Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse (32 page)

"Did Rob say what happened?"

"No, he didn't.
 
But…Brett wanted me to tell you he's quitting."

She blinked, and felt tears forming.
 
She willed them away.
 
A breakdown was coming, she was certain.
 
But she had to hold it off until later.

"We may
all
be quitting."

Weaving her way in and out of people, she pushed her way toward the bar.
 
Nia followed a step behind.
 
Her heart sank as they drew closer.
 
Over the past few weeks, the scents of her bar surrounded her.
 
The alcohol, the wood, the felt on the pool tables.
 
They came with her when she went home.
 
Now the scents were almost unrecognizable.

A man in a police uniform approached them as they neared the door.

"I'm sorry, ladies, but you can't—"

"This is
my
bar," Marie said.
 
"I'm the owner.
 
I'd like to see the damage."

"Look, I'm really sorry, but—"

Marie wouldn't have been able to stop from baring her teeth, even if she wanted to.
 
Her eyes turned red as her incisors grew, ever so slightly.
 
Nia saw nothing from her angle, and didn't see the terror on the officer's face.

"Move," Marie said.
 
"Now."

The officer stepped aside without another word.

Nia gasped as they stepped inside.

The entire front half of the bar was ruined.
 
Everything was covered in black and soot.
 
The scent of alcohol permeated through Marie's nostrils.
 
The pool tables lay collapsed on the floor.

Through her grief, Marie saw broken bottles everywhere, far away from where they should have been.
 
She wasn't a detective, but she knew someone threw them.

Someone destroyed her bar on purpose.

Marie and Nia headed toward the kitchen door.
 
The kitchen was spared from most of the fire.
 
However, her office to the side was destroyed.
 
She stood in the doorway, Nia behind her, as she looked at the burnt papers, desk, and chair.

The picture of her parents lay broken at her feet.
 
She brushed the shards of glass aside and picked it up.
 
One of the corners was charred.

That was when she broke down.

Marie didn't cry very often.
 
She cried at her parents' grave, but not much else got to her.
 
She'd spent the past few decades avoiding emotional traps.
 
Keeping her distance from humans, living a solitary life, she didn't even own a pet.
 
As she moved from city to city, searching for a home, she realized she'd never be able to replace the home she'd left behind, despite the tragedy behind it.

Her dream was simple.
 
Go back home, and run her parents' bar.

Nia said nothing as Marie cried.
 
She rested a hand on her boss's shoulder, looking at the mess that was Marie's office.

"I'll help you," Nia said.
 
"I won't quit on you.
 
I have no idea how any of this works, fire insurance or whatever, but if you need me, I'll help you."

Marie put a hand over hers, truly touched.
 
Nia was a good, caring woman, and an exceptional employee.

Marie refrained from telling her she had yet to make an insurance payment.

The dream she'd spent decades nursing was over.

Kevin would always be amazed at the power of magic.
 
His world had definitely changed since his aunt, his mentor, had first told him he was a witch.
 
Since then, he'd found out all kinds of supernatural creatures existed in the world.
 
Vampires, werewolves, goblins, demons, ghosts.
 
The witch was the rarest of all.
 
Not only was Kevin a witch, but he was rare even among his own kind.
 
Both his biological parents, whom he'd never known, were witches.
 
That made him a full-blooded witch, the most rare and powerful supernatural creature alive.

The witch was so powerful they were generally hunted and killed without question, even by other supernatural beings.
 
His best friend, Victoria, had even tried to kill him.
 
Luckily for him, she'd had a change of heart, and his life had taken a wild turn.
 
It certainly promised to be an exciting life.

He took a deep breath as he stood outside Tiffany's bedroom door.
 
Excitement eluded him, and no magic potion existed that would make the next five minutes of his life easier.

He slowly pushed the door open, almost as if he were expecting a monster to jump at him at any moment.
 
If Tiffany's room was anything like his when he was her age, that might be a possibility.

Shifting the empty laundry basket on his hip, he opened the door fully.
 
Pleasant surprise greeted him instead of a monster.
 
Tiffany's room was very neat.
 
No dirty clothes scattered in every corner, no toys in the middle of the floor.
 
Even the bed was made.
 
The only bit of clutter was near the TV on the dresser, where a small stack of DVDs sat.

"Holy crap.
 
I guess even humans can do magic."

Two baskets were under the window against the wall.
 
One for dark clothes, one for whites.
 
Kevin recoiled in shock, and imagined Spongebob Squarepants, who littered every wall, felt the same way he did.
 
He thought he'd have to gather her clothes from everywhere, possibly even the ceiling.

He grabbed both baskets and made the trek to the basement.
 
The chilly air gripped him as he started a load of darks.
 
He placed a hand on the cold surface of the washing machine, and tried to imagine Leese sitting on top, her legs wrapped around him.
 
Cobwebs, cold brick, dirty floor.
 
How romantic.
 
The image didn't last long, and he laughed.

"No freaking way."

He went back to his makeshift work area at the breakfast bar.
 
Tiffany was at school, so there was peace and quiet.
 
It was actually quiet and peaceful even when she was home.
 
They didn't talk much.

His spell-book was open on the left side of the bar, his laptop on the right.
 
He was writing a new paper for a freshman in college.
 
When he tired of working on one, he shifted to the other.
 
Both sides tugged at him.
 
He loved working on magic, but the paper actually had an end result that would involve money.
 
He used to sell low-level potions, but Victoria stopped that quickly with one of her guilt trips.

The laptop chimed as he sat down.
 
It was an email from Leese, as always.
 
He didn't get many emails from anyone else.
 
It was a simple message.

Lunchtime.
 
Open up.

He smiled as he grabbed his potion and a picture of the back of Leese's vet office, one of many he had.
 
In fifteen seconds Leese was stepping through the portal into the kitchen.
 
She wore her scrubs, covered with pictures of dogs and cats, and somehow still managed to look beautiful.

"Oh, God," she said, disgust in her voice.
 
"Please, save me."

He closed the portal behind her.
 
"Bad day?"

She collapsed on the couch, kicking her shoes off.
 
"Let's see.
 
We've had two emergencies, and a woman that, for whatever reason, thought her cat didn't need to be in a carrier.
 
I guess she missed the huge sign when she walked in.
 
I told her that we had a spare in the back, so the cat could be safe until she was seen.
 
Well, right as she was cussing me out about how her cat didn't need a carrier, the cat gets away from her and fights with a York Terrier."

"That's a bad day.
 
If you need any help, just—"

"I know, Kevin.
 
You can heal them, whatever.
 
But we can do our jobs, too."

Kevin leaned back in disbelief, but Leese was already apologizing.

"I'm sorry," she said.
 
"I'm just…don't listen to me."

"I never do."

Finally, she smiled.
 
"Ha ha.
 
So funny."

"You want something to eat?
 
A sandwich?
 
Something to drink?

"You're so sweet.
 
Get me a soda, and I'll give you a big kiss."

"How can I say no to that?"

Kevin retrieved a soda from the fridge and sat next to Leese.
 
She drank half of it in one gulp.
 
He felt bad for her as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I won't be able to come over tonight.
 
I'm closing, then I have to help Cindy move some crap around their house.
 
You could come over if you wanted, but I know you're babysitting."

"Don't remind me."

"She's still giving you the cold shoulder?"

"Yup.
 
Nothing like spending Friday night with a little snotty brat."

"I'll tell Jack you said that."

"I'll just lie and say I didn't."

Leese laughed and finished her soda.
 
She set the can on the end table, and in one graceful motion, threw her leg over Kevin's waist.
 
Shifting her hips, she put her hands on his shoulders and flashed her brightest smile.

"I said I'd give you a kiss if you brought me a soda."

Kevin smiled.
 
"Yeah, you did say that."

Leese glanced at her scrubs.
 
"I probably don't look too sexy like this, do I?"

"I wouldn't say—"

He lost whatever he planned on saying when she pulled her top over her head.
 
She reached behind her for the snap on her bra.

"Uh, this isn't exactly a kiss," Kevin said.

"Are you complaining?"

"Well, no—"

"I get a half hour for lunch."
 
She leaned down to whisper in his ear.
 
"Make it count."

She kissed his neck, and Kevin closed his eyes to enjoy the moment.
 
The heaven-like bliss disappeared in an instant as Jack invaded his thoughts, yelling and screaming.
 
He grabbed Leese by the sides, to try to move her, but touching her skin melted his brain once again.

"Leese—"

"Kevin, not one word about Jack, or the couch, or whatever."

She sensed his hesitation, and leaned back to look at him.
 
He had a perfect view of her breasts, and his vision moved up and down, not sure of where to look.

"He won't do anything to you, or me," she said.
 
She sighed and tenderly held his face.
 
"Do you really want me to stop?"

Perhaps it was her brilliant use of reverse psychology, or the beautiful features, the perfect body, her bright smile.
 
Whatever it was, Kevin suddenly couldn't think of a reason not to enjoy his girlfriend at that moment.

"I won't tell him if you don't," he said, using her words from the day before.

Leese helped him out of his shirt.

*****

Twenty-five minutes later, Kevin stood in front of the television.
 
He wore only his jeans, his eyes unmoving from the couch.
 
Passion was a strange thing.
 
Leese and he had just finished doing amazing things to each other.
 
Very few words were spoken.
 
They simply caressed and moved with each other, kissed, held onto each other tightly.
 
Sometimes they were gentle, sometimes not.
 
They even fell from the couch once, and after a quick laugh, picked up right where they left off.
 
Twenty-five wonderful minutes where neither one of them had a care in the world.

That feeling was rapidly floating away as Kevin stared at the couch.

He was trying not to be too obvious, but he looked for any signs they may have left behind.
 
Anything at all that would Jack would notice immediately.

"Kevin, are you seriously staring at the couch?"

He looked up at Leese.
 
She was in the kitchen, leaning against the breakfast bar, drinking a glass of water.
 
She wore only his shirt and her panties, her scrubs still splayed on the floor.
 
It looked like a bomb had gone off in Jack's house, a sex bomb.

She looked gorgeous, and the sight of her standing there, a hand on her hip, was almost enough to halt the worry.

Almost.

"No, I'm not."

She smiled and sat on the stool, crossing her legs.
 
Another alluring sight.

"Yeah, you are."

"Okay, a little.
 
Man, just knowing Jack like we do.
 
Do you think he's got hidden cameras?
 
Or shit, knowing him, he'll come walking in with a black light."

"We did not leave any of our love juice on the couch.
 
Stop worrying."

He laughed like he was thirteen years old.
 
"Love juice.
 
And I'm not worrying."

She rolled her eyes.
 
"You sure know how to kill a buzz.
 
If you didn't look so good without a shirt on…."