Lauren (Keegan's Chronicles Spin Off) (8 page)

A room full of alpha males—the testosterone was through the roof.

“Come on, man! Your girl’s hot,” Garret said, his voice teasing. He had copper-colored hair, dark green eyes, and a charming smile. He was very popular with the ladies, but also arrogant as all get out.

The three fairies laughed until Tristen turned a withering glare on them. Then the room became quiet. He tended to have that effect on people; obviously he was the true alpha of the group.

After an uncomfortable pause, Lauren crossed the foyer, her heels clacking on the marble floor. His face was still. She searched his expression, not quite sure what she should do. She stopped beside him and placed her arm around his waist. He stiffened.

Wonderful start to the evening
, Lauren thought with an inward sigh. How on earth could she fix this?

“As usual you’re the sexiest man in the room,” she told him softly.

He didn’t respond, but the tension in his jaw eased just a little.

“So where are we going tonight?” she said loudly, hoping to bring the guys into the conversation.

“Tony’s,” Garret replied, breaking the ice. “Lots of hot chicks there.”

“Good choice,” Lauren replied, ignoring the “hot chicks” part. She liked Tony’s; it was a frequent hangout of fairies both light and dark. “We haven’t been there in a while.”

Tristen’s body relaxed slightly. She ran her hand up the side of his waist and stepped in to tilt her head back and gently kiss his cheek.

“Well, let’s get going,” Connor said as he stood, his tall body unfolding from the couch like a predator’s.

In one swift motion, Galen followed suit, rising gracefully from the armchair. The most laid-back of the group, he had chosen worn, low slung jeans and a plain black t-shirt, where the others had dressed up. Garret and Connor were pretty, but Galen was sexy. An Irishman with rugged features that were not quite handsome, he had a jagged scar above his right eyebrow and his nose looked like it had been broken a time or two. His eyes were the color of honey, and his wavy, dark brown hair was always in need of a cut.

Tristen preceded them out the door and Galen’s eyes caught hers. “Hey, Lauren.”

Without warning, Lauren’s heart skipped a beat. She had always really liked him. He never made her feel uncomfortable, and he wasn’t obnoxious like most of Tristen’s friends. Unable to stop the errant thought, she mused,
If I were single, I would be so into him
. Then she flushed as she realized what she was thinking. That was so not fair to Tristen.

“Hi, Galen.” Lauren smiled at him and hoped she wasn’t blushing.
I love Tristen
, she reprimanded herself.
So much.

His amber gaze lingered on hers until he passed through the doorway.

Outside, Garret smirked as he whipped his car keys from his pocket and dangled them in the air. “I’m driving.”

Great
. Garret had a lead foot and liked to antagonize the cops. Lauren hoped they would make it to Tony’s in one piece.

His shiny red Jaguar was parked on the street—in direct violation of Tristen’s homeowner’s association regulations. Garret was such an arrogant jerk. Lauren shook her head, but kept her opinion to herself.

“Shotgun!” Connor yelled.

Lauren, Tristen, and Galen piled into the back—a tight fit with Lauren squished between the two men. She glanced to her left, sneaking a peek at Galen, who had his face turned away, his long fingers tapping on his knees absently. His thigh felt abnormally hot where it rested against hers.

Oh my gods, I have to stop being stupid.
She sighed. Galen was Tristen’s friend—her friend. Just a nice guy. She leaned her head on Tristen’s shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the sensation of Galen pressed against her other side.

It was a good thing she didn’t get car sick, because the ride to the club was long and twisty. When the car rolled to a stop, she was surprised to find she had dozed off. School, cheer, tutoring…it had been an incredibly long day. She wanted to spend time with Tristen, but she wished they could just be at home.

They piled out of the car, and everyone followed as Tristen pushed his way to the front of the line. Lauren could hear the mumbles: “Who the hell do think they are?” Some people whispered, trying to figure out who was famous in the group. None of them was famous, but they were gifted and attractive; both worked in their favor at popular night clubs.

The large burly bouncer with the clipboard and the earpiece nodded, and another bouncer behind him opened the door. Loud, throbbing music pulled them into the darkness.

Tony’s was big—several rooms, in fact. But the front door opened into the main bar and dance floor, where strobe lights bounced off the walls and smoke from a fog machine made the room look mysterious.

Lauren smiled; it was a good crowd to disappear in, to let loose and enjoy herself.

Connor, Garret, and Galen took off in different directions, on the prowl for their enjoyment for the evening. Lauren didn’t envy them; she much preferred to be in a relationship. She squeezed Tristen’s hand, and he turned and gave her one of his brilliant smiles. His teeth and white shirt glowed beneath the black lights.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and tugging her close. He pressed a kiss to her temple.

Lauren realized it was the first time he’d spoken to her since she got to his house, but she let it slide.

It was impossible to hear anything between the hundreds of voices and the band, so Lauren just relaxed and enjoyed the music as Tristen pulled her onto the crowded dance floor.

She truly loved dancing. It was freeing to feel the music and let her body take over. They danced for hours, bodies moving together to the beat, stealing kisses and fingers trailing over each other modestly, but with a heat that brought a flush to Lauren’s face that had nothing to do with being hot.

Some time later, Tristen’s arms tightened around her waist and he put his lips to her ear. “Thirsty?”

She nodded gratefully, and let him lead her off the dance floor before he went to get them a drink.

Leaning against the wall, Lauren watched the chaos that surrounded her. Half-dressed girls everywhere and poor guys chasing them around, hoping to get lucky; it was like a circus. The funny thing about girls at clubs was that they worried more about what other girls looked like than the selection of guys. Everyone wanted to be the girl who turned heads when she moved.

Lauren’s gaze moved to her left and she froze. A tall, blond light fairy made his way to her side, carrying an extra drink in his hand.

Oh no.

“You look thirsty,” he told her with a grin. “What’s a girl as hot as you doing all by herself in a place like this?”

Lauren leaned in and yelled, “I’m not by myself. I’m with my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend? Who cares? Here, have a drink.” He pushed the cup of reddish liquid toward her.

“No, thanks.” Lauren turned, hoping he would get the picture, but he was persistent and probably not used to being turned down.

“Just one dance, then?” He gestured to the dance floor with the drink. Some of the liquid sloshed onto the floor. She identified him as one of those golden boy types, probably captain of the football team and unable to take no for an answer.

She really wished he’d leave before Tristen came back. She didn’t feel like dealing with a scene. She pretended the guy wasn’t beside her until he grabbed her arm. Then she got mad. Lauren opened her mouth to spout off something rude, just as Galen headed her way.

“Hey, mate. I think the girl said no,” Galen said loudly. His Irish accent usually got anyone’s attention. Lauren’s heart skipped a beat—he was riding to her rescue like some kind of knight in shining armor.

“Is this clown your boyfriend?” The blond smirked. “You should get yourself a real man.”

Lauren rolled her eyes.

Galen took a step forward, meeting the light fairy’s gaze. “I suggest you get the hell out of here before you get yourself into more trouble than you can handle.”

“You don’t seriously think that you could take me?” The guy puffed up his chest like a rooster prepared to fight.

“I know I can,” Galen said easily, his jaw clenched.

There was a beat, and then the guy’s pretty face contorted in pain and his knees buckled as he fell against the wall. “What the hell?”

Galen hadn’t touched him, but Lauren had no doubt that he caused the guy’s sudden pain. She snapped her head in Galen’s direction; he looked as relaxed as ever.

She wasn’t sure
what
his power was, but she knew she was witnessing it now. It was incredibly powerful.

“You’re going to turn and leave and never talk to this girl again,” Galen intoned. “You understand?”

The guy nodded his agreement and, just like that, the look of pain washed off his face. It happened so quickly that Lauren wondered if she had made it up. The guy handed the extra drink to Galen and left in a hurry.

Lauren couldn’t see Galen in the darkness, only broken by a fast-moving strobe light, but she had a feeling he was smiling.

“What did you do?” she yelled in his ear.

“Just a little mind control. I told him he was in pain, so he believed it. He won’t remember a thing.” He shrugged. “I don’t feel like dealing with one of Tristen’s outburst tonight. I don’t feel like cleaning up his mess as usual.” His eyes softened and, in a move so quick she thought she imagined it, he reached out and brushed his fingers over her wrist. “I know that can’t be easy on you either.”

Her heart thudding, Lauren swayed into him, fighting a strong urge to throw her arms around him. She jumped away. That wouldn’t have been smart. She just smiled and yelled, “Thank you.”

The oddly tender look on his face vanished, replaced by passive indifference. “No worries. I got a free drink out of the deal.” He tossed back the contents of the cup, then crumpled it and threw it into the nearest trash can.

Just then, Tristen pushed through the crowd towards them, his face smoother and happier than she’d seen it in a while—all the more reason to be happy Galen showed up when he did. Lauren accepted her drink with an appreciative smile and gave her boyfriend a peck on the lips.

Galen saluted them and took off without mentioning the incident. She owed him. She had never considered Tristen’s friends her own as well, but now it seemed she might be able to count on Galen if she needed. He, at least, seemed to like her.

Lauren gazed up at Tristen. He drank his beer, his eyes on the crowd. Knowing her boyfriend’s temper, she felt oddly comforted to think of having Galen on her side.

Chapter 10

L
auren’s shoulders slumped. The most obnoxious word in the English language had been posted next to the number for Keegan and Anna’s flight—a flashing red “Delayed.”

Why were flights never on time?

She made her way through the crowded airport, clinging tightly to her purse strap as she elbowed a path to the escalator. She rode it up a level to the information counter. The line was four deep and Lauren groaned. She really didn’t want to spend her entire afternoon at the airport.

After fifteen minutes of shifting on her feet and trying not to huff impatiently, she finally reached the desk.

“Excuse me,” Lauren said politely as she leaned her elbows on the desk. “How long of a delay are you expecting for Flight 2809 from Seattle?”

The blonde woman behind the counter glared at Lauren as if she were put out by the question. Her severe bun was so tight it made her eyes slant, and her airline jacket was too big on her bony frame. She pursed her lips at Lauren before turning her gaze to her computer screen.

Lauren waited, her fingers drumming on the counter as the woman pecked away at her keyboard.

After a moment, the airline worker finally glanced up and, sounding bored, said, “Two hours. Mechanical problems.”

“Thanks,” Lauren mumbled and walked away.

What was she going to do for two hours? She could go back home, but by the time she got there, it would be time to turn around, and with her luck, she would get stuck in traffic.

She looked at her watch and dropped into a hard plastic seat to wait. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she pulled out her phone and texted Tristen:
stupid flight delayed.

Bummer. did you eat? get lunch.

Unfortunately, she’d eaten at home only an hour before. With a sigh, she responded,
not hungry. what are you doing?

She knew he was at work. It was the only time he ever texted replies so quickly; he kept his phone out on his desk. She just asked to get him to open up or something.

Work.

She waited a minute, but when nothing followed the text, she took out her frustrations by pretending to choke her phone. It earned her a couple of stares and one young mother even got up and moved with her infant, but Lauren felt better after she did it.

They texted for a few more moments about her plans for later, and then she told him she loved him and dropped her phone into her purse. She leafed through a gossip magazine left on the seat beside her. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have your life on display like the stars. She wasn’t really interested in what the mag had to say, so it lasted all of twenty minutes.