Not That Kind Of Witch • Kai Parker #1

23: you're different

She needed her voice. Kai was fuming and continuously bombarding her with questions. Raising her bound wrists to her throat, she motioned to her mouth and shook her head. "No voice."

Glaring at the rope wrapped around her, Kai gripped it and pulled. "Your throat?"

Seeing the raw red skin at her wrists, Kai sent a quick scathing glare outside. Nodding her head animatedly, Valerie spoke, "He grabbed my neck and it went." Kai couldn't hear her and he wasn't watching her lips. Extinguishing the flames, Kai jostled her into his arms and strode out of the crumpled van.

Seeing Valerie wince, Kai walked slower and tried to read her lips. "Kai, he stopped my voice." Slowly mouthing the words, she sighed when he looked on in confusion. Wrapping her un-injured arm around his shoulders, she sank into his warm body. She was getting no where.

Searching the road, she saw two bodies. Ralph and the driver were meters away from each other. Both looked dead.

Striding for a car parked beside the road, Kai reached to unlock the drivers door and toed it open. Valerie admired his face, she'd missed him. A lot.

Gently laying her in the seat, Kai motioned and told her, "Wait here. Don't get up."

Too tired to do anything but sit and wait, Valerie nodded. He was only gone seconds but when he returned her eyes had drifted shut. Startled, she jerked back, seeing Ralph bloodied and broken yet very much alive. He was coughing up blood and hiding his stomach.

Kai was stood beside him, glaring down at him. Ralph was on his knees and big shivers wracked his body. "What did you do to her?" When Ralph hesitated, Kai twisted his ankle. Valerie heard the resounding snap and tried not to flinch.

Gazing into her face, Ralph's eyes were glossed over. "I-I restricted her vocal chords. That's it. That's all. I didn't touch her otherwise."

Valerie confirmed his claim and looked expectantly at Kai. Kai was brimming with anger, Valerie felt it would boil over any second.

She was correct. Kai's fist flew out of nowhere and connected with Ralph's jaw, knocking him unconscious instantly. The brutal act shocked Valerie to her core. She'd seen Kai do some pretty nasty shit but never with his fists.

Stepping over Ralph's crumpled body, Kai reached for her throat. Valerie wasn't sure what she should say when her voice came back, she didn't think thank you was enough. Staring intently down at her eyes, Kai's brimmed with everything he was feeling. She saw his turmoil in his expression. It was so different to the indifferent mask he usually wore.

Rubbing soothing circles on her neck, Kai closed his eyes and tilted his chin. Valerie stared up at him and began to shiver when an all encompassing warmth spread from his palms. Keeping his hands around her throat, he continued stroking his thumb behind her hair line. Crouching to her height, he questioned, "Can you talk?"

Gulping back her nerves, Valerie attempted, "Yes."

Her voice was back. Her head still felt drowsy and she was sure there was dried blood on her face. Valerie could've sliced the tension with a knife, it hung between them in the air as an unspoken question.

"Where are you injured?"

Attempting to raise her left arm, Valerie winced. "I hit my arm. It's probably just a sprain though."

Smoothing his palm down her forearm, Kai monitored her face for signs of pain. Using his magic, he saw she'd definitely cracked her bone. He couldn't tell her, didn't want to worry her more than necessary. She needed to get it reset. He could try and fix it but he wasn't going to risk it not setting back to normal. "We'll have to get it checked. There's a hospital near Whitmore campus."