“Caspian, stop!” Matthias barked. Violence was natural to me and causing someone else pain was cathartic. I felt that relief unfurl and calm me.This was fun.
I stepped over Brandon, smiling as I thought about what he might look like if I kept pummeling him. He'd groan in pain while writhing on the ground. He’d claw at the pine needles and dirt to get away from me. A shudder rolled over me. He saw it and lifted his arms to cover his head.
This was a side of me Ava could never see. The side that reveled in the flush of pain splayed forcefully across the faces of my enemies.
“Fuck you,” Brandon growled behind his arms. He was always snarling but he didn’t know how tobite.
“What's going on!” I heard Ava ask and my eyes widened, my mouth dropping open in shock. I swung my head around and saw her quickly coming across the street, her long dark hair moving around her as she hurried. The sensation of electricity raced over my body, my stomach dropping.
I tried to think of something to say but my mind was swirling. She couldn’t see me like this.Fuck!
“Brandon tripped on a pinecone, fell into a tree. Probably shouldn’t be chugging beer,” I said with an amused smile, smoothing my face into a calm, friendly look. I was anything but calm though. I felt like throwing up as I waited to see if she’d believe me. Matthias stood there silently, shaking his head. He wasn’t going to say anything though.
“Fucking sociopath,” Brandon grumbled from below me. I gave a good-natured laugh and held my hand out for him. He flinched as if I was going to hit him again and I ground my teeth. Ava might have seen his reaction and wonder what it meant.
Brandon realized the fight was over and slapped my hand away, getting up without my help.
“He fell?” Ava asked, her eyes darting around to each of us apprehensively. She stepped up to Brandon and looked at his face with concern. He looked over her shoulder to me.
Since Ava’s back was to me I smiled widely at him, happy he’d be nursing a throbbing face. His lip was split, leaking drops of ruby blood onto his chin. I pressed my hands to Ava’s shoulder and pulled her flush against me.
I wanted to touch her all the time, her body flush and twisted with mine. I wanted to rip her shorts off on a stage and make the entire world watch as I pushed in between her thighs, sinking in so deep she writhed and whimpered. Show them all they were right, she wasmine.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I was still keyed up from the violence and shock of her nearly seeing something she shouldn't.
Ava turned to look at me and I smiled down at her, getting lost in her gaze before I soaked in all her features. Ava had such lovely lips and soft skin. I loved the shape of her face. I loved the little hairs at her temples that never grew out. I loved the angle of her jaw, a little stronger than some women’s. It matched her.
She was wearing a crop top, the fabric like a second skin. It dipped into a low v on her chest. The plump swells of her breasts were a beautiful sight. My hands slid over the bare skin near her belly until I was gripping her sides, loving how much skin my fingers could span over in this shirt.
Her expression didn’t say she entirely believed the story I just gave. Apprehension and confusion were etched into her face. I’d have to be more careful. I couldn’t risk this with her. Ava was strong but she was gentle to some things.
“Come on, you rest while I set up camp,” I told her. For a moment, she kept trying to read me but then she let it go, the question leaving her face.
“Right, you owe me that,” she said with a small, endearing smile that made me feel like wrapping her in my arms and squeezing her tight as if she were a pinata that would burst with sweetness if I could just squeeze hardenough.
She could ask anything of me. So much more than putting up a tent. She could ask me to do horrible things and I’d do them without question.
Ava was everything to me. She was my peace, lulling the storm inside me to a gentle ripple. A raging wave became a glassy surface when she was near.
And yet... she was also the thing that threatened to send me spiraling.
The only thing I needed was to have her love me like I loved her. Why was it sohardfor her?
I put my arm around her shoulders and tugged her towards the street to go back to our side.
“I’ve got a first aid kit,” she said, starting to turn back to the other two. I gripped her harder, not letting her.
“They do too. It’s okay,” I said. No idea if that was true—nor did I care right now.
“Okay.” She looked somewhat defeated. I peered over my shoulder at Brandon and Matthias. Brandon spat a mixture of blood and spit on the ground and glared at me. Matthias stood there looking resigned and tired, dragging his arm across his sweaty forehead. They were unsurprisingly pissed off with me.
I leaned into Ava and pressed a kiss atop her head, inhaling her smell before insisting she lay down in the car again.
Quickly, I grabbed water from the cooler and cracked the lid, handing that to her before closing the door. The car window was down now, I realized. She must have gotten warm, rolled the window down, and then heard the fight.
She smiled at me as she took a small sip of water.
“I’m lucky to have you,” she said and I felt warmth in my chest. She reached through the window and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. I wanted to do more for her so that she’d squeeze my hand and compliment me again.
