I could tell she thought I should be grateful, but I wasn’t a huge fan of excluding people from anything. It had happened too much to me during my life. It almost made me not want to go.Almost.Pure curiosity pushed me forward.
Our small group followed Deeann through the commons and into the forest quadrant. It wasn’t the easiest place to walk in heels, but Larissa and I managed to keep each other up as we stumbled along. The forest was, in general, off-limits and filled with dangerous plants and animals, which of course made it the perfect place for an “underground” party. We ended up much deeper into the dense flora than I’d ever been. When Deeann sent up some mage lights, I was fascinated by the different trees here. They were huge and gnarled, seeming much older than any of the trees I’d worked with in Herbalism.
“This is the oldest part of the forest,” Larissa confirmed. “We’re definitely not supposed to be back here.”
I was already crossing my fingers that I didn’t stumble across anything that might kill me.
The faint sound of music registered about twenty seconds before the party came into sight. They must have had some sort of noise-dampening spell on the area, because when we stepped between two massive trees, the music all but crashed into us. Not just music, but lights and laughter and the scent of beer.
Deeann chuckled as she spread her arms and spun in a circle. “Welcome to the best party of the year,” she shouted.
Larissa leaned into me. “They’re all called that,” she whisper-shouted. “They have at least four a year, and it’s always the ‘party of the year.’” She finger quoted and rolled her eyes, but it was clear she was still excited to be here.
“Is this clearing a natural part of the forest?” I asked.
It was a huge cleared space.
“Magic,” Larissa said, eyeing the setup. “Lucky they can do that without hurting the forest. Otherwise Dad would kill them.”
“He knows about the parties?”
She nodded. “Oh yeah. He definitely knows. But as long as no one gets hurt, he lets them go. He’s pretty cool for a dad.”
He was very cool.
We both grabbed some drinks, poured straight from a huge silver keg.
“This beer is laced with magic,” Larissa warned as soon as she took a sip. “It’ll get you drunk faster.”
I shrugged, chugging another mouthful. It had been a hectic week, and I was ready to let loose. And maybe a small part of me hoped to find a guy to at least dance with; I had to stop mooning over Asher. We were friends, and don’t get me wrong, I loved our friendship, but I wanted more. Something held him back, and I had a feeling it had everything to do with my unknown power and possible connection to Atlantis. Until he found that damn library and we figured out what I was and how to safely release my power, he would continue to fight whatever was—or could be—between us.
“You looking for Asher?” Larissa said, her eyes locked on me as I people-watched the room.
I gave her all of my focus. “What do you mean?”
She shook her head. “Come on, you’re talking to me. I know how you feel about him.”
I swallowed another sip of my drink, letting the icy liquid cool me down. “I have to let go of my obsession,” I said, sadly. “He’s driving me fucking crazy. Always everywhere. So insanely sexy. And … I mean, we had that one thing together and then nothing. I don’t get it.”
Larissa’s gaze was intense, her drink dangling in her right hand. “He watches you, you know, when you’re not paying attention. And the look on his face … not friends. Very muchnotfriends. It’s intense and hot. If he holds back, it’s because he thinks he has a good reason to do so.”
“He said he doesn’t date. Maybe it’s just that. We’re friends now and he probably doesn’t want to make it awkward.”
Larissa didn’t look convinced. “I don’t think it’s that. Asher has changed since he met you. I don’t think he feels the same way about dating anymore.”
I shrugged, chugging more of my beer. “I have no idea. All I know is he’s driving me crazy.”
She nudged me. “If you want to change the status quo, then you should make the first move. Maybe you’ll have sex and get it out of your system, or you’ll figure out that there’s something deeper there. Whatever you both are doing now is not healthy.”
Truer words had never been spoken.
There was a loud shout, and as if I’d summoned him with my words, Asher and his friends made their appearance at the party. I watched Asher, my alcohol-fuzzed mind drinking in every fucking beautiful inch of him. He was dressed in a black fitted T-shirt, dark jeans, and fancy white kicks. His hair was shorter on the sides, with that messy length falling about on top, and his eyes were locked on me, darkness already creeping into them.
He was watching me as closely as I watched him, his eyes dragging across the bare skin my skimpy dress left on display. “Exactly what I was saying,” Larissa murmured close to my ear. “I’m halfway to an orgasm just from the sexual tension in the air.” She discreetly fanned her face. “I haven’t been laid since the last dance, so have some pity on this poor vampire.”
I snorted at her and grabbed her hand. “Come on, let’s dance.”
She laughed. “Good plan. You can lure him out with your sexy moves.”
