Page 31 of Cursed Touch
Carter’s lips formed a straight line, telling her without words he did not agree. With his eyes still on hers, he unlocked the door. She broke the connection, a tiny shard twisting in her heart as she turned her back on a man she already cared deeply for.
With a shake of her head, she sent the thought away and exited the car. He met her at the back, his hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders bunched with tension, and the muscles in his jaw twitching.
“You don’t need to—”
Carter glared at her. “Let’s get you inside.”
Side by side, they walked in silence to her second-floor apartment. “Well, thank you for…” She considered saying “everything,” and “nothing,” and a slew of other things but left the sentence hanging.
“I want to check inside before I leave,” he stated, and something told her to not fight him on it.
She offered him a small nod and unlocked the door. Vanessa turned the doorknob and flipped on the light. Her apartment was the same as it had been hours ago, yet so much in her life had changed.
“Who lives there?” Carter asked, his gaze trained on Tyler’s door.
“Tyler. The guy I brought in with the dog bite.”
Carter gave a short nod and followed her in as she thought of what to say in light of everything she’d learned. “Thatwasa dog bite, right?”
He studied her modest apartment. “No, and if you hadn’t brought him in when you did, he’d be dead,” he said matter-of-factly.
Her gaze widened with surprise before narrowing. Carter’s hands were in the air, and symbols and words were forming around her windows. She rubbed her eyes and watched him repeat the same actions at each window before stopping at her door.
She should ask what he was doing, or hell, he should have asked her first, but she could not form the words. Magic was real… She could not believe it. She had witnessed some phenomenal things at his house with his sister showcasing her power, but somehow what Carter was doing felt different. Maybe it had more to do withCarterthan anything else.
“The wards should help keep you safe inside the apartment until we can figure out who the threat is,” he said.
“Wards? That’s what—” She raised her hand up and down in the direction of where she had seen the images before they disappeared. “What that was?”
He nodded. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” Neither spoke as Carter studied her for a moment. “Vanessa, I know all of this is crazy and new to you, but if you get anything out of it, know this. You’re my soul mate. I know you feel it too. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”
All the air seeped out of her lungs at his words. She nodded her understanding and watched him open the door.
“Lock this behind me,” he demanded and then he was gone.
Chapter 16
Carter waited by the door until he heard the deadbolt slide into place. He hated leaving her. It felt unnatural and wrong. He stepped toward the stairs but paused at the top and looked at Tyler’s door. He had not sensed the man’s magic when he treated him, but facing the door, Carter noted magic in the air.
He did not know if having Tyler, a fellow witch, as his mate’s neighbor was good or bad. Without knowing the man, Carter could not put Vanessa’s life in Tyler’s hands. As it was, Carter did not want to leave her in anyone’s care.
He slid his phone out of his back pocket and called the unknown number that had threatened him by text. Carter jogged down the flight of stairs and spoke when the call was answered. “Georgia?”
“What the fuck did you do now?” she snapped.
He shook his head. “I told her she couldn’t tell you my secret, and now my mate’s pissed off with me.”
“Huh?” she asked. The sound of papers shuffling filtered through the line.
“Hold on,” he said and slid into his car. “My family and I told her everything.”
She gasped. “Everything?”
He rolled his eyes. “She doesn’t know aboutyou. She did, however, want to tell you about me. Now that she knows, I suspect you’re going to have to walk through fire after keeping this from her all along if she does find out about you.”
“Fuck!” she snapped, and something in the background crashed.
He scrubbed his face with a hand. “Look, we have bigger problems where she’s concerned.”
