Chapter 6 Too Close

Sebastian parked at the edge of the drive.

Inside, the place was even bigger. High ceilings, clean floors, warm lights. Too many people, but it worked.

"You good?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Just... wow."

He smiled. "It's a big place, yeah?"

I noticed some familiar faces I'd seen from classes.

A couple of students nodded at Sebastian. One of them raised a red cup and called out, "Glad you made it, man!"

They looked me over with curious, amused expressions. I heard one whisper to the other.

"Sebastian's fast.... He's gotten the new girl."

"I won't lie. She's hot..." the other replied.

I bit back a smile. Typical. Sebastian caught my expression and rolled his eyes with a scoff.

"They're not lying though," he muttered, then nudged me gently with his elbow. "Stay here. I'm gonna grab you something to drink."

Before I could protest, he was already slipping into the crowd, weaving between people with practiced ease.

Left alone, I exhaled, trying not to look as out of place as I felt.

The room pulsed with bass and movement. Laughter cracked too loudly. A drink spilled. A couple argued near the stairs. I shifted, pretending to scroll, eyes scanning for something familiar.

Just as I sank into the fake comfort of my phone, a low voice cut through the noise.

"Hey... you're in my French class, right?"

I looked up. It was Aiden.

Something in me shifted-sharp and immediate. The same pull I'd felt before, but stronger now. Not just attraction-something deeper, hungrier.

My chest tightened.

His smile widened. "Knew I recognized those eyes."

I tilted my head, pretending not to remember him.

He laughed, throwing a dramatic hand to his chest.

"Ouch. I guess I'm not really memorable."

I smirked. "Didn't say that. Just... not top of the list."

His next laugh was softer, more real-an easy sound that seemed to dull the noise around us.

"Well," he said, stepping a little closer, "maybe I can change that. After all... you're in my party."

His nearness made the air between us thicken and charged with more than just flirtation. The pull wasn't subtle anymore. My throat tightened.

I tried to smile like it was nothing, but my fangs pressed against my gums, aching to surface.

The urge grew. I could feel the veins along his neck pulse beneath his skin-steady, tempting, calling to me.

I could almost taste the heat in his blood... rich, alive, maddening.

And then-Sebastian's voice cut behind me.

"There you are."

Relief and frustration hit me at once. He stepped up beside me and casually clapped a hand on Aiden's shoulder. Friendly.

Aiden blinked, surprised. "Wait-you know her?"

Sebastian offered me my drink and raised a brow, "Yeah. We came together."

Aiden's eyes widened just a bit. "No way. I didn't even know you two were...."

"We've got history," Sebastian cut in smoothly.

I cleared my throat.

"Small world, huh?" Sebastian continued. "By the way, have you seen Evie? She's drunk. Saw her by the stairs, looking for you."

Aiden's face changed,; the easy warmth vanished. "She's here? He let out a quiet breath. "Of course she is."

Before any of us could say another word, a slurred voice sliced through the noise.

"Aiden..."

Evie stumbled toward us, eyes glassy with tears, makeup streaked down her cheeks.

Her dress barely clung to her, short and exposing, like it was chosen more for effect than comfort.

She wrapped her arms around herself as she moved.

"I wore this for you," she choked out the moment she reached Aiden, her voice trembling. "You didn't even look."

She threw herself into his chest, clinging to him like he was the only solid thing in the room. Her cup slipped, splashing alcohol on his shoes.

A few heads turned in our direction.

Aiden caught her gently, his hands awkward at first. "Evie... you're freezing."

He shrugged off his hoodie and pulled it over her shoulders. He zipped it halfway, careful not to tug her hair, then rested a hand on her back.

"I just wanted you to notice me," she whispered. "I miss you... And I'm sorry," she sobbed.

His jaw tightened, but his voice stayed soft. "Let's get you upstairs."

He looked at me as he guided her away, yes, full of something similar to an apology and guilt.

But why...?

I watched them disappear up the stairs, his arm around her trembling frame, her heels barely keeping up with her steps.

Beside me, Sebastian let out a slow breath. "Well. That was a mess."

I said nothing.

The hunger was gone, chased out by something else entirely. Something colder. Something real.

An hour passed. The party hadn't died down-it had only grown louder, hazier around the edges.

Sebastian had melted into the crowd, pulled into a rowdy group by the kitchen. They were laughing too loudly, downing shots like they were chasing something. He'd tried to drag me onto the dance floor earlier, but gave up when I barely smiled.

A bottle dangled from my hand-almost full, still cold. I wasn't drinking it. Just holding it.

From where I was, I could still see the stairs.

Still feel Aiden.

We wonder what he said to Evie. What she said to him.

I stood up and slipped out of the crowd, heading for the back door-I decided to wander a bit.

The night air hit me like a reset-cool against my skin. It was quieter. Darker. I stepped into the yard, breathing it in.

Then-

"You lost, or just too cool for the rest of us?"

The voice came from the left, near the fence. A guy leaned against it, a cigarette glowing between his fingers.

I didn't answer.

He pushed off the fence, walking toward me with a lazy confidence. "You're the new girl, right? They weren't wrong about you being hot."

I shifted my weight, keeping my expression flat. "Not in the mood."

His grin widened. "You don't have to be. I'm enough for both of us."

I could take him out in less than a second. Snap his wrist. Crush his throat. Drain him dry and vanish before his body hits the ground.

I didn't move. But the thought pulsed through me-dark, tempting.

He stepped closer and roughly grabbed my wrist.

"Ash, let go and back off."

Aiden's voice cut through the dark like a blade. Calm, but sharp enough to make anyone flinch.

The guy-Ash-froze, then scoffed without turning around. "Relax, man. We're just talking."

He held up his hands like it was a joke, then backed off with a smirk. "Didn't know she came with security."

He turned and walked off, flicking his cigarette into the grass.

Aiden stepped closer. He didn't say anything at first. Just gently reached for my wrist, the one Ash had grabbed.

His fingers brushed over my skin, slow and careful, like he was afraid of what he might find. "Did he hurt you?"

The spot where he touched me burned-not from pain, but from something else. The tension between us was thick, almost suffocating. I could feel it crackling in the air, like a live wire.

Without thinking, my hand slid up to his neck,.I pulled him closer. My lips found the warm skin just below his ear, and I kissed him there, low at first, then deeper, more intense.

He didn't pull away, instead, a low moan escaped him.

His hand ghosted over my hip-it only pulled me further in. I let my mouth linger, parting slightly, trailing heat along the curve of his neck.

Caught off guard by the rush of pleasure that shot through me, my teeth sank in-too hard, too fast-biting into his skin before I could stop myself.

A sharp flash of pain sparked between us.

His breath hitched, and I immediately pulled back, heart pounding, panic surging in my chest.

"I'm so sorry," I gasped, voice shaking. "I.... I don't know why I did that."

Aiden didn't respond right away. He touched the spot on his neck, eyes wide with something I couldn't read-shock, maybe. Or worse.

"It's fine..." he said quietly.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian.

He was moving towards us through the yard-his eyes hadn't caught us yet.

My stomach dropped.

I didn't wait. I turned and ran away, out onto the empty street, slipping through the trees, and disappeared into the dark.