How the hell did his brain work? He was one of the most intelligent men I knew, and yet sometimes I felt like I needed to get drunk to follow any of his thought processes. How did he manage to get to answers without being able to think linearly? “So, how are other men hitting on Nix a positive thing for us?”
“Easy. Nix hates liars. She hates anyone who is a blind follower, a user, or only sees her as a baby-maker. That’s pretty much all of the guys who will be there tonight. They see a phoenix as a way to raise their own status. You know the kind of guys that Ahmya and her father hang out with! This will show her how different we really are, that we truly are a perfect fit as mates for her, just as she fits us.” He turned back to the mirror with a shrug, this time adjusting the lines of his jeans. “Besides, it means we get to see her drunk again and in sexy clothes.”
I gaped at my brother, completely shocked. I would be dizzy all of the time if my brain worked like that. It made a little sense, in an odd way. Ugh, now not only did I have to go to a party, but I also had to go to one while I had a headache. “Bloody hell, Ry. You’re insane.”
I second that. Damien’s voice was a dry echo.
Guys, enough of this. Hiro called. Nix is nervous, so are the rest of us. Let’s just focus on getting to this party. Ground rules—we need a sober one.
I’ll stay sober. I offered up. Ryder’s right, it takes a gallon to put me on my ass anyway.
None of us mess with any other girls. Hiro’s voice was ice cold. If you think there’s even a risk, stay away from the booze.
Fuck that. Killians’ voice was nearly a roar. Why the hell would any of us touch another woman. You all know how we feel about Nix.
Fine, then it shouldn’t be an issue. Final rule—never let yourself be alone with Ahmya. She’s trying to find a way to get us to signal our interest and lock us in. We can’t let it happen.
Again, dude, duh. Ryder rolled his eyes at me in the mirror as he began to put all of his tools away. Come on, all of you. Let’s go have fun. Nix is stressed, we’re stressed, it’s time to show them they can’t manipulate us. Let’s enjoy our girl.
Ryder jumped ahead of me, heading straight for Nix’s door. “Come on, Nix! The party’s already started. Let’s go already!”
“I’m coming; I’m coming,” Nix grumbled as she opened the door. I froze, nearly slipping on the top step of the staircase.
A cream, off-the-shoulder sweater bared the skin of her throat and cropped high enough to reveal the tiniest sliver of her stomach. The high-waisted red skirt nipped in, highlighting her figure. We had never seen her in a skirt, before. This one was short, stopping just above mid-thigh. Sheer black stockings caught my eyes as I tracked down her body. Dark black hearts traced down her thigh in a line until the stockings darkened at her knees. I wanted to lick that line, over and over again. A sturdy pair of boots stopped at her ankle bone, drawing my eye to the shapely curve of her calf. With her dark, silken hair cascading around her shoulders—offering peeks of her neck—she looked utterly edible.
Ryder and I simply gaped at her. “What, don’t I look okay? I mean, Rini picked this stuff out…” She trailed off, tangling her fingers in the fabric.
“What’s taking you guys so…” Damien trailed off as he reached the top of the staircase. “You’re stunning,” he breathed the words reverently as he studied her. A light flush infused her cheeks as she smiled.
“You guys are sweet. Come on, let’s go. The faster we get there, the faster we can leave.
I don’t want to take her anywhere. I want to lay her down, strip every piece of that gorgeous outfit off of her with my teeth, and make her scream. Hiro’s mental voice was thick with need.
Bloody hell, Hiro. You’re going to make me lose it before we’re even out the damn door. Killian hissed the words. “Let’s go, everyone!” He bellowed up the staircase. I indicated that Nix should proceed me down the stairs, enjoying the way she moved down them. Maybe this night wouldn’t turn out so badly after all.
I had been right, this party was awful. As if the pounding music wasn’t enough, the tight press of bodies, the inability to breathe, and the overwhelming smells of booze, sweat, and vomit had my Kraken thrashing, wishing for the cool, open space of the sea he missed.
We had been here for an hour already, and I was itching to leave. I had angled myself to be able to keep an eye on all of my brothers as well as Nix, shifting my position when they changed theirs. I preferred to be in the background, to keep watch on those I cared for. So far Ahmya had been heeding my brothers’ warnings, watching only from a distance with her gaggle of followers.
While some of her peers had approached Nix, each had been turned away. I could tell the catty comments of the other women bothered her, see it in the shifting of her body, the increased flush in her cheeks. Shifter culture was based on social climbing; it was impressed on us at a young age. Nix wouldn’t see it that way, however. She’d see that kind of conniving behavior as a betrayal, rather than a simple cultural move.
The men had been impressed by her looks as I had expected—and feared. She had been surround by men off and on all evening, yet none seemed to hold her attention. She laughed and smiled with some, and outright told off others. Each time she still returned to me or my brothers’ sides.
Sighing, I glanced at my watch yet again. Another hour. That’s all I would give this charade. None of us wanted to be here. We wanted to take Nix home and adore her, and that’s exactly what I was going to do. Damn the Council and their politics. I needed time with her and my brothers, and I was damn well going to get it.
Thirty
Nix
The party was wearing on me. I wasn’t sure how long we had been here, but it felt like years. To my surprise, I’d met some friendly people. There were even a few girls I could see myself trying to befriend, but the majority of the people I’d met—male and female—hadn’t been worth the time or energy. Social climbers, lewd comments, and catty drama had followed me around everywhere I went, and I had heard more lousy pickup lines this evening than I’d heard in my entire life. I rolled my eyes as dipped my head to take a sip out of the closely guarded plastic cup in my hands. I’d been careful all evening to make sure no one tried to slip something into my drink. I didn’t trust anyone here except for my five men.
I wished with all my might that Rini could have been here with me tonight. Her confidence and humor was greatly missed as I stood awkwardly amongst the crowd, doing a poor imitation of trying to look interested to appease the Council. Instead, I wished I could go home, curl up on the couch with my guys, and watch a movie or go hang out with Rini where I’d actually have a good time. Aside from the fact that I wanted my best friend here with me to make this party more fun, I wouldn’t wish this boring shindig on anyone, much less Rini. No, what grated at my nerves was the reason she wasn’t here to begin with. When I’d asked her if she’d come, she had winced and informed me that even if her and Ahmya had been friends—like that would ever happen—she wouldn’t have been invited because of her shifter status. She wasn’t “high class” enough—meaning she wasn’t a mythological. The more time I spent in this world the more I seemed to loathe it. Even the guys had looked uncomfortable when I’d addressed it with them. Thank God they didn’t agree with the stupid classism imposed upon us, even though they were mythologicals.
I braced myself as a muscular guy with spiky brown hair swaggered in my direction. I tried not to scoff. Did he think that walk was going to help him look cool? Win him brownie points? Make me want to drop to my knees and beg him to mate me? I had to look away so I wouldn’t outright laugh, and I caught Damien smothering a smile at my train of thought a few yards away. I appreciated that they were never far away from me.