Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

Two uneventful weeks have passed since Trigger, Theo and I made it to Chicago. I’ve picked up the trail of a banshee that haunts an abandoned children’s playground, but haven’t yet gone out to kill it.

Oak pulled some strings, and managed to enroll the three of us at Northwestern University. Trigger and I are both majoring in political science and minoring in English. Theo has no fucking idea what major he wants, and so he’s taking all generals. Trigger and I have all of our classes together.

Despite my very best efforts to ignore him, my attraction to him has only grown exponentially, and it isn’t helpful that he flirts with me every chance he gets. Two days ago I even found myself flirting back before I snapped the hell out of it.

“Ambrosia, care to take a stab at the answer?”

I look up at my introduction to law professor from the book I’ve been reading under my desk.

“Mens Rea is the Latin term that indicates criminal intent.”

“Very good. Now, Trigger, why is Mens Rea important?”

Trigger catches me staring at him before I bury my nose in my book.

“Mens Rea is important because it proves that the criminal committed the crime knowingly.”

“Excellent, thank you.”

For the rest of the class I can feel Trigger’s eyes on me, even as I focus on reading Treasure Island under my desk. As soon as class ends I shoot up from my seat, heading out before Trigger can approach me.

Thankfully this is our last class of the day, so I head to my car, intending to drive over to Starbucks to do homework. As I’m stepping into my car, however, I feel somebody seize my arm. I curl my free hand into a fist and turn towards my unknown assailant, swinging with full force. Trigger caches my fist in time, holding both of my hands immobile.

“What the hell, Trigger! I almost pulled a knife on you. What do you want?”

His expression is light but his eyes are serious. “I want many things from you, but right now at the forefront is to know why you’ve been avoiding me.”

I roll my eyes. “I have not been avoiding you, Trigger.” I lie. “We have all the same classes, so it’s impossible to avoid you either way. Now could you please let go of my arms?”

“No.”

I look around to make sure nobody’s watching, and briefly flash my red eyes at him. “Let. Me. Go.”

“Still no, Ambrosia. You don’t scare me.”

I let out an exasperated sigh mixed with a sharp laugh. “Then what the hell are you going to do?”

He doesn’t hesitate. “This.”

He continues holding my arms in place while bringing his lips to mine. My mouth opens in surprise, and he takes that as an invitation to twine his tongue with mine. Every part of me is screaming to jerk away or push him off of me, but my sensibility has somehow gone out the window. All I can think about right now is how incredible he tastes and how fantastic his lips feel on mine. When he finally pulls away for air, he stares deep into my eyes, and breaks out into a wide smile.

“What are you smirking about?” I ask him, scowling.

“Oh, I’m just pleased to know that you’re as attracted to me as I am to you.”

I’m about to shoot back a witty response when he brings his lips to mine yet again.

I’ve kissed a whole hell lot of people- well, not people, but a lot of beings, and I’ve never felt this way with anyone. Not even with Arken when I was planning on loosing my virginity to him.

“Well, this is unexpected” Theo declares from behind Trigger.  

Trigger turns around sharply, and I feel a blush work its way into my cheeks as Theo stares at us. After a few infinitely long seconds, both him and I burst into laughter. When we first got here we placed bets on how long I would be able to avoid Trigger. I gave it a few months, he gave it a week.  

“Care to share?” Trigger asks over our rather loud laughter.

“When we got here I told her that she wouldn’t be able to avoid you past two weeks. She claimed a few months. The funny thing is that I was right, and I’m just about never right in our bets.”

I sober immediately. “What the fuck, Theo! Don’t you know how to keep a secret?”

He shrugs. “Figured it doesn’t matter anymore. Anyways, Ambrosia, Hannah texted me that she’s planning on cooking Chinese for us tonight and since you have the best kitchen and dining room wants to do it at your place. Is it cool if we eat there tonight?”

Hannah is the cook that Oak hired for the three of us. She’s truly talented.

“Sure” I tell him. Trigger nods his agreement.

“Well, see you guys then. Don’t have too much fun.” With those words, Theo walks off.

Realizing that I’m still in Trigger’s firm grip, I try to free my hands. But he manages to hold them nice and tight.

“Come on, Trigger. You got what you wanted. Time to let me go.”

He arches an eyebrow. “I haven’t gotten what I wanted just yet.”

His voice is a seductive whisper that seems to wrap around my subconscious and pull me closer to him.

“So tell me what it is you want” I demand.

“To screw you senseless” He says without pause.

I glance down in time to see that he is rock hard, and bite my lip.

“I don’t know if you’ll be into me after what I’m about to tell you” I mutter, dreading informing him that I’ve never had sex.

“What?” He asks, eyes deepening.

I stutter. “I’m, uh- I’m… Fuck it. I’m a virgin.”

His eyebrows practically hit the ceiling. “Are you serious?”

Do I really act that dirty? “Dead.”

His face falls slightly. “Does that mean screwing you senseless isn’t an option?”

I laugh lightly. “That’s not what I said.”

“So it is an option?”

“I didn’t say that, either.”

He groans. “Give me something to go on.”

I cup his face in my hands and lean towards him slowly. At the last moment I turn his face and kiss his cheek.

His eyes open. “Hey, that’s not fair.”

“Whoever told you I ever play fair?”

With that I slip into my car, lock the doors before he can get in, and drive away.

“Holy shit, Hannah is an artist” Theo says through a mouthful of dinner.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full” I remind him. Trigger chuckles.

After dinner I clean up, having sent our house keeper home early.

“Alright, I’m off to bed” Theo announces. As soon as the front door closes behind him Trigger comes up behind me and slips his arms around my waist as I’m doing dishes.

“Hands off” I tell him, and turn around.

“Look, Trigger, today in the parking lot was a moment of weakness. I’m not into you.”

He raises his eyebrows.

“That’s not what it seemed like when your lips were locked with mine.”

I sigh loudly. I’m not easy to be around. In all reality, I’m ridiculously into Trigger, but he can’t know that. I have the pretense of a cold hearted bitch for a reason, and that reason is because of how dangerous I am. I won’t let Trigger become a part of that.

I care too much.

“I’ll repeat myself, because for some reason you don’t seem to be catching on. There is nothing between us. Don’t let yourself forget that.”

As I dress for bed I decide to wear something new, just to see how it feels. I have a lot of lingerie laying around to wear under my slutty outfits when I go hunting, but I don’t really use it otherwise. Would it be comfortable to sleep in?

I decide to find out. I slip into a black lace number and admire how it shows off my cleavage. Then I decide to have a backup in case this isn’t comfortable, so I grab a super oversized T-shirt that I occasionally sleep in, and drop it on the side of my bed as I climb under my covers. I grab Grapes of Wrath from my bedside table, and start in on it.

A few minutes later I hear my doorbell. It isn’t Theo, because he would walk right in. Trigger probably forgot something.

I have an automatic alarm system with a control pad on my nightstand, so I lean over and type in the code to unlock my front door.

“Come in” I call.

I hear my door open and close, followed by Trigger’s footsteps heading in my direction. It’s only when I sense him at the door do I look up from my book, awaiting his hungry gaze at seeing my outfit.

Shit. It’s not Trigger staring at me.

It’s Arken.