18. Ava

EIGHTEEN

AVA

The night before had not gone as anticipated. I paced around my house, trying not to relive every single moment of what happened. The dinner, the conversation. The kiss. That was what really kept replaying in my head on a loop. The softness of his lips pressed against mine, the hungry way his hand had clutched my thigh. The pleasant ache that had suddenly erupted between my legs.

Then, as though I'd been snapped out of a dream, I'd pulled away and pushed Blayne back. My mind swirled in a tailspin. So many questions, so much to think about.

"You've gotta go," I'd said.

Blayne, looking both surprised and understanding, nodded and disentangled from me. "Yeah. I think you're right."

There'd been guilt mixed with confusion on his face. I couldn't begin to imagine what he'd been thinking. Thoughts of Liam? Annoyance at himself for succumbing to some impulse he didn't really mean? Who knew.

He'd left in a hurry, barely even managing to say goodbye and thank me for dinner as he went out the front door. I'd spent the next six hours sitting on my couch, trying to wrap my head around it. Things had been going well. Then all of a sudden, it had gone off into some weird thing I didn't even understand.

I'd passed out on the couch around two in the morning, and woke again at seven. I was groggy, irritable, and confused. It took five minutes after waking up to make sure it hadn't all been a dream. Once I realized it had really happened, I spent the next ten minutes freaking out all over again. What would it mean for our friendship? It was like Liam's ghost was haunting my home. As if he'd been standing in the corner the night before and had judged us by our actions. For some reason, my life seemed to hinge on the man even ten years after he'd died.

By ten that morning, I was on the verge of a panic attack. I needed to vent. To anyone. I couldn't go to my dad or uncles—they were men. They'd try to fix the problem. I didn't need someone to fix the problem; I needed someone to talk to who would understand and give me advice. The only person I really knew who fit that bill was April.

Picking up my phone to call her, I said a little prayer. I really hoped Blayne wouldn't be around her. That was all I needed—to call my friend to talk about a guy who was standing right next to her.

"Hello, Ava," April answered.

"Hey, yeah it's me. What's up?"

"Not much. I'm over at Harley's. I'm helping her get all the kids packed for their little getaway."

In my mental freak-out about kissing Blayne, I'd almost forgotten about the threat of the hunters. I put a hand to my forehead and chastised myself for being selfish. I was calling April at a time when she and most of her friends were in mortal danger. I was already on the phone, though.

"The beach trip? To hide out? I think I heard some chatter about that," I said.

"Yeah. I'm not going anywhere. Steff tried to get me out of here, but I told him I'd be damned if I left him here to fight alone. It's different with Harley and Celina. Harley has the kids to think about, and Celina's pregnant. I agree they need to get out of here, but me? No. I'm in it till the end." There was a little pause before she went on. "I get the feeling that you called for something other than to check in on me. What's on your mind, Ava?"

I took a deep, cleansing breath and pushed forward. I told her about meeting Blayne at the store, and how he'd invited himself over for dinner. My story about dinner ended with the kiss, and then how I'd basically tossed him out of my house and the welling of guilt and shame I felt about the whole thing. By the time I was done, I felt a bit better, but also like a wrung-out and emotional mess. Thank God I wasn't crying by the end. That would have been even more embarrassing.

When April spoke, it was with empathy and compassion, which she must have known I needed. "I see how that could be rough. How are you right now, though?"

I giggled like an idiot, barely managing to choke it back. "I feel like shit. Like my dead boyfriend hates me. Like I don't know what to do with myself. Like maybe I want Blayne, and at the same time, don't want anything to do with him. God, I think I'm going crazy."

"Ava, do you want my honest opinion?"

"Of course. I need some kind of opinion."

"It might sound a bit harsh, though."

I laughed again. "Lay it on me. Maybe I need some harshness."

"Okay. I think you've got to let go of Liam. He's been a shadow hanging over you for ten years. Have you had a single serious relationship since he died?"

I ran my tongue over my teeth as I thought. There'd obviously been other guys. Dates here and there. A few boyfriends. Nothing serious. Relationships that only lasted a month or two. A one-night stand with a camera operator after the wrap party on that one sci-fi movie I worked on. But now that April asked, I realized I hadn't let a man get close to me since Liam's death.

April must have taken my silence as an affirmative answer to her question. "Liam's dead, babe," she said. "Yes, you loved him. But he's dead. You're alive. You deserve to live your life on your own terms, not according to some weird rules you think a dead man might or might not have wanted you to follow. Right? Or am I overthinking this?"

"No. You're right," I whispered.

"If there is even the slimmest chance there could be something there with Blayne, then why not pursue it? How can there be anything wrong with that? I think if Liam were able to speak to you, he'd be happy that the two people he cared about the most could find happiness with each other."

My eyes burned and my lower lip quivered. "You're probably right."

"Follow your heart, girl. That's all I can say. I want you to be happy. I'm sure Liam would want you to be happy, and I know Blayne wants you to be happy. Especially after what you've told me about the way he acted last night."

"Okay, yeah. Okay. Hey, thanks. I appreciate this. I know you guys have a lot going on, and you don't need me adding more drama to the mix."

I could hear the smile in April's voice when she spoke again. "Well, little lady, if this curse has shown me anything, it's that nothing can be taken for granted. And speaking of the curse, whether you and Blayne severed that connection or not, you're part of this group now. The curse brought you back to Lilly Valley. You are part of this whether you want to be or not. We won't turn our backs on you."

"Thank you, April. I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay. Think about what I said. Bye."

"Bye."

I needed to clear the air. There was a single person I needed to talk to, and I was going to go do that.

Fifteen minutes later, I sat cross-legged in front of Liam's headstone. I slid a finger along the rough stone, tracing the letters of his name and the years of his short life.

"Hi, Liam. I didn't get to spend much time with you a few weeks ago. I'm sorry about that, but your brother wasn't in the best mood that day. Speaking of which, I guess you know what's been going on. I feel bad about what's going on with Blayne. I'm all mixed up, and I don't know what to do. I keep thinking about you, and it feels like I'm betraying your memory." I laughed and looked up at the sky. "Again, like everyone keeps telling me, you're dead. That doesn't change what's in my heart, though."

I fell silent. Maybe I was hoping to hear a whisper of his voice. Some sort of melodramatic words of wisdom from beyond the grave. But there was nothing.

Leaning forward, I put my hand on the stone again. "Would you hate me if I fell for your brother? Would you be bitter?" I shook my head and smiled. "No. I don't think you would, would you? Not now." A single, solitary tear slid down my cheek. "I have to let you go, Liam. I'll always love you, but I have to live my life. Goodbye."

Having said my piece, I stood and brushed the grass from my butt, then turned to leave. My heart and head were lighter than they had been for the past ten years. I hadn't heard Liam's voice, but there was a weird sensation of release as I walked away from his grave.

That feeling of openness and relief vanished when I noticed the man at the edge of the cemetery. He was about fifty yards away, and I was pretty sure he hadn't been there when I'd arrived. The cemetery had been deserted. The man wasn't standing by a tomb or grave, but across the grass, staring directly at me. Something about the way he was standing and the telltale bulge at his hip sent a spike of fear through my chest. Even from that distance, I could see the menace in his face.

Run . The thought barked through my head an instant before the stranger broke into a sprint headed toward me. Instinct took over, and my feet slammed into the grass, pushing me toward my car before I could truly register what was happening.

I was terrified. I'd never been chased by a person who wanted to do me harm. There was something hideously animalistic about it. Feral and menacing. I was a rabbit being chased by a rabid dog. The hunter was zeroing in on his prey.

My breathing came out in hiccupping gasps as I reached my car. Hopping in, I slammed my hand on the button to lock the doors. A quick look through the mirror showed the man still sprinting toward me, only ten yards away. I screamed as he slammed into my car and yanked on the handle. The car rocked and he tried to force the door open. I hit the start button and slammed my foot into the gas pedal. A chaotic squeal of tires followed, and my pursuer leapt aside as the car took off. I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw him jumping into a sedan to follow. Another black car came flying around the corner toward him. Within seconds, two cars were chasing me down the highway.

Was this some enemy of my father? I'd never been targeted by any of his rivals before. I never assumed anyone would be dumb enough to attack Dad in such a way. Somehow, I was able to focus enough on driving and pulling my phone out. I called my dad.

"Hello?" He sounded fatigued.

"Daddy?" My voice was pitched high in panic.

Hearing my distress, the listlessness vanished from his voice. Suddenly, he was hyper-focused. The father I'd always known before the cancer got him.

"Ava? What's wrong?"

"I was at Liam's grave. Some guy was following me. He…chased me. Dad, he chased me to the car. He's following me now. Him and another car. What should I do?"

I hated how whiny my voice was, but the fear had me locked into some weird mental state. My heart beat so fast, I thought it would explode. I glanced back at the two cars gaining on me even as I pushed my own little rental to the limits of its four-cylinder engine.

"Where are you? Head for home." He pulled the phone from his mouth, but I could still hear him screaming orders. "Sam? Luis? Get your asses toward Lilly Valley Cemetery. Some fucker is chasing Ava. She's on the highway headed this way. Go." His voice became clearer as he asked, "Can you put some distance between you and them?"

I looked down and saw that the RPMs of the car were already redlined. In the mirror, the two sedans were growing ever closer. "I don't think so, Daddy. I'm going as fast as I can, but they're gaining on me. Please…help me. Don't let them take me." I gripped the steering wheel so tight, my knuckles were white.

My phone chirped that a second call was coming in. I glanced down for an instant and saw it was Blayne. "Dad, Blayne's calling. I'm gonna answer it."

Taking the risk, I released one hand from the steering wheel and switched to Blayne's call.

"Ava?" His voice was gruff and confused. "Is something wrong? Are you okay? Where are you? I felt something…weird."

"Some guys are chasing me! I'm in my car, but they're almost on me. Blayne, I don't know what to do!"

"Jesus! Where are you exactly?"

I glanced out the window, and even as I went over a hundred miles an hour, a couple of signs flitted by. "Umm, I'm passing the old out-of-business gas station out on Route Four. Do you know the one? Heading toward Dad's house."

"Miles? Let's fucking go!" he shouted away from the phone, then returned. "I'm coming. We're not far away."

Without another word, he clicked off and I was back on the line with Dad. "Ava? Are you still good?"

I nodded to myself, then said, "Yeah. I'm scared, Dad."

As though to put an exclamation point on that, one of the sedans rammed into me. My tires, already spinning at over a thousand RPMs, skidded and I had to clamp the steering wheel between my sweaty fingers and adjust to keep from flying off the road.

"Dad? Daddy, they're ramming me. I can't keep this car under control if they keep doing that."

"Son of a bitch!"

I could hear how angry he was that he couldn't be there. Was too sick to be out helping me. I trusted my uncles with my life, but he was desperate to be the one swooping in to save me.

Up ahead, the sign for the Lilly Valley city limits loomed. It should have been a beacon of light, a warning sign that I was getting close to help. Closer to Blayne, closer to my dad. Instead, a big black van came careening around the corner. It pulled across the road and slammed to a stop, completely blocking my path.

I had one second to decide to crash through and kill myself along with the men inside, or to slam on the brakes to try stopping my speeding car.

I chose the latter and jammed both feet onto the brake. The tires screamed and screeched in protest. One of them burst with the sudden deceleration, and the car started fishtailing. First left, then right, my adjustments on the steering wheel not doing anything to keep the car from going wild. Finally, it spun sideways and tilted up on two wheels, tipping up and almost over whatever fulcrum was controlling the chaos.

Thankfully, I didn't flip. Instead, after pausing in the air for what felt like minutes, the car crashed back down onto its three good tires.

My breathing was erratic and gasping. I'd stopped literal feet from the van. My phone had flown across the car and been busted against the windshield. My dad's voice no longer called to me from the car speakers. I was on my own.

The men were getting out of the van and the car behind me. Adrenaline squirted into my system. I could almost feel the actual burst of the chemical surging into my blood and rushing to my brain and heart.

Two men rounded the back of the van, waving their hands at me to get out and screaming at me. My panic-addled ears were unable to make out what they were saying. Two more men approached from the back and started yanking on the door handles.

"Get out! Get the fuck out, bitch."

"No!" I screamed, not knowing what else to do.

The men in front of me trained their guns on me, and I had a moment's thought that I could try and run them down. Before I could attempt that, one of the men at the doors slammed the butt of his gun against my passenger side window, busting it out in a shower of glass. He was reaching in to unlock and open the door when I heard the growls.

All four men spun and saw a huge inky-black panther stalking toward them. Beside the panther was the largest wolf I'd ever seen. Blayne and Miles.

A relief so great I almost couldn't stand it rushed through my body, bringing me to tears.

"Shifters!" a man shouted. "Back up. Go on, get away!" He motioned toward Blayne and Miles with his gun.

"Goddamned abominations," the man at the door hissed.

He raised his rifle.

Fear coursed through me. "Blayne, watch out!"

The gunshots rang out, staccato in the afternoon. I was absolutely certain they'd been hit. I was wrong, though. Watching through the window, I was amazed how graceful the two were. Blayne and Miles moved even more elegantly than wild animals would have.

As the bullets erupted from the guns, the two shifters dodged and dived away, almost like they knew where the bullets were going to be. Blayne leaped up, pressed his paws into the side of the van, and leaped off the car, slashing down toward one of the men with his claws. He caught the hunter's gun hand. The gun went flying in a spray of blood as four deep gashes appeared on his arm, going all the way to the bone.

The guy clutched his hand and screamed. Miles somehow dodged a barrage of seven or eight bullets and snapped his jaws onto the ankle of the man who'd first opened fire. He fell and dropped his gun. Behind the van, the sound of another engine came roaring toward us.

The other three men scattered, running to their cars and van, leaving their friend at the mercy of Miles and Blayne. As the men peeled rubber, they revealed the source of the other engine. My uncles Sam and Luis had jumped from their car and were running toward us. Sam pulled a pistol out and fired the full clip at the fleeing van. If he hit anyone inside the car, I couldn't tell.

My door flew open and I almost screamed until I saw Blayne leaning in toward me. He'd shifted back to his human form and was running his hands across my face, shoulders, and legs. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"I-I-I-I…" I couldn't speak. My breathing wasn't right, and my heart was racing.

Blayne took my face in his hands and looked into my eyes. "You're having a panic attack. I want you to take a big, deep breath. Here, breathe with me, okay?"

I looked into his eyes and tried to match my breathing to his. Difficult at first, but soon I was taking deep slow breaths in and easy long breaths out. Soon, I was able to calm myself enough to climb shakily from my car.

Miles was still in his wolf form, his teeth clamped into the hunter's leg. Blood oozed from his mouth. The man was gasping and cursing, trying to kick at Miles's head and reach for his rifle. Uncle Sam walked up and kicked the gun away, letting it spin off to the side with a metallic clatter.

Sam leaned down and pressed the barrel of his gun to the man's forehead. "You think it's fun chasing ladies, motherfucker?" He pressed the barrel down hard, cracking the back of the man's head on the pavement.

Blayne walked around to the hunter, holding my hand. Sam glanced up and nodded to the hunter. "Whatcha wanna do with this piece of shit? Me and Luis can cap his ass right now. Stash him in the woods."

I winced at the callousness of it, but I then remembered the way this one had looked at me. Had he taken me, would he have been any kinder to me? Probably not.

Blayne shook his head. "No. Not like that. Hide him somewhere. We need to get Ava safe. We'll deal with him later. I'll take Ava to Gio's place."

Sam gave a nod of assent. "You got it, boss."

Miles let go of the guy and shifted back. He wiped the blood from his mouth and knelt next to the hunter, spitting on the ground. "You taste like shit, by the way."

Luis and Sam lifted the guy up by his arms, and I could see panic and terror play across his face as my uncles dragged him toward their car. Luis swung a knee up into the hunter's crotch. The kidnapper heaved a breath out, gagging and dry-heaving.

"Wanna fuck with my baby niece? I'll show you how fun things can get. You wait and see."

They tossed the guy into the trunk and slammed the lid before getting in and driving off. Miles grabbed the rifle off the road and unloaded it before tossing it into the back of my own car.

"Can this drive?" Miles asked.

"Uh, I think one of the tires is blown," I said. I was getting dizzy.

Miles nodded. "Is there a spare?"

I nodded absently, and Miles went to work. Less than ten minutes later, he put on the spare time. The whole time, I stood there, letting Blayne hold me up. The sound of his heartbeat through his chest calmed and soothed me.

"Where did you guys come from anyway? Did you drive?" I asked.

Blayne shook his head. "Would have taken longer to drive. We went straight through the woods. Shifted and ran as soon as I was off the phone with you. Miles and I busted out of the trees right as that asshole knocked your window in."

"All done," Miles said, wiping his hands.

Surprisingly enough, only three cars passed while he was working. To their eyes, it looked like a simple blown tire. Little did those people know what kind of shit-show had happened out here twenty minutes ago.

Blayne walked me to the passenger side door. "Get in. I'll drive."

Miles shifted and ran back into the woods. Blayne hopped into the driver's seat and started the car. We drove to my dad's place, and I didn't even question the fact that he held my hand the whole way there. In fact, I took comfort in the gesture.