The two young women approached their table with smiles on their faces. Riley rose from the table with a smile. Riley frowned down at Blake. Blake had pointedly shifted his attention to his glass, which apparently had a smudge on it that his focus. Riley sighed at him before turning his attention back to the two women. “Nina?” he asked, shaking the woman’s hand with his face and demeanor lighting up. The distinct smell of wolf preceded them, and there was no question in Riley’s mind that this should be the woman they were sent to escort for the evening. Daughter of the most highly respected leader of the wolf clans in the East Coast.
“Yeah,” she giggled with a smile as she looked up at him shaking his hand, “This is my friend, Emma. Such a pleasure to meet ya!” She had a thick New Jersey accent, and it made Riley laugh slightly. Honestly, Riley could think of a lot worse things the two of them could do with their evening other than take the two young women out and watch over them. How hard could it be?
“I’m Riley. This is Blake,” he said, kicking his friend’s foot, attempting to get his attention. Blake was still absorbed in his glass and blatantly ignoring the people around them. Riley often wondered how Blake would have gotten by in the world without him.
Blake’s eyes flicked up for a fraction of a second, and he saw all he needed to. He had been disinterested in who they were before they had even arrived at the bar. Both women looked like the typical young wolf-shifters in their area. Their bodies were too muscular for women, tacky clothes, too much skin showing, and way too much makeup. Worst of all, they smelled like wet dogs. Blake’s eyes returned to his glass with a disappointed frown. He wanted the whiskey, but was under no circumstances putting that filthy glass in, on, or near his mouth.
The girls seemed to falter at Blake’s less than welcoming reaction. Riley waved a hand at him dismissively. “Ignore him. He’s always like that,” Riley explained before entering into what amounted to small talk about how it was Nina’s birthday.
Blake frowned at the explanation from his friend. He didn’t understand why Riley was so ready to fawn all over the women. They were nothing but mutts. What was the big deal? They were told to keep them safe for the night, nothing said they had to be nice, or be their best friends. There wasn’t even a mention that he, technically, had to talk to them.
The truth was Blake had never felt like he could make small talk with people. He wasn’t much for branching out socially. He could carry on a conversation with Riley and his adoptive parents, but they had spent so long with him that they understood him or at least accepted him. He felt awkward in his human form, like he didn’t fit. As a dragon, he felt free, alone but at least free from all the pressures that seemed to surround all the politics that went along with the shifter world.
Riley clapped him on the shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Ready, Blake?” His friend looked down at him, pale grey eyes dancing with humor. Per usual, Riley was certain that he was going to have to drag his friend kicking and sulking through the entire night.
An exasperated sigh escaped from deep within Blake as he rose from the chair. He shrugged a muscular shoulder and glanced down at the females with them, feeling their eyes on him. Both women had that typical look of appreciation and shock on their faces. He averted his eyes, uncomfortable with the feeling of them tracing his figure with their eyes. He had encountered women of various species, and had yet to encounter any that didn’t react the same. They looked him up and down. Blake could smell the lust roll off them in waves, and, frankly, he couldn’t imagine a bigger turn-off.
Blake turned leaving his full glass on the table as they headed for the door. Riley with an arm around both females, and Blake felt himself trailing awkwardly behind. As much as Blake hated the attention, Riley ate it up. Riley had always embraced the good looks he was graced with, and played up the big, strong, dragon card every chance he got. Blake let the door to the pub swing closed behind him with a dull thud, echoing his enthusiasm for the night in general.
At least being out in the night air helped Blake feel incrementally better than he had in the stifling, little pub. If it was that bad in the small, dingy pub, he had a bad feeling about how he would feel at the nightclub they were supposed to be going to with the girls.
Apparently, Nina had her heart set on a “normal human night out” for her 21st birthday and her father was influential enough to make it happen with the toughest escorts he could manage. Blake wondered idly what Selene could possibly want from the wolves, but that was above their paygrade. He had learned long before that there wasn’t much that he understood when it came to interspecies politics, or cared to know.
They piled into Nina’s car, Riley and Blake working to fold their tall bodies into the small backseat of the sedan. It was bad enough being in human form and feeling like so much power and being was crammed into such a tiny form, to then be forced to crunch his human form into such a small space was downright insulting. Faint coils of smoke slipped through Blake’s nostrils as his frustration peaked. “I hate cars,” he grumbled under his breath.
Riley shrugged a single shoulder and smacked him lightly on the shoulder, making the best of the situation like he always did.
“It can’t be that bad, the girls said it’s just fifteen minutes away,” Riley explained in what he thought was a helpful tone, but realized it was useless as his friend continued to fume next to him. The faint smell of brimstone permeated the small car. Riley shot his friend a look that was supposed to clearly convey the message that Blake should chill out and knock it off. All that he seemed to accomplish, was irritating Blake even more. Blake crossed his muscular arms across his chest and continued sulking. Blake huffed, shifted his weight yet again attempting to fit in the cramped space, and pointedly fixed his gaze out of the window. He kept reminding himself he just needed to get through the night. Just make it through this hellish night full of wolves and humans and he could go back home. He could fly and be far from this place. Blake desperately wanted to be left alone for a while, at least until Riley roped him into the next stupid mission he accepted.
Chapter 2
They arrived at the nightclub and waited in line attempting to blend in with the crowd, still standing out among the humans milling around. The bouncer at the door of the club frowned up at the two men. The bouncer seemed like he was not amused with the idea of letting the two large men in. He begrudgingly allowed them to pass after Riley did his best impression of a completely harmless human, charming his way through the distrust. The girls were bubbling with excitement as they entered the establishment, Riley matching their enthusiasm. Blake followed, quiet and working as hard as he could to simply maintain control.
Blake’s eyes swept back and forth through the room as they entered the crowded space. Hell. The crowded, noisy club was his own personal hell. The music was pounding through the room, people were milling about everywhere, bumping into Blake over and over. A permanent sneer plastered itself on his face and he crossed his arms in front of his chest, making him look every bit the bodyguard he had been hired to be. His senses were overloaded with the changing bright colors, the roaring noise, and the constant movement of the room.
The girls dragged Riley off to the dance floor, and he seemed content to follow. He glanced back at Blake with an apologetic shrug. Riley seemed to be enjoying the attention of both females enough all on his own.
Blake hung back, leaning against the wall. The pounding bass from the music made him feel like his whole body was vibrating. The overwhelming scent of lust and desperation in the air set his teeth on edge. Every time someone brushed past him, Blake glared at them accusatorily as if they were a threat.
Every so often, a woman who would approach him, the same look in her eyes full of lust, and would try to talk to Blake. The few brash ones would place a hand on his arm, or try to make physical contact in some way. He said nothing, just glared at them until they would walk away slightly confused, often an irritated, “Asshole,” muttered under t
heir breath.
Blake didn’t care what they thought. They were so far beneath his notice, why should he bother even talking to them? His eyes stayed trained on Riley and the girls as much as possible, occasionally scanning the room for threats. They were there for a single purpose, and that was all he would focus on.
The night progressed much the same for an hour or so. Riley and the girls were drinking copious amounts of fruity drinks with vaguely suggestive names. Blake was still guarding the same square of space, bored out of his skull. Blake was certain all the music they were playing was the same. He felt as if the same driving bass was present in every song the DJ had played. He was contemplating just how satisfying it would have been to set the entire establishment ablaze, when he scented something altogether different enter the room.
Blake’s eyes snapped to the doorway, where a female entered. He could sense power off her even from across the room, but for some reason couldn’t figure out what she was. His eyes were glued to her, following her path through the room. The woman seemed to weave her way through the humans, writhing against each other, without disturbing anyone, like a boat moving through the water without causing a ripple. Blake found himself fascinated, despite some deeper instinct sending up warning flags.
The distraction made him doubt the security of the room. Blake could see one of the females standing at the bar, head bent over the soft glow of her cell phone. His eyes traced through the crowd to find Riley, who was now completely lost in making out with Nina. Apparently, Riley was taking the whole escorting idea to another level all together. Blake reminded himself if the woman who had caught his attention were something they should be worried about, Riley would have sensed it too.
Feeling incrementally less alert, Blake considered the mess that Riley was creating for himself. Blake was confident that having a dragon escort and ravage his daughter was the opposite intention that the girl’s father had for their actual evening, but that was for Riley to sort out. Not Blake’s problem in the slightest. His senses calmed, Blake found his mind drifting back to the woman, who had entered the room.
Blake brought his eyes back to where he thought the woman would be, but had lost track of her in the swirling crowd. He knew she was still there as he could sense the power off her, but for some reason she had slipped past his view. Blake stood straighter, hands dropping to his sides trying to crane his neck around the room to find her, when he felt a small hand on his arm. He froze and turned to look behind him and found the female standing at his elbow.
She arched an eyebrow looking up at him. “Looking for someone?” She asked with a lilting, teasing voice. She was teasing but was not looking at him the way all other women did. There was no lingering, no salivating, and no lust there. She looked at him simply intrigued and friendly. It was something Blake was altogether unprepared for.
He was taken aback a bit, and attempted to hide his surprise at himself. His eyes slid down to where her hand was on his arm in irritation. What was it with people and touching?
“What are you?” Blake demanded, his voice low so as not to carry, though the music would have drowned out what they were saying to anyone overhearing anyway.
He surveyed her small frame and thought perhaps she was Fae, if not something else. He had met Fae in the past a few times, but it was rare to come across them out in the human world, and, frankly, she didn’t smell anything like she should have if that’s what she was. Fae normally smelled like light, spring rain mixed in with an overwhelmingly earthy scent.
Blake inhaled deeply, his senses were far more sensitive than a human’s and it should have been easy for him to figure out what creature the woman was. He couldn’t understand it, and he felt the beast in him responding in the strangest way, urging him to just go…anywhere other than there in that moment.
Blake normally had excellent control of himself, or at least had for a very long time. As he stood there though, he could feel power pulling at him surrounded by so many fragile humans, his dragon instinct pulling his mind in odd directions. He needed to be away from this woman, and away from these humans as soon as possible. It was a perfect example of why Blake avoided crowds, especially crowds of humans. Nothing good ever came from interacting with the humans.
Blake turned to walk away and the woman grasped his arm, pulling him to a stop. She wasn’t overwhelmingly strong physically, but in that moment, he knew he had to stop regardless of what his intention to leave was. “Where you going?” She asked with a tilt of her head, “You don’t want to dance?” She seemed confused by his leaving, genuinely confused.
He shook his head no slowly as his thoughts remained clouded somewhere between rational and instinctual. Blake was sure it was just that the chaos in the room was getting to him. Somewhere deep in his mind, the dragon in him was still screaming that he needed to be out of that room, but, for some reason, he hesitated at her question.
Blake narrowed his eyes examining the woman more closely. She had the brightest amber-colored eyes that looked too large for her face, and dark brown hair pulled back in a neat braid. Her body was nearly skeletal, she was so thin. She had small hips, and barely any curves to speak of. Blake was sure even in his human form he could snap her bones she was so thin, though he wasn’t sure how well he’d fare as waves of power rippled off her.
The music seemed to amplify, driving the level of energy in the room up even further. The level of angst and lust in the room seemed to be increasing exponentially. Humans were grasping at each other hungrily on the dancefloor. He wasn’t sure if it was just their normal state in this setting, or if they were somehow sensing her power and feeding off it. It made the atmosphere of the room hang heavy and seductive around Blake.
He met the woman’s eyes skeptically. “I’m not much for dancing,” he stated, unsure what exactly to say to her. It sounded vaguely combative, as most things did coming out of his mouth. Blake was taken aback when she smiled warmly, which made her face look gaunter. She was young and beautiful, despite the frailness of her body. Blake frowned at the thought that she was beautiful. He didn’t do compliments. He wasn’t the type to notice one way or another if someone was attractive or not.
“You seem so out of place here,” she commented in a sing-song voice, “How in the world did they convince something as magnificent as you to coop yourself up here with all these humans?”
The flattery went to his head a bit. He was sure it wasn’t what she had meant, no one ever recognized him for what he was. Dragon-shifter yes, most other magical creatures could figure that much out, but it was rare that anyone beyond other dragons appreciated what he truly was. Even among the other dragons he felt discounted and underappreciated. No one thought there was much use for fire dragons any more. There were so few of his family left in the world, that the dragons had seemingly forgot what fire dragons were truly capable of.
“Business,” he answered slowly, not really sure how much he should be sharing with her or not, “You never answered my question though. What are you?” His voice was transactional at best, clipping his words short with his sheer annoyance at the entire situation unwrapping before him. Blake was not accustomed to anyone getting him to feel flattered in the slightest, let alone getting him to carry on a conversation when he was so decidedly uncomfortable.
She leaned closer to him, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck to draw him down to her level with the pretense of talking in his ear. “Go ahead and take a closer look,” the woman said, leaning her head to the side below his.
Rigid at the contact, Blake was unsure of exactly how to behave in that instant. He wanted to throw her hands off him and run, but was also beyond intrigued to know what kind of Fae this woman might be. Blake inhaled deeply and found himself overwhelmed with the smell of nature and what he could only explain as pure power. He had no idea what she was. Fae in some fashion, but something altogether more than Fae at the same time.
Blake had the oddest sensation as he felt his bod
y responding to the closeness of her form. A tightening of his muscles, the feeling of blood coursing and rushing through his body. Blake had not often felt himself truly aroused by a female, the experience was almost as uncomfortable for him as the idea of having a conversation with someone, but somehow this thin wisp of a woman was drawing him in. Blake could feel the pull she seemed to have.
He hadn’t even thought to check on Riley and the girls, his focus was solely trained on the amber eyes of the woman before him. He stepped back from her arms, reaching up and pulling her arms away from him. Blake turned to walk away again, the need to get away from her and the crowded place welling up in him.
“Well,” she sighed, “You certainly are a surprise. Here I thought fire dragons were supposed to be full of passion. You are positively frigid!” She laughed, slapping him lightly on the butt as she fell into step with him.
He frowned at the contact. What was it with personal boundaries? Did no one keep their hands to themselves? Despite his anger, she was pulling his attention back in again. Blake felt the sway she held on his attention, it was as if as much as he tried to fight, the stronger the appeal was. She seemed to understand Blake, or at least that was the impression that was flooding over him.
The woman swayed lithely back and forth to the music as she walked, her hips keeping time with the driving bass that was still pumping through the room. The crowd seemed to press closer and closer around them, until she was dancing up against him.
Blake was consumed with the urge to place his hands on her and pull her closer against him, but realizing just how bizarre a reaction that would be he fought it again. He side-stepped away from the woman, forcing his way through the crowd without much care for if people would move out of his way or if he needed to move them. Whatever the woman was or wasn’t, he didn’t like the confined space and humans crowding all around him.
The Uprising (Moonlight Wolves Book 3) Page 61
