Chapter Five (Double trouble)

Eirika slipped out of her hostel room window, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew if she were caught, she would be in big trouble. She crept along the edge of the building, trying to stay out of sight of the security guards. Her friends; Nina and Toby had texted her earlier and told her they were waiting for her outside the compound.

Her heart almost stopped when she made to rush to the fence about four meters away from the dom fire escape exit and saw a guard just at the far end. With her heart beating faster than usual she hugged her back to the wall and slowed her breathing, trying to blend into the darkness like her father had taught her. Only that was supposed to be for hunting and not sneaking out in this unholy hour. 

Adrenaline surged through her bloodstream. She was never the type to break rules and it felt almost giddy to be doing it for the first time. After waiting for a few minutes, she peered down the side and saw that the guard was still there. 

She waited then till he turned his back to her, and as slick as a feline, she rushed forward, lift herself up in the air, and grabbed the edge of the fence. Thankfully, the flat surface was spiked with broken glass and not lined with electric wires. She carefully maneuvered her weight landing softly on the ground on the other side. Without pausing for breath she ran away from the building and down the hilly plain to the side road. 

Nina and Toby were leaning against a car waiting for her, their faces etched with worry. Eirika hurried to join them and they breathed a sigh of relief when they saw her.

"You made it, Eirika!” Nina rejoiced, jumping excitedly as she drew her into a hug. 

“We need to get out of here," Toby said, shepherding the two inside the car and then running to the driver’s side to get inside. 

Revving up the engine, he drove away from the imposing building. As if on cue the three let out a loud hoot when they were certain they were at a safe distance. Eirika broke out in a laugh, burying her face in the palm of her hands. 

“I can’t believe you guys made me do that!” she said between giggles. Toby let out a loud howl. “My father is going to kill me if I get caught!”

“Don’t jinx it now!” Nina protested. They all laughed.

The three of them drove to a nightclub in town. The bouncer let them in after they had proved they were almost eighteen. 

Inside, Nina and Eirika hooted with joy as the music thumped in their ears.

"What do you want to do first?" Toby asked, beaming with smiles. The two girls exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with excitement. 

"Drinks! Drinks!" they both chanted in unison and hurried to the bar to order a round of shots. Toby chuckled and joined them. 

The three clinked glasses and gave a toast to Eirika's upcoming birthday, their last days in high school and getting ready for college, laughing and enjoying the rush of finally being young adults

Just as Eirika put her glass down, her eyes settled on a lone figure at the other end of the bar. She watched as the shadowed figure took a drink, and then turned in her direction. She swallowed hard when she saw it was Nigel. 

Stunned, she discreetly elbowed Nina who seemed to have seen him too. The two made a quiet gasp. Nina then leaned in to whisper to Eirika, "You can see him too, right? Nigel  Hartwell?!"Eirika nodded, her heart racing. "I am not going to lie that boy scares me…" Nina added in a whisper. “Do you think he saw us? Should we go say hello or something?” Nina asked, seeming flustered. 

“No!” Eirika mouthed with widened eyes. Nina buried her face in the palm of her hands and burst out in a peel of nervous giggle. 

“You should see your face!” she teased. Eirika glowered at her. Nina teased her further, using her hands to pull her face into a smile. 

As if on cue, Toby came to pull Nina away, urging her towards the dance floor. “Come let’s dance, you two!”

Eirika hesitated, reverting her gaze in Nigel’s direction. The other boy wore an all-black getup with a dark shade tucked in his full mane. She allowed her eyes to trail down his tall frame to his booted foot. He then raised his eyes to meet hers as if he knew she was watching him, holding her gaze in an intense moment. A few seconds of which Eirika doubted she drew breath. Then her heart lunged and started to thud loudly in her ears. She could literally hear the sound. Nina was right. Nigel  Hartwell was scary but in an intriguing way. She couldn’t help noticing how his dark, outward appearance made him fit in so well. She doubted it was his first time unlike them. 

Eirika was certain her heart stopped completely when he nodded in some sort of greeting. She gaped, resisting the urge to look over her shoulder, thinking he must mean that gesture for someone else. 

She had known him for years now and he had treated her as if she was invisible. And all of a sudden he had spoken to her and was acknowledging her all on the same day! ‘The fuck!’ she thought to herself. 'Okay, in his defense, he treats EVERYONE like they were invisible,' she thought, watching him turn away and leave the bar area, disappearing into the crowd. Eirika's eyes followed his tall frame until he was no longer in sight. She then took more shots to calm her nerves. 

“Whew!” she exclaimed under her breath, feeling unbearably heated up now. She used one hand to fan herself.

"Eirika! Are you coming?!" Nina called over her shoulder. Eirika jerked her gaze in her friends’ direction and shook her head as if disoriented. 

“Damn it!” she cursed under her breath. She had completely forgotten about her friends. 

After taking a few more drinks and still unconsciously scanning the room for Hartwell, she pushed back from the bar and headed to the dance floor, moving her hips to the music blaring in the retro-styled club. 

"Hey, beautiful, care to join me in a dance? Looks like you are missing a partner…" a guy said from her left and reached for her wrist. 

"I think she would prefer me, Hawk, she looks my type, " another one said from her right, reaching for her too. 

"Hard pass…" Eirika said but they ignored her and continued to pull her in both ways as if she was some sort of a prize. "Let me go!" Eirika yelled. 

"Hey, babe, sorry I took a while," Nigel appeared from her front, using one hand to wrap around her waist to tug her close, and lowered his head to press a kiss on her lips. Eirika felt her heart skip a beat as his warm, soft lips sent electrical currents through her bloodstream. And before she could react he pulled back and shoved the men simultaneously on the chests. “Buzz off!” he snarled.

“Hey!” one exclaimed, staggering backward.

“What the hell?!” the other interjected. 

“Back. Off. My. Girl!” Nigel enunciated threateningly. The men glowered at him. 

Giving them a dismissive glance, he then completely pulled Eirika into his arms, holding her close as he moved to the center of the dance floor and away from the two men. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear, "Trouble seems to be following you everywhere today, isn’t it?”

“1 - I,” Eirika stammered, not quite sure of what to say. But he didn’t look like he was even paying attention to her anymore. His body was stiff with tension and Eirika could sense he was on high alert. 

“Sorry about the kiss. I had to sell it. Unfortunately, we have to keep at it … till those guys leave."

“That was um… mmm… pretend?”

“Yeah…” he replied, giving her a mysterious stare. Eirika swallowed and nodded.

“Yeah,” she echoed. He then gingerly pulled her in, causing her to rest her head against his chest. Eirika released a shaky breath. 

“A few more minutes…” he rasped into her hair.

Eirika, who was still in shock, nodded her head against his chest, lost in his masculine musk, allowing Nigel to lead her in the dance. Their bodies pressed close together as they moved to the music. The men, seeing that Nigel had claimed her as his own, left the dance floor. 

Eirika moved closer still to his body, unable to resist the warm feel of his incredibly warm body. She suspected then that he must be a werewolf. Their kind had a higher body temperature than the unchanging. Or it might just be the temperature of the room or her overactive imagination!

She became conscious of his impossibly tall frame, compared to hers. He completely dwarfed her, making her feel a tad self-conscious.

Inhaling his musk, she tried to detect his scent. And a smile stretched her lips when she wished she had gained her wolf and could easily perceive his emotions. She pondered more on the possibility of him being one of her kind; she thought he had the build and not to mention how he handled those men. He was evidently strong. 

She felt him lowering his face to the nook of her neck and she shivered when his lips brushed her skin. His earthy smell enthralled her and she breathed through parted lips as he mould her hips and gently cupped her ass. She inhaled sharply at his audacity but then she figured he must have done that to be more convincing. And that made her feel somewhat disappointed. But then she held him groan and felt his pelvis move, brushing against her front. Eirika raised her face then and with a bated breath, watched him hover his face over hers.