“That's her!” the woman said, shoving the man towards me.
Oh yeah, the PFF had put a bounty on my head, bastards. I had been so wrapped up in losing Smudge, I had completely forgotten about the fight in the bathroom at the book convention.
My whole body went cold as I stared at the witches now in front of me. How dare they threaten an agent from Paranormal MI5?
“I've got to go,” I muttered to Dave as the pair approached. “Meet me there as soon as you can.”
Linking into the ley line, I pulled magic into me, the tingling sending a shiver through me. I hated to run from a fight, but I had business to attend to.
“You do know that I'm an Essex witch?” I called when the man broke into a run towards me.
Ignoring me, he stretched his arms out, about to conjure a spell.
Closing my eyes, I let my head drop back and imagined myself outside London Dungeons. Wind rushed around me, the cool breeze brushing against my bare arms. I hadn't worn a book T-shirt today, instead going for a plain one. Dave has asked if I was unwell when I told him that I wanted to strip myself back for a few days.
“Woah, where did you come from?” a human exclaimed.
Opening my eyes, I smiled as I waved my hand in front of his face. “Magic,” I whispered, slipping into the crowd of people who made their way across the road.
“You weren't about to go in without us, were you?” Jake's throaty voice said in my ear.
Jolting, I almost gripped his arm and threw him to the ground. As it was, my hand was on my dagger handle under my shirt. The shifter should have known that I was on edge.
“It's me!” Holding up his hands when I scowled at him, he trotted alongside me.
The others joined us, their expressions ready for action. I had to smile to myself when Dave nodded in my direction. We had promised to keep our romance from the others until we had got rid of Xvair Harvey. Dave was already a target for the witch, but if anyone found out that I had a boyfriend - Woah, that sounded strange, even in my head - they would use that as leverage against me.
“Gemma?” Kate took my arm, guiding me to the edge of the pavement. “We’ve missed you!”
Throwing her arms around me, she squeezed tightly. I hugged her back, accepting the seer’s comfort.
Gasping suddenly, she pulled out of my embrace, her eyes wide. Oh boy, had she just seen what had happened between Dave and I?
“I've just seen Smudge... the poor thing. I'm so sorry!”
Tears laced her eyes, the liquid making her big brown irises swim. Her dark skin was tinged with red, but I had no way of telling what she had seen. Hopefully, I hadn't been too open with my thoughts or history. I always forgot to stay on guard around my friend. She was a powerful seer who had the power to solve cases on her own.
“Thanks,” I muttered, gesturing to the entrance of the dungeons. “We must get on. Finlay Harrington needs castrating.”
Brushing his fingers along my arm, Dave stood beside me. “I think it might be worth it if-”
“No, I'll do the talking,” I interrupted him, knowing full well why he wouldn't want me to talk to the human.
I couldn't say that I wouldn't hurt him. Why should I pretend that I didn't want to rip the man's head off? He had taken my best friend somewhere before killing my familiar. He had to pay.
Glancing at Dave, I gave him the chance to agree or disagree. He nodded, gesturing for me to go ahead of them.
“I've told the others about the bounty, they're going to look out for witches who want to harm you.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled at him in thanks. Having my team behind me made me feel better. It had been strange without them, even though it had only been a few days.
Every one of our missions had been dangerous but with such a personal threat, I could understand why my mother didn't want me to be part of the team. It seemed that Xvair Harvey would do anything to get to me and so would the PFF. The equinox was only a few days away. If they needed me for some ritual, I would make sure they were taken down by then.
“Four tickets please,” I asked the attendant, who handed them over without lifting his eyes from the kiosk computer.
Paying, I quickly thrust my way through the crowd who gathered to see the first spectacle. Another attendant waited by some gruesome display, her hands fidgeting with her phone under her jacket.
“Excuse me,” I asked, startling her.
When she glanced up, she eyed all four of us, her young face pulling into a frown. “How can I help?”
Not bothering to release the phone in her pocket, she watched me, a fake smile plastered on her face.
She was a human girl, young and innocent, and yet, I couldn't help but feel into her aura. There was a slight energy of murkiness but nothing unusual for teen angst.
“Please could you tell me where Finlay Harrington is working today?”
Forehead creasing, the girl looked towards the entrance. Her cheek moved as she chewed on the inside of it, her gaze avoiding mine.
“He's an axe murderer on the other side of the boat ride, you'll find him about to have his head chopped off.” Finally tucking her phone away, she moved past us. “I'm sorry, I can't give you any more than that.”
As she scuttled off, we descended into the building, the darkness almost overwhelming us.
Tourists chattered among themselves as they prepared to be scared. My
