Spellbound Murder Complete Trilogy (Spellbound Murder Box Set Book 1) Page 22

  “Cross your fingers,” she said. Carefully, she opened the bag and pulled out a flat round mirror with a smoky black reflection.

  “It’s here! It’s really here! It showed up in this world!”

  Gabriel went over to see what the fuss was about and whistled as he looked at the mirror. The mirror, like the rest of the ingredients in her magic kit, glowed softly.

  “You’re a witch with a magic mirror,” Gabriel said. “Naturally.”

  Mira ignored his jibe. “Okay,” she said, placing the mirror carefully on the table. “We have a reflection. It’s obviously too small to step through, even if we had a spell that would allow us to move between worlds like that. Still, I think this is our key out of here.”

  “Is there any hocus-pocus to make this thing bigger?” Gabriel asked.

  Mira raised an eyebrow at him. “No,” she said dryly. “Hocus-pocus will not make this bigger.”

  Gabriel shrugged and examined the large kitchen circle again.

  “What do you think these creatures did to pull us through?” Gabriel asked. “I didn’t see any magic around at the police station. Apart from what you and I had.”

  “I’ve never heard of anything like that happening.”

  The earth rumbled beneath their feet again. The trembling stilled, but only momentarily. Mira gripped a wall and held on tight to the mirror until the ground stopped moving.

  “It’s like something in the ground is rolling over,” Gabriel said.

  Blood rushed from Mira’s face. “Don’t say that!” She started shaking again, even though the ground was still.

  “I just meant—I mean I’ve never—” Gabriel stammered. “It couldn’t be that. I’ve just never been in an earthquake before. It startled me.”

  Trying to push the idea out of her mind that a giant creature was under her feet was like trying to turn iron to gold. Some people had a knack for it, but Mira wasn’t one of them.

  Gabriel mumbled to himself a bit. She thought she heard “couldn’t be” come from him again.

  “Right,” Mira said, trying to pull Gabriel back to the problem at hand. “There was no magic except what we had. They weren’t trying to pull you through, so it had to be something on me. I had my necklace and my string. You had already taken my rock away.”

  “Your rock was magic?” Gabriel shook his head.

  “Never mind that. It wasn’t on me. These things don’t like the necklace, so it has to be the string.”

  “What is so special about the string?” Gabriel asked.

  She was about to tell him that she had no idea why the string was special. Then the truth hit her.

  “I used the string in one of my last spells.” Mira licked her lips nervously. “I used it to balance the ethereal and physical planes. It was only on the ground to mark the circle, but that has to be it.”

  Gabriel looked confused and encouraged at the same time.

  Something banged against the back door and they both jumped. Gabriel’s shield and sword once again appeared in his hands, but he looked weary.

  They both were. It was past time to get out of this world.

  “So, I balanced the physical and the ethereal earlier. I also have a potion to block the Ether. Maybe if I combine the two?”

  “Do it,” Gabriel said. He shifted his focus from the back door to the front as something began to slam itself repeatedly against it.

  Mira grabbed a few bottles and started throwing together a potion. Thuds upstairs interrupted her work.

  “They’re in the building,” she said, staring at the ceiling.

  “I didn’t see a staircase. Where is it?” Gabriel asked.

  “Outside. It doesn’t come into the store.”

  “I’ve got this,” he said. “Do what you need.”

  There was no time to worry about measurements. There were a few ingredients missing, but Mira made substitutions as best she could.

  “Get into the circle,” Mira said.

  Gabriel glanced at the lines for a moment before moving with her. Mira wove the braided silk around the edge just as she had for Emmit the previous day.

  Had it even been a day yet?

  Raising the protective barrier around them, Mira gave the bottle to Gabriel.

  “Drink half and then touch the mirror,” Mira said. “Think firmly of our world.”

  Gabriel shifted his sword and shield to the same hand, as though he were afraid to let either of them go. “Shouldn’t we do this together?”

  “I’ll be right behind you. Think of nothing else,” Mira stressed. “Don’t let another thought sneak in.”

  He hesitated, looking at the back door, which was being repeatedly hit.

  “The faster you go, the faster I get to follow,” Mira snapped. “Think of nothing else.”

  Gabriel looked at her, half-glaring. Then he downed his part and handed the bottle to her. He touched the mirror.

  Mira held her breath and watched, counting down the seconds.

  He closed his eyes. Mira’s stomach was clenched so tightly she thought she might be sick.

  There was a flicker.

  Gabriel grew misty and faded away.

  “It worked!” Mira punched the air in celebration.

  The back door split open, cutting off her cheer.

  The two creatures from the station, the ones that had followed her through the streets, walked in. Behind them, other creatures jostled each other to get a good view.

  “Your protector is gone, witch,” the moldy-looking creature said.

  “Hiss sstrength will not help you,” hissed the other.

  They moved forward as one, but they were forced to stop short. Her protective barrier pushed back the hazy air and stopped the beasts several feet from her circle.

  The ground trembled again.

  Mira crouched down to keep from falling out of the circle. The creatures didn’t look like they could break through her magic, but Mira was sure they’d love it if she ruined the protection herself. When Mira looked up, however, she saw that they were not concerned with her.

  They looked as fearful as she did as the ground rumbled.

  “Stupid witch,” the green creature said once the shaking stopped, “you have chosen sides with Harkers, which will not go unpunished.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not up to you,” Mira said, and then drank the other half of the bottle.

  The creatures growled and tried to move forward. Mira grabbed the mirror. Knowing she had only one chance at this, she closed her eyes and thought of nothing but the physical world and her shop.

  Nausea rolled over her. Somehow, she felt real and unreal at the same time. Then a heaviness grew from her stomach out. When she opened her eyes, there were no creatures, but if anything, the haze was thicker. She spun around and bumped into Gabriel.

  “What went wrong?” Mira cried.

  “We’re home,” Gabriel said.

  “But…” Mira gestured hopelessly at their surroundings.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Gabriel said, dragging her by the arm.

  “But…”

  “Mira, your store is on fire.”

  Chapter 26

  Gabriel started coughing, but still grabbed Mira and pushed her toward the back door. Her mind was fuzzy, but when Gabriel shoved her outside the frigid air jumpstarted her brain.

  “Are you okay?” Her voice was much higher pitched and louder than she had intended. “How long were you in the smoke?”

  “Forget it,” Gabriel said. “We’re home.”

  The words settled over them like a blanket.

  Home.

  It was hard for her to take in. “It’s over,” she said out loud, more for herself than for Gabriel.

  “Listen, I’m not sure what’s going to happen now, but you need to go home and wait there until you hear from me,” Gabriel said.

  “What? Why?”

  “We disappeared from the police station. Someone could be looking for one or both of us.”
/>   “What for?” Mira asked.

  “I know Ian, for one, will want some answers, especially since your stuff is probably still at the station. If anyone asks, we went for a walk. That’s it. Say nothing else.”

  “I... okay,” she stammered. This wasn’t what she had anticipated.

  “I’ll call this in,” Gabriel said. “You should go.”

  “How am I supposed to get home?”

  “Is there anyone you can call?”

  “With what?” She was close to yelling now. This was supposed to be over. They’d get back and everything would be fine. Now her store was burning and Gabriel was pushing her away as fast as possible.

  “Everything I had in my pockets when we went away, it’s all back.” He held out his phone. “Is there anyone you can call that won’t ask a ton of questions?”

  Was there anyone? Her family would never let her hear the end of it if they found out. Even Della was bound to push. She didn’t know Emmit’s number.

  Mira dug around in her pocket and pulled out a business card. “There’s someone I can call.”

  “They won’t ask a lot of questions?”

  “They’re discrete,” Mira said, feeling defeated.

  She called Reinfield Concierge service, giving them an address a few blocks away. When she slid the card back into her pocket, her hand found something else.

  Feathers. Gabriel looked at them mutely.

  “Never mind them,” Mira muttered, shoving them back in her pocket. “We’ll talk later.”

  Gabriel nodded. “I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I can. Tell no one anything about what happened.” He didn’t wait for a reply before he strode away in the opposite direction. Mira could hear him calling in the fire.

  Wanting to put distance between them, Mira hurried away. She went a block before she heard the sirens and she slowed down. Freezing, she rubbed her hands together before hugging herself against the cold.

  The street was dark. She had no idea what time it was. Noises from the bustling city life only a few more blocks away were muffled. A few sounds made her jump. Not knowing what they were made her mind leap straight to thinking monsters were lurking in the dark, ready to grab her.

  However, the monsters weren’t here. Not in this world. When she arrived at the address she had given the car company, she leaned against the wall and shivered. The cold, brittle night would make anyone shiver, but Mira’s nerves had been pulled so tight for so long that she was having trouble letting go of that tension.

  An Escalade pulled to a stop in front of her, but the sight didn’t register immediately. Cold and exhaustion were dragging her down. A man jumped out of the front seat and opened the back door. She pushed away from the wall and got in without a word.

  The warmth actually hurt when it started to thaw her face. She said nothing when she put her seatbelt on. The man that had opened her door got something out of the back before getting back into the front seat again. He gave the driver a look. The driver looked intently in his rear-view mirror before he nodded.

  They hadn’t said anything.

  The man in the passenger seat turned around and passed something back. Mira blankly took it. The soft dark fur unfolded into a blanket, which she gladly wrapped around herself.

  “Can I get you anything else?” the man asked quietly.

  She felt numb. “No.” Rubbing her hands over the blanket reminded her of Gabriel’s feathers. “What time is it?”

  “Four-fifty-eight AM,” the man said.

  They had been gone for over half a day.

  It had felt like much longer. Laying her head back on the seat, she watched the city lights. She closed her eyes, meaning only to rest them, and listened to the sound of the cold air whisking by.

  It hadn’t been cold in the Ether. It hadn’t been warm either. No breeze, no sun, no clouds, just that persistent haze and light that didn’t seem to have a real source.

  Maybe this world was the source, she mused.

  When the vehicle pulled to a stop, she bolted up in the seat and grabbed her necklace. Breathing hard, she looked around. Home. They had taken her to her apartment. She took a deep breath and tried to slow her racing heart.

  “We’ve reached your destination,” one of the men said.

  Slowly, she unsnapped her seat belt. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, and her stomach clenched at the idea of stepping back out in the cold. But it was only until she was upstairs.

  Except she had no key.

  “Shit,” she said under hear breath. She looked toward the main house and saw no lights.

  “Is there something you need assistance with?” the driver asked.

  “I don’t have my key,” Mira said rubbing her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about it.”

  “We can take care of that,” the man in the passenger seat said. “Wait here.”

  Mira rubbed her face, trying to wake up and figure out what to do. She couldn’t wake up Della, and she definitely wasn’t going back to the station.

  Before she had mentally gone through the list of things she wasn’t going to do, the passenger returned to the front seat.

  “Your door is unlocked,” he said.

  “Oh.” Mira wasn’t sure what else to say. What do you say to someone who took only a minute to break into your house?

  “Would you like extra security until Mr. Harker arrives?” he asked.

  “I forgot he was coming over,” Mira said, more to herself. “I’m fine. Thank you, though, I just want to go to sleep.”

  The man stepped back out into the cold and opened her door. She shivered and stepped out. When she started to unwrap the fur blanket, he stopped her.

  “Keep it,” he said. “Please let me see you safely inside.”

  “What?” she asked, confused. “Oh, no. I’m fine. Thank you.” She looked at him, really looked at him for the first time. “Thank you.” She repeated. “Both of you.”

  “It’s our pleasure.”

  Despite her reassurances, he walked upstairs with her.

  “You really don’t have to do this,” she said, feeling exasperated.

  He gave her a weak smile. “Mr. Harker might disagree and we’d rather avoid that if possible.”

  “Mr. Harker has a lot of explaining to do,” she mumbled.

  He held the front door open for her. “If you need anything from us, don’t hesitate to call. Mr. Harker should arrive in less than an hour.”

  Mira frowned. “An hour?”

  “Our apologies, but he would insist on knowing about this.”

  Mira groaned. She wanted nothing but sleep.

  “Again, my apologies.”

  “It’s fine,” Mira said, not really meaning it. “Thanks again for the ride.”

  Mira leaned against the door after the man had gone. She thought about curling up on the couch until Emmit arrived. Then she remembered the monsters from the Ether and shivered. She went room by room and turned on every light she had. When she was certain she was alone, she opened one of her hiding spots. She had no idea what to do with the feathers, but above all else, she knew that no one else should get their hands on them.

  Once she knew that Gabriel’s feathers wouldn’t be found, she decided to scrub her skin and burn her clothes. Not wanting to sit on anything that couldn’t be scrubbed, Mira tried to remove the shirt that Gabriel had tied around her leg.

  Gabriel had been amazing in the Ether. What had she done? If he hadn’t been there, she would have died; she knew that.

  The knot Gabriel had tied wasn’t budging. She sighed and let her shoulders fall. She couldn’t even remove his knot. There were scissors in the kitchen. It wasn’t as if she was going to give his shirt back anyway. The creatures had pulled her in by a string that had touched a hint of the Ether. She had no idea what they would be able to do with something that had actually spent time there.

  Her step quickened at the thought.

  The clothes weren’t magical, though, right? They
wouldn’t be able to use those. Right?

  Either way, Gabriel would need a new shirt. She was pretty sure it wouldn’t take much to convince him to burn his own clothes as well.

  By the time she was in the kitchen, her hands were shaking again. She dug through two drawers before she found what she was looking for.

  She immediately started hacking away at the shirt.

  “Good lord.”

  Mira jumped and had the scissors pointed out as a weapon before her brain had registered that it was Emmit, even with his beautiful British accent.

  “It hasn’t been an hour,” she accused.

  “I didn’t need an hour,” he said. “Please lower the scissors.”

  “Oh.” She blinked at the scissors and was surprised she hadn’t lowered them automatically. “Sorry.”

  Once they were lowered, gentle fingers pried them from her hands and she jumped again. She hadn’t even seen him move. It had to be the lack of sleep.

  “What happened?” Emmit asked, leading her to kitchen chair. “Who did this?”

  “I... it’s a long story,” Mira said.

  He pushed her into the chair and started to untie the makeshift tourniquet. “Do you need to see a doctor?”

  “No!” She said it too quickly and forcefully. The idea of particles of haze from the Ether being spread across the city made her grip the edge of her seat.

  Under Gabriel’s shirt, her jeans and skin had been torn by talons. The material was stiff with dried blood and it was sticking to her skin. Although his touch was delicate, she winced when Emmit lifted the pants away from her leg. Without seeming to use any effort, Emmit tore back the material and inspected what remained of the cut.

  “Wait here,” he said.

  Looking down, she saw that the cut had started bleeding again, but in a sluggish way. The wound itself was red and angry, even where it wasn’t covered in blood.

  But it was also partially healed. It was bleeding because it had been torn back open again. Gently, she drew her fingers over where the cut had been. Whatever else that could be said about the Ethereal Plane, magic was stronger, worked better, and did the job faster than it ever had in this world.

  At least not in her lifetime.

  Emmit returned with a towel, and what looked like the contents of a first-aid kit. Did she even have one of those?