Suspicious Minds
Isaac grinned back at me from the passenger's seat, "We're here."
I looked out through the tinted windows at the place. Swarms of people buzzed around, their faces illuminated by the blue neon signs above. A long line of people waited on one side of the black velvet ropes.
Ethan, who still hadn't spoken since we left the mansion, pulled the car up along the curb directly in front of the bar. "Wait here," he muttered, pushing open his door and floating out quickly.
Outside the window, Ethan approached a valet and nodded back at the car before handing him the keys. In that moment Ethan seemed entirely human, except for perhaps his complete aesthetic perfection and strangely black eyes. The valet nodded, staring intently at the vehicle for a moment before looking back at Ethan.
The next second, Ethan was swinging open my door. I looked up at him, startled, and took the hand he offered as help out of the back seat. Despite the fact that I held on tightly so that I could pull my weight up, Ethan didn't budge.
"I like your shoes," Ethan whispered in my ear, his smirk delicately brushing my skin. "Red," he chuckled, "my favorite color."
I shook my head at him, part of me wanting to find humor in his joke, and the other part unable to. He released my hand and walked to the bouncer, ignoring the line of people now glaring at him. I followed behind Isaac, trying vigilantly to stay hidden behind him.
"Everything alright?" He asked me, giving me a slightly worried sideways glance. I smiled at him and nodded, linking my arm around his. I had to hold on to his bicep as he was taller than me, not to mention his arm was quite muscular. He grinned and covered my hand with his, his skin smooth like nothing else.
We followed Ethan, who glanced back at us to make sure we were there. He stepped past the bouncer, who nodded at both of us once, and held open the door as we stepped into the club. There was a constant flash of white light, a strobe, breaking through the almost complete darkness. I could make out the area that was the bar, as a red light illuminated a counter where a large group of people were huddled. One black mass hovered on the dance floor in front of the DJ, and after a second of staring at it fixatedly, I realized it was actually people. They all moved in all different directions and styles, yet everyone pulsated to the same beat.
"Do you want a drink?" Isaac spoke loudly, pulling me to the side. When my eyes widened he chuckled, "Not that kind."
"Sure," I nodded. He smirked and walked away, dodging like a bullet through the thick mesh of people. I turned to Ethan, who was looking around serenely at my fellow humans as though he was watching a movie. "Hey," I shouted at him, hoping my voice would carry over the music.
He turned toward me, his eyebrow raised. "Yes?"
"When are you going to…" Though I knew no one could possibly hear, I was still afraid to say it.
He smirked, putting an arm around my shoulder to pull me in front of him. "Later."
Ethan's chest against my back was like I was standing against an iceberg. I crossed my arms, eyeing people who would glance in our direction every few seconds. "Ethan," I called.
His face appeared over my shoulder, "Yes?"
"How do you choose?" A pretty blonde woman was watching us from across the dance floor, her friends sneaking their own glances secretively. She was not thick or thin, and her royal purple cocktail dress fit her perfectly. I scrunched my nose, hoping Ethan wouldn't spot her.
"I don't," he answered, his mouth so close that I could feel his cool breath against my skin. "They choose me."
Then I was doomed, I realized. This girl had obviously already set her sights on him, and for some reason I hated the idea. I hated her.
"Here you are, madam," Isaac had suddenly appeared next to me, holding a drink out with his pale hand. I smiled at his perfectly pronounced French.
"Thank you," I took it from him. "What is this?"
"Jack and Coke," he replied, looking elsewhere. I decided his mind was preoccupied with the enthusiastic thoughts of the night's events. He looked hungry. I brought the drink to my lips and took greedy gulps, realizing that the only way I would make it through the night would be if I myself was preoccupied.
I ignored both the burn in my throat from the alcohol and Ethan's intense stare as I downed the drink without a breath. My face screwed up at the bitter taste of the drink, the warm fumes emanating from my throat almost making me gag. Finally I inhaled and then exhaled, determined to be strong through the night. "Isaac," I turned to him, and he raised his eyebrow at me. "Would you dance with me?"
His lips widened into a smile and he held out his elbow, "Of course."
I weaved my arm into his and let him guide me toward the dance floor. As I peered behind me I noticed Ethan was already gone, and with a mental sneer, I expelled him from my thoughts.
The pounding beat pulsing through the club was easy to dance to. Isaac's swift hands found my hips immediately and he pulled me close so that our bodies were touching. It was impossible not to be pressed against him, not only because of his concrete hold or my already faltering inhibitions, but because the space was so impossibly jammed with people. Other humans brushed against every side of my body that Isaac wasn't touching, and I wondered if it was difficult for him to be so close while so hungry.
Yet I continued to dance with him, letting his hips and arms sway me to the beat of the song. His cool skin felt wonderful on mine, as the temperature radiating off the crowd was smoldering. I glanced up at Isaac only once and found his eyes downcast, watching our bodies moving against one another where they connected.
In the next second I felt Isaac's body moving away from mine. I could only see the back of his head, but there were two petite hands wrapped around his neck and I assumed he found a new partner. Despite that it initially seemed impossible to find my way out of the crowd, I pushed and pushed until I spotted my destination.
I walked up to the bar and squeezed my way between two men, leaning over the counter to get the bartender's attention. He nodded at me from down the bar, and though there were plenty of others begging for his attention, he approached me.
"Hi, what can I get for you?" He asked, his voice straining over the loud music.
I leaned in close to him and said, "Vodka and cranberry."
He smiled and turned away, hurriedly grabbing a glass and walking off. When he returned, he set the drink down in front of me. "Should I put this on Van Mierlo's tab?"
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "I'm sorry, who?"
"Ethan," he elaborated. "The guy you came with?"
I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment, "Oh, right." I'd never even bothered to inquire his last name. "Yeah, that's fine."
He nodded again and walked off to help someone else so I grabbed my drink and moved to the corner of the room. Ethan Van Mierlo, I thought. It sounded so proper, so sophisticated. It was a name of royalty.
When my eyes found his face in the crowd I thought at first how his name was perfect for him. He was always poised, even now in the crowded, dark-lit night club that reeked of sweat and liquor. The confidence he exuded was a perfect testament to his class and higher status. Even his haunting beauty was what you would expect to find in someone both ancient and royal.
Yet when I watched those hands with the pink painted nails slide up his chest I knew I had been wrong. Her purple dress looked just as form fitting as it had when we'd first entered the club, only now Ethan's hands were around her waist feeling her curves through it. Her blonde hair was shiny and a stark contrast to Ethan's dark hair as their heads were leaning in close to each other's so they could talk. Obviously, Ethan didn't need to be very close to hear her, but still he smirked down at her as his mouth moved an inch away from the skin of her ear.
This wasn't someone who had class. He was planning on bringing this girl out to the alley next door. He was going to let her think he wanted to do something with her that they could both get pleasure from. He was going to puncture her neck with his piercing fangs and drink from her in the dark alley of this dirty city, next to all of the vermin and garbage inhabiting it. She was going to crumple into a pathetic pile of pale flesh and purple polyester. I almost felt bad for her. If I hadn't hated the two of them at that moment, I might have told her to run away from him. I would have told her that he was a monster.
I brought the drink to my lips and gulped the entire thing down, the sting of the vodka burning down my throat. At the thought that maybe I should have stayed home, I turned to the dance floor with determination to make the night better.
After slamming my empty glass back onto the bar counter, I moved back into the dancing crowd. I'd lost Isaac a while ago and I doubted I would find him again, so I scanned the faces trying to decide who to choose.
A pair of hands found my waist and I twisted in their grip easily. I looked up into a pair of refreshingly green eyes and I smiled. He guided my hips to the rhythm of the music and I watched his face serenely. He had tanned skin and brown hair, a warm combination. He was smiling at me with a boyish grin that I couldn't help but smile back at. Maybe it was the alcohol.
"I'm Charles," he said, moving close to my ear so that I would hear.
"Audra," I smiled back.
He was by no means perfect; he had a small scar on his cheek the shape of a crescent moon. When he turned his head every once in a while it would shine in the strobe light as the scar tissue had grown back more smoothly than the rest of the skin on his face. Yet, in a way, his human characteristics were comforting. The warmth radiated from him, and despite that the club was already feverous, I moved even closer to him. He used his hands to press my hips against his and he let his head fall towards mine. Our foreheads almost touched and I felt his hair brush against my face softly. Despite that Charles was flooding almost all of my senses, I couldn't help but replay the same image through my mind.
I hadn't seen it, but I knew it was going to happen. Ethan was going to kiss her, he was going to press his lips against that girl's and hold her close. She would smell his wintery breath and push herself closer to his concrete body, reveling in the feeling of absolute safety he gave her. She would get to know what it was like to have him accept her, to have him choose her, and for some reason, the idea made my heart start on fire and sink to my stomach in a wretched heap of bruised tissue.
I hadn't really expected anything different. Ethan needed to make her believe he was interested in her so that she would willingly go with him. I knew this was going to happen all along, though I hadn't expected to be so disgusted by it. Well, maybe my "disgust" was more "hurt" than anything. I sure felt like I was in pain; my entire chest was throbbing with distress.
"Do you want a drink?" Charles asked, and I nodded at him. Without asking what I wanted, he smiled brightly at me and led me back through the crowd, our hands connected. His was warm and a little sweaty, but it was reassuringly firm around mine.
When he released my hand, he gave me a quick glance and walked up to the bar. As I waited, I looked around at the nameless faces. I avoided the corner where my eyes begged to go, knowing all too well how my stomach would plummet at the sight of him with her. I released an irritated sigh and crossed my arms.
Two hands slithered around my waist to my stomach and I felt the cool skin of someone's face against my neck. At first I had thought it was my new "date", but I realized the temperature of the skin was actually too cool to belong to anyone living, and there was only person who was obsessed with nuzzling their face into my neck.
I pushed away and spun around, facing Ethan with a severe expression. His smile faded into confusion but he reached out for me again. "Who is your friend?" He asked, looking at the bar with a raised eyebrow.
"His name is Charles," I corrected saucily. Ethan ignored me and continued to stare after him with an amused smile. "Where is your friend?"
He turned his head to me, his eyes staring into mine as if he was searching for an answer. "You mean Jessica?" I raised my eyebrow. "She's letting her friends know that she won't need a ride home tonight."
I held back a grimace at the idea of what would happen between them. "How am I getting home?" I blushed angrily at the last word as it slipped from my lips.
"Isaac is feeding now," Ethan explained. "When he gets back, he will stay with you while I feed." I cringed and he chuckled. "I'll pick you two up when I'm finished." He'd made it perfectly clear that Charles wasn't welcome to accompany me home. Though, I realized I didn't know the way back to the mansion, and therefore couldn't direct Charles there.
"You should hurry," I mumbled, looking away from him finally to try and find my green-eyed friend near the bar. He was paying the bartender now, two drinks sitting on the counter next to him.
"Why," Ethan smirked, "will you miss me?"
"Hardly," I rolled my eyes. I desperately wanted the night to be over. This had been a horrible idea, and I felt my heart tug anxiously at the thought that I could be with Mary and Hanna back home. "Actually, you were right."
Ethan gripped my elbow and I looked to his face. He was staring at me intently, his eyebrows slanted in curiosity. "I don't know what you mean, Audra."
"I didn't want to see this," I told him sadly in a quick breath. "I should have just stayed home."
Before Ethan could answer, there was someone next to me. I recognized his green eyes and smiled gratefully as he handed me a drink. He looked from me to Ethan, then back at me.
"Charles, this is my friend Ethan," I introduced, hoping to break the awkward silence. Ethan noticed how I grit my teeth against the word "friend", but it was much simpler for Charles this way. "He was actually just leaving."
Ethan's scorching glare, which had been directed at Charles, was now shifted over to me. "And so I was," he snarled after a moment. "Charles," Ethan warned degradingly, "you had better keep your hands off of her."
A panic stricken look of confusion crossed Charles' face as the two men stared back at each other. I scooted closer next to Charles, my hand squeezing his bicep reassuringly. It wasn't like Ethan to bluntly threaten someone, but Charles didn't deserve it. If anyone was innocent in this situation, it was him.
"Let's go," I told him, grabbing his hand and leading him away. I glanced back at Ethan, whose now dark expression would have normally worried me yet now only infuriated me even further.
Why was it that he thought he could go cavorting around with whomever he pleased, yet when I did the same, he was angry? Sure, he needed to seduce the girl in the purple dress so that he could satiate his burning hunger. But wasn't that what I was doing, to a degree? Obviously, I didn't want to suck Charles' blood, the thought actually made me gag, but I needed him in a way to make up for my lonesome. Isaac wasn't anywhere to be seen, and Ethan wanted nothing to do with me. I doubted he could even get himself away from her for a second if he truly wanted to.
I mentally scowled at myself as I brought the drink Charles had given me to my lips. It tasted sweet, and I was grateful for the dramatic change from my previous drinks.
I didn't want Ethan to want to be with me. I hadn't been out of the mansion in over a month, except for that horrible experience in the forest, obviously. Ethan and Isaac were off doing their own business, so while they were away, I was going to enjoy myself, and right then, in my current, tipsy state, all I wanted was to dance with Charles.