Dangerous Desires

Three

The massive truck was traded for a 1997 McLaren F1 that his father had passed down to him like he had Kennsington Group. "This is a nice place," I commented we drove onto the Scripps campus.

"You defiantly get what you pay for. Plus, they have a good anthropology program."

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him. "Anthro? Not a major I would have expected her to choose."

"Well, studying cultures in that compacity lets her follow in her hero's footsteps."

"Who's her hero?"

A smile spread across his handsome face as he glanced at me. "You are Anna, she's always loved the stories of everything you've seen on your travels."

His words made a small prideful smile spread across my lips and I looked away from him as we stopped in front of one of the residence halls just as the door swung open. Estella Brooke Kennsington is the spitting image of her mother- petite and delicate with waves of strawberry blonde hair that hung halfway down her back, bright amber eyes and gorgeous pale skin. "She looks just like Liz," I whispered as he put the car into park.

"That she does," Tavin agreed before slipping out to greet his daughter. I watched them talk for a moment then climbed out of the car myself and my niece's gaze turned to me, her doe eyes growing large.

"Auntie Anna!" she shrieked and ran to me.

-Octavius-

My heart ached as I watched Stella's eye light up when they landed on my sister-in-law before she ran to her. "Hello my Little Star," Anna breathed wrapping her arms tightly around Stella as she placed a kiss on her forehead. Annabeth Ravenscroft is the closest thing to her mother that my daughter has so I hope that having her here will help Stella work through whatever it is she may be going through.

"When did you get in? How long are you staying for?" Stella excitedly asked as they released one another.

"I got in a few hours ago and I'll be in for a while," Anna replied with a smile.

"I thought you had a dig going on."

"I do, but I needed some time away so I'll be helping via video calls."

"C'mon you two," I sighed causing them to look at me. "Our dinner reservation is waiting."

Setting around a dining room table at a fancy Italian restaurant I sipped my water as I listened to Anna tell my daughter about her recent assignment in Naxous Town in Greece and watched amazement fill Estella's eyes the way they always did when her aunt came to town. I want my girl to see the world that her mother and I never did but I am so afraid that she will get hurt; I know that Anna is right about her having a good head on her shoulders and I know that she'll do great things. I've seen the kind of girls that she is starting to hand around with and they look like the group of girls from the movie The Craft and I'm terrified that they will lead my girl down some dark road.

___

When we dropped Stella off back at her dorm they made a plan to go shopping in the city when she comes in for the weekend. "So, what had you worried?" Anna asked as we sat around a small firepit that was on the back patio drinking wine.

"What do you mean?" I asked setting my glass on the arm of my chair.

"About Stella."

I let out a breath and set my jaw watching the sun fall behind the trees. "Do you remember that movie from the mid-nineties The Craft?" I asked and glanced at her as she pulled a cigarette from the pack that lay on the arm of her chair.

"Yeah," she replied after lighting it.

"The girls she's starting to hang out with look like them and I'm afraid that they'll start her down some dark path."

The woman next to me raised her eyebrow. "Tavin, you know as well as I do you can't judge a book by its cover."

"I know," I sighed as I picked up my glass to take another sip.

She took a long drag from her cigarette then exhaled the smoke before turning her almost glowing gaze to me. "If you hold on to tight you'll only push her farther away."

I let out a heavy breath and downed the rest of my wine in one swallow then rose from my feet. "I'm gonna turn in for the night," I sighed and she gave me a small smile.

"Good night Tavin," she breathed.

"Night Anna."