Her wardrobe was built into the wall, the mirrored door cracked. Pushing the clothes to one side she reached up to the shelf she had hidden with a plank of wood, searching for her Go Bag and box.
She was always prepared, the black duffel full of spare Ravyns, pound notes, a fake passport as well as clothes in case she needed to leave quickly. It was her escape plan if things went wrong, and now she had lost it.
“Please, no!” She reached on her tiptoes, searching in the space for anything left.
“Kyra, you home?” a familiar voice called from the hall. “Your door is open and I have enough food for two. Also I thought we could binge that new series you like.”
Kyra placed the wood back against the shelf, moving out the bedroom just as Eva appeared at the door. “Hey,” she said, her voice hollow. “I’m sorry about the mess.”
“Holy shit! What happened?” Eva asked, stepping over the glass. She knocked the door closed with her hip, a takeaway bag crushed tightly to her chest. “Oh my god Kyra, have you called the police?”
Kyra looked away, hands still shaking as the ache across her body intensified. “There’s no point. I don’t think anything’s been stolen.” Nothing she would admit to having, anyway. “They will just give me a case number which will be filed somewhere and forgotten.”
Eva narrowed her bright blue eyes. “Who did that to your face?”
Kyra noticed the bruise on Eva’s throat, the colour a painful purple and yellow. “Who did that to your neck?” she asked instead.
Eva pouted her naturally thick lips, painted a soft pink that brought out the rosy tones in her fair skin. “Here,” she said, thrusting the warm bag at Kyra before carefully adjusting the sofa. The cushions were ruined, but enough stuffing remained that they wouldn’t be sitting straight on wood. “Lucas wouldn’t take no for an answer,” she said after moving to the kitchen, crouching to a lower cabinet to grab the dust pan and brush.
“He hurt you?” Kyra asked, having met Eva’s boyfriend a few times. He was a vampire, one who liked control. She wasn’t a fan, and had made Eva aware of her opinion.
Eva didn’t answer, but her silence was enough. She began to slowly sweep up the broken glass, her golden brown hair hiding her expression. “I sure pick them, don’t I?” she laughed without humour. “It doesn’t matter, I dumped his arse as soon as he laid a hand on me. You were right, as you always are.”
Kyra settled the bag in the corner. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Eva replied. “Now we can grow old together and watch those terrible reality TV programmes you love so much. You may need to grow a penis though, I’ll definitely miss that part of the relationship.”
Kyra smiled, the easy conversation almost making her forget the note until she saw Eva’s shoulder tighten, her hands clenched around the dustpan and brush. They had been close friends for years, having lived next door to one another for over half a decade. She could predict exactly what Eva’s reaction would be.
“It’s nothing,” she explained. “Probably a prank.”
Eva’s eyes were furious when she turned. “How many threats is that now? And don't you dare lie to me. Just because I'm human doesn't mean I can't sniff out your bullshit,” she snapped.
“It’s nothing…”
“Kyra!” Eva let out an angered puff of air. “Move in with me until it's safe.”
It wasn’t the first time she had asked, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. “I can’t just run from this.”
“Has this –” Eva gestured wildly to the mess, “– got anything to do with your lip?”
Kyra shook her head, even the small movement hurting. “No, that was just a misunderstanding at the market.”
“Misunderstanding?” Eva parroted. “Are they dead?”
“Eva!”
“Do you want them to be?” she continued, trying to keep a straight face. “Kyra this has gone too far, if you won’t call the police you need to hire someone to investigate the threats at the very least.” She bit her lip, eyes swinging back to the note. “Maybe we can hire Supernatural Intelligence? They deal with this sort of thing, right?”
“With what money?” Kyra wasn’t sure how much hiring someone from S.I. would be, but she knew she couldn’t risk them investigating without notifying Frederick. She had already asked for his assistance, and he had laughed. If he found out she had sought help somewhere else… She had enough to deal with without Frederick’s anger.
“I have savings, and I’ll find the rest if it’s more. It doesn’t matter,” Eva said, carefully placing the glass she had collected into a bowl on the counter. “You're worrying me. I know you’re a dark witch and can defend yourself, but there's so many crazy people out there.”
Kyra knew she was right. The threats were nothing when they were just pieces of paper, but now someone had sent her a severed finger, and had now entered her home.
“I can’t hire a S.I. paladin, not when I’ve worked so hard to build relationships at The Tower.” It wasn’t technically a lie, Black witches didn’t get hired because of fear of repercussions.
She had been able to convince the commissioner to take her on as a specialist, one that paid more than the other jobs she had been forced to take over the years.
