Chapter 1: Silver Eyes
"It's not my fault that I have homosexual tendencies when I'm drunk!"
Leaning against the bar, I set down my black purse as my eyes narrowed onto my best friend. The agitation I felt doubled at her silly excuse. Because of it, my leg stretched out to kick her with the red bottom heel strapped around it.
"Ouch!"
I intentionally broke eye contact with her as the people around started giving us weird glances.
Tucking a stray strand of my brunette hair behind my ear with an innocent look, I pretended as if I didn't know the crazy girl.
The bartender smiled at the two of us seductively as he slid the drinks we had ordered towards us. My reaction clearly disappointed him as I sipped on the exotic beverage and paid him no mind, focusing my gaze on its unique shade.
I choked when a hand jabbed into my side, making me spit the alcohol out of my mouth and onto the counter.
Blatantly annoyed by rejection and salivary contents he'd have to now clean up, the same bartender rolled his eyes with a not-so-low, "Fuck my life."
My blue eyes were aflame as I regarded Genie with a scowl etched onto my features.
She flinched at the intensity of my stare.
"First you grope an innocent woman on the dance floor and now you're the cause of bacterial distribution? What else are you capable of Genie Howard?"
The short-haired woman that was the size of a dwarf blushed a deep red as she struggled to find the right words. Genie was a tiny little thing. She was only five-four, taking after her Puerto Rican mother instead of being tall like her black father. Derived from a unique blend, she was gorgeous with her brown sugar complexion and big almond shaped eyes.
"I already told you that I was tipsy! My brain can't function properly when hot people are around meâno matter their gender. It doesn't come as much of a surprise when my hands get a mind of their own."
"Still doesn't justify you grabbing the shit of her," I whispered harshly. "If you're that sexually deprived, then go home and make up with your damn boyfriend. Did you see the look on that poor girl's face? She looked absolutely scarred. Must have been a newbie. Imagine that. Her first time here and she gets sexually harassed."
Genie looked down into her lap, like a child after being scolded by her parent for doing something bad.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled pathetically.
"It's not me who you should be apologizing to."
Her eyes found mine in disbelief as she got what I was getting at. "Are you serious?"
"More than a judge."
The tiny woman audibly groaned in frustration before hopping off the stool. It was almost as tall as her for Christ's sake. She looked in the direction of the dance floor which had been flashing multi-coloured lights for the past hour.
"I'll be back in a sec."
"Please."
She rolled her eyes at my attitude towards her drunken mistake before storming off to find the girl from earlier.
My hands gladly found back my glass and continued with my drink.
Unlike somebody, I wasn't a total lightweight.
"Are you always such a good girl?"
My attention shifted to the deep voice which spoke from beside of me.
Like a visual blessing, my eyes couldn't help but stare at the beautiful creature who sat there poised. His elegance was something I had never seen in a man as he brought his glass away from his plump lips and settled it before him. I felt my stomach tighten at his lascivious gaze and the way his eyebrows raised slightly, as if to persuade me to answer. Stunned by the man's beauty, I had forgotten what he had said in the first place.
"Um..."
"What? Cat got your tongue?"
"If cats looked as sexy as you do, then yeah. I hope so."
He paused and so did I for a moment, thinking I had ruined everything, but then he burst out into a fit of laughter at my horrible joke.
"Oh god," I winced at the words I had dared to say. "I'm sorry. That was dreadful. Please pretend I never said that."
He shook his head.
"How can I pretend that an attractive woman hadn't called me sexy?"
"You think I'm attractive?"
I knew that much myself. I just wanted to hear him say it once again.
His smirk at my sly inquiry made my legs weak as he took a sip of his drink.
Those eyes of his were hooded as he regarded me with a devilish look.
"I think the whole bar, including yourself, thinks you're a little more than attractive. I can sense their lust from just sitting across from you. It's amazing that you wield so much power when it comes to seduction, whether it's a male or female."
I bit my lips, highly pleased at the words I was hearing.
Flipping my long hair over my shoulders to draw attention to my exposed neck, I leaned into him.
"Am I seducing you as well?"
His unique silver eyesâyes, they were that much brighter than the usual greyâlocked onto my lips. I swore that a lightning bolt flashed inside of them for the slightest second before he looked back into my own.
"If I dare to say yes?"
My legs crossed strategically as I prepared to answer his hypothetical question. His attention went there, admiring my tanned skin for a bit, before he tore his gaze away being the gentleman I really didn't want him to be.
"If that's the case...then I'd make sure you become the luckiest guy in this room tonight."
The suggestion laced around my words wasn't missed by the hot specimen before me. To cement the meaning of them even further, I placed a hand on his right thigh. It was satisfyingly thick. The muscles tensed at the sensation brought by my touch and I saw him become still for a second.
No.
It was more than that.
His eyes glossed over as if he had been transported to another world while he sat before me.
I had never seen anything like it in my entire twenty-four years of being alive.
It was almost...inhuman.
"Hey," I called softly while shaking his leg.
The guy continued to stare right at me with that creepy hue in his eyes.
"Are you okay?"
He still didn't answer.
My hands removed themselves slowly away from him as I started to become turned off by his sudden shift in character. Mysterious could pass, but plain weirdo didn't make the cut.
"Sorry, but I think I'm gonna have to go."
I stood up as I gathered my purse in my hand and began to walk away, but a tight grip around my wrist stopped me.
My lips parted with a gasp as I looked behind me to see the same handsome freak. He still looked as if he was in some sort of trance.
"T-This isn't funny you jerk!"
The task of trying to get out of his grasp was proven to be futile. The asshole had a vice-like hold on me and it was impossibly strong. I began to grow scared that my wrist would snap if I continued to twist it anymore.
"Please...please let me go."
Something in his eyes changed at the plea within my voice. It returned back to the regular silver, not the alarming hue of it that seemed alien-like. With that, his expression had softened considerably too and he released my hand before walking away with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry."
His words were beneath his breath, yet somehow I managed to hear them as he disappeared into the crowd.
I stood there, not quite believing what had just happened.
That had been an immensely spooky and scary interaction.
The goosebumps on the surface of my skin hadn't subsided in the least as I looked for Genie, wanting nothing more than to go home right now. It didn't really bring one much excitement when the hottie of the day turned out to be a major creep. Right now, I was emotionally traumatized and wanted nothing more than a long bubble bath while Ed Sheeran played in the background.
Girlish giggles filled my ears as I caught sight of a familiar emerald sequined dress. That was an item which could be spotted from a mile away as it was a gift from my mother for my recent birthday. She couldn't make it for the actual event because of a fashion show that required her hosting in Paris. Therefore, she had the designer article posted to me as an apology due to my obsession with brand-name clothes. Unfortunately, as much as I adored a good Jovani dress, I'd rather the company of the woman who birthed me on the day to celebrate with. We can't all get what we want though. It suited Genie more than it ever could me anywayâit was a size too small.
I tapped the woman who was busy laughing it up with a cute African-American guy. Not bothering to give her the details of my eerie experience with the man from earlier, I announced my need to leave.
"We need to go."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Go as in go? Or the alternative saying for wanting to hit the restroom as girlfriends?"
"Go as in go. And right now!"
She flashed away my hand which had a hold of her arm.
My eyes widened in surprise.
"No! I don't wanna leave!" The girl whined.
"Genie-"
"I wanna stay with this cutie right here. Miles, was it?" Her fingers caressed the side of the guy's face as he gave her a meek smile.
"Derek."
"That's what I said."
She was drunk again.
Great.
With a little more force, I pulled her towards me. She stumbled but couldn't fight me off this time as I wrapped my arms around her small figure.
"Did you give her a drink?" I said pointedly at him, not bothering to hide my anger.
"It's a club. Who doesn't give a drink to a girl as hot as she is?"
I sighed at his logic as I turned away to leave.
"Whatever."
"Can you at least give her my number?"
"No."
Not having much of a choice, I dragged Genie out of the building as she complained about feeling sick the entire time. My lips jumped at the opportunity to tell her off for drinking again after what had happened. But she would be too wasted to remember anything anyway.
On our way out to hail a taxi, I bumped into a muscular man. He hadn't spared us a glance until I began to apologize profusely before heading on my way.
My hold on Genie disappeared within the next second when he basically dragged me away from her. She stood there hunched, looking unaware of the dangerous stranger who had begun to pull me into a dark alley nearby.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"You smell like him."
"What?"
His piercing eyes settled on me as he cornered me against the brick walls.
"Angelo. Where is he?"
My hands immediately went to beat at his chest as I yelled at him to back off and let me go. My attempts were useless as he caged me in further and I started to scream. Nobody who walked the streets of Boston seemed to hear me beyond the alley.
"If you're planning on doing anything to me, I'll have you know that my dad is a cop."
He looked unaffected.
"He'll find you in less than 24 hours if you even dare to lay a finger on me."
Flashing me a condescending smile, the man trailed his fingernails which were far too sharp against my skin. I couldn't help but tremble in fear as his hot breath fanned my cheek. He smelt like stale cigarettes and I hated it.
"Fine." He said, and I thought he was about to reconsider his plans.
However, his next words had me screaming out in fright. To the point where I could hardly hear myself. My legs shook and my breathing stopped altogether as his eyes turned to a frightening blood red.
"I usually don't eat skinny humans like you, but you refuse to reveal that pure one's location to me. Therefore... I'll just feast on your flesh until you do!"
***
Talk about a weird fetish.