Split Blood: The Ancient Codex - Part One (Book #1 ) - COMPLETE

CHAPTER FIVE - FINDERS, KEEPERS (Part 7)

CHAPTER FIVE – FINDERS, KEEPERS

(Part 7)

The smells of eggs and bacon crept into the bedroom, sending me running to the bathroom. Remains of my last cup of blood I drank trickled down the walls of the toilet; it was then that I realised I needed to tell my story to Luther sooner rather than later, otherwise I would die of starvation.

After splashing cold water on my face and assessing my pale appearance, I rubbed my stomach and was greeted by a faint kick. I wandered into the kitchen. ‘Morning. How did you sleep?’ Luther asked cheerily.

Alin was meanwhile sat at the table in a stripped nightshirt, nursing a large mug of coffee, and engrossed in the morning’s television. ‘Very well thank you. Morning, Alin,’ I replied. My words went unheard.

‘She can’t hear anyone until 11am on her days off. The TV takes over her head!’ he joked as I sat on the high chair by the breakfast bar, to keep him company whilst he cooked a full English breakfast.

Throughout our chat, I was looking around the room to see if there was any evidence of the previous night. It was spotless. ‘How did you get it so clean?’ I asked, astonished, as he placed a large mug of steaming coffee in front of me.

‘You’re not the only one who can do magic! We have strong cleaning products under here,’ he laughed, as he pointed to the cupboard under the sink.

‘You know I’m a witch?’ I gasped. He walked over to me and pointed above the doorway. Last night, in my dazed state, I hadn’t noticed the line of charms and herbs piercing a silver thread above the doorway. ‘What does it do?’ I asked, walking over to get a closer look.

‘My bunică made it and gave it to me to ward off evil and alert me when magical powers are present in the apartment,’ he replied, taking it down.

‘How does it do this?’ I asked curiously. I was wary, so avoided touching the strange band.

‘When you cast your spell last night, it glimmered white and started shaking. White means it was a white witch who cast it, so it didn’t worry me,’ he explained as he put it back in his place and ran back to the fried eggs, which were now burning on the hob.

He threw the eggs away in disgust and started again. To take his mind off his uncharacteristic carelessness, he addressed me again. ‘After breakfast, we’ll have a proper chat and you can fill me in on your situation, so I know what I’m dealing with. I promise I’ll be able to handle it better than I handled these eggs…’ And with a chuckle, we relaxed into morning television and he gave me an update on his inquisitive neighbour, Ms. Vaduva. ‘She’s very nosy, isn’t she?’ I commented as he started to tell me about her life.

‘She’s harmless really. She came here in the 60s and has never moved. Her husband died a few years after they got here and she never remarried. She’s from the same place as my bunică, so when she died she took on a bigger role in my life and helped me through the process. She kept me connected to my Romanian roots, whether I liked it or not!’ he joked as I started to admire his caring nature, which reminded me of Rohan.