Chapter Four - Part One

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CHAPTER FOUR

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The Blue Moon was a bar right in the center of Harbor Village, and just a street over from the Maison. It was a creaky, but still comfortable, wooden structure in the semblance of a giant log cabin, with smoke that spewed thickly from a high stack on the roof. And although the bar closed its doors to no one, everyone knew that it was Pack territory. In fact, one of the Leaderships own members, Lucas Blacklock, ran the place.

Inside, it was crowded and warm, and country-rock beat a tune through the dark, slightly smoky air of the room. There were the strong smells of tobacco, cooked meat and strong liquor about the place, and I loved it. And after a successful evening of espionage with Addy, I could think of no place more fitting to celebrate.

I walked along familiarly behind Adelle, as she waded a quick path for us towards two empty seats at the bar. And after taking a seat on the nearest stool, I was immediately approached by the bartender. He was tall, muscular, extremely tan, and dressed in the bar's standard uniform of jeans, with a black t-shirt and a plain black apron. In his early to mid-thirties he had long, dark hair spilled down about his shoulders, and though his brown eyes were soulful, his mouth was hard set on a frown. But intimidating as Lucas could appear, that certainly didn't render him unhandsome.

"Newport," said the barkeep to Adelle, in his usual, deep, rolling voice, which served in reminding you every bit of his masculinity. And Lucas was strong as well - one of the strongest Pack members I had come across thus far. So strong in fact, that at times I could feel the animal side of myself relenting in submission when he came around. But the human side was always sure to smile confidently, unwilling to display weakness. But for all my pretenses, I knew that in a different Pack, there was no doubt that Lucas would've served as an Alpha.

"Didn't I cut you off last week?"

He frowned down at my friend, suspicious of her and the newcomer.

"Yes, but you love me." Adelle replied comfortably. "And besides, I deserve tequila. I did good today."

"Right." Lucas replied gruffly, before turning his attention to me. "Noble. Pick your poison."

"Your best dark ale." I said, with a grin.

"Coming up."

And Lucas took the time to scowl at Addy once more before disappearing through a doorway behind the bar. He always went to the freezers to find me the coldest beer. And according to Addy, he never bothered to do that for anyone else.

"Sometimes, the way Lucas is so chill, I forget that he's even a Leader." said Addy, in a low, confidential tone. "But ever since Charles created the Leadership he's been serving."

"So that means he's got money too, right?" I said

"Oh honey, the man is loaded. And the Blue Moon's been passed down from generation to generation in his family since, like, the early eighteen hundreds or something. Yeah, supposedly it' the oldest building in the town. And back in the day, Lucas' family used this place to rack some serious dough as a speakeasy during the Prohibition."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise and approval, but before I had a chance to comment, Lucas returned with my ale. I accepted it and took a sip, giving him an appreciative smile in thanks.

"Newport, I'll give you one shot, but no more liquor after that. You want somethin' else, I'll get you a beer - I'm sick of payin' for damages."

Lucas reached below the bar to produce a shot glass and a half-empty bottle of Jager. And Adelle took the shot, disappointed, but still wiped her lips with a grateful sigh after the burn.

"You know kid, your mom used to come in here and ask for ale too." Lucas said to me, in an oddly thoughtful tone. "But that was back before she discovered cocktails and spritzers."

I looked down for only a second, before meeting his gaze squarely.

"I promise you, I'm not anything like my mother." I said.

"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe you're more like Thalia."

"Thalia?" I replied, drawing a blank.

"Thalia Talimer - your mother's older sister."

He paused for a few moments, looking as though he wanted to elaborate and possibly say more, but at the last second he turned and simply walked away. Puzzled, I looked to Addy for answers.

"I don't know much about Thalia." Addy replied to my question. "She tends to run her own way, not with the Pack. In fact, I can't remember a time when I've seen any of the Talimers at a Pack gathering - including Paris."

"I didn't even know my mother had a sister." I said pensively. "I wonder why Jack never said anything."

Adelle only looked around and shrugged in reply, so I settled on sighing and staring thoughtfully into the depths of my mug instead.

"Shit." Addy said, with clear annoyance. "Looks like I'll be starting my hang-over early..."

"Why?" I asked, but simply looking around provided me with the answer.

Ethan Raines was making his way towards us from the crowd, with a self-important and determined look on his face.

"Hello, Ethan." Adelle said loudly, when he approached. "How's that prescription working for you? Did it stop all the itching down there?"

"Hey, Addy, take a hike. Right now I'm more interested in having conversation with someone I actually like." he said in a smooth, unflinching reply, while Addy shot me a blatant look of disapproval.

But even so, I nodded to let her know that she was ok to leave.

"Fine. That guy in the corner's been giving me fish eyes since we got here anyway. I'm gonna go make him buy me a real drink."

And Addy slid out of her seat, with a last affronted look, sauntering off as Ethan deftly took her place. He surveyed me with a deeply concentrated, unwavering stare, clearly waiting for me to address him.

That night, he was looking exceptionally cute in purple Keds, paired with black skinny jeans, and a silver chain that was looped from his belt to his pocket. His grey, pullover hoodie simply read "DON'T QUOTE ME", covering a chest that I could still imagine glistening with water. And though I couldn't see much of his hair from beneath the purple snap-back, I still knew that pretty boy smelled like coconuts.

"What?" I said finally, unable to keep myself from breaking the silence.

"You haven't called. Someone's resisting..." he said in teasing charm.

"And why would I call you?" I replied lightly.

"Because deep down, we both know you like me. You're just not ready to admit it yet. Classic symptoms of your basic crush."

I felt a wave of heat rise within my face, and I glared furiously at Ethan.

"Aw, I'm flattered, Ethan. You always know just the right thing to say."

"But when it comes to you apparently not." he said, before stealing a deep taste of my beer. "So if I asked you to the Summer Gala, would you still be too mad at me to say yes?"

Ethan leaned forward intimately, and began to trace one of his fingertips lazily across the back of my hand. Sensing the approach of my resolve's defeat, I met his gaze, and felt the dreaded flutter of carnal excitement.

"I'm sorry. Date? Gala?" I asked, unable to look away from the sight of his hand on mine.

"Every season my family hosts a gala. There's expensive food, good wine, and usually an auction to help raise funds for whatever social awareness problem we're all pretending to be campaigning for- it's really quite a show. Trust me, you wouldn't wanna miss all that bored small talk."

"Ethan, you have a girlfriend." I said hotly, taking my hand away from his own.

"Eve broke up with me last night." he replied soberly.

"That doesn't change anything." I said, standing firm. "You should have at least mentioned Eve. And I know you didn't come all the way over here, and get rid of Addy, just to ask me to the Gala. That's not really what you want, so why don't you just say it?"

To be honest, for all my bravado, I was devastatingly nervous of Ethan's ability to lure pretty girls into his charms. I mean, the boy was an absolute pro at what he did. But in the end, I reminded myself that I wasn't his equal, I was Ethan's prey - and just another potential target. But fortunately, I was too smart to want that for myself.

And yet, I couldn't deny that there was still this deep, burning lust I had for him. But I kept it hidden away, and far beneath my stately composure. A small, growing part of me wanted desperately to be used and abused by Ethan, and didn't care if I ended up just another victim of his ruthless methods.

"What I want... is you." he said roughly, reaching out and jerking my stool closer to his. "Because something tells me that if I can have you, Naomi, I can have the world. And if you ask me, any guy would be crazy to pass up an opportunity like that..."

I blinked and suddenly his lips were awfully close to mine, and I found myself completely frozen. And I struggled for all of an instant, but already I was weakening.... weakening... weakening... lost. So I closed my eyes and prepared for his kiss...

"Hey, when do you plan on payin' your tab, Raines?!"

Even from his place at the till, Lucas' booming voice blew an effective hole in the moment, and it was lost. I opened my eyes again and cleared my throat, feeling stupid and embarrassed.

Hastily, and knowing that I was still under Lucas' heavy gaze, I pulled away from the snake charmer. But Ethan retaliated by shooting Lucas a perceptive smirk before taking my hand again anyway. He guided me from the stools to a darker section of the bar, where we could have more privacy. I watched him lean casually against the wall, and this time Ethan didn't wait to speak.