To everyone who sticked up till now - you're real ones.
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Rose's POV
Luke squirmed in my embrace, so I looked down at him. We were wrapped in Layla's blanket, just chilling as she threw pieces of clothing at us.
"Are you still cold?" he asked, looking up at me with his big brown eyes and distinctly blushed cheeks.
"Freezing", I said emphatically, tightening my grip on him. He chuckled and wiggled away running to Layla.
"You're lying", he said and threw a dress at me, "no one can be that cold for that long."
I wiggled my brows and I lay down. "I'm lying"
He threw himself into the pile of clothes, laughing hysterically. I shook my head and smiled at his goofiness.
"You two are not helping", Layla stated as she pulled a tiny item from the bottom of her new closet. She grinned and went to the bathroom to change. Luke continued laughing as he rolled around on the floor.
"What am I?" he asked as he juggled on the floor.
"A little worm", I guessed. He stopped and sat down disappointed.
"Why would I be a worm?" he wondered. "They are disgusting, and mushy and wet."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "What are you then?"
He smiled and came closer. "A fish on dry land", he whispered like it was top secret and jumped up laughing again as he ran around like a crazy person. I heard shuffling in the toilet.
"I'm a charming, magnificent, alluring goddess of attractiveness descending from heaven", Layla rambled as she emerged in the room dressed in a tight, red slip dress that barely covered her ass, "bow down to this smashing Highness that is myself."
Luke screamed and threw himself once again into the pile of clothes. I laughed and sat up still wrapped in the blanket. "You look violently hot", I commented, checking her out as she spun around.
"I know", she said shrugging after her brief fashion show. She sat down by my side and eyed me.
"Now we have to dress up your ass", she said, "I already have a plan."
I frowned. "Layla I'm so cold."
"Didn't you say that coldness feels like it's coming from inside", she inquired as she got up. Luke was running in circles, and she grabbed his head in one hand pushing him into the pile of clothes on the floor. He laughed uncontrollably.
I shook my head. "But it feels way better when I'm wrapped up in layers of clothes."
She stumbled over her boots on the floor and turned my way, narrowing her eyes at me. "How many percent"
I raised my shoulders and sighed. "I don't know, like 10%"
She smirked and continued her way to the wardrobe jumping over random items on the floor. "See, you won't die for 10%"
I collapsed back onto the bed dramatically. "I believe I'm going to die now."
"I'll cover it with makeup", she yelled, but Luke's battle cry drowned it out. He charged at the pile of clothes pretending it was a monster.
Layla wangled from the wardrobe and showed me her pick. She held tight leather pants in one hand, which I knew would call all the attention to my butt. In the other, there was a miniature spaghetti strap, white top with a deep cut. I widened my eyes.
"I'll literally die", I stated. She laughed and threw the clothes at me.
"Don't worry I'll throw in an oversized cardigan", she waved me off and picked up big, silver suitcase. She sat by my side, pulled me up and opened the suitcase, revealing a ton of makeup products.
"Oh no, girly witchcraft", Luke screamed and started running around, purposely colliding with walls.
I furrowed my brows and looked at Layla. "What did you give him?"
He giggled and started putting tinted moisturizer on my face. "We discovered a hidden liquor cabinet", she replied and took a brush to do whatever she did, "and we, in mutual collaboration, decided to celebrate my suspension."
I twisted my mouth and narrowed my eyes looking at her. "You gave him alcohol", I said, hoping I misunderstood. She took a bronzer and the other brush.
"Rose, do you want him to be a pussy that has no alcohol resistance?" she inquired solemnly, "I'm trying to raise a strong boy"
"He's wasted?" I hissed.
"No, I'm a bit wasted, but only slightly. Don't worry about the makeup. It will be divine", she jabbered not bothered about my anger, "I only gave him one shot."
"Layla", I drawled.
"What?" she mimicked me, "Look at him, he's having so much fun"
"You can't do that; he's six."
"But I did."
"That's not good for him, you're poisoning him", I said irritated. She stopped and looked straight into my eyes.
"But did he die?"
I frowned. "I'll kill you, and then you will die. Do you understand?"
"Stop frowning you're ruining my work"
She tried to come near my face with another brush, but I slapped it away. She widened her eyes and moved her head back, trying to look shocked, but all seriousness was shattered by her double chin showing.
"I'll talk to you when you sober up", I said seriously. She gave me an exaggerated nod and continued doing my makeup.
***
We were sitting in a large jeep that Emery sent for us. It had been driving for quite some time through some remote forest roads. I turned to face Daniel, who was sitting as far away from me as possible. I frowned. Daniel, Cole and Ethan just showed up by the car when we were about to leave. I knew Emery didn't invite them, so it was a mystery to me how they knew about the party or the car she sent. Why did they even want to go?
I decided to let it go and just looked out of the window, seeing large trees fly by in the dark.
"You naughty, naughty", Layla said almost sitting in Cole's lap and slapping his hand, "You're teasing me"
He chuckled, and somehow, the chatter in the car came to life. I averted my gaze once more, leaning my head against the cold glass of the window, feeling every bump in the road.
A damn mess - that's what I am.
I couldn't even recognize myself. A year ago, I was a different person â emotionless, cold and completely independent. That's how my grandma raised me - to be strong. And now? She was dead and so was the girl she raised. There was only this mushy, clingy version of her left. But this hair... of course it had to stay. Why would it ever leave me, unlike her anyway.
The car stopped and I realized I had zoned out. I blinked a few times to drive away depressive thoughts. With a sigh, I opened the door and went out. We were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by tall trees. Not far away, a loud noise could be heard. There appeared to be hundreds of people shouting and laughing. Here and there, a sharp sound could be heard, followed by people cheering. I pulled the cardigan tighter around me, feeling the freezing pain in my chest.
"Let's go", Layla said and pulled me forward laughing. I stumbled and she stopped suddenly turning my way. She looked deeply into my eyes, clearly intoxicated, smiling like an idiot. "You're not my best friend, Boo, you are my sister", she said and kissed both of my cheeks, "I love you to the furthest galaxy and back"
"I love you too", I said feeling the freezing pain in my chest ease up slightly. She pulled me into a bone crushing hug, and ruffled my hair when she moved away. I just stood as she pulled my tiny shirt lower and adjusted the cardigan to fall of one shoulder.
"Sexy", she stated winking at me and taking my hand. We walked through the trees laughing at random thoughts, getting closer and closer to the source of all that noise. Maybe I missed partying a bit.
Trees thinned out, and we came upon a large clearing crowded with people. I looked around seeing only Ultrrians around a big lake. Daniel and the rest disappeared somewhere and I was grateful for not having to put up with his stupid glares.
"Oh my", Layla exclaimed, her eyes widening, "GOD!"
There were gigantic fluorescent waterslides in the lake that looked like an abstract painting in the dark. People were screaming as they flew from them and splashed into water. Around the lake, colorful flashes could be seen, followed by those sharp sounds we heard before. On the other side was an enormous trampoline stretched between the trees, and near it was a sign pointing at a few people with glowing sticks that drew random shapes on whoever came to them. Closest to us was an enormous puddle of what seemed to be mud with slides that went from there to the lake. Weirdest of all was that there was no music, only the ground vibrating like a bass.
"Hi, gorgeous", Cole's Scottish accent could be heard as he hugged Layla from behind. She leaned into him, chuckling. He whispered something in her hair, making her laugh.
"You came!" Emery exclaimed as she appeared by my side. She was grinning widely holding a cup of bright glowing green drink. I smiled and she turned and waved to someone. In the matter of seconds, an attractive blonde waiter from café appeared. "You've met my brother", she said as he smiled and handed me a drink, "he's actually the one behind all this."
"You flatter me", he said scratching the back of his head, "I just picked up material for your ideas."
"Don't underrate your work", I agreed and took a sip of the drink skeptically. I frowned. That definitely wasn't what I expected. It tasted like sour candy. No alcohol.
"You like it?" he asked.
"It..." I was interrupted by one of those loud flashes that buzzed by and send a gust of wind my way. When I got a closer look, I realized it was some kind of extremely fast, hovering motorbike that had been painted to glow in the dark. It flipped in the air and people cheered. Then it made shrilling sound and started rapidly ascending. The driver hopped off midair earning screams from all around. Guess that the trick was crazy even for an Ultrrian. He landed Superman-style, and the bike collapsed dangerously close to him, causing dust to fly. He got up and the crowd went wild.
I shook my head as he turned to face us. I could've guessed â only one guy is capable of so much pure drama.
He walked towards us smirking with his chin up and looking fearless, invincible, psychotic â just the usual Kayden starter pack. I looked over to Layla who was staring, mouth wide opened. Cole was trying to get her attention back, but she shushed him by placing her finger on his lips.
"Come", Emery's brother pulled her away before she could say anything. They vanished leaving me alone to deal with drunk Layla and, by the looks of it, wasted Kayden... probably even drugged judging by his dilated pupils I got to see clearly as he stood right in front of me. He tilted his head, studying me for a moment. I clenched my jaw suffocating snarky comments and just looked at him questioningly. He grinned and placed his hands on both sides of my face.
"I knew you'd come", he laughed making me extremely uncomfortable. And then he did the most unimaginable thing â he gently kissed my left temple and then slightly stumbled to the opposite side, leaving me completely baffled.
Kayden's deep laugh stood out in all that noise.
"Don't fucking do that ever again" I said angrily. He mimicked me with his hand in a baby voice and burst out of laughter. I kept stern stare on him, and he stopped laughing raising his brows and hands up in defeat.
"Don't worry I don't want you", he said, trying hard not to laugh, "obviously."
"Go away, drown", I hissed and turned to Layla, who was slapping Cole's hand away in that moment.
"No, I told you", she said and pushed him away, "I don't want to go somewhere quiet", turning her back to him, she locked her eyes with Kayden, who was shamelessly checking her out, "at least not with you", she winked at him and turned back to Cole, "not tonight anyway."
Cole chuckled and slapped her ass as he passed by, but he didn't get very far. In a second, he was pinned on the floor, his face buried in mud. Kayden was holding his hand in an unnatural angle on his back, pushing him down with his knee.
"Respect a lady, little monkey", he instructed.
Layla laughed sincerely and slowly walked to Kayden's side putting one hand on his shoulder.
"I'm no lady", she stated shrugging, "You, of all people, should know that."
I rolled my eyes. She patted Kayden's back and headed my way. "I'm not leaving you alone, Boo", she said to me as Kayden stood up quietly laughing.
"She won't be alone", he said and slowly strolled to us with his hands in his pockets, "Adrian's here somewhere."
Layla's eyes twinkled and she turned to him, way too excited. "He is?" I saw Cole get up and leave angrily, not sparing us a glance.
"I told you I'd get him here, didn't I?" he asked, his gaze locked with mine.
"She's drunk", I stated, "I'm not going anywhere and neither does she"
Layla flashed me annoyed look, "Rose, I'm not a baby I can..."
"...take care of myself", I interrupted.
"I don't see the need to repeat that constantly", she said shaking her head and looking at both of us.
"Yeah, me neither", he said with a wink handing Layla a bottle of clear liquid out of nowhere. It didn't seem as harmless as the one I drank. Layla took it and turned to me. She pushed her lips together.
I pulled her closer to me, looking straight into her eyes, so she could perceive my seriousness. "I'm just worried that you'll do something you'll regret."
Her face relaxed and she gave me a lazy smile. "He won't hurt me", she said glancing at Kayden. I shook my head and let her go.
"Fine, if you're sure, I'm sure", I said and pulled the cardigan tighter as she took a sip straight out of the bottle frowning deeply, "I'll just go and find Adrian."
"Have fun", she sang smiling at Kayden mischievously. I chuckled.
"You too", I said quietly and turned to walk in a random direction. There was an enormous crowd around me, but I felt cold and alone. Freezing pain around my heart returned and I shivered. The lake seemed to radiate coldness, complementing the frozen feeling deep in my bones. Even a light layer of makeup felt frozen on my skin.
I walked over to one of the tables. It looked extravagant and colorful, just like everything else in this place. There was a pink bowl in the middle. Its contents looked like they were boiling, and I could sense a fruity aroma spreading around it.
"Want some?" an extremely light skinned Ultrrian asked. I haven't noticed him till that moment, but my body was to slow to react. I simply nodded and he scooped the drink into a funny glowing cup. He smiled and handed it to me, his gaze fixed on me.
As I was about to turn away, he asked: "You're one of those humans, are you not?"
His question took me by surprise. It took me a moment to collect my thoughts. "Yes", I just said. He gave me a longer look, crossing his big hands across his chest. I didn't like his energy, not one bit.
"How does it feel to be one of you? Do you all have savage thoughts?" I watched him ask slowly while eyeing me dangerously, "Are you bloodthirsty right now?"
I knew that I should feel afraid, but all I felt was coldness and some bitter sorrow deep within me. I turned my back to him and continued walking away with hot drink warming my hands. I guess that there are different people in each of our species. Not everyone can be like Emery, and it makes sense. It's hard to get along right after the war. Everyone lost something. War leads only to destruction.
I was taking small steps and it was getting harder by the second. I had to rest somewhere, but I circled the whole lake and there was no sign of Adrian nor a small spot to warm me up. I sighed. Dragon-breath didn't entertain me like before. I was in a strange state of mind, like I was here, but it wasn't me â at least not completely. Walking there, in coldness, alone, I felt like a frozen shell. Things continued happening around me, but they just passed by unnoticed. As I lifted my gaze from my feet, I could see a large crowd ahead of me. Something rang in my head. I prayed that Daniel wasn't causing another scene. There were obviously enough resentful Ultrrians he could provoke here.
The closer I got to the crowd, the more certain I was that it was, in fact, a fight.
"Are you crazy?" I heard Layla shout from ahead of me, "Why are you all standing there like porcelain dolls â break them apart."
I dashed to the crowd, with a terrible feeling in my chest. As I tried to push forward I could hear disgusting sounds of a merciless brawl. Among murmurs around me in both languages, Layla's cursing pierced my ears.
"Bratu", I heard Kayden exhaled, "calm..."
"How could you let her go?!" Adrian fumed, and Kayden seemed to choke on his words. My frozen heart seemed to skip a few beats, and I roughly made my way to the center of the hustle. I saw Adrian lifting Kayden up in the air by his neck. He was enraged, his eyes were burning, and drops of sweat dripped from his brow. He tossed Kayden down with such force that he made a shallow trench in the ground.
Kayden laughed. Then he choked on something. He spat out blood and continued laughing.
Adrian clenched his jaw. He looked dreadful in this fluorescent light, dressed in an oversized white cotton shirt and matching trousers. Just like an angel of death filled with an inexplicable rage even I could feel.
Kayden jumped up with half-smile and disappeared. Adrian turned with inhuman speed and caught Kayden by his shirt just as Kayden took a hold of the back of his neck. I could only see Kayden's smug face. He was looking directly at me. I could see he found this situation incredibly entertaining. He lowered his head to Adrian's ear and whispered something.
Adrian pushed him away and turned around. He was frantically looking over the crowd until his eyes met mine. He gulped.
"Leave us", he said in a low voice. People cleared out in a matter of seconds, leaving only four of us at the entrance of the clearing. The party seemed to continue almost instantly.
Kayden spat out more blood. "We'll talk tomorrow, bratu; I have something interesting to tell you", he said as he wiped the blood under his nose. He motioned for Layla to follow him. Just then, I looked at my friend. She appeared frustrated and messy. She pressed her lips into a thin line with her arms crossed at her chest raising her eyebrows like a disappointed mother. I looked away and heard her sigh and walk after Kayden.
I didn't see where they went. My attention returned to my Adrian. I didn't notice anything else. My head was a complete mess. I couldn't process half of the things that had happened this evening alone. It frustrated me how slow my bran was. It seemed that my thoughts were frozen along with my body.
But among all that noise, he was shining like a safe haven, like he was the only thing in focus while the whole world was blurred. I could sense my heart fluttering and my breathing becoming irregular. I felt like I haven't seen him for ages, almost as if he were brand new. Did I not see how perfect he was before? Every cell in my body ached for his touch. I wanted to be in his arms. I wanted his lips on mine. But I couldn't move.
"Rose", he said, sending chills down my spine, "my love". He was watching me with a slightly pained expression on his face. He seemed conflicted about something. A sharp sting of fear went through my body, but I shook it off.
"I think there is something wrong with me", he said quietly, and something in me broke. I crossed the distance between us and threw myself in his arms. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my hair. The sensation of his proximity made every part of my body dance with joy. And he was so warm. Wherever he touched me, the coldness disappeared. It slowly evaporated from my bones, driven away by his warmth. I almost forgot how to breathe without the constant feeling of winter deep in my flesh. No drug could make you feel better than that. I'm sure of it. No matter how long it lasts. No matter how broken I feel after everything. His touch, his warmth, his scent â it was worth it. It will always be worth it.
"I missed you", I said. He pulled me closer. He was my drug. He was my cure.