— Hey!— I called the bartender.
— What do you want?
— I don't know what that is.— I pointed to the glass. — But can you get me another one, please?
He smiled.
— Of course, princess.— He winked at me and turned around. I mentally thanked him for not seeing my red face. — Here's another Martini Rosso!
— A martini? It's different from what I had had,— I commented, grabbing the glass of crushed ice. The place was warm and the drink being cold helped a lot.
— There are different kinds of martinis, kitten.
— Hmm.
I took a sip of my drink, feeling embarrassed by that man's gaze. He was handsome, but I wasn't used to having contact with strangers since Alex's death, it was still hard to deal with his absence.
— Are you from here?
— From New York?— Yes!
— Never seen her around here.— I took another sip of my drink.
— I'm not one to go to parties,— I replied curtly. I didn't want to sound arrogant, I just didn't want to continue this conversation.
— So it's homemade?
Smile to the side.
— More or less,— he said awkwardly.
— If I may say so, you are beautiful!
I looked down, feeling my face heat up and trying to hide my embarrassment, downed the rest of my drink in one gulp.
— Whoa! Take it easy, kitten.
I opened my mouth to answer, but an unfamiliar voice sounded behind me.
— Don't call her that!
A chill ran through me at the coldness I heard in the stranger's male voice. An odd sensation hit me so hard my skin crawled. Even the surrounding atmosphere changed, becoming heavier with the man's presence.
— What if I don't want to?— the bartender asked cheekily, but I was frozen in place, unsure how to react.
— You might not like the consequences if you keep pestering her.
— By the moon! Who is this?
And again my body shuddered with that voice behind me. What did that mean?
— Listen here, man...
I jumped on the stool when the man behind me, walked past the stool I was on and yanked the bartender by the shirt hard, making him slam his hip brutally on the wooden bar.
— Ouch! That must have hurt.
— Listen to me well, don't ever speak to her again. Do you understand me?
The bartender narrowed his eyes and let out a pained groan. I stared at him confused, not understanding the reason for his reaction. A bad feeling went through my body, I felt the necklace around my neck heat up and start to glow, I covered it with my hand immediately, it was a human ballad.
The bartender nodded several times, a pained expression on his face. The stranger released him and the bartender hurried away. I continued to stare at the straight back of the man in front of me. He wore a dark suit and his hair was burnt blond.
It was from the negative energy the man exuded that I recognized the dark power that inhabited his skin. I blinked a few times, feeling the penny drop. He was a wizard, that much I was sure of.
— That's not a good sign!
—Why did you treat him so brutally?— I heard myself ask. The man didn't hear, or if he did, he ignored me completely. — Can't you hear me?—
— You liked it, didn't you?— Do you like being flattered by strangers?
He turned suddenly and I froze in the seat. That place didn't have good lighting, just twinkling and bright lights of different colors. I couldn't see his face well, but one thing I confessed, he was beautiful.
I swallowed hard, my mouth feeling dry and his words hit me hard.
— How it is?
— I'm not surprised coming from one of your race.
I got up from the bench, indignant and feeling offended by his words.
— Look, I don't know you and neither do you know me — I started feeling chills from his icy gaze on me. I couldn't tell what color his eyes were, but he smelled delicious. — Why are you insulting me like that?
— All of you are the same.
— All? Who are you talking about?
— From your damn family!
I felt my blood boil hearing her words about my family. My wolf became agitated inside me and she snarled, making my pupils gleam. It took a lot of willpower to quell my explosive temper.
— Don't insult my family!— I growled, irritated and he chuckled. It wasn't a laugh at something funny, it was a strange laugh...almost dark.
— You're just like your mother.— I heard the sneer in her voice.
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm and let go of my hands that were clenched, I couldn't risk losing control in a place full of innocent humans.
— You have no right to hurl abuse at me or anyone in my family.— I controlled my voice.
The wizard kept his face as cold as an Alaskan winter. He was weird.
— The only thing that makes you so special is the pure magic in your blood.
— What?
— Soon the truth will be revealed.
I cocked my head to the side, eyes narrowing in confusion.
— I do not understand. Can you be more clear please?
The stranger licked his lips before taking a step forward, I stiffened at his approach.
— You belong to me, sweet Zoe, and I'm not going to give you up.
I frowned but froze in place when the wizard cupped my chin, his touch as cold as the dark feeling in his eyes. Something euphoric and electrifying made the hairs on my arms stand up.
— Who are you?— I asked in a whisper.
He brushed his thumb across my cheek.
— I am darkness personified, sweet Zoe, and I won't give up until I have you to myself.
I backed away, fleeing the touch of that mysterious wizard. I straightened my shoulders as I stopped a safe distance from him.
— Don't you dare touch me again.
The shadow of a feline smile curved her lips, and that image was disturbing to say the least.
— See you soon, dear.
Then, the wizard simply disappeared before my eyes, like smoke dissipating in the air. I looked around, apprehensive if anyone had seen this, but the humans were too distracted by alcohol to realize what had happened.
I went back to sitting on the whiteboard with my heart still racing in my chest. I leaned over the counter and rested my head in my hands, squinting at the uneasiness in my mind due to the wizard's appearance.
My blood still boiled with irritation at the insults hurled at my family, but this wasn't the first time, the list of my family's enemies was not short. The back of my neck burned and sweat trickled down my forehead. That place was too hot and so I took off my jacket, trying to reduce the heat.
A hand touched my shoulder and by reflex, I grabbed that arm. I was surprised to see Megan's eyes wide. I looked down at my hand on her wrist and saw that my claws were almost piercing her skin.
— Meg, I'm sorry.— I pulled my hand away, quickly. — I'm sorry,— I wailed.
— What was that?— he asked, sitting down next to me and I shook my head, feeling confused. — Who was that man with you?
— I don't know,— I confessed rubbing my face in exhaustion.
— Zoe?
— It was a stranger, Megan—I ended up blowing her up. My sister was startled by my reaction and swallowed hard. — I'm sorry, I…I'm tired, Meg. Can we go home?
She pursed her lips, suspicious of my behavior.
— For the moment, let's forget about it. I'm going to call Jaime so we can go, okay? Keep calm, Zoe. And watch out for it. He touched the mark on my bare neck and I froze, hiding it again with my hair.
I had made a big mistake. I knew how special and well— known my lineage was, and that's why we had many enemies. I didn't want to get into trouble with anyone, but if someone recognized me there, I would have a lot of trouble to sort out.
As we drove home, my mind flashed to that man in the club. He was weird and he gave me the creeps!
Who would he be? He was a wizard, that was all I knew. His coldness and indifference surprised me, I had never felt so much dark magic in one creature since Kisa. And just the possibility of a being as powerful as that witch existing made me restless all night.
— Yesterday was a confusing and irritating night in a way. That unknown man appeared in my dreams and it scared me.
He gave me the creeps.
But let's talk about the good stuff.
Aunt Clary and Uncle Dylan are having a girl. A Kitsune's pregnancy lasts five to six months, less than a lupus. In a few months our Cassie will be with us.
We're suspecting that Aunt Madison's baby is a boy, we still haven't discovered the baby's gender, not even by magic.
Athena is pregnant with a boy, she hasn't decided on a name yet.
I'm surrounded by pregnant women, it's pretty hilarious, I must confess.
Aaron's arrival is just a few weeks away and I'm so excited to meet my brother. I miss my family. Uncle Aiden and Aunt Becca were busy with the packs, they haven't visited us in over two months.
Aunt Clary and Uncle Dylan are traveling, seeing Greece. They've always loved to travel, see new places and I imagine Cassie is no different.
Even Athena and Matt have been busy lately, I can't remember the last time they came to visit, nor Bruce or Emma.
Lua and Daniel are deep in college. My sister chose Veterinary Medicine and Daniel chose Engineering.
Even Dad has been busy these past few days. What worries me is that he is tense, always worried and alert, becoming more and more protective.
He found out about my elopement with Megan and his reaction wasn't the best.
He grounded us for the rest of our lives, Mom had to step in and apologize for Dad's completely aggressive. She said that he is experiencing serious problems in the packs and was extremely stressed...
— Zoe?
I stopped writing on the journal pages and looked up to find Megan standing in the doorway. Her hair was wet, she looked like she just got out of the shower.
— What is it? — I closed the diary, throwing it beside me on the bed and Megan entered my room, closing the door and walking over to throw herself beside me.
— We need to talk,— she said seriously, crossing her legs over my bed.
— About?— I asked, stretching out on the bed and grabbing a brush from my dresser. I slid across the bed behind Megan and ran the brush through her tangled strands. I loved combing her hair.
— About yesterday,— I let out a frustrated sigh.
— Can't we just forget about it? It will be easier!