by Lisa Swallow
Keir’s mouth turned up at one corner. “I knew you were listening. Dahlia didn’t.”
If he was expecting her to show surprise and yield he was wrong. “So what did you decide? I think I missed the crucial part, where you decided if you were going to get rid of me, or however Dahlia so delicately put it.”
“We didn’t decide anything, Ava.” He lifted an arm and set his palm on the wall behind her.
Dizziness crept up, her breathing came in shorter bursts, unsure of his intentions. His lips hovered close to hers, breath warm against her cheek.
“If you know who I am, why I came, why didn’t you kill me in the alley?” she said hoarsely.
He stepped back, pupils dilated. “You came to take my soul, correct?”
She squeezed her temples.
“You haven’t tried yet - why?” he asked.
Ava’s head scrambled through the fog to come up with a believable answer; one which would keep her alive. The truth fell from her confused brain.
“Because I want to know what you’re doing. Why you’re killing demons.”
Keir narrowed his eyes. “I don’t believe you, I think it’s because you haven’t had a chance yet.”
“I think you do believe me. You know I heard what you just said to Dahlia. You saw my doubts.”
He reached out a hand and touched her hair. “Your hair looks pretty this color.”
Ava stiffened, confused by his change of subject. “Yeah.”
His hand smoothed her hair, fingers trailing toward her cheek and the blood rushed downwards, stomach tightening. Stop it. This was her modus operandi. She struggled to pull herself out of the force pulling her to him.
“Do you know why I didn’t kill you?” he whispered.
Ava pulled her head away from his touch. “No.”
Keir stepped back and hitched his bag onto his shoulder. There was that look again. Confusion. Desire. Anger. Something primal beneath his veneer. “Nor do I. Next time you might not be so lucky.” His hands gripped his bag handle tightly, knuckles whitening. “Stay away from us. Until you decide what to do. Then we can end this.”
He turned and paused, hand on the door handle as he looked back to her. “This won’t end well for you, Ava.”
Ava jumped as the door slammed shut behind him. She turned to the wall and slammed her palms against them, holding her forehead against the cool bricks. How did he fucking do that? Silence her. Pull out her hidden Ava, the vulnerable girl she’d buried when she left the Fated. Whenever he looked into her eyes, he saw her soul. Her secrets. He had the advantage and he knew.
Chapter 8
Ava blew her fringe out of her eyes and glanced at the clock. Her heart sank. Two hours to go. The queue of customers in the coffee shop grew as the working day ended for most. Not Ava, she had orders backing up, her machine working overtime. Bad enough her plans to snatch Keir’s soul and get going had been torn apart, now she had to waste time working as a barista to pay her way. Darius never gave her money to live on while she was in this godforsaken place. Another incentive for soul-hunters to not hang around. The job was okay, her customer service skills lacked but the wages were too low for most students to want the job. The gaudily painted, small shop consisted of Formica tables with PVC bench seats tables squeezed together, and a narrow counter with a menu chalked on a board above. Not much in the way of space or atmosphere. The owner wanted to maximize the amount he could squeeze out of people desiring a cheap coffee on the way home; the cafe’s position on the high street and the cheap prices the big draw card.
“Crap!” Ava spilt frothed milk on her hand for the tenth time that day, and she blew at the reddening skin. She shook the pain away and pulled the order ticket from above her. “Zach!”
“Thanks. And no use crying over spilt milk.”
A tall man stepped from the side of the bench and reached out for the cup. She frowned when she saw his eyes. Violet rimmed, ice blue Keir eyes half hidden behind a long fringe, flopping into his face.
He looked at her hand. “Did you burn yourself?”
“No.” His eyes. How could he have eyes like Keir’s? There was nothing in the folder about other Nephilim in the area.
“Good, thanks for the coffee.” He lifted the cup in a toast to her and wandered to a clean table by the window.
The guy hunched over his coffee, disguising his height, and as he took a sip he glanced over at her from under his fringe. The intensity of his gaze stunned her and an uncomfortable shiver ran across her neck. Did he know who she was too?
Ava shook her head, interrupted by Janie shoving her. “Come on, slow poke, we’re busy! Stop checking out the customers.”
“I’m not,” she muttered, grabbing her next order.
Over the next couple of hours, the entire city appeared to pass in and out of the place: buying coffees, sitting, reading, and chatting. A whirl of activity surrounding Zach, who never moved, watching Ava.
Ava glanced at the clock. 7:00 p.m. As the number of customers slowed to a trickle, she got more chances to weigh up Zach.
Would she get bonus points if she brought two Nephilim souls to Darius? Yeah right, she wasn’t getting far with one, never mind two.
And there he was. With attachment.
Keir held the door for Dahlia to step into the cafe, and she strode up to place their order.
“Two flat whites please.” Dahlia behaved as if she didn’t know Ava, peeling off her gloves, as she studied the display of cakes and biscuits.
Ava scrawled the order. “To go?”
“No. We’re hanging out here for a bit.”
Keir remained in the doorway, his hand on the handle. He and Zach regarded each other briefly.
“Hi, Keir,” Ava called, leaning forward, her necklace jangling on the counter.
“Yeah, hi, Ava,” he said, glancing at her for the briefest second.
Imperceptibly, Keir tilted his head toward Zach. Dahlia glanced at Zach, gave Keir a single nod and moved to a table at the opposite end of the room. Keir slid onto the bench seat opposite Dahlia, his back to Ava. They leaned toward each other, and Dahlia’s fingers traced patterns on the smooth table as she spoke to him. Zach’s attention remained focused on Ava with no sign of any interest in Dahlia or Keir. His relentless staring unnerved her, and she chewed inside her cheek, looking away.
“Well, that’s me,” smiled Janie, taking off her apron and tossing it onto the counter. “Long shift tonight.”
Janie undid her long dark hair from a ponytail and shook it across her shoulders. “Man, I wish I had one of those guys waiting for me at home tonight.” She inclined her head toward Zach and Keir. “Say, you know one of those guys don’t you? The one with the girl. Tell me she’s not his girlfriend, seriously she can’t be…”
Janie indicated Dahlia, eclipsed by the stunning guy she was sitting with. Even looking at Keir’s muscled back sent flutters through Ava’s stomach. When was she going to get a grip on this?
Ava shook her head. “No, they’re friends.”
“He’s cute, you should get in before anyone else does.”
Ava snorted. “Not my type.”
Janie laughed and elbowed her in the ribs. “He’s my type! Introduce us.”
She winked at Ava.
Ava flicked a towel at her. “Behave. Go home, you.”
Janie waved over her shoulder as she left, the door swinging closed behind her. Ava turned her attention back to Keir and Dahlia, debating whether to go over to them.
Zach approached the counter.
“What can I get you?” she asked, taking the opportunity to examine his eyes again. He had to be Nephilim.
“You busy later?” he asked, tracing a finger through the spilt coffee on the counter.
“You asking me out?” Ava blinked.
“Might be.” Zach shook his fringe out of his face and smiled coyly at her.
Ava hesitated, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She should focus on Keir, not hook up with
someone. Zach glanced over his shoulder. “Or busy with them tonight? Friends?”
“Not really. I know them but we don’t hang out much.” Or ever.
Ava waggled her head from side to side, trying to make a decision. If he was another Nephilim and she took his soul maybe that would be enough to get her home and dry, she could leave Keir and his mysteries behind. Okay, so Zach wasn’t the one in her file but she’d collected extra souls on her missions before. She could do this and prove to herself Nephilim could be dealt with.
“Sure!” she said brightly. “I finish up soon - meet you at Paddy’s Bar at nine?”
Zach’s smile widened. “Awesome, see you then.”
She watched him slouch away. Dahlia watched too, sliding her tongue across her teeth as she studied Zach’s retreating figure. Ava caught her eye and gave Dahlia a little wave before she turned to start the end of shift clean up. The bell over the door tinkled and she looked round to serve her new customer. No one was there, Dahlia and Keir gone.
*
The wind blew fallen leaves around Ava’s ankles as she walked along the quiet sidewalk. She stomped on them, wishing they were Zach’s head. She’d waited an hour in Paddy’s Bar, the only single girl on her own in the place. An hour wasted waiting for the flaky guy who’d picked her up at work. Heads had turned to watch the tall girl with candy floss hair storm past them and leave the bar.
Ava’s mind wandered back to Keir, and she remembered following him through the same streets - and their fight. Wishing she’d stop obsessing about what happened. The sensation of his heart beating against her chest and the heat radiating between them sprang into her mind every day. Then the encounter in the corridor. The intensity of her body’s reaction to his presence confused her, and it didn’t help when she saw the same desire flicker across his face each time they got close. In the days since their last meeting, Ava had kept her distance, heeded his last warning, while she considered her next move.
She arrived back at the quiet campus and trod through the carefully swept piles of leaves, resisting the urge to kick them loose. The last of the autumn leaves littering the floor emphasized the progression of the seasons, her lack of success. She’d wasted time again, lost her focus on a pointless attempt to discover who Zach was.
Ava turned the corner towards the welcoming lights of her dorm building, somewhere to sit and plan her next move. If Zach ever had the cheek to approach her again, he wouldn’t know what hit him.
Angry voices carried from in the nearby trees and she paused. Was her tormented mind playing tricks on her - because one of the voices sounded like Keir. A strangled yell came from the direction of the voices. Should she interfere again? Keir attacked a demon last time, but it could easily be a human this time. He was Nephilim and it’s what they did.
She moved into the wooded area behind the dorms and peered around the tree, straining her eyes in the darkness. In a small copse of trees, lined by tall bushes, Keir was lying on the floor, fighting against the weight of the man sitting across his chest. The other man couldn’t be human, he wouldn’t have the strength to hold Keir down. She remembered Keir’s anger the last time she got involved and backed away. He could deal with his own problems this time.
“You picked the wrong side, Keir,” spat the man.
Ava stopped as she recognized the voice. Zach. Keir tore at Zach’s hands, trying to get hold of the knife Ava saw glint.
Zach laughed. “We’re getting stronger and you’re becoming a liability.”
“Just fucking do it then, kill me,” growled Keir, “I’m not afraid.”
“I’ve already distracted that soul-hunter to stop her being here tonight. Did you know she’s close to getting your soul? Well, I think it’s time I took it. Not her.”
Fury blackened Ava’s eyes. Zach had played her. He wasn’t getting Keir’s soul. She was. Ava glanced around. The path close to the trees was empty so she pounced, grabbed Zach by his long hair and dragged him off Keir. Zach fell backwards, losing his grip on the knife, which spun into the grass close by. Zach immediately sprang to his feet, and turned around to seize her but Ava already launched herself at him and knocked him back to the ground. She straddled his chest, breathing picking up as she looked down at him, preparing herself for his struggle.
Zach’s face contorted in anger. “Hello little soul-hunter, come to rescue your friend?”
She jabbed an elbow into his neck. “Don’t talk to me.”
“Ava, leave it!” shouted Keir. He pulled himself unsteadily his feet.
Ava ignored him and groped on the ground for the weapon Zach had dropped. Her fingers curled around the handle. She spun the dagger around in her hand then held the weapon against Zach’s throat.
“I came for Keir’s soul but yours will be an added bonus,” she growled at him.
“My soul? Good luck with that. I don’t have one,” sneered Zach.
Ava hesitated. “What?”
“Somebody already took mine.”
“But you’re alive?”
His lip curled as he looked up at her, blue eyes intense in the dimming light. “I’m a Nephilim, sweetheart, we don’t die that fucking easily.”
Ava blinked. The rumors were true?
He was a threat to her, a rival for Keir’s soul. The hilt of the dagger dug into her hand, she lifted the blade, ready to strike.
Keir grabbed her by the arms, twisting the dagger from her hands. “Leave it Ava, for fuck’s sake!”
Keir yanked Ava away from Zach, she landed heavily on the ground, losing her focus on Zach.
Zach tried to sit but Keir slammed him back into the leaves, and knelt on his chest.
“You can’t kill him,” said Keir, “He’s not a demon, he’s Nephilim. If you did manage to kill a Nephilim your life wouldn’t be worth living. I expect they didn’t mention that when they sent you to kill me.” Zach struggled and Keir pressed harder.
“You’re lying,” she said
“Kill her. Kill us both. Because we both want one thing from you. Why else would she have jumped in and rescued you?” snarled Zach.
Keir slammed Zach’s head into the ground. “I didn’t need fucking rescuing!”
“I was about to slash your throat!”
The two Nephilim locked gazes and Ava jumped to her feet, taking advantage of their distraction. She launched herself at Keir, knocking him off Zach but Keir jumped up and grabbed her by the arms, pinning them behind her back before she could do anything else. Zach rolled over, pushing himself up on his hands and knees coughing. His eyes filled with amusement as she struggled against Keir’s hold.
“I’ll be going then, leave you to whatever it is that’s going on between you two.” The leaves on the floor blew outwards as Zach’s figure blurred into the night.
“What the fuck did you do that for?” Keir turned Ava to face him, shaking her so hard her teeth hurt.
“He was going to kill you. I saw him,” retorted Ava, dragging herself from his grasp
The glittering anger in Keir’s eyes warned her the danger hadn’t left with Zach. “I don’t need your help. I need to kill him and you got in the way. Again. Why? Wanted to get in there first did you?”
“Was he telling the truth? Zach?”
Keir winced and held his head, Ava saw blood caking above his ear. “His soul’s gone. Without our angel souls that’s what we become. Empty vessels feeding on others. Taking the souls from them. Pure, remorseless demon.”
“What do you mean?”
“Something else they never told you, Ava? These people you work for.”
Keir knew, had seen the doubt in her. And she’d seen uncertainty in his eyes the evening in the alley. Their roles in the world weren’t as clear cut as they thought.
Taking advantage of her hesitation, Keir pushed Ava roughly away and she fell backwards, landing heavily on the floor. “You only want what he wants, he’s right.”
Ava scrambled back to her feet and shoved him in the chest. Keir winc
ed with pain and doubled over, sucking in air.
“I’m weaker, it might even things up a bit for you,” he said hoarsely.
Bending, he pulled the knife from the grass and held the weapon out to her. “Take it.”
The blade glinted. Ava stared at the knife, speechless.
“Kill me. Take my soul.” Keir straightened and stepped toward her as she backed off.
“Why were you fighting with another Nephilim?” she said, refusing to take the knife.
“That doesn’t matter to you. All that matters is taking my soul and going back. Getting your Will and living in blissful ignorance. Isn’t it?”
He stepped toward her and she stumbled back. “Stop fucking with me, Keir.”
“Fight me,” he urged, “get the life you want. Live in their world and let it carry on.”
Mind tricks. She shivered against the cold, the distant traffic the only sound on the quiet campus.
“So you can’t do it?” he taunted.
Teeth gritted, Ava shoved him, and in his weakened state he fell backwards and landed in the leaves. “If I wanted to kill you I could.”
“You don’t want to?” His voice was triumphant.
She understood his game.
“I do, I have to,” she yelled at him.
“Do it then. I’m here. Take your chance.”
Ava curled her hands into fists. He knew she wouldn’t. Knew she couldn’t.
Keir jumped to his feet and ran at her knocking her backwards against one of the trees. She gasped, air knocked from her as the trunk slammed into her back.
“Don’t hesitate, Ava. I might kill you first,” he whispered.
They were there again, hearts banging against each other’s chest, her skin burning where his breath touched her.
“You didn’t kill me last time. You can’t kill me either, can you?” she said.
Keir’s look intensified and his pupils dilated, breathing quickening as his eyes searched hers. “I’ve killed soul-hunters, waiting for the right one to arrive,” he said.