Charmed & Deadly (5 page)

Manhattan
Sunday
Noon
Witches who rival Dr. Phil: 1
Spells: 6

T
omorrow was supposed to be Cool Whip-on-Bronwyn night. I’m really pissed off that I’m going to miss it. Of course, I’d be Cool Whipping myself because Sam is stuck wherever it is he and Azir have gone to save the world. Whatever is going on is keeping them busy; Sam was supposed to be back days ago.

I’m still in Manhattan, and to add to the craziness that is my life, I’ve become a relationship therapist and am doing my own bit to save the world at the same time.

Ack!

It’s been insane. Let me hit the highlights. Once Cole arrived, Simone went off on a demon-slaying binge. I’m fairly certain there isn’t a demon alive in Manhattan, and if there is, it won’t be around long. The slayer’s on a roll.

Cole has called in a team of medical spook experts to help Garnout. There’s just one problem: no one has really had to take care of a wizard before. There aren’t that many of them in the universe, they are immune to all diseases, and they never die. So we keep dumping the health potion down his throat, and the spook brigade is working on unlocking the confusion spell he’s under.

Not being one who can just sit around and wait for the fun stuff to happen, I’ve recently kidnapped the heads of the warring covens, bound their powers, and stuck them in my parents’ basement where they can’t get out. Technically, I didn’t do the actual kidnapping. Cole helped a little. Being a big honcho in the international spook brigade has its advantages. The first thing he did when he arrived was ask how he could help so I told him.

“I want those son-of-a-bitch coven leaders in this house by tomorrow morning at eight a.m. sharp, or I’m going to kill them.” I think I scared him the tiniest bit because I said it all in a very calm voice, while I sat in the big fluffy chair next to Garnout.

“Okay.” He walked out of the room but I could hear him on the phone. Eventually I fell asleep in the chair. I’d been up for forty-eight hours straight.

Around five a.m., Cole woke me up. “The items you requested will be here at eight. Where would you like me to put them?”

I didn’t even question how he’d managed to kidnap the most powerful witch and warlock in the city. I was just grateful. When Cole and I first met he thought I might be one of the bad guys—something about the death and destruction that seems to follow me around. But after hanging out with me for a few months, he’s discovered I’m on the good guy’s side. We’ve been able to help each other out of a couple of tight jams.

“Put them in the basement.” I spent the next three hours putting wards around the house, making it invisible to the magical eye. No need to have their covens ruin our fun.

In the basement the spook crew helped me get everything that could be used as a weapon out. All that was left was a table and two chairs. Oh, and the washer and dryer.

My mom keeps everything tidy, even in the basement. There are only boxes and a couple of wardrobes filled with clothes and shoes. I swear she had half of Neiman Marcus stuffed in there. I didn’t think her Michael Kors sweaters would make much of a weapon, but the Manolos with the spiked heels could be dangerous.

I did all of this and some major research before they arrived. I’d discovered that none of this had anything to do with money or hostile corporate takeovers. It was a centuries-old feud that had started over land in Bulgaria, though the specifics of the disagreement were never disclosed. The Dragomirs and the Krasimirs had been fighting since 1708. Funny thing is, both of the family names mean “beautiful peace” in English. Bunch of idiots who never once, in all of those years, tried to sit down and talk to one another.

Argh! That was about to change. I decided Constantine Dragomirs and Lilyana Krasimirs would solve their differences, or die trying.

They had black cloth sacks over their heads and their hands were handcuffed behind their backs. They’d been yanked out of their beds. Constantine wore a blue robe over Elvis pjs and I bet he wasn’t expecting to be kidnapped first thing in the morning. Lilyana wore a red silk robe over a little shortie set of the same material.

This was going to be so much fun. Nothing like a little peace conference to take my mind off Garnout.

I bound their powers again before the pair stepped over the threshold of the door. The only magic in this house would be done by me. No one from the outside would be able to locate them, and they wouldn’t be able to get past the wards. They also couldn’t physically hurt one another by strangling, breaking necks, or any of that fun stuff.

The “investigators” (Cole begged me to stop calling them the spook squad) moved Constantine and Lilyana down the stairs to the basement. The cops had also installed cameras and microphones so we could keep track of what was going on.

The witch and warlock were shoved into chairs, and the bags were yanked off their heads. As their eyes came into focus they both jumped up and backed away from each other. Their mouths were covered with duct tape.

I slid into calm bitch mode.

“Okay, kiddies. Here’s how this is going to work. You will sit down and discuss your differences in a calm and nonviolent fashion. I don’t care how long it takes. You aren’t leaving here until there’s some kind of truce.” I motioned for them to sit again.

Lilyana was pretty with her black hair and milky white skin, but she wasn’t about to take orders from anyone. She gave me a look that could stop global warming.

Constantine had dark brown hair with graying tips. It almost looked frosted. He was tall, at least six-three, and he wasn’t interested in playing my game.

“Tell you what. You sit down, and I’ll rip that tape off your mouth.” I winked at Lilyana. She gave me another arctic stare.

I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me.” I walked toward the door and motioned for the two investigators in the room to come with me.

Lilyana grunted. It was the best she could do under the circumstances. Then she sat down.

“Same offer goes for you.” I pointed to Constantine. Even with tape on his mouth, he was kind of cute.

He sat down, too. “See, it’s all about compromise.”

Reaching out I grabbed the tape on both of their mouths and ripped.

“Mother of god! Are you insane?” Lilyana screamed. “Do you have any idea who I am? You will die for this treachery!”

I snorted. I love playing with bad witches. “Doubt it. Yes, I know who
you
are. And if you think about it, you know who
I
am. You also realize that it would bring me nothing but joy to kill you both where you sit.” I sighed. “But I’m going to try the diplomatic approach first. If that doesn’t work…well, we’ll see.”

Constantine had been oddly quiet. He studied the situation, looking for exits around the room. There were none. It was a concrete box surrounded by my magic, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. Let him discover it for himself.

“For now, until I’m sure you two will play nice, I’m leaving your hands tied. Kiss and make up, and you two can go home. Or I can kill you for harming my friend Garnout.” I shrugged. “I’m good either way.”

When I mentioned Garnout, they both let out gasps. “Can the surprise, you guys. One of you conjured something that has drained a good bit of my favorite wizard’s powers, and now you are both going to pay.” I didn’t bother keeping the hatred from my voice. If they were afraid, maybe they’d move faster toward a solution.

They both looked to opposite corners of the room.

“Have it your way.” I walked out and the investigators followed. Cole had set up a monitor in Garnout’s room for my viewing pleasure.

Cole and the other officers were stationed around the house in case someone did find us or if one of our guests downstairs managed to escape the basement.

Nothing happened for a long time. They didn’t talk or move. Didn’t even shift in their seats.

I spoke to Garnout. I didn’t know if he could hear me or understand even if he did. “This might be better than going to the movies. Maybe I should microwave some popcorn. Yes, and eat some Junior Mints. Now that sounds like a plan.”

Garnout’s condition remained the same, and I could only hope he was on the road to recovery. Perhaps the confusion spell would eventually wear off, or if I could find the source and destroy it, it would be broken.

I watched the witch and the warlock downstairs. Lilyana’s posture and beauty reminded me more of a supermodel than the CEO of a company. Finally, she stretched her arms up behind her, her wrists still in the handcuffs.

Gazing at the ceiling she cocked her head. Then she set her eyes on Constantine. “Why did you lie to me?”

The shock on his face told me he hadn’t expected this. “We will not discuss this here.” He said the words through gritted teeth.

She raised an eyebrow. “We aren’t discussing it anywhere else, so why not here?”

He stuck his jaw out. “You know they’re watching us. I will not discuss our personal business in front of them.”

‘Personal business’? So they weren’t strangers after all. Huh
.

They went on in silence for several minutes. She pretended to be intensely interested in the wood grain of the tabletop, but I noticed her stealing a look now and then when she was sure he wasn’t looking.

I thought about probing their minds for more information, but realized I’d soon have the answers.

“And I didn’t lie. I’ve always used an assumed name. It’s easier to avoid your family that way. You may remember that you didn’t use
your
real name, either.”

What the heck? This was fun
.

She sighed. “For the same reason. Had we been honest from the beginning, we would have had to kill each other on sight.”

He grunted. “Nothing has changed.”

“True. You’re still an idiot.” She bit her lip, and I could see the tears well. Taking a calming breath, she stuffed the emotions back down. “Are you the one who called the demon to drain the wizard?”

Anger fell over his face. He shoved his chair back. “I am an honorable man. I would not use a demon from hell to do my bidding, and I happened to like the meddling wizard. Can you say the same?”

She didn’t say anything.

Hmmmm. I didn’t know of any demons that could hurt a wizard. I’d have to check with Simone to see if she knew of any who had the intelligence and power to do such a thing.

“Did you call the demon?” Constantine paced back and forth in front of the table.

“No. I don’t like the troublesome wizard, but I had no wish for his death. I had nothing to do with it. Stop that, you are like a
rat
in a cage.” She emphasized the word
rat
.

He grunted again. The man really needed to work on his communication skills, but he did sit down.

“Did you send the Stuark demon to kill me that night?” Her eyes were closed now.

She didn’t see the second look of shock on his face, and the pain.

“A Stuark tried to kill you?” There was concern in his voice. I could see him check himself. When he spoke again, it was with little emotion. “I told you, I do not use demon spawn to do my dirty work.”

“Is that what I was, Con, dirty work?” This time she stood and paced. “It explains so much. Was the big plan to screw the little witch and then kill her? So many nights you could have gone through with your plan. Why did you wait?”

Wow! This was better than
Footballers Wives
on BBC America, and I love that show.

I didn’t think it possible but he stuck his chiseled chin out even farther. Still, he made no comment.

That made Lilyana even angrier. “You are a coward. It does you no harm to admit the truth now. Yet you sit there in silence.”

He kicked the chair across the room. “I am no coward, witch.” He growled the words. “If I had wanted you dead I could have done it a hundred times over. So you tell me, Lil, why would I not kill someone who I discovered is my sworn enemy? Tell me.” The anger came off him in waves.

He wouldn’t hurt her. He loved her. Though she was too dense to see it. Oh my god. This whole mess between the covens was over a lovers quarrel. The family feud had been going on for years, but had never crossed the Atlantic until these two. Pathetic. Countless lives had been taken and many others ruined because of this ridiculous spat.

I should kill them both for their idiotic selfishness and stupidity.

Lilyana backed against the wall. “My brother told me the truth. He explained all of it to me. You and your coven had planned to use me as a sacrifice. That night the demon was in your apartment, you pretended to be ill, knowing I would come to care for you.” She grew more hysterical by the minute.

He chuckled, but it wasn’t a happy sound.

“Think about what you are saying. Why would I send a demon to kill you if I needed you as a sacrifice? These are lies from that worthless brother of yours. Nox is the one who sent the demon to kill you that night, not me. He couldn’t stand the fact that his lovely and powerful sister had a thing for the enemy.”

Backing closer to the wall she screamed at him. “My brother loves me. He would never do such a thing. I will kill you for saying such filth.”

Constantine shook his head. “Your brother loves power. Look at the lives he’s ruined over the past few months. So many in both of our covens have died. And for what?

“I love you, Lil, I always have, and I would give my life for you. Can you say the same for your brother? Would he sacrifice his life for you?”

Something must have clicked in her brain, as realization dawned on her face. She slid down the wall. I clicked my fingers and the handcuffs fell off them both. Constantine caught her before she hit the floor.

My, my. Looked like I’d locked up the wrong people. Oh, I wasn’t about to let them go—they still had things to work out. Meanwhile, I thought I might go visit this Nox guy.

I hope he tried to kill me. I’d been itching to blow someone up all day.

Manhattan
Fired-up witches: 1
Dead guys: 1

W
ell, that was entertaining. Nox turned out to be one nasty, festering soul who really hates chicks. Especially witchy chicks.

Yay, me!

Thanks to Lilyana’s connection to him, it only took me a few minutes to locate him. I could see him in a SoHo loft, sound asleep. Evidently he didn’t know his sister had been kidnapped.

After a few words to the investigators asking that they look after Garnout, I grabbed a taxi. I could have requested one of them give me a ride, but I didn’t really want anyone in my way. I lied and told them I had to run an errand. Cole was busy on the phone, so I didn’t have to explain anything to him.

I snuck into Nox’s building, shielding myself from security, and made my way up the elevator. Then I used magic to break into his apartment. I know, I know, but this guy had most likely been the one to hurt Garnout, and as I’ve mentioned, all bets are off when you mess with my friends. There were several wards on his door, all of them easy to break. He hadn’t bothered to lock the door itself; I’m sure he thought the wards would be enough. In a matter of seconds, I was inside.

The floors of the apartment were painted black concrete, the walls and furniture white. I’m sure it was
trés
chic, but it was boring. No personality at all.

Luckily for me, he was still in bed. I love waking up evil warlocks.

I stood at the end of his bed, which was on a short platform. Played his mind in fast-forward for clues. It didn’t take long. I saw flashes of him torturing women. I could have killed him for that alone, but there was so much more. He had conspired with demons many times. His goal was to take over the coven from his sister, and then Constantine’s coven. And he’d done whatever it took to make it happen.

I could hear him talking to the person who tried to murder Garnout, but I couldn’t see the evil being. It had been smart enough to shield itself, but Nox had used the evil to go after my favorite wizard.

I’d seen enough.

“Wake up, asshole!” I yanked the white fur blanket off the bed and threw it on the floor. “Ewww. This is real. What did you do, kill a polar bear? That’s just sick.”

He sat straight up in bed, hands flying out to throw something, but I stopped him.

“Who the fuck are you?” He didn’t have any eyebrows or hair. But he did have a six-pack.
Good waste of abs, if you ask me
.

I laughed. It felt good. “I’m the chick who is going to kick your ass.” I tossed him out of the bed with magical force up against the wall. Then I let go.

“Bitch!”

I snorted. “You have no idea just how big of a bitch I can be, but I’m totally anxious for you to find out.” I motioned to him to come toward me. “Okay, big, bad warlock.” I deepened my tone with my best sexy voice. “Come and get me.”

The evil and anger surrounding him grew. His aura was almost black. The world wouldn’t miss this guy. Oh, his sister might, for a few moments, until she discovered the truth about her nasty brother. Even Lilyana had her limits. After watching her with Constantine, I knew she was basically a good witch, but she’d been steered down the wrong path by this jerk.

“So when were you planning to kill your sister? Today? Tomorrow? Or were you waiting for her to get caught up in one of the street wars?”

He watched me, but he didn’t move. “You are insane, witch. I love my sister.”

“Oh, I seriously doubt you love anyone but yourself, Nox. I think you would use anyone to gain power, including your sister.”

“Who are you?” He was still against the wall. Boring. I was ready for a good, old-fashioned battle.

I rolled my eyes. “You already asked that, and it’s none of your damn business. I know about you conspiring with the demons and everything you did to poor Lilyana. I know everything, Nox.”

He growled and jumped for me. Yippee.

I ducked and threw a warty spell at him. Yes, it was a petty little spell, but it was fun watching his face as bulbous skin bumps popped out all over his body. This warlock clearly took great pride in his appearance and couldn’t stand imperfection.

Then it dawned on me. “
That’s
why you wanted Lilyana dead. She’d consorted with the enemy. Tainted, she wasn’t fit to lead a coven. Right?”

He sneered and then mumbled something. I threw up a shield, so whatever he tried to throw at me would bounce off and hit him.

The spell must have been nasty. It put him flat on his back and turned him green. His body spazzed and twitched for a bit, then his mouth foamed. I heard him whisper a healing spell, but it was too late.

Twitching, he raised a hand as if to throw something and then it fell to the ground. Dead.

What an idiot. He’d just killed himself.

“You killed him already?”

Simone’s voice made me jump and I twirled around.

The demon slayer stood in the doorway, her long hair pulled into a ponytail. The legs of her leather pants were in shreds and it looked like she’d been bathing in demon blood. Kind of smelled like it, too. A coppery scent flooded the room.

She moved toward me. “Damn, Bron, I wanted to kill him. Rip him apart.”

“Sorry, the idiot already killed himself by accident.” I told her what happened.

That’s about the time Cole walked in.

“Jesus, Bron, you could have told someone.” He bent down and looked at Nox, without touching him.

“How’d you get here so fast?”

He chuckled. “Had you followed. I was already on the way, once they told me you were outside this building.”

“Did you know about Nox?”

“Nah, but it explains a lot. So, he did this to himself?”

“Yes, the idiot.” It’s awful but I wanted to kick Nox in the nads. I didn’t, but I really wanted to. “He ruined everything.”

“We’ll clean it up. Why don’t you go back to the house and check on Garnout? Are you going to tell the sister?”

Argh! Lilyana would have to know. It’s never easy telling someone about ultimate betrayal, but it had to be done. “Yep. I’ll tell her.”

Monday
9 a.m
.

What a night.

When I came back, Lilyana had recovered from fainting earlier. I’d wondered if maybe we should feed her something before telling her the truth.

I hadn’t absolved her of all guilt; it was under her leadership that the coven had broken the rules and attacked other covens. But I’d seen in Nox’s mind how he had manipulated her. She’d trusted the wrong man. I’ve done that more times than I care to remember.

I checked on Garnout, hoping that since Nox was gone, the confusion spell would be banished. No such luck. I hate feeling helpless, but that’s exactly how I felt. I’m supposed to be one of the most powerful witches on the planet and I have no idea how to help one of my dearest friends.

I called and ordered coffee and sandwiches from Zabar’s and had the food taken down to the basement. I watched. At first they tried to ignore the meal, but it didn’t take long. Lilyana wrapped her hands around a coffee mug and held it tight.

I gave them another hour, and then I went downstairs.

They hadn’t spoken a word while they ate, and Lilyana eyed me suspiciously. The investigators informed me that the couple had continued to argue once Lilyana woke up. Nothing had been settled.

I sat down on the table between them. “Okay. You two still have things to work out, but there’s something you both need to know. I think the easiest way to do this is to show you what happened.” I shifted further back on the table and crossed my legs. I’d informed Cole, who had followed me into the room, of what I had planned to do.

“I need you to move your chairs where you can each hold one of my hands. No funny stuff. I’m only showing you memories, and trust me, you both need to see this.”

Constantine gave me a look that could have frozen a penguin on the spot. I sent him a mental message.
“You need to be here for her.”
He gave a slight nod and moved his chair in front of me.

Lilyana followed him.

I stretched out my arms. “Take my hands.” I wondered if perhaps I should give Lilyana some kind of warning of what she was about to see, but I decided I’d pull back as Nox threw that last spell.

I grabbed their hands. Cole stood behind them both. We had no idea how either of them would react.

Rewinding the memories I’d borrowed from Nox, I let them all play out. Lilyana gasped when she saw him talking with the demon who had attacked her, but she didn’t let go.

Then she saw all of her brother’s manipulations roll out in front of her, one nasty deed after another. It made me physically ill to watch how he’d tortured witches and other women, so I could only imagine how she felt. At the end I began to pull away, but she held on, squeezing my hand tight.

“No, show me.” She whispered the words. I could hear the sorrow.

I didn’t want to do it, but I did.

To her credit, she didn’t collapse. I think I would have, had I discovered the depth of a brother’s betrayal the way she did. I let go of both of their hands.

Lilyana jumped up and ran for the corner. Leaning her hands against the wall she stood with her head down. It looked as though she was trying to catch her breath. I knew she was trying hard not to sob.

“You’ve both been used. How you decide to move forward after this is up to you. But you
will
take your family feud off the streets of Manhattan, and you will find a way to heal my wizard.” My voice was calm, but firm.

Constantine nodded. Then he walked to Lilyana and put his arms around her. “We will make it right.” She didn’t push him away.

“Like I said, that’s up to you, but the violence stops today.” I scooted off the table.

“Yes. It stops today.” Lilyana had obviously steadied her nerves. “How much longer will you keep us here?” She raised her head and faced me. “My coven will work to heal your wizard. Tell me what was done, exactly, and we will help make it right.”

“We will work with them,” Constantine added.

Lilyana held out a hand. “You have no reason to trust us. You can keep my powers bound if you wish. I will make a solemn oath to harm none. One punishable by death if I break it.”

“Lil!” Constantine admonished her.

She moved away from the comfort of his arms. “No. I will do this. Bind me, witch. I will do whatever you want.” I saw the contrition in her face and the need for redemption. Her brother’s crimes would weigh heavy on her for years to come.

I knew it wasn’t necessary, but I did what she asked. More for her sake, than anything. She’d been corrupted by evil, and she knew it. The binding would work as a safeguard against hurting anyone else. The only time it wouldn’t kill her is if she were fighting back in self-defense.

Constantine’s eyes narrowed as I said the spell, but he didn’t stop me. When we finished he took Lilyana’s hand.

“Now bind the spell to me. If anything happens to her I have no reason to be here.” He bowed his head to her.

“Con, no!” Lilyana cried. “You can’t do this. You know what my brother has done. Someone will have to pay for his crimes and it will be me.”

“You don’t understand, Lil. The people who would want retribution are my family. If we bind ourselves, then the war ends today. They won’t risk killing you because it would also end my life.”

She sobbed, and I have to admit it was pretty damn touching. But I had things to do and I needed to move this along.

“Okay, Romeo and Juliet. Make up your minds. We’ve got a wizard to save.”