Chapter 31

Spoiled party.



I gripped the edge of the bar, trying to breathe steadily. How could I forget that Nathaniel La Caz would’ve had an invitation to this event? He was an entrepreneur with a multimillion-pound business. He wouldn't miss a lavish party like this, especially in London. My body alerted me that he stood near. A flush crept over my face as I turned around to face him. He was leaning against the bar, drinking whisky and looking amazingly handsome, but he wasn't looking at me. A soft heated breeze blew up around my body. Desire, mixed with popping anger permeated the air around us.
The barman was looking from Nathaniel to me, confused.

“Don't listen to this man, darling. A glass of water will do," I said a little furious. I felt heat between my breasts that began spreading quickly putting me in a state of unease. My magic went berserk like someone had switched it on and all of a sudden, I had no control over it. The barman winked at me and Nathaniel narrowed his eyes, looking away.
"I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight Julia, " he stated coldly, finishing his whiskey. He was obviously still pissed off about our previous conversation. I had to stay calm. The outcome of this operation could be fatal if I lost it just because my ex was talking to me. I was here to find the witch, and Nathaniel could mess everything up. I had to get rid of him as soon as possible.
“Please, I’m here to have a good time,” I said taking a drink of my water. "Do me a favour and leave me alone."
My voice was strong. I really didn't want him to leave, but everyone was watching me.
But then Nathaniel turned around and our eyes locked, melting my self-control. That pulsing strong emotion of love was still inside me, wrecking my shattered soul. His eyes moved downwards and for about thirty seconds he kept checking me out, parting his lips, before a smirk appeared on his face. My heart reminded of the night that we spent together about a week ago, beating so fast that I couldn’t keep up with it.
"Julia, I don’t want to fight. I lost control. There’s so much going on—"
"Nathaniel, there you are," a blond witch said approaching us. I recognised her from the restaurant. Tonight, she was wearing a ridiculous amount of makeup. Her pale blue eyes flickered when she spotted me. "We met before, right? Outside the restaurant?"
I stood there frozen, filled with anger and anguish. I didn't understand why he had been such an arse before, being disgusted with me when he was now dating other people and most likely sleeping with them. The witch smiled, moving her long, thin finger over Nathaniel’s jacket.
He tensed his body so much that I was surprised he didn’t break any bones. His eyes softened on mine.
"Julia, meet Elvira again, my date," he said quietly.
"Oh, Julia, I’ve heard so much about you. It’s great to finally meet you," she said, nodding. The air got sucked out of my throat. I didn’t understand. He was talking to her about me? Why?
“Oh, I hope Nathaniel didn’t spill all my secrets?" I asked.
She laughed.
"I heard you work at that paranormal agency supplying staff to Nathaniel. Well, let me tell you; I admire hardworking women. Nathaniel’s business is booming, thanks to you."
"I'm just doing my job. How about you, Elvira? What do you do?" I asked with a squeaky voice, feeling his burning gaze. My skin ached for his touch, for his kisses, but no, that was the painful past. I had to stop thinking like that.
She patted her blond hair, looking away.
"This and that, some beauty stuff, you know, but I'm more interested in you. Have you got a date here?"
"No, I'm here to network, to bring more business."
"I see, terrific. Well, maybe you should join our table, so we can chat a bit more—"
"Elvira, I'm sure Julia doesn't want to be kept away from her task," Nathaniel cut her off. His voice was slightly on edge and I wanted him to just disappear. He didn’t want her to talk to me and that was fine with me. My heart missed a beat, my skin tingled and flushed. My energy reminded me to move along, but then something else happened. At times when I couldn’t control my emotions, other people’s thoughts slid through. I heard Nathaniel. I heard what he was thinking, standing so close to me.
“You're right, Nathaniel. It’s so nice to meet you again, Elvira," I said and then walked away before she had a chance to say anything more. My heart rate tripled, pain erupted, and dizziness came in waves. I was shaking from head to toe when I sat down at the table next to Kelsie, not knowing if I heard Nathaniel correctly. Shock rippled through me, dark emotions deepened. Nathaniel was no longer the man I thought he was. All this time, he had been sponsoring these bitches, for what? So, he would be able to get his hands on some spell?
I was ready to run to the bathroom and throw up, but then Dannika's voice roared through my head.
What are you doing by the bar chatting up your ex-boyfriend? I want suspects. Stop wasting your time!
I'm sorry.
Don’t be sorry; just start acting like the chief’s daughter.
That was it. I could’t psychically respond because I was in shock. My heart was throwing itself against my rib cage; my emotions were in turmoil. Then some other things happened. The catering staff began walking in with the first course, and Kelsie kicked me under the table.
"I see one at one o’clock, blonde with magic wand in her hand," she hissed. I didn’t have time to have a fit or to leave the room to vomit. The lives of my friend and my father depended on me.
I followed Kelsie’s eyes. A few tables away from us, I counted at least three witches and two elves. I recognised one: it was a friend of Donna’s, the one who fancied the handsome wizard from the factory. Next to her was a tall, skinny blond witch, wearing a pale satin dress. My mouth went dry; from her posture I recognised the bitch assistant from the industrial park.
Kelsie was holding her breath. I swallowed hard, ignoring the nausea, and sent a message to Dannika.
We have one of them. Once she moves, I’ll follow her.
Good. Don’t do anything stupid. Just let us know who she is.
When the staff put the plate of pumpkin soup in front of me, my stomach revolted. I didn’t know where Nathaniel went with his new date because I was keeping a close eye on the pale witch. My body was in agony, my heart shattered. I didn't want to believe that Nathaniel was a traitor, that he never even planned to help me. This betrayal was worse than anything I’d ever experienced, even him getting engaged to another woman.
Kelsie was saying something to me about the soup, but I couldn’t speak or swallow anything. I felt like I was locked in a cage with my own tainted love, feeling as if someone was squeezing my neck cutting off bits of oxygen.
The witch didn't eat anything. She stared back at the bar while the two other women were chatting away. She was important to me, but she wasn't the witch who I needed to find. I began scanning the room, waiting for the energy to hit me again. The witches were everywhere, but I just couldn’t feel that pull from earlier on. After the starter, the catering staff brought the main courses. It was a typical Christmas dinner, but the smell of meat made me even sicker. Besides that, my magic weakened, sending cold surges of sweat down my back.
"Julia, what’s wrong with you?" Kelsie whispered. “You're very pale. Are you sure you’re feeling all right?"
"No, but don’t worry. I won't be moving from here until we find the main witch," I said quietly and concentrated on my breathing.
"I saw you talking to Nathaniel? Who was that woman beside him?"
"His new date."
Kelsie probably understood this wasn't the time and a place to discuss this, because she didn’t ask any more questions. I didn’t know what was happening to me. This was the worst time to have a meltdown. I needed to concentrate. Dad had three days of his life left; my love life didn’t matter.
I tried to swallow a few bites of meat, but I gave up, and a few giants at our table were eyeing me with open curiosity. An hour later we had a break and once the staff started clearing the plates the witch moved. I volunteered to follow her, barely keeping my balance.
I saw Dannika a few tables away from us nodding to a couple of her people. I just needed them to see who they had to grab, that was it. Luckily for me, she headed right towards the bathroom.
We left the main ballroom and walked through the long narrow corridor.
Satin pale dress; she’s very skinny with long dark hair. She just walked into the ladies’ room.
I stopped on the other side, pretending to be checking my phone. A few minutes later Dannika strolled up in her black dress, looking like she was struggling to walk in heels. Two other officers were by her side. One of them waved his wand and a sign appeared on the door entrance saying, “out of order.”
Go back to the room and find others.
Dannika had to make sure no one saw her. I took a few deep breaths trying to clear my mind and started walking back to the room, when someone pulled me away into an empty space, covering my mouth. Panic punched the air out of my lungs. A musky oriental smell surrounded me, and my stomach dropped.
"Please don’t scream. I really need to talk to you."
It was Jasper and he was crashing the party. He was going to ruin everything. I had to let Dannika know that I needed help, but she was dealing with the witch. There was no time, so risking everything, I sent Kelsie a message.
Kelsie, I'm stuck with Jasper in the corridor. Please send someone. Fast!
I had no idea if she heard me, but then I heard a loud bang coming out of the bathroom, then the smoke came.
Jasper lost his concentration for a split second and I slammed my elbow into his stomach from behind. My legs felt weak as I pulled away from his grip. Jasper tried to grab me again, but I stumbled forward.
"I found the white witch for you. I know where she lives—"
"Fuck you," I shouted, and then someone else shoved me to the side. Stewart and another fairy were already on Jasper. He didn’t have his magic wand and I didn’t think he anticipated what was happening.
Then we heard another loud bang, and someone screamed.
"Julia, the white witch!" he yelled, but then he was already getting handcuffed. Stewart slammed him on the floor, reading him his rights. In a matter of seconds, the fire alarm started going off. My body swirled with power and instead of staying where I should, I ran back to the main room knowing that we hadn’t caught the head of the coven yet.
"Miss, miss, everyone is evacuating. Please follow through the fire entrance," a small uniformed troll shouted. Another wave of surging power slammed into me unexpectedly. The witch was somewhere in the crowd, but the paranormals started to panic, many of them hurrying towards the entrance.
I tried to locate Kelsie or Dannika, but the spell was fading. I was looking around, trying to see, but magic coursed through me, giving me an agonising migraine. A burst of energy raised all the tiny hairs on my body. I held onto the post, being pushed from every direction. Nausea heaved in my stomach and I felt weak, exhausted. Someone was using spiking power attempting to knock me out. I fought, but my skin was hot and flustered.
“I've got you," someone said, wrapping arms around my waist. Pain exploded in my head, shooting through my limbs. Then blackness obscured my vision and all that was left was nothingness.