touching my body with his skilled hands, I was happy, forgetting about the problems. Sometimes I compared him to Nathaniel and the way we both exploded when we were together, but right now Nathaniel cherished another human being and I didn’t matter to him anymore.

Later that night, in a restaurant that looked out at the sea that was shaded in darkness, we had more food and a couple of drinks. I didn’t remember what time we came back to our room. I was completely wasted. When I fell into a blissful sleep, my problems didn’t seem to exist anymore.

The sun poured into the room blinding me. A hangover hit me, but I stayed cuddled up to my boyfriend and listened to his slow breathing. After a few minutes, I slipped out of bed and went to the balcony admiring the sea views. It was late morning and the sky was cloudless. I inhaled the saltiness, mesmerised by the calm sea. This weekend started out perfect and I couldn’t wait to explore Brighton.

Then out of nowhere, as with the wave of a magic wand, a strong, fine current of electricity passed through my core, increasing my heartbeat, pushing me down to the terrace floor. I gasped, grabbing the railing barrier. Waves of magic shattered through me quickly.

I remembered Tron’s voice in my last lesson, so I concentrated on bringing in happy thoughts and the Latin spell that was supposed to calm me down. My breathing became even heavier, laboured, but my fingertips were like an inferno, melting the metal that I held on to. Something wasn’t right. Since my last session I could maintain my excess magic, but right now my body was quaking, riddled in the rhythm of raging light.

I did the only thing that made sense. I went back inside. The energy decreased slightly, but my hearing seemed hypersensitive, and morning light hurt my eyes.