ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖
"Why is Kami so big on Halloween?" Ava asks, sifting through the racks of costumes.
"I think a lot of Sirens are," I say. "It's a pretty sexed-up holiday. But honestly, I think Kami loves any excuse to throw a party."
"So are you big on Halloween then?" she asks.
I've never been as interested in debauchery as others of my kind. Probably because I've made an effort to remain controlled and these celebrations are notoriously out of control.
"Eh," I say. "It's always been more of a human thing to me."
"Hmm," Ava says, her expression falling.
"What was that, love?" I ask, bringing my hand to the small of her back.
"Oh just... I guess you aren't much for humans usually."
I step behind her and nuzzle my face into her neck.
"I'm awfully fond of this one," I say.
"Mmm-hmm."
"Something on your mind, love?"
"It's just," she says with a sigh. "Last night, Gabby asked me what kind of Immortal I was."
Of course, that's an incredibly inappropriate question to ask amongst Immortals, but Gabby has never had much of a filter—one of many reasons I can't stand her. I only tolerate her since she and Kami are close.
"I'm sorry," I say. "Gabby has no tact. She didn't mean to offend; that's just how she is."
"I mean, I don't have a problem with it I just... she said she knew I wasn't human because you're so anti-human."
Of bloody course she did. Fucking Gabrielle and her giant mouth.
"Love," I say. "I've never been anti-human, that's wrong. And human or Immortal, you're the most important being in the world to me. Never question that."
She looks up from the costume rack with wide eyes and a look that practically melts me.
Did she seriously doubt any of that for a moment?
If she only knew...
"I used to avoid getting involved with humans," I explain. "That part is true. But that's because of the complications that go along with that, the same ones you and I have discussed."
"Like trying to get your girlfriend to go bone the waiter?" she says with a smirk.
I let out a low growl and spin her toward me so my hands are now wrapped around her arse.
"Not funny, love," I say, giving her a small playful spank.
"Public, you perv," she scolds under her breath, pushing on my chest. "Behave."
"Whatever you say, mistress," I tease and she shoots me a glare.
She pulls a costume from the rack and shows it to me.
"Speaking of mistress..." she says.
The costume is a black catsuit with red tassels and a whip labeled 'Sexy Ringleader'.
"As ridiculous as that costume is," I say. "I wouldn't mind seeing you in it."
I wink and she blushes as she returns the costume to the rack.
"How sexy is this party supposed to be?" she asks.
"I mean, it's Kami." I shrug.
"So pretty sexy, then."
"You can wear whatever you want, love. Just because she likes to host a brothel doesn't mean you have to participate."
"So not like this, then?" she asks with a giggle, holding up a costume labeled 'Naughty Nurse Nancy.'
What is with these bloody names?
Humans are weird.
The costume consists of a thin strip of red and white fabric covering just the nipples and extending downward into a thong with a tutu over it. The woman in the photo on the package has a pair of knee-high white stockings on, presumably so she won't get cold?
"Oh hell no," I say, pulling it out of her hands and putting it back on the rack. "Trying not to tell you what to wear, love, but unless you want to see a bloodbath, that one is out."
"Ohhh so you don't want me making you jealous, huh?" she asks with an unmistakable glint in her eye.
Oh shit. I'm in trouble.
"Uh," I say, but I'm not sure where to go with it.
I should've known I wasn't going to get away with provoking her jealousy last night.
"You don't want me to try this on here then?" she asks, pulling the nurse outfit back out and pointing to the two small dressing rooms with a shared mirror out in the main area.
"Wha-... what are you doing?"
"Nothing," she says with a smirk. "Just asking a question."
"You..." I stutter. I look around and see several people in the store, including one well-built frat boy whose ass I already want to kick. "You wouldn't... You know how I... Love, why are you..."
She mischievously smacks me over the head with the costume bag.
"Then I guess it's not nice to try and make someone jealous, is it?" she asks, furrowing her brows and returning the costume to the rack.
Alright, she's got me there.
"I'm sorry, love," I say with a sigh.
Then again, that whole thing didn't go too well for me anyway. I just ended up in a jealous rage over her anyway—like always.
"I'm just..." I continue. "I'm used to being the object of everyone's desire. My whole life I've been wanted---by everyone. And then you come along and all I want is for you to want me like that. It's stupid and I'm sorry for being immature, but what they said last night was true. You bring out the Siren in me."
"Uh, okay well," she says, stuttering slightly. "Damn it, Zane, I didn't expect your response to be all sweet and sexy."
I smirk and a laugh sneaks out my lips.
"So sorry love," I say jokingly.
"You need one too, you know," she says, pointing over to the men's costumes.
I chuckle to myself.
"You mean like wings?" I ask.
"Oh," she says, her face contorting. "Do you do that? Just bring your wings out and people think it's a costume?"
"Sometimes," I say. "Sometimes I dress up. I haven't done the Halloween thing in the last few years. Got boring for me."
"What about this year?" she asks. "I'm telling you right now I do not do couples costumes."
"No promises," I say with a laugh, "but I'll take a look."
I walk toward the men's section as she scoops up a few costumes in her hands and heads toward the dressing rooms.
"No nurse!" I say, looking back in her direction.
"No couples costumes!" she replies with a smirk.
I look at the selections for the men. They seem to be on either end of a very confusing spectrum between aggressively lame and disturbingly sexual.
It's either 'man riding an inflatable ostrich' or the 'fireman and his hose.'
Humans are really weird.
A lot of these are just things I or other immortals have worn at some point in time—leiderhosen, togas, bellbottoms. These aren't costumes, they're just clothing styles that have fallen out of fashion.
"What do you think?" Ava's voice asks behind me.
I turn around to see Ava in a short black dress and a little pair of black wings. She smiles at me with a hint of insecurity.
I step towards her, rubbing my thumb across her jawline.
"Love, you look..." I pause to find my words.
"I'm sorry," she says, her eyes falling to her feet. "I didn't even consider... is this offensive?"
I chuckle. "I keep telling you, love, I'm not a penguin."
"No I mean..." she mutters. "I dunno."
"I'm not offended. You look beautiful."
She does look beautiful, but she always does. Is she still stuck on the whole human thing? Does she think I want her to be a Siren?
"You like it?" she asks with a smile.
I put a hand around her waist.
"I like you in anything," I say, stroking the small of her back as our foreheads touch. "Just one small thing."
Her eyes hold a look of confusion. I reach around to the straps holding the wings to her back and slowly slip them off her shoulders.
"I... what..." she mutters.
The wings fall to the floor and I kiss her shoulder.
"There," I say. "Perfect."
"But, I thought..."
"You thought that I might prefer you as a Siren?" I ask, my expression scolding her for the very idea.
"I dunno," she says shyly.
"I prefer you as you are, love. Beautifully human."
I kiss her neck and she giggles as a deep pink blush appears on her cheeks.
"Public..." she whispers.
"What can I say? I'm a naughty boy," I say with a smirk, kissing her neck again.
"I'm going to try something else on," she says, pulling away and smiling.
I continue to peruse the racks of costumes. After a moment, she comes out in a blue-green toga with leather straps around it and leather cuffs, complete with a heeled version of a gladiator sandal.
Bloody hell. I like this one.
"I..." I stutter. "I'm a fan."
She giggles.
"Very Xena Warrior Princess, huh?" she asks.
"Who?" I ask.
She giggles again.
"You really are old aren't you?" she teases.
"Want me to take you back into that dressing room and show you how young I am, gorgeous?" I say flirtatiously, raising an eyebrow.
"You think you're funny, old man?" she jokes.
I grab my arms around her waist and tug her towards me.
"Call me old man again, love. I dare you..." The warmth of her body against mine is testing my control.
"Next costume," she says in an almost-yelp.
"Good choice," I tease.
She walks back to the dressing room.
What was I doing again?
Ahh, yes—looking at really terrible Halloween costumes.
After a few minutes, I decide that, once again, I'm going as a Siren for Kami's Halloween party. These choices are dreadful.
"Okay, this is a big ol' nope," Ava says behind me.
I turn around to see her in an incredibly revealing schoolgirl uniform that schoolgirls certainly do not wear in England. Her blouse is tied just below her breasts and is entirely unbuttoned to reveal her cleavage. She's wearing a red plaid skirt with white knee-high stockings.
I clench my teeth so tightly I'm surprised they don't shatter.
Bloody hell this woman is trying to kill me.
"Why... do... uh... you said... why nope?" I manage to say.
"Eloquent," she teases.
"Sorry, miss," I say, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Perhaps I need an English tutor. Can you come to my house after school?
"Guess you should've paid more attention in class!" she says with a giggle.
"This one is not for the party," I say.
"Yeah I agree," she says. "My stomach is super cold in this."
She turns to walk back to the dressing room.
"On second thought, Ava," I say. She stops and turns back to me.
"Yeah?"
"You should get that one, just not for the party."
"Ava?!?" I hear a man's voice call.
I flip around to see a man with spiky bleach blonde hair and chiseled features approaching Ava. He has a huge fit frame, probably even an inch or two taller than me. He's wearing a blue leather jacket, tight jeans, and short leather boots.
"Lucas!" Ava says enthusiastically, opening her arms as they both go in for a hug.
Nope. Nope. Nope.
I walk over to them at a speed slightly faster than one might consider human.
"Whoa, uh... hi?" the blonde says to me.
"Hi," I reply.
Ava looks at me scoldingly.
"Zane, this is Lucas. Lucas is an old friend," she says.
"Zane," I say, reaching out for a firm handshake. "Ava's boyfriend."
"Oh hey," he says. "British huh?"
"Yep."
He turns back to Ava.
"Look at you, damn!" he says. "You were hot in high school but you look like a fuckin' sex kitten."
That's it. Let's see what he thinks without his eyeballs.
I wrap an arm around her waist.
Take a bloody hint, mate.
"Uh thanks," Ava says with a laugh. "This isn't exactly my everyday look."
"Yeah I figured," he replies with a chuckle.
"So how are you?" she asks him. "Are you back in Port Charlotte?"
"No, just visiting family. Are you?"
"Yeah," she says.
"That's crazy! I visit all the time and I never see you around."
"Well I'm downtown, I usually don't hang out in the old neighborhood but this was the only costume place I knew of."
I'm trying so hard not to kill this guy that their conversation hardly registers. Apparently Ava used to live in this neighborhood?
"Well this look is certainly a winner," he says. "I'd do you."
I find myself between him and Ava before I've even thought through the action.
"You have the bloody nerve to say that in front of me, mate?" I say.
I hear Ava's quiet pleas of "Zane" but I'm seeing red now and can hardly focus. She tugs at the back of my shirt.
"Oh my god," he says. "So goals! We fucking love a jealous queen!"
I... what?
I think I'm going to have to google at least half of the words in that sentence, but the way he said it has me a bit taken back.
A giggle escapes Ava's mouth and both she and her friend begin laughing.
"For the record, I'm super gay," he says to me.
Gay.
Oh.
This is awkward.
"Oh uh, yeah," I say. "Sorry, mate. I er... I thought you were just being... inappropriate."
"Oh yeah, I'm totally inappropriate, but not in that way!" he says with a laugh. "Anyways, I gotta get going but good seeing you Ava and Ava's sexy British boyfriend."
He hugs us both goodbye and we walk back to the dressing rooms. When we're out of earshot, Ava busts up laughing.
"That was amazing," she says through stifled laughter.
"Not funny," I say.
****
Ava settled on the green toga and, after a bit of convincing, I talked her into letting me buy the schoolgirl outfit too. We purchased them and started heading back to the parking structure.
The sun has just set and streetlights are starting to turn on, lighting up the dilapidated buildings that look even more broken-down as night falls.
"So you used to live around here?" I ask.
"Yeah," she says shortly.
Okay then. I guess that's a touchy subject.
"So were..." I start to say, but we're interrupted by a male voice.
"Oh look who it iiiissssss!"
Ava looks concerned but keeps looking forward, walking faster. Her heartbeat quickens as she looks at her feet.
I turn to look and see a scrawny man across the street, covered in tattoos and staggering drunk. He's got a scruffy goatee and gauges in his ears, is wearing an oversized black hoodie and a baseball cap, and is taking puffs of a cigarette. The man is staring right at us. Ava continues to pull me forward by my hand.
"Aaaavvvaaa," he calls teasingly.
My neck snaps toward him then back to her.
"Who is this guy?" I ask.
"Nobody," she says, pulling me faster down the street. "Let's just go."
Is this another ex-boyfriend? If he's anything like Mike, I'm sure he's just bloody delightful.
"Stuck-up bitch!" he screams. "I'm fucking talking to you!"
My body is shaking with rage and stiffens with his words.
"Ava, I'm about to kill this guy right now, I'm not even joking," I say, my voice thick with anger.
"Please, let's go," she says, pleading with those grey eyes.
Fuck.
Okay, I can do this.
I take another step forward when a bottle whizzes past us. I catch it by the neck before it comes anywhere close to Ava. My muscles tense and the bottle shatters in my fist.
"Zane," she cautions.
I dust the glass shards off of my palms and I slowly turn toward the man.
"Who the fuck is this?" the guy asks in a slurred voice, gesturing toward me as he stumbles closer.
"The last bloody thing you're ever going to see, mate," I spit, rushing toward him and pinning him against a nearby brick wall.
"Fucking around on your boyfriend?" he asks Ava. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Ava, who the bloody fuck is this guy?" I ask, ready to crush his larynx. She looks genuinely frightened and at the moment I can't tell if it's of him or me.
"He's..." she says softly. "He's my brother."