WitchLove (23 page)

I stared at the trees opposite me and heard a stifled rustle in the woods. Footsteps… and an arm wrapped swiftly round my neck, cutting off my unnecessary oxygen, while a second hand grabbed me under my chin and began twisting my head, pulling it upwards, levering it against their chest.

‘Arghhh!’ I let out a strangled cry and went to attack, but my arms had been spelled… immobilised.

‘Dissipate, idiot,’ the girl hissed behind me.

I closed my eyes, quashed my rising panic and steeled myself. Willing myself free, I steeled every atom in my body to dissolve and reappear at the other side of the clearing, somewhere near the entrance, through which Noah was now charging, his cheeks flushed.

Suddenly I felt free. I could feel the swirling life force all around me. Everything looked blurred and inconsistent. The trees had amazing, vibrant auras flowing out from their trunks. Two equally bright human-shaped auras now stood together opposite me, violet and lavender waves of colour emanating from them and matching each other’s perfectly. The colours all around me slowly began to disappear and I found myself solid once more, this time on the opposite side of the clearing, in a defensive crouch.

The slow clapping of hands helped clear the anger and adrenaline, and I stood up and glared at Susannah, who smiled and shrugged.

‘Noah said you were having trouble with the defluo spell,’ she said. ‘It’s always easier with an incentive.’

‘Thanks,’ I said caustically, turning my glare on Noah, but I was interrupted as a male form suddenly flew out of the tree line and leapt down in front of me, facing the twins, his lithe body taut, like a coiled snake ready to attack.

‘Daniel! What the hell?’ I said, startled as the twins both jumped back, Susannah already projecting a defensive orb of light around them both.

‘Jess, are you okay? I felt your pain… and then you disappeared. Your life force completely vanished,’ he said, standing up and turning to face me, his face confused. ‘I thought you were being attacked.’

‘H..how did you feel that? I thought we didn’t have a connection anymore?’ I asked quietly.

Daniel shrugged, his dark curls bobbing gently round his perfect face.

‘I honestly don’t know, and I haven’t felt any connection with you since our bond was broken in England, but ever since last month I couldn’t get you out of my head…’ he looked at the ground and peeped up through his long eyelashes.

I paused, silent.

‘Look I’m sorry, but I wanted to be near you and I wouldn’t have done anything at all, but just now I felt this incredible pain. I knew you were in danger, and then just as suddenly as I felt you… you vanished,’ he said.

‘That would be the spell,’ Susannah drawled.

‘And the pain? What was that from?’ Daniel asked, turning on her suddenly, his eyes raking across her face.

‘That would be me, I guess,’ she said, a smile twisting the corner of her mouth as he let out a low growl.

‘Dan, don’t! She was helping me. Sort of sick I know, but necessary,’ I said.

‘My name’s Daniel… not Dan,’ he said a slow, sexy smile crossing his face as I grinned back.

‘Right, so you’re back with your maker then?’ Susannah said. ‘Or is he still desperately trying to win you back and save the day?’

‘Susannah, leave it out,’ Noah said. ‘We’ve got other business to sort out right now? Where’s Brittany?’

‘Sleeping, as usual,’ I said. ‘She’s basically slept for the last two days. Your mum thinks she’s got a bug.’

‘Mom’s so naïve. Hexed halfway to hell more like,’ Susannah said.

‘What?’ Daniel asked.

‘We think Brittany’s grandmother hexed her when we were in Louisiana. She’s been acting really weird,’ I said.

‘When did you go to Louisiana?’ Daniel asked frowning.

‘Look, I can’t go through it all now, but the short version is that because I was late after seeing you, Brittany decided to grab a ley line and fly south to find her family. Turns out they’re a renowned Voodoo clan,’ I said.

‘Not a good one either,’ Noah added.

‘So why have you left it so long?’ Daniel asked.

‘That’s what I just said,’ Susannah said grimly.

‘Look, we thought she was okay. It’s only been the last few days she started acting really weird and wanting to sleep,’ I said.

‘It’s my fault,’ Noah said. ‘I should have made them do a cleansing straight away just in case, but Brittany was adamant.’

‘Would you not be better telling Sarah and seeking her help?’ Daniel said.

‘Hell no! Then they’d have to explain why Jess was out in a New York club, without Noah and Brittany,’ Susannah said.

‘And why I was late back,’ I added, looking at Daniel pointedly.

‘Talking of which, if Mom knows you’re here there’ll be hell to pay,’ Susannah said. ‘She’s not the biggest fan of vampires… and neither am I,’ she added scowling at Noah.

‘I thought you didn’t like Brittany anyway. Why are you so bothered?’ I asked turning on Daniel.

He shrugged and smiled.

‘I guess I’ve done a lot of thinking recently. What you said in Manchester, about me controlling your friends… you were right. I guess if you trust her, if she’s your friend and you want to help her… well I want to help too,’ he said.

I looked at his face and tried to control the maelstrom of emotions warring for my attention. Every single time I had seen him I was drawn to him. Even that very first time, when I was still a seventeen year-old girl out clubbing in Manchester, I wanted him. There hadn’t been one night since his disappearance in London when I hadn’t thought about him. No matter what he did, what he said, the easiest thing in the world would be to forgive him. My body ached for him; it actually physically ached. The muscles in my arms trembled with the effort of clamping them to my side and not reaching out to touch him. Instead I clamped my lips together and managed a tight smile.

‘You can’t help us, Daniel. We need to go inside and you can’t follow. Sarah wouldn’t understand, and right now I have to concentrate on Brittany. Not to mention getting my license in two weeks’ time,’ I said.

He nodded and stepped towards me, closing the gap. He wrapped his arms tight around me and pulled me to his chest, resting his chin briefly on my head. I struggled for all of two seconds and then I gave in, relaxing into his embrace and turning my head so that my cheek rested against his collarbone.

‘I miss you so much. Come back to me,’ he whispered before pushing me back, kissing my forehead gently and leaping high into the trees behind me.

He was gone and every nerve in my body felt the loss.

‘Intense!’ Susannah drawled, breaking my mood. ‘But hot. I might not like vampires, but he is one hot piece of meat.’

I smirked and walked over to them.

‘Come on, let’s find Brittany. Does your mum know you’re here?’ I asked.

‘Nope, Noah called me last night to say Tara hadn’t come up with anything. He told me what was going on and called in the cavalry… me! I thought it was about time I stopped dithering and knocked that little bitch
Saffy
off her
poor me
pedestal.’

‘So, you’re coming back to the coven?’ I asked.

‘On the basis that
you
help me uncover the truth behind the shit that’s going down,’ she said.

‘Me?’ I squeaked. ‘What can I do? Saffy hates me.’

‘She won’t when she thinks Susannah’s coming back’, Noah said. ‘Her and that idiot creep father of hers will try and recruit you.’.

‘So you’re in on this too? What if I don’t trust Susannah any more than I trust Saffy? It was your lovely twin that abducted me for the Coven of the Blood Moon,’ I said.

‘Yeah, sorry about that. I was a little confused… got in with the wrong crowd an’ all,’ she said.

‘You can say that again. How did you manage to escape arrest? How does your mother still not know what you did?’ I asked.

Susannah smiled. I got the hell out of there as soon as the angels arrived… and I think Mom suspects, but she doesn’t want to think about it. If I can prove myself and work hard for the coven I can make things better. Now, do you want me to cleanse Brittany or not?’

‘Brittany?’ I called, gently shaking her slumbering body, some ten minutes later. Susannah and I had left Noah downstairs fending off motherly affection, and escaped my aunt’s rapture, climbing the stairs to my room.

‘Hmm?’ Brittany mumbled.

‘Brit, Susannah and I are here to help you,’ I said.

‘My head… it hurts,’ she said.

‘It’s okay. Susannah’s going to get rid of it,’ I said, stroking her forehead, which was hot and sticky.

‘I’ve been having the strangest dreams,’ she said. ‘I kept seeing a black altar and there was chanting. It was calling to me, pulling me forward. Jess… I think I’ve been stupid. I think you might be right about my grandmother…’

‘It’s okay. We’re going to stop it,’ Susannah said, her confident, snappy persona transforming into a quietly spoken, gentle girl. Her eyes softened as she reached forward to move some hair that was stuck to Brittany’s brow.

‘Jess, get the four candles from the bag and set them up at the corners of her bed,’ Susannah instructed.

‘Wouldn’t white candles be better?’ I asked, looking at the four black pillar candles in my hands.

‘No, we need black to perform a banishing magic. We want to banish the curse. Light them,’ she said, after I’d placed them on the floor as instructed.

I lit the four candles whilst Susannah pulled a small bottle of oil out of her bag, opened it and began to flick droplets over Brittany, who began tossing and turning.

‘Oh! Stop it, I feel sick,’ she said, sitting up suddenly.

My eyes darted over to Susannah, but she just shook her head and motioned at me to light the last candle.

‘I’m going to confine her, as she might try to escape the spell before it’s finished,’ Susannah said, using salt to quickly cast a circle around the bed, chanting a spell as she went.

Once we were done, Brittany sat back on her haunches on the mattress, her eyes glazed over once more, defiance burning in them as Susannah began chanting a new spell.

‘Creature of cloth thou art, Creature of flesh and blood you’ll see. No more shall you do harm. No more shall you interfere in life. I bind your control and sever your connection. By the power of the Gods and Goddesses and by my will. So mote it be!’

As Susannah’s words rang out Brittany leapt from the bed, her body slamming into the invisible barrier which threw her back onto the bed. The candle flames flickered in a non-existent breeze and I watched as my friend writhed on the bed, her face contorting, a silent scream emanating from her wide open mouth.

‘Now Jess, I want you to draw energy and copy me whilst I draw an invoking pentagram in the air above Brittany. If we do it together the double strength should wipe out the hex,’ she said.

As we finished we watched as Brittany slumped back onto the mattress her face pale, but her eyes shining.

‘It’s gone,’ she whispered.

‘Excellent. Job done!’ Susannah said, grinning. ‘A round of applause if you please to the awesomely talented grand high witch, Susannah.’

‘Thanks,’ I said smiling, relieved to have my friend back. ‘Now, we’ve got studying to do. Your mum’s testing us on the Level Six spells at the end of the week.’

‘And I better go rescue Noah,’ Susannah said, leaving the room with a little wave.

‘She seems okay,’ Brittany whispered as the door closed behind Susannah.

‘I guess.’

‘You’re not sure?’

I shrugged.

‘No, I think she’s cool. I just haven’t quite forgiven her for abducting me,’ I said,
or trying to rip my head off back in the clearing
, I thought to myself.

‘She’s nicer than Saffy though,’ Brittany said smiling.

‘Anybody would be nicer than Saffy… although maybe not her evil father Mike,’ I said grimacing.

‘So which spell do you want to practice first?’ Brittany asked, standing up. ‘Invisibility, Defluo or Elemental?’

Chapter Eighteen

Brittany was gone. With just two days until Samhain, two days until we would get our licenses, she’d upped and left. I couldn’t believe it. We had already passed our exams, so why the hell would she run now? It didn’t make sense. Susannah was certain we had broken the hex, and sure enough, ever since the cleansing spell Brittany had been her old, silly self. The past couple of days she’d been quiet again, but I’d presumed she was getting nervous about the upcoming Samhain celebrations. I called Susannah into my room.

‘We’ve got a problem,’ I said as Susannah entered, her eyes searching for Brittany.

‘Where is she? Mom’s waiting.’

I shrugged. ‘She’s gone.’

‘Could she be in the forest?’ Susannah asked.

I shook my head. ‘I’ve already looked.’

‘Yeah, but the forest is pretty big. I bet she went for a wander.’

‘She’s not there. I’m a vampire remember. I can smell humans a mile off. Literally, in fresh, breezy air like today I’d be able to smell her even if she was out past the circle, up on the ridge. I know her scent Susannah, she’s gone. She’s not in the house, nor the woods. In fact I’m betting she was here in this room last. I can smell her strongest by the window, that’s where she left.’

‘Shit!’

I frowned.

‘Do you think she could still be hexed?’ I asked. ‘I mean, we thought that we had cleansed her, but what if somehow it was cleverer than us and
pretended
to be gone, but meanwhile it laid low…’

‘You’re very dramatic, Jess. You saw her, she was fine. The hex is gone,’ Susannah said.

‘She’s been quiet the last couple of days… not quite as spaced as before, but quiet,’ I said.

‘Maybe she’s gone to see Noah,’ Susannah said quietly. ‘It’s no secret how much she crushes on him.’

‘Why would she leave without telling me though? And surely Noah would have told us. She won’t be there,’ I said.

Susannah pulled her phone from her jeans pocket and quickly sent off a text message. It took less than two minutes for the reply to come back. Brittany was not with Noah, and hadn’t spoken to him in days. We didn’t know anyone else and barely saw the other members of the coven, even after our initiation. Apart from Noah, Susannah and my aunt the only other people Brittany could turn to would be her Grandmother’s Hoodoo clan.