BloodStone: Ice (Book 1)(Completed)

Chapter 17

The club was crowded, noisy, and overflowing with music. Quintus and Titus were extremely uncomfortable, but both Ella and Phillipe had followed many a young vampire into a club. It was a favorite hunting ground for new vampires. When they tended to still look alive enough to get in.

Ella went straight to the bar and ordered a screwdriver. There were no seats available until she glared at a table full of drunks long enough that they got disturbed by her and vacated it. She sat and nursed her drink and watched Phillipe slowly suck on a bottle of beer. Finally, making a decision, she threw back the rest of her drink and left them all for the dance floor. The music was excellent, and she was in a mood to listen and move. She put her arms up in wild abandon and began to sway to the sounds. She pulsed with the music like waves, and she found it was almost timed to do so. It beat out such a steady rhythm through several songs that it felt like she was dancing to the sound of the ocean. She liked it.

And then a hand was on her arm. She had her shield up, but it was still holding on. Not being disturbed by the feeling of water she gave off. The hand felt like, a hand. It gave away nothing. She looked over from the hand and up to the young man. He was smiling at her with a somewhat surprised look playing over his face.

"Can I dance with you? The next song is a slow one." He hadn't released her arm. She smiled back at him. A questioning smile.

"How can you be sure?"

"I'm the DJ. I programmed it." He gave her a playful grin and slowly wrapped his arms around her as the music began to change. She brought her hands up and placed them on his neck. Put her face next to his. Her cheek against his. So that they could hear each other when they spoke.

"I think that might be cheating."

"I'd cheat in a heartbeat in order to dance with you. I've never danced with anyone. I've never even been able to touch anyone. You're so much more powerful than I am. How do you stand it? How do you not go crazy?" He reached up and ran his hand through her hair, smiling at the feel of it. Then he stroked a hand down the back of her naiad. It purred at him and climbed onto his shoulder. He beamed a beautiful smile.

"I was raised by water elementals, so I didn't have to deal with it till I got older, and by then I was able to tolerate it when I had to. I've always been very reclusive though. This is the first time I've ever danced with anyone too. It's very nice. And the music is great."

"Thanks. I use it to drown out the readings I'm always getting bombarded with. I do quite well as a DJ. Just bought my first house. Everyone thought I was crazy as a child, you know. I got bounced around to so many foster homes that I just stopped unpacking after a while. Finally, I proved I could read minds by touching people to one of the state appointed shrinks they kept sending me to. He put down in my records that he thought I might have been molested as a child and that was why I had such of fear of being touched." He laughed a little. "It wasn't true of course, and he knew it, but it saved me from the constant aggravation. After that, the families I lived with made sure I had all the personal space I needed." He ran his hands down her arms and back up again. "Still, touching is incredible. I'd give anything to be able to do this all the time."He smiled at her again, and she felt a little sorry for the young man.

"I'll tell you a little secret then." She put her lips to his ear. He would like that. "When you're in the water, you can touch someone else. All you fell is skin and water. It's amazing." She put her hands under the back of his shirt, wanting him to feel her hands on his skin. He pulled her closer.