Harley Merlin 5: Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell Read online

  Harley Merlin 5: Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Problems reading?

  1. Harley

  2. Harley

  3. Harley

  4. Wade

  5. Harley

  6. Wade

  7. Wade

  8. Harley

  9. Harley

  10. Wade

  11. Harley

  12. Harley

  13. Harley

  14. Wade

  15. Harley

  16. Wade

  17. Harley

  18. Harley

  19. Harley

  20. Harley

  21. Harley

  22. Harley

  23. Wade

  24. Wade

  25. Harley

  26. Harley

  27. Harley

  28. Harley

  29. Wade

  30. Harley

  31. Harley

  32. Wade

  33. Harley

  34. Wade

  35. Harley

  36. Harley

  37. Harley

  38. Wade

  39. Harley

  40. Wade

  41. Harley

  42. Harley

  43. Harley

  44. Wade

  45. Harley

  46. Wade

  47. Harley

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Copyright © 2019

  Nightlight Press

  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.

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  One

  Harley

  I screamed, smothering my face with a pillow to muffle the sound. Tears streamed down my face, and my lungs felt starved of air. Sharp, agonizing jolts tore through my limbs like forks of lightning, setting my blood on fire.

  A half-empty mug of cold coffee sat on the edge of my desk, lying just out of reach. It wouldn’t fix the problem, but at least it’d take away the metallic tang of blood in my mouth. I’d bitten down on the insides of my cheeks when the attack had started, an hour ago, just after dawn. It was the same torture every morning since my Suppressor had cracked, a little over a week ago.

  Squeezing the pillow, I dragged it and my body across the sweat-soaked bed and crawled down to the floor. Each movement made the pain worse, as if every surface were covered in needles. All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and die… just until the pain went away. I’d have taken a year’s worth of the worst cramps imaginable or a thousand bullet-ant bites over this. Make it stop… Please, make it stop.

  I braced for what always came next—the seeping cold that crept through my veins. I clutched the pillow and gritted my teeth as the shivering took over. The cracked Suppressor leaked more and more of the pent-up Chaos into me every single day, flooding me with uncontrollable energy. The attacks always came around the same time each morning, but further attacks could hit me at any time of day. And the pain was only the half of it. The lack of control was worse. Way worse. My body and mind were no longer my own.

  With each new wave of agony, I wondered if the time might’ve come, if this might be the day the Suppressor fully broke and unleashed hell. I wanted to reach into myself and rip it out of me. I didn’t care how, but I wanted—needed—it gone. But there was always a chance the rest of the Suppressor could rupture by itself. The thought was as terrifying as it was welcome. So many things could still go wrong.

  At least this can’t go on forever, right? I mean, it’d kill me long before then, if I couldn’t get it to properly break. And, from Isadora’s warnings, I knew I didn’t have much time left to break the damn thing. Days. Weeks, if I was lucky.

  “COME ON!” I roared into the pillow with everything I had. A few expletives followed, the thick fabric muting the sounds to a faint squeal. I’d become an expert in the art of muffled screaming, desperate not to wake anyone up with my howls of pain. They didn’t need that kind of misery to start their days off.

  A loud bang went off like a thunderclap, followed by a jolt of searing pain that shot behind my eyes. I shrank around the pillow.

  Oh crap, this is it. The bang, the pain…The Suppressor…

  “Harley? What the—” A shadowy figure ducked beside me and peeled my clamped fingers away from my arms. I hadn’t realized my nails had been digging into my skin, forming tiny crescents.

  “Did it break?” I whispered, my throat raw.

  “The Suppressor?”

  I nodded slowly, the tiny movements sending a blinding sting through my eye sockets.

  “I don’t think so,” he murmured. His emotions hit me in a wave of fear and heartbreak and concern, his adrenaline pumping. I tried to push back against his feelings, not wanting his adrenaline to spike my own, but it was no good; I didn’t have the strength to resist. The Suppressor was amplifying his emotions, making them impossible to ignore.

  Wade rested his hand on my shoulder, evidently trying to figure out what to do with me. “Didn’t you hear me knocking? I’ve been out there for ten minutes.”

  “I… didn’t… hear,” I panted through a fresh onslaught of stabbing blades in the pit of my stomach. His fear had fed into mine, and the coursing chemicals made everything ten times worse. My muscles constricted, battling the agony instead of relaxing against it. All I wanted was total unconsciousness.

  I gasped in surprise as strong arms gripped me, pillow and all, scooping me up off the floor. Wade carried me over to the edge of the bed, where he set me down and wrapped the blanket around my shoulders. He rubbed circles across my back, while his worried eyes gazed down into mine. As the pain eased up, I saw him properly for the first time, the blurry haze clearing to reveal his handsome face.

  Lookin’ good with a little stubble, Crowley.

  “You want to tell me what all this is about?” he asked gently.

  “The Chaos… attacks. They’ve been… getting worse.” I grimaced as a few aftershocks of pain shot through me.

  “For how long?”

  I shrugged. “A week.”

  “Is it like this each time?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Every day?” I could hear the disbelief in his voice.

  “Like clockwork.”

  He shook his head, running a hand through his dark curls. “Why the hell didn’t you say anything if it’s been this bad?”

  “I did tell you,” I said. “I told all of you that I was dealing with… some pain.”

  “Yeah, you said some pain. Not… this.” He swept a hand over the bed. A flurry of sadness drifted over me—his sadness. “If I’d known the crack in your Suppressor was causing this, then I’d have had you sent to the infirmary. I’m sure Krieger has some potion or spell he could use to make this easier.”

  “I already asked him for a sleeping potion,” I replied. “I took it, and the same thing happened. Worse, actually. Unless I want to be knocked out twenty-four-seven, I just have to push through the pain.”

  He frowned. “You should’ve told us. You didn’t have to sugarcoat it.”

  “You’re all freaking out enough as it is, and I didn’t want to add to that. Sant
ana nearly rallied all of Mexico when I said there was a little bit of pain—imagine what would’ve happened if I’d told you all the real… extent of it.” I gripped the edge of the mattress as more seeping Chaos edged under my skin. My teeth chattered like crazy, and my legs jiggled to try and stop the coldness from getting too deep.

  “It’s our job to worry, especially when we can’t actually do anything to help you right now,” Wade said, the subtext glaring like a beacon. The situation must’ve made him feel pretty helpless. I could feel his despair as it rolled over him like a bank of fog, choking out everything else. But just having him beside me made me feel a bit better.

  “Honestly, you’re making a mountain out of a molehill.” I pulled the covers tighter around me. “It’s mostly under control. It just hurts like hell, that’s all. Coffee helps a little.”

  “I’ve noticed your increased caffeine intake, actually. You were bad enough at three mugs a day, but you’re downing at least a gallon these days,” he joked. “I’m surprised you’re not bouncing off the walls.”

  “Barely makes a dent. I could drink a truckload and still feel like somebody hit me with a sack of wrenches.”

  “Well, drink away, then.” He got up and crossed over to the desk, where he plucked up the cold cup of coffee and passed it to me. I drank it in one go as he sat back down beside me. I hoped it wouldn’t be long before I started to feel more like myself again.

  “Nomura’s been helping a lot, too. Mostly with meditation and a few herbal teas that he got in Nepal,” I added, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand. “I was hoping we could get started right away on the whole Euphoria thing, but he says it’s a bad idea with the crack and whatnot.”

  Wade nodded. “He’s worried about your control.”

  “I guess so. I can’t really blame him,” I replied. “Anyway, he gave me this herbal mulch stuff that I’ve got to take every night for ten days. I mix a spoonful in water, drink it down at midnight, whisper a little chant, and bingo!”

  “Bingo? What do you mean? What happens?” He looked adorably confused.

  “Well, I don’t know right now, but it’s supposed to put me in a slightly better state, spiritually speaking, to get this Euphoria show on the road. Once my ten days are up, I can start practicing with him.” A flicker of excitement pierced my exhaustion and lingering pain. “It’ll still be risky, but it’s safer than doing it now, when I’m a total mess.”

  Wade chuckled. “You aren’t a total mess. You’re just more of a mess than you’ve let on.”

  “Yeah, although obviously I’m not hiding it as well as I thought,” I said. “It’s not just these attacks that are causing problems, though. The Suppressor has been playing havoc with my abilities, too. Nomura’s already benched me because of it.”

  “Benched you?”

  I nodded. “He’s been really helpful and everything, but I think this Suppressor business is stressing him out, too. I guess it’s a lot of pressure on him to teach me Euphoria and get me to do it right in such a short span of time. The only time I see him calm is when we meditate. In the training room, he just keeps snapping at me.”

  “He has a lot on his plate right now, with teaching other students. I wouldn’t take it personally,” Wade said.

  “You’re probably right. It just sucks that I can’t even practice my abilities until I get the Suppressor out, and my Chaos under control.” I sighed, wishing I had more coffee. Hot, this time.

  “Wait, he’s not letting you practice at all?”

  “Nope. He doesn’t think it’s safe… and he may have a point. I did almost kill him in the training room the other day, when I accidentally engulfed him in a bubble of water and took a few minutes to get him out. So… yeah.”

  “I didn’t realize it was a total ban,” Wade said, with sympathy in his eyes. “But like you said, it’s for the best. Things have gotten a little crazy since that crack appeared.”

  I smiled at him as the pain gradually subsided. He was sitting so close, his hand still casually rubbing circles across my back. Looking up into his eyes, I nestled a little closer. His arm moved around my shoulders. You know what’d make me feel way better, Wade? Another one of those sweet, sweet kisses. I hoped my gaze conveyed what my lips wouldn’t. I definitely hadn’t forgotten the kiss we’d shared—there’d just been a lot going on. And, anyway, we’d both agreed to wait to talk about “us” until after we’d dealt with the Suppressor, when we had a moment to breathe and think. For now, we were left in this weird limbo between “friends” and “something more.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and his emotions revealed a streak of desire that mirrored my own. He held my gaze, his arm drawing me in ever closer. My heart pounded. He’s going to kiss me again! Our faces were practically touching.

  “I bet it’s Alton’s resignation that’s got Nomura stressed,” Wade said, pulling away suddenly. “Everyone’s worried about what it might mean for the future of the SDC, and I know the preceptors are especially on edge.”

  “That’s probably true.” I sighed, a little disappointed at the lack of a kiss. Although, if I were less of a coward when it came to this lovey-dovey stuff, I would’ve kissed him already.

  “There’s every chance that this temporary director might want a reshuffle, and that, combined with all this Euphoria research, would be enough to put anyone in a bad mood. Even cool-as-a-cucumber Nomura,” he added. “Alton leaving has had a domino effect.”

  No one besides the Rag Team, Jacob, and Isadora knew the real reason why Alton had resigned, with us keeping the secret of his deal with Katherine and his involvement in Quetzi’s abduction, escape, and subsequent murder. Still, his stepping down from the role had dealt a huge blow to everyone. The whole coven loved him, and nobody knew who would be taking his place.

  “Don’t even get me started on this new director,” I muttered. “I wish they’d just hurry up and get here so we can move things along. Some of us are dying while they’re deciding who gets to sit in the big chair.”

  “Hey, stop saying that,” Wade chided. “You aren’t dying. You’re just sick. And we’ve got a way to make you better.”

  “Yeah, which needs a director’s approval.”

  Right now, I couldn’t request approval to travel to New Orleans via the mirrors until a new director was appointed temporarily. And that meant I couldn’t break the Suppressor in the interim, even though time was running out.

  With each passing day, I grew more and more desperate to get to Marie Laveau’s tomb. After all, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans was my key to breaking this stupid Dempsey Suppressor. With her expertise in Sanguine spells, I figured she could help me perform the spell that’d give me the balance between Light and Darkness that I really freaking needed, once I broke my Suppressor for good. Plus, as the most powerful Dark witch of all time, she could likely point me toward a spell on astral projection. Remington had mentioned it as a viable way of summoning a Child of Chaos, which, right now, was our only way of stopping Katherine in her tracks.

  And yet, I was stuck here… endlessly waiting. I even had the damned Sanguine spell that had come from the Reykjavik repository—Alton had given it to me as a parting gift. I had all the pieces, and I couldn’t do anything with them. Yep, I was all dressed up with no place to go.

  “That’s actually why I was banging your door down,” Wade said, surprising me. “Which reminds me, you might need a new lock. I, uh, had to melt the old one to break in.”

  I shot a weary look at the door. Trails of melted silver streaked the spot where the lock used to be. “Are you kidding me? Wade, what the hell?”

  “You weren’t answering!” He rubbed the back of his neck. “After ten minutes, I had no choice. I could hear you screaming in here, and I had to get inside to make sure you were okay. A lock is replaceable. You’re not.”

  I smiled weakly. “Well, you’re paying to fix it.”

  “Fair deal.” His gaze flickered down to my lips.

&nbsp
; “You were about to tell me why you broke down my door?”

  He cleared his throat. “Yes, that’s right. I came running because you weren’t answering your phone and we’re all expected in the Assembly Hall ASAP.”

  “Why so early?” It wasn’t even eight yet.

  “They’re about to announce the new interim director of the coven.”

  Two

  Harley

  “Seriously, I can make up some excuse for you,” Wade whispered as we walked toward the Assembly Hall. A few stragglers wandered beside us like zombies, rubbing sleepy eyes and yawning loudly. He’d been trying to convince me to stay in my room, but I wasn’t going to miss out on this. I needed to know what we were up against if I’d have a hope in hell of getting to New Orleans.

  “Nah, I’ll be okay.” On still-shaky legs, I gripped his arm, determined to make it to this meeting. The pain had all but gone now, leaving a pins-and-needles sensation in my hands and feet. That would fade, too. It always did.

  The rest of the Rag Team waved to us as we entered the crowded room, the sight of them bringing a smile to my face. They stood to one side, in front of the nearest window, away from the main throng. Astrid normally liked to get a front-row seat to this kind of thing, but she’d been taking a back seat lately, after everything that had happened with her. Being resurrected changed a person, even though she continued to put on a brave face.