“Oh, and here. I brought us these to make the game more interesting.” Meiying opens her purse to show me the stash of mini booze bottles tucked away inside.
“You snuck alcohol into a school stadium?”
She grins. “How else was I supposed to get through this game?” Pulling two out, she hands one to me. A mini Malibu rum. I roll my eyes but accept it. “To Desmond throwing an interception.”
“I can’t toast to that.”
She shrugs. “I can. You can toast to Rafael scoring the winning touchdown.”
I laugh but concede. “Okay. I’ll toast to that.” Cracking the cap, I take a drink, downing half of the rum in one swallow before tucking the bottle into my pocket. “That’s kind of awful,” I tell her.
“I know, but it was all I could find on short notice. Zheng keeps a stash of these in the bottom drawer of his dresser.”
“Why? It’s not like shifters can get drunk.”
“I know. Right?” She laughs. “Honestly, I think they’re left over from when he plays human with his dad?” She shrugs. “Who knows?”
Before I can ask what she means, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I look down and recognize Josué’s number flashing across the screen and smile.
“Hello?”
“Hey—” Despite my enhanced hearing, his words are hard to make out through the thundering noise of the crowd.
“Give me a second to get somewhere quiet,” I shout into the phone. “I’ll be back. I need to take this,” I tell Meiying. She waves me off, her attention focused on her own phone as her fingers fly over the keyboard. Standing, I make my way through the stands, slipping through the bleachers and heading for the parking lot gate.
The half-time show is starting up and everyone is on their feet dancing to whatever song the cheer squad has going on.
“Excuse me. Sorry.” I brush past a group of humans and finally make it outside the gate. It’s still loud out here but the noise level is no longer deafening.
“Sorry about that. How are you?” I ask as I stride further across the darkened lot toward the corner of the school. The lights barely illuminate the space but shifter senses allow me to see well enough, so I don’t worry about it being dark.
“I’m good. Now, tell me about this guy you mentioned you’re seeing.”
I laugh, hearing the protective tone in his voice. “Chill with the big-brother vibes. Nothing serious is going on.”
He snorts. “Isa, you don’t date. Oliver was the exception and we saw how that went.”
I groan. “Please don’t remind me.” If I could forget ever being with Oliver, that’d be the day.
“I’m serious, though. Is he good to you?”
A smile spreads over my face as I think about Rafael. He’s still an asshole to everyone else in this school but in the small pockets of time we happen to get alone, he’s different. Still cocky and possessive but also kind, thoughtful, and surprisingly funny. Just thinking about this past week we’ve had together is enough to make butterflies dance in my stomach.
“Yeah, Josué. He is. I don’t know what it is about him but…” I trail off and narrow my eyes in the dark as I spot two men ten yards away from me. They’re not doing anything, just standing there, watching me, but still … goosebumps spread across my skin. I try to pinpoint what has my hackles rising but they’re not doing anything. Just staring.
That’s when I realize it’s their stillness that has me suddenly on high alert. Only a vampire can stand so eerily still.
“You still there?” Josué asks.
“Yeah. I’m here. Sorry, umm, what was I saying?” I turn away from the men and head back across the parking lot. I’d inadvertently pulled myself away from the safety of the crowd. I have no reason to think they’re a threat. Tonight’s game is supposed to draw the factions together. There were bound to be vampires here. But everything looks different now. Darker, more sinister. My heart races in my chest and I can barely make out Josué’s words as panic bubbles inside me. My wolf is snarling at me to shift but I ignore it. If I shift here on neutral ground, I run the risk of being expelled or worse. Shifting in itself is a sign of aggression. The vampires could see it as cause to try and put me down.
I scan the area and see Sabrina across the parking lot, but there’s no way I’m going to her for safety. I’m not that stupid. I don’t see anyone else close by, though. I chance a look behind my shoulder and just as I turn, my phone is snatched from my fingertips. The call is ended and my phone is tossed carelessly to the ground. “Hey!”
The man who took it grabs me by the throat and slams me against the brick wall of the school with supernatural strength. My head slams against the hard surface and my vision blurs, a strangled cry pouring from my lips.
“This her?” Another voice asks.
A smile. “Yeah. It’s her.”
I call on my wolf but before my shift can take hold, a strong grip on my arm grabs me at the elbow and twists.
Bone snaps. I open my mouth to scream but no sound comes out, the hand at my throat effectively cutting off all sound. My vision swims as I ride through the pain. I can’t breathe.
Both men laugh, their voices sinister. I claw at the hand at my throat with my other arm but it’s no use. He’s too strong.
“Come on, we’ll take her over here.” The man holding my throat says as he whirls me around.
