“I get the hint.” She turned to leave us. “Just let me know if you need any help.”
Calling a thank you, I smiled when she waved without looking back. Once the door had clicked closed behind her, Dave took a deep breath.
“What is it?”
The agitation in him was evident by the way he bit his lip harshly between his strong white teeth. Whatever he wanted to say was going to be difficult to come out. That wasn’t like him.
“You’re powerful, Gem, but...” His sentence trailed off as he glanced at Jake.
The shifters strong hand landed on my shoulder. “Maybe you can ask the ancestors for assistance?”
Ah, okay. They didn’t think I was strong enough to bring Xvair and Lucien down. Heat seared my skin as shame flamed over it. It felt like the hairs on my arms singed, but it was all in my mind.
Looking at the toes of my boots, I scuffed them against the plush maroon carpet. Maybe they were right. Asking the ancestors for assistance might be the tipping point of capturing Xvair and Lucien. Pride was useless in this situation. Reaching out to my mother or the top dogs in MI5 was impossible, especially if I wanted to keep my place as an agent. Dave had been an expert at making sure our reports were tight. No doubts about the case had cropped up. In fact, my mother had been quiet since she’d helped me. Our progress was obviously pleasing to her.
“I’ll do it.” Looking at Jake, I pointed towards the door. “Please go and tell Kate what’s happening. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
Saluting me, he left us alone. Blinking slowly, I glanced at Dave. “I hate being so powerless.”
In two steps, he was in front of me. He had been about to reach out but pushed his fingers through his loose hair instead. “You’re not powerless. Gemma, there’s no shame in needing help occasionally. Maybe the universe is trying to help you to... I dunno, connect with people more.”
Hanging my head, I stared at the Goonies logo on my T-shirt. I hadn’t expected my desk friend to be so spiritual. Illusionist witches often felt disconnected from the universe or Mother Earth because of their inability to connect to magic.
“I’ve never needed anyone,” I muttered. “I...” Glancing up, I took his hand and squeezed hard. “Thank you.”
Sucking his lip into his mouth, Dave blinked rapidly. “You’re welcome. Just know that we won’t let you down. No matter what happens, we’ll get Xvair and Lucien. After that, we’ll figure out how to bring you back. And, I mean completely. I won’t let you die. You mean too much to me.”
As my heart played like a drum, Dave reached out and took my hand. I was tempted to ask him what he meant, but I chickened out as the heat of his fingers sent tingles up my arm. He enjoyed working with me, that’s all he meant.
“The ancestors will help,” he said as I got ready to transport us. “If they don’t, I’ll launch a personal vendetta against them.”
Chapter 13
“Back so soon?” Helga said as we entered the church.
A shudder shook me as I remembered the last time I had been there. Everything had happened so fast, I hadn’t even had time to process the fact that my father had not only come back from the dead, but had also been evil at the same time.
“We need to see the ancestors.” My less than polite approach drew a frown from both Dave and Helga.
Quickly interrupting, Dave jogged down the aisle ahead of me. “What she means to say is that we’d appreciate it a ton if you could help us contact the ancestors?”
Spinning to me, he widened his eyes and gestured to the ancient witch as she bent over her spell table. What? Did I really have to put on all the pleasantries to do something I wasn’t in the mood for?
“Well, this is what it will feel like to marry you!” Dave’s exclamation made my feet come to a halt.
He had a grin on his face, but I wasn’t laughing. Yes, he had often joked about us marrying one day, well before I’d died, but the subject was a little touchy right now.
“Helga,” I called, thrusting around my desk friend. “Please, help me.”
My plea was strained, the tone of my voice tight. Shit, I hadn’t realised how hard it was to ask for assistance, and yet, it felt like that’s all I was doing in the last few days.
The Viking witch turned her head to look at me. She must have taken pity on me because her hard gaze softened. Frizzy grey hair moved as she nodded for me to join her up on the platform.
Going to her, I ignored Dave as he joined us. Helga finished grinding herb roots and put them aside. Her energy was soft, nurturing, as she gently took my hand. “What is it? I can feel your anxiousness.”
Relaxing my shoulders, I tried to appear calm. My insides quivered as I contemplated my next move. Reaching out for the ancestors was risky. I would never bother if they hadn’t spoken to me first. I had to persuade them to help me to end Lucien and Xvair’s reign of terror.
“We’ve found the men responsible for draining the ley line. We need help to stop them. If we can’t, my father’s warning about the veil disappearing will come true.”
Helga’s arms started to shake. Letting go of me, she pointed to the circle on the platform to the right. “We better get you a link to the ancestors then.”
Relief flooded me as I tiptoed over and stepped into the salt circle. Dave gave me a thumbs up when I turned to face them. Having Helga’s help would mean that I didn’t have to wait to speak to the ancestors. If possible, I wanted to go for Lucien and Xvair straight away. It was time to end
