Second Fate

18

The familiar notes of Britney Spear's Toxic echoed through the smoke-filled underground and I jumped with glee. The move was caught by Vine, whose lips twitched with badly hidden bemusement.

You'll regret that, I caught myself thinking as the chorus set in.

My hands were reaching around Vine's neck, pulling him close to make him listen to my own interpretation of the song. Despite my inability to hit any of the notes, he kept on grinning until a small laugh broke free.

Following an impulse, I pulled him into another kiss. The faint taste of vodka was strange on his lips, but his scent was overruling the odor of alcohol and perfume in which we stood. For a short moment I forgot where we were and that I'd simply planned to wipe the smirk of his face.

Vine was pulling me to him now, letting his hands roam over the open back of my black satin dress. His rough skin sent shivers down my spine, and I let myself melt against him.

As the song changed and another classic from the 2000s came on, we weren't listening to the music any longer. I was busy taking it all in, from the way his body felt pressed up against mine to the way he was moving his hands in slow, but steady motions. He wasn't gripping or pinching or pulling; and when he finally pulled away, I could see why he was holding back.

We were still in the middle of the room, dancers so close to us that we could've touched shoulders any second.

And Vine didn't seem to like it.

"It doesn't matter", I wanted to say, but when I caught his fir green eyes, I swallowed my words. Their emerald glow was stronger than I'd ever seen it, but it was impossible for me to say whether it was caused by the lights – or something else.

I pulled him back down, closer to me, but I pulled myself a little past his face to talk into his ear.

"Still not having fun?"

His hands were stroking the vertical seams of my dress, while he was shaking his head slowly.

"It's not that bad here", he said plainly before he made a point of locking eyes with me. The intensity in them was burning through me, as if he wanted to read my mind. "But I'd like to be alone with you."

He's not sure if I want that after what has happened last time, I recognized.

"You just want to get out of here, don't lie."

"... that too."

I gifted him a broad smile for his honesty, while I recognized that I was more than happy that we would leave this place behind. For some reason, it just wasn't the same; not now, that I'd experienced a better rush. One that would allow you to wake up without a headache and upset stomach.

"Let's go to my place then. I have some of my best tetra pack wine in the fridge, and no one will bother us there", I promised.

I didn't get the expected reaction. More precisely, I didn't get any. His eyes had wandered off into the distance, and fixated on a point behind me, where nothing but dancing should be happening.

"Vine?"

A hard air had appeared around his mouth. Instinctively, I grabbed his arm to make him lean towards me and pulled my dark eyebrows together in a silent question.

"We should go outside for a bit", he stated tersely.

"That's what I just said but you di–"

"Nina."

His voice sounded as aghast as his face looked, making me stumble in the dark. Thankfully I still had my hand wrapped around his arm to keep me from falling. Suddenly, he'd seemed different again, like all the relaxation and optimism had vanished from his person. Like the man who'd thought up our promise.

"Out", he ordered. "Now."

Something was going on, so I nodded and followed his lead through the crowd. He didn't let go of me a single time, while we were avoiding elbows and sloshing drinks again – as if he was scared to lose me, his arm remained locked around my middle.

This doesn't help with walking, I thought sourly. But I kept the thought to myself because I could feel the tension rise in Vine's body. He must have his reasons.

The way outside wasn't any easier than the way inside. Since new guests were pushing into the already packed rooms, we had to box our way through. Finally, the stairs appeared before us, specked with sweaty dancers eager for some fresh air.

Vine didn't slow down. Despite the booming music in our backs, I could hear – or feel? – the deep sigh which escaped him as we eventually stepped out into the open air.

But before I could ask what any of this meant, a raspy voice coming called out to us from the door.

"Listen, Nina."

I turned my head towards the man dressed in black, who'd addressed me. Dan, the doorman. The piercing on his upper lip danced up and down as he spoke.

"Just now, there was a guy here looking for you two. I thought you should know."

"Did he know our names?"

"Just his, but he was able to describe you to a t. A friend of yours?"

I shook my head, while my mouth went dry. It wasn't hard to guess who was following us, since I had no open debts – and I hadn't heard of any other enemies of Vine's.

But why would Meredith's people chase him all the way into town? He would be much closer and easier to find at the mansion.

And then they'd be facing the whole pack, I reminded myself. Out here, it was only him and me – the latter not posing a threat to any of her people.

"Haven't the hunters taken care of them?", I mumbled after we'd left Dan with a hasty thank you behind.

"Maybe", Vine said quietly, "maybe not. It might not be them."

The harsh autumn air didn't feel as cold as it was thanks to the vodka, but the sudden absence of music and vibrations made my steps unstable. In contrast to me, Vine seemed to revive out in the open night; his eyes were scanning the empty place in front of us, while we pushed past the waiting line which hadn't shrunken.

All this time, he was half-guiding, half-sabotaging me with the tight grip on my taille. "I can walk by myself, you know?"

I saw surprise flash in his eyes as they met mine, and then they sunk down to where his arm was. Hastily, as if he'd forgotten about it, he pulled away.

"Is it alright if we go to your place now?" The strained undertone in his voice told me that the reason for our early departure had changed.

I nodded.

His eyes found one of the waiting cars next to the sidewalk. "Maybe we should take a cab."

"My place is right around the corner", I complained. I'd walked home from here in much more precarious circumstances.

Vine hesitated to leave the doorman's line of sight, so I intertwined my fingers with his. His hands were rough and hot, and they didn't close around mine at all.

"Come on, it's just four minutes. The cab driver would laugh at us if we told him the address."

*