Spellbound Murder Complete Trilogy (Spellbound Murder Box Set Book 1) Read online

  There was no mistaking the fact that Emmit was watching her closely.

  “Do you want me to burn these or would you like to take them?” Mira asked while she placed the bottle and little plastic pouches back in the paper bag.

  “I’ll take them,” Emmit said.

  He hadn’t rushed, Mira noted, which was a good sign showing that he wasn’t overly worried about the items. It was understandable that he wanted them back. Witches can do some horrible things to a person, especially when the witch has their blood.

  Nodding, Mira handed the bag back and stirred the spell ingredients with a small glass rod. When she was done, she passed him the crucible.

  “Hold that until I give you the go ahead,” Mira said. She pulled a long length of braided silk from the workbench. “You know where the circle is, but I want to make sure you can see the boundaries, since you won’t be able to leave.”

  Once Emmit moved to the center, Mira let one end of the silk dangle to the ground. When it hit the circle, it stuck to it as though magnetized. She walked around Emmit and dropped the end of the silk, which fell neatly into place.

  “Are you ready?” Mira asked.

  Emmit looked at the braided string and cringed. He clearly didn’t like the idea of being held by anyone’s power. Not that Mira blamed him. When she was young, her sister had held her in a circle once. It had pissed her off to no end, even though Robin had been grounded from all spells and potions for a month when their mother found out.

  Usually you set yourself up in a circle, not the other way around.

  “The spell won’t take long,” Mira reassured him.

  He gave her a weak smile. “I’m ready.”

  She brought the power to life, and then walked to another larger circle. Once both boundries were awake, she looked over the crackling fire of magic, checking for points of weakness. Emmit was looking as well, but since he wasn’t a witch, Mira wasn’t sure if he could see the power or only sense it.

  When she was satisfied that energy surrounded them securely, she nodded to Emmit. “Go ahead and take the potion.”

  While he was distracted, she took the opportunity to wipe her sweaty palms on her jeans. It might have been the fact that most of Mira’s ancestors had disappeared into the Ether, or maybe it was because her mother had warned against it so thoroughly. Either way, the Ethereal Plane creeped her out as much as it fascinated her.

  This was as close to the Ether as she was likely ever to get and she wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.

  When Emmit had finished choking down the potion, he stowed the bottle in his pocket and watched Mira intently.

  Once she started the spell, Mira fell into her own power and lost track of everything except the magic and Emmit.

  Her power reached through the inner protections, through Emmit, and then straight into a cold wash of Ether.

  A guttural noise from Emmit started low and grew into a growl.

  Forcing power through, Mira felt a heaviness drawing on Emmit from the Ether. It left her with a better understanding of the need for the potion. There was more of Emmit being drawn into the Ether than there was keeping him in this world.

  Not his body, but everything else. His power, his energy, his soul—everything that made him Emmit, was stretched thin.

  Once she reached the end of the line, the end of Emmit’s power leaking into the other world, it felt as though a cold hand was wrapping itself tightly around him.

  He went quiet.

  Mira repeatedly had to tell herself that no one was reaching for her. She ordered her imagination to take the blame for the sensation as she began to draw back, dragging the power of Emmit with her, leaving a dam on the energy in their wake.

  Heat started pouring from the inner circle. Mira wasn’t sure if it came from the Ether or Emmit, but he started breathing hard and his eyes turned dark.

  Calling on the blood from the spell, Mira wove Emmit’s own energy, forcing the Ether back. It was tempting, oh so tempting, to cut off the Ether that remained. Despite the heat, she felt a chill as she imagined a dark shadow grasping from the other side.

  Balance was what he was asking for, so that is what she did. The Ether still weighed heavier against him, so she drew further back.

  Emmit violently threw himself against the barrier. She fed more energy into the circles and concentrated on the balance. Once again, he slammed himself against his invisible prison.

  Then she found it. Pulling Emmit’s energy to a central point, she began probing. He dropped to the ground, but Mira kept going, testing the magic, ensuring it would hold. With blood fueling the spell, it didn’t need much time to settle. It was only when she was satisfied that she began to reel herself back in.

  Mira found that she was shaky when she let go of the spell, but that realization fled her mind when she saw Emmit on the ground, seemingly asleep.

  “Emmit?” Mira called. When he didn’t stir, Mira knelt down next to him. Remembering the feeling of something lurking in the Ether, she kept the inner circle charged. “Emmit?”

  Eyes snapped open.

  Mira let out a breath she had been holding. “Are you okay?”

  Emmit sat up and rolled his shoulders, then looked around the workspace. Mira wasn’t sure if he was looking at his shell of magic or at the garage itself.

  Knowing that magic could have drastic effects she waited for him, letting him take whatever time he needed to get himself in order. She looked him over, though, and everything appeared to be normal.

  Emmit let out a sigh and then stood in a rapid movement. “It worked.”

  Still feeling unsteady, especially after seeing Emmit move so quickly, Mira made her way to her feet more slowly.

  A smile broke out on Emmit’s face. “It worked!”

  Mira wanted to catch his excitement, but was still leery. “I’m glad to hear that.” She studied his face, focusing on his eyes. The green turned darker and golden flecks stood out in contrast. He looked like Emmit. More animated, maybe, but it was him.

  Smiling, she dropped the protection.

  As soon as the shimmering field dropped away, Emmit laughed and pulled Mira into a hug that lifted her off her feet. When he sat her down, he kissed her. There was an alarming amount of heat, and for a moment, Mira felt like fire was pouring into her veins. In a flash, the heat melted away and became a mixture of longing and passion.

  When Emmit stepped away, he looked as surprised as Mira felt.

  ”I’m sorry,” he started.

  Mira didn’t give him a chance to finish the thought before she pulled him into a kiss of her own. At first, Emmit was hesitant, but then the kiss became more intimate and they clung together.

  For a few minutes, the rest of the world didn’t exist. A new, fluttering heat spread through Mira and she wanted to lose herself in the moment.

  But her mind didn’t work that way. Not when magic was involved. Reluctantly, she broke the kiss.

  Emmit put a little space between them. When Mira caught her breath, she saw that he was smiling as intently as she was.

  Before silence could permeate the space, Mira turned her attention to the spell. She stowed the silk braid in her pocket and started to clean up.

  They watched each other from the distance that Emmit had placed between them.

  “Did it work like you expected?” Mira asked, more for something to say than anything else.

  “Better than I expected.” Emmit’s voice sounded less formal. Less exacting. The adorable British accent was still predominate, however, which Mira loved.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” she said, running a critical eye over the area. Very few people would think there was anything here but an empty garage. Once she was satisfied, she turned back to Emmit. “Let’s go back upstairs.”

  The shaky feeling left over from the spell was starting to fade. Worries about side effects started to mount.

  What if the kiss was a side effect?

  Emmit declined a drink, but Mir
a got a bottle of water to busy herself while she tried to think of how to word her questions.

  “How are you feeling?” Mira asked.

  “Amazing,” Emmit said without hesitation.

  “Are you experiencing... anything unexpected?” She fumbled over the words, still not sure exactly what to say.

  “Nothing,” Emmit said.

  “You should pay special attention to what you do for the next few days.”

  “How so?”

  “It’s good to monitor the spell. I mean, casting the spell had some pretty major reactions. Spending the next few days studying side effects might be a good idea.”

  “Is there anything you have in mind that I should look out for?”

  Mira shook her head. “Just don’t do anything rash. Make sure you think things through. That sort of thing.”

  “You’re the witch,” Emmit said, grinning broadly. “I’ll take your advice to heart.”

  “You’ll let me know if anything seems... odd?”

  “You will be the first to know.”

  “What are you doing for the rest of the day?” Mira asked.

  “There are a few different matters that I am supposed to attend to today.” He brightened again. “Unless, of course, you’d like to make plans.”

  There was a hint of a question in his last statement. “There are a few things I need to do today,” Mira said.

  Emmit shifted. “I understand.” He glanced at the clock. “I should go.”

  “Are you free tomorrow?” Mira asked.

  Mira hadn’t noticed that he had grown tense until she saw him relax.

  “I’ll clear the day,” he said, standing.

  “You don’t have to rush off,” Mira said, mirroring his movement.

  He moved closer. “I’d like to stay, but I really do have some things I should attend to.”

  “No problem.”

  Emmit wrapped his coat around himself and Mira was once again struck by how animated he appeared.

  At the door, she felt the need to confirm. “You’ll come over tomorrow?” That didn’t sound needy, did it? Hmmm, she’d have to analyze that later on.

  He turned and took her hand as though it was something he did every day. “I’m looking forward to it already.”

  She squeezed his hand and dropped it, reaching to open the door for him.

  Only a hint of sunlight made it inside before Emmit reached out and pushed it closed. When she turned, his lips found hers again. He leaned into her, pushing her into the door. They lost themselves in the moment.

  When he gently pulled away, she let out a contented sigh.

  Wow! Every goodbye from Emmit should be like that. Every greeting as well.

  After he left, Mira reveled in the experience a little longer before she narrowed her focus on the next spell.

  Chapter 19

  Forgetting the kiss wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be. A part of her wanted to linger on the memory of his lips and remembering how his body had pressed into hers. The passion that he brought out was something that she was sorely missing in her life.

  Perspective was waiting for her, though, and the measurements needed to be precise. Portions of the potion required heat, while others had to be cold.

  It wasn’t as difficult as her previous spell, but there was a bit more ceremony to it. She needed the circle, but was satisfied with the one in her apartment.

  Inside the circle, she set down items that helped tie her to the perspective she was searching for. A crystal Sally had given to her, werewolf hair—not one of Helen’s, but she would make do—and a small bottle of distilled hemlock. The poison was symbolic of the damage that the killer had inflicted and could inflict in the future.

  Once those items were in place, Mira readied herself. She was saved a trip downstairs when she realized she still had the silk cord that she had used to mark the circle during Emmit’s spell. She wrapped it around herself three times and put a rock in her pocket as an anchor. Then she took a deep breath and stepped into the circle with the potion in hand.

  The day wasn’t getting any younger. The rock kept her grounded, and the protective power that the string had soaked up would ensure that the potion’s influence wouldn’t overwhelm her. Mira drank the potion and invoked the spell.

  Heat, as though from a furnace, poured over her and she saw... herself.

  It was an odd sensation, because it wasn’t her, not quite. This version of her was younger and prettier than the person she saw in the mirror each day. Nevertheless, there was no mistaking that she was looking at herself and had pushed herself against the door, her door, with a haze of passion growing around her.

  Emmit was thinking about her.

  The thought slammed into her head and she tried to extract herself. Whatever Emmit was, he could sense magic even better than she could. The last thing she wanted Emmit to think was that she was spying on him. Knowing how secretive Emmit was, this felt treacherous.

  Since her mind had been on Emmit all afternoon, it was difficult to drag her thoughts away. It wasn’t real... it was Perspective.

  Mira gripped the rock in her pocket and thought of the other items around her. The burning desire faded fast, leaving her feeling chilled from the inside.

  The werewolf hair. Mira switched perspectives.

  An intense ache tore through her, leaving a gaping hole behind. The pack’s grief was still new and raw. Even though this hair was only a representation of Helen’s pack, it was strong enough to take Mira’s breath away.

  Taken off guard, she flipped once again through perspectives. Concentrating on Sally’s crystal, Mira found other people thinking of her. Someone was thinking about holding hands with Sally. Of kissing her and watching her head out of the door on a run. There was such a feeling of finality that Mira was sure Martin was seeing Sally leave for the last time.

  Quickly, she left that perspective, only to find one even worse. Sally was a little girl sitting on her dad’s lap, reading a book. Mira cried out and jerked away.

  Breathing hard, Mira gripped the rock, and worked to keep her thoughts her own. This killer had left so much heartache in his wake. So much anger and pain.

  Right, Mira thought, she was going about this wrong. Switching gears, she closed her eyes again and gently stepped into the spell. This time, she thought of all three items together.

  Surface thoughts fluttered past. It took Mira a moment to realize that there were investigators and reporters thinking about the murders.

  There were also people worried about the deaths. Who would be next?

  She concentrated on Gabriel. As one of the main detectives, he was probably preoccupied with the case. Even though she was trying as hard as she could to focus on him, she came up empty. She must have needed something with a closer connection to Gabriel in order to find him.

  Maybe if she added the hemlock?

  Taking a deep breath, Mira added the bottle to the others in her mind’s eye. Her stomach clenched as she lurched into another mind.

  It had to be done.

  The mind was cold calculation. Thoughts of Tyler floated up.

  It’s almost over.

  A few more to go.

  The phone rang, breaking Mira’s concentration. Blinking, she looked around the kitchen.

  Was that Tyler, or was it someone thinking about Tyler? Mira still had a death grip on the rock. Once she made sure the braided silk was still wrapped securely around her, she dropped the circle.

  The phone stopped ringing, which was good, because Mira didn’t think she could stand yet.

  Tyler, or someone thinking of him?

  It had to be someone thinking about Tyler, right? He wouldn’t hurt anyone.

  That didn’t make Mira feel any better. Whatever else that could be said about that perspective, it came from the mind of a killer.

  She lurched to her feet and snatched up her cell phone. She texted Tyler.

  Call me.

  If it was Tyler she sensed
, then was he about to kill someone? If it wasn’t Tyler’s mind she saw, did that mean the killer was going after Tyler?

  Ian. He could help.

  No answer. She sent Ian the same message she had left for Tyler.

  Mira grabbed her purse and dug around for her car keys. It was only then that she remembered her car was in the city.

  The car service.

  Her mind was lurching instead of really thinking things through. She snatched up the business card Emmit had left and called the concierge service.

  When the phone rang, she tried to steady her breath.

  “You are calling from an unknown number. Please state your name.”

  “Um,” Mira stumbled over her words, “I’m Mira Owens, a friend of Emmit Harker. He said I should call if I needed anything.”

  “What can we help you with today?” The voice was like honey, smooth and soothing.

  “I need a ride. It’s really important.”

  “Are you at your residence?”

  “Yes,” Mira said.

  There was a short pause. “We have someone on their way.”

  “I—” Mira stopped. That didn’t sound right.

  “Is Mr. Harker with you?” the mellow voice asked.

  “No, he’s not.”

  “Would you like for us to give him a message?”

  Mira bit her lip. “Um... no. No thank you.”

  “We should arrive within ten minutes. Is there anything else we can do for you?”

  “Thank you, no.”

  The line disconnected. Mira looked at the phone. The strangeness of the call gave her something to focus on and began to calm her racing heart.

  Should she chance calling Gabriel?

  Strings of disconnected thoughts flowed around her.

  It’s done.

  …her fault.

  …almost over but…

  …Helen…

  Mira closed her eyes and reached again for the rock in her pocket. Trying to dislodge the thoughts was difficult when she kept trying to find out whose mind she was seeing.

  A horn honked.

  Without really thinking about it, Mira grabbed her coat and her purse and ran outside. A sleek black Escalade with darkened windows was parked in the driveway. Someone was holding the back door open for her.