Charmed & Deadly Read online

  When we hung up I curled into a ball on the bed, pulled the lightweight blanket over me, and fell asleep. Cole woke me up with the buzzer at the door. I pushed the button to let him in.

  “Are you okay?” He looked at me funny, and I realized I’d fallen asleep in my clothes and I’m sure my makeup and hair were a mess. “This came for you a few moments ago.”

  He handed me a FedEx package. I opened it and found two prescriptions and a note that read:

  Bronwyn, I love you so much. Please take care of yourself and come home to me.—Sam

  The words were so sweet and I couldn’t control the tears as they fell in big, fat drops down my cheek. I sat down on the edge of the bed.

  “What is it?” Cole sat down next to me, and took the note from my hands. He read it. “I don’t understand.”

  I don’t know Cole that well, but he’s a good guy. And right then, I just needed to talk to someone. I told him everything. When I finished, he shook his head and hugged me. I cried for another five or six minutes until there were no tears left.

  “I’m a mess. I’m sorry. Sam says it’s hormones.”

  “Well, I don’t know much about this kind of thing, but it’s understandable you’d be a little emotional.” He and I smiled over the “little” comment. “Maybe you should go home and get some real rest.”

  I pulled away from him. “Cole, I can’t do that.” I took a deep, cleansing breath and sent myself a healing spell. I had to be strong. “We’re close to finding Jason, and I have to do this. Have you heard any news? Did they find traces of a portal?”

  He leaned back on his arms. “There was something. If it was a portal, they’ve closed it, but there was magic.”

  “The thing is, Jason isn’t strong enough to do something like that.” I stood up and paced in the tiny room. “Even if he’s been drawing powers from others for a while, he wouldn’t be able to create a portal like that. I mean, that’s something only a wizard or—oh, wow. Do you think he really is working with the sorceress?” I paused and looked at him.

  Cole shrugged. “Yes, but why would she bother with someone like him? It doesn’t make sense.”

  I pursed my lips and thought for a moment. Then it dawned on me: “What if he’s the one who brought her back? You said she’d been banished to another dimension. If he conjured her up, then she’d be more inclined to work with him. She hasn’t been a part of this world for several centuries, and she’d need someone to help her acclimate.

  “Why are they in Budapest? That’s what we need to find out. He’d sent the killer to assassinate me and the prime minister in Amsterdam. He didn’t do it himself, but he did commit the murders of those witches. So, why are they here?”

  Cole jumped up. “Time to do some research. I’ll see if maybe she had favorite haunts here back in the day. This city has been rebuilt several times by different conquerors, and she loved war. There’s a good chance she considers this home base.”

  I nodded. “Give me twenty minutes and I’ll help.” I looked down at my clothes. “I need to get cleaned up.”

  “Take your time. Grab something to eat and come to lab A when you are done. I’ll put a team together and meet you there.”

  He started to walk out the door and turned back. He took me in his arms and hugged me hard. “This sucks, what’s going on with you right now. But it’s going to be okay.”

  His kindness was my undoing and the tears flowed again. I’d been certain I didn’t have any left.

  I pushed him away. “Oh, stop being so sweet. I’ll never be able to get ready.” I shooed him out the door.

  After he left, I took a quick shower. By the time I’d eaten and made my way to the lab, I was back to my old self. Well, not quite, but close enough.

  I meant what I said before—it was time to be strong. If I needed to grieve over what had happened, I would, but later—much later.

  Twenty-three

  Manhattan

  Thursday

  9 p.m

  Dead guys: 10

  Spells: 20

  I’ ve never really suffered from PMS, but I think I get it now. I’ve read stories about women who shoot their husbands because they are suffering from a wicked case of hormones. My friend Simone says she slays more demons the week before her cycle begins than she usually does the rest of the month. Until now, I always thought PMS was a copout.

  My body has gone berserk. There’s no other word for it. One minute I’m crying, the next I’m blowing someone up. No one who doesn’t deserve it, but it has been easier than ever to do what was necessary over the last few days.

  Cole and his team found three locations where they felt the sorceress Calinda and her minions might be hiding.

  It was me who suggested doing a drive-by to see if I could sense some of her or Jason’s magic.

  The first place, which was a residence that had been around for a few centuries, was a bust. We headed out of town to an old Turkish bathhouse just on the outskirts of Budapest. The place was gorgeous, with huge spires and mosaics that took my breath away.

  We’d stopped to take a quick look around the grounds. It seemed deserted, but when I first stepped into the building, I had a feeling.

  I touched Cole’s shoulder. “There’s something here. Do you sense it?”

  He nodded, and we continued to search the building with the rest of the crew. We’d brought along six security agents, LaRie, a witch who had worked with Cole on several cases, and a shape-shifter, Logan, whom I was told could turn into any animal. He was a big man who looked more like he belonged on the cover of one of Ms. Helen’s erotic romances, but I knew he had to be talented or Cole wouldn’t have called him.

  There weren’t any wards I could see on the premises. I’d checked as we entered the building, but I didn’t immediately see any magic inside.

  If they were here, Calinda hadn’t done a very good job of protecting the place.

  The team, which had gone in a half-dozen different directions when we arrived, all returned.

  “I sense it, too,” Logan told Cole. “But I haven’t seen anything.” I was standing in the middle of the large foyer. It had a huge circle of mosaics in an array of patterns that all made sense in the big picture, but could drive you insane if you stared at it for too long.

  It was when I closed my eyes and sent my mind out that I heard a familiar voice.

  “Bronwyn.” He was weak, but I’d know Garnout’s voice anywhere. “Danger.”

  “Are you okay?” I searched to see if I could spot him, and I did. He was underground, in a glass coffin. Nasty black magic surrounded him. The magical knots were so tight they looked like braids. He wasn’t okay.

  Calinda was sucking the life force from him.

  I reached out for someone, and opened my eyes to see Logan’s enormous bicep. He’d been holding on to me as if he were afraid I’d fall.

  “You look like you’re going to faint.” Logan held my hand in his. He had a German accent and his words were strong and clipped.

  “Damn. My strength isn’t what it needs to be. They’re here, underground. There’s a friend of mine down there and we have to save him. Calinda’s trying to kill him.”

  Logan touched his earpiece and told Cole what was going on. He’d left us to search the grounds again with the rest of the crew.

  Moving around the room, I pushed on the various wall panels. “There have to be tunnels, or some way to get down there. What I don’t understand is why they haven’t attacked yet. She has to know we are here.”

  Logan shrugged, but pulled out a nasty-looking dagger, readying himself for battle.

  Cole and the others came up behind us. “There has to be a way down to the basement. Did anyone see a stairwell?”

  They shook their heads.

  “The water has to come into the bath from somewhere. They had to have a way to fix pipes and that sort of thing.” I was talking to the group and trying to keep my mind on Garnout. He grew weaker by the moment. I looked around the
room where they had him and couldn’t see anyone else.

  “Where are they?” I sent the question to Garnout.

  He shook his head as if he didn’t know.

  “Garnout, stay with me. We are coming to get you.”

  He raised his head and stared at the ceiling. “Be careful young witch, she’s set a trap. She’s clever, that one.”

  I assumed he was talking about the sorceress. It’s funny—in a way, Garnout seemed to like her, even though she was the bitch zapping his powers.

  “Good news is Garnout’s alive. Bad news is he says we are walking into a trap.” I moved toward the back of the building. I had a sense of where I needed to go.

  “Bronwyn, let me call for more backup.” Cole tugged on my arm.

  “There isn’t time. She’s draining his powers. If we wait, he’ll be a pile of nothingness. That’s the worst thing that can happen for a wizard.” I pulled myself out of his grasp.

  He spoke into the microphone of his earpiece, ordering backup. At the very least there would be someone to clean up the dead if we didn’t make it.

  In the far left corner of the building I found it: a large closet with a trap door in the floor.

  Before Logan reached down to open it, I sent a protection spell to the team. Then I grabbed a small vial of blue juice and chugged it down, and sent myself a strengthening spell.

  I would survive this, and when I found Jason he would pay for helping that bitch hurt Garnout and for killing those poor, innocent witches.

  The trap door opened with a creak right out of a Hollywood horror flick. It was a giant black hole until Logan pointed his flash-light inside. There were steep steps leading down into nothingness.

  Cole moved to begin the descent and I followed him. Normally I’d take the lead, but this way I could focus more on the magic we were walking into.

  The steps seemed to go forever, with walls on both sides. Two of the agents had stayed at the opening of the trap door to keep us from being, well, trapped. The last thing we needed was an attack from behind.

  Halfway down, the stairs began to curve and I realized this was much more than a basement. The walls, made of wood, were intricately carved. I couldn’t really see the patterns but I felt them with my hands. We were walking into a temple. I grabbed Cole’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.

  “Give me a minute.” I sent my mind ahead and I could see a large room with an altar. Candles lined the stone structure and there were sconces lit around the room. At first I didn’t see anyone, but then there was a tiny flash of a blue streak. Magic. Concentrating, I saw more movement against the columns beside the entrance and by the doorways leading out of the room.

  A small army had been hidden by magic.

  I told Cole, who relayed the message to the rest of the team.

  Garnout hadn’t been wrong. We were most definitely walking into a trap.

  As we rounded the last curve, I saw the large altar. There were two people guarding the entryway. I sent a small burn to them both, and their screams created the diversion we needed. Once the others moved forward I could see the magic surrounding all of the people.

  “Reveal!” I screamed and threw a spell at them. The cloaking fell away and the craziness began. A tiger—I assumed it was our shape-shifting friend Logan—leaped into the middle of the group headed for us.

  Cole and his team used a combination of magic and weapons to fight the witches and warlocks surrounding us. We’d already decided that my job was to find Garnout. I knew he was near; I could feel him. I kept close to the wall and sent protection spells to our team.

  I made my way to the large doorway on the right and ran into a wall of man. He was huge, at least seven feet tall, and was dressed in a dark robe. His fist reared back as if he was going to hit me. “I don’t think so,” I said, and threw out my hand, tossing him to the side, conveniently cracking his head against the wall. He slid down into a giant lump, his jaw still wide with surprise.

  The door to the entryway was locked, and protected by a ward. I worked fast to undo it and made my way inside.

  Garnout was in the coffin, but it was so covered in knots I didn’t know how I would ever release him. He raised his head and moved his eyes to the corner. Someone was there. I threw up a shield just as a giant ball of green slime headed my way.

  The stench of it made my nose burn. I knew that magic. Jason.

  “I knew you’d try to save him, you stupid bitch. Didn’t even see the trap we set for you. You always were easy to fool.” I couldn’t see him, but his voice was venomous and evil.

  I hated him. Every horrible, nasty emotion I’d experienced after his betrayal filled my body. I sent a burn toward the voice.

  “Oh, no. The witch is trying to burn me.” His cruel laugh filled the room.

  He came out from behind a column and I saw him for the first time in years. Dressed in an old T-shirt and jeans, he looked the same as he had in college. His sandy-colored hair was longer and tucked behind his ears, and his shoulders were broader. But it was the same asshole from five years ago. The burn I’d thrown had landed on his arm but it was no more than a tiny flame.

  Taking a deep breath, he blew it out and smiled. “You aren’t looking so good, Bron. You look almost as pale as your friend, there.” He waved a hand to Garnout.

  I shrugged. “Never been one to tan.” As I spoke I continued to unwrap the knots surrounding Garnout. Jason was strong and I thought about those poor witches in the morgue. They hadn’t been the only ones. Obviously he’d been stealing powers for a while. The shield protecting him would deflect most anything I threw at him. I had to get him to take it down.

  “Oh, Jason. I have so much to thank you for.” I smiled.

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “No, really, I do. It’s because of you that I learned not to trust people. Especially warlocks. Through the years, the lessons I learned from you have helped me survive.” Of course, I didn’t mention that it’s also played hell with my love life.

  “There was a time when I loved you so much, I would have done anything for you. If you’d just asked, I probably would have even shared my power. You didn’t have to try to kill me.” I stayed calm, even though my insides were a boiling mass of anger.

  I had to do something to distract him to get him to put down those shields. I’d almost finished with the magic surrounding Garnout, but I couldn’t get the last few knots untied. My power waned, but I refused to give up.

  “But killing you, Bronwyn, will be the sweetest part of all of it.” He put up his hands as if readying for battle. “And I can’t wait to finish the work I began so long ago.”

  He threw another whoosh of slime, but this time it grew as it neared, becoming a huge ball that crashed down on my shields. I backed up against the wall and felt my power lessen.

  When the slime cleared, Jason was right in front of me. His hand wrapped around my neck and the force of it made my eyes bulge.

  Oh crap.

  I tried to focus, to send even the tiniest of flames into his brain, but it was a struggle to breathe. I’d already been weak and I could feel my life force slipping away. My eyes darted to the right and I saw Garnout struggling in the box. He was gaining strength.

  At least I’d done one thing right.

  There were spots in front of my eyes and suddenly I heard Simone’s voice. “Do the unexpected.” Using the little strength I had left I brought both arms up and shoved my thumbs in his eyes. The attack surprised him and he dropped his hold on my neck.

  Air rushed into me and I slid down the wall. He’d reached up to grab his face where his eyes were bleeding. His crotch was in my line of vision and I threw a flame right at it.

  Jason howled and backed farther away. His screams gave me strength. I could have thrown another fireball to burn him instantly, but I wanted him to suffer.

  He threw some slime but he couldn’t see, and it went far to the right. Evidently his jeans weren’t fire-resistant and he screamed again, fa
lling to the ground as he did.

  “Now, this is fun. I so should have done this with more force the first time you tried to kill me.” I moved around so that if he tried to throw something toward the sound of my voice, he’d have a hard time finding me.

  The flames had reached his shirt and were heading to his face. He was paralyzed with pain and couldn’t move. I saw his expression of terror and hatred.

  “I’ll die today, witch, but you’ll never be happy. The one closest to you will destroy you. And I take the knowledge with me that I killed your child.”

  I had a sharp intake of breath.

  “That’s right.” He half laughed, then screamed his final words. “Consider it my final gift to you!”

  This time it was me who yelled. “Aggghh!” I threw a fireball so large he disintegrated on the spot. I stared at the ashes for a moment, and then turned my attention to Garnout.

  He’d managed to get out of his box, and he moved toward me. Wrapping his arms around me, he hugged hard. “All will be well.” His words sent instant comfort.

  Usually I pass out after a fight like that, but this time I stayed on my feet. I wasn’t exactly feeling like the Energizer Bunny, but Garnout and I managed to make it to the main hall.

  Cole’s chest was bleeding through his shirt, but he was still standing.

  Logan had taken a hit to the hindquarters. He’d shifted into human form and sat on the floor, trying to stop the bleeding with his rolled-up shirt. He was beautifully naked, but he didn’t seem to care. Both men were surrounded by dead bodies.

  “Where’s the rest of the team?” I coughed from the stench of death. These men had fought to the end to save my friend and I wouldn’t forget it.

  “Chasing down a couple of the warlocks who ran away.” Cole swayed a bit as he spoke and I sent a healing spell his way. The effort made me even weaker, but I was determined to walk out of there.

  We’d made it to the steps when there was a loud pop and wind whooshed around the room. For a second I thought a tornado had touched down in the center of the room and then I saw her: it was the blonde sorceress, Calinda, who had been with Sphere in Paris.