Page 44 of Written In Flesh

We both laugh, and I trail behind her up the porch stairs. A random guy in a white hoodie with a red, knit practice jersey on over it holds up a hand stopping us.

“Ladies, any cell phones on you?” His voice is slightly high-pitched, and he looks young. Probably a freshman on the football team if I had to guess.

Baylee does a little spin. “Do you see anywhere I could tuck a phone on this dress?”

The poor kid’s cheeks blush, and he shakes his head. “You?”

I glance at him and run my hands over my skirt and shirt. “Nope.”

He nods and hands us each one of those red plastic cups. “Have fun.”

Baylee grabs both our cups and I follow her inside. The second I step into the room, it’s like being engulfed by heat. Suddenly, Baylee’s insistence that we didn’t need coats makes sense. The main area looks maintained for a football house. Music is playing somewhere in the back of the house. A few kegs are lined up in the kitchen and the sofas are pushed to the walls to make room. Various groups of people stand together, some just talking, others playing what looks to be an intense game of Tippy Cup.

“Drink first, then dance?” Baylee turns to me, and I nod, going along with whatever her plan is. I had my share of fun in California, but the parties were not like this when the students all mostly lived at home with family or had families of their own. The most exciting nights were spent at the roller rink or at the live music venues.

We make our way over to the keg and Baylee fills up our cups before handing me mine. Once that’s done, we move through the crowd of bodies to where the music is playing. Baylee screams and waves to a group of girls I recognize, her friends I met at The Deck. The girls all hug me, and we make small talk about classes as best we can. Eventually, the music changes, and I’m being pulled to the dance floor.

“Come on, Skully!” Baylee laughs and maneuvers us to the middle. It takes a few beats, but soon my body relaxes, the alcohol sends a rush of warmth through my veins, and I move my hips to the music. My body falls into the rhythm and then I’m singing and moving with the girls. The dance space becomes crowded, and I don’t even mind the various elbows that graze against me every once in a while. My lips hurt from smiling and watching Baylee’s antics. It’s not until her eyes widen do I feel the first flare of panic run down my spine.

Large hands land on my waist and a firm chest hits my back. “Nice moves, little devil.”

My spine snaps straight and the good feeling I had vanishes. Spinning around my eyes clash with a very familiar pair of dark ones. His reddish lips are tipped up in a grin, and his long blond hair is messy, like someone has been running their hands through it.

“What are you doing?” I step out of his hold, creating some distance between us.

Killian’s gaze flares with humor, but his voice is laced with a certain chill. “Just checking on a friend.”

“I’m not your friend,” I mutter, pushing past him out of the sea of people. My heart hammers beneath my rib cage, and I suddenly feel suffocated. My feet carry me to the hallway where I lean my body against the cool drywall.

“You should stay away from him,” a light, melodic voice that I recognize says next to me. My head lifts and I find Lily standing in front of me. She looks slightly out of place in a long, flowing pink skirt and white button-up cardigan. Her long, blonde hair is pinned at the sides and curled to perfection.

“I didn’t search out Killian, he found me,” I tell her, feeling the need to defend myself.

Her blue eyes sharpen, and for a split second her face shifts, dropping the innocent sweetness she usually carries. “I’m talking about Madden. Stay away from him.”

A small throb needles against my temple, and my heart flickers with pain again. “Maybe tell him to stay away from me?”

“He’s drawn to your voodoo magic,” she snaps, her lips curling in a sneer. My brows lift.

“If you have the hold on him you claim you do, then you should be able to keep him away from me, right?”

Her face turns a shade of red that sprawls down her neck and under the collar of her shirt. Her hand twitches at her side, and for a second, dark, gray magic starts to extend from her fingers.

“Lily.” Aero cuts the tension, his hazel eyes moving from her to me and back. Lily steps back, her back straightening before she releases her shoulders and looks again like she needs protection.

“I’m just worried about him, Aero,” she says quietly, her hand resting gently on his arm.

Aero watches her, his face pulled tight in confusion before glancing again at me. His eyes don’t hold any warmth, but there isn’t the usual frostiness either. No, this time he looks like he’s unsure. It makes me wonder how much of the conversation he actually heard, and if he witnessed their little doll drop her act.

For a second Aero looks like he’s going to comment, but then he shakes his head and wraps an arm around her shoulder with a smile. “Let’s go, Lil.”

They leave, and once again, I’m alone, my insides rioting and feeling more confused than ever. Everyone claims that Lily is scared of me; yet, she just had no problem threatening me. The need for air tightens my throat. I set down my cup and make my way toward the back, trying to find the nearest door that leads outside. My fingers fumble with the latch and every second longer it takes, my skin starts to grow clammy. An itch crawls over me, and my arms shake. Finally, I get it open, and on unsteady legs, I make my way outside. A roaring bonfire is just a few feet away, and more groups of people congregate around it, talking, laughing, with some couples making out on lawn chairs. I rush past them, disappearing into the tree line. My fingers scrape against the bark of the tree that my body collapses against. Blood rushes in my ears, my mind spins and twists, clawing for a distant image, a fleeting feeling or memory that is out of my grasp. My chest heaves, and I feel like I might get sick. Right as my legs sink to the ground, it stops.

The world comes back into focus, and air returns to my lungs. Sweat beads on my hairline and on my neck. Quickly, I wipe it away and stand, thankful that I talked Baylee out of the high heels she had picked out for me. My black Docs are sturdy, and there’s less chance of me twisting my ankle while I hike my way back to the party. I need to go home.

Walking across the yard, I avoid as many people as I can, keeping as close to the side of the house as possible. I don’t make it far before a firm grip lands on my hip, the other on my shoulder. My body shudders in his hold, basking in the warmth of his skin against my body.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he clips out, his breath hitting my neck and making my magic vibrate in my veins. My eyes slam closed.