Chapter 7

Something is off.
 
 
 
 
The alarm woke me up just after eleven, and for a split second I didn't know where I was. I remembered having a really, really bad dream last night. For some reason I had gone to see Nathaniel and he started shouting at me without any reason, behaving like a total arsehole. We ended up having a fight and I stormed out. Luckily, it was just a dream. He wouldn't ever speak to me like that.
I dragged myself out of bed feeling rested, my skin buzzing with new fresh magic. My apartment looked like a tip and it was just about time to clean it up. When I brushed my teeth and washed my face, it hit me that I hadn't been dreaming about last night. Nathaniel had really treated me like garbage. We did have a real fight. I wasn't supposed to stay at his apartment last night, and he took a simple misunderstanding too far. He was mean and violent. Damn it.
I sighed loudly and then dressed. I expected him to text me or call me to apologise. I checked my voice mail, but I didn't have any messages. I was disappointed with myself, with him. Maybe he was angry that I didn't let him know I was going to come over late, but then I realised his argument didn't make sense. He’d asked me to stay in his apartment.
I had some food, watched some pointless programme on the TV, but couldn't get Nathaniel and that stupid argument out of my head.
I managed to get to work at three o’clock, ready for a night shift. I didn't want to admit it, but I was hoping he would have at least made an effort to call or send flowers. I ran through the events from yesterday evening again, thinking that maybe I should have called, but for Chrissakes, we were engaged, and we were going to share a life together. We practically lived together now anyway. It was okay for me to go and see him spontaneously.
I told myself that I couldn't worry about things like this, so I didn't even try to call him. That night the hours at work dragged on slowly and I was glad when I was able to go home. Lucinda was ringing me every hour with a new order. Apparently, the factory was testing some exciting new products and a few staff hadn't shown up. The night passed without any problems, but Nathaniel hadn't made an appearance. My phone was silent and on Wednesday morning I was so angry that I couldn't even think straight. 
I slept through the day and in the evening, I went back to the office to do my final shift before the funeral on Friday. Rufus insisted that I at least take a couple days off, so I didn't have to get back to work until the following Tuesday.   
 "So, did he call?" Kate asked when I walked in right before she was about to leave. I shook my head, trying not to get wound up.
"No." 
"Okay, in that case, don't even try to fix it. Let him stew."  
Kate had this concerned expression on her face that I didn't like. She was probably worried that after the idyllic few months, things between me and Nathaniel had started to go sour.
Tonight, I was in a really shitty mood. Kelsie promised to pop over later on before her date with Michael. She was my distraction, always eager to discuss her annoying boss, Lucinda. She always managed to lift my bad mood.
 "I'm not bothered about why it happened. He spoke to me like shit, so it's up to him to apologise. Meanwhile, Dad’s looking for Grandpa on his own. This will only get him in trouble," I explained to Kate, knowing what my father was like.
 "Let's wait until after the funeral, then we’ll have an idea of what to do. Call me when you need me; otherwise I'll see you on Friday."
"Okay, I will. Thank you, Kate."
I felt lucky that I had so many friends. The press still followed me like dogs, trying to snap my picture at any given moment. Since Sunday there had been many stories about Grandma, labelling her a fraud and an old woman that used vulnerable people who had entrusted her with their life savings. The magical community hadn't yet commented on all these allegations, but I was certain they were going to make a statement soon enough. I stopped reading papers and listening to the news. It was pointless because I knew I would get even more frustrated.
Tron sent me a brief message via courier that he would show up at the funeral. I was hoping I could learn more about my grandmother’s secrets from a few of her friends. It was just after ten when the office started to get busy. Trolls, vampires and hags were arriving for an induction. Lucinda, who was the HR Director at La Caz Pharmaceutical, asked for another dozen packers. I couldn't stop thinking about my relationship, knowing that my so-called "fiancé" was sitting in his large office, not even thinking that he needed to apologise.
The agency was packed, and Sara was running up and down, dropping and mixing up all the files. It was a total mess. It looked like I was going to have to stay a few more hours to sort the payroll.
By twelve o’clock I wanted to start pulling my hair out of my head. Trolls were complaining about the shifts they were getting, vampires stared at me like I was their next meal, and Sara smashed one of the new glasses. She was still useless.
Half an hour later I managed to get rid of all the clients. For about five minutes I was spread out, head down on my desk thinking about what to do next, using my own energy to keep my nerves at bay. My other vampire colleague had just taken another break outside, probably because she had enough of Sara’s whining.
Then out of nowhere a strong scent of mint leaves and lemon drifted under my nose. Currents of warm, blissful magic shattered through me.
"Julia, are you all right?" 
I lifted my head up and was surprised to see Nathaniel standing right in front of me. Sara was still talking to herself somewhere by Kate’s desk, cleaning yet another mess. I wanted to stab my heart with a knife, as it began hammering through me faster than ever. Even that part of my body was betraying me.
"What do you want, Nathaniel?" I asked coldly looking straight at him. There was no point playing games with him. He shifted his weight to the side, his eyes hovering over my lips, as if that evening didn't even happen. “Why are you even here after the way you shouted at me the other night?
He looked confused for a moment, then said, "I don't know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted at you."
"Of course you shouldn't have. On top of that you called me stupid and said you were fed up with my naivety," I reminded him, shuffling papers on my desk, attempting a distraction.
It seemed as if he was going to question what I said, but then decided against it. "Yes, and that, so yes, firecracker, please forgive me. There’s no excuse."  
I stood up chewing my bottom lip, boiling inside. 
"It took you two days to figure out that you were an arsehole?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips. A dose of crushing heat blazed down my stomach, awakening the lust between us. The past week was so stressful and neither of us had been in the best of moods. 
His looked away, frowning like he was pissed with himself. Okay, maybe I was being a little unfair. We were both done with messing around. It was time to seal the deal and behave like adults. 
"I don't know. I can't explain it. Julia, I'm here now. Can we just put all this behind us?" 
"What do you mean, you can't explain it, Nathaniel? I was lost and lonely that night and you just shouted at me for no reason."
“I have no idea why I said those things.” Nathaniel sighed heavily and stepped around my desk, then leaned over and kissed me. I wanted to push him away. Yeah, I was still angry, but I needed him, and my lips started moving involuntarily. Waves of heat crackled down my spine, as desire moved between my legs.
I felt like I should tell him to go to hell, but after so much drama I was fed up with it all.
"I'm sorry. Please, firecracker, let's not fight. You’re the most important person in my life."
When I had him so close, whispering all these sweet words to me, I slowly forgot about that evening. 
"Mr. La Caz … hm, Julia, I'm sorry to disturb your moment, but there is a phone call for you."
Sara's squeaky voice broke the steady flow of magic and warmth. Nathaniel looked unfocused when I broke away from his embrace. I didn't know what to think anymore. Maybe it was just stress and we couldn't deal with each other. 
I had to take the phone call. It was one of the shift managers from another factory. Someone hadn't turned up and they needed a replacement. Five minutes later after I hung up, Nathaniel was scrolling through his blackberry. 
"Let's just finish this conversation tomorrow. I don't have time to talk to you right now. Lucinda’s expecting a phone call." 
"Roberto will pick you up after your shift. You’re staying at my place tonight." 
"What about the preparation for the—" 
"Julia, I don't want you to wander around alone that late. I'll help you with the funeral and your family." 
"All right, fine. I'll see you later, but I’ll not be spoken to like that ever again. Just so we are clear." 
He smiled without saying anything, wished me good luck and left. Okay, so at least one thing was sorted. My relationship was back on track, but there was something that was still niggling me and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Maybe it was the fact that Nathaniel didn't even remember being rude.  
The rest of the night rolled on fast, clients kept coming in. Around half past four in the morning, we all decided to close the office early. Rufus was taking over, so I could get on with all the family arrangements.  
"Julia, listen, I'm sorry about your cup. I'll buy you a new one," Sara apologised for the fourth time. 
"Yeah, okay," I muttered, shutting the door. The streets of Croydon were completely deserted. "How are you getting home?" 
"My dad’s picking me up. There he is," she said.
 A second later an Audi pulled up in front of us and Sara jumped in, promising to be better tomorrow. This wasn't good. I didn't want to be alone so late at night. I was asking for trouble. I wasn't worried, but it had been too long since I’d heard from Jasper. He knew exactly where I worked, and this was his favourite time for an unexpected visit.
Luckily for me Roberto had received my message and the black limo was rolling through the street. 
"Good evening, Miss Taylor," he said rolling the window down. Roberto knew that I hated when he opened the door for me. I was so relieved when I slid inside.
"Thank you, Roberto." 
He locked all the doors and I glanced at the other side of the street in search of more reporters but found none. It was really late, and they’d probably gone home. Roberto drove off, and as we made our way down the street, I spotted a figure standing in a far corner hidden in the shadows. As we got closer, I rolled the window down and my heart practically stopped. 
It was Jasper and he was looking at me. I wanted to tell Roberto to stop the car, but I was frozen. He smiled and then sliced his finger across his neck, like he was slashing his throat. I stopped breathing and turned around, thinking that maybe my mind was playing tricks on me.
A few seconds later, Roberto turned at the traffic light and Jasper vanished. Jasper had definitely been standing there, probably waiting for me to finish work. He had done this before, attacked me in the alley when I was on my way home. Roberto didn't notice him; otherwise he would have said something. 
My palms were damp with sweat and I had no idea what to make of him showing up again. Was he trying to scare or intimidate me? Either way, he was doing a good job, because I was shaking, not wanting to think about the past.
Roberto dropped me outside Nathaniel’s apartment door half an hour later, wishing me a good night. 
It was after five when I slipped into Nathaniel’s bed. I wanted to pretend that I was still mad at him, but he was wide awake. His lips found mine instantly and my desire took control over my magic. In that moment I forgot about Jasper. It was like Nathaniel and I didn't need words to tell each other what we needed. The energy fractured, passing my core as he ran his hand across my oversensitive skin. I moaned, losing the battle with myself. I wanted him inside me, I wanted to forget about my stressful day at work.
Our hearts beat in steady rhythm as he held me in his arms, whispering what he was planning to do to me. He had me naked, pinned beneath his long lean body. I arched my head backwards, lost in a foggy desire as he began tracing his tongue over my navel. We made love that night, and I ended up falling asleep in his arms.
I woke up several hours later alone, relaxed, but still pretty exhausted. Once I parted my heavy lids to check the time, I knew I had a bit more time to sleep. Nathaniel’s scent was everywhere, but I managed to get another three hours of blissful sleep.
Later that day I met up with Mum and Dad. It was a relief to see Dad looking much more like his usual self. He announced that the Unit was now searching for Grandpa Fred, but not as a suspect. They had ruled out his involvement in the murder. Mum had called nearly every hospital in the country, but there was no news about my grandfather. Dad was speaking to Dannika regularly. She wasn't supposed to be in touch, but she was still giving him updates about the case, and that wasn't good. He mentioned that Dannika had managed to establish a profile of the wizard who my grandma was in contact with. All the neighbours confirmed that he had been visiting her quite regularly.
Aunt Dorothy asked me to phone some of my grandparents’ friends. That day, I spent all day on the phone calling everyone who needed to be informed about the funeral. I couldn't imagine saying goodbye to my grandma without Grandpa Fred being there. The police, Dad, Aunt Dorothy; they all believed he was still alive, but there were many mounting questions without any answers. How would we ever find him? 
I went back to my apartment to change into clean clothes. After Roberto dropped me home, I gathered what I could, and when I left the building to get to my car, I had this terrible feeling that I was being followed again. I turned around to discover Jasper standing on the other side of the car park.

Crap. This is not going to end well.