~Faye
I run. With him behind me, with a gun, I stand no chance, but regardless, I run for my life. As fast as I can, too.
He pursues me, I can hear it. I can hear the thud against the ground as he chases after me. Why hasn’t he shot me yet? The thought pushes me to keep running, knowing I have no other choice but to keep as far from him as possible, even though it doesn’t look as if there is an end to this meadow in sight.
All of a sudden, my foot falls into a slight dip in the ground, and I go plummeting toward the ground. I steel myself for a face full of dirt and grass, and the breath to be knocked out of my lungs.
Instead, I fall straight through the ground, and into darkness. And then, I awake.
The shock of waking is instantaneous, hair flying around everywhere while I try regain my hold on reality. To my left, where Cal slept, he now wakes, groaning as he does so. When he glances at me, I instantly slide across the bed. “Get away from me.”
“Faye, calm down, it’s alright,” Cal murmurs, breath husky with sleep as he pushes his mussed hair from his forehead. “It was just a dream.”
Maybe he is right, but I with my mind still floating between dream world and reality, I can’t be around him right now without the feeling that he might shoot me in the back. So in a rash decision, I’m off the bed. He doesn’t follow, trying to keep distance as if not to scare me. It isn’t working...
“You tried to kill me,” I mutter, holding my arms against my chest.
“It wasn’t my intention,” he says surely, leveling his hand out in front of him as he talks, as if that’s going to make him seem all the more innocent. Something about the calm way he looks at me makes nervous. But what if he is telling the truth, and this is all in my head? But still, I can’t shake the feeling that weighs on my shoulders.
“It definitely seemed like it was,” I mutter, turning to my chest of drawers, pulling out a jacket to shrug over my shoulders.
Cal stands from the bed, noticing what I’m doing. “Trust me here. It was all a part of whoever is manipulating you right now.”
“I need air,” I snap, hugging my jacket around me as I fling the door open.
As long as I’m away from Cal, I’ll be fine. I need to think about what just happened. So ignoring the presence of the stunned Gaze Reader, I push into the hallway. I could spend some time in the garden, but Cal would only follow me all the way out there. Instead, I’m going to leave. And I’m not going to come back until the sun has risen, and my thoughts have cleared. Then, I’ll decide whether I should fire Cal for the second time.
“Come on, it’s the middle of the night,” Cal calls out from behind me, stepping out into the hallway. “Where would you go?”
“Away from you,” I snap.
***
I'm not sure why I chose this place out of all. I think it's because this is the last place Cal would look for me.
I wander in, bare foot, nightclothes under my jacket. It's not ideal for a night bar where males and females alike come to wind down after work with a drink. I've never been to a bar before, so this is an experience. So is the immediate scent of alcohol and sweat that seeps into my senses, with the sound of chatter and rowdy laughter to accompany it.
Eyeing an empty seat, I make my way over, sliding onto it. There are a group of older males to my right, chatting away, drinking from tall glasses. The bartender is busy on the other side of the bar to notice me.
“Alpha!” I loud and mildly obnoxious voice yells right by my ear.
I glance to my left, to see a male has slide right into the seat beside me. His eyes are glazed over, skin greasy and there is a clear stoop in his shoulders from the alcohol. I swallow uneasily, avoiding the coldness of his blue eyes, while I stare at the bar’s surface.
“Hi there,” I mutter under my breath, knowing I need to at least acknowledge him. Being Alpha requires kindness to all my Pack members.
Unless of course, the get in my nerves.
“What brings you to the bar?” He asks, breathing the scent of alcohol all over me. My hand inconspicuously comes up to cover my nose and mouth. Hopefully he doesn't notice. “Shouldn’t you be up in your palace making all the decisions.”
“I thought I would get a drink,” I reply, my voice muffled behind my hand. I'm not sure if he's really getting to me, or if I'm in a bad mood.
The bartender, finally noticing, wanders over. He smiles warmly at me, while I concentrate on the brilliant lip and nose ring he sports. For a moment, I feel slightly jealous, wondering what it would be like to express yourself in a different way like this. Mother would have killed me if I even thought about it.
“Anything is particular ma’am,” he asks.
I blink a few times, having no idea about the kind of alcohol propped up on a few shelves behind him. “Anything.”
“It’s pretty early in the morning, Alpha,” the man from beside me continues. Just when I thought he had gone back to his friends. He leans forward, arms sliding across the surface of the bar closer t me. “Tell us, what brings you here, other than a drink?”
“A little space would be nice, thanks, I say softly. My attempt to be polite seems to bounce right off him, and make no difference to his approach.
“Come on, I’m just asking a question.”
I take a deep breath. My goal is to always be as kind as I can to strangers. To give them the benefit of the doubt, before I judge them. But at this point, I asked, and they didn't back off. So, I'm starting to get a little mad.
“You’re too close,” I snap. “Seriously, just back off.”
“I’ve never seen an Alpha in real life. Especially not one as pretty as you,” he slurs.
He touches me. He grabs my forearm, and pulls it slightly toward him. I'm not sure what finally snap inside me, but all my pent up frustration and anger from these past few days all of a sudden flies right out of me. I grab his forearms with both hands, and slam his wrists straight down on the corner of the bench.
I'm not sure what is louder. His scream, or the snap of the bone right by his wrist.
“Ow! You bitch!” He screams.
“Get him out of here,” the bartender instantly orders, pointing at a few guards standing at the door of this place. How had I not seen them there? “It's okay Faye, you don’t need someone like him around.”
I ignore the sound of the bartenders voice. Blood is pumping in my ears as I become aware that I just broke someone's wrist. Perhaps they deserved it to some degree, and perhaps it felt satisfying to get my point across to him like that, but guilt instantly seeps in through my ribcage, right to my heart.
When I glance across the room, seeing who was paying attention to the man yelling obscenities, being dragged out of the room, I catch the eyes of one person. I can't seem much of them, as they hide beneath a hood. Despite the shadow, I can see the darkness of their eyes, as they stare me down.
Instantly, I turn back to the bar.
“I’m sorry that happened. I shouldn’t have lashed out like that,” I mutter to the bartender, digging my fingers through my hair.
“Not your fault,” he replies, before he wanders off to someone else down the bar.
Glancing to my right, I notice he had made my drink and served it during that entire scuffle. Professionalism. It's icy blue. I have no idea what he has concocted, but I'm curious. However, the moment I go to take a sip from the small straw, it's stolen from my hand.
“Woah woah woah,” a voice scolds from beside me. “I don’t think you want that.”
“Excuse me? Do I know you?” I question. It's the guy with the hood that was staring at me before. I should have known he was going to come up to me. And the irritating thing, is that I know that voice, but not enough to decipher who is hiding right in front of me.
“Indeed,” they murmur, tossing the glass they took from me around their hands. Are they really messing around with me now, when I'm in this mood? “They spiked your drink while you turned around.”
They flip their hood back, and when a head of thick blue hair tumbles out over their forehead, I instantly know who it is.
“Fate?”
“You’re not going to thank me? Come on now. This would have knocked you out completely for all these freaks to get their dirty hands on you,” he says, a sly smile gracing his face. He doesn't break eye contact as he drinks a majority of the drink.
Being beside Fate makes me uncomfortable for a variety of reasons. There's so many, I could spend hours talking about it. It's easiest to start with his eyes. It's hard to describe looking into something, and not being able to see the end of it. Something he's hiding for a reason.
“So you drink it instead?”
“I’m an immortal, sweetheart,” he comments, mixing the bottom with the straw. “This won’t even touch me.”
“What are you doing here? In my Pack? In this bar?” I question.
This Pack is Moon Goddess dominated. Fate and Millicent don't go hand in hand with their morals and beliefs. Fate gets away with being here because most of my Pack members don't know much about him at all. It worries me that he is here.
“Gets a little boring up in the immortal world,” he tells me, but the glint in his eye tells me otherwise. “Plus, I wanted to visit little brother.”
“T?”
“I only have one brother,” he reminds me. “He’s wondering how you’re doing, by the way.”
I'm a little surprised by this. T has been the furthest thing from my mind recently, considering what happened to my mother, and all the dreams I've been having. So the mention of him shocks an image of his dark eyes and curly hair right away. Do I miss him? Of course not...he must be living his life elsewhere right now.
“He asked about me?”
“No, but I could tell he’s under a little distraction,” Fate tells me. I want to roll my eyes. T is distracted, I'm sure. But not by me. “He’s gets this look on his face. He’s so obvious sometimes.”
I decide the best way to deal with this is to dismiss it.“Whatever. I’m never seeing him again anyway.”
Fate stays silent for a moment, watching me. I can tell he's considering something, that I'm not sure I want to know about. I rest my elbows on the bar, ignoring him. Maybe if I stay quiet, he will go away. My hopes are up, as he stands, but when he doesn't seem to move, I glance at him. He's holding his hand out to me.
“Come, why don’t we have a little dance.”
“Leave me alone,” I mutter, turning away from him.
“You might want to say yes,” he murmurs, “before I leave you here alone for that guy over there who has been staring at you since you broke that other guy's wrist. And he might not be as much as a gentleman as I am.”
I glance over to what he is referring to. The men who were hanging around with the guy whose wrist I broke loiter on the other side of the club, having retreated after what I did. Good. They all still watch Fate and I though. Swallowing uncomfortably, I decide I might as well go with Fate. I have a feeling he will hang around in my life until his point is across anyway.
“Fine,” I snap, slapping my hand into his.
He leads me confidently onto the dancefloor. It's not very big, and it's in the middle of a few tables strewn around. A few other people dance to the gently music coming from the speakers in the corner of the room. No one really notices us.
“So what brings you out here, Faye?” Fate asks softly, as he slides his arms around me right now. I'm hardly comfortable with this right now, but I've been in worse situations.
“I needed to get away,” I reply simply.
“From?”
“Everything.”
He frowns slightly, looking down at me. Telling Fate everything doesn't seem like such a worrisome idea. Sure, he could probably my life with a single thought, but my life doesn't seem so great right now anyway. Plus, I'm curious to see why he is here right now. Fate isn't in any situation he doesn't have a command over.
“Something bothering you?” He questions, tilting his head as his hands tighten slightly on my waist.
“My mother was killed, you know,” I say blatantly. No point and lying about it.
Fate blinks a few times, clearly taken aback by my honesty. I'm surprised he didn't know. I guess I automatically assumed he knows about everything that is going on, in everyone's life. So seeing him so shocked hearing this has equally taken me surprised.
“I didn't. My sincerest apologies and condolences,” he murmurs, smoothly turning us in a slight circle. I swear, as he hears this, he pulls me slightly closer.
“Yeah well, I wish that would find who beat her to death,” I say.
It feels odd to have this off my chest, especially to Fate, of all people. But there I no one else I know that would truly listen to me talk like this. Fate is simply curious about this to get something out of me, I'm sure, but hearing his sympathy, even if it's for a second, feels amazing. As much as I hate to admit that.
“Not having any luck?”
“None,” I sigh, admitting my frustration. “Cal has been on it, but nothing has come back yet. It's starting to make me crazy.”
He seems to think for a moment. “What if I told you I know who killed her.”
He's peaked my interest right away. I was considering in the back of my mind asking him, but now that he was proposed it himself, I'm surprised. He doesn't seem so affected by knowing this, as he sways me gently to the sound of the music. Everyone around us disappears, as I wait for him to tell me who has ruined my life.
“I thought you didn't know she was killed,” I comment.
“I didn't, but I know I exactly who wanted her dead, and the motive behind it to. You can choose to believe me, or not,” Fate tells me. Of course. For a moment, I feel a flutter of doubt, but I push it away.
I need to know who did this.
“You knew someone wanted her dead?” I ask, “tell me right now who did it.”
“I want to know your assumptions first,” he says.
I don't need to think about that too much. Cal and I both have the same suspicions on who could be behind this. Alpha Kael told me so himself that he wanted my mother dead, even if I don't yet know why. Perhaps he succeeded...
“Well, was it a Silent?”
“No, you mentioned she was beaten. A Silent never uses their hands. If she was…” he says, looking uncomfortable, “killed by a knife, then it would be more plausible that a Silent did it. However, I can say that the killer is not a Silent.”
Of course. Even though T isn't a real Silent, he had a knife. Two of them. I remember them; terrible things they were.
“Who is it then?” I question.
“Out of sympathy, I do wish to tell you. And then I remembered that I want something from you.”
Of course, I should have known.
I want to push away from him, but his grip on my waist is right, as he moves me around the floor, exactly to the beat of the music. A look of seriousness has settled over his expression, his gaze hardening. That's how I know this conversation isn't going to go too well.
“What is it?” I ask. “I'll do anything to know.”
“Okay, a deal then. Just how I like it,” he murmurs, the line of that strange blue hair brushing against his eyebrows.
I swallow nervously, glancing around so I wouldn't have to look at him. “I'm not sure I like the sound of this.”
“T has been acting off recently. My belief is because you abandoned him,” Fate tells me.
I'm surprised to hear that. T had a nonchalant air about him that suggests he doesn't really care about anything or anyone. I always assume I meant nothing to him. I assumed he was using me for some reason, and once he was done, he left. Now that he is out of my life, I never considered Fate to bring him back in a deal.
Fate spins me in a circle, giving me a little time to think about how I respond. “I didn't abandon anyone. And what does T have to do with it.”
“Promise me something. In exchange for revenge, I want you to kiss my brother. On the lips. And then, you'll give him your purity.”
My mouth falls open at the absurdity of his proclamation. Did anyone else around us hear?
“That's completely out of the question,”I say, hoping my cheeks Aren't going red from the insinuation. “Why the hell would I ever do that?”
“Because T doesn't want you with anyone else but him. I know this. So, to make him happy, which makes me, and a lot of others happy, you'll do it,” Fate tells me.
Instantly my face is heating up, and I'm refusing to believe this. There is no way T really feels this way about me. That's me being realistic.
“No way.”
“Come on, it's not that bad. How badly do you want to know who killed your mother? Trust me, you know them too,” Fate tells me. I can't tell if he's just tempting me into the deal, or if he's serious about that.
My jaw clenches in irritation.“What if I abstain? For the rest of my life?”
“That's fine. But you must tell him that your virginity is his, after you kiss him. Then, I'll tell you,” Fate offers.
I hate the idea of this, but to find out my mother's killer? How could I even compare? I can't be selfish with this. My virginity, which I'll never give away, to get revenge? It's worth it.
“Has anyone told you you're a pig?” I question, stepping away from his dancing embrace.
“Absolutely.”
I sigh deeply.
“Fine, you have a deal.”