Sirens (Theo Raeken) [1]

Delicate

I didn't take Lucien Caraway for much of a partier, but after following him since the afternoon, it's brought Theo and me to a packed club full of drunks and junkies.

Although they try to make it subtle, every once in a while, I'd see someone passing a package of something towards someone else under the table. The overwhelming smell of alcohol seethes through the sweaty, dancing bodies and chokes my senses.

It's the type of haunt who wouldn't attract anyone more than people who were just looking to get so wasted that they'd forget anything they were worried about before for the duration of the night.

I shift uncomfortably from foot to foot on the spot. I can't see Lucien anywhere and I start to feel uneasiness grabbing hold of me. "Theo —" I begin.

He grasps my arm, his long fingers wrapping around my wrist. "Dance, Arden. We're at a club. Dance." He pulls me into the crowd and I suck in a sharp breath. When he stops somewhere in the thick of the crowd, he turns to me, coloured lights painting shadows on his face. He claps his hand onto the small of my back suddenly and pulls me to him. "I want to kiss you so hard right now," he says.

"Then do it."

His lips collide with mine, a small noise coming from the back of my throat. His lips mine between them, moving with a smooth fluidity. When he pulls back, his lips are swollen and his eyes are in a daze. His hand cups my cheek with utmost tenderness and his heavy breathing is lost in the hum of noise coming from the speakers and the people around us.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a fast movement and as I turn my head, I see someone in a black hoodie pushing their way through the hoard of people. When they turn and I finally get a glimpse of their face, I go rigid.

Because under the black hood is Lucien Caraway.

I feel a lump in my throat as I turn to Theo, lips pursed anxiously. "That's him."

Theo studies the alpha carefully, gnawing on his lip deep in thought. "Are you sure you can do this?"

"Yes," I say simply. "Wait for me outside. I'll be out soon."

I don't wait for an answer as I make a beeline towards the bar, shouldering past the crammed bodies and being careful not to get my toes trod on by anyone else. Lucien is slumped over on one of the bar stools, his eyes slightly bloodshot and looking utterly miserable. He brushes his hood off his head before lifting the glass of hard liquor to his lips and gulping it down.

I swallow hard, willing my steps to be steady as I walk towards him, my heels clicking against the hard floor. I plop down into the seat beside him and he slowly looks up. His eyes aren't malicious nor filled with the type of toxic arrogance I expected them to be. Instead, he looks kind of nervous.

"Hey," I say over the music, straightening up and smiling.

"You're the girl from earlier," he says. His tone is a mix of blandness and slightly high strung.

"I know." Damn it, Arden. Say something actually intellectual.

He smiles lopsidedly. "Why are you talking to me?"

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. "Why does it matter?" I ask, leaning over with a slight smirk playing on my lips.

"I'm Jace," he says. I guess two are playing this game.

"Bella," I say. "Bella Devant."

He grins slightly. "Do you want a drink, Bella?"

"Bourbon, please."

He waves the bartender over and orders the drink, sliding a pair of notes across the bar. "You're not from Santa Barbara, are you?" he asks.

"No," I say, as coolly as I can muster. The bartender comes back around and sets down a short glass filled with amber liquid.