Half Blood Rising novel Chapter 23

“You look hot, much better than I ever have wearing it,” Karina said as I finally emerged from the bathroom. I was a little apprehensive—well, hell, I didn’t want to leave the room at all. Karina literally had to drag me out of our room, but not before I’d slipped a stake in my boot, just in case. I wasn’t taking any chances.

The boys were waiting for our Uber ride. I didn’t expect to see Dimitry amongst them. He always seemed so uptight, so I assumed he wouldn’t want to join us. I had to admit, he looked very handsome wearing a navy jumper.

“I told you this dress is way too short, and I can barely walk in these heels,” I said, probably for the hundredth time now. Everyone was most likely going to stare at me, and I didn’t like being the centre of attention. She laughed and grabbed my hand, so I felt much steadier.

Then someone whistled at me as we approached the group outside. Marco gave me a wink, staring at me and nodding with his charming smile; he obviously approved of my outfit. Dimitry glanced indifferently, but quickly went back to his phone. Damn it. I didn’t think about how the others would notice the change in me, and now I felt self-conscious again.

Lachlan stood further away, and he only noticed me when Marco whistled. Judas smiled, scratching his chin, giving me the once-over. I locked eyes with Lachlan, and for a second, my heart danced inside my chest. Karina insisted I wear makeup, too. After that, I hardly recognised myself in the mirror. I just looked beautiful; my hair was shiny and styled in a nice way. Damn it. I had nice legs, too.

Lachlan just stared with the same intensity as before, moving his eyes downwards, like he was trying to claim me. This was getting out of hand as I was seeing images of us together again, remembering his lips on mine. I looked away, rubbing my arms and trying to think of something else.

For the first time in my life since I’d awoken on the streets, I felt sexy, desired by a man who was not good for me at all.

“Okay, the uber is here,” Judas said. “Let’s get in.” Seconds later, the moment between us was interrupted, and in a way, I was happy about it. It was a large van, but, unfortunately, I ended up sitting opposite Lachlan who wouldn’t stop giving me his heated look.

He didn’t seem to care about Ramona at all, but she was still a threat. Karina was chatting about all these cocktails she was going to try out, and Marco was speaking in Italian, most likely with some new woman he’d arranged a date with. My mind felt so chaotic, but I truly needed to relax tonight. In the past several months, all I’d ever thought of was how I was going to survive the next day.

Right now, things were much different.

Lachlan’s cerulean eyes were making me wet again, so I looked down, smoothing my dress. He hadn’t said a word to me the entire drive. Half an hour later, we were in the centre of Moscow. It was a good thing it wasn’t raining tonight. A lot of humans and supernaturals were on the streets. Clubs, bars, and restaurants were buzzing with people.

“Lennox is five minutes from here,” Karina announced, pointing towards a large building where a lot of people were queuing. She seemed extremely excited.

“Are you ready for a wild night out, hen?” Lachlan asked, suddenly appearing next to me. His Scottish accent was doing something to my insides. I had butterflies in my stomach.

“Yes, as long as you stay away from me, then I’ll try to have a good time,” I said, brushing my hair away from my face.

He gave me a cheeky smile that said I shouldn’t count on it. “Stop denying what’s inside your heart, hen,” he muttered, walking away from me and joining Judas.

My jaw dropped, but I decided to just ignore him. He was winding me up again.

We made it to the club a few minutes later, and we were glad when we didn’t have to queue. Dimitry knew a few bouncers who stood outside. One of them was a werewolf and let us inside. The music was loud, and the lights were flashing. This wasn’t my ideal place to have a good time, but I had to make the best of it for Karina. The group hadn’t fully bonded yet, but we were getting there.

Marco got us a table in the back where the music wasn’t as loud so we could still talk.

“What do you want to drink?” Judas asked, licking his lips. I suspected he was hungry, but for more than just human interaction. I always felt that warm, fuzzy energy from him. He was an enigma; I didn’t know much about him.

“Not sure, maybe a beer. I’ll have whatever you’re having,” I said, knowing I had to be careful. The lust for blood was still tickling my throat. Alcohol just made me act a little crazy. I never drank after I’d nearly died one night while I’d been out with Melody.

“I’ll get it, you two just relax,” Lachlan said, interrupting our conversation. In the end, he and Judas headed to the bar.

“Isn’t this exciting? I see a lot of supernaturals in here.” Karina nudged me, giggling like a schoolgirl. “Maybe we’ll both get lucky tonight.”

“Maybe,” I muttered, seeing as she was already eyeing a tall shifter who hadn’t noticed her yet. Marco approached a group of American fae, and he started chatting them up. His charm and skill with women amazed me. He could always get a date no matter how he looked.

“Here you go, something special for you ladies,” a familiar voice sang behind me. The pretty boy was back with drinks, and he brought fancy cocktails with sparkling sticks. Karina’s was blue with a bit of pineapple and a small umbrella, whereas mine was pink. It was over-the-top ridiculous.