Page 24 of Secret of the Vampire
When Jamal was inside the office with me, I closed the door behind him. He was throwing questions at me before the latch clicked.
“What the fuck is he doing here, Kenya? Does Killian know he’s coming here? Does Judy? And who the fuck does he think he is?” Running his hands over his shorn head, he tried to get a grip on himself.
I gave him a minute to do that, and after he’d calmed down enough, I started to answer his questions. “Killian doesn’t know he’s here. Neither does the High Priestess, I would imagine.”
“Then what’s he doing here, Kenya?”
“Alex was here with me the other night. The night I felt that…thing…outside. He knew it was here, too, and he called me and told me to get back into the club.”
“How did he know?” His tone was suspicious.
“He said he felt it, same as me.”
“And he was conveniently keeping an eye out. Just in case? What the hell does he care?”
That was a question I kept asking myself. “I don’t know. But he does. Maybe because he was the one who healed me, I don’t know,” I repeated. “Maybe it’s bugging him to find out who or what it was as much as it’s bugging us.”
“Which leads me back to my original question. What the fuck does he care?”
“I don’t have an answer for you,” I told him honestly.
He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me.
“Look,” I said. “Isn’t it enough to know he’s looking out for me? Do we have to know why?”
My answer was a tilt of his head and a raise of one eyebrow.
I sighed heavily. “Look, I really don’t know,” I told him softly. “I never instigated any contact between us after that night at the swamp house. I swear. It’s all on his side.”
“Are you sure about that?”
No, no, I wasn’t. But if I couldn’t sort out my own feelings, how was I supposed to explain them to someone else?
Taking a deep breath through his nose, he exhaled loudly and dropped his arms to his sides. “So, he saved you the other night…”
I nodded. “Apparently, he warded the club. Weeks ago. That’s why nothing could get in. I’m safe in here. We’reallsafe in here,” I emphasized. “And,” I continued, “he warded our house. That same night he walked me home.”
Jamal chewed on one corner of his bottom lip while he thought about that. “Well, fuck. I guess I can’t kill him now.”
“I’d really prefer you didn’t.”
“Fine,” he agreed. “As long as he doesn’t come at me again.”
“He won’t.” I reached for his hand and held it between both of mine. “Thank you,” I told him earnestly.
“You’re welcome,” he said, albeit a bit reluctantly. Raising my hand, he dropped a quick kiss on the back of my knuckles, making me smile. It was something he’d been doing since Killian had first brought me into the coven.
As the only female, Jamal had immediately deemed my place as something along the lines of the princess being guarded by her knights. It was silly. But it made me smile.
With one last squeeze, he released my hand. “So, I take it Alex was the one calling you before.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know why he’s here tonight?”
“I don’t. But if you guys would stop trying to kill each other, maybe I could find out.”
“Let’s do that,” he told me, then waved his arm to indicate I was to precede him out the door.
