Witch Out of Luck Page 7

  “What the fuck?” she screamed, but was pulled under Brutas, his large body covering her own. He was protecting her. Inside, she sighed, like a proper girly sigh. Goddess, she was falling for him.

  “Exactly, you horny witch. Get out here now. That calendar is causing this, so STOP SHAGGING.”

  “I HATE YOU,” Isabeau shouted back, and she wasn't lying. Everything had been perfect until that little furry shit knocked on the door.

  “Yeah, yeah, come say it to my face then,” he taunted, but then went quiet. The shakes slowly subsided, giving them the opportunity to get dressed. It was only when they were about to leave the room that Brutas pulled Isabeau into his arms and kissed her again. This time, the kiss was sweet and caring, and once he had finished, he rested his forehead against her own.

  “Me. You. Always.” He said it so quietly she almost missed it.

  Always? Was this a proposal? Wasn't it too soon, even by witch standards?

  “I'm yours,” Isabeau responded. It was the only thing she could think of at that moment. Yes, she liked him, was possibly falling for him, but a proposal right now wasn't the best thing. Not when that damn Incan calendar she had brought back was causing havoc.

  He looked into her eyes, and she felt like her soul was exposed to him, like he could see to her very core and understand what she was thinking. Whatever he saw, he must have liked it, because he nodded and opened the door for her. Only to reveal an irate squirrel.

  Tail trebled in size, fur all puffed up, and eyes blazing.

  “Don't you get shitty with me you little bastard.” Isabeau glared back at him. “Where's the box?” she asked, only Bas was glaring at Brutas, who stood behind her, arms folded across his massive chest. “What? Why are you glaring at him?” Isabeau snapped.

  “He defiled you.” He sniffed and tried to act all haughty.

  “No, he bloody didn't,” Isabeau countered.

  “What? Then what was all the moaning about, and what took you so damn long?”

  “I was defiling him,” Isabeau answered with a grin. Turning a little, she smiled up at her kracken and held out her hand, really hoping he would take it and not make her look like a total tool. Thankfully, he did. Lifting her small hand in his, he kissed her knuckles before he nodded for her to lead the way.

  “Come on, Bas,” she called behind her. Bas was standing with his little arms by his side, mouth open. He looked a tad shocked. It served him right. He always had a comment on her sex life. Always made jokes. So, to see him speechless was awesome. Ignoring her silent familiar, Isabeau let Brutas take the lead to the cavern. She had only been there a short while and still didn't feel comfortable moving around the home like he did.

  The tremors from the quake kept hitting them, the walls and ceilings feeling like they were going to crash down on them, and each time, Brutas covered her with his body. Protecting her. He was the only male that had ever put her welfare first, that would obviously put himself in harm's way for her.

  He was truly amazing.

  They quickly made it to the cavern, and she was pleased to see Arietta and Maeve there. The box had been placed on a small table in the middle of the cavern and now she could see it was shaking rigorously.

  “How long has it been doing that?” she asked as she approached.

  “Ask your familiar.” Maeve glared past her. “He's been sitting on it for a while and also managed to glue Binky to his perch.”

  “What?” Isabeau rounded on her familiar.

  “In my defence, Binky had already wrapped himself in the bubble wrap and put the helmet on. I was just making sure it all stayed in place.” His little paws held up, Bas tried to look innocent, but Isabeau knew better.

  “Bas,” she said, disappointment filling her tone.

  “Oh, it started this morning,” he finished, but did not apologise. The little git would apologise later, but first they had to deal with the calendar.

  “So, how do we stop this thing going boom? Bas said it was an Incan calendar set to bring in an apocalypse,” Arietta asked as she fidgeted. Isabeau could tell she was nervous.

  “It is. I was told that if turned on, it could cause chaos. But neither myself nor Bas turned it on. So, I don't get why it’s acting like this,” Isabeau explained. “None of you have done it, have you?” she asked, and all shook their heads. All except Grundlepus, who was, you guessed it, cleaning his balls. Again.

  “Grundlepus,” Arietta called out.

  “Yes, what?” he asked, and lifted his head from between his legs.

  “Did you press anything on the box?” Arietta asked, dread filing her voice.

  “What box?”

  “The one that was vibrating when we were upstairs,” Bas exclaimed. “You know, the one you kept telling me to tell the girls about.”

  “Oh, that box.” Grundlepus nodded. “Yeah, I pressed that pretty pattern on the top. It was almost as relaxing as a colouring book.

  “When the fuck did you do that?” Bas exclaimed. “I don’t recall leaving you alone with it after I told you about the damn thing.” Bas was livid. Isabeau could see it in the way his little eyes bulged and looked like they were going to pop out of his head.

  “You did. I told you we had pickled onions and off you went. I think you spent a good half an hour away and came back stinking. I was just looking at the calendar once you had pulled it out and the patterns looked so pretty, so I started to trace them with my paw. No one said that would set it off. I thought it was already going off from being close to the Gate,” Grundlepus argued, and Isabeau had to reach out and grab Bas, who was ready to go to war with the cat. He already sported a swollen eye from another fight that she had no idea had happened.

  “That’s enough,” Maeve snapped. “Are you fucking crazy, Grundlepus?”

  “Err…” was his only answer, and Arietta bowed her head in embarrassment.

  “As a familiar, you should know better,” she continued. “To be honest with you, we all should know better. We know there are things in this world that could open a paranormal can of worms. So, we don’t mess, and we certainly don’t treat it like an adult fucking colouring book.”

  Maeve sighed and looked at Isabeau. “You have the most experience out of the three of us when it comes to magic. We only know what we have gained from the Gate. We will need you to lead on this one, Izzy.”

  “What? I…” she started to say, but then stopped as Isabeau felt that pressure settle upon her shoulders like a lead weight, one that somehow managed to stop her moving even as the room felt like it would crash at any point. It took her a moment to realise it was Brutas holding her steady. She looked at the box. Her Incan was rusty, and she didn't think she had time to decipher the other markings. But they had to figure out a way of stopping this thing going boom.

  “As guardians, are we able to use the magic of the Gate?” she asked hopefully.

  “Yes, but we've never attempted it,” Maeve admitted. “Although it does amplify our own power if we cast any spells in here.”

  “Our last spell backfired slightly.” Arietta blushed and then nodded to Brutas, who shrugged.

  “It's okay,” he murmured, and nuzzled Isabeau’s neck. Isabeau felt a sense of completeness with having Brutas behind her, supporting her. He held no grudges at the fact her cousins had been the ones to change him.

  He seemed content, a quiet giant who had her back. And who felt… happy. Isabeau turned to look up at him, and he looked down at her. His blue eyes were intense.

  “You feel happy,” she stated.

  “Yes.”

  “I can feel that. How?”

  “You feel?” he asked, and she nodded. Yes, she felt it. It was like a section of her was feeling different to her. Like she had tapped into Brutas somehow.

  “Bonded,” was all he said, but he grinned and placed her hand over his heart. “Feel me.”

  She closed her eyes. It wasn't a section of her, it was a piece of him, right there in her soul, next to her own. It r
adiated happiness and love.

  Her eyes shot open, and he smiled, nodding.

  “Truth.”

  “Oh,” was all she could manage, before he bent his head and kissed her. A kiss filled with nothing but love.

  Isabeau had known she was screwed when she first saw him, but what she didn't know was how screwed. She was in love.

  With a kracken.

  During the possible start of an apocalypse.

  16

  Maeve watched the exchange with Brutas and Isabeau, and smiled. Brutas had been a tad lost before Isabeau arrived, seeming to not know what to do with his life as a human. Now he had a purpose, and she could see it clear as day that he was in love with Isabeau.

  Maeve didn't know much about kracken matings, but the moment he had said the word bonded, she knew he was in it for life. Isabeau had bagged herself a life mate, and Maeve couldn't be happier. Well, she could— if they weren't about to set off an apocalyptic Incan calendar.

  “Guys, sorry to break up the love fest.” She grinned when Isabeau blushed and faced them again. Although Brutas didn’t let her go. In fact, his arms only pulled her closer to him. “We really need to figure out how to sort this.” She pointed to the box which was now bouncing on the table.

  “Spell maybe?” Arietta suggested. “We use the power of the Gate to boost our own powers and stop whatever is happening inside that box.”

  “It couldn't hurt, right?” Will asked. “Anything is better than nothing at this point.”

  “True,” Maeve agreed. “Boys, you will have to take the familiars and head upstairs. No, head to the town. Get to some shelter.”

  “You want us to leave?” Will angrily replied. “Run away in the face of danger and leave our women?”

  “Yes,” Maeve answered, then frowned. It was a rare thing for Will to get angry.

  “Not happening, sweetheart,” he stated, brooking no argument.

  “I'm with Will on that one, Maeve. Sorry. I won't be leaving my witch.” Ethan smiled and took Arietta in his arms.

  “No leave,” Brutas said simply, and Maeve nodded before she looked at the familiars. Bas was donning a small protective vest from a backpack that had appeared out of nowhere. Donning it like he had done it a million times, ready to take on anyone. She half expected him to start pulling out weapons, too, and was actually disappointed when he didn't. Only Binky and Grundlepus were heading for the door. And it was Bas who spoke up.

  “And where the fuck-a-doodle-do do you two think you are going?”

  “What?”

  “ARSE.”

  “Why are you two skulking off? Our job is to be with our witches, no matter what. Not hiding with our arses in the air,” Bas stated as he tightened the straps on his little vest. It had pockets and places to store everything. Kind of like a squirrel-sized Army commando.

  Both stopped with their backs to the group.

  “Of course,” Binky shouted and turned. “I was just getting my own, err, armour.”

  “You don't have armour, Binky.” Maeve sighed. “It's fine if they want to get to safety. We have no idea how this is going to go,” she admitted, and she was afraid.

  Their magics had never joined like this before. Hell, they didn't know how powerful Isabeau was, so how could they even come close to predicting what was going to happen? So many things had happened due to their magic being so unpredictable. Will turned into more of a phantom than ghost because of her, though she wasn't going to complain. And Brutas was changed too, though she didn't think he was going to complain at the moment either.

  Maeve just hated the not knowing and the risk to those she loved. In such a short time, everyone, even the drunks down at the pub, had become dear to her. This whole place had shown her she wasn’t such a fuck up but a good witch with people who cared and loved her.

  “Okay, so, boys and familiars…” She smiled as Grundlepus and Binky returned, although neither looked happy about it. Whereas Bas was gearing up even more. Blood thirsty little sod. “You head to the far end of the cavern, near the door and behind the large boulder. If things go south, get your arses out of here, okay?”

  She waited until they nodded before she turned to look at her cousins. “Shall we, ladies?”

  Both Isabeau and Arietta nodded.

  It was time for them to show not the world, but a small box, just how powerful the guardians of Kracken’s Hole could be.

  17

  Isabeau’s hands were clammy as she rubbed them over the legs of her jeans. She always got clammy hands when she was nervous. The only thing stopping her from getting up and pacing was Bas perched once again on her shoulder, his small paws on the back of her neck, massaging like he always did. They had been in many a scrape together, and they had survived many a catastrophe together too. Maeve wanted her to take the lead, yet Isabeau had no idea how to actually do that. She had never been in a position where others had relied on her and her skills. She had always worked as a solo witch.

  “You’re thinking again. Told you that shit was dangerous,” Bas’s sweet voice whispered in her ear, and she smiled.

  “You know, sometimes you ain’t a complete twat, are you?” she whispered back, only to have Bas gasp in outrage.

  “You take that back! I am the epitome of twat and don't you forget it. By the goddess, are you trying to ruin my reputation?” Isabeau knew it was all an act. He did this when he knew she was struggling.

  Yes, she had more experience with her magic than the other two, who had only recently gained their full powers, but that didn't mean she had the confidence that went with it. She chased relics, for fuck’s sake. Objects that had to be delivered to the witches with real power.

  Never in her life had she dealt with something like the calendar. Hell, she had never been allowed into the elders’ chamber to witness them dealing with the artifacts.

  “So, Izzy, what do you suggest?” Maeve's voice pulled her out of her own thoughts.

  This was it for Isabeau. Did she make something up and act like she actually knew what she was doing, or did she tell the truth?

  Only, she didn't get a chance to speak. The box reached a new level of vibration that hit at the same time as another quake. Crystals fell from the ceiling, missing the boys by inches. Closing her eyes, Isabeau called on the same power she used for her portals, instead creating force fields that acted as barriers around the boys and them. Small shards of crystal and stone bounced off the barrier, though she didn't know how long she could hold it. Creating portals usually drained her quickly, depending on the location and distance she had to travel.

  “How long can you hold that?” Maeve shouted over the crashing.

  “I'm not sure. Not long,” Isabeau admitted. “We need to come up with something, now,” she shouted.

  “A spell. We need a spell. Ahh! My mind’s gone blank.” Arietta shuffled closer.

  “I know. Mine too,” Maeve admitted as well.

  “Well, think harder,” Isabeau snapped, as she felt her power dip.

  Maeve nodded and held her palms out over the box, asking Arietta to as well.

  “Release the barrier on us. We are going to need you,” Maeve stated, her eyes lit with determination. “When you are ready, close your eyes and feel. You will be able to feel the power of the Gate. Use it to help boost your own power,” Maeve ordered, “and follow my lead.”

  Isabeau nodded and dropped the barrier around them. The sound of crashing grew louder.

  Power of Merlin’s Gate, we call on thee.

  We don't have enough power, even though we are three.

  We need your help, if you please.

  We need to try and stop this brand-new siege.

  This box is boisterous, it needs to quieten its rage,

  Or else all that will be left of the Hollow will be on a page.

  Kracken’s Hole is in danger once again.

  Please help us so we can stop the pain.

  So, we have spoken,

  So let it be.

>   As guardians of Kracken’s Hole, blessed be.

  As soon as Maeve started to chant her words, Isabeau felt them inside her head. She chanted with her cousins, their voices rising to drown out the crashing of stone. Isabeau didn't want to open her eyes. Instead, she focused on the power she felt coursing through her and the power she felt coming from the Gate.

  With each word, the power increased, until finally the vibrations stopped. The box itself hung suspended within the air, levitating as it started to glow.

  All three opened their eyes and watched it.

  “Did it work?” Isabeau asked, her body tired from the barrier and the magic.

  “I don’t know,” Maeve repeated as Arietta slumped next to her.

  “Does the Gate always—” Isabeau started to say.

  “Make you feel like you've been hit by a bus? Yes.” She smiled, only that smile dropped as the box not only started to vibrate again but began to glow and pulsate.

  “Oh shit,” Maeve cried out. “It didn't work.” Panic filled her voice, and within seconds the boys and the other two familiars raced over. Each male taking their witch within their arms.

  “Shh, it's okay, sweetheart. I'm here,” Will could be heard murmuring to Maeve. Only she argued back.

  “No, we can do this. We have to.”

  “Stop it, Maeve. All three of you look exhausted from the Gate. I'm sorry, my love, but you are all far too new to this.” His voice softened. “Come, let me hold you— until the end. That’s all I wish. Maybe you can become a ghost with me.” He smiled and picked her up.

  Ethan had Arietta in his own arms and was whispering to her. It took Isabeau a second to realize Brutas was behind her.

  “Come,” was all he said, and with a brief look at the box, she placed her hand within his.

  18

  Brutas had known somehow that the spell wouldn't work. There was something about the box that told him it couldn't be stopped with just a spell. He put it down to living in the waters of the Gate for so long, like he had an affinity with it.