A Darker Shade of Sorcery (Sample of now published novel.)

Chapter Eleven

The music increased in volume and tempo, drowning out everything else. It was amazing, better than a rock concert. The crowd surged frenetically. The tide of pumped up partygoers took Brooke in their current. The multicoloured dance floor was alive with flailing limbs, sweat drenched hair, and wild cries of delight and laughter that could scarcely be heard through the thunderous music. Sound exploded incessantly, everyone a panting mass of inebriated flesh that absorbed the brilliant lights and intense music.

Brooke whirled, no longer knowing nor caring where her friends had gone. She recognised none of the faces screaming and shouting around her. None of their features were discernable, their faces blurred as did the rest of her vision.

The chaotic spinning stopped and one face came into focus, standing out in sharp contrast.

He was the most exquisite creature Brooke had ever seen. He barely resembled a human at all. He was beauty incarnate, yet not beauty as she had ever seen it before.

Hair the shade of blood cascaded to his shoulders, framing a ceramic face so unusual and striking that it left her in awe. A thin shirt clung to a body made of porcelain, accentuating his tall and slim figure. He appeared both masculine and feminine, both incredibly youthful and terribly ancient.

He was looking for something, she was sure. He stood stock still, but his eyes darted frantically from place to place. His head snapped around and Brooke realised with a jolt he was staring right at her.

A thrill shot through her body as she met that inhuman gaze and she reeled backwards, whether from the alcohol or the sheer ferocity of his stare she didn't know.

When Brooke managed to regain her composure he was gone. She stared hard at the spot where she thought he had stood, but he was nowhere in sight.

She didn't know whether it was beer goggles that made the strange boy look so attractive, or the whole thing was a figment of her imagination. She laughed at her own stupid thoughts.

Brooke looked around in anxious abandon, aware of her own desperate want to see the boy again.

What makes his skin so pale? Those eyes! He must've been wearing contact lenses?

She realised she was hurrying, craning her neck over the crowd of dancers, urgently trying to get another glimpse of the scarlet-haired stranger.

Miraculously, she spotted him again. He was leaning against the far wall, staring at her. Brooke felt a surge of delight. What was going on? When had a boy ever had this effect on her? She felt compelled, an irrepressible need to go after him. As she started to walk he smiled. A smile so brilliant it made her gasp. Crimson lips parted to reveal bright white teeth, too sharp for a human mouth.

She walked faster.

Still smiling, the stranger opened a side door and disappeared into the night. Without a thought Brooke followed, unaware of the strangers who stalked out after her.

A terrible feeling enveloped Brooke when she thought she'd lost him, but then she spotted him again at the end of the street, beckoning her to follow.

How had he moved to the end of the street so fast?

She hurried after him, running now.

The ferocious booming from inside the club faded to a dull pounding as Brooke and the enigmatic stranger moved further and further away.

The street lamps flickered and then dimmed, like dying fireflies, and the streets surrendered to darkness.

He turned into a small alleyway then froze, apparently waiting for her to catch up. An uncontrollable urge propelled Brooke to follow.

She wanted to meet this beautiful stranger, to hear the sound of his voice, to see if his eyes were really that red.

He stood, immersed in the shadows like a startling phantom, a ghost with glowing embers for eyes.

A wave of panic washed over her and she felt the icy hand of fear clutch at her heart. The need to see him had gone, she'd come to her senses, and all of them screamed at her to run and never look back. She turned to do exactly that, when she saw two more guys blocking her way.

Trap, was the only thought clawing at her brain.

Brooke screamed as loud as possible and bolted, crashing straight into the strangers. The bigger of the two wrapped his arms around her as she lunged, catching her around the waist and pulling her close. She continued to scream, but he clapped his hand over her mouth.