by Mandy Rosko
“Why not?”
“It seems faster to get around the city at night without it.”
She nodded and understood. He’d been using his vampire speed to get around, jumping buildings and the like. Vampires were known to only buy cars for the look of them rather than a need to get around. “I guess it is better on gas.”
He smiled. “I was a little shocked when I got here to find that all the stores took American currency."
She blinked at him. "What else would we use?"
"I don't know, I guess just because this place is so well hidden—"
Jackie went to the phone and picked up the receiver. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're the tourist in town." She dialed the number and told them where to send the cab. "It's going to be a few minutes."
He nodded, shifting his feet and looking at some of the cheap artwork on her plain, white walls. He was purposely avoiding the garlic spray still stuck in the wall, as well as her.
She didn't know why it bothered her. He was a stranger in her home and she only shared a few kisses with him, kisses that he needed to become human again. So why did it irritate her so much that he wouldn't look at her?
"So," he started. "are libraries here anything like libraries ... in the other cities?"
She spared him a smile. Yeah, definitely new to the whole vampire and witch scene. She'd be nice to him from now on. "Of course it is. This library's pretty nice, a friend of mine works there. She'll probably let us stay after they close."
"And, what will we be looking for? Spell books?"
"Uh, no, we'll just sit in the nonfiction section and look up a history of curses. If you are cursed then there's no way your case is going to be unique."
The headlights of a car shone outside and brightened the room. Jackie when to the window, pulled back the transparent curtains for a better look, and there was their ride waiting for them. "Time to go, what's your name, by the way?"
He opened the door for her. "Kyle."
"And your last name?"
There was a brief hesitation on his part. "McKane."
She held her hand out to him to shake, again aware of the shock that entered her body through contact with him, but she kept her smile up. If he felt the same thing then his poker face was just as good as hers. "Nice to meet you, let's get going."
He smiled, warm and powerful enough to spread the shocking tingle to her legs. "Yes, let's. I suppose you won’t introduce yourself?"
“No point really, since you already know my name.” She pulled out her wallet and waved it at him. Then she sighed. “I’m Jackie Moore, how do you do, sir?”
He chuckled. “Very well today. Shall we go to the library?”
Jackie couldn't wait to get there, because the sooner they were there the sooner she could slip away and give Mike a call.
FOUR
Kyle paid the cab driver and got out, holding the door open for his new tour guide with a grin. Her eyes went down his torso and widened. His gaze followed hers to where his coat opened, and landed on the gun sitting in its holster.
He was glad the cab drove away before she said anything. "Why would you carry a gun?" She stepped away from him.
He straightened his jacket, hiding it from her sight. "I figured if I was leaving your apartment today as a human then I'd need to carry it."
Her wide eyes didn’t go back to their normal size. "Why would you need a gun to begin with?"
"I'm in a city filled with witches, warlocks and vampires, if it had not been for one of those witches, I wouldn't be in this situation. I figured I'd need it for protection."
Her blue eyes blazed behind those glasses of hers, and he wanted to take them off to see how bright they could be without them. "I don't like guns."
She spun to march away but he snatched her arm and turned her to face him. "Calm down, it's legal. I used to be a bodyguard."
She cocked her head, eyeing him suspiciously. "I didn't know bodyguards carried guns."
He released her. "Not all, just some." He turned and walked up the library steps.
If he was scaring her then he'd let her go. She did enough by giving him one more night of normalcy and then bringing him here. It shouldn't be long before he could find the woman who did this to him and have her reverse the spell anyway.
He couldn't stop the upturn of his lips when her footsteps crunched against the snow behind him, and she was beside him again. They were silent until they reached the glass doors with the library hours painted on them. They had half an hour before closing.
"You were cursed by the woman you were guarding?"
"Yes."
They entered the building together. Lamps were lit over dark wooden tables and glowing overhead but the place was bare.
Kyle had never seen such a beautiful library. When Jackie called it nice she hadn't given it nearly the credit it deserved. A high arched ceiling made him feel small, painted with delicate angels fit for a church, pixies playing tag with each other in their clothes made of flowers of soft purples and pinks. Another area of the ceiling depicted a wolf howling at the full moon. Werewolf. And nearby stood a vampire dressed as though he was expected at a fancy party. His arms were crossed and a cocky smirk graced his lips, showing a hint of the fangs that Kyle knew all too well. A swirl of bats surrounded him.
"Can vampires turn into bats?"
"No, of course not. Hey Charity."
Kyle hadn't realized she was leading him to the front desk until they stood before a tall, lean woman with hard blue eyes, a bun of pale blonde hair stretching her face back, and thin arms folded over a cream blouse. Her expression twisted her face and made Kyle feel anything but welcome.
Hadn't Jackie said that this woman was a friend of hers?
Jackie leaned against the front desk and beamed a smile that Charity did not return. She turned her suspicious eyes on Kyle, and he adjusted his coat again to be sure she wouldn't catch a glimpse of his gun like Jackie had, though he doubted this woman would fear it.
"Hello Jackie, what can I help you with?"
"Um, this is my friend Kyle."
He tried smiling at Charity when both women looked at him during his introduction. "Hello ma’am."
She smiled back, a forceful little thing that made everyone involved uncomfortable. "What can I get the two of you?"
Jackie looked away, and Kyle realized he'd forgotten to make up a story with her in case anyone asked about him.
"Um, look, he has a brother who was bit."
Charity tensed. "By what?"
"A vampire."
Her body and eyes melted, and when she looked at him he got a splash of both sympathy and pity. The ice princess of the library left the building. "Oh, I'm so sorry. How is he? He hasn’t turned, has he?"
Kyle managed a sad expression because he actually did have a brother whom he hadn't seen since his curse, and wouldn’t see until it was lifted. "He seems sad, doesn't like the situation at all. As for turning, we’re not completely sure."
Charity gave them her full attention. She leaned against her desk and kept as much eye contact with the two of them as possible. Kyle was pleased with this.
Jackie cleared her throat. "The thing is, Kyle and his brother didn't know about any of this," She motioned towards the entire library with her hand, as if that signified the paranormal world in general. "And he's having trouble adjusting."
Charity nodded. "It usually is a rude awakening for people who don't know about our way of life. I guess you found this city because someone told you where to go?"
Kyle nodded. "Yeah, I found another vampire in a bar and he told me about this place. It was hard to find."
Charity nodded again. "Yes, you won't find this city on any map or GPS. So, when was he bitten?"
"About five months ago." Kyle replied.
Again her eyes became suspicious. She crossed her arms. "And has he been drinking since then?"
"I guess you mean blood. Well, he's been trying not to, he doesn't want to hurt anyo
ne." Kyle was fully aware of Jackie’s eyes piercing him while he fed her librarian friend bits and pieces of truth with the lies.
Charity shook her head, and he was shocked at the anger he saw in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but if he has the urge then he’s a vampire, and it's stupidity like that, that makes ferals."
He tensed, annoyance flooding him at her tone. "Excuse me?"
She raised her hands. "Look, I have nothing against responsible vampires, but the irresponsible ones need to all be locked away. It's the irresponsible ones who are careless when they bite people, and vampires don't even need to feed from people that much nowadays anyway."
Kyle saw Jackie shaking her head and covering her eyes out of his peripheral vision. "And why would that be?" He asked.
She held up her fingers, tapping them off. "For starters, this city has enough stores selling enough blood that vampires who live near it only need to buy it to quench their thirst, right?"
He nodded, but only because he figured that if he disagreed with her there’d be Hell to pay.
Jackie looked at her friend. "Charity, maybe you shouldn't be getting into this."
"No, really, and secondly, even if some vampires prefer to drink from people, because it tastes better or whatever, they all know that if they leave their fangs in too long you can create another vampire. If that happens to someone like your brother who doesn't know what's going on and doesn't want to feed because he thinks it'll hurt people then, that creates more ferals. Ferals who feed to kill and need to be put down."
Kyle couldn't believe what he was hearing. Is that what happened to those people he fought off in the alley? Someone turned them into vampires and in their confusion they didn't feed until they went crazy?
Like a punch in the gut, he realized that nearly happened to him. It would have happened if he hadn't met Jackie.
Jackie seemed to have enough of her friend's rant. She clapped her hands together once to get their attention. "Anyway, we were wondering if we could look around in the nonfiction section. I told Kyle I'd show him some books on how vampires really are, that way he and his brother can be educated on the subject."
That seemed to be the right thing to say to Charity, and she smiled in approval. "That's the best thing to do. I actually should be closing up right now, but you can stay as long as you like. I'll set you up with a library card while you're looking, even though you don't live here. That way you can take some books with you."
Kyle graced her with a real smile. "Thank you."
She pointed her finger behind them. "You'll find vampires up those stairs on the fifth shelf in the back. The shelves are all labeled so you should find anything you need without a hitch."
Kyle looked where she pointed and grabbed Jackie’s hand. "You are wonderful, come on Jackie."
***
Jackie didn't know why she felt any kind of jealousy when Kyle called Charity wonderful. Charity just pointed the way. She wasn't the one who kissed him for a cure and brought him here in the first place.
They passed a couple of wooden pillars, some desks with those little green lamps, and Kyle all but jogged up the stairs, turning every few seconds to be sure that she followed him.
When they were along the shelf with everything marked with a V, Kyle whispered to her, "She said she has nothing against vampires, but I got the feeling she really does."
There was no point to lying, so she nodded. "Her husband was killed by a feral vampire last year. She hasn't been the same since."
Yes, Charity had stopped being very charitable when that happened. The people who knew her understood, but newcomers like Kyle had to be told so they wouldn’t take offense.
He nodded. She felt sympathy rolling off him before it was replaced with the need to fix his own problems.
He looked at the shelf. "So, I don't think the word Curse falls under V."
"It doesn't. You're going to stay here and do some reading while I grab some books and bring them to you."
He rewarded her with that heart stopping grin of his and started pulling books in two’s off their polished wooden shelves after barely glancing at their titles.
Jackie watched him pile them onto the table, suddenly hesitant to leave.
What if she was wrong about calling Mike? Kyle was the first normal person she’d met in years who’d found his way into the city, only he didn’t mean to stay. He needed help, but what if this was the only way to help? "Okay, be right back."
He opened one of the books, something big with glossy color photos, and then looked back at her. Her stomach fluttered when he smiled again. "Thanks for bringing me here, Gorgeous. I know I haven't been so nice to you, and I apologize for that."
His words sucked the breath right out of her, and then drilled the guilt right in. "Uh, that's okay." Then she tensed and her face heated. “Gorgeous?”
He shrugged. “Nickname, I think it suits you.”
He thought she was gorgeous. Their eyes met, and that spark she felt when he touched her came back. She had to turn away. "It’s fine, I guess. I'll be right back."
"I'll be here," he called.
No one ever referred to her as Gorgeous before. Jackie didn’t know whether she was supposed to be insulted or not.
She opted to just let it go for now.
She had to force herself to keep going despite the loud nagging voice in her head. He had no idea what she was really up to, what she really had planned. She was betraying his trust. She ignored all that and kept walking past the C shelves and back downstairs.
Turning him into Mike was the right thing to do. This guy was new to the city, to this way of life, and he was cursed. He needed someone to help him deal with being a vampire and provide him with blood until he could buy it himself. She had no idea if he had any money, probably some but she doubted it was much with the condition she first saw him in. Not to mention that Mike probably wanted him to answer a few questions about what happened in the alley last night.
Charity was only too happy to lift herself from her computer and offer her the phone. She had that eager-to-help look on her face up until Jackie got Mike on the other end and explained Kyle’s curse.
She could hear him fighting back the panic. “Okay, just try and keep him busy until I get there. Stay safe.”
“I don’t think he’d hurt me.”
“You don’t know that. Just stay put and try not to arouse his suspicions.”
“Right, right.” When she hung up the phone Charity appeared pale.
"He's the one who was bitten?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down." Jackie spun to look upstairs over the railing, but she saw no movement amongst the far shelves.
Charity leaned closer to keep her voice from traveling. "Why wouldn't you tell me? And how does he look so normal?"
"It's hard to explain, but—" The sounds of sirens cut her off. She spun to look at the top shelves. She couldn't see him, but he was probably standing up, telling himself the police were being called to some other emergency somewhere else while sweating over the fact that he might be wrong.
She should have told Mike to come alone, but then, he thought she was in danger. Knowing Mike he would do anything in his power to keep her safe.
She spun to face Charity, keeping her expression tight with no room for argument. "I need you to just keep calm, okay. He's not dangerous."
The lights of the cars made the inside of the library brighter. Jackie heard a chair fall upstairs as the police rushed in.
"He's upstairs! He’s upstairs!" Charity yelled, pointing the way for them.
Jackie was silent. She couldn't say or do anything but watch them pass. She heard one of the officers yell, "Freeze!" And then she saw Kyle jump over the rail and onto the ground floor of the library, only to be met by more police who tackled him to the floor like football players.
Jackie shrieked a little at how violent it all played out. How they shoved his hands behind his back, searching him and removing his gun.
He looked u
p at her and again their eyes met. She shut her eyes and turned away from the betrayal she saw there, and the anger, only to open them and see Mike standing beside her, supervising the entire ordeal. His face sagged with tired relief, and he needed to shave the dark stubble from his chin.
She grabbed him by the coat he wore. "He's not dangerous, Mike. All of this really isn't necessary," she said, secretly hoping her voice traveled enough for Kyle to hear her defend him.
The police hauled Kyle to his feet and handed Mike the gun they bagged before taking him outside.
Her eyes followed his. She waited for his outburst, his screams of betrayal, wished for it even just to take away from what she felt. He said nothing. He didn't need to. She saw the anger in him as his golden eyes became dark, and she cringed.
"If he's not so dangerous then what's this for?” He waved the bag in front of her. “Last I checked vampires don't normally carry these."
"It's legal. He used to be a bodyguard," she said, stepping up to him and jabbing him in the chest with an angry finger. "The only reason I called you is so that you could help him. I was right, he is a vampire and I did cure him."
"But in your call you said it was only temporary."
Jackie rubbed her face. "He's cursed. Someone cursed him. That makes him a victim not a criminal. He needs help, I called you to help him."
Mike blew air out of his mouth and looked out the glass that made up half the wall and the doors to where Kyle was being driven away in a squad car. "That woman who was found yesterday was identified as Georgette Sash. She's a doctor. The people looking after her now are positive that she'll wake up soon, and when she does we'll be able to question her and find out if what she says matches his testimony."
Jackie cocked her head at him suspiciously. "Why are you telling me this? What does her being a doctor have anything to do with anything?"
"You said you found him in your apartment at eight thirty?"
"You’re not answering my question."
"Answer mine first."
She knew that tone, though he'd never entirely unleashed it upon her before. She was being questioned as a cop would question a civilian. She gave in. "Yes. Why?"