Witch's Blood_Bloodless_A Paranormal Romance

by Neha Yazmin

  “Made what clear?” I retort. “Whether or not you’re attracted to me? No.” I take a deep breath to slow my speech. “You implied that you thought I was beautiful. You didn’t say that you were attracted to me. Thinking someone is attractive and finding them attractive are two different things.”

  “True again,” he admits with a nod. Then he straightens in his seat and arches an eyebrow. “But I asked you first.”

  He grins cheekily.

  “Well, I’m not going to answer first!”

  I might not even answer second.

  Or ever.

  Pouting stubbornly, I fold my arms across my chest.

  I feel a bit silly about it too, but the deed is done.

  “I don’t think I quite like this game,” he murmurs.

  I drop my arms to the table and say, “Tough!”

  “But I’ll play it, anyway.” He winks at me.

  “Huh?”

  Callum leans over the table towards me, until his face is just a couple of inches away from mine, maybe less.

  My heart doesn’t beat for like two seconds.

  Clamping my mouth shut, I hold my breath.

  He’s so close…

  And then he whispers, “Amber Adams, I am one-hundred percent attracted to you. If I wasn’t, you and I wouldn’t be here right now.”

  His words make my lips part and air rushes out.

  He breathes in my breath and his eyes close briefly.

  When he opens them, he tells me, “Though, I wish I’d seen your fair hair. I think I would have liked that more…”

  “How do you know–”

  “Of course that’s not your natural hair colour,” he murmurs, pulling back a little to appraise my black hair.

  I wonder if he can see the red under these dim lights.

  Probably not.

  “Eyes like yours don’t come with hair like that,” he comments as he settles back down in his seat.

  I sigh in relief.

  “So, why black?” he asks conversationally.

  I’m relieved he isn’t daring me to tell him if I find him attractive, now that he’s admitted to fancying me.

  He fancies me!

  “Why dye your hair at all?” He seems incredulous.

  I shrug.

  “Just felt like a change,” I mumble. “For the new year, you know.”

  “I know,” he agrees with a nod. “Change is good. I like change.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far…”

  He tilts his head to the side. “No?”

  “No. Not all change is good.”

  “What happened to your parents, Amber?” he suddenly asks, voice grave.

  Concerned.

  “What?”

  Why did he ask me that?

  “How did they die?”

  “That’s none of your business,” I snap.

  My parents’ death is something I’ve never liked talking about.

  And after learning last year about how they died… I prefer not to think about it at all.

  It hurts too much.

  “Were they murdered?” he presses.

  “Callum!”

  Appalled, I jump to my feet and slide out of the booth, ready to leave the bar.

  “Amber, wait,” he calls after me as I head towards the main bar area.

  I feel his hand on my shoulder and shrug it off.

  But I turn around, anyway.

  I get the feeling he’ll only follow me out.

  Besides, I can’t actually leave right now.

  Jax has yet to text me.

  I don’t know if she’s done with Callum’s apartment yet, so I can’t let him return home before she gives me the all-clear.

  “I’m sorry, Amber,” he says softly. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Come and sit back down.” He gestures towards our booth. “We don’t have to talk about your parents’ murder.”

  I sigh.

  As we return to our seats, I ask him, “What makes you so sure that they were murdered?”

  He only answers me once we’ve settled back in our seats.

  “Your reaction when I asked about their death didn’t suggest that they’d been in an accident. Or that they’d died from illness.

  “When I mentioned murder… your reaction confirmed that’s what it was.”

  I sigh again.

  “How old were you?”

  Because he sounded genuinely concerned and sad for me, truly interested in knowing, I find myself saying, “Young. Really young. I don’t remember them.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I was a baby…”

  I take a deep breath now, to calm myself.

  I’m relieved my eyes are still dry.

  Years of practice, I suppose.

  Or the fact that I never knew how to grieve my parents – how do you grieve the loss of something you never had?

  Someone you never knew?

  “I don’t remember my parents, either,” Callum murmurs, looking down at his hands, fidgeting on the table. “Well, I didn’t even know my father… he was never around.”

  “How old were you when your mother…?”

  “Not as young as you,” he tells me in a hurry, tone a bit sharp.

  He doesn’t want to talk about his mother’s death, either.

  “So, who brought you up?” he asks, clearly trying to throw the spotlight away from his loss. And back on mine. Unfair.

  “Grandparents,” I reply.

  “Are they still…?”

  I shake my head no.

  “Granddad died last year…”

  Now, my eyes do start to well up…

  I blink the tears away.

  “So you’re all alone,” he whispers; I don’t think it was an intentional whisper. “I’m so sorry, Amber…”

  He seems to mean it.

  That somehow stops further tears from pooling up in my eyes.

  “I have an older brother,” I tell him.

  And up until the end of last year, I had a whole group of people at work who I thought of as family.

  I realise now how lucky I was to have that.

  “A brother?” Callum prods.

  I nod and smile, thinking about Aiden, the geek.

  “I hope he takes good care of you…”

  “He does,” I assure him with a nod.

  That is, when he’s not off gallivanting around the country trying to track demonic activity…

  At least he has his girlfriend taking care of him.

  “Do you have any siblings, Callum?”

  “I’m sure I do,” he answers, a note of bitterness in his note. “Half-siblings, that is. Based on what I do know about my father, I probably have loads of half-brothers and half-sisters out there.”

  “Oh.”

  His dad was a player.

  “Exactly.”

  “But I’m sure you’re nothing like him,” I tease him in a mock-sarcastic tone.

  A crooked smile graces his face, not quite cheeky, not quite cunning.

  For some reason, it raises the hairs on my neck.

  “I have my father’s blood running through my veins,” he says in a low voice.

  It’s almost… sinister?

  “I have his DNA,” he continues. “Of course I’ve inherited some of his… attributes and… talents.”

  The things he’s saying, the way he’s saying them – like he’s proud to be his father’s son, or to have his father’s genetics – it’s somehow making me very uncomfortable.

  Why would anyone be proud to have a philanderer as a father?

  “It doesn’t sound like something to brag about,” I tell him in a slightly irritated tone.

  “No, I suppose not. I’ve offended you?”

  “A little.”

  “Let me make it up to you by accompanying you home,” he suggests. “I’ll show you that I can be a gentleman.”

  He makes to rise from his seat.

  “You wanna leave now?” I ask, panicked.

 
Jax still hasn’t texted me…

  “It’s late,” he tells me, looking at his watch. “They’ll be closing soon, anyway. And I don’t want your brother to think I’m keeping you out so late…”

  Fine, let him think Aiden’s home.

  But Callum can’t go home yet.

  Who knows whether Jax will be done searching Callum’s flat by the time he returns home?

  That is, if I let him take me home.

  I’m not sure I trust him enough to permit him to know where I live.

  “Are you coming?” he prompts.

  I’m not sure how best to stall him…

  “Don’t worry, Amber. We’ll definitely do this again.”

  He winks.

  I narrow my eyes at him.

  But I like the idea of going on another date with him…

  Callum slides out of the booth and comes to me, holding up his hand to help me to my feet.

  I’m not ready to touch him yet, so I ignore his outstretched arm and slowly slide out of my seat.

  Thankfully, he moves aside to let me out.

  I don’t know what I’d have done if my body had brushed up against his…

  “I don’t want to go home yet,” I blurt out as we exit the bar and meet the cool, dark night.

  “No?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

  I shake my head no. “Let’s take a walk.”

  Chapter 11

  “IT’S JUST A FEW MINUTES UNTIL MIDNIGHT,” CALLUM SAYS. “Are you sure you don’t want to go home before the spell wears off, Cinderella?”

  He throws in a cheeky crooked smile, too.

  “I didn’t arrive via pumpkin, so yes, I’m sure,” I tell him, flashing him a sweet smile.

  Trying to convince him to take a walk with me.

  Not go home yet.

  “Well, you might not need your beauty sleep,” he murmurs. “But I need mine. I have a photo shoot tomorrow morning. I need to get home.”

  He looks apologetic, but I’m not blind to the pleasure and amusement dancing in his striking eyes.

  He likes that I want more time with him.

  “So much for wanting to spend time with a beautiful girl,” I moan, folding my arms across my chest.

  Callum chuckles.

  “I told you,” he says in a pleading tone. “We’ll do this again. But now, it’s late. And I don’t want your brother to hate me before he even meets me. So, I’m not keeping you out any longer.”

  He gives me a strict look.

  “My brother won’t care,” I tell him, my tone pleading now. “He’s probably already asleep…”

  I hate Jax for forcing me to do this. To beg.

  Callum must think I’m pathetically desperate…

  “You need to rest too, Amber,” he says in a soft voice. “You look like you’ve had a long day.”

  I open my mouth to protest, but he adds, “Tell you what: I’ll see you in your dreams, okay? How’s that?”

  The grin on his face now is smug.

  Like he’s certain I’m going to dream about him every night from now on.

  I probably will, but how dare he assume as much!

  It makes me say, “As if!”

  He laughs.

  “Don’t take it the wrong way, Amber – I wasn’t teasing you.”

  “Hmpf!” is all I say, turning my face away from him.

  “It’s true,” he insists, tone serious.

  I turn to face him again, appraise his expression.

  Yes, he’s not joking.

  He bends his head down so his eyes are on the same level as mine, piercing into me.

  Then he whispers, “I know I’m going to dream about you tonight.”

  My insides melt.

  Really melt.

  I feel empty and weightless, like I’m floating on the cool night breeze.

  I’m only half-aware of him straightening up and moving to my side, putting his hand on the small of my back and guiding me away from the bar’s entryway.

  “Come on,” he murmurs. “I’ll walk you to the train station. You can decide as we get there if you want me to get on the train with you and take you to your doorstep.”

  We start walking, his hand still on my back, my brain still in a haze.

  It’s like I’m drifting off to dreamland already…

  Could it be true?

  Could it be that Callum Dent really does like me?

  Like me like I like him?

  He’s the first guy I’ve ever fancied – surely I’m not so fortunate that he’d reciprocate my feelings.

  And so soon after we’ve met.

  “So, Cinderella,” he says, his voice suddenly loud.

  Or I’m emerging from the fog that’s been shrouding me since he told me he’d be thinking of me tonight.

  “What?” I ask, wondering if I’ve missed an earlier question while I was lost in my thoughts.

  “Do you want me to come on the train with you?”

  He looks around and I do the same.

  We’re at the tube station!

  And Jax still hasn’t called.

  It won’t take Callum too long to get back to his flat from here.

  “Amber?”

  “Yes? Oh, I mean no. No, I’ll go from here. Thanks. Goodnight.”

  He laughs out loud at my sudden urge to get away from him, only moments after I’d been practically begging him to stay with me a little longer.

  “Sorry,” I say sheepishly. “You’re right, it is late. I should get home. Get some rest.”

  Callum smiles and says, “Yes, goodnight.”

  Then he lowers his head to my level.

  My heart stops for a beat, excited and afraid that he’ll kiss me.

  I stop breathing as he places his hands on my waist.

  Again, it seems as though I can feel his hands on my skin through my leather jacket and dress.

  It makes my breath catch.

  How will it feel when we eventually touch, skin-to-skin?

  I tremble at the thought…

  Slowly, Callum inches his face closer to mine and I know for sure he’s going to kiss me.

  He can’t kiss me!

  Well, he can.

  I just can’t kiss him.

  I don’t think I’ll be able to do it properly, the state that I’m in – breathing erratically, knees quaking, imagination running wild.

  To be honest, I don’t want my first kiss with Callum to be by the ticket machines of an underground station.

  Not very romantic.

  Nor private.

  I guess Callum sees it my way, too, because he doesn’t kiss me.

  He just says, in a breathy whisper no less, “I’ll see you in your dreams, Amber. Sleep well.”

  It’s a huge relief when he straightens up, smiles, and heads back out into the night.

  Looks like he won’t be taking the train home.

  Perhaps he drove here?

  I can’t ponder on that.

  I need to call Jax.

  Taking my phone out of my jacket pocket, I dial the young witch’s number.

  It rings.

  And rings.

  And rings.

  No answer.

  Shoot!

  I cut the connection and redial.

  Same result.

  God, I hope she’s alright.

  Now I have no choice but to call Simone, in the off chance that they’re together.

  She answers after a few rings.

  “Hello?”

  “Simone, it’s Amber.”

  “What is it – is everything okay?”

  Yup, of course I’ve freaked her out by calling so late.

  “Yes, everything’s fine,” I lie. “Sorry for calling so late.”

  “I wasn’t asleep…”

  Of course not.

  “Are you otherwise okay? Are your parents okay?”

  “They’re not asleep, either,” she tells me. “I can hear them talking…”

  “Listen, have you heard from Jax
after 11pm tonight?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I called her a couple of times, but she hasn’t answered…”

  “Oh.”

  “She’s probably asleep and her phone’s on silent,” I tell her reassuringly.

  But I am anything but reassured.

  “Do you want me to try?” she asks.

  “No, no. I’ll try her again after hanging up. You try to get some sleep, okay?”

  “I’ll try. Goodnight, Amber.”

  “Night, Simone.”

  Hanging up, I call Jax’s line again.

  I’m not going to hang up until she picks up.

  Pick up pick up pick up!

  10 seconds.

  20 seconds.

  30.

  40.

  I’ve counted to 47 when I hear a break in the ringing on the line.

  I hold my breath, praying that it’s Jax’s voice that greets me.

  “Yeah?” asks a groggy voice through the phone connection.

  The voice is female, thank god.

  But it doesn’t quite sound like Jax.

  “Jax, is that you?”

  “Yeah…”

  I sigh in relief.

  Her voice is still a bit off, tired and disoriented almost, but it’s her.

  “Thank goodness! Are you okay? Why didn’t you answer your phone sooner? I was so worried.”

  “Erm, err… I only just… woke up?”

  She sounds even more confused than I feel.

  “You were asleep?”

  “Of course not!” A little bit of the real Jax has returned.

  “Where are you? Are you still at Callum’s?”

  “Yes. Well, I’m outside his front door,” she says incredulously. “His locked front door. Which I didn’t lock…”

  “Okay, you can explain everything later,” I tell her in an urgent voice. “Callum’s on his way home. You need to get outta there.”

  “What? Already?” she retorts. “What part of ‘keep him busy till I text you’ didn’t you get, Amber?”

  “Snide remarks later, Jax,” I tell her in a strict tone. “What’s done is done. He’s coming home. Get moving. Now.”

  “But I didn’t even get to look in his bedroom–”

  “Jax, move it!” I order. “You can talk and run, okay? Talk and run.”

  “Fine!” she huffs and I think I hear her breath come faster.

  I don’t think she’s running but it’s better than Callum finding her on his doorstep, on the phone to me.

  “Now, what did you mean when you said you’re outside his locked front door that you didn’t lock?”

  “Well, I broke into his apartment and headed straight for his bedroom,” she explains, her breathing a lot faster now.