Blaze of Secrets (Asylums for Magical Threats 1)

The thought of letting her go was becoming harder and harder to accept. When Amma had offered Kiarra to stay with her if she ever needed it, Jaxton had felt something flicker inside of him and he had pulled her close. At that moment, he had wanted Kiarra to stay with him.

He still did.

Jaxton let out a sigh and took his hand from Kiarra’s jaw. As he stared at his reflection in the window, he cataloged all of the more important things to worry about than a growing attachment to his trainee. If he didn’t help find the Four Talents, and manage to keep them out of Sinclair’s radar, there may not be much of a world left to enjoy, regardless of who he had at his side.

Chapter Eighteen

Kiarra was in love with Scotland. The old brick and stone buildings had charm and history, a sharp contrast to the box houses and shopping centers back in the US. Her brief view of the scenery outside the cities, between Glasgow and Edinburgh, made her want to see the wildness of the north. But she didn’t have the freedom to explore anywhere yet, so for now, she stared out the window of the bus and devoured everything in sight.

The reality of being in a foreign country was still strange to her, but with each new sight, Kiarra was glad that she hadn’t died the day she’d met Jaxton.

Jaxton’s thigh brushed against hers and awareness coursed through her body, reminding her of what had happened on the plane.

She’d been asleep most of the time between Seattle and Glasgow. Jaxton had forced her

to eat something every once in a while, but mostly she’d slept; her body was still adjusting to the shock of being free of the AMT.

When the lights had come on during the flight to Glasgow, signaling their proximity to landing, she’d slowly woken up, feeling all warm and toasty. She’d snuggled into the delicious warmth, and a hand had started to rub her back. She’d groaned before opening her eyes to find herself asleep on Jaxton’s chest.

Her brain had been foggy, not really caring what or who she was lying against; she’d felt safe and had wanted to go back to sleep.

As she’d rubbed against his chest, Jaxton had shaken her gently and said something about needing to wake up. She’d tightened the arm thrown across his chest, fisted his shirt, and said no. Eventually he’d managed to get her upright, but at the loss of his heat, she’d felt cold, alone, and not quite right.

When he’d tried to lower the armrest between them, she must’ve made a face because he’d sighed before lifting the armrest back up and tucking her against his side. The instant their bodies had touched again, Kiarra had wanted more—in particular to feel the heat of his skin against her cheek.

Looking over at Jaxton, she realized that she still did.

But Jaxton had been quiet since then, only speaking when absolutely necessary, and pretending as if nothing had happened. Was he really that indifferent to her? Granted, she’d been half asleep, but she vaguely remembered him caressing her cheek during their escape from Seattle.

Kiarra, on the other hand, had thought of nothing else but wanting to sleep on his warm chest again. At least until they’d exited Glasgow Airport and she was introduced to Scotland for the first time.

She studied Jaxton’s profile and decided that he was pretending to sleep. Whether it was because of what had happened on the plane or not, she didn’t know, but she was determined to get him talking. Kiarra poked his arm. “You don’t seem excited about seeing your sister.”

Jaxton opened one eye. “I saw her a month ago. She knows a lot of the same people I do, and they’ve looked after her.” He shrugged. “Besides, she’s pretty good at looking after herself.”

He closed his eye, signaling the end of the conversation. He’d been reluctant to share much about Millie on their way here, and Kiarra wondered if that had more to do with his mistrust of her than nonchalance about his sister’s safety.

Kiarra no longer denied to herself that she was curious about the man who’d rescued her from the AMT. She needed to work hard at getting his sister Millie on her side; no doubt Millie could tell her stories that would help Kiarra better understand Jaxton’s overcautious nature. His guilty feelings about Garrett were only the tip of the iceberg, and if they were going to work together, she needed to know more about him.

The views outside of her window became more and more crowded with houses and shops, meaning that they’d entered Edinburgh proper. Fifteen minutes later, the bus arrived at Waverley Bridge and they disembarked.

If not for Jaxton’s guiding hand, Kiarra would’ve gone to investigate the clock tower in the distance, Edinburgh Castle up above, or any of the cute little shops across the street. Instead, Jaxton herded her toward a vast expanse of green that, according to the tourist guidebook Jaxton had bought at the airport, could only be Princes Street Gardens.

Kiarra ignored the feel of Jaxton’s hand on her back and tried to inconspicuously scan her surroundings, just like Jaxton had taught her to do during the train ride to Vancouver. People were either relaxing in the park or shopping across the street. No one suspicious approached or bumped into them. Maybe they had made it to Edinburgh without being followed.

But after the attack in Garrett’s room and the scuffle inside the parking garage in Seattle, it all seemed a little too easy.

As they approached a dirty structure with a spire, Kiarra noticed a girl standing near it, staring down at her phone. The girl had the same dark blond hair and deep-set eyes as Jaxton. She’d bet her life that the woman standing under the monument was Millie Ward.

But even when they stopped a short distance away from the woman, she didn’t pay them any attention. Jaxton turned toward Kiarra and said, “What’s for dinner?”

Kiarra opened her mouth and Jaxton gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. A few seconds later, the woman said, “Shepherd’s pie.”

“Good,” Jaxton said. “Let’s head home to make some.”

Kiarra grabbed Jaxton’s arm and stood on her tip-toes to put her mouth near his ear. “Is that your sister?”

He gave a nod. “Be patient, pet. Let’s head home first.”