Night without nightmares (2)

Neven Darga remembered that he had to leave before dawn. He didn't want his future wife to wake up and find him there. She would be more scared than thrilled by such a discovery; he was sure of that.

As such, he decided not to fall asleep a moment before his eyes closed.

He was a fool. For the second time in a row, he slept with her. No matter how much he wished to stare, his eyes wouldn't stay open.

He woke up an hour before dawn and used a hundred per cent of his brain not to wince. He slipped out of bed - not without silent complaints in a language he didn't know - and walked to the window.

He swept his eyes through the room, ensuring that he hadn't forgotten anything. Then, once sure there was no trace of him, he left through the French window and locked it from outside. He walked away to the room next to that one.

There, a suit for the day was waiting for him. He had time to shower and return to work without anyone noticing his absence. He was sealing a deal in a conference about a three hours drive from Vienna.

He wrote a mail to his secretary, reminding him to protect his future wife. Protect from what? Evil spirits and unwanted suitors, of course.

He left the hotel at an early hour not to attract any attention. His future wife would never know he had been there.

When said future wife woke up, she was feeling well. She stretched her arms and back, still laying, and moaned when she heard her bones crack. She had slept for so long for that room to be a foreign place.

A cooler climate could do miracles for insomnia!

She moved the covers away, and the warmth dispersed. She rubbed her eyes while reaching the bathroom and didn't notice anything until coming out.

Her whole body felt marvellous. It was almost as if she was drunk but happy. What a weird feeling.

However, it disappeared for a few moments when she noticed the window. The protection she had put on had been moved during the night.

Was her delight all due to an evil spirit playing pranks? But she didn't feel any presence! While analysing the energies, she noticed the golden traces she had learnt to discern.

Oh, she had Ogi's energy on her, but the most contact they had was when he had written his number on her palm. It did last long because he was purposely slow, but it shouldn't have been enough to merge with her own black aura.

She had been wrong about him. He was not less powerful than Neven. It was the other way around, even if his charms weren't as developed. Maybe, he just knew how to control it.

She collected her things and didn't rebuild the defences at the window. She was moving away, either way.

Maybe it was Ogi's fault. His energy had deactivated her amulets.

«Oh, damn it,» she sighed.

Whatever these two were, she was getting tired of it. Why was their energy so powerful? So annoying, at that?

She hated being attracted to random people. She bit her own tongue at the thought random.

They were everything but ordinary.

Once collected her things, she stepped out of the room at the same time as Sara. She noticed how the woman's light blue eyes widened, and light made them shine maliciously. She was going to say something Vera would hate, wasn't it?

Contrarily to her expectations, Sara didn't utter a word. She stood there, observing her wristwatch with complete concentration. Only when the moment she was waiting for arrived, did she open her mouth.

«I can't believe it! You're unbelievable! We're here to work, not have fun!»

«What?» Vera murmured, confused. Was it just that? About taking a walk in the city?

Ah, no. It was not. It was about the golden energy.

«You can't hook up with random guys, Vera. It's not good for you... I'm saying this because I worry for you. This is a city where you don't know anyone... What was I supposed to do if something happened to you, ah?»

«What the heck are you talking about? I just toured the centre, Sara.»

«You had sex with a guy. Again. Your energy doesn't lie!»

«Hey! I didn't... Oh, forget it. Why am I even replying to you?»

Even if she had done anything, she had no obligation to explain to the other woman. She was free, at least regarding her private life.

«I can feel it, Vera. I can feel the changes in your energy due to sex. You can't lie.»

«You really suck at reading energy, let me tell you...»

«It's a habit you ought to get rid of,» Sara said, pouting her lips.

Vera didn't even say it was not a habit. She just let her think what she wanted.

She also knew that Florian had listened to everything, and she didn't mind his misunderstanding. He did see her leave the night before. She couldn't explain to him that nothing happened. Nor did she have any reason to.

«Let's go. I have to work now,» she said, instead. She made it clear who was the one sweating to solve the case, in that luxurious hotel hallway, instead of defending her feeble honour.

«Good morning, Fräulein,» the secretary said.

He was trying his best to sound neutral, but it was clear he was not. His face was pale, his hands slightly trembling.

Was he shocked by Vera's nightly life or afraid of ghosts? Likely, the second option: having one-night stands wasn't such a huge feat, after all. Not for young adults.

The witches failed at reading through his expression and assumed he was just worried for the kikimora. How could they guess either way?

His real concern was about his boss...

What had he done to the sleeping witch? And he... What was Florian in all that story? An accomplice to a crime?