Children of Fire (Complete)

forty-four

Gideon

When Killian and I arrived at the nightclub, I had an uneasy feeling in my gut. I knew Cassidy could do stupid things when she was high, and I had no doubt that the first thing she did since I told her to get out of my sight was find a needle to bury in her arm. It was a terrifying thought to think of what was running through her mind when she was fucked up, and I could only hope that it had nothing to do with harming Emerson. She saw what happened, and she saw Emerson tell me to fuck off, so surely she didn't think there was still something going on? She knew better than anyone how it felt to be hurt by me, yet she kept coming back... I hope she didn't think Emerson would do the same. That could only mean bad things for Emerson.

The music was far too loud for me when we finally got inside the club, and the women looked far too made up. I liked simplicity, and Emerson was such a natural beauty. She didn't need all of the makeup and hairspray, she didn't need to be scantily clad for me to find her sexy. The sexiest she had ever looked was the morning after she confided in me her deepest secret, her hair a mess and her eyes still slightly puffy from crying the night before. She was wrapped delicately in one of my club tee shirts, and I knew she was robed in my scent. She was perfect, and it pained me to know how screwed up we were right now. I pushed the thought away, the only thing I needed to focus on was keeping her safe tonight-- especially since I knew Cassidy was lurking somewhere in the shadows waiting to pounce. I had hoped that my presence would keep her away from the woman that I loved, but with how busy this club was tonight, I doubted either women would even see me in the sea of people before my eyes.

Killian left to grab some beers, and only returned a few minutes after. I watched the women around us take him in, their eyes wandering over both of us, and I felt repulsed. I didn't want another woman to so much as look at me anymore, and that was quite the testament to the man I had become since meeting Emerson. Killian handed me a beer and the two of us posted up at one of the empty booths that lined the walls covered in fabric, I suppose to keep the noise from spilling outside. My eyes continued to search for any sign of Cassidy, but I felt my blood run cold when I saw Emerson.

Damnit, everything she did was sexy to me. She was always so gorgeous, and tonight made no exception. The clothes she was wearing clung so tightly to her skin I could see every delicious curve and dip in her body. I thought back to the night we had made love, and I felt my pants growing tighter. I imagined myself running my hands along her perfect body, the way she felt around me, and the way her skin smelled like me. I wanted to cry, but men like me didn't cry. We didn't shed tears, no matter what was happening.

I watched Emerson closely as she made her way to the dance floor with Kya, but no matter how hard I focused on her, I eventually lost her in the crowd. I turned my eyes back to Killian who was pressing his lips together tightly. "What?" I asked him. I knew he wanted to say something, but he was keeping himself from doing so.

"Nothing man, don't even worry about it." Killian said, taking a large swig of his beer. I raised an eyebrow and he took in a sharp breath, letting it out slowly. "I was just going to say, Emerson looks fucking great." I wanted to reach across the table and punch him, but I wouldn't. He was right.

"Yeah, I know." I grumbled, twisting the bottle around in my hands. My rings clinked against the glass bottle lightly, the sound not audible over the loud thumping of the music.

"Sorry, man but you asked." Killian admitted with a shrug, turning his gaze back towards the crowd to our left. I watched him scan the people for a minute before looking back to me. "Can't see Cassidy anywhere. Wanna step out and have a smoke?" I nodded and the two of us shoved our way through the crowd to the smoking area. I found a small table nestled in the far corner of the covered awning and took a seat there, pulling a joint and two cigarettes from my pack. The two of us passed the joint until it was gone before lighting our cigarettes and talking lowly amongst ourselves.