Trying To Live With The Dead (The Veil Diaries Series Book 1)

by B. L. Brunnemer

  Asher: Where are you?

  Alexis: At the bar. Where you all left me.

  I smirked as I hit send, the guys really had kind of ditched me but I couldn’t blame them. There were girls here that they could hit on, and I wasn’t one of them. My phone vibrated again.

  Asher: I’m sending a friend your way, I’m sitting with a bunch of couples and he’s the odd guy out.

  Alexis: Are you trying to hook me up?

  Asher: Not really, all the girly giggling is irritating him. So I told him to find you. The least girly girl I know.

  There was only a couple seconds before my phone vibrated again.

  Asher: And if you two hit it off, would that be so bad? Let me know what you think when he gets there.

  I shook my head and smiled at my phone. Asher, what am I going to do with you?

  “Sorry, are you Lexie?” A husky male voice rolled over my ears from my right. I looked up, and I had to stop my mouth from dropping. He was so freaking cute. His strong chin accented his angled jaw. Coupled with high cheekbones it gave him a boyish charm that made my heart race. His brown hair was a little long on top, and kind of sticking all over the place. He was wearing a gray Henley long sleeve shirt with a couple buttons undone. The guy had muscle, not like Zeke, but it was there. I vaguely realized this because I was still looking at those dark blue eyes. Damn. It was only a couple heartbeats before I pulled myself together and answered him.

  “That’s me.” I gave him my best smile. “And your Asher’s friend?” He nodded and pulled a sleeve further up his forearm.

  “Yeah, I’m Dylan.” His husky voice was like fog and chocolate in my ears. It was so unfair. I gestured for him take the stool to my right.

  “Have a seat. Just give me a second, Asher wanted me to text him when you got here.” He sat down and ordered a soda while I texted Asher back.

  Alexis: He’s here. You are the best friend ever!

  I quickly put my phone away and started talking to Dylan.

  “So you're the other odd man out tonight, huh?” I offered, trying to get him talking. He chuckled, as he paid for his soda.

  “I guess so.” He looked down at me his gaze measuring. “Though I don’t remember seeing you around before.”

  “I moved here this week.” I shrugged turning a bit on my stool so I didn’t have to keep turning my neck. “So, how do you know Asher? And if you have any embarrassing stories from his childhood don’t hold back on the details.” He burst out laughing; it was a good laugh. One you’d hear and look around for whoever it belonged to.

  “We’ve played football together since we were kids. Well, till my family moved over here.” He was still smiling as he turned on his stool toward me. “I do have some stories but he has just as much on me, so stories are a no go.” I gave an exaggerated sigh.

  “I’m never going to hear anything good.” I grumbled. He chuckled. “So what do you do for fun around here?” He thought about it for a couple heartbeats.

  “Outdoor stuff really, hiking, skiing, climbing. We’re a very outdoorsy area.” His eyes ran over my face. “You are going need to invest in sunscreen this summer.” I laughed.

  “Are you kidding? I’m going to be buying it by the case.” I told him matter-of-factly. “Or maybe the flat, which do you think will get me the better price?” He had a great smile.

  “Probably the flat, but then you have to store it all.” He pointed out before taking a drink.

  “Ah, good point. Case it is.” He smiled again and started talking. We talked about his surfing trips to Hawaii with his family. Music, school, we even talked about my artwork. Everything I learned about him I liked. We talked for a good hour before he gestured to the dance floor.

  “Want to dance?” He asked awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, it was so fucking cute.

  “Sure, let’s go.” I hopped off the stool as he stood up. He was a head taller than me. Perfect height for dancing. He took my hand, which of course immediately started tingling, and led me through the crowd to a spot on the dance floor. We just got there when the band changed into a slow song. We both started laughing. I gestured back at the bar.

  “Want an out?” I offered still laughing. He smirked down at me and shook his head. He used my hand to pull me closer. One of his hands went to my lower back while mine disappeared into his.

  “I think we’ll survive.” He bent his head down a little so I could hear him better, his chin brushing the back of my jaw. “Besides with our luck, when we got back to the bar. It’d change back.”

  “Then if we came back out, it’d go back to a slow one.” I snickered. He chuckled in my ear. My heart was racing, my back and hand tingling from his touch.

  “Yeah, better to just ride it out.” He sighed. I smiled and tried not to get too close to him. I didn’t want to scare him off. We had a few heartbeats of silence; I wanted to keep him talking. I couldn’t seem to get enough of that voice.

  “So, what is it about surfing that you like?”

  “Hmm.” His voice was low in my ear. Oh, shit. My stomach did that low flip as goose bumps ran over my arms and down my back. I hoped he didn’t notice.

  “It’s quiet, peaceful. When you're out there it’s just you and your board looking for the next wave.” His voice poured into my ear. I bit my bottom lip. That was not fair.

  “Yeah, just you, your board and the sharks that want to eat you.” I pointed out trying to distract myself. He chuckled in my ear making me smile.

  “Sharks don’t really want to eat you.” He offered. I could hear his smile in his voice. “When there is an attack it’s usually because the shark thought the surfer was a seal.” His chest brushed against mine. Did he step closer? Yes, yes he did. I couldn’t stop smiling as I kept my gaze on his chest. “You should try surfing sometime, it’s fun.”

  “Nu-uh, I have this rule. Don’t go where I’m not at the top of the food chain.” I told him seriously. He chuckled in my ear. He moved our hands to rest on his chest. I bit my lip again, my stomach doing different kind of hard flip low in my belly. Okay, yeah. I missed having a boyfriend.

  “Sweetie, you're so small you're not at the top of the food chain now.” I burst out laughing; my face grew warm. “A bunch of us go out the coast in the summer, it’s all arranged through the town. There are chaperons, separate hotel rooms for girls and guys. You should come.” He was talking like we were going to still see each other in the summer. I wasn’t going to count on that, but it wouldn’t be so bad if he were right.

  “Promise I’ll come back?” I asked, completely serious. He chuckled.

  “Yes.”

  “With all my limbs attached?” He kept laughing.

  “Yes with all your limbs attached.” He assured me still laughing.

  “What about toes? We haven’t talked about toes?” He laughed even harder, pulling me against him more. He rested his forehead on my shoulder as he continued to crack up.

  “It’s a legitimate concern of mine; I like my fingers and toes.” I continued smiling. I noticed Asher out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to see him on the dance floor with a leggy brunette. When his eyes met mine, he smirked at me. I winked across the dance floor at him. When Dylan lifted his head, his face was pink from laughing. His deep blue eyes met mine.

  “I promise I will personally guard your limbs, your fingers and your little toes.” He assured me sweetly. I felt myself melt a bit, okay more than a bit.

  “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” I agreed begrudgingly. The slow song stopped. I stepped back and let go. A faster song started. Dylan leaned down to my ear again.

  “I need to use the restroom, I’ll be right back.” I nodded.

  “I’m getting water, do you want one?” I felt him nod against my cheek. We split up on the dance floor, he headed to the restroom. Apparently, the restroom was in the back right corner of the same wall as the bar. I walked to the bar with a big stupid grin on my face. Dylan was pretty damn cute; he was nice and had a d
amn good voice. I reminded myself not to get too excited about it. Nothing would probably come from it. The bar was busy, so it took a bit to get two bottles of water. I had put my wallet away and was picking up the water bottles when a hand ran from my back down to my ass. I dropped the bottles, took that hand off me and spun around. Markus was crowding close to me. I threw his arm at him; he didn’t seem to notice.

  “Hey baby, miss me yet?” His voice was slurred his eyes running over me. Ew, just ew.

  “Back the fuck off.” I told him clearly, my voice hard.

  “Don’t be like that.” He put one arm on each side of me, resting on the bar. His whiskey breath in my face making my stomach roll. “I’ll treat you better than that other guy ever could.” That’s it. I was done.

  “Back the fuck off!” I repeated myself louder this time as I shoved him away from me. He moved back a step. He really was much bigger than me after all, and I only wanted him to back up. His face twisted.

  “Fucking cock teasing bitch.” He spat, his hands shot out hitting me in the middle of my chest hard. I fell backwards, my back slammed into the edge of the bar. Agony ripped through me as I dropped hard on my right side and right hip. My eyes watering from the fire running through my back. I gasped for air. My body shaking from the hit to my spine. A big black blur hit Markus across the face; he went down hard. Zeke was on him again in a heartbeat. I was trying to relearn to breathe as Zeke pounded his fist into Markus repeatedly. I couldn’t move, not yet. My back was still trying to kill me. I kept taking deep breaths trying to get through the pain. Zeke kept wailing on Markus.

  “You think you could put your hands on her? You fucking piece of shit!” Zeke was shouting, among other things. By the time I could move Miles was kneeling next to me, his face worried. His eyes running over me looking for any sign of injury. I waved him off and sat up. Miles helped pull me to my feet. It fucking hurt. I saw Zeke still hitting Markus. Before I could start worrying Asher and Isaac bolted out of the crowd and grabbed Zeke’s arms. They pulled him away from Markus. Zeke struck out with a boot nailing Markus in the gut before he was out of range. Miles picked up Zeke’s jacket and handed me mine. He gently wrapped an arm around my back, his hand was warm against my ribs. I was still trying to process what had just happened. Zeke had just beaten Markus to a bloody pulp. Yeah, the guy hurt me. And yeah, I kind of liked that he was now unconscious on the floor. But I didn’t like that Zeke was still fighting Asher and Isaac as they pulled him through the stunned crowd. That was starting to scare me. This wasn’t the controlled Zeke that I knew. Miles gently helped get me moving through the crowd, my back still throbbing; it hurt to just breathe from it. But we needed to go now. So I moved, following in the wake of the other guys. We stepped outside into the quiet of the parking lot. Zeke was still cursing, he wanted to go back in there and finish the guy off.

  “Are you okay?” Miles asked probably not for the first time, his emerald eyes ran over my face again. “What happened?”

  “That guy grabbed my ass and blocked me against the bar.” I explained watching the guys pin Zeke against the Jeep, his arms behind his back. They weren’t hurting him; it looked like they were only holding him till he calmed down. “I told him to back off, and he didn’t, so I pushed him.” I admitted as we started walking towards the Jeep. “He shoved me back, my back hit the bar. I hit the floor.” Miles frowned as he watched how carefully I was walking. I took a deep breath and forced myself to walk normally. It fucking hurt.

  “Do you want me to take a look?” Miles asked his voice warm and silky again.

  “No, no, I’ll be fine. He just knocked the wind out of me.” I really didn’t want any of them to see my back, especially right now. We needed Zeke to calm down, not go on a killing spree. By the time we reached the Jeep the pain had mostly faded from my back and I was walking normally again. Isaac and Asher were taking turns trying to calm Zeke down. Zeke was still cursing and talking about ripping that guy's head off.

  “Ally, you alright?” Asher asked still pinning Zeke to the Jeep.

  “Yeah, I’m okay.” I answered distracted as I watched them hold Zeke calmly. I bit the corner of my bottom lip.

  “Someone want to tell us what the hell happened?” Isaac shot over his shoulder, his face red as he struggled to hold Zeke in place. Miles repeated what I told him. This just had Zeke straining against the others again. Isaac looked over at Asher.

  “How’d you know someone hurt her?” Isaac grunted. Zeke gave a jerk, the boys were forced to adjust their grip and slam him against the Jeep. It rocked with the force of they put behind it.

  “Nothing else gets Zeke this pissed off.” Asher hissed using his body weight against Zeke’s shoulder. Asher looked at me over his shoulder and tilted his head towards the Jeep. “Go ahead and get in the Jeep, this might take a while.” He managed between clenched teeth.

  “Jeep’s locked.” Isaac groaned. The boys cursed, well except Miles. Asher gave Isaac a look. Isaac immediately began shaking his head.

  “Nuh-uh, no way.” Isaac declared. “I’m not looking for keys near his junk with him this pissed off.”

  “Miles?” Asher called over his shoulder.

  “I’m with Isaac on this one; I think we should wait until he calms down.” Miles admitted. I rolled my eyes and handed Miles my jacket.

  “I’ll do it.” I announced, stepping closer to Zeke.

  “He usually keeps them in his right pocket.” Miles offered. I stepped up behind Zeke and touched his back lightly. He jerked hard against the guys.

  “It’s Lexie!” They all snapped at him. Zeke seemed to hear them and stopped jerking.

  “Zeke, it’s just me.” I told him calmly. His head jerked trying to see me over his shoulder, but he couldn’t I was too short with Isaac’s shoulder in the way. I ran my hand over his back so he could feel where I was. I stepped closer biting my lower lip again. Please don’t hit me. Please don’t hit me. “I’m just looking for the keys to the Jeep. The guys want to get out of the cold.” He seemed to hear me because he stopped fighting the boys. Feeling more confident that he knew I was there, I stepped closer, slipping in a bit between Isaac and Zeke. I ran my hand along the hard line of Zeke’s waist to his right front pocket. I reached into his pocket and felt around for the keys. During my fumbling, I felt something else besides keys, but I was trying to ignore that. My fingers snagged the key chain and pulled them out. Zeke was completely still, his forehead on the roof of the Jeep. He was taking deep even breaths and slowly letting them out. Miles walked me to the other side of the car; my eyes never left Zeke.

  “Get in the car, Lexie.” Miles told me gently, his voice firm. “He’s going to need a few minutes.” I slid into the back seat. Miles got into the front, started the car and started the heater for me. Then he was out again shutting the door behind him. The guys were talking to Zeke, telling him repeatedly that I was fine. That I just had the wind knocked out of me. I winced at my lie. My hands were still shaking from hitting the bar but there was no way I could tell them that. Not with Zeke this angry. It was a while before Zeke was allowed to step back from the Jeep. I bit the corner of my lip as he began pacing in the parking lot. The guys watched him silently. Eventually, everyone got into the Jeep. Miles took the driver seat; Zeke took the front. Asher and Isaac slipped in back with me. Zeke’s eyes ran over me once before he looked out the windshield, his jaw clenching. This was all my fault. I shouldn’t have danced with someone I didn’t know. I should have stayed next to one of them all night after that ass on the dance floor. The ride back to Spring Mountain was tense and quiet. Zeke’s gaze never left the road the whole way back. Shit. He knew it was my fault, my chest tightened till it was getting hard to breathe. When the guys dropped me off Asher reminded me about my lesson with him in the morning as I was getting out. The boys said good night, Zeke didn’t say a word to me. My stomach was in knots as I walked up to the front door. The guys waited until I was inside before driving off. Well, I royally fucked that
up.

  Chapter 8

  In the morning, my mind was still on last night. How pissed off Zeke had gotten, how it was my fault. I even sent Zeke an apology as soon as I woke up. I got no response. So when I headed over to the indoor rock-climbing center I wasn’t in the best mood. Asher had said to dress to climb. So I was wearing black capri yoga pants, a sports bra, a navy blue t-shirt, and an old pair of black sneakers. I walked into the center and found Asher immediately behind the counter. He was wearing a bright blue tank shirt that showed off the muscles in his arms and chest. And brought out the blue in his eyes. When he spotted me, his smile reached his eyes.

  “Ally girl, you ready to climb?” He asked coming around the counter to meet me. I gave him the best smile I could manage and shrugged. His smile disappeared; his brow drew down.

  “What’s wrong? Do you not want a lesson today?”

  “No I do, I’m just still a little grumpy about last night.” I admitted, I really did want to learn how to climb but I just couldn’t seem to focus this morning. Asher crooked his finger at me; I walked to the counter.

  “What size shoe do you wear?”

  “Eight.” Asher disappeared behind the counter he came back with a pair of shoes in his hand. He walked around the counter and led me to a set of benches. He gestured for me to sit. I did.

  “That fight wasn’t entirely about you Ally.” Asher began gesturing for me to take off my shoes. I bent down and untied them as he kept talking. “You know Zeke has a temper, and he’s usually very good at controlling it.” I nodded as I pulled my shoes off. He handed me the pair in his hands; they had very thin hard bottoms. “Zeke has what’s called a trigger, he has a couple.” I stopped putting on the shoes to look at him. He looked like he was trying to decide something. “But one of his biggest ones is a guy hitting a girl. He sees that, and he loses all control.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he continued. “It would have happened even if Zeke had never met you before. He would have knocked the guy out and backed off. But Zeke knows you, so it set him off in a big way.”