Spell Hell: An Undercover Witch (Witch's Brew Book 1) Page 15
“Okay, okay, I get it. You can yell at us later. We have more pressing things.” Mikey rolled his eyes and then disappeared before I could yell at him some more.
My cell phone’s screen flashed that I had a text message. At the same time, Drake’s phone went off in the bedroom. Both of us looked at each other, unsure of what that could mean. While I scrolled down, Jenna kept asking what was happening and why was everyone quiet. Ignoring her, I opened the message.
Blocked Caller: If you want to see Roark again, come to this address. Midnight.
In another message, there was an address on the other side of town, in the more industrial area. It had to mean Roark was being held in a warehouse somewhere. I frowned, watching as Drake came back with his phone. His face paled as he digested the message. When he looked up at me, he clenched his phone.
I knew then that whatever Drake was about to do, there would be no stopping him. We had no choice but to go to the warehouse in an attempt to recover Roark. It was an obvious trap, but what other option did we have?
*
Drake was in a panic. He started changing into clothing that was fit for an assassin. He glanced in my direction, and waved his hand to urge me to get ready. “We have two hours to be prepared. I need you to call Kevin and your friends. They can help.”
“My friends are three hours away.”
“Can they not use magic to travel?” he seemed irritated with me, shoving everything into a bag. I didn’t understand what he even needed. These were magic users, and guns weren’t going to help. Since when did Vampires use guns, anyway? Maybe out of fear? It was too much to think about. I shook my head, refusing to delve further into that topic.
Nodding, I took out my cell phone. I didn’t know why I wasn’t being more proactive about this mission. I just felt like we were unprepared and we should be going in with a plan, but Drake wanted to get there as soon as possible. I didn’t even know my powers very well yet. I was still throwing out magic left and right. It was a total mess when I accidently blew up the toilet paper in the bathroom. I was stuck on the toilet, unsure of where to get more. Thankfully, Drake was a predictable organizer and had more under the sink.
Dialing Kevin’s number, I told him what was happening, and he said he would be right over. He would be a great help to have around, but his true motives were still unclear to me. What was he getting out of all this? Shaking my head, I scolded myself. It wasn’t a good time to have second thoughts about the people who could help us rescue Roark. The silver lining was, we might actually find out who is behind the killings. I had to wonder if the person was like me—a hybrid Vampire and Witch.
After calling Mikey and Jenna, I went to get dressed. I had some clothes at Drake’s, and luckily they were black. My favorite shade. Drake was staring at me from across the room, his eyes seeming far away. He was thinking about something. His life had been turned upside down, from the very beginning. Any bad luck he may have might have been the result of the killer. Was it the same person all these years? Who would keep it up like that? I needed the damn files from the Council! But it was too late for research, anyway. We had a couple of hours before we were supposed to show up to the warehouse. There was no more time to investigate.
Drake came over to me, putting a hand on the side of my face and bringing it to the back of my head. It sent shivers down my spine, and the feeling forced me to briefly close my eyes. He seemed so sweet and gentle that I had to wonder where that irritated man from before had gone. Slowly, he covered my mouth with his. When he finished the kiss, he gave me what I assumed was an apologetic smile.
“I know I’m being an asshole, but I’m just worried about my brother.” He pulled away, moving back to the other side of the room where he started to put on boots. This was a side of Drake that I hadn’t seen before.
“Well, you have a good reason to be worried. We don’t know how far the killer will go when it comes to getting revenge. Now that Stella is dead, the killer is even more unpredictable than before.” I sighed, slipping on some boots. “We have to plan this one out. Running in without a plan is suicide. I love you, and wouldn’t want—”
I screamed when Jenna and Mikey appeared next to me, from out of nowhere. “Holy fuck! Don’t you knock? Who does this? This is going to give me nightmares.” I couldn’t stop my heart from pounding hard. Jenna and Mikey were laughing, but Drake wasn’t amused. He seemed more annoyed than anything else. He was on a path to get his brother back, and here these people were, laughing.
“We have to go get Roark. He was kidnapped by the killer,” I explained, placing my hands on my hips after I finished putting on my boots. My pulse was still erratic from the scare. I wanted to punch Mikey so bad. So, I did. I slugged him right in the arm.
Mikey yelped, stumbling back a couple of feet. “That hurt!”
“Quit being a little bitch.” I rolled my eyes and then started looking around the room for my black hoodie. It was one of my favorites, so I always had it nearby.
Jenna held back her laughter, glancing over at Drake, who only shook his head and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “If you are done playing around, we have a mission to conduct.”
“What’s the plan?” Mikey asked.
Jenna nodded in agreement, ready to hear what we had to say. She was a petite girl, fairylike in her features. Her dark hair was tied back in a carefree ponytail. I envied her having the ability to just throw herself together and still look sexy. If I tried it, things would not be good. I’d be scary.
“That’s the thing! We don’t have a plan. We need a damn plan!” I said each word while staring at Drake.
Huffing out his annoyance, he nodded. “Kevin, Mikey, and Jenna will go around the back of the warehouse. Hopefully there will be some kind of entrance. If we need backup, at least they will be there.”
Kevin came into the room just as Drake finished the instructions. When he re-explained them, Kevin nodded and agreed. “Seems the best way. I think having four Witches will make the rescue mission easier.”
“Vampires are helpful, too,” I chimed in.
*
I didn’t understand why Drake had a blacked-out van in his garage. What the hell was he going to do with that? I sat in the passenger seat, examining all the gadgets that were inside it. He had a laptop that brought up the blueprints of the warehouse. How the hell did he do that? Sitting in awe, I watched his work the computer, zooming into different sections of the blueprints to show Kevin, Jenna, and Mikey where they would be entering and how they should proceed to the center of the building, where Roark was most likely being held.
When Kevin said he had some weapons, he actually meant a truckload of weapons. Drake’s eyes had gleamed with pleasure when he saw what was brought. Everyone picked out their weapons of choice, and I selected a Glock.
Before long, we were on our way to the warehouse. Everyone was silent, considering what was to come. We knew everything was getting serious, and there was no turning back now. At least not for Drake and me. I would never leave his side, especially not when he needed me the most. If Mikey, Jenna, and Kevin wanted to leave, we would understand. We even told them that, but they were determined to have our backs.
Smelling something funky, my nose twitched. I looked around, wondering if Drake had left some old food in the van, but it was completely clean. Almost like it was brand new. Then it dawned on me that it wasn’t spoiled food. It was a damn fart! Who the hell farts in cars? It should be a law. No farting in damn cars.
Looking around, Jenna and Kevin had sour looks on their faces. I looked at Drake, and he still appeared to be concentrating on the task on hand. There was only one person left to consider, and that was Mikey. He saw me staring at him, so he looked up at the ceiling and whistled.
“There is a new rule about riding in cars. No damn farting. Something died up in your asshole, and has been there for years.” I gagged. It was still going strong. We opened the windows, putting our faces out into the wind.
“Before we go into this with guns blazing, I have to know why you’re helping us, Kevin.” I leaned over the edge of the seat and stared him down to show how serious I was.
Kevin paused his task of messing with his gun. “I found out the Head Mistress had my sister killed by another assassin. It was just a random hire, no one on her usual payroll. I found out just after you left to come up here. I figured, since she has shown me no loyalty, why not join forces with her enemy?”
Everyone stared at him, not sure what to say. Even Drake was looking at him in the rearview mirror. “I’m sorry you lost someone close to you,” I told him, feeling like I should say something after that surprising revelation.
“Now you know why I am hell-bent on helping you. And now that his sibling has been kidnapped, maybe I can make up for not being there for my sister.” He looked away, not wanting to show us any real emotion.
Mikey slapped him on the back. “We’ll help you take down the bitch.”
“We all will,” Drake agreed, slowing down to take a turn. We were really close to the warehouse. At least, that’s what the GPS said. I was getting nervous, never having met an enemy on their terms before. We were walking into a trap, and there was no way to avoid it.
“We’re here,” Mikey said, cocking his gun.
Jenna looked out the window. “And so it begins.”
Drake slowed down before the driveway to the warehouse. Kevin slid open the van’s door and hopped out. Jenna and Mikey followed him, each checking their weapons. “This is a good hiding spot. I think most of these places are abandoned,” Kevin said. “Which means, if anything happens, no one will know.”
We all looked at him, knowing what he said was true. All of us were on our own. No one would be coming to look for us. We would be dying alone here. And if the Head Mistress had any say, she would probably bury us without any sort of memorial. We would be quickly forgotten.
I was getting myself worked up. “Okay, so let’s get this over with,” I mumbled.
Glancing in my direction, Drake nodded. He reached out for my hand and gave it a squeeze. This might be one of our last moments together. I wished we had more time. There was so much more to learn about each other. We didn’t even get to test out living together. Did I know what ice cream he liked? Does he like pizza as much as I do? Would I be able to control my hunger? It was a good thing that he gave me blood before we left. Who knew what sort of person I would be with bloodlust controlling my mind?
We pulled away from the other group to head into the parking lot of the warehouse. Everything looked dark inside, but as Vampires, we could see in the dark. Plus, it wouldn’t take much for me to use magic to light the place up.
Drake turned to me, his hand touching my face as he looked into my eyes. “Whatever happens, I love you, Sophie. It may have taken me many years to find you, but know that if we could out of this alive, I will never leave your side.”
I kissed him, our lips pressing together tightly. I felt a tear slide down my cheek. Becoming emotional is one of the things that I hated about myself, but I couldn’t stand the thought of losing him. Even though we just recently met, it felt like we have known each other forever. We were as compatible as a couple could get, as lame as that sounded. I was the last person who believed in fairytales, but I never thought I would actually meet anyone like Drake.
Sighing, Drake gave my hand one last squeeze. “Let’s go in.” We made sure our earbuds were working so we could communicate with the others. Another high-tech piece of equipment that Drake had. This new information was one secret I wanted to learn about him. There had to be a reason why he had the technology that he did, but what else did you expect from someone who had tons of money and a software company? Maybe I was just looking too much into it.
Our walk toward the warehouse was like the one you took when pirates were making you walk the plank. Drake glanced in my direction as we approached the door. He gave me one more kiss and then we were in.
The place was completely dark. My eyes adjusted to it, trying to see what was all around us. Then the lights were snapped on and the center of the warehouse was revealed. It was completely open, nothing to block our way, exposing concrete walls and floors with graffiti.
There was someone in the middle of the warehouse. When I focused on the figure more, I realized it was Roark, tied up, in a chair. Drake growled, eyes glowing as his fangs revealed themselves. In automatic response, mine did the same thing. We looked around, wondering what was going to happen next. I felt uneasy, like something unexpected was about to happen.
“Welcome to my humble abode!” a woman shouted from somewhere within the warehouse.
We looked around, finding no one nearby. I located a set of stairs ten feet from where Roark was. Up at the top was a dark, shadowy figure that slowly came out of the corner it had been standing in. We moved a few feet forward to see who it was, but the face was still obscured in the shadows.
“Release my brother!” Drake shouted, moving forward.
The woman laughed. I recognized that laugh. Daphne. Shocked, I ran forward, despite Drake’s attempt to grab me. “You’re the killer!”
“Oh, not just me darling!”
“But me, too.”
I spun around, horrified to see my sister standing directly behind me.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Vivian?”
My heart started beating frantically at these revelations. My sister was supposed to be in prison. Why was she out? Why didn’t my mother tell me this? Wouldn’t she know?
“Oh, don’t be so surprised, Sophie. You knew I’d come after you the first chance I got.” She moved fast over to Roark, yanking his head back as she flashed her own fangs. I swallowed hard. Everything was making sense now. The magic and the fangs. Daphne and Vivian were working together to commit the murders, and my sister was a Vampire-Witch just like I was.
Out from behind us came Kevin, Jenna, and Mikey. Confused, I was about to ask them why the hell they came out of the back when they should have been waiting for us to call on them for backup. But then they grabbed me and Drake from behind, holding us still as Daphne and Vivian came closer, sickening grins on their faces.
“What are you guys doing?” I asked my friends.
“We have no control over our bodies,” Jenna said emotionlessly, her fingers bruising into my skin.
Drake swore, jerking against Kevin, but the Witch was stronger than he looked. His face appeared pained, as if he was trying to fight the magic that had taken ahold of him. “You will pay for what you did to my sister.”
*
“Yes, Stella. We were estranged for a long time. I didn’t agree with her fascination with Drake, but the phone calls I did receive were usually filled with tears. I’d had enough of enduring that, and it was just recently that the murders were actually working in my favor, thanks to Vivian here.” Daphne came over, tapping Drake on the face. He snarled, fangs snapping.
“Why not just kill me?”
“That would have been too easy. You deserved to suffer by having your entire life turned upside down. And then when I saw that Sophie could investigate, well, that made it all the sweeter. I could get both of you at once, and no one would even know it was me.”
“So, all of us are going to die?” Mikey asked, laughing, but not at all amused.
“Aww, not before I have some fun! I’m in the mood for torture.” Daphne went over to Vivian and smiled, reaching out for her. They kissed, like lovers did. It was slow and deliberate, while Daphne ran her hands over Vivian’s body.
I shook my head, not believing what I was seeing. How long had this been going on? How long had Vivian been out of prison? After asking those questions aloud, the pair just looked at me, clearly amused.
“She’s been out for a while. We set up a spell to clone her in the prison. It was easy enou
gh getting her out, but since your mother likes to jump in and out of our lives unannounced, we figured it was best to have a plan in place. We fell in love just months later. Her attention to detail in the planning of your demise is such a turn on for me. Who knew I would meet someone as wicked as myself?” Daphne kissed my sister again and then walked away to continue her show.
Vivian nodded, grinning. “Daphne saved me, unlike my family, who couldn’t give a shit about me.” Her eyes darkened and then she slashed out with her fingers toward me. I yelped, looking down to find that I had a large scratch across my chest, blood slowly seeping out. “Just a few inches deeper, and you’d be dead.”
“This is about me. Just let everyone go, and you can have me,” Drake offered.
“No, Drake!” I shook my head vigorously.
Laughing, Daphne shook a finger at him. “Do you think I’m stupid? I’m not releasing anyone. No one is going to expose my secret.”
Drake, in a spurt of strength, broke free from Kevin, who lunged to try and stop him from going too far. Kevin was fast, and despite his attempts to stop what he was doing, he started to fight Drake to regain control of him. Drake hissed, throwing punches that landed on Kevin so hard, he stumbled back. Worried that they would get hurt, I tried to call out to Drake. “Remember, he has no control over his body!”
Giving me a helpless expression, Drake ducked from a punch that Kevin threw. He was getting frustrated that he couldn’t handle the situation like he wanted to. Now, how to fight someone without hurting them?
Sighing, Vivian turned to the two men. “Enough of this.” She waved her hand, and Drake’s neck snapped instantly. Horrified, I fought bitterly against Jenna and Mikey’s hold. I had to get free before they actually killed him.
Vivian then focused on me, her eyes gleaming with delight. “Aww, your boyfriend is not going to help you now. I should kill him first, and then let you suffer in a prison of my making!”