WITCH SHIfT

Maryse

I heard the tires screech but by the time I looked the shield was up and the car was coming straight for us. I ducked even though it would do nothing and I heard the hit and then everything went in slow motion.

JP was thrown back like the car had hit him. The car stopped where the shield was and folded in on itself. The shield came down and small bits of metal made it past and I took one to the arm and I was flung to the ground. I staggered up to my feet. JP was lying in a pool of blood.

I ran for him. He took some metal bits to his body and face and one near his stomach. That was the one that was losing all the blood. I heard sirens in the distance but they would be too late. He was bleeding too fast.

It was raining. No it wasn’t, I was crying. Of course I was crying. He was dying and I could do nothing. I was a witch who couldn’t perform a single spell. The tears were flowing freely now and I watched his eyelids flutter.

My heart was breaking. I couldn’t lose him. He was choking and I lifted his head and sat it in my lap. I grabbed his hand and held it and could feel him. I could feel his aura, it was golden, but it was breaking down. The tears continued to flow. I felt a tingle between us and I felt a surge.

He gasped. He was trying to help heal himself. I watched as he tried to fill his aura and as soon as he did two other spots would fall. The blood continued to seep out and he fought, he fought so hard. I put my free hand over the wound in his stomach. Blood seeped around my fingers and I wished I could do something.

Even if I could do his Pretego spell and put a shield on it, it might help. The thought must have resonated with JP because where my hand was it got warm and formed a shield around wherever my hand was. The blood stopped running out. He coughed but no blood came out from the wound but I was worried about internal bleeding.

There was nothing I could do I wasn’t a doctor. He was still trying to fix his aura and I leaned in close to him and listened. “Rejuvinate,” he whispered.

“Rejuvenate,” I screamed with every ounce of my being. I could feel myself flow into him. At least that was how it felt. For some reason with us being together I was able to channel what he wanted done. I had never done this before. I was moving his magic. His aura was strengthening, I could see it. At least up to the point where I got light headed and stopped.

I looked down at him and he was looking at me with wide open eyes. He was awake and his aura was strong. “Hey,” I said watching another tear fall and hit his face.

“You saved me,” he whispered.

“No, I just moved your hand to move your own spell. You saved yourself.” I said never so happy in my life.

“Mar, you can’t do that, no one can, you saved me. You have magic.” He said with certainty.

“No I don’t,” I said just as sure.

“We’ll talk about it, don’t tell anyone till we can talk.” He said very sure of his statement.

I just nodded and held him in my lap as emergency workers started converging on us.

JPW

I knew what I saw when I regained some semblance of normal. She performed magic, and not a small amount. She performed enough magic to restore my own magic. I wasn’t even sure my parents could do that. Her father was a doctor and an Aura specialist but did that mean she was?

So many questions ran through my head. I needed to get out of here and get them answered. I was still in a recovery room at the local doctor’s office but we both knew I knew more about what was going on than she did. She was here for physical wounds, mine was an aura drain. Somehow Maryse fixed my physical wounds and my aura all at once.

“Ok Jonathon, Harvey is here to drive you back home. Call me if you notice anything unusual, other than that, take it easy.” She said walking in with my discharge form.

I signed it and thanked her. I was out the door fast needing to find Maryse. We had to talk about this. I got out to the front of the building and Harvey was there waiting for me. “Hey buddy, we need to find Maryse,” I said heading straight for him.

“No problem, she’s at the sheriff’s office. The driver of the vehicle died, but he was human and enough people saw him purposefully redirect the vehicle toward you two that they are thinking it was planned.”

“No, we don’t need this shit. Let’s go,” I said jumping in his truck that he liked driving and hurried him along so we could get going.

“Harper is with her,” Harv said like it should make me feel better.

“I just need to see her,” I said freaking out. I was freaking out because she performed magic after never being able to. I wanted to know what that meant. Thankfully it was a real short drive to the sheriff’s station and I was in the door looking for her before I knew what else could go through my mind.

I didn’t see her and I was freaking out. I walked in like I owned the place and no one stopped me as I headed for the sheriff’s office. She was there I saw her. My heart skipped a beat. I don’t know when it happened but I wanted to be with this woman and I wasn’t going to be stopped. She looked up and saw me too and she got to her feet and came toward me as I came toward her. She was in my arms in seconds. I held her close and let her sense take me over. She trembled in my arms and I held her tighter. I wasn’t letting her go.

“Are you ok,” I whispered into her neck.

She nodded her head against me. “I’m just glad you are ok. You are ok aren’t you?”

I laughed and pulled her tighter. “I am now,” I whispered against her.

She giggled against me. I finally let her lean back so I could see her face. She had been crying and I wanted to hurt whoever had down this to her.

“Seems like a lot of fun, can me and Harv join you or is this just a game for two?” Harper said snidely.

“This is a private game, but you can both be a part of finding who did this.” I said pissed.

“I’m glad we are all on the same team.” Sherriff Graham said getting all our attentions. “Now sit down so we can figure this out. It’s bad enough a human died in town, but it’s even worse that he was trying to take out two witches doing it.”

We all filed into his office and he looked us over. “We are running the prints and we are in contact with the witches’ council and the FBI. We need to keep a wrap on this for now till we can see what we can find out. Do either of you have enemies?”

“Are you kidding,” Maryse asked flippantly. Damn she was perfect for me.

“Beside Al and Lincoln,” he said calming her down.

“My former boss hates me for exposing his illegal activity. Most witches despise me because I am a product of what is wrong with all of us, and Al shot at us this morning. Hell they were probably gunning for me, and poor JP was caught up in it.”

Graham was writing as quickly as she was talking. I didn’t have enemies per se, and everything she said made sense, so I agreed with her. The only difference was they targeted her when she was with me, big mistake.

“Find what you can on the driver. My bet is he is linked to her boss, or former boss, since he fired her. In the meantime she will be safe with Harper and me. One of us will always be with her.” I said confidently.

“You two are going to keep her safe,” he asked and from anyone else it would have been a slam but he knew me and Harper and what we could do and I nodded.

“Good enough,” he said standing up. “Go relax for a bit and I will call you with any information I get.”

We all stood. Maryse’s phone went off and she looked at it and paled. “It’s my mom, shit.”

“Do you want to answer it Maryse,” I asked.

“No, but I will have to. Call me Mar, all of you. I’m not Maryse anymore, I am Mar going forward. Maryse was a good girl who did what she was supposed to. I’m mad now, and Mar is going to kick some ass.”

“Hey Mom, how are things?” She said answering her phone and walked right out of the office.

I ran to follow her wondering if I would be doing that from now on.

Mar

“I’m fine, and I’m pissed.” I said to my mom as soon as she started in.

“Mar, you need to get out of that town.” She yelled at me.

“No, I need to find out who did this. It wasn’t from this town, it was a human. The sheriff and the rest of us think it may be connected to my former boss.”

“Former,” she said with hope. Crap I hadn’t told her I got fired yet.

“Yeah, he was doing something illegal, I quit. End of story.” I said trying to hurry this along.

“It is so not the end of the story,” she screamed back. “My daughter was in an accident that could have been attempted murder. We are going to talk about this young lady.”

“Mom stop,” I said already tired from everything that had happened today. “I’m fine. I was with a witch that put up a shield and stopped the car. Everyone is fine and I am staying to help the local sheriff figure this out.”

“Don’t lie to me young lady. Do you know what level witch you would have to be to stop a moving car at speed?”

“Nope, all I know is he did.”

“He, who was it?”

“His name is JP, and I don’t know what level he is, but he did stop the car. I am not lying.” I said pissed. I didn’t even live at home anymore and she was grilling me like I was still a small child.

“JP who. He could have arranged this whole thing to work his way into our family. You know, play the big hero for the non magic witch, and then swoop in to steal her sister.”

“Are you kidding me? Put dad on the phone now!” I screamed.

“You can talk to me young lady. We are trying to look after you and this attitude of yours is not helping. We are going to come there and get you.”

Before she could utter two more words I stopped her cold. “Mom,” I said in a voice I hardly ever used with her. It was my cold and unfeeling voice. “Either put dad on the phone now, or I will hang up and you will never see me again.”

She didn’t say anything. Finally I heard some shuffling and then the voice I needed came through the phone.

“Hey baby, are you ok?” Dad asked.

“I am,” I said a little still mad.

“Do you want our help?” He asked.

“Not right now,” I responded. “The sheriff is in contact with the FBI and the Witch’s council. I’m safe her with some new friends and we are going to try and help with the investigation.”

“If you need anything let us know. We will stay here till you tell us different.” He said still worried but I loved him for agreeing not to push me. Well at least till he asked “so a guy huh?”

“Dad,” I drawled.

“Not my business,” he said hurrying. “Mar, its ok, you deserve someone too. Call me and let me know when you know something.”

“I will daddy, and thank you.” I said meaning it.

“Bye baby girl” he said.

“Bye daddy,” I said hanging up.

“Everything good,” JP asked coming toward me when the phone was closed.

“Yeah my dad calmed me down. My stupid mother thought you might have set it up to get in good with our family. Save the invalid and the talented sister feels obligated. I could strangle her right now. I’m not fucking helpless.”

“No you are not. You are beautiful and if my suspicions are correct you are not a level one at all, but we better explore that another time. We need to get you someplace safe.”

“I don’t think so.” I said rounding on him. “I need a place to work from. I need to arrange beer for the two bars and I need to arrange enough so we can cut the damn supply from North to nothing. I’ll be damned if I’ll help them to hurt us.”

He was smiling. “Well miss Oliver, I think you just agreed to work with me. I have an office all set up for you. Shall we go?”

“I’m not working for you,” I said watching his face for a tell.

“Of course not,” he said quickly. “We are working together for the betterment of the supernatural’s and at the expense of the humans who tried to hurt you. This is just a onetime thing?”

He was smiling though and his damn smile was distracting.

“I have a room at the inn she could use instead,” Harper said coming up to us.

“Nonsense, we need to be close to each other to work on details, even you can see that Harper.” JP said and he was right we did. We couldn’t spend all our time on the phone or chasing emails.

“But,” Harper said and JP motioned for her to go for a walk with him with a tilt to his head.

“So Mar,” Harvey said walking up. “Any news on my situation yet?”

“Not yet, but my dad will let me know. I’m afraid this might have confused matters for a little while.” I said sorry for him.

“Oh it’s fine, I’m due to change again soon, but I thought I would ask.” He said smiling like he was just getting used to it.

“Ok it’s all settled.” JP said coming back to us with Harper in tow. “Mar is coming back to Mail Orders with us. Harper is going to call in a couple of friends for extra security at the Inn, so wherever you are, you are safe. I have wards all over Mail orders and by the time you get back to the Inn tonight no one will be able to touch you.”

He said all this so confidently that I had to smile. “Thank you, thank you all. I hate to be a burden on you, but I do appreciate all you are going through.”

“It’s no burden, and Jonathon is right, we help each other, that’s what we do. Besides it’s nice to have a friend and I am not going to lose you now. I’ll see you tonight Mar,” she said wrapping me in a hug.

I hugged her back. It was nice having a friend, and I was glad she said I was hers too.