Chapter 30

The enemy strikes.






The following day, Grandpa ordered a taxi to take me back to London. He cursed Grandma off, assuring me that he would take care of her. She was gone before I woke up, so I didn't even have a chance to talk to her. She ditched me, knowing that Grandpa would give her hell in the morning. I didn't tell him what I saw, but he knew—he always knew. On my way to London I had a bit of time to think about yesterday, but my mind was tangled; I kept going back and forth over the idea of telling Nathaniel about Jacque.
I got to the office just before ten. Kate entered a few minutes after me. We didn't have time to chat because we were busy with new clients. Just after two, we had another client. Kate was on the phone, so I went to take care of her.
"I saw the advert for a fortune-teller and I was wondering if the job is still available?" a witch asked, smiling shyly. She was short, and slightly overweight,.
"Yes, I’ve been advertising that post for weeks, but unfortunately no one seems to be interested," I answered, getting up.
"I'm a qualified reader. I studied in a small private school that specialised in fortune telling and I just came back to the country from Australia, so I wouldn’t mind applying."
"Sorry, but I didn't catch your name?"
"My name is Roxanne Walters."
"Great. So, Roxanne, do you a CV with you?" I asked her, writing her name on the top of the page.
"No, I don’t, sorry. I was just browsing job centre sites and I saw your advert, so I decided to pop in," she added, studying me carefully. Her eyes looked at me with interest and reservation and I felt the magic inside begin to stir.
"Well, we do need a CV, so tell me a little about your experiences." I began with the easy questions. I learned she’d lived in Australia most of her life, where she worked as a reader for a small business that hired five other fortunetellers. Her boss saw the gap in the market and decided to start the business. After all, many creatures wanted to know what the future held for them. When Roxanne’s husband died, she decided to return to the country of her childhood. Her mother needed a lot of help, so she was looking to settle back in London. Fortunetelling wasn't popular at all. In the end, I told her I had to speak to the employer and see whether the company would agree to an interview.
"I appreciate your help," she said, then shook my hand goodbye. I felt an odd wave of energy travel down my spine, more powerful than mine. Her magic wand was tucked in her trousers.
“I'll call you as soon as I hear anything from the employer," I said uneasily; she held my hand longer than she should have.
"You have a foe around; you need to be careful," she whispered, pulling me slightly closer to her. I stared at her, shocked. After a moment, she pulled away, grabbed her coat and walked out, shutting the door behind her.
"She didn't tell you anything new," Kate said when I returned to back to my desk.
I sat there a moment, staring at my notes.
"Yeah, maybe, so far everyone is wishing that I was dead." I sighed. "I think we should give her a chance. After all, we don’t have anyone else," I said, wondering if the witch was talking about Nathaniel or McGregor.
Kate pulled a face and continued staring at her computer.
I went to look for the contact details of the forgotten client after a while. I managed to get hold of Nickolas, the managing director. It took a bit of convincing, but in the end, he agreed to interview without a CV. My day wasn't a complete loss.
Dad stormed into the office just before I leaving; demanding to know what happened to me yesterday. He was furious with Grandma. I decided to avoid talking about dead cousins, so I made up a small lie about her introducing me to a victim of a vampire. He bought it for now, then left saying something about being on call assuring me that he will have a serious conversation with her.
I was hoping that Nathaniel was willing to take me out tonight since our plans were crushed yesterday.
“I'll pick you up after five," he said once I picked up one of the office phones. I was surprised that he didn't call on my mobile.
"Great, I can’t wait to see you," I sang, slightly taken aback. "My grandmother was a nightmare, but I’ll explain later."
"Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you in an hour."
Nathaniel was already waiting for me outside.
"Hello stranger," I said kissing him deeply on the lips. You didn't need to pick me up. I could have used Roberto’s car." It was rush hour and we needed to get to Central London, which meant that we were going to be stuck in traffic for a while.
"I like driving this car," he said, not changing his expression.
I shrugged. “Don't you want to know what happened to me yesterday?" I told him about it, but I wasn't quite sure if he was listening. He seemed absent during the entire drive while I talked about my grandmother. I sunk into my seat as the silence settled between us. He seemed lost in his own thoughts. I’d hardly had any sleep last night, so it wasn't long before I dozed off. When I woke up we were still driving. I looked outside the window realising that we weren't in London anymore. We were driving through a misty country road.
"Where are we going?"
“It's a surprise," he replied turning a sharp left with a wide smile on his face.
I smiled back and relaxed. We passed through a small quiet village heading south. I was expecting a romantic dinner with candles in an exclusive restaurant—away from everyone. The darkness had fallen while we were driving through the empty roads surrounded by trees. I was stunned that we hadn't passed by any other cars in the past ten minutes. It was still early, and the nearest village was only a couple miles away. Unexpectedly, Nathaniel turned away from the main road. We drove in silence for another five minutes before he stopped the car in front of a tall metal gate.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Always so impatient," he whispered. "Wait and see."
I gasped, pressing my hands over my mouth when I saw the view in front of me. In the distance, we were moving slowly towards a magnificent mansion. Nathaniel smiled and squeezed my hand. He’d never mentioned that he had a property outside the city, but there were so many things I didn't know about him. Maybe this was the way he wanted to apologise for not telling me about Geneva.
"Nathaniel, what’s going on?" I asked when he switched off the engine.
"I don’t want to ruin my surprise," he replied, getting out of the car. He walked around and opened the door so I could get out. "Come on, everyone is waiting."
Three men appeared at the door. They weren't humans. One of them was a werewolf, looking more like a hairy biker than a porter ready to greet us. I looked at Nathaniel, who shoved his hands in his pockets, staring at me with a strained expression. His eyes stayed on me for a moment without a smile. We had to be in the middle of nowhere, and the silence was unnatural, tense as we were, waiting for something to happen.
"I don’t get it; what are we doing here?" I asked again, confused, picking up unfamiliar scents.
"Boys, she’s all yours," Nathaniel said, pointing at me. I wasn't sure if I was going to like whatever surprise he had planned for us. Two trolls approached me and I stumbled backwards, feeling a little overwhelmed.
"Nathaniel," I repeated, but he didn't move.
"Shut up, Julia, that’s just part of the deal," he barked, turning around. I screamed as the shorter troll stormed towards me. I landed on the ground when he hit me unexpectedly. Hot pain spread across my left cheek. At first, I didn't quite register what had just happened. I was too numb to figure out if this was a joke or not.
"Come on, sugar, we’ll have fun tonight," another one growled, grabbing me. I shivered, refusing to believe that I was being captured by my own boyfriend.
"Nathaniel!" I screamed, but he didn't react; he just stood there staring at me.
The shorter troll scooped me off the ground and threw me over his shoulder. He smelled of burnt flesh and sewer. Knots formed in my stomach, and my face throbbed with pain as he carried me on his back. I couldn't understand why Nathaniel was doing this. I imagined that it was just a game. He would soon step away from the house and tell me that it was a stupid joke. He wasn't a bad guy. He wouldn’t sell me out after what we’d been through. I jerked, screaming. My magic settled back. It seemed like someone or something was blocking my energy. The taller one hit me again. This time I was blinded with pain and passed out.
It felt like part of my face had been peeled off when I opened my eyes. Judging from the stiffness of my body I must have been lying on the cold floor for a few hours. I tried to sit in the most comfortable position I could, but my hands had been tied behind me. Rope dug into my skin, bruising my wrist. I had no idea where I was. I took a few deep breaths to regenerate my energy, hoping to call out my magic. Nothing happened, and I cursed, wondering why my body wouldn’t react. The whole place stunk of mould; the air was thick with the metallic taste of blood. I thought about Nathaniel and my pulse started racing. He must have been under some kind of spell; otherwise he wouldn't have let those trolls take me. He cared about me and wanted to ruin McGregor for what he did to Isabelle. This just didn't make any sense.
My clothes were sodden with blood. Dad had cast a protection spell on me, so why wasn't he here yet?
Then I heard frantic voices; someone opened the door and I was blinded by the light. My mind shut off; my body tensed.
It took me a moment to realise that I was in the basement of the building after all the lights had been switched off. A group of people surrounded me.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty, time to play," a deep husky voice sang. I recognised the two trolls that dragged me in here. I glanced behind me, seeing Nathaniel, and hope poured into my stomach.
"Nathaniel, please, what’s going on?" I whispered. He cocked his head to the side watching me intensely, his eyes were empty.
"Your magic is useless here," he finally said.
"Why am I here? Please, Nathaniel, why are you doing this?" I asked, moving away. No one responded.
A few seconds passed by, then I heard more footsteps. Another person entered the basement. I blinked rapidly, feeling like someone had punched me.
McGregor stood in the door watching me silently.
He looked like he had just left a very important meeting, wearing a tailor-made suit. I had a sick, sinking feeling in my stomach that I wasn't going to leave this basement alive. He squatted in front of me. His skin was ugly, pale, almost ghostly white. His rich brown eyes found mine quickly. I didn't dare move. My heart crawled back into my chest, beating faster.
"Miss Taylor, you can’t imagine how happy I am to finally see you," he said, running his tongue over his teeth. Fear ripped through my pores, but I held his stare. Nathaniel was here; he wouldn’t let him touch me.
"Fuck you," I spat, crawling back towards the wall.
"Miss Taylor, language," he said, then stood, ignoring me. He turned towards the trolls and shouted. "Get him inside, now!"
I was shaking, but I fought with the knots, trying to free my hands. Nothing was working. I felt certain that Nathaniel was spellbound by some unknown magic, and we were both at McGregor’s mercy.
There were more voices in the background, and someone was struggling. Then a werewolf entered, pushing a man towards me who fell on to the ground. He was in a hell of a state. His clothes were in pieces, he had a long-tangled beard, and his hair was filthy. He moved a little and turned his face toward me, opening his bloodshot eyes. The nausea grew as I slowly began to realise that I knew the man lying in front of me. My regional manager, Rufus, was looking straight at me. I darted my eyes over the long wounds that stretched over his back and legs. His clothes were soaked with blood.
"Rufy," the giant who brought him in called out. "Hey, don’t fucking pretend that you can’t hear me!"
He kicked him, and Rufus moaned, lifting his head a couple of inches away from the ground.
"Stop, you piece of shit!" I screamed. The giant laughed. Rufus turned, and his eyes found mine again. The tears welled, but I refused to let them see me crying.
"We thought that you might like some company," McGregor said, folding his arms together. My heart was going to gallop out of my chest, but I no longer cared what they were going to do to me. I was happy seeing Rufus alive.
"What did you do to him?" I spat. "He would never help you, he hates you!"
"Oh, my dear, Julia," McGregor sang, shaking his head, "I'm sorry to be the one to have to break this to you, but while Nathaniel has been fucking you, he’s also been working for me."
"Bullshit," I snapped.
"Sorry, firecracker," Nathaniel said, smiling, and my heart leapt in my chest. Then McGregor wasn't lying—no one else knew about my nickname.
I clenched my fists, staring in disbelief at Nathaniel. It was clear that he’d betrayed me.
"Miss Taylor, I had no plans to be involved in your life," McGregor said. His skin shimmered in that dim light. Rufus stopped moving, his eyes were closed. "But you ruined my blood, my plan."
"Fuck you, why don’t you just get on with what you have to do," I snapped, swallowing my tears.
"We’re waiting for someone very special; we don’t want him to miss all the fun."
"The police will be here in a moment, you piece of trash!"
Everyone laughed. McGregor narrowed his eyes. I hated him and wanted to slash his perfect face with a razor, and watch as he bled to death.
"The police have no idea what’s going on with you. Now, I don’t want to waste any more time, let me show you." He sighed, then nodded to the werewolf.
Then the door opened for the third time. Roger, one of Dad’s subordinates who was supposed to keep an eye on me emerged from the shadows holding another man. I gasped before I could stop myself from looking at the face of the traitor. Roger’s expression didn't reveal anything; he wasn't even looking at me. Horrified, I darted my eyes to the man that he was holding. Blood was dripping from his face, and he mumbled something, but whatever he said sounded like a raspy growl. His suit was torn, and his arm was turned at an odd angle. His eyes were closed and for a split secondm I wondered if he was going to be alive for long. Roger, who was still in his uniform, pushed the man over and he slammed down onto the floor.
"You cowards," I yelled, swallowing up my tears. "What have you done to him?"
The man opened his eyes and groaned, but he was soon silenced. The werewolf kicked him straight in the stomach. I stared horrified as blood pooled from under his motionless body.
"You will love my surprise, Julia," McGregor’s eyes were glowing with excitement as he paced around the man. Time stopped for a moment, then it sped up twisting my insides. I couldn't stop the tears that poured out of my eyes like a raging current.
"My love," Nathaniel said, approaching me, "I'm sorry that you had to see this."
"Fuck you!"
I wanted rip his guts out with my bare hands. Anger consumed me, crawling through me, latching on to every cell. The minute Nathaniel betrayed me he was dead to me.
"You will all die in hell for this, you sick psychopaths!" I roared.
“Don't be so dramatic, darling, we’re having fun," McGregor said, rubbing his hands together.
"You need to focus now, because here comes the best part of the show."
I had no idea what he was talking about. I kept glancing at Rufus, he was pale, but I hoped that he was determined to survive through this nightmare. The man who was brought in wasn't human, but that didn't matter anymore, because he was probably already dead.
"Jake, it’s time to shift," McGregor said, flexing his fingers, appearing behind me. He leaned over and cupped my face, so I was looking straight at Nathaniel. "Watch, Julia, you will enjoy the entertainment."
His hands were cold. I kept jerking away, but he held me tightly. All of a sudden, Nathaniel’s posture went rigid. His eyes widened as he fell on his knees roaring in agony. His sandy hair started to grow, turning dark brown in a matter of seconds. He grew a few inches and his face changed shape. The air cracked with an electric current and I saw a new man standing in front of me. I freed my hands, pressed them against my mouth and screamed. Relief washed over me, despite the shock rippling through my face.
"Let me introduce you to Jake Grover, one of my best shifters," McGregor said, smiling. I couldn't breathe. I felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs.
"He isn’t Nathaniel?" I whispered.
"No, sadly he isn’t, but we were enjoying having fun with you," McGregor sneered, moving away from me. I should have known that the man in front of me was not my Nathaniel. I should have felt it. McGregor must have noticed my sudden relief because he said,
"Fortunately for me, I managed to snatch away your lover. I have to admit it was a struggle, but he didn't expect me to show up in his apartment. He nearly killed one of my guys, but we managed.”
My mind clouded with pain and confusion. I still didn't understand what he was talking about. He moved closer and squatted by the injured man who was brought here a few minutes ago.
"Julia, meet your boyfriend, Nathaniel La Caz," he finished, turning the bloody face of the man on the ground towards me.