Page 18 of Snapdragon

He bypasses my lips, his nose nuzzling my neck softly. I feel the shift in the air as he breathes in deeply. A rush of tingles flush through me from head to toe, a swarm of butterflies battling in my stomach.

The man is sniffing me… why am I so into it? He takes his time over it, too. My eyes flutter closed, but I can feel many gazes burn into me.

I’m out of place here. I’m not wanted. These people have been taught to hate me.

All this time, I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to help the Humans with their hatred for Monsters. I haven’t really thought about it the other way around. Am I enough to make that kind of change on this side of the fence?

Sebastian slowly pulls away from me, and I feel the absence of him deep in my gut. He takes my hand, closing the car door behind us with a slam. I startle a little at the noise, and he gives my hand a comforting squeeze. He tugs me along with him to the entrance, keeping me close.

The doorman nods to Sebastian, who holds out our hands to him. Before I can freak out at the gesture, the massive green skinned man places a black ink stamp on our wrists. Oh, I giggle a little in relief, it’s only an entry stamp. It’s a club, Flora, relax.

The doorman, who has tusks, gestures to Sebastian where our private area is located, up on the balcony. He leads me forward again. In true club fashion, you still have to walk through a packed crowd, no matter who you are. Except no one touches me at all. They actively push at one another to avoid touching me.

The music here is kind of different too, a much heavier beat than I’m used to. I can almost feel it in my bones.

We get about half way, or at least I think so, when a willowy beauty with a beautiful flowing mini dress approaches us. Or, approaches Sebastian, I guess. She runs her fingers lightly down Sebastian’s arm, a gleam in her eyes. Irrationally, I am filled with rage watching her touch him.

“I know that I can promise you a much better night than this... lousy Human.”

Well, fuck her. Before I can respond or come to my own defense, Sebastian growls at her, his eyes glowing bright. Did I think he was growling before, when I heard that rumble from his chest? I was wrong. This was loud, and I heard the menace behind it.

He pushes by her, switching which hand of mine he’s holding. The hand that had been holding mine grips me tight around the waist. I’m enveloped by him as he stomps the last bit of the walk to our booth. The other Monsters physically cringe away from his anger. I kind of feel protected, though?

I feel a little manhandled as he guides me to our booth and sits me down in a seat. He slides in next to me and puts an arm around me, pulling me tight against him. I’m into it, having him handle me like that, placing me where I need to be. I lightly place a hand on his thigh, trying to look cozy. I’m hyper aware that the other people here could be taking photos of us at any time.

“What do you want to drink?” He asks me.

“Umm… do you think they would have a whiskey and coke?” He looks down at me, a bewildered look on his face.

“You do know that we have the same food and drink here?” He asks, incredulously.

“Maybe…?”

He rolls his eyes at me, a slight grin tugging at his mouth. Sebastian signals to the waiter, a devil looking man with red skin and horns. He orders our drinks, asking for them to bring the unopened bottles to open in front of us.

“Why did you ask for it like that?” I ask, once the waiter has left, his pointed tail swinging behind him.

“I’m being careful,” is all he says.

OK, cool. So I’m in a club filled with Monsters, and my drinks need to be opened in front of me in case I get spiked. Fun.

I’m back to receiving the silent treatment again, I realize. The waiter brings us our drinks making a big performance of opening them. I would laugh if Sebastian wasn’t staring at the poor man with a lethal poise, watching intently. He takes a sip of his drink, sitting casually, and not saying a single fucking word.

God, this man drives me insane.

“Can’t we just get along, please?” I trace a drip of condensation on my glass with my finger, leaving a clean line behind it. “I know that you’re disgusted by me, but this would be easier if we could get along. I know you don’t talk much, but—”

“You don’t disgust me, Flora.” He cuts across me. “Quite the opposite, really. I’m disgusted by myself.”

What?! I can’t even begin to decipher that. I open my mouth to speak, but he downs his drink and stands abruptly. He holds out a hand to me.

“We’re going to dance now.” Sebastian’s voice holds no room for argument.

Chapter 10

Sebastian doesn’t give me time to ponder his abrupt decision to dance. I’m half-dragged with him to the floor.

The bodies here don’t move away as much, all too drunk or lost in the music to notice. I wish I had gotten to drink more. Luckily, I’m always up for a good dance.