by Gray Holborn
El dragged Luis and Kay onto the floor almost immediately, while Jax, Soren, and I stayed behind to nurse our drinks for a few moments. When Soren leaned towards me with a question in his eyes, I realized immediately why Ellie had elegantly divided the group. I shook my head at him after glancing around the club, confirming no glow in sight, while Jax stared at the floor and bar in amazement, no doubt because there wasn’t a single clue that a fire broke out here only a week ago.
“Alright, Black, keep an eye out.” Soren nudged Jax, “you and I will make a sweep, see if we see anything unusual.”
Left alone at the side of the bar, my brain was firing off all kinds of crazy while I watched Kay latch onto Luis, swaying seductively against him. I tried to dissect whatever the uncomfortable feeling in my gut was, but I was always bad at understanding my own emotions. That’s what I had El for. While my first guess was jealousy, I couldn’t help but sense that wasn’t quite it; it was more like a realization that some part of my world was shifting or coming into focus.
Whatever that feeling was, I threw back my drink in an attempt to drown it out, and turned back towards the bar for another helping. Unfortunately, no matter how much I winked and made pouty faces at the beautiful bartender, I didn’t hold the same appeal for him as Jax did. Still, he laughed off my abysmal attempts at flirtation and charged me for a single, even though he gave me a double. I’d put that in the win column.
Pushing over my boozy new drink, he leaned towards me with a smile. “I’ll give you cheap drinks all night if you talk me up to your delicious friend. Deal?” He paused, laughter clear on his stunning face. There was something about him that just made you fall instantly in like. “And if you promise to never do that winky thing again. It looked like a bug flew in your eye.” Yup, he was practically a backup El or Luis already.
“Fair enough.” I smiled back at him, taking a sip of his concoction, my body already starting to loosen up from the alcohol.
Too tired to dance, I people watched for a while, chatting with the bartender whenever he had a split second—until the sensitive skin on my neck started to tingle from the feel of warm breath skirting against it.
“Do you see anyone glowing or the fire-manipulator?”
And the deep timbre of Soren’s voice was making other parts tingle.
Swallowing quickly to throw off the momentary attraction—seriously, supernaturals were going to be the death of me—I whipped around, only to find myself caged by his imposing frame, impossibly close. Even over the smell of alcohol and sweaty bodies, his fresh scent washed over me.
My eyes locked onto his, acutely aware of how very close we were to each other and how very bad that could be once the alcohol started to kick in. I wasn’t known for subtlety once my inhibitions were down. Like at all.
He cleared his throat, releasing the tension that held his posture, his fists opening and closing twice. Quickly, I began to scan the club again, but I still didn’t see any ethereal glowage going on. I told him as much. With one more intense look my way, he pushed himself off the bar and disappeared into the crowd. If it were anyone but Soren, I would guess he went to dance, but knowing him he went to sulk and question cagey looking people by the entrance. The guy was allergic to fun.
“Now that one, honey, is smoldering.” I jumped and spun around at the bartender’s voice. “Do yourself a favor and don’t try to flirt with him, you’ll have a better shot at bagging him if you don’t.”
“I’m not going to bag him. He’s my best friend’s brother. That’s asking for a brand of trouble I have no interest in.” I paused, forcing myself to remember other reasons for not jumping his bones. It took less than half of a second. “Plus he’s a jerk with the personality of a thimble.”
“Ah, understood. If he’s your best friend’s blood, best to avoid any intimacy. I know his type, only good for a one-nighter. Super hot, sweaty, mind-blowing one-nighter, obviously—but if you’ll have to encounter him again, potentially not worth it. At least probably not worth it. If it were me, I might take the risk. But good point, did seem like he had a stick up his ass.” With one last wink, he turned around to a huddle of guys, ready to take their orders.
I might steal his number from Jax when I got the chance, the dude was seriously easy to talk to.
I finished the rest of my drink just in time for Jax to grab my arm and pull me towards El for some dancing. Any anxiety or unfamiliar feelings in my gut were long forgotten thanks to the tender caress of vodka.
Jax danced with us for a few songs before casually slipping away, no doubt sifting through all the sexual tension in the club for a little pick-me-up. Personally, I hoped he hit up the bartender—the guy definitely earned some of Jax’s prime attention tonight. El and I danced together for half an hour, reproducing every dorky and awkward move we’d ever seen. Kay and Luis were gyrating a few feet away and I smiled at the tension in Luis’s stance. The guy hated dancing. During a slower song, El started to waltz by herself, somehow making it look sexy and not depressing, until a cute black-haired girl asked her to dance. Smiling at how quickly a new partner had nabbed her, I looked up, my eyes meeting Soren’s across the room. The intensity I found in them had me looking away only a moment later.
“I’m going to go grab a water, I’ll find you guys in a few minutes.” I whispered to El, smiling while she curled into the embrace of the girl. When I found my new best friend at the bar, he had a water iced and ready for me before I could even open my mouth. Taking long, steady sips I felt myself instantly cool down. I smacked my lips together—he even added in some fresh mint leaves. I shoved some cash at him for a tip, but he shook his head no and wandered back to some of his other demanding customers. As a server myself, I knew the value of a tip, so I slipped the cash under the coaster anyway, knowing he’d find it eventually and be pleased.
As the water successfully left me feeling refreshed, I placed the empty glass down, ready to return to the dance floor. And that’s when I saw the glow on the other side of the bar. Bathed in gold was a beautiful woman with light brown skin and dark wavy hair. Her eyes were almond shaped and serious.
It was the fire-manipulator. She was standing next to a tall, stunning woman whose blond, bobbed hair hid her face. The blond was bathed in a similar golden aura. But even more shocking was the arm that she rested her demure hand on—
Michael’s arm. His face was leaned in close to her neck, the two holding a conversation, as cozy as if they were in their own little world.
I froze, unable to quell the sinking feeling in my gut. It wasn’t just that he was here with another girl. We hadn’t defined our relationship or anything. No, even more than the twinge of jealousy was the disappointment that he’d lied about his studygroup tonight. And even more than that, he’d wound up catching the eyes of a supe. Which meant that on top of everything, I was afraid that the woman, or her friend, was going to turn him into a fireball. The fire-manipulator’s eyes met mine, opened in surprise, and then she glanced back at her leggy friend and Michael. I watched as she whispered into the blond’s ear, and as the blonde in turn whispered seductively into his, her lips pressed to the shell of his ear. Definitely not a studygroup.
“What’s wrong?” Soren leaned next to me, confusion on his face as his eyes traced my features and the battle of jealousy, hurt, and fear that likely played out on them. He followed my gaze and stiffened as he recognized Michael. “Oh. Shit, that’s your boyfriend.” He paused, anger spreading across his features. “Sorry Black. The guy’s clearly a dick.” My shock gave me only a nanosecond to register the sincerity in his tone; strange since I’d only expected mockery from him.
“Not my boyfriend. She’s a supe.” My voice was so soft I almost wasn’t sure if he heard it.
“You see the glow? Maybe she’s a feeder, has him entranced?” The words were somehow both icy and gentle.
“Gold glow. Not just one supe. The woman standing next to her is the fire-manipulator.” I looked up at him, sensing his desi
re to go over and eavesdrop, to pick up any information about the people after El. “Go,” I nudged him forward, “you should go check her out. I think I’m going to head home. Can you let El know I left?”
Before he had a chance to raise the objection on his lips, I waved goodbye to the bartender and turned to leave. When Soren and I looked back across the bar, both manipulators were gone. His eyes met mine as I scanned every individual in the around, but there wasn’t a single glow. Neither of them were anywhere to be found. Soren took off, likely in an attempt to catch them outside. And in the nanosecond it took for them to disappear and for Soren to disappear after them, Michael’s eyes met mine. They were wide and surprised, and I backed into the crowd and made my own escape.
Chapter Ten
I was in a dark room with Ellie, the walls dripping with muddy water. She looked behind me and pointed to Michael as he stalked across the room. His black hair was uncharacteristically swept back and neat, the dark depths of his irises that were usually warm and inviting, unusually cold. He stooped over to pull me up and drew me into his arms. My eyes closed as he bent to kiss me; but instead of anticipation, I was filled with a sense of dread. Instead of his lips on mine, all I felt was the humid air of the room. When he pulled away from me, Michael was gone. In his place, Luis was looking down at me with blood pouring out of his mouth. He tried speaking, but I heard nothing but gurgling as ugly red bubbles escaped from his lips. His sad eyes met mine, and I felt the hard accusation there before he blinked it away and turned to leave. I reached for his arms to pull him back, but my hands were immobile and my arms fell to the floor in heavy shackles. Luis began laughing and shaking, transforming once again until a creature with no face stood in the spot he occupied moments ago. On top of its neck, where a head should be, there was nothing but a large mouth and rows of sharp, shark-like teeth. The monster pushed me aside and bent over El tearing her apart while I watched. It let out an earth-rattling shriek that rang through my ears, bits of her flesh stuck between its teeth like spinach. Her eyes were empty and lifeless, the rest of her lay on the ground in unrecognizable ribbons. I blinked and suddenly the monster was gone and I was the one standing over El, ripping her into shreds. The monster’s shriek grew louder, turning slowly into a cry of pain.
When a shove pushed me awake, I realized that the inhuman sound was coming from me. Sweat was dripping down my forehead and I couldn’t catch my breath. I touched my face, my mouth, my teeth. I was not the monster. El was fine. My room was still bathed in the darkness of early dawn, so I couldn’t have been asleep for more than a few hours.
I didn’t need the fading moonlight to recognize Soren standing over me—the gold aura emanating from him highlighted all of his features. His hair was swept back like usual, so light it was practically glowing. The gray of his eyes swirled through different shades, as if deciding on which one to land; the scar near his left eye was made more visible in the soft pale light. He was striking.
“You were screaming. I could hear you through the wall.”
“Bad dream, sorry. You can go back to bed.” I fluffed my pillow, trying to cover the shaking in my voice, the trembling in my fingers. I turned away from him and closed my eyes, hoping that when sleep took me back under, it would be gentler with its dreams.
I felt him waiting next to my bed, neither of us fooled that I’d be getting any more sleep this morning.
“Too late, Black. I’m already up. Let’s go.” He ripped the covers off of me and I felt the cold sting of the morning air against my skin.
I shot up, standing on my mattress to put my glare in line with his. But I stood up too quickly, my body still not quite as awake as my brain, and rested my hand on his shoulder to steady myself. It was too early for this shit and I was in no mood. “Go where?”
His eyes weren’t looking into mine, despite being level, but dropped down to my feet and slowly made their way back up. The familiar tick in his jaw returned and he took two large steps away from me, leaving my power-stance comically unbalanced.
“You woke me up, the least you can do is join me for a run. Besides, running will help you shake off the rest of that dream. I’ll be outside when you’re ready.” He turned and left without another word.
I brushed my hair back after tackling the morning breath and threw on a pair of yoga pants with a sports bra and loose tank.
No voices trickled into my room, so I suspected no one else was pulled from sleep by my childish nightmares. I fell asleep long before the rest of the group made it back, giving me a blessed reprieve from having to talk to El about my Michael-related feelings in the middle of the night.
I closed my bedroom door quietly, prepared to tiptoe through the kitchen and outside. It was going really well too, the quiet graceful thing. Until I turned my head briefly and found myself slammed into a wall. Only the wall wasn’t where the wall usually was.
My head travelled up the half a foot to reach Soren’s eyes, while I forced my own to avoid paying attention to the very thin T-shirt separating us both.
“I lied—you didn’t wake me up, so don’t worry. I was on my way out for a jog anyway.” His voice seemed louder than usual, surrounded by so much silence.
The tension from last night was so strong in my bones, that I was sure he could sense my discomfort.
“So, you’ll join me?” His tone gentled, as if he could sense my not-so-put-together-state this morning. And I silently thanked him a thousand times for not mentioning Michael and the awkward shitshow that was last night. Or the fact that my desire to bail the club by myself, midway through the night, was far below playing it cool.
“Yeah, okay. But just so you know, you need to keep up. I’m not slowing down for you.” I mustered a smile at my ability to be cheeky this early in the morning.
“Deal.” He grinned, his lips pulling up into a barely noticeable, but super rare smirk that had my stomach flipping in a really annoying way.
In true Soren fashion, our run was carried out in silence. I found myself surprisingly grateful for his steady and strong presence, not laced with the usual animosity that radiated off of him. He was by no means a Care Bear all of a sudden, but he’d gentled towards me a bit this morning. With our feet padding along on concrete, our lungs filling with fresh morning air, we jogged our way into a temporary and easy companionship, neither of us naive enough to think it would last beyond this morning run.
Slowly, I felt the anxiety and frustration melt away from me. While I was still pissed Michael felt the need to lie about his plans, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. We never had the “exclusive” chat, and maybe he was uncomfortable telling me he had a date. With that decided, I tried to come to terms with how I felt about him seeing other people, with the slow and steady breaths of Soren acting as my own personal soundtrack while I sorted through my feelings. Jealous, a little, but I realized I didn’t have hard feelings for Michael. This was more an insecure sort of jealousy, that he wanted to be with someone who wasn’t me. Not the kind of jealousy that stemmed from me needing to be with him, that can’t eat can’t breathe kind of need.
The realization came with a deep breath of relief. Maybe this whole running thing wasn’t as bad as I thought. Still devil’s work, mind you. And I’d forever be leery of people who enjoyed running marathons when they could be marathoning Netflix, but it wasn’t the pure form of torture I’d thought it was at the beginning of the week.
My mind comfortably settled on the happenings at Inferno last night, I found it wandering more and more in the direction of Soren. He’d pulled a few feet ahead of me half a mile ago, as if sensing I needed space to sort things out. Then again, maybe I was giving his empathy levels too much credit; maybe he just got sick of keeping perfect pace with me, but wasn’t so much of an asshole as to leave me completely in the dust. Either way, trailing a few feet behind him left a pretty decent view on my horizon. His dark black shorts were baggy, but they still revealed the impressive push and pull of his muscles. And do
n’t get me started on the muscles in his back, easily visible through the sweat-coated thin cotton shirt he wore. Not that I’d ever admit to perusing that view enthusiastically. Like ever.
After a couple of miles, I was starting to hate running with a fiery passion again—the tightness in my side making each drag of air painful and unfulfilling. Judging by Soren’s steady breath and focus, the casual observer would think we’d done nothing but walk to the end of the driveway. Maybe it was a supe thing? Theoretically he could transform into a panther like El. And that girl had more energy than anyone I knew. Plus, there was the whole trained guard thing. He probably could have gone on for miles longer. In fact, he was probably one of those people who enjoyed running marathons, probably even placed first. Alrighty, back to hating him then—that temporary peace treaty deteriorated real quick.
When I thought my legs were going to collapse under me, I realized Soren had directed us back to my street. Maybe he was paying attention to my spiraling exhaustion and wasn’t such an asshat after all. Not that I’d tell him; the dude’s ego didn’t need any favors.
As our jog slowed to a crawl, I noticed Charlotte standing outside on my lawn in front of the porch steps. Her back was to me as we approached, one of those spiraly and stiff santa hats perched strangely on her head. Seriously, I didn’t know if I was dying to get a peek into her closet, or avoiding that experience like my life depended on it. The look on Soren’s face went from slightly amused to tense, angry even. When I looked back to Charlotte as we closed in on home, I realized why—Michael was sitting on the bottom porch step, fresh baked cookie in hand.
As soon as he saw me, he stood up quickly. “Odessa, hey.” He threw a wary glance back at Soren who was standing a good five feet behind me. From the firm look on his face, I was guessing he wouldn’t be giving us any privacy. Neither would Char for that matter. Once her hand was planted like that on her waist, the woman couldn’t be persuaded to budge.
