Chapter 22 Elodie #2
If my friend has a cute boyfriend, that's nothing to do with them, and I'm here to support it. With my mind settled on the fact, I turn my attention to the man in question and encourage a smile as I try to fight through the awkward tension.
“Nathaniel, Ocean tells me you two knew each other when you were younger,” I state, and he grins, smiling at my friend like she hung the moon.
“We did,” he answers, stroking a finger under her chin before turning back to me. “The first time I ever met this girl, she fell out of a tree,” he explains, making Ocean’s cheeks turn pink as she shakes her head.
“What are you doing in a tree?” I blurt at my friend, and she shrugs.
“I liked the view up there,” she explains, casually.
“It’s not the only time I caught her up there, but it was the only time she fell. Maybe it was from seeing me.”
Ocean scoffs. “Please, I was six years old. I thought you were gross like the rest of the boys,” she retorts, and he grins.
“Of course you did.”
I shake my head in disbelief as they fall into their own quiet conversation, leaving Thorne and me to stand side by side. He doesn't say a word, not that I expect him to. There is plenty of people-watching I can do in here, so it’s easy to occupy myself.
Although it doesn’t take long for Rion and Kael to return with bottles of water, it does seem like an extra hundred people have arrived since they left, and the platform is busier than ever.
“Do you want to go somewhere quieter?” Thorne murmurs against my ear, and I roll my lips together as I glance around Nathaniel to check out the pool room we usually sneak off to, but that's hustling more than ever.
Clearing my throat, I turn to the shadow fae, leaning in close so I don’t have to shout.
“Ideally, yes, but I don't know where we’re supposed to go because you're not embarrassing me and trying to clear out the entire pool room tonight,” I explain, and he nods in understanding as my gaze drifts to Rion, the guy we both know wouldn’t have any issues doing just that.
“There are other places to go,” Kael offers, bringing the water bottle to his lips, and I find myself transfixed, watching his Adam's apple bob.
My heart flutters.
Desperate for a distraction, I swing my hand out to the side. “Lead the way.”
He doesn’t waste a second, spinning on the spot before slipping into the crowd. I turn to Ocean, ready to tell her it's okay if she wants to stay out here. I know she loves to dance, but she immediately nods for me to take the lead.
Kael is lost in the crowd, while Rion holds back with his hand extended, lacing his fingers with mine. I take the offer, letting him pull me through the crowd with Thorne a step behind me while Ocean and Nathaniel make up the end of the trail.
Instead of turning right toward the pool tables, I spot Kael up ahead, moving to the left through a closed door I haven’t paid attention to before.
The moment we’re in range, he opens the door and uncertainty quickly flickers through me.
I get the instant feeling like I shouldn't be here with how dark it looks inside, as if it's a staff-only area or something, but the farther we step inside, and the more my eyes adjust, I realize my fatal error.
It’s dark in here for ambience, sultry in a way I've never seen before.
The door clicks shut behind us, dulling the sound outside significantly as my jaw drops. I don’t know where to look first as I try to take in the scene before me.
Four burgundy velvet booths line the far wall, each filled with vampires, both male and female. I wouldn't usually be so quick to assume what supernatural beings people are, but every single one of them seated in the booth has their fangs elongated and blood staining some part of their skin.
The person in the center of each table, however, I have no idea what they are, apart from the explicit knowledge that they’re a snack. On each table, there is a girl splayed out, back arched and legs spread, with every inch of her skin on display.
The only thing they’re wearing are crimson droplets seeping from puncture wounds across their skin.
Turn after turn, each vampire takes a bite, and the girls moan louder.
“Elodie, we can't just stand here and watch,” Rion murmurs, squeezing my hand as he pulls me from my thoughts. “This is a participation-only room,” he explains, and my eyes widen as a shiver runs down my spine.
My gaze snags on Kael’s a few steps to my left. He’s watching me intently, which only seems to make my pulse spike higher.
I hadn't even realized I'd stopped walking. Gaping? Yes. Frozen? No.
Remembering myself, I shake my head and turn to carry on moving with everyone.
With my side plastered to the wall, I press up on my tiptoes to whisper to Rion. “What is this?” I ask, and he grins back at me.
“It’s a feast.” My eyes widen even more. “Volunteers offer themselves up for the night of their lives,” he explains. “Not that I've ever taken part, of course, but I’ve never heard any complaints about the sultry night and what it has to offer.”
“Do they just drain them of their blood?” This seems a little too far, but I have to know.
Rion shakes his head. “No, it's sexy. As much as they might feast on them, they make it worth their while.
I shiver, my thighs clenching. I can’t deny I’m intrigued, but I don't say a word as we exit through the next door to find a completely different vibe.
Dark wood, Chesterfield leather seats, and a thick plume of smoke sits heavy in the room.
It reminds me of a gentleman's club that I used to see in the old movies on Walker’s television.
There are a few other people in here already, but the scene is much quieter.
The soft jazz music playing in the background is far more calming than the dance tunes in the main area.
My muscles ease a little. “Are we allowed in here?” I ask, and Rion squeezes my hand again, standing at my side now that there’s enough space.
“We’re allowed where we want, Petal,” he says with a grin, pulling me deeper into the room where an empty sofa sits in the far corner.
I take the seat, content to watch the rest of the room as Thorne takes the spot on the other side of me.
Nathaniel speaks to a guy already in here, and Ocean hangs off his arm like the perfect partner.
I can’t help but wonder what it’s like to be carefree like that, but I quickly shake the thought from my mind as my gaze lands on Kael.
He stands by the small bar in the opposite corner, elbows braced against the wood, with his head down, defeated. My stomach churns, my emotions unclear, and I wish I had the time to untangle them right now.
Attempting to distract myself is hard work since there aren’t as many people in here, but I focus on it so my mind doesn’t wander. Nestled between Rion and Thorne, I already feel like I can’t breathe, and the matter doesn’t get any easier when Rion clamps his hand on my thigh.
Nervously, I play with my bottle of water, acutely aware this isn’t the usual night in The Hut. At least it’s the atmosphere and relaxing environment that Ocean wanted.
Smiling at my friend, even though she’s not looking in my direction, I catch Nathaniel pull out his cell phone before quickly tucking it away, making sure no one around him saw the message. Especially Ocean.
My heart stutters as I watch him more closely. Was that another girl? Is he keeping secrets?
I sit taller in my seat as he leans in to whisper in Ocean’s ear. She smiles, nodding lightly as she steps away from him and makes her way to the bar. Instead of taking the open bar stool beside Kael, she slinks behind the bar top and glances over the liquors lining the wall behind it.
My gut clenches with concern, but if she wants to let her hair down a little bit, that's not for me to decide.
I can be here to make sure she's okay. My gaze snaps back to Nathaniel, watching his every move. I half expect him to make an excuse and leave. If he does, I’ll follow after him.
But to my surprise, he sweeps across the room and joins Ocean at the bar, taking the seat beside Kael.
My pulse quickens, my gut telling me this guy isn’t good news because of that sly text message, which could definitely be nothing, but my gut has never steered me wrong before.
He seems happy enough to pretend Kael doesn't exist as he talks with Ocean, the pair of them chuckling together as she makes them both a drink.
Nathaniel wraps his fingers around the short glass, but before he brings the liquor to his lips, he leans in, whispering something in Kael’s ear, and in slow motion, I watch the vampire’s entire demeanor change.
His spine stiffens as he stands up straight, his fingers curling around the wood at the bar, his knuckles turning white as his nostrils flare.
My heart pounds in my chest as Nathaniel joins Ocean behind the bar, drink in hand, as if he'd never spoken to Kael at all, while the vampire in question turns to me, eyes ablaze.
His hands fall at his sides and his lips lift in a snarl as he takes two steps toward me, but it seems I’m not the only one paying close attention.
Thorne launches to his feet. “Rion, now!” he commands as billows of black smoke swarm across the floor. Before Kael can take another step, the smoke consumes him.
“Let me see her now,” he snaps, his voice unlike his own.
My heart thunders in my chest as I realize Thorne is controlling his vision to defend me.
With wide eyes, Thorne glances back at me, his mouth setting in a thin line as he grunts. “Get the fuck out of here.”
Rion is standing before me in the next breath, tugging me to my feet while concealing Kael in the black smoke. My heart ricochets in my chest as realization washes over me.
Kael was triggered—a command set in place by a spy to change his entire being.
A spy that has just been revealed.
Nathaniel.