Charmed & Deadly (15 page)

She threw her hands out and pulled Garnout to her. Her flowing blood red robes whipped around her. “Oh, but my dear, we have so many more games to play.” I could see him trying to resist, but her magic was strong.

I tried to hit her with a fireball, but she tossed it aside and slammed me into the wall.

“Little witch, he’s mine, and you can have him back when I’m finished—
if
he survives.” Cackling, her beautiful face twisted into a cruel smile.

I would not let that bitch take my friend.

Once before, when I was in dire need, Garnout had shared his power. Now I would return the favor. Thrusting my hands outward, I sent everything I had to the wizard. As I did so, I could see Cole doing the same thing. The energy charged through the wizard, arching his back. Garnout’s feet hit the ground and it shook.

“No more!” he bellowed. “This stops today, Calinda.” Waving his hands, he shoved her against the wall. She struggled, but he was too strong. “I banished you, my love, even though you held my heart in those wicked hands of yours. I prayed, as only a wizard can, that you would learn your lesson.”

Calinda wiggled and twisted, but she couldn’t move. Her eyes shot darts of fury toward Garnout. “You banished me to Hell, wizard. What lessons would I learn there? My hate only grew, and I knew one day I would be back to destroy you.”

Garnout shook his head. “I am weary of your temper, sorceress. I banish thee. I banish thee—”

“No!” Calinda screamed. “I will not go back to purgatory. Stop, please. Garnout.” She paused for a moment. “Please, my love.” When she spoke this time, it was soft. “I know I’ve done so many bad things. I was angry, so very angry.” The regret was heavy in her voice, and for a moment I believed her.

“I banish thee.” Garnout finished the spell.

Her face twisted into an angry scowl and her eyes burned red. “I’ll be back, wizard, and next time you and your precious witch won’t be allowed to live so long!” She screamed the last word as a wall of flames swallowed her.

The room was silent as we sat there, stunned. For a minute Garnout stared at the wall where Calinda had been, before turning to me.

“It is time to go home, witch.” He reached out a hand and pulled me up. Then he did the same for Cole. After restoring our powers, he just disappeared without a word.

I couldn’t say I blamed him. He’d been through total crap the last few weeks and he needed to heal. I was kind of looking forward to going home, too.

Sweet
Saturday
9 a.m.
Potions: 8

S
omething weird is going on, but I can’t figure it out. Sam has been nothing but kind to me since I came home. He took me to Lulu’s on the way home from the hangar, where I loaded up on ribs, corn fritters, and blackberry cobbler.

Then he brought me home and fixed me tea while I took a hot shower. Afterward, I returned downstairs to find him on the couch watching a football game.

“Feel better? Do you want to watch a movie or something?” He smiled.

“Nah. This is fine.” All I really wanted to do was go to bed and have him hold me. The miscarriage would keep us from doing anything more fun than that for at least the next few weeks. “Sam, are we going to talk about what happened?” Through dinner, every time there was any kind of pause in the conversation, he’d fill it with some inane bit of gossip or news about medical findings. I can spot avoidance a mile away, but I didn’t want this thing to eat away at us.

He didn’t look at me, but he grabbed my hand. “I think
Master and Commander
is on.” He pushed the button on the remote. “I know how much you like that old movie.”

Sam was dressed in jeans and a white and green striped button-down. He must have visited the barber recently because his hair was cut above his ears, where I kissed him.

“
You
are the one who likes that movie, but I never have a problem looking at Russell Crowe.” The truth is, Russell’s not really my type, but I was trying to get a rise out of Sam. He didn’t take the bait.

“Okay, well, we could watch that home and garden channel you like.”

“Jesus, Sam. What the hell is going on?” The words came out stronger than I’d meant. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that. It’s, just…Why can’t we talk about what happened?”

“What is it you want to discuss, Bronwyn?” He turned to me. “You had a miscarriage; neither of us knew you were pregnant. It was all for the best.”

Gah!
All for the best?
Well it was, but it sounded so coldhearted when he said it. Tears formed in my eyes and my nose itched.

“I’m sorry the idea of having a baby with me seems so appalling to you.” I jumped up from the couch. “I’m tired and I really want to go to bed.”
And blubber like a…No!
I was tired of crying. I bit the inside of my lip to stem the tears.

“Damn. That’s not what I meant at all, Bron.” He reached up, but I shook him off.

I threw up my hands. “Maybe it’s the hormones, but I feel unsettled, and I wanted to talk about this but you are acting like a big jerk.”

He looked away for a moment and then back. “I’m not going to say it’s hormones. I’ve been a doctor long enough to know that’s not a smart thing to tell a woman, but feeling unsettled after what you’ve been through isn’t unusual. And I’m sorry I was a jerk. I was trying to comfort you, and of course it came out all wrong.”

I knew something wasn’t right with me because right then I wanted to hug him and kick his ass at the same time. Suddenly I needed to be alone. I didn’t want to deal with this. Didn’t make any sense, I know—I was the one who started it all—but that’s just how I felt.

“Sam, I’m sorry, but I’d like you to go.” The words came out harsh. I needed him to leave before I said something really stupid. “I just want to crash. I shouldn’t have brought this up tonight. I’m too hormonal to talk about it.”
And if you say the wrong thing again, I might have to kill you
.

Whoa. He really had to go.

Sam didn’t move from the couch. “Let me help you, Bron.” He looked at me funny.

I shook my head. “I don’t need help, I just want to be alone right now.” Geez, how many times did I have to tell him to get the hell out?

Finally, he moved. He hugged me, but I couldn’t seem to move my arms around him. He stopped at the door and it was his parting phrase that was my undoing.

“I wished for that baby. I wanted it so bad it’s not funny.” He turned and stared at me, his face a sad mask. “It’s selfish of me, but I thought that if you were pregnant, then you would stop trying to get yourself killed. And maybe, just maybe I’d be able to convince you to marry me. I knew you were taking the pill, but I still had hope, and when I saw the results of that test…” He turned back to face me. “I love you more than anything. Call me if you need me.” The door slammed, and I was alone.

I sank down onto the couch and cried for a long time, and that’s where I woke up this morning. I’m a little embarrassed about my tantrum and I haven’t had the courage to call him. He wanted the baby and he loves me so much. And the idea of a baby with him wasn’t the worst thing I could think of, but I wondered how he would react if he knew my ex-boyfriend killed our child.

That seems like such a weird thing to say. I didn’t even know I was pregnant, barely so, and I’m calling it “our child.” I really am losing it.

To keep my mind off things, I’ve been making potions.

Twice this morning I’ve checked my eyes for a weird orange glow. I felt possessed last night, and I remembered when that happened to Sam. He’d tried to kill me when he’d been taken over by that nasty warlock Blackstock.

I also said several cleansing spells. One thing is for certain: Losing the baby was sad, but I’m nowhere close to wanting babies. But if I did, I’d want them with Sam.

I guess I need to tell him that.

Be a big girl and dial the phone, Bron
. Argh. Being a grown-up really sucks.

Noon

I finally called Sam. He was so cautious about every word he said, it made me laugh. I told him to get his ass over to the house, that I was over my tantrum, and that he’d better bring food.

I’ve been sifting through my e-mails and boy, had they piled up. I hadn’t checked anything since I came back from Africa. Craziness. Zane sent me some gorgeous pictures from Zoë’s birthday party. She’s such a beautiful child. He has his hands full now, but wait until she hits her teens. Knowing Zane he’ll probably hire a private security force to keep the boys away.

Miles sent an agenda for some meetings next Tuesday. I guess I’m headed to Fiji. A girl could do worse. Hopefully the meetings won’t run too long and I can catch some rays on the beach.

Oh crap. It’s been weeks since I’ve checked in with Simone. I just realized that. I’ll have to call her later. I hear Sam’s car. Time to go make nice with my hunky man.

11 p.m
.

I’m alone again. Sam had to go up to the nursing home. One of his patients is being moved into Hospice and he wants to check on him. We had a good chat that pretty much went like this.

“Sorry I was a bitch. None of this is your fault.”

“It’s okay, Bron. You know I love you.”

“Yes, and I love you.”

Kiss, kiss, and then lunch. I wish I could say it’s all better, but it’s not, really. I feel like there’s a space between us. That sort of thing happens when couples fight, but this felt like something that wouldn’t be such an easy fix.

Simone called. I’d left her a message earlier in the day.

About two minutes into our conversation I told her everything that had happened, including the miscarriage.

“Shit, Bron. That’s heavy-duty.” She had me on speakerphone and I could hear her doing sit-ups. She’s dedicated that way—always working out. I guess when you slay demons on a daily basis it’s a good idea to keep in shape. She paused for a moment when she realized what I’d said.

“Yep. I’m not really sure how it happened—well, I know
how
, but I was protected.” I was in my office and had pulled out my Book of Shadows and was thumbing through it. I’d been writing sticky notes with spells for months and needed to write them in. “So, what’s been going on with you?”

She laughed, but it was a frustrated sound. “Well, I’ve been celibate five days, twenty hours, and three minutes.”

I choked. “Excuse me.”

“You heard me. Shaman Roy told me that if I turned my sexual needs inward, I might become even more powerful.”

I knew Shaman Roy. Well, not really. He’d brought me back from the dead when some warlocks did their best to kill me on my last trip to Los Angeles. The shaman saved my life, but I never had a chance to meet him. “Sounds to me like maybe he wants to get in your pants.”

“What?” Simone laughed, this time for real. “Roy? I don’t think so. He has no interest in me that way. No.” She snorted. “He’s been studying up on demon slayers and says that sex is a big part of what makes us tick. But we can learn to use that power in a different way. I’ve been bored lately. I’ve only killed three demons this week. So I thought what the hell, I’ll give abstinence a try.”

This time I chuckled.
Simone without sex? What is going on with the world?
“Well, I feel sorry for whatever guy is around if you happen to fall off the wagon.”

Her breathing intensified and I heard a motor running. She was probably on the treadmill. “You’ve got that right. Any chance you’ll be out for a visit?”

“Nah. Not anytime soon. Want to come to Fiji with me next week?”

“No can do, my friend. I’m teaching a fall class and I’ve got to whip these ignorant puppies into shape.”

I feel sorry for the students in her class. If you think she’s tough on demons, you should see what happens when you forget your homework. And her tests have sent grown men home in tears.

We chatted for a while longer and then hung up.

I noticed something weird during our conversation. Garnout had left me several notes about sorcery and its power in my Book of Shadows. I have no idea when he did this. The last time he was at the house was months ago. He couldn’t possibly have known that he’d be kidnapped by Calinda. Or maybe he did. Garnout usually knows the future, or at least when big things are about to happen.

There were also notes about combining my power to increase strength. Maybe he’d known about Calinda and had tried to warn me. I’d have to ask him about it later. In the meantime, I decided I wanted to know how to defeat an evil sorceress, should I ever come across another one. I had a feeling that someday Calinda would be back, and she would be even tougher to take down after a second visit to Hell.

Somewhere over the Pacific on the PM’s jet
Witches with great friends: 1
Charms: 5
Spells: 15

I
’
m headed to Fiji to help the prime minister, but man, it’s been a wild couple of days. Cole called from Tibet to say he finally had some info on Calinda, and why she wanted Garnout as her boy toy. I have no idea what he was doing in Tibet, and he wouldn’t say.

“They’ve been married for several hundred years,” Cole said. “One of our people discovered that in the fourteenth century he’d been married to a witch named Calinda. She was powerful, but when they consummated their relationship, something happened and her power increased a hundredfold.”

Here’s the thing. Wizards and sorceresses are usually born that way, kind of like high witches. It is possible for one’s power to increase over time and become one or the other. But I’d never heard of a high witch becoming a sorceress overnight. It just wasn’t done.

“Holy crap! She must have been one of the most powerful high witches on the planet,” I said.

“Some people who knew her back then believe she planned the whole thing and used Garnout,” Cole continued, “but there’s no proof of that. They seemed to get on well for a couple of hundred years and then something happened. Her penchant for war created chaos and more than ten thousand people died. Garnout doesn’t reference what conflict that might have been, but he had to banish her in order to return the magical balance to Earth.”

I was in my office trying to make sense of Garnout’s notes. “So she definitely has a grudge.” If Sam had tried to banish me, well, it wouldn’t be pretty. Still, I felt sorry for the wizard. It was obvious he loved her, and it must have killed him to banish her again.

“I’d say so.”

“Any chance she can get out of Hell again?”

Cole coughed. “This altitude is killing me. It’s possible. She’s powerful enough, but I don’t see her doing it anytime soon. It took her several hundred years the last time.”

I didn’t know about that. She’d seemed pretty determined to get back at Garnout right before she’d disappeared into that wall of flames.

“By the way, your ex is the one who conjured her back into existence. We found Jason’s place where he had the altar and he’s definitely the one who brought her back. He used the souls of more than fifty witches and warlocks to do it.”

The idea of all those people losing their lives for his malice made me ill. It was just more thing to hate Jason for. Then again, he’s already dead, so it’s all good.

“Do you think Garnout is really okay? Is he safe?”

Cole was panting now. “Yes. Bron, he’s my friend, too. I haven’t known him as long as you have but I want him protected. He’s one of the wizards who keeps this place, and by that I mean our world, in balance.”

I realized how selfish I’d been. I wanted my favorite wizard back because he was my dearest friend and I miss him. But the rest of the world needed him, too.

I sighed. “I forgot to say thank you for what you did in Budapest. If we hadn’t shared our powers there’s no telling what that bitch would have done.”

“It was the only way I could see to save our lives. I was certain she would kill us.” He blew out a breath.

“Are you okay? You sound like you are having trouble breathing.”

“It’s Tibet, Bron. It’s kind of high up and I’ve been climbing a damn mountain while we talked.”

A mountain?
“Geez, you could have called me back.”

“Nah, keeps my mind off the terrain below. I’m not a big fan of heights.”

That made me laugh. Big cop man was scared of heights. “Then why the hell are you scaling mountainsides?”

“Work. Trust me, I’d rather be at the dentist getting a root canal.”

Yikes. He really was out of his element.

“Oh—whoa. Hey, I’m getting to a part where I really need to concentrate. I’ll call you back later.”

I sent him a protection spell just in case he decided to go tumbling down the side of the mountain.

I didn’t want to bring my spell book out of the protection of my home, but I did make copies of all the notes Garnout left. I’m using my time during the flight to see if I can figure out what the hell he was trying to tell me about combining my powers.

I tried to ask him the few times I’ve spied on him over the last couple of days, but he ignores me and then shuts down his shields.

I hate puzzles. I’m a smart girl, but my brain just doesn’t work that way. Maybe he knows something is going to happen, but he’s not exactly sure what. The notes aren’t spells. They are more like history lessons in witchcraft and wizardry.

The entries are about the true origins of the craft and why there are different levels of magic and how one goes from being a warlock to a wizard. I’d always thought you were born a wizard, but that isn’t necessarily so. In literature we begin to hear about wizards around the eleventh century, but they were around long before that.

There’s not a darn thing in here about how to kill a sorceress. But I do have Kira working on that one. She’s the queen of the research and totally rocks when it comes to finding the tough answers. And now she has another crack research staff on the other side. Dead people really like to talk.

Last night, before I packed for Fiji, I met her up at the library. That’s where I made copies and I left a set for her, too. In addition to being a rockin’ lawyer and Queen of the Books, she has a love for the history of magic.

“There’s an archive in Budapest. It’s too bad you didn’t know about all of this while you were there.” She flipped on the lights in the front part of the building. The fluorescent bulbs hummed to life like a hive of bees. “The archive at the library there has more magical texts than anywhere else in the world. Next time you go, I’m traveling with you. I think that’s where we can find some real answers. But I have some other sources, too.”

Suddenly there was a chill and it wasn’t from the air conditioning. “Um, Kira…who else is here?” The temperature had dropped another twenty degrees. Now I knew why she always wore sweaters even when it was one hundred degrees outside.

She looked around the room. “Arnie’s here. He always hangs out in the section for gardening books. It’s kind of sad because he hasn’t quite mastered picking up the books, but he’s working on it. Rosalee is here, she always shows up when you are around. She likes your spunk.” She waved. “Mr. Carmichael’s over in the World War Two books again, and Jerry is in the romance section. That man can’t get enough of romance authors Nora Roberts and Jodi Thomas. He cracks me up.”

I watched her as she talked about the dead and she looked more at ease than she had in a long time. “So it doesn’t bother you that you are never alone anymore?”

She shrugged. “I’ve learned to tell them to get lost when I need my space and for the most part they give it to me. Here.” She handed me a book. “This is a journal from a J. K. Stone. He was a wizard in the eighteenth century. Take it with you on your trip. I’ve ordered another copy for the library. He doesn’t have much to say about sorceresses, but he did have to fight some pretty nasty wizards who turned to the dark side. No specific spells, but some definite strategy in there. Also,” she said as she opened a drawer in her desk, “I ordered this one off the Internet for you a couple of weeks ago. It’s the
Black Magic Handbook for Ghouls
. Though I can’t imagine any ghoul being bright enough to read.”

I laughed. She really was into all of this and had come a long way over the last year. When I first met her she was just getting used to the idea that witches and warlocks were real. She’d known about witches, but she’d never worked with a high witch until she met me. She’s become one of my dearest friends and it made my heart happy that she was so determined to find a way to help.

Like I said, I have great friends. If Calinda ever showed up again, we would be ready.

I’m not sure where Sam and I stand right now. Things are still kind of weird. There’s no anger or anything. In fact, he’s being overly nice. It’s like we experienced this big thing that neither of us was really ready for, and now we don’t know how to deal with it.

It’s weird when you think about it, because he’s died a couple of times and so have I, and it would seem that would be a much bigger deal.

Maybe it’s just one of those things that takes time. I hope so. We’d hit a really good place in our relationship and it’s pissy we have to go through something like this right now.

Oh, well, whining about it isn’t helping anything. Time to get back to work.

Fiji
9 p.m.
Charms: 5
Spells: 3

We’re in a private residence on the Coral Coast and it’s gorgeous. The house belongs to one of Dr. Zocando’s friends. Everyone is here to talk about human rights.

They couldn’t have picked a more beautiful site. It’s more like a compound with one large home and then several smaller ones around it. I’m in a small house that has a thatched roof and opens right onto the beach overlooking the beautiful blue-green water.

It’s all very isolated so security isn’t as big a concern as we usually have. Still, I made some new protection charms for the prime minister, one to keep in his pocket at all times, the other for under his pillow.

Azir is here, too. I saw him walking on the beach about an hour ago. It was a surprise since he wasn’t in my file folder of politicos. I hadn’t seen him since Africa.

I was perched on the edge of a beach chair watching the waves, but I sensed his presence before he even came into view.

Dressed in his suit pants with his white shirt unbuttoned at the neck and rolled at the sleeves, he had the total casual
GQ
vibe going. He wasn’t wearing shoes and the legs of his pants had also been rolled. Very yummy.

“Did the prime minister call you in?” I leaned back in the chair so I could look up at him.

“Yes. They are discussing the trouble in the Philippines and he wanted some firsthand accounts. How are you, Bronwyn?” He smiled.

“Good. It’s hard not to be, in a place like this.” I waved a hand toward the ocean.

The sun had just gone down and lanterns had been lit around the beach. Azir stood beside the chair for a minute and then plopped down by me on the ground, never worrying about what the sand might do to his pants. He lives in a desert, so I guess sand is a part of life for him.

We sat in silence for a few moments, both of us staring out at the waves.

“How are your mom and sister? Did Shera go back to school?” Azir’s sister, Shera, is a total brain and she’s also beautiful. I’d met his family when I had to protect him from some evil dudes a few months back. His family changed the way I viewed the incredibly wealthy. Oh, they have their problems, but for the most part they are loving.

“Both of them are well. Shera’s heading to California and in fact, she will be doing her dissertation at the same university where your friend Simone runs her research project. It was Simone who convinced her to go out there.”

Well, Simone and I were going to have a talk. I had no idea she was conversing with the Sheik and his sister. She hadn’t said a word when I spoke with her last week. “Well, at least she’ll know someone, even if it is a demon slayer.”

Azir laughed. “I know she’ll be safe if Simone is around. There isn’t much that gets past her.”

“True. Is your mom running the foundation?” I was wearing a long, slinky skirt and a white tank, which had been fine when the sun was still up. Now my arms were a little chilly, and I rubbed them.

“Yes. She’s traveling a great deal. We’re working on an initiative to open one hundred new safehouses for women and children around the world in the next four years. It’s a big project, but so far she’s doing well.”

I whistled. “Wow! That
is
impressive.”

He clasped his hands over his knees. “It’s never enough.” I couldn’t see his face, but he sounded sad.

I touched his shoulder. I always forget about the chemistry between us and I was startled by the tiny spark of energy that sizzled in my hand. “You don’t get to feel bad about what you do, Azir. You help so many. Countless women and children owe their lives to you.”

“How are things at your home?” He crossed his legs in the sand.

I had a feeling he was asking about Sam. Azir always seems to sense when my emotional state isn’t perfect. But I wasn’t about to tell him about the miscarriage and my worry that Sam and I weren’t as close as we had been.

“Well, everything’s just peachy back home.” I threw in a little southern drawl for fun. “We did have a run-in with a sorceress, who tried to kill me and Garnout.”

Azir’s head snapped around. “Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?”

The sheik is such a caring man. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. If he’s your friend, and even though we have our differences, he’s mine. The man will do anything for a friend.

“That’s sweet of you. I’ve had the misfortune to meet her up-close and personal. I’m fine, and so is the wizard.”

I stopped talking. Something made my skin tingle. I stood up and looked around.

“What is it?” Azir jumped up and moved next to me.

“Someone protected by black magic is near.” As fast as the feeling came, it evaporated. I sent my mind out to see who it was, but didn’t see anything. They must have spotted me and immediately masked their power. “Huh. That’s interesting.”

“Did you find them?”

“No, but I will. The island isn’t that big and there are less than thirty people at the compound. I’ll find them.” I stretched my arms out and tried to see if I sensed anything else, but there was nothing.

I moved toward the little house where I’d been staying. “Hold on a minute. I want to get something for you.” I went to my room and picked up a couple of the protection charms I’d made.

When I came back out, Azir was standing in the doorway.

“Here.” I handed him the charms. “Put one of these in your pocket at all times, and don’t forget to switch out when you change. And put this one under your pillow.”

He sniffed it and wrinkled his nose. “It’s very feminine.”