Chapter 9 Jack
Chapter nine
Jack
This was a huge mistake.
Standing on the edge of the party, I never felt more out of place. I’d been to several of my parents’ parties, and none of them were this debauched.
A sensual beat vibrated through my veins. Sweat, blood, and lust thickened the air. The common room was bathed in low golden light, with strategically placed cushions just along the shadows. A bar stood to one side, and bodies ground against each other in an open space.
“Isn’t this great?” Xinyi cried out, grabbing my arm. She practically vibrated with excited energy next to Iris and me.
“Yeah… it’s something.” I cleared my throat and tugged down at the hem of my skirt again. Iris and Xinyi had insisted I wear this crimson silk dress that barely went past my ass. The straps were barely more than strings, the back open to my lower back.
I hadn’t shown this much skin in… well… ever. I might as well be naked in a room full of hungry, horny vampires.
“I’m going to grab a drink, you want one?” Xinyi barely waited for me to respond before she was darting through the room.
Iris gave me a knowing smile. “She’s a lot to handle sometimes, I know, but she grows on you. Her bubbly personality makes the world seem a little brighter for those like us.”
“Like us?” I arched a brow.
“I don’t mean to insult you, but I see a darkness in you.” Iris turned to me fully. “You don’t see the world for its possibilities. You see it in shades of… red.” Her eyes stared straight into me, seeing far more than she was saying.
My heart thudded in my throat as I swallowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She simply gave me a small smile, and her head dipped ever so slightly. “If you say so.”
I let my gaze slide over the room, not searching for anything in particular.
This wasn’t a time for socializing. I had a mission to complete, and so far, I’d been here two days and hadn’t heard or found anything that would lead me to the rogue supernaturals.
If anyone was going to be loose lipped about their allegiances or even their grievances against my family, it would be now, while they were getting drunk off their asses.
“I better go look for Xinyi,” Iris began with a small laugh. “She likely got distracted along the way, you know how she likes to talk.”
I nodded and watched her go. It didn’t take long before someone else found me lingering along the sidelines. A hand slid over my lower back as a presence slid around me, sniffing at my hair.
“A gorgeous creature such as yourself shouldn’t be standing here all by herself.” A male vampire with blonde hair brushed his nose along my shoulder, then up my neck and ear. “I bet you taste like a fine wine, smooth with an oaky finish.”
My hand twitched to put the vampire in his place. I held back just barely and instead turned my head to meet his pale gaze. “I’m spoken for.”
“Lovely,” he laughed, not at all bothered by my words, “we’re all spoken for. It doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun.” His fingers traced down the strap of my dress and across the low neckline.
My teeth ground together. “Remove your hand, or I will remove it for you.”
He chuckled, but then there was a low growl. A large hand wrapped around the vampire’s throat, pulling him away from me.
Tate appeared in front of me, snarling in the vampire’s face. “The lady said no.”
The vampire’s eyes widened at the sight of Tate. His gaze flicked from Tate to somewhere behind me. “S… sorry. I didn’t know.”
Tate shoved him away before turning a goofy grin my direction. “Princess… wow… you…” He rubbed a hand over his jaw, eyes sliding down my body in a way that had my pulse thrumming. “Fuck…”
He cleared his throat and brought his eyes back up to mine.
I found myself laughing. “I don’t think I’ve ever made a man speechless before. I’m not sure if I should be flattered or insulted.”
“Oh, definitely flattered.” Tate visibly swallowed. “Definitely.” His eyes darted away from me toward the crowd as he took shallow breaths. “Drink?”
“Sure, Xinyi was getting me one, but it seems like…” My eyes landed on her and Iris pressed against each other as they swayed back and forth. “Yep, she’s otherwise occupied.”
Tate offered me his hand. I slid mine into his, trying not to focus on the warm feel of his palm enveloping mine.
He led me through the crowd, and I noticed how the crowd parted for him. The vampires knew him, not just as someone who had been here before, but for another reason.
I knew that look. It was the same look that others gave me when I walked through a room. It was a look that was a mixture of envy, respect, and even fear.
Who exactly was Tate?
We stopped before the makeshift bar, where a long-haired tanned man worked the bar. He was in the middle of making a drink for someone, but at the sight of Tate, he put down what he was doing and hurried to where we were.
“What can I get you, Tate?”
“I’ll take a beer and…?” Tate arched a brow at me.
“I don’t really drink.” I ducked my head, not wanting to admit my inexperience.
Alcohol had never really done much for me. My metabolism was too fast. It was just drinking burning liquid without the pleasant buzz that came with it.
“Hmmm, soda? Or water?” Tate offered.
“Water is fine.” I rubbed my hands over the sides of my dress once more, then crossed my arms over my chest. I felt more naked in this room full of supernaturals without my weapons than because of the thin scraps of fabric covering my body.
“Here we go.” Tate held out the cup to me. “Your drink, m’lady.”
“Thanks.” I accepted the cup from him and took a small sip. “So… this is a college party?”
My eyes lingered on a pair of students making out, which quickly morphed into them dry humping on the couch, not caring who was watching. I jerked my gaze away from them, my face heating.
How was I supposed to ask around about the dissent if everyone was too focused on getting drunk or getting fucked?
“A bit overwhelming, isn’t it?” Tate’s voice said in my ear.
I spun to face him. “Uh… yeah. I mean, I’ve heard about college parties, I’ve watched movies and such, but…”
He grinned broadly. “It doesn’t really prepare you for it, huh?” Tate glanced down at my cup and then held his own out to me. “It’s easier if you’re drinking.”
“What’s the point?” I took the bottle from him. “Can you even get drunk?”
Tate tapped the bottle in my hand. “This isn’t human beer. This is a witch’s brew. It’s ten times as potent.”
“Really?”
“Believe me, when supernaturals want to get drunk but can’t, they find a way.”
I took a tentative sip and grimaced. The bitter liquid slid down my throat, settling in my stomach making my head tingle. My eyes widened.
“See?” Tate took my water cup from me and put it on the bar. “Hey, Sam, two more.”
Lifting the bottle to my lips again, I took another drink. A familiar feeling of someone watching me prickled my neck. Swallowing down the liquid, enjoying the way it made my body warm and fuzzy, I searched the crowd until my gaze locked with a dark pair.
Kyren.
The vampire lounged on a tall back chair, one leg crossed over the other, his eyes watching every move Tate and I made.
“Your master.” I tilted my bottle toward the vampire. “He’s a bit intense.”
“Oh, Kyren? He’s just shy.” Tate chuckled, lifting his own bottle to his lips.
“He licked me.”
Tate smirked. “Can you blame him? You are pretty lickable, especially in that dress.”
“Yeah,” I groaned. “Xinyi and Iris dressed me. Apparently, my clothes weren’t party ready enough.”
His heated eyes swept quickly over my form before he inhaled. “Well, I owe them a big thank you.”
I giggled.
Wait. Giggled? I hadn’t giggled since… I swallowed, pushing the memories down.
“Come on,” Tate grabbed my hand without asking this time, drawing me through the crowd.
Once more, the crowd split for him. I tried to listen to the surrounding conversation, but the buzzing in my head made it too hard to focus on just one set of words.
Tate collapsed on a set of couches a few feet away from where Kyren sat, drawing me down into the seat with him. “So… Jaquelynn.”
“Jack.” I huffed. “Don’t call me Jaquelynn. Only my dads call me that.”
“Okay, okay. No full names.” Tate leaned against the edge of the couch, one leg drawn up, his eyes lazily lingering on me. “I want to know all about Jack.”
“That Durand bitch.”
My body jolted. “What did you say?” I squinted at Tate and then shook my head, trying to clear it.
Tate pushed my leg with his shoe. “I said, did you grow up here?”
Blinking through the fog in my head, I tried to make my eyes focus on him. “Uh… yeah. Hereabouts.”
“In the old days… could just nip anyone… no hunters.”
My head turned one way and then the other, searching for the voice. Fuck. I held my head. I shouldn’t have drank that beer.
“Princess?” Tate stood over me, his hand out. “I said, do you want to dance?”
“Huh? Oh, uh, sure.” I let Tate pull me up, my beer having disappeared somewhere.
The next thing I knew, I was on the dance floor, Tate’s hand warm on my back, the other holding my hand. My face pressed to his muscular chest beneath his black t-shirt. His heartbeat pulsed beneath my head, a steady beat that made my own pulse calm.
We swayed from side to side for… I wasn’t sure how long. After a while, my head felt a little less tingly. The witch’s brew was fading from my system. My eyes slid around the room before lifting up to the man holding me.
Tate’s dark eyes settled on mine, his lip ring glinting in the light.
The warm line of his body pressed against mine. The scent of the forest filled my nose and surrounded me. The music made the dance so much more intimate, more sensual. My fingers curled around his neck, playing with the braids that laid there.
Only one other time had I felt like this, a sense of safety and attraction. It may be the lingering effects of the witch’s brew talking, but I had a feeling that Tate would be more to me than just my roommate.
“Jack,” Tate murmured, his head bending slightly.
My head tipped up, and anticipation thrummed in my pulse.
His fingers curled with mine, and his other hand shifted up my back, pressing along my spine. I could feel his breath hot on my face, the bitter scent of the witch’s brew on his breath. The cold metal of his lip ring brushed against my lips, teasing mine.
My eyes fluttered shut, expecting the kiss, wanting it even.
Tate’s voice brushed against my lips. “I’m not going to kiss you, princess.”
My eyes shot open, my brows furrowed.
“Not that I don’t want to,” Tate answered the unspoken question in my face. “But the first time I kiss you won’t be on the back end of witch’s brew. No, I want you to remember it. Beg for it.”
“Oh.”
If I hadn’t been still buzzing from the witch’s brew, I might have been insulted or bothered by how sure he felt it was going to happen.
Tate cupped my chin. “Until then, let’s get you to bed.”
“No.” I tried to step away from him, shaking my head. “I need to stay. To listen for…”
Tate chuckled. “You need to sleep this off. Believe me, the first bout of witch’s brew will kick you in the ass the next day.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and drew me through the dance floor.
My eyes caught on Iris and Xinyi, who gave me a questioning look. I gave her a thumbs up.
The party sounds dissipated. Before long, the hallway turned into our bedroom. And then Tate was laying me down on my bed. He pulled the painful shoes Xinyi had convinced me into off my feet. The blanket was pulled up over my shoulders.
Tate brushed my hair away from my face, and my eyes fluttered shut.
“Get some sleep, princess.” His lips brushed along my forehead and then I let the darkness take me under.