Inevitable (The Curse of Avalon Book 2) Page 8

  Bash let out a pointed cough, and Xander rolled his eyes. His cocky half smile and a wink at me clearly indicated, “Later…” He deftly jumped to his feet, holding out a hand to me for assistance.

  I took it, and he pulled me to my feet, brushed out my rumpled clothing, and pushed my hair over my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  My eyes raked over his tight, leanly sculpted body, and I grinned coyly. “I think so…”

  “What’s this?”

  Distracted by my lust, I barely acknowledged Trystan speak. He leaned over, reaching for something on the ground where Sammy had been standing. Apparently, the magic released him fully, and the bear had long ambled away while we were being shot at by things unknown. I was secretly relieved.

  “A paper?” Mathias took it from his grasp, and nervously ran his fingers through his messy hair.

  I gulped, noticing his t-shirt had a large, fresh tear down the front. The fabric curled and smoked, indicating that one of the fireballs had nicked him, singing his shirt open.

  His chest was exposed, revealing a large, purple and black bruise. “Oh my god…” I struggled out of Xander’s grasp, not able to take my eyes off his new injury.

  “What?” Mathias asked, confused, and glanced down. His expression fell, noticing the large bruise that now resided on his right pectoral. “Shit…”

  “Did…I do that?” I bit my lip, so they couldn’t see the lower one tremble.

  “Avie…” He said softly.

  Xander reached for me, but I pulled away. “No!” I protested, tears stinging at my eyes. “Stay away from me! Just—stay away!”

  “Ava...” Mathias started towards me, but I clutched the stunner against my body, turned, and began to run. Rocky barked and was hot on my heels as I tore through the property.

  “It’s not safe, Ava—what if whatever that is that did this is still here?” Bash protested, calling after me. I knew they were fast and could easily overtake me—especially Mathias. They weren’t pursuing me as easily as they could be.

  Glancing behind my shoulder, tears blurring my eyes, I didn’t notice when I crashed into a large wall.

  “Fuck! Mathias!” I scolded, when the gladiator wrapped his arms around me.

  “I’m fine, Ava…fine. It’s superficial, I promise…” He said, clutching me close, rubbing my hair down my hack.

  “Did you just use your super-speed?” Trystan asked, amazement in his voice.

  Mathias tensed. “I…guess I did. See? I’m fine, Ava.”

  I glanced up at him through blurred eyes. “Because you ran fast?”

  “I usually can’t, Ava. At least not this fast. That first night I saw you outside your house? The first time I’ve been able to in a while. And, if a little bruise is what it takes to be with you, so be it,” he said, the corners of his mouth raising in an appreciative smile.

  “Really…it’s okay…” Another large hand reached out, rubbing my shoulder comfortingly.

  It was Trystan. Xander and Bash weren’t far behind, offering their own words of comfort.

  “I just…” The frustration and anxiety welled up inside me, weighing down my stomach like an anchor, making me sick.

  My neck tensed as I felt the magic charge throughout my body. A pulse escaped me, pushing the boys back a couple of feet.

  They looked around, confused and stunned.

  “No…” I whimpered. I took my chance and began to dart again, nearly tripping over my feet as I gained my footing. Don’t follow… I thought intently in my brain, recalling the day in the alley where Summer had somehow been compelled to not run after me.

  The guys’ eyes darted around, but they didn’t budge. I took the opportunity, and began running away from them again, like a bat out of hell. I didn’t stop, though my chest screamed at the tension and breathlessness, until I reached the front door. I pulled it open with an awkward yank, barely making my way passed the threshold as it slammed shut again, and I didn’t stop until I was up the stairs, down the hallways, and into my room.

  Chapter Nine

  All four of them that night came knocking on my door, hoping for an intervention. The last time I only allowed Trystan in, because he came bearing dogs. The expression on his face was despondent, and I almost felt bad shutting him out. Almost. He didn’t say much as he tried to come close for a hug, but I shied away. I felt ridiculous doing so, of course.

  But if I could injure Mathias and not realize it—Mathias, the invincible gladiator, with super-strength, speed, and an ability to not feel pain—there’s no telling what I could do to anyone else.

  I barely slept a wink, afraid that more images of Avalon would invade my mind. I’d already had enough of its intrusion, I didn’t need it forced upon me while I slept. Most of the night I spent texting Summer, petting one of the five dogs that occupied my room currently, trying to block out the sound of their licking, panting, farting, or snoring; or I watched movies on the big screen on the wall opposite of me. The only thing that came close to taking my mind off everything was fawning over Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2. Only a talking raccoon, and a warrior tree-person could help me feel more normal.

  Oh, and Chris Pratt…but we didn’t need to go there.

  It was around 7 A.M. when my phone rang.

  Groggy and groaning, I fumbled for it on the bed. Percy, Frankie, and Lizzie—the puppies—had taken up three quarters of my bed, and one of them had their big, furry butt on my phone. I prodded Percy with a poke of my finger, and he huffed, reluctantly moving from my pillow, exposing my ringing phone.

  I swiped the screen, putting it up to my ear. “Hello?” I asked crabbily, not realizing I didn’t recognize the number. I normally didn’t answer phone calls of numbers I didn’t know, but I wasn’t thinking correctly.

  “Is this Avalon Dawson?” asked a formal, male voice from the other end.

  I raised a brow, sitting up straight to speak more clearly. “Ava. And yes, this is she.”

  “Good. First off, let me express to you my condolences on your mother’s passing,” he said, actually not sounding sorry at all, but he was clearly expected to say that for some reason.

  “I—what?” I asked, confused.

  “I’m sure you’re still in shock. Such tragic circumstances, murdered during a break in,” he said, speaking as if he were reciting the phone book, not announcing someone’s cause of death.

  “I—yes. Yes, so tragic,” I said, adding a fake sniff for effect.

  It occurred to me then that I hadn’t exactly thought about what her disappearance had meant to the world. As far as I knew, she had no friends, and we had no other family. So…besides the demon Collectors, no one but me would miss her.

  “Well, that leaves the matter of her estate, Miss Dawson. I am Jim Prescott, attorney and executor of Ms. Dawson’s estate. I was appointed by the state of Minnesota.”

  “Her…estate?” I repeated, befuddled. “A duplex and a bunch of messy art rooms? A pile of half-used clay?” I snorted.

  A moment of silence on the other end. “Quite. As you know it’s a bit more than that. As her closest relative, and as she had no will, you are now her sole executor. The property at 455 Elm Creek Drive, Plymouth, Minnesota, all its contents are now solely yours, as well as her property located at 27 Lagoon Avenue.”

  Dumbfounded, I asked, “Um. Where and what is that?”

  “A nightclub, apparently. I’ve never heard of it. Apparently called…” I heard the rustle of papers, as he apparently searched, “The Stargazer. Have you heard of it?”

  My mouth fell open in shock. My grip on the phone went slack, and I nearly dropped it. “I—what? No…you have to be mistaken! My mother was an artist! She didn’t own any nightclub!” I quickly slung my feet over the bed, and slid to the ground, nearly stepping on Rocky’s tail as he snoozed. He looked up at me with indifference. “Sorry!” I whispered to him. I plodded around Sierra sprawled out on the floor, and quickly made my way to Mathias’ bedroom as his was the ne
arest one to mine.

  “I assure you all the paperwork and proper connections are here; the property belonged to her, Miss Dawson,” he said, rather irritated, but he tried to remain professional.

  I shoved the door open to Mathias’ room. I searched it, and the bathroom but found them empty. “Damn…” I said, quickly running down the hallway, and the stairs. I was met with the smells of breakfast, and I knew he was in the kitchen.

  “Everything okay, Miss Dawson?” Jim Prescott asked on the other end of the line.

  “Yeah. Yeah!” I said, laughing dismissively, as I skidded over the tiled floor. I nearly crashed into Mathias as he stood before the stove, cooking up a pan of… something. “Could you just—one second please Mister…what was it? Preston?”

  “Prescott, ma’am.”

  “Right.” I pulled the phone away, pressing the hold button as I poked Mathias in a panic. Not like he didn’t know I was there, I made enough noise as I flew down the stairs to wake the dead.

  “What’s wrong, Ava?” He asked, and set his spatula down, and twisted a knob on the stovetop, lowering the heat.

  “My mother!! Her estate!” I gasped, panting.

  Mathias raised a brow, as I pointed to the phone. “Let me talk…” He took the phone from me, and swiping the screen, answered the call. “Listen, my name is Mathias Romanello. I represent Ava Dawson. Can you please repeat for me what you told her?” He said, very formally. I almost snickered at the mention of his last name. It occurred to me that I never bothered to find out what it was; he was just Mathias here. Or, Septimus, rather. But in the non-supernatural world, a surname was essential.

  His eyes widened, as Jim Prescott on the other end of the phone call spoke. “I see. And you’re sure to the validity? As you can understand, my client is quite shocked by this new revelation; she had no recollection of her mother ever owning such property.” He paused, listening. “I see. Well, if you can have all that ready for me by say, 2 P.M., I will swing by on my way to other business, and we’ll go over the formalities….yes, I understand…thanks for your call, I’ll be in touch.” He disconnected the call and set the phone on the counter next to the stove. He turned to me, mouth agape.

  “Stars above, Avie—I had no idea! This is quite a development,” Mathias said, crossing his arms over his chest, and tapping his fingers against his chin contemplatively. “We have been trying to dig up dirt on the Stargazer for years—we had no idea it was owned by your mother! The best we could come up with was an anonymous buyer from Minneapolis, in 2013!”

  I snorted. “Well…whatever. Get rid of it. I want no part of it.”

  Mathias frowned. “You might want to rethink that. If what Jim Prescott says is correct, the Stargazer and the Underground respectively both pull in respectable nine-hundred thousand dollars a year.”

  For the second time in five minutes, my mouth fell open. “Are you—what?” I squeaked in shock. “But I’m not a business owner!”

  “Ava—you can hire someone to oversee all the operations. That’s clearly what your mother did,” Mathias said. “You can’t just turn this down, this is a huge opportunity! What else has she done for you? For once, something may have worked in your favor!”

  I began to protest, but stopped, and clamped my mouth shut. “Well, when you put it that way…I’m not agreeing to anything though, yet!”

  Mathias clasped his hands together in triumph. “Good. I’ll check it out first and make sure there isn’t some kind of…subterfuge.”

  “No. My mother would have never resorted to that,” I snapped dryly.

  Mathias offered me a sympathetic smile. He bent over slightly and kissed me gently on the forehead. “Sorry, Avie. Wish I could do more.”

  I scoffed. “Do more? Let’s see, so far you’ve offered me a place to say, fed me, saved me from a demonic ritual, brought me puppies, and allowed me to essentially injure you!”

  “Well, there is one thing you won’t allow me to do for you,” Mathias hinted, nudging me with his arm.

  I stared blankly at him. “You know why.”

  “I do…however is that the only reason?” Mathias challenged.

  “Is that the only reason?” I repeated, my tone increasing in pitch. I laughed shortly, trying to convince myself, as well as him that that was the only reason I haven’t allowed any full-on hanky-panky to happen yet.

  Mathias turned, looking at me expectantly.

  I actually felt like shit that I allowed him to do to me what he’d been doing to women for years. Offering me my release, when he got nothing but a brief energy surge. Don’t get me wrong, it felt ah-mazing. More amazing than anything I’d ever felt by another man, or another vibrator. But it wasn’t fair to him.

  I felt like I was leading them on. But was it? I wanted him. Wanted them all…I just was afraid of what would happen if and when I finally did.

  “Thought so. There’s something else,” Mathias said.

  “Something else what?” Questioned a new voice. I swiveled around on my heels to see Xander just entered the kitchen. My eyes roved over his body; he wasn’t as flaunty as Trystan; he wore more clothes. Currently, he wore nothing but a pair of shorts, and a black tank top. And, his skin wasn’t always glistening with sweat, the fine droplets of moisture, dripping down his forehead, his neck, and over his muscular chest. His hair was damp, and slicked backward, accentuating his exotic eyes and chiseled jawline.

  “Down, tiger,” Mathias said, with a laugh, and elbowed me.

  I shot him a dirty look, but the flush on my cheeks betrayed me.

  Xander grinned widely. “What did I miss?” I noticed that he carried a white towel, and he wiped his face with it, before slinging it over his shoulder.

  “Ava here is an entrepreneur,” Mathias said, with a wink.

  I groaned. “Not yet, for all we know Jim Prescott is full of shit.”

  Xander cocked a brow inquisitively. “What now?”

  “Apparently, Marian Dawson actually owned the Stargazer. And now that she’s dead—supposedly, according to the state—it now belongs to Ava,” Mathias explained for me; I was thankful for it because I couldn’t quite utter the words yet.

  Xander’s mouth fell open in shock. “Are you—you’re kidding me? This is huge Ava!” He cheered, reached out and cupped my elbows in his hands. I wasn’t thinking about the Stargazer, with his closeness. No, I was thinking about a study I’d heard on the news, about how women are apparently attracted to sweaty men. Somehow, the smell sets off all the little horny-alarms. I always thought that story was bogus—until now. The inebriating, unique scent of him—hints of stormy ozone and musky jasmine, I thought— was about to drive me insane. Apparently, Xander noticed as he searched me with mischievousness in his eyes and a roguish, sexy half-smirk.

  Mathias grumbled quietly under his breath. He didn’t let his surliness inflect in his tone, though, when he asked, “What’s up, Xander?” And the two of us snapped back to reality.

  “I was thinking,” Xander said, awkwardly taking a step backward. “Ava is feeling tense and worked up with her powers…maybe she just needs an outlet.”

  “Outlet?” I gave him a skeptic once-over. I knew the outlet I needed; I only wish it were possible right now.

  “Tai Chi Chih,” Xander said. “Bash taught me some time ago; it’s very relaxing once you learn it. Or yoga—we could do that too. It’s usually for helping to align the chakra, but many use it as a form of relaxation, too. But Tai Chi Chih might help with some fighting moves too—something you should learn, in addition to channeling your magic properly. What do you think?” He asked me directly.

  “Sounds like a good idea,” Mathias said.

  I shrugged. “Sure, I guess. I’m not very coordinated, but I can give it a go.”

  “Good,” Xander said, with a smile. “I’ll let Bash know. He taught me—I bet he can teach you, too.”

  I chuckled. “Is there anything he doesn’t know how to do?”

  Xander thought a moment. “
Swing dance?”

  I squinted at him. “That is…decidedly specific.”

  Mathias nudged me. “You just know there’s a story there.”

  “Right?”

  Xander scoffed, waving us off. “I’m going to shower—though I don’t know why, because it’s fucking hotter than hell out there. A pool would be nice,” he shot over his shoulder as he went towards the stairs. “Then I wouldn’t have to kick my own ass in the damn basement. Be ready in an hour, Ava! Wear something loose, not tight!”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “And, why don’t we have a pool?” I asked Mathias.

  Mathias smiled sheepishly. “The animals would get stuck in it.”

  I glared at him, unconvinced. “Can’t Trystan reason with them? And you know—they have screened in pools. I saw it in Florida when I vacationed there once with Summer; anyone who had a pool had it screened in, like a porch.” I chuckled at the idea of Sammy Hay-bear, doing a one-armed backstroke in a pool in the yard.

  Mathias groaned. He wrapped his arms around me, shaking his head.

  “What’s that for?” I asked, dumbfounded.

  “Do you want a pool?”

  I shrugged. “It’d be nice, maybe…”

  Mathias chuckled. “Fine. We’ll get a pool.”

  I grinned widely. “Sweet...”

  He squeezed my shoulders. “Go get ready. I’ll fix breakfast for you when you’re ready.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Bash, you’re distracting me.” I took in a deep breath, as Bash stood behind me, his hands and arms perpendicular to mine, hoping to urge my body into various positions. His rock-solid body was torture against mine; every time he moved, he rubbed against me in some way, and my knees frequently wanted to give out under me. Between the aromatic perfume of the nearby flowers—the lilac, the roses, whatever—and Bash’s spicy scent of sandalwood and cinnamon, I was about to come undone.