Someone from behind her came and sat at the corner of the counter near her, leaving a couple of rickety black stools between them. Avery didn't look toward the newcomer, but felt his presence. It wasn't exactly commanding of her attention, like a warning bell, but strong nevertheless. He ordered himself a double shot of whiskey. His soothing, deep voice really caught her interest and made Avery curious as to his appearance.
“Please be cute,” she whispered under her breath. Avery caught a glimpse of him through her peripherals, but that couldn’t reveal to her exactly what he looked like. Just that he was young and decently dressed, as opposed to the old nasty men usually skulking around here trying to pick up younger girls.
Avery went back to her tequila, though not fully. She could feel eyes on her as she downed another shot. She cringed and tried to hide the silly face she had made. Avery acted as if she was turning around to look about the bar when really she wanted an excuse to look at the man sitting next to her more closely. Her eyes drifted around until they settled on an impressive sight. Good-looking men rarely came into this place. Not alone, at least. He was cleaned up but had a rough edge to him, and she could envision the partially-hidden large biceps and chiseled chest under his black t-shirt. He had a distinguished jawline with a dusting of dark hairs on it and his short, dirty-blonde hair was teased to give it texture and spunk. He looked about 27, possibly 30 at the oldest. Not too much older than her.
He was the type of guy Avery would have in her wildest dreams. Her pulse quickened for a moment. She was confident in many aspects of her life, but meeting men, especially those that were that good looking, made her feel a bit nervous. He seemed like the mysterious bad-boy type, not the asshole bad-boy type she usually ended up with. The kind of guys she would refer to as douche bags; loud, obnoxious, cocky, making her pay for everything, blowing her off for video games and buddies, and not to mention always cheating on her. They always had an over-inflated sense of self-worth and were extremely unintelligent. Everything good at the beginning of the relationships eventually changed for the worse. She had learned her lesson from dating those kinds of guys and was in no hurry to date again.
After reviewing in her mind her past boyfriends, she looked at the man at the bar again. As she was on the verge of concluding that this man was too good looking for her, his icy blue eyes met hers, and they both stopped in mid-action. Her body tensed as if she had been shocked. She couldn’t look away like any sane person should. It was rare when a woman could find herself in the presence of a truly gorgeous man, let alone be the object of his attention. Avery couldn't tell if he was offended or complimented by her obvious staring. In fact, it was unusual that she couldn't tell exactly what this man was thinking when he stared back at her. Sometimes she could read a man’s intentions like a bright neon sign that usually said “I wanna sleep with you,” but in a more vulgar way, of course. But this look that he gave her seemed much different than those she had seen too many times before. Maybe it was the look of… curiosity?
A young, white-blonde, overly-tanned, intoxicated girl in a short jean skirt and low-cut shirt straddled up next to him and latched onto his arm, ending all fantasies she had conjured.
“Should have known,” Avery muttered to herself as she took another shot.
She heard that soothing, angelic voice again, sounding much firmer than before, “Not interested.”
Avery looked back at him and saw the girl wobble away, heading to the next closest person of the male gender. The gorgeous man at the bar was still staring directly at her, as he had been before. He set his drink down and moved himself to the stool next to her. Avery felt a flush over her face, but kept her composure.
Avery, remembering that not everything was as it seemed, casually brushed her arm along his as he sat down. It was the ‘cold test’ she did to every man she met at night, as vampires naturally had a lower body temperature. He was warm to the touch, and she sighed in relief to herself.
“You look troubled,” he assessed. “Mind if I buy you a drink?”
“Don’t mind at all,” Avery softly let out, trying to muster up all her confidence. “Anything free is worth saving up for.”
He gave her a quizzical look before grinning. “I’m Talon.”
That’s a name? Okay, she had to admit that people were naming their kids the weirdest things nowadays so it may not be fabricated. Should she tell this stranger her real name? He did offer her a drink and she had accepted. Did bar etiquette call for this?
“Avery.”
“Avery,” he repeated slowly, each syllable made to make her name sound more delicate than how her Michigander accent had given it. Talon gave her a charming smile. Any other woman in her position would have had her knees turned to jelly and her brain to mush at the sight of his grin. But Avery, being who she was, couldn’t help but suspect something conspicuous about him. After all, what did someone as handsome as him want with her, over all the other young, much more scantily-clad women in this bar? Her pessimism bubbled to the surface, and she blamed the alcohol for her bluntness.
“Why?”
Talon looked surprised, “Excuse me?”
“You brushed that willing, half-naked girl off and now you’re talking to me, even though I clearly look like hell. Why?”
“She’s a little girl. I’m interested in women,” he took a drink of his whiskey and then joked with her. “Besides, I was just returning the favor; you were staring at me first.”
Avery blushed and tried to play it off. “Oh, you saw that huh.”
A vampire dressed in black and mockingly wearing a small, silver, gothic cross strode down a dim hallway. He finally reached a room illuminated by candlelight. In it sat a young girl in a velvet cloak, chanting in her chalk-drawn pentagram, surrounded by hundreds of candles. He stood there waiting, impatiently tapping his foot on the wood floor, until the girls' eyes shot open. Her irises shrunk from black to hazel before the vampire stepped forward and handed her a large, brown tome that was worn away at its edges. The girl tilted her head to him in respect before he turned and left her alone in her confinement.
CHAPTER 2
The best part of autumn in Michigan is the changing of the colors; the vibrancy of flaming reds, sunny yellows, and warm oranges. Eventually the leaves float to the ground in their surrender, turning a brittle, aged-copper brown and decomposing. All the trees in this forest state were now bare skeletons of their former selves. The grass would remain green until the snow began to fall, which was still typically a couple months away. Avery couldn't imagine wanting to live anywhere else that didn't have the significant changes of the seasons, despite the harsh winter rumored to lie ahead.
Big Rapids was a small college town in the Midwest of the state. One in which, everyone said that nothing happened here and there was absolutely nothing to do. But that conclusion depended mainly on your age. There is one known dance club, a few bars and a bowling alley most people hang out at to drink. However, there are many more underground clubs, pubs and strip bars. Places that you have to be in an exclusive club to know about and attend. Not many are acquainted with what goes on in this town at night. People, that is. Now the monsters, they know every nook and shadow here.
Avery rode the local bus home to her little two-bedroom apartment from work. She was temporarily playing secretary in an office job. She didn't enjoy it, but it paid the bills. As she entered her dwelling, Avery threw her cashmere button-down jacket on a chair in the living room and kicked her black stiletto heels off into a pile of scattered shoes by the front door. Strolling into her little white kitchen, she found her sister Kyrie eating macaroni and cheese at the island counter. Kyrie was six years younger than her, a freshman in college. They looked quite similar, except that Kyrie was slightly darker in hair and skin tone. They shared the same green eyes though; their mother’s eyes. When commented on, neither of them could see as much resemblance between them as others did, but when you know each other more than anyone else does, you see
the differences first before the similarities.
Avery made a beeline for the freshly-brewed coffee and poured herself a cup, taking a seat at the counter next to her sister. Kyrie picked at her plate, pushing around her macaroni. "You came home later than usual last night, Sissy."
And so it had begun. Her little sister was trying to be her mother again.
"Well, there was this cute guy at the bar."
That flipped the maternal switch off.
"Oooo...and?" Kyrie nudged closer, obviously interested in hearing more.
"And I'm meeting him again tonight."
"Where?"
"You don’t need to know everything, you know."
Now her sister was back to being upset. "Well, what if this guy's a weirdo?"
"I think I can handle myself," Avery overconfidently stated.
Kyrie gave Avery the look of 'yeah right' and glanced at her watch. As if on cue, there was a light knocking on their door.
"Expecting someone?" Avery cocked her head to the side as she looked at her sister.
"I’m going to a friend’s house tonight," Kyrie stood up and grabbed her coat.
Avery spoke up as Kyrie headed out of the kitchen. “Wait, when you coming back?”
“I’ll be back around nine.”
“Are you going to get your homework done this time?”
“Duh. You told me to focus on school, and you would focus on work. If that helps you, it’s what I’m going to do.” Then her sister’s tone became much gentler, “Seriously Avery…be safe.” Kyrie turned and left the kitchen.
"You be safe. I'm the older one here!" Avery chided. She listened to the front door open and close, with the girly, high-pitched chatter in between. She grabbed what was left of Kyrie's macaroni. "I'm sure I won’t have to kick his ass or anything,” she referred to her date as she stirred the gooey noodles around the bowl, only slightly interested in consuming them. “At least, I hope not."
Avery finished her food and left the porcelain dish on the counter to commence date preparations. Of course, she was treating it like a mission she must be prepared for, as was her way of doing things. It had been a couple years since she had gone on a date with anyone. The dates always ended in some sort of catastrophe. The last boyfriend she had opened herself up to entirely. She had told him about her nightly excursions and why she had been doing it for years. He laughed at her vast 'imagination.' He didn't believe her until she saved him from becoming a vampire’s lunch one night in the park. He freaked out, proclaimed her crazy, and left her there. He called her the next day and left a breakup message on her answering machine at her work desk. Avery would have respected his decision more had he actually done it in person. She hadn't heard from him since. He was obviously scared of her. Avery had sworn off men so she would never have to feel that sense of betrayal ever again. So why had she agreed to go on a date with some stranger she met in a bar? Two reasons: he was hot, and she was lonely. Well, those two and the sense of a ‘spark,’ or a potential one. But really she didn’t know what that meant, let alone if she had actually ever felt it before. After he had introduced himself last night, they joked around until closing time. He then walked her home out of concern for her safety. She laughed. If only he knew. He then had asked in a most chivalrous way to see her again, to which she agreed. But she had wondered the rest of the night still: what did a guy like him want with someone as ordinary looking as her? Looking being the key word. He might be in for the ride of his life.
Music thrummed in the background as Avery got herself dolled up in a sapphire blue halter top dress, heels to match. Taylor Swift came on the radio as she kept switching between 102.3 and 105.3. Avery put the finishing touches on her dramatically dark eyes, making their green almost glow. She unconsciously danced around her room, lip syncing and searching for her clear lip gloss. After a bit of panic and internal accusations of her sister taking it, Avery found it amongst the clutter on her dresser. She slowly applied it while looking in the mirror, admiring how it made her pink lips look luscious. She concluded that even if this evening turned out bad, she would be confident that it wasn't because she wasn't looking desirable tonight. She kept in mind the time and tried to hurry. She was supposed to meet him at the Blue Cow Cafe in half an hour. She spun around and made a sexy, pouty pose at her reflection. Not only had it been two years since she dated, but also since she had had sex. Yes, she had PSF. Real bad. But she wasn't the type to engage in one-night stands. She fancied giving her body to men who actually wanted a relationship with her; however short those affairs ended up lasting. She could only imagine what it would be like to wrap her legs around Talon’s muscular frame…
A heavy knocking made her nerves jump. Avery double-checked herself in the full-length mirror before going out to answer it. She took a deep, calming breath and then opened the front door. A tall and handsome godlike creature stood before her, concealing something behind his back. He was wearing a black blazer and white button-down shirt with dark wash jeans. His complexion was perhaps fairer than her own, his dirty blonde hair was mussed up, but in a sexy way, and he had shaven since last night. It was for the better. She wasn't too fond of facial hair.
"Talon! I thought I was meeting you there...."
Talon caught his breath as he looked Avery up and down. He charmed her with his heavenly voice. "You're radiant."
"Umm...thank you,” she blushed at his compliment, not sure whether it was genuine or how to properly accept it.
Her smile had dazzled him last night, but he was astonished all over again. It was obvious this woman did not realize how beautiful and alluring she was. It made her all the more so. Avery stared at him, most likely waiting for an answer to her previously posed question. Talon caught on and almost stuttered in his response.
“I just figured that it's a warm night. Maybe we could walk to the restaurant together. Oh, and these are for you, my lady," he handed Avery a bouquet of pink, red and white roses.
"Wow," she dipped her head down to smell them and closed her eyes. Watching this simple gesture gave him pleasure.
"Let me go put these in water before they wilt," Avery said gleefully and disappeared into what he assumed was the kitchen. Talon rocked back and forth on his heels with his hands inside the pockets of his jeans, still lingering outside the doorway. Avery reappeared holding a shawl and a bulky purse. How much did she need to bring on one date? He cringed at all the little seemingly-important things women could shove in their purses. Thank god men only needed what a wallet could hold. He quickly took his hands out of his pockets, reaching one out to her. "Shall we?"
Avery bypassed holding his hand and went for putting her hand in the crook of his arm instead. He could tell she was guarded and seemed to calculate her movements beforehand. Not as eager to jump into bed with him as some other women had been, but that’s what initially attracted him. He would have to work pretty hard to lower her defenses tonight. But he always did like a good challenge.
The young, cloaked girl had been reading the withered book by candlelight for hours, deciphering its meaning. She was being hovered over by her vampire overseer, who had been hounding her to 'pick up the pace' all night. She had pulled her dark hood over her face so she could focus on what was in front of her, not the idiot to her left that constantly annoyed her with his impatience. He acted like a child on a long car trip. Just one more line to translate, and....
"I’ve deciphered it," she shut the book softly.
"And? What is it the prophecy dictates?" The eager vampire demanded.
"The dead shall walk amongst the living in the light of day when the sacred objects of Cain are brought together. They are The Ring of Lilith, the Original’s sword, the Scrolls of Eden, the Blood Amulet and Cain’s skull itself. This can only come about this very month, of this very year."
"We gather these demonic items and we vampires can walk in the daytime?"
"Yes, Master Gunner. Causing all the havoc you want, with no weaknesses. Not to sun
, nor stake, nor beheading. Even vervain will no longer weaken you. You will be indestructible."
Gunner grinned sadistically. "You will be rewarded for your part in this Daedra. Where do we find the objects we need?"
"That requires some time. I need to do a series of locator spells, but I'm sure you will possess all five within the month, just in time for the harvest lunar eclipse."
Avery and Talon walked side by side, the moon their only light. The night was getting cooler, and he offered her his blazer. She reluctantly accepted the gesture and put it on. After all the odd things they discussed along the way, somehow the topic of family came up.
Avery hesitated before she let him know a personal tidbit. "I was eight years old when my parents died. My sister Kyrie was too little to remember them."
Her mind went back to that night, seventeen years ago. Her father had just finished telling her stories of creatures of the night and the heroic people meant to defeat them. After hearing the doorbell ring, her father left to go answer the door, and Avery followed after him. By the time she had seen the man in their house from the top of the landing, he had already grabbed her mother and bit her. Her father ran for the antique sword above the fireplace. In half the blink of an eye, the monster went from one side of the living room to being in front of her father. Avery did not stay to watch what would transpire between her father and this monster, because somehow she already knew the outcome. Avery ran to her room and grabbed the sleepy toddler that was her sister. They hid under her bed, and Avery held her hands on Kyrie's ears so her sister couldn’t hear a thing and become alarmed. Avery listened to the blood-curdling screams coming from downstairs, between her father and the gurgled voice of their mother, and buried her face against her sister. She never heard the monster speak at all during those minutes that seemed like hours. When all seemed quiet, Avery left her sister in their hiding place. Her small hands clutched the railing on the landing as she beheld the blood splattered all over the living room and up the walls. Her parents' bodies lay contorted on the floor on top of each other, discarded like trash. She would never forget his monstrous face. How horribly frightening he was with his blood-soaked face, clothing, and dark hair. His fangs bared and deep red eyes. That's when she knew that vampires existed. But the police didn't believe her story of the vampire. Of course, this was before the slayer organization had its foothold in the town. They decided she was too young and traumatized to understand what had actually occurred. But she did describe him to their sketch artist. He drew a fairly accurate picture, but they had never found anyone of his likeness. Avery’s resolve was to find and mercilessly decapitate the one who had destroyed her family.
Love and Bloodlust: The Sacred Objects Page 2