Flee (The Aurora Lockette Series, Book 1) (20 page)

I blushed and nodded as I looked the now
tattered bracelet.

He put the tip of his finger on my chin and
brought it up so I met his eyes. “Does that mean you still love
me?”

“I love you,” I whispered, but my words
trailed off and my thoughts were instantly dissolved as his warm
lips crushed mine.

We stood there for a long time.

I took his offered hand, using his arm as an
anchor so I could pull myself out of the limo. I sucked in my
stomach, awkwardly standing up in my tight dress and ridiculous
stilettos.

I wore about ten pounds of makeup, hair
extensions, a padded push-up bra and a tight corset carefully
arranged around the plunging neckline of my plum colored gown.

I looked hot.

The flashes of light started going off as
soon as we emerged. I pasted a smile on my face, though I’m not
even sure why I bothered. It was all for him.

Him.

He was mine. I glanced over at his perfect
face illuminated in the flash of the cameras.

He still took my breath away. “Thanks for
doing this.” He spoke through clenched teeth, his smile frozen for
the benefit of the cameras recording our every move, anxiously
waiting for him to walk down the red carpet.

He leaned close to me, placing his lips
against my ear. “You know, if I had it my way, I would have removed
that silly, silly dress in the limo. You look amazing, my
love.”

I giggled, momentarily forgetting the
audience. “Thanks.” My already shaky knees wobbled as he raised his
eyebrows and smiled in a way he only did for me.

A piercing, high-pitched voice ruined our
moment. His talented but evil publicist crawled out of the limo
right behind us, all business in her simple black cocktail dress
and ever present smart phone. She tucked a graying strand of hair
behind her ear. “Okay, kids. Stop screwing around. Walk arm in arm
down the carpet, but when he talks to the media, take five steps
back, out of the shot. Got it?”

“No. I didn’t get it the first twenty times
you told me.”

She threw me a nasty look.

She was very irritated at my presence, well,
my existence in general. She had pleaded with Gavyn to keep our
relationship a secret from his rabid female fans, but he stubbornly
refused. She had asked if he would at least feign an interest in a
Hollywood figure, which he also refused. She was stuck with me.

When she found out I was attending the
premiere of
Blue Leaf,
she had sent a personal shopper to
find me a nice designer dress, shoes, handbag and what she called
“foundational” garments to correct the areas of my figure she
thought were not up to snuff. She then presented me to an
overpriced hair stylist to wrangle my long hair.

After all the primping, I understood why
movie stars were so hot. Somewhere underneath the foundation, false
eyelashes, hair extensions, body shapers, push-up bras, double
sided tape, spray-on tan and a five-thousand dollar vintage
designer gown, I looked perfect. Almost too perfect, like an
airbrushed, vamped up version of myself.

“You ready?” His musical voice was in my ear
again. “Just ignore her. You’re with me.”

“As ready as I’m ever going to be.” Lights
danced around my vision from the constant flash of the cameras. I
hooked my arm through his as we started down the carpet.

The red carpet ran the length in front of the
theatre. One side of the carpet abutted against the outside wall of
the theatre, which was plastered with promotional movie posters.
The other side was a velvet rope holding back a crushing group of
eager cameramen, photographers, and screaming fans.

Reporters leaned over the rope, shouting to
grab Gavyn’s attention. Voices piled on top of each other with
requests for him to look at them for their picture, while various
reporters wildly waived microphones, trying to get his
attention.

His publicist scanned the sea of
photographers with narrowed eyes. She motioned him over to a
national entertainment show host who was waving at him. “Go, talk
to her. Keep it light.”

I unwound my arm from Gavyn’s and hung back
with his publicist. Troy stood twenty feet away, laughing his big
laugh and smiling and waving at all his fans. His easy personality
and sunny disposition were perfectly suited for fame.

He spotted me and strode over with a bright
smile. Ignoring the press, he pulled me into a big hug. “Hey,
Texas! Hot Damn. You look sexy! Gavyn is one lucky man.”

“You look pretty darn good yourself.” I
pulled away to arms length so I could check him out in his tux.

He put his arm around me and faced the
cameras, who were constantly flashing during our exchange. “Smile!
You’re on camera!”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Seriously though, I’m glad you’re back in
his life. Those months you were gone he was miserable. And, well, I
may have missed you, too.”

“I missed you back.”

Gavyn appeared at my elbow. “Hey, man, are
you trying to steal my date?”

Troy laughed and they embraced with some
manly back pounding. The photographers went crazy. The evil
publicist hissed at me. “Five steps.” I tried not to roll my eyes
as I stepped out of the shot.

Gavyn returned to fetch me later, keeping
firmly by my side for the rest of his interviews. Per the
publicist’s instructions whispered into my ear, I did not say a
word.

Twenty-five excruciating minutes later, we
were seated and watching the movie. I spent most of the movie
watching the lights dance across Gavyn’s perfect face. I was
thrilled to notice he spent most of the movie watching me too.

Life had been good since I moved to Los
Angeles.

I had settled into Gavyn’s awesome townhome
in the hills over the past few weeks. It was modest and tucked away
safely behind gates, so he didn’t have paparazzi bothering him. I
loved the huge canopy bed, the large deck and the gleaming marble
counters. I often found myself wandering around the cool wood
floors staring at the vaulted ceilings, the chandelier, the built
in Jacuzzi, and the surrounding Hollywood hills out the window. I
still couldn’t believe I lived there.

Living with Gavyn was easy. Really easy.
First of all, he still knocked my socks off every time I saw him.
After the several months of not seeing each other after my
exposure, we appreciated our alone time together. A lot.

Gavyn nudged me, startling me out of my
reverie. “You ready?”

“Um, that’s it? We walk down a red carpet,
look pretty, then we’re done?” I took his offered arm as we filed
out of the theatre.

He chuckled. “Not so fast. We have to go the
release after-party. There will be another red carpet there, plus
press inside. You’re stuck with me for a few more hours.”

“Oy.” My feet were killing me and I could
feel the weight of the makeup on my face. The only thing I wanted
to do was take a long shower, wash off my makeup, and change.
“Please tell me there is at least going to be alcohol, preferably
free, and preferably strong.”

His publicist’s shrill voice answered me.
Where did she even come from? “Yes. But you may not have more than
two drinks. Try not to act like a total lush.”

I spent the next three hours following Gavyn
around the release party. Despite his publicist’s warnings, I took
four tequila shots. I would have preferred beer, but I was afraid
to drink that much volume for fear I would explode out of my dress,
and not in the sexy wardrobe malfunction way.

By the time it was 11:00, I was teetering
around in my silly stilettos, flushed deep red, and giggling too
much.

Gavyn guided me to the back door. “Okay,
love, let’s go. You look a little too cheery.”

I said nothing, but thought my hiccup in
response sufficed as a yes.

I sobered up by the time we returned home. I
went into the bathroom and removed the bobby pins. My brown hair
tumbled around my elbows, grazing the middle of my back. I took a
long hot shower, scrubbing until I could no longer feel the cake of
makeup on my face.

When I got out, I changed into shorts and a
tank top. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. It wasn’t as
pretty as the red-carpet version of me, but it was me.

“Welcome back.” Gavyn came up behind me and
wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Sorry your glamazon is gone.”

“Oh no, I much prefer this.” He kissed me on
the check. “Come on the back patio. I made you some lemonade. It’s
nice outside.”

I followed him outside, settling into one of
two rocking chairs. The chair creaked as he sat down next to
me.

We rocked in the cool breeze, the rockers
ticking off the seconds in uneven time.

Gavyn took my hand, and held it to his lips.
“For you,” he said, before opening my hand and pushing something
cold and hard into it.

I opened my hand and stared at it. It was a
shiny gold ring, with intricate knots carved around the
outside.

“Look at the engraving,” Gavyn prodded.

I tilted the ring back in forth in my hand
until the moon hit the right angle and I saw the words flash. “Vita
mea, amor meus,” I said out loud.

“My life, my love,” he translated.

“Oh, Gavyn, it’s so pretty and shiny and
sweet. Thank you. I don’t…what’s this for?”

I looked up. Gavyn was kneeling in front of
my chair.

“It’s your wedding ring. Marry me?”

My eyes flicked down to the ring and back up
to his face. He was staring at me anxiously, his shoulders tense
around his ears.

I slipped the ring on my left finger and
cleared my throat. “Done.”

He pulled me out of the chair. I snuggled
against his chest and held him as we swayed together in our mutual
joy. Nothing could ever run my perfect fairy tale moment.

And then my phone rang. Not my regular cell,
but the one that I only used for the organization.

“Damn,” I said.

“Better get it.”

I answered it.

“Sorry to bother you.”

“Konstantin.” My voice was flat.

“I am sorry. We have an emergency. We’re
outside your house. Both of you need to come now.”

I hung up the phone and turned to Gavyn.
“We’re on, something big.”

“Okay.”

I pulled on jeans, grabbed my purse and gun,
and waited by the door for him.

He took my hand as he met me at the door,
pressing the cool metal of my new ring to his cheek. “I love
you.”

“I love you too.”

We stepped into the swirling darkness. He
wrapped his fingers around mine as we walked together into our now
entwined future, whatever it may be.

<<<<>>>>

FLEE is how it all started for me. Back in
2008, I was exhausted after a long day at work, drinking wine in my
cramped apartment, crumbling under the pressure from work and my
ballooning student loan debt and bills. I picked up my laptop and
typed “Chapter 1.” In the six weeks that followed, I frantically
wrote a story about Aurora and Gavyn, in what would many years and
several re-writes (and title changes) later, become FLEE. After I
finished FLEE, I never stopped writing, and probably never
will.

Many good friends and family encouraged me in
those early days: April, Juvie, Brooke, Laura, Raymond, Rex,
Danielle and Dennis. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Without your encouragement and critical feedback, I never would
have continued on this journey.

To my beta readers Audrey Burns, Melinda
Scott-Mendoza and Veronica Webster, you guys rock. I’m so
thankful.

Many thanks to Regina Wamba of Mae I Design
for the amazing cover.

I’m so thankful to you, reader, for choosing
this book. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Miranda Kavi is a romance and paranormal
fiction author. Her books have been listed on the
top 100 best seller lists on Amazon and iTunes. She has worked
as an attorney, an executive recruiter, and an assistant in a
biological anthropology lab. She loves scary movies, museums, and
is hopelessly addicted to chocolate. She lives in Houston with her
husband and daughter
.

Want to learn more? Find me here!

http://mirandakavi.net/

http://www.facebook.com/MirandaKavi

http://twitter.com/mirandakavi

CRUX, the FLEE sequel

The RUA series (Young adult)

RUA, Book one

RIVE, Book two

A girl with an unknown destiny.

A boy from a hidden world.

When Celeste starts at a new school in a
small, Kansas town, she hears whispering voices, has vivid
nightmares, and swarms of blackbirds follow her every move. She is
oddly drawn to aloof Rylan, the other new student who has his own
secrets.

The exact moment she turns seventeen, she
wakes to a bedroom full of strange creatures, purple light
emanating from her hands, and Rylan breaking in through her bedroom
window.

He knows what she is . . .

Intriguing and deeply romantic,
R
UA
is page-turning YA novel with a supernatural
twist.