A Rush of...Everything - Ava Spring Scenario (Patreon)

Rolling my tongue across my teeth to rid the remnants of frosting, I let out a long sigh. “You know, I’m starting to feel like I’m in one of those intense TV dramas.”

Ava doesn’t shift her view from where she is glaring out of the windscreen from the passenger seat of my hatchback. I’m surprised the glass doesn’t shatter. “What dramas?”

“Those ones where people stake out someone suspicious, eating junk food and drinking way too much caffeine, but then something happens that means the bad guy gets away,” I explain before frowning. “You’ve not seen one of those?”

The tiniest smile catches the corner of her lips. “No. Perhaps you would be willing to share such a movie with me.” She turns to look at me now, green eyes gazing at me with an unfair amount of glimmer that it’s enough to make my blood rush. “For my education.”

I moisten my dry lips. A motion very much noticed by Ava. “It would be a shame for you not to see one. It’s like a right of passage you’ve managed to miss after centuries.”

She chuckles—the sound easy and light. Lately, Ava has been, well, not changed but…certainly a different kind of Ava.

Ever since our kiss, she’s—I immediately shake the very intense and stimulating memory of that kiss from my mind.

She vowed she would have to let me go.

I have yet to see the evidence of that actually happening.

In fact, it seems very much the opposite.

And, as always happens when she is within even my sight range, the vampire manages to completely draw my focus, and I forget the real reason we’re here, until Ava announces in a harsh whisper, “I see her.”

Whipping my head around, I duck down as much as I can in the confined space and glimpse our target exiting a tall building across the alleyway. The Big City is illuminated even at night with so many streetlamps and shop lights that it’s easy to keep track of her as she walks towards an awaiting shiny blue car much fancier than my own.

A fluffy tail swings out behind her as she walks.

She bends down to talk through the window, brushing back her red-brown hair which much more resembles fur than actual hair, and talks in a low voice.

“Can you hear what they’re talking about?” I whisper.

Ava’s features tighten in concentration. “They are keeping hushed. Something about a meeting…a shipment…a missing payment.” She suddenly blinks. “I think they know we’re—”

“She’s getting into the car!” I yelp as the woman suddenly dives into an opened door and the car speeds away in a blur of teal and screeching tires.

I follow…eventually. My car takes a while to remember how to work before coughing to life and letting rip the squeal of an overworked engine rather than the friction of rubber on concrete.

Ava rolls her eyes.

“It’s doing its best,” I yell, patting the steering wheel and sure I feel a little burst in speed of appreciation at my affection.

The soaring towers that dominate the Big City’s streets make for sharp turns as I twist the wheel and gulp down my heart as it leaps into my throat, worrying each time it might be enough to tip the car.

But we speed on, watching as the blue car whizzes ahead. It races on, deftly avoiding the few drivers that are on the road this late at night. I’m thankful they are at least that careful.

“Come up on their left,” Ava orders.

I don’t dare look at her, but my counter is obvious in the shake of my head. “If I swing out, we could crash into oncoming traffic!”

“There is none.” Her voice lowers, deep and soothing, washing through my entire being as though sound alone is enough to make me fall even deeper for her. “Trust me, [Name].”

I suck in a breath—and swing out wide to the left.

I almost close my eyes in anticipation of smashing head first into another car, but she was right. The orange-lit road is empty. With a smile, I slam my foot onto the pedal. The car sputters at the command but does as urged, the numbers on my speedometer driving ever upwards.

As I eventually come level with the blue car, the fuzzy-eared passenger stares out at us through the open window before scowling and barking an order at the driver.

“Push the nose of the car towards them. Force them down the next street,” Ava says over the deafening roar of both engines growling fiercely at each other.

“I don’t have that kind of control in this thing!” I yell in panicked response. “It’ll send us crashing into the buildings.”

“You will not. Trust yourself, as I do.” Her voice continues to be a soothing source of calm in the adrenaline-rush sweeping through me. With a deep breath, I grip the steering wheel tighter.

The car beside us tries to push onwards, but I nudge my nose inwards with gritted teeth. I await the scrape of metal on metal, the feel of careening without control…but it doesn’t come.

They swerve away with a jolt, tires wheeling away until they have no choice but to follow the motion down the next alleyway.

I swing my whole body along with the steering wheel to turn in just enough time to follow.

The car squeals to a halt at a dead end, an unyielding brick wall stopping their escape as it looms over them bathed in moon-lit shadow.

I slam my foot on the brake. We both almost collide into the dashboard at the sudden stop.

My car wheezes out a breath at the same time I do.

I glance at Ava, her face lit by triumph. “How did you know I could do that?”

“Because I know you,” is all she responds.

I turn my focus back to the car in front, the passenger getting out to yell some quite creative obscenities at her shaking driver.

“Do you want to make the arrest?” I offer Ava.

She smiles at me, once more making my whole body soar high enough I feel like it might be possible to touch the stars. “We shall do so together.”

A smile catches me, wondering if this is her form of some kind of big romantic gesture.

…I suppose it would be very ‘Ava’ of her.