Drip Drop Teardrop, a Novella (4 page)

“
Holy Jesus
Crap!” She shrieked quietly, coming to a stop. Her heart got stuck
somewhere in her throat.

Tall, dark scarred guy
was in their sitting room, standing in front of the television. The
scar seemed to pulse at her menacingly and she swallowed, having
forgotten how much it unnerved her. Fear clawed at Avery’s chest as
he moved towards her.

Understanding crashed
over her in mammoth, terrifying waves, pulling her under. She
couldn’t swim these waters. “No!” she whisper-shouted. “You’re not
getting her!”

“
Avery-”

“
No! I know
what you are!” Tears cascaded down her cheeks. “I know,” she
sobbed, trying to catch her breath. “And you’re not getting her.
I’m not ready yet!”

He moved so fast all she
saw was a blur of darkness, like a streak of black paint across a
grey canvas. Suddenly she was in his arms and he was hugging her,
hushing her cries, whispering soothing nonsense words in her ear.
Avery pushed against him, terrified of this dark
creature.

“
No!” She
pushed and he reluctantly let her go. “I know what you
are.”

He frowned at her,
rubbing his cheek in thought, his fingers brushing the groove of
the scar. “I’m not here for your aunt, Avery.”

Relief immediately
whooshed through her and she sagged against the back of the
sofa.

“
Not yet,” he
amended.

Avery glared at him. “Why
are you stalking me? Is it me? Am I dying?”

He smiled softly, drawing
her attention out from the scar to his face. “No.”

She trembled, edging away
from him. “Then what does Death want with me?”

His eyes seemed to spark
to life and he shook his head. “You always amaze me.”

She shook her head. “You
don’t know me.”

“
Of course I
do. I know you better than anyone.”

Why did he look so sad at
her rejection? Didn’t he know how scared she was? “Why are you
here?”

“
You know why
I’m here. I’m here for you.” He reached out a large elegant hand
for her and she stumbled back. He grimaced. “Please don’t be
frightened of me. I would never hurt you.”

“
B-b-but
you’re d-death,” she stuttered moving further back until she hit
the wall. “Why else would you be here for me?”

He sighed, running a hand
through his hair, seeming far too human for her liking. “Can we
sit? Will you listen while I explain?”

“
Do I have a
choice?”

He tilted his head, a
sardonic smirk playing on his lips. “Let’s try not to be
melodramatic, Avery. You always have a choice.”

Watching him carefully,
Avery nodded, feeling as if she was watching this play out from a
distance; it was so surreal. Yet, she knew this was no nightmare.
It was happening. “Explain.”

“
Do you want
to sit?”

“
Not
particularly.”

“
Fine,” he
huffed, actually seeming affronted by her manners. He folded his
large body into her aunt’s armchair and Avery almost smiled at how
ridiculous he looked against the floral pattern of the fabric
covering. “My name is Brennus.”

“
And you’re
Death?” Avery asked warily, trying to remember if she had
accidentally taken some hallucinogens in the last 24
hours.

He shrugged. “Depends on
what you mean by Death?”

Avery rolled her eyes at
his blasé tone. “Death. As in Angel of. Grim Reaper. Black hooded
cloak. Big scythe.”

Brennus chuckled and sank
back into the chair, appearing completely relaxed. “Well that’s not
right at all. For a start… there isn’t only one Death.”

The breath whooshed out
of her body. “You mean you’re not… alone?”

Seeming amused by the
idea he shook his head slowly. “You really think one guy can take
care of all the deaths in this world?”

Well… when he
put it like that…
no.

She replied with a jerky
shake of her head.

“
There are
many of us. Once ordinary men and women, we were offered the chance
of immortality in exchange for ferrying the dead into their
afterlife.”

Avery felt
sick. She shivered, her eyes narrowed on him. “You
chose
to do this? Why
would you do that?” This man, this immortal, who she was at once
attracted to and wanted to run from, was some soulless creature who
had sold himself to the underworld for the chance at immortality.
She was disgusted with herself for being drawn to him.

Brennus’ face darkened,
his eyes flashing dangerously, reminding her who he was and how
powerful he was. “You misunderstand, little one.”

Even though her breath
was coming in shallow gasps, Avery was determined not to be
browbeaten by this… creature. “Then explain.”

“
We don’t
kill people, Avery. We just show them the way when their time is
up.”

“
But why
would you want that kind of job?”

“
Someone has
to do it.”

At his sad answer Avery
felt a little faint and she let her body slide down the wall until
her bottom hit the wooden floors. “What do you want with
me?”

Sighing, Brennus leaned
forward, his elbows on his knees. His gaze had softened again as it
washed over her face, tallying her features. “We’re called the
Ankou. Or the Thana, depending on where you’re coming
from.”

Avery just stared at him,
not even asking what he meant.

“
My province
was London,” Brennus continued. “I was responsible for seeing the
safe journey of the dead there over to their afterlife-”

“
For how
long?” Avery interrupted, needing to know, no matter how upsetting
(could it get any more upsetting considering she was sitting here
talking to Death?).

“
Nearly two
thousand years,” he replied promptly. “When London was Londinium
and much smaller, I might add. I had more free time back
then.”

She gave a little guffaw
of hysterical laughter, ignoring his glare. She waved him off. “I’m
not laughing at you. I’m just laughing at this.” She gestured
around her. “I think all the trauma has finally gotten to
me.”

Brennus stared her down.
“You know this is real, Avery. You know me.”

She shook her head.
“No.”

“
Yes. You
do,” he insisted, his voice hardening under her denial.

She shivered, clutching
her stomach, heat blossoming on her cheeks. She felt a little
feverish. “Why?” She desperately wanted to cry as she pinned him
with her forthright blue gaze. “Why are you so
familiar?”

Brennus exhaled, a
relieved smile playing on his lips. He had a beautiful mouth, she
realised distantly. He relaxed back into the armchair. “I only took
over New York nine years ago. I came here for a reason. When she
was ten years old, a little girl and her parents came over from the
U.S. to Britain, and they were involved in a tragic car accident. I
came for them all.”

Avery
swallowed past the lump in her throat, not sure if she had heard
correctly over the rushing of blood in her ears. “Them
all
?”

Nodding, Brennus leaned
forward again, his eyes dark with sympathy. “I took the parents
easily. But the little girl…” He shook his head, his face alight
with wonder. “…she fought me. No one had ever fought me before. You
fought me, Avery. You fought me and won.”

“
No.” She
quivered, pressing her spine against the wall, wishing she could
melt into it. Tears spilled over her lids but she couldn’t escape
the truth. No wonder he was so familiar.

“
We made a
connection that day that can’t be broken. I knew I had to watch
over you. So I called up Edward who controlled New York and we
traded.”

Her jaw dropped. “You
make it sound like you traded baseball cards.”

Brennus shrugged. “After
eighteen hundred years as an Ankou you tend to be less sensitive
about death.”

Avery ignored the
comment, staring at her bare feet in a daze. She’d painted her toe
nails black today. That wasn’t an omen, was it? “So you followed
me?”

“
Yes,” he
whispered, his voice packed full of emotion she wished wasn’t
there.

“
And now
what?”

“
You belong
with me, Avery. I feel it in my gut.”

Her head snapped up, her
stomach fluttering with butterflies. “When you say belong… you
mean…?”

Throwing her a wicked
smile that would thaw the iciest of hearts, Brennus replied, “As in
belong with, as in my friend and eternal lover.”

She dropped her head in
her hands, shaking uncontrollably. “This can’t be happening, this
isn’t happening, I’m going mad-”

“
Avery,
stop,” he snapped and she felt the breeze of blurry movement as he
knelt before her, only inches from her now. He moved supernaturally
fast. His warm hand reached up and yanked her hands away from her
face so she’d have no choice but to look at him. All she could see
were his eyes; the paleness of his face and horror of his scar just
a blur compared to the sharp clarity of those eyes.

“
You’re
warm,” she said dumbly.

Brennus grunted, “You
expected different?”

“
Cold. I
expected you to be cold.”

He snorted. “I’m not a
vampire, Avery.”

Her eyes widened. “Do
they exist?!”

His eyes closed and he
shook with suppressed laughter. Finally his lashes fluttered and he
opened his lids, pinning her to the wall with his black gaze. “No.
They don’t.”

Trying to pull her wrists
out of his grasp, Avery muttered, “So you really think I belong
with you, huh?”

“
Didn’t you
feel it when we danced?” he whispered sensually, his hot woodsy
scent enveloping her.

“
Stop that!”
she snapped, snatching her hands back.

Brennus frowned in
confusion. “Stop what?”

“
That.” She
gestured vaguely. “That intoxicating, drugging thing you do with
your heat and smell…” She drifted off at his languid grin. She
huffed, “You’re not doing anything, huh?”

He shook his head
smugly.

“
Look, I
don’t know what you’re expecting from me but you’ve got the wrong
girl,” she insisted.

Brennus went back to
glaring. “I’m not wrong.” He heaved an exasperated sigh. “I know
I’m not much to look at, Avery, but if you gave me a chance…” He
gulped in a breath and shook his head. “I’ve lived a long time,
Avery, and I know that you’re the one. The Ankou are destined to
live forever performing the duties of their obligation to the dead…
unless…”

“
Unless?” she
whispered.

“
Unless they
fall in love with a mortal who loves them back. The mortal frees
them from their obligation and joins the Ankou in immortality. They
live forever together, the Ankou no longer tied to the world of the
dead.”

Slowly realisation dawned
and for some reason she felt a stab of pain in her chest. “You’re
using me!” she hissed, her eyes narrow slits of rage. “You’re using
me to get out of being a reaper!”

Brennus threw her a
disgusted look. “Of course not! I have to love you and you have to
love me. It has to be real. Or it won’t work.”

“
Well I’m
sorry to burst your little fantasy, mister, but I don’t love
you.”

The air thickened around
them. A chill, tight and cold, descended over them and Avery knew
Brennus was responsible for it. “You’ll give me a chance, Avery.
Spend some time with me. Please.”

“
No.”

“
Avery-”

“
I said no!”
she growled aggressively in his face. “You took my
parents!”

“
You know
that’s not true.”

“
Get
out!”

“
Avery-”

“
No!”

“
Avery!” he
snarled ferociously and she slid back, seeing real darkness in him,
the scar glaring at her. “I’ve frightened you? Good.” He stood up
in one fluid motion, staring down at her with no expression. “You
have a choice, Avery. You come with me for a week and give me a
chance to prove what I say is true, or I take your Aunt Caroline
before her time.”

Rage shot her to her feet
and she launched herself at him, pummelling his chest with her tiny
fists. “You bastard!” she shrieked, not caring if she woke her aunt
up. “You sick son-of-a-bitch!”

Brennus didn’t even
flinch under the attack. He grabbed her wrists and thrust her away
from him, holding tight. There was a ruthless quality in his eyes.
Avery had the awful feeling this man, this Ankou, always got what
he wanted. “If you come with me, if you choose me, if you love me…”
he pleaded now, trying to draw her close. “…I get a gift, Avery.
When I leave the Ankou, I get a gift for all the years I’ve
honoured my obligation. I will use that gift to save Caroline. I’ll
make it so you never existed and so that she never gets cancer.
She’ll live a long happy life and she won’t remember you to miss
you.”