Fallen

Chapter Nine

Aubrey

My flesh tingled where his palm lingered on my arm.

Despite my best judgment, I very much wanted to collide my lips with his and I was certain he wanted to do the same.

Only when our mouths were nearly centimeters apart, his body stiffened in my arms and I opened my eyes to see him distracted, nose wrinkling.

For a moment, my fear spiked and I thought it was my possible rancid breath that turned him away from me, until his brows knit and a name came from his rosy lips.

"Manakel," he breathed. "What are you doing here?"

The man stood, poised just to the right of Kendall, whom I'd forgotten existed, his mouth set in a hard yet knowing line as he assessed the sight before him. 

She flinched, realizing someone was in her personal space and stepped aside to get a better view of us all, though her gaze lingered on the new mans butt in his loose 

"I think the better question would be what have you been doing here?" 

Bryce's body went ridged with the man's accented question and when he realized he was still holding onto me he released me.

Until then I hadn't noticed his comfortable hold either and, though I wouldn't admit it aloud, I liked it. He was warm against my chilled body, something my jacket couldn't have done.

"I think we need to talk." Bryce extended his hand, palm up in a calming and reassuring gesture. "I believe we do brother." The man's gaze never left me, sending a chilling sensation down my spine.

"He's your brother too?" Kendall asked, doubtful.

And she had reason to.

Unlike the previous three siblings, this man's presence demanded attention but for all the wrong reasons. His body was built like a great warrior, which his gold breastplate enhanced, and his facial feature seemed to be carved from stone, though chin was stubbled.

"He's hot," Kendall commented, probably noting everything I had. "Is there a convention going on?"

However, I still shot her a nasty look, one she ignored.

This guy looked like he just walked off a battlefield minus the wounds and unlike Bryce, he reeked of death, or what I presumed death would smell like. 

"Do they know?" His question was directed towards Bryce who had let his hand fall to his side. "You know the penalty for revealing ourselves."

"They don't." His tone was nearly as forced as his body was tense. He put a hand to my back tentatively, pushing me towards Kendall's direction. "But they were just leaving."

"But our-"

"Come on, Kendall." I hadn't meant for it to sound snappy but something didn't feel right between the two "brothers".

I had rushed to her side and began dragging her to my car parked just in front of the building.

She huffed, mumbling something about our forgotten jackets, but kept a steady pace with me.

I didn't look back, even once in the car and we pulled from the curb to head home, but I felt the man's icy grey eyes on me.

For a moment, I looked into the rear mirror and saw him smiling at me, though it was far creepier than he might have intended. He winked then turned, with a slight amused expression, back to Bryce.

"That was fun." Kendall's tone was light despite the heavy tension in the vehicle.

We'd gotten to where I could no longer see the men even if I was risking another glance back.

"Wasn't it?" She asked. "Didn't you have fun?"

I didn't respond, mind reeling with questions that would probably never be answered.

"Come on," she whined turning in her seat a bit. "Aubrey, smile. I can tell he likes you."

It wasn't possible. Even if it was, nothing could come of it.

"The way he was holding you, during that very strange shaking I might add. What was that? A three? Four maybe? It doesn't matter." I could hear the excitement in her voice. "He definitely likes you."

"Kendall, please," I whispered angrily, hands gripping the wheel roughly. "He doesn't."

She mumbled a sorry and after a sigh, I glanced over at her and saw she was looking down at her hands. She peaked up at me from long lashes and an apologetic smiled formed on her lips.

"You know you have to tell me when I'm pushing. It just...it looked like you were having fun for a minute, before...well, you know."

"I know." I looked between her and the road. "I'm sorry, I just don't-"

Her shouting my name distracted me and I tensed, looking to see what had caused her frantic expression.

I glanced out my window just as the headlights collided with the glass. There was brief shouting, though from who I wasn't sure, then pain registered. Lots of pain.

Brillant colors danced in the darkness behind my lids.

Things were broken, I was certain and the pain was unbearably disorienting.

I wanted-no-needed the pain to stop and almost as suddenly as it had come, it stopped, leaving me in blissful darkness...