I had thought that the party had been loud before Axel’s idea for a Shot Contest. I was so wrong. It was nothing compared to the chants and yells of those participating and those watching from the sidelines. I shrank back against my chair, suddenly worried about the increased mass around me; I relaxed as Axel slid into the seat besides me.
“There, problem solved, right?” He smiled easily at me; he was taller, even when we were sitting down. He looked down at my hands, shaking nervously. Before he could say anything I told him,
“Problem solved if you consider surrounding a person like me with strangers and alcohol.”
“Someone like you…” He echoed, puzzling it out. “You have issues with people?” I nodded shyly, looking down and blushing slightly.
“Why?” He whispered to me in my ear as people started pouring drinks and getting louder. He handed me another shot.
“My mother died, my father and stepmother are abusive. I never really got the chance to make friends or get to know people really well, it’s been weird and I just don’t like getting to know people and based on what I’ve seen of relationships, I’ve sort of become a bit scared of them.” The other people weren’t noticing us, they were having too much fun with their own games, some of the other, slightly more sober people, went back to chatting and chilling spaced out in the large room, I thought I saw Olette making out with someone, but I wasn’t sure. I turned back to Axel and was shocked to see his face so close to mine, his arm was near my back, leaning on the chair.
“Would you be willing to get to know me better?” His voice was soft, but I still somehow heard it over the din of noise and chanting. It smelled of tropical fruits and coconut, but laced throughout with a strong liquor smell. I breathed it in hesitantly,
‘Was he asking me to do something with him? Did I even want to? Although… his eyes and body are amazing, but…’ His breath was intoxicating; I drank my own shot alongside his breath and scent of cologne and smiled up at him uncertainly. My eyes drifted down to his open coat and abs. I felt his lips brush against my cheek and move towards my ear.
“Would you be willing,” He asked again, “To join me some place a little bit more… quiet?” My heart jumped into my throat and I stuttered a moment before downing another two shots, stealing one from one of the people actively participating in the game. It earned me some annoyed comments and looks, but I finally was able to stammer out,
“What did you have in mind?” Axel’s hand caressed my cheek and turned my face towards his and kissed me once, on the lips, quietly, leaving my breath to come shallowly and in uneven bursts.
“Not much,” He whispered honestly, “Just a little body-talk.” I had no idea what he actually meant by that, but I wanted to find out. A small part of my mind, the bit that was still reasonably sober asked me if I was sure I wanted Axel over Dante or Christian or even a girl, I didn’t listen to it. I was having fun. He was hot, he likes me, or else he wouldn’t have offered, so I just focussed on his hand holding mine and pulling me towards a back room of the warehouse.
“Come on!” He whispered excitedly into my ears as we pushed our way through the crowd of people still moving about excitedly around the shot contest table. We reached the back of the warehouse and passed through a door, when it shut we were thrown into near silence.
“Whoa,” I breathed out, “It’s almost silent back here.” Axel still held my hand; he turned and spun me towards him. Still holding our hands together, his other caressed my face and his lips moved in closer and he whispered,
“There’s still one more place that’s a bit more quiet… If you’d still like to come with me?” His lips were so close to mine, taunting me to try and claim them, instead of replying I simply took them. Another kiss, this time long and luxuriously delicious, the tastes of alcohol and fruit and the smell of him, our tongues danced lightly and easily with each other, my hands on his back, teasing him.
I pulled back from the kiss slowly and smiled up at him shyly, feeling my cheeks flush. He looked down at me, green eyes sparkling with amusement and happiness, his smile made my breath catch in my throat and he pulled me into a quick hug before leading me up a short staircase to a staff bedroom. As we walked into the room, he shut the door and the sound – and most of the light – immediately dissipated, I could only hear our breathing and my heart pounding in my ears along with a ringing from the sudden change. I found myself in a dimly lit room with a large bed in the middle of it.
“Are you nervous?” Axel asked me from somewhere nearby, the room was almost pitch black and I couldn’t see him despite the small amount of light and my breathing sped up slightly.
“A little…” I replied honestly.
“Good,” I could practically hear the smile in his voice. “Then we’re on the same page.” Before I knew it, his arms were around me and we were kissing and falling on top of the bed. Axel let out a soft grunt as we landed on the bed and I pulled back to ask him if he was alright, but he shushed me and brought our lips together again, softly at first, but the passion then built and soon his coat was off and my shirt was too. Axel broke away from our kiss and he asked me, his voice soft and curious, “Would you like to…”
“Yes.” I interrupted him quietly, my voice barely audible over our panting and heartbeats.
“I didn’t finish asking my question.” He said, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.
“I don’t care what it was, I want to know you better.” Before he could reply, I was crushing our lips together and tapped his teeth with my tongue, asking permission to enter. He smiled against my lips and pulled me closer to him.
Soon my hands were moving down his abs and towards his belt, I shifted my weight and trailed my lips down his neck, making him squirm and arch his back, as I undid his belt buckle I bit his neck softly, going on instinct and grinding my body against his. He gripped my arms hard and for a moment I thought he was going to tell me to stop, but instead he just growled at me to continue. I slowed down my movements, going on instinct again and knowing because he wanted me to go on it would make him go wild.
Just as my hands began to slide further around his hips, the door burst open with a loud bang, making me jump and Axel sit bolt up-right. I got up off the bed and turned around to see whom it was, just as the person threw a ball of fire where I had just been on the bed.
What I saw took a moment to register in my head as impossible because people can’t throw fireballs… But yet, as my eyes readjusted to the gloom of the room and the new light from the doorway that was pouring in, I saw a tall guy with dark hair and instantly regretted coming to this party.
“Christian, what’s going on?”
“Shut up and move.” He commanded and I did as he said, scared silent by his tone, he snapped his fingers and another ball of flames appeared. The new sounds of burning furniture and fighting around me made my ears ring, unaccustomed sound after the relative silence of our encounter.
“You think you can just run away from the party, taking my prey from me? You should have known better, or have you finally forgotten about what I did at T-?”
I started coughing violently as the fire from the bed – which thankfully didn’t hold a burning Axel in it – started to spread smoke everywhere, and I couldn’t make out the words, the smoke was coalescing and part of the wall behind me had fallen away, leaving ash, more smoke and debris in its wake. Axel and Christian were now fighting in what appeared to my disoriented senses as hand-to-hand. My head was spinning now – everything was moving too quickly. I felt something inside of me, something I couldn’t pinpoint or describe and I cried out, losing all of the air in my lungs because I was inhaling flames, gasping as I stumbled away from the burning wall and towards what I thought was the doorway, I heard screams of “Fire! There’s a fire!”
I breathed in once more, deeply and stupidly, making my lungs burn from the soot and flames, before everything started to go black. As my eyes shut, I saw no Christian and no Axel, I thought I saw a glimpse of purple before my vision blackened and I saw nothing. Through the sounds of the growing inferno and screams I imagined a familiar soft feminine voice, slightly blurred to my ears, whisper to me,
"I got you, your safe."
"Cass-?" I mumbled into the blackness, but I never finished saying my mother's name.
