Page 7 of Death

“Whoa…”He rests his hands on my waist for balance, showing a hint of a smile. “Steady now…”

I straighten my legs and lock my knees in place. My cheeks burn with awkward fire. Embarrassment clenches the pit of my gut. I bite down hard, wanting so badly to roll up into a fetal position and just die.

“I’m sorry,” I spit out. “That guy hit me and I slipped off the curb and I…”

I have no idea what happened next.

It was just me and him.

“And this guy friggin’ Batman’d out of nowhere and pulled you off the street!” Dina shouts with awe. “Seriously, dude. That was amazing!”

His lips twitch with amusement. “It was nothing.”

Riley shakes his head, his face pure white. “No, it was… impressive.” He looks at me apologetically. “Tannis, I would have done the same but I didn’t see it in time, I swear…”

I breathe a laugh. “It’s okay…”

Dina lets out an angry scoff. “Fucking dick driver,” she says. “Did you catch his plate?”

“No,” Riley answers. “Too fast and too dark.”

“How about that stupid thief? Someone should chase him down kick his ass.”

The stranger smiles at me while they discuss whatever proper justice they’d like to see and I realize he’s still holding me up.

“Can you stand?” he asks me.

I nod, utterly entranced by his midnight eyes. “Yeah,” I say.

“You sure?” He raises a suspicious brow.

I bounce on my ankles, testing them. “I’m good now.”

He releases his embrace and takes a half-step backward, giving me a little space to catch my breath. I dig my heels into the concrete to stall my shaking knees but another glance up into those eyes threatens to knock me right back down again.

Once he’s sure I’m fine, his hands fall to his sides and he slides them into the pockets of his sleek, black coat.

Dina sidles a little closer to me and I cringe at the sinister twitch in her eyes. “And just who are you?” she asks. “I don’t recognize you — and I know everybody.”

“Dina,” I snap.

She hooks her arm around mine. “This is Tannis,” she says. “I’m Dina and that’s my boyfriend, Riley.”

The stranger nods and extends a hand toward me. “I’m Ari,” he says. “It’s nice to meet you, Tannis.”

I move to shake his hand but as I touch his fingers, I nearly jut back. His skin is so ice-cold it almost burns but as our hands entwine, it’s not a chill that fires up my elbow.

“You, too,” I say. “And thank you — for pulling me off the street.”

He bites his bottom lip. “You’re welcome,” he says.

“So, what kind of a name is Ari?” Dina asks.

I glare at her again, hoping to stall her manic game of Twenty Questions.

“The same kind of name Tannis is,” he says. “Aristos. It’s Greek.”

Dina perks up. “Oh, that’s cool!” She nudges my arm, her intentions stupidly obvious. “Isn’t that cool, Tannis?”

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