Chapter 15 #2
Another sip of my drink sends warmth spreading through my chest. “My mother sent me to a private college in France when I turned eighteen. We studied regular subjects, but we also learned different fighting styles. Self-defense, martial arts, weapons training. All designed for humans to use.”
“Why would she send you to Europe?” Anne asks.
I shrug, trying to look casual. “She wanted me out of her hair so she could enjoy her life with her mate. I was in the way.”
Anne considers my explanation for a few seconds before saying, “It seems more like your mother wanted you to be able to protect yourself. They’re not cheap, you know. Private schools like that. She must care about you.”
A scoff escapes me, harsh even to my own ears. “She cares about her image. About making sure her defective daughter doesn’t embarrass her in public.”
The words come out sharper than they should, my tongue loosened by alcohol and the safety of being far from anyone who knows my family. Both Anne and Sienna go quiet for a moment.
“Family is complicated,” Sienna says finally.
Anne nods, swirling the cocktail in her glass before leaning forward with a grin. “So, Violet. How’s your love life?”
“What? I don’t have one.”
“Really?” Sienna tilts her head. “You were away at school for what, six years? No one caught your eye?”
“I was focused on my studies. Didn’t really have time for that kind of thing.”
Sienna grins. “So, no fling? No crush? What are you, a monk?”
Heat rises in my face, and Anne laughs. “Stop teasing the girl, Sienna. Not everyone looks for love.”
I decide the best course of action is to deflect. “What about you two?”
Anne takes a long drink. “I found the love of my life when I was young. He died. Now I just focus on my work.” Her tone is lighthearted, but her expression is hollow.
“Your fated mate?” The question escapes before I can stop it. Even Sienna looks shocked.
“Yeah.” Anne’s smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “It’s been a while. Ten years, actually. But some things, you just don’t get over, you know?”
Sienna squeezes her hand. “What happened?”
Anne stares into her glass. “We were young. Teenagers. We had all these plans for the future and then…” She trails off. “He disappeared during a conflict. They never found his body, but after all this time…” The pain in her voice is raw despite the years that have passed.
“I am so sorry,” I tell her.
Sienna looks at Anne with sorrowful understanding. “I didn’t know. I mean, I knew you didn’t date, but I didn’t realize why.”
“It’s not something I talk about much.” Anne straightens, forcing brightness back into her expression. “But yeah. That’s why I throw myself into work. Keeps me from thinking too much about what I don’t have.”
“Work is good for that,” Sienna agrees, but there’s a heaviness in her tone.
“I haven’t found my fated mate. Some people simply don’t, I guess.
So, work it is. Youngest chief strategic advisor in Moonvale’s history.
” She raises her glass in a mock toast. “All because I have nothing better to do with my time.”
“That’s incredible, though,” I say. “Chief strategic advisor at twenty-five? That’s not just filling time. That’s real achievement.”
Sienna’s smile turns more genuine. “Thanks. It is something I’m proud of, even if it wasn’t exactly the life plan I had when I was younger.”
“Well,” Anne says, lifting her glass. “Here’s to the three of us. Making the best of what we’ve got.”
“To survival,” Sienna adds.
My glass clinks against theirs, and a warm, fierce feeling blooms in my chest. “To survival.”
We drink deeply, the alcohol burning away some of the old hurts. The music swells around us, and for the first time in longer than I can remember, I feel like I belong.
Sienna grabs my hand. “Dance with us.”
“I don’t really—” I start to protest, but they’re already pulling me toward the dance floor.
The crowd swallows us, bodies moving in rhythm to the pounding beat. Anne and Sienna move with easy confidence, their bodies fluid and unselfconscious. Stiffness locks my movements at first, hyper-awareness making every gesture feel awkward, but then, the music takes over.
Eyes closed, I let myself feel it. The bass thrumming through my bones, the heat of bodies around me, the freedom of being anonymous in a crowd of humans who don’t know my name or my shame. My hips sway, my arms lift, and suddenly I’m dancing. Actually dancing, not just going through the motions.
When my eyes open, Anne and Sienna are grinning at me, their approval clear even in the dim light.
We dance until sweat dampens my skin and my legs ache. Back at our table, we collapse into our seats with breathless laughter. Another round of drinks appears, and then another.
The music pulls at me even while we’re seated, and my body moves of its own free will, loose and fluid in a way it never is when I’m sober. Another drink appears in my hand, and I down half of it before Anne grabs my wrist and pulls me back onto the dance floor.
The room tilts slightly when I move, and everything around me is softened at the edges. Perfect.
We dance in a tight circle, Anne and Sienna laughing at something I can’t hear over the music. A spin sends my arms over my head, and that’s when awareness prickles across my skin.
I feel eyes on me.
Mid-spin, I stop and scan the crowd. Strobe lights flash and bodies press together, everyone focused on their own fun, their own partners.
Then, I see him.
Across the bar, half-hidden in shadow near the entrance, Darius leans against the wall. Even from here, I can see the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw is tightly clenched. His eyes burn into me, dark and intense, tracking my every movement.
Heat floods through me that has nothing to do with the dancing or the alcohol. The way he watches me, raw hunger barely leashed in his expression, makes my breath catch.
Someone moves between us, and when the gap clears, he’s gone.
My heart pounds. Did I imagine him? All those drinks are making everything fuzzy, unreliable.
“You okay?” Sienna shouts over the music.
“Fine,” I yell back, but my skin still tingles.
The music pounds through my chest, and I lose myself in it again, letting the bass drown out everything else. Anne twirls me around, and I laugh, the sound foreign and wonderful.
But I can still feel him watching. The weight of his gaze is unmistakable now, a physical presence that makes the room feel charged with electricity.
We’ve just returned to our table for a breather and some more drinks when a creepy voice cuts through the noise.
“Well, well. Look who we have here.”
Everything in me freezes. I know that voice.
Zion steps into view, and my stomach drops. I haven’t seen him since that disastrous family dinner. What is he doing here?
“Ladies,” he says, his gaze sliding over Anne and Sienna before settling on me. “Didn’t expect to find you here, little sister.”
The way he says it makes my skin crawl. Like I’m something small and insignificant.
“Go away, Zion.”
He steps closer, and I catch the scent of expensive cologne mixed with bourbon. “Just being friendly.” His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he looks me over. “Interesting choice of venue. I guess when the pack scene doesn’t work out, you have to try your luck elsewhere, huh?”
The words hit exactly where he intends them to. Shame and anger fill my chest.
“I said, go away.”
His expression shifts into what could be construed as concern if it weren’t laced with condescension.
“Come on, don’t be like that. I’m just saying, you should be careful.
Wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong impression about what you’re doing here.
” He glances at the humans on the dance floor.
“About the people you’re associating with. ”
A hot and reckless sensation surges through me. I stand up, plant both of my hands on his chest, and shove hard. “Don’t talk to me like I’m beneath you.”
Zion’s eyebrows rise, surprise flickering across his face. His hand shoots out and grabs my arm, his grip firm enough to make me gasp. “Easy there. You’re drunk, Violet.”
My alcohol-soaked reflexes are too slow when I try to pull away. “Let go of me.”
Sienna and Anne both get to their feet, their expressions tense.
Suddenly, another hand wraps around Zion’s wrist. “I suggest you back away. Now.” The voice is low, deadly, and achingly familiar.
Darius appears beside me like a shadow made solid, his grip on Zion reflecting the barely controlled rage radiating from him. A growl rumbles from his chest, low and threatening and absolutely not human.
Zion releases my arm immediately, raising his other hand to the same level. “Whoa, easy there, brother.” His tone is lighter now, almost playful. “Just checking on our little sister. Making sure she’s not getting herself into trouble.”
“Your concern is noted.” Darius’s voice could cut glass. He releases Zion’s arm. “Now, leave.”
“Sure, sure.” Zion backs away, his hands still in a position of surrender, a slight smile playing at his lips. “No harm done.” He glances between us, clearly noticing how close Darius is positioned next to me, how protective his stance is. “Interesting. Very interesting.”
Then, he disappears into the crowd.
Anne grabs my shoulders, searching my face. “Are you okay?”
“Did he hurt you?” Anger flashes in Sienna’s eyes.
I cradle my arm close to my body. The skin throbs where Zion grabbed me, and there will probably be bruises tomorrow. “I’m fine. Really.”
Darius spreads his arms out to engulf all three of us, his body radiating tension. “You ladies have had enough to drink. It’s time to go.” He gestures toward the bar, where I now see his best friend is standing, watching us with an unreadable expression. “Ethan will drive you home.”
Anne nods, already gathering her things. Sienna loops her arm through Anne’s, steadying her when she wobbles slightly.