Charmed by Koko Brown Page A

like the beast you are.” Tristan opened his mouth and his canines lengthened some more until they extended beyond his bottom lip.
    “Okay, okay! I won’t touch her again. J-j-just please don’t kill me!”
    “What do you think, love? Should I spare the wanker?”
    Chloe looked at Mr. Rominov’s face, now marked with red splotches. Although she’d listened to many of his wife’s daily beatings and had wanted to beat the shit out of him herself, she still didn’t want his blood on her hands. Although reluctant, Chloe shook her head no.
    Tristan opened his hand and Mr. Rominov dropped to the ground like a trash bag.
    Chloe looked down at the man groveling on the floor at Tristan’s feet. Then suddenly a fecal smell filled her nostrils.
    “What’s that smell?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
    “The poor bloke has soiled himself.”
     
    “That was absolutely classic!” Chloe crowed as they left the Rominovs. “Thank you for what you just did back there, Tristan. You didn’t have to step in but you did and I appreciate that.”
    “No problem, love. That man was a monster,” Tristan sneered. “Any man who physically beats a woman is a beast and I couldn’t stand by and allow that to continue.”
    When Chloe stopped at her door, he was close at her heels. She turned around and looked up at him. Tristan opened his mouth to say something then, as if thinking better of it, he shut it. He stepped back from her and shoved his hands in his pockets, reminding her of a little boy.
    “Well, I guess this is goodbye.”
    Chloe knew she should say goodbye as well but something inside her didn’t want him to leave. There were too many questions that needed to be answered before she could close this chapter in her life. And in order for her to finally have peace of mind, there was one major obstacle to surmount.
    “Why did you do it, Tristan? Why did you use your powers?”
    Tristan looked down at his feet for a moment. Then he cleared his throat and looked back at her. He looked uneasy and surprisingly unsure of himself.
    “I know this may sound strange to you. In fact it was a complete shock to me as well, especially since I’m not a firm believer in love at first sight. But the moment I first laid eyes on you, I was completely taken. But unfortunately for me, you felt the opposite, which was a new experience for me.”
    “What do you mean? I had the hots for you when we first met!” Chloe huffed, recalling their first meeting.
    “No, you didn’t!” Tristan countered. “If I clearly remember, you turned down all my advances. Bloody hell, woman! I had to almost beat you over the head to get you to have dinner with me. And you only agreed when I invited your friend Shirley along.”
    Chloe opened her mouth to refute his accusation but closed it because he was telling the truth.
    “Why is that, Chloe? If you were as attracted to me as you claim, why did you turn down my advances?”
    Chloe sighed heavily. It was now time to cleanse her soul. “Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately, Mr. Smythe? Do you have any idea how attractive you are? You look like a freaking supermodel. And I’m about as close to supermodel material as I am to becoming a cosmonaut.”
    Tristan rolled his eyes heavenward. “I would have never thought that your low opinion of yourself would be the root of most of our troubles,” he sighed.
    Chloe’s hackles rose. She stepped up to him and poked her finger in his chest. “Well, you don’t know how it is to grow up being the chubby girl. Who no one wanted to date because her body wouldn’t fit into a pair of size-six jeans. Or the girl who was overlooked at all the school dances because the boys were afraid their arms wouldn’t fit around your waist. Or…or…or even worse, they kissed you behind the bleachers but laughed at you when they were with their friends!”
    Tristan grabbed both of her hands in his own and pulled her to him. “They were idiots, Chloe! Complete and