Dangerous Lovers

by Becca Vincenza

  Two cigarettes later, she returned with two big bags in hand and an even bigger smile on her face. “I got you a new pair of tennis shoes and a pair of really cute black flats,” she informed me.

  “You know the way to my heart.” I laughed. “Did they charge you?”

  “Yeah, but I had enough. It’s so weird that no one is making you pay for anything.”

  “You’re telling me.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  We went back to my room so we could get ready. I put on a new pair of jeans and a black, V-neck T-shirt with my new black flats. Nelly wore a red halter-top and a cute pair of jeans. I left my hair down, and it hung down my back in long, dark waves. I even let Nelly apply a little mascara. I never wore much make-up. Not because I thought I was just that beautiful, but because it’s not practical for most of my activities.

  We left the dorms and headed toward the courtyard where Tommy had said to meet him. The boys were standing around joking when we arrived. They all looked really good in different ways. Jackson had on a dark blue and black flannel shirt and jeans, Tommy wore his usual slacks and dress shirt and Daniel had on khakis and a button-up shirt.

  Jackson spotted us first and his eyes lit up upon seeing me. His reddish-brown hair was messy, like always, and his green eyes shone brightly. He looked me head to toe and picked me up off my feet in a hug.

  I have a personal bubble that I didn’t usually like invaded, but I would allow it from Jackson. And maybe Kayden, but I wasn’t even going to think about that tonight.

  “Hey, darling,” he whispered in my ear. “You look absolutely breathtaking.”

  He set me back down on my feet, and I couldn’t help a smile as I shook my head. “Always know what to say, Jack.”

  Jackson just smiled. It dissolved as Tommy grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug. “Let her greet the more important people first.” Okay so maybe Jack, Kayden and Tommy.

  Jackson’s eyes lit up into a golden color and he made a noise that resembled a deep growl. Tommy responded with a crooked smile that flashed his fangs. I rolled my eyes and stepped in between them. The first time I had seen them do this, it was a little bit jarring, but I had gotten used to it over the last week.

  I pushed the hair out of my face and crossed my arms. “Come on, guys, I just got these clothes.”

  Nelly chimed in. “Yeah, I won’t be happy if you make her ruin them already.”

  We all laughed, and Tommy led us to his where his car was parked. I stopped in my tracks when he opened the passenger door of a brand new Mercedes for me.

  “This is your car?” I asked.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I hopped in the front seat, and Jack, Nelly and Daniel took the back. About fifteen minutes later, we reached our destination.

  The house where the party was being held was enormous and elaborate. I leaned forward in my seat as we approached it, gawking at the sheer size of the place. I don’t think I had even seen a house that big in real life. It was more like a mansion, with multiple fountains on the plush lawn and a long driveway already packed with cars. I turned to look at Tommy. “Whose house is this?”

  He turned his face toward me and gave a sly grin. “Mine.”

  I just stared at him. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” he replied with a laugh. “Well, I mean, it’s my dad’s house, but I live here, too.” He pointed to another house that was on the grounds that I assumed was a guest house. “Actually, I stay in that house. That way I can have some privacy from my dad.”

  “Who’s your dad, Bill Gates?”

  He laughed at that and parked the car near the entrance of the house. We all got out and headed toward the front door. Loud music and multiple voices flowed out from behind it. There had to be a lot of people in there to be making that much noise. I felt like turning around and heading back to my dorm, but I pushed my chin up as Tommy opened the door and ushered us inside.

  The house was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. The foyer had a high ceiling and a large staircase wrapped around one side of the room. A gorgeous crystal chandelier hung above us, and the floor was a rich marble. I felt completely out of my element, but that seemed to be happening a lot lately.

  Just as I had expected, there were people everywhere. At least they were all around my age, and seemed to be too involved with drinking and dancing to pay much attention to us. “I’ll go get us some drinks,” said Tommy, speaking loudly as to be heard over the music. “Follow me.”

  Tommy led us over to a pristine living room area, then left to get our drinks. As I took note of our surroundings, I noticed something that made my heart leap in my chest.

  There were Warriors here. They lined the walls, wearing their black uniforms and staring straight ahead. I noticed way too quickly that Kayden was among them. When we walked in, his eyes flicked to me for the briefest of moments before staring straight ahead again.

  We walked over to a very expensive couch, and I plopped down on it. Jackson sat down beside me and put his arm over my shoulder. I suppressed the urge to push him away from me. There was nothing going on between me and Kayden, so I wasn’t going to act like there was.

  Tommy returned a few minutes later, somehow balancing five drinks in his hands. He handed one to each of us, and I looked down at mine to see that it was turquoise in color.

  “What is this?” I asked him.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Alcohol.”

  The others were already diving into theirs, so I took a deep breath and swallowed a big gulp of mine. It was actually pretty good, in a way too-sweet kind of way. I have never really liked drinking… never saw the point. I prefer smoking over drinking, but I was here to have fun, and that’s what I intended on doing. I gulped down the rest of the drink and was glad when I felt my nerves relax a little.

  “Take it easy, babe,” Jackson whispered to me.

  “I’ll be fine,” I told him. I turned to Tommy. “Got any more of this stuff?” I asked, gesturing to my now empty glass.

  “Sure, lots. But maybe you should wait a little while before having another one.”

  I stood up and was surprised when I felt a little light-headed. “I’ll just go get it myself then.”

  Tommy waved his arm to someone holding a tray of more turquoise-colored drinks, and she came over and held out the tray for me to take one.

  Nelly gave me a warning look to tell me I needed to slow down, and I nodded. But after another fifteen minutes, my second drink was empty, and I was feeling… well, wonderful. My friends had started to relax too. We were all laughing at jokes that I’m not sure were even funny.

  A blond-haired girl stumbled toward us. She was well built, probably about three inches taller than my 5’5”, and maybe ten pounds heavier too. She had on way too much makeup and not enough clothing. Her eyeliner was thick and black, her lips painted a bright red that matched her tiny dress. She wasn’t ugly, but I figured that any beauty displayed was owed to products. I reflected for a second on my own attire and wondered what effect she would have on my friends. She smiled when she saw Jackson. My hackles went up, just a little.

  “Hey, Jackson,” she said in voice that I guess was supposed to be sexy.

  Beside me, Jackson shifted. “Hey, Victoria.”

  Victoria’s eyes flicked to me and back to Jack. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend,” she said, shooting another look at me.

  Jack shrugged. “Well, now you do.”

  On the other side of me, Tommy snorted. “How many times do I have to tell you, Kane? Alexa is my girl.”

  I was mortified, but that quickly vanished when Victoria propped a hand on her hip and said, “I don’t see what’s so special.” She eyed me up and down, and I felt anger grip me.

  Before I had a chance to tell this girl off, Nelly spoke up, surprising all of us. “Well, some people don’t have to be half-naked to get a guy’s attention.”

  Victoria snapped her head toward Nelly. Her eyes lit up i
n a golden color that gave her race away. This girl was a Wolf. “Watch your mouth when you speak to me, Searcher,” she spat. “Vocal cords don’t work so well when they’re removed from the throat.”

  I stood up abruptly, grabbed Jackson’s drink from his hand and splashed it right in her face. Everyone in the room turned to look at us. “There,” I said, slurring a little. “Now that you’ve cooled down, I would suggest you watch your mouth when you speak to her.”

  The bitch had the nerve to try to punch me, but I stumbled out of the way and kicked her in the hard in the back, sending her face-first to the ground. The kick made me fall over too, though, and I couldn’t seem to regain my footing. Someone caught me from behind before I hit the ground and jerked me to my feet.

  I looked back to see that it was Kayden. I tried to jerk out of his grasp, but he began hauling me toward the exit. Another Warrior had taken hold of Victoria and was leading her out as well.

  “Guys, it’s okay,” Tommy said to the Warriors. “Let Alexa stay. She’s my date.”

  Kayden shook his head. “I’m sorry, Thomas, but Lord Caslon specifically stated that there are to be no altercations. Troublemakers are to be removed.” He glanced at the drink in Tommy’s hand with barely hidden disgust. “A condition of allowing the alcohol.”

  I shot a look at Kayden, who just kept dragging me toward the exit. I wasn’t the troublemaker here; she had started it. The others started to follow us outside, but I told them to stay. I wanted to have a word with Kayden. Who the hell did he think he was—my father? I was also pretty embarrassed about being tossed out, and I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do in my drunken state.

  When we got outside, the Warrior escorting Victoria released her and told her to head back to her dorm. She had a few parting words for me.

  “See you around, Warrior,” she spat.

  I smiled, my knees going weak. If Kayden hadn’t been holding me up, I might have fallen over right there. “I look forward to it.”

  I thought Kayden was going to release me, too. Instead, he led me out to a spot on the large lawn where a stone bench sat near a fountain.

  “Sit,” he ordered.

  “I’m not a dog,” I snapped, but I sat down anyway because I was finding it difficult to stand on my own.

  I looked up at him, and he looked just a gorgeous as I remembered. Maybe even more so, but that may have had something to do with the fact that I was blasted out of my mind. His hair was pulled back from his face tonight in a short blond ponytail on the back of his head. He had shaved, I noticed, though he still had a handsome amount of facial hair covering his strong jaw and presently downturned mouth. His golden eyes were watching me with that intensity that always made my breath short.

  “What?” I slurred. “The picture I gave you not satisfying your need?” I knew I sounded stupid, but the thin filter that I usually had to keep me from speaking my mind had disintegrated into nothing.

  “You’re drunk,” he replied.

  I rolled my eyes. “Well, aren’t we observant?” I took out a cigarette and lit it up.

  He moved so fast that it took me a second to realize he was standing over me. I squared my shoulders and tilted my head back so I could look him right in the eyes, refusing to be intimidated. His gaze was so dark and serious that I had to clench my fists so that I wouldn’t flinch.

  “Why?” he asked in a low voice.

  “Why what?”

  “Why do you insist on doing things that are destructive to you?”

  I raised my eyebrows, experiencing a momentary loss of brain function with him being so close to me. I crossed my arms and returned his stare. “I am not self-destructive.”

  “Oh, really? Then why are you picking fights with Wolves, smoking cigarettes, and completely drunk?”

  Anger welled up in me, and I shot to my feet and glared up at him. His proximity made my frustration fade a little, but I was still very much pissed off. “How dare you stand there and throw judgments at me. You cannot possibly understand why I do the things I do.”

  He gripped my arms gently, and his touch made my anger fade a little more. “Then, explain to me, Alexa. Why do you cause harm to yourself?”

  I tried not to answer him. I tried really hard, but while staring straight into his golden eyes and with him touching me, I knew that was a losing battle. Maybe it was an effect of the alcohol, but I doubted it. He always made me want to pour my heart out, which was the reason I’d told him to stay away from me in the first place.

  I dropped my head and took a slow breath. “Because sometimes… Sometimes I have to let it out somehow. It’s like I walk around with a fire inside of me, and the slightest spark can set me off.” I took a breath. “You saw what I did to Daniel. You’ve seen how I react to even the tiniest insult. I can’t help it. I try to control myself, but this raw anger grips me, and then I can’t seem to think straight.”

  Kayden closed the distance between us and rested his chin on my head. Wrapping his arms around me, he exhaled slowly. “Oh, Alexa.”

  His warmth surrounding me, I felt my anger completely dissipate. I felt happy, like I always did when he held me. I knew I had missed him, but the intensity of those feelings seemed to smack me in the face as I stood in his arms. I wanted to just close my eyes and go to sleep, because everything seemed like it was right in the world. The cigarette I’d been holding fell soundlessly to the ground.

  Someone behind me cleared their throat, and Kayden and I broke apart abruptly. Just like that the moment was over. I turned around to see Nelly standing there.

  She looked embarrassed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She gave me a significant look and jerked her chin toward the house. A few seconds later, Jackson and Daniel came out of the front door and started heading in our direction.

  I smiled a thank you at her. I didn’t consider myself Jackson’s girlfriend, but I did like him. He was a wonderful guy, and I didn’t want to think about what would have happened if he would have stepped outside and seen me and Kayden in an embrace. Nelly always had my back.

  When they reached us, Jackson flicked his eyes between Kayden and me, and then his gaze settled on me. “You alright, darling?” he drawled, flicking his eyes back to Kayden.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I think I just need to lie down.” Before I pass out on the very comfortable-looking grass.

  Jackson came over and hooked his arm around my back. “I figured. I came to walk you back.”

  “I’ll be fine. You guys shouldn’t leave because of me.”

  Jackson gave me a look that said he’d have no argument. “Why would I want to stay if you’re leaving? Come on, let’s get you back.” “Where’s Tommy?” I asked.

  “It’s his house, he can’t just leave. Besides, he’s obliterated.” Jack shrugged. “Who cares anyway? I’m here.”

  Before we headed out, I turned to back to Kayden. He was already heading back toward the house. “See you around,” I mumbled.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  I fell into a deep sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. The next morning, I had a terrible headache, and my stomach felt like it might decide to turn itself inside-out. I showered and got dressed anyway, hoping that a nice run would help me to recover. It was funny, I had always thought I hated running. But now that my mother wasn’t here to insist that I do it, my body seemed to insist for her.

  I stopped by Nelly’s dorm to see if she wanted to join me. I was surprised when I opened the door to find her lacing up her tennis shoes.

  “Hey, where are you going?” I asked.

  She looked me up and down. “I was just about to come see if you wanted to go for a run with me,” she said.

  I smiled. “You read my mind.”

  Her hazel eyes lit up. “No, I didn’t. But we haven’t gone on a run in while, and I thought maybe I could use it.”

  We headed out, running to no place in particular, and I realized how much I’d missed doing this with her. It was a beautiful day o
utside and the sun shone brightly above us. We ran until we came to a large lake and then we both stopped to take a rest.

  Sitting down in the grass, I admired the beauty around us. The sky was perfectly blue with only a few wispy clouds scattered here and there. The air felt warm and fresh, and a sweet breeze cooled us as we sat side by side.

  “You seem happy this morning,” Nelly commented.

  I lay back on the grass and my smile grew even more. “I am,” I told her truthfully.

  Her brow creased for a moment, and I raised my eyebrows. “What?”

  She shook her head and offered me one of her award-winning smiles. “Nothing.”

  I sat up and looked at her, waiting for an answer.

  She blew out a heavy breath. “I just can’t help but wonder if it has anything to do with seeing Kayden last night.”

  I opened my mouth to tell her that that had nothing to do with it, but stopped when I considered what she was saying. I did always feel better after being with him, so maybe he had a stronger effect on my moods than I had noticed. I really liked Jackson. He made me happy, but he didn’t make the anger that was always inside of me go away the way Kayden did. Even Nelly, whom I loved more than anything, and whom I enjoyed being around more than anyone, didn’t make me happy the way Kayden did. He made me happy in a very different way, a way that made me feel balanced and complete. This realization was as shocking as it was scary.

  I turned to Nelly. “Do you think that he, like, put a spell on me or something?”

  It was a ridiculously crazy conclusion to jump to, but really, what wasn’t crazy about all of this? I still couldn’t get over the fact that I wasn’t human.

  She considered this and then slowly shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think I would have seen that.”

  “How would you have seen it?”

  A guilty look came over her face. “Don’t be mad, okay?”

  “I hate when you say that.”

  “Well, just don’t be. I Searched him a while ago, when I first started to notice the effect he seemed to have on you.”