Desire: #4 Brightest Kind of Darkness (15 page)

Just when I start to fold my arms across my chest, Lainey grabs my wrists and pulls them to my side, shaking her head. “Oh, no you don’t. You look hot, Nara. Let your inner sex goddess free tonight and…um, wow. I think Ethan’s just noticed too.” Leaning close she says in my ear, “What he can convey with just one look is panty melting. If I didn’t love Matt…”

Before I can even respond to her comment, she grabs Matt’s hand and says, “We’ll be back after the steam has cleared.”

Matt looks around, confused. “Steam? But you said we didn’t need the dry ice machines.”

Ethan’s fingers fold around my elbow once Lainey pulls Matt into the crowd, his deep voice resonating in my ear. “Half the guys around us have noticed the effect the black light’s having on your sweater.”

I can’t tell by his tone if he’s upset, turned on, or somewhere in between. Should I embrace my inner sex goddess like Lainey suggested? I start to say something when a couple of dark-haired guys walk up, and the taller of the two hands me a beer. “Hey, gorgeous. I see your hand’s empty. Have a beer.”

Just as I smile and hand the cup back, saying, “No thanks,” Ethan slides his hand from my elbow to my free hand and narrows his eyes on the guy. “Before you give that to the next girl, it had better not have anything in it other than beer.”

I’ve heard stories of guys slipping drugs in drinks at parties, so I appreciate Ethan trying to look out for others. His hard stare is fierce, making me glad I’ve never been the recipient of that side of his intensity. Even in the semi-darkness, I can see the guy’s face go pale. He stiffens and quickly shakes his head. “It’s just beer, man.”

Once the guy and his friend blend back into the crowd, I peek down at my sweater then meet Ethan’s steady gaze, grimacing. “Who knew, right?”

Alesso’s remix of One Republic’s “If I Lose Myself” starts up, and while the sensual trance-like words fill the room, Ethan slides his hand across my belly, then cups my hip and slowly turns me to face him. “Ready to have your world rocked?”

Heart ramping, I grip his shoulders and my pulse thrums as we begin to dance to the music, our hips moving in perfect sync. “Look at me,” he says, his voice entrancing, his heavy gaze on me beyond charismatic. It’s near hypnotic.

When I meet his dark eyes, everything seems to slow, the music and sensation of people crushing around us fades until all I hear and feel is the music’s muffled rhythmic bass thumping against my chest. “It’s just you and me now, Sunshine. Listen. What do you hear?”

Layered on top of the bass is a steady upbeat
thump, thump
sound. It repeats again and again. I curl my fingers around his neck, awe filling me. “It’s a heartbeat.”

A slight shake of his head. He pulls my hips flush against his and I settle my hands around his waist. “It’s our hearts beating.”

I blink several times. “Together? At the same time? That’s impossible.”

He lifts a dark eyebrow and moves his hands from my hips to my upper back. While we slowly move to the seductive music, he pulls my chest against his. The second we connect, I tingle everywhere, but I also feel what my ears hear: our hearts pounding in the same slow, steady rhythm.

“But how?”

Ethan folds a hand on the back of my neck, his thumb tracing my jawline. Bending close, he feathers a kiss along my temple, then whispers huskily in my ear, “Magic.”

When he kisses my cheekbone, then my jaw, I guide my fingers under his shirt and grip him close. I don’t want to pull away, to disconnect our tethered hearts. I hadn’t imagined the syncing that happens between us when we’re close like this. The feeling is beyond surreal. It’s bone deep and exactly as he described: magical.

The second his mouth covers mine in a soul-wrenching kiss, the heartbeat starts to speed up and my chest feels like it’s expanding. I gasp and press my mouth harder against his.

Ethan’s hand slides into my hair at the same time his tongue teasingly touches mine. “You totally shred me, Nara,” he murmurs against my mouth, then cups the back of my head and grips my hair, deepening our kiss.

I kiss him with equal intensity, my fingers fisting in his shirt. His hands move to my back, grasping me tight. He enthralls me, engaging all my senses. I lose myself in his arms, shutting out everything but this moment of pure bliss. The sudden sound of piercing whistles yanks me out of the spell he’s woven around us.

A crowd close to us has stopped dancing and is whistling and cheering. Several people are openly staring at my hands where I’d unconsciously pulled Ethan’s shirt halfway up his back.

Embarrassed, I quickly yank his shirt down and start to step back, but he wraps his arms around my waist, locking me in place, an arrogant grin on his face.

“Ethan!” I say in a quiet hiss.

Pressing a chaste kiss to my forehead, he murmurs for just my ears, “Let them cheer. We’re awesome together.”

As the crowd resumes their crazed dancing, I laugh despite myself. “You definitely rocked my world.”

Ethan lets out a bark of laughter, then grabs my hand and spins me in a circle. “The feeling’s definitely mutual, Sunshine.”

We dance with Lainey and Matt for another hour. During that time, Ethan tried to talk to Matt. The first time, Matt was too busy dancing. The second time he tried, Matt slowed down his dancing to listen, but then he just shook his head and pointed to his ear, “Sorry, dude. It’s too loud. Can’t hear you.” Matt was just too hyped up for any conversation that didn’t involve whoops, screams and yelling for “more house sound.”

Wiping a sheen of sweat from my brow, I glance at my watch, then tap Lainey on the shoulder. “I need to be home before one. Mom gave me several errands to do tomorrow.” Hugging her tight, I say, “Merry Christmas. This was an awesome rave. I think you should be our party organizer from now on.”

Lainey snorts. “Can’t you just see it now…my future career as a party planner?”

I tilt my head and smile. “That’s actually not a bad idea. According to the listings I saw on career day, if you’re really good, the salary can get pretty high.”

“Paid to party. I like it,” Lainey says, then sighs dramatically and waves me on. “Go if you must. The snowpocalypse will soon be here, giving me my very first white Christmas.” Raising her cup of beer, she cheers loudly, “Here’s hoping we’ll dance ourselves into five feet of snow.”

The crowd around us joins in Lainey’s chant, and fifteen seconds later the whole room is chanting and swaying in a wave that ripples across the entire space.

Yep, Lainey’s got what it takes to make any place rock. Smiling, I wave goodbye.

It’s still and quiet outside once the building’s door shuts behind us. Even the two guys who were guarding the door earlier must’ve finally gone inside to party. I sigh happily as light snow continues to fall.

While we walk along the line of parked cars, Ethan wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close. “What are you thinking?”

I put my hand out. The moment the snow hits my dance-warmed skin, it instantly melts. “I love how peaceful snow is. Even when it comes down heavy and fast, it’s quiet. Rain can be so loud. Some might find the sound of pounding rain soothing, but to me…snow is peaceful and tranquil.”

Ethan smirks. “Heavy rain is much easier to maneuver in. A blizzard can be completely incapacitating. You can swim through waist high flooding, but you can’t easily wade through four feet of snow.”

“Uh. Thanks for bursting my rose-colored bubble.”

Ethan chuckles and glances down at me. “I was just playing devil’s advocate. Snow does have one attribute that rain doesn’t though. Something that makes it definitely worth your admiration.”

“Oh, really? I’d love to hear it.”

We turn the corner of the building, and Ethan stiffens. His shoulders tense, his hand pulls me to a stop. Tugging me behind him, he says. “Get back inside the building.”

His tone is dangerously low. I peer around his shoulder to see a guy in a brown leather jacket leaning casually against Ethan’s car, boots crossed at his ankles, and his hands shoved in jean pockets.

The college-aged, sandy-haired guy gives me a leering smile before he shifts his line of sight to Ethan. “I would warn you…that next time…don’t let your girl reveal your sword in public.” He shrugs and pushes off the car. “But that’d be kind of pointless since you’ll soon be dead,
Corvus
.”

Oh, God. I brought this on Ethan. I hadn’t meant to expose his tattoo. I guess if you know what to look for, even half the blade is enough to alert a demon, but why didn’t Ethan sense the demon in the rave?

Ethan’s gaze never leaves the demon while he pushes me away from him and grates out, “
Go
, Nara.”

I turn and run back the way we came, guilt knotting my stomach. A couple inches of snow has fallen since we entered the rave. My feet slip on the powdery surface, making it hard to run with confidence. I slow my pace to keep from face-planting, glancing back once to see Ethan hitting the demon with such force, the guy tumbles over the row of cars, landing along the edge of trees that line the side of the building. I want to stay and try to help Ethan, but I don’t want to be the reason he’s distracted from the battle.

While Ethan veers around the car after the demon, I reach the corner of the building and slam into a tall, barrel-chested guy with slick black hair. I saw him dancing in the rave earlier. Before he can get a good look at what’s going on behind me, I grip his jacket and say, “We need to go back inside. It’s not safe out here right now.”

Instead of looking worried, he clasps my arms and nods toward the sound of fists connecting with bone, bloodlust in his eyes.

Ice fills my veins when the guy tracks Ethan and the demon’s movements, a half-crazed smile tilting his lips. “We’re staying right here. I have a feeling this battle’s going to be worth the phone call I made to that demon.”

“You called him?” I rasp in disbelief.

He quickly turns me in his arms and bends close to my ear, sheer admiration in his voice. “You have to admit the power they possess is awe-inspiring.”

Ethan glances our way and fury enters his dark eyes.

I call out a warning too late.

The demon slams his fist into Ethan’s stomach and then kicks him in the chest, sending him flying against the building’s cinderblock wall.

“Ethan!” I scream at the same time I stomp on the rat-bastard’s foot.

When he involuntarily bends from the pain, I throw my elbow back and jab him in the nose.

I don’t feel an ounce of guilt when I hear a crunch and see blood spurt onto the snow at our feet.

I jerk away and run toward Ethan who’s crumpled on the ground by the building, unmoving.

I only get a few feet away when I’m quickly yanked back, blinding pain radiating at the base of my skull. The bastard has grabbed a handful of my hair. Turning his fist, he clutches more strands and tugs until I cry out in pain.

Holding his other hand under his bloody nostrils, he bites out, “You fucking broke my nose, bitch. I’m going to beat you until you beg me to kill you once we take care of your boyfriend.”

“Let me go or a broken nose will be the least of your worries,” I say in a deadly voice I’ve never used on anyone before.

The demon’s leaning over Ethan now. Nudging him with the toe of his boot, he laughs. I ignore the pain in my head and focus all my energy on Ethan. “Wake up, Ethan!”

Just as the demon swings his booted foot toward Ethan’s head, Ethan moves with lightning speed. Yanking the demon’s foot at the same time he jerks upright, Ethan punches him in the groin.

The hit only momentarily stuns the demon, but it’s enough for Ethan to jump to his feet and grab hold of the guy’s curly hair. Holding his sword against the demon’s throat, he growls, “Enjoy your time in Under.”

“Not yet.” The demon laughs right before Ethan plunges his sword into his body.

I blink in surprise when I don’t see the familiar fog-like smoke explode from him like it always does when Ethan expels a demon from a human.

“I like this point of view much better,” the guy holding me purrs in my ear, the pleased satisfaction in his voice sending chill bumps of fear trickling through me. Before I can turn and try to push the demon out, he grabs either side of my head in a vice hold. “I’m over here, Corvus,” he taunts Ethan. “Too bad you’re too late to keep me from snapping her pretty little neck.”

I scream at the beginnings of a sharp tug on my head, but suddenly Ethan’s right in front of me, his sword’s handle a mere inch from my cheekbone. Unmoving, I pant frantically. In my periphery, I see the blade jammed into the guy’s eye socket.

Vibrating with fury, dark eyes full of cold retribution, Ethan doesn’t even blink; he twists the sword and obliterates the guy behind me.

As soon as I’m free, my legs feel boneless, but I can’t move, can’t collapse. I’m frozen in shock. Ethan tilts his head and slides his hand along my jaw, cupping my cheek in a reverent hold.

We stand there like that for what seems like a full minute, the snow quietly falling down on us, before Ethan blinks and jerks his hand away forcefully, taking a step back.

I’m confused by his action. The thought of him pulling away for any reason brings tears to the surface. They roll down my cheeks, and I hold a hand out to him, my voice shaking. “Ethan?”

He exhales a harsh breath and quickly steps into me, wrapping his arms around me in a fierce hug. “I thought I’d lost you,” he says against my hair, his tone wrecked, his hold on me cinching even tighter.

“I’m here. You saved me,” I whisper, melting into his solid strength. “I had no idea demons could jump bodies so quickly.”

Ethan tucks his hand under my snow-coated hair, clasping the back of my neck. “A person has to be not only primed to accept the demon, but close at hand. That kind of situation rarely happens.”

“I guess the guy from the rave qualified.” I sigh against his chest. “He’s the one who called the demon after seeing the lower part of your sword tattoo. I’m sorry for exposing you like that.”

Ethan shakes his head and tilts my face up so I have to meet his gaze. “Never apologize for loving me, Nara. I can’t always hide my back. I try but sometimes people see it. Fortunately, the vast majority have no idea what my tattoo is.”