I nodded acknowledging that I heard her. True to her word as we pressed through the crowd, Charlie parted the way like Moses. I was bumped more than once, but I raised my arms to cover my face as I walked through like some celebrity hiding from the flashing lights of the paparazzi. I didn’t breathe the entire way until we stood on the stairs leading to the VIP area.

  Charlie slipped the guy cash and we were led to our own private table. Moments later a waitress approached with a glowing bottle of Ciroc. She set the tray down and prepared our first drinks. When she lifted the bottle it briefly ceased glowing until it returned to its position on the tray.

  “Nifty,” I muttered to myself. The tray was made to seat the bottle over a light to bring attention to it. It made me want to order another, although I wouldn’t, just to see it moving through the crowd. I may not be a clubbing girl, but I watched enough TV to know that bottle service had a crazy upcharge.

  By my second drink, I was feeling more relaxed and leaned back in my chair. It was the closest I ever got to letting my guard down in public. We were left alone for the most part. When we were disrupted it was for Charlie and not me, which I was grateful for.

  “Wade’s asking about you,” the waitress announced to Charlie as she walked by to bring another table their bottle service.

  “Really?” Charlie lit up looking over to the bar.

  “Oh yeah,” the waitress admitted. “I told him I brought you a bottle because you wanted to avoid him.”

  “Bitch,” Charlie whispered when the waitress was out of ear range.

  “Go,” I stated when I saw her eyeing the handsome brunette guy swinging drinks behind the bar.

  “What?” she asked hopeful then shook her head. “No. We’re out to celebrate. I’m not ditching you.”

  I shrugged feeling the buzz from the vodka. “I’m pretty lit right now. I’m about ready to head out. Go have fun. I’ll see you back home.”

  “Evie,” she sighed. I knew then she was serious. She never called me by my real name or any abbreviations of it. I was always Rogue to her.

  “I’m serious. It’s my birthday and this is what I want from you. Go get your freak on. For me? Just take him to his place,” I teased.

  She giggled at me before nodding then turned her gaze to the bartender once more. “I’ll see you out first.”

  I nodded accepting her offer. There was no way I’d be able to get out without touching someone.

  She led me to a door in the VIP area that I hadn’t noticed before. Seeing my brow knit, she explained, “You can exit, but not enter here. I’ll go out with you then come back in through the front.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I waved her off. “I can handle walking out the door alone.”

  “You sure, Rogue? It leads to the alley. It’s where all the smokers go.”

  I sighed opening the door. I peeked outside and looked both ways down the alley. “No one’s there,” I stated. “Go enjoy yourself.”

  She smiled showing all her pearly whites. “Thanks.” I could see she wanted to hug me but thought better of it. I nodded acknowledging her gratitude before exiting the club. The metal door slammed loudly behind me alerting the rats that were feasting on the garbage to scurry away. Hearing their scratching claws as they moved along gave me a brief case of the heebie-jeebies that I knew would subside the moment I exited the back street.

  Moving towards the mouth of the alley a prickling of unease shivered down my spine. Looking up, I froze when I saw two large figures fill the entrance. My heart picked up in a panic. I turned to see the other side of the passageway was a dead-end. My brown gaze locked with the two men that had moved closer. I fumbled with the door behind me keeping my eyes on the strangers before I remembered Charlie saying it was an exit only. Beating against it was pointless. The music was too loud for anyone to hear me. As a woman I wasn’t a stranger to the fight or flight instinct, but my fear wasn’t for me—it was for them. If I fought, they’d die. If I ran, they’d tried to prevent me and they’d still die.

  “Evening gentlemen,” I stated, standing taller refusing to cower down and appear to be easy prey. I had already done enough to possibly trigger them by looking for an escape. I refused to be the death of these men. Selfishly, I didn’t want to break my two year streak. It was the longest I had gone without taking a life.

  “You looking for a good time, sweetheart?” the man on the right spoke. His words were slurred, most likely from too much alcohol.

  “Nope. Just trying to get home.” I tensed as they approached. They were getting too close for comfort that I was forced a step back.

  “Good. We’ll join you. You look like you could handle us both,” the man on the left said with a grin. He was more sober, but not by much.

  “Pass,” I stated. “You two are not my type.”

  “What? You a lesbian or something?” Lefty asked. I still couldn’t see their appearances since the shadows hugged them. The light came from the street casting a glow, but with their backs to it, it made it impossible to make out their features.

  “Or something.”

  The man on the right reached me first. He moved to grab me. Running on instinct I kneed him in the balls. He crumbled at my feet revealing his pale face and his straw colored hair. Both were overly greasy suggesting the man was in desperate need of a shower.

  “Bitch,” he spat.

  “Wow, you kiss your mother with that mouth? I bet she’d be ashamed of you if she knew what you were up to tonight. Cornering a woman who has been nothing but polite to you.”

  “Be a little more friendly then,” lefty hissed pinning both my arms to my sides before slamming me to the wall. He stepped forward pressing his body against mine.

  “Please,” I begged. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  He chuckled trying to pull at my shirt that I had tucked into my pants. “You’re a funny girl. Come on, Johnny,” he called out to the man that was on the ground clutching between his legs. At least that was whom I thought he was talking to until I saw a third man appear at the mouth of the alley.

  “No,” I spat trying harder to fight for the Neanderthals’ lives. “I’m trying to save your life, you idiot.”

  The new arrival moved with purpose. He grabbed the man holding me. I thought it was to ask for a chance, but the man that was pinning me to the wall crumbled, falling on his ass.

  “You okay?” the third man asked me. I was stunned. He wasn’t a part of this; he was helping me. I was also a bit shocked by his Vulcan act. I stood frozen, unsure if it was in wonderment or terror. When I didn’t respond, he turned his focus to the two men on the ground. He reached out touching both their arms. They instantly relaxed. “You two are getting off easy tonight. Go home and if I catch you again, I can promise you’ll regret it.”

  The two men fumbled over each other as they scrambled trying to race one another out of the back street.

  The man who saved the men from me straightened to his full height. The light from the streetlamp glimmered across his face. I inhaled sharply. He was handsome. He had that classic boy next-door look. His golden hair shimmered as he moved towards me. I tensed.

  “You’re okay,” he stated gently holding his hands up. “I won’t hurt you.”

  “Please don’t touch me.”

  “I won’t. Did they?” he asked. I knitted my brow confused so he elaborated. “Did they hurt you?”

  I shook my head. “I wasn’t worried about that.”

  “What?” Now he was the confused one.

  “Nothing,” I said with a shake of my head running my fingers through my hair nervously. “Thanks for getting here in time before something bad happened.”

  “I’m glad I was walking by.”

  I smiled kindly at him. When I took a hesitant step forward he backed away knowing I needed space. Then the worst thing happened. I slipped. My ankle twisted and I went falling, but I never hit the ground. In a blink of an eye, I was in the stranger’s arms. This wouldn’t be an issue if he hadn’t cupped my face to offer comfort.

  Inhaling sharply, I clenched my eyes shut tight. I felt the warmth of his skin against mine. Two years I had gone without being touched. I felt a tear slip from my eye from the small comfort and the knowledge that in a matter of seconds he’d crumble to the ground.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  My eyes shot open. “You’re still here?”

  He smirked. “Was I not supposed to be? I am still holding you up.”

  I reached up with my gloved hand feeling his against mine. “You’re touching me?”

  “Oh,” he tried to withdraw his hand but I held him tight. Lowering his voice to a whisper, “You have to let go if you want me to stop.”

  I stood straight, pulling his hand into mine examining it. Surely he was wearing gloves or something but it wasn’t cold enough out. There was nothing against his palm. The air simmered around us like magic. I wondered if he felt it too. My heart raced.

  “You can touch me?” I asked examining his hand.

  “Yes…?”

  Before I could ask again, I saw a mark on his inner forearm catching my attention. A deep tingle spread over my skin. The wind circled around us like a cyclone. “They’re coming,” whispered on the air. Something about this encounter felt predestined.

  “Where did you get this?” I asked tracing my gloved finger over the mark.

  “Birthmark. Why?”

  I met his blue eyes for a moment. It was the first time in as long as I could remember that the fear that plagued me constantly wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. Without a second thought I tugged off my glove. His gaze widened when he examined the matching mark on my arm. It was a birthmark in the shape of a horse’s head with his mane blowing in the wind. He ran his thumb over the mark. Even though he had just touched my face, it didn’t stop me from tensing, but again nothing happened. The air around us crackled like static charging up before a lightning bolt strike.

  His wide eyes met mine. “You’re Death.”

  Chapter 3

  “What?” I asked feeling my head cloud with confusion. I felt like death most of the time. After all, normal people didn’t kill others with a touch of their skin. But to hear this stranger, who hadn’t even witnessed me killing someone, call me Death was overwhelming and a bit insulting.

  “It’s why you didn’t want me touching you. You weren’t afraid that those men would hurt you. You were worried about hurting them,” he spoke then he began talking more to himself than me. My lips parted in shock. “I heard you say it, but I thought it was a ploy to get them to leave you alone.”

  “How do you know that?” I demanded, but my question went unanswered.

  “I can’t believe I found you,” he whispered cupping my face.

  I closed my eyes enjoying his touch. “How do you know that about me?” I asked fluttering my lashes open.

  “I’m like you,” he gestured to the mark on his arm. It was identical to mine all the way down to the piece of the mane that looked like it was about to fly away.

  “You kill people with a touch?” I asked not able to hide the skepticism from my voice.

  “Not exactly.”

  There was a clatter as the door to the club opened and several people stumbled out pulling out packs of cigarettes and lighters.

  “Is there somewhere we can talk?” he asked. “I won’t hurt you.”

  I nodded actually believing him. He was the first person to touch me and survive. I had to find out why. “My apartment isn’t too far from here.”

  We took the old Pinto Charlie and I shared. She got more use out of it than I did since she worked outside the apartment. I knew she’d catch a cab. She said as much before we arrived. Its paint was chipping and I could no longer tell what color it was. Perhaps a light greenish yellow? I didn’t know.

  We were both silently reeling from the revelation. It was a ten-minute drive back to where I lived. This was a first for me. I never had guests in our home. Especially a boy.

  “My roommate could be home any minute,” I stated as we entered my apartment. It was small, but seemed much tinier with this man in it. He had a commanding presence.

  “No need to play the impending roommate card. I promised I wouldn’t hurt you.”

  “No,” I said shaking my head seeing how he thought that’s what I was doing. “She really might be home and she doesn’t know about me. You mind if we talk in my room.”

  “Uh,” he shrugged understanding. “Sure.”

  I led him to my personal haven that was barely large enough for my twin bed and dresser.

  “Cozy,” he replied scanning over the room. It made me uneasy having him in my private space. I didn’t even like having Charlie in here. “How is it she doesn’t know? What does she think?”

  I shrugged. “That I’m a germaphobe.”

  He eyed my gloves that I had put back in place the moment he stopped admiring my birthmark. “You can take those off. You can’t hurt me with your gift.”

  “They’re always on.”

  With a furrowed brow, he asked, “Even in here?”

  I nodded.

  He seemed bothered by that notion, but shook away the discomfort. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even get your name.”

  “Evie. And you’re?”

  “Derek,” he offered with his hand out. I took it but not without tensing. “So let me tell you a little about you so you know I’m serious when I explain who I am,” he said taking a seat on the edge of my bed before gesturing me to do the same. It felt strange that he was being the host in my home, but I had no experience entertaining so I didn’t know what was required. “You’ve had this gift since you were born, but it didn’t reach its prime until puberty. Now, I don’t know all about your particular gift, but I’d assume its through skin-to-skin contact. As of now you have no control. You’re Death. Can you only kill people?”

  “You think I could do more?” I wondered curiously.

  His shoulders rose hugging his neck briefly before falling back into place. “Have you ever touched someone that was already dead? Your gift could work both ways.”

  I blanched at his statement. It took me a moment to find my voice. “You’re saying,” I began barely above a whisper, “that all those people I killed by accident could have been brought back?”

  He was already shaking his head. “I’m not sure, but if you came across someone that was dead by other means and hadn’t been dead long you might be able to bring them back. My gift started off as one thing, but now instead of just giving it, I can take too.”

  “Give? Take? Who are you?”

  “Sorry, I haven’t gotten to that. I’m Famine.”

  “Famine?” I asked deadpan and he nodded. “As in the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Famine? Are you nuts?” I eyed the door thinking I had made a huge mistake bringing this man into my room.

  He scuffed. “Says the girl who kills people with a single touch.”

  He had a point, but it didn’t make me believe him. “You’re playing with me somehow.” I wasn’t a girl that went to church every Sunday, even as a child, but I knew enough about the bible and Revelations. It couldn’t be real. There had to be another reason for my gift, as he called it, but I just didn’t know what.

  “Right…” he narrowed his blue eyes. “I just happen to have the same birthmark, to know about your special touch. You saw me use my gift back there on those guys.” He explained sarcastically.

  “You mean when you went all Spock on them?”

  “Spock? As in Star Trek?” He chuckled rubbing the back of his neck with his open palm. “I guess that is what it looked like, but I drained their desire from them. I starved them of it.”

  I thought back on what had occurred in the alley. The way the man Derek touched just suddenly crumbled to the ground like his life force had been sucked from him. “You’re not shitting with me are you?”

  “I’m sorry, but no.”

  I heard the front door slam shut as a drunken Charlie called out for me. It sounded like she was alone. Either she took my advice and went back to the bartender’s place before coming home so I didn’t have to hear or she was super drunk having her conquest not go as she planned.

  “You gonna go see what she wants?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “If we’re quiet for a moment she’ll think I’m aslee—” before I could get the P out for asleep, my door swung open. Instinctively I moved away as Charlie tumbled in.

  “Rogue,” she cried out until she realized it wasn’t at my feet that she landed. She looked up and her brown eyes lit up. “Oh shit, you scored,” she grinned. She stumbled to stand, as she took in Derek in from his blue button-down shirt that brought out his eyes to his dark wash jeans. “Good score. Gonna finally pull out the stops on that V card.”

  My face reddened. What was worse was I was so afraid she’d touch me that I couldn’t even lead her out.

  Derek stood offering a hand to Charlie. “Let me help you,” he offered. I tensed for a moment thinking he might use his gifts on her. It was crazy that I still didn’t wholeheartedly believe him, yet when it came to Charlie, after what I saw, I knew there was some truth to what he said. I just didn’t understand the extent.

  “No,” she tried shoving him off.

  “Charlie,” I called out from across the room, which in actuality was only a few feet away. “Let him help you.”

  “He needs to help you. You’re the one with a virginity problem,” she stated then turned to speak to Derek as he led her from my room. She attempted to lower her voice, but was drunk to the point that I was sure the neighbors could hear her whisper. “You’re gonna help her, right?”

  He chuckled. “I am, so do you mind if we have some privacy?” He was trying to help me, just not in the way Charlie thought.

  “Oh shit.” Her face flamed. “Right you don’t want an audience,” she giggled tumbling out of my room. I rushed to shut the door. There was no lock so I just stood in front of it for a moment listening to her fumble in her room until the apartment grew silent.

  “She’s a piece of work,” Derek stated.