A Charmed Reincarnation (Season 2)

０５ • Ｉ Ｎｅｖｅｒ Ｓａｉｄ Ｉ Ｗａｓ Ａ Ｈｅｒｏ

Ambrose

The drive home is spent in silence. It's a comfortable silence, however. I feel a slight squeeze and glance down to see Jun tightening his grip on my hand until he eventually entangles our hands. He looks at me, and his eyes ask if I'm okay with it, and I give him a small smile before turning to continue staring out the window. A couple of streets and blurred sights later, Jun parks the car on the curb outside my apartment. A pang of disappointment runs through me as I realize our night has ended. I didn't expect to enjoy a simple late-night car ride as much as I thought, but I honestly did.

I sigh, realizing I can't prolong this moment forever. "Thanks for the ride. I really appreciate it."

Jun waves me off. "It's no problem. This car barely gets any action as it is, so I'm pretty sure she appreciates the extra miles." He chuckles.

I laugh along with him. "Yeah, I'm sure she does." I look down at our still entwined hands and slowly remove mine. "I should head inside. It's late." I shrug.

"Right," he nods. "Be safe, Ambrose." He says with a sweet smile.

I return it and say, "You too."

I get out of the car and shut the door lightly. I walk up the steps to the apartment, unlock the door, and give Jun one final wave goodbye before heading inside. I lean against the door and breathe deep as I tiredly stare at the distance between me and my bedroom door. I hear Jun drive off, and the corner of my lips tug up as I remember him holding my hand. It had happened so naturally, which surprised me, but it felt right, so I didn't fight it. God, am I really feeling giddy over a guy holding my hand? Maybe Anthony is right, and I do need to get laid. I sigh and begrudgingly make the journey to get to my room. I open the door and head to my dresser to set my things down when I feel a cold shiver run up my spine before I hear a strangled grunt of pain.

A dark chuckle tumbles from my lips. "You know, I have to give you props for breaking in. You must be powerful to break my protection spell, but like most demons I've faced, you failed to remember who you're dealing with." I open the second drawer on the bottom of my dresser and pull out my athame. "I'm not like most witches. I considered the possibility that a strong enough demon could break through and prepared for just that. So who do I have the pleasure of..." I finally turn around to face the intruder and see it's nothing but a false alarm. "Mason." I groan.

Anthony bursts through the door holding a bat. "Ambrose, wake up! There's a demon in the..." he stares at Mason's frozen figure and then at me. "Oh. I guess everything's fine. Hi, Mason!" He waves at him.

Mason just grunts and looks at me with clenched teeth. I sigh and wave my hand, dropping the spell on him. He stumbles out of it and inhales deeply.

"What the hell was that?" He gasps.

"Ambrose put a protection spell on the apartment so demons, warlocks, and stuff can't get in. How did he get in, by the way?" He asks me before shaking his head. "Anyway, you know, Ambrose is always cautious, so just in case someone did get past the spell, he had another spell that would basically bind their powers and make them immobile! At first, I thought he was doing too much, but I guess he was right. As usual." He rolls his eyes but grins at me.

"It felt like being stabbed by dozens of sharp needles, and I couldn't do anything." Mason shivers and shakes his head.

I roll my eyes. "I don't want evil just casually coming into my home. The girls have gotten into enough trouble over the years from not properly safeguarding the manor. This apartment will not be a free-for-all for demons, warlocks, or anything in between."

"Well, as your demonic friend, I suddenly feel not so welcome." He says dryly. "Do I get a pass since I mean you no harm or whatever?"

I glance at Anthony silently, asking if he's okay with it. Friend or not, Anthony lives here too, and if he isn't comfortable with Mason being able to shimmer in whenever he wants, then there's no question about my decision. He gives me an imperceptible nod and then winks, which makes me raise an eyebrow in question.