by F. T. Lukens
“It’s your friend. He has an important thing to ask.”
The door opened wider to reveal Leo shrugging into a shirt; his hair was wet and dripping and the white fabric of his shirt clung to his skin.
Bridger was going to combust.
“Bridger!” Leo greeted, smile so bright who needed the sun.
“Oh, so this is Bridger.” Mr. Rivera winked.
Leo blushed.
Bridger melted.
“Yeah. Bridger, this is my dad.”
“We’ve met.” Words! Actual words. Good job, Bridger.
Mr. Rivera laughed. “Dinner is in a few minutes, Leonidas.” He clapped Leo on the shoulder and walked away, humming.
Leo stepped outside and closed the door, crowding Bridger on the step.
“Hey,” Bridger said, grinning.
“Hey.” Leo nudged Bridger with his shoulder. “You missed school today. Astrid said you were sick. You okay?”
“I’m fine. I was just having a day.”
“Ah.” Leo shifted, hands in the pockets of his jeans. His hair dripped onto his shoulders. It was entirely too cute. “I get that. Do you need the notes from class?”
“Nah, Astrid has me covered.”
Leo furrowed his brow. “So… was there something you needed?”
“Do you have a Homecoming date?” Bridger blurted. His eyes widened when he realized his mouth had run away without him. Leo’s eyebrows shot up, and his mouth dropped open just a bit. Then he smiled.
“No. I was planning to go with a group.”
“I know it’s really late notice, but would you like to go with me?” Bridger coughed and studied a crack in the sidewalk. He didn’t dare look up, too nervous.
“I thought you weren’t ready?”
Bridger swallowed. “Yeah, I thought I wasn’t either. But I am. I want to be. With you.” He squirmed. “Unless that was a no? Because then I’m shoving myself back in the closet behind the coats.”
Leo laughed. He took Bridger’s hand and squeezed. “It’s not a no.”
Bridger lifted his gaze. “Is it a yes?”
Nodding, Leo kissed Bridger’s heated cheek. “Definite yes. I want to be with you, too.”
Bridger’s heart beat so hard he swore Leo could hear it. He shuffled his feet and squeezed Leo’s hand.
“That’s awesome.”
“Good.” Leo rested his forehead against Bridger’s. “Are you going to come to the game?”
“Oh, yeah. Wouldn’t miss a chance to cheer you on.”
Leo laughed. His eyes crinkled at the corners. “We can hang out after?”
“I’m grounded, but I would love to. If it’s possible.”
“Grounded? What did you do?”
Bridger shrugged. He moved slightly so he was farther in Leo’s space, close enough to hug, to tuck his face in Leo’s neck. He resisted, but barely.
“I kind of yelled at my mom and came out. It wasn’t pretty or mature. But she knows now.”
Leo’s voice was commiserating and gentle. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Bridger nodded, a lump in his throat. “Yeah, she was cool with it. But not with the yelling and some of the things I said.”
“Coming out is hard. You were scared and probably defensive. Don’t beat yourself up too much about the things you may have said that weren’t good.”
“I apologized.”
“I hope not for being bisexual.”
“No, not for that.”
“Good. No need to apologize for being who you are.”
Oh, God. Leo was too good, too wonderful. He was a hero.
Bridger stepped closer. Leo responded in kind. Their cheeks pressed together, and Bridger felt the rasp of Leo’s stubble on his skin. He didn’t resist the urge this time and rested his head on Leo’s shoulder and breathed him in: the smell of soap and warm skin.
“How are you so smart?”
Leo wrapped his arms around Bridger’s shoulders and squeezed. “Experience. And I’m not the smart one in this relationship. That’s you.”
Bridger laughed. “Debatable.”
They stayed that way for a few quiet moments, and Bridger reveled in the contact and the closeness, the feeling of Leo’s strength. Bridger was content to hug Leo forever, but Leo’s dad called him for dinner, and Bridger’s front door opened, and the porch light flicked on and off.
“Parents,” Bridger said, wryly.
“Embarrassing,” Leo agreed.
They pulled apart, and Bridger hated to go too far. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”
Leo nodded. “I’ll meet you at your locker. If that’s okay?”
Bridger couldn’t temper his smile. His cheeks hurt. “We’ll even hold hands.”
“Be still, my heart.”
Bridger shoved Leo in the shoulder and laughed. “Jerk.”
“Bridger!” His mom’s voice cut across the street.
Bridger jumped. “Okay, tomorrow. Bye, Leo.”
“Night.”
Bridger raced across the street, his middle fluttered, his face was heated, and his worries were shoved to the back of his mind for a least a little while.
Chapter 13
Day 1 of temptation—and nothing happened. It was an ordinary Wednesday. Bridger went to school. He didn’t go to work. He studied with Leo. When Bridger went home, he searched for everything he could find on the hero cycle while he and Leo texted until Leo went to bed. Brain fried from research and conflicting information, Bridger propped himself up by his window using his computer chair and a bunch of blankets to watch for wayward hags.
He didn’t sleep much.
Day 2 of temptation—much of the same, except Bridger was exhausted. He moved through the day in a haze with Leo and Astrid giving him looks. He fell asleep in English class, but Astrid was there to protect Leo. He only hoped he didn’t snore.
Day 3—Friday. The night of the Homecoming game.
Bridger wasn’t going to make it. He needed toothpicks to prop his eyes open and he said as much to Astrid. Or, he thought he did.
Astrid slammed her locker shut.
“Don’t you feel at least a little skeevy that you’re using your tempting self to thwart the hero cycle?”
Bridger scoffed. “No. I like Leo. He likes me. The attraction is already there. The tempting is a bonus to, you know, keep him alive.”
She rolled her eyes. “And how long do you plan to keep this up?”
“I see a spring wedding,” Bridger said, spreading out his hands and making a frame with his fingers. “A house in the suburbs. Two point five children.”
“And you’re okay if the other myths are exposed and Pavel leads a miserable life trying to keep it all under wraps?”
Yay, guilt. The thing Bridger had been staunchly avoiding.
“In case you didn’t notice, Pavel already leads a pretty miserable life.”
“You’re living a miserable life.”
“Ha! I’m living the life of my dreams, thank you.”
Astrid raised an eyebrow. “Pavel lives with pixies and his best friend is a werewolf. Doesn’t sound miserable to me at all.”
“Yeah, but you haven’t met Mindy.”
“You on the other hand—when was the last time you slept?”
Bridger waved his hand vaguely. He could tell Astrid was on the verge of throttling him. Her expression said as much, and she held her English book in a vise grip.
“I wish you could hear yourself.”
“And I wish you could be happy for me. I asked Leo to Homecoming. He said yes. We’re kind of dating. I have almost completely transformed into my bisexual butterfly self.”
Astrid pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes, I’m happy for you. Where is he anyway? I thought he was meeting you and I wou
ld be spared this morning.”
“Shut up. You love me.” Bridger scanned the crowd of students walking by. Leo was not among them. “But I don’t know. You don’t think…” Bridger trailed off.
“He’s fine, Bridge. I’m sure of it.”
Bridger gulped. What if he wasn’t? What if something had happened? Was Bridger going to have to tail Leo for the rest of his life? That would be nearly impossible, because after two days Bridger was already on the verge of collapse. And the police would call it stalking.
Just as his anxiety began to spike, Leo appeared. He hurried over; his dark hair was unusually messy, and his complexion was drained of color.
“Hey,” he greeted, breathless.
Bridger immediately went on alert. “Are you okay? What’s going on?” He grabbed Leo by the biceps and hauled him close. His gaze darted along the hallway, and he strained to hear if the compact in his bag rang.
“Sorry I’m late. I was catching up with Zeke. His best friend, Luke, was injured last night. And he’s really upset.”
Bridger and Astrid exchanged a glance.
“Injured how?” she asked.
“It was a freak animal encounter. He was mauled.”
“Mauled?” Bridger’s whole body stiffened. “By what?”
“That’s the weird thing,” Leo said, his voice pitched low. “No one knows what it was. Kind of like what happened at the lake.”
Crap. Shit. Fuck. Oh, hey, more guilt. It weighed heavy on Bridger’s conscience and settled liked lead in his gut.
“That sucks.” Astrid shouldered her bag. “Is he going to be okay?”
“I think so. He’s at the hospital. I told Zeke I’d give him a ride over there after school, and we’d visit before the game.” Leo frowned. “I hope you don’t mind.”
Bridger’s mind had been scanning the creature field guide in his head, so it took a minute for Leo’s question to register.
“Oh,” Bridger shook his head to clear his thoughts. “No, you’re cool. I’m glad you want to be there for your friend.”
Leo smiled warmly. “You’re the best.”
Bridger’s answering smile was brittle.
“You’re both coming to the game tonight, right?”
Bridger blinked. “Huh?”
Astrid’s elbow jammed into his ribs.
“Oh, right!” Bridger said, rubbing the sore spot. “The Homecoming game! Wouldn’t miss it! You’re going to be awesome. So awesome. I mean, the absolute best. I hope you score all the points.”
“Laying it on there, Bridge,” Astrid said under her breath.
Leo beamed anyway. “I can’t score all the points, Bridger. I don’t think we’d win that way. But I’ll score a lot,” he took Bridger’s hand and laced their fingers. “Because you’ll be watching.”
Astrid gagged.
Bridger stepped on her foot while he stared adoringly at Leo. His heart double-thumped at the cheesiest line ever, and he didn’t know what that said about him. And then his insides wrenched, because keeping Leo alive may have been at the expense of someone else. Reconciling that was going to take serious mental acrobatics.
The bell rang.
Bridger jumped.
“Are you okay?” Leo asked. He raised an eyebrow. “You look a little… pale.”
“I’m fine.” He wasn’t fine. “I just remembered I forgot to do an assignment for government.” Lie. “Astrid, we’re going to have to skip English.”
“What? No way. I’m not sacrificing my grade because you—”
“Astrid!” Bridger widened his eyes and pleaded with her through facial expressions. He was sure he looked ridiculous.
She furrowed her brow, and Bridger saw the moment she understood. “Oh. Leo, can you take notes for us?” She batted her eyes and flipped her hair.
“Sure.”
Bridger squeezed Leo’s hand. He smiled and tugged Leo close. “You’re awesome. I’ll see you at the game. Okay?”
“Okay.” Leo kissed Bridger’s cheek, then headed to class.
Bridger’s face caught fire. He grinned, dazed and dopey, then grimaced when he caught Astrid glaring at him.
Oh, right. Mauling.
He looped his arm through hers and tugged. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“To talk to Pavel.”
“I thought you weren’t talking to Pavel.” Her tone was the epitome of smug. She smirked as she walked beside him, oozing her special brand of know-it-all.
Bridger bit down on the retort poised on the tip of his tongue. It wasn’t the time. Later. He’d be snarky later. Now, they had to get across the sports fields unseen. Apparently, no one had gym class first period, which was lucky for them.
Bridger pulled Astrid to the equipment shed and shoved her inside. The interior was dark, and Bridger rummaged around in his bag until he grasped the hard shell of the mirror. He flipped it open, dropping his bag to the floor.
“Please call Pavel.”
Astrid crowded close to his side.
“So that’s how it works.”
The mirror lit up, and the glass surface wavered. “Some of the time,” Bridger muttered. He waited as the compact vibrated in his palm. After a few moments, Pavel’s face crystalized.
“Yes?” Laconic Pavel meant an angry Pavel. Well, hello to you, too, good buddy.
“What was it?” Bridger said. “That mauled Luke.”
Pavel’s visage softened visibly. He sighed. “The Beast of Bladenboro.”
There was a joke in there about Elena’s family reunion, but Bridger was too shocked to make it. Instead his eyebrows shot up, and his chest tightened. “That’s a North Carolina cryptid.”
Pavel nodded, unable to hide that he was impressed. “It is.” He pushed his dark hair out of his eyes. “Elena scared it away and saved the boy before I had a chance to communicate with it.”
“Well, dogs and cats don’t really get along.” There was the joke. Damn, Astrid needed to stop with the elbow. Bridger was going to have bruises.
“What exactly is the Beast of Bladenboro?”
“A vicious wild cat that likes to decapitate or crush its prey,” Pavel said. “Native to North Carolina, it hasn’t been sighted in decades, not even by other myths. Until now.”
Astrid leaned in. “That’s a pretty far distance to wander.”
“It’s part of Leo’s pull,” Bridger said.
Pavel rubbed a hand over his eyes. “The longer he is stuck, the bigger his sphere of influence grows. In a few days, he’ll begin to affect the myths in other regions. Other intermediaries will begin to notice.” Pavel stared into the mirror. The skin around his eyes was thin and dark. There were new wrinkles at the corners. “I won’t be able to stop them, Bridger.”
Bridger swallowed. “What do I need to do?”
“Pull back.” Pavel’s mouth turned down at the corners. “Push him away. If you can spur him forward in the cycle, I won’t have to intervene. Bridger, I don’t want to have to intervene.”
Bridger’s throat went dry. Astrid put her arm around his shoulders and hugged him, but it didn’t stop the way his stomach plummeted. His heart dried up, shriveled between one beat and the next, and the pain sent Bridger to his knees. The thump echoed in the shed.
“It’ll hurt him,” he whispered.
“Yes.”
“I like him.”
“I know,” Pavel said. “And I’m sorry.”
The next words stuck in Bridger’s throat, clogged behind his teeth, until he spat them out. “He’ll die.”
“He might,” Pavel said. “We don’t know.”
This was the opposite of what Bridger wanted, but he had only been kidding himself the last few days. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to intervene in the cycle for the rest of Leo’s life. It
wasn’t possible. He just thought he might have a little longer.
“Tonight,” Bridger said, throat tight. “After tonight, I’ll break up with him. Give me tonight.”
Pavel nodded once.
Nia pushed her way in, her wings fluttering frantically, sparks shooting off in different directions. Her tiny round face was scrunched in anger.
“Human,” she spat. “When are you coming back?”
“I… don’t know.”
She shivered and glared. “Soon, human. I need to ensure your safety.”
In the mirror, Pavel gently scooped Nia up and placed her on his shoulder. “Sorry, she’s out of sorts, lately. So is Bran.”
“Because of Leo?”
Pavel pinched the bridge of his nose. “Possibly.” He really was a horrible liar.
“I’ll fix this. I promise. I will.”
“I trust you,” Pavel said, then smiled sadly. “We’ll talk later. Keep alert.” He waved; then the screen went blank.
Astrid sat on the dirty floor of the shed next to Bridger. She squeezed his shoulder. “You okay?”
“No.”
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and Bridger numbly sank into her embrace. She didn’t offer any comfort—there wasn’t any to be had. She merely held him, and Bridger welcomed the friendship. He tucked his head on her shoulder and sighed.
And that was how the second period gym class found them.
Of course.
Bridger skulked around the school for the rest of the day. He ate lunch hidden in an empty classroom, shoving a carton of soggy fries into his mouth, and avoided Leo and the rest of the football team.
The talk of the school was Luke and the mauling. Bridger didn’t take the rumors at face value, having been the victim of them twice already that year, but the gory accounts still seeped into his brain. Bridger wanted to sink through the floor and disappear.
At the end of the day, Bridger walked out the front door of the school certain that Leo and Zeke had already left to visit Luke at the hospital.
For a fall afternoon, the sky was dark; the sun was hidden behind foreboding clouds rolling that spit icy rain. Bridger held up his palm and shivered as drops splattered on his hand.
“Great.”
“Matches your mood,” Astrid said, coming to stand behind him. She slung her arm around Bridger’s shoulders.
