Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 44

June 20, 2021

IMPORTANT: I decided to split the last chapter into two chapters, thus making this one Chapter 44 (it was Ch. 43 previously).

This doesn't really affect anything, other than changing the titles a little, since I kept both of those chapters in the same post.

NOTE: Quite a few of you have been wanting a chapter from one of the female's perspectives, so we have our first chapter from Avery's perspective.

It's a normal length chapter and gives a lot of insight into this particular character, who hasn't otherwise gotten a lot of screen time at this point, so hopefully you'll enjoy!

<< Chapter 42 & 43 | Chapter 1 (Book1) | Chapter 16 (Book 2)

- CHAPTER 44: Insight -

Avery stared at her trembling hand as the hot water cascaded down her tense shoulders, her skin a light tan, her normally blonde hair a vibrant white, all while her heart pounded forcibly in her chest, each beat feeling as if it was shaking her entire body.

She knew her eyes were icy blue right now, set against the midnight background of her black sclera, along with her lips and eyelids being pale like she was wearing white cosmetics.

But now that she was no longer looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, having decided a shower might help, she found herself focused more on her internal emotions, rather than her physical appearance.

She was…anxious.

It had only been about an hour ago when her heart began racing for no apparent reason, shortly after Serenity got off the phone with Kai the first time. Thankfully, the twenty-three year old had left with Gabriella shortly after that, so that Serenity could drink from the deer that the busty redhead had caught, because it wasn’t long after when it felt like Avery’s entire world flipped upside down.

Suddenly, all at once, without warning, all her muscles tensed and she abruptly shifted.

Except this time was different than the others.

It wasn’t like when Gabriella slapped her ass to tease her.

No, it felt like her world had suddenly ended, and the devastation and anger that came with it forced her body to transform.

She normally didn’t consider herself an angry person, rarely getting overly upset about anything, yet in that very moment she had the overwhelming urge to kill.

It was as if someone had hurt the person she loved most, and she desperately wanted revenge. But at the same time, she also felt like she was going to drop to her knees and fall apart, the accompanying devastation nearly overwhelming.

To the point that she ran upstairs to the bathroom, before her mom had a chance to notice something was going on.

Thankfully, her mom didn’t come check on her, likely giving her space after their earlier awkward conversation about the guy they both liked, which technically turned out well, in her opinion, but left her still feeling embarrassed at just the idea of what they’d agreed to.

But the anxiety didn’t seem to be going away.

Or rather, it was only shifting into other emotions, going from rage and devastation, back to pure rage and aggression, followed by finally transitioning to a bizarre urge to get off, that felt more like a need than something she’d do for pleasure.

Honestly, she felt like she was going crazy at this point, especially with the urge to have an orgasm resurfacing as she stared at her tan hand, trying to keep her thoughts blank.

At first, she had wondered if something was wrong with Kai, but Serenity and Gabriella had come back inside not long ago, only for the former to speak with him on the phone, Avery’s still improving sense of hearing being able to at least pick up on Serenity’s half of the conversation.

And it sounded like he was fine.

But Avery didn’t feel fine.

Not at all.

So instead, she tried to let her mind wander, focusing on the surrealness of even being in Kai’s house, showering in his bathroom, even if it was technically shared with Serenity too. Because Avery had been infatuated with him for nearly four years now, ever since her Freshman year of high school, when she transferred from her private middle school to the local public high school.

From the very moment that she sat behind him on her very first day, in her very first class.

Her last name being Copeland, and his being Ashworth, meant she was going to at least end up sitting in the same row as him, whenever the teachers sat everyone alphabetically. And that’s exactly what happened in roughly half the classes they shared, with her sometimes ending up right behind him, and other times having a person or two between them.

Technically, she’d already been in her own seat on that first day when he walked into the room, but the moment she laid eyes on him, it felt like all the air left her lungs, the entire room ceasing to exist, blurring away as she unexpectedly found herself only being able to see him.

Him, and no one else.

Avery of course had boys she liked at her old school, a few she even worked up the courage to get to know, but this had been entirely different. While occasionally fancying herself as being in love a couple of times, she’d never been truly lovesick.

It made her feel like she no longer knew how to be herself.

It made her desperate to focus on his every mannerism, and observe his every interaction, in hopes of figuring out how she could be what he wanted instead of who she was. But ultimately, he didn’t give many clues, leaving her to just being herself when he wasn’t around, and being completely absorbed in every movement he made when he was around.

It took her over a week to finally start smiling at him when he walked in, initially feeling overwhelmed just to be near him.

And it took her nearly a month to finally try to speak to him.

But he never smiled back.

And he never said more than a word or two, sometimes only grunting in acknowledgement, unless it was the teacher calling on him.

But he was polite.

It was obvious he never went out of his way to get to know anyone, but he was never really rude. Just never went out of his way to socialize, appearing to be highly guarded emotionally.

At first, she wondered if he was a new student too, only really shy, but as she slowly made friends with some of her female classmates, she ended up finding out that he wasn’t new at all. They had all known him for a long time. And they all knew exactly when he stopped being friendly.

Avery’s heart ached for him when she found out he lost his parents only a little under two years ago, when he was in seventh grade, but she had no idea how to comfort him or even how to engage with him, especially since he didn’t make it easy.

So she simply observed from a close distance, always looking forward to the few classes they had together, but always feeling somber whenever she was in the same class as him, wishing she could get to know him, wishing she had the courage to do so.

Instead, she was left feeling highly sensitive to all the small things, noticing on the rare days when he would seem to sigh heavily over and over again, shifting in his seat like he was both stressed and simultaneously couldn’t wait to get up and leave.

It took her almost her entire Freshman year to notice a pattern, partially thanks to the fact she’d been currently reading a werewolf romance novel, noticing that the fidgeting and heavy sighs came at the exact same time each month.

On the day of the full moon.

She felt alarmed when she made that connection, a bizarre thrill running through her when she unexpectedly found herself wondering if he actually was a werewolf, and if maybe there was an entire secret supernatural world all around her that he was a gateway to.

Pure fantasy, of course, but still…

She couldn’t help but wonder, and paid much more attention for the rest of her Freshman year, and even closer attention during her Sophomore year, the sudden mystery she’d created giving her something to focus on.

But it only did so much to fill the void created by the longing to know him.

Over a full year, and she was still desperately lovesick.

She didn’t even mind the idea of not being able to be physical with him, in the event that maybe it was dangerous, her imagination having grown with her reading habits, instead just wishing she could know him. To be someone who was at least his friend.

But he didn’t have any friends, and showed zero interest in befriending anyone, even as Avery began expanding her own circle of friends, even improving her confidence by befriending some of her male classmates too, in hopes that she might work up the courage to be more persistent with Kai.

However, her Sophomore year came and neared the end, with her still being no closer to becoming anything other than a nobody in his life.

But then the unthinkable happened.

At the end of her Sophomore year, one of their teachers assigned the class a simple group project, pairing people off simply by going down the alphabetical line and counting one, two, one, two, repeatedly.

She was two.

Kai was her one!

She’d never felt so overwhelmed with both joy and nervousness in her entire life!

And she was even more shocked when the teacher told everyone to get started, only for him to turn around and smile at her!

He smiled warmly and spoke to her as if they’d been close friends all this time.

She was stunned, her heart fluttering in her chest, initially finding it difficult to speak, stuttering when she officially introduced herself, only to unexpectedly feel like she was truly speaking to an old friend.

He was just so…easy to talk to.

And she’d been confident this was it. The turning point for this infatuation she had for him, and without even realizing it, her infatuation had somehow grown a hundredfold, and she was confident she’d fully fallen in love with him, because everything about how he spoke to her confirmed what she’d already observed.

He was kind.

He was respectful, considerate, and he listened.

He listened to her, valued her ideas, seemed to appreciate her input, and they just worked together so well. And she even managed to get his number, with them having exchanged a few messages regarding the project.

Which meant she was devastated all over again when things went back to normal a few days later, once their project was submitted and over. She’d sat with him at lunch, using the project as an excuse to talk, but afterward he just stopped talking to her. Stopped being social.

And the whole thing sent her spiraling down a really bizarre series of thoughts.

On the outside she was calm, collected, and determined to remain in his life, even if that only meant sitting next to him at lunch.

But on the inside she felt like a drug addict, desperately trying to figure out any way to get back into his life. Any way to crack his exterior shell a second time, to break down his walls, and be on the receiving end of that charming, knee-weakening smile again.

Was she not pretty enough?

That had been her first thought, but it took her barely a day to notice all the looks she got from her male friends. Barely took her a day to realize how they tried to monopolize her attention and how they shot aggressive glances toward Kai at lunchtime, since it was obvious that was where her attention was, even when she wasn’t focused on him in the corner of her eye.

Besides, Avery knew she was pretty and fit.

She had joined the track team since she enjoyed running anyway, something she used to do with her dad when she was younger and he was more physically active, and she objectively looked a lot like her mom, who Avery felt was the prettiest woman she knew, so surely that couldn’t be the issue.

So then, maybe he didn’t perceive her as mature enough?

Did he like older women instead?

At first, that had been a thought she’d shrugged off pretty quickly, but it must have been stuck in the back of her mind, because she ended up having an intense dream that changed everything.

At that time, Avery hadn’t known much about actual sex, or how things worked for guys, but she’d heard that sometimes they woke up from wet dreams. Of course, she knew theoretically it could happen to women too, but she’d certainly never had one herself.

Not until one night.

In the dream, she recalled that she’d been helping to get dinner started, only for her mom to walk through the front door, calling out to her and saying they were having company over. In her mind, she hadn’t thought much of it, just focused on turning on the oven to get it heated up, only to turn around and find herself shocked when her mom came walking into the kitchen with her arm wrapped around Kai!

And even more shocking, was what she immediately said afterward.

“Avery, honey, I’d like to introduce you to my new boyfriend.”

It was one of those bizarre dreams where nothing made sense. She hadn’t even thought to question the logic of her mom having a boyfriend when she was married to her dad. Hadn’t even questioned where he was in the dream, to begin with.

All Avery could focus on was Kai being in her kitchen, feeling an intense thrill to have him in her house.

It felt right to her, and in her dream, it felt realistic that Kai would want an older mature woman.

The dream only heated up from there.

Everything felt sexually charged, and Avery wasn’t even surprised when Kai bent down and kissed her mom fully on the lips, because by that point, it was like she expected it to happen. After all, that’s what boyfriends did to their girlfriends.

But then, the situation began feeling like a game, as Avery found herself feeling like she needed to finish cooking the meal, while her mom and Kai made it impossible to focus, even going as far as to sitting on the counter next to the stove so that it was even more difficult for her to ignore them kissing while she pulled the lasagna out of the oven.

Eventually, they were sitting at the dining room table, Avery finding her hands tucked tightly between her thighs as she watched the source of her infatuation passionately make-out and touch the prettiest woman she knew, until her dream finally ended when the more mature woman took Kai upstairs to finish what they’d started, causing Avery to wake up with the most intense orgasm she’d ever had…

Followed immediately by confusion and dread, as her conscious mind began thinking more clearly.

She tried to forget the dream, and it was true she’d lost most of the details, but the thoughts that remained wouldn’t go away.

After that, Avery sincerely began wondering if Kai was more interested in older women, finding no evidence to oppose the idea, and slowly started to reason that having Kai in her life at all, even due to him dating her mom, instead of herself, was better than not being a part of his world even a little.

Later that summer, she got off for the first time actively thinking about that idea, as opposed to it only happening due to a dream.

Simultaneously, she also became more consumed with romance novels, especially those of the supernatural variety, and when school started again for her Junior year, as she watched how his behavior changed on the first full moon of the semester, she quickly became convinced there might really be something different about him, even as she told herself how ridiculous the idea was.

That’s when things got really crazy.

Or rather, that’s when she started being really crazy.

It began with a fight at school. A fight that Kai physically broke up, one in which Avery saw from a distance, horrified when one of the guys hit him in the face as he pulled them apart, only to be stunned when it didn’t even seem to phase him.

Just more proof that he was different.

And even more stunning, hearing him demand they ‘stop’ was chilling.

It was like everyone stopped moving, not just the guys trying to hurt each other.

There was this sense of intimidation and authority that was palpable in the air, like everyone was an ant, and he was a kid with a magnifying glass, telling everyone to cease their disobedience or else he’d fry them all with the sun.

However, Avery snapped out of it right away when he began walking toward her direction in the hall, seeing more emotion on his face than she’d ever witnessed before. And then noticing that he had blood on his bottom lip.

Her body reacted before her mind had a chance to think, largely due to all the supernatural book reading she’d done.

She instantly saw a way into his world, and immediately went after it, without regards for how ridiculous the idea was.

Being that she was still in track, she was really big on staying hydrated and always kept a water bottle with her. Thus, she whipped it out as fast as possible, handing it out for him, speaking up quietly so that he’d stop instead of just ignoring her and passing her up.

“Your lip looks busted,” she whispered.

He didn’t even question her, his frustration appearing to cause him to make decisions he might not have otherwise, shaking his head as he accepted the water bottle.

“Bit my tongue,” he mumbled as he took a swig, washing the blood out of his mouth…and leaving some behind on the edge of the bottle.

Avery didn’t even respond as he quickly began walking again, now facing away from her, not even trying to be casual about it as she drank right after him, tasting just a hint of metallic flavor on her tongue as she ran it along the edge while taking a big gulp.

She felt uncertain, nervous, and wired for the rest of the day, her heart nonstop racing, wondering if she was crazy, or if a little bit of his blood would actually do something to her. All of her thoughts felt like a pendulum swinging as she went from one extreme to another, chastising herself for being stupid one second, and sincerely wondering if something was going to happen the next.

But nothing seemed to happen.

At least, superficially.

A couple of weeks later, she woke up from another intense sexual dream, having tossed and turned all night, only to find herself still highly wired the next day at school despite the lack of sleep.

It wasn’t until she noticed Kai’s heavy sighs and fidgeting behavior that she realized it was the full moon. At first, she wondered if she was truly just imagining it, thinking it might be her subconscious mind playing tricks on her, but the rest of her Junior and Senior years continued like that, even during the summer when Kai wasn’t on her mind nonstop.

She always knew when it was the full moon, without even checking a calendar, and she knew without a doubt she was going to wake up from an intense sexual dream every single time, one in which her mom and Kai always seemed to be the main stars.

It sincerely happened every time, without fail, even if she went to sleep fantasizing about it being her with Kai.

The dream always took on a mind of its own.

Since she had his number, she’d thought repeatedly about sending him a message about the situation, but had no idea what she’d say, not feeling confident enough to plainly state that she knew he was different and was okay with it.

Or to tell him that he might have made her a little different too…

If anything, she was afraid he’d just disappear if she said that.

Or think she was truly crazy, and a bit of a stalker.

But, by the end of her Senior year, she had grown accustomed to his standoffish behavior, feeling close to him every day when they sat at lunch, as if they shared a secret, even though they were no closer to actually being friends. But still, she felt like maybe things would be different when they graduated.

Liberated from the daily grind of attending classes, and the peer-related issues of attending high school, Avery hoped that maybe she could try to connect with him outside of school, planning on being a bit more assertive about it, since the alternative of never seeing him again wasn’t acceptable.

She’d also talked about him a lot with her mom over the years, feeling a bit weird about the idea that she fully intended on trying to introduce Kai to her mom in the event he truly didn’t seem interested in someone his own age, feeling kind of guilty about it since it was a pretty big betrayal for her dad.

Or at least, she thought it would have been.

Avery never imagined that her dad would actually cheat on her mom, especially when considering how objectively pretty she was, never mind the fact that her mom always bent over backwards to wait on him.

Although, the idea of her mom being single again hadn’t initially jump to the forefront of her thoughts when she found out.

Initially, finding out about the adultery had made Avery really depressed, and then disgusted to discover that her possible new ‘step-mom’ was barely a few years older than she was. Avery had already kind of been growing more distant from her dad for the last few years, but this kind of pushed her over the edge, and ultimately she just felt like she was done with him, sincerely bothered that he was dating someone so young.

Someone basically her age.

Ironic, and definitely a double standard, since she was perfectly fine with her mom dating someone her age.

However, Avery still hadn’t considered the implications of her mom being single again.

It wasn’t until the next full moon, when she inevitably had the same kind of sex dream, waking up to the vivid hallucination of her mom with Kai, that she realized that introducing him to her mom might actually be a viable last resort measure she could take.

She felt…crazy.

She knew her mom would definitely think she was crazy if she knew.

But she supposed that addicted people did crazy things to secure the drug of their choice.

And Kai was her drug of choice.

Of course, she never imagined that actual events would take such an unexpected turn, starting with that fateful meeting at the bank the previous day.

Now, here she was, standing under the hot water in Kai’s shower, having already had a painfully awkward conversation about how she and her mom were going to share the same guy.

The guy that Avery had been crushing on for four years.

Their ultimate agreement was fairly simple.

Avery was a virgin and got flustered too easily, yet still needed to finish the last few weeks of school, so they both agreed that it might be better if she wait to pursue any kind of romantic relationship with him. Because she wasn’t sure how she could keep her cool when he walked into class, while having vivid memories of being intimate with him outside of school.

Alternatively, her mom was experienced, and could pursue a relationship with him at whatever rate he was comfortable with, not having the same kind of embarrassment issue, leading to the older woman having much more control over her transformation.

It pained Avery to admit to her mom that she kind of liked the idea of her own mother getting first dibs on the guy she’d been crushing on for years, and it was even more mortifying when she had to sincerely reassure her mom that it was what she truly wanted.

To admit that she’d actually thought about the idea prior to everything happening.

That she’d been thinking about the idea for a couple of years now…

And then it was even more embarrassing when her mom admitted that, with her daughter talking about this guy so much, that the idea had crossed her mind too.

They both tried to keep it vague, but it was obvious it was a fantasy they both shared.

Avery wanted her mom to seduce her guy.

And her mom likewise wanted to seduce her daughter’s man.

As a pure fantasy, of course. Just as a hypothetical idea…

Until now.

Especially since Kai had apparently already kissed her mom…

So now, it was truly becoming reality. An awkward, confusing, but really arousing reality.

And ironically, while Avery felt confident that being physical with Kai would cause her to get flustered in class, it was the opposite having her mom get physical with him. Because she’d already been thinking about it so long, that now it just felt like a source of security.

She wanted her mom to get physical with him, to essentially pull him more fully into their lives, so that she could be confident that he wasn’t going anywhere. So she could be confident that, once she graduated, he would still remain a part of her life for the foreseeable future.

But now she had other confusing emotions rampaging inside of her.

What was this anger? What was the source of this devastation?

And why was she beginning to feel so…aroused?

Finally beginning to feel just frustrated overall, she turned around to grab the detachable shower wand, and turned a switch up top to get the water flowing through it. She then placed her forearm against the wall, leaning her head forward as she held the powerful spray of water between her tan thighs, biting her frosted bottom lip at the immediate relief it gave her.

She knew everyone was in the house again, after Serenity and Gabriella came back inside, and she was well aware that they might be able to hear her if she was too loud, but she just didn’t care right now. Still, she tried to keep her breathing even as the surge of pleasure climbed and climbed, only to grimace as she heard someone making their way up the stairs, knowing she was so close.

Avery finally gasped desperately just as there was a gentle knock on the door, ignoring the other person for a few seconds as she continued to ride the high.

“Hey Avery,” Gabriella said warmly, sounding amused. “You’ve been in there for a while. Need help washing your back or something?”

‘Or something,’ she thought to herself, before taking a deep breath.

She then cleared her throat, trying to sound normal. “Nah, I’m about done.”

Gabriella continued in a lower voice. “Everything alright?” she asked barely above a whisper, likely knowing Avery would still be able to hear her with everyone’s hearing noticeably improving. “Your mom said you were acting a little weird, and she seemed worried.” She paused. “You don’t feel left out, do you? You’re welcome to hang with me and Serenity.”

Avery took another deep breath, and then turned the water off, carefully stepping out and grabbing a towel to wrap around her chest. She then opened the door, meeting Gabriella’s emerald gaze with a weak smile.

The busty redhead’s eyes widened slightly, likely from seeing that she was still transformed, her skin still light tan, her eyes still icy blue and black, her hair still stark white, coupled with her frosted features. Gabriella then glanced over her shoulder for half a second, before stepping inside the bathroom without asking, and closing the door quietly behind her.

“Everything okay?” she repeated even more quietly, seeming genuinely concerned.

Avery took a long deep breath, and then moved to sit on the fluffy blue toilet covering, holding onto the top of her towel to prevent it from undoing and falling off while she sat. She then pressed her knees tightly together as she stared at the floor, only to be a little surprised when Gabriella moved in front of her and sat right down on the linoleum.

“Avery,” she whispered again. “I know we haven’t known each other for long, but you can talk to me. And if it’s something I’ve done, then just let me know.” She paused. “And I can back off a little, as well, if it’s too much. I’m not trying to come off too strongly, but I’m just really excited to get to know you better. Both emotionally and physically,” she added with a smirk.

Avery’s icy blue eyes focused on her in surprise, not having really been overly concerned about that. Sure it was strange being around Kai’s first girlfriend, technically fiancé, with her not having met anyone who was so…attractive?

She wasn’t sure how to define Gabriella, because even with the bizarre kink Avery had regarding her mom stealing her man, she’d never looked at another woman with sincere lust before. Like how she might lust after a guy.

So being around Gabriella was really confusing, to say the least.

But Avery also had to admit that she liked the attention.

This sexy redhead was practically all over her, and her playful touching and occasionally aggressive kissing was a big turn on, just like it would be if Kai did that kind of thing to her.

However, even despite all that, Avery hadn’t really thought much about it, just kind of viewing it as part of the package, since it seemed like ‘getting Kai’ meant having to share him one way or another. And Avery was fine with that, and didn’t mind having this busty college-aged girl trying to seduce her like she was the most desirable girl on the planet.

But ultimately, a lot of her focus and worries resided with Kai himself, as it had been for the last four years.

“Just worried,” Avery finally admitted quietly.

“Is that why you’re transformed?” Gabriella ask gently.

She shrugged, only to brush some of her damp white hair out of her face. “I don’t know. I just felt really off a while ago, and it felt like I couldn’t fully relax.” She sighed again. “I could probably look normal again now, and I’m actually beginning to really feel more calm for some reason, but the last hour or so has been…” Her voice trailed off.

Gabriella nodded. “Well, Serenity just got off the phone with Kai a little bit ago, and he did say that the person they were seeing got hurt, but everything is fine with him and my mom.”

Avery’s icy eyes widened in surprise. She’d heard Serenity on the phone with him that second time, but had only heard her half of the conversation. Not his.

“Did he get hurt?” she asked seriously.

Gabriella shrugged, not seeming nearly as worried about it. “I don’t think so. He just said someone else did.”

“Yeah, but he can regenerate, right?” Avery quickly retorted.

Gabriella froze at that, finally looking a little concerned herself. “That’s true,” she said quietly, only to reexamine her new friend. “Why? Are you thinking that your stress is related to what happened somehow?”

Avery frowned at that. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just know I’ve gotten anxious on the full moon for a couple of years now, and I guess figured that maybe it was related to him, or--”

“Wait,” Gabriella said in shock, speaking at normal volume for the first time. “What do you mean by that?” she asked seriously.

Avery grimaced, realizing which part the redhead was focused on. “Umm, well, I sort of tasted a little bit of his blood once, and ever since on the full moon--”

“What?” she repeated in complete disbelief, only to quickly lower her voice, her tone curious but also serious. “But how? He told me he couldn’t remember a time he’d ever bled or even got hurt before.”

Avery spoke in a rush, feeling ashamed of her crazy behavior, even if a lot of her previous beliefs were justified now. “It’s a long story, but basically he was in a fight with some other guys, and I guess he bit his tongue, and I offered my water bottle because he had blood on his lip, and then I drank right after him.” She paused. “I kind of suspected he wasn’t normal, because I’d been watching him for like two years before that, and I know it sounds crazy, but…” Her voice trailed off. “Sorry,” she finally added when Gabriella just stared at her.

Avery wasn’t even sure why she was apologizing, or if there was even a reason to apologize, but just felt really dumb saying all that out loud.

“And I assume Kai doesn’t know,” Gabriella commented, seeming pensive now.

Avery grimaced. “Please don’t tell him,” she immediately begged. “At least, not yet. I already feel like a creeper, and he’ll never give me a chance if he realizes just how true that is.” She dropped her head then. “I don’t want to mess this up. I’ve wanted this for so long, and now I’m just so afraid of messing things up.”

Gabriella reached out and gently rested her hand on Avery’s bare knee. “Hey, don’t stress so much. I probably would have done the same kind of stuff, if I was in your shoes.”

“Really?” she said in surprise, her tone almost hopeful.

Gabriella nodded. “I was pretty head-over-heels for him the moment I met him, and I’d probably have gone crazy if I was stuck waiting around for…” She paused, her red eyebrows furrowed. “Wait, did you just say you’d been interested in him for a couple of years before a fight that happened two years ago?”

Avery hung her head again. “I know I’m pathetic.”

Gabriella shook her head. “No, it’s not that. Kai just thought you’d been interested for only about two years, is all. I had no idea it was longer than that.”

Her voice was quiet. “Ever since the first day of my Freshman year,” she admitted, only to glance up hesitantly. “We had a lot of classes where we’d sit close together, since our names are close alphabetically. I was always in the same row, and often ended up sitting right behind him.”

Gabriella nodded slowly. “Makes sense. And I get it. I felt the same way when I first met him.” She sighed. “So don’t stress so much. He’s fine, you’re fine, your mom’s fine, everyone’s fine. You’re not going to mess anything up, and no one has an issue with you. So just relax. Otherwise, if you keep stressing, then you might not be able to go back to school at all for the rest of the year.”

Avery sighed as well. “No, I think I’ll be fine. I just need to pretend like nothing is different, is all.”

Gabriella seemed surprised, and maybe a little skeptical. “But what about right now?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. This felt different. I felt like something was wrong with him. I felt…” She paused, gritting her teeth. “Really angry. For some reason. Like someone hurt him or something.” She shook her head. “And maybe it’s really just my imagination, but it didn’t feel like it was random. It hit me unexpectedly like when that truck hit me and my mom yesterday. It was like something happened to me, rather than me just stressing.”

Gabriella nodded slowly with a frown. “Well, maybe it really is something then. We can just ask him when he gets home. But he’s at least fine right now.”

Avery nodded. “Yeah, I think I will ask him, so I don’t feel like I’m truly going crazy.”

“Hey,” Gabriella said gently. “You’re not crazy, okay?”

Avery could only nod, averting her icy gaze.

The busty redhead continued. “Now, how about you get dressed, and we’ll go downstairs and hang out with your mom a little. Spend a little girl time together before our man gets back,” she added warmly.

Avery laughed. “Not much to do other than talk.”

“Yeah, but I want to talk. I want to get to know you and your mom both. We’ll probably be around each other a lot for a while, hopefully forever, so probably good to learn more about each other.”

“Oh,” Avery said simply, only to take a deep breath. “Sorry, I guess I’ve been kind of selfish, haven’t I?”

Gabriella just shook her head, making an amused noise. “Not at all, silly. Stop stressing so much.” She paused. “And I mean, yeah, it could probably benefit you a little to stop feeling like you’re going to mess things up. Or that if something goes wrong, it’s somehow your fault. In a way, all that is a little selfish, feeling like the universe revolves around you like that, but that’s an easy fix. Just stop stressing so much.”

Avery nodded, frowning slightly. “I’m not normally so whiny, it’s just…”

“I get it,” Gabriella said reassuringly. “You’ve wanted this for four years. Trust me, I get it. But now you have it, and you aren’t going to mess it up. I won’t let that happen. Okay?”

She could only nod once, uncertain of what else to say.

“Want me to help you get dressed?” Gabriella unexpectedly teased.

Avery’s face flushed, her hair flashing white -- she hadn’t even realized it turned blonde again.

Gabriella just laughed, beginning to stand up. “I have to admit, that’s so satisfying to watch. Maybe you should try doing it to Kai sometime. Might build up your confidence with him a little, when you see how he reacts to you.”

“M-Maybe,” Avery agreed, having this bizarre feeling that she wouldn’t be able to accomplish that, and not because she lacked confidence. Rather, it was something else entirely, a strange feeling as if something was different about Kai.

But she wasn’t sure how to express that thought into words, or if there was even anything substantial behind the sensation, so she kept it to herself as she started standing up.

SMACK.

Avery yelped when Gabriella slapped her ass, only for the busty redhead to giggle as she moved toward the door.

“Okay, I’ll let you get dressed by yourself,” she said playfully, only to pause when she reached for the handle. “And for the record, you’re welcome to retaliate whenever you want,” she added a bit more seductively with a wink.

Avery gulped, her gaze uncontrollably falling to Gabriella’s tight ass.

“Umm, okay,” was all she could manage, prompting another giggle from the busty redhead, before she slipped out of the bathroom and closed the door.

Walking over to the mirror, Avery took her towel off and wiped away the condensation from the steam, examining her reflection briefly.

She really did look a lot like her mom, and other guys seemed to be interested in her as well, so there should be no reason why Kai wouldn’t be interested too, right? Especially since he’d already shown a very clear interest in her mom by kissing her…

But there was one thing missing.

Something her mom had that she currently was lacking.

Squaring her now pale shoulders and standing up straighter, she eliminated her slightly slouched posture, her mood now matching her composure.

Her mood now being more attractive, regaining the key piece she’d lost in the last couple of days.

Confidence.

Her mom was confident in herself.

And when it was a situation not involving Kai, Avery normally was confident too. Because she was physically fit, emotionally stable, and psychologically level-headed, at least when it didn’t involve the source of her infatuation.

But she supposed it was time to ‘be herself,’ even around him.

She just hoped that Kai would sincerely like the person she really was, and not hold her creepy, obsessive, stalkerish behavior against her. But then again, he had gone out of his way to save her. To change her.

To keep her.

In fact, he had even decided to keep her before even considering keeping her mom, something he only did because her life had been in sincere danger. Something he did partially because he didn’t want Avery to suffer losing her mom like he had.

So maybe he wouldn’t mind knowing the truth.

Maybe she should just own it, especially since she’d actually been right about him all this time, and just expect him to accept it.

Taking a deep breath, Avery shifted to her more supernatural form, examining her frosted lips and eyelids, knowing she thought it looked really good on her mom, even though the older woman’s skin was a supple light gray, instead of tan.

But that just meant, it looked good on her too, and Avery agreed that she liked the look, even if her icy blue eyes were a bit creepy.

Taking one last deep breath, she transitioned back to normal and then turned around to get dressed, deciding she was done worrying about everything, and would just relax, as Gabby suggested. They were one big happy family now, and Avery wanted to start enjoying the reality that all her deepest desires had finally come true.

She finally had Kai, after all this time.

She was even like him, after feeling like she was crazy for believing in the supernatural.

And she was even going to share him with her mom, who was surprisingly accepting of her perverted fantasy. Of course, they’d still keep their relationships separate, but her mom surprisingly didn’t mind the idea of snagging first dibs.

In her own opinion, things couldn’t have turned out more perfectly.

So now it was time to enjoy her new reality.

A reality that had turned out better than even her wildest fantasies.

Chapter 45 >>