Avery tended to cry if someone else did and as the man and woman sobbed hysterically when the doctor pronounced, ‘Time of death, 20:16,’ Avery felt a hot tear score her cheek as her throat muscles clenched together, determined to hold back her answering sob.
She felt the brush of Brennus’ fingers on her cheek and she looked up at him. He stared back with such love, she felt her knees buckle.
For the rest of the night he took her from pillar to post, answering the call of the dead. Each person he treated gently. Respectfully. Sombrely.
He was the most beautifully sad thing she had ever seen.
I’m Gonna Kiss the Parts
that you have Lost
After such an exhaustingly emotional night, Avery was surprised when Brennus suggested they go dancing the next evening. Her first instinct had been to flinch inwardly at the thought of being seen at 4.0 with Brennus. As soon as the thought floated out into the verse she berated herself. When had she grown into such a shallow, hateful person?
“I didn’t mean 4.0.” Brennus shook his head. “Your friends might be there.”
She wanted to tell him she wasn’t ashamed to be seen with him. But she wasn’t sure if that was true or not. God. She was disgusted with herself.
Seeming to read her mind, Brennus smirked. “You are remembering that you consider yourself my captive, right, Avery?”
She straightened her shoulders and nodded at him. “Yeah. Right. Forgot about that.” She felt a little better about herself.
But Brennus was grinning that wicked grin that did funny things to her insides, the kind of funny things that made her wish he would just grab her and kiss her already. “Forgot hmm? I’ll call that progress.”
Avery grimaced. “That’s not what I meant.”
She had to admit that choosing an outfit for going dancing was difficult. Brennus had great taste. Understated, classy. In the end she chose a pair of skinny jeans and a silk top that tied into a gorgeous floppy bow behind her neck, the wide ribbons sliding sensually across her back as she moved. Her stilettos were emerald green to match the colour of the top. Her clutch matched too. She shook her head. Where had he gotten all of this stuff? She wondered, shrugging on a little cropped jacket a lot like the one she had at home.
Avery tried not to shiver at Brennus’ approving regard as they got ready to leave. He wore a black cashmere jumper that moulded to his well-defined body. With all the delicious things she was starting to notice about him, the scar was beginning to fade into the background. She wasn’t sure if she even saw it now.
They ended up at a club downtown she had never gone to before. It was a lot smaller than 4.0 and it was in a basement, but the DJ had good taste in music. At first she felt awkward walking into the club with Brennus. People stared and Brennus had to hold her hand and infuse that calm over her so she wouldn’t hyperventilate. Inside, the staring continued, following Brennus as he left Avery at the edge of the dance floor to get drinks. He was back in record time and she shook her head in bemusement as her gaze took in the crowds around the bar. I’m not even going to ask, she thought as she sipped her JD and coke. As they watched the people on the throbbing dance floor, the music teasing Avery, twitching its fingers on her hips and urging her towards the main floor, she wondered if Brennus even enjoyed this kind of dancing. Sure, he liked holding her close and swaying to the lilt of good old Paul Weller… but R&B, hip hop…?
When she finished her drink, Brennus took her glass and dumped it on a nearby table with his own. Then he was taking her hand and leading her into the throng of figures. His strong arms caught around her waist, nudging up the silk of her shirt so his fingers brushed her bare skin. She sucked in her breath as goosebumps exploded in ripples across her flesh. Her heart raced harder, faster as he drew her into the heat of his body. She had her answer.
Brennus knew how to dance.
The music was like a drug. She forgot who she was. Who he was. That he scared people. That people were staring. Instead she slid her arms up across his chest to lock around his neck, enjoying the way his eyes flared with heat. It was enthralling to have someone with his power in her control.
Seconds later Avery wished she had never dared that arrogant thought.
As his hips caught hers, their bodies sliding across one another, she realised he wasn’t in her control.
His head dipped and he brushed a tentative kiss across her lips.
She was in his.
Avery groaned and tugged him back, pressing her lips harder against his gorgeous mouth, widening her own invitingly. He took the invitation with a dangerous growl that shocked her, his kiss deep, his tongue dancing with hers in the most carnal make-out session she’d ever had. As she felt the press of him, felt his excitement against her hip, Avery curled into him, her fingernails clawing into his skin as if afraid he wasn’t real. She deepened the kiss. It was wet. Hard. Aggressive. So not her. Yet she’d never felt more like herself. His hand slid down her back, stroking the sensitive dimples on her lower back, his other sliding up, his thumb stroking the underside of her breast. Her needy whimper purred against his mouth and Brennus broke the kiss abruptly. They both stared wide-eyed at one another, struggling to draw breath. Avery’s whole body was on fire and she knew by the heat in his dark eyes, Brennus’ was feeling that burn.
Oh my God, she stumbled back a little. What the hell was she doing?!
“I um… I’m going to get a drink,” she muttered, knowing somehow he could hear her.
He nodded tightly, his gaze unwavering. “I’ll have a beer. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Brennus brushed past her, blurring through the crowds.
Avery exhaled, pressing a hand to her chest where her heart beat a rapid tattoo. “I’m officially losing it,” she whispered and made her way towards the bar.
For some reason Avery seemed to have whatever magic Brennus had, and people groaned in irritation as the bartender ignored everyone to take her order. She was back on the dance floor in minutes. But there was still no Brennus. She sipped her drink, suddenly feeling awkward to be alone. She’d never felt that way before. Only 48 hours in this guy’s company and he’s stripping you of your independence. She shook her head in determination. Stay strong, Ave, stay strong. She licked her lips. She could still taste him. Avery winced at her own weakness.
As she waited, a good-looking guy a few inches shorter than Brennus sauntered up to her, all arrogant smile and cocky twinkle in the eye. She studied him as he approached. His hair was an in-between colour. Not dark brown, not light brown. Not dark enough, she mused. And his eyes, she thought, as he stopped in front of her. They were blue. She liked dark eyes. Black as jet.
“Hey sweetheart.” The guy knocked his glass against hers in greeting. “What’s a gorgeous girl like you doing standing here all alone?”
The guy turned out to be pretty hard to shake. He went from casual flirty to obnoxious in knot to sixty seconds. His hand brushed familiarly down her cheek and she jerked back, telling him politely to back off. He didn’t. Instead he urged her to dance with him. She said no. He wrapped an arm around her waist, laughing, and cajoling her onto the dance floor. She dug in her heels and told him if he didn’t remove his hand she’d remove his testicles.
He blanched and backed off, muttering under his breath about the trials of frigid high school girls.
Avery shook her head at his departure and turned a little. Her breath caught. Brennus just stood there a few metres away, watching her. He gave her a slight smile and headed over to her. She decided he had a sexy walk. Confident, even though he had to be aware people were staring at his scar, pointing and judging, making him ‘other’.
“You OK?” He asked, taking his beer from her and placing a proprietary hand on her hip. She tried to mind. But it was too exhausting.
“You saw?”
“The jerk? Yeah.”
Avery frowned. If Josh had been there, there would have been blood and drama and hyperventilation. “He was an ass**le.”
Brennus shrugged and smiled at her. “I knew you could handle it.”
Delicious warmth spread across her chest and she answered his smile with a wide grin. He made her feel eight feet tall. “Yeah?”
“Of course. I would have stepped in if you needed me, but I knew you didn’t.”
“Josh doesn’t think I can handle anything.”
“Well, Josh isn’t a two thousand year old Ankou who fought you for your life and lost.”
At that she burst out laughing. Real, happy laughter. The first in many months.
She hated to admit it, but she was kind of starting to like this guy. “Thank you.”
Brennus grinned back and took her hand, leading her back onto the dance floor. By the look in his eyes, she knew he was going to kiss her again.
And she was going to let him.
The Song You Sing Today
Wasn’t Always in Your Head
Avery was thankful that Brennus was sleeping elsewhere. He seemed to render her willpower non-existent. That’s why, the next morning, after lying in bed replaying the night before over and over in her head, flushing hot with how intimate it got, Avery began to pull away. At breakfast she answered his questions in monosyllabic tones, one word responses. When they took a walk in the estate in the woods, she pretended to hate the fresh crisp air and stunning surroundings. When he reached to brush her hair off her face and press a kiss to her lips, she jerked away from him like she’d been stung and made her way into the sitting room. Despite the fact her heart was racing a mile a minute and her lips tingled as if he really had kissed her, Avery flopped down on the sofa with an air of indifference and clicked on the flat screen. She only got through the first minute of a Friends re-run before the television screen blinked, the screen going black. Drawing on all her determination, she craned her neck around to see Brennus holding the remote and glaring down at her.
“What?” she snapped.
His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits and then he was sitting down on the opposite sofa, his elbows braced on his knees as he leaned towards her.
“What’s going on?”
She shrugged.
“Avery… why are you pulling away? Is it because of last night?”
“I’m not pulling away,” she huffed. “Maybe I’m just not a very nice person.”
When he rolled his eyes at her, Avery had to hold back a smile. It was such a un-Brennus-like expression it was comical on him. “Right,” he replied sarcastically. “Or maybe you’re just writing this off before it’s even begun.”
Anger rippled through her at the suggestion. “Writing this off? I have the chance to save Aunt Caroline’s life… you think I’m writing this off?”
At her retort Brennus’ expression darkened, a sad rejection entering his eyes before he thought to curb it. A twinge of pain originating from her chest drew into a battle with her mind. She had to stop feeling bad every time she hurt his feelings!
“This can’t just be about saving Aunt Caroline, Avery. It won’t work. It has to be about you and me too.”
Avery shook her head. “Brennus, Caroline is everything to me. If I do this, then it’s because of her.”
“You would trade your life for hers in a sense then?” He frowned. “Why? Why is she everything?”
It seemed like such a silly question. But then she took a moment to remember that Brennus had only ever had people in his life that had betrayed and hurt him. When he had traded his life… in the end it had been for the wrong person.
She leaned back more comfortably into the sofa and smiled at the thought of her aunt. “Because… she gave up a free and easy life to raise a pre-pubescent child. She taught me to be a person with good values and principles. She’s never cared what anyone else thinks about her and she’s never judged me because I do care. She’s always pointed me in the right direction. She helped me make decisions that have made my life better. In school she was on the school newspaper and she said it was really fun, so I joined the school newspaper and I met Sarah. Aunt Caroline played volleyball, so she taught me, and I tried out for the team and I played for the last three years in school and met some really great people. She had such an amazing time at NYU doing journalism that I knew I would too, and I did, the little time I was there.” It was true. She wouldn’t know how to be without Caroline. All the biggest decisions in her life had been shaped by her. Suddenly her chest felt tight with panic.