Chapter Six – The Burn

Devyn swore lightly as his swinging arm nicked one of Jaxon’s crystal tumblers off the kitchen island. With a casual look, he caught the heavy glass before it shattered to the ground and levitated it back on the counter. He could have placed it in the sink, but he refused to pick up after his brother. His older brother, who was still in a foul mood after the incident with Finn and now with the dead council member - not even Rosaline could level his mood. When he caught a glimpse of her storming out of Jaxon’s room in the early hours of the morning, all wild sex hair and puffed up cheeks, screaming like a banshee that he can fuck himself from now on, he quickly turned in the opposite direction.

He had to admit; he was still pretty shaken about it himself. He didn’t have any particularly powerful feelings towards Felix. He neither liked nor disliked the man, he did however have respect for his fellow Arcane members and would mourn the loss of that. The slain man had no family, and Devyn couldn’t decide whether that was better or worse. His funeral would not empty, but there would be no grieving widow to send him off. And there would be no grieving widow or teary-eyed kids confused about matters of death.

The thing that had Devyn so very uneasy was the note. The single sentence said more than the mangled body beside it.

One by one.

It sent a chill down his spine.

Jaxon left Kai to babysit him on Saturday, which would have pissed him off on any other day, but he was in a state of shock and wasn’t planning on going anywhere anyway–he needed to process the entire horrible event. His brother had returned within the hour, and if at all possible, he seemed even angrier than when he left. Of course, he went to Arcane, but what had transpired there was a mystery and will probably remain so as Jaxon is currently pretending he is an only child. For a man so serious, his older brother could be incredibly immature when things don’t go his way. Devyn was just a little nervous about what Jaxon might do if he learned that his younger brother, even with what happened on Saturday, wasn’t planning on resigning from the council. At least, not until they found their father. He sometimes wondered if it would disappoint his father to see how his sons had drifted apart as the years went on. The two brothers could not be more different if blood didn’t connect them. Jax had always been a serious creature, even when they were kids, but as they grew older, he got colder and even more detached. He recalled the hardness of Jaxon’s face as he held Finn by the throat and blocked the blood flow to his heart. If it wasn’t for his on-again-off-again trysts with Rosaline, and that he was so worried about his lifelong friend Malakai that he nearly broke a rule and killed a being, Devyn would have worried that Jaxon felt nothing at all.

His encounter in the early hours of Saturday morning was the only thing he had to take his mind off the present. God, Amber. He thought and smiled. She was gorgeous–even drolly drunk as she was. Devyn talked himself out of stalking her apartment building, hoping to see her again. It has been only two days, and he estimated that he’d last another two before he sat on the steps and waiting for her. He was a romantic. He enjoyed going on dates and buying flowers, wooing a girl into a proper make-out session, or more if he was lucky. Some girls had stuck for a couple of months while others ended after just a few dates. Jax would only shake his head and mutter how Devyn was just going to get his heart shattered, again. But how was he supposed to find the one if he didn’t look for her?

Stepping out the back entrance behind Creed, he lit a cigarette and pulled out his phone to check the time - quarter past eight. He still had fifteen minutes to make his appointment a few blocks down. He was busy reading a text from Malakai asking for an update on the Night Fight reschedule due to foul play. He was texting back that he was in negotiations when he walked out of the alley, onto the walkway, and straight into her.

The smell of burning hair came before the shock of impact. He watched in horror at his cigarette rooted in her hair; she swatted at her brown wavy locks, attempting to dislodge the offending object before it singed off more hair.

“Seriously?” She stomped on the bud when it fell on the ground and glared daggers at him.

He was still in mild shock so all he could say was, “Hi, Amber.”

She scowled at him for a few seconds before she realized. “Duncan?”

He winced. Her name had passed through his mind in a loop this weekend, and she didn’t even remember his name. “Devyn,” he corrected with a small smile. The misplaced name revived his brain function enough that he remembered to apologize. “Sorry about your hair. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“No, it’s okay.” She absentmindedly brushed at her hair. “I was rushing too.” She rewarded him with a small smile before she checked her watch for the time. Her body language gave the impression that she’d rather be anywhere else but standing on the sidewalk with him.

Masking his disappointment, he motioned to her watch “Late?” He asked, allowing her to excuse herself without having to make it awkward for both of them.

“I start my first day at Environ.” Ah, his smile grew genuine, that’s why she seems a little reserved–she was nervous. And Devyn was just self-conscious enough to think she was itching to get away from him. He looked at her more closely now. Her arms were bare in a sleeveless white blouse tucked into a respectable black pencil skirt. She wore black ballet flats, and he smiled when he saw the black heels peeking out of her handbag. Sensible woman.

Before he could wish her luck, she spoke. “I want to thank you for walking us home the other night. How about a coffee after work?” Amber suggested.

His dimples flashed and his eyes shone with pleasure at her request. “I’d love that.” He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, fished out his business card, and handed it to her. “Just let me know where and what time.”

“Great.” She tugged the card into her purse without looking at it and gave him another small smile as she stepped off. “See you later, Devyn.”

“Bye, Amber.” Smiling after her, Devyn lit a fresh smoke and decided this was going to be a great day.