Luke’s POV
When she told me that she didn’t want to kiss him, I couldn’t tell you how happy I was. I seriously had to fight the urge to pump my fist in the air. Then when she told me that she hadn’t been kissed in her life? It made me determined, determined to be her first kiss and her last kiss.
Guilt gnawed at my stomach for yelling at her though. When she asked me if I was mad at her I was completely thrown off guard. I wasn’t mad at her- I was mad at Chase but I couldn’t explain that to her cuz then I would get into the fact that I had a major crush on her. I’d have to apologize later for snapping and yelling at her.
Avery set me down and started to work on my wounds while I watched her with interest and tried to memorize every detail of her. The way her silver eyes would glimmer in the light, The strand of hair that feel out of her braided brown hair down her back, the way her eyebrows creased slightly when she was concentrating.
Once Avery finished with most of the wounds she looked at me and slowly, a rosy scarlet color spread over Avery’s cheeks, making her face take on an almost childlike appearance. She quickly turned her head away, embarrassed by her reaction and bit her lip self-consciously. She started to say, “You’re uh-” She blushed deeper and I smiled at the color of it. “You’re gonna have to take your shirt off.”
After I heard the words come out of her mouth I couldn’t help but smirk at how her innocent side was showing.
Slowly, I started to take off my shirt and I could feel her eyes rack over my torso. I bit my lip to stop a groan from coming from my lips and I could feel a tightening in my pants. She looked away but when she looked again they went lower then looked away and I couldn’t help but have a groan escape from my lips.
Avery turned to me quickly while I quickly covered my ‘area’ with my shirt and bit my lip with my teeth, trying desperately not to make any more sounds that were threatening to escape my lips.
“Are you okay?” Avery asked worriedly and I only shook my head and bit my lip harder until I could taste the metallic tang of blood. I started to shift uncomfortably trying to hold myself down from my urges. I suddenly got the image of her running her hands up my chest and I just closed my eyes and looked away, trying desperately not to think about it.
I placed the shirt more firmly on my ‘area’ and she just looked at me, not realizing what was happening-thank the gods!
“Lay down.” Avery said in a low voice- obviously embarrassed but dang it sounded sexy. I groaned again but tried to cover it up with a cough and laid down but still had my shirt over my-now very painful- area.
She started to work on my cut across my upper chest and I had to think of anything except her hands that brushed over my chest!
Once she had finished I was sweating from trying to control myself. I knew that my eyes were dark with lust but I kept them closed so hopefully she didn’t know.
After the painful time of her cleaning my wounds on my chest, I was allowed to sit up and she took my chin and held it gently. “This might sting a little.” She said and held the cloth to my cheek which I flinched but slowly relaxed to her touch. After she cleaned the wound, she put Nectar on it and it healed almost instantly, looking as if it had never happened. She turned around and grabbed an ice pack from one of the freezers and gave it to me, along with a thin cloth. “Put this over your jaw. It’s going to bruise if you don’t put it on immediately.” She said and I nodded and put it on obediently.
I let her clear the rest of my wounds while I watched her curiously, trying to get rid of my thoughts before.
When we first walked into the infirmary and saw there was no one there, I was going to suggest we just wait but Avery looked like she knew what she was doing and flew into action. It surprised me on how well she knew where the supplies were, and what to get for different cuts and bruises. Finally my curiosity won over and I asked, “How do you know to do all this?”
She froze from cleaning my arm and looked panicked while I raised an eyebrow. “I-uh-I-” She stuttered. Avery’s hands dropped to her side and I looked at her worriedly. I took her hand gently, trying to comfort her. I know from the look on her face that it was a hard topic. She looked up at me quickly and looked at me with pained eyes.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.” I said softly.
Avery bit her lip and nodded thankfully. “Thanks, Luke. I appreciate that but I-I think I can trust you. Do you- do you promise not to tell anyone?” She asked looking at me.
“Of course you can trust me.” I said, taking her other hand in mine. Her eyes searched mine for honesty and when she found it she nodded and held onto my hands.
“Can we-uh.” Avery started and looked around. “Can we go somewhere more private?”
I nodded and stood up, leading her out of the infirmary and to the woods. When we finally got to the middle of the woods I stopped at a huge tree with lots of branches. I looked back at her and asked, “Can you climb a tree?”
She smiled smugly. “Can I?” She said cockily and stepped back then ran at the tree and climbed it quickly while I laughed then climbed after her. We stopped at a thick, high branch in the top of the tree. I sat down and leaned my back against the tree while I watched her sit on her hands and swing her legs, looking down at the grass below.
Avery started to talk so I listened intently but was completely taken back from what she told me. “Okay so… um…” She took to a deep breath trying to calm herself. . “Back in the orphanage, w-where I’m from, there were two people that ran the place; Mrs. Gretcher and Mr. Gretcher. They were always horrible but Mr. Gretcher was the worst. Ever since I first came to the orphanage when I was five, he hated me. He-he would always be mean to the kids but me especially. He would spit at us, tell us how much everyone hated us. He used to tell me and that I was just worthless and…” She paused and looked away pained. “No one would stop him. He did, such h-horrible things.”
I stopped her, worried for her answer. I just prayed to the Gods that the answer wouldn’t be a yes. “Did he-did he touch you?” I asked afraid by the answer. If he raped her or touched her in anyway like that- I would kill him brutally and painfully.
Avery shook her head and relief flooded on my face. “Thankfully no,” Avery said, “But- but everything else he did. When I- when I was about eight, he- he started to hit me.” She said softly and my hands clenched in protectiveness over her.
“At first it was just a slap or two. I could handle it but-but when he started to pick on the other girls… I stood up for them. I’d tell him to stop and instead he would hit me in their place, even harder than he would have them. Grey- s-she tried to help but she couldn’t do anything since she was a ghost. Every-Every time he was going to hit someone, I would run up and take the hit. Eventually he knew I-I wasn’t going to let anyone else get hurt so he just hit me. He-he started lightly-I mean it still hurt like crazy- but soon he started to get more violent and more volatile. He used to tell me I was a monster, that I shouldn’t be alive and…” A tear slipped from her eye. “So many other hurtful things. He abused me physically as well as m-mentally. He didn’t come to the orphanage often but when he did he was so dunk he should have died from how much alcohol and beer he had. When he went out drinking with his friends, he-he was always the worst and used to drag me out of my bed for a ‘lesson’ as he called it. Though what I was being taught I have no idea.”
“I don’t know why it was always me.” Avery continued, “It was always me even before I stood up for one of the girls. He only almost hit one of them because she tried to help me. After, he just wanted to hit them because he knew it hurt me. I’m-I’m so good at cleaning and healing wounds because…. I’ve had a lot of practice. I always had a knack for it. I used to help the school nurse when I was little until I got kicked out of that school then I would go on and help the next school nurse. I always kind of thought of it as a hobby- a skill and a talent to help people. I-I never knew I was going to use it on myself.” By the time she finished her story tears were racing down her cheeks and she was trying not to sob.
“What happened to him?” I whispered.
“S-s-someone called the cops on him. But- oh Luke.” She said and started to cry harder, sobs racking her body and her hands wrapped around her arms trying not to shake. “When he left- when he left-” She looked at me, tears streaming down her face and looking so hurt it made my heart ache.
I opened my arms and she rushed into them, burying her head in my chest her legs wrapped around my waist, crying. “H-he told me he would find me, Luke. H-h-he told me he would kill me. And I just- I just know that it’s true! What if he f-finds m-me? W-what if he k-kills me Luke?” She sobbed and held onto my shirt tightly.
My arms wrapped around her, protectively and I held her close to me. “I won’t let him, Avery.” I said sternly. “He won’t ever be able to touch you again! I’ll kill him before he does!”
It was there in that second that I promised that I would protect Avery no matter what. I would fight the world for her. I was completely shocked by how well she hit her pain and her scarred past. She seemed so put together and so untouched from horrible things, this only made me want to protect her more. I couldn’t stand her being hurt, I couldn’t have her feel this way- I needed to fix her.
Gritting my teeth together I continued with my promise, rage burning through me from this man. “I promise, Avery. He won’t get near you again. I’ll protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you again!” I held her close to me while she cried into my- already soaked shirt.
We stayed that way for a while; her crying into my chest, her arms wrapped around me while I rubbed her back and whispered comforting things in her hair.
While I held her thoughts of how I could kill this guy were rushing through my head. How dare he harm Avery! How dare the rest of the people let this happen to her! How could someone just stand back and let someone take a beating for you?
Thoughts of resentment swirled in my head but there was one person-or more like God- who I hated the most right now. How could her Godly parent let this happen to her? How could any of the Gods let us demigods go through what we do?
I pulled Avery closer to me while I bit my lip from anger thinking about my father. I scoffed to myself even thinking of something like that. He was no fatherly figure to me. He left me alone with that witch who I used to believe as my mother! I’m sure that she used to be kind but after he messed her up with all this stupid Godly business he ruined her, he ruined us. I could never forgive him for what he did. He left me, he left my mom, he left us to deal with the problem that he caused, he left me to deal with the pains and the struggles of being a demigod.
Avery’s sobbing started to die down and my face softened when I looked down at her. She slowly lifted her head from my chest and looked up at me with her dazzling silver eyes. I smiled softly at her and brushed a piece of hair away from her face. A pink blush covered her cheeks instantly and she shyly buried her face in my chest. I chuckled and stroked her hair until I rested it on her back and had her look back up at me.
We stared at each other and I whispered, “I’ll protect you, Avery,” Then I leaned forwards and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I promise.” She softly smiled at me her eyes shining and she leaned forwards and hugged me tightly.
“Thank you Luke.” She said into the crook of my neck and I smiled and hugged her back. We would have stayed there for hours but broke apart when we heard the horn blow for the next activity.
She pulled away first and immediately I missed her arms wrapped around me. “Come on, Luke.” She said and wiped her eyes. “We had better get going.”
I smiled at her and marveled at how quickly she could change from looking so broken to someone so happy and cheerful. I got up from the tree and smirked at her, “Race you down the tree.” I told her and started to climb down the tree while Avery followed closely behind.
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A/N: Yikes I'm sorry guys. This wasn't as good as I know that you guys were hoping for!! And I know that so I am so very sorry!!! I'm on vacation and everything has been distracting me but from how many hearts, comments and followers that I've gotten, I just had to update!! Thank you guys so much!!! I seriously LOVE YOU GUYS!!! <3
-Breann