You guys are lucky that I live in a place that's rainy even in summer. I was supposed to be out at a really important tournament this weekend, but we were rained out so I was all revved up with nowhere to go. And this was born. Almost 6000 words of angst.
CHAPTER SIX
Lauren
"I can see you" the voice whispers softly in my ear. All is dark. I don't know where I am, I can't hear anything but the thudding of my heart and his voice. "Past your innocent look, past the good doctor façade you put on to fool those idiots you call your friends."
"I don't know what you're talking about." I pant, the temperature suddenly freezing cold. "I have no façade. My friends are no idiots." A low rumbling laugh shook the air. I moved my head and a chain stopped me. I whimpered as the metal collar pushed painfully against my wind pipe. Fingers prying at it, I stood up, straining against it.
"Oh, I should have mentioned, I had to chain you up, precautionary measures; can't have a guardian running rampant, now can we?"
I stared forwards as two, brightly glowing eyes appeared in the darkness. My heart stopped for a moment before breaking into double time. "Who are you?" I demanded, squinting as a brilliant spot light shone straight down on me. The sudden brightness made my retinas burn. "Where am I?" a softer feminine chuckle shook me to the core.
"Lauren, don't you recognize me?" the sound of heeled boots tapped closer and closer. I refused to move, refused to show fear. Whatever this thing was, it wouldn't turn me into a weakling. I wouldn't let it think I was scared. "Maybe a little light will clear things up for you."
I bit back the wail of despair.
It was her.
Bo.
She looked at me, eyes glowing a devilish blue. No pang of need hit me at the sight, no instant longing that usually drove me to insanity. Instead, a sharp hatred grew within me. My fist clenched by my sides, body vibrated with fury.
This was not Bo. This was not my love. This was evil. Pure evil.
I took a swipe at her as she moved closer. Mid swing, a cold chain clamped around my wrists and pulled me tightly towards the ground. I had to use all of my concentration to keep myself from crumbling under the strain.
"You're not Bo." I stated flatly between clenched teeth, glaring directly into the blue eyes before me as she walked closer and closer.
"Are you sure?" It asked, so close I could feel it's clothing brushing against me. "Don't I smell like her?" It leaned close enough that the fronts of our bodies were flush together. "Don't I feel like her?" Its hands clamped to my waist, so tightly it hurt. I grunted as a sweat broke out over my body, the fight between me and the chains becoming more difficult as the time ticked on. Every muscles was tense in the battle, not allowing me to fight against whatever demon I was facing. "Don't I make you hot like she does?" She panted in my ear, breath brushing my neck, lips caressing my skin as she kissed just below my jaw, nipping the skin there slightly. "You poor, poor soul," she whispered breathlessly, panting just the way Bo did, "you've been neglected for so long, let me make it better…" Her lips hovered just over mine for a moment, hands moving from my waist up my torso, groping me shamelessly as she waited for me to break down. "Let me make you feel good…"
For a moment, I felt myself letting go, allowing for this thing to get into my head. Maybe it had been the fact that I had felt nothing for so long, that the only thing that had ever brought me happiness, a belief in something better, had been Bo's touch. Bo herself.
Maybe, if Bo hadn't kissed me last night, I would've given in completely. I would've forgotten the way it felt for her to put her hands on me, for her skin to touch mine.
But Bo had kissed me. And this thing didn't understand the feeling that was shared when the touch came from someone who cared for you.
I snapped my head forwards, contacting the one in front of me with a sharp crack. She staggered away from me. I smirked as she rubbed her head, revelling in my small victory. "You can use Bo's memories to assemble this pitiful illusion all you want, Old One." I said evenly, watching the aggravation rage across her face. "But you will never be able to use it to manipulate me. Now, if you're done playing pretend—" with a wild shriek she lunged forwards, grabbing me by the throat and pinning me to the wall, the chains restraining me vanishing. Her fingers throttled me, the blood pounding in my ears painfully.
"You listen to me, you ignorant little shit." She hissed, nails digging into my neck. "You will give into me eventually. You think you're so perfect, so pure" she spat the last word like it was dirt in her mouth "But I've got news for you, good doctor, there is evil in every pathetic being on that earth. From the holiest priest to the most innocent child, every one of you is born with evil in your hearts. You more so than most. And, so help me, I will get that evil from you one way or another." I smirked the best I could, though it was getting hard to move my face with all the blood trapped there.
"I'd like to see you try." She only stared at me a moment longer before her nails dug into my neck . A light behind her turned on, illuminating a small figure tied to a chair. It only took me half a second before my heart stopped.
"Tanner…" I breathed, eyes locked on his gagged mouth and the tears streaming down his face. I looked back at the Old One, seeing the cruel look in her eyes. "Don't you dare." I warned, knowing her intentions. "Don't bring him into this! He's just a child!" Her eyes travelled down to my lips again, lingering there in a seductive manner, like she was contemplating a tough decision.
"No. He's the chink in your armour." she said in a voice that sent chills down my spine. She released her hold on my throat and I lurched forwards as she turned around. The harsh bite of chains snapping around my body hit me again and held me in place. "You wanted to see me try, Guardian."
"I swear to god I will kill you if you so much as lay a finger on him!" I snapped, yanking against the chains with everything I had. Tanner's crying was the only sound I heard reaching my ears. She made his way to him slowly, tantalizing us both. His eyes were locked on mine, begging me to help him. "Shhh, Tanner," I cooed to him, still pulling against the chains, hearing them jingle as the taunted me and my attempt at escape. "It's going to be okay. You-you're going to be just fine. Goddamn it! Leave him alone!" I screamed at her, the helplessness starting to set in.
"The death of a loved one…" she said gently, smoothing down Tanner's long hair. "It can do a lot to people. Destroy their lives, make them hate, hell bent on revenge…" she turned her eyes on me again, her hand resting on the back of Tanner's head. "Make them…evil."
"Don't you dare—"
"You wanted to see me try, Guardian." She repeated, her eyes silencing me completely. She chuckled softly before losing all emotion whatsoever. "watch me." Her hand latched onto the back of Tanner's neck. Within a second, his screams filled the air and his body ignited in a blazing inferno so strong, I could feel its heat.
"NO!" I shrieked, my body throwing itself against its restraints with such force, I barely registered my arm popping out of its socket.
I jolted upwards in bed, my arm numb from where Bo must've fallen asleep on it. I looked beside me, seeing her sleeping face, the peaceful innocence. Still, my body jerked away from her. She shared the face of my tormentor, but she wasn't. I knew that. But the nightmare was still fresh in my mind. The fear, the hatred still churned in my heart.
I shook my head hard, trying to dislodge the lingering cold that wrapped around me like tentacles. I swung my legs over the side of the bed. I casted on glance back at the succubus behind me before standing up and walking to the bathroom. I turned on the lights
I turned the tap, splashing cold water in my face, reveling in the refreshing coolness. I took a shaky breath. "Pull it together, Lauren, it was just a dream, it wasn't real." I looked at myself in the mirror, trying to find some kind of reassurance in my own image. All I found was the look of someone who didn't know what to believe anymore. I pulled my hair back from my face and over one shoulder. How could I keep this up?
I was so tired. So tired that I couldn't sleep. That I just wanted to disappear. I took another breath and pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Lauren?" A tired voice whispered from behind me. My heart jumped in surprise. "You okay?" Bo asked softly, leaning against the door frame. I nodded, wiping my hands nervously on my pants.
"Yeah…yeah, I was just trying to clean myself up a little bit." I murmured unconvincingly. The look on her face told me she didn't believe a word I said. She moved close enough that I could feel her body heat. Her comfort level with me seemed to have skyrocketed since our moment by the fire.
"Why don't I believe you?" She asked, looking me in the eyes, arms crossed. A small, playful smile rested on her lips. I looked away from her, turning back towards the mirror, resting my hands on the sink.
"I don't want to talk about it." I said simply, tensing when she put her hands on my waist. Flashes of the Old One digging the same fingers into my flesh rang fresh through my mind. But the touches this time were gentle, soft. Tender.
"Okay." She said simply, not going to fight me on anything. There was a look of concern on her features as she tugged on one side of me, making me turn without force. I reached my hand up to her face, cupping it gently, running my thumb over her cheek bone experimentally, hoping to eliminate the jumpiness from the dream. Her hand caught my wrist, pulling my hand away. "Um, Lauren—" I flushed, realising that wasn't exactly the most appropriate action.
"Sorry." I muttered, putting my hands behind my back. "Old habits die hard." I walked around her, leaving her in the bathroom but dragging my embarrassment along with me.
+/+\+
There was a knock on the door just as everyone was getting ready to leave. All of us casted cautious glances at each other, prepared for the worst. I looked at Bo who gave me a slightly strained smile before heading towards the door. My nails extended at the same time I saw everyone else gripping their concealed weapons. We were ready for anything that was going to come through that door.
Well, almost anything.
"Hey, Babe!" his voice filled the air when Bo opened the door. Everyone else, but me, relaxed. Truthfully, I would've rather come face to face with the Garuda than Lambert.
"Ryan!" Bo sounded surprised, "I thought you weren't back in town until tomorrow!" He shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yeah, well, I caught the early flight back. Thought we could celebrate me getting the deal." His voice rumbled with sexual intentions. His hands grasped Bo's waist, a perverse smile playing across his face. A hot stab of jealousy hit me right in the chest. My hands had been there just hours before. My eyes had been looking into hers. And my lips had certainly been all over hers.
Bo was mine. Not his.
Dyson cleared his throat before Ryan could kiss the succubus and before I could do anything about it. The Loki looked up, surprised to see us all standing there, some of us more on edge than others. "Oh," Ryan said, hands still on Bo "I didn't know we had an audience." A low rumble escaped my chest before I could stop it. Thankfully, it seemed that only Dyson and Simba heard it. The manticore's tail wrapped around my ankle and Dyson gripped my arm. "Can I help you?" Ryan purposely ignored my presence.
"No." Hale said, "We just came over to fix a busted pipe."
"Ah, well, seems the pipes fixed now. So, if you don't mind…" he gestured to the door.
"Ryan…" Bo said quietly, almost scolding. This wasn't his house. Who the hell did he think he was? But I bit my tongue and stayed still.
"You don't have to ask us twice." Dyson grumbled, releasing me and heading for the door.
"Simba and I are coming too." Kenzi said grabbing her jacket. Simba sniffed in agreement, walking over to his friend.
"Kenzi," Bo said, taking a few steps towards her. "You don't have to go." She glanced at Ryan before looking back at Bo.
"No, really, I do. Call me when you're done playing 'bang the human-hater'." She stalked past Ryan, Simba at her heels. The rest of us were quick to follow, casting resentful looks Ryan's way. I didn't, though. I'd made my distain for him on countless occasions before that I just couldn't be bothered anymore. Instead, my eyes lingered on Bo's for a moment. She gave me a weak smile and a small 'bye, Lauren' before I walked out into the daylight.
Dyson and I drove home in silence for a few moments, the radio playing some old 50's rock. My mind wandered to my kiss with Bo by the fire. Every touch, every simple caress reeled through my head like a movie. Dyson's chuckle drew my attention. I glanced over at him. "what?"
"Nothin'. You're just such a boy."
"Am not."
"are too."
"How so?"
"You're sitting there day dreaming about your late night romp with Bo, with a cocky little smirk on your face." I flushed.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Old age getting to you Dyson?"
"Hey, I might be old, and totally hammered last night, but that doesn't mean my nose isn't working. I can literally smell Bo all over you and you all over her."
"We did sleep in the same bed."
"Unless you both had wet dreams last night, you had hanky panky time." I slapped his arm so hard he winced, but the grin on his face widened.
"Dyson!" He laughed at the flustered look on my face. "If you must know, yes I did kiss Bo last night. But it didn't get much past second base as soon as our favourite Dark Fae ass wipe popped back into her head."
"Ouch. I hate it when that happens. Bit of a cock block."
"When has anyone ever cock blocked you?" He raised an eyebrow at me. My eyes widened.
"Really? I stopped you from getting any?"
"Once or twice."
"Damn."
"In all seriousness, a bit of advice coming your way. Maybe you should put some space between you and Bo." I blinked at him. He looked at me like an older brother would. "I mean, she needs time to choose, and you need to stop wallowing. Let yourself be happy. Find someone else to spend time with. I know it'll be hard, but you gotta give yourself some breathing room. Find a fling, a one night stand, just something that will let you let go for just a little while. Okay?"
I looked away from him.
"I'll take it under advisement."
+/+\+
A while later, we walked into our dwelling. Amelia smiled at me from where she sat reading a book as thick as a dictionary, but it was a weary, tired smile. One that said it had been a long night. A few feet from her, Tanner was asleep on the couch, his chest rising and falling with laboured breaths. Amelia put her book down and rested her hand on my arm, leading me towards the kitchen, far enough away from Tanner that we wouldn't wake him if we spoke quietly.
"How is he?" I asked and she looked down, her icy blue eyes full of worry.
"I don't know. He's got a fever but it's not like any kind of disease I've ever seen before. I mean, the only symptom he has is the fever itself. I've been having him take ice baths every few hours, giving him herbs to bring his temperature down, but it always shoots right back up." I looked over at the boy, feeling worry swallow me slowly. I sighed and looked at the ground. Small children like Tanner didn't handle high fevers well. I could remember countless times when I was a regular 'humans only' doctor that a mother or father had brought their child in with a fever of one hundred and four. I would always see panic in their eyes. When I worked at the clinic fresh out of med school, We were just locking up when a woman appeared at our door. I told her we were closed but she wouldn't leave. She said her daughter was in her car, that her little five year old daughter had strep throat and she just needed something to bring her fever down.
"She's suffering." She begged us "I know it's late and I know you're closing, but please. My baby needs something." So, I did what anyone else would do. I opened the door and gave her the medicine.
I looked at Tanner, feeling the hopelessness squeeze my chest. What do you do when medicinal practices aren't enough?
"Can you watch him for a little bit longer?" I asked, looking at her "I'll go see Trick, ask him for something. He owes me a couple favours." She hesitated before nodding.
"Uh, sure, Lauren, no problem. Dyson and I will watch him." I kneeled down by Tanner, watching him sleep. I stroked his head gently, careful not to wake him.
"Don't worry, Buddy." I whispered, "I'll get something to help you."
+/+\+
The Dal had been a bust. No one was there and I searched all over town to try and find Trick. Now the sun was down and I still didn't know where he was.
I walked down the street, reveling in the crisp night breeze whipped at the skin on my face and neck, offering relief from the insufferable heat from my trench coat. I silently cursed the past year or so of my life that had forced me to wear it so I wouldn't be chased off the streets or killed. I looked up at the moon, admiring the way it stood out from all the stars around it, big and bright. I used to be like you. I thought as I looked up at it. I was like those stars before, then I became you, then I turned to the darkness in between. All of it happening so fast, so rapidly. I don't even know why I'm still here. I reached up to my chest, feeling the long scars that still marred my skin, that were a painful reminder of just how delicate I was. I thought that, if I could hide from the Ash, I could hide from anything. Except fate. I muttered internally. That sure as hell found me.
Thoughts of Ryan flashed through my head along with the hot flash of rage that usually accompanied it. It wasn't fair. I'd spent the past two, almost three, months single and alone, mourning my loss, my mate. Within three weeks since I lost her, she was boning the dark fae dipshit. I kicked a crumpled can by my feet, watching it launch through the air and land nearly half a football field away in the middle of the barren street. I shook my head and leaned against the telephone pole, tapping the back of my head against it.
Maybe I should try and meet someone else, the thought floated into my head. Just someone who wasn't Dyson or Bo or anyone I already know. Maybe someone who I could just spend time with, who didn't watch me like they were waiting for me to go on a homicidal rampage. Someone who didn't see me as a monster, the way I know the others looked at me. I shook my head hard, trying to dislodge the hope. It wasn't safe. Fae wouldn't have anything to do with a half and humans would just about crap themselves. If they saw who I really was. What I really was.
I inhaled deeply, trying to cleanse my head. What I smelt made me stiffen and the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
fear.
I perked my ears up, listening for the slightest sound that could tip me off as to where it was coming from and what was happening. The scent of humans laced the streets to thickly it would be hard to track any activity that was happening right then.
The scrape of a switch blade opening caught my attention faster than a slap in the face and I jerked my head in the direction I just came. Thudding of boots and clicking of heels running made my legs turn back and follow it.
"Who's a pretty bird?" a gruff male voice cooed from about three blocks away.
"Get away from me!" a female voice yowled desperately, "Here! Take my money! Just please!"
"Guys! This isn't a good idea!" one of the male voices complained. "It's not right" the others ignored him.
"Aw, that's awful kind of you sugga." A different male voice said with mock sweetness. "But too bad it's not your money we want." Several other voices chuckled, the steps becoming careful now, planned. The world was just a blur around me as I pumped my legs faster and faster, my body screaming in protest. Short pants filled my lungs just enough to keep going. I heard the swoosh of disturbed air and a heavy thud.
"Shit!" the first voice yelp "did you really just hit me with your purse?"
"Lively, just how I like them."
I reached the alley they were in just in time to hear the desperate wail of the woman as one man grabbed her arms after knocking what looked like a can of mace from her hands. There was four of them, none of them much older than twenty six or so. They looked like frat boys, popped collars and duck-butt hair.
"Hey!" I barked, standing at the entrance of the alley way, chest heaving. They all turned and looked at me, obviously in a state of shock at being interrupted. "Get away from her!" it was just a moment or two before the throaty chuckle of gang filled the air.
"Listen, sweet cheeks." One said, eyeing me up and down as I walked up at a quick pace "if you want some of what we got going on, you're just gonna have to sit tight and wait your turn." They turned back to her and I caught his arm, flipping him over my body. He landed on his back, the air rushing from his lungs in a quick burst.
"I said leave her alone." I snarled at him as he tried to catch his breath. The other three abandoned the girl and ran at me. One grabbed my arm, twisting it behind my back as another readied himself in front of me, pulling his hand back, readying to drive it into my face.
My heightened reflexes allowed me to zone in on his hand as it launched towards me, see everything in slow motion. They allowed me to feel the breath of the kid behind me brush against the back of my neck. They also allowed me to duck my head just in time for the knuckle on his hand to just brush my forehead. His fist connected with the face of the guy behind me, snapping his head back. I flung my wings out, tearing the trench coat straight down the middle, and throwing the boy away from me. I landed a solid punch in the guy of the frat in front of me, forcing him to bend over. I drove my knee into his nose before tossing him sideway. I tore the remainder of the jacket from my body, and threw it on the ground before flipping the forth boy over my body when he reached me.
His eyes widened as they locked on my wings, just milliseconds before he reached me. With the attackers all laying on the ground stunned, I hurried to the girl on the ground. "Hey! Are you—" She turned around and a hot stream of lava hit me in the eyes. I reared up as the scorching of the mace made my eyes water and my nose run. Everything became a dark blur. I only barely caught the gleam of the switch blade being picked up.
"Tommy! What're you doing man! That thing'll kill you!"
"Shut up Jason." Tommy, the first one snapped. "No freak is going to chase me off." I rubbed my eyes harder, trying to see around the mace, trying to breathe through the cloud of it that was choking me.
The more I touched it, the more intense the pain got. But it was natural instinct to try and get rid of whatever was causing the pain.
"You see those wings! That's the Angel of Death, man! You can't kill it!"
"Quit with your religious babbling, Carlos."
"It's not babbling!"
"That's no Angel, Carlos. Look! She got maced! Can Angels get maced?" a strong hand grabbed my wrist as I dropped them from my face. He pulled me into him, crushing my arms against his chest. His breath brushed against my face. "You're no angel, now are you? You're just a little whore who doesn't know how to mind her own damn business." I stared at him as he touched the tip of the blade to my cheek.
"Hey! Asshole!" the girl behind me yelled, catching his attention. It gave me just enough time to slap his arm away from my face and land a solid knee to his groin.
He screamed, hand dropping the knife as he released me.
I looked up when he hit the ground. The three others were staring at me like deer in the headlights. I hesitated just a moment. "Grab him and get gone." I commanded, "I don't want to see you in this town ever again." The nodded, scrambling forwards, awkwardly yanking their fallen brother away. The only one who watched me with a kind of awe was the one who must've been Carlos, a look of regret on his face. He must've been the one who didn't want to do this.
"Thank you, Angel." He said just loud enough for me to hear. "For your forgiveness." I turned away, ignoring the statement and focusing on the girl watching me. Though I could barely see her through the haze of tears, I knew there was the same look on her face that the others had.
"You okay?" I asked finally. She nodded. I turned to walk away and fell to my knees, the shooting pain in my face knocking my legs out from under me.
She scrambled to her feet, brushing her pants off. Before kneeling beside me "Look," she said when I turned around "I didn't mean to hit you with pepper spray, I thought you were one of those goons for a second."
"Yeah, okay. Don't worry about it." I coughed as the vapours of the spray stirred in my lungs.
"At least let me take you back to my place, clean you up." I looked at her in surprise. "It's the least I could do after blinding you."
"So…you're not going to runaway screaming?"
"Why would I?"
"Um…" I flapped my wings nervously "I can think of two very big reasons. She appraised each wing before shrugging.
"I'm not going to say I know exactly what the hell is going on, but you did just save my life and aren't trying to kill me. I'd say that's a good reason to trust you. So, come on. I live just a block this way." When I hesitated to move, she looked at me, concern coming off her in waves. It was just a second before she gently took my hand in hers. "I got you." She said softly. I nodded, looping one arm over her shoulders and letting her help me to my feet.
I let her lead me away.
+/+\+
"Okay, so, apparently you shouldn't have rubbed at your face." She said after helping me to lay down on the couch in her apartment. I couldn't see what her home looked like, but I could feel the soft microfiber faux leather couch on the exposed parts of my skin. She let me borrow some sweat pants and destroy one of her shirts so I could cover myself. The clothes I had been wearing when she maced me got chucked. I heard her footsteps as I stared at the ceiling through swollen eyes.
I heard the sloshing of liquid as she poured something into a bowl. "But the website says that if we put whole milk on the affected areas it should relieve the burning." Her footsteps neared me and soon enough the soft thuds of her kneeling on the carpet reached my ears. I had to force myself not to jump when the damp cloth was laid across my eyes. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. There was a slightly awkward moment of silence that followed. I knew what she was going to ask, but I didn't want to say anything until she prompted me to.
"So, uh," she began nervously "how does that feel?" she asked, sitting by me on the couch. I sighed. The milk thing on my face was actually helping the burning already, slowly but surely. I could feel the swelling on my eyes going down as well.
"A lot better, actually. Thanks."
"Are you a demon?" she asked so bluntly and out of the blue it shocked me into silence. But it was just a few moments before I exploded into laughter. She stayed quiet as I laughed until my stomach cramped up. "Never mind then." She muttered, getting up to leave. I caught her arm and held it gently.
"No, no, I'm sorry. That question was just random." She sat back down. "No, I'm not a demon."
"Then what are you?"
"Would you believe me if I said human?"
"Nope. Not unless we were all growing wings and I didn't get the memo." I smiled at the humor in her voice, suddenly growing fond of this stranger.
"No, something just…happened to me. This ended up as the unfortunate side effect."
"What kind of thing?"
"It's not really something I can talk about."
"okay." My brows furrowed.
"Okay? You're not going to push or pry?"
"Do you want me to?"
"Well…no, but most people would."
"I'm not most people."
"I see."
"So, you have a significant other?" she asked, again, out of nowhere.
"You're just full of random questions, aren't you?"
"That one wasn't so random."
"How so?"
"I have a beautiful woman on my couch. I just want to make sure I'm not going to get my ass beat." I took a deep breath.
"That's an even more complicated question to answer."
"More complicated than the sprouting of wings?"
"Pretty much."
"Okay, then this I got to hear." I reached up, pulling the milk cloth from my eyes. My vision was blurry still, but the brunt of the stinging had stopped and the swelling had diminished enough for me to see shapes.
I could see her, kind of sort of now. I could at least tell that she had light caramel skin and long, curly hair. She sat facing me on the very edge of the couch. Though I couldn't see it, I knew her eyes were looking into my own. She took the cloth from my hand and dunked it into the bowl of milk by her feet, ringing it out a few times.
"I fell in love with this girl a year or so ago. Then, a few months ago, she got into…an accident, damaged her pretty bad. When she woke up, she didn't remember anything. She didn't remember me or anyone else."
"Ouch."
"Pretty much. So, after three weeks, she starts dating this other guy. And then, last night, a pipe bursts in her house. My friends and I go over to help and we kiss. Then, she tells me she needs time to decide what she wants; the guy or me."
"and she hasn't decided yet?"
"Nope."
"That's shitty."
"Pretty much." She carefully wiped my face with the cloth, leaving a soothing path wherever it touched.
"So, you're single is what you're saying." I chuckled, shaking my head.
"Is this how you pick up women? You mace them while they try to save you and then bring them home?" she giggled.
"Every girl has her tricks." She slid her arm under me. "Come on, we have to go rinse the oil from your skin now."
"Awesome." I groaned as she pulled me to my feet, helping me towards the kitchen. My wings dragged across the ground, my mind too preoccupied to keep them tight in.
"Not to sound creepy or anything," she grunted as she righted me after I stumbled. "But I don't think you're in any condition to go home."
"I'm not drunk, I'm blind."
"You can't walk three steps without someone having to drag your ass forwards."
"That's why they made cars."
"I seriously don't feel comfortable letting you leave until I know you'll be okay." I held my sarcastic comment after noting the genuine concern in her voice. I took a deep breath as she steadied me against the counter and turned on the tap.
"Okay," I yielded. "But I'd feel a little weird if I stayed at your house overnight and didn't even know your name." I raised my right hand towards where she stood on my left. "Lauren." She took it without hesitation, her grip firm, but finger soft and elegant.
"Nadia
Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but I wrote this for you, so review it maybe?
