-Quan Leung-

I didn't expect my day to go like this. The last thing that I thought would happen would be getting kidnapped and then kissed by my bodyguard who came to rescue me, but here we are.

I wanted to punch him in the face for what he was doing. But there were two things stopping me, the fact my arms were bound, and the fact it would break the kiss. It was surprisingly warm and comforting, despite the scratchy feeling of Ruarc's facial hair.

I knew it was him because he was pushing memories towards me. I couldn't control my powers too well, but I would usually be able to scan for the memories I wanted to see, but he was managing to show me the past hour or two. Fewesi, Cappi, Sara, and Aubrey were waiting for us outside. We had to hurry. If he came back to see that there was someone inside, heck even seeing the group outside would be trouble enough, then we would be screwed.

I pulled my face away and plastered a deep frown on my face. "Okay fine, you can't untie any of this. Just go."

If he gave me a response, I couldn't hear it. It was another method that I knew all-too-well. It was sensory deprivation, a way for people like me to focus on our powers more. It was more of a survival technique, be put in a life-or-death situation, and you're forced to use everything at your disposal.

Ruarc didn't listen to me. Instead, he tried to pull on my restraints more.

I grunted and cursed under my breath. "It's not going to work," I hissed. "They're unchanged. The only hope you've got is if you have a witch or fairy or something." I wanted to laugh at how ridiculous I sounded, but the pain in my back and head were making me more annoyed than scared.

I couldn't help but tilt my head back in frustration, hoping that whichever deities existed would have mercy on me and lend me some common sense.

The slightest of sounds reached my ears, I couldn't understand them, but it was as though my prayers had been answered. The bonds on my arms slackened, but the metal fastenings at the back were still scalding, I could deal with it.

I flexed my fingers and relaxed my shoulders. It was like a weight had been lifted as I could finally find myself relaxing. The bones in my shoulders popped with every movement. It was as though my back had been in one position for hours, which it probably had.

Then nothing happened. There was air hitting my face, but I couldn't hear if there were any sounds or discussions. It was impossible to tell if something had happened, as two of my senses were unreachable.

A large hand rested in my own, pulling me in the direction of the window. I knew that was the case because the fuzzy image of the outdoors entered my mind. Why couldn't Ruarc had just held my hand earlier? It would've been just as effective.

"You want me to jump out of a window with a blindfold on?" I asked in disbelief. I usually wouldn't be able to jump out of a window if I wasn't wearing a blindfold. "You're crazy." I shook my head.

Warm air hit my face, warm air which smelled like mint and coffee.

I opened my mouth to speak again, but I quickly clamped it shut when I could no longer feel the ground below my feet. I gasped in surprise and held onto whoever was holding me, which there was only one possibility for who it is.

Ruarc's chest vibrated with a chuckle, and his arms flexed under my back. I was sure my hair was getting in the way, as it got tugged every now and again. I was one hundred percent certain that it became an extreme annoyance when the air rushed past us as we jumped out of the window.

It wasn't the first time that he had carried me, but it felt far different. It was a life-or-death situation for all of us, and I was sure others would be locking eyes on me in his arms.

I also wasn't blindfolded before.

I hated the fact that I couldn't see or hear anything, it was like I was being ripped away from the world, but the feeling of Ruarc was keeping me grounded. I could've been placed on my feet at any time, but I wasn't. The wind blew in my face and Ruarc's footsteps rocked me.

It was highly unsettling.

I didn't know if the group were discussing something, or if there was dead silence. I could feel the house moving away from me slowly, the negative emotions that the house was filled with felt like a fishing line tugging on my shirt. I should feel relieved, but I couldn't.

I didn't meet another surface until a prolonged amount of time had passed. I was put down on a comfortable and familiar surface. It was my settee.

Small paws tapped my leg, causing me to instinctively reach down and pull Clover onto my knee. Then the world became unbalanced again. The settee jerked forward, and my feet were no longer on solid ground, but dangling. I tried not to panic and held Clover close to my chest, who didn't appear to be enjoying the ride either.

Then the blindfold tightened again, causing me to sigh. "It can only be removed by magic," I told them once again. "I don't know the spell."

A wave of grass hit my nose. Maybe Sara was offended by my words or assumptions that they couldn't actually remove the blindfold. It tightened again, causing me to shift uncomfortably.

Then heat hit the side of my head, between my eyebrow and my hairline. It caused me to wince and move away, but it continued.

"-Hurting him," Ruarc said. I didn't think that it was his voice in particular that made my heart skip, but the fact that I was starting to be able to hear.

"He'll be fine, it'll heal."

I reached up and tore the blindfold from my face, hoping that I looked as upset as I felt. My settee was in my front garden, obscured by the bushes that surrounded my garden. The only reason I knew that was because I could firmly grasp my settee. I could concentrate on what was happening instead of panicking too much about the possibilities of what could've happened. My powers didn't work too well if I was extremely stressed.

"That was reckless and stupid of all of you," I told them.

Aubrey crossed her arms, a very smug look on her face. "Well, you would've been sitting there until your own death if we didn't." She tilted her chin upwards.

"And it wouldn't have potentially caused yours," I replied and stood up, holding Clover in my arms.

"And we're not dead yet," Sara commented. She stood up from where she was crouched next to me, dusting off her pants. "You're welcome."

I couldn't concentrate enough to focus on people's expressions, but I was able to recognise the arms which wrapped around my middle. "Hello to you too," I told Cappi.

They were sniffling and choking on tears. It made my heart ache, both because they were feeling like that, and because they felt close enough to cry about me. It was one thing I didn't ever want to happen, but it felt alright.

"I think that you owe us an explanation," Sara said and crossed her arms. "We went in there, without knowing what situation you were in, to rescue you. You at least owe us a reason why."

I sighed and turned my upper body. My settee was still outside, that would need to change. "Move this first," I told Ruarc. "I'll explain whatever I can in there."

Ruarc hesitated but nodded either way. He gestured towards Aubrey.

"What? Can't pick it up all on your own vampire?" Aubrey teased, flexing her muscles. "You know, you really should invite him in."

I knew that was directed towards me, and she also had a very good point. After what happened today, I wouldn't want to take any unnecessary risks. "Fine," I admitted defeat. "Ruarc, you can enter my house during emergencies."

Ruarc snorted and muttered, "pathetic." He rolled his eyes. There was also a hint of gratitude in his small smile. His shoulders relaxed and he moved towards the settee, lifting it with ease.

"Well, I don't really care for an explanation," Fewesi said. "I'm going home, call if you need me. I'm at work tonight." She sighed dramatically before jumping over my fence.

I turned my attention to Cappi. "Thank you," I told them. The sight that I had vanished, replaced by fuzzy outlines as Cappi released me from their hold. I bit my lip, not daring to move an inch. "Does anyone know where my cane is?" I didn't want to admit how dependent I was on that thing to help me around my own house, but I wasn't too fond of navigating my garden without it.

"I think Ru has it," Aubrey informed stiffly. "Now, come on inside."

Two sets of footsteps walked away and Cappi wrapped their tiny hand around my wrist, or at least tried to. I moved their arm to my elbow and let them guide me inside. They didn't have the most experience, but it was better than anyone else on the street.

"Just leave me out here to take this in then, will you?" Ruarc asked sarcastically. I couldn't tell what else he was saying, but a heavy grunt suggested he had successfully lifted my settee.

"I thought vampires were meant to be incredibly strong?" I asked. "Surely a settee is nothing."

"It depends," Cappi answered. "I think that it depends on how much they've done, how old they are, how much practice they've had, when they last fed." They continued to list, even when Ruarc entered with my settee.

"It's too far to the right," I observed as my leg came into contact with it. I easily pushed it into the right position and sat down. "Lovely to be home."

"You were home like six hours ago," Aubrey responded. She moved over to where my fireplace was. "Now, explanations."

And we couldn't even have a cup of coffee before this? I wanted to complain about how they were rushing me, but I didn't have the heart to do it, as I did now owe them a great debt.

"Alright, I don't really know where to start."

"Who kidnapped you would be wonderful," Sara said snarkily.

"If you know that, that is," Ruarc continued. "It would be very beneficial."

I burst out into laughter at the ridiculous notion that I wouldn't know who the person was. "Of course, I know him, I've known him since I was born." I fiddled with the ends of my hair, which I wish I put into a ponytail when I had the chance. "My father is an unforgettable man."

"Your father?" Cappi exclaimed. "He kidnapped you? Adultnapped you?"

"Are you certain?" Ruarc asked. "It was definitely him?"

"Yes." I nodded. "Well, it was definitely him in our office, and he was there in the house. I wasn't sure if he was the one who had actually done the kidnapping."

"What? Why would he kidnap his own son?" Sara asked.

"Guess you have some daddy issues," Aubrey murmured. A snicker came from her direction as well, but it was muffled.

"Because he's a manipulative, big-headed, self-centred, asshole." I sat back and began to twiddle my thumbs.

"That doesn't answer the question," Ruarc stated. "Why would he kidnap you and tie you up like that? It's abuse and should be reported."

I held back a scoff, despite others letting theirs show. "Listen to you, praising the police and thinking they should actually get involved with crime." I couldn't help my emotions show. Why should the police be involved in this if they couldn't be involved in Simon's murder? "It's better if as few people know of this as possible."

"Candice should still know," Ruarc argued. "She might be able to help us, especially if it's going to interfere with your work."

"I should honestly quit," I muttered. "If he was the one in our office, which I'm sure he was." I tapped my chin a few times. It would be safest for me to pack my bags and move to another country, not just quit my job.

"And I know that's complete lunacy," Cappi spoke up. "Quan, you're the best at what you do. Nobody can solve crimes like you."

"Oh, really?" Aubrey asked. I resisted the urge to groan as she continued, "then why hasn't he solved more?"

"Everyone has limitations, Aubrey," Sara answered. "Maybe it's more complicated than that. We would be stuck, with or without him."

"But-" Aubrey was interrupted by a deep sigh coming from Ruarc.

"Now isn't the time to argue, especially in front of others." Something was thrown onto my lap, my gloves. "Quan, we won't be able to help you if you don't tell us."

I felt like a complete child. I hated it whenever people talked to me as though I was fragile or stupid. Maybe it was just Ruarc being straight-forward and wanting to avoid mixed-messaging, but it sent a shiver down my spine and caused my teeth to grit together.

"I don't want you to help me," I stated. "I know it's your job to protect me, and I'm grateful for what you all just did. This is between my father and me. I don't want to put anyone else in danger, especially not because of something I've dealt with most of my life."

"Most of your life?" Sara repeated. "What exactly had he done most of your life? Don't tell me he's chained you up like that before? And blindfolded you?"

I leant forward and rested my chin on my fist. "He had done so for quite an extensive amount of time. Let's just say I'm more used to living without my vision than with it." I sighed and stood up. "I don't want anyone involved. I've dealt with it before, and I'll deal with it again."

"What happened the first time?" Cappi asked innocently.

I cursed how good they were at picking the questions that I didn't want to answer. "I got him put in fairy jail."

There was a collective gasp, but Ruarc remained silent.

"How? That's such a horrible thing to do, and he's here? He escaped from fairy jail?" Sara's words jumbled together, fear and astonishment filled her voice. I felt slightly proud that I could cause such a reaction with my actions.

Fairy jail wasn't quite the official name, but it was full of supernatural creatures who have broken laws, written or not. The trial process is something immensely complicated and thorough, some people didn't even make it through the trials. It had been a long and tedious process for me, as I couldn't exactly accuse my father of abusing me without telling the world that I had powers which were highly tabooed. I had a chance of getting myself thrown in jail if I did that, so I worked for years, weaving a lie and framing my father for something he only attributed to.

I felt guilty at first, but the constant reminder of what he did to me discarded the guilt and threw it to the back of my mind, locked up tight. Besides, the trials wouldn't have worked if he didn't correlate with the accusations. I took a leap of faith and landed right where I wanted to be, I hadn't expected to fall backwards into the pit.

"Evidently," I responded to Sara. "He passed the trials, so he must've belonged there."

There was a prolonged period of silence before Ruarc asked, "what's fairy jail?"

I couldn't help but let the corner of my mouth twitch into a small smile. "It's the supernatural jail. I'm extremely shocked that you don't know what it is."

Aubrey snorted again. "Ruarc's been running away from fairy jail for years, just without knowing it."

I tilted my head to the side and raised an eyebrow, trying to find any hint of a lie or hidden meaning behind her words.

"Ruarc's not bad enough to go to fairy jail," Sara argued. "He's only human-jail bad."

"Good to know," I said and moved into my kitchen. "Anyone want that tea I mentioned earlier?"

"I'll help," Ruarc offered before anyone could answer, joining me in my relatively small kitchen. "No eavesdropping."

I assumed that he was talking to those in the living room, I was glad that he knew them well enough to know that they had to be warned against doing something like that, even though I knew Cappi would do that anyway, warning or not.

"Are you going to tell me what on earth happened today? Or am I meant to be confused?" Ruarc asked in a near-whisper as I filled up the kettle.

"Which part of it?" I asked honestly and grabbed five cups out of my cupboard, which was more cups than I had used in years. I was extremely lucky to be an avid mug collector. I didn't quite care for the design of the cups, but the sizes and shapes interested me.

"The part about you doing this alone, putting yourself in more danger, and not telling me what's happening." Ruarc took three of the cups and started to look through my cupboards, I assume for the tea and coffee cabinet. "I'm meant to protect you from any harm, and I can't do that if I don't know what the harm is."

"I can handle it," I insisted. I wanted to take the cups back and show him where exactly to look, but I also wanted him to look through every cabinet, leaving the one I was standing next to until the last one. "He caught me off guard today."

"That suggests that he's going to come back. What if you're caught off-guard again? You don't know what kind of advantages he has."

"He doesn't know what advantages I have either," I said, but my voice faltered. I didn't know if he knew. He knew where I worked, which was closer to my comfort zone than I would like to admit.

"Strengthen your advantage, tell me what's going on." He finally found the tea cabinet, but he didn't sound annoyed by that. He only sounded more and more frustrated. "I care about you."

"Enough for you to kiss me?" I knew I shouldn't have asked, but it had been nagging in the back of my mind ever since it happened. I knew the main reason why he would do that. Yet, there was more to it. I could sense that there were more reasons behind it.

"Yes."