Forbidden Law (An Alien Love #1)

Chapter Fourteen

"Lauri?" I asked, squinting. "Lauri, I'm here. I brought Jace and his cousins if you wanted to meet them." A guy brushed past me, a small splash of beer sloshing onto my sweater. I scowled and got closer to the couch. Lauri broke away from her make out session and gazed glassily at my face.

"Sky! Hey! This is Bobby. Bobby, this is Sky, my best friend in the whole wide world," she sang, slurring on her s's. I rolled my eyes. I hoped this Bobby hadn't drugged her drink. He didn't even look up, his dark eyes fastened to her chest. She giggled and they resumed their activity.

Grumbling under my breath, clearly not going to get much conversation from her. I wandered around the perimeter of the dancing bodies. I caught a flash of red and pale skin with jet black hair, then it was gone. I simmered and crossed my arms. Maybe he'd finish with her in a second, after this song was over. Then I could chew him out. The reasonable part of my brain contemplated his lack of maturity in this culture and what I'd taught him. But the main part of my mind raged in a fit of annoyance. I tried to think back on if I'd taught him anything on dancing or flirting. I doubted it, so I mentally slapped myself.

But the song ended, and then another one did, and another. Huffing, I walked towards the back of the house, shoving my way through the crush of hot bodies in the hallway. A guy leered at me and I grimaced. I found another table of drinks, grabbing a beer. If I was going to do this crap alone, then I'd need to be less than sober. I drank half of it, heat beginning to make me sweat in this sweater and body heat. I saw the back door propped open, the glass steamed from fog and heat that escaped into the cold night. I aimed for it, head beginning a warm waltz to the alcohol. I leaned on a stone pillar, greek style, and watched the couples around me, the periodic loners on the edges of the backyard smoking. The cold breeze was comforting. I briefly wondered where Rayne and Jaden were.

"Hey," a deep voice said, a smile in the greeting. I turned to my left. A guy stood motionless, a red cup in one hand and the other buried in a pocket. I caught my breath when my eyes met his dark blue ones. Party torches and porch light glinted off a chain around his neck.

"Rowan?" I asked, incredulous. He'd changed, his soft waves of chestnut hair spilling past his ears. His skin glowed in the faint blue light that the pool gave off, just as bleached and toned as it was when I'd seen him last. His square jawline now held a shadow of stubble. And his eyes...well, they were just as exotic and vibrant as before. My brain sluggishly put this new information together. I recalled Lauri's mention of a guy with "eyes" asking about me. Guess he found me.

He nodded. "It's good to see you again," he murmured. His gaze swept up and down, taking my now grown up appearance in one smooth instant. "How's life? It's been awhile."

I scowled yet again. Now I definitely wasn't drunk enough for this. "What do you want? Last I saw you was when you were breaking up with me and you disappeared out of school."

He shrugged. "I know. Sorry, but my parents were moving, and when you're fifteen, your parents make the decisions." He took a swig of beer and lazily scanned the backyard. "I figured you'd probably be here, so I thought I'd come when I was invited. Just moved back."

"Oh, great. Well, you saw me, now bye." I brushed by him, intending to get to the back door and look for Jace again. But I hadn't gotten two feet away before I felt a hand lightly fall on my shoulder and turned. "What?"

His eyes were no longer roving around with that secretive new stoic mask, but staring directly into mine. They reminded me of dark pools of water, depthless and enticing as if a siren were singing me to my drowning death. His breath didn't smell like beer, but like a mix of earth and something floral. "Sky, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, and now I'm back. For good this time. Can you hear me out?"