Spells & Life

gaze, he moved his head up and down, just barely. The clench of his jaw was testament to what he’d endured. Those brooding moments that I’d so often been curious about had obviously been triggered by his past.
“I’m sorry.”
Briefly looking at me, he scowled before he pushed off the bed. I laid back, taking a deep breath as I tried to rebuild my energy. Okay, I’d dug too deep. I would allowed the distance because I wouldn’t have liked it if he’d pried too hard with me.
“I just encountered demon face,” I muttered.
“What?” Dave had been about to leave the room, but he stopped, his neck twisting to look back at me. “When?”
“In the street, on the way home from Paranormal MI5.”
The growl low in his chest made me wince. Yes, he had every right to be angry. I’d put myself at unnecessary risk.
“What did he want?”
Clearing my throat, I glanced at him. “He said something that was very interesting.”
My desk friend’s interest was piqued. One eyebrow raised as he turned and crossed his thick arms over his chest. “Well?”
Staring at the ceiling, I traced one of the posters with my eyes. Outlander. A series about a woman who travelled back in time when touching a standing stone.
“He said that things had to be in perfect alignment before he killed me.”
Frowning, Dave stared at me. I’d thought that what the killer had said was cryptic nonsense, but he’d actually given me a clue.
“He’s going to do a ritual of some sort. I bet he wants to kill me on an important Pagan holiday to enable him to drain the ley line of all magic.”
Rubbing a hand over his face, Dave rolled his eyes. “Great. So, the Essex Obsessor wants to take the magic out of the Earth, effectively killing every living thing on it.”
Nodding, I turned to my side to look at him. “Yep, starting with me.”

Chapter 3
“Come on,” Dave said, tugging on my arm.
My reluctant boots dragged along the concrete pathway. The traffic of the Scottish people made me hug myself as we traipsed towards Mary’s home. Dave had insisted that we visit the seer to ask for advice. Apparently, he had kept in contact to discuss not only the case, but Dave’s decor. Yep, the man had got advice from the seer about how to decorate the house opposite mine.
“Why have you dragged me here in the middle of the night?” My huff was ignored as Dave knocked on the door.
Glancing sideways, he raised his dark eyebrows and wiggled them. “Well, I couldn’t exactly stay in your bedroom with all those teeny posters. Plus, you were annoying enough with your memory, I don’t think I can live much longer without it.”
Rolling my eyes would be pointless. As soon as I’d told Dave about the killer threatening to kill me, he had insisted that we visit Mary. As much as I’d apparently liked the seer, I wasn’t convinced that she’d know how to fix my memory problem.
The patter of footsteps down stairs came from inside. Holding my breath, I braced myself for the onslaught of the elderly seer. If I had been woken at 1 AM in the morning, I wouldn’t exactly have a welcoming smile. Although, I rarely was asleep at that time, preferring to read well into the night.
“I was expecting you.” Mary spoke before the door was even fully open. “Come on in.”
Dave’s smirk as he followed her tempted me to rain violence on him. There was no point, it would only get ugly, and Mary would be extremely offended considering it was her home.
It was silent as we all made our way up to Mary’s top floor. Shivers caused goose bumps to spread out over my skin. Something about the seer’s place made me uneasy. Had someone been here?
“Don’t dawdle,” Mary called as I slowed at the bottom of the stairs.
Rushing up them two at a time, I thrust into her open living area, almost colliding with Dave’s back. He had stopped dead just inside the door.
“It’s nice to see you.”
Poking my head out from behind Dave’s back, I snarled in the direction of my mother. She sat on Mary’s couch, nursing a cup of tea. The old lady shoved me from behind, albeit gently. She obviously sensed my immediate desire to run.
“Please, come and join me.” My mother patted the cushion on the couch beside her.
Without hesitating, Dave strode over and sat directly next to her. My breath rushed out of my lungs, relief filtering through my veins. At least I could put a bit of distance between us.
“Now then,” Mary said, shuffling over to her seat. “It’s time we got everything out into the open. Both of you have been visiting me, and yet, I can feel the tension between you.”
Standing beside the door made me look antisocial, but I didn’t care. Had Dave realised that my mother would be here? Was it a setup?
“Why are we here?” I asked as heat suddenly flared across my skin, eradicating the goose bumps.
If my mother found out about my secret, she would expel me from MI5. If I had ever shown weakness in the past, she had not been kind. Weakness was an illness to her, especially for an agent who was meant to be protecting the paranormal world.
Putting her cup down, my mother waved for me to join them. “Let’s talk.”
Clearing his throat, Dave fidgeted in his seat. “Shall I leave you to it?”
All three of us refused in various ways. My vehement refusal made the others stare at me. What? Something about Dave’s presence gave me confidence that my mother wouldn’t push the issue that I knew she wanted to. Wedding talk would be completely off the gender.
“I’ve had a very important dream,” Mary said, pointing at a wooden seat opposite the couch. “Usually, I don’t share my visions, but in this case, I won’t stay silent.”
Slowly moving closer, I stopped hugging myself and sat, keeping my gaze away from my mother. Mary