Blinking as tears came to my eyes, I shook my head. “I... I've never allowed anyone to get close, but somehow, you... my bloody desk friend, you've...”
I couldn't say anymore. My breath hitched in my throat, closing it as he took two steps towards me, clasped my face in his hands and bent to kiss me again. He walked me out of the kitchen as we kissed, his steps long as I trotted backwards, trying not to trip up. My arms were around him as he dragged me to the living room.
Once inside, he closed the door without taking his mouth from mine. I giggled when his fingers stroked my bare stomach. I had completely forgotten that I was half naked.
“Are you sure?” Dave whispered, pulling away long enough to look into my eyes.
Taking hold of his jeans, I tugged him towards me, lowering onto the sofa. He bit his lip as I invited him to join me. Nodding, I slowly unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off. His rock hard muscles were covered in soft skin as I traced my hand down his chest.
“I never let anyone in,” I said quietly. “... but I trust you.”
His hands were in my hair as he kissed my forehead, my cheek and the tip of my nose. “You can trust me, I... I've fallen in love with you, and I promise to take care of you. No matter what happens, I'll find a way to make your world safe so you can come back to life.”
“Dave,” I whispered, my breath shaky. “I think I love you, too.”
Chapter 6
“Hello?” I barked into the phone as I marched down the busy street.
London was bustling, the main road packed with tourists as I navigated the pavement.
Dave had taken the note from the night before, determined to bribe our handwriting expert at Paranormal MI5. The man's skills at graphology would help us to confirm that Xvair had sent the note. It was obvious, considering he was the one who had made a bet with my father, but protocol meant that we... well, Dave and the team... had to run it as evidence.
“Gemma, I've got some interesting information,” Archie Roberts replied.
Determined to get to the Hunted Witch Agency's building before rush hour, I skipped through a group of people who were taking pictures of the Thames.
My backpack was heavy, the weight of my familiar a stark reminder of the day before.
Dave and I had agreed that we were officially dating, having spent the night together, but now I had to get back to business. My heart skipped in my chest as I remembered his lips on mine. My desk friend had turned into my lover and real life partner. It wasn't something I had ever imagined would happen.
And yet, the grief at losing my familiar raged heavily within me, churning my stomach and turning my happiness into sorrow.
“Hello?” Archie called down the phone.
Emotions mixed within me, their power turning me into a confused witch. My strength had returned after a good sleep, my connection a lot stronger. The ancestors had probably realised what had happened and helped to give me back my magic.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “I'm surrounded by people who don't know how to-”
Someone bumped into me, apologising when I growled low in my throat. Didn't they know that introverted witches were not the tourist type?
A library in any ancient city would be my idea of heaven, but the filled streets of London wasn't my idea of fun.
“Brianna's ex, do you know him?”
“The human?” I replied, ducking down a side street towards the water's edge.
The stone walls of buildings rose up around me, some modern, some older. The quiet descended as I left behind the traffic and crowds. Turning onto the walkway, I inhaled a deep breath as a cool breeze moved my hair. The old stone brickwork of the Hunted Witch building came into view, calming my nerves.
“Yes,” Archie went on. “When we left her house the other day, I checked the street for CCTV. There was one camera, two doors down, so I bribed them-”
“Don't tell me, it's against the law,” I interrupted. “I don't want to have to arrest you.”
Chuckling, Archie cleared his throat. “I hate to say it, bookworm, but you don't have that power anymore.”
Ugh, the man was intolerable sometimes. It was ironic that we were very similar, and yet, there was no attraction there. Dave on the other hand, he was solid and simple, a man with integrity. Witch won over vampire, hands down.
“Anyway...” Swinging my bag off my back, I banged the knocker on the Witch Agency door. “...hurry up, I've got something to do.”
“I've got the tapes here. On the night before you defeated Lucien Harvey, Brianna's ex-boyfriend is seen dragging her along the road.”
Pausing in my attempt at trying to see through the peephole of the thick wooden door, I clenched my phone in my hand. “Ah, now that's interesting to know. Maybe I need to pay him a little visit. I'd like to know how a human can control a vampire.”
“I figured you could use your powers as an agent to find out where he works or lives. I’ve only met him once, so I don't even remember his name, just his face.”
Smiling when Devon's eye appeared in the hole, I hurried my reply. “I'll do my thing and keep you updated!”
My phone was back in my pocket by the time Devon answered the door. Pulling me inside, she gave me an awkward hug, her hand patting my back. I had called to ask if they would carry out tests on Smudge to see who had killed her. I had no doubt that Xvair had planned the killing, but he was a fragile old man, he wouldn't have acted alone.
“How are you?”
My usually snarky cousin
