Witch in the Wind (Bandit Creek Books) Read Free

on earth would want to kill my parents?”

Chapter Two
    “Give him lots of water today. He should be fine by tomorrow.” Dr. Marcus Egan said, as he patted the border collie on the head. For a warlock of his power, closing the dog’s paw wound was a no-braine r. But Marcus didn’t want to scare the old rancher into a heart attack so he’d had to use stitches on the poor dog. The beast would favor the foot but Marcus had spelled him to make sure it healed quickly and well.
    “Thanks, Dr. Egan,” said the old man, giving the dog gentle strokes from neck to tail. “I’m glad you were here.” This was clearly more than a working dog to him. “When’s Kai due back with the new missus?”
    “Sometime next week,” Marcus replied. Kai Hunter, the regular town vet, was Marcus’s trusted friend. Together, they’d brought a coven of rogue witches to justice the November before. Ninety-nine more years to go on their sentence encased in a rock prison. The magic to conjure one impressed the hell out of him, but to spend even a day—Marcus shuddered.
    He gave the dog a final pat on the rump thinking this animal probably sensed his magic but wouldn’t be telling anyone. Marcus lifted the border collie down from the examination table and watched the owner and his furry friend head down the hall towards the front desk.
    This wasn’t the first time Marcus had taken over Kai’s clinic for him, but it was the first tim e Marcus had needed it as his cover. The report in the local Bandit Creek Gazette mentioned the mortal community was fearful after the sudden and violent death of local couple . T hat didn’t touch the reaction in his magical world w hen news of the murder reached The Otherland . Devlin Gwynn and Eavan Kemena, known throughout The Otherland as ‘The Lost Guardians’, had finally turned up in Bandit Creek. T he governing Witches Council didn’t waste any time sending him through the portal to find out what the demons damn was going on .
    Council was facing magical mayhem if they didn’t act decisively this time. They had badly mishandled the situation at the time and many said that was the start of the growing tensions within Council. He’d been young when it all happened but he’d heard the whispers behind closed doors.
    Marcus straightened and headed out of the examination room. If he didn’t have any more patients, it was time to get back to his real purpose. As he headed down the hall, the hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end. Magic slid over his body like a warm blanket. He slowed his steps. He could see the rancher heading out the main door showing no awareness of the sudden thickness in the air. Was he imagin ing the presence of magic?
    Marcus drew his power into a protection shield and pushed a sensing spell towards the outer reception area. He recognized the signature of the vet technician and receptionist, Cora West. Cora hovered over him like a cat in heat. She insisted on ‘helping the new guy learn the ropes’. He wished she wouldn’t. It was making it annoyingly difficult for him to pursue his investigation.
    His spell confirmed the presence of magic near the counter but it didn’t read like a threat. Still he had to make sure Cora wasn’t caught in magical crossfire. He schooled his face into a neutral mask and stepped into the outer office. Cora had her back to him.
    The client was a woman with a fair complexion and a slight build—at least a foot shorter than his six foot two. She wore a plaid shirt and a black baseball cap, with her long blond braid pulled through the back.
    A new face in town, he thought, as he considered the woman. She didn’t look like she posed an immediate threat. He relaxed enough to lean back against the wall. Neither of the women noticed his presence. He heard her asking Cora, “Do you know anyone he’s done work for?”
    That’s odd, thought Marcus. Who asks for references for a vet? It’s not like she had a lot to choose from in Bandit