AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My rebuttal obviously offends him as he turns sharply, huffing as he walks away.
Good. I have to make a special appearance with an adorable little kitten.
My eyes land on her, dressed up in her provocative costume. Maybe it’s time she meets her future husband.
Chapter 4
Zolina
JD pulls me by the arm up the steps into the mansion party. Get-togethers always hit differently on the weekend, the parties more unhinged– more dangerous. It’s the beginning of fall, and I want to stay as spooky as possible. Costumes are my forte. I will dress up and go to every fall event possible– costume party or not. We make our way through the multitude of people mingling in the hallways.
“Come on, ‘ya dirty hooker’! It’s time to get fucked up!” she hollers to me over the obscene music.
I’m wearing a leather mini-skirt with a matching crop top. I paired it with thigh-high black leather lace-up boots and a tiara with kitten ears built in. JD is in a ninja costume, just like every other fall event we go to. There are always non-stop themed parties when you hang out with the rich.
Hip-hop music rattles my head. The smell of spilled alcohol ingrained on the floor and the sight of cocaine on the tables overwhelm my senses. I smile to myself as we make our drinks. This is what I live for– the chaos amongst drunken people. Jungle Juice sits inside a large cooler, scooping what fruit we want into our solo cups, ignoring what we don't want.
Before long, I have a buzz going while JD stumbles away to talk to one of her friends. I’m not accustomed to being very social with anyone other than my best friend. She was hired after the shit I had been through, always there to help me if I fail. When I fail. I don’t know how to talk to people who want to have simple conversations. I'm awkward, and I prefer to stick to the wall, watching others dance on top of the tables and taking drugs that aren’t labeled.
I've only been to a few parties, but one stands out like it had just happened. I remember walking around with a cup of… something. Everything got really hazy, and I started to stumble around. Some kid had to drag me out of the party. I ended up puking in his car on the way home. That's when we got a chauffeur, and I wasn't allowed to go anywhere unattended.
“You’re too pretty to be standing here looking like a deer in headlights. Where are your friends, Zolina?”
I look up at the man who speaks to me, interrupting my view of the tabletop dance crew and the dizzying memory. My head only measures up to his chest, so I'm forced to crane my neck back, to be able to look at his face. He isn't too thin and definitely not a bodybuilder, which is fine since they always act more harmful than the steroids that they take. Yet, with his lithe frame, he could probably lift me without a single problem and toss me across the room.
This man is easily six foot two, maybe taller, and has a jawline that looks made from clay. His neck is covered in tattoos spying from beneath the open buttons of his shirt, with only one on his face. The number 21 is inked onto his skin under his temple just next to his left eye. His gorgeous eyes lack pigment, making them as silver as the mercury deep within the crust of the earth. They stare into my own, sucking the breath from within my lungs, forcing me to inhale.
“I’d assume you know my name because you already said it. But who are you?” I question shyly. My brows furrow in confusion as I wait for an answer. He tilts his head to the side, and the corner of his sultry lips turn up into a smirk before he answers me.
“You don’t know who I am?” He continues to smile as if he is toying with me, like a child rather than an adult. Keeping a secret that only he holds the answer to. The man tucks a stray hair behind my ear, and my body involuntarily shivers from the contact. His hands have veins protruding from beneath his skin, begging me to touch them.
“If I did, I wouldn’t be standing here asking, would I? Also, you have something on your chest." I point my dainty finger to the spot.
He looks me up and down slowly like I am a dessert he can't wait to binge eat. “What are you going to do about it, Zolina?”
I stare at him blankly. I don't know who this man is– nor what he wants, but I refuse to play into his tricks. Too many girls fall victim to guys at parties, and I'm not going to add to that list. I'm aware he wants to flirt with me, but I'd rather stick a needle in my eye than to have him watch me try and flirt back.
I drag my finger across his chest, swiping off the crimson liquid.
"It's blood," he replies as his eyes darken with an emotion that I can’t put my finger on. He doesn't laugh or smile, just reaches for my finger and sucks it into his mouth. My breath catches in my lungs at the sudden spontaneity of this man. How is this so incredibly hot and disgusting at the same time? His tongue swirls around my finger before I pull it away from his lips, resulting in a popping noise.
"Just because I'm quiet, doesn't mean I'm clueless. I know what it is," I add in a snarky tone. My eyes roam up and down his toned body, taking in his outfit. He wears a flannel button-up and a beanie. "What are you supposed to be, anyway?"
The man holds up a fake ax covered in imitation blood, waving it in front of my face. "A lumberjack. For someone who says they aren't clueless, you sure act like it," he says with a wink.
He was joking, but I completely fell for it.
“Stop picking on her, Atlis. It’s childish,” says another man coming up beside me. “Hi, I’m Kias.”
There is only one Kias I’ve ever heard of– “Wait… Kias Moon?”
He smiles and links his arm with mine, pulling me away from the lumberjack. I glance at him up and down, taking him all in, he isn’t quite as tall as the other man, just about a hand shorter. He has light hazel eyes reminding me of a dirty painter's palate, and he has tattoos, but they are more spread out compared to ‘Jack’ from what I can tell. He at least has on a short-sleeved shirt, allowing me to see his muscular tattooed arms. He isn't dressed up, but he is wearing one of those ‘this is my costume’ shirts.
At least he has a sense of humor, unlike the other guy.
“I sincerely apologize for my brother. He’s a pain in the ass. I don’t know what or how much, he said. I just know he can be… difficult,” Kias apologizes while tossing his head over his shoulder to glare at his brother. “Anyway, you must be Zolina. I’ve heard about you.”
“I’ve only heard about the Moon Brothers from the news articles and my father. I’ve never seen your faces, though. I usually stick to myself and my friend Jezi. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I smile genuinely.
