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Doing so, I swayed my body, matching his movements as the live band resumed their music. They gently transitioned into a soft melody, its calmness slowly taking effect on me. Draven rubbed small circles on my back as we moved back and forth.
“You’re doing wonderfully,” he whispered into my ear.
“I’m sorry I overreacted.”
“Don’t apologize. You’re just on edge,” he told me. “I have eyes looking out for Jocelyn, a human woman isn’t hard to spot on Thodos III.”
“You’re right. I just need to chill out. After this, let’s go get a drink.”
“Now you’re talking.” He chuckled.
He sang softly and quietly to me as I tuned out the world around me. I wished I could get lost in the comfort of his arms forever, finding warmth and ease in his company. We stayed that way for a while.
“Thank you for bringing me to this,” I said while looking up into his caring eyes. “I know how much this means to you and your guys. I can’t even believe I’m here.”
“If there was going to be anyone attending this event as my date, it had to be you. I appreciate your enthusiasm for this event, though. It really means a lot to me.”
As his words came to an end, the music did so with him.
“How about that drink?” he posed.
“Let’s do it.”
It seemed like the rest of the guests on the ballroom floor had the same idea. Everyone moved at the same time, causing us to get pushed along towards one of the many bars.
“Take my hand,” said Draven. “I’ll lead us out to the side.”
We squeezed through the cramped crowd, struggling for a few moments until we emerged at the far side of the ballroom floor. Just then, an unobservant waiter bumped into Draven, spilling a drink over his attire. I jumped some distance away from him, stopping at a slit between two curtains.
Immediately, the waiter whisked out a rag and began dabbing and spitting out apologies at Draven. My date glanced down at his shirt in frustration. I reached for a handkerchief of my own.
It suddenly flew into the air as I was whisked through the curtains. The sensation of a leathery gloved hand cupped my mouth as I tried to scream. Draven became smaller as I was dragged into darkness. I lashed out, kicking and screaming, but the grip held on me was too strong.
Doors swung open and I was flung outside into an alley behind the casino. I hit the ground hard, dazed. Two burly Nazok appeared, shoving me forward with sharp, carnivorous teeth bared.
Regaining my balance, a pair of legs stepped before me. I looked up to see Jocelyn leering down, sick triumph on her face. Like prey running from a predator, I stumbled right into her trap.
DRAVEN
As if Elara wasn’t already jumpy enough, this clumsy waiter spilling his drinks on me certainly didn’t help the evening run any smoother. My damned suit was ruined, and in the waiter’s efforts to fix things, he only made it worse.
“I’m so sorry, sir!” he exclaimed with a panicked look in his eyes. He dabbed a handkerchief on me with shaky hands. “Let me get this for you.”
“Quit it. You’re only spreading the stains!”
I was about to shout at him but took a deep breath to calm myself. Me hollering at one of my staff probably wasn’t going to help Elara feel any cooler. Shrugging, I turned around.
“Sorry Elara, I—What in the seven galaxies!”
She was nowhere to be seen. She was standing here by my side just a moment ago. I spun back around, grabbing the waiter by the collar of his uniform.
“Did you see the human woman that was here with me just a second ago?” I demanded.
“No,” said the waiter with a face full of fear.
I shoved him away and shot my eyes around my immediate surroundings. People still moved in masses from the ballroom floor to the nearby bars, at too quick of a pace for me to make out anyone’s faces. It didn’t help that each of them wore a mask as part of the party dress code.
Even with all the species on the station, enough were roughly humanoid to slow me down.
