The First Touch (58 page)

Ivan cleared his throat and said, “It doesn’t sound crazy.”

Autumn
smiled and replied, “Thank you.”
Autumn
wrote the time on the corner of the note. Then Ivan asked, “What was your dream about?”

Autumn
smiled again
, “
Just meeting someone. Someone important I think. It is strange. You know, I don’t think I would care about it so much, if it weren’t for the fact that I have had it nearly every night for a week now. “

Then
Autumn
opened her bag and knelt down and put her things away. She felt Ivan struggling with a decision then and she smiled and added, “It is just so vivid.” Then she st
ood and said to herself, “A
smoking man.”

Ivan asked dismissively, “He was smoking a cigarette?”

Autumn
frowned, “No his was body was smoking. He asked me...
”

He
huffed and then turned towards her fully, “What did he ask you?”

She
answered honestly, “He asked me to kiss him.”

Ivan asked looking at her skeptically, “When did you start having this dream?”

Autumn
answered truthfully, “It started about a week ago.” Ivan huffed again, and then a group bumped
Autumn
and she knocked into Ivan.
Autumn
intentionally lost her balance and Ivan caught her just as she knew he would. As a scrambled to get up she intentionally slid her fingers up and brushed Ivan’s bare wrist. He nearly threw her as he pulled her hand away.
Autumn
looked at him surprised, “Wow you are
fast.” Ivan rubbed his wrist inspecting it closely though not seeming surprised like he had the first time.

Autumn
shrugged eyeing him
, “
Anyways, thanks.” Then she shouldered her bag and began walking off, her heart beginning to pound. Ivan immediately matched her pace and said, “My name is Ivan, what is yours.”

She
smiled
knowingly
and responded, “
Autumn
”

Ivan asked seeming nervous, “Can I buy you a cup of coffee.”

Autumn
smiled devilishly and gesturing over her shoulder at the coffee shop that she just left, “I already had one.”

Ivan turned desperate then and
Autumn
smiled enjoying the game now that Ivan was hooked, “Listen you seem like a nice guy and all, but you
’
r
e
just not my type.” Ivan seemed alarmed, and
Autumn
smiled teasing, “Unless you’re my burning man.”

Ivan grinned though his stiff posture did not change, “I might be.”

Autumn
smiled and then eyed Ivan carefully and, replied, “Not likely.” Then Ivan’s eyes widened as
Autumn
slid her hand into his gloved hand and she pulled him into the next alley.

Autumn
smiled mischievously, “Take your gloves off.” He complied insta
ntly, watching her closely, while
Autumn
rested her back against the brick wall of the
adjacent building, wondering if the two of them looked as much like junkies sharing a fix as she felt at the moment. Ivan
stepped in closer and then hesitated,
she
smiled and gestured for Ivan to come closer a look of desire on her face. Ivan leaned in for a kiss and
she
stopped
him with a single finger to his lips. He stood absolutely still then as
Autumn
unbuttoned Ivan’s top three buttons. Then she leaned forward kissing his neck softly.

His reaction was
the same as before, even his breathing quickened.
Autumn
smiled
,
her lips still touching Ivan’s skin, “You are shaking.”

Ivan lied, “I am cold.”

Autumn
smiled again and pulled her head back and said sarcastically, “Yeah right.” Then she leaned in again and kissed him deeply.
Autumn
concentrated
,
pulling
a bit of the flame from his chest just as she had done before.

Finally
she
pulled away, continuing to smile though
.
Then she pushed him away shaking the fuzz off, “Alright confession time, first I need you to take this
,”
she handed him the journal and note pad and said, “Read these and protect them with your life. My phone number is written on the front cover of the journal, if you need me, call me. Now I have to go, and meet with someone else. If I don’t show up he will make another...ah... appointment.” Ivan still seemed stunned
,
more so than she remember
ed
that he had been the first time and
Autumn
asked, “Are you alright love?”

He nodded though his face was still pale.
“
Wait did I not get it all?
”
Ivan’s eyes were turning black now and
she
slid her hand
to his face. Then to make sure she kissed him again. Ivan did not fight her
,
so she thought that she was doing the right thing. But then Ivan placed his hand onto her neck and pushed her away. Then he twisted his neck and held her back against the wall asking, “
Who
sent you?”

His voice was foggy sounding, and
Autumn
asked, “Are you alright?”

Ivan nodded, though it seemed more to
himself
than to her, “Who do you work for?”

Autumn
hissed, “Paranoid.”

Ivan hissed back, “Who do you work for?”

“
Bite my hand.” Ivan twisted his head again and
Autumn
hissed sounding more forceful, “Bite my hand and taste my blood. I am not lying.”

Ivan’s brow furrowed and his hand tightened, “How will tasting you prove that?”

Autumn
clenched her jaw and held her hand up, “How do you think?” Ivan growled and
she
pushed her hand up to his mouth unafraid. Ivan flinched at her lack of reaction and then eyed her hand suddenly feeling the desire to try.
Autumn
puffed
at his indecision,
and then
she added “Please try love.”

Ivan stiffened at her choice of word, and pushed her hand away.
Autumn
replied, “If I am lying then you can kill me.” Ivan looked at her for a moment and then leaned in sniffing her skin along her throat.
Autumn
put her hand back up to Ivan’s face and he looked at it wearily and said nearly growling, “If this is a trick.”
Autumn
could not respond from the amount of pressure on her throat. But Ivan seemed to understand her answer.

He finally conceded and bit into it
, gently,
slowly at first and then gradually becoming greedier as her heart began beating faster. Nearly a minute later
,
Autumn
finally spoke, “Ivan, love that should be enough.” Ivan finally gasped for air and
she
smiled watching him. His eyes were still closed
,
trying to pr
ocess all of the material. Mean
while
,
she
pulled a cloth from her bag and then wra
pped her hand with it, leaning her head back and closing
her eyes
. A few moments later, she
felt Ivan pressing himself into her chest.

Autumn
opened her eyes to see that his eyes were finally open
,
clouded and blinking quickly. She could tell he was trying desperately to catch up now
,
his throat making
random sounds of absorption.
She
took that as a
sign for her to leave but he
shot his arm out stopping her
,
nearly putting a hole in the wall next to her head
in fact
.
Autumn
waited a moment and then heard him growl as she tried again.
Autumn
had a moment of panic as she felt Ivan leaned forward and began sniffing her and then to her surprise he began kissing her neck. Hi
s eyes were still closed.
Autumn
slowly pulled her head back watching, the globes inside continued twitching as he watched the memories flashing before them.

Ivan felt
her pull away and growled, stepping
closer again
, still in his trance of absorption.
Then he began kissing her neck softly, and sliding his hands all over her body exploring it eagerly.
She
smiled
enjoying the attention from him
, realizing then that something was different about Ivan. She tried to pin point it but then he stopped suddenly and said in a husky voice, “I am sorry about letting you see me frightened.”

Autumn
tensed then and leaned forward and said, “It is alright love you didn’t know.”

Then he nodded solemnly, “I am sorry.”
Autumn
nodded hop
ing he would continue, but he stubbornly refused to be seduced again. Then he said his brows furrowing though his eyes were still closed
, “
I am staying with you.”
Autumn
hissed, and Ivan’s eyes finally flickered open, and he watched her unflinching, “I am not leaving you alone.”

Autumn
pouted then, “But I have such a good plan.”

Ivan growled, “No your plan is flawed.”

Autumn
frowned, “How do you know?
” Ivan raised his eye
brow,
Autumn
smiled and continued, “My plan is not flawed though.” Ivan’s eyes intensified and
Autumn
stepped out from under his gaze, “Alright but I still think that the man who followed us needs to be taken care of.”

Ivan frowned, “Why?”

Autumn
answered, “I don’t think that, that should be changed in this time line. I am guessing but I think there are three, no wait four, no five important things that need to be taken care of.”

Ivan repeated, “Five?”

Autumn
smiled sweetly, “Well four now, we handled the kiss.”

He
nodded, not acknowledging her smile, “And the four others?”

Autumn
furrowed her brows thoughtfully, “Get rid of the bad man and Gregory and then get Sophia, and
Lyla
kissed.”

He
nodded, “And when you wake up?”

Autumn
frowned, “When I wake up, we will have my test and I will handle Mirth and his clan.”

Ivan closed his eyes for a moment and then added, “Gregory was the one who woke you up.”
Autumn
nodded, though Ivan missed it since his eyes were still closed, and she continued, “Then you and the council will have to keep me hidden and safe until I finish the first stage. Just insure that no one but the council knows about my abilities. When I wake up, we can proceed.”

Ivan stated the obvious then, “If you never wake up?”

Autumn
smirked grimly
, “
If I never wake up then I am sorry. But at least you know how to kill Mirth now.”

He
frowned, “It might be better to keep Gregory alive.”

Autumn
snapped near hysterical, “What and keep
repeating groundhog day? No
way
!
I would rather sleep forever than re-live the same days over and over. I would go insane.”

Ivan nodded though it seemed more for show, “We do not even know if it is Gregory.”

She
shook her head, “Well unless I am moving myself back each time.” She paused considering the option, and then said more to herself, “But if that were the case it would be to clean up loose ends and prevent mistakes. Like leaving Gregory alive and letting
Lyla
end up in the hands of Mirth
,
not cool
.”

Autumn
paced in the alley deep in thought now, “No I am pretty sure that it is Gregory because he knew that another one was coming. No
,
better yet he knew that the change had not been successful. So either he is doing it or he is aware of each of the shifts and retains the information as I do.”

Ivan interjected closing his eyes, “When did you see the men at your apartment and at the coffee shop.”

She
stopped pacing and replied, “That was today. They are either Mirth’s or Gregory’s doing.”