Denai Touch: Excalibar Investigations Series (4 page)

She rushed into the women’s toilet. Going to the nearest sink, she splashed cold water on her face and washed away the blood. The buzzing in her head grew more intense and she could feel a headache already throbbing across her temples.
Damn it, why was this happening so much lately?

Usually, Cate only had some form of bleeding when she used a lot of power and pushed her magic to its limit, but lately she seemed to be drained from using only small amounts. Could it have something to do with her being close to ascension?

Damn! I’ll have to make an effort to attend circles and start training in preparation for it.
Over the weeks and days close to ascension, a witch’s powers would rapidly become stronger and grow until her magic reached its peak. It was a very painful and dangerous process; if a witch wasn’t prepared or trained enough, the ascension could kill her before she had the chance to gain her immortality.

For the past few years, her powers had started growing rapidly stronger and manifesting into full abilities, so ascension was something she’d been longing for. Cate had yearned to finally be free of the confines of her mortal body and not having her goddess powers wreaking havoc on it. Once immortal, she would no longer be as vulnerable to death, disease or injury; she would heal much more quickly and require less energy.

Although Cate wouldn’t be at the mercy of the power inside her, at the same time she was scared. Death at the time of ascension was rare but it did happen, especially to weaker witches, and occasionally the more powerful ones. A witch’s power grew to its full strength when she ascended; her mortal body could barely contain hers as it was – what would happen when she did finally ascend?

Cate wasn’t just a Denai or the Goddess Marked. Part of an ancient prophecy said she would be the most powerful witch ever born, possessing all of their mother goddess’s gifts, but she was also half Ashrali. The Ashrali were a race of very powerful fey and one of the five elder races that had existed since the beginning of time. Whilst she didn’t really show signs of having any Ashrali abilities
,
she knew her fey side definitely made her witch powers stronger.

Cate wiped the blood away and stared at her reflection in the mirror. At six foot she towered over most people, inheriting her height from her Ashrali side. She had dark smudges under her eyes and her skin was pale.
I look like hell,
she silently groaned, wiping away more blood.

She heard the door leading into the toilets banging open. “Cate?”

Cate looked around in surprise. “Jason? You’re not supposed to be in here.”

“Are you alright? What happened?” he demanded. “Fuck, why are you bleeding again?”

“I’m fine, now go away.” She pressed the tissue to her nose again.

“I can’t believe this is happening again. This isn’t normal.”

Tell me something I don’t know!
“It’s nothing.”

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed the bloody tissues in the bathroom at home.”

“I’m fine and you shouldn’t be spying on me.” She dropped the tissue. “There, look. It’s stopped. Please go before someone sees you in here.”

Jason held out his hand. “You should tell me when you need to feed, damn it.”

“I don’t and I’m fine,” she insisted. “Go!”

He gave her a hard look. “You’re not fine. I’ve known you long enough to recognise when you need energy. Just take what you need from me.”

“What is with you? You’ve been on edge all morning and now you’re being a right pain in the arse!” she snapped. “Did something happen whilst you were away?”

“No. Everything is fine, except you clearly need to take better care of yourself.”

“I take care of myself just fine, thank you. Goddess, you’re the one with all the secrets and now you’re pissed at me for no good reason.” She grabbed his hand, feeling a warm rush of energy flood through her. “Happy now?”

“What’s happening to your hair?”

“What?” Cate turned to look at her reflection in the mirror and saw her hair sparkle faintly with silver orbs; as it turned a redder shade of auburn, its straight lines curved into thick spirals. “Oh hell, what’s happening to me?”

“I hear that an Ashrali’s hair changes when they feel strong emotions.”

“I’m only half Ashrali and this shouldn’t be happening. I’ve kept my hair under control for years now.” As she spoke the waves of hair moved down her back, well past her shoulders.

“I like your natural hair,” he smiled and moved closer to brush it off her face. “You should keep it this way.”

“It’s annoying this way,” she said through gritted teeth and tried to focus her emotions to get things under control, but her hair refused to comply.

“It’s beautiful.”

“You’re not helping!” The mirror in front of them suddenly exploded, shards of glass scattering in all directions.

Jason grabbed hold of her, pulling her tight against him as currents of air swirled around them, a mini tornado of energy deflecting the glass away from them.

“Would you please go now?”

“You’re welcome.”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been so – so damned annoying. I don’t need you to protect me from everything!”

“I’m your Mavis, I’m supposed to defend and look after you.”

“No, you’re supposed to provide me with energy when I need it and help me with work. I don’t…” The sinks and cubicle doors suddenly began to shake violently as silver orbs sparkled around them. Now what was happening?

Cate could recognise her own magic when she saw it, but she hadn’t consciously done anything to make it act this way. Hell, she’d be setting off numerous alarms throughout the Tower. Everyone would probably think it was an attack or something wrong with the computer systems.

“Cate, you need to calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down! You’re the one that started this,” she snapped.

Jason sighed. “I’m sorry. I can’t help but worry about you.”

Cate sucked in a breath and gritted her teeth as she fought to get her powers back under control. He reached out and touched her hand; everything suddenly fell still.

She pulled her hand away. “Gran says my ascension is getting close and my powers will grow stronger and more uncontrollable.”

“But I can help you — it’s what I’m here for.”

“If you keep being so overprotective, I’ll blow you up!”

He smiled. “You can’t blow me up. If you need energy, for God’s sake take it.”

“I don’t want to hurt you. You might be the most powerful Elemental I’ve ever met, but even
you
don’t have unlimited energy.”

“Yes I do – I mean like you said, I’m stronger than others and you can’t hurt me.”

“You’re either way too confident in yourself, or you’re a lot more than you appear to be.” She was willing to bet the latter and knew full well he had secrets. She hoped one day he’d be willing to share them with her.

“What did you see in the witness’s mind?” he asked.

“We have work to do.”

They headed back to the interview room.

“Am I to be sentenced?” Cerys asked, face turning ashen and starting to wring her hands.

“No, not yet. We’re keeping you here in protective custody for the time being,” Cate replied. “But I need something from you first.”

Cerys frowned. “Protective custody? Why would you protect me?”

“I’m willing to put in a good word for you, if you let me take on your identity for a while.”

Cerys looked bemused. “What do you mean?”

“We want to draw Bethany out and I believe you’re the key to doing that. She knows you and believes you’re under her control.”

“But how?”

“By feeding from you, Cate can take on a part of your essence and use your knowledge to convincingly portray you,” Jason explained. “It won’t harm you, but you may be unconscious for a few hours.”

“How does it work?” Cerys asked.

“It would be like me reading you but on a more intense level. I take on your memories and physical appearance – it’s like a glamour, but added to some very cool tech made by my brother.”

“Then you’d know everything about me? All of my memories and secrets?” Cerys shifted uncomfortably.

“Only for a while. When I return your energy, you’ll be as you were before and I’ll erase your memories from my mind.”

“What about my shop?”

“I’ll take care of it. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

“Your coven will remain in custody for now,” Jason said. “Everyone will think Cate is you. We’ll spin a story saying that you’ve been released on bail.”

“And Declan? He’ll know you’re not me.”

“We’ll talk to him.”

Cerys laughed. “Declan hates Enforcers, he won’t care that you’re Excalibar. He’ll demand that I be released or I’m afraid he’ll do something stupid.”

“I’ll be posing as Declan,” Jason added.

“Declan won’t work with you – oh goddess, you won’t hurt him, will you?”

“Of course not. Will you agree to this?”

“Do I have a choice? You’ll do what you want to me, whether I allow it or not.”

“In exchange for your cooperation, I’ll see to it that you’re let off with a warning.”

“And my coven? They’re victims in this too. I’m the one that deserves to be punished for letting Beth in.”

Cate sighed. “Fine, I’ll see to it that your coven is let off with a warning, but I suggest you be much more careful with your next choice of High Priestess.”

“Oh, thank you!” Cerys threw her arms around her. “Thank you so much, my lady.”

Cate flinched at the sudden onslaught of thoughts and emotions. Most people never touched a Denai for fear of her power. She drew back. “Okay, I’ll take that as a yes then.”

“What must I do?”

“Nothing.” Her fingers gently wrapped around Cerys’s throat, as they would if she were unleashing the darker side of her gift.

Cate’s eyes shone bright silver as Cerys was locked within her control. No one could escape the touch of a Denai for their power could move at lightning speed. She closed her eyes; colours swirled through her mind as her senses passed deep into the very essence of Cerys’s soul, energy rushed through her fingers as thoughts and feelings passed into her own mind. She staggered back as Cerys slumped against the table, unconscious.

Jason caught hold of her, his arms around her waist. “I told you using your powers wasn’t a good idea,” he muttered, and she felt a flood of energy rush through her.

Cate opened her eyes, blinking several times as the dizziness subsided. “Whoa, that was weird!” Her voice now sounded like Cerys and she took a deep breath.

“How do you feel?”

“I still feel like myself, if that’s what you mean.” She fumbled with her T-shirt and jeans which were now far too big. “I need to find some clothes and shoes that will fit me. Jade is about Cerys’s size so see what you can borrow.”

“That’s a relief. You know this kind of magic is dangerous. If Seline finds out, she’ll go ballistic. Using your powers to take on someone’s identity is edging into the realm of outlawed, forbidden magic.”

“Well, it had better produce some good results then!”

They headed out to Cerys’s shop, ‘True Magic’, where Jade had spent the past couple of hours on stake out. They walked out of the Tower and headed through the car park to find the car.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to let the coven off with a warning?” Jason asked.

“They didn’t know what was happening to them. They shouldn’t have to pay for the actions of a Denai who completely abuses her gifts,” Cate replied.

“They invited her in without knowing anything about her and let her be their High Priestess. The coven probably didn’t even do a background check on her.”

Cate frowned. “Since when do normal people do background checks when looking for a High Priestess?”

“Wouldn’t you want to know who was leading your coven?”

“Mine has always been led by the reigning Grand Mistress, so that’s not something the Denai ever have to worry about, but I suppose you have a point,” she agreed as they drove away from the Tower and onto a crowded street. “I’d want to know if someone I was inviting into my coven had been involved in crime or had practised dark magic. Cerys seems like a trusting sort of person, she probably would never have thought about doing that sort of thing.”

“But perhaps Declan would have, given that he was a member of the City Guard, and I bet he wouldn’t have been happy when he heard Bethany was a Denai. He would have run some checks.”

“How could he have run checks if he’s not in the Guard anymore?”

“He’ll probably still have contacts there or it’s easy enough to pay someone to do it for you.”

“Either he found out Bethany wasn’t who she claimed to be or she fabricated a background for herself.”

“Still, a Denai out on her own, away from the main coven is suspicious. That would ring alarm bells for me.”

Cate shook her head. “It’s not unheard of for Denai to go rogue.”

“I still don’t like the idea of you using your powers again. What if something goes wrong?” All through their conversation he was holding back from saying what was on his mind and now he blurted it out.

She narrowed her eyes. “Glad to know you have so much faith in me, partner.”

“You should be preparing for the ascension, taking some time off so you’re ready for it.”

“It could be weeks before it happens. I can’t spend all that time off work.”

“Seline would understand — she knows how important it is.”

“I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction and you really need to get over this protectiveness. Why have you been acting so weird since you got back?” she asked, glancing over at him. “What happened whilst you were away?”

“Nothing. I would have told you if it had.”

Yeah right. You hardly ever tell me anything, you keep too many secrets about yourself.

As usual, his emotions and thoughts were completely blank to her. It was one of the rare occasions she wished her powers would work on him. But since her magic was growing perhaps she could. She turned, focusing her senses on him as he stared out of the window.

Jason turned and frowned at her, feeling a tingle across his own senses. “What are you doing?” he demanded.

Cate fixed her gaze on the road ahead, pulling her senses back inside. “Nothing.”

“You were trying to read me – I could feel it. Gods, Cate! Why would you do that?” he snapped. “You know I’m immune to Denai magic.”

She shrugged. “It’s not like you’re an open book now, is it? You won’t even talk about your trip.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I went, looked into leads on Phelps, and came back when I didn’t find anything.”

“Something happened, you’re on edge. I can sense it, and don’t say it’s because of me as that’s crap.”

“I’m not on edge,” he insisted, running a hand through his hair.

“So tell me what happened while you were away then,” Cate repeated.

Jason sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Nothing new there then,” she said and he ignored her. “Are you like this with your girlfriend too?”

Cate didn’t exactly know if he had a girlfriend; she’d suspected it, given how secretive he could be at times and she’d seen him hook up with women at clubs in the past, but he never brought anyone home – that she knew of — and they never talked about their love lives.

No, Jason was a ‘no strings’ type, like she was, but given how on edge he was, it made her wonder. Did he have someone special in his life? Was that why he’d been gone for a week? Maybe he was nervous about telling her and that’s what was bugging him. Was he going to leave and move to Lorden to be with his mystery woman?

The thought gave her a sickening feeling in her stomach. She had come to rely on him as a friend and partner, both professionally and personally. She couldn’t imagine anyone else being her Mavis and working alongside her. The thought of losing him surprised her by how painful it felt. “You’re not – going away again anytime soon, are you?”

“No, at least I don’t intend to. Why do you ask?”

Cate silently sighed with relief and shrugged. “No reason.”

“I wouldn’t leave you when you need me most. I need to be there for your ascension.”

“What about after? Are you still going to be my partner?”

Jason hesitated and she immediately grew uneasy. “You’re leaving, aren’t you? Why?” she demanded. Anger was a much easier emotion to deal with. “I thought we were happy – I mean that you’re happy here?”

“I am happy. I just…”

“Have you met someone?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

“What?” he looked stunned. “Why would you think…?”

“You’re distant and disappear sometimes. I thought maybe you met someone and – well, you deserve to be happy.” She looked away as she said it.

Cate didn’t know why the thought of him being with someone else bothered her so much, they were just friends. He had made it clear in the beginning that friends was all they could ever be. Yes, there had been an instant attraction between them. It was hard for anyone not to be magnetised to his raw, sexual energy and she thought the attraction was mutual, but he’d made it clear he wasn’t interested and she’d accepted it.

It was probably better that way, given how closely they worked together. Sex would just complicate things and she didn’t want to ruin their friendship, nor was she interested in a relationship.

“There’s no one, I don’t have a girlfriend. My disappearing has nothing to do with anyone but me.”

Cate raised her eyebrows. “Care to elaborate?”

He said nothing.

“Don’t know why the girlfriend thing entered my mind.” She gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“Look, I…”

“I really don’t want to hear another denial, Talbot.”

“It’s…”

“Complicated. Yeah, you’ve told me that a hundred times.”

“I don’t want to argue with you.”

“Look, we’re here. Let’s just forget about this whole thing and get to work.”

‘True Magic’ was a small redbrick building in one of the poorer parts of the city and sold basic magical supplies to those who needed it. Some Denais wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this, but Cate thought it was good a few witches genuinely wanted to help people. However, some did it for the money or the power and position. From her work as an Enforcer, she knew many ordinary witches struggled to use their craft to pay the bills.

Cate glanced at Jason; she really didn’t like having this kind of tension between them. “If you want to keep your secrets, fine,” she finally broke the silence. “But one of these days you’re going to have to tell me whatever it is you’re hiding.”

He sighed. “Don’t you think I’d tell you, if I could?”

“No, I think you’re scared. Has my Gran sworn you to secrecy?”

“It’s nothing to do with her.”

“I can’t imagine Laroux is going to be too happy to see us.” She suddenly switched topic, uncomfortable with how it made her feel, as she stared at the shop entrance, seeing gleaming crystals, stacks of books and shelves of various bottles.

Switching to
Other Sight
, she saw faint traces of glowing energy wrapped around the building; wards to protect against theft and unwanted intrusion which were the cheapest money could buy, and were hardly worth the small amount of energy it would have taken to cast them. It certainly wouldn’t have done much to deter thieves, let alone anyone else.

Cate inserted Cerys’s key into the lock and turned it; the door swung open and bells jingled as she walked in. She cast her senses out to scan the building, just before someone came stomping out.

“Cerys? Oh thank the gods!”

Cate looked over to see a burly-looking man, twice the size of Cerys, who was obviously Declan Laroux.

Cate, now disguised as Cerys, felt a sudden wave of panic. He thought she was his girlfriend and judging by the waves of relief emanating from this man, she really didn’t want him touching her, her senses were on edge enough. There was a bright burst of silver sparks as Declan Laroux was thrown violently against the far wall, glass shattering everywhere. “Oh crap!” she groaned. “I really didn’t mean to do that.”

Jason quickly pulled out a small crystal, jasper infused with energy to give privacy and stop anyone from listening in or spying on them. The room turned a muted shade of brown, so she quickly switched back to her normal sight and morphed back into herself.

Declan lay on the floor, groaning and clutching his head. He had brown hair in need of a cut and a jagged scar made his face look all the more harsh. Hard to imagine what a woman like Cerys was doing with a man like this, or maybe he wasn’t as scary as he appeared.

Jason glanced over at her.
I think you hit him a bit too hard.

I didn’t mean to, it’s my stupid powers! I just didn’t want him touching me.
Too bad she had to look like Cerys when she came in to avoid arousing anyone’s suspicions.

“Mr Laroux?” she asked neutrally. “Are you alright?”

Laroux looked up at her, blinking several times. “Cerys?”

She shook her head. “No. Lieutenant Cate McCray, a Denai Enforcer from the Excalibar team. This is my partner and Mavis, Commander Jason Talbot.”

Laroux shot to his feet. “Where the hell is Cerys? What have you done with her?” he demanded. “I can’t find her anywhere and she’s been gone all night.”

“Cerys is fine. She was taken into custody last night along with the rest of her coven,” Jason replied, planting himself between them.

“Arrested? What the hell for? She’d never hurt anyone, she doesn’t go near that black magic stuff!” Cate could feel Laroux beginning to get very angry. “You bloody Enforcers are all the same, trying to arrest good, law-abiding folk, instead of catching the real scum on the streets.”

She pushed past Jason. “Mr Laroux, I know how upsetting this must be–”

Laroux’s eyes suddenly went wide. “Holy crap, you’re the Grand Mistress!”

“Second Grand Mistress,” she corrected. “But that’s not the issue here.”

“Where’s Cerys?” he demanded again. “I know what the likes of you do to people suspected of black magic. You compel them to confess and then you kill them, or force them to become one of your slaves!”

When he made a move to lunge at her, Jason grabbed him by the shirt and lifted the beefy man right off his feet, as if he weighed nothing at all. At six foot six, Jason towered over most people and was all muscle, not as heavily built as Laroux, but much stronger than he appeared.

“Listen up, mate. You need to shut up, stop making allegations and listen to us,” Jason’s eyes flashed like cold steel. “Don’t touch or threaten my witch, or I’ll make you sorry you were ever born, are we clear?”

Laroux squirmed. “I could take you down, mate.”

Jason chuckled and dropped him unceremoniously to the floor. “Like to see you try.”

“I ain’t talking to any fucking Enforcers. You let Cerys go right now or I’ll –”

“Oh, would you please calm down?” Cate asked, feeling energy pulse around her.

Declan’s eyes flashed and a wave of dizziness hit her as she felt the release of her power. Compulsion wasn’t meant to be used unless it was absolutely necessary, like if a witness had trouble remembering something or if someone refused to tell the truth. Cate’s powers could be used to calm and heal physical or emotional pain, but she rarely did that as it required taking the feelings into her own body. She did use them to soothe and help when she could, but it usually entailed physically touching someone.

Instead she had let them loose without even meaning to. The question was, how far had the compulsion gone? Had she merely silenced and calmed him or was he now completely locked within her power?

Declan stared at her, looking dazed. “I’m sorry, my lady.”

Cate sighed. “This is a nightmare! I need to lock myself away at home until I’ve ascended.”

“Good idea. You can take the time to study and prepare.”

She gave him a hard look. “One of these days I’m going to find a way to use my powers on you.”