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

  "Once we get close to the doors, I'll push away the fire. It will—" a hacking cough struck her.

  Barney got the gist, however, and helped them both get as close as they could. Mira almost fumbled the coin, but when she gripped it firmly in her hand, she closed her eyes and began to trigger the awaiting spell.

  Push was intended for people, or—as Mira's mother once taught her— furniture. It was defensive magic intended to clear the witch's path. A clear path was what they needed now.

  Mira tried to fling up her arm to better direct the spell, but her hand flopped up and back down again. Sheer willpower drove the enchantment forward. Out in the hall, they managed to get almost to the door before Mira's spell dropped. For the first time since moving through the flames, Mira realized that she wasn't walking so much as being dragged along by Barney.

  The seer fumbled with the door. Mira tried to help, but found that she couldn't move her arms any more.

  "What the hell?" Mira tried to say. It came out as 'wha te hey,' and panic gripped her again.

  Barney finally leveraged the door open without dropping her and staggered outside.

  "Mira!"

  She tried to look up at the sound of Ian's voice, but she was having trouble moving her head.

  "Oh crap," he said. "I've got her, Barney. There's an ambulance on its way, but we need to move across the street."

  "No ambulance," Barney said, "they can't help her."

  "What do you mean?" Ian said. "Where's she hurt?”

  Mira's legs gave out and he was forced to pick her up. She tried to say something, but nothing came out.

  "Magic did this," Barney said.

  It wasn't until then that Mira felt the chanting stop. She wasn't sure how long she hadn't physically been hearing it, but she felt it the moment they actually stopped.

  "They are back," Barney said, his voice quavering.

  "Barney," Ian said, "what's wrong, what happened?"

  "So loud. They crawl under your skin and get you." This was emphasized as Barney began to scratch. "They got her."

  Mira felt herself being lowered to the ground.

  "Barney!" Frustration rang out of Ian's voice. "A lot of people are going to be here very soon. What happened to Mira?"

  "They locked her in," Barney said, then whimpered and dug his nails into his arm scratching fiercely.

  "I don't know what that means," Ian said.

  "She's there. All there. But trapped inside. She's not hurt. Not in a way that any doctor can help with."

  "Stop!" Ian yelled. "You're going to scratch your skin off."

  "Because they live in there," Barney said, and then giggled before wailing. "They won't let me go!"

  "Listen," Ian said, taking hold of Barney, "you are going to help me get her into the car. Then you are going to sit in the front seat and not move. Do you understand me?"

  "Hmm," Barney whined.

  "Do you understand me?"

  Barney nodded.

  Ian picked up Mira and laid her out across the back seat. He took a moment to stare into her bright eyes.

  She felt alert as well. Mira tried to talk, to move her arms and legs, to scream—anything. When nothing got out, the screaming went on in her mind.

  Barney got into the front seat and put his seatbelt on before staring straight forward.

  A fire truck arrived. Moments later, an ambulance along with the police came on the scene.

  It didn't take Barney long to start talking to himself. First, he muttered about the creatures living in him, and then he moved on to the voices. Mira wanted to comfort him or at least to shut her ears when he started talking about the voices.

  After what seemed like a lifetime later, Ian got into the car. "Say nothing until we’ve passed all the emergency vehicles," Ian said. He waved at a few people as he slowly pulled away.

  Mira assumed Ian must have been talking to Barney, because she was mute and getting more pissed off about it by the second.

  Ian took out his cell phone and called his partner.

  The car speakers made Gabriel’s voice fill the air. "I'm on my way back—"

  Ian cut Gabriel off, "Meet me at Mira's house now."

  Chapter 15

  "What happened?" Gabriel asked quickly.

  "I have Barney. It's not good,” Ian said.

  Since he didn’t mention her, Mira knew Ian was trying to save his partner at least some worry.

  "I'll be there shortly," Gabriel said before hanging up.

  "Okay," Ian said, turning to Barney, "talk."

  Barney opened up like an overripe melon, but it was all ramblings.

  "Okay, stop," Ian said, rubbing his forehead.

  Barney didn't stop. "They want to know things. They get into your head and make you talk. John made it better, but only after he made it worse."

  "Enough," Ian said, not unkindly. "You're away from there now. Whatever happened, you're with us. We'll get this sorted out."

  Barney didn't stop talking, but he kept his mutterings to himself.

  "Is there anyone you know who can help with this kind of thing?" Ian asked him. "Barney, this is important. It's for Mira. Is there anyone you can think of—"

  "Tyler," Barney said.

  "How is she doing back there?" Ian asked, checking his rear-view mirror again. "Is she asleep?"

  Barney twisted in his seat. "Not asleep. Just trapped." He stared at her for a few moments. "I wonder what they are making her hear."

  Gooseflesh broke out on Ian's arms.

  The strange thing to Mira was that she could hear something. Like a voice carried on a nonexistent wind. She couldn't quite make it out, but after hearing Barney's words, she didn't dare try to make sense of it. She focused on the sounds around her.

  Once Ian was quiet again, Barney took to talking to himself once more.

  "Can she hear us?" Ian asked.

  Barney glanced at Mira again and shrugged. "Who can say?"

  "We're almost there," Ian said. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"

  "They tell me a lot. Too much. Magic is all I know. Magic against magic. Nine against one. They talk all the time. But when I leave, it hurts. It's like needles in the brain. Like now. Sharp little needles. Poke poke poking. I wanted to go, but I want to go back now."

  "Don't worry," Ian said. "We're going to Mira's house. We'll find a way to make you safe."

  Barney let out a chuckle. Then the floodgates opened up and he laughed. "Safe? Safe from words? Safe from dreams?" He choked and coughed a little. "Safe from the voices?" He laughed again.

  Ian looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "Thank god," Ian said when he pulled into the driveway.

  "Stay!" Ian barked the command at Barney when the seer yanked off his seatbelt.

  Barney looked at him reproachfully.

  "I mean, wait here," Ian corrected. "Please. Keep an eye on Mira."

  When Ian was convinced Barney would stay put, the detective jumped out of the car and met his partner.

  The voices were muffled through the car glass, but Mira was glad to hear Gabriel's voice. Between Ian's frustrated panic and Barney's insane ramblings, she wanted to pull her hair out. But Gabriel could sort things out.

  Gabriel yanked the back door open and leaned over Mira, brushing the hair out of her eyes. Her eyes were the only thing she could move. Despite what people may read, it's hard to will someone to do something using only your eyes. Muscles in the face need to move to create meaning.

  Mira couldn't help but try.

  "Let's get her inside," Gabriel said.

  He sounded calm, but Mira could feel the storm of energy begin to rise around him when he pulled her out of the car.

  Gabriel carried Mira upstairs, and she could hear Ian going back and forth with Barney.

  "Do you have a key?" Gabriel hollered down to Ian.

  "No. If she had her purse she must have lost it in the fire," Ian called.

  "Fire," Gabriel muttered. "Great." He did his best to ho
ld Mira and check her pockets. Mira figured the two of them looked ridiculous, but the important part was, he found the key.

  While holding Mira upright, he shoved the door open, then picked her up and took her to the couch. There, he felt for a pulse in her neck and made sure she was breathing. He was taking off her jacket when the other two arrived.

  "What happened?" Gabriel asked without looking at them.

  "I've been trying to piece that together," Ian said. "I only know magic was involved. Barney said the doctors wouldn't be able to help her."

  "Tell me," Gabriel said, looking at Barney.

  "They're everywhere," Barney said. "With me all the time. Needles in my brain, voices on the air. The voices got her. Locked her up inside herself."

  Gabriel glared at his partner.

  Ian told him everything he knew, which wasn't much.

  "Can Della fix this?" Gabriel asked when Ian was done.

  "I tried to call," Ian said. "No answer."

  Gabriel pulled up one of Mira's sleeves and started to check for injuries. "Do you know any other witches to contact?"

  "Ones that I know we can trust? No. I'm not even sure a witch can undo it. Barney said nine against one. It doesn't sound like something that just anyone can do."

  Gabriel sighed and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through the numbers and brought one up before handing the phone over to Ian. "Tell them we need Emmit."

  "Are you sure you want him over here?" Ian asked.

  "No," Gabriel snapped, and then paused for a moment, "but I know we need help."

  Ian clicked the button and started to pace. "Hello?" he said after a few moments. "This is Ian Burke. I need someone to get hold of Emmit Harker." There was a pause. "I don't give a damn if you know me or not, you need to let him kn—a" Ian paused again. "Just get him a message."

  Ian covered the phone. "They won't even admit they know Emmit, since they don't know me."

  Gabriel stalked over to Ian and grabbed the phone. "This is Detective Gabriel Flint, and I sure as hell know that at least some of you assholes know who I am. Tell Emmit that Mira needs him. Now." Gabriel moved back to the couch and sat next to Mira. "We don't know, but he might be able to help. Get him here now." He clicked off the phone and dropped it.

  "Barney," Gabriel said, "is there anything else... Barney?" He looked around the room until he spotted that Barney had sat down out of the way in the corner.

  "I don't think he's able to help much. He hasn’t been able to pull himself together," Ian said.

  "Mira's tea might help," Gabriel said. "The special one she makes for him."

  "I'll check the kitchen," Ian said.

  Magic doesn't have to leave a mark, but Mira couldn’t pass this information on to Gabriel. He checked her arms, legs, and even her head as though to check for damage.

  "I can't tell what's what," Ian said. "I'll run to his apartment."

  Gabriel nodded.

  "You going to be okay here?"

  Gabriel glanced at Barney. "He seems pretty settled in over there."

  "I meant... Look, she's going to be okay."

  "Yeah," Gabriel said.

  "I'll be back."

  When Ian left, Gabriel pulled the silver-colored chain out from under his shirt and rubbed his fingers over the rune. Barney began chatting to himself, but Gabriel ignored him. The angel stood up, then paced back and forth in front of the couch twice before sitting back down next to Mira.

  "I'm not sure what to do here," Gabriel said, keeping his voice low and for Mira's ears only. "I feel like I should be doing something." He took off the necklace. "You had one of these, and I think it would have stopped whatever this is."

  He stared into Mira's eyes. She watched him, wondering what he was getting at. Her ward had been drained what seemed like ages ago, and he was right. There was a good chance it wouldn’t have stopped a spell cast by so many.

  "Anyway, this isn't going to help you. I know it's not. But I also know I have to try." Gabriel opened Mira's hand and closed it around the platinum medallion.

  At that point, Mira felt so sorry for Gabriel that her heart ached. Mentally, she beat against the prison that her body had become.

  "Yeah, I didn't think so," Gabriel said, sounding defeated.

  He left it there for a while longer, as though hoping it would make a difference.

  Bitterness began to well up and he yanked the chain away. "I knew that spell was a mistake. You should have known it was a mistake. It was a stupid stupid thing to do. I should have broken the damned chain the moment I left."

  Mira would have liked to argue.

  Argue, scream, cry. At that point, she would settle for anything.

  Eventually, Gabriel's eyes landed on Barney again. "What about you?" he asked Barney. "Are you okay? The tea is on its way, but is there anything—"

  "The voices don't stop. They lie and hiss out of the dark. They want—"

  Gabriel nodded. "Hang in there, Ian’s bringing your tea. Were you injured anywhere? Was she?"

  "They trapped her with words. There was nothing anyone—why don't they stop? Why would John do this? I thought he was my friend." Barney drew his knees up, clutched at them, and buried his face.

  Barney’s rantings became muffled. The word 'voices' popped up repeatedly. ‘Useless’ was mentioned. Mira could sympathize with that feeling. How did she expect Gabriel to fight witchcraft without a witch? The words were already...

  “The idea of magic is still too alien for me,” Gabriel said. “I’m having a hard time really understanding it, but I think the words are important. Well, I guess with witch magic there’s loads of other stuff—ingredients, symbols, language, the whole thing was wrapped together.”

  It was true, Mira mused. Everything was tied to the power of the witch. Even Della had to draw symbols in the air and understand the language of the spell.

  But Gabriel had words as well. At least when he and Mira had been in the Ether, Gabriel's voice held power. Was it possible he could use his voice here?

  "She looks uncomfortable," Gabriel muttered as though he needed an excuse. "I'm going to lay her down in the other room."

  He carefully lifted Mira and took her into her bedroom. After laying her on her bed, he adjusted her arms and legs, then arranged her pillow.

  Misery flooded Mira. She was trapped and Gabriel was wavering from upset to pissed off, to depressed, and back again. The whole situation seriously sucked, and she couldn't think of a thing to fix it. She really wanted to be left alone for a while to wrap her head around things—every noise and motion out of her eyesight felt inherently dangerous because she had no control.

  She closed her eyes, the only part of herself she could move, and turned inward.

  "I don't think you should close your eyes," Gabriel said softly. "At least not for long."

  A part of her knew he was probably right. She opened them and stared at the ceiling, wanting to shut the world out.

  "You can hear us," Gabriel said, sounding somewhat relieved. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

  Mira stared at him, wanting to glare or cry—either would work.

  "Once for yes and twice for no," Gabriel said. "Any pain?"

  In the only way she was able, she told him no.

  "This has to be hell for you."

  She blinked yes and looked at the ceiling, tired of being stared at.

  She felt the bed move as he sat down next to her and moved into her line of vision again. He took her hand—for her comfort or his, she wasn't sure.

  "I don't suppose you have any ideas on how to fix this?" Gabriel asked.

  Mira closed her eyes. Her frustration was running so high tears should have arrived, but she couldn't even cry properly.

  Not that she wanted to cry in front of Gabriel.

  "Right," Gabriel said, "stupid question. You probably have tons of ideas and nothing to do with them." After a while, he added, "Please open your eyes. I don't know what happens if you go to sleep."

  Mira'
s eyes snapped open. She hadn't thought about that. Could it be possible that she'd be locked further inside herself?

  "Since you can hear me, I guess I should ask first, but I'm not going to," he said, letting go of her, but setting her hand on his leg, as though not willing to lose contact with her. "I'm breaking the chain."

  Mira blinked twice, which Gabriel conveniently didn't see, since he looked away.

  She had been expecting to be able to feel the chain break, but she only heard it.

  "It's funny," he said, "I almost wish you couldn't hear me, because I'm about to make a giant fool of myself." When he took her hand again, she could still feel the chain and ward in his hand. "Although, I guess it wouldn't work if you couldn't hear. Maybe, anyway."

  Mira watched him closely.

  "I'm not sure if this would work better if we were closer to the Ether, but I don’t think that's even an option. Still, my voice worked there, maybe a little too well. There shouldn't be any reason for it not to work here."

  Light dawned for Mira.

  "Or maybe there’s some reason I don't know," he continued, more talking to himself than Mira. "The word to use, that's important. We found that out the hard way. We won't know if it's the right word until we try, but I'll know if it's the wrong one."

  He shifted on the bed as though uncomfortable.

  "How does open sound?"

  Thinking of all the ways open could go wrong, Mira rapidly blinked twice.

  "Move? No," he said before she could answer. "I'm not sure what would happen if you didn't have the option of moving."

  He thought for a while, and as useless as it was, Mira thought with him, trying to think of a word that would work.

  "Well," he said at last, "they locked you in. How about unlock?"

  Mira focused on the word. It made sense, and if it wasn't the right word, it didn't sound as though it could do much harm.

  "It's worth a try, I guess. Now for the fun part. At least for you. If nothing else, it will give you something to laugh about later."

  Mira blinked her eyes no, but she wasn't sure Gabriel noticed.

  Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, but it looked as though he changed his mind. He closed his eyes and started once again before shaking his head.