Page 41 of A Spark of Something (A Librarian’s Guide to Witchery #1)

O llie’s eyes widened on realizing what he had just admitted. Nothing he could have done would have stopped the deep wail of despair that made its way out at that moment. Sobbing harder, he clung to the man’s hand, despite knowing that it was all over now.

“Y-you—ah—y-you probably th-think I’m insane now.” A laugh full of pain slipped out. “Y-you are—you are go-going to leave me now, ar-aren’t y-you?” he whimpered, staring into the man’s deep hazel-green eyes.

They were unreadable. There was no doubt or confusion, they were just blank. His head was already hazy and aching, and at this point he was barely holding it upright, but still he tried to make sense of the look, which just made the throbbing in his head worse.

Ollie gasped when the man suddenly pressed a featherlight kiss to his lips. Pulling back until he was only inches away from his face, Noble lightly rasped, “I already knew.”

He blinked, his eyes slowly widening further. “You…knew?”

“It’s how I knew ghosts were real,” the man said almost carefully. “I’ve met a few witches.”

Noble knows…? No, he knew …the man had known ? “You—” He licked his lips. “Y-you don’t think I’m lying?”

“I know you aren’t. I saw your grimoire, Ollie.”

“Ah…w-why…” Ollie hiccupped. “W-why didn’t y-you say anything?”

“I could tell you didn’t want me to know. So I was waiting until you were ready to tell me.” Noble smiled slightly. “I’m not going anywhere, Ollie.”

“Th-then…then y-you know w-why it’s my f-fault.”

The man’s mouth twisted into a smile that was almost cruel, but he realized it wasn’t for him. “Baby, that man is dead because he was a murderer. And I’m glad he is. Because you would be if he wasn’t. As far as I’m fucking concerned, the bastard was kindling as soon as he put his hands on you.” Noble’s voice had become a low growl by the last word.

Baby… Noble had called him baby?! Underneath the pain, the queasiness, the lightheadedness, and…all the rest, Ollie’s stomach fluttered from a surge of pure giddiness. It was sort of an amazing feat that he could feel happy at the moment, considering ‘everything’.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I…” he trailed off with a wince that was more due to pain than anything.

Noble let out a clearly irritated growl. “Ollie, repeat after me…‘I did not kill him!’.”

Ollie hesitated as he was caught in the man’s intense stare. “I-I did n-not kill him.”

“Good,” the man rasped, before he kissed his forehead for possibly the third, or was it the fourth time now…? Not that Ollie was counting. “Let’s get you situated in my truck.”

Noble pushed his hand beneath him, and Ollie lightly grabbed onto the man’s shirt with one hand, too tired to do more as he was picked up.

“What are we going to do about the…the b-body?”

Not wanting to see it again, he slammed his eyes shut when Noble carried him into the living room, and didn't open them until he felt the cool night air.

“ We aren’t going to do anything. I’m going to take care of it. You are going to rest in my truck and drink some very, very lukewarm Gatorade.”

Ollie tried to laugh at the man’s obvious attempt at lightening the mood, but the sound that came out was definitely more of a slightly insane, unhinged sob.

“It’s going to be okay, Ollie. I promise. Trust me,” Noble said while he opened his front passenger side door.

Ollie winced as he shifted his leg while being set into the still running and warm vehicle. It felt good in there. He hadn’t realized up until that moment that he had been cold, as there was just too much going on.

Resting back against the seat, Noble disappeared for a moment, and he heard the sound of the truck bed being opened and shut. The man returned moments later with a blanket and a Gatorade bottle. The latter he set on the dash.

Ollie murmured a “Thank you,” as the man wrapped the blanket around him. Grabbing the bottle, Noble opened it and held it up to his lips. He drank as…well, it was that or wear it. His nose wrinkled at the taste, but he still finished it, and unlike what Noble had said earlier, it had been cold. Likely due to the nice cold front that had dropped the temperature down to the high thirties, which William had used to lure him inside.

Noble tossed the empty bottle into the back after resealing it. The man then paused, eyeing him before feeling his forehead and checking his pulse. “It’s a little thready, but I’m going to guess your witchy side is pulling you through. As with your low blood pressure issues and iron deficiency, you should be worse than this.”

“Yay…?” he said unenthusiastically.

Noble chuckled, as he raised his hand and caressed his hair. “Try to rest, baby. This is going to take me a while.”

“O-okay.” He sniffled.

Reaching for the door, the man hesitated. “Ollie, if you at any point start to feel off, or like something is wrong, call me immediately.”

He nodded.

Noble nodded too in response, hesitating for a moment more before saying, “It will be fine.”

With that last confirmation, or maybe demand, the man shut the door and started back toward the house. With his back turned, Noble’s shoulders seemed to straighten, and there didn’t appear to be a single moment of hesitation as he stepped back inside.

And that… Ollie knew that should worry him. But it didn’t. Maybe it would later, but right now, whatever side of Noble this was, he needed it.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath in and out, and let the exhaustion take over.