Kat, not missing it, turns to look at me. It is clear she doesn’t believe the lies she was fed about the girls. And I can see she is holding herself back from asking, but whether that is for Marabella’s sake or Sage’s, I’m not sure.
“Are you coming, Mara?” Rose asks, and my head whips in her direction. Rose is already pulling her from her seat.
“I.. um, I will probably go home with my parents,” Mara tries to say when Mateo butts in.
“No, stay with Jonah for the night; we don’t mind if you want to spend another night in the city,” Mateo says before smiling at me. Oh, I want to punch his smug face. I clench my teeth together to stop myself from ordering her to go home. “Or do you have a problem with that, Kyan? Not like you want her or anything,” Mateo asks, and the table falls quiet.
“Dad!” Marabella hisses, and her eyes dart to her.
“And why would I care what Marabella does? She can do whatever she wants,” I tell him through gritted teeth while my eyes remain on her. As soon as the words leave my lips, I want to take them back, seeing the hurt clearly on her face.
“Well, that is sorted; Jonah can bring them to the challenge tomorrow. Eziah, what are you wanting to do?”
“Ah, are you trying to get rid of me?” Eziah asks.
“No, what makes you think that?” Mateo says with a devious smile on his lips.
“Then, no. I will be coming home with you,” Eziah says.
“Fine, but make sure you wear earmuffs tonight,” Ezra taunts, and Eziah pulls a face while Kat smacks Ezra’s chest. I glance over to look for Marabella to find her gone. Jonah is still at the table, but Rose, Casen, and Marabella are nowhere to be seen.
Kyan
I glance back at the table and see Lucas watching me. He wipes his hands on his napkin and leans back in his chair. The man can sometimes read me too easily. I fucking hate it.
Jonah and his father talk about pack business, and after a few minutes, I can’t take it anymore. Just sitting here and wondering where she is starts bothering me. I know she is safe, but after last night, I hate the idea of her being on her own. And with Casen, she might as well be on her own. He only has eyes for Rose, so he won’t be paying close attention to Marabella.
I excuse myself, and Lucas smiles as I fight back the urge to growl at him. Instead, I toss my napkin down on the table and walk out.
I take the elevator up to the floor above. This place is alive tonight, it always is, but tonight it is exceptionally busy. It doesn’t take me long to find Marabella at the bar, watching Rose dance.
Casen stands beside Rose like a statue, watching her while Rose attempts to get him to dance with her. I pull the stool out beside Marabella and sit on it and wave the bartender down. Marabella is drinking soda and glances at me briefly before diverting her eyes back to the dance floor.
“I would have gone home,” she says. The bartender hands me two glasses, and I reach over the bar for the whiskey and pour my own glass.
“Drink?” I ask her, and she shakes her head, holding up her soda.
“I meant a real one, not the kiddie stuff,” I tell her, and she rolls her eyes.
“Nope, I’m good,” she says, going back to watching Rose and Casen. “Kaif isn’t like what I expected,” she says after a few seconds.
“What did you expect?” I raise an eyebrow but try to sound as careless as ever.
“I expected him to be a jerk like you,” she says, and I chuckle.
“He is; you just haven’t pissed him off yet,” I sip my drink, watching her, trying to build the courage to reject her.
“He seems…. he talks funny,” she ends up finally saying.
“He has spent centuries in silence; he has trouble conveying actual words from his thoughts. Kaif speaks fine in my head mostly, but out loud is different for him,” I explain.
“I think I said that wrong,” she mutters.
“You meant he speaks the old language?” I ask, and she nods.
“He is old, as old as the Moon Goddess Celeste,” I can see she wants to ask more but instead refrains and goes back to ignoring me.
“Your dad doesn’t seem too happy with me,” I tell her, and she raises an eyebrow at me.
“What, did you expect a pat on the back for saying you don’t want his daughter, even though she is your mate?” Marabella asks. The amount of sarcasm dripping from her words is surprising.
I shake my head. “No, but I expected him to be smarter about who he picks his battles with.”
“Is there a reason you are up here, or did you just come looking for me to see if I would beg at your feet to be with you? If that is what you are waiting for, it won’t happen.” Marabella completely dismisses me.
“I just wanted to check on you, Jonah didn’t go with you, and I got sick of being the elephant in the room back there,” I shrug.
“Then why not leave?” I shrug again, unsure why I don’t either.
We watch Rose, well, Marabella does, while I watch her when a woman approaches the bar next to me. Marabella glances at her for a second, and the woman’s perfume burns my nose when she leans over me to grab the bartender’s attention.
She glances at me, and I look away from her, repulsed by her. She is clearly intoxicated and her dress is so short she might as well be naked; it leaves nothing to the imagination. Marabella glares at her when she stumbles, almost falling onto me, her hand grips my arm to steady herself when she speaks. “Want to dance?” Her words slur as she sways on her feet.
“No!” I tell her, and she pouts. I try to shrug her hand off my arm, my patience waning.
Her touch is making my skin crawl as she fondles my suit jacket, her hands clutching the front, and her breath stinks heavily of vodka. “Just one dance?”
“He said no!” Marabella startles me. The woman finally notices her and glances at her.
“Oh, you’re with someone,” the woman says, looking back at me. I don’t correct her; I just want her away from me.
“Yes, now fuck off,” Marabella says, and I realize it isn’t her but Kora that I sense, though I think it is funny to see her so aggressive. The woman, sensing something is off with Marabella, despite being drunk, edges away from me.
I smirk when the woman leaves, and Marabella turns back to watch those dancing. I go to open my mouth to say something as curiosity burns me at her actions.
“Don’t! Just shut up,” she snaps, and I sigh, choosing to leave it. I would have told her to go away myself, but seeing her become so possessive thrills me even though I know it shouldn’t.