Four Centuries (Damned and Cursed Book 7) (27 page)

She didn't make a sound as she made her way down the hall.
 
Were vampires naturally quiet?
 
She'd nearly made it to the kitchen doorway when she realized she was barely breathing.

She heard and smelled the uninvited guest, but still let out a quiet gasp when she leaned one eye into the kitchen and saw him.
 
It was a
him
.
 
He stood with his back to the doorway, rummaging through the kitchen drawers.
 
The refrigerator was wide open.
 
She couldn't make out many features in the dark, and didn't want to cast light over the kitchen with a pair of glowing eyes.

Zoey took one step forward, then another.
 
She half-expected the thief to turn around at any moment.
 
He didn't.
 
He had no idea she was even behind him, which gave her a feeling of power she never felt before.
 
He was only a mortal.
 
There was nothing he could do to stop her.

He was going to regret trying to rob Victoria's house.

She was three steps behind him.
 
Still, she didn't make a sound.
 
She was holding her breath completely now.
 
The intruder side-stepped to the next kitchen drawer, rummaging through its contents.
 
He hummed a tune to himself.

She cocked her arm next to her head.
 
It was only at that moment she realized she was still wearing only a towel.
 
Her other hand was entwined in its folds, making sure it didn't drop to the floor.
 
It was too late to turn back to get dressed now.

The intruder either finally heard something, or just sensed a pair of eyes on him.
 
He let out a startled
huh
as he turned around.

Zoey swung her fist as wildly as she could.

The intruder managed to get his arm up, but it did very little to soften the blow.
 
There was a loud cracking sound as she connected, and he sailed across the kitchen.
 
He completely left his feet and crashed into the wall, buckling the drywall.
 
Zoey ran to the lights, her movements a blur, and flipped all of them on.
 
She knew she could move fast, had done it before, but it was still a sensation that nearly made her sick.

She turned to see the intruder on the floor on his side, cradling his arm.
 
He winced and writhed back and forth in pain.
 
Zoey marched across the kitchen with purpose, still holding up her towel.
 
She grabbed a chair and gripped it like a bat.

"Whoa!" he shouted, through gritted teeth.
 
"What the hell?
 
Hold on!
 
Who are you?"

"Who am I?" Zoey said, amazed.
 
She held the chair over her head without effort.
 
Sometimes it was easy to forget how strong she was.
 
"You break into a house and ask who am I?"

"Shit, would you stop?
 
Would you please put down the chair!"

She cocked it back, threatening him with it.

"Not until you tell me your name."

"Okay, just relax.
 
I'm Kevin."

Zoey didn't back down.

"And that's supposed to mean something to me?
 
I don't know you."

"Well, I don't know you, and I'm not beating you up and poking a chair at you."

"This isn't your house!"

"I know!
 
It's Victoria's!
 
I'm a friend of hers."

She backed up a step at the sound of Victoria's name.
 
Victoria didn't talk about her friends, not in great detail.
 
Was it possible she just attacked someone close to her?

She was still wary.

"I don't think I believe you," she said.
 
"You're a burglar."

Kevin had pulled himself into a sitting position against the wall, his arm still limp.
 
He looked at her in disbelief.

"Oh, really?
 
What am I stealing?"
 
He gestured to the refrigerator.
 
"A ham and cheese sandwich?"

Following his gaze, there was indeed a loaf of bread on the counter.
 
Beside it was a pack of ham and mustard.
 
A single slice of cheese was still in plastic.

"Shit," he said, his face scrunched in pain.
 
"I think you broke my arm."

"I didn't hit you that hard."

"Oh, yeah?"

Kevin unveiled his arm, and Zoey gasped.
 
It
was
broken, between the wrist and elbow.
 
The forearm was bent at an odd angle, with bone jutting through the skin.

Zoey felt sick.
 
She'd only seen a broken bone once before, when Kylie fell out of a tree when they were younger.

"Oh my God," she said.
 
"I'm
so
sorry.
 
I didn't mean…
shit
.
 
God, what do we do?
 
I can call a doctor.
 
I'll call Victoria.
 
I can drive you to the hospital."

He shook his head.

"Can I just have some water?"

"Water?
 
Okay, one second.
 
Then we'll figure out what to do."

Her hand shook as she grabbed a plastic cup out of the cabinet.
 
Kevin moaned in discomfort behind her.
 
She fought off the guilt as best she could.
 
It wasn't entirely her fault.
 
She didn't know who he was.
 
What was he even doing in the house?

"Here," she said, squatting down to hand him the cup.
 
"I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

Zoey wasn't expecting what happened next.

Instead of taking a sip, Kevin set the cup on the floor.
 
He dipped his finger in the water and gave it a stir.

She didn't have time to ask what he was doing before the water turned a light shade of blue.
 
It reminded her of a fruit drink, but one that actually glowed.

Then, as quickly as it started, the glow was gone.

Kevin took a deep drink and leaned his head against the wall.
 
He kept his injured arm in his lap, perfectly still.

His arm suddenly popped, moving on its own.
 
Zoey jumped.
 
Kevin let out a groan and took a deep breath.
 
His arm shifted one more time, the bone moving back where it belonged.

He held his arm up and examined it.
 
He wiggled every finger.
 
Twisting it back and forth, there were no signs of the injury, no scar.
 
Only a little dried blood.

"Ahh," Kevin said.
 
"Much better."

Zoey had no words.
 
Her mouth hung open.

He finished what was left in the cup.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Z-Zoey.
 
Zoey Gallner."

His cheeks turned red as his eyes danced.

"Uh, well, Zoey, you might want to get some clothes on.
 
Your towel is a little, uh…open."

She glanced down.
 
She'd lost most of the grip on the towel, which just hung loosely over her frame.
 
Parts of her pale body peeked out.
 
A breast, sliver of leg, her bare shoulder.
 
Without another word, she turned and left the kitchen.
 
She was too awestruck to be embarrassed.
 
She made a beeline for the basement, her mind a blur.

Zoey had never dressed so fast in her life, not even when her boyfriend was leaving through the window when her parents returned home.

She wasn't completely conscious of what she was putting on.
 
A pair of cutoff jeans.
 
A white Baltimore Orioles tee shirt Victoria bought for her.
 
At least she thought it was the Orioles.
 
It had a bird on it.
 
She didn't bother with socks or shoes.
 
They would only delay her getting back to the kitchen for the barrage of questions she had for Kevin.

She almost expected him to be gone, although she could hear and smell him.
 
When she went back to the kitchen Kevin was sitting at the dining table.
 
He was a few chairs away from her sketchpad and phone.

He greeted her with a smile.
 
He'd replaced his strange water with a can of soda.
 
His ham and cheese sandwich sat on a plate in front of him.
 
A bite was already missing.

"Hello, again," he said, taking a drink.

The hundred questions in Zoey's mind vanished.
 
Her mind was a blank slate.
 
She said nothing as she crossed the kitchen and sat across from him.
 
He was uncomfortably close to her sketchpad, so she slid it further down the table.

Only one question popped in her head.

"Who are you?"

"I already told you.
 
I'm Kevin.
 
Victoria didn't talk about me at all?"

She shook her head.
 
Kevin paused chewing for a moment to frown.

"That hurts a little," he said.
 
"Well, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.
 
I knew she had someone in town staying over.
 
I thought you'd both be out on the town, so I stopped over."

"She got a call.
 
Some kind of emergency.
 
She ran out with Jack."

His eyes shot open.

"Ah, Jack's in town?
 
I hope he doesn't kill anyone."

"Jack…has
really
killed people?"

Kevin said nothing.
 
His only response was to shove more ham and cheese in his mouth.

"How did you do that?" she asked, pointing to his arm.

"I'm a witch."

She laughed for a moment, waiting for him to continue.
 
He didn't.

"A witch?"

"Yeah.
 
Pointy hats, broomsticks, cauldrons.
 
You know, a witch."

A witch.
 
Such simple words, with powerful meaning.

"Seriously?"

"Yup."
 
He finished his sandwich.
 
"That's why I'm here, actually.
 
I keep some of my best stuff here.
 
I was looking for a key when you ambushed me."

"I didn't
ambush
you.
 
I thought you were breaking in."

He laughed and shook his head.
 
"A witch, breaking in.
 
That's funny."
 
He rose to his feet.
 
"Victoria keeps a key in one of these drawers."

Zoey nodded.
 
"Yeah, to the blood fridge here.
 
You don't drink blood, do you?"

"No.
 
I just need to get in the safe."

Her eyes fell on the great mystery of the kitchen.
 
The safe only with a handle.

"The safe is yours?"

"Victoria got it for me.
 
Specially made.
 
You know where that key is?"

Zoey retrieved it from the right drawer and handed it over.
 
She didn't ask any questions, just watched.
 
Did the safe have a keyhole, hidden from view?

Kevin studied the key and simply held it in his hand.

"Perfect."

With his other hand, he simply pulled open the safe.
 
Zoey looked back and forth between Kevin and the safe.
 
It didn't make any sense.

"How did you do that?"

"Magic."
 
He returned the key and rubbed his hands together with a smile as he stared into the safe.
 
Zoey peered over his shoulder.
 
"Now let's see what we got here."

The smell attacked her nose and nearly made her gag.
 
Her eyes watered as she had to look away for a moment.

"Shit," she said.
 
"What
is
that?"

Kevin pointed at different jars and bags, all lined up neatly on shelves.

"Frog's tongue.
 
Ground-up bone of a sparrow.
 
One-year-old graveyard dirt.
 
Salamander eyes."

She stepped back, unable to take the attack on her senses.

"Gross.
 
What do you do with it?"

"Potions."

"Are you serious?
 
Like love potions?"

He laughed as he took out several bags.

"Jack always makes fun of me about a love potion.
 
He says it's the only way I snagged my girlfriend.
 
Really, I can make a lot of stuff.
 
But a love potion's never popped in my head."

Zoey looked him up and down.
 
He was a little taller than her.
 
Well-defined physique, but he had a goofy smile.
 
He wasn't unattractive, but definitely not her type.
 
She wondered what a witch's girlfriend was like.

He set the bags on the table and noticed the sketchpad.
 
Drifting over, Zoey's heart caught in her chest as her body stiffened.

"Wow, you draw?"

"Yeah," she said, her lips pursed.
 
"I draw."

"This looks awesome."

He grabbed the sketchpad to hold it closer.
 
Zoey nearly raised a hand in protest, but kept quiet.
 
The portrait was very personal to her.
 
She didn't like people just grabbing it, even Victoria.