Chasing Warlocks: The Last Witch Coven Book 2 Page 2

  “What did she say?”

  “That if I ever dare to go near her again, she’ll kill me.”

  Lee shook his head at me, his serious expression making me turn to face the wall again.

  “Come on, give me a break.”

  He didn’t reply, instead going back to his humming. What right did he have to judge me? He wasn’t exactly Mr Innocent when it came to the ladies.

  Texting Natalie back, I apologised and promised that it would never happen again. She came back instantly, telling me that it wasn’t a big deal, and that I needed to grow up. Frowning to myself, I tucked my phone away.

  We had done this text dance for years now. She was blunt and to the point. Whereas, I always tried to make a joke of it. I told her that I wanted some fun and we were good together that way. She told me that she wasn’t interested in just sleeping together. In the end, we’d agree to stay friends.

  The problem was, every time I saw her, I wanted to be with her physically. If I saw her with anyone else, I hated it. I couldn’t handle that either. It was easier to stay away.

  “Love cuts the soul into a million pieces, of shattered glass, and a load of faeces.”

  Choking, I spun back round to face my brother, who had a big grin on his face.

  “Faeces…?”

  “I can’t think of anything to rhyme with pieces.”

  I burst out laughing, finding his immaturity way too funny considering we were supposed to be powerful mature male witches.

  “Haven’t you got work today?” I asked.

  “This is my work,” Lee mumbled.

  His tinkering on the guitar grated on my nerves, making my teeth go on edge.

  “I’m going for a run,” I announced, jumping up.

  There was no way I could sleep, I had too much energy buzzing through me. I functioned well on no sleep and needed to keep fit for my job.

  Changing into my jogging clothes, I left the room, dismissing Lee with a wave when he stuck up his middle finger.

  “Can I come?” Antony asked, meeting me at the front door.

  Already in his gear, his jogged on the spot, his eyebrows raised. I couldn’t very well say no to the newest member of our coven.

  At the bottom of the steps, I did my stretches. The road had started to fill with cars driven by humans rushing into the city. It wasn’t much of a life being controlled by corporate society, but it could be exciting in London town.

  My phone rang, the noise blasting out of my pocket as I pulled it out. It was the fire station.

  “We’ve got a big fire at an industrial estate just outside Heathrow. We need as many of you as possible.” My boss barked down the phone.

  Heart thumping in my ears, I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “I’m there.” Spinning, I headed back inside the house to grab my work gear.

  When I came back out again, Antony waited at the bottom of the steps.

  “Sorry, there’s an emergency at work,” I said, going past him and jogging towards the fire station.

  I didn’t bother to drive, it would take too long to get through the rush hour traffic. We lived in Clapham, and luckily, the station was just around the corner.

  Antony followed me, which was unlike him.

  “What’s up?” I asked as he drew level with me.

  “I just wanted to say good luck,” he panted.

  Although he wasn’t as fit as me, he wasn’t doing a bad job at keeping up. I frowned at him, wondering why he would say that.

  “Thanks. Have a good day,” I shouted, sprinting off.

  “Alex, get on the truck,” my boss called as I rounded into the next street and straight up to him.

  Catching my fireman’s outfit when he chucked it, I quickly changed in the yard and climbed on board. As soon as the door closed behind me, the truck roared out of the station and headed towards the M25.

  I was briefed as we made our way to the fire. An industrial unit had caught ablaze and it was quickly spreading. My blood pumped through me, the adrenaline taking over. I tried not to get too happy. It wasn’t the situation, it was the rush. We rarely got to see fires. We usually had to attend accidents.

  “You look buzzed, mate, did you get any sleep last night?” one of my colleagues asked.

  “Nah, up all night with a lady,” I replied.

  He laughed and patted me on the back. I thought of Natalie and quickly pulled out my phone. I typed a message saying that she deserved someone much better than me. I couldn’t give her the security she needed. I was a flirt. That would never change.

  Even my witch soul-match would have to accept that about me.

  “Put that away, Alex, time to concentrate,” my boss yelled.

  I did as I was told as the truck screamed down the motorway.

  “We’re almost there, boys,” he called, pointing to a column of smoke rising in the air.

  The siren was loud, blaring in my ears. I loved it. It was my passion rescuing people and being around fire. I thought of my brothers and sisters as we came off the motorway. They wouldn’t appreciate being a fireman like me. It helped that fire was my magic power, so it couldn’t harm me the same way as it did humans, although I wasn’t completely fireproof, I had learnt that once or twice.

  “Let’s go,” the others called as the truck came to a stop and we jumped out.

  The smoke rose high above the burning building. The flames engulfed one end of a factory, the glow bright against the blue sky.

  Running to the back of the vehicle, I awaited my orders.

  “There are two people inside,” an official said. “We’re waiting for-”

  “I’ll go,” I offered.

  “It’s too dangerous at the moment.” The official held up a hand.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  I was good at what I did. Fire didn’t scare me. Being able to manipulate my own fire made it easy for me to be around it. It was a secret that I couldn’t tell anyone, not even Natalie.

  My phone buzzed against my thigh. Oops. My boss would kill me if he knew I had my phone in my pocket.

  “No, Alex, you’re not-”

  The shout of the people trapped in the building sent a chill down my legs. The fire was spreading towards them, it had to be.

  “We can’t just leave them!”

  The others started to talk amongst themselves. I would be fine. The flames were contained in the far side of the building. If I slipped inside, I could retrieve the humans and be out within minutes.

  “We’ve advised them to stay where they are whilst we get the water ready. Once the men are on the flames, we’ll escort them out.”

  He was crazy. The smoke inhalation would get them, it would just take a moment for me to get them out. If the flames were nearing the trapped people, I could go near them.

  Before I thought about what I was doing, I jogged towards the building. There was shouting behind me, my boss urging me to come back.

  I ignored it. A part of me was screaming to stop too. What was I doing? I could lose my job for going against orders. Another part of me knew that I could save the two people that were about to die if someone didn’t do something.

  “I’m coming!” I shouted when the people cried out again.

  Jogging through the main door, I was instantly engulfed in a cloud of thick smoke. I choked as I tried to get my bearings. Okay, so what idiot ran into a burning building without oxygen? I really would be fired for this.

  My heart beat against my ribcage as I tried to navigate the hallway of the building. The heat of the fire coming from the left wall, where the factory was, radiated onto my skin. The right hand wall was lined with doors to offices.

  Ahead, the door that separated the hallway to the factory, spat out smoke from under it. A gentle lick of flames tried to grab hold of the wood at the bottom.

  I paused. I was going against all of my training. My boss would kill me. I didn’t want to lose my job but something against my better judgement forced me to try and save the people
trapped inside.

  The calls of help came from beyond the dangerous door. I pressed myself against the right wall and slid along it. My breathing became stilted as I tried not to inhale the smoke that swirled around me.

  The shouting grew louder, banging accompanying it. People were trapped in the toilets directly opposite the door that was on fire. The metal handle of the toilet door was steaming.

  Inching closer, I held my breath as my fingers closed around it. My stomach jumped into my throat, but luckily, the heat didn’t burn the skin on my palms. At least my witchy magic was good for one thing.

  Tugging open the door, I thrust inside and closed it behind me.

  “Are you in here?” I shouted.

  “Yes,” someone called before coughing.

  “Don’t speak.” Covering my mouth, I got low to the floor.

  The smoke was thick above my head, dancing in a cloud. I rushed forward and looked into the cubicle. Two older women were trapped, tears running down their face. One was low to the ground, the other was stood on the toilet, putting her face near the tiny open window.

  “It’s okay, I’m going to get you out of here. You need to wrap something around your mouth and follow me.”

  They frowned, looking doubtful as they pulled their tops over their chins. Crouching as I walked, I gestured for them to do the same. Visibility was poor, the smoke filling the room. Near the door, I checked to make sure they followed. Squinting, I smiled as reassuringly as I could, even though my palms sweated. They watched my every move, completely trusting me.

  I opened the door slowly, stepping back when the heat hit me. The flames were starting to take hold of the door opposite.

  “Stay as low as you can and run fast. Try not to inhale too much smoke,” I called.

  As smoke filtered into my throat, I stifled a cough against my hand.

  Nodding, they covered their mouths and bent as low as they could. I crept out, getting as close to the other door as possible before getting caught by the flame. My skin started to heat as I blocked them from the main source of danger. I gritted my teeth as they crawled out quickly and managed to get past. Their coughs were loud enough for me to follow as we hurried away from the flames.

  “I think there’s someone left in the next office!” one of them croaked as we got near the exit.

  Swearing under my breath, I licked my dry lips, trying to get them wet. “Go on, the door is literally there. A fireman will be-”

  “Hello?” I heard one of my colleagues shout.

  The women waved at me before lurching towards the door, coughing so hard, I wouldn’t be surprised if they fainted. My friend would help them outside to an ambulance.

  Turning back, I covered my mouth with my T-shirt as the skin on my back started to blister. I had only stood by the flame for a second, but it had been long enough.

  It was getting dangerous. The flames were almost through the door, and I didn’t want to go back past them. Blood rushed in my ears as my throat closed, the smoke clogging my lungs.

  Forcing myself to move, I thought about the person that could still be trapped and approached the dangerous area. I was going to get fired for going against my boss anyway, so what was one more rescue?

  About to run through the flames, I paused when a shudder thundered under my feet. The ground shook violently, the sound loud in my ears as I spun towards the exit.

  Taking a breath, I choked, my stomach plunging as a huge explosion rocked the building, causing the smoke to billow around me as I was thrown into the air.

  Chapter Three

  The beeping drilled into my head. If it didn’t shut up, I would punch whatever it was that made the constant noise. Murmurs reached me as I came out of the blackness. My dreams had been full of fire and other lifetimes. I had seen Nick’s face in all of them, even though I didn’t know him that well in this lifetime.

  “Alex…?”

  Hhmmm. Although I recognised the voice, I couldn’t quite connect it to its owner. I had lost who I was in the dreams. Was that voice talking to me? Was I Alex?

  Opening my eyes, I blinked away the discomfort as the bright light made me squint.

  “Alex… how are you feeling?”

  It was Penny. A warm hand gripped mine, squeezing hard. It was the first thing I felt.

  “Like crap,” I managed to croak.

  Swallowing to try and ease my sore throat, I focused on the girl next to me. Her long brown hair was tied in a ponytail, her big soft brown eyes watering. Trying to reach out, I grunted when my arm refused to move. Apparently, my energy had deserted me.

  “Here, have some water,” she said, offering me a straw.

  My lips were so dry, I could barely wrap them around the plastic. Taking a small sip, I sighed, grateful for the lubrication on my sandpaper tongue.

  The beeping rattled me head still, coming from somewhere next to me. I glanced over, frowning when my gaze followed the wires attached to my chest. They rose up, attaching to a heart monitor machine.

  “What happened?”

  Closing my eyes, I tried to bring back the distant memory. Why was I in hospital?

  “Don’t you remember?”

  The sound of other voices grew louder, alerting me to company. Opening my eyes, I watched as a doctor and nurse shuffled towards me, their faces serious. At least the room was small and private, away from prying eyes.

  The nurse greeted me with a smile as she started to check me over. I let her do her job, waiting for the doctor to ready himself.

  “How long have I been in here?” I asked.

  My head was groggy, almost pounding. Slapping my tongue against the roof of my mouth, I stretched my eyelids wide.

  “A few days.” Penny grabbed my hand when I went to sit up.

  What the hell had happened to me?

  I fell back against the pillows as my energy drained away.

  “What happened?” I whispered, looking into her eyes.

  I could tell that she had been there the whole time. Her hair was greasy, the bags under her eyes dark and swollen. My brothers and sisters would have dropped in, all six of them, but Penny would have stayed.

  “Do you remember the fire? In the factory…?”

  Blinking, I frowned, trying my hardest to remember. Nope. The last thing memory I had was leaving the house for a run, the morning after I had seen Natalie. As my thoughts rushed to her, my chest pounded.

  “You rescued workers from the toilets of a burning factory.” Her voice was quiet as she stroked my hand. I squeezed her fingers and tried to picture the memory. It was no good.

  “How are you feeling, Alex?” the doctor asked me.

  Shaking my head against the pillow, I squeezed my eyes shut once again. “Not so great.”

  “We’ll give you more painkillers,” he said.

  Penny went to protest, but something he did silenced her. I stayed quiet, not wanting to think too much. I still couldn’t get my mind to come round to what was going on.

  “You’ve had a tough time recently,” Penny whispered. “You could do with a bit more rest.”

  I nodded without opening my eyes, the darkness already trying to grab me back. When I woke up, I would deal with life.

  *

  “How is he going to cope?”

  The voice encroached on my sleep and pulled me from the darkness. I allowed myself to come back this time. I needed to get back to work.

  “I don’t know,” Penny replied.

  The first voice had been Theo. I cringed at the thought of waking up to speak to him. It wasn’t that I didn’t like him, but we weren’t best friends. I didn’t really want anyone to see me like this.

  “Are you awake, Alex?” Penny whispered, squeezing my hand.

  Opening my eyes, I smiled up at her. It was nice that they worried about me, I would worry about the others too. However, it wasn’t such a big deal, was it? It was a minor setback, common in my job. I would be fighting fit in no time.

  “I hope you hav
en’t stayed this whole time,” I said.

  She smiled tightly and glanced down my body, quickly averting her eyes when she saw that I watched her. The flash of emotion that crossed her face made me clench my muscles, my stomach tightening.

  I was sore from not moving much, the blisters on my back uncomfortable.

  “Alex, it’s good to see you awake,” Theo said.

  He ran a hand over his shaved head, back and forth, twice. I watched the nervous twitch, trying not to freak out as he avoided my gaze, instead looking around the room.

  “I’ll go and tell the nurse he’s awake,” he said, making a quick exit.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked, trying to sit up.

  Penny put a hand on my chest to stop me.

  “There’s something I need to tell you.” Her voice was quiet. Too quiet.

  A bolt of panic hit my chest. What was wrong with her? Was it Father?

  “Spit it out,” I snapped when she didn’t say anymore.

  She flinched, her gaze shooting to the bottom of the bed. She was scaring me, I didn’t like it.

  “The explosion caused so much damage to your legs, they had to remove them.”

  My heartbeat grew louder, drowning out whatever Penny went on to say. I couldn’t hear anything as a rushing sound echoed in my ears. Pushing up onto my elbows, despite the sting that rocked through me, I looked down. A scream burst from me, filling the room.

  The doctor ran in with a nurse, who fussed around me. Penny held my hand, clinging hard, no matter how much I tried to disconnect her from me.

  “It’s okay, Alex.” The doctor tried to reassure me. “We need to sedate him!” he shouted when I flung myself back and forth, my head pounding so hard, it was going to explode.

  Penny sobbed, the small sound reaching me through my haze. I shook my head, closing my mouth and slumping back on the bed. “No, don’t sedate me! Please, don’t! I’m fine.”

  Blinking didn’t erase the image still in my mind. My thighs were intact, hard under the standard white sheet. Just below my knee, the cover fell away to the bed on both sides.

  My throat closed, the urge to cry pushing tears into my eyes. I swallowed the emotion down, refusing to let it take over.