Tracked: A Valkyrie Saga Book 2

Chapter 17 - The Matching Ball

Ray would be at the ball tonight with dozens of men drooling all over her. I tried texting her a couple of times, but her responses were short. I was worried about her and a million different scenarios played out in my mind about what could have happened yesterday. What the fuck had happened? And why were they being so secretive about it? She looked so defensive and unlike herself. Plus, nearly everyone in Blade was hounding me about what happened to her or why I wasn't with her for the ball. 

I needed to get away from here. Away from the strong Valkyrie emotions. I texted Jack and unlike Ray, he was quick to text back. He too was worried about her. I figured we could worry about her together.

--Jonas Pope.

After hours of primping, makeup, and painful hair styling I barely recognize myself in the mirror. Before our plan, I probably would have been upset at how I looked because I definitely was going to draw attention in this dress. But since that was the whole idea of tonight, I knew that I couldn't say anything. 

My dress was a dark green that shimmered slightly as I moved, matching the vibrant color of my eyes. It was form-fitting on the top and wrapped around the outside of my shoulders leaving a good portion of my upper chest bare. The part wrapping around my back was made of a stiff material that formed a prominent ridge surrounding my neck while the skirt flared slightly just under my waistline and dropped elegantly to the ground. My hair was braided in an intricate pattern that tricked the eye into thinking I was wearing a crown and I was standing in three-inch heels. To top the whole thing off, my ears were decorated with ruby drop earrings and a large ruby hung off a gold rope necklace drawing attention to my chest.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I started to believe that maybe I could actually be a royal one day. The thought scared me so much, I fled from my bedroom and into the main living space without giving the guys any warning. Derik was the first to see me. He actually dropped the mug of coffee that he had been holding and it smashed to the ground. I completely understood his reaction as I could feel my jaw fall open slightly at the sight of him in a crisp black tuxedo with a formal white shirt underneath.

He looked like he belonged on the red carpet with paparazzi hunting him down. Or on the cover of some magazine. Bananas he is hot. And without the police uniform or scowl on his face, he looked more his actual age of twenty-one. We stood there and stared at each other for a moment until a low whistle broke the tension building between us.

"Shit Ray-Ray, you look incredible!" Blake called and I backed away from the coffee spill. I swung my eyes to the twins and found myself dumb stuck once again. Hot bananas, they were attractive. 

Huge, massive, slabs of attractive muscle with good bone structure wrapped up in formal wear. Yum! Connor slowly approached me with a cocky smile gracing his lips. He reached out to gently push my mouth closed and I felt my face burn with embarrassment. You weren't supposed to stare at your friends like they were hunks of meat, but damn they all looked so good in the matching tuxedos.

It took some effort but eventually, I tore my eyes away from the sight of the twins all dressed up and saw the Nelsen brothers standing close to the door. Max and Elijah never looked more related than they did at that moment. The only real difference between them was that Max kept his hair in a buzz cut and Elijah preferred his long enough to pull back in a low ponytail.

Kindness and warmth radiated from them and I felt instantly drawn to them. How was it possible that I felt so deeply for all of these men in such a short amount of time? What would happen to me if they decided to leave my side? It seemed that so much was working against our friendship, but the connection with these guys was the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. I needed it. I needed them.