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Bottles of alcohol already littered the massive white kitchen, scattering the countertops and covering the large island in the middle of the room. Music from somewhere in the house rattled the walls, vibrating through the floors and up my legs.
“So this is it?” I asked Alek, raising a brow.
“Don’t let the calmness fool you. When the sun goes down, the party really gets started.”
“Fine. What do we do all night, then? Should I go hide in a closet somewhere?”
Alek walked to the fridge and picked up a beer. “No,” he said. “My father will know if we aren’t seen together. He has his spies, remember?”
I nodded. “So, what do we do?”
“Come on,” he said, tossing me a beer and walking out of the kitchen. “It’s a party. We do what any stupid twenty-somethings would do.”
I didn’t have a chance to ask questions. Alek was already walking out of the back door and down the massive steps to the lake down below.
I meant to follow him, but the beauty of the scenery caused me to stop in my tracks. It was only a lake, yet water seemed to spread across the horizon for as long as I could see. The water quietly lapped beneath me, creating a low roar of the elements. Seagulls flew overhead. I had no idea that seagulls even lived around here.
The last time Alek and I had visited the lake, it had been too dark to see. But here? I could see it all. It even smelled different, so fresh and earthy I would have never believed we were so close to a city. For a moment, I could have forgotten I was in a house surrounded by demons. I could have gotten lost in the peaceful scene around me.
But Alek called my name from the steps below, and that figment of my imagination quickly vanished.
Peace wasn’t meant for someone like me. Peace wasn’t part of my destiny.
The sun began to lower in the distance. A few guys tossed logs of wood onto a small fire in the sand. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Alek waited for me with his hand held out. “Ready?” he asked.
“No,” I answered honestly.
“Good,” he said with a smirk. “Drink up. You’ll feel better.”
I took a swig of the liquid and tried not to gag. I would have taken the shots of tequila over that nasty stuff any day.
When we got closer to the fire, a few of the guys looked up. “There you are,” one of them said. “We thought you might not show.”
“Why would you think that?” Alek responded.
Someone across the fire cleared their throat. Alek stiffened before I could even see who it was, but once I did…
Blade and Kylar, the same demons from the bar.
NotAlek’s friends.Noted.
“We wondered if you would be bringing your friend,” Blade sneered. His eyes fell onto me, and I suddenly wished I was wearing a lot more clothing.
Alek must have sensed this. He let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me to his side.
I let him.
“Of course I brought her,” Alek retorted sharply. “She’s part of the legion now, remember?”
The smile on Kylar’s face faded for half a second. “Trust me,” he said. “I remember.”
Zac walked up behind the boys carrying a box of beer. “Enough of the bullshit. Let’s have some fun.”
The tension between the group didn’t fade, though. Not as the boys took a beer from Zac and began drinking. Not as Alek grabbed my hand and began pulling me away from the fire toward the edge of the lake.
“Wow,” I said when we were far enough away. “Have they always hated you so much?”
Alek dropped my hand and sat down on the rocky beach. I did the same, making sure to keep a far enough distance between us. “No, actually,” he said. His skin glowed against the lowering sun as he stared across the water. “If it weren’t for my father, I’m sure we would still be friends.”
