Double Magick in the Falls

Chapter 14

Jasmine and Kheda trot up at that moment. Kheda huge in his wolf form, with inky black fur and glowing green eyes. Jasmine shifts back into her human form and raises an elegant eyebrow at me when she notices my bright red face. Before she can say anything, I quietly point out the hiding man, so no one will make any noise.

“What’s the plan? Are you going to avoid him or question him?” she quietly asks.

“Question him, but not here, in case it gets noisy,” I whisper. “We need to take him somewhere private where no one will think to look for him. I’m positive there are more of them involved in this spying, if not outright kidnapping and murder.”

Noticing Victor looking at me, as if only just seeing me properly for the first time, I give him a puzzled look in return.

“You object?”

“No.”

“So why are you looking at me so”— waving my hand back and forth as if it was going to supply the rest of my statement—“weirdly,” I finish still not satisfied with my phrasing.

“You’ve surprised me, that’s all. I had assumed you wouldn’t want to...take him somewhere private to question him.”

“Well, if he screams, I can’t have anyone running to his rescue,” I bluntly reply.

“I have a warehouse that is soundproof,” Victor supplies with a blink of his beautiful eyes. His only indication of surprise. “But I must insist our good friend here” — Victor waves his hand at Kheda, letting everyone know which good friend he’s talking about— “Does not come with us. I’m sorry, Kheda, but at the end of the day you’re a detective, and we can’t have you there.”

“It’s best you go now, Kheda, because he is going to tell me everything I need to know, and to be honest, if he has hurt my gran, well let’s just say it’s not going to be pretty,” I state, with vehemence dripping from my words.

Feeling the surprised look of Victor and Kheda, I give a gentle snort. “What, you expect me to ask politely and hope he gives me an honest answer? No, he will tell me everything I need to know, and everything he knows. I’ll need music; do you have a CD player, Victor?”

“Yes, why do you ne...”

“Jasmine, will you run back to our house and collect my CD bag please,” I politely instruct, as I interrupt Victor.

“Where shall I meet you?” enquires Jasmine before transforming back into a dog.

I notice Victor staring at us with an expression of dawning comprehension, as he realizes it will be me, not him, extracting the information from the man.

Finally, Victor looks back at Jasmine and answers her question. “Where you and Candi were when you first saw me, before we met.”

In the next instant, she stealthily runs back the way she’d come, with Kheda by her side.

****

In a blink of an eye, I crouch down, and silently head toward my target. So quietly not even a leaf rustles beneath me, I move through the woods. A silent, deadly predator, stalking my prey, until finally I’m in position and pounce with accuracy and deadly precision onto the man’s back.

“Where is my grandmother?” I growl low and threatening in his ear.

With a shudder and a gasp of surprise, as all air whooshes from his body at the sudden and brutal attack, the man underneath me wheezes out, “I’ll tell you nothing, witch!”

“Ah, but you will tell me everything you know by the time I’m done with you, that I promise,” I croon, as I give a quick hand chop to the side of the man’s neck rendering him unconscious.

I squat and pick him up, sling him over my shoulder. Standing up slowly to keep my balance, I turn toward Victor who’s staring at me with his jaw hanging open. Raising an eyebrow at Victor, with a slight smile of amusement, I wonder if he’s been turned into a statue.

“Are you all right, Victor? You seem to be gaping in rather an unbecoming fashion, or you’re trying to catch flies.” I snicker at him.

Snapping out of his stupor, Victor quickly crosses to me and relieves me of the unconscious man. Turning my back to him, I once again crouch down. Grabbing a fallen twig with some leaves on it, I quickly brush over the ground to remove any trace of the disturbance caused in capturing the unknown man. Returning to Victor, once I have completed my task, I give him an expectant look.

“Where to next? You’re the only one who knows where we’re going?” I ask as I throw the twig far into the trees. Victor grabs me, one arm around my waist pulling me flush against his side, and with a wicked grin whispers, “Hold on tight.”

****

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I cling to him, as he shoots up into the air, holding the unconscious man and me. I wrap my arms tightly around his neck. Good thing he’s already dead or he would have passed out through lack of oxygen.

Tangling my legs around his, I’m half-tempted to wrap them around his waist, but it would have caused the man dangling over Victor’s shoulders to fall, and I wanted to question him, not have him free falling from the sky.

We land beside a warehouse in the middle of the woods. In one smooth motion, Victor releases me, punches in a security number by the door, and opens it, before I have my balance back. I follow him into the warehouse as he flips switches.

I’m surprised how spacious and non-warehouse- like it is inside. There’s a kitchen and dining table big enough to seat twelve to the left. On my right a sitting room with two three-seater sofas and two single chairs, a coffee table, and a TV.

We walk pass these and head toward the back of the warehouse where some rooms have been constructed. A spacious bathroom is on the right with a bedroom next to it. On the left, another bedroom and next to it…a room with a cage. Its contents hold a metal bed frame and chair, both bolted to the floor. I turn to Victor with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s a holding cell for vampires, both new born and those awaiting sentencing. Reinforced steel, so no need to worry about him escaping,” Victor informs me as he dumps the man on the bed. Victor locks him in, then locks the bedroom door, and punches in a code. Placing a hand on my shoulder Victor stops my retreat as he turns me to face him.

“You’re an unusual woman, Candi. I’ve never met anyone like you, and to be honest, I like it.” Victor leans into me but remains just out of reach. His eyes tangle with mine and search for...Whatever it is, I think he finds it, for with a nod and a slight smile on his delicious mouth he turns away and walks toward the door.

“I’ll go and get Jasmine now. Once we get back we can start questioning him.”