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“Darla,” Kai and I said at the same time as relief flooded through me.
“You mean Miss Kahn?” the female half of the couple said, grinning broadly. “Oh, yes, she’s the one who asked. She stayed in our home last night, since our only hotel and the one bed and breakfast refused to serve her.” The couple shared an embarrassed look, and I slowly let my magic slip away. I wouldn’t be needing it for the sweethearts in front of me. “Some of the older folks here have more…old fashioned views.”
“Yeah, that’s most human-dense places,” I said, perhaps too flippantly. But I was just too excited to contain myself. “Do you know where Darla is? Could you take me to her? I'd really,reallylike to see her.”
“Of course. That’s the whole reason we approached you. You look exactly like two of the monst…I mean cryptids she described to us.”
I noticed the tiny slip-up, but I didn’t comment on it. There was no need to, not really. I was well aware what some humans liked to call us.
“By all means, lead the way.”
I knew it could be a trap, but I just didn’t buy it, especially since they’d known to call me the Healing Hermit.
But I knew the moment they opened their door that I'd made the right choice. None other than Sergeant Khan herself flew out, practically tackling me in a hug.
Laughing, I caught her, and we both stumbled to the side until Kai stabilized us. But I was so happy, so thrilled, that we could’ve crashed into the pavement, and I'd have still been incredibly happy.
Darla was safe.Darla was safe!
I should’ve known that the mischievous psychic could only behave herself for so long, though, because when she stepped away and actuallylookedat me, a slow, satisfied smile spread across her features.
“Well, look who finally got the lay they needed!”
Chapter 14
Ayla
I blushed so brightly it was probably visible from space. Of course, Darla had to go there. At least now I knew that she absolutely was my missing friend and not a shapeshifter or a face-stealer. Kai, of course, was all laughs, apparently amused to high hell with Darla. I glared at her, but she just batted her eyes at me.
“What? Just speaking the truth.”
“Yeah, you’re speaking something, all right,” I groused.
“We should really head inside,” the couple said. “We’d prefer to avoid the drama of our neighbors spotting you out here. Some of them are real busybodies.”
Goodness, I felt so awkward that I thought I might just fall right through the ground. “Yeah, let’s go inside.”
They hurried us into their cozy home. There was a certain eclectic nature to it that reminded me of my aunties and other mothers in the coven. I wasn’t sure how Darla had found them, but she must have picked up on a few stray supportive thoughts in their heads.
“We’ll be out of your hair right away,” I said, feeling intrusive.
“Don’t worry about that. We were just being a little cagey in case anyone was listening. Miss Khan said you had several teammates that are missing, right? You can stay here until you all can reunite.”
“That’s awfully kind of you.”
“Where are our manners?” Kai said, grinning and offering his hand. “This here is Ayla, and I am Kai.”
“We’re the Blairs,” the wife said, chuckling as she shook Kai’s hand. “But here, let’s show you where you can stay.”
I was both a little suspicious and a little guilty at the same time. I didn’t want to risk harming the Blairs with my curse, yet they also seemed so nice that I worried it was a trap. But that was something Darla would probably sense.
We’d definitely have to talk about it later.
For what it was worth, the tour was quite lovely, and eventually Darla and I ended up in a small guest room on the first floor, while Kai took a futon down in a den. The Blairs actually had a pretty lovely set up, and I wondered what they did for a living. They were pretty far from most cities, so maybe contract work?
However, I should have known that the moment Darla and I were alone, she'd be on me. She yanked me to the bed and sat legs akimbo next to my toppled form.
“So spill, bish! I’m about to explode.”
