“Not now.” She chuckled. “Wouldn’t want you thinking about me all night.”
It was way too late for that. I smiled anyway.
“Tomorrow?”
“Goodnight, Avalanche.”
“That wasn’t a no.” My smile grew.
“No, it wasn’t.” She hung up and disappeared down the hall.
14
THE VILLAIN
I was standingin Violet’s apartment. I couldn’t remember how I got here or why I was here. It didn’t matter. I felt like I should leave. I started to but I heard her voice coming from my left. The water was running and she was singing along to “You Put a Spell on Me” by Austin Giorgio (fitting). It pulled me down the hall to where the bathroom door was cracked open slightly.
The room was already filling with steam, but I could still see her through the mirror. She had her back to the water; heropaque shower door only covered to the middle of her shoulders. Her eyes were closed while she used a shampoo bottle as a microphone, belting out the lyrics of the song blasting through her speaker.
All I could do was stand there and watch the water droplets cascading over her skin, wishing it was my hands instead. I should leave. She didn’t know?—
“Are you just going to stand there?”
When had the song ended? She’d put her shampoo bottle down and turned, catching my eye in the mirror. She looked amused, which was surprising, considering how creepy I was being.
“I— Sorry, I was just leaving and— I shouldn’t be— Sorry.”
“I could use some help. There’s this spot on my shoulder I can never get to. Unless you just want to stand there and ogle me.”
“I— You’re— What?”
“It’s like you’ve never seen a naked woman before. That can’t possibly be true, can it? I mean someone that looks like you must have women lining up out the door for a chance.” She smiled. “So, are you just going to stand there or are you going to join me?”
The next thing I knew, I was standing in the water still fully clothed.
“Seriously, Aus, I could have waited the extra thirty seconds it would take to get undressed.”
That was the moment I knew I was dreaming, because she couldn’t possibly know what my name was, let alone my middle name—which I preferred but no one ever used. I didn’t think about it too much, I was too busy taking in every detail. Every curve, every freckle, every tattoo. Well, one tattoo in particular. The one I’d only caught a glimpse of earlier.
Itwasanother dragon. The one I’d made for her. The tail was up her breastbone, the wings were in a soaring position under her breasts. The detail was incredible, every scale, every spike, even the claws at the end of the wings and the club at the end of the tail. It looked fairly new, like it was still healing.
“Do you like it?”
I met her eye, she was smiling.
“What?”
“The tattoo you can’t stop staring at. Do you like it?”
I had no words. My brain tried to remind me again that this wasn’t real, that all of this was in my head. Because of course this was in my head. Why would she get a tattoo of something I made her? Something that was a part of me?
“It’s beautiful.”
Her grin grew before she turned her back to me.
“If you’re done staring, I invited you in here to do a job. The soap is to your right.”
“Right. Got it.” I grabbed the bar and stepped closer to her. “I… um… Can you move your?—”
