Squinting at it, she rubbed her hands on her pants. “What is it? A giant dictionary?”
Thumbing the torn edges, I placed it on my desk. “Not exactly. Just... something for research.”
Laughing, she tossed her hair with an exaggerated shake of her head. “Ugh. It's the weekend, this is the time for fun! Not extra class work or whatever. Come on,” she said, leaning down and gripping my shoulders. “I was thinking of going out tonight with Ethan, why not come with? Stewart will be there again.”
Her wink made me gag. “Oh, uh, no thanks.”
“Then invite your secret boy there, Nethiun or whatever.”
Imagining the blonde twaelin hanging out at the club brought a nervous sweat across my back. “I don't think that's going to happen.”
Folding her arms, she leveled her eyes at me. “You walked in on me having half-naked makeouts. You owe it to me to come out tonight.”
Gaping, I shook my head slowly. “Becky, that's not fair. We went out last night! Also, I thought I was forgiven?”
“Nope! Now you have to come, or I'll give you the silent treatment.”
Lowering my eyebrows, I cupped my cheeks petulantly. “You're awful. Fine. But keep that Stewart guy away from me, got it?”
Laughing, she dug into the closet, pulling out a pair of particularly tall heels. “Let me help you get ready, and it's a deal.”
Groaning, I rolled across my bed like a kid whining about dinner. “Becky, no.”
“Let's look our best if we're going to hit the town! Besides,” she said slyly, holding up a slinky piece in emerald and gold, “I've got just the thing for you.”
I immediately regretted asking for her forgiveness.
****
The club was called something ridiculous, the 'Pink Leopard' or some such. I didn't know, I wanted to forget the night already.
Squeezing through the crowds of people, dressed only in the form-fitting dress Becky had essentially blackmailed me into wearing, I wanted to scream.
Wanted to scream at people to move, to get off of me, to put on better deodorant. Everything was sticky and humid and smelled like ham.
Why didn't I just notice the dumb sock.
Sighing, I followed Becky until we broke through into a slightly less packed section of the dark club. It was hard to see, everyone was dimmed by the lack of good lighting. Occasionally, an awful black light would wriggle to life, lighting my dress and peoples' teeth in electric blue fire.
“Hey! Ethan!” The raven haired girl, dressed in a silver mini-dress that made mine look like a nun's habit, pulled away.
Blinking, I saw her hug someone tight, giggling against his neck. It wasn't until she planted a fat wet kissed on his sculpted cheek that I got a good look at him.
Like every guy I saw Becky with, this one belonged in some sort of fashion magazine. The bones on his face were set high, giving him an exotic look that matched what I thought was richly tanned skin.
Lean, his body displayed in skinny jeans and a form fitting V-neck, I wondered if he was from another country.
He saw me staring, met my boring grey eyes with his own burning orbs of rich gold. Taken aback by the intensity of his gaze, I just stood there, full on deer in headlights mode.
Smiling so wide her gums showed, Becky wrapped an arm around his thin waist and looked my way. “Gale, this is Ethan.”
Is my mouth hanging open?
Clearing my throat, ignoring the odd flutter in my belly, I stepped closer. Instantly, I regretted my heels. My ankle shifted, sending me stumbling on a one way trip to the hard floor.
Wincing, I threw my arms out, ready to hit. Instead, something caught me around my shoulders, stopping my descent.
Even with that, I crumbled slightly to the floor. Lifting my head, half-kneeling, I found my nose almost touching Ethan's.
Oh, shit.
Staring into the hot centers of his eyes, I couldn't breathe. “That was close,” he chuckled, lifting me up until I found my balance.
Looking over his shoulder, I saw Becky was watching me with an expression I'd never seen her aim at me.
Is that... jealousy?
“You okay?” he asked, leaning in to get my attention. An awkward laugh exploded from me, my hands pushing him away as I retreated to create space.
“Uh, yes! Totally fine. Not—not even a thing. Haha.” My tiny laugh faded, but my humiliation lingered firmly.
Becky stepped between us, her hand going possessively to the chest of the chestnut haired boy. “Well then, glad you guys met. Let's go get a drink Gale, hmn?”
“I... yes. Sure. Let's do that.” Deliberately, I made myself look at her face instead of Ethan's. Letting her grip my wrist, we pushed back into the writhing crowd.
We hadn't gone far before she turned back to me, hurt boiling in her big blue eyes. “Gale, what was that about?”
“Sorry?” I asked, knowing what she meant, but not sure how to address it. “What are you—”
“Back there, with Ethan! I've never seen you flirt before, but that guy is off limits for practice.”
Clenching my hands at my sides, I gave my head a wild shake. Becky had tamed my ginger locks somewhat, weaving them into a tight braid. Now, those heavy tresses slapped against my shoulders. “I wasn't flirting!”
“That was definitely flirting!”
“I—no! No no no! Ugh, Becky,” I growled, my hands slicing the air in anger. “I wasn't, and wouldn't, flirt with the guy you're seeing.”
Glowering at me, she surveyed the set of my eyebrows, seemed to find it convincing. “Alright. Just... stay out of his arms, that's my place. I live there, okay?”
I went to tuck my hair behind my ears out of habit, finding I couldn't. “Of course. You got it, don't worry.”
“Besides,” she mused, returning to her normal teasing mood, “I thought you had a guy you were interested in.”
Staring at her blankly, I realized what she was talking about. “Nethiun? Oh, no, it isn't—”
Waving her hand, she cut me off and pushed towards the bar. “I'm going to try and get them to serve me an actual drink, wish me luck!”
Left alone in a sea of people, the lights flashing over my head, I watched my roommate vanish among all the bodies.
The music pumped through the air, but I hardly heard it. I was stuck in my thoughts, thoughts that kept repeating the same words through my head. A guy I'm interested in...
Breathing in till my belly hurt, I let the air whoosh past my lips. The inside of my eyelids were a calming darkness. All together, taking a moment to myself, I felt a bit calmer.
Becky means well, but she just has no idea what's going on right now. How could she?
Maybe I should just go with it tonight and try and have some fun, though. It isn't like I can really do much else. I'm too tired to go back and pour over the pages of that giant book.
The truth was I really couldn't do anything about my situation, so why not just sink in and enjoy the change of scenery?
Letting the tension release from my shoulders, I opened my eyes with a sense of freedom. A freedom that was smashed on the virtual rocks immediately when I saw the person standing right in front of me.
Nethiun.
“What are you doing here?” I gasped, staring around in a panic.
Blinking, he lifted his eyebrows to his hairline. “That's not much of a greeting.”
Covering my mouth, I stared at him in the dim lighting. Even here, his grin was curved as a scythe. “You can't be here. Becky will see you!”
“Is that a problem?” He didn't seem worried one bit. Dressed as he was, that same pair of crisp trousers and his slick, tight button down, he would have fit right in with the
young crowd of people.
But I knew better. I knew what he was.
Stepping forward, I tried to lower my voice, but the place was roaring with music and I needed to be heard. “Your eyes,” I hissed.
Lifting a hand to his ear, he leaned closer to me. “Sorry, my what?”
“Your eyes!” I shouted, nose almost brushing his temple. When he turned back to face me, the tip of his actually did touch mine.
Shocked at the abrupt contact, the feel of his marble skin, I found myself looking deeply into those severe orbs of his. Only...
Only, this time, they looked almost normal. Still far lighter than any human eye should be, but they didn't seem to eat the very glow of the lights away.
It was like hot-white silver dollars looking back at me, shiny and new. I was transfixed, and might have stood there stupidly if Becky's voice hadn't piped up beside me.
“Gale?” She moved into the corner of my vision, letting me break away. My face was flushed, I could feel it acutely. “Oh, Becky!”
Blinking, she tilted her head, dark ringlets falling over her throat. “And who is this fine gentleman we have here?”
I didn't have time to speak up. The twaelin leaned towards my friend, tucking his chin in a tiny bow. “Now, that's a greeting. I'm Nethiun, and you're Becky, it seems.”
Understanding washed over her face. An awful, gut wrenching understanding. “You're Nethiun? Oh my gosh, wow, I guess it would take a guy as cute as you to break Gale out of her shell!”
I wondered how many people I could knock down if I ran away right then.
Chuckling, the blonde glanced at me knowingly. “Shell, you say.”
Giggling, the busty girl offered me up one of the cups she held. “Here, I got this for you. Drink up, come join Ethan and I when you're ready.” The way she drawled the word 'ready' made my belly seize.
Then she was gone, sashaying her way through the gyrating masses like she was a surfer on the waves.
Gripping the glass, I eyed Nethiun, debating my next sentence carefully. “How are your eyes, you know, not freaky anymore?”
“Freaky?” He mouthed the word, clearly not liking it. “Ah. It seemed prudent to blend in a bit more, so I simply took note and changed them.”
Simply changed them, as if it's so easy. It does help, though, I suppose. No one will notice how inhuman he is, looking as he does.
Lowering the drink Becky had given me, I studied him warily. “Asking why you're here, that'd get me the usual answer I assume.”
“Correct,” he replied, grinning that infuriating way of his. “However, why are you here, my dear Gale?” Arching an eyebrow, he looked me up and down without a hint of subtlety.
The swath of exposed skin across my chest went hot with my discomfort under his curious stare. Placing a hand over my smear of cleavage, I frowned. “That...! Look, it isn't your business. I'm just here to try and have a good time, okay?”
“Oh, it's fine. This is an interesting change of scenery, is all.” Turning in place, he folded his hands behind his back. “A lot of different energies here, it's intriguing.”
Intriguing? Blinking a few times, I waited for him to look my way again. “Is that a figure of speech, or can you really feel the energy in here?”
Nethiun smiled, like I'd asked if the sky was really blue. “Of course, you wouldn't know.”
“Wouldn't know what?”
Tilting his head down, his breath sliding over my earlobe, he whispered. “Twaelin like to feed off of human emotions.”
Jumping backwards, I stared at him in abject horror. “E—excuse me? You do what now?”
“Almost exclusively negative emotions,” he explained, not seeming bothered by such a clinical admission. “Though the ones in between, the types that mix, those can be just as good.”
Placing a hand over my thumping heart, I felt my eyes starting to hurt from lack of blinking. “You're eating my feelings as we speak?”
Laughing gently, the blonde man hooked his thumbs in his hip pockets. “Does that bother you?”
“Of course it bothers me!” Remembering the drink in my hand, I lifted it for a long sip. I could see my fingers shaking, white-knuckled around the glass. The liquid burned, making it clear that Becky had succeeded in fooling the bartender about her age.
Nethiun's smile faded at the edges. “It isn't something you should even notice. Once those energies leave your being, they might as well not be yours. Think of it like... shedding skin.”
That isn't helping the image, I thought, disgruntled. “Everything I learn about you bothers me more and more.”
“To be fair,” he said, raising a finger, “you know very little about me.”
I couldn't argue that.
Sipping more of the cold drink, I made a face. “I wish she had just gotten me soda.” I hope this doesn't go to my head.
The tall man reached out, suggesting he wanted to see the glass. Unsure, I held it out, giving it to him. “Not a fan of alcohol?” he asked, sniffing it curiously.
“Kind of, mostly I don't like breaking the law. Speaking of which, am I risking trouble by letting you have that?”
“Hardly,” he snorted. “I'm plenty old enough?”
“How old are we talking?”
Narrowing his eyes, he tilted it back and took a demure mouthful. Biting my tongue, I watched him mill over the flavor. “Oh, around a few hundred, give or take. Hmn, not terrible.”
Around a few hundred... somehow, that seems the tamest fact, considering. Taking it back with some hesitancy, I made note of where his lips had touched. “You can taste regular food, then.”
“Of course. Why wouldn't I be able to?”
Because you suck up emotions, apparently, I thought to myself. I didn't have the guts to say it out loud. “I should go find Becky and Ethan.”
His nod was sharp. “Certainly, let's go.”
“Oh, no, you aren't coming.”
His smirk indicated he knew I couldn't stop him. “And why not?”
Scrubbing my eyes, smudging the mascara Becky had painted on me, I groaned. “Because my silly roommate is already giving me enough trouble tonight.”
Shrugging into his ears, he stared at me. “So you assume I'll make more trouble?”
“Yes! Of course you will, lord knows she's already got her mind made up that—guh.” Covering my mouth, a shot a quick, worried look up at him.
Nethiun blinked, his mouth twisting into a thin line. “Her mind is made up about what?”
Shaking my head, my braid a dangerous weapon that smacked a random guy behind me in the close quarters, I said nothing.
Slow as molasses, his lips turned up higher at the edges. “Oh my. She's really convinced that there's something going on between us, isn't she?”
Again, I just shook my head.
Chuckling for a good long moment, Nethiun slipped around me like smoke in a breeze. Easily, his arm circled my waist. Again, I regretted the thin dress.
Shivering, I was too shocked to fight. He guided me a few steps before I found my voice. “Hey! W—what are you doing? Nethiun, hey!”
I'd never had a man touch me like that. Thinking about it, that weird tall blonde man who was entirely not a man, or a human one, anyway, was becoming a lot of my firsts.
This has to stop.
But I didn't dig in my heels or argue. In hushed awe, feeling his palm holding me tight by his side, I followed him back towards Becky.
She was stuffed like a sausage into a silver casing; bursting out of her top, grinding her hip against Ethan while he spoke into her ear.
The instant we arrived, though, those bright gold eyes bounced up at us. He looked at me, then glared at Nethiun.
<
br /> It was a look that, initially, I could have passed off as some weird machismo stand-off. Even if it didn't fit, even if the very idea that two men might play a game of chest bumping to win my affection was so far from my everyday experiences, I still could have rationalized it away.
It certainly would have made things much simpler.
My life didn't like letting anything be easy, not lately.
Liquid heat roiled in Ethan's eyes, gold shifting to a yellow so crisp it was like egg yolk. Then I felt it, just as my guts were twisting with the rising electric charge of perception.
I couldn't have placed how I knew it, just that in my deepest of senses, a place that poked at the back of my brain in screaming warning... I knew who Ethan was.
“Are you alright, Gale?” Becky said, concern flashing across her face. “You look super pale.”
Nethiun gave me a small squeeze, enough that it drew me to look up at him. Nothing in his expression indicated that he knew what I knew, or why I was ready to start hyperventilating. When he offered me my drink back, I took it without a peep.
Can he feel my emotions right now? If he can, he's got to realize all this awful fear is because of... because of this guy. This guy Becky is with, how did I not notice it earlier?
How am I noticing it at all?
Unless I was wildly mistaken, a fact my intuition seemed to think impossible, the handsome fellow Becky had dragged to the club was the same person I'd seen Nethiun fighting last night.
How do I know this? It doesn't matter, dammit, this is bad! Becky has no clue how dangerous this guy is, that he isn't even human!
Motioning at me to drink, Becky unwound herself from Ethan with a grin. “You two haven't met yet, sorry for Gale being weird and not doing it for you.”
Lifting my head, I stared at her in muted disbelief.
“But,” she went on, hands grabbing her curved hips tight, “this strapping young man of mine is Ethan, and this,” she pointed, giving me a wink that made my belly jump, “is Gale's one and only, Nethiun.”
My one and only, holy shit, Becky. You might manage to freak me out more than the fact two god damn monsters are standing in front of us without anyone but me knowing.
Maybe Fate: A Novel (New Adult Paranormal Romance) Page 7