Hey guys! Thought I'd give this a go again. This chapter is a short one, but I'm currently working on the next to further push the plot along. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I'd really appreciate them! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: JR Ward owns the Black Dagger Brotherhood and their world. All extra characters are from my little head :)

Abbadon frowned as Rosa and Nalla finally came out to the foyer. Nalla was in a light pink dress that hugged her up top and fell loosely from her waist. It hit her mid-thigh and her shoes were black and strappy. She look pretty, like her normal self. Much better than when he'd seen her in that beat to shit t-shirt and pajama pants earlier in the kitchen.

His younger sister, barely a few months out of her transition, was dressed like a sultry female.

Her hair was done up in a bun, and her eyes were smoky, making her look feline-like. He didn't appreciate the deep red dress or the heels either. Jesus, she had to show off all the time, didn't she? It wasn't like he could lie, his sister was a gorgeous female. But she didn't have to go shoving that in to the face of every male at Trez's club!

"Woah."

His eyes snapped towards his friend standing next to him. Ahnger looked at the two females, approvingly. When he saw that Abbadon was glaring at him, he adverted his eyes to his car keys in his hand, playing with them as if nothing happened. Abbadon looked back at the females, trying to decide what to do. He couldn't really tell Rosa to change, she'd throw a fit and then they'd never get out of the house. And Nalla looked great anyway.

Dammit.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Come on, let's go," Abbadon mumbled. His jaw was clenched and his pale jade eyes were hard. Nalla glanced at Rosa, and the female rolled her eyes.

She knew this was a bad idea.

They left the mansion in Ahnger's Audi, the car black as the night and purring like a wild cat. Sheesh, talk about an upgrade from her Jeep. She had worked hard for the beat up Cherokee because she wanted to buy it herself, and her dad had allowed her as long as it was safe to drive. Ahnger on the other hand clearly liked to dip in his inheritance.

Sitting in the backseat, the leather soft on her bare legs made her wonder if she should dive in to her parents' bank account from time to time.

Nalla looked around at the night sky as they left the gates of the compound. The moon was growing, brilliant white and straight ahead, and there wasn't a single cloud to be found. She hadn't been out in how long? A week? Maybe longer? She put the window down on impulse and the air was humid and like a warm breath on her skin. She loved the summer nights, even if they were too short.

"Nalla?" Came a soft voice to her side.

She opened her eyes, shit she'd almost fallen asleep, and looked out the open car door as the prince held out his palm for her. He was standing outside, Ahnger and Rosa waiting expectantly behind him. She noticed now that he didn't look so royal anymore, like Rosa said. He was in a pair of dark jeans and a midnight blue flannel with the sleeves rolled up, looking casual despite his menacing height. "Sorry," she said absently, and took his hand.

He helped her out and closed the door as Rosa took her hand. The female was smiling at her.

"What is it?"

Her voice was soft, "You're a total babe tonight, Nalla. A real babe. That babydoll suits you."

She blushed at her praise. Rosa had spent forever looking through her closet for something to dress Nalla in, and finally they had settled on this cute pink dress. It was simple and light in color, but secretly showed off all her assets up top. She didn't exactly know if she wanted attention like that, though.

They went straight for the door, skipping the line, and as soon as the bouncer saw both males he let them in. Ahnger and Abbadon strolled over to the bar and she and Rosa followed.

Inside, a pounding and overwhelming beat drummed through the room as people danced everywhere. Nalla squinted, though she could see fine in the dim lights.

"Let's go!" Rosa said, pulling her away from the bar and on to the floor.

She followed the female to the center of the floor and Nalla tried her best to keep up. They moved together and laughed a couple times when one of them would trip over the other in the deep crowd. The music was overwhelming, lifting up something in Nalla she hadn't felt in a while.

Eventually the dancing got to be too much, and she got tired of her ass being grabbed by some anonymous prick. She saw Ahnger join Rosa, and thanked the Virgin. An escape!

She made it back to the bar within seconds.

Abbadon was there, and she slid in to the seat next to him. He nodded his head at her and she smiled a hello. They stayed quiet like that for a while, each sipping on their drinks and eyeing the crowd. She noticed he was watching something on the dance floor, and she followed his gaze.

Some female dressed in a leather number was sending him big signals. Hell she could have been waving a Sex Flag in the air with all her might.

Abbadon seemed interested, hungry.

"Why don't you go have fun? I'll keep your seat warm." She said, her voice encouraging.

Which was so awkward.

His eyes snapped to hers and she was caught off guard. Damn, why did his stare have to be so sharp? "No, that's cool. I'm done with the hit and runs." He looked back at the female who was arching her back while dancing. "Doesn't do it for me anymore."

Hit and runs? Is that what single people called it?

Nalla felt 100 years older suddenly, and not because she was behind on the slang. She didn't know how to be single! Hell, she'd been dating Hayte since before her transition, and even before then she'd always been shy. How would she possibly come out of her shell and party with Rosa regularly? Shit-

"Is there a reason why you're back on the market?" Abbadon said suddenly, throwing back his vodka.

When he saw her blushing he put up his palm, "Not that it's any of my business." He seemed to be battling something. "It's just that I was real close to Hayte, and all he ever did was talk about you. Hard to imagine you two just breaking up casually."

"He moved back to the Old Country, and I stayed." Strange how easy that sounded.

"Why?" The prince asked, his eyes now soft and curious.

Her eyes widened and she looked down to her lap.

"Don't answer that, Nalla." She nodded. Damn it, but she couldn't answer. What would she tell him, she was scared to run off with a male and live happily ever after? Abbadon wouldn't understand, he was a future king, not a hopeless romantic.

"Shit, tonight was a mistake. I'm going to just head home."

She could see his big shoulders tense, and he looked uncomfortable.

"So fast? If I questioned you too hard, just call me an ass and forget about it. I didn't mean to."

She shook her head with a smile, "No it's not you, it's me. I'm not sure why I didn't go, I just didn't want to I guess."

He seemed to know she was lying but didn't press anymore. For some odd reason she stayed and they stuck with each other in silence. Highlight of the night was when the blond in the leather outfit came and tried to get Abbadon for a dance.

"You up for some fun?"

And to her surprised he actually looked reluctant when he turned her down. Nalla downed her third drink, Jesus that girl made it seem so easy. The prince was definitely a catch… tall, dark, handsome, and friendly enough to take the girl's number when she insisted.

They made casual talk, catching up on old times. Nalla was a few years older than Abbadon, so she wasn't as close with him as she was with friend's she'd made in the Brotherhood's training facility. During the time she had come home and shacked up in her old room he'd been on a political visit to the Old Country. Socializing with some important family that she didn't catch the name of.

"The reason why I mentioned you and Hayte is because I saw him over on the other side."

Nalla jumped like she'd fallen in a dream and had woken up. Abbadon eyed her reaction and his face was hard as he said, "He didn't look too good."

"Oh?"

Damn right he shouldn't look good. He'd gone off and started a whole new life without her. He'd started over...

He nodded and ran a hand through his black hair, reading her again. The prince was getting good at that.

"Listen, I didn't get a chance to talk to him. And when he was around Worlen's mansion it seemed like he was dodging me. Whatever reason you guys are split, it's clearly bothering you. You're not normally this timid." She frowned. "Just know that there's better shit out there. There's a reason that happened. You're gonna find something new in no time."

His words comforted her, and she nodded with a smile to show she believed him. When he talked like that, his voice deep and steady like a rock, it was hard to doubt him.

"Besides, you look beautiful tonight Nalla."

She smiled genuinely at that, and his jade eyes looked in to her own. Satisfied with the spark of joy he'd created he cleared his throat and went back to his drink.

Before sunrise they scooped up Rosa, the female still in the midst of dancing with Ahnger. On their way back, the thick summer breeze tickled Nalla's skin. This time she felt determined, not dazed.

When they got back to the mansion Rosa twirled her way to her room, still high off of the night. Ahnger and Abbadon were joking about something they'd seen in the club, and Nalla made her way to her room. As she drifted inside she caught a small wave from Abbadon as he and Ahnger went down the hall.

She seriously owed the prince one.

Nalla jumped in to the shower and washed Rosa's makeup off, feeling alive. Abbadon was so right, she was hardly 30, she didn't need to dwell on one male for the rest of her-

Her phone went off on the sink. Nalla peaked out from the shower curtain, and saw her Iphone buzzing with a name and picture on the screen.

"Of course you have to ruin my night!" She groaned at Hayte's picture on the screen.