Wanderlust (6 page)

“Tame those curls,” she ordered. “Now.”

Eli waited patiently on the bed while we flitted about the room. I pulled on a pair of pencil leg black pants with a silky, sleeveless charcoal blouse and ballerina flats. I pulled back my bangs with a pearlescent clip, and smeared a dab of sheer gloss across my full lips. When I felt I had managed to make myself at least moderately presentable, I pinched my cheeks to give them a bit of extra color and emerged from the bathroom, ready for assessment.

Addie’s back was to me, and it took a moment for her to realize I had returned to the cramped bedroom where she had been working her own beauty magic. In the meantime, Eli simply sat up straight, took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. He shook his head even more slowly and blinked his wide eyes.

“You don’t like it,” I said somewhat sadly, completely misreading his expression. “I’ll see what more I can do. Give me five more minutes, ‘kay?”

By now, Addie had turned around and was giving me an appraising look.

“Not bad, Jameson. You clean up pretty good. Maybe just a bit of shadow on those lids, and you’ll be good to go,“ Addie offered. Her tone had softened considerably, and I attributed her earlier nasty outburst to being awakened suddenly.

Eli grabbed my arm as I turned to head back into the bathroom.

“Don’t you dare,” he said firmly, looking like a wolf stalking its prey--his eyes wild with desire. “Don’t change a single thing.”

Heat blazed where his hand touched my arm, and a chill ran through me at his words. When a guy like Eli pays you a compliment, it’s hard not to feel anything but amazing. My cheeks flushed with color, and I succumbed to the pressure he had applied to my arm, falling into a sitting position next to him. We sat in silence, almost touching but not quite, waiting for Addie to finish. Despite my best efforts to ignore it, electricity sizzled between us.

It felt like forever since we had decided to go out for the night, but it had only been a little over 30 minutes. Addie was our only hold up, and watching as she wildly rummaged through her bag, it didn’t look like we would be leaving anytime soon.

“Dammit,” Addie shouted as she tossed about her toiletries like a mad woman. “I forgot my toothbrush.”

“It’s okay, Addie. We can get you a new one,” I said in my most soothing tone.

“It’s not that easy, Lia,” Addie scorned, her nasty attitude returning. She was tossing clothes, shoes, and under things about her as if they were tissue paper from a gift bag. Sometimes, she could be so melodramatic. “That brush was custom fitted to match my jaw structure.”

“They can do that?” Eli questioned, arching an eyebrow in mockery.

“Yes, Neanderthal, of course they can,” she retorted, shaking her head. “I’ll just go get one from the concierge.”

“Sweetie,” I said, patting her on the shoulder, “the three of us are sharing a bedroom built for one person. There is no TV or wi-fi, we’re sleeping on an army-style cot with a threadbare sheet, and the air conditioning is on the fritz--do you really think there’s a concierge?”

“Ugh,” Addie sighed, throwing her arms up in the air and with them flinging the last contents of her suitcase.

“I’m sure you can buy a new toothbrush at that pharmacy we saw up the road. You can use it until we can have your toothbrush shipped to us,” Eli offered.

“Fine,” she muttered and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her as she stomped down the hall.

Eli crossed the room to search through his bag. He pulled a speedstick out and, lifting his shirt ever so slightly--revealing just a hint of his rock-hard abs--he smoothed it under each arm. Tossing it back in his bag, he unzipped a side pocket, tucked something in the palm of his hand, and uttered a nervous laugh. Eli turned to me then, a look of utter dismay on his otherwise handsome face. It was hard not to notice the way his eyes twinkled in the moonlight streaming through the small window in the corner of the stuffy room. His blond hair was swept to the side in a way that looked both polished and haphazard at the same time. He was truly a work of art. He held my gaze for as long as I would let him before reluctantly looking down. I watched as the sculpted muscles in his upper arms flexed slightly and felt a pang of guilt for wanting to reach out and feel them beneath my fingertips. Then, I saw what he was holding and realized that he had a message for me.

“We probably only have a few minutes before the princess returns, so I thought I would do this now. I don’t know when we’ll have another moment alone together,” he said, breaking the silence that had suddenly become awkward. “You have to wear this, Lia.”

Chaseyn had given me a handcrafted silver bracelet when we first met, and he could use it to track my general location. Before I left for the airport the day before, I slid the bracelet off my wrist and tucked it in the nightstand beside my bed. The fewer reminders I had of Chaseyn while I was away, the less I would miss him. And, I would always wonder if he was tracking me. I was certain that the temptation of having him so near would drive me crazy with need.

Eli was already standing entirely too close to me, and I could feel the heat radiating from his warm body. He took another step toward me, and we were so close that his forehead brushed against my own as we both looked down at the shiny object in his hand. I hoped he didn’t notice when my breath caught at the subtle feel of his body so near to my own. I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. Although, I couldn’t ignore the fact that there was, once again, a definite energy surging between us. When he took my hand in his own, I released an audible sigh, and his lips turned up slightly at their corners. He was having an effect on me, and it pleased him to no end. Still, there was something bigger looming between us, and I took a minute to ensure my voice wouldn’t crack before saying what he knew I
had
to say.

“How did you get this, Eli? I don’t want it. Not now.”

“Believe me, Lia, the last thing I want is to be bringing you reminders of
him
, but you and I both know this is for the best.”

Eli slipped the bracelet he had been holding onto my wrist, allowing his hand to linger a moment too long. \

“I don’t want anything tying me to him right now, Eli. You know that. I need to figure things out on my own, and knowing that he could be near me, lingering someplace…it’s too much.”

“But, he isn’t, Lia. He’s not here, and you know it. You can feel it, can’t you?”

Eli was right. I could feel it, and Chaseyn was definitely not here. If he was, there would be a cool chill in the air, and all I could feel was stifling heat. A lump formed in my throat at the thought. I missed him. When I made the choice to send him away, I knew it had been the right one, but it didn’t make it hurt any less.

“He’s not here,” I whispered, nodding my acknowledgement.

Using his index finger, Eli lifted my chin so that I was looking up into his deep blue gaze. I could feel our breath mingling, and if possible, I felt even closer to him as a result.

“He’s not here,” Eli reiterated, brushing a stray strand of my hair from my cheek with his free hand. “But I am.”

I braced myself for his lips on mine, and I felt guilty for being disappointed when it didn’t happen. Instead, Eli took a step back, and then another. But, his eyes never left mine, and our gaze held that way for what seemed like an eternity before I finally broke free.

“How did you get the bracelet? I didn’t even know you were coming with us, and it’s not like you had time to swing by my house on the way from Amarillo to the airport. So, there’s no way you were able to take it from the nightstand where I left it.”

“Yes. You never saw him last week, but he was still in Evergreen. Always lingering. So, he knew the minute you took it off, and he was not pleased, to say the least.“

“But, I don’t understand. He gave me this ring instead,” I said caressing my left-hand ring finger where he had placed what appeared to be a ruby ring but was actually a vial of his blood. “If I need him, I just have to break open the vial and drink his blood. Why do I need the bracelet, too, unless he’s planning on tracking me? Besides, I won’t need any of it. I’ll be fine.“

“After you left for the airport, he took it from your room. Remember when I got that text ‘from a friend’ just before we started boarding--when I went to the bathroom? He was there. I tried arguing with him about it. How I am supposed to have a chance with you when he’s always present somehow? Anyway, he explained to me that it’s an added insurance policy, Lia. How can I argue with that? Chaseyn and I don‘t see eye-to-eye on much, but if there’s one thing we both want more than anything else, it’s your safety.”

I didn’t have time to respond before Addie burst through the door.

“Okay, guys, give me exactly two minutes to brush my teeth, and I’ll be ready to go.”

The clock flashed 11:16 p.m., and I was eager to get out of the room, clear my head, and have some fun. If we waited much longer, I was pretty sure the party would be over before it even began.

Chapter 7 - All Night Long

Soho on a Saturday night. There’s nothing quite like it. We stepped out from the Piccadilly Circus tube station and made our way toward the constant buzz emanating from the entertainment hub of London. Bright lights. Thousands of people. Action everywhere. It was just like in the movies.

“You never said it was going to be like this, Addie,” excitement oozed from my voice.

“That’s because I didn’t know,” she replied, as wide-eyed with awe as the rest of us. “I’ve only ever been here with my parents. Sure, I’ve been to shows in Soho a million times, but it’s not like we hangout looking for clubs to go dancing in. We usually head straight back to the hotel after.”

The dank scent of rain wafted through the humid night air, threatening to spill from the clouds at any moment, but it did little to keep people indoors. The throbbing pulse of bass beat loudly through the closed doors of the dance clubs that lined the street on either side, and the party spilled into the streets as people danced down the block in search of the hottest action. We were like kids in a candy store, running from one club to the next trying to decide which one to step inside first.

We finally settled on a place called the Hippodrome, a two-story dance club that was filled to the brim with bodies that were gyrating in time to the Top 40 dance tunes. Once we had paid the cover charge, Addie made her way to the dead center of the dance floor, pushing past everyone like she owned the place, and motioning for us to join her. Despite a lack of confidence in my dance skills, I obeyed her order, grabbing Eli by the arm and forcing him to join us as well.

“Let me grab us a couple of drinks first,” he said, resisting my pull.

“I don’t know, Eli. I think we should hold off until we have a better feel for the place. I don’t want any of us getting into any kind of trouble we can’t get out of.”

Bowing my eyes, I shook my head to indicate I hadn’t. I felt like a child sitting at the adult table who was being chastised for my immature behavior.

“Addie hasn’t either,” I added, trying to redeem myself.

“I haven’t what?” she asked, coming up behind me. “What are you guys talking about? I’m getting tired of dancing all by myself. Well, not exactly by myself…I’ve had quite a few offers...”

A coy smile turned up the corners or her lips as she looked back at the three guys who were standing in the exact place she had just vacated. Her fingers twittered as she gave them as teasing wave.

I remembered it all too well. That was when I had first met Eli, and I was attacked by Chaseyn’s vampire sister, Frost, in a funhouse at a local amusement park. How could I forget?

“Yeah,” I said slowly, unsure I wanted to hear the rest.

“Well, let’s just say there was a bit more than just fruit juice and soda in the punch,” she laughed at the memory. “That was a fun night.”

It seemed to me that European men were much more aggressive than American men because Addie and I were surrounded within seconds of reaching the dance floor. The men, in general, invited themselves to our party, pressing against us as we danced. Eli couldn’t return fast enough. And, when he finally did, I couldn’t help but notice that he was empty handed.

“What happened to our drinks?” I asked, relieved that there were none in sight.

“Turns out they have some stupid rule that if you don’t look 21, you have to have I.D. to buy alcoholic beverages,” his voice was riddled with a mix of dejection and humiliation. “I left mine back at the hotel. Don’t suppose either of you brought yours?”

Addie and I shook our heads. We knew the clubs were lax, and so we never even considered a need for I.D. For the second time in a matter of minutes, relief washed over me. I really didn’t want to partake, and now, it had been ruled out as an option. I had no doubt we would have a great time regardless.