BLOOD DREAM (Ongoing)

6.3: Jaw Trap In A V-Neck

Theron left for the club clean-shaven and fresh, brown leather belt dividing slim blue jeans from a crisp white dress shirt unbuttoned two down. The dark hair on his forearms and chest was exposed by rolled-up sleeves and his open collar, his muscular pecs tightly outlined under the thin white fabric. He lightly spritzed his wrists with cologne, one each, so as not to drown out his natural musk. He knew which assets of his to flaunt and figured this would be an easy kill, as long as he could stifle his annoyance at Liam long enough for them to take a girl home.

He met Liam first outside of the night club in downtown Winnipeg. It was a loud, two-story venue alight with conversation and thumping music, even for a Thursday night. Liam wore an open chambray shirt with a white tank underneath and black distressed pants, his forearms visible too. He jogged up to greet Theron, and Theron looked around before tucking close to the wall of the neighboring building, gripping Liam's chambray shirt. "You're a fucking asshole, you know that?" Ah, oops.

Liam scanned him. "You look hot tonight too."

"I'm not fucking around," said Theron. "I told you to back off of Kitra."

Liam grabbed his wrist and smiled disarmingly. "Relax, I'm trying to let her down easy. I don't wanna burn any bridges. She's your sister, man. I care about that."

"You're just gonna mess her up worse if you keep stringing her along," warned Theron.

"You told her I was a cheater. If she's still into me, that's on her," said Liam.

He said it because it was true! Yet Kitra still insisted that there could be something between her and Liam. And Liam entertained it. Maybe Kitra was being stupid, but she didn't deserve Liam's selfishness. ...Or was this Theron's selfishness? He growled at Liam and ripped away, skulking toward the doors.

He and Liam immediately vanished into the overwhelming beat of music and the smog of personal stenches: sweat, perfume, pheromones, cigarettes, alcohol. Liam led the way through the crowd to the bar, where they'd planned on getting drinks first, only to find a blond-haired girl already waiting for them there. Her shoulder-length hair was coiled up neatly behind her head, her skin shiny and bare out of her sheer black long-sleeved shoulderless dress. A solid black underlayer left just enough to the imagination. Sitting on a high stool, she crossed her feet in brown heels and leaned over to sip her drink, watching the two boys. Her lips in subtle salmon quirked playfully, eyes an indistinguishable colour in the club's throbbing lights.

She was pretty. She reminded him of Sadie, except Sadie's eyebrows were darker and more threatening. Sitting at the bar smiling at them, Nora looked only sweet and blissfully ignorant.

Theron hung behind Liam as Nora slipped off her stool, coming closer to greet them. Liam touched her arm, uttered her name, and told her she looked 'really beautiful.' Their words and laughter obscured into the music. They turned to let Theron into the conversation and Nora's attention kickstarted his instinct to perform. He smiled.

Their introductions were charming and effortless before Liam and Nora went off to find a table, leaving Theron to bring drinks. He hovered by the stool where Nora sat and breathed in, searching his olfactory encyclopedia for the smell that belonged to the Castor & Holloway operatives. It was too long ago for him to really remember. All he could smell was Nora's distinctly sweet estrogen underlying surface-level woody citrus body spray. After ordering two beers, Theron checked his most recent text from Liam: No C&H. I'm really into her.

Be there 1 sec, Theron replied. He was convinced this was Liam's selfishness.

Beers in hand, Theron arrived at a small round table where Liam sat with his arm on the back of the bench, fingers grazing Nora's shoulder. Theron sat on her other side and handed Liam his beer. Nora continued sipping her own drink.