Chapter 19 ~ Happy New Year!
After lunch, Hannah and Iris head back home, where the guys are already waiting for them. They decide to watch a movie together, and end up having a whole movie night in the girls' room.
Hannah stays in the room with Iris again afterwards. They decide to go shopping the next day and have dinner together at a local restaurant. The next day, they wake up at noon, having talked to the early hours of the morning.
"We need to get ready for the party later," Hannah says as she comes out of the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy white hotel towel. Iris sits up sleepily, running a hand through her knotted hair.
"I guess. What time are we leaving?" She asks as she gets out of bed.
"Seven. It's a two hour drive with all the traffic around here," Hannah answers. Iris nods her head and walks over to the bathroom. She gets in the shower and turns the water on.
***
When the girls are finally ready, it's 6:45. Dressed in fancy dresses Hannah bought, the two of them make their way towards the lobby, where they'll meet the guys.
Hannah is dressed in a pretty white open-backed dress that ends just above the ground. It has gems at the top, getting less and further apart as it does down. The dress has a slit that comes up to her thigh and a low neckline.
Iris is wearing a black dress with lace sleeves and a lace top that comes down to just above her knees. The dress hugs her figure perfectly. It's much less extravagant than Hannah's, but much more flattering.
As soon as the girls step out of the elevator, they see the guys waiting for them. Kanan is the first to look around and spot them. His jaw drops as he mutters something to his friends.
"Iris, you look amazing," Kanan says when she reaches his side. He puts a hand around her waist possessively as she smiles up at him.
"You don't look too bad yourself," she compliments him back, and it's true. He's wearing a black suit with a white shirt underneath and a black tie. Iris can't help but blush slightly when he places a small kiss on her cheek.
Unlike Hannah, Iris is wearing flats instead of heels. Kanan is only a few inches taller than her, and she doesn't want to be as tall or maybe taller than her date.
"Let's get going, then," Mr Kingsley interrupts their moment. He starts walking towards the exit and everyone follows him outside and into the cold winter air. It's nearly dark outside already, despite the time. A sleek black limousine, much like the one they took to the gala a few weeks back, is waiting for them outside.
Mr Kingsley stands to the side, gesturing for Iris and Hannah to get in first. They do, and their dates follow close behind. Once everyone is in and the door is closed, the car lurches forward and into the bussy street.
"So, where exactly are we going?" Iris asks when the silence starts to make her uncomfortable.
"A friend of mine has an estate in the countryside. The party will be held there," Mr Kingsley answers. He doesn't look at her when he speaks, keeping his gaze fixed straight forward.
"Cool," is all Iris says in reply. Kanan pulls her closer to him and she places her head on his shoulder.
Somewhere along the line, Iris must have fallen asleep, because she's suddenly awoken by Kanan shaking her shoulder. He grins when her eyes flutter open and she looks around, confused, before she realises where she is.
The car has come to a stop and everyone is getting out. She stands up and Kanan helps her out.
It's even colder here, in the countryside, than it is in the city. It's completely dark now, too. Kanan wraps an arm around her shoulders when he notices her hugging herself. She offers him a grateful smile.
She only now, when Kanan starts leading her inside, notices that they're standing in front of a huge mansion. The place is decorated in different lights that illuminates the beautiful garden and fountain out front.
"This place is amazing," Iris mutters as she takes everything in. Again, Kanan offers her a smile.
"It is," he agrees as the walk through the large glass front door. As soon as they step inside, all eyes are on them. Iris shifts uncomfortably but Kanan doesn't even seem to notice as he leads her straight through the house and out the back doors.
Behind the house is a huge wooden platform that serves as a dance floor. A band is playing a sliw song on the porch and dozens of bodies dance along to the music.
"Dance with me?" Kanan asks, turning towards his date. She nods and he smiles, leading her over to the dance floor.
***
"You brought a human here?" Gerrard asks Xavier as the two men walk out onto the porch behind Kanan and Iris. Xavier watches the two go as they walk out to the dance floor. Kanan wraps his arms around Iris' waist and she leans into him, swaying to the music.
"My pack members insisted. They've grown very fond of her," Xavier answers. The dragon nods slowly, also watching the wolf and the human on the dance floor. Anyone could tell that they weren't mates, even by just glancing their way.
Very little humans are at the party, and the ones that are know about their kind. Iris is the only exception. That's why it's very strange for her to be here in the first place.
"You seem quite fond of her, too," Gerrard states simply as he turns to Xavier. The wolf gives him a surprised look.
"She's something alright, but I wouldn't describe my feelings towards her as fondness. Curiosity, maybe, but not fondness," he says in response. Gerrard seems to ponder over his words for a moment before a thoughtful frown appears on his face.
"Have you touched, Xavier?" He asks suddenly. The question takes Xavier completely by surprise, and it shows on his face. His emotionless demeanour is lost for a moment as he gapes at the elderly dragon.
Soulmates can only be found through touch. If two individuals happened to be mates, they would only know if they touched. Dragons are the only exception to that. They can sense their soulmates if they were in a ten mile radius from each other.
"No," Xavier manages. Old age must have started catching up with the elderly dragon. It's uncommon for a supernatural being to be mated to a human, much less an Alpha. Xavier is a Royal Alpha, which means it's nearly impossible. Besides, he doesn't feel anything for the human girl.
"Then maybe you should. I have a good feeling about this one, Xavier," Gerrard grins. Xavier looks at him like he'd just grown two heads.
"I'm sorry, Gerrard, but I don't have any intentions of finding my mate," he states, tugging subconsciously at his gloves. He doesn't go anywhere without them nowadays. He's at the perfect age to find his mate, and he wants to make sure he doesn't.
"That's unfortunate. Sad, even. I pitty you, Xavier. I really do," the dragon straightens up and takes a step towards the back door. He pats the wolf's shoulder, adding, "You're not like your father. Don't be afraid to live."
***
Iris and Kanan dance to at least ten different songs before they finally decide to head over to the bar. Kanan orders himself a bunch of different shots, to which Iris just scrunches her nose in disgust when he offers her one. She orders herself a water, not really in the mood to drink.
She lost count of Kanan's shot intake around when he hit ten. He's drinking too much, she realises, he'll be drunk in a moment. She tries to stop him a few times, but he just waves her off, claiming that he can handle his liquor.
"Babe," Kanan slurs. Iris' heart sinks. He's drunk.
"Kanan," she says stiffly as he places a hand on the small of her back. He gets off his chair, pulling her with him. She stumbles slightly at the force he uses to pull her to her feet.
"Let's go dance," he says as he stumbles towards the back door.
"Kanan, let go of me," Iris demands when his grip grows a little too tight for her liking. He ignores her, roughly yanking her along with his as he steps outside.
"Kanan, let go," she pleads this time. She feels panic rise in the pit of her stomach. He's completely out of it and, even though he might not mean it, he could potentially hurt her. It's happened before, and she's afraid that, this time, it will be someone she cares about that hurts her.
"Come on, babe. Let's dance," he insists as they reach the dance floor. He lets go of her wrist but takes hold of her waist immediately, not giving her a chance to get away.
"Kanan, I need to go to the bathroom," she lies, trying to free herself from his grip. He frowns, but finally lets her go entirely. She takes a few quick steps back, before turning around and practically jogging back into the house.
She makes her way to the bathroom, which Kanan pointed out earlier. When she's inside, she closes the door behind her. She finally breathes a sigh of relief.
Iris knows Kanan would never intentionally hurt her, but he's drunk enough not to comprehend his actions. She might be acting irrationally, but with her past experiences, just the idea of being around a drunk male without anyone else she knew around terrifies her.
The odd fear started when she was very young. Her father was a good man, but he sometimes drank too much, and that usually led to him coming home in the early hours of the morning, completely out of it.
He would never act violent. Just clumsy, really. He would lean on her mother in what must have been a loving way to him, but she was a very small, skinny woman back then. He was much larger, and sometimes passed out while he was leaning on her.
One time, Iris had to call an ambulance, because he passed out and her mother had collapsed under the weight, hitting her head on the kitchen counter and falling unconscious. She was bleeding badly and had to get seven stitches afterwards.
So, when Iris was around thirteen, she started going out with her dad to make sure he didn't drink too much. She never told her mother that, but she knew in any case. She was a very smart woman, but when she tried to talk Iris out of it, the young girl didn't listen one bit.
One night, Iris had gone with her dad to an unfamiliar bar on the wrong side of town. It was where biker gangs liked to hang out. They often started fights, and that night was no different. Iris just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
She went to the hospital that night, where her parents found out she had a broken hand, three broken ribs and a severely sprained shoulder. Her father stopped drinking after that.
She's always associated alcohol with injury after that. She wasn't able to be around people who were remotely drunk without having a panic attack. It got better in high school, when she taught herself not to be afraid around people she knew.
She's still terrified, though. It was traumatic, especially since she was a defenseless thirteen year old girl.
After what feels like hours but could only be a few minutes, Iris takes a deep breath to calm herself before opening the door and stepping back out into the party.
She walks through the house and steps outside once again. It's even colder now than when they arrived, she realises. She hugs herself as she makes her way back to the dance floor, feeling brave.
She spots Kanan in the middle of the crowd and her heart sinks again. He's dancing with another girl, and Iris feels all of her earlier bravery slip away. She watches them for a moment longer before turning swiftly and walking away.
She walks all the way to the side of the huge mansion before finally stopping. For some reason, she doesn't feel upset at seeing Kanan with another girl. She just feels numb right now,
"Why aren't you at the party?" A familiar voice startles Iris and she looks around to find the source. Mr Kingsley is standing on the lawn, a few feet away from her.
"I just need to catch a breath," she lies instantly. She wasn't about to admit why she actually left the party, especially not to Mr Kingsley. He doesn't strike her as a very sympathetic person.
"Well, then I'm assuming your presence here has nothing to do with Kanan and that girl, right?" His boldness startles Iris even more. Her eyes widen in surprise. How did he even know? She's assuming he's been out here for a while now, since she hadn't seen him inside or on the dance floor at all.
"How did you...?" She trails off. He just shrugs in response before turning his attention away from her.
"I don't even want to know," she mutters to herself, taking a few steps closer to Mr Kingsley. They stand there together for a few moments, silently staring at the woods beyond the yard.
"Why do you always wear gloves?" Iris asks thoughtfully as she notices he's wearing his signature black gloves once again. Her question seems to take Mr Kingsley by surprise because he gives her an odd look before answering.
"That's none of your business," he states grufly. Iris holds her hands up defensively.
"Alright then," she says, "Let's talk about something else. Where are you from?"
"I've lived in the same place my entire life," he admits. He looks down at her, curious as to why she would be trying to make conversation with him. He's been nothing but awful to her in the past.
"That's very boring," she scrunches her nose, "It's your turn now. You ask me something."
"Why would I do that?" He asks, amused when she frowns up at him.
"Because that's how conversations work, idiot," she mutters. She doesn't even realise she called her boss an idiot, but he sure does. He smirks at her in amusement. She has guts, that's for sure.
"Okay, fine. What's your family like?" He asks, deciding to play along. She grins, not registering the very personal question. She's not sure why, but she finds herself answering him.
"I don't have any siblings. My parents died a few years back," she says. Only when the words leave her does she realise what she's said. It's something very little people know. She hadn't even told Hannah yet. Xavier senses her panic and places a gloved hand on her shoulder. Even through the glove he can feel her warmth.
"I guess we're in the same boat, then," he sighs. He doesn't know why he's telling her this, either, because it's personal to him, too. They both stare into the distance, comforted by the other's confession.
A gust of icy wind suddenly blows through the trees, reaching the two of them as they stand out in the open. Iris shivers, hugging herself as she suddenly remembers how cold it really is.
Something is draped over her shoulders, instantly giving her warmth. She looks up to see Xavier grinning down at her. His jacket is missing, but he doesn't seem to be cold at all.
"Thanks," she mutters, pulling the jacket closer around her. It smells amazing, like cologne with a slight hint of trees. It's an odd combination, but she loves it.
Faint voices can suddenly be heard from the house. People are shouting, counting down from ten. Iris realises that it must be close to midnight, then. The two of them turn to face the house.
"Three... two... one," as the countdown finally ends, fireworks are launched into the air. Iris watches them in amazement. She'd never been this close to fireworks before, only having viewed them from the roof of her old house. Even then, they were very far and barely audible.
"Come on, I thinks it's time for us to head back to the hotel," Mr Kingsley says, placing his hand on Iris' shoulder and leading her with him.
*ð*