by W.J. May
Chapter 2
Aurora
The jolt didn’t come from what Erebus thought he’d just seen or from some deep inner realization. It was physical. Someone had grabbed his shoulder and was trying to pull him outside. He clenched his hand into a fist and drew his arm back, ready to hit the idiot trying to stop him.
Coty stood beside him, a stupid half-apologetic smile on his face. “It was the only way I could get–”
Erebus swung anyway, aiming for Coty’s chin.
His friend must’ve been prepared for the punch. Coty casually leaned out of reach, grabbed Erebus’ fist and locked his arm into Erebus’ outstretched one. Then he pulled him forward so they bumped chests. Coty’s infamous man-hug.
“You asshole!” Erebus shifted away, seething. Coty knew there were dangers to be aware of.
One day he’d call wolf and Erebus wouldn’t be around to help him.
Coty laughed. “Come on. They’ve got three kegs in the kitchen. My treat.”
“Your treat?” Despite being ticked, he laughed. “One of these days, mate… one of these days.” Thankful to get out of the hall of staring people, Erebus stepped over a passed-out body on the steps leading upstairs. He made his way down the crowded hall towards the kitchen. The music pulsated inside his chest, but at least his breathing had gone back to its normal rhythm.
Glancing around, he wondered if he might be the only sober person. Coty had stopped to talk to twin girls. Erebus grinned and continued on.
Crossing the slightly less crowded kitchen, he opened the fridge door and leaned in. The blast of frigid air felt good on his sweat-soaked hair. He enjoyed it, momentarily. Pushing aside some black labelled bottles with green liquid, he grabbed two beers. He preferred cans over drinking straight from the kegs. A bunch of college guys were doing that just outside the kitchen’s sliding doors and he had no intention of sharing their drinks now.
“Did you see any Mike-arita’s in there?” A throaty, sensual voice asked from behind him. Instinctively, he closed his eyes. The girl had to be inches from his ear. There was no way he would’ve heard her above the music if she wasn’t. His nostrils flared as he slowly inhaled a faint scent of musky female perfume. It smelled luscious. He turned to see the body that exuded the aroma.
There in front of him stood the winged angel he had seen earlier and had momentarily forgotten with Coty’s prank.
Well, whoever she was, she was dressed as an angel. Wearing a simple white blouse and a long, Battenberg lace skirt, she had a pair of feather wings darting out behind her. Her wavy blonde hair held gold tinsel weaved into a wreath shape accompanied with sparkly glitter. She was angelic, even without the costume. She looked young, innocent. He wondered why she was the only one at the party dressed in a costume but was too mesmerized to ask.
His heart pounded louder than the music. His eyes traveled from her gold Converse sneakers, up a shapely pair of legs, to slender hips. His gaze hesitated over her lovely, small perky breasts and then slowly up her neck to her face.
He swallowed when his gaze met her large blue-green eyes. Only a second spent in their endless pools seemed like an eternity of bliss. They reminded him of the ocean at night, when the moon was full and one could really see the color of the water. She stared just as intently back into his eyes. He knew he must have some weird expression on his face. The questioning look on hers became more pronounced when she raised her eyebrows. He noticed a small, light scar above her right brow.
Breathe, idiot! Breathe! Stop staring. A startled noise escaped his mouth when he finally sucked oxygen back into his lungs. Thankfully, the music drowned it out.
“Sorry, what did you say?” he shouted above the noise. Had it only been a moment ago that she’d said something to him?
“Mike-arita. It’s like a Mike’s Hard Lemonade but Margarita-style.” She shrugged her shoulders and grinned.
“I think I saw two.” He smiled back at the goddess. “Here, hold these and I’ll grab them for you.” He handed her the beer cans, then turned back to the fridge. His head spinning, he wondered if he could be drunk without drinking any alcohol. It suddenly felt like it. He grabbed the two glass bottles full of green liquid with one hand.
He turned back to see if the angel was a mirage. Miraculously, she still stood there holding his beers.
Without speaking, he followed her out into the hall. His gaze traveled down her hair, her wings, pausing over her beautiful round derriere. She was stunning from the front and the back.
The crowd lingered in the hallway. As they passed the front door, there was a small break in the bodies. She stopped pushing forward and turned around to face him.
“Thanks for grabbing the drinks for me. I’m Aurora.” She put one can of beer on top of the other and held out her hand.
Aurora. Pretty name. Different. He grinned like a schoolboy. “Hi. I’m Erebus. ” His name was muffled by the blaring of a new song through the stereo speakers.
“Aaron Bus? It’s nice to meet you, Aaron.” She raised the corners of her mouth.
He didn’t correct her. He was too busy wondering how her eyes could lighten in color from a simple smile.
She said something else, but he couldn’t hear her over the noise.
“Pardon?” Erebus shouted. He leaned in to bring his ear closer to her mouth. He could feel her warm breath against his neck and ear. It felt wonderfully erotic.
“My friends are outside. Want to come?”
He turned to answer back, their noses brushing as she turned to bring her ear towards him. He watched her bite her lip—intoxicated by her actions, her smell, and her warmth. It had been so long since he’d had these feelings they almost felt foreign. Could it just be physical attraction?
“My buddy’s…” He glanced around and caught sight of Coty, one eyebrow raised, leaning against the banister halfway up the curved stairs. Erebus bent forward, his lips lightly brushing her earlobe. “I’ll meet you outside in a moment. Let me hand my friend his beer.” He carefully took them from her hand and then purposely brushed against her body as he passed by. Her warmth lingered as he stood on the bottom step. From his peripheral vision, his angel slipped outside.
“Coty!” Erebus shouted and tossed a can directly at him.
Coty turned and caught it without hesitating. He brought his fingers to his eyebrow in a mock salute of thanks. Before he let Coty holler something back, Erebus turned and headed towards the front door.
Aurora. He liked the way her mouth had gone into a pucker when she’d said her name. As he made his way to the front door, he imagined whispering her name just before letting his lips meet hers. He could almost taste her.
He blinked to clear his ridiculous thoughts. He’d never been this captivated by a woman before. It was the weirdest—almost terrifying—feeling he’d ever had. How could he be mesmerized this easily if it’d never happened to him before?
Once outside, the fresh air seemed to waft some sense back into him. He handed his beer to a grateful-looking guy standing on the porch. Not finding Aurora on the porch, he apprehensively gazed across the lawn.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her standing by a streetlamp. He bounded down the steps.
“Hey…Here you are.” Out of habit, he ran his fingers through his hair. He watched her eyes follow his hand, then travel down and linger as she met his gaze and held it. He blinked and glanced towards the street, staring at nothing.
“Your eyes, they’re very unusual.”
He shrugged, embarrassed she’d noticed their strange color. “Where’re your friends?” “They just left.” Her turn to shrug.
“Without you?”
“Yeah, I was sort of waiting for you.” She grinned, not even embarrassed. It was a beautiful smile which lightened her pretty face.
“Oh no. I don’t have a car to take you home. I don’t own one.”
“That’s okay. I’ll catch a cab back to my place in a bit. I just wanted to chat without having to shout above
the music.”
“True. Do you go here?” He hadn’t seen her around before.
“I do.” She raised a hand. “I started this year. I’m in my first year Juris Doctor.” “You’re going to be a lawyer?”
She laughed. “That’s the plan.”
Wow. Pretty and smart. He pointed to her halo and wings. “May I ask, why the outfit? Or is it your job when not attending class?” Probably made real angels jealous. His eyes travelled from her hair to where her top met skin.
“LOL. Nada. I lost a bet. A friend and I are taking an ancient mythology course. We made a bet. I lost.”
Erebus realized he was starting at her breasts. He quickly lowered his gaze to the lace on her skirt. He racked his brain. “Battenberg, right?”
“Yeah...” She gave him a questioning look.
Too strange to know in this day and age. He held up his hands, thinking fast. “I’m originally from England. It’s a long story.” He flashed her one of his innocent smiles – hopefully.
“Fair enough. I won’t ask.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “What about you? What’s your major?”
“I live here, but I’m not enrolled.”
She gave him another look but didn’t push it. She pointed towards the road. “Do you want to walk? I should probably start heading back to my apartment, or my roommate’s going to call Missing Persons.”
He chuckled at her comment and lack of fear, even if there was nothing to be afraid of. “Sure, which way do we need to go?” Erebus knew every street. He’d walked them all a thousand times.
“I live in an apartment off campus, but on the other side. Do you want to walk with me to University Ave? I’ll be able to catch a cab there.” She hit her forehead with the palm of her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even ask where you live.”
“It’s fine. How about I walk with you to University? Then I’ll head back to my place.” He glanced around. “I like strolling after dark. Fewer people.”
They walked in silence for a few moments, the music from the frat house still keeping beat inside his chest – at least, that was his excuse for the hammering.
“Are you from around here?” He wanted to know everything about her but was afraid he sounded desperate or, worse, creepy.
“No. I grew up in San Antonio. The winter’s here are a lot colder, but I fell in love with the snow.” She shivered as they started on the suspension bridge above Falls Creek.
Erebus shrugged out of his leather jacket. Without a word, he carefully slipped it around Aurora’s cool shoulders, trying to avoid damaging her feathered wings. It felt like the most natural thing. He watched her inhale the scent from his jacket and close her eyes. It took all his strength to resist leaning in and kissing her. The attraction had to be magnetic. With this girl, this stranger, her physical attraction was something irresistible. He ignored the warning bells going off in the back of his mind and took pleasure in the feeling.
“Did you know there’s a myth about this bridge?” His voice broke through the silence. “A myth?” Aurora’s forehead crinkled as her eyebrows went up.
“Yeah, the story goes: if a man and woman cross the bridge, and the woman doesn’t accept a kiss from her partner, the bridge collapses. If she does accept the kiss, they are assured a long life together.” Wanting so badly to kiss her, he kept his head down and tried to clear the longing away. He pressed his lips tight. He couldn’t believe he’d told her the stupid myth. “I read it online and in some book a while back.”
They were almost at the other side of the pedestrian crossing when Aurora stepped in front of him. “I guess, for the sake of mythology, you should kiss me. You know, to save the bridge from falling and all that.” She grinned.
“For the sake of the bridge.” He swallowed before whispering, “May I kiss you, Aurora?” He watched her stare at his mouth as if drawn by the same invisible force.
She mouthed the word “yes,” a small, warm breath escaping. Eager, he leaned forward, his hands reaching gently for the collar on his jacket she wore. He wanted to crush against her, his lips bruising hers as he forced her mouth open. Instead, like a breeze teasing the trees, his lips brushed ever-so-lightly against hers. He pulled slightly away, pausing before opening his eyes. Inhaling her delicious scent, he slowly lifted his head back.
“Mmmm…” was all he heard, or thought he had heard. He couldn’t be sure if the sound had come from her or from the water below.
He watched her face, a little dazed before confusion replaced it. Crap! He should have followed his instincts. It was the wrong kind of kiss.
She reached inside the jacket. He held his breath.
“Your phone’s vibrating.” She handed him his cell phone from the breast pocket.
He exhaled, took it and glanced at the caller ID. Groaning, he stuffed the phone in the back pocket of his jeans. “It’s just my buddy from the party. No rush to answer.”
“Do you want my number for your phone?” Aurora stared at the water rushing underneath the bridge.
“Definitely.” He pulled his phone back out, adding Aurora to his small contact list.
“My number’s five-one-seven-one-two-three-four.” She pulled her blackberry out. “Can I have yours?”
He watched as she typed Aaron Buss into her contact list. He rubbed his cheek to hide the smile as he told her his. He’d correct her next time they met.
They reached University Ave. just as a cab pulled over to let a couple of students out.
Erebus jogged over and had it wait for Aurora.
He held the rear door open for her as she stepped in. Sitting, she leaned forward to shrug out of his jacket and handed it back to him. Her wings popped perfectly back into place.
“Thanks. For everything,” she said.
He took the jacket, unsure of what to say or do and feeling a moment of panic she was leaving. He had the sudden fear he might never see her again. “Can I call you?”
“Definitely.” She winked, repeating his word from before. “Or, I’ll text you tomorrow.
G’night, Aaron.”
“’Night.” She’s perfect. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, a tiny voice added, Perfect?
Careful, Erebus. First impressions always are.
