Elf's Affection: The Witching Hour Series Book 3 Read online

  Elf’s Affection

  The Witching Hour Series Book 3

  Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  Copyright © 2018 by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Afterword

  Chapter 1

  First blood.

  After a series of life threatening situations, I was back to my usual routine. I had a new boyfriend; my best friend Ella was talking to me again and I stopped worrying about fiery onsets of my magic that continued happening to me occasionally. It was easier to think that my life was getting back on track and I was in control again. I met Quentin during an art exhibition at a local gallery. I hadn’t been paying much attention to what was going on around me that day, and walked right in to him, nearly enough making an absolute fool of myself then falling on my arse. Fortunately for me, he caught me before I hit the floor, saving me from another public humiliation.

  We’d only been seeing each other for a month or so, but I felt good. I finally stopped walking around like a zombie and pretended that I never had a mental breakdown. It was a slow process, but I made it through. It took me a long six months to show my face in public again.

  Yeah, I was stupid enough to fall in love with a guy who was emotionally unavailable, and even more stupid to let him break my heart repeatedly. I didn't understand why I’d allowed myself to fall for his charms each and every time; I thought maybe he would change for me. I should have known from the beginning that Nathaniel never planned to commit. I tried to understand why he’d put me through this nightmare, but I couldn’t find the silver lining, even months after the break up.

  "What would you like to do tonight?" Quentin asked folding the paper he’d been reading for the past five minutes. I looked at him and smiled thinking that at least I could plan a bright future with him. He cared about me.

  The half vampire—that pretentious cocky bastard—ripped my heart out of my chest and crushed it to pieces. He turned me into an emotional wreck and I hated him for it, but now we were over and that’s what mattered most.

  Right now, I didn't want to think about Nathaniel because I had Quentin and he was crazy about me.

  "Should we watch a movie?" I asked.

  "Yes, that sounds good; action packed thriller or romantic comedy?"

  "I hate romances, let’s go for a thriller," I said laughing.

  Quentin was a full-blooded giant, originally from South Africa. He moved to the UK a couple of years ago. He was an art dealer and he wanted to settle in a country with rich history where he could find unique pieces. He arrived at the gallery in search for a rare painting that had just come on the market, and somehow, we clicked straight away. When it came to Quentin I didn't have to worry about any games or expectations. He asked me out the next day. He didn't hide the fact that he was into me. When I was around him my magic stayed calm and I felt like I could trust someone again. Quentin was a decent guy who wanted to settle down; we were both on the same page.

  "Cinema it is then. I’ll book a table at our usual restaurant," he said and got up to make the phone call. He was tall; over six foot seven—a typical characteristic for giants—with soft brown hair and incredible deep ocean blue eyes, exactly like mine. Although we had completely different lifestyles we were in the process of making this new relationship work for both of us. Quentin travelled a lot, but he tried to go to most auctions in London. He often had to attend old-school parities and auctions where we both had a chance to interact with interesting and famous paranormals. I was slowly walking away from the gloom that used to be my life, seeing a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

  Nathaniel was in the past and Quentin had no idea that we ever dated. He knew bits and bobs about my life, but he didn't push me to reveal more than I was comfortable with. It was easier to avoid conversations about my past.

  While Quentin was on the phone I went to the kitchen to clean up the mess from lunch. Quentin was a regular guest in my apartment. He lived on the other side of London and understood that it was easier for me to get to work from Croydon rather than Watford.

  I shook my head thinking how relaxed I was when he was around and started loading the plates from lunch into the dishwasher. The office had been hectic this week and I’d been working constantly since Christmas break; I didn't have much time to tidy things up. Exhaustion was slowly taking over, but Quentin was planning a surprise holiday for us, so I was looking forward to that. My excess magic rose as I reached for a plate. I felt dizzy and sweat gathered on my forehead. Slow pulsation started moving through my stomach, my breath became heavier. I looked at my hands and felt like I was falling until my vision descended into darkness.

  I pulled sticky hair away from my face and blinked a few times looking at the ceiling. There was an odd, metallic taste in my mouth and the air seemed heavy. Memories from the night before flashed through my mind. My back hurt and my bed seemed harder than normal. I sat up, slowly realising that I wasn’t in my own bed but on the cold kitchen floor, still dressed in the same clothes from last night. The usual annoying pulsation in my body wasn’t there anymore; my excess magic was gone, and I felt like I had a really long uncomfortable nap. When I noticed a body lying next to me, I screamed, quickly realising that it was Quentin. He wasn’t moving.

  "Quentin. Hey, honey, wake up,” I said trying to shake him. Panicking, I checked his pulse and sighed with relief when I realised he was still alive. My energy seemed absent and I couldn't remember what I was doing the moment before I passed out. My mind was completely blank, fear crept over me, convoluting all my senses. I looked around my kitchen for any signs of struggle, but everything was just as I’d left it last night. Nothing was missing or seemed out of order. Panic hurled through me when I glanced at my watch. It was four o’clock in the morning, which meant that I’d lost eight hours of my life. Quentin was unresponsive, so I dialled Dad’s number and then called for an ambulance.

  I sat back down on the floor thinking intensely about everything I’d done before I went to the kitchen eight hours ago. Some of my plates were in the dishwasher, and I remembered talking with Quentin about the cinema. We were planning to go out for a dinner.

  Minutes passed, and I stayed in the same position until I heard the ambulance outside. My father arrived first, straight after him was the Paranormal Elf service. Dad didn't look happy when he walked through the door, but I’d called him, and he knew the situation was probably serious.

  "Julia, what the hell happened here?" he demanded surveying the scene with his elf eyes that shimmered with alert. He
didn't normally greet me like that, but it was four in the morning and it was understandable that he was cranky.

  "I have no idea. I remember standing in the kitchen putting plates away and the next thing I know, I'm on the floor and Quentin is lying next to me. He must be charmed, he has a pulse, but he isn’t waking up."

  A tall healer witch was examining Quentin with her magic wand. For about two minutes no one said anything as she ran her hands over his stomach, muttering what was most likely a healing spell of some sort.

  "He was hit with a strong spell; we must take him to the hospital immediately," she announced looking around.

  "Quentin? Who is that giant, Julia, and what is he doing here?" Dad asked irritated with the fact that I had a man in my house and he didn't know anything about him. I opened my mouth to explain myself, but then I didn't actually know what to say. I was supposed to officially introduce Quentin to Mum and Dad next week during Sunday dinner. I knew I needed to come up with something really quick. My love life was so messed up. God, I wished that I could just be invisible.

  "We’ve been dating for a few weeks now. His name is Quentin, as you know," I mumbled looking away.

  "A giant? For chrissakes Julia, I thought you would stick to our breed after you dated that vampire."

  My father’s words stabbed me—straight into my heart—puncturing the only life muscle that was still alive in my body. Grief began washing over me again, but I kept a straight face. I was moving forward, making progress and now Dad felt the need to remind me of that bastard.

  "My love life isn’t important right now. I lost eight hours of my life and Quentin’s unconscious. I have no idea what’s happened."

  He scratched his head and exhaled sharply glancing around my place, undoubtedly searching for some clues.

  "Someone must have snuck into your apartment. I can't find any other explanation for this."

  "My head is fine, no one could have come in here. This just doesn’t make any sense," I said more firmly beginning to get agitated with myself. When I was stressed, my magic normally whipped through me, but I felt completely empty. It felt as if I’d just had the most intensive training session with my grandma or an explosive orgasm, which was impossible, because I would’ve most definitely remembered that. "There is no time for speculations. We need to get to the hospital with Quentin, he might be seriously hurt.”

  "Okay, hon, stop worrying. Your "boyfriend" looks fine to me. I’ll get Dannika to check for some clues around here," he muttered hovering over my apartment probably searching for a faint scent of magic. I bit my lips feeling restless. There was no sign of anyone breaking in, there was no sign of magic, although Dad was adamant about checking everything. The only possible explanation as to what might have happened would’ve been in my memory, but that was lost for now.

  My stomach was in knots when we arrived at the ER. I knew my dad wanted to ask a ton of questions about Quentin, but I was worried sick about my boyfriend, and didn’t have time to I explain why I chose a giant as my life partner. We just started dating and now he was spellbound. I was glad when he decided to take off once I was in the car but knew he would interrogate me sometime later.

  The healers took Quentin to the hospital and when I arrived, I managed to get some information about his condition. I had no idea who else I should call. I knew that Quentin didn't have any family in London, but I couldn’t be sure.

  "Mr. Van Rooyen has been spellbound with very strong magic. He should wake up in about an hour or so. I'm afraid to say that his abilities—his strength won’t be the same as it used to be," a short fairy healer explained. My stomach heaved, and I swallowed hard imaging the worst.

  "I'm sorry, but I don’t think I understand."

  "He could probably sense emotions and foresee certain events,” he continued. “Most giants have incredible physical power, but Mr. Van Rooyen has lost some of that. It seems as though something or someone has taken his strength away." I paced around him wondering if this situation could get any worse.

  From what I understood, this healer was telling me that someone or something broke into my apartment, knocked me out and then spellbound Quentin. I couldn’t believe it.

  "Oh, my God," I whispered.

  "He’ll recover, and his abilities might come back, but it’s difficult to say as to when. We’ll monitor him until he wakes up." I thanked him and went back to Quentin’s room. I had no idea what I was supposed to tell him. Maybe my father would find something after all. Quentin was a giant and I was more confused than anything. Waking up on the kitchen floor, empty, drained of all my own power, well, that surely wasn't a good sign.

  Quentin woke up a few hours later with no recollection of what went on in the kitchen.

  "My mind is blank," he explained. "Were we supposed to go out—to the cinema or something like that?"

  "Yes, we were, but this is strange. My dad’s on the case, so I know that sooner or later he’ll find something. Has anything like this ever happened to you before?"

  He gave me a startled look.

  Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have asked.

  "Are you asking if I ever passed out when I was with my other girlfriends?" He chuckled.

  "No, that’s not what I mean. Anyway, forget that I asked," I mumbled. "The doctor mentioned that your strength is gone."

  Quentin wasn't too concerned about the loss of his abilities, but he was anxious enough to get back to his business. The healers refused to discharge him, so in the end he asked me to check on his pet, Gomez. The animal had been alone in the house since yesterday. I wasn't too keen on this idea but agreed knowing that I shouldn’t ignore the animal just because he was sexist.

  I had a sinking feeling in my gut that my own magic might have had something to do with this mess. Then I thought how absurd that sounded. There was no way that I could hurt myself. My mind automatically drifted to Jasper. He was still convinced that we were destined to be together. Maybe he wanted to see me, so he snuck into my apartment then charmed me and then Quentin. My pick of men in the past had been atrocious. First, I got involved with a wizard who killed people because of me, then a Dhampir who couldn’t decide if he wanted to be with me or not. Strange and unexplained things continued happening to me and the list was getting longer.

  Now I had to get to the other side of London to take care of the most sexist and rude talking racoon that I’d ever met. My day just couldn’t get any better.

  By the time I made it to Watford it was nearly seven in the morning and I had to be at work in two hours. Quentin lived in a nice two-story town house in a decent area. The distance between my work and his home wasn't the only reason that I didn't want to stay in his apartment. My boyfriend—whom I considered being in committed relationship with—had a pet. And it wasn't just a normal pet; Gomez was a talking racoon. Quentin rescued him from a witch who wanted to slash his throat. She’d charmed Gomez, so he could talk, but then she planned to use him for some kind of magical experiment.

  "Hey, sexy arse; what are you doing here? Where’s Quini?"

  Chapter 2

  Going downhill fast.

  Yeah, that was the problem. Gomez had a fifty mouth and no manners. I didn't like staying in Quentin’s apartment because I felt like Gomez was always following me and I had no privacy when he was around. The animal made a lot of snarky comments about my bum and the way I moved. He had a grey fur, and a black mask around his eyes with long white stripes, which made him look like a standard racoon, apart from the fact that he was a pervert.

  "There was a slight problem. Quentin and I, well, we were attacked in my apartment and he’s in the hospital at the moment."

  "Hospital? Holy fuck! Is he ok? Is he going to die?"

  "No, Quentin’s fine, just a bit strained. He should be out of the hospital tomorrow, but he asked me to check on you."

  "Poor Quini," Gomez cried. "Do you think you can lift me up for a cuddle?"

  "No, no cuddles. Have you had anything to eat? What about goi
ng for a quick walk?" I asked trying to see if his bowl in the kitchen was full. Gomez was an animal, but he could look after himself and I didn't have time to babysit him. I refilled his bowl with water and added some dry chicken to the other one. It looked like he was sorted, and he didn't need my help.

  "I thought maybe we could have some fun while Quini’s in the hospital dying. How about you show me your moves? You know, after such a trauma, I could be scarred for life."

  I rolled my eyes. Quentin didn't have much of a sense of humour but that racoon kept throwing out these sexual remarks all the time. I often wondered where he’d heard such things and just couldn’t understand how those two were able to live together without any conflicts. This was the most bizarre relationship that I’d ever come across.

  "I'm here to see if you need anything, so just cut the crap and tell me what you want. I have to be at work soon and I don’t need this today."

  "All right, let’s just watch This Morning together and I promise I won’t say anything else about your arse."

  I sighed and after making myself large cup of coffee, I agreed to watch the morning show with Gomez just to keep him a company.

  When I finally left Quentin’s house I took the tube to work; it was close to nine o’clock. Morning rush hour was hectic, and I couldn’t find a free seat on the tube. Rufus was planning to pop into the office, so I didn't want to be late, despite the fact that I didn't know if I actually slept or not. I felt oddly calm when I arrived on the street outside the office. For the first time since last summer my energy was out of my system. I didn't have to worry about spell casting or breaking anything. I had no idea what happened earlier on, but I felt great, just like I used to after I’d slept with Nathaniel.