Chapter Three: The Meeting

RIVER POV

ll I could see was the tall, brooding, beautiful man standing there merely ten feet from me, staring at me.  I could feel his eyes on me, felt like they were looking into my soul.  I felt this strange pull towards him, but I resisted it.  It would be so weird just to follow it to a total stranger, no matter how hot the guy was.  To be honest, he seemed just as drawn to me as I was him for a split moment time seemed to stop.

She took a deep breath before following Brice back toward Lilly, who sat at the bar looking oddly sober and scared.  Even the way Brice walked seemed tense, and I could sense that it had something to do with the man standing in front of me.  As I walked by him, my knees felt like jello and almost gave out from underneath me when I got a whiff of him.  I fought through it, and if my friends were nervous about him, then I'd stay away.

I got to the bar and leaned my back up against it between Lilly and Brice, their nerves so tense that I could feel the constriction in my own body.  

"He is...attractive," I said, unsure if attractive was the right word; it wasn't strong enough to describe him, but I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel.  It was strangely all very confusing.  He's a stranger, and I feel unnaturally drawn to him.  

He did have the most beautiful golden yellow eyes I'd ever seen, though. I felt like I was swimming in them, and the longer I stared, the dizzier I began to feel.  My body was beginning to feel hot, and I thought I was about to pass out. 

"He looks like bad news, babe. A bad choice." Lilly whispered, her eyes set hard on this man.  Her voice me from whatever trance I was in, well mostly, I was still on the edge of whatever it was that was happening to me.  

"Well, Lil, you know me...I'm all about bad choices." I said as our eyes never wavered as we continued to stare. I could smell him.  I don't know how to describe what he smelled like even from a distance between, I could smell him, and I felt nearly drunken by it.  I wanted him closer to me, and yet a part of me kept saying no and to keep him away.  I was conflicted.

"Let's go." Brice said quietly, "let's get home and watch a movie." He grabbed my hand to pull me away, but the moment he touched my hand, the man's eyes turned black, and Brice let me go with a gasp. I knew that moment should have scared me to death. Honestly, I don't know why it didn't.   

"Yeah. I think that's a good idea." Lilly added, and no one moved their eyes from him. I felt Brice and Lilly tense up even more as he began to walk up to us. I, however, was trying to appear relaxed and collected. 

"Hello," Malachi said as he approached us, more brooding than ever.  I straightened myself up from the bar, and I needed to appear confident, not to seem easily led.  Something told me he knew I wasn't easy, though, and I don't know how I knew. I just did.

"Scottish?" I asked, mentally melting at his accent.  It was getting harder to tell myself "no" with him so close, smelling so good, looking so good, and well talking with a sexy accent.   

"Yes." He replied, taking a small step closer to me. We both stood there a moment staring at each other, I could tell it felt awkward to everyone else, but the sexual tension was intense between the two of us.  It was thick; you could cut it with a knife.

"Cool.  Welcome to America." I said, looking at Lilly then at Brice, "let's go.  It's my turn to pick the movie tonight.  Nice meeting you.  Bye."

Lilly hesitated before hurrying around the back of the stunned Man.  Brice and Lilly tried to rush me from the building, but I refused to hurry.  I couldn't seem as if I was running away from him. He seemed like the hunting type, and hurrying would make me better prey.  Or at least that's how I saw it.  Just before stepping out, I almost turned back to look at him, but with every bit of strength I had inside of me, I didn't.            

Once we got to Lilly's apartment, she turned on the TV and began rolling through movies.  I know I had said it was my turn to pick the movie, but it was actually Lilly's.  It was always her favorite movie night.  I liked pretty much any movie, so I didn't care much either way. I don't actually know what movie she put in because my thoughts drifted off to the man at the bar.

My thoughts were perverted; I hadn't thought like that before; men or women didn't offer me any sexual curiosity before. But this man, this man was different.  Every cell in my body began to heat up again as the images of touching my body all over the place began to fill my head.  Soon he would be removing my clothes, and in my head, I released a moan only for Brice and Lilly to pull me back to reality.

"And what were you dreaming about?" Lilly asked, her arms crossed sternly. 

"I did that out loud?" I asked, and the two of them nodded, and I let myself slump back against the couch, not sure if I was annoyed for moaning out loud or because my thoughts were interrupted. Probably a bit of both.  "Hey, listen, guys...Do you know that man?"

"NO." Lilly snapped before I had even finished the question.  

"You do too.  How?  Who is he?" I questioned, the curiosity I'd shoved down when I was at the bar with him bubbled to the surface.  I had to know, and they knew.

"He is just a nasty man, Ri." Brice answered, "very, very bad."

"Like how?"

"Like murderer bad," Lilly answered, and I felt a knot form in my throat.  I was severely disappointed by her words.  But I wasn't done yet.

"What's his name?"

"Seriously, you still want to know?" Brice asked me, I could hear his annoyance in his voice, and I could feel it coming off him.

"Yes."

"Why?" Brice asked, sounding even more frustrated.

"Because...I just do.  I don't know why just tell me."  The exchange between Brice and Lilly made me mad, and I knew they could tell.

"His name is Malachi.  He is a very, very bad man.  Very bad, okay?" Lilly answered, trying to soothe my frustration.  

"Who has he killed?  Does he live in town?  If he is a murderer, why isn't he in jail?" My questions spewed out like vomit, and I could see that Brice and Lilly became more uncomfortable with each question.  "Listen, answer my questions, or I'll track this Malachi myself."  His name left a nice taste on my tongue. It was weird. 

"Okay. Okay.  He doesn't live in town. He has killed people in rival...gangs.  And he isn't in jail because these...gangs deal with things on their own."  Brice explained, but now I had more questions directed at them.  How did they know these things?

MALACHI POV

"Okay. Okay, calm down. I was saying to myself, waiting for my beta Morgan to show up. She ignored me, not a big deal.  I mean, she noticed me, not nearly as intensely as I noticed her, but still."  

"What's wrong?" Morgan asked, walking into the house to see me pacing.  I could feel my eyes were black; I was angry.  And admitting to only myself, I was also confused and felt rejected.

"I found my mate," I replied, and he smiled for a split second before realizing I wasn't happy.  

"And?"

"She walked right by me.  Barely noticed me.  Like walked away from me just as I started to talk to her." 

"Really?  That's weird." I wasn't too thrilled about his response, but I guess I understood there wasn't much he could say.  "What did she look like?  Was she pretty?  Or ugly?  You know what I mean, every werewolf finds that their mate is perfect."

"She is beyond gorgeous.  Long brown hair, her orange or red eyes...They glowed when we looked at each other.  Strangest thing.  And she smells nice, except weird.  She doesn't smell like any species, yet she smells like all of them simultaneously.  And her two friends, lycans as well.  She is small, but just...wow." I felt as if I could talk about her all night; I hated this so much.  This is why I didn't want a mate, and I knew the potential for distraction was great. Even if I rejected the idea of going out and looking for a mate, I'd of found her eventually.  That was probably why I instinctively moved most of my pack to America. 

"Her eyes glowed?"  Morgan asked, and I could see the wheels in his mind turning. 

"Yes.  Why?" I wanted to know if he knew anything, and I could see something that seemed off, like maybe he had an idea of what glowing eyes meant but couldn't quite place it.

"I don't know.  It just sounds like something I thought I've read about in some of our texts." He seemed pretty lost in thought now, so I gave him a few minutes, just in case something popped up.  I know it had only been a few minutes, but it was agitated and impatient. 

"Is it something you've read about before?" I snapped, "is there anything you know that can help me out with this?  I am losing my mind over a girl whose name I don't even know!" I couldn't help myself from yelling, causing my heart to race and my claws to form where my fingers should be. 

"I don't know, Alpha, but I'll look into it.  Go to sleep is the best thing right now.  We will help you search for her tomorrow morning, alright." Morgan said to his alpha and best friend.  "It will be okay. We will find her and sort all of this out."

I knew if I went to bed, I would obsess worse than I already was. Maybe I could turn that obsession into, at the very least, something enjoyable. 

I stripped off all of my clothes and climbed into my big, soft bed, and for that moment, I hated being the only one in it.  Damn this whole mate thing.  I closed my eyes, and she rushed to my focal point. She smiled.  She had a beautiful smile, and her eyes were intense and drew me in like nothing I'd ever known before.  My imagination drew me in deeply and it felt real, for the most part.  As I touched the soft skin of her neck and collar bone, I moved my other hand down to rub one out to the thoughts of her.  My mate. The beautiful woman with the exotic smell and the ability to turn down alpha energy.  I knew my imagination wouldn't do justice to the real thing, and even though it was working out for me at the moment, this would only fuel my desire to find her.  I was going to find her if it was the last thing I did.

*Author's note:This book contains violence, sexual scenes and talks about rape. Reader discretion is warned. I appreciate all of the support my reader's provide for me and my kids.  Please don't forget to give gems and votes and reviews please.  Every little bit helps!