Chapter 10 Jack
Chapter ten
Jack
Fuming, I stalked back and forth across my bedroom floor. I didn’t care that my hair was still partly wet and would be a curly frizzy mess if I didn’t dry it properly soon.
I couldn’t believe Julian. How could he even think I was trying to use him to get over Tate and Kyren?
I wouldn’t do that. I mean, yes, this situation completely sucked. I wanted to be with Tate and even Kyren, if he ever got his head out of his ass and figured out that we didn’t have to let our parents or in his case sire’s actions define us.
Wanting them didn’t negate my feelings for Julian. He was my first and, until last year, my closest friend. Of course, my feelings weren’t as fresh and strong as they once were, but that didn’t mean they were gone completely.
Hell, if Julian wasn’t still fighting against what we had, I’d be with him, Tate, and Kyren. As weird as that might sound to some people — I’d never seen myself as one who would want multiple partners, that had always been my mom’s thing — I could see myself with all three of them, together, happy.
I sighed and sat on the floor crossed legged, rubbing a hand over my face.
Maybe I was deluding myself.
There’s no way all three of them would be happy to be with me together. Even if Julian and Kyren would accept being with me, the way Tate and Julian got in each other’s faces today told me it would not be an easy transition. I’d hate to see what Kyren would do in Tate’s position.
I stretched my legs out and laid back on the carpet, staring up at the golden chandelier above my room.
Part of me was madder at myself than Julian. Why did I keep putting myself out there to him, knowing I was going to get rejected? I was already feeling like crap about myself cause of the whole Kyren thing, but to let that show in front of the very man who had been rejecting me for years?
Humiliating.
Maybe I should just swear off all men until this mission was over. Or forever. Become a nun. A monster-hunting nun. Hell, I could have my own television show.
I chuckled at that.
Then I groaned, touching my curls. The thought of trying to contain them with a habit might be worse than the swearing off men part. Then there was the praying. Did you have to be a devoted Catholic to be a nun? Couldn’t I just be a big fan?
Blowing out a long breath, I sat up and prepared to get up and fix myself. I’d wallowed enough for one night.
Then there was a knock on my door.
Eyes narrowed, I scooched back toward my bed, and reached beneath, finding the dagger I’d hidden there. “Who is it?”
No one answered.
Pushing myself up to my knees and then slowly to my feet, I inched toward the door, dagger poised and ready. I focused on keeping my breathing steady, my heart from racing, a clear sign to any supernatural that I was aware of the danger.
Once I reached the door, I flicked the lock and stood to the side before turning the handle and flinging it open as I launched myself through the door, dagger prepared to attack.
My dagger came slicing down, and I barely had time to register who was standing at my door and stop the metal from sliding home.
The smaller woman froze, her eyes wide, my dagger millimeters from her throat.
“Xinyi!” I relaxed, bringing the dagger back to my side, “Why didn’t you say anything when I called out?”
Xinyi swallowed visibly, pulling an earbud from her ear. “Is that how you answer all your doors?”
“Sorry.” I dragged a hand over my hair and stepped back in the room, letting her follow me. “I’m a bit tense.”
Xinyi’s gaze followed me. “I can tell. Does this have to do with why you were coming out of the teachers’ quarters earlier?”
I tried to school my face as I answered. “I needed to talk to a professor outside of office hours, and they weren’t home. That’s all.”
“Uh-huh.” Xinyi’s eyes slid over my body, no doubt taking in the male clothing I still wore.
Suddenly, I wished I hadn’t had my little pity party and had finished getting ready for bed in my own clothes.
Now I was going to have to explain what exactly I was doing in the teachers’ quarters to make me end up in male clothing.
“Look, I wasn’t do—”
“Let’s go out,” Xinyi cut me off, looking up from where she had been flipping through one of my textbooks.
“What? Now?” I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. Ten a.m. Not a problem for normal humans, but since our schedules were flipped around, it meant we’d be pushing it if we went out now. “We’ve got class tomorrow.”
“Come on,” Xinyi urged, going to my dresser and rifling through my drawers. “Just one drink. Trust me.” She tossed me a pair of jeans and a deep purple shirt. “Something tells me you need it.”
Knowing I wasn’t going to win, I gave up arguing with her. Shirt pulled over my head and jeans tugged on, I sat on the edge of the bed lacing up my boots while Xinyi lingered nearby, poking through my things.
“You don’t have a lot of belongings, do you?”
I glanced up at her as I pulled my laces tight. “I didn’t see the point of bringing all my stuff here when my house isn’t that far away.” I sat my foot down on the ground and stood, shoving my phone and some cash into my pocket. “Okay, ready.”
Xinyi arched a brow at me. “I don’t think you’re going to need that.”
“My phone? I’m not leaving that—”
“The cash.”
I followed her toward my bedroom door. “How am I going to pay for my drink?”
Xinyi just looked at me and laughed. “You’ll see.”
The bar Xinyi took me to was one I’d been at before and far more packed for a school night than I’d expected. The dark wood tables and benches decorated the room, the light low and the music a sultry kind of beat.
Last time I’d been here, I was looking for clues about the rebels and ended up in the back alley with both Tate and Kyren.
My body warmed at the thought as a heavy feeling pressed on my face.
Slowly, my head turned, eyes searching the crowd of students and locals until they locked with a pair of dark ones.
Kyren sat at the same booth as last time, a tumbler loosely held between his fingers. It wasn’t like Kyren had ever been easy to read before, but tonight, the expression on his face was unreadable. I couldn’t tell if he was happy to see me or plotting my death.
“Jack, over here.” Xinyi grabbed my elbow and dragged me toward the bar, ignorant of the exchange between Kyren and me.
Pulling my eyes away from the vampire, I let myself be engulfed in a crowd of people. Most of whom I didn’t know, but a few of them had familiar faces from class or around the school. They each greeted me like we were old friends, even if I’d never said one word to any of them.
Xinyi pushed me toward a stool someone vacated for me. “Sit, sit.”
Before I even had a chance to ask for a drink, someone shoved a bottle of witch’s brew into my hand. “Uh… thanks.”
“So…” Xinyi grinned, entirely too pleased with herself. “Tell us. What’s it like to have seven dads?”
I arched a brow at her, taking a sip of my drink before swallowing and thinking about it. “Well, it’s a lot like having a bunch of older brothers honestly.”
The crowd chuckled.
“You know, as a kid, it was great,” I continued, letting my eyes skim over the group who hung on my every word. “I aways had someone to play with, carry me around on their shoulders. You know, the typical dad type of stuff.”
“Which one’s your favorite?” a female near me asked. “I mean, your dads are all so dreamy. I’d be happy to call any of them daddy.” A few others giggled with her.
I wrinkled my nose. “I wouldn’t exactly call any of them my favorite. They’re all different and fulfill a different role in my life.” I paused, my eyes catching Kyren watching once more. “I suppose that’s why my mom loves them all.” My voice went low. “They complete her.”
“But doesn’t one of them read minds?” someone in the crowd asked, but I couldn’t tell which one.
“Oh, man that would suck,” a male werewolf commented. “If my mom heard half the things I thought about, I’d die of embarrassment.”
I laughed with everyone, my eyes dipping down to the bottle I held before lifting back up, a certain sadness filling my chest.
“It’s not hard to hide what you’re thinking if you always expect that they’re listening. Plus,” I grinned as I lifted the bottle to my lips, “it helps to sing an annoying song on repeat in your head.”
I took a drink from my bottle, while the crowd roared and talked amongst themselves. Xinyi nudged me with her shoulder.
“See? This isn’t so bad.”
Giving her a small smile, I nodded. “You’re right. Thanks.”
“Any time.” Xinyi grinned and then suddenly perked up as a song with a boppy beat came on over the speakers. “Oh, this is my song!” She tried to grab me to dance, but I laughed and shook my head. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”
I watched as the smaller female danced through the crowd to the little dancing area with a few of the other females. If only I could be as carefree as she was, not having to worry about watching my back every second of every minute.
My skin prickled, and I lifted my gaze once more. Kyren watched me with such intensity that I was sure he’d appear before me in the next moment. A part of me wanted him to and the other part was telling me to run away. I didn’t need the complication.
“Hey, Durand girl.” A semi-attractive werewolf threw an arm around my shoulders, his buttoned-down shirt stretching over his muscles.
Those buttons threatened to pop at any moment.
“I heard you like a little tag team action.” His words were slurred, so I brushed his rudeness off as drunken confidence.
“My buddy Seely and me would love to show you a good time. Make you forget all about… what’s their faces? ”
Another male, this one a vampire almost as tall and muscled as his werewolf counterpart, licked his lips. The look in his eyes told me he wanted to do more than just screw me. No, this one wanted to see what I tasted like.
“No thanks, I’m good.” I shrugged his arm off my shoulder.
Unfortunately, that didn’t dissuade the werewolf enough. “Come on, I’m sure I’m much better in bed than those two fa—”
My elbow slammed into his face, sending him flying backward into several stools. The others scrambled out of his way, eyes darting from me to him in a mixture of curiosity and fear, but no one stepped in to help him.
“Oops, did I get you?” I mocked, setting my drink down on the bar.
A hand clamped down on my shoulder. With half a thought, I grabbed that hand and twisted, turning around to face Seely.
My free hand found the handle of the dagger tucked into the sheath, wrapped around my waist hidden behind my back.
In one swift motion, I pressed the sharp edge into the vampire’s chest, causing him to hiss and snarl at me.
“I’m sorry? What was that?” I leaned my ear toward him. “You were just leaving? Oh, no. How sad.”
“That won’t kill me.”
I smirked. “Yeah, but it’ll hurt like hell.”
We were locked in a staring contest for a few minutes before Seely grunted. “Fine. Just let go of my wrist already. I play guitar and have a gig tomorrow. It’ll take longer than that to heal bone.”
Giving him a long meaningful look, I released his wrist but didn’t put away my dagger. Stepping back, I allowed Seely to help his buddy up, and they stumbled out of the bar. Seely sent me a glare over his shoulder before the door shut behind him.
“That. Was. Awesome.” Xinyi squealed, suddenly appearing at my side. “You, girl, kick ass. Didn’t you think so?” she asked the crowd, which returned with a mixture of agreement and comments I chose to ignore.
Leaning back against the bar, I picked my drink back up and held it between my hands, my eyes skimming over the crowd before landing back on where Kyren sat.
My brows furrowed. He was gone.
“Come on, Jack.” Xinyi pulled me by the arm. “There’s some people dying to meet you.”
Shaking my head, I smiled as I let her drag me further into the bar. I had a feeling this was going to be a long morning.