Chapter Seven

Four Months Earlier

I knew the next few months were about to be go-mode so I decided I would blow off some steam before I got thrown into the thick of things. With the high expectations on me by my family, this party was something I really needed, and it was in the town we would be relocated in so it also gave me a chance to scope things out. I finished tucking in my black dress shirt into my black slacks and adjusted the silver watch on my wrist. One spray of cologne later, I tucked my mask for the party into my pocket and headed for my car. My parents weren't fond of me going out so I didn't do it often but at least I had an excuse I could reasonably make if I got caught.

As I pulled up to the old brick building, I slid the mask on my face and unbuttoned the top button to my shirt. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes filled the air as soon as I stepped out of my black Aston Martin; I didn't often flaunt my family's wealth, but this car was elegant. Maybe I would grab a few drinks and cut loose tonight, I thought. I was nineteen so drinking had become my cut loose option when I left the house as of two years ago. After the nuclear war so many years ago now, people had decided seventeen was a good age to allow drinking, if we were old enough to fight in a war, surely, we could handle alcohol. Although all the places I frequented knew me by name, here I was just another stranger. A stranger with a very nice vehicle. I handed my keys to the valet and slipped my pickup ticket in my wallet as I pulled out my ID and handed it to the guard at the door, the guard who seemed more interested in my Aston Martin than checking my age might I add. I supposed this kind of luxury was not common in this type of town.

Once I was inside, I found my way straight to the bar. Sitting there, I flashed a smile at the bartender as she poured me two shots of whiskey. I downed them one after the other without so much as a grimace. She lingered for a moment after she made me a whiskey sour to follow the shots. I had no interest in her though, she was good looking, mid-twenties, shoulder length, curly blonde hair, but the expression she wore told me she saw me as "Daddy's money". I didn't have time for that. I had missed the feeling of bass running through my body, it had been about a month of helping the house pack so I hadn't been out as of late. I stood up from the bar and moved closer to the dance floor. Drink in hand, I stayed on the edge of the dance floor surveying the swaying bodies. People's faces were just flashes of ornate masks and a mixture of full-skirted and body-hugging dresses. The extravagance out of place with the music that played through the speakers. An excuse to feel special, I told myself. Most of these girls were just trying to catch the attention of anyone who would give it. I scanned the club until my eyes locked onto a particularly beautiful woman, a stranger but somehow familiar. Her skin emanated an alluring scent that filled my brain even from the twenty or so feet away that she was. I was now three drinks in, and I had to know what her skin felt like... maybe it was just the alcohol talking... I knocked back the rest of that whiskey sour and placed my empty glass on the bar. I took a deep breath and headed closer, already knowing this was going to end recklessly on my part. All logic out the window, I was now just following the primal voice in my head telling me to go to her.

She turned around as I got near, as if I had called her name, but I hadn't said a word. She watched me approach and turned to dance with me when I got within an arm's length. We swayed together to the beat. Our bodies talking without words. My fingers trailed the beautiful stranger's arms as she danced against me, her sweet scent had drawn me to her in this club of strangers. The way she let loose to the loud music told me she was probably here for the same reason I was, to forget her problems and responsibilities for the night. Through her intricate silver mask, I had seen her piercing blue eyes darken when I had approached her to dance. Her shimmering black dress held to every curve, inviting me to explore it. It may have been a masquerade of types, but the music had me focused on how her hips moved to the beat. I could feel the electricity emanating from my fingertips as they touched her skin. As her hips move, her ass grazing the seam of my pants. I could feel her smirk and my body reacted to her movements; she knew what she was doing.

I didn't often lust over women, but this one had me embracing every primal thought that took over me. On the way in I had spied some dressing/bathrooms, and I was about ready to have my way with her in one of them. As my fingers trailed down to hers, I slid my fingers between hers to grab her hand. My waist still pressed firmly against her hips.

"Do you care to go somewhere a little more secluded?" I whispered in her ear, waiting for her okay before I began leading her off the dance floor. She followed, hand in mine. There was no hesitation, no fear, but in that I could sense the smallest bit of innocence behind her forward behavior. Maybe the mask was giving her confidence, but maybe mine was doing the same for me.

It would appear her thoughts were just as feral as mine because as soon as the door was shut and locked behind us, she used my belt to pull me forward against her and her lips connected with mine. I lifted her up onto the black granite sink counter and she hooked her legs around my waist. She was just as eager as I was. Within minutes she had my pants unzipped and my hard length freed from my boxers, her elegant black gown pooled at our feet, and I was kissing down her chest, along the delicate lace that separated me from her bare breasts. The dim yellow light of the vanity mirror behind her danced off sparkles that seemed embedded in her skin. The woman's inhuman beauty had me in a trance. I hooked a thumb in the fabric of the left cup and pulled the thin layer down enough to flick my tongue over her nipple. I sucked it into my mouth, the beautiful stranger let out a breathy moan, oh that would not be a sound I soon forgot. Her legs loosened from my waist just a little as she arched her back, pushing her chest out toward me. I took advantage of the space now between us to run my hand up her thigh to her lacy thong. I smirked, realizing how wet she already was under my touch and slid a finger teasingly in her. Her head fell back, her lips parting as her breathing got heavier.

"More." One simple word had me losing control. I slid my finger out to plunge two in, letting her nipple fall from my mouth and kissing back up her neck. My free hand found its way into the hair at the top of her neck, and I pushed her head upright, pulling her lips to mine aggressively. Her moans vibrated against my mouth; I parted her lips with my tongue, I had to taste every sweet inch of her mouth. I picked up speed with my fingers and began rubbing circles with my thumb on her bundle of nerves. Her moans became louder and more frequent as she edged near her release. When her hips started to buck into my hand, I left her whining at the emptiness when I pulled my fingers out of her.

"Shhh, don't worry, I have something else to fill you with." I told her as I guided my length in. Her eyes opened and locked onto mine as I pushed myself slowly in.

"So big," she whimpered. In that moment, our bodies became one. No matter that I was inside her, it didn't feel close enough. I buried my face in her neck, pulling her chest against me. I bit down as we both found our release and sucked as she caught her breath. I pulled my length out of her and tucked myself back into my boxers as I leaned back in to kiss her again.

All of a sudden, we were interrupted by the screaming of an alarm, blaring from her phone.

"Oh shit... I need to go, I'm late..." She panicked, scrambling to get back into her dress. "How did it get so late?" She was talking frantically to herself, the most I'd heard her speak all night, and heading toward the bathroom door. Her edgy, confident façade crumbling the smallest bit, snapping me out of my trance enough to take in the situation.

"Wait, if you have to go at least..." The bathroom door opened, and she darted before I could finish my sentence, "tell me your name first." I said even though she was no longer there to hear it.

"What a night..." I said to no one as I buckled my belt, shaking my head. I looked around at the black tiles that made up the walls, a chaise lounge chair right inside the bathroom door, I would've loved to have the stranger on had she not ran out the way she did. I sucked in a breath and returned out to thumping of the main club. I looked around, any trace of the woman was gone. I returned to the bar to close out my tab and headed for the door. I ran a hand through my hair as I walked out of the club. Fresh air, I needed some fresh air. Had I really just done that?

I wondered about the downtown area when I had made it into the open air, taking in the scenery. It was quiet aside from the bass sounding from the club. I could see far more stars than in the city we were leaving behind. I stopped in the middle of a walking bridge and looked up at the sky. It really was beautiful... Hmm, maybe I would find that woman when everything calmed down. When I had completed the mission, we were coming here for. For now, I had to remind myself that it had just been sex, the release I had come out for. All the feelings I felt were purely the combination of alcohol and the allure of a mystery.

I took off my mask and rolled my sleeves up to my elbows. Leave it to me to overcomplicate a night out. I had to push those thoughts aside and focus on what I was meant to. I was about to become a glorified bodyguard to protect Amber, a girl I had known once upon a time but hadn't seen in more than 15 years. The fate of our kind relied on this girl's survival... No pressure though, right?

Who was I kidding, it was a lot of pressure. I couldn't let her or my parents down, they were relying on me, everyone was for the next few months. I was to protect someone who did not even know they were in danger. This was going to be fun. I looked down into the river and watched it flow in the moonlight. I took a few deep breaths to clear my head and stood in peace. A few people bustled by here and there, but no one bothered me.

After just standing and watching for about an hour, I decided it would be best to head home for the night. I had blown off some steam and I didn't want to worry anyone from my absence. I walked slowly back to collect my keys from the valet and began my drive back to the house. The drive was uneventful, and the house was dark and still when I arrived. I slipped into my room unnoticed and peeled my clothes off to change into pajamas.

After laying down and not being able to sleep, I decided to get out of bed and head to the kitchen. I quietly pulled out a whiskey glass and poured myself a drink over some stone ice cubes. My buzz was gone by now and I needed something to silence my thoughts again. Drink and bottle in hand, I ambled back down the hall and up to my room. I took a swig then rested my glass on my bedside table and pulled my earbuds out of the drawer. I put my phone on a random playlist and leaned back, taking a few more swigs of my drink. This was my last night to let loose until I was sure of Amber's security, I was going to have to be on full guard even once she was under our roof. My father had made it very clear that I was to prove my capability to inherit his position, and that this was the first of my trials to come. I polished off my glass and poured another. Tomorrow's hangover would be tomorrow's problem.