Better Off Dead (20 page)

Suddenly Gabriel caught her attention from across the room.  The heated charge to his gaze was anything but professional.  And for a horrible moment Lucy felt naked and exposed, and as if they were the only two people in the room.  And then the person on either side of her grabbed her by the hand.  One was Micah; he leaned down and said into her ear, “This isn’t hard to learn.  Just follow everybody’s lead, and try not to impale anyone’s feet with those heels…especially mine.”

“I’ll try,” Lucy mumbled.  She could do this.  She was a former cheer squad captain, and she’d taken ballet for almost ten years.  She could handle some sort of folk dance.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Micah said as everyone moved slowly to the right.  “He must really like you if he lets you call him Gabe.”

“I just started calling him that because I knew he didn’t like it,” she confessed. 

“Nobody gets to call him that…well, I do when I’m looking for a fight, but that’s usually when he goes all Mighty Mouse on me.”

“Mighty Mouse?”

Micah smiled wickedly, and then the crowd really started to move.  Lucy found herself having to concentrate to keep up.  And then the music spiraled and everyone separated, weaving in and out of each other.  Someone caught Lucy’s hand and pulled her into the fray, and with a confused laugh she fell into step and zigzagged her way through the dance.  Now and then everyone stopped and the man next to her twirled her around, and then the whole thing started again…but a little faster.

Everyone was having a hell of a good time, including Lucy.  And without even noticing it, she’d instantly fallen in love with the entire Enoch clan.  She saw Micah fly by, and then she was suddenly dancing with Luvici.  His face was rosy and he was sweating, but he looked happier than she’s ever seen him.  Obviously being with his family did that to him.

Lucy felt a short, sharp pang of misery as she flashed on the last time she’d danced with her father.  It was at a stuffy old Christmas party almost two years ago, but she could recall that moment with utter clarity.  The way he’d smelled, the room, the song, the way he smiled at her and told her what a beautiful young lady she’d become.  “His little girl.”

With a brutal jerk Lucy was back in Luvici’s arms, and she felt like she was about to start crying.  Luvici picked her up and spun her around once, setting her down effortlessly, and making her squeal with unintended delight.  And then just as suddenly he swung her around and she crashed right into a man’s broad, tuxedo-clad chest.  The music stopped and the room fell instantly silent.

Lucy looked up and found Gabe looking down at her.  He wasn’t smiling, and he didn’t look particularly happy, but he was looking at her like he wanted to devour her.  The heat in those brown eyes was enough to burn down a house, and now that she was staring into those beautiful eyes, she felt like she was drowning in them.  Her hands were against his chest, feeling his breath heave in and out of him. 

She felt a twinge of fear…what was she doing?  What was
he
doing?  Was this just part of the act, or was that lusty look really coming from him? 

She stepped back.

Suddenly the room erupted in a wave of boos and cat calls.  The room was vibrating with the Enoch clan’s bottled up energy.  But Lucy still couldn’t take her eyes from Gabriel’s.  She could stand there forever and stare into those melted chocolate eyes.

“Kiss her!” a voice that could only be Micah hollered.  A short burst of laughter, whistles and applause broke out.  And then more voices started to chant.  “Kiss her!  Kiss her!  Kiss her!”

Gabriel gazed down at her with genuine affection, his mouth curling on one side in a crooked smile.  “We’ve been set up.”

Lucy peeled her gaze from Gabe’s eyes, taking in the fact that every pair of eyes in the room were anxiously waiting for them to kiss.  She caught sight of Jonas and Vivian, and Vivian looked like she would’ve bet her best jewels that they weren’t going to be able to do it.  Or was that a look of disgust, like when you take a bite of spoiled shrimp.

“We didn’t practice this,” Lucy whispered. 
We really should’ve practiced this!  We didn’t even talk about it.  How stupid are we?

The roar of a ballroom full of people whooping and clapping their hands and stomping their feet ricocheted around the room.  Were some of the guests actually howling? 

Lucy’s startled gaze swept the room, giving her a slight dizzy feeling as she turned her attention back to Gabriel.  Abruptly the crowd fell silent, as if they were in their own little bubble.  All she knew was that Gabriel was suddenly the most beautiful man in the world, and she could feel herself falling into his dark, hungry eyes.

Gabriel reached out and took hold of her shoulders, his hands gentle yet scalding hot, his palms burning her bare shoulders.  His breathing came hard and fast through his mouth, the look on his face was actual hunger, which just amazed Lucy, made her feel like her heart was about to ignite in flames.  Gabriel looked not only hungry for her, but downright shocked.

Happily shocked?
  Lucy wondered.

But she didn’t have to wonder long.  Gabriel’s hands slid from her shoulders as he pulled her to him, the cool smooth fabric of his suit sliding against Lucy’s flesh, giving her goose bumps and making her gasp, the feel of his strong, muscular body as he wrapped his arms around her and crushed her against him made her tremble. 

Oh…my…god…

And then his lips captured hers.  Smooth soft lips and a most indescribably delectable taste engulfed Lucy’s senses. A shock, a current, a freaking lightning bolt surged between and through and around them.  Gabriel’s arms pulled tight around her, clasping her to him—her own arms entwining about his neck

Okay, this is nice…

Standing there, being kissed by a man a few weeks ago she couldn’t stand, she forgot her own name, why she was there, or that there was even one other person on the face of the earth besides him
.  Him.
  No longer Gabriel, no longer Gabe (just to annoy him), but
him...

Lucy felt every molecule in her body move toward Gabriel, wanting nothing more than to get closer to him.  Some white hot flame had been ignited inside her chest, in her head, at her core, and she could feel it searing her from the inside, hotter even than Gabriel’s touch or even his lips against hers.

The only sound Lucy could hear was her own heartbeat clamoring in her head, its rhythm thudding in her chest.  She could feel Gabriel’s heart beating through his chest against her own.

             
They’re almost in sync.
  And that little thought tore Lucy from the seemingly endless rapture she’d found in Gabriel’s arms, and she pushed away from him and gasped for breath as their lips parted.  Her entire body shook and her legs wobbled as she tried to pull away from him. 

I hate this guy! 
She clenched her eyes shut. 
It’s all just a job, a way to get my life and future back.  That’s it…that’s all!

And yet when she opened her eyes, the way Gabriel stared at her, how his arms still clung to her. 

The world pushed back in on them as Gabriel’s family rushed toward them, cries of relief and happiness replacing the silence, and Lucy found herself surrounded by legions of partygoers, all of them kissing her cheek and giving her heartfelt hugs.  Gabriel was besieged by slaps on the shoulders, hands being shook, and smiling/crying women congratulating him with more kisses and hugs.

Inexplicably Lucy felt like she was about to burst into tears.  She was so confused.  What the hell just happened?  Why did she feel so shitty about all these people congratulating her? 

And…why do I care so much for all these strangers?

If any of them knew, they would hate me…

She saw Gabriel through the crowd.  He looked happy. 
He never looks happy!  What the hell’s going on here?
She caught sight of his eyes, and there it was again, the one thing she hadn’t ever expected to see in his eyes: need, want, adoration…love?

No…

Lucy turned away as tears spilled from her eyes, rolling in streams down her cheeks.

I have to get out of here…

Lucy tried to move through the crowd without causing a scene, but she knew that if she didn’t get away from them all she was going to fall apart.  She couldn’t let anyone see her like that.  She refused.

She took some deep breaths, swiped the tears from her eyes and plastered a smile on her face.  She pushed urgently through the throng of party guests until she saw an EXIT sign glowing red in the distance.  It seemed to take forever, but she finally made it through to the mahogany wood door, grabbing the knob and thankfully finding it unlocked.

~*~

The cool night air felt good on Lucy’s skin, and even though it was rancid with the aromas of garbage and decay, breathing it in helped steady her as she stepped haltingly out into the alley behind the club.  She let the door click shut, cutting off the ebb and flow of the celebration, leaving her in peace and silence.  The only sound was her breathing and the click and scrap of her heels on the cracked pavement of the alley.

I’ve so screwed this all to hell…
Lucy held her hands to her face.  Her flesh was so cold. 
What was I thinking?

Lucy expected her bitchy inner voice to chime in with her two cents, but instead she was struck by a terrible, potent feeling. 

She didn’t know how she knew, she just knew—something was there.  She felt it.  Somewhere in the darkness that surrounded her, something was watching her.  She looked around her and backed up toward the door a step.

I’m going to die...
she heard an inner voice say. 
That’s comforting.
  Another voice said,
Quiet...can you feel that?

She
could
feel it.  It was cold and dead and absolutely wanted to kill her.  And no sooner did she think this, than it rushed upon her, unstoppable.  A flash of golden blonde hair and the whitest teeth—or were they fangs?  It grabbed her by the throat, picked her up in the air and slammed her back against the cold bricks of the wall. 

As her feet dangled in thin air she fought to take a breath.  She tried to pry the hand from her throat, but it was so strong.  She looked down and felt an instant shock.  Staring up at her, eyes frosty blue, long blonde hair blazing in the wind, stood a girl no older than she, and not a bit bigger.  Her lips peeled back to bare the whitest set of fangs.

A fire erupted in Lucy’s head—she was pissed. 
What does this chick think she’s doing?  
She grabbed hold of the girl’s wrist and glared down at her. 
Let me go!
 

For just a moment Lucy felt something prickle across her skin, then it seemed to flow into fang chick’s wrist.

The girl’s arm shook, and she lowered her captive about six inches before pushing her back up into the air.  The look on her face was still seething bitch, but something flickered in her eyes, if only for an instant.

Lucy locked her gaze on the girl’s cold blue eyes.  Another surge, one much stronger flowed from Lucy into the girl.  The annoyed burning in her skull was almost painful. 
Get your filthy hands off me!    

When the blonde girl just set her down they shared the same look of deep shock.  They staggered away from each other, the blonde shaking her head as Lucy fell back against the wall, gasping up the foul air of the alley. 

This
really
can’t be happening. 
Lucy held her hand to her aching throat and used the other to hold herself up against the side of the building.  But then she looked over at the blonde, and sure enough she had fangs still—not an optical illusion and not Lucy’s imagination getting away from her in a dark alley.

The blonde hissed.  “What the hell did you just do to me?”  She looked like she’d just tasted something disgusting.  “I can’t believe you used magic against me!”  The blonde came closer a step, a cruel smile on her face.  “Two can play at the game.”  She closed her eyes, holding her hands out, looking for a moment like a bleach blonde, really skinny Buda.  That was until she open her eyes and they were blood red.  No pupil, no whites, just a liquid pool of blood red shimmering in the darkened alley.

Immediately Lucy felt something crawl across her flesh, grabbing at her arms, wrapping around her throat, making goose flesh pop up all over her body.  But that’s all that happened, just the feeling that something was crawling over her, trying to grab hold of her, and it was radiating from fang chick.

The blonde shook her head as her arms dropped back to her sides.  She shrieked her anger and lunged at Lucy, hurdling toward her with terrifying speed.

“No!”  Lucy gasped.  Her back was pressed against the cold bricks of the wall again.  “Stop!”

Fang chick stopped on the spot, as if she’d hit a wall, falling to the pavement.  She looked up at Lucy, furious.  Her eyes glowed a demonic red. 

Unfortunately Lucy hit her knees too.  When the blonde was halted she’d felt another charge shoot out of her.  And with that her legs went out from under her.  She felt so weak she was having a hard time just holding herself upright as she knelt on the parched pavement of the alley.