Page 5 of White Charms and Dark Secrets

“Whatever you say, Detective Asshole.” My words sound a little jumbled to my own ears, so I’m not entirely sure how much of that he understood.

“Close your eyes and trust me,” he instructs.Can I close my eyes?“Kayla? Can you hear me? Just close your eyes.”

My eyes manage to flutter shut as he asks, and instead of darkness, all I see is light.

* * *

I sit up with a gasp,my heart pounding. After a few deep breaths and surreptitious glances around, I realise that I’m safe and now sitting in the back seat of a car. The car is parked just across from where the vampire attacked me. I pull off the scratchy blanket draped over me and let it fall onto the seat next to me. When I reach up to my neck, I feel a smooth healed scar, rather than a gaping open wound from the bite.

“Kier?” I choke, my voice barely a rasp. I cough, trying to clear my throat. “Kier?” I call out again, a little louder. He materialises, holding the car door open.

“You’re awake,” he blurts out, running his eyes over me, as if assessing whether I’m okay or not.

“Yeah and apparently all healed up, too.” I gesture at my neck. “Thank you.”

“Couldn’t leave you to bleed to death, now could I?” he teases with a smile, though it’s quick to fade. “Why the hell did you trap yourself in a circle with him? I couldn’t get to you until it dropped when you almostdied,” he snaps.

“Trust me, it wasn’t on purpose,” I grumble, rubbing my neck. I flinch away from the touch of my own hand. It still feels a little sore under the skin. “Why were you here anyway? Please tell me you’re not still stalking me?” I question, narrowing my eyes. I don’t know where Lizzy is hiding, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell him.

“I was stalking the vampire, actually. Several women have died the last few weeks in this area. All vampire attacks. My superiors disregarded the case though, as all the victims, until now at least, were human. He took measures to hide the supernatural cause of death, so with the risk of humanity discovering our existence minimal, it wasn’t a high priority,” he answers, his jaw clenching as he speaks.

“So, you tracked down the big, bad vampire all by yourself?” I inquire with genuine curiously. In truth, I’m surprised Kier would even care about the dead humans. Black witches aren’t exactly known for having hearts of gold. Especially the half-vampire kind.

“Yes, outside of work hours I did. I’ve tried to find him for weeks, and today I finally caught up to him. Even if the humans remain ignorant, it’s bad press for the rest of the supernaturals to be wary of everyone with vampire blood.” He flashes his fangs, as if to accentuate his point. I flinch at the sight of them. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t think,” he stammers, quick to apologise.

I wave him off. “It’s fine. I’m just a little jumpy. Is he going to be locked up?” I ask, wanting to ensure I’d never run into him again. With my luck, I’d escape from him today, only to bump into him tomorrow.

“He’s dead,” he answers bluntly.

“Oh.”Maybe I’m safe then.

“Even though there was no active search for him, he committed several unforgivable offences. Kill order was given if anyone came into contact with him,” Kier explains.

“And you just happened upon him,” I mutter.

“Be glad I did. A few more minutes and you’d have been dead… or worse.” He releases a deep sigh, running a hand through his sandy blond hair.

“Am I okay to go now?” I manage to whisper.

“Yes, but I’d feel better if you let me drive you home. You’ve lost quite a bit of blood,” he nods. I look between him and the street before agreeing. I don’t want to go back out there alone, not after what had just happened.

I lean back in the seat, settling in as he walks around and gets into the driver’s side of the car.

“Still at the same address?” he questions unnecessarily.

“My ancestors would kill me if I gave it up,” I deadpan. He chuckles at the joke only witches would understand, before starting up the car and speeding down the street. It doesn’t take long for the vibrations of the moving vehicle to lull me into a deep sleep.

* * *

“Kayla?”Kier’s voice calls softly, and I feel a gentle nudge on my shoulder. “We’re here. Let’s get you inside.”

I groan, as I pull myself up and out of the car with measured movements, refusing his offered hand. I stumble up to my door and stand there awkwardly. “Thanks for bringing me home.”Should I invite him inside? He did just save my life.He just nods and turns back to his car to leave. “Wait,” I call, and he pauses, glancing back at me.“Why did you help me? I mean, I understand why you saved my life, that’s your job after all. I mean, why did you drive me home?” I ask, unable to stop my prying.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Kier responds, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Because you don’t like me,” I answer candidly.

“Why would you think that I don’t like you?”

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