Her smile doesn’t falter as she moves down the bar to help the next person.
Glancing around the room again, I take a sip of my drink. It’s strong, but not too strong, and the burn of the vodka feels nice as it moves down my throat.
There are more people here now, but it’s not overly full, and I scan the groups, looking for anyone I might know.
I spot Connor, Hazen, Anthony, and Logan, the fourth member of the Keepers royalty, standing together as they sip their drinks and talk about something. All of them are wearing masks, but I’ve spent enough time around them over the years that I can recognize them even with their faces obscured.
I see a few other people I know who’ve already taken their masks off, but no one I actually talk to, just people I’ve had classes with or have interacted with at various parties and events.
Lifting my glass to my lips, I take another sip of my drink, and the sensation of being watched hits out of nowhere as a shiver runs up my spine and goosebumps raise up on my skin.
What the fuck?
Trying not to be too obvious, I glance around the dark room.
This is different from the vague sense of someone watching me from a distance that I’ve been feeling for the past week. It’s electric and heavy, almost oppressive. Like I can actually sense whoever is looking at me and not just feel eyes on me.
A prickle of awareness wraps around me, and I shift my gaze to the left. My breath catches when my eyes land on a tall figure standing against the wall.
He’s wearing a mask similar to mine, so the top half of his face is obscured, and he’s far enough away that the only features of his I can clearly make out are his light-colored hair and big, fit body.
One thing that stands out about him is that he’s wearing all black except for his white mask. His fitted muscle shirt shows off his thick arms and tight torso, and his pants emphasize his strong legs. The dark clothes also give him an air of mystery that’s both sexy as hell and intimidating as fuck as he stands there motionless.
I freeze as the world seems to narrow until the rest of the room fades away and all I can see is him. Then, as suddenly as it happened, everything sort of snaps back into place, and the room around us comes back into focus.
I can’t explain how I know, but I can feel in my bones that the guy I’m locked in a staring contest with is Xave. It’s fucked up, but it’s not his hair or his body or even the confident way he’s standing that I recognize. I canfeelthat it’s him, and I have no fucking clue how that’s even possible.
“’Scuse me,” someone says a moment before a warm arm presses against mine.
I jerk away from the unexpected contact and whip my head toward the voice. The guy beside me isn’t wearing a mask, but I don’t need to see his face to know that he wants me to move so he can get a drink.
Feeling way more off-kilter than I should from such an innocuous interaction, I step away from the bar, my gaze already returning to where I saw Xave as I relocate to a less in-the-way place.
I can feel my brow furrowing when all I see is an empty spot at the wall. Quickly, I look around, searching for any sign of him, but I don’t see him anywhere.
What the fuck?
Did I actually see Xave, or did I just think I did? Was that guy really him? Or maybe it was someone completely different, and I just thought it was him?
Or, more worryingly, was someone actually there and staring at me, or did I imagine it?
Shaking my head, I down half my drink and try to shake off the strange, unsteady feeling that’s settled over me. It’s not the booze. Half a drink isn’t enough to get me even the slightest bit buzzed, especially since I had a snack while I was at the library so I wouldn’t be drinking on an empty stomach.
Whatever is making me feel weird is all in my head, and the sooner I getoutof my head, the sooner all this craziness will pass.
Hopefully.
There’s also the chance that getting fucked up could make my paranoia worse, but it’s not like I’ve never had a bad trip before. As long as I don’t get high while I’m actively panicking or feeling paranoid, I should be fine.
And if I’m not, then I’ll deal with that when it happens.
14
XAVE
A smile slidesover my lips as Damon stares at the spot where I was just standing, his confusion clear even through his mask.
I’ve been following him for almost a week now, and while it’s not the first time I’ve had to play shadow for a mark, it’s the first time I’ve enjoyed it.
