7. 70 Damn Miles
Chapter seven
Ione
I should have thought better of dressing him the way I did.
As we exit my house, he's walking with the swagger of a man that knows he's good looking, and that women want him and I hate him for that.
He's dressed like my college crushes. Like the men I scroll through the clock app and bite my lip over.
He doesn't even have on cologne, and there's a scent coming from him that makes me want to smack my lips.
"What are you staring at, woman?" I've graduated it seems, from female to woman. "Does this getup not suit you anymore?"
I can't feed his ego. If I tell him I'd fuck him next to the peonies he'd probably drag me over there. "You look very nice Athy, that's all."
Oh god, there he goes again. He already walks with his back straight and head tall, but he makes his pectorals jump (yes, I can see beneath his shirt and Lord I wish I couldn't) while turning to show himself off.
"I am a Primordial, trapped in this stupid human form.
Even when I can let my arms free, it is not my true manifestation. You would be in awe of me, rabbit."
Why does he always ruin it? "Get in the car."
"Oh hello, Ione, how are you liking your new home?" My other neighbor, Mrs. Maple and her husband, Jim, live across the street.
"Hello!" Standing near my car, because this woman can talk your ear off, I wave and smile. "I love it. How's your day going?"
"We do not have time for you to talk to the elderly, rabbit." Athanasius sneers. "We are leaving."
"Shut up," I hiss under my breath as Mrs. Maple walks over. "Do not be rude, I have to live here."
"I also live here," He whispers back. "You are my avatar! I command you."
"The day is young and in my heart so am I," She chuckles, reaching to pat my hand. "Who is this strapping young man with you?"
"Her master," Athanasius replies. "We must be on our way, I have to commune with my siblings."
Mrs. Maple's eyes go wide. "What did he say?"
"He's joking!" I nearly scream, wanting to leap over this car and strangle him. "He's such a jerk sometimes. Mrs. Maple this is my friend—"
"We are not friends," Athanasius replies dryly. "Do not lie, rabbit."
I'm going to melt into the ground. I am going to die right now. No, I can't even do that, he'd probably resurrect me. "This is Athanasius." I reply through gritted teeth.
Mrs. Maple smirks and winks at me. "When I was young I didn't want anyone to know my lovers either, have to make distinctions."
"She has not allowed me to fuck her, all she has to do is ask." He replies.
Kill me now. Someone. Anyone. "Can you shut the hell up! You can't just talk like that!" Turning to my neighbor, I want to shake her and tell her what actually happened, but I can't. "I am so sorry Mrs. Maple, he has no home training, he's foreign, and blunt. He's not my boyfriend—"
"I am not her boyfriend, she is my avatar and earthly companion." Athanasius sighs. "It is good to meet you, now we must go."
Mrs. Maple laughs at him. She shakes her head, and pats my arm. "A European, oh I used to have one of those." She smiles and waves at Athanasius. "Ione and Athanasius, I love the names. Have fun you two."
As she walks away, I turn around slowly, my hands clenching the top of my car. "If you ever, in your damn life, embarrass me like that again, I will beat your ass Ike Turner style and I am not playing."
As he smiles, he leans across the car, flicking his tongue at me. The left side, then the right. "I'll welcome your challenge, rabbit."
I can't. I just can't.
As he enters, the car moves under his weight, and my hormones think about being under him.
What is wrong with me? I'll tell you what's wrong with me, that Beauty and the Beast show that aired in the late 80's, I used to watch old re-runs when I was a kid in the late nineties.
I was in love with Vincent, like down bad for him.
Goliath from Gargoyles? Him too. I'd hate to say it, but Athanasius is right up my territory.
I do love a monster romance, the amount of times I think about running away with werewolf is too damn high.
"I feel as though I could break this thing." He grunts.
"You'll materialize me a new one. A beamer." I chuckle, turning on the car. "Now, tell me where we're supposed to be going."
"East, I will tell you when to turn and go straight. Listen to my words, rabbit, and you'll be fine." He sits back in the seat. "This is comfortable."
Grunting, I make a U-turn out of my neighborhood. "It's a Volkswagen, put your seatbelt on."
It takes five minutes of conversation to explain what it does and why it operates the way it does.
Then another three to convince him to put it on because I don't want to hear the beeping the entire time.
He's so damn difficult. As we head out onto the highway, Athy is fascinated by the cars around him.
"Humans are creative creatures, that's what separates you from other species. Your ability to create and innovate. When you are together, you fashion marvels that others dream of." He watches a street car race past. "The horse did not suffice, so you made something better."
"I live in the US, there's a lot of land to cover and it would take many days on a horse." It's too quiet in here, so I turn on a little background music.
"Three to five days on horseback." He replies. "What is that sound?"
"Music." I reply, turning up the Indie Rock song. "You don't like it?"
He snorts. "It is not a hymnal to me."
Rolling my eyes, I sigh. "Heading east, it might be forested."
"It will be," He replies. "You're talking a lot again, I have to concentrate. Quiet now."
"Rude." I mumble, but when he stares at me, I shut up and peek from my peripherals.
Athanasius leans his head back, eyes closed, and I start thinking about the feeling he gave me when he stepped close to me.
Why did he do that? Was he testing me? Trying to see what I would do?
What did his past avatars do? Did they just let him use them like toys to satisfy his urges and then make him food? Crazy.
As the area gets more wooded, we're a little over an hour into the drive and Athanasius wakes up. "Take this road on the right."
"It's a service road." I reply, jerking at his sudden voice.
He doesn't reply, but as I do so, he hums softly. "Slow down," There's no one else on this road. "Stop."
As the car rolls to a stop, Athanasius closes his eyes. "Follow me closely, Ione."
Oh he's using my name. He must be serious.
He exits and I'm scrambling to keep up with him.
This area is heavily wooded. It's alive with the pulse of spring.
Tall oaks and maples stretch skyward, their budding leaves unfurling in a bright, almost translucent green, catching the dappled sunlight that filters through the canopy.
The undergrowth is thick—ferns, brambles, and wildflowers pushing up through the rich, damp soil that gives slightly underfoot, exhaling the deep, loamy scent of the earth.
Birdsong fills the air, warblers and thrushes calling from the branches, punctuated by the rustling of unseen creatures moving through the brush.
Squirrels chatter from above, and somewhere deeper in the woods, a woodpecker drums against the bark.
It’s a place teeming with life, and for a moment, I feel welcomed by it, comforted by the soft, ceaseless hum of nature.
But as most good things do, it ends. As we step between the trees, the world hushes.
The birds fall silent, their calls cut short as if swallowed by the looming presence of the deeper woods.
The air feels heavier, thick with something unspoken, and a shiver crawls up my spine.
That primal fear creeps up the back of my neck as my fingers twitch with the impulse to retreat.
Athanasius, already a few steps ahead, glances back at me, his red eyes steady and knowing. His voice is firm.“I know your kind are inclined to flee,” he says, his words low but certain. “But don’t. You are with me.” He extends his hand.
For a heartbeat, I hesitate, staring at the space between us, at the threshold I've just crossed.
What is happening, what is going to happen?
I can feel the weight and warmth of the ring on my finger.
It's pulling me towards him. With a steadying breath, I take his hand, warm and sure against mine.
Athy pulls me close to him, holding my arm under his as we step deeper into the trees.