Spells & Life Read online

  Spells & Life

  Paranormal MI5 Book 2

  By Rachel Medhurst

  Copyright 2018 © Rachel Medhurst

  Please note that the author is English so spelling is in British English.

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  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Spells & Magic – Final Book

  Author’s Books

  Copyright

  Author

  Chapter 1

  The cool wind almost knocked me off my feet as I stood in the middle of a meadow. A meadow? London didn’t have any countryside. How was I surrounded by greenery, wearing a... Was that a dress? Yep, a flowing white dress. Did the ancestors think I was virginal? Okay, so I hadn’t had that much experience in that department, preferring my book boyfriends to real men, but seriously?

  “Gemma Abbott,” a voice said behind me.

  Spinning, I almost tripped over my own feet as my gaze landed on the beautiful woman in front of me. In fact, there were several women wearing the same white dress, all standing in a row.

  “Ancestors,” I said, wondering whether I should’ve curtsied but deciding against it.

  Being submissive was not my style, certainly when it came to witch business.

  Inclining her head, the witch who had spoken waved me closer. My bare feet touched the soft springy grass as I took a few steps.

  “Mother Earth has decreed that you live. We cannot change that.” Her eyes were blue, the sun causing them to sparkle. Her skin was weathered, and yet, the calm smile on her face radiated kindness.

  “Well, she hasn’t exactly let me live. I’m technically dead, aren’t I?”

  They glanced at one another, amused expressions crossing their faces. Well, I was glad I was able to amuse them.

  Looking back at me, they smiled. Each one of them suddenly held a different flower in their hands.

  The one who had been speaking stepped towards me. “Your body is still working as if it’s alive. The ley line is the life force that runs through you. Become disconnected, you’ll die. You already know that.”

  Nodding, I tried not to frown. I failed. “Please, can you-?”

  “You’re not here to ask about that,” she interrupted me. “You’re currently in a coma.”

  A lightning bolt of shock radiated through me, rocking me back on my heels. Of course, that’s exactly why I’d mentally requested a visit with the ancestors in the spirit realm.

  “Yes, I must get back. Please, can you help me?”

  The ground beneath my feet suddenly started to shake. As I steadied myself, the ancestors shared a look of panic, their arms spread to keep them standing. The downy clouds above turned a deep dark red. Opening my mouth, I snapped it shut when wind rushed across the meadow and forced itself against my body. I only just managed to stay on my feet. One of the ancestors fell to her knees, gasping as the wind threw her hair around her face so violently, it almost choked her.

  “What’s happening?” I shouted as the others helped her up.

  The one in charge came closer to me, her feet stumbling as the wind tried to push her over. “It’s the ley line. You can feel how it’s being drained on Earth. Well, the magic from it keeps this realm going too.”

  “So, the bastard stealing the ley line magic is destroying the spirit realm?”

  The wind dropped just before the end of my sentence, making it resonate loudly around us. The sky turned blue, the clouds bleeding the red away until they were white again.

  “Yes,” the witch who had fallen to her knees spoke. “You must stop him as soon as you can.”

  Blood pumped through my veins as heat spread over my skin. Yes, I would stop him. As soon as I could get back to reality. Being in a coma sucked arse.

  “Can you send me back, please?” My words were almost pleading. Almost. I wouldn’t set a precedent with the ancestors. I would one day become one of them, which meant I was equal. Well, sort of. I respected them. They were powerful witches in their time, and their power still lived in this realm.

  “We can send you back, but you must stay safe. If you’re cut off from your magic, you are useless to us.”

  “To you?” I almost choked.

  Quickly taking the top of my arm, the leader squeezed my skin. “Not just us, the whole world, including the spirit realm. You’re our only hope. You need to trust those around you more than you do. Let them know that if magic is able to be drained from the ley line, every living thing on Earth will die.”

  Shit. I hadn’t realised that it was quite that serious. I knew that it was a big bloody deal that the line was being drained, but I’d figured that I would stop the serial killer before he succeeded. However, the pressure that the ancestors had just put on my shoulders weighed heavy.

  “Do you know who the serial killer is?”

  It was worth a try. The ancestors were fountains of knowledge. Often, witches would try to speak to them in order to help their cause.

  Shaking her head, the one in front handed me the rose she held. Taking it, I frowned, unable to resist the urge to bring it to my nose and smell the red petals. As the floral scent filtered up my nostrils the others stepped closer, handing me their flowers. Each one encircled me with a smell so strong it made me sneeze.

  “We cannot tell you who it is, only that he is more powerful than you can imagine.” The witches moved to stand in a group, their hands connecting as they watched me.

  “How is he accessing the ley line? Only Essex witches with permission are able to access the magic directly.” My stomach churned as they stared at me.

  The sky started to darken, rain clouds gathering above. As the witches opened their mouths, the wind returned, but this time, it didn’t push against us, instead brushing us gently.

  “You have to find him,” they chanted together.

  As their figures faded, the air grew warm. My arms shook as I reached out, trying to grab them back. “Please, tell me!”

  A lightning bolt shot to the ground in front of me, making my body jerk.

  “Easy now,” a deep masculine voice said near my ear.

  My body was laying down, my head pounding. I was no longer in the field with the wind caressing my skin. Wait, someone was stroking my arm gently.

  “Please stop,” I croaked, too weak to move away from Dave’s attention.

  A small snort was followed by the rush of air from his mouth. It fluttered over my face, making me shrink away from him. I knew it was him by the smell of male shampoo. His hair always smelt fresh, even when he’d been training hard.

  “Is she awake?” Kate asked from somewhere in the room.

  Forcing my eyes open, I blinked to clear my vision. “Yes, I’m awake.”

  Dave’s stroking stopped as he leant over me, staring into my eyes. Tempted to hit him, I closed my eyes to block him out.

  “Why are you so close to me?” I asked him.

  “I’m checking that you’ve still got a working brain.”

  “Huh?”

  His chuckle was close to my ear. “You had so few brain cells before you went into a coma, I wanted to make sure you hadn’t lost them all.”

  It was a good job for his sake that my arms and legs were jelly-like. They refused to move, even when I tried to flex my muscles. “What happened?”

  The fog in my mind was refusing to lift. Where had I been?
Hadn’t I just been talking to someone?

  A softer touch cupped my cheek for a second. Kate’s warm fingers brushed my hair back from my forehead as I opened my eyes to look at her. “You’ve been out for four days. We were convinced you were dead, but Dave insisted that he’d read about Essex witches almost being disconnected from the ley line. Consequently, everyone thought they were dead, only to realise later that all they needed was a magic boost.”

  Taking a deep breath, I filled my lungs with air as the feeling started to return to my arms and legs. “How was I almost disconnected from the ley line?”

  Silence grew loud in the room as Kate and Dave glanced at one another. Looking around to check where I was, I almost coughed. The infirmary at the Paranormal MI5 building. Great, my mother would have something to say about my weakness.

  “You attacked the serial killer. He did something to you, somehow draining your magic.”

  “Who?” Trying to sit up, I groaned when pain exploded in my head.

  Dave gently pushed me back against the pillow, grabbing some tablets and water. “Here, take these to help with the pain.”

  “Gemma?” Kate asked, her dark eyes searching mine. “What can you remember?”

  Closing my eyes, I searched my memory. “The last thing I remember...” I said, my eyes shooting open. “... is of me chasing Peter Mason. Did I catch him?”

  “Erm...” Dave gulped as he put his hand to my forehead. “... Do you remember the train?”

  “Train?”

  What was he talking about? Peter had taken aim at me. He must have hit me, which was why I was in the infirmary. Although, I couldn’t feel the pain of a bullet wound.

  “She’s lost her memory.” Kate’s words were quiet, almost inaudible, but I’d heard them.

  Forcing energy into my arms, I pushed myself up into a semi-sit. “What do you mean?”

  My whole body shook as she reached for me, her instinct to see what had happened to me in the last twenty-four hours. Which was crazy, considering I’d apparently been in a coma. Before her hand connected with my skin, Dave grabbed it to stop her.

  “Wait. You said I attacked a serial killer. When was this?” My head was swirling with questions.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, Kate looked at her fingers as she clasped them together. “Four days ago, you had a confrontation with a serial killer who has been killing women. He has something against the Essex witches.”

  “He’s been killing Essex witches?”

  Quickly shaking her head, Kate glanced at Dave. He widened his eyes in warning. What were they keeping from me?

  Sighing, Dave turned from me to grab his tablet device. Bringing it back to the bed, he started tapping the screen. “He’s murdering normal witches. Do you recognise this?”

  Showing me the screen, he zoomed in as I gasped. The picture of the victim sent chills throughout my whole body. My stomach churned as he showed me the blood splatter behind the bed. The coat of arms was obvious when he pointed it out.

  “I don’t remember any of this. What’s happened to my memory?”

  The bash of the door against the wall as Jake strode in made me jump. There were five other beds in the room, but they were currently empty. The infirmary was rarely used considering we were very powerful agents.

  “I’ve got coffees and cake. Kate, they didn’t have your chai latte bollocks, so I got you-” Jake paused when his gaze landed on me. “Shit, you’re awake!”

  Rushing over, he plonked the cardboard cups on the cabinet beside me before standing right next to the bed. His baby blues were wide as he ran them over me. “Are you okay?”

  Unable to meet his gaze, I looked at his bulging arm muscles. They were slightly bigger than Dave’s, but he often had them on show in his tight black T-shirts. Dave’s were hidden by his smart suits. Although, at this moment, he had no jacket on, just a shirt, the top two buttons undone.

  “She’s lost her memory,” Dave said gruffly as he snatched a coffee cup and took a swig, swearing when he obviously burnt his tongue.

  Jake blinked. “Oh. Erm. Hi, I’m Jake, I work with you-”

  Dave’s fist flew out, the sound of it connecting with Jake’s shoulder loud in the room. Kate was giggling to herself, her hand firmly over her mouth. A smile came to my lips as I tried not to laugh with her.

  Glaring at Dave, Jake rubbed his arm. “What was that for?”

  “She hasn’t forgotten you, dickhead.”

  Growling, Jake looked between us, a confused expression stretching his handsome features. His square jaw clenched. “Well, are you going to explain what the fuck you mean then?”

  Nurturing the cup in his hand, Dave refused to look at me. Kate came around the bed and took Jake’s hand, squeezing to calm his nervous energy.

  “Oh, for goodness sake,” I snapped. “There’s no need to pussyfoot around me. I’m fine. Jake, the last thing I remember is chasing Peter Mason down a street. He fired at me. He-”

  “Got away!” Dave interrupted, his voice rushed as he passed Kate her coffee.

  Why was he avoiding eye contact? His usually casual demeanour was stiff. My desk friend never let anything get to him. Well, unless he was having one of his broody times. That wasn’t now though, something was up.

  “Great, you’ve got transient global amnesia - short term memory loss. Well, have these guys caught you up?” Jake’s practical ways always suited me. As a wolf shifter, he was in tune with Mother Nature. He knew exactly when the moon would be full, when the flowers would blossom, and what to do in a crisis.

  “We’ve only just...” Kate shrugged when Jake raised his eyebrows.

  Leaning against the bed, Jake looked down at me. “Okay, boss, quick catch up. Peter got away that time, but you got him later. We then got a call about a murder. A woman was shot in bed. Blood every-fucking-where. Nasty.”

  “Alright,” Kate said, frowning at her coffee cup.

  “She’s an agent, she can take it.” Jake drummed his fingers on his arm where he had them crossed over his chest. “It happened again, several times. The blood had the same pattern of the Essex witch coat of arms. We think the serial killer is connected to the PFF. You remember who they are, don’t you?”

  Nodding, I absorbed everything he said. How could I not remember that we had been chasing a serial killer? Wait, Peter had got away from me? That was a first. No one got away from me. I must’ve been off my game.

  “Of course I remember Paranormals For Freedom.” My scowl was aimed at no one in particular.

  Holding up my arms, I wrapped them around my head as it pounded. Too much info. Way too much info. Maybe if I pretended I was tired, they would leave me alone. I could then get back to my book. I was right in the middle of an epic fantasy. It would help me to forget... ha, that was pretty ironic.

  “Let’s give Gemma some time to breathe. Jake, please will you go and tell Jemima that Gemma is awake?” Dave waved the wolf shifter away, almost dismissing him.

  If the energy of the atmosphere was visible, I’d see ice everywhere. The two men stared each other down. Kate came to the rescue in the end. Grabbing Jake’s arm, she escorted him out of the infirmary.

  “Why don’t you go with them?” I said, my eyes drooping as exhaustion overtook. “How did you get magic back into me if I was almost drained after fighting the serial killer?”

  Tugging a chair closer to the side of the bed, Dave ran a hand over his hair. It was tied in a man-bun. Yep, it bloody well suited him, which was really annoying. I wasn’t sure why, but it was.

  “There’s a few things Jake left out.” He paused as he scratched the stubble on his jaw. “Well, that’s not technically true. You have a secret that the others don’t know about.”

  His cryptic words were starting to grate on me. Clenching my teeth, I turned onto my side, still unable to get the energy to push myself up properly. “Just tell me outright. You know I don’t do subtle.”

  A smile quirked the corner of his lips. “When Peter M
ason fired, the bullet lodged in your chest. It’s still there.”

  My hand instantly lifted to where he looked, his gaze pointedly at the spot just beside my heart. I placed my hand under my T-shirt. Aw, they’d put me in my Disney nightclothes. How embarrassing. I was a grown woman. Wearing Tinkerbell PJs wasn’t something I wanted my team to catch me wearing. And yet. “Who the bloody hell put me in these?”

  Clicking his fingers, Dave waved them in front of my face. “Concentrate, Princess.”

  Scowling, I shuddered when my fingers came into contact with the scar tissue. A hole had been stitched crudely, its raised texture slightly tender to the touch.

  “I can’t believe I survived that, it’s so near my heart.”

  Dave’s cough made me grab his hand that rested near my arm. “What are you not telling me?”

  Forcing the words out, Dave stuttered. “Y-you’re dead. Well, sort of.”

  “What?!” I exclaimed, my body flying up from the bed.

  My arms and legs failed me as I tried to clamber off the mattress. In slow motion, I fell forward. Dave’s arms wrapped around me, tugging me up and back onto the bed.

  “Calm down,” he whispered in my ear. “The others don’t know.”

  Taking a deep breath, I righted myself as I pulled the covers back over me. My legs had been bare, which wasn’t something Dave needed to see. Those pale things reflected the sun if they were ever out. Which wasn’t often.

  “I’m dead?” My head hit the pillow as the little tiny bit of energy I’d had filtered out of me.

  Cocking his head to the side as he laid his hand on my forehead, Dave smiled gently. “Well, you’re not dead, are you? Not dead dead. You were killed, but the ley line is keeping you alive. So, you are dead, but-”

  “Okay,” I interrupted as I knocked his hand off my head. “I get it. Who knows?”

  “Just me.”

  Groaning, I attempted to turn away from him, but he kept his hand on my arm. “Don’t try and run from this. I supported you, you know. Even moved into the house opposite to protect you. The serial killer sent you a personal message. A coat of arms drawn in your blood.”

  “I told you?” I covered my eyes. “Of all people, I told you. My desk friend.”