“Sexy,” Sadie says, grinning as Roseline hesitantly steps out from behind the bathroom door. She walks lightly, careful not to twist an ankle on the mountains of clothes that have been carelessly discarded around the room.
Roseline smoothes her hands along the tight black strapless dress. It hugs her figure with perfection. For the first time since she became an immortal, she feels overly self-conscious about her looks. “You’re sure about this? It seems a bit over the top.”
Sadie’s smaller stature means every outfit Roseline tries on is a tad too short. This little black number is no exception. The dress falls along the upper portion of her thighs, revealing far more than she would have preferred.
“Oh yeah!” Sadie grins, giving her an enthusiastic thumbs up. “Gabriel will love you in that one.”
“That is exactly what I am afraid of,” Roseline groans, reaching behind her to unzip the dress. Sadie shrieks and shoves her hand away.
“Don’t you dare,” she commands.
“Why not?” Roseline tries to use her arms to cover her slender waist. The tight boning is beginning to dig into her side. Not that she can’t handle it. She has worn dresses much tighter and heavier than this, but that was a long time ago. In Roseline’s opinion, the invention of the jeans and t-shirt look was the best thing since electricity.
Sadie shoves Roseline in front of the mirror. “Because you look freakin’ amazing.”
A knock at the door startles Roseline. She grinds her teeth at letting someone slip up the stairs unnoticed. Her concern over the dress has made her lose her edge. She has to find a way to stop thinking about Gabriel.
“Are you girls ready yet?” William asks through the door, checking for the third time in ten minutes.
Sadie throws a hiking boot at the door. “Go away. We’re not done.”
Roseline smirks as William lumbers back down the stairs, not making the slightest effort to hide his exasperation. She can sympathize. They have been playing dress up for nearly two hours now and Sadie shows little sign of tiring.
“So…strappy or closed toe?” Sadie holds up two pairs of black high heels. Roseline chews on her lip. She would normally go for the strappy heels, but they are a bit too sexy. “Definitely closed toe.”
“I thought you would say that.” Sadie rolls her eyes as she yanks her window open and chucks the closed toe shoes straight out of her second story room. Her cat, Patches, howls as they land nearby. Sadie giggles and holds out the strappy ones. “I think we need to work on your fashion sense.”
“Look who’s talking.” Roseline jabs a finger at Sadie’s mix-matched outfit. She is wearing a shredded Metallica t-shirt over a purple tank top, green feather earrings, bright yellow mini-skirt, and red flip-flops. Her normally spiked hair is tamed and braided with black leather straps. Sadie looks like the rainbow threw up on her. “No offense, but that outfit is horrid.”
“You think you can do better?” Sadie challenges, spreading her arm towards her walk-in closet. “Be my guest.”
Roseline disappears into the messy room. “You really need a maid.”
“Tell me about it. I have been begging for months but Mom thinks it’s a waste of money. Can you believe that? All you have to do is take one look at my room and see the value.”
Moments later Roseline reappears, a triumphant grin lighting her face. “This is perfect.”
Sadie’s eyebrows rise as she nods appreciatively. “Rose, you’ve totally redeemed yourself.” She grabs the outfit from her hand and dances off into the bathroom. Roseline perches on the edge of the bed and begins winding the straps of the high heels around her ankle.
She is still trying to find a way out of attending the party when the bathroom door creaks open. Roseline glances up and whistles as Sadie twirls in the doorway. “Oh, you look smashing.”
Her friend smiles shyly as she spins back around. The bright pink and black zebra-striped dress is an amazing match to Sadie’s pink braided hair. Black teardrop earrings dangle from her earlobes, gently caressing her pale cheeks. “You think so?” she asks, her voice unusually soft as she blushes.
“Definitely,” Roseline assures her, throwing a pair of black knee-high boots at her. “You are definitely gonna turn some heads tonight.”
“Not if I’m standing next to you,” Sadie snorts, shoving her feet into the shoes and zipping them. She stands back up, smoothing out her dress. “All set. Let’s go before William breaks down the door.”
Sadie takes the stairs at a breakneck speed. Someone is way too excited about this party, Roseline silently muses. She has barely touched the final step when Sadie howls indignantly. “You have got to be kidding! No way is he coming with us.”
Standing less than a foot from the front door, Nicolae winces, shifting back and forth nervously. His buttoned-up shirt looks rumpled, his glasses slightly askew. He appears less than thrilled at the idea of going to a party, but the moment Roseline hits the bottom step his spine straightens and his defiance leaps to attention. He stares her down with open hostility but the electric chemistry in the room that Sadie has created covers their silent showdown.
“Sadie, don’t be rude to our guest. You know Gabriel invited everyone to his party,” Mrs. Hughes calls from the living room. The smell of popcorn filters throughout the ground floor. Apparently, Sadie’s parents are planning a date night of their own and judging by the tone of her voice she is not about to let her teenage daughter spoil it.
“I cannot believe this,” Sadie growls under her breath. “Fine, just try not to act like a loser.” She grabs Nicolae by the arm and yanks him outside. He sputters and stumbles after her, nearly tumbling as she races down the front porch steps.
William holds the door for Roseline, grinning stupidly as he eyes her dress. “Wow, Rose, you look amazing.”
“Thanks,” she blushes and ducks out onto the porch. Unwilling to hang around while William openly ogles her, Roseline rushes across the side yard and directly onto Gabriel’s front driveway. She still cannot believe that Sadie actually lives next door to the one guy in all of Chicago that she is trying hardest to avoid. Isn’t she already being tortured enough?
Roseline comes to a grinding halt behind Nicolae as the door opens. A feeling akin to that of a battering ram slams into her stomach as Gabriel emerges from the dim interior. Why does he have to look so gorgeous?
“Sadie, Nicolae, how nice to see you. Come on in,” Gabriel smiles. Sadie drags Nicolae over the threshold, apparently unaware of how intensely Gabriel gazes at Roseline. She blinks, wishing she could break the hypnotic stare. “Are you coming in too?”
Roseline flushes and nods as she shuffles past him into the beating heart of her first high school party. It is louder than she could have imagined, which is really saying something since the speakers aren’t even in sight as she skirts along the wall. Gabriel starts to close the door behind her, but a hand shoves through the gap. He pulls open the door to reveal a perturbed William.
“Will, nice to see you could join us,” Roseline smirks at the rough edge to Gabriel’s voice.
“Sure thing. Wouldn’t want to miss a famous Gabriel Marston party. I’ve heard so many great things.”
He lets that loaded statement hang in the air. Gabriel clears his throat, shifting uncomfortably in the awkward silence.
William saunters up to Roseline, inserting himself between her and Gabriel. “Would you like me to grab you a drink?”
“Uh, sure. That would be great.” Roseline blinks, severing her connection with Gabriel as William brushes past. Although his commanding eyes no longer fixate on her, she still feels drawn to him.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Gabriel says, letting his eyes flicker down the front of her dress only for a moment. He swallows and turns to close the door.
“It was really nice of you to invite us,” she says, darting a glance over at him as he leads the way into the
foyer. Her stiletto heels clack against the tile entry. The instant they meet up with the newly waxed wood floor she releases a small cry of alarm. Her legs fly apart as she reaches out for the wall to stop her descent, but Gabriel grabs onto her first.
The feel of his hands on her arm only increases the fuzziness of her senses. Her Jell-O-filled legs refuse to obey as Gabriel’s free arm wraps around her waist to hold her upright. “Are you okay? You haven’t twisted your ankle, have you?”
Ankle? No, it’s her pride that is bruised.
Her fingers curl around the edge of the wall as she eases out of his hands. “I will be fine. Thank you.” She smiles as heat stains her cheeks. Even though his fingers no longer brush against her skin, she can still feel the remnants of the electrical current that vibrate along her skin.
“This should be safer for you.” He grins as she steps onto the plush carpet.
“I swear that I am normally more graceful,” Roseline laughs, shifting her head to the side to allow her hair to fall in a protective wave over her face. “Maybe not the best choice in shoes, huh?”
“Oh no,” Gabriel shakes his head, risking a glance down at her calves. “They look great.” He clears his throat. “So, um, do you like to dance?”
Roseline pulls the silky veil back from her eyes to look at him. “You cannot be serious. I think I might injure someone with these shoes.”
Gabriel chuckles. The sound warms the pit of Roseline’s stomach. “Well, if you change your mind, the dance floor is downstairs. The snacks and drinks are in the kitchen and the back deck has some loungers if you need to cool off. You’re free to roam the rest of the house, but I’d stay clear of the third door on the left upstairs.”
Roseline’s brow crinkles with confusion. Gabriel laughs. “It’s my room.”
“Ah,” she nods. “Are you afraid I might see your bed unmade?”
“Nope,” Gabriel shakes his head. “The last time I looked, it had been turned into the hook-up room. Just trying to save you from walking in on something you really don’t want to see.”
“Right.” Roseline shifts beside him, unsure of what else she should say or where she should place her hands. Awkward does not even begin to explain how she feels. That, in and of itself, is enough to throw her off. Normally she is completely in control of herself, especially around humans.
“Well, I guess I should probably go.” The wistful tone in his voice is undeniable as he glances toward the crowd of teens spilling from every corner of his home.
“I don’t want to steal away the host,” Roseline nods in agreement. A part of her wants to protest, to keep him close by, but logic tells her to flee before she does something she might regret, like yanking him into the coat closet by the front door.
“Well…” he pauses, waiting for Roseline to give him a reason to stay. When she doesn’t, he steps back. “I’ll see you around.”
Roseline tosses him an awkward wave as he disappears into the crowded family room. Wincing at how poorly she handled herself, she slips around the corner and straight down the basement stairs to find a dark corner to hide in until Sadie is ready to leave, but when she arrives, she discovers a manic scene. Strobe lights dance over the heads of a throng of underage drinkers. They grind against each other, moving in ways that she has only ever seen at nightclubs back in Romania. She was always forced to sit and watch. Anytime someone asked her to dance, Vladimir would scare them off with a threat of dismemberment. It worked like a charm.
The heat and a nearly visible cloud of teen hormones drive Roseline back up the stairs. She maneuvers her way through the packed kitchen, skirting the group crowding around the island chanting like cavemen as two boys compete to see how many cheese curls they can shove in their mouth. Deciding she doesn’t want to fight through the crowd for a soda, she peeks out the window at the deck. It appears to be empty. She sneaks through the back door and closes it behind her, sucking in a cleansing breath of fresh air. Solitude.
“I should have known you would be drawn to the dark.”
The hair on the back of Roseline’s neck rises as she whips around, coming face to face with Nicolae. His shirt is unbuttoned, his glasses vacant from his face; his hair ruffled into messy spikes. If she didn’t loathe him so much, she might actually be able to appreciate the handsome boy before her.
“Looks like I’m not the only one who likes dark places,” Roseline growls, moving away from him.
“That’s because you and I have much to hide.”
Roseline turns, narrowing her eyes. “And what is it that you are hiding, Nicolae?”
His gaze grows cold. “You don’t know?”
“Should I?” she counters. Who is this boy? Why does he seem to know so much about me?
He steps into the light flooding from the kitchen window. The harsh set of his face takes Roseline back. “I know what you have done, Roseline Enescue. You will pay for your sins, and those of your family.”
The color drains from her face. “You don’t know me,” she whispers. Her throat chokes off the last of her words. Her stomach roils as she steps back to lean against the railing.
“I don’t have to. Your kind are all the same,” he spits out. Blackened fury captures his eyes as he closes the gap between them. The scent of alcohol is heavy on his breath, but he hasn’t been drinking long enough to be drunk. This crazed anger is rooted elsewhere.
His hand wraps around her arm, squeezing to the point of near pain. Her eyes narrow at his strength. “Who are you?”
“What the heck is going on?” William calls. The red plastic cup in his free hand falls to the deck as he yanks Nicolae back.
Nicolae’s face shifts instantly as he grabs his glasses from his shirt pocket. He settles them into place and smoothes down his hair before William turns him around. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” Nicolae adopts a meek voice. “We were just talking.”
William glances back at Roseline. Her hands shake as she presses them tightly to her stomach. William’s back teeth grind as he sees how frazzled she is. “Get out of here. If I see you around her again tonight I swear you will regret it.”
For a split second, Roseline thinks Nicolae will challenge William. She watches the shift in his stance as he rocks onto the balls of his feet, the quivering of his jaw as he grinds his teeth, and the way his fingers flinch by his side. William squares off with him, inserting himself between Roseline and Nicolae.
“Whatever,” Nicolae mutters as he turns and stalks off.
William waits until Nicolae slams the door behind him before turning toward Roseline. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she replies, wincing at the tremor in her voice. “It was nothing really.”
“You’re as white as a ghost. That’s not nothing.”
Roseline shrugs, blowing out a deep breath. The need to be alone nearly overwhelms her. “I’m a little thirsty. Think you could grab me another drink?”
“Sure,” William smiles, releasing his grip on her arm. He steps over the spilled soda near the door. “I’ll be right back.”
Roseline sinks into the lounger and covers her face with her hands. Deep steadying breaths help to calm her. Nicolae knows too much. Do I run again?
Even as the thought crosses her mind, Roseline’s anger fuels. No. She isn’t going to run again. She can’t give up the life she has begun to build just for one teenage punk.
But if he says anything…she will have to deal with him.
“Feeling any better?” William’s voice cuts into her thoughts.
She smiles up at him, accepting the punch cup. It reeks of cheap alcohol but she downs it anyway. What does she care? She has a high tolerance for the stuff. The cool liquid soothes the burning in her throat. “Yes, thank you. That guy just really irks me.”
She looks beyond him to the living room where Nicolae stands, glaring openly at her.
Instead of backing down, Roseline meets his icy gaze.
“You know, if it weren’t for his creepy obsession with Sadie, I would say the guy has a thing for you.”
Roseline nods. “Poor Sadie.”
“Tell me about it. The guy even mumbles about her in his sleep. If he touches one hair on her head I swear I will lose it.”
Roseline stiffens as she watches Nicolae’s facial features harden. At the rear of the room, Sadie ducks toward the basement stairs with a guy in tow. Nicolae’s jaw sets as he storms after her. “You might want to follow him then.” She points to Nicolae’s fleeing back.
William groans. “Are you sure you are alright?”
“Yes,” Roseline manages a grin. “Now go kick his butt.” And if you can’t do it I will gladly help out, she silently adds.
William throws open the door and darts for the stairs. Roseline moves to close the door but stops cold in the doorway. There, less than fifteen feet away, is the sight she had most wanted to avoid tonight—Claire and Gabriel together, as a couple.
One glimpse of Claire grinding against Gabriel’s lap sends all thoughts of Nicolae running. Her jealousy skyrockets to the moon.
“He’s just a human. He’s just a human,” she growls as she slams the door and turns away.
Twelve