Alejandro bit his lip, glancing from Tala's accusing face, back to where Nick was seated with the others. "I..."
She crossed her arms. "He deserves to know, only thing I can't figure out is why you haven't told him yet."
Alejandro became defensive. "Look, I don't need you to come along and judge me, alright? I can tell or not tell whoever I damn well please!" He sighed and rubbed his forehead, lowering his voice slightly. "How did you know, anyway?"
She shrugged. "You know how sometimes dogs can sense diseases? Well my kind get that sometimes. So what is it? Cancer?"
Alejandro tapped his head. "Brain tumor, inoperable. Doc says I'm staring death in the face, probably have half a year at the most."
Tala softened. "Why haven't you told Nick?"
"I don't want him pitying me or treating me any different than he does now." He held up his hand as she was about to protest. "Don't try and tell me he wouldn't, I have to live with my parents." He shook his head, muttering. "They can't even look at me without getting that pained look in their eyes."
Tala crossed her arms. "So what then? You're just going to wait until your condition takes a turn for the worst and leave Nick to deal with the shock and pain of losing his best friend?"
Alejandro stared guiltily at the floor.
"You realize that would leave him with no closure, no opportunity to say goodbye, and no way to try and prepare for the loss of his best friend? You can't do that to him, Alejandro, you care about him too much."
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah...I guess part of it was me being in denial." He chuckled bitterly and shrugged. "Because Nick doesn't know...I don't know, I felt like I was perfectly healthy around him. I could forget about the time bomb in my skull and just enjoy life."
Tala was quiet for a moment. "Look, I won't tell Nick anything, that's up to you."
He smiled slightly. "Thank you."
She held up a hand. "I'm not finished. It is your choice...but he deserves to know, keep what I've said in mind."
He nodded. "I will." There was a moment's pause, then a different song began to play, and Alejandro laughed, turning to Tala he wiggled his eyebrows. "Yo wolf girl, so how about that dance?"
Tala laughed and nodded. "What the hell, let's go."
At first Tala was unsure of herself, she'd never really learned to dance and wasn't sure what to do with her hands or feet.
Alejandro just went all out and began flailing around the dance floor, drawing a laugh from Tala.
As the song hit the chorus, Tala closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. The club seemed to slow down around her, the lights, movement, and music all blended together, and as the bass thrummed in her chest, she hit that primal instinct hidden within her and let the music guide her body.
Alejandro laughed and nodded in time with the song. "Not bad, wolf girl!"
She grinned and her eyes flashed silver as the lights reflected off them.
Alejandro slid closer to her so she could hear him over the music. "Who said you couldn't dance?"
She shrugged. "I've just never really learned how."
He grinned and wiggled his shoulders. "Who needs lessons? You can tap into that primal wild side and just let the music tell you what to do. Kind of an unfair advantage, us humans have a harder time finding that."
Tala laughed and grabbed his hands. "Come on, I'll help you out." She helped guide his movements, and soon he found the same rhythm she had, and they danced in sync.
The song ended and Alejandro chuckled, a little out of breath. "That was awesome, I think I found my new favorite dance partner."
Tala raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Oh? Who was your favorite?"
He grinned. "Nick."
Tala laughed, holding a hand to her stomach as she imagined the two teenagers flailing around the dance floor together. "Oh my, if he dances anything like you I don't think the dance floor can handle two of you."
Alejandro waved his hand dismissively. "Oh no, Nick's got moves, took dance classes a while back for Vi's wedding, then just kept taking them cause he enjoyed it so much." He leaned forward, covering the side of his mouth confidentially. "But don't tell anyone, he's got a reputation to uphold."
Tala nodded gravely. "Of course, wouldn't want to ruin things for him."
Alejandro glanced around at the other dancers and raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm...think we should vacate the dance floor since we're just standing here? Unless you wanna go again."
Tala smiled. "I think I'm good for now, not really feeling this song."
He grinned as they began to make their way back to where the others were sitting. "Fair enough, well thanks for making me look good."
She laughed. "No problem."
Nick was seated on one of the semi circle couches, sandwiched between a flock of girls. Two brunettes giggled on his left, and a busty redhead fawned over him on his right.
Violet was leaning against the wall beside the couch, rolling her eyes and sipping a fruity drink.
Alejandro glanced from Nick and his adoring fans to Tala, muttering under his breath. "This could either be hilarious or terrifying."
Tala glanced at him sideways. "What do you mean by that?"
He raised his eyebrows innocently. "What do I mean by what?"
She rolled her eyes and walked the rest of the way over to them, each step like a gunshot of confidence and power.
Alejandro hung back, watching her walk with a raised eyebrow. "Damn..." He muttered under his breath. "She's one powerful woman, those bimbos better look out."
Tala came to a stop in front of the couch, her stance was as dominant and confident as ever, leaning all her weight on one leg, she placed a hand on her hip, the other hanging casually by her side.
Nick glanced up. "Hey! How'd you do? I hope Al didn't embarrass you too bad."
She smirked. "Not at all, especially after I gave him a few pointers."
The other girls had snapped their attention from Nick to Tala the minute she approached, their faces looking disdainfully uninterested, when in reality Tala knew they all felt threatened and intimidated, she could hear their pounding hearts and their scents had all turned agitated.
"I don't believe we've been introduced." One of the brunettes said with an overly sweet voice. Although her smile was friendly, her eyes were anything but.
Nick was beginning to look nervous, afraid a cat fight was about to start...well, it wouldn't be much of a cat fight with Tala in the mix. "Right, Ginny, this is Tala. Tala, this is Ginny, Ana," He motioned to the other brunette, and finally the redhead. "And Lucy."
Tala nodded her head. "Pleasure, I'm sure."
The other girls gushed about how nice it was to meet her, complimenting her dress and accessories. But the venomous glances didn't escape Tala's notice.
Suddenly Tala turned her attention from Nick, much to the surprise of all the girls, and smiled at Violet. "Hey, Vi, feel like dancing?"
Violet raised her eyebrows. "Uh...sure."
Tala motioned her over. "Excellent, let's go."
Violet set her drink down on the small round table in front of Nick's couch and followed Tala as she turned and headed for the dance floor. As she passed a group of rowdy men, one of them called out to her.
"Hey baby, you're looking super hot tonight!"
Violet scoffed, not bothering to reply. Then he grabbed her arm, halting her progress.
"Ah come on, don't be like that."
She immediately cowered, trying to pull her arm away from the man. "Leave me alone."
He leered at her, eyes raking her body. "It's rude to walk away from someone who's talking to you. How about we find somewhere quiet?"
Violet curled her lip in disgust. "I'd rather kiss an octopus."
He laughed and pulled her closer. "Ooh, sassy, I like it."
"Let me go!"
"Hey!"
All activity in the group ceased, all eyes turned to Tala. She was standing with her feet planted firmly, arms crossed, face dangerously calm. "Release her." The cool confidence in her voice oozed authority, it demanded to be obeyed.
The guy let Violet go, who immediately took a step back, rubbing her arm. "We're just having some fun."
Tala didn't move her stance, exchanging a look with Violet as if to confirm she was okay before addressing the men. "Just having some fun, huh? Looks to me as if you were sexually harassing my friend by making unwelcome advances and holding her against her will."
The guy laughed. "Sexual harassment? Come on baby, you're too serious!"
One of the other men chuckled. "Yeah, don't be jealous, you can be in on the action too." He whooped obnoxiously and smacked her on the rear.
Violet's eyes widened in shock, what happened next seemed to move in slow motion and at lightning speed all at once.
Tala's eyes flashed silver, she turned on the man, whose face instantly turned pale, and delivered a swift kick to his crotch.
He yelped in pain and crumpled to the floor. The other men swore and gasped, wincing at their comrade's misfortune as they eased slightly away from Tala.
Tala casually stepped toward the writhing form of the man and said coolly. "I'm sorry, I was just having a bit of fun."
The man moaned and spit out. "You crazy bitch!"
She pulled a look of mock confusion. "I'm sorry, I thought you guys thought it was acceptable to sexually harass people, and by slapping my ass I assumed it was also acceptable to assault someone's private region without permission." She smirked. "In the future I suggest you think your actions through before doing them, not so much fun when it's turned on you, is it?"
The other men and Violet were all gaping at her.
"Come on Violet, I still want that dance." She said without turning around, then stalked to the dance floor.
Violet smiled smugly at the men and followed her. When she caught up to Tala she laughed and gave her a hug. "That was awesome! I wish I had the guts to do something like that, I've never really had a whole lot of confidence..."
Tala smiled. "Well, knowing you could rip all their throats out in under thirty seconds does help with the confidence thing."
Violet laughed. "Yeah, I guess that would help. Let's dance!"
For the next minute or so they danced and had fun, laughing and chatting about random things. Just as the song was ending, Nick suddenly appeared and tapped Violet on the shoulder.
"Mind if I steal her away?"
Violet grinned and wiped her forehead. "No problem, I was getting tired anyway." She shot Tala a mischievous grin and winked as she walked away. "Have fun you two."
Tala regarded Nick with a small smirk. "Where's your fanclub?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Right, uh, they're back with Al."
Tala grinned. "Don't look so anxious about it, we're here to have fun, remember?"
He looked surprised. "What? You're not..."
"Jealous?" She raised her eyebrows. "What, of them?" She laughed. "Please don't underestimate my confidence or character, if you think I'd feel threatened by those little attention seekers you're sadly mistaken."
Nick smiled, relieved. "It's not that I thought you'd be jealous or anything, I just didn't want you to think that I...well, I don't know."
Tala stepped forward and grinned. "Look, you came looking for a dance with me, leaving those bimbos back with Alejandro, I think that pretty much states where you stand on the whole matter." She placed her hand on her hip and said. "So are we going to dance or what? Alejandro said you've got the moves."
Nick laughed and then frowned. "Wait...he didn't tell you about..."
"The dance lessons?"
"I'm going to kill him."
Tala laughed and shook her head. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, besides, I promised not to tell anyone."
Nick glanced toward the DJ stand as the song switched to "She Wolf" by David Guetta. "Guess I won't get the chance to show off yet, not sure how to dance to this one."
Tala shrugged. "Guess we'll just have to figure it out, and I'm up for more than one dance, there's no way I'm missing out on seeing you dance."
He laughed. "Kind of funny don't you think? This song plays while we've literally got a she wolf on the dance floor."
Tala grinned. "Come on, then, see if you can keep up with the she wolf."
It took them both a moment to find the beat and rhythm of the song, but soon enough they both felt the pulse of the music reverberating through them, and found a rhythm to dance to.
Tala draped her arms casually around Nick's shoulders. He hesitantly placed his hands on her waist, and they began to dance in sync. Tala was smiling, completely lost in the music, watching her sent a thrill of joy through him, and he held her more confidently.
When she opened her eyes, they were glowing intensely silver, and in that moment they both seemed to freeze in time, the rest of the world faded away, and it was just them dancing together.
Nick briefly wondered when they had stopped moving, now they just stood staring into each other's eyes, that familiar magnetic pull buzzing between them.
Tala's arms tightened slightly around his shoulders, slowly drawing them closer together. Her fingers slid up the back of his neck, curling into his thick brown hair.
They were frozen, lost in the music and the almost addictive pull between them.
Nick's arms slid around her waist tightening slightly as he stared into her silver eyes. He felt like he should say something, should he? Would it ruin the moment? What if she was expecting him to say something? "I, uh-" He stammered, totally at a loss for words and feeling like an idiot.
Tala didn't seem to notice. Instead, she closed the distance between them and pulled his lips to hers, her fingers still twisted in his hair tightened when he kissed her back.
They were both half expecting the magnetic pull to disappear once their lips touched, but if anything it redoubled it's power, stealing both of their breath away.
Nick's arms tightened around her waist, Tala's around his neck, both totally lost in anything but the intoxicating sensation that tingled across their skin wherever their bare skin made contact.
In the back of his mind, Nick knew this wasn't normal, there was definitely something supernatural going on. He'd kissed plenty of girls before, and while most of them felt pretty amazing, it was nothing compared to this completely-mind-blowing intensity.
It was like it numbed and sharpened his mind all at once, gave him the strength to move mountains, but made him feel weaker than a feather caught in a tornado, it was like the sun and moon were both shining on him at once, warming and chilling him.
Definitely something supernatural going on, but he didn't care. Tala seemed to sense it too, and whether or not she knew what caused it, he didn't know.
Her hand slid down to his shoulder, and suddenly they both received an intense jolt. She jerked back and let out a small yelp of surprise, waving her hand in the air.
Nick winced and rubbed his shoulder, his hair tousled and face confused. Both of them still had a slight dazed look in their eyes, but the jolt had snapped them both out of whatever spell they had been under.
"What the hell was that?" Nick asked.
Tala rubbed her hand. "You shocked me!"
Nick examined his shoulder, frowning. "I did? Well that's weird..."
Tala cleared her throat and smoothed her dress out. "It's probably nothing, things like that happen all the time."
He raised his eyebrows. "Do they?"
She shrugged. "Um...we should probably go see what Alejandro and Violet are doing."
Nick ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it down somewhat. "Right...after you."
She turned and began to walk back to the couches, Nick close behind her, his mind buzzing from the aftershocks of the kiss, a thousand questions and thoughts all fighting for his full attention.
One question stood out among all the rest: What had he gotten himself into?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey everyone!
Thank you sooooo much for being patient! I'm really sorry about the late update, I had a lot going on and then didn't feel like writing, and then procrastinated, and now I haven't been feeling very good the past week or so, which has dampened my writing abilities/motivation
But I pushed through and finished this chapter for all of you! It's close to 3,000 words so I hope that makes up for some of the lateness of the update :P
Hope you all enjoy! Once again I'd love to hear your thoughts/questions so please leave a comment letting me know what you think! Constructive critisicm is always welcomed as well
Don't forget to vote if you like it!