Charmed & Deadly Page 6

  I ran for the door. “Stay with him and yell if anything changes. I need to make some phone calls.”

  “Wait a minute. At least tell me what just happened,” Simone said.

  I explained, and laughed as she backed away from the bed. “Simone, he can’t drain your powers. It was because I connected mentally. You don’t have to worry about it.”

  She nodded. “Okay. I know you’re trying to save his life and all, but I could use a shower and some food. Um, you might want to change clothes, too.” She pointed to my T-shirt.

  For the first time since she arrived with Garnout I took a real look at her. Demon goo was in her hair and she was covered in blood.

  I glanced down at my shirt and rolled my eyes. I’m not sure, but I think a piece of demon brain was stuck to my chest. Lovely.

  “Okay. New plan. I’m going to grab a shirt and my cell phone and I’ll be back in a second.”

  I ran upstairs to the room I used when I was here and grabbed a clean black T-shirt. I kind of wanted to jump in the shower, but there wasn’t time. It was just the tiniest bit of brain, but it still grossed me out. Running the taps, I wiped my chest with a wash-cloth. I threw the soiled shirt in the trash and put on the other one. I found my cell phone on the nightstand.

  There was one person who could help me with all of this and actually do something about it.

  I punched the number.

  Cole answered. “Hey, Bronwyn, what’s up?”

  “Where are you?”

  “Virginia. Why?” I could hear the ding of a car door.

  “I need you in New York now. Someone tried to take out Garnout. And he’s bad, Cole, really bad. They threw nasty crap at him, and I can’t fix him.” I was mad at myself because tears had started to fall. I didn’t give in, though. I pushed them away with my hand.

  “I’ll be there in an hour.” He’d gone into Cop Cole mode, his voice serious. “Whatever is going on, we’ll get to the bottom of it. I promise.”

  I made my way back downstairs to relieve Simone so she could shower.

  “I called Cole and he’s on the way.”

  She grunted. For some reason, she’d never liked him. It’s weird because Simone likes all men. I’d asked her once, and she told me she felt like she owed him something for saving my life, but I don’t think that’s it. Like I said, weird.

  I realized I hadn’t left her much pizza, and I made a quick call to Fabrelli’s to order three more pies. She would eat a whole one on her own, and who knew if Cole had eaten yet.

  I checked on Garnout and he was exactly as I’d left him. I straightened his robes around him and took off his boots. That’s when I noticed he had jeans on under the robes. I laughed. I had always thought of him as being so old-fashioned.

  I’d known Garnout for more than six years and he was the one who had helped me get my career going. I owed him so much. I found a cashmere blanket in the closet and placed it over him. He probably didn’t feel heat or cold, but it seemed the right thing to do.

  Simone had moved the big fluffy armchair from the corner over by the bed, and I sat down in it. There were a few more calls to make, but I needed a moment to think.

  Garnout had said something about learning from the shadows. I’d ask Cole about it, because I honestly didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.

  I did know all of this had something to do with those stupid warring covens. I didn’t care what kind of business deals they were trying to wheel and deal. They’d screwed around with the wrong witch this time.

  You can mess with me, but don’t dick with my friends. If you do, you die. Simple.

  Eight

  Manhattan

  Sunday

  Noon

  Witches who rival Dr. Phil: 1

  Spells: 6

  T omorrow was supposed to be Cool Whip-on-Bronwyn night. I’m really pissed off that I’m going to miss it. Of course, I’d be Cool Whipping myself because Sam is stuck wherever it is he and Azir have gone to save the world. Whatever is going on is keeping them busy; Sam was supposed to be back days ago.

  I’m still in Manhattan, and to add to the craziness that is my life, I’ve become a relationship therapist and am doing my own bit to save the world at the same time.

  Ack!

  It’s been insane. Let me hit the highlights. Once Cole arrived, Simone went off on a demon-slaying binge. I’m fairly certain there isn’t a demon alive in Manhattan, and if there is, it won’t be around long. The slayer’s on a roll.

  Cole has called in a team of medical spook experts to help Garnout. There’s just one problem: no one has really had to take care of a wizard before. There aren’t that many of them in the universe, they are immune to all diseases, and they never die. So we keep dumping the health potion down his throat, and the spook brigade is working on unlocking the confusion spell he’s under.

  Not being one who can just sit around and wait for the fun stuff to happen, I’ve recently kidnapped the heads of the warring covens, bound their powers, and stuck them in my parents’ basement where they can’t get out. Technically, I didn’t do the actual kidnapping. Cole helped a little. Being a big honcho in the international spook brigade has its advantages. The first thing he did when he arrived was ask how he could help so I told him.

  “I want those son-of-a-bitch coven leaders in this house by tomorrow morning at eight a.m. sharp, or I’m going to kill them.” I think I scared him the tiniest bit because I said it all in a very calm voice, while I sat in the big fluffy chair next to Garnout.

  “Okay.” He walked out of the room but I could hear him on the phone. Eventually I fell asleep in the chair. I’d been up for forty-eight hours straight.

  Around five a.m., Cole woke me up. “The items you requested will be here at eight. Where would you like me to put them?”

  I didn’t even question how he’d managed to kidnap the most powerful witch and warlock in the city. I was just grateful. When Cole and I first met he thought I might be one of the bad guys—something about the death and destruction that seems to follow me around. But after hanging out with me for a few months, he’s discovered I’m on the good guy’s side. We’ve been able to help each other out of a couple of tight jams.

  “Put them in the basement.” I spent the next three hours putting wards around the house, making it invisible to the magical eye. No need to have their covens ruin our fun.

  In the basement the spook crew helped me get everything that could be used as a weapon out. All that was left was a table and two chairs. Oh, and the washer and dryer.

  My mom keeps everything tidy, even in the basement. There are only boxes and a couple of wardrobes filled with clothes and shoes. I swear she had half of Neiman Marcus stuffed in there. I didn’t think her Michael Kors sweaters would make much of a weapon, but the Manolos with the spiked heels could be dangerous.

  I did all of this and some major research before they arrived. I’d discovered that none of this had anything to do with money or hostile corporate takeovers. It was a centuries-old feud that had started over land in Bulgaria, though the specifics of the disagreement were never disclosed. The Dragomirs and the Krasimirs had been fighting since 1708. Funny thing is, both of the family names mean “beautiful peace” in English. Bunch of idiots who never once, in all of those years, tried to sit down and talk to one another.

  Argh! That was about to change. I decided Constantine Dragomirs and Lilyana Krasimirs would solve their differences, or die trying.

  They had black cloth sacks over their heads and their hands were handcuffed behind their backs. They’d been yanked out of their beds. Constantine wore a blue robe over Elvis pjs and I bet he wasn’t expecting to be kidnapped first thing in the morning. Lilyana wore a red silk robe over a little shortie set of the same material.

  This was going to be so much fun. Nothing like a little peace conference to take my mind off Garnout.

  I bound their powers again before the pair stepped over the threshold of the door. The only mag
ic in this house would be done by me. No one from the outside would be able to locate them, and they wouldn’t be able to get past the wards. They also couldn’t physically hurt one another by strangling, breaking necks, or any of that fun stuff.

  The “investigators” (Cole begged me to stop calling them the spook squad) moved Constantine and Lilyana down the stairs to the basement. The cops had also installed cameras and microphones so we could keep track of what was going on.

  The witch and warlock were shoved into chairs, and the bags were yanked off their heads. As their eyes came into focus they both jumped up and backed away from each other. Their mouths were covered with duct tape.

  I slid into calm bitch mode.

  “Okay, kiddies. Here’s how this is going to work. You will sit down and discuss your differences in a calm and nonviolent fashion. I don’t care how long it takes. You aren’t leaving here until there’s some kind of truce.” I motioned for them to sit again.

  Lilyana was pretty with her black hair and milky white skin, but she wasn’t about to take orders from anyone. She gave me a look that could stop global warming.

  Constantine had dark brown hair with graying tips. It almost looked frosted. He was tall, at least six-three, and he wasn’t interested in playing my game.

  “Tell you what. You sit down, and I’ll rip that tape off your mouth.” I winked at Lilyana. She gave me another arctic stare.

  I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me.” I walked toward the door and motioned for the two investigators in the room to come with me.

  Lilyana grunted. It was the best she could do under the circumstances. Then she sat down.

  “Same offer goes for you.” I pointed to Constantine. Even with tape on his mouth, he was kind of cute.

  He sat down, too. “See, it’s all about compromise.”

  Reaching out I grabbed the tape on both of their mouths and ripped.

  “Mother of god! Are you insane?” Lilyana screamed. “Do you have any idea who I am? You will die for this treachery!”

  I snorted. I love playing with bad witches. “Doubt it. Yes, I know who you are. And if you think about it, you know who I am. You also realize that it would bring me nothing but joy to kill you both where you sit.” I sighed. “But I’m going to try the diplomatic approach first. If that doesn’t work…well, we’ll see.”

  Constantine had been oddly quiet. He studied the situation, looking for exits around the room. There were none. It was a concrete box surrounded by my magic, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. Let him discover it for himself.

  “For now, until I’m sure you two will play nice, I’m leaving your hands tied. Kiss and make up, and you two can go home. Or I can kill you for harming my friend Garnout.” I shrugged. “I’m good either way.”

  When I mentioned Garnout, they both let out gasps. “Can the surprise, you guys. One of you conjured something that has drained a good bit of my favorite wizard’s powers, and now you are both going to pay.” I didn’t bother keeping the hatred from my voice. If they were afraid, maybe they’d move faster toward a solution.

  They both looked to opposite corners of the room.

  “Have it your way.” I walked out and the investigators followed. Cole had set up a monitor in Garnout’s room for my viewing pleasure.

  Cole and the other officers were stationed around the house in case someone did find us or if one of our guests downstairs managed to escape the basement.

  Nothing happened for a long time. They didn’t talk or move. Didn’t even shift in their seats.

  I spoke to Garnout. I didn’t know if he could hear me or understand even if he did. “This might be better than going to the movies. Maybe I should microwave some popcorn. Yes, and eat some Junior Mints. Now that sounds like a plan.”

  Garnout’s condition remained the same, and I could only hope he was on the road to recovery. Perhaps the confusion spell would eventually wear off, or if I could find the source and destroy it, it would be broken.

  I watched the witch and the warlock downstairs. Lilyana’s posture and beauty reminded me more of a supermodel than the CEO of a company. Finally, she stretched her arms up behind her, her wrists still in the handcuffs.

  Gazing at the ceiling she cocked her head. Then she set her eyes on Constantine. “Why did you lie to me?”

  The shock on his face told me he hadn’t expected this. “We will not discuss this here.” He said the words through gritted teeth.

  She raised an eyebrow. “We aren’t discussing it anywhere else, so why not here?”

  He stuck his jaw out. “You know they’re watching us. I will not discuss our personal business in front of them.”

  ‘Personal business’? So they weren’t strangers after all. Huh.

  They went on in silence for several minutes. She pretended to be intensely interested in the wood grain of the tabletop, but I noticed her stealing a look now and then when she was sure he wasn’t looking.

  I thought about probing their minds for more information, but realized I’d soon have the answers.

  “And I didn’t lie. I’ve always used an assumed name. It’s easier to avoid your family that way. You may remember that you didn’t use your real name, either.”

  What the heck? This was fun.

  She sighed. “For the same reason. Had we been honest from the beginning, we would have had to kill each other on sight.”

  He grunted. “Nothing has changed.”

  “True. You’re still an idiot.” She bit her lip, and I could see the tears well. Taking a calming breath, she stuffed the emotions back down. “Are you the one who called the demon to drain the wizard?”

  Anger fell over his face. He shoved his chair back. “I am an honorable man. I would not use a demon from hell to do my bidding, and I happened to like the meddling wizard. Can you say the same?”

  She didn’t say anything.

  Hmmmm. I didn’t know of any demons that could hurt a wizard. I’d have to check with Simone to see if she knew of any who had the intelligence and power to do such a thing.

  “Did you call the demon?” Constantine paced back and forth in front of the table.

  “No. I don’t like the troublesome wizard, but I had no wish for his death. I had nothing to do with it. Stop that, you are like a rat in a cage.” She emphasized the word rat.

  He grunted again. The man really needed to work on his communication skills, but he did sit down.

  “Did you send the Stuark demon to kill me that night?” Her eyes were closed now.

  She didn’t see the second look of shock on his face, and the pain.

  “A Stuark tried to kill you?” There was concern in his voice. I could see him check himself. When he spoke again, it was with little emotion. “I told you, I do not use demon spawn to do my dirty work.”

  “Is that what I was, Con, dirty work?” This time she stood and paced. “It explains so much. Was the big plan to screw the little witch and then kill her? So many nights you could have gone through with your plan. Why did you wait?”

  Wow! This was better than Footballers Wives on BBC America, and I love that show.

  I didn’t think it possible but he stuck his chiseled chin out even farther. Still, he made no comment.

  That made Lilyana even angrier. “You are a coward. It does you no harm to admit the truth now. Yet you sit there in silence.”

  He kicked the chair across the room. “I am no coward, witch.” He growled the words. “If I had wanted you dead I could have done it a hundred times over. So you tell me, Lil, why would I not kill someone who I discovered is my sworn enemy? Tell me.” The anger came off him in waves.

  He wouldn’t hurt her. He loved her. Though she was too dense to see it. Oh my god. This whole mess between the covens was over a lovers quarrel. The family feud had been going on for years, but had never crossed the Atlantic until these two. Pathetic. Countless lives had been taken and many others ruined because of this ridiculous spat.

  I should kill them both for
their idiotic selfishness and stupidity.

  Lilyana backed against the wall. “My brother told me the truth. He explained all of it to me. You and your coven had planned to use me as a sacrifice. That night the demon was in your apartment, you pretended to be ill, knowing I would come to care for you.” She grew more hysterical by the minute.

  He chuckled, but it wasn’t a happy sound.

  “Think about what you are saying. Why would I send a demon to kill you if I needed you as a sacrifice? These are lies from that worthless brother of yours. Nox is the one who sent the demon to kill you that night, not me. He couldn’t stand the fact that his lovely and powerful sister had a thing for the enemy.”

  Backing closer to the wall she screamed at him. “My brother loves me. He would never do such a thing. I will kill you for saying such filth.”

  Constantine shook his head. “Your brother loves power. Look at the lives he’s ruined over the past few months. So many in both of our covens have died. And for what?

  “I love you, Lil, I always have, and I would give my life for you. Can you say the same for your brother? Would he sacrifice his life for you?”

  Something must have clicked in her brain, as realization dawned on her face. She slid down the wall. I clicked my fingers and the handcuffs fell off them both. Constantine caught her before she hit the floor.

  My, my. Looked like I’d locked up the wrong people. Oh, I wasn’t about to let them go—they still had things to work out. Meanwhile, I thought I might go visit this Nox guy.

  I hope he tried to kill me. I’d been itching to blow someone up all day.

  Nine

  Manhattan

  Fired-up witches: 1

  Dead guys: 1

  W ell, that was entertaining. Nox turned out to be one nasty, festering soul who really hates chicks. Especially witchy chicks.

  Yay, me!

  Thanks to Lilyana’s connection to him, it only took me a few minutes to locate him. I could see him in a SoHo loft, sound asleep. Evidently he didn’t know his sister had been kidnapped.