The Vampire's Curse (14 page)

“Makes me wonder what you expected.” Jackie said, pointing to the front of the line. “That’s Claire, Charity’s daughter.”

Kyle looked at the woman behind the counter, serving customers without any energy or smile.

He frowned. “She looks like her mother.”

Jackie knew it was no compliment.

Kyle lowered his head when their turn came and bought a peppermint tea while Jackie ordered her coffee with extra sugar. All the booths were filled with people seeking refuge from the outside, so when a couple got up from a small circular table with two chairs they rushed for the seats.

Jackie sipped her coffee, decided it was still too bitter and stirred in one more packet of sugar.

“She’s miserable half the time but she makes good coffee. Doesn’t need as much sugar.”

Kyle chuckled and shook his head, but he said nothing as he proceeded to scan the patrons in the shop.

She didn’t know what he was looking for and decided if she didn't speak she wouldn't either. Probably because he figured he was on a job with her and that required keeping your eyes and ears open, not your mouth, as Jackie could see by the way he watched with suspicion in his eyes.

She tried looking around, to see what he was seeing, but only saw people young and old laughing and talking over the oldies while drinking and eating donuts.

Did he do this for Sarah? He said working for her was boring, so probably not. The way he described her, Jackie couldn’t imagine Kyle being so focused while on the job. It would’ve flattered her had she not actually had someone who might want to kill her.

“So, why become a bodyguard?” She asked, idly stirring her coffee.

One side of Kyle’s lips turned up. “Honestly?”

She leaned forward and nodded.

“I’m just not that skilled at anything else.”

She laughed. He didn’t return it.

Jackie stopped abruptly and realized he meant what he’d said. “I don’t believe it.”

He lifted the paper cup of tea to her. “You’re a saint there, Gorgeous, but it’s true.”

“What happened to sweetheart?”

“I like Gorgeous better. Anyway, I couldn’t do science to save my life and I earned my B minus in math only after killing myself studying. Only thing I ever succeeded in was Fitness and Health. So after I finished high school I went out to take the right courses and get my license to be a bodyguard.” He gave her a steady stare. “And you better believe I had to study my ass off for that too.”

She couldn’t believe how small he made it all sound. Jackie went to school with people who breezed through their classes without trying. Kyle
earned
his grades and he worked to be where he was before the curse. Then he had it taken from him. “Well, at least you’re dedicated. Even the people who got straight A’s in school couldn’t all say that.”

He smiled at her. Even though she couldn’t so much as sense what was happening with his emotions as he could with her, she still felt the pleasure bursting from inside him at her words. She saw it in his eyes.

“Did you always want to work in your mother’s store?”

She blinked out of her thoughts. “What?”

He shrugged and sipped his tea. “Just wondering, since we’re asking questions about each other and all.”

“Oh, well,” She’d never explained this to anyone before. “Mom did plan to have Carly run the store, but she took off to New York, so that left me.”

“What did you want to do?” He asked.

“Write, and travel a bit, I guess. But there’s not much time for writing when I’m keeping mom’s ledgers in good order. I’ve never even been outside the city, so being a travel writer is out.”

Kyle leaned closer. “When this is all over with, I’ll take you back to New York with me. You’ll have tons to write about there.”

A mist clouded over her eyes. It was the nicest thing anyone ever offered to do for her. She thought to question whether he was joking or not, but looked into his eyes and saw that he was perfectly serious. “Really?” She asked, needing it voiced.

He nodded. “Really.”

“Thanks, I’d like that.”

“Anytime, Gorgeous. I’ll show you the sights as soon as my curse is lifted.” He hesitated. “If it takes too long … or can’t be done, I’ll take you anyway.”

She was going to make certain he found his cure. "You're going to meet Carly today, she might be able to help."

His good mood vanished into something more skeptical. He took a sip of his tea and gave a half hearted shrug. "I'm really trying not to get my hopes up on that one. Like I said before, just because she's a model from New York doesn't mean she's going to know Sarah, and you even told me that she's visiting straight from New York. Sarah disappeared right after she cursed me."

Jackie wrapped her suddenly cold hands around her hot cup. "I know, I just want to help, and if that doesn't work out then we'll go back to the library."

He grinned mischievously at her from behind his cup, and she was tempted to kick him under the table. Instead she raised her hand as though swearing an oath. "I promise I won't call the cops to ambush you."

He chuckled. "That's good to know, but if you do, make sure you let me know so I can get a head start this time."

Jackie grinned and leaned back in her chair, she caught sight of Charity in the lineup at the front counter. “Speaking of which … Hey, Charity!"

Charity took her paper tray of coffees from her daughter behind the counter, paid for them and left the shop without so much as looking at them.

"Char?" Jackie's mouth fell open when it became obvious her friend hadn’t simply not heard her.

Kyle watched her get into a cab through the shop windows. "You sure she's a friend of yours?"

Jackie leaned back in her seat bewildered. “I don’t understand.”

"It's my fault."

She looked up at him. "What?"

"She hates vampires, don’t say anything, I don’t care what that woman says, she hates ‘em. And she knows that's what I am. Not to mention I was arrested in her library and yet here you are enjoying coffee with me. I bet that doesn’t look so good to her."

Jackie shook her head. "But you're not even a real vampire, and you're definitely not one of the things that killed her husband.” She thought for a second. “And even if you were a real vampire, she shouldn't be treating you like that or ignoring me because I'm with you. It isn't right."

"Hmm."

"You don't agree?"

He drank from his tea again. "I just don't know how I'd judge her actions since I've never had a spouse to know what it would be like to lose them."

Jackie blushed. Great, now she sounded insensitive.

"On the other hand," he said, casually stirring his tea with the little plastic stick. "Considering what nearly happened to you, having a prejudice against an entire race of creatures still isn't a good thing to have. All that hatred inside of her for so many innocent beings can't be healthy."

Jackie grinned. "Vampires prefer to be called
people
, not creatures."

"People they are then," he said, lifting his paper cup in a toast before bringing it to his mouth.

As Jackie watched him drink, the color disappeared from his hands and face, his golden eyes brightened until they shined, and the nails in his hands grew to points.

Jackie exhaled. Was that ever something to watch. Such a subtle yet severe change. The sun must’ve finally set behind the thick haze of gray snowfall outside. She hadn't even noticed it get dark.

Kyle flinched when hot tea dripped down his chin. He lowered his cup and touched his mouth, then noticed his nails and the flesh of his hand for the first time. He looked out the window where the street lights were on. "I changed."

He spoke as though he couldn’t believe it.

She wanted to reach across the table and take his hand into hers, excitement bubbling inside of her, but she gripped her knees instead. "This is the first time it's happened that you haven't noticed it?"

He grinned at her and she could see by the sparkle in his eyes that he'd forgotten all about being serious. "I probably wouldn't have noticed either if my fangs hadn't pierced my cup."

She laughed, and this time she did take his hands as she stood up. "We should get back. When we finish with the store we'll get in mom's car and head to her place. Carly'll either be there or at her hotel."

***

Jackie never would have though she could feel so much at ease with any man, as she felt with Kyle. Watching him transform without any pain made her giddy and excited that there was a good chance it had happened simply because he was enjoying her company.

Kyle couldn't be like the others. If she allowed it to happen, if she decided to put everything behind her and fall in love with him, he wouldn't leave her for her sister. He was too good of a person for that.

They got back to Patty's Potions in time to see her mother opening the door to give them both a hard glare. "You said only one hour."

"Sorry, we just got a little tied up." Not quite true, nor was she very sorry, but if they decided they wanted to spend some time together then it was none of her business anyway.

Patty looked at Kyle for confirmation. He smiled and nodded, and Patty had to accept it as the truth. "Well, you both might as well come in then. I see you've changed so I'll get you a bottle of blood if you like. And your sister's here."

Jackie had her coat in her hands and lifted halfway to the hook when she stopped. "What? When did she get here?"

"Came right after you left and hasn't left since.
She
wouldn't abandon her mother."

Jackie flinched and hung her coat. "Great, where is she? We can do this here."

"Mom!" Carly's voice wailed from the back room, and she came out holding a jar in each manicured hand with Jackie's spare pair of glasses on her face. "You need to start changing the labels on these older bottles, I can hardly read—" Her high pitched scream made everything silent, making the shattering of the jars she dropped at her feet that much louder, the issue of the labels no longer relevant.

Carly's mouth hung open, her eyes wide and terrified and her spine stiff.

"Carly?" Jackie looked at her, and then in the direction of what had scared her so senseless. It was Kyle.

He bore his fangs at her, his hands tight and fingers held out while his nails lengthened into razor claws. The whites in his eyes were drowned out by the pitch black that replaced them. They held no emotion whatsoever.

"Hello, Sarah."

TEN

Jackie nearly laughed and said,
No, that's my sister, Carly
. But Kyle leaped across the room in the space of a blink and stood behind her, gripping her arm in one clawed hand and her neck in the other.

His eyes blazed and Carly shook with her mouth open, little squeaks escaping but otherwise incapable of speech.

"You," Kyle seethed into her ear.

"What are you
doing?
Let go of her this instant!" Patty grabbed the broom and took a swing at him but he ducked out of the way and was across the room with his hostage before she could land a hit.

Patty reached under the counter for where Jackie knew the garlic spray was kept, and she jumped between them before her mother could melt Kyle’s face off.

Patty lunged forward with the spray bottle held out. Jackie grabbed her by the arms before she could get any closer. "Stop it, mom! Stop it!"

"What are you doing? Help your sister!" Patty flung Jackie's arms off of her, her heated glare now directed at her.

Jackie looked at Kyle. Carly remained in his arms, tears dripping down her cheeks and leaving tracks through the makeup. She hiccuped and kept her eyes on him but did not move in his grip. Kyle glared at everyone with suspicion in his eyes, his hands still refusing to loosen his grip on his captive.

But despite all that …

"He doesn't look like he's hurting her." Jackie said.

Kyle's eyes widened and color returned to them, as though he couldn’t believe she said it.

Patty's face mirrored his, but her reaction was different. "Oh, get out of my way! I'll handle this myself!"

Jackie had to grab her and hold her back again. She might be the weakest witch in Griffon City, but she wasn’t going to let her mother attack Kyle with garlic spray.

Patty punched Jackie’s arms off her and looked on helplessly as Carly sobbed in Kyle’s grip.

"Mom, he's hurting me!" She wailed.

Kyle bristled. "I'm barely touching you!"

"Let go of her or I'll phone the police!"

"Phone them! Do it! They'll put her away for cursing me!"

"Wait, wait!" Jackie felt as though she were being pulled in two different directions. One towards the loyalty she had to her family, who demanded that loyalty, and the other towards Kyle, who so far demanded nothing but the police. "Kyle, that's my sister Carly. She couldn't have cursed you."