Page 44 of Deserter

“I think I just want to be left alone. Like you said, I paid my father’s debt to your club.”

I knelt at her feet. “Shouldn’t have fuckin’ said that, Celia. You can’t disrespect me though. You may not agree with me, but next time, don’t fuckin’ call me out in front of them.”

Shit.

The way I was talking, she was liable to think that there was going to be a next time. That hadn’t been part of the plan. None of this had been part of the plan.

The plan had been to fuck her the one time and send her back to Daddy. It had definitely not included killing a man and fucking her in the bathroom of the bar or trailing after her like some horny teenager.

Her eyes flashed with frustration before she bit out, “There won’t be a next time. I think you’ve done enough.”

I settled next to her against the tree trunk and stretched my legs out. “What are you reading?”

“Grey,” she warned.

“Jesus, Celia. I can’t fuck you again. Can I at least ask what you’re reading? Is that against the rules now?”

The corner of her lip began to turn up into a grin, but she caught it at the last second. “I didn’t think bikers followed rules.”

“We don’t… usually. Now, are you gonna tell me what the fuck you’re reading or not?”

She held up the worn textbook. “It’s on Greek mythology and astrology.”

I ran my fingers down the front cover, brushing against hers. “Is this for a class?” I didn’t know what the fuck they taught in school after tenth grade, but I wasn’t about to admit that to her.

Her teeth sank down onto her lower lip. “No, I just like it.”

“So, tell me about it.” She could’ve been reading the fucking periodic table and I would’ve asked for more details.

Her lips parted, and she exhaled softly before glancing down at the book. “Oh, well what do you want to know?”

“I wanna know your favorite.” I didn’t know who the fuck this guy was that had suddenly taken over, but Celia was letting her guard down, so I kept it up. “C’mon, princess. Don’t leave me hanging.”

She nodded, suddenly serious. “Okay, there’s Icarus. He was the son of a famous craftsman in Greek mythology. His father actually designed the Labyrinth where they kept the Minotaur. It was a monster—half-man, half-bull.” Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “Can you imagine how terrifying that thing would’ve been?”

I nodded, incapable of speech.

“Anyway, so King Minos wanted to keep the Labyrinth a secret, so he imprisoned Icarus and his father in a tower. The father designed two sets of wings from feathers and wax. When it came time to make their escape, Icarus’s father warned him not to fly too low or the feathers would be soaked by the sea. He also warned him not to fly too high because the sun would cause the wax to melt.

“They soared toward freedom, but Icarus forgot his father’s warnings and flew too close to the sun. The wax melted and his wings fell apart. He fell from the sky and drowned in what is now called the Icarian Sea.” She raised her hand to imitate the flight pattern before crashing against my thigh. “What do you think?”

I thought it was a fucking terrible story, but I liked the feel of her hand on my leg, so I settled for, “That’s it? No happy ending?”

She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re missing the point, Grey. Icarus knew that his path would lead to tragedy, yet he couldn’t resist chasing after it. The sun was Death itself kissing his shoulders, yet he only saw the beauty as he danced in the center of its flames.”

Holy shit, I wanted to fuck her right now.

It was a clear indicator that I was completely fucked in the head. Instead of acting on my urges, I cleared my throat. “And that’s a star or some shit now too?”

“No, just mythology. I do know a couple about constellations. I think they might even reference them in this book.” She flipped through the pages and the breeze pulled her hair across her face. When I reached out to gently tuck it behind her ear, her shoulders rolled forward in a shiver.

“Are you cold?”

Celia kept her eyes on the book. “Uh, no. I’m okay. Here it is.” She tapped the page excitedly. “Virgo. This is the perfect time of year to see it too.”

I looked down at the picture. “It looks like a box with legs.”

“It’s a woman. The box is her torso, and these are her arms and legs. See?”

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