I leapt off the counter,pulling my short black dress down to cover my ass. Tessa had snuck me some sexyclothes. I really wished she was here with us now.
Jayden poured two glassesand clinked it with mine. “To surviving the next week.”
I chugged the contentsand erupted in a coughing fit. “Holy shit! I feel like I can breathe fire.”
Jayden laughed and wepoured more.
An hour later I was feeling damn good. Thebuzz had hit me hard and the walls of Base Level were spinning a little. I was drunkfor the first time in a year. Hip hop blasted out of the DJ booth and I danced,rubbing my butt all over Jayden. He laughed and spun me around. Then somehottie ash came up and put his hands around my waist, pressing me into him andgrinning.
“Hey, beautiful,” hewhispered. His hair was shaved close to his head. I think he was blond, and likeall ash he was hot as hell. Of course I was looking at him with moonshine eyes,so he had extra hottie points. Was he in Ryder’s crew? He wasn’t a sexy six,but he might be in the extended group of enforcers. He did look familiar.
“Hey there,” I said as I dancedup on him. Maybe he would be my special friend tonight. Might as well have somefun before dying tomorrow.
“Johnson, back off,”Ryder’s growly voice echoed behind me.
The ash, who had justplaced his hands on my waist, went rigid and backed away, before turning tailand scurrying off.
I spun around, almostfalling on my face, but managed to right myself at the last moment. Ryder wasstanding a few feet away, his expression unreadable.
“Uh-oh, you’re no fun,” Islurred.
Ryder narrowed his eyesas I continued to dance by myself, swiveling my hips and feeling the beat.
“You’re drunk,” hestated. “The males in here are like any other men. They will take advantage.”
I gave him what I hopedwere bedroom eyes and danced closer. “Maybe I want to get taken advantage of,”I purred, and pressed myself into him.
He placed his hands on myhips and looked down on me. Was that a groan?
“Charlie… ” I could seesomething stirring in those silver and black eyes. “You have no idea howbeautiful you are, do you?” His voice went so low I almost wasn’t sure I’dheard him right. Did Ryder just say I was beautiful? My Ryder? Try to kill meand push me away constantly Ryder? I swallowed hard, but before I could answer,he deposited me back a few feet. Okay, this was the Ryder I recognized, and Iwas sobering up quickly with him pulling out his usual bullshit.
“You’ve got issues,” Istated. The flirtation left me, and I was hit with this weird ache in my chest.
His face took on ahaunted expression. “I just came to tell you that you were a top pick, andslated for the last round of the individual fights.”
Shit, he was here to giveme some positive news, and I’d danced all up on him and practically thrownmyself at him. Apparently moonshine made me drunk, slutty, and bitchy.
“Ryder…” I reached forhis hand, but he turned and walked away. I remained where I was, half frozen onthe dance floor, half wishing I was brave enough to run after him. My attentionsnagged on Jayden then. He was dancing with – holy shit, Oliver, the hot Latinosexy six. He really had scored one of the core group of enforcer hotties. Thepair of them were watching me now, and that better not be pity I was seeing intheir gazes.
I drifted closer. Ryderwas gone from sight, but I still felt his presence out there. “What’s hisproblem?” I said too loudly. Oliver’s very dark eyes turned to the directionwhich Ryder had disappeared.
“Don’t stress on it,Charlie. But you might want to give that one up as a lost cause. He’snotoriously single, which is not a huge surprise after everything thathappened.”
My stomach dropped. Iknew from his hot and cold behavior that he had demons littering his past, andI wasn’t sure I was ready to know about them. Still, I had to ask. “Whathappened?” I was getting soberer by the second.
Oliver sighed and loweredhis voice. I had to strain to hear it over the music. “I shouldn’t be tellingyou this, but you’re Jayden’s best friend, and I promised I’d look out for you.When the boss man first found out he was an ash, the night he turned he wasstrong. Too strong.”
My eyes widened as Jaydenand I leaned in closer, so as not to miss a word. “He attacked and killed hisfiancée before they could bring him in.”
Oh shit.That wasnot what I’d expected him to say. Each word hit me like a slap to the face. Myemotions were a complete tangle, but my heart truly ached for the pain I knewRyder would have experienced that day and probably every day since. He wasclearly still beating himself up. He must have loved his fiancée more thananything.
I rubbed at my eyes a fewtimes. Jayden was hovering close by as if ready to hug me if I needed it. Igave him a half smile. It was my best attempt.
“I might call it a night,guys. Big day tomorrow.” I was no longer in the mood to party, and the alcoholseemed to have dissipated inside of me.
I waved goodbye and left,hoping like hell a good night’s sleep would rid some of the terrible ache insideof me. Still, I preferred to know, no matter how painful. So much of Ryder’sbehavior made sense now – his aloofness, the rigid way he controlled himself. Iunderstood it too. If I had hurt or killed Tessa or my mom, I would never haveforgiven myself either. Of course, with the culling tomorrow, the timing offinding out this secret was not the best. There would be no true rest for metonight.
Sure enough, that night Itossed and turned, dreaming of the culling, of blood and Ryder. By the timemorning came, my head was heavy with the need for more sleep. As I pulledmyself up, Jayden was sitting at the edge of his bed, staring at a blank wall.
