𝔸𝕧𝕒
I pull my car into the parking lot outside Zane's apartment.
I finally got Zane to invite me over to his place again. For someone who is always so eager to see me, these past few weeks he's been intent on avoiding us spending time alone.
I'm probably being paranoid, but I swear it's always something.
'My apartment is a mess right now.' 'I have to get to bed early.' 'I'm just really dying to check out this new movie.' 'I figured it was rude not to invite your friends.'
What happened to guys always wanting to get women alone any chance they get?
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
Jen: Sooo, tonight's the nite??
Thanks, Jen. Like I wasn't already nervous.
Me: Don't jinx me Jen
Jen: Are you there??
Me: Not yet. Just parked.
Jen: Bow chicka BOW WOW
Me: Stoppp. You're stressing me!
Jen: Come on, he's totally into u you just need to seal the deal! What r u wearing?
I snap a quick photo of my jeans and low-cut maroon tank top under a black cardigan before I step out of my car.
Jen: Cute but I meant *underneath*
Jen: Plz no picture of that. Don't wanna think bout u like that
Me: Ewww stopppp
I'm not about to tell Jen, but I am wearing a matching black lace bra and panty set under this. You know—just in case.
I step out of my car and take the elevator to Zane's floor. His apartment is simple but very nice and has a gorgeous city view from the 14th floor of his building.
"Hey baby!" Zane's voice chimes as I open the door.
"Hey!" I say, leaning in for a kiss. He shifts to kiss my forehead instead.
Damn it.
He's wearing a white shirt that is tight along his skin in all the right places.
"Hey Ava!" a voice says from the living room.
Oh great. Kieran's here.
"I hope you don't mind," Zane says, "I invited Kieran to hang out with us."
Damn it, Zane.
"Yeah, cool," I say.
Not cool. Not at all cool.
Zane offers me a drink as I sit down on the leather sofa next to Kieran. He's playing some video game on Zane's television. It looks like he's playing as some kind of beast with the head of a bull with a big sword slicing through crowds of monsters.
I haven't seen Kieran since the—ahem—dream I had. It feels weird to hang out with them both now.
"Wait," I say, scrunching my eyebrows as I inspect Kieran's arm. "I swear you had tattoos, didn't you?"
"Oh uh, yeah," he says with a quick glance to Zane. "Those were just temporary ones. You know, those wash off ones."
"Oh, okay," I say.
They certainly looked real. Weird.
"Come on, a real Minotaur would thrash these civilians!" Kieran shouts.
"Yeah mate," Zane says with a chuckle. "'Cause you and I both know plenty of real minotaurs." He raises his eyebrows at Kieran.
"Yeah you know what I mean," he says with a weak laugh. "If Minotaurs did exist. They would definitely be able to handle this mess. Obviously there aren't real Minotaurs though."
Kieran pauses the game and his eyes meet mine and his smile widens, looking devious as usual.
"Sorry, Ava," he says, a smile creeping across his face. "Am I paying attention to a video game when your beautiful face is right here?"
I blush and shrug. Zane's jaw tenses and his expression becomes hard.
"I'm a taken woman now so your compliments will get you nowhere," I joke.
"Uh, what now?" he asks, looking over at Zane whose expression is stern. "Does grumpy over here know that? 'Cause if this is the first time you're telling him, I'm pretty sure you and I are about to see one hell of an apartment-demolishing rampage."
"Uh," I mumble.
Zane didn't tell Kieran that we were together? Why not?
"Oi, piss off, mate," Zane says with a huff.
"Well I'll be damned!" Kieran says. "I guess our boy here has calmed down over you. I'm shocked he's not snapping his chair in half. Zane's not usually the jealous type so I was kind of enjoying watching him go postal every time someone glanced at you."
Kieran laughs as Zane walks to me, handing me a can of soda.
"So who's the new boy toy?" Kieran asks.
I look to Zane to see if he's going to chime in, but he's avoiding my eyes.
"Uh," I say, stalling for time. Should I just say it?
Our conversation is interrupted by a knock at the door.
"That's probably food," Zane says, jumping out of his chair and over to the door. In a split second, he returns with bags of Chinese takeout and proceeds to place everything out on the dining table.
I follow him to the table with Kieran close behind me. I unbutton my cardigan and shrug it off my shoulders, hanging it on the chair as I sit.
"Perfect," I say. "I'm starving!"
Kieran sits across from me, his eyes wide and honed-in on my chest. I really only had Zane in mind when picking out this outfit, but here we are.
"Damn, Ava," Kieran mutters, licking his lips. "I'm feeling pretty famished myself."
I'm assuming he didn't mean that the way it sounded, right?
A sharp crack reverberates through the room. We look over to Zane as his fist is resting on the freshly cracked marble of the kitchen counter.
"Leave," Zane says with a rumbling voice. His eyes shine a vibrant green under the kitchen lights but his pupils seem deep and dark.
"Oh shit," Kieran says. "I guess I spoke too soon about him calming down."
Kieran jumps up and darts toward the door, his hands held up in a defensive position. Zane's expression is pure rage. I guess that possessive streak didn't really go away.
"Come on," Kieran says as he continues to back away. "I mean, I am who I am, bro. Besides, she's got a boyfriend now anyway, so why do you care if I..."
His eyes shift rapidly between Zane and me.
"OH." Kieran's eyes widen. I guess he just did the math. "You... and... OH. So much for not being the relationship type, huh?"
Wait, isn't that what he said about Zane in my dream?
Okay, I'm definitely being paranoid now.
Zane lets out a low grumble that sounds almost like a growl and takes a single firm step toward Kieran.
"Wow," Kieran says. "I'm uh... I'm late for a thing anyway. A thing where I don't get the crap beaten out of me in your kitchen."
He grabs his black jacket from the entryway and with a quick wave goodbye slips out the front door.
ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖
That fucking wanker.
Yeah, he's afraid of me now, but he wasn't afraid enough to ogle Ava's tits five seconds ago.
Anger like I've never felt is pumping through my veins and I can hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
"Zane?" Ava's voice says softly from behind me as I feel her hand rest on my shoulder. "It's okay, he didn't mean that. He was just being flirtatious. He didn't know."
Oh he bloody well meant it. She doesn't know just how much he meant it.
"Here," she says, guiding me over to the couch. "Come sit."
I can feel my body relaxing at her touch. She sits on the couch and pats the seat next to her.
"Ahh, uh," I mumble. I want to sit next to her, but the closer I am to her the more I want to touch her, kiss her, and when I'm all pumped up like this I struggle to control myself even more than usual.
Her face looks sad, dejected.
"You don't want to sit with me?" she asks.
If she only knew how ridiculous that thought is. All I want to do is be with her.
"Of course I do, baby," I say, sitting beside her.
I reach an arm around her shoulder and pull her in. Her warmth on my skin is simultaneously soothing and electrifying.
She looks into my eyes suspiciously.
"What color are your eyes?" she asks.
Oh crap. She noticed that?
A Siren's eyes only change color when they're at their most uninhibited, when the body and mind fight and the mind loses. When rage or lust pushes them to the far edge of the human-to-animal spectrum.
I guess I really have been losing it around her a lot if she's noticing it enough to ask.
"Oh, er, they're hazel. Why?"
A lie, but it's an easy way to explain if she has seen them flip from brown to green. I was lucky that my Siren eyes were a reasonably human shade. Kami's eyes turn a bright gold and I've even known some Sirens whose eyes become purple or red.
"Huh," she says. "That makes sense, I guess. Sometimes I swear they look really green."
She looks into my eyes and her lips part just slightly. Damn, she doesn't even realize what she's doing to me.
Kiss her. Take her. Now.
"Yeah they do that," I say, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead.
My body is furious with me. She sighs and pulls away.
Shit. That is definitely not the sound a woman makes when she's happy with you.
"Zane?" she asks. "Why do you do that?"
"Do what, love?"
"Kiss my forehead."
God damn it. Was that wrong? I thought girls liked that sort of thing. How am I literally built to seduce women but I keep fucking up with Ava?
"I... You don't like it?" I ask.
"No, I do, it's just that I feel like you're avoiding kissing me."
Well there it is, I've officially been made.
What do I say to that?
Well, love, it's a simple answer really. I'm just a mythological creature with the ability to hypnotize people with my touch and when humans ingest my venom they're overcome with lust. I've never had an actual relationship, let alone with a human, and I have no idea what I'm doing with any of this.
Simple, right?
"I just... Fuck, Ava, I want to kiss you more, I do! I jus-... with us, things start moving really fast when we're kissing and I want you to be... aware of your choices."
Yeah that made sense. I sound mental. Fuck.
"You want me to be aware?" she asks. "So you're aware and I'm not?"
She's got me there. My brain has never been less present than when I'm kissing her.
"Yeah well, that's a bloody good point. I uh... I can't quite say I'm entirely capable of controlling myself with you either, but it's different."
You know, magical powers and all. Fuck.
"What's different?" she asks.
"I just want to be sure you want... whatever happens."
"I do," she says. Her lips part and she leans in just close enough to almost kiss me.
Fuck. Those eyes, those lips... I'm officially done for.
I close the remaining distance between us and our lips meet. I hear a quickening thump as her heart begins to race. My hands snake around her waist and pull her closer. I tumble on top of her, kissing along her neck toward her shoulders. Her fingers tug lightly on my hair.
Fuck that feels good.
Her cheeks are flushed and her skin is dewy under my fingertips. Her pupils are wide with lust. Every indicator tells me that this isn't her—this is the venom.
"This," I say, pulling back, "is exactly what I'm talking about, love."
I bloody hate myself right now.
"What part of this," she says, pulling off her top, "says 'I'm not ready' to you?"
She grinds into me and kisses my neck.
Fuck it, I can't say no to that.
"Bloody hell, Ava," I say, practically growling through my teeth. I relax into her and kiss her, my tongue slipping past her lips. The sound of my own heartbeat is drowning out hers.
I need her.
She doesn't want you, she wants the Siren.
"Fuck," I snap. "Ava... Is there anything, right now, that you wouldn't do?"
She pauses for a moment. Her eyes are full of lust and I feel her fingers tracing across my abs then tugging at the hem of my shirt.
I reach down to stop her hands.
God damn it Zane, you're an idiot.
"Ava," I said sternly.
"What was the question?" she asks.
"Right now, what could I ask you to do that you'd say no to?"
Who cares. I need her, now.
"I'll do whatever you want, Zane," she says, leaning in for a kiss.
"Fuck," I mumble, pulling myself off of her and readjusting my pants.
"That is precisely my point, love," I say, kissing her on the forehead.
Way to cock block yourself.
"Zane, come on, really?" she says. "So you're just never gonna kiss me or have sex with me?"
Zane, you're a giant fucking twat.
"Babe, I'm not saying never," I say. "I just have to figure this out first."
"Figure what out?"
"How to... how to make sure you don't do something you'll regret."
"And what if I want to do something I'll regret?" she asks, her hand tugging at the button on my jeans.
"Damn it, Ava," I say with a smile. "You're just here to test my self-control, aren't you?"
I step back from the couch. She's right, I can't keep doing this. The fact that I've resisted her this long is a bloody miracle.
"How about this," I say, "have a couple glasses of water and we'll finish dinner. If you're still set on it come morning we can revisit this conversation."
"In the morning?" she asks.
"Well, love, I can't exactly just send you home now, can I?"