Page 23 of Familiar of the Witch

Bastion nodded then his arms circled me and he tucked me under his chin. We stayed like that for several minutes. My heart was hurting.

‘We need to tidy,’ I repeated. There hadn’t been a pile of dust when we’d arrived at 8pm.

Bastion gave me one last squeeze before he stepped out of the room. He found a vacuum cleaner somewhere in one of the offices and I watched, still in shock, as he calmly removed all the vampyr dust. Dust to dust, ashes to hoover bag.

While he cleaned, I checked the wards on Melva’s room. Sure enough, the vampyr-repelling wards had been cancelled with a neatly inscribedezro. Her offices were a commercial property so without the active ward therehad been nothing to stop her killer from phasing in. She’d had a meeting with the vampyrs earlier on that day; no doubt she’d had the wards cancelled for that. She should have met them off site. She should have told me she’d had the anti-vampyr runes cancelled. It was a grave mistake that had led to her death.

ButIshould have checked the runes. I knew an attack was coming, so why didn’t I check the damned runes? What was I thinking? I rubbed a hand across my face. I was exhausted. My brain wasn’t working at optimum capacity and, because of that, Melva was dead.

Bastion hoovered on, sparing me worried glances now and again. I wanted to wave away his concern because I deserved the guilt that was swamping me. I’d dropped the ball and now Melva was dead.

When the room was pristine – apart from the body at the desk – we went back into the orb room again to await our own arrival and a startled Frogmatch. We talked quietly until eight o’clock rolled around, and then we waited in silence.

Nobody tells you how crushing it is when you can’t save someone. I’d experienced it before, of course; even potions and magic can’t save everyone. I’d had people die on mebefore. But Melva … it was personal. I had been so sure that our jaunt through time would save her.

Her destiny had had other ideas.

Chapter 20

It is incredibly disconcerting to watch yourself walk and talk with other people. After past-Amber and past-Bastion finally left the office, there was a narrow window of escape while the CSI guys popped back to their van. If we didn’t move then, we’d be stuck for hours and hours.

Bastion moved silently and I tried to emulate him, wincing at every noise I made. He swore under his breath as he heard someone approaching and pulled us hastily into some sort of utilities cupboard. I was precariously balanced next to a mop bucket and I recognised the hoover we’d used to suck up the vampyr.

He closed the door behind us and we tensed, waiting to see if we’d been spotted. The space was limited and I was pressed up against him. There were worse places to be. ‘This is nice,’ I said facetiously. ‘You definitely do dates better than Emory.’

He stilled. ‘After everything, do you still want to go on a date with me?’

That was a loaded question and I took a moment to really think about it, to think about all we’d been through together and what he’d come to mean to me.

I seized all of my courage and faced him. Cracks of light were beaming into the cupboard from the hallway and I could see the hard lines of his face, the scar through his lip, the sprinkle of grey in his hair. He was gloriously, ridiculously handsome, and it bowled me over that he had any interest in me.

‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘I still want to go on a date with you. If you’ll have me.’

‘For a long time you were just the kid I was bonded to,’ he admitted. ‘Then you were the witch I was bonded to. Now you’re Amber.’ Emotion I couldn’t – wouldn’t – name swelled in his voice. ‘My Bambi. Yes. Please.’

I had never heard him say that word, not once, and it was its own brand of magic. Hearing him say please made my knees go weak. I wanted to hear it more. Something hot curled in my belly and I licked my lips.

His lips curved in response. ‘Not here,’ he whispered. ‘We’re not having our first kiss in a supplies closet.’ His voice was low and husky; he wanted it as much as I did. For a moment I wastempted to press the point, but he went on, ‘Besides, I want this rune off when we share our first kiss. I want you to feel me, Amber, like I feel you.’

The man had more patience than a saint. ‘Then let’s get out of here,’ I growled, since my own patience had long since dissipated.

The CSI guy had disappeared again so Bastion cautiously opened the cupboard door, took my hand and led me through a small staff kitchen. He transformed his right hand into a claw and used it, somewhat clumsily, to open the back door. ‘No fingerprints,’ he explained.

‘Animals have fingerprints too, you know. Koalas have unique prints just like us. And orangutans.’

‘How do you know that?’

My brain holds all sorts of useless information. ‘How do you not?’ I shot back, making him grin.

‘I won’t be leaving any fingerprints that are in the Connection or police system.’

Once we were outside, we paused in the car park behind the office. We had no transport. I didn’t want to call the Coven and ask for the van while two of me were running around. I guessed we could always grab a taxi or walkto a bus stop.

Bastion shimmered and then he stood on four legs. ‘Climb on,’ he instructed.

I blinked. I guess that solved our transport issue. ‘But we haven’t even had our date yet,’ I protested.

He snorted, wings ruffling, and I climbed on. ‘Hold tight.’

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