Blood Magic: Witch’s Bite Series Book Three Page 4

  "Taking down the NWR is more than just a difficult task," Ivy says, her posture relaxed once again, but her tone slightly disbelieving. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to do it, but they've been around longer than this country has in some form or another. We can't stamp out hatred."

  "They've never faced opposition like this before. In the past, we have only reacted to their attacks." Stocke taps her finger against the smooth table. "We are going to strike first. We are going to make them fear us."

  Cook barks out a laugh. "I like the sound of that."

  "So where do we start?" Ivy asks.

  “We’re going to start here in Phoenix. The files in front of each of you are different cases connected to a local cell, as well as the information we have on their possible location. Agent Davidson, we'll need to start with you. Can you Find them?"

  Corinne nods, flipping through the file. "I should be able to Find one or two."

  "Ms. Carter, can you assist her?" Stocke asks, looking at me.

  I freeze, my heart racing at her casual question. Everyone turns and looks at me. Zachary pinches his brows together, confused. I don't know what she has told the team, and my instincts can't relax.

  I clear my throat and try to ignore the stares of the team.

  “I—uh, cannot,” I say haltingly.

  "She's a hedgewitch, not a Finder," Zachary interjects, looking between us like there must be some confusion.

  Stocke smirks and folds her hands in front of her.

  "According to Mr. Walsh that is not actually the case. He informed me that she was a Finder, a hedgewitch, an electric witch, and a healer.” She pauses and looks at each agent in turn. “This is obviously unusual, to say the least. As agents, you are all used to dealing with confidential information. This will be no different. The vampire council is lending us their help, and in return, we will not betray on their trust, or Olivia’s.”

  Staci frowns in my direction, adjusting her glasses with a nudge from her finger. She looks disapproving.

  Cook scoffs. "A witch that can use more than one time of magic? That’s ridiculous. I don’t buy it.“

  "Why is it that you cannot help Agent Davidson if you are a Finder?" Stocke asks, ignoring Cook’s comment.

  I glance back at Reilly, but he just raises a brow at me. I sigh and pull my sleeve up to reveal the welts that have been getting steadily worse. Corinne gasps, her hand flying to her mouth. Stocke simply looks at the red stripes curiously, her head tilting to the side.

  "Damn, did you lose a fight with your curling iron or something," Cook asks.

  "I had a little incident," I say as I shove the sleeve back down. "If I use the Finding magic it knocks me out for several hours."

  "Well, we need to get that fixed. What do you need? Salves?"

  "No," Corinne interrupts. "None of that would fix it.”

  "She's right. I've tried all that," I agree with a shrug.

  "I can help her with it, but it will take time," Corinne says, directing her response to Agent Stocke rather than me.

  "Alright, get it handled and keep me updated. I need to know if someone isn't at a hundred percent. Will it affect your performance in any area other than Finding magic?” Stocke asks me.

  "No, I can deal with it like I have been," I say, crossing my arms.

  "I still don't buy this," Cook interjects again. "No one has ever heard of a witch that can use more than one branch of magic."

  "Until now," Reilly says, speaking for the first time since his greeting to Stocke.

  "Why should we believe you?" Cook asks, spreading his hands out and raising a brow at Reilly. "She just said she can't use Finding magic, and she obviously can't heal herself."

  "Want me to electrocute you?" I snap at Cook, tired of his attitude. Bright electric magic rushes to my fingertips and singes the table where my hands are pressed, white-knuckled, into it. I don't like being called a liar.

  Cook leans back in his seat, pretending he’s unconcerned. I know he isn’t because I can hear his heart beating angrily from here. His fingers twitch like he wants to go for his gun.

  "That won't be necessary," Stocke interrupts. “Please keep your magic under control, Olivia. I was assured you wouldn’t put this team at risk.”

  Cook holds my gaze, his jaw clenched in anger. He hates me, though I have no idea why. He could have at least waited for me to give him a good reason.

  “I won’t put anyone at risk.” I push back into my seat and cross my arms.

  Stocke pinches the bridge of her nose, then continues with her explanation.

  "The vampire council has been instrumental in making this possible. We will extend the same trust and respect to the consultants they have provided us with, that I expect to receive from them."

  Her tone is sharp, chastising both me and Cook. I bite down on the impulse to say 'he started it'. She seems like the type of woman that doesn't care.

  "Does anyone have any other questions or concerns?" She scans the room, but no one moves.

  "Alright, everyone get caught up on the case files you have been provided with. Pass them around, make sure everyone gets a chance to read through each file. Agent Davidson, please try to Find at least one of our targets. Everyone needs to have their go bags ready. We will leave as soon as Davidson gives the word."

  "Agent Young, we'll need a full range of the usual brews, and you have my permission to brew anything else you think might be useful while we travel.”

  “All the standard brews are already prepared,” Staci says. “I’ll start making a list of other brews that will be useful.”

  “Excellent,” Stocke says, nodding toward Staci. “Agent Andreas, please visit the armory and make sure everyone is appropriately armed. Make sure you include protective body gear and gas masks. I foresee us needing both“

  "Does everyone include our consultants?" Ivy asks, nodding her head toward Reilly and me.

  "Yes," Stocke says with a nod. "Treat them like full members of the team."

  "Noted," Ivy says as she pulls out a notepad and scribbles a few things down.

  Everyone scatters and I open the file that was set in front of me. Martinez’s face looks up at me. It’s an old picture, he looks young and happy. I have to clench my hand into a fist to keep from scorching the file with the sudden surge of magic that rushes behind my anger.

  5

  I’m reading through a third file when Ivy appears at my elbow.

  “What’s up?” I ask, turning the chair to face her.

  "JHAPI agents are trained on a variety of firearms, but I don't know what kind of experience you have. What can you shoot with accuracy?" She asks, her pen poised over her notepad.

  "I can use a pistol, and I'm alright with a rifle but I've shot those less."

  “Have you ever shot an AR-15 before?”

  “No, just a basic hunting rifle.”

  “Alright, I’ll get you a pistol.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I say with a nod.

  Reilly walks up behind me. I stand up and move out from between them. I hate it when he stands behind me like that, it feels predatory.

  "Would you like a gun or any other weapon?" Ivy directs to Reilly.

  "No, that won't be necessary."

  "Alright, I'll make sure you have what you need, Olivia.” She turns and strides from the room, intent on completing the assignment given to her by Stocke.

  Corinne is off by herself unfolding a series of maps on the table we were just gathered around.

  “Did your introduction go well?” Reilly asks quietly, having moved closer to me when I wasn’t paying attention.

  I snort, my eyes straying toward the scorch marks on the table.

  “It went fine.”

  Reilly looks at the marks as well and raises his brow.

  “You have a strange definition of fine.”

  “No one died,” I mutter.

  “Not yet at least,” he says clapping his hand on my shoulder before striding toward Zachary and C
ook.

  I walk over to Corinne and stand a few feet away from her next to the table. Hopefully, I can learn something. I've never actually seen a witch Find someone in person. I’m curious how incorrectly I’ve been using the magic.

  She glances at me but doesn't speak as she finishes arranging her maps. Once they are all where she wants them she takes a step back and looks them over. The maps cover not only the county we are in but every surrounding county. Each one has smaller maps showing the main roads in the major cities in that county.

  "You tried to find someone that is dead, didn't you?" Corinne asks without looking at me. She speaks softly enough that the others wouldn’t be able to hear her.

  I tense and bite the inside of my cheek.

  "I wasn't sure," I say quietly, glancing at Reilly. "I thought my mother was dead, but then I had reason to believe she wasn’t and—well, it doesn't matter."

  Corinne smiles gently, her brown eyes soft as they scan my face. "We all do it eventually. The lucky ones have someone with them to help and to protect them. You weren't trained were you?"

  I shake my head. She doesn't know the whole story, of course. It's hard to get training when you've stolen someone's magic.

  "Not surprising if you've had to hide your abilities. We'll fix that though. Can't have someone on the team with untapped potential.”

  "I would appreciate it. Do you mind if I watch?" I ask, suddenly unsure if I'm intruding.

  "Not at all," Corinne says sweeping the soft waves hanging around her face up into a ponytail. “I have to search for them one at a time. I’ll be looking for this guy first. He was spotted in town a week ago.”

  She taps her finger against one of the open files. It’s a younger guy. It’s one of the files I read. He was a chemical engineering student, but his girlfriend dumped him for a witch. He flunked out and fell into a downward spiral that included drug charges and assault. The NWR recruited him while he was in jail.

  She cracks her knuckles and extends her hands over the maps. Her shoulders drop as she relaxes all the muscles in her body one by one. Magic hums in the air. For the first time, I can smell it as well as taste it. Her magic is different from anything I've felt before. It's warm, which I expected, but not nearly as hot as my own.

  Red lines of magic unfurl from her fingers and twist through the air until they stretch over the entire table. A hush falls over the room and the group stops talking, all turning to watch her work.

  Every welt covering my body responds to the magic. I take a step back, but it doesn’t help the dull ache, so I grit my teeth and try to ignore it and the hunger that is growing inside of me with every moment. I don’t want to miss any of this.

  The magic hovers above the table, each line writhing with eagerness. She extends them down onto the maps in a wave from left to right. The magic grows warmer and brighter as each line digs into the map, searching. A line on the left disappears with a pop that makes me jump. Another follows, then another and another moving in the same direction she lowered them.

  Only one tenuous line remains when the pops of magic finally cease. It extends from her left pointer finger to a spot in the city. Corinne walks toward the map, lowering her hand toward the point. The magic grows narrower, but brighter, as though she's focusing in on the person's exact spot.

  She pauses and stares off into the distance with unfocused eyes. She exhales slowly and presses her finger to the map. A wave of magic rushes out from her. I shiver in pain and hunger as it brushes past me. Everyone else in the room takes an involuntary step back.

  "I Found him,” Corinne says, still staring at something no one else can see.

  “Can you pinpoint his location?" Stocke asks, flipping through the file.

  “I need a more detailed map, but I’ll be able to tell you what block they’re on. I won’t be able to say what building until I get closer,” Corinne replies after a moment of consideration.

  "Alright," Stocke says scanning the information in the file. "Brunson, get a better map for Corinne and set up surveillance so we can figure out where exactly these people are hiding out. I want everyone ready to go tomorrow evening. We’ll go in just after the sun sets if we can.”

  Everyone scatters, grabbing their things from the table, but Corinne taps my elbow.

  “We need to try to fix these as soon as possible. I know they make it impossible for you to use your Finding magic, and I’m not sure what else they might affect as they get worse.”

  I nod, pressing my hand against my forearm. They still ache just from being around her magic.

  “Yeah, fixing this would be great. As soon as we have time.”

  “Be careful, try to avoid using magic tomorrow if you can, alright?” I nod and she walks over to see Ivy.

  Zachary slips up beside me, startling me slightly.

  “So, you can use multiple types of magic?” He asks, his brows furrowed.

  Cook is frowning at us from the corner of the room, his arms crossed in front of him. I turn more toward Zachary so I don’t have to see him.

  “Yes,” I say with a tense smile. “But you’ve known that. The healing magic and the brewing.”

  “If you had been able to use Finding magic back then you wouldn’t have had such a hard time finding your mom,” he says hesitantly.

  I grit my teeth and stare at my shoes. I’m not going to offer up information. He needs to either ask his question or leave me alone.

  “So, you’re just going to stand there? You aren’t going explain anything?” He asks, irritation slipping into his voice.

  “I’m not sure what you want me to say.” I cross my arms and look up at him.

  “You got this magic somehow, and recently,” Zachary says, mirroring my posture.

  “Alright,” I say with a shrug. “And?”

  Zachary looks at me like I’ve lost my mind and throws his hands in the air. “And? Seriously? That should be impossible. How are you doing it?”

  “None of your business,” I say. I turn to walk away, but he grabs my arm. I glare at his hand, then at him, and jerk my arm out of his grip. “If you think you need more information, go ask Stocke. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “If you are putting anyone in danger by keeping this secret—”

  “Zachary, stop it,” I snap, trying to keep my voice quiet, but not doing a great job of it. “I’m not putting anyone in danger, and it’s insulting that you think I would. The how and why of what I can do isn’t important, and it isn’t anyone’s business but mine. Stocke wouldn’t have allowed me to work with any of you if I was a danger. Use your head.”

  He takes a step back, his jaw clenched tight. Half the room is watching us, the other half is studiously pretending it’s not obvious we’re arguing.

  “Gerard and Maybelle disappeared. Are you going to try to Find them? To run again?”

  I chuckle humorlessly. “No, I’m not.”

  “That’d be a first,” Zachary says, his voice low enough to be a whisper.

  Magic sparks at my fingertips again. “I guess Elise was wrong.”

  “About what?”

  “She said you didn’t hate me anymore.”

  I turn on my heel and walk toward Reilly who is waiting for me by the door. The level of anger that’s coursing through me is an overreaction. I know it is. Yet, I still want to rip Zachary apart. My skin is crawling with rage and barely controlled electric magic.

  * * *

  I splash cold water on my face and stare into the sink. I don’t want to look in the mirror again, in case she’s there. Watching me.

  I’m also hungry. The anger and the sparks of magic and being surrounded by so many paranormals today is harder than I expected. I can feel Reilly’s presence in the room next door, taunting me. I dig my fingers into the cold porcelain, but my hands won’t stop shaking.

  “Olivia,” Reilly says quietly from behind me. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  A low growl bubbles out of my throat and my fangs press
against my bottom lip as my mouth curls into a snarl.

  “Nothing,” I rasp.

  Reilly moves fast. I shouldn’t be able to track it, but the vampire magic is coursing through me like a cold wind. I can’t dodge him though, and his hand wraps around my throat as he shoves me against the wall next to the sink.

  “Another lie,” he snaps in my face.

  His eyes are dark and dangerous and his body is hot against mine. That’s not what I want though, even if it is tempting. I want the magic and the blood inside of him.

  “You’re hungry, aren’t you?” He asks, his hand relaxing, but not moving from my throat.

  I don’t respond. I don’t want to admit it. I hate it.

  His thumb strokes my pulse point, up, down, up, down, in time with my heartbeat. It’s soothing, in an odd way. My breathing slows and some of the anger fades, curling into a different kind of heat. His thigh is pushed between my legs and his arm is pressed against my chest. Every point of contact is electric.

  “You are going to have to feed, or you are going to lose control,” he whispers, his breath skating across my cheek.

  “It’s not just blood I need,” I say, my voice hoarse. “It’s magic. I can’t get that from some necker.”

  “How much?” He asks.

  “I don’t know. Not much I think. It’s never been like this before. It wasn’t like this until Javier.”

  “You’re going to feed from me—”

  I start to object, but Reilly presses down on my throat and shushes me.

  “You will take the absolute minimum you need to maintain control,” he says, his face serious, not a dimple in sight.

  “Why?” I ask quietly.

  “Because I have invested time and money in you, and I need you to keep it together. After tonight, I will find another way. But you are too close to being out of control, and you have to be ready to go tomorrow.”

  I clench my teeth tightly together but nod. As much as I hate it, he’s not wrong.

  Reilly lifts his hand from my neck and offers me his wrist. I open my mouth, my gums aching in anticipation of the bite.