21 Shades of Night, page 299
I’m interrupted by Janie shoving me. “Come on, slow poke, we’re busy! Stop checking out the customers.”
“I’m not,” I mutter, and grab the next order. “Kylie!”
Over the next couple of hours, the entire bloody city appears to pass in and out of the place: buying coffees, sitting, reading, and chatting. This whirl of activity surrounds me, but I can’t lose my nerves around Zach, who never moves, watching me.
I check the clock again. Seven o’clock. The number of customers slows to a trickle, and I surreptitiously check out Zach when he’s staring out of the fogged window.
Would I get bonus points if I brought two Nephilim souls to Darius? Yeah right, like I’m succeeding with killing one, never mind two.
And here he is. With attachment. Keir holds the café door for Dahlia, who strides over to place their order.
“Two flat whites please.” Dahlia peels off her woollen gloves and studies the display of cakes as if she doesn’t know me. Our politeness around each other descended from tolerance to animosity days ago.
I scrawl the order on my pad. “To go?”
“No. We’re hanging out here.”
Keir remains in the doorway, his hand on the handle. He and Zach regard each other, eyes meeting briefly.
“Hi, Keir,” I call, and lean forward, my necklace jangling on the counter.
“Yeah, hi, Ava.” He looks at me for the briefest second, before looking back to Dahlia.
Imperceptibly, Keir tilts his head toward Zach. Dahlia glances at Zach, gives Keir a single nod, and moves to a table at the opposite end of the room. Keir slides onto the bench seat opposite Dahlia, his back to me. They huddle in conversation, and Dahlia traces patterns on the smooth table. Zach’s attention remains focused on me with no sign of any interest in Dahlia or Keir, but his relentless staring freaks me out. I chew the inside of my cheek and look away.
“Well, that’s me.” Janie smiles, takes off her apron, and tosses it onto the counter. “Long shift today.”
She undoes her long dark hair from a ponytail and shakes it across her shoulders. “Man, I wish I had one of those guys waiting for me at home tonight.” She inclines 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 indicates Dahlia, who’s eclipsed by the stunning guy she sits with. The odd couple, with his broad, tall frame hunched over her protectively. What is their deal? Jealousy spikes and I shake the feeling away. When will I get a grip on this? The sensation of his heart beating against my chest and the heat radiating between us repeats in my dreams every night, worse since the encounter in the corridor. The intensity of my body’s reaction to Keir pisses me off, and it doesn’t help when I see the same desire flicker across his face each time we’re close. In the days since our last meeting, I’ve kept my distance, heeded his last warning, and planned what the hell to do.
“No, they’re friends,” I say.
“He’s cute; you should try your luck with him before anyone else does.”
I snort. “Not my type.”
Janie laughs and elbows me in the ribs. “He’s my type! Introduce us.”
I flick a tea towel at her. “Behave. Go home, you.”
Janie waves over her shoulder as she leaves, the door swinging closed behind her. I chew my lip. Keir and Dahlia. My view of them is blocked as Zach approaches the counter.
“What can I get you?” I ask, and take the opportunity to examine his eyes again. Definitely Nephilim.
“You busy later?”
“You asking me on a date?”
“Might be.” Zach shakes his fringe out of his face and smiles coyly. I push a strand of hair behind an ear. I should focus on Keir, not hook up with someone. Zach raises a brow. “Or busy with them tonight? Friends?”
“Not really. I know them but we don’t hang out much.” Or ever.
What do I do? If he is another Nephilim and I take his soul instead, maybe that would be enough to get me home and dry. Keir and his mysteries can stay behind. Okay, so Zach isn’t the one in my file, but I’ve collected extra souls on missions before. I can prove to myself that Nephilim can be dealt with, a practice run before Keir, as this one doesn’t seem as cocky as him.
“Sure!” I say brightly. “I finish up soon; meet you at Paddy’s Bar at nine?”
Zach’s smile widens. “Awesome, see you then.”
He slouches away, and Dahlia watches him too, sliding her tongue across her teeth as Zach leaves. I catch Dahlia’s eye and give her a little wave. I’m rewarded with a Dahlia scowl.
What is her deal? Does she have any happiness in her life? Whatever made her human must’ve ruined everything. Well, apart from hanging out with the guy who was once her enemy. Weird. I wipe down the counter and the bell over the door tinkles. I look up to serve the customer I hear walk in, but nobody’s here. Dahlia and Keir’s table is empty.
* * *
THE WIND BLOWS stray paper around my ankles as I walk along the quiet street. Asshole. I stomp on the rubbish, wishing this were Zach’s head. I waited an hour in Paddy’s Bar; the only single girl on my own in the place. An hour wasted waiting for the flaky guy who picked me up at work and had no intention of meeting me. Arriving on campus, I tread through the carefully swept piles of leaves, resisting the urge to kick them loose. Every new leaf on the ground is a reminder of my failure. I’ve bloody wasted time again, and I’ve lost my focus in a pointless attempt to discover who Zach is. If Zach ever has the cheek to approach me again, he won’t know what’s bloody hit him.
I round the corner towards the welcoming lights of my halls and angry voices carry from in the nearby trees. I pause. Is my mind playing tricks on me because one of the voices sounds like Keir? A strangled yell comes from their direction. Should I check this out? Keir attacked a demon last time, but if this is him, he could easily be with a human. He’s Nephilim and it’s what they do; the campus is rich pickings for him.
I move into the wooded area behind the building and peer around the tree, straining my eyes in the darkness. In a small copse, lined by tall bushes, Keir lies on the floor, fighting against the weight of the guy sitting across his chest. The other guy can’t be human; he wouldn’t have the strength to hold Keir down, a dagger against his throat. I wrinkle my nose. Keir’s anger ended in a lot of pain the last time I was involved. Bad idea. I back away. He can deal with his own problems this time.
“You picked the wrong side, Keir.” I stop. Zach? “We’re getting stronger, and you’re becoming a liability.”
“Just fucking do it then, kill me,” growls Keir. “I’m not afraid.”
“I’ve already distracted that soul hunter to stop her from being here tonight. Did you know she’s close to getting your soul? Well, I think it’s time I took it. Not her.”
This is Zach. Fury blackens. Zach played me. No fucking way is he the one to take Keir’s soul; I am. I look around. The path close to the trees is quiet and I can’t hear anybody around.
Screw it. I run across the grass and grab Zach by his hair. He falls backwards, losing his grip on Keir and the knife, which spins into the grass close by. Zach immediately springs to his feet, arms out to fight back, but I’ve already launched myself at him. Slamming my side into his, I knock him back to the ground and straddle his chest. Breathing heavily, I stare at his pissed off face and prepare for him to fight back.
Zach’s face contorts in anger. “Hello, little soul hunter, come to rescue your friend?”
I jab an elbow into his neck. “Don’t talk to me.”
“Ava, leave it!” shouts Keir.
Ignoring him, I grope on the ground for the weapon Zach dropped and find the handle. I grab and spin the dagger around in my hand, then hold the weapon against Zach’s throat. “I came for Keir’s soul, but yours will be an added bonus.”
“My soul? Good luck with that. I don’t have one,” sneers Zach.
I hesitate. “What?”
“Somebody already took mine.”
“But you’re alive?”
His lip curls, blue eyes intense in the dimming light. “I’m a Nephilim, sweetheart, we don’t die that fucking easily.”
The rumours are true? Nephilim can walk the world soulless? Shit. I hesitate.
No. He’s a threat, a rival for Keir’s soul. The hilt of the dagger digs into my hand, and I move the blade, ready to slit his throat.
I’m stopped by Keir, twisting the dagger from my hands. “Leave it, Ava, for fuck’s sake!”
I’m yanked away from Zach, as if I weigh nothing, and thrown to the ground. “What the hell?” I yell.
I pull myself up as Zach sits; Keir slams him back into the undergrowth and kneels on his chest.
“You can’t kill him,” Keir says not looking at me. “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.”
“You’re lying.”
Keir presses harder against Zach’s throat who chokes out, “Kill her. Kill us both. Because we both want one thing from you. Why else would she have jumped in and rescued you?”
I wince at the sound as Keir slams Zach’s head into the ground. “I didn’t need fucking rescuing!”
“I was about to slash your throat!” he says.
The two Nephilim lock gazes and I take advantage of their distraction. They can kill each other. I don’t give a crap, but Keir? His soul’s mine. Throwing myself at Keir, I manage to knock him off Zach.
“For fucks sake, Ava!” Keir jumps to his feet and seizes my arms, pinning them behind my back. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“What do you think?” I growl and pull against his iron grip.
Zach rolls over, pushes himself up on his hands and knees, and coughs.
“Get the hell off me!” I shout at Keir, unable to move at all against his strength.
“See you later then. I’ll leave you to whatever it is that’s going on between you two.” Keir’s head snaps around as the leaves on the ground blow outwards, Zach’s figure blurring into the night.
“What the fuck did you do that for?” Keir yanks me to face him and shakes me.
“He was going to kill you. I saw him,” I retort and dig my nails into the back of his hands. He drops his grip and swears.
Keir’s eyes glitter in warning, his tall figure hunched forward, coiled for attack. I step back. “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 winces and holds his head. My heart skips as I look at the blood caked above his ear. “Yeah. His soul’s gone. Without our angel souls that’s what we become. Empty vessels feeding on others and taking the souls from them. Pure, remorseless demon.”
“What do you mean?”
“Something else they never told you, Ava? These people you work for?”
My uncertainty edges in. What the hell is happening? This. The night in the alley. Our roles in the world aren’t as clear-cut as I thought. Lost in confusion, I’m not ready for Keir’s assault, and he throws me onto the ground. My back hurts from the impact. No. Not again. I scramble back to my feet and shove him in the chest. Keir winces with pain and doubles over, sucking in air.
“You only want what he wants; he’s right? I’m weaker, so that might even things up a bit for you.” He pulls the knife from the grass and holds it out to me. “Take it.”
I stare at the glinting blade. Keir’s disadvantaged.
Mine.
“Kill me. Take my soul.” Keir straightens and I stumble back as he points the knife at me.
“Why was another Nephilim trying to kill you?”
“That doesn’t matter to you. All that matters is taking my soul back to Darius, right? Getting your Will and living in blissful ignorance. Isn’t it?”
I stare at the knife. “Stop messing with me, Keir.”
“Fight me,” he urges. “Be rewarded with the life you want. Live in their world and let everything that’s wrong carry on.”
Mind tricks. I shiver against the cold, the distant traffic the only sound as we stand off against each other.
“So you can’t do it.” His mouth twists into an amused taunt.
What the hell am I waiting for? I push him in the chest and he sinks backwards into the leaves. “If I wanted to kill you, I could.”
“You don’t want to?”
“I do, I have to,” I shout.
“Do it then. I’m here. Take your chance.”
I curl my hands into fists. He knows. Keir knows I can’t. Won’t.
Keir jumps to his feet and smacks into me, slamming me backwards against one of the trees. I gasp as the air’s knocked from me.
“Don’t hesitate, Ava. I might kill you first.”
We’re here again, hearts banging against each other’s chest, my skin burning where his breath touches. Omigod. This. This is the answer. “You didn’t kill me last time. You can’t kill me either, can you?”
Keir’s look intensifies and his pupils dilate, as his eyes search mine. “I’ve killed soul hunters, waiting for the right one to arrive.”
“Arrive and do what?”
The blood and sweat on Keir mingles with the scent from before, and I fight the drowning sensation of his body pressing into mine.
“To help us.”
“I’m not going to help you.”
“The others before you. They found me quickly, and they died just as fast. You haven’t tried to kill me tonight. Why?”
“You haven’t tried to kill me either.”
“I haven’t tried to kill you because I see something in you I once saw in myself, that made me turn away from what I was being forced to do.”
“No. We’re nothing like each other.”
“Something inside you is the same as me. You can feel it. I can feel it.” Keir’s intensity grows, eyes darkening as he curls my hair around his hand. I dip my head, but he pulls my face towards him. “Otherwise, one of us would be dead by now.”
Lips brush my cheek, pulsing energy through my weakening body. Keir’s mouth moves across my face and I close my eyes, in anticipation of the kiss I don’t want—but crave. When nothing happens, I snap my eyes open and meet Keir’s. Time pauses, the same imperceptible connection between enemies forged again.
Keir’s mouth assaults mine, and I struggle to move my hair from his hand. He has the dagger; I’m as good as dead. As his kiss deepens, I weaken against him, mouth searching his in return as our bodies meld together.
I grasp at the part of me yelling stop, but not hard enough, as the Nephilim seduces me with a kiss, reaching for my precious angel soul, which stands between me and mortality. But the thoughts won’t hold, and I allow Keir to crush me tightly against his broad chest, body igniting into flames as his tongue explores my mouth. I relent, return his passion, and dig my fingers beneath his shirt and into the hard muscle.
No.
I rake my fingers into his back, scratching frustration and anger into his skin. Keir wrenches his head away and steps back, breathing heavily. I lean back against the tree, convinced my legs will collapse from under me now Keir’s let me go.
“No more games, Keir,” I say annoyed by my breathlessness.
Something catches my eye and the dagger glints in his hand. He held the weapon the whole time? Weakened by Keir’s assault on my senses, I’d made myself an easy victim. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I bang my head against the tree, pissed off how close I am to failure and death.
“So, do you want to kill me or not?” Keir stops short of touching me again and raises his arm, resting his hand against the tree above my head.
I stare back, wide-eyed. I’m so far out of my depth I don’t think I’ll surface again, not with whatever else he awoke inside me. Keir’s lips hover close to my forehead, and I feel this as if he’s placed them there. What does he want me to say? Do?
Keir pulls himself back, confusion crossing his face too. “I’m not sure what games you’re playing with me, where you’re finding the power to do this, and make me want you, but you won’t win.”
His next move throws me harder than anything else in the last ten minutes. Keir turns, his powerful figure half-stumbling away, broken, rubbing his injured head. I touch my mouth as he blends into the shadows, and my mouth tingles from Keir’s harsh lips. As soon as Keir put his hands on me, I should’ve kicked him to the other side of campus, not enthusiastically taken part.
Logic doesn’t belong in my dealings with Keir, on any level.
The dagger lies at my feet and I pick up the weapon. One thing I’m sure of is Keir’s not a true Nephilim. Is he a true enemy? I catch my breath, debating whether to run after him for answers. No. If I follow this guy, I’ve no idea what I—or Keir—will do next.
Chapter 8
KEIR FOLLOWS ME around campus for the next week with no attempt to hide his scrutiny. He rarely speaks, and watches from across the room or the hallways when I walk by. His intense eyes hold onto his half-hinted secrets, and unease spreads whenever I meet them. The mutual desire flowing between us has intensified after the kiss, but I’m uneasy with his reaction. Keir swings between flirting with and ignoring me; following, then avoiding me. Some days I catch his expression filled with anger and a cold creeps through my veins, convinced he plans to kill me. Other days he corners me, acts as if he’ll kiss me again, then walks away. Mind games.
Why did he kiss me? Was he playing a survival game or did the same need overwhelm him as it did me? Has he spoken to Dahlia about what happened? Her avoidance of me now includes turning and walking in the opposite direction whenever she sees me.
I continue to sit on my favourite bench each evening, breathing in the freshness of the outdoors—away from humans. Some days Keir and Dahlia pass, sometimes not. If Keir’s attitude is aggressive in the daytime, I avoid sitting here alone that evening. His physical strength overwhelms mine tenfold, and I refuse to wait here as an easy victim. But I have a strength too and an unknown, shared power over him, which has kept me alive so far. The cold of the oncoming winter bites, a painful reminder of my ongoing failure.
