Kiss Me Forever

by M. J. O'Shea

  Tyson usually tried for tact, but he was tired of Clara’s shit. He barged through the apartment to the tiny room and kicked open the locked door. He knew he’d be able to find a key somewhere, but he didn’t fucking feel like bothering. Clara wasn’t in there. To Tyson’s great relief, however, Avery was.

  Avery was curled up on the bed with his arms behind him. On first glance the room was empty aside from him. Tyson rushed forward.

  “Avery!”

  Avery looked up and shook his head. He struggled to a sitting position. “What are you doing here?” he asked. He looked surprisingly less than pleased to see Tyson.

  “We need to get you out of here. I don’t want you to be here when Clara gets back.”

  “Gets back from where?”

  The voice at the door was familiar—of course, it hadn’t been very many days since he’d heard it last. He hoped the next time he heard it was never.

  “Clara. Lovely to see you again. I feel like we just said goodbye.”

  “Ah, yes. When you charmingly tried to get rid of me with the law. Good attempt. Next time, you might want to stick around longer and make sure you really know how to hit. You don’t.”

  Of course he’d been so eager to dodge questions, he’d let her get away. He would have been able to avoid this whole damn fiasco if he’d been smarter. “Let him go, Clara. This is just between me and you.”

  “You know what you have to do. Let’s not draw this out unnecessarily. I’m really not one for theatrics… appearances notwithstanding.”

  Tyson pulled a rumpled paper from his pocket. “Is this what you want? A map to the mine? The deed is at my bank in London, but I can get that to you too. You just have to let Avery go first.”

  “Pardon me if I don’t trust you.” She swept her dark hair over her shoulder. Tyson knew that gesture like one of his own. She’d done it for hundreds of years. It used to drive him wild to see her long, pale, graceful neck. She was a beautiful woman. Too bad she was a conniving snake. It had taken Tyson far too long to realize that.

  “Pardon me if I don’t trust you either.”

  Clara pulled a gun out from the waistband of her curve-hugging jeans. “Give me the papers.”

  Avery’s eyes bugged out, and he scooted as far away from her as he could get. Tyson walked quietly over and held out the papers. Sometimes it was best to treat Clara like a spooked wild creature. She had never been taught to trust anyway.

  “Here. This is everything you need to get to the mine. Give me the keys to Avery’s handcuffs.”

  Clara grabbed the papers out of his hand. Then she cocked the gun and pointed it at Avery. “Right. You’d have to be some kind of a moron to think I’d really turn him over to you so you two could go waltzing off into the sunset with your papers in the bank. Oh, wait. I forgot you sometimes can be one.” She sighed like a bored teenager. “I’m so tired of this part of the game. Can we get rid of this distraction?”

  Everything happened like it was slow motion. Clara went to shoot, Avery rolled off the edge of the bed and onto the ground, and Tyson lunged and knocked the gun out of her hand so the bullet shattered into the plaster of the wall. Then he kicked the gun away and straddled her hips. Clara fought, she was always a good fighter, but she was half the size of Tyson on a good day, and she’d obviously spent quite a few days without any of the minerals in her system. She didn’t have much chance to stop him when he pulled the keys out of her pocket.

  “Babe. Come over here.”

  AVERY wriggled his way over, and Tyson unlocked his cuffs. He felt a relief that he’d never felt before—it burned behind his eyes.

  Don’t you dare cry….

  The woman beneath Tyson was beautiful, but she looked cold. Maybe it was just that he already hated her for what she’d done, but he couldn’t see any humanity in her eyes. Avery didn’t know much about her, other than that she used to be with Tyson and she was fucking psychotic. She was wriggling around, kicking and trying to get away from Tyson, who still had her pinned.

  “Stop it.”

  “I hate you.”

  “Oh, darling. You don’t. But I’ll make it so you don’t have to see me ever again, okay?” He took the papers she’d grabbed, the ones that signed over everything and shoved them in his back pocket. “None of this for you…”

  Avery knew he was baiting her. What he didn’t expect was for Clara to take what had to be the last drop of her strength and slam Tyson hard in the balls. His moment of shock was enough for her to twist out from under him and scramble to her feet. Avery tried to get up, but his arms were still sore and tingly and he was dizzy.

  “Clara, stop!” Tyson called, but she ran out the door, banging against the wall on her way out.

  Tyson yanked his phone out of his pocket, keyed in his password, and hit a few keys. Then he spoke angrily into the phone in what had to be Italian, if Avery’s ears heard right. What the hell?

  Avery knew enough Spanish to pick out a few of the Italian words and Clara’s name said over and over. Finally Tyson hung up his phone and pocketed it.

  “What’s going on?” Avery asked.

  “They’re going to chase her down, I hope. The men I called are very persistent. If nothing else they’ll keep her busy for a few decades.” Tyson sounded exhausted. “I’m so tired of this game.” He looked up and smiled wanly. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  Okay? Okay? He’d been kidnapped and handcuffed in the dark and he was very much not okay.

  “Are they going to kill her?” Avery asked. He felt a little justifiable bloodthirst was appropriate.

  Tyson sighed out a sad chuckle. “I doubt they’ll find her, but even if they do, they wouldn’t kill her. Just put her somewhere she can’t cause any more trouble.”

  “So your nemesis is still out there?”

  He got a real chuckle for that one. “Nemesis is awfully dramatic. Pain in my ass is more like it. I won’t be hearing from her for a long time, anyway. She’ll be too busy running.”

  It was that moment that everything came flooding back, and Avery remembered just how long Tyson had to wait for Clara to pop up again… as long as he wanted really. Generations. Tyson came over and put his arm around Avery’s shoulders. He was still sore from being tied for so long, and he was tired and ready to get in a car and get the hell back to New Orleans and his house and his sedate job.

  “Can we go now?” he asked. He wanted nothing more than his own cottage and a bottle of wine and Macy to hold him. But he had Tyson standing there, Tyson who he hadn’t heard from in nearly a month. Tyson who looked at him so tenderly it was like he’d gone back in time. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

  “Like I was going to let her hurt you.” Tyson sounded offended that Avery even thought that for a second. Avery didn’t examine his expression. It looked a little too caring, and Avery had to stop wanting that from Tyson.

  “When are we leaving? I don’t like this room.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think.” Tyson stood and held out his hand. “We can leave the room right now. As far as going home? That might be a bit more complex.”

  Avery stilled. He wasn’t following Tyson anywhere until he got some damn answers. “Why?”

  “Because unless I’m mistaken, your passport isn’t here. And it’s going to take some work to get you home.”

  “Passport?” Avery asked. “Where the hell am I?”

  “You’re in Rome.”

  “Italy?” Which would explain the phone call in Italian. Fantastic.

  Tyson laughed. Asshole. “Yes, babe. We’re in Italy.”

  “Don’t call me babe.”

  “Let’s go to a different room. I’m guessing you never want to see the inside of this one again.”

  AVERY rubbed his shoulders and followed Tyson out of the room. It must’ve been some sort of glorified closet, because on the other side of the door he was hit with broad windows and bright Italian sun. There was a huge living room, an open kitchen, pale furniture, and a
grand piano, of all things. He couldn’t believe he’d been in this place and had only seen the four dark walls of that tiny room.

  “This is… nice.” It was an inane comment for someone who, other than a few blindfolded bathroom trips, had been tied up in a dark closet with a crazy immortal for—he actually had no idea how long he’d been in there. Tyson gave him a worried, sympathetic look.

  “You must be so scared still. Do you want some tea?”

  Avery nodded, because he didn’t know what else to do. The closed-off Tyson from a few weeks ago was gone. He was so sweet and solicitous, looking after all of Avery’s needs. It was… kind of adorable. And whiplash inducing.

  Stop it.

  Avery sat on the pale cushion and looked down. He realized he was wearing the same clothes he’d been wearing for days. Of course. He felt dirty and gross, but he didn’t know how to ask for a shower and a change of clothes in the apartment of his captor. His female captor, who was unlikely to have anything he could change into.

  Avery wondered what had become of his life. He’d never say anything, but if his students only knew, they’d have a field day.

  Tyson made him tea and brought it over to the couch. Avery noticed he looked right at home puttering around in the vast modern kitchen and rooting in the cupboards. He must’ve been close with this Clara cow if he knew her apartment so well. Avery was annoyed at the quick flash of jealousy.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “SO… how did you know where the hell I was? Spend lots of time in this apartment with your girlfriend?” Avery felt like sneering. He was pissed for so many reasons.

  Tyson blushed as he handed Avery the cup of tea. He looked down at his hands like he didn’t know where to start explaining. Avery kind of had to understand. He didn’t know where to start asking questions. He didn’t especially want to drink tea from one of Clara’s cups, but she hadn’t given him much to drink, and he’d had nothing to eat. That would need to be remedied soon.

  “This is my apartment. That’s why she brought you here. She wanted to make it easy for me to find you.”

  Wait. What? “Say that again?”

  “I knew where you were going to be because this is my apartment. She sent me a picture of you. I recognized the wallpaper in that room. I’ve been meaning to change it for years.”

  Avery figured he shouldn’t be surprised anymore. But somehow he was. “Explain, please.”

  “Clara knew where this apartment was. She’s kept track of me over the years. She knows more about me than I want. Far more.”

  “How long ago exactly were you together? No vague answers this time.”

  “Three hundred years ago. No, almost four. As I said. A million lifetimes ago.”

  “Were you the one who has kept her alive all this time?”

  Tyson shook his head. “No. I’ve told you there are others, not many but she had options. I’m not the only one who’s ever found the mineral. I’m not the only one who figured out what it did. I don’t want to say we know each other. But we’re all aware. Clara, she’s older than me. Quite a lot actually, so she had a source years before I was born. I gave her this last stash to keep her out of my hair. I thought my reprieve would be longer. She managed to find me.”

  “And if they catch her, no more minerals for her?”

  “Yes. If they catch her.”

  “We just signed her death warrant…,” Avery said. He felt awful, which was a confusing emotion when it was tied to that woman who’d locked him up.

  “No, she’d just be human,” Tyson said. “Her body is only about twenty-five years old. She has plenty of time ahead of her. Still, I wouldn’t have called anyone. I would’ve left her alone. I—”

  Avery knew Tyson felt awful as well. It had to seem like an impossibly harsh sentence to someone like him, to live a normal lifespan, grow old, and die.

  “You were going to do that for me. You were going to give her the map to your stash and just… stop.”

  “I was.” Tyson reached over and took Avery’s hands. “I’m so sorry I pushed you away. I’d do anything to keep you safe. Anything to keep you with me.”

  “I….” Avery didn’t know where to take it from there. Tyson had been literally going to give up everything he was to save Avery. It was hard to wrap his head around. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

  Tyson shook his head. “I don’t know what to say either. It wasn’t a hard choice. I made plans to leave the second I found out she had you.”

  “Where are you from?” Avery asked. “Where are you really from?” He wasn’t ready to talk about his feelings, but he wanted answers. Complete ones. Maybe it was a distraction, maybe it was simply time for him to get the whole story, but Avery wasn’t going to let Tyson get away with half-truths anymore. Tyson seemed to see the steel in his eyes, because he sighed and didn’t even make an attempt to change the subject.

  “Originally? France. But not the France that’s there now. It was so different then.”

  “How long ago?” Avery had always felt like Tyson was too touchy before. He’d been afraid to ask too many things.

  “Six hundred years.”

  Avery had known Tyson was old, but…. He didn’t even know how to conceptualize having seen all that life. All that history.

  “What was it like?”

  “France?” Tyson chuckled. “Dangerous, hard. My parents died when they weren’t much older than you. I was on my own, a peasant boy on a country farm.”

  “A genius.”

  “It didn’t matter. Or at least it shouldn’t have. But I impressed the right people, I suppose. I managed to find a way out of the fields and into the monastery school. I studied. I learned. That part was….” He looked wistful. “You know, I can still remember it a little. It doesn’t feel like it was that long ago. There was this monk. François. He hated me, thought I was a little devil because I didn’t follow the rules half the time. But he was the one who ended up pointing me toward finding the mineral. He didn’t know it, but he made me who I am.”

  “How?”

  “I encountered someone else like I am now, someone who’d already been alive for so long. I knew they’d done something. I knew I had to figure it out. At the time it was simple curiosity, not any real desire to live forever, but once I found it, it was too tempting.”

  “The stories you must have.”

  Tyson smiled sadly. “Some better than others. The world, as bad as people think it’s gotten now, there were times in history that were so horrible. I can’t even begin to explain. I like it here. Let’s just say that.”

  “And Mrs. Peggs?”

  Tyson chuckled. “She was born in the late eighteen hundreds. She has fond memories of the ’90s.” He shrugged. “She’s got a thing for Nirvana. We might have spent some time in Seattle.”

  Avery laughed out loud. “Now that I can imagine.”

  “So where do we go from here?” Tyson asked.

  “You saved me. You risked everything to save me. I don’t know what that means for tomorrow but thank you.”

  “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” Tyson cupped his face. “Do you need anything right now? A shower?”

  “Yes, please. I need food too, and sleep. And then you and I need to talk. Really talk. I’m sure you’ve done a thousand lifetimes worth of talking, but this time I need to do it.”

  “I think I do too.”

  “Sleep first?”

  “I haven’t slept well in weeks.”

  “Yeah. Me neither.”

  THE rest of that day, Avery slept and ate the food Tyson brought for him, slept some more, and managed to contact Macy, who was about to lose her mind. When he told her he’d been kidnapped and taken to Rome, that didn’t help. But she promised to get his passport from his dresser and have it sent to Tyson’s apartment.

  “I’m going to have to sell this place,” Tyson mused that night. “I’ll get Mrs. Peggs to contact realtors when I get home.”

  It was dark outside, an
d Avery hadn’t seen a single block of Rome. He hadn’t been there since college, and he’d always loved the city. He had a feeling that after this, it was going to take him a while to want to come back. Maybe that day would never come.

  “You will?”

  Tyson looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Of course. I don’t want anything to do with it anymore. You were terrified here. Clara tried to shoot you. I never want to come here again.”

  “I guess that’s a good reason.”

  Tyson crossed the room and sank down on the pale couch next to Avery. “Avery, I love you. I… have completely fallen in love with you. I don’t want to be anywhere that you weren’t happy.”

  Avery hadn’t expected that. At all. “But—”

  “No, listen. I have to get this out, and then we can talk about whatever you want. I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ve ever been as sorry for anything in my life, and that’s a long time.” He smiled ironically. “I got scared, and it was stupid of me, but if you’ll have me back, if you’ll even think about it, I’ll make it up to you. I won’t push you away again.”

  It was sudden. Really sudden. And after the past few days he’d had, Avery wasn’t sure how to handle it.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  Tyson cupped his face and looked at him like he was the most precious thing in the world. “I want to be with you, for your lifetime, for longer, however long you’ll have me. I can’t go back in time and undo my mistake, but I would if I could.”