by Lisa Swallow
The horrified look on Dahlia’s face, when Keir said yes, amused Ava for hours afterwards.
Chapter 3
Ava held the page corner, scared of tearing the brittle leaves as she turned them. The humans had no idea who Nephilim really were, coming up with their own legends to explain the race’s existence. The true history was written here. The book contained the story of the angels who rebelled against the Caelestia, came to this world and took on human form, but kept their angel souls and powers. The pages also contained the history of recent Nephilim evolution, and Ava already knew this story too. Siding with the Demon Lords, Nephilim had united with demons, trapping their angel souls in a powerful half-human, half-demon form. Trapped souls existed in all demons, she’d taken enough back to Darius in her time as a soul-hunter. But she never thought capturing angel souls from a Nephilim was soul-hunter territory. Until now.
She’d heard rumors that Nephilim could live when their souls were taken; their demonic half took over. If this was true, how would she survive a fight with one? The book held no reference to such a scenario.
A soft knock pulled her away from her thoughts and she stood up, checking herself quickly in the mirror. Ava had dressed in a tiny black dress and striped leggings. She finished the look with motorcycle boots, which could kick someone into next week if they got the wrong message from her clothing choice. Ava smoothed her long aqua hair, checked her make-up and opened the door.
Dahlia hovered outside her room. “Are you ready?”
“Looking good,” lied Ava, sweeping her gaze over Dahlia’s ensemble. Jeans. Yawn. Buttoned cardigan. Boring.
In response, Dahlia assessed Ava’s outfit. “Interesting look.”
The two girls regarded each other, both had something to say which wouldn’t be voiced.
“So, Keir?” asked Ava as they strolled along the tiled dorm corridor.
“Keir, what?”
“Cute guy - in an annoying sort of way.”
“Annoying?”
“Yeah, annoyingly not interested.” So what if they’d just met, normally she got some kind of spark going with guys on her first encounter, thought Ava.
Dahlia snorted. “That’s Keir.”
Crap. “Gay?”
Dahlia choked a laugh. “No…just picky.”
“You mean he never picked you?”
Dahlia stopped and put a hand on Ava’s arm. “No, we’re friends. Like brother and sister. He’s just careful about who he gets involved with.”
Ava shrugged off Dahlia’s intense tone. “Okay…”
Dahlia didn’t drop her hand. “Yes, okay?”
The vehemence of Dahlia’s words intrigued Ava, indicating something deeper she needed to find out - quickly.
Picky. Not gay. So her original plan of attack was possible.
“He still likes guy stuff, right?” asked Ava
“Guy stuff?”
“Girls, alcohol, fun…?”
Dahlia sighed. “He’s a guy who just found freedom at college, of course. But he and I don’t quite fit into that crowd so if you’re looking for college hedonism I suggest you go elsewhere.”
Ava hooked her arm through Dahlia’s, who stiffened in response. “Well, we can learn to be hedonistic together. Looks like you need some lessons.”
*
Ava pulled her mobile from her pocket and checked the time again. Only an hour since the last time she’d looked. Why were they still there? Dahlia spent the evening with one drink in front of her; a lemonade with a sniff of spirits. Keir fared a little better, some bottles lined up next to hers but not enough to liven him up.
Ava gently banged her head on the table. “Fuck. Guys?”
“What?” Dahlia frowned at her. All night Dahlia had been close to a taciturn Keir, legs touching, annoying Ava.
“Fun? Heard of it? I think I’m going to fall asleep here.”
Friday night and the campus bar emptied a couple of hours ago, more interesting venues nearby drawing the livelier students away. A few stragglers shuffled around pool tables or propped themselves at the bar, too poor or too drunk to move on.
“You’re welcome to find your own entertainment,” replied Dahlia tersely.
“What entertains you, Keir?” asked Ava, trying to catch his uninterested eye.
Keir twisted the bottle in his hands. “I like reading.”
Ava spluttered into her drink. “I meant in the evenings.”
He turned to her for the first time. “I said, I like reading. Do you like reading, Ava?”
An image of Darius’s book crossed her mind. Did his comment mean something? His eyes shone in the dim light, looking at her a few seconds longer than usual before he turned and continued watching the people playing pool.
“Not really,” Ava replied.
“Why are you at college,” asked Dahlia, “if you don’t like reading?”
“I read what I have to. Learn what I need.”
The three companions lapsed into silence again.
Dahlia glanced at her watch. “Scintillating as this is, I need to go. Early start tomorrow - you coming, Keir?”
Keir shook his head and Dahlia opened her mouth to say something, but when Keir turned to her she closed it, glancing at Ava.
“Night then!” said Ava, giving Dahlia a little wave. Finally, some time alone with him.
Dahlia slunk off, pulling her jacket tightly around her. Keir watched Dahlia leave then switched on a dazzling, out of character smile for Ava.
“Do you play pool?” he asked.
*
Ava tipped her head, enjoying the view of Keir’s denim clad rear as he leaned over the pool table, considering how enjoyable things could be if he showed any interest in her. Second game and she’d wiped the floor with him so far. A soft click sent the yellow ball spinning into a pocket and Ava leaned against the pool table, ensuring when Keir stood back up he would be close to her.
“You’re quite an intense person, Ava,” he observed, chalking his cue as he stood back from the table.
At least he’d stopped blushing and mumbling around her.
“Am I?”
“The way you look at people. And the way you dress, hiding behind your image.” He handed her the cue. “Your turn.”
His words sounded like a challenge, one beyond their pool game and the words broke her concentration. She missed her shot, swearing under her breath as the balls hit and spun in the wrong direction. Ava handed the cue back to him. “I’m not hiding from anyone.”
Keir tipped his head. “So why us?”
“Who?”
“Me and Dahlia. A college full of interesting people and you latch onto us. Wouldn’t have thought we were your sort.”
“How do you know what my sort is?” asked Ava.
Keir’s violet tinged blue eyes narrowed at her and he leaned across the table to take his shot. Was he playing a role, hiding his identity too? After Dahlia left, a different guy replaced him.
If Dahlia was out of the picture, here was her chance. Get her mission over with, return to Darius and pray he didn’t renege on his promise to her again. Ava drew a deep breath, adjusted her dress and waited for Keir to turn back. She had to hope her charms worked on Nephilim.
“The reason is, I saw you in the corridor and I had to meet you. Sorry if that sounds lame but you’re an attractive guy.”
Ava waited for a reaction - a blush, averted gaze. Instead he set the cue next to the pool table and rested his hand a few centimeters from hers. “Really? You’re not backwards at coming forwards are you?”
Ava shook her hair over her shoulder and met his gaze. “I’m up front about what I want. I don’t hang around for weeks waiting.”
“And do you normally get what you want?”
She looked at him from under her lashes, summoning a seductive smile. “Yes.”
He leaned towards her and his curls touched her face, his breath against her cheek. “Do you think you’ll get me?”
Heart
quickening, Ava stepped back, surprised by the sudden change in his personality - and the physical pull to stay in his proximity. A smile played around the corners of Keir’s mouth and he moved his hand to hers, squeezing. “Let’s go for a walk and a talk. I think we need to.”
Ava stared at him. How was this the blushing guy from the library? Did Dahlia use some kind of mind control on him, and when she left he was free to do as he pleased? Ava wasn’t used to being confused by her victims.
Illuminated by spotlights, the main college building overshadowed the grounds as Keir and Ava walked through the evening, Ava silenced by his change in demeanor, losing her confident edge. They stopped by a fountain. Keir sat on the stone bench, indicating Ava should do the same.
“Dahlia warned me about you,” he said, stretching his long legs out.
“Warned you?”
“Yeah, she said girls like you suck the living soul from people.” He paused. “What do you think she meant?”
Alarm bells rang in Ava’s mind. “That she’s jealous?”
“Our relationship is purely a friendship based on common interests,” he said, softly.
Ava shifted away from him on the bench, flicking a fingernail against her teeth.
“We knew you were coming before you arrived, she wanted to stop you but I wanted to meet you. I’m glad I did.” His tone grew harder as he moved closer.
Ava stiffened. “You’re not as shy as you make out are you?”
“I don’t like attracting attention to myself. And I don’t want Dahlia interfering. It’s better if she thinks I have no interest in you. I want to get to know you, before something happens. Beautiful girls keep appearing in my life before they disappear again.”
Ava’s pulse rate picked up at his words. An electric sensation hovered in the tiny space between them, drawing her to him. Something she’d not experienced before with a demon. But her targets weren’t normally as human as Keir.
“How many have there been?” she asked.
“A few. They don’t stay around long though. Thanks to Dahlia.”
Ava stood, pulling her jacket around herself. She thought she was in control, believing he knew nothing. The evening wasn’t turning out as expected and her mind scrambled to catch up. Dahlia was responsible for the other soul-hunters failing? Dahlia was human - how could she be capable? Evidently Ava wasn’t the only one with a deceptive appearance.
Keir stood behind her, too far into her acceptable personal space. Her breathing quickened as she turned to face him.
His expression sent a shiver through her. She’d been looked at like this before but it had never disconcerted her. Now it was her turn to start blushing. She cast her eyes down, unable to hold the intensity of his gaze. Ava clenched her teeth - she should be the one flirting, pulling him in and, there he was, broadcasting sexuality at her in a way she’d never seen before.
He was clever.
Keir lifted a hand and she froze, feeling like she was the mouse, not Dahlia, and about to be the prey. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek and she jerked. People didn’t touch her. Keir’s soft touch sparked power across her face. Lips parting slightly, Ava lifted her gaze to his. A smile curved across his full mouth and Ava was overwhelmed with the urge to put her lips on his. She looked away. Is this how Nephilim stole human souls?
“You can read every word of your book of secrets,” he whispered, “but you won’t find me in there.”
The fountain lurched sideways and Ava focused on her breathing. At least, in the darkness, he wouldn’t be able to see how pale her face turned.
Keir’s face openly showed his desire, the effect he had on Ava mirrored in his expression. The warning in his words, in his tone scared her.
Ava’s mind screamed at her to run but she didn’t move, fighting conflicting urges. Run away or grab him by his dark curls and pull his face to hers. She used kisses as the first step to gaining trust, to let her victims think she was weak. Betrayal and her target’s death followed closely after. That was her normal routine. For the first time, her control over the soul-stealing situation had slipped.
Keir and Ava didn’t need to hide who they were anymore.
Ava backed up, she wasn’t ready to fight him. She didn’t have the crystal - or a weapon. The unspoken understanding between her and Keir set into motion the inevitable. One of them would die.
Chapter 4
Dahlia annoyed Ava, hovering around Keir like a guardian angel. This irony amused Ava. Did Dahlia know she was crushing on a demon? Two weeks since her encounter with Keir by the fountain, Ava had made no further progress. Because of Dahlia.
Another day, another lunch. Ava chewed on her sandwich, boots resting on the chair opposite, as she watched the people around her chattering. Human inanity never ceased to amuse her. Two guys at the next table hunched over their food, shoveling chips into their mouths and studying their phones. Across from them, a trio of girls picked delicately at their salads, focused on their mobiles too. Students steered clear of Ava, regarding her with both curiosity and indifference. Her involvement in campus life was zero. Her sole purpose - Keir. And getting past Dahlia.
She’d wormed her way into Keir and Dahlia’s life. Ava began by pleading forgetfulness to ask Dahlia for help with studying. Keir indicated to Dahlia they should help Ava. Dahlia agreed but her sour face was accompanied by a snarky attitude towards Ava. Long hours with Dahlia in the confines of the library wasn’t Ava’s preference either but necessary for staying close to the friends. Keir’s motivation for encouraging this puzzled Ava.
Keir ensured he never had time alone with Ava. Sometimes she caught his glacial eyes watching her with fascination and her cheeks would burn. Her reaction was exasperating and so was the little smile he gave himself when he looked away again.
Ava looked up as a tray of food landed on the table, followed by Dahlia sitting down and cracking open a soda can.
“Hey Dahlia, where’s Keir?”
“On his way.”
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise then,” said Ava.
Dahlia unwrapped her sandwich. “Why?”
“I didn’t think you liked me and you chose to sit with me rather than over there.” Ava pointed at an empty table.
“No point, he’ll want to sit with you anyway.” Dahlia sounded disappointed, picking salad from her sandwich.
“No idea why, he hardly ever looks at me.”
“And I have no idea why he wants anything to do with you,” said Dahlia darkly.
The mouse girl had chosen to wear black today, not a good color against her pallid skin. She watched her nibbling on a cheese sandwich, Ava battling to keep the smirk from her face. Mouse girl likes cheese. But something nagged her - was this awkward girl sitting with her really a mouse girl? Keir told her Dahlia knew Ava was coming. That she stopped soul-hunters.
“What is it with you two?” Ava asked.
“What?” she said sharply.
“Always together but not a couple. Kind of weird.”
“You don’t believe in platonic friendships?”
“Not when the guy’s as drop dead gorgeous as Keir.”
Dahlia regarded Ava over her sandwich, eyes hardening. “I’m not his type. And neither are you.”
Ava couldn’t resist, shifting closer to Dahlia and lowering her voice. “That’s not the impression I got when me and Keir were alone.”
The sandwich dropped from Dahlia’s hands onto her tray, sending salad spilling over the edge. “You’re lying,” she exclaimed. “He doesn’t like you.”
“Really? Jealous?”
Dahlia gave a short laugh. “Absolutely not. But you keep away from him.”
“That’s not so hard when you’re permanently attached to him.”
Dahlia leaned across the table. “Exactly.” The challenge in her voice reflected the warning in her darkened eyes.
Ava smiled at her. “For now.”
Dahlia didn’t bite and pointed at Ava’s boots. “Do you actua
lly own a motorbike or is this part of your tough girl image?”
“I used to have one,” replied Ava, “and now I don’t. Why? Did you want to borrow them some time?”
Keir pushed through the door, appreciative eyes from the girls sitting near them watched him cross the room and slide into the chair next to Dahlia. Ava’s eyebrows arched at his appearance. Keir’s pale T-shirt was soaked at the front and a sheen of sweat covered his forehead, cheeks red.
“Hey,” he said breathlessly to Dahlia.
“Been working out? Could have got a shower first,” said Ava, distracted by the image of the perspiration oiling his sinewed forearms and imagining herself stroking them.
His Nephilim eyes looked into hers for the briefest moment. “No.”
Ava’s heart rate picked up, chest tightening. Did he know the effect it had on her when he looked at her? Probably.
“Everything okay?” asked Dahlia, putting her hand on his. The gesture caused Ava’s neck to prickle.
“Yes,” he said. Dahlia passed him a second soda can from her tray and he drained the contents. “Thanks.”
Ava scrutinized them, waiting for one of them to elaborate on Keir’s recent whereabouts. Her eyes went to his hands, remembering the long fingers touching her face and she closed her eyes. Get a grip.
What was their deal? Keir wiped an arm across his face, mopping perspiration from his forehead. Dahlia pulled a textbook from her bag and flicked the thick pages open. Both resolutely ignored her. Ava waited for a few minutes longer, drumming her fingers on the table, hoping to irritate Dahlia enough for her to respond. It didn’t.
“Well, it’s been a pleasure, as always,” said Ava, standing up. She deliberately kicked her own bag under the table and stalked away.
Ava hovered outside and watched them through the circular door windows. Students leaving for class pushed past her, obscuring her view. Keir’s arrival looking like he’d run a marathon had to be a topic of conversation for them. She’d give them a few minutes then go back for her bag.
Dahlia closed her book and put it in her bag, glancing around. The shiny formica tables in the cafeteria stood empty, apart from the group of texting girls who were now avoiding class, and canteen staff unenthusiastically clearing half-empty trays. Dahlia pulled out her laptop and flipped open the lid, pointing at the screen. Keir leaned forward, crossed his arms over his chest, features hardening.