Catch, Curse, Release (Immortal Warriors #1) ✅ Completed

Chapter Fourteen: Medieval Dance Party

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She nocked her last arrow into place and raised the bow, looking through her sight at her moving target. Lori could feel her arms shaking with nervous excitement. This was her last shot. Everyone around her took in an audible breath and held it as they waited for Aiden's signal. 

Breathe Lori, she told herself and for a minute she remembered the first time she’d ever fired an arrow. Michael had been dressed as his favorite comic book hero, the Green Arrow that Halloween. His prize and glory had been the real bow and arrow set he’d gotten from their dad. Since she was only six and he was twelve, he had no interest in taking her trick or treating that year. When he’d left without her to trick or treat with his friends, she’d cried all night. She refused to go with her parents, instead waiting for Michael to get back so she could throw all of his candy down the incinerator. He’d caught her in time to keep her from tossing his precious bow in there as well. If her parents had seen that she’d been at the incinerator they would’ve punished her badly. Michael refused to tell on her, even though she’d been such a brat.  Instead, as a way to make up leaving her, he’d made her a Speedy, Green Arrow’s sidekick, costume. He’d used the last of his birthday money to buy her her own bow to go with it. It was pink and barely shot half the distance his did, but it was all hers. He’d taken her to Central Park so she could practice shooting that very day.   

Now as she stood watching the moving target galloping away in the distance, she took in two slow breaths as she pulled back on the string. On her second exhale Aiden's voice rang out and she let her arrow go. It flew straight and strong, splitting Eric’s last shot right down the middle. The whole crowd went wild; no one as much as Lori herself as she hooted and jumped up and down like a crazy person.

“Yeah!” she yelled, “Take that!” Then she did a little dance and spun around and sang, “Hey girl, it’s now or never, it’s now or never. Don’t overthink, just let it go…” she danced around Eric who stood watching her with a stunned expression on his face. It just made her sing all the harder as she went on, leaving him standing there, staring after her like he couldn’t believe what had just happened. He wasn’t the only one, “…yeah, we’ll be doing what we do, just pretending that we’re cool, so tonight, let’s go crazy, crazy, crazy ‘til we see the sun…”

“I know we only met but let’s pretend its love...” Des chimed in, leaning against her back as he played the familiar beat on his guitar. He played it perfectly while Aiden banged away on a drum and another guard blew into a flutelike instrument.

Where had all their instruments come from?

Lori laughed knowing it had to be all Des’s doing but not caring in the slightest. This particular song was her ultimate, super-secret, most-favorite song, and she blasted it whenever she felt down and needed a little pick-me-up.

She started belting out the chorus with Des (who secretly liked the overwhelmingly catchy song too), and didn’t once worry about the lyrics being about love, going crazy, and living for the moment. She was just so happy, and this song made her happier, so she just sang her heart out enjoying her victory to its fullest. And it was a victory. She just knew it. It was true, they’d both shot perfectly, but no one could’ve done what she did and everyone knew it. This win was totally hers.  

The whole crowd quickly got into the insanely fun music. Obviously the British boy band would’ve been quite the sensation even in an alternate universe.

“And girl you and I…we’re about to make some memories tonight. I want to live while we’re young…we want to live while we’re young…”

Lori spotted a few of the maids and recognizing one, she grabbed Cynn and showed her how to properly dance to One Direction – that is like a crazy, love-struck teenage girl. Cynn laughed and danced along, her young body moving gracefully to the pop beat. Pretty soon they were surrounded by a bunch of young girls and not so young girls and they all jumped around singing along to the music, though Des had been right; their singing was pretty terrible.  

The men just stood around, not fully understanding what was happening. Soon enough the lively music got to them too and they tapped their feet in time to the beat. Some were pulled by their wives to dance along with the others. Most happily obliged, spinning their women or pulling them close as they danced. Others stoically refused to embarrass themselves and soon found themselves standing alone as their wives joined Lori and the others.

Des played the song two more times, keeping the spontaneous dance party going. On the last go, he watched Eric cut through the crowd of females trying to get to Lori. She was so into the moment she didn’t even notice, she just kept singing and moving her head to the music as she jumped around. When Eric reached her and touched her shoulder, she whirled around but didn’t stop singing. Instead she and some of the other girls danced around him in a close circle, but it was only Lori the lord of Wolfgard had eyes for. He grinned down at her like a lovesick fool, thinking that losing was just as great as winning when it came to his mate.  

It was freaking perfect Des thought. He shook his tail feather, feeling as giddy as a fourteen-year-old girl. Then again, that could’ve been the music. Man, that was some seriously catchy shit. He didn’t even care at this point. Lori’s guard was down and she wasn’t treating her true love like a plague, but serenading him about love without even realizing it. The icing on this particular happy cake was that the sad, stubborn girl from the big apple was finally allowing herself to feel something. It was the first real crack in her hard defenses and she didn’t even realize it was happening.  

Desmond happily danced with several women as he plotted the next part of his fool-proof plan.  

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A/N: If you like 1D then I hope you liked this chapter...if you don't like the British boy band then not to worry, none of their songs appear again. It's a win-win for everyone!

Though even I have to side with Des on this one...it is pretty catchy stuff! =c]

 **All songs, videos, and images belong to their respective owners. No copyright or trademark infringement was intended.**