What was going to happen to us after this? Years of therapy? Brandon and I were the same. Pollux and Caspian didn’t understand completely. They couldn’t.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, tears still running down my face. I pulled back to look at Brandon.
“Yeah, me too,” Brandon huffed out, frowning. He lifted a curled finger to my face and swiped at one of the tears. His rings brushed my cheek.
“Do you think we’ll be okay? After this I mean. When we get back home…“ I trailed off, uncomfortable with the idea of us all suddenly apart, going our separate ways. It felt unnatural. Staying together meant we were all safe and okay.
“Will you stay with us?” I asked suddenly before he could answer my other question.
“What?” He looked confused and surprised. He probably had his own family and friends he wanted to be close with. I wasn’t even sure he really liked me all that much but he’d been so nice. He’d cared so much and went out of his way to make sure I was fine.
Brandon looked down at us clutched together as if just noticing it. Then he looked away with an uncomfortable frown.
“Ava…” he started.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly, feeling silly for asking him that. “That was stupid. You have your own life to get back to. We can’t all just hole up together for the rest of our lives.” I gave a forced laugh.
“Do you really want me to stay with you?” He asked. His eyebrow piercing had been teasing me so I reached up and touched it.
“I really do,” I said. He didn’t complain so then I touched his neck. The front was tattooed with the black rose but there was more around the sides—a bird, some writing. My fingers brushed his chin, feeling the stubble. It made him look a little rougher, like the bad boy drummer the media had called him. I hadn’t realized he had that persona. I wondered why they called him a bad boy; if he was known for being unruly.
“I don’t think Caspian grows body hair,” I said with a small laugh as I brushed his unshaven jaw. My fingers moved up to his lips. What was I doing? Quickly I pulled my hand back. My eyes flashed up to Brandon’s blue ones. His eyes flicked to my mouth.
“I’ll stay with you,” he said. I sucked in a breath. I wasn’t sure who leaned forward—me, him, both of us. Our lips crashed together, our bodies pressed tight. His tongue lashed out and attacked mine. I felt the need to meet his spirit the same way, hungrily kissing him like we were competing. I crawled further into his lap, my legs wrapping around him. His fingers dug into my thighs and he groaned roughly when I shifted my hips against him.
“Fuck,” he spat, pulling our mouths apart. “We shouldn’t do this.” Then he kissed me again, pulling on my thigh to get me to grind against his torn-up jeans. He moaned but then broke the kiss again, resting his head on my shoulder as he panted. His fingers still gripped my thigh, squeezing it a little more.
“Caspian will fucking kill me.”
“He won’t,” I said. Brandon snorted.
“No, he really fucking will. He told me after kicking me in the kidney. Caspian isn’t a nice guy. You know that right?” He peered up at me.
“I know… but he’s nice to me and I love him,” I said. Brandon sighed and dropped it.
“Ava, I promise I won’t leave if you don’t want me to. Okay?” He looked up at me with an open face. If it weren’t for the tattoos, piercings, and hair he’d look like the all-American pretty boy. He even had a small cleft in his chin and dark, thick eyelashes around his big blue eyes.
He was probably right that we shouldn’t be doing this. I didn’t need to complicate things even more. Caspian and Pollux were protective and thrilling and larger than life. Brandon could understand me though, relate to me. He asked the questions no one else did. I’d also realized he was fiercely protective with a strong sense of right and wrong.
“I’ll be there when you need me,” he said, grabbing my face. He furrowed his brows, giving me a fierce expression. “We’ll recover from this together. I promise.” I nodded and his eyes flicked to my mouth. He sighed and looked away.
Lightning flashed and immediately after, a big boom of thunder rattled the windows. The hiss of rain grew louder until it battered the cabin. I looked out the window while Brandon pulled me into his chest, holding us together.
“Can moths fly in the rain?” I wondered before looking down at my blackened hand.
17
My eyes tipped up to the sky as fat raindrops began splattering down on the dry earth. I thrust my hand out from the tree I was currently sitting in. It was drenched within a moment and I sighed, dropping down from the tree in a rush. My wings flashed out, breaking my fall, and then quickly tucked back into my duster as my boots slammed to the earth.
My wing scales could repel a little rain but not the downpour that was gracing us right now. Lightning flashed in the sky and I moved closer to the building I’d been spying on. It seemed Caspian had got himself into some sort of predicament.
Hunching down, I moved quickly to the back wall. I lifted my hat off my head a little to get fresh air to my antennae. Yep, the scent of danger was brewing just like it had back at the campground. Disaster was on the horizon, rolling up just as quick as this storm had. It wasn’t a smell or taste. It was a pressure in the air, like humidity. I settled the hat back on my head, dragging my finger across the rim before I popped up and peered through the window.
It was worse than I thought. They had Caspian in some type of cage like an abused zoo exhibit. A group of three men came into the room, looking at him as they nervously stepped closer. Since I’d been watching, there had been others coming and going. Guess Caspian was the most popular entertainment to gawp at.
I watched as one of the men shuffled closer. Caspian lazily watched him approach, sitting against the bars with his arms resting on his knees. The man asked something but I couldn't hear. Caspian didn’t respond and the man came closer, until he was far too close. A smile flashed on Caspian’s face as he lunged, thrusting his hand through the bars and snatching the man.
I was shocked when his body transformed, teeth snapping out. Ah fuck, he was up shit’s creek enough to not give a shit about showing off the goods. That didn’t bode well. Thankfully, his very best friend in the whole world was here to break him out.
