New Spark (Dark Magic Enforcer Book 3) (12 page)

Turns out I didn't need to wait long. The witches made it perfectly clear what had to be done.

"Um, Faz, I think you better come see."

I looked where Kate nodded. Coming up the garden were three very serious, and very powerful witches. They hadn't come for a cup of tea or to bring a housewarming present.

"Black Spark, you are interfering with our business. This stops. Now."

"Well, I guess lunch is over."

"Guess so," said Kate. Then she vanished, moving in that weird way vampires can. One minute there, the next gone, faster than the human eye can follow.

As I heard the scream from outside, I didn't need to guess where she was.

"Damn."

One thing Kate is above all else, is protective of her friends and family. So it came as no surprise to see her with her fangs exposed, millimeters away from ripping out the neck of a witch in our chaotic garden between the lettuce and garlic I was pleased were doing so nicely.

What she isn't, is old enough as a vampire to have any clue how bad an idea it is to make such threats. Kate still has a lot to learn about our world, and I keep forgetting that the other vampires are rather lax when it comes to teaching her about her new life.

Lesson number one should be don't go threatening to kill witches unless you are ready to go through with it, and fast. Otherwise, it's a very bad idea.

I ran out the front door, hoping it wasn't too late for her. My heart pounded, knowing my world could be obliterated at any moment. This is the problem with being happy—it stresses you the hell out and you wonder when it's all going to be taken away from you as maybe nobody gets to stay happy for long. Now and then I think I was happier when I was miserable. At least I had less to lose.

I will kill anyone that messes with me or my family, and I don't care about the consequences. I'm a goddamn wizard and I will rip you to pieces if you threaten mine. Kind of an awkward situation when it's your loved one that starts it by threatening to tear their throat out.

None of us are perfect.

Not the Best Greeting

"You better control your vampire," said a cocky looking witch, "or I'll do it for you." She sneered in a way that riled me up so bad I wanted to suck the magic right out of her and leave her a Regular. And I could, too, or I would try, at any rate.

The only problem being that one of them would probably rip the life out of me before I'd dealt with even one—they were, and I don't mean this lightly, some scary-ass witches.

Witches are a strange lot. Many are like Grandma—innocent looking and adept at the subtleties. They focus on potions and working as much with the mind as anything else. But some are more like Rikka and me—fighters, techniques honed over centuries or even millennia that go beyond mere spells and potions, specializing in using magic as a weapon, each with their own unique skill set.

These women were, I guess, witch goons of the most basic type. Meaning they weren't big on subtlety.

"Kate, I think you better leave the witches alone." She raised her eyes, mouth still poised just above the pale neck of a woman that would give a troll a run for its money in regards size if not current intelligence. I nodded and she was gone, by my side in a flash, doing that weird shuddery thing like a movie on fast forward where frames are missing. I doubt I'll ever get used to it.

"Don't mess with the witches, not like that. They'll kill you faster than you can bite them." Kate looked at me suspiciously, like I was making it up. It's moments like this I realize how much we have to talk about and how much needs explaining, but now wasn't the time.

With us by the house and the three witch goons spread out in the garden, I felt a little more comfortable about the situation. No way would they try to kill us, at least I hoped not. No, this was to be a warning, I was sure.

"Okay, spill it and get the hell out of here. I'm not in the mood for your threats, so if you have any you can save them."

"You don't tell us what to do or say, Black Spark." She spat the words like my Hidden name was an insult. "We don't answer to you."

"No, you answer to Kaisa Hayashi, and if you don't behave I'll tell her how you came to my house and failed to show the proper respect. You want that?"

They exchanged glances, all three of them knowing that the way they acted was of the utmost importance. There are rules of etiquette, ways of doing things, and they had to obey them or suffer the consequences. That meant no fighting unless they intended to go all the way. If we were alive at the end of it, and their boss heard, then it would be goodbye witch, hello dead witch.

"Kaisa Hayashi sent us to deliver a message," said the main goon. I didn't know this group, they weren't like the ones that go to Grandma's, not a part of that world. These were the higher-ups, the ones that run things for Kaisa Hayashi, and they don't get involved in anything unless it could end up with violence. I knew them by sight but had never had the pleasure before.

"So deliver it, then go."

"You are to stay away from her business. It is not your place to interfere."

"Is that right? Anything else?"

"Only that you have been warned," said the one that was a few brain cells richer than the rest.

"Consider me warned. Now, you can leave."

As if they'd timed it, all three sneered in unison, then their bodies kind of melted. They sank down as if swallowed by the earth, then pinged into a green smoke that merged with the damp grass, a fine smoke that weaved between the vegetables and the herbs in delicate tendrils.

Talk about dramatic, but it got the point across.

"You see what I mean? They are not to be underestimated."

Kate stared at the retreating smoke in shock. "Wow! That is so cool. Can you do that? Wonder if it tickles?"

"Are you serious? You're thinking naughty thoughts at a time like this?"

"Don't tell me you wouldn't like to try it."

"What? Turning to smoke and tickling your naked skin with my smoky tendrils and..." Damn, now she had me all excited.

Kate smiled at me in a way that meant only one thing. We both felt it, the adrenaline surge because of the visit, the increased sexuality because of her unfinished attack. When you sink deeper into the world of the vampire your animal urges increase, and Kate was pure heat, flushed and full of lust and the thrill of the kill that remained unsatiated.

I stared at her full red lips, caught a hint of fang as her teeth caught the weak light, and became utterly mesmerized by the rise and fall of her chest.

You know what? Sometimes vampires getting all excited about a kill is no bad thing. And I may not have been able to do the smoke trick, but we made do with other special skills I have acquired over the years.

It did make me an hour late for getting back to work though. Perks of being your own boss, sort of—at least you can keep your own hours. Not that I'd tell Rikka, of course. I'd skip the bit about running upstairs and throwing our clothes about the house like two kids who hadn't seen each other for months and were full of lust like the first time.

"This is who we are, isn't it?" said Kate, curves hidden by the sheet, hair a mess, smiling and utterly sexy.

"Yeah, it is. Is that bad?"

"I don't know, Faz. But look at us. Turned on by me almost killing someone. You all hot and sexy because of all the magic and fighting you've been doing. Isn't that wrong? Kind of weird?"

"Kate," I sat down, took her hand, tried not to pull back the sheets, "this is the life we live, the things we do, the way we are. It has an effect. It's why we do what we do, why I do, anyway. I'm old enough to know it, to admit it. This is being alive, doing more than other people. Understanding more, seeing more, feeling more. We pay the price, but it has its perks."

"So I can see," she said, looking down at the main "perk."

"No time for that now. Things to do, people to see, stuff to blast with the dark arts."

"Are you sure?" Kate pulled back the sheets. I got dressed. Later.

Once dressed, again, I left, hoping there would be no more repeat visits. I didn't think there would be, but I made sure to explain to Kate that she was not to try anything like that again on the witches. It would have been a very messy end for her if she had been alone.

She understood, but there was a real sadness too. She had to spend more time with her own kind. Kate wasn't getting the schooling she needed in the ways of our world, and I could only teach her so much. She had to learn what those like her knew, and that meant hanging out with vampires.

I left, and I knew that she would head to the new vampire headquarters. It had taken Taavi, the vampire Head, a while to settle on a new home, and he'd gone to town this time, picking a place that made the old one seem like a faery castle. This new one was even spookier, and may as well have had "Here Be Vampires" across the gate.

He likes it old skool. Taavi thinks being a vampire means you have to stick to certain traditions, which means a spooky as hell HQ for the vampires, just so anyone that visits knows exactly what they are letting themselves in for.

Kate would go there, be with those of her own kind, and I worried there would come a time when she no longer felt uncomfortable and hated doing what needed to be done, but rather enjoyed it, craved it, and never wanted to come home to me again.

What can I say? I'm a worrier. If things go well I worry they will turn bad. If things are going badly I worry they will get worse. Problem is, they usually do.

Which Witch?

The circles I mix in are often male dominated. Rikka's world is comprised mostly of men, meaning mine is too. The Dark Council is male and totally antiquated, but its members are powerful. Most have been there for so long it makes them permanent fixtures. It's static, basically a bunch of wizards arguing about things with Rikka the one that gets things done.

A lot of Hidden humans aren't too happy about the way things are, and you can't blame them. It's out-of-date and at odds with modern society. Considering our world is one where there is no difference in the way you are treated regards gender, it's crazy that the Council doesn't reflect this.

For many, the Dark Council is a reminder of what once was, and they pay it little mind. They are wrong to do so. The power is enormous, and combined, the wizards influence more in our country than most realize.

But the witches know, and I was surprised it had taken them quite as long to make a serious move to get access. Most other countries have had mixed Heads and members of the Council for years, or centuries, but it never happened here. Probably because the wizards refused to die, so new seats never became available and the living refused to give up theirs.

Witches are immensely powerful. There are countless Heads through the country and they run their Wards well, keeping their witches in line, and this is part of their strength. They are the backbone of our world even though most fail to realize it.

With so many ways we get immersed in the Empty and what it has to offer, many who focus on one aspect or another forget that whatever you do, whatever you are involved in, there is a witch there too. They watch, listen, are always a part of things, just in the background, gathering information. They know absolutely everything that goes on.

It stands to reason. Everyone has a mother, and who has the most contact with what is going on all around you? Exactly!

Meaning, they are dangerous as hell, and Rikka had to be careful or they would take over and he would be history.

So I went to visit Kaisa Hayashi.

This woman, this Kaisa Hayashi, is somewhat of a legend. Like nearly all the top players in our Hidden world, human at least, she hails from Finland—there is definitely something in the water there. That, or they don't like it so all moved here. One thing I do know is she left at a young age, but the rest of her background is shrouded in mystery. Nobody really knows anything about her before she came here. Nobody knows how she learned her magic, all we know is she is powerful as all hell and not one to suffer fools gladly.

Her rise to power within the Hidden community is legend. She tore, clawed, and ripped her way to the top without a moment's hesitation. She is cold, calculating, and brutal—so far removed from the way most witches are she may as well be another species entirely.

She has complete control over the witches in our country, and not one of them is foolish enough to question her, let alone try to interfere with any of her decisions. With the vast witch network, she knows everything that goes on, but stays surprisingly quiet most of the time. Listening, watching, maintaining her iron grip. She is Head of the Witch Council, with a position in the Hidden Council, but nothing to do with the Dark Council.

For us in Cardiff, the epicenter of magic in the United Kingdom, it is Grandma that everyone turns to. Many think of her as the leader, but that's not the case at all. Grandma holds her position because she is allowed to. Other witches relate to her. She's friendly, you can talk to her, get along with her, and Kaisa Hayashi is entirely the opposite.

There are no nice cups of tea, no jolly conversations or chats about the weather all while subtly getting information out of you. No, she is tight-lipped, mean of spirit, and nobody dares challenge her authority.

She also runs the witches from the most bizarre of all places—a farm. It was a good job I hadn't worn my suit.

A Denial

Even though I was getting some much needed alone time to recharge my introverted batteries, digging the new car smell and relishing the sense of freedom being out and about with a job, a purpose, I missed being home with Kate. What a life. Full of contradictions and full of choice, but I knew that was an illusion. I had to do this. Why? It is a part of me. More, it defines me.

I felt underdressed and strange wearing casual clothes. Black Spark is known for his snappy style, not his casualwear. Don't laugh, but I honestly considered turning around and going home to change. But once again that inner voice told me I'd done the right thing, and for the entire drive I couldn't shake that feeling of being watched. Like there was somebody hitching a ride and observing my every move. Which may well have been the case, but I couldn't do anything about it and I'd drive myself to distraction if I focused on it too much.