Lost in Starlight (Starlight Saga) (24 page)

He leans his head close to my ear. “You look gorgeous tonight, Sloane.”

I wrap an arm around him, gliding my fingers up his neck and into the buzzed hair on his nape. Keeping rhythm with the music, he tilts his head and kisses me just beneath my jaw.

With one hand, he softly traces my lips with the tips of his fingers, making them tingle. “I want to kiss you...taste your shiny lips.”

Shivers of desire rush through me. Lowering his face, his firm lips touch mine, soft and gentle. My lashes flutter downward and my pulse sprints under his touch. Our tongues mingle in a slow dance while our hips sway to the music. His fingers feel unbelievably warm. When Hayden finally breaks away, he keeps his arms wound tightly around me.

Clinging and jerking him closer, I kiss him again with all the suppressed emotions revolving inside my heart. A hot flush spreads over my body. All this intense energy has been building between us like electricity flowing between our grinding bodies.

Finally, breaking the kiss, he brushes the hair from my eyes. “We need to slow down,” he says huskily in my ear. “Or else I’m going to drag you out of here and do naughty things to that sexy body of yours.”

It takes a moment for me to catch my breath and remember we’re in a public place even though it’s so dark and smoky in here. Even though I
want
to do naughty things with Hayden. Touch every inch of his muscled flesh and kiss until we’re lightheaded.

“Kissing you can lead to all kinds of trouble.”

I wiggle my eyebrows. “The good kind?”

He starts to nod, then looks over my shoulder and freezes. His body goes stiff. I don’t want to turn around. Don’t want to see anything that could possibly ruin our night. Still, when I finally turn, my heart sinks.

Tama is dancing sexily with two other girls. Most of the guys near the bar are watching with lustful stares. I have to grudgingly admit that she looks gorgeous in a skintight emerald dress, stilettos, and gold hoops dangling from her earlobes. My trendy ensemble looks like a burlap sack in comparison to her chic outfit. Just being in the same room with Tama, with her golden skin and tall perfect body makes me feel short and chunky and unattractive. We’re polar opposites in every sense, and I can’t help wondering how Hayden could date someone like
her
and then someone like me.

I swallow a lump that forms in my throat. Hayden steers me over to a dark corner. He runs a hand through his hair as though he doesn’t know what to do.

Tama dances her way through the crowd, winking or acknowledging every cute guy she passes. She strolls over to Darion and Arcane, waiting at the edge of the dance floor.

Helplessly, I glance around for backup. Viola is still dancing with Brendan on the other side of the club, and Raymond and Tanisha have disappeared from the booth.

Freakin’ terrific.

I cast a sidelong look at Tama and her hateful crew just as she spots Hayden and me. The loathing and disgust oozing from her furious glare hits me from across the room. She says something to the others and points at us. Now all three hybrids are frowning in our direction.

With her eyes flashing and fists curled, Tama stalks straight over to us.

And just like that, my fun night ends worse than a clichéd thriller.

Beside the fuming Tama are Arcane and Darion, who flank her like two thugs. Up close, I check out thirty-something Arcane, taking in his indigo sleeveless T-shirt, leather pants, and biker boots. Beside him, Darion looks just as formidable in a long-sleeved, black shirt and pants, with steel-toed cowboy boots. The three of them don’t look remotely human—their features too sharp and they give off the distinct impression of dangerous predators. Treacherous and cunning.

No one moves for what seems like an eternity.

My heartbeat thunders in my ears. With my head lowered, I take an instinctive step back, but Hayden doesn’t budge or back down. My body temperature rises steadily with each driving beat of the music. I hate to break it to Hayden, but this is usually when we “sub-humans” run like hell.

Hayden grasps my hand and jerks me forward until I’m next to him again, and wraps one arm possessively around my waist. Even with Hayden staying close, it doesn’t slow my wildly beating pulse, but I steel myself to face Tama.

“Isn’t she sweet?” Tama says, with a hard smile. She scans me over from head to toe. “But so
average
.”

Average my ass!

The fear instantly dissolves. My chest clenches. I want to smack her. Hard. My hand curls into a tight fist, and it takes everything I have not to hit her.

I pull away from Hayden and glare up at Tama. “I don’t know what your mental issues are, chick, but I’ll bet they’re hard to pronounce.”

Tama crosses the few feet between us in two seconds flat. She gets so up in my face that I can count the freckles on her nose. “Let me make this real clear and easy for your tiny brain to comprehend—you’re
not
one of us, sweetheart,” she says through her teeth. “Go home. You’re inferior and pathetic and…chubby.”

Oh, hell no. She did
not
just call me fat!

“Watch it, Miss Cranky. Before I cram my shoe up your bony ass,” I snap.

Stepping back, Tama claps. “She’s got teeth!” She turns to Hayden and asks, “But is she deaf or just really slow? I told her to beat it.”

“I can hear just fine.” I put both hands on my hips. “Damn, what did you have for breakfast this morning, Carnation Instant Bitch?”

Before I can go nuclear on her ass, Hayden inserts himself between us.

“That’s enough,” Hayden demands. “This is a public place and I’m here with my friends. That’s
all
.” He sighs, scratching his eyebrow with an index finger before continuing, “Tama, listen to me very carefully. It’s
over
,” he says firmly. “And we aren’t doing anything wrong…I’m just hanging out with my best friend.”

Tama takes a step backward, heartbreak written all over her face. “Does she know the truth about
you
—about us?”

Hayden glances from Tama to Arcane. “She doesn’t know anything.”

Arcane, who I assume is their leader, pushes Tama aside. “Hayden, please don’t lie to us,” he says in a deep, resonating voice. “I thought you said it wasn’t serious with this...” —he flicks a glance at me— “
girl
.” He pronounces it like it’s another word for roadkill.

Hayden stiffens. “Now you’re telling me who I can be friends with? I can choose my own friends, thanks.”

Everyone is quiet for a moment and some serious tension fills the air. All because of me.

“Outside. Move it,” Arcane commands in a stern tone that makes my neck hackles rise. “And leave the
Homo degeneratus
here.”

Hayden bends close to my ear. “Stay inside the club. I’ll be back in a minute.”

I shake my head. “No way.” Then I say to Arcane, “And I don’t take orders from
you
.”

Arcane’s lips quirk up at the edges. “Is that so? Well, then, it’s a good thing I wasn’t talking to you.”

“We’re in this together,” I whisper to Hayden, “and I’m
not
leaving you.”

He glances at Arcane. “Leave her be. It’s me you have a problem with.”

“Well, now we gotta problem with both of you,” Darion says.

“There’s no need to go on a crazy warpath,” Hayden says. “I’ll go along peacefully.”

“Splendid.” Arcane nods his dark head. “I like you, Hayden. You remind me of when I was young and stupid.” He gestures at the exit doors. “Shall we take this somewhere more private?”

With thug one and thug two behind us, we have no choice but to follow Arcane outside to a dim alleyway behind the club. The dancing and crammed bodies raised the temperature inside, and the instant I step out, the cool air hits my sweaty skin. The night sky resembles a piece of black satin stitched with thousands of glittering stars. The doors swing shut with a final
bang
and cut off most of the noise inside.

Great. Now I’m alone in a dark alley with three pissed off alien crossbreeds. And I’m the only defenseless human. Go me.

Countless horror movies start with lighthearted teens happily partying, and then suddenly the action shifts into gory violence. Gulp.

Arcane paces with his hands folded behind his back. Tama and Darion stand stiffly like Mafia hitmen anticipating orders from their boss of an impending execution. Probably mine.

A breeze lifts my hair, and I shiver violently. Hayden keeps me close to his side, the warmth of his arm around me chasing away the chill. I take a deep breath and hold it for strength, then force myself to look at the hybrids. Their grim expressions seem like the kiss of death for Hayden and me.

Hayden narrows his eyes. “Was Zach the one who contacted you?”

Arcane nods. “He’s concerned. We all are—”

“Why? You have nothing to worry about.” Hayden steps forward, but I cling to his arm. “So you can just pack up and go home.”

Arcane stops pacing. “I don’t want to be the bad guy here or interfere with your budding teen romance, but this ends here—
tonight
—before it goes any further.”

Hayden’s brow crinkles. “What do you mean?”

Arcane deeply sighs. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the code of the Galactic Brotherhood and what it means to break the laws we live by. You’re just being incredibly juvenile and selfish, my friend. Please think rationally about all this.” He glances at me, watching my expression.

“I don’t understand what the big deal is,” Hayden replies. “I’m just out having fun with my friends. Like I said, she doesn’t know anything.”

“Oh, really? Because I find it odd that this girl, who supposedly doesn’t know about our kind, didn’t even flinch when we mentioned the brotherhood.” Arcane’s words drip with polite sarcasm.

Ah, shit. My pulse races, blood thundering around my body.

“Just as I suspected,” Tama says.

“She’s just nervous and confused,” Hayden says quickly. “She doesn’t understand what’s happening.”

“And I don’t care,” I say, finding my voice. “You guys can sort this out by yourselves.”

I hate to leave Hayden alone with the crazies, but I seem to be making the situation worse. I turn to go back inside the club, but Darion blocks my path.

“Stick around awhile longer,” he says.

Hayden shoves him backward. “Leave her out of this. Just deal with me. I take full responsibility for my actions. We can go someplace else and talk—”

“We’re fine right here, my friend,” Arcane says. “And please don’t insult my intelligence.”

Tama snickers. “You’re a lousy liar, Hayden. And your
friend
should never play poker.”

“Yeah. Stop lying to us.” Darion nods. “Your little playmate knows more than you’re admitting and we can’t have that.”

He’s actually threatening me? This is all kinds of effed up.

I look at the three determined hybrids. Oh, god. This is
not
going to end well. A painful ache drills a hole through my stomach. Are they going to erase my memories now? Throw me into the back of a van with a hood over my head and whisk me off to some underground lab to begin the mind-wipe?

Maybe I
do
watch too many thrillers.

Seconds turn into minutes while the hybrids seem to be deciding what to do with me. They speak in hushed tones to one another. Hayden steps back to stand beside me and his shoulder brushes mine. I want to grab his hand and tell him to teleport us outta here, but I’m not sure if the others will try to stop him.

And I can’t chance Hayden getting hurt because of me.

I close my eyes and inhale deeply, then exhale. Pull it together.

Screw this. I might be a vulnerable human girl, but I still have my smarts. Hayden promised to keep me safe, but he’s only one crossbreed against three powerful hybrids. The odds aren’t looking good. I’m terrified for approximately ten more seconds. After that, my back straightens and my shoulders square.

Darion’s sinister brown/hazel gaze locks onto me like there’s a red bullseye’s target on my forehead. He starts to move past Tama, but Arcane holds up an arm and stops him.

“We are intelligent beings with no need to resort to violence, Darion,” Arcane says haughtily. “I think Hayden realizes the error of his ways, and what it means to Tama, his girlfriend.”

Darion nods and relaxes a little. Tama’s mouth lifts in a witchy smile and she moves to stand beside Darion. Arcane gives them both a warning glance, then faces us again.

Hayden takes a deep breath and swallows. “Tama is
not
my girlfriend. And I don’t give a shit what any of this means to her!”

“Relax,” Arcane says. “We’ve already spoken with Niall and he confirmed that your little friend brought you to his house after your accident. And Zach mentioned that she’s been snooping into your family’s records. And doing online searches on the Zetas.”

Hayden’s shoulders lower and he briefly closes his eyes. “How?”

“Easy,” Darion replies. “Zach and I hacked into the girl’s laptop and traced her search history. She knows way too much.”

Crappity crap. My mouth works, but there are no words. My hands shake and I rub them together.

Hayden blinks slowly. “She hasn’t told anyone about us. We can trust her. I swear.”

Arcane turns to me. “What is your name, girl?”

“Sloane Masterson.”

“Although, my cousin,” Arcane says, gesturing to Hayden, “believes you can be trusted, we do not. It’s nothing personal, Sloane. But if word got out about the Zetas or about our species, it could cause a wide spread panic. A lot of innocent people might get hurt. Now, you don’t want that, do you?”

“No. Of course not. I’d never do anything to hurt Hayden,” I say. “I won’t tell anyone. I swear.”

Did I actually just utter those clichéd words? Ugh. I’ve become pathetic. Just like “the pleading victim” quotes that I mock in my column.

Arcane nods. “You say that now, but if you two were to ever breakup—”

“I can claim her as my human companion,” Hayden interjects. “And she could sign something, like a contract stating that she’ll never tell another living soul about us.”

Darion and Arcane exchange an unreadable look.

“Hayden, wake up.” Arcane makes a tisking noise. “You do not have permission by the Brotherhood to claim her as a human companion, and we can’t risk an entire race on puppy love. She must be
wiped
as soon as possible.”

I want to scream that I care about Hayden, and that I’d never betray any of them. Suddenly, Hayden is ripped from my side and slapped hard by Tama.

“Hayden!” I exclaim.

His gaze instantly meets mine, but he says nothing. Blood trickles from his lip.

For one moment, all I can do is stare into those incredible eyes. The anguish, the longing, the fear, all of my emotions reflected right there in his unwavering stare. But then he breaks eye contact, and I’m plunged back to reality. Reality, where we can’t be together. It’s forbidden by his people. Dangerous even. Outlawed by the Galactic Brotherhood. And now they want to wipe my memories clean.

Darion roughly grabs my upper arm. “We have no choice, girl.” The bastard smiles at me. “We have to eliminate any potential threats.”

A cold sweat trickles down my back. I hadn’t taken the warning seriously before. Sector Thirteen had spies everywhere. I’m a threat to their covert existence. And now they’re going to give me some horrible electric shock treatments until I’m a mindless blob. My heart does frightened flips in my chest. I won’t remember Hayden or my feelings for him. We can never be together. Ever. So freakin’ unfair.

My mouth goes dry, but I raise my chin. “If I sacrifice myself and let you guys do your mind-erasing thing, Hayden won’t be hurt, right?” I manage to squeeze the words past my constricted throat.

Arcane nods. “I promise the procedure will be quick and painless. You won’t suffer.”

Hayden glances at me, tension coiling in his shoulders. He violently shoves Tama backward and pushes Darion off me. With one hand, he grabs my arm and yanks me behind him, shielding me with his body. His stance is rigid, his feet apart and fists raised.

“Let her go, or I’ll end you,” Hayden threatens Darion in a growl.

“Get out of the way, Cousin.” Darion stalks forward. “The girl won’t even remember a damn thing.”

He says it with such über seriousness, I almost pee in my Old Navy panties.

“Now, Darion—” Arcane begins.

“Stand down!” From the shadows, a tall man steps into the dim light of the streetlamp.

Oh shit, another hybrid!

Hayden turns around. “Agent Dixon?”

My whole body releases a sigh. I’ve never been happier to see my stalker.