Chapter Ten
Curtis picked her up at eight thirty exactly. He beeped the car horn twice and Blake peeked out her window to see him leaning against the side of his car, arms crossed, dressed in faded jeans, a fitting white t-shirt that showed off his muscular frame and a black leather jacket. He glanced up at her and scowled, then opened his door and got into the car.
Blake locked her door carefully and went downstairs. She opened the passenger door to his car while she chewed her lip nervously.
Curtis barely looked at her. He put the car into gear and turned onto the road. The silence was deafening and he casually leaned over to the stereo and turned it on, pushing the volume up louder.
Blake swallowed and glanced over at Curtis. His hands on the steering wheel were tense. She could see his eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the road, the streetlights casting light over his closed handsome features.
She turned away to look at her own window and took a moment to wonder what the hell she was doing. That moment was all she allowed herself and then she turned her mind away from it.
Will I ever get to where I'm going?
Will I ever follow through with what I've planned?
I guess it's possible that I have been a bit distracted
and the directions for me are a lot in demand.
Will I ever get to where I'm going?
If I do, will I know when I am there?
If the wind blew me in the right direction,
would I even care?
I would.
I take a look around, it's evident the scene has changed.
And there are times when I feel improved upon the past,
Then there are times when I can't seem to understand at all.
And yes, it seems as though I'm going nowhere…
really fucking fast.
The song reverberated through her head. The lyrics rang true and it was odd because the song itself was loud and almost angry sounding. Blake looked at Curtis and heard her words before she realized they had been said.
"Who sings this?"
Curtis glanced at her before looking back at the road. "A band called Incubus," he answered shortly. She thought that was all he was going to say until he added, "They have awesome lyrics and some of their songs are pretty good. You'll know them when you hear them."
Blake nodded, not knowing what else to say. The song finished and another one came on that she didn't recognize. Curtis switched lanes and turned onto a deserted street and made his way until he came to a stop outside the Black Dahlia.
Blake got out of the car and waited for him, and then wished he hadn't when he stormed ahead of her. He nodded at the bouncer and walked in.
Tonight, the nightclub was different. Instead of the bright lights and heavy dance music that had leapt from the walls before, it was dark with only blue light shining through.
There was a band set up on a stage and the petite, red haired vampire who was the lead singer crooned softly and breathlessly into the microphone. The music itself was slow and trancelike and the silhouetted bodies on the dancefloor consisted mainly of couples swaying as they held each other closely.
Blake took all of this in before she realized she had lost sight of Curtis. She looked around, beginning to worry slightly, before there was a break in the crowd and she made out Curtis talking to a group seated at a large, round table. He looked up and waved her over impatiently.
He watched as she walked over to where he stood. He saw all his friends faces turn to stare at her as she made her way over, smiling at people as she walked between them, dressed in fitted jeans, a pale orange halter neck top and a wine red leather jacket that fell to her knees and was left open. He certainly didn't blame his friends for not taking their eyes off her.
As she came closer, he heard the slight tapping of her boots against the floor and had to look away hastily.
"This is Blake Starling guys," he said, not looking at the girl who stood by his side. "Blake, these two guys here are Mason Levi and Toby Windlash, they're the other half of the Elite."
Blake nodded coolly at the two guys. Mason was tall, brown haired and had yellow eyes that were cold and slightly aloof. He nodded in reply and she could see that his body, perched lazily in his chair, was in top condition. Lithe, muscular and broad shouldered, he had a kind of dangerous aura surrounding him.
Toby, on the other hand, was wiry. Tall, lanky and thin with a restless energy that kept him moving constantly. He had unruly blond curls and hazel eyes that sparkled as he grinned wickedly. "Welcome Blake Starling," he said. "We'll have a talk later and I'll give you some pointers on how to handle old misery here," he jerked his head in Curtis' direction and winked at her.
Curtis slapped Toby's head playfully and went to sit down, pulling a chair from another table for Blake. "What are you drinking?" he asked Toby.
Toby held up his drink and squinted at the amber liquid. "To be perfectly honest, o fearless leader, I'm not entirely sure." He took a swallow and winced. "Whatever it is, it's bloody strong." He placed the glass down again and reached over to take a glass from the opposite side of the table. The girl who owned the glass paused in mid sentence to smile at him before turning back to her conversation.
Toby took a swallow and returned the glass. "That's better, got rid of that awful after taste. Now Blake," he turned to her with a smile. "How about we go and get another round of drinks and since I'm feeling rather charitable, I might just tell you a bit about myself. And if you're feeling just as charitable, you could tell me a bit about yourself."
He stood before Blake could answer and pulled her chair out. She glanced at Curtis who was glaring at both of them until he turned away and leaned close to the girl beside him. He whispered something to her and she giggled.
Blake gritted her teeth and followed Toby to the bar.
He was leaning against the bar and had already ordered. He chatted to the bartender as the other man began mixing drinks but stopped when he saw Blake.
He turned to her and smiled wickedly. "So Blake Starling," he drawled. "How did you do it? I'm dying to know." The bartender placed a drink on the bar for the person beside Toby but the blond vampire managed to snatch it away from the other customer with a shrug and smile before it could be claimed. Toby took a sip from the glass before handing it back.
"Do what?" Blake asked, her gaze direct.
"Get in of course. Come on, don't play innocent with me. I see the way you two are acting. You can't even look at each other because it drives you crazy with passion." He clasped his hands to his chest and struck a theatrical pose. "Crazy with unleashed passion and yearning." He tossed his head to the side and grinned at her. "Am I right? I'm right aren't I?" he asked eagerly.
Blake shook her head and smiled. "You've well and truly missed the mark there I'm afraid. The only yearning I'm experiencing is wanting to get away from Curtis."
Toby nodded in false sympathy. "So you guys have that whole love hate thing happening?"
Blake rolled her eyes. "Wrong on the first count. Hate is an accurate description though."
Toby snorted and grabbed his drink from the tray the bartender had placed before them and took a large gulp. "Blake," he began, slightly unsteadily as a result of him mixing large quantities of drink kicked in, "Truth be known, I couldn't give a damn what happens after the lights go out as long as it doesn't affect our mission. You're in with the big guns now sweetheart and Curtis will be the first, and I'll be the second, to kick your ass to the curb if you can't hack it." He placed the drink down on the tray and lifted it into the air on one hand. He flashed her a brilliant smile. "That's just the standard warning, we all get it. I got dibs to do it to you," he whispered conspiratorially. "Now, hurry up, we have to get these drinks back and then we're going to do some groovin' on the dance floor."
He led the way as they threaded through the crowd. He said hello to nearly everyone they passed and they all smiled and waved at him. He was obviously popular and well liked and Blake could understand why. He seemed to have this great pent up well of energy and was eager to smile and laugh. He was friendly and seemingly unaffected by the more sober personalities that surrounded him.
"Wilson, you ugly cat!" he called over his shoulder. "Recovered from last weekend I see!" The boy named Wilson grinned at Toby and called something back that they couldn't hear because of the noise. Toby leaned close to Blake and yelled in her ear to be heard. "Hit the bottle a bit hard the poor lad. Completely legless in fact. Hang on, here we are!"
He stopped at the large table and placed the drinks in the middle. He grabbed one for himself and Blake and handed it to her. She took a sip. "Good god girl," Toby cried in mock horror. "Down it one, that's how you do it." He swallowed his entire drink and toasted the empty glass to her with a grin.
Blake looked dubiously at her own glass and then around the table. All the glasses that had been brought over were back on the tray in their original places. All were empty.
Curtis looked up at her and she could feel his blue eyes drilling into her. She raised the glass in return to Toby's toast and finished it.
The liquid scorched her throat and she winced as she leant over to put the glass back. Curtis caught her eye and handed her a glass of water that she took without looking at him. The water made her feel a bit better.
The next time she turned to look at Curtis, he was whispering to that gorgeous blonde again. Their chairs had been placed closer together and the girl was nodding and smiling at him, her face betraying her happiness at being singled out.
Curtis glanced over at Blake with an expressionless face and then leaned in even closer to the girl and whispered something else in her ear that made her laugh.
Blake felt jealousy and anger claw inside her and had to fight the urge to storm over and push the girls chair over and slap Curtis in the face. How dare he flirt with that tart while she sat only metres away? She was his soulmate for Gods' sake! Just because she had turned him away a few times didn't mean he could just move on like that!
"Blake come on," Toby said loudly from his perch. "I think we should have a spin on the floor," he nodded at the dance floor and stood up. Blake stood as well and let her jacket slide off her shoulders, revealing her halter neck and slender tanned shoulders and slim waist. She shook her hair down her back and threw the jacket over a chair.
She caught Curtis staring at her with wide eyes but when he saw her looking he looked away again. She ignored the fluttering feeling in her stomach and turned as well to hook her arm into Toby's.
"Lead the way," she smiled.