Crescent

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Daniel Kanes!" A deep voice bellows from somewhere below us inside the house. All three of us jolt awake and upright.

"Shit," Daniel exclaims, wiping drool from his cheek as he jumps out of bed and stumbles to slide on his jeans from yesterday. "I'm so dead. Get dressed," he tells Tom. He throws Tom's clothes our way and his shirt lands on my head.

I laugh as Tom plucks the shirt from my hair, but neither of the guys join in with me. "What's going on?"

Tom yanks his shirt on before realizing its inside out and cursing as he corrects it. "Alexander is here."

"Oh," I yawn and stretch. "I have to talk about Derek now?" I fiddle with my fingers in my lap.

"No, first he kills Daniel for the mess from the party. Then, we convince him to hear us out about you, so he doesn't kill you. And then, we talk about Derek."

I clutch the quilt to my chest. "What? Kill me? I thought you said you guys would protect me," I demand to Daniel.

Now dressed, Daniel leans down beside the bed and holds my shoulders. "We are going to protect you and you are safe. We just have to convince Alexander of that." Heavy footfalls sound at the stairs, coming closer. Daniel snaps his gaze to Tom. "Get out."

Wide-eyed, Tom dives for the window beside the bed and slams it open. "Keep her safe," he tells Daniel, all serious, and jumps out of the three story window.

"Tom!"

"He's fine. Stay right here."

Daniel jogs to the door and opens it a sliver. I want to go to the window and check on Tom, but Daniel told me to stay and I don't want to jeopardize the protection I am trying to win from their group leader. I can hear muffled talking and the more I listen, the more I can make out.

"- a little get together really. The teenagers were getting antsy, so I thought a movie night would help everyone chill, you know?"

"Sure. All the empty bottles of alcohol just scream movie night. How could I have ever thought otherwise?" His deep voice sends shivers down my spine and I have to force myself to stay focussed on the actually issue here. "What's that smell?"

The door pushes further in before Daniel stops it with his foot. "Probably weed," he shrugs. Great, Daniel. That's all you could come up with?

There's a bang on the door. "Daniel, who the hell is in there with you?"

"My sex life is none of your concern, thank you," Daniel tries to throw him off course.

It's quiet for a moment, then, in a deadly voice, the man says, "Open the door."

Daniel's head sags as he starts to widen the door. I panic, looking for a way to defend myself. I lean off the bed and grab one of my heels, holding it to my chest with the point out, and sit back on the bed leaning against the headboard. My eyes are wide in fear when the door fully opens, revealing who must be Alexander. My heart is beating so hard I can feel it in the shoe and I wonder for a moment if people my age can have heart attacks from fright.

Again, I try to keep my mind on the task at hand, but my eyes still wander over his towering frame. Steel toe boots, snug jeans, a black t shirt stretched across his chest and barely fitting around his muscular arms - this man is like a walking romance novel. He's tan with a sharp jaw line and 5 o'clock shadow, brown curly hair short on the sides and styled messy on top, and those all too familiar bright green eyes-

-which widen in shock just as I lose consciousness.

I dream of Derek and beasts. I'm cornered in the forest, exactly how most of my dreams begin. Usually I'm running from one or the other, but never both at the same time. Sticks break under my bare feet, my gold dress is tattered and torn with blood stains, and branches sting across my face as I dash for safety from somewhere, anywhere. It's dark, the leaves only lit by the moon in the sky, and rain begins to pelt down. I've run from Derek this far and I know beasts are ahead of me. Any other dream, I run at the first sight of a beast, but this time I continue to move towards them. There is no dread, doubt, or fear of them. They are here to help and protect me.