Aven's Dream

by Alessa James

  “Was their supposed to be someone else here today?” I asked.

  Will looked away from me, but not before I caught the same expression he had had during his strange, silent interaction with Edmond earlier.

  “Yes,” he said finally. “James, the most recalcitrant of our assemblage.”

  I froze.

  “I thought it was just Edmond and Gen,” I said carefully.

  “It mostly is. James does as he pleases, and politesse rarely dictates his actions.”

  “Why didn’t you mention him?”

  Will shrugged.

  “Because I never fully expected him to grace us with his presence.”

  Will’s tone was dismissive and disappointed at the same time, like he was talking about a wayward sibling. When music began to fill the house, Will smiled.

  “Gen is trying to lure us out of hiding. Do you have enough energy to sustain?”

  “Are you kidding? I not going to sleep for days,” I laughed uncomfortably, still feeling the electricity burning through my veins from what Will called equilibrium.

  Will led me downstairs to an alcove where Edmond sat in front of a gleaming black grand piano. Gen was sitting in a chair next to him with a cello between her legs. They played as though no one else in the world existed. The music that emerged from the two instruments was flawless and beautiful, just like them.

  Will’s eyes were peaceful as he sat on the couch and drew me into his arms. The two of them continued to play without any sheet music, Gen wielding the bow effortlessly at a pace I thought would set the strings on fire. It felt like I had stumbled into a concert hall during a private recital. As the music finally drifted to a close, I stared speechlessly.

  “Did you just finish that?” Will asked.

  “It’s called Halloween,” Gen smiled. “In honor of the occasion, since you didn’t appreciate the Berlioz.”

  Gen rested the cello against the chair and came to sit beside us.

  “I liked the Berlioz,” I pointed out. “But it is the creepiest piece of music ever.”

  Gen turned to Will.

  “William, as you plan on pretending to be human tomorrow evening, does that mean I shall be given permission to borrow Aven for a shopping excursion?”

  I looked over at Will, suddenly reminded of his poker game with Sean and the others. I should have known he wasn’t going to leave me unattended for that long.

  “Without Edmond there to serve as the responsible influence?” Will laughed.

  Edmond, who was still seated in front of the piano, continued to play, his fingers floating over the keys effortlessly.

  “One day, mes amis, I shall tire of being the responsible one,” he said lightly.

  Gen rose and returned to the cello. She began playing again, and within moments the two instruments were perfectly in sync again. I listened and turned to look toward the glass doors leading to the pool. Standing on the other side of the glass, a man stared back at me with an expression that scared me. For half a second, I thought it was Vladimir Fidatov, but the man watching me had a shock of copper-brown hair that looked like he either spent way too much time making it look that wild, or absolutely no time at all. Combined with his slate-gray eyes, he was startling. I blinked, and he was gone. There one second—gone the next.

  When I glanced up at Will, he was staring in the same direction, and his expression was not amused. So that was James, I thought. Maybe he and Megan would hook up since she was into insanely hot guys and both she and this guy seemed to hate me on sight. I fully understood Megan’s reason—she wanted Will. Why Will’s other companion disliked me without ever having met me was a bigger mystery.

  My stomach growled at me, and I suddenly felt annoyed by having to eat so often. Still, this hunger was nothing compared to the gnawing, frantic craving of Will’s that I had felt for a few seconds. Before I could say anything, Will pulled me up from the sofa and gestured for me to follow him across the house, leading me into another room I hadn’t seen before. I stopped, looking around the kitchen we had just walked into.

  “You don’t eat, though,” I said, laughing.

  “You do.”

  He opened the stainless steel refrigerator and took out a bottle of sparkling water and a large plate piled with oversized grapes, different berries, cheeses, olives, and sliced tomato. Magically producing a glass and a French baguette, he led me into another room, where he set down the plate and bread on a long formal dining room table. When he pulled out my chair, I sat down and watched as he took a seat across from me. I tore off a piece of bread and spread some soft cheese over it with a cheese spreader that sat on the plate. Taking a bite, I smiled. The cheese was rich and creamy, and the bread was just the right combination of crusty and soft on the inside. For not eating, Will had really good taste in food.

  “Gourmet food? A professional kitchen? A dining room?” I asked as Will poured me a glass of water.

  “We live in the human world,” he said as I picked up a grape and popped it into my mouth.

  I felt a jolt as I realized that Will had been living in the human world for more than two centuries. I thought of Mrs. Hendrix’s reaction to Will. I had assumed she was just mesmerized by his beauty like everyone else who saw him, but that wasn’t the full story.

  “Mrs. Hendrix, the night she met you—she recognized you, didn’t she?”

  “I thought I’d managed to escape without you noticing that.”

  Staring at him, I started to connect the dots. The newspaper article. Her fearful memories of a fire in Winters. And the way she had looked at Will, as though trying to remember someone from a long time ago.

  “The fire in Winters that happened when she was a little girl—Mrs. Hendrix looked so upset when she mentioned it.” I paused. “Something happened, and you were there, weren’t you?”

  “She was a very young girl then, and I was surprised she remembered any of it. When Fidatov attacked the town, hers was one of the homes in his path. I managed to bring her to safety, and I had always imagined that she was too traumatized to remember any of it. I suppose I was mistaken. Human memories aren’t as easily expunged as I had assumed.”

  I tried to imagine my ancient neighbor as a young girl and how Will must have looked to her then, the same as he appeared now, but almost a lifetime ago. I wondered if, after as many decades, I would be the same—struggling to recall hazy memories of a golden-haired young man with haunting blue eyes.

  Then I remembered something else Mrs. Hendrix had mumbled that night. … we began finding the animals and that poor young man from the Thompson house. I shivered.

  “The animals they found in the woods—that’s Fidatov, too, isn’t it?” I asked quietly.

  Will nodded.

  “But why?”

  He looked down and didn’t say anything, and I knew that whatever he wasn’t saying was going to be bad.

  “Will, whether you like it or not, I’m in the middle of this …”

  He looked up and nodded grimly.

  “Animals, like humans have emotions—a life force that we can feed off of.”

  “So he’s killing them to consume their energy?” I asked shakily.

  “No. He’s torturing them and consuming their fear and pain. Then he’s killing them.”

  I pushed back the plate of food. I had wanted to know, but each new thing I learned about Will’s enemy made me lose my appetite.

  “And that’s how you knew he was here,” I whispered. “He left a trail of bodies across Canada and the U.S.—and then he started an animal body count here.”

  “He’s playing at a game he intends to win. He can’t risk exposure, not yet. And the deaths of animals will always draw less attention than if he were to start with the human population.”

  Will took the plate from me, and I followed him back to the living room in front of the fire. He slid down onto the soft rug in front of it and beckoned to me. When I reached him, his hand shot out, pulling me down next to him. Curling up i
n Will’s arms, I looked into the fire, thinking over what he had just said about Fidatov playing a game.

  “Have you ever thought of luring him out of hiding? On your own terms?” Will looked at me expressionlessly, and I hurried before he could interrupt me. “I mean, use me to trap him.”

  Will caught my chin in his palm, his eyes blazing.

  “Do you think for one instant that I would dangle you in front of him as bait?” he asked, his voice shaking with tension.

  I felt color rising in my cheeks.

  “It was just an idea. You know, instead of waiting for this guy to kill every living creature in town.”

  “Be patient. Now that all of us are here, it’s only a matter of waiting for him to make a misstep.”

  “Yeah, well I don’t think the cavalry is too thrilled you’ve brought me here.”

  I thought about the expression on the face of the young man I had seen and shivered.

  “James’s is …” Will sighed. “Let us just say he has unresolved issues.”

  Gen glided into the room, and I pushed myself up so that I wasn’t sprawled over Will.

  “Aven, get ready to have some fun tomorrow.”

  She smiled beatifically, which just made her more gorgeous. I tried to smile back, but it came out crooked. Why did everyone but me think shopping was fun? And the thought of having to try on clothes next to Will’s perfect companion … so not good.

  “I’ll pick you up at four?” she asked.

  I noticed Will tense.

  “What, mon ami?” Gen laughed at him. “You shall endure the pain if I borrow Aven for a few hours.”

  She turned, and I watched as she walked gracefully from the room. Feeling Will’s lips at my ear, I shivered.

  “How long do you think I can keep you here before your father calls the authorities?” he whispered.

  “I should get back before he gets home from his dinner,” I offered weakly.

  I looked down. For the first time, I actually wanted to escape this house, but it wasn’t Will I wanted to escape from. I wanted to escape the memory of James and his slate-gray eyes watching me. His hostility was worse than Vladimir Fidatov’s—because he belonged here with these other perfect creatures.

  Me? I didn’t belong, and I never would.

  Chapter 19: Soul Mate

  From my window, I watched as a sleek silver sports car pulled up in front of our house. Gen, as lithe and perfect as she had been the day before, began walking toward the house as Will grudgingly picked up my jacket and purse from the bed. My dad didn’t know Will was here, so Will wouldn’t be leaving through the front door.

  “Have fun playing poker with the guys,” I smiled as he handed me my things. “But try not to take too much money from Sean. Please.”

  I went on my tippy toes to kiss him just as Gen knocked on the front door. Will disappeared out the window as I bolted for the door. Beating my dad down the stairs, I opened the door just as he arrived behind me.

  “Dad, this is Genevieve. Gen, this is my dad, Aaron.”

  Gen flashed my dad a disarming smile and shook his hand.

  “It’s good to meet you, Genevieve.”

  “Likewise, Professor Casey.”

  “Call me Aaron.”

  She smiled.

  “Everyone calls me Gen.”

  “Do you go to school with Aven?” my dad asked.

  “I will as of tomorrow. Will and I grew up together. I’m staying with him through the end of the year. I needed someone to go shopping with, and I’m just glad he was willing to let me borrow Aven for the day.”

  I winced at her comment and stole a look at my dad. The last thing I needed was for him to flip out over the amount of time I was spending with Will—and that wasn’t counting all the nights he would never find out about.

  “Well, I think Aven’s been shopping more times this weekend than the entire time we’ve lived here,” my dad said, patting his pockets absently.

  He took out his wallet and handed me a few bills, shaking his head when I tried to hand them back.

  “I don’t want to keep you two,” he said. “Gen, please feel free to come by any time. It’s good to know Aven has some girlfriends.”

  Smirking at him, I opened the front door.

  “It was a pleasure meeting you,” Gen said as we stepped out.

  I looked back at my dad, hoping he hadn’t noticed the car across the street, but I could tell by the way he was staring that he was mentally calculating how much money it cost.

  “Gen, do you guys own any low-key vehicles?” I asked as soon as we climbed into the low, cockpit-like seats.

  “Yes, I’m driving one,” she said as she pulled away from the curb. “Why?”

  “Because my dad’s going to think Will’s running a drug cartel.”

  She turned off our street, and the car rocketed forward. I swallowed.

  “You drive as fast as Will does,” I squeaked.

  “Faster,” she smiled.

  When we got to the freeway, the other cars looked like they were standing still as Gen’s car weaved between them.

  “No offense, but your energy is quite delicious,” she said, punching the gas.

  “Good to know that my fear is a tasty appetizer.”

  “This also is the first time in ages I’ve had a girl to hang out with. Edmond has Will and James … when James isn’t being such a malcontent.”

  I squirmed.

  “I feel bad that I’m causing trouble between Will and him.”

  After all, Will and the others had mostly likely been together for decades, even centuries, longer than I had even been alive. Gen looked over at me.

  “Please! You can’t blame yourself for James’s tantrum. I’ve long felt that the two of them were having a competition to see who could be unhappy the longest. Now James is disappointed that he’s finally won.”

  I shook my head.

  “I don’t get it.”

  “It’s a long story. Will didn’t say anything to you—about James?” she asked carefully.

  “I thought it was just you and Edmond until yesterday,” I admitted.

  “Then, I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but it’s clear Will has found in you his âme soeur—”

  “me soeur?” I asked.

  “Soul mate.”

  I looked down.

  “You know he’s only known me for, like, less than a month, right?”

  “You humans have such an interesting concept of time,” she said thoughtfully. “Do you believe you will feel differently about him next week?”

  “Well, I am human,” I smiled. “We’re also fickle.”

  Gen laughed.

  “Yes, I’ll give you that.”

  “What about you and Edmond?” I asked carefully.

  “I knew I was meant to be with him from the moment I saw him.”

  “Were you both … human when you met?”

  She shook her head.

  “Fortunately, no.”

  “What do you mean fortunately?”

  “It’s a thorny matter being so close to humans,” she said. “And it is particularly complicated that Will is obviously attracted to you in in a physical sense as well.”

  “Obviously?” I swallowed, blushing.

  “It leads to conflicting motivations. He’s attracted to you, but I believe he also enjoys your company. Otherwise, he would never …”

  She glanced over at me.

  “He would never what?” I prompted.

  She shook her head and looked over at me again, smiling radiantly.

  “My point is that things aren’t so simple between a human and a creature like us. Attraction and affection are in conflict with the craving we have for human energy. And that craving will always increase immeasurably with you so close. It has the potential to cloud his judgment, and given our strength …”

  Gen reached into her pocket and pulled out a gold coin that looked like it was pirate treasure. Then she casually pinched i
t in half between her thumb and index finger like putty. She set the crumpled coin between us just before it turned to dust.

  “He can’t for one second forget how fragile you are. I imagine he has to concentrate all the time when he’s with you, and it frightens him that he might lose control.”

  Gen looked at my expression and smiled apologetically.

  “Please don’t be afraid. He’ll never let you come out with me again.”

  “You were going to tell me about James,” I reminded her, hoping to change the subject.

  Sighing, Gen looked back at the road, her expression resigned.

  “James wasn’t always as he is now. He, like Will, once was in love with a young human.” I swallowed, suddenly sure that this story wasn’t going to end well. “And then Vladimir Fidatov murdered her.”

  I gasped, not prepared for exactly how bad James’s story was. Suddenly I felt compassion for this stranger, even if he did seem to hate me. I looked out the window, lost in thought.

  “So James thinks history is repeating itself,” I said quietly a minute later. “He thinks Will is being stupid for wanting to be with me.”

  “Reckless is the word James would use,” Gen pointed out. “It’s more than that, though, I believe. James is afraid that Will has found someone who loves him as much as he does her. And that would make James the only one who is alone.”

  When Gen stepped from the driver’s seat, I realized that we were parked not far from the mall. She opened my door a second later.

  “Come. Let’s shop, shall we?” she said brightly.

  Getting out and following her from the parking structure, I thought about what she had said. Reckless. Was that what I was being? And was I going to suffer the same fate? As soon as we reached the mall, Gen kicked it into high gear, picking an endless number of outfits and dressing me up like a life-sized doll. When she started taking half of what I had tried on to the register, I shook my head.

  “I can’t get all this stuff,” I said.

  “You can argue as much as you would like with Will. I don’t negotiate.”

  She paid for everything before handing me half of the bags to carry. Then, just when I thought she was done with me, she dragged me into a shoe store and watched as I tried on dozens of shoes. To my horror, she didn’t stop there. Next she hauled me to one of the cosmetics stores that I never went into. She purchased an intimidating supply of expensive makeup that I didn’t even know how to use. Unlike me, Gen didn’t need any cosmetic help. She was flawless.