Awakened (Vampire Awakenings) (2 page)

She moved quickly past the small group, making sure not to touch the guys as she headed out the door. Rapidly descending the steps Sera strolled onto the front lawn. People were scattered across the grass, drinks in hand, laughing and dancing as they stumbled drunkenly around. Some had gathered beneath the trees to talk quietly, while others were making out under them, and on the lawn. One indiscreet couple was having sex next to the small rock wall.

Sera sat on the edge of the lawn, stretching her long legs. Tilting her head back, she admired the bright stars in the clear night sky. It had grown cooler, but summer was trying hard to hang on for a little longer. She smiled softly, the alcohol seeping further into her bloodstream, and warming her from the inside out. The sky blurred for a second, then snapped back into place. Laughing softly from the effects of the few drinks she’d had, she propped her head on her arms and relished in the cool air against her warm skin.

***

Liam pushed his way through the people gathered on the stairs, ignoring their angry looks and muttered words. He wasn’t really in the mood for a party tonight, but it had been a long week, and he needed to relieve some stress. Not to mention there would be plenty of girls here tonight. Plenty of easy, drunken girls.

“Hey, it’s about time you got here.”

He glanced up as Mike appeared beside him. Mike’s light, sandy blond hair was tussled and wet with sweat as it curled in tendrils around his flushed, broad face. It was apparent that Mike had already been on the dance floor, and had at least a few drinks in him as his clear blue eyes were bright with merriment. At an inch taller than Liam, and broader in the shoulders and chest, Mike was built like a linebacker, and was the star player on the football team. In many ways he was the classic jock, except that he was far from stupid. Mike often saw more than most people.

He thrust a plastic cup of beer into Liam’s hand. “Thanks,” Liam muttered as he surveyed the crowd.

The house was already packed with people; the party was in full swing as music blared from the speakers. It was definitely going to be an interesting night, he realized as his gaze settled upon Michelle. She was standing in the doorway talking to two guys that he didn’t know, but who were obviously admiring all of her openly displayed charms. She laughed loudly, her head tilting back as she stroked one’s arm flirtatiously.

Liam raised an eyebrow, but paid her no more attention as he turned to survey the rest of the room. “There’s plenty of girl’s here tonight,” Mike said. “Easy pickings.”

“Hmm.”

Mike laughed and slapped him hard on the back. Liam scowled as beer sloshed onto his hand. He wiped absently at it before draining the rest of the cup. He tossed it over the banister on top of the overflowing garbage can. “Want another?”

“Yeah.”

Liam stepped off the last stair as Mike led the way to the keg by the door. His gaze drifted back to Michelle. She was still standing in the doorway, but there was another girl with her now. Liam frowned as he paused to study the new addition. She was small, and delicate, with a petite frame that was emphasized by the body hugging clothes she was wearing. Her breasts were high and full, a little more than a handful. Her waist was no more than hand span width, her hips small and round. Despite her tiny appearance, her legs were amazingly long. In the short skirt she wore, he was able to admire the elegant curve of her calves and lower thighs.

He tore his gaze away from her legs as a familiar tightening began to fill his groin. Her long, golden hair fell freely over her shoulders to spill down her back in thick, cascading waves. Her nose was small, and narrow, with a tiny slope at the end of it. He couldn’t see her eyes, but he imagined that they were as spectacular as the rest of her. Her mouth was full and luscious, a deep rose color that was irresistible. A mouth designed for kissing, he decided.

“Who’s that?”

Mike lifted his head from the keg to blink at him in surprise. “Where?” he inquired as he thrust another beer into Liam’s hand.

“The girl with Michelle, who is she?”

Mike’s gaze followed his. He chuckled under his breath as he smiled softly. “That, my friend, is Serendipity, or Sera. Forget it you’ll never get close to her.”

Liam raised an inquiring eyebrow as he took a sip of beer. “Really?”

“Yep. No one ever has.”

He shot Mike a questioning look. “No one?” he asked in surprise. The girl was beautiful; he highly doubted that she had any problem attracting men. Even now, there were a bunch of guys hovering around her like moths to a flame.

Mike turned to him, his soft blue eyes intense as he nodded. “As far as I know she’s never dated anyone on campus, and I’ve never seen her with a guy.”

“But she comes to Frat parties?”

“She comes with her roommate, and she leaves with her roommate, or by herself.”

“Is she a lesbian?” He certainly hoped not, but it was a possibility.

“Never heard or saw anything like that either. Leave her be Liam.”

His brow furrowed as he turned to stare at Mike in disbelief. “Why, because she turned you down?” he quipped.

Mike lifted a blond eyebrow and shook his head. “I’ve never tried.”

Liam started to laugh as he shook his head. “Yeah right. I know you there’s no way that you wouldn’t try with someone like her!”

Mike shook his head and bent to refill his cup. “Seriously, I haven’t.”

Liam stared at him in astonishment. He knew Mike as well as he knew himself, and he knew he had every intention of trying with her. He didn’t believe Mike for one moment. Mike seized his cup and bent to refill it. “Why not?”

Mike shrugged as he shoved the cup back into Liam’s hand. “I don’t know. I mean she’s hot, don’t get me wrong, but...”

“But what?”

He shrugged again as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “I don’t know. We had Trig together last year, she helped me out a lot. I couldn’t have passed the class without her, you know how I am with math, but there’s something about her...” his voice trailed off as he frowned thoughtfully.

Liam sensed that there was more, that Mike had used his amazing powers of deduction on the girl, and hadn’t liked what he’d discovered. “What about her?” Liam prodded.

Mike’s frown deepened as he turned troubled eyes to Liam. “Honestly, it’s almost as if she’s scared of something. The few times I accidentally touched her, she would get this look on her face that, well... it just wasn’t normal, wasn’t right. I didn’t want to scare her even more by making a pass at her. Plus... ” Mike broke off on a sigh, his brow furrowed as he stared at Sera and Michelle.

“Plus what?” Liam prodded.

Mike shrugged and took a sip of beer. “I don’t know; there’s something about her, something that I can’t put my finger on, or describe. Something different.”

Liam couldn’t believe one word that he was hearing. Mike usually didn’t care about a girl one way or another. No matter what. The fact that he had actually restrained himself from going after someone was astounding in itself, but to hear him actually talk about her as if he truly liked her was an absolute miracle.

“Are you okay Mike? Are you sick or something?”

Mike’s frown disappeared as he grinned merrily. “No I’m not. Trust me when you get close enough you’ll see it, and you’ll understand.”

Liam shrugged as he turned to look at her. “Who said I was going to get close enough?”

Mike laughed. “I think you should leave her be, but I know you, you’ll be heading in that direction. For now though let’s go see what other options we have available to us tonight. You’re going to need them.”

Liam didn’t think that he would need any other options. He had marked his conquest for the night, and he was going to have her, but it never hurt to look. “Sounds good to me.”

Liam watched as she slipped out the door. He almost went after her, but decided against it. She would be back, of that he was certain. When she came back, he would make his presence known. Until then, he decided to give her time alone, and to inspect the rest of the women that were available for another night.

He followed Mike onto the crowded dance floor, instantly finding himself swamped by a group of girls that made it quite obvious that he could have whatever he wanted from them that night. He tried to focus his attention on them, but his thoughts kept wandering to Sera, and when she would return.

CHAPTER 2

“Here you are!” Sera looked up as Kathleen stumbled toward her. Beer splashed out of her cup, splattering onto the ground. “Whatcha doing out here?”

“Just getting some air.”

“Hmm, it does feel nice. Having fun?”

“Yeah, you?”

“Of course, but I got to show you something.”

“Now?”

“Yup, get up!” She began to pull on Sera’s arm, spilling more of her drink onto her hand and down her arm. “Come on Sera!”

“Can’t it wait?” Sera protested, not ready to go plunging back into the house.

“No way! Come on!”

She jerked one more time and Sera reluctantly climbed to her feet. “This had better be good,” she mumbled, wiping absently at the back of her skirt.

“Oh, it is.” Kathleen hurried back toward the house, tugging Sera behind her. “They’re having fun!” she cried as they passed the couple by the wall. “Get a room!”

Sera laughed and quickly climbed the stairs to the door. She plunged back into the house, allowing Kathleen to drag her toward the dance floor. The music pounded around her, vibrating the floor of the house, and hammering into her head. She instantly wished that she was back outside where it was quiet, peaceful, and cool.

“Look!” Kathleen yelled.

Sera looked around but saw nothing unusual in the crowded mass. “What!?” she yelled back.

“Over there!” Kathleen pointed.

Sera looked at the group of girls gathered in the back, but saw nothing unusual about them. She was about to give up, thinking that Kathleen was losing it, when she spotted Michelle. She was standing amongst the group, a sweet smile on her normally cool face.

Sera was momentarily perplexed by Michelle’s actions. She was never so openly flirtatious, or seemingly carefree. Then, the group parted slightly to reveal a young man in their midst. He was leaning casually against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he smiled at the girls surrounding him. He was by far the most gorgeous man that she had ever seen. Her heart began to pound rapidly in her chest as everything around her seemed to freeze. The noise was gone, the room ceased moving. He became the only thing that she could see, the only thing that she could feel.

She had the fierce urge to cross the room to him, but she couldn’t seem to get her legs to move. They were riveted in shock. Slowly, the girls surrounding him began to come back into focus. The music filtered back into her startled mind, and the room once again swarmed with people. She looked at the girls in amazement as they flirted outrageously, and overtly grazed against him. He could have his pick of any of them, even Michelle, who was usually too condescending to even think about picking a guy up at a party. Sera glanced back at Kathleen, who was wearing the same riveted expression that she was certain had been on her own face.

She looked back to find the strange guy staring intently at her. She was unable to break free of his intense gaze as his eyes locked on hers. The room seemed to disappear again as he smiled softly and nodded. She swallowed heavily, and managed a small smile in return before the group enclosed him. Sera felt as if she had just snapped out of a trance. She took a startled step back, bumping roughly into the doorjamb. Kathleen turned to her and grasped her arm painfully.

“Isn’t he hot!?” she cried.

“Who is he?” Sera managed around the lump in her throat.

“I don’t know. He just transferred here this semester. I can’t get close enough to talk to him and find out anything.”

Sera nodded slowly as she looked back at the group that enclosed him, blocking him from view. She felt a surprising sense of loss that completely confused her. She didn’t know anything about him, not even his name. She was acting like a silly fool. She was acting like the girls crowding around him.

She definitely wasn’t acting like herself.

“Come on,” Kathleen said, her voice filled with determination.

“What, where?” Sera gasped in surprise as Kathleen drug her toward the dance floor.

She didn’t have time to offer more of a protest as Kathleen plunged into the crowd. “Dance!” Kathleen called happily above the noise.

Sera stared dazedly at her before realizing that she looked like a foolish, wooden statue among the swaying bodies. Slowly she began to move to the music, but her mind remained on the group in the corner. And the man. She was so focused upon her thoughts, and pondering over the strange sense of loss she had felt, that she didn’t realize Kathleen was angling them toward the group until they were only feet away.

When she did realize it, she began to move slowly away, ignoring Kathleen’s agitated glances. She moved to the center of the floor, mingling back in with the larger group. She’d be damned if she was going to turn into some groupie, and latch onto some guy that she didn’t even know. He was gorgeous, but she would not degrade herself that way.

Kathleen stared up at her and sighed angrily. “I’ll be back!” she yelled above the music.

Sera nodded and mingled in with a group of girls from her dorm. They smiled warmly at her, and Danielle, another good friend of hers, playfully bumped her hip as she laughed happily. “Did you see the new guy?” she asked eagerly.

Sera sighed inwardly and nodded. Was every girl in this room infatuated with him? He was good looking, yes, but couldn’t they see that they were all making fools of themselves? There were other guys at this party. “Yeah,” she mumbled.

Danielle grinned as she tossed back her long, dark hair. Her hazel eyes were twinkling merrily as she bumped Sera again. “Are you going to talk to him?”

Sera’s eyebrows rose in surprise as she shook her head. “No.”

Danielle shook her head before spinning in a quick circle. Her dark hair twirled around her as she stopped before Sera, beaming from ear to ear. She was a pretty girl with a small, pointy nose, high cheekbones, and a narrow chin. She was built like a dancer, small, lithe, and graceful.

The fast paced dance music was cut off as a slow song came on. Sera saw her opportunity to make an exit as couples started to fill the floor. She moved with Danielle toward the door, but found herself unexpectedly blocked off. Frowning in aggravation she tilted her head up to see who it was that belonged to the body she had walked into, and was firmly blocking her way.

She froze as her gaze locked onto a set of brilliant green eyes. Eyes so clear and mesmerizing that she was certain no emerald could have compared. Her heart flip flopped painfully as she gazed at the man before her. The room seemed to disappear again as her entire body reacted to his presence.

It was him.

“Sorry,” she managed to say around the sudden lump in her throat.

He smiled; his face and eyes lit up with it. “It was my fault. I was trying to stop you.”

“Stop me?”

“Would you like to dance?”

Sera blinked in surprise. She didn’t want to dance, she wanted to flee as quickly as possible, but her feet wouldn’t move. Instead, without meaning to, she found herself nodding slowly. He held his hand out to her as a small smile curved his full mouth.

Her gaze traveled slowly to his long, elegant fingers as his hand clasped around hers. She felt an unexpected bolt of electricity rip through her. She jumped in surprise, her eyes snapped back to his. He was staring at her intently, his eyes narrowed with curiosity, and surprise. For a moment she felt as if he had ripped her skin away and was staring straight into her soul. She felt completely vulnerable, bared to him but no matter how much she disliked the feeling of vulnerability enveloping her, she couldn’t tear her gaze from his.

Then, he turned from her. Sera blinked dazedly as the intimate contact was broken. A shiver swept up her spine, but she managed to keep herself from revealing it to him. He led her to the center of the floor and turned to wrap his arms around her waist. Sera found herself staring at a broad chest as she rested her hands against it. She could feel the bunching of thick muscles, and radiating heat as her fingers lightly stroked him.

Another shudder, this one of desire, rippled through her. Desire was not something that she experienced; it was something that she feared, and something that she did not want to experience now. She had to bite her lip to keep another shiver repressed as she tilted her head to look up at him.

She took in every inch of his perfectly sculptured face. His eyes were the brilliant color of new sprung leaves. They seemed to glow with an inner light, and they radiated a magnetism that was completely entrancing. His eyelashes were long, thick, and black as they shadowed the planes of his sharp, chiseled cheekbones. His nose was straight and narrow. His lips were a deep, blood red, the lower lip slightly fuller than the upper.

Suddenly she longed, in a way that she never had with anyone else, to kiss him. She wanted to know what his lips tasted like. What they felt like.

Her hands trailed along his chest. She could feel every detail of his ridged muscles beneath the black shirt that clung to him. His broad shoulders seemed to block out the rest of the room as he spun her slowly along the floor. He was at least six feet tall, a good six inches taller than her, and she had to tilt her head back to look at him. His hair was black, a pure, raven black that was cut short, but waved around his gorgeous face.

He smiled softly as she hesitantly met his penetrating gaze again. She couldn’t imagine why he wanted to dance with her when he could have any girl here. “What’s your name?” he asked. He didn’t seem to raise his voice, but she was able to hear him clearly.

“Sera.”

“Sera, that’s unusual.”

“You don’t know my full name,” she said with a playful grin, unable to believe that she was actually flirting with him. She never flirted, hell she never even danced with guys. She kept to herself, she avoided them. As a matter of fact she went out of her way to avoid them, not to dance with them. It was easier that way, less hurtful. But now, she found herself unable to stop doing either.

He grinned at her and shifted his hold as he pulled her closer. “What would that be?” he asked; his voice was deep and husky. It sent chills of pleasure down her spine.

“Serendipity.”

He broke into a grin as he laughed softly. “Well now isn’t that perfect. Sera, I think my meeting you was serendipitous.”

She laughed and shrugged. “Who knows, maybe. What’s your name?”

“Liam.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said as the music came to an end.

She felt a sense of loss as his arms fell away from her. “Want to go somewhere else?” he inquired.

Sera nervously licked her lips; her gaze darted quickly around the crowded room. “Where?”

Liam stared at her for a moment, surprised by her hesitation, her sudden fear. In that moment he was surprised to find his mind going from wonderful, lust filled thoughts of the bedroom, to making her feel safe and secure. “For a walk. It’s hot and loud in here. To loud to talk, and I would like to get to know you better.”

She stared at him in surprise, and then, to her own surprise, she found herself nodding in agreement as the music blared again. He took hold of her hand and led her off the crowded dance floor. She followed numbly behind, unable to believe that she had agreed to leave with him. What was the matter with her? She knew better than to do this, knew better than to allow this to happen, but she couldn’t stop herself. Couldn’t bring herself to tell him that she didn’t want to go, because she did want to go.

  She caught the envious glances tossed her way as they moved slowly through the thick crowd. Suddenly, Michelle stepped in front of her.

“Where are you going?” she demanded, her eyes chillingly cold.

Sera gaped at Michelle in surprise. She pulled on Liam’s hand, stopping him in the midst of the crowd. He turned back to her, a frown marring his forehead. His eyes darted to Michelle and his frown deepened as his hand tightened upon hers. “I don’t know yet,” Sera answered.

“This is very unlike you Sera,” she said coldly. “I’ve never known you to leave a party with someone, has Kathleen finally succeeded in making you a slut?”

Sera’s face flamed red with embarrassment and anger. Michelle was supposed to be one of her best friends, not attacking her like this.

“That is uncalled for,” Liam growled, taking a step closer to her.

Michelle’s eyes blazed with fury as they landed upon him. Sera found herself trapped between them, her face on fire as she trembled slightly, unable to move. She had no idea how to get away from either one of them, but she desperately wanted to bolt from them both. “Well Michelle, it is like you to be a bitch.” Kathleen appeared at Sera’s side, her jaw clenched angrily as she leveled Michelle with a fierce look. “Even I, who am well aware of how much of a bitch you can be, am surprised by this new level.”

Michelle’s eyes snapped to Kathleen. They burned with an intense hatred unlike anything Sera had seen before. A chill shuddered through Sera in the face of that hatred. Kathleen seemed not to notice it as she seized hold of Sera’s arm and steered her quickly away. She found herself pulling Liam through the crowd as Kathleen plunged onward. They made their way outside where Kathleen released her arm, slid to the bottom step, and hugged her middle as she burst out laughing.