Plight: A Dark Paranormal Romance (The Sephlem Trials Book 1) Read online

  Gaze cast on the floor, she says, “Nope. Let’s just get outta here.”

  I can’t help it. She doesn’t want me to ask, but I can’t ignore her tight lips and slumped shoulders. “You sure you’re okay?”

  Glen huffs a laugh. “I’m great,” she drawls. “Got a ‘D’ in my last class and it bummed me out.” she gives me a half shrug and smirks.

  I giggle. “If you participated in Gym, you may have come out with at least a ‘C.’”

  She laughs. “I guess I deserved it. I just really needed to score a few As and Bs to get into V-tech in the fall.”

  I bump her shoulder. “Hey, we’ve got a few more months before graduation. Come over every weekend, and I’ll help you bring up your grades.”

  “Thanks, Cey.”

  The dismissal bell rings before we make it to Glen’s locker. I was hoping to make it out of school before the ‘last day’ rush, but that’s a bust. If we’re not being bumped into by accident, they’re doing it on purpose as we all rush out of the parking lot.

  I stumble to a halt, stomach dropping to my butt. The cool breeze whips around my neck and chokes me as I stare in awe, feeling multiple people bump into my back.

  Shit. . . The black Silverado.

  My mind’s racing, but my feet are cemented to the ground. Do I dart into the school or race for my car?

  “Tracey, what’s wrong?”

  I can’t answer. I’m frozen, dumbly staring at the truck. Nathan’s truck.

  Glen shakes me, yelling in my face. “Tracey, snap out of it!”

  She’s right. I need to snap out of it, get him out of my head. I clear my throat. “Uh, sorry. I thought I saw something.”

  “Are the hallucinations back? What’d you see?”

  Cringing at the mention of the part of me that I try to bury in a deep, dark place, I say, “No, not that, Glen. Just something I saw caught me off guard.” It’s not until that moment does she realize what it is.

  She shifts her gaze between the truck and me. After the fourth flick of her gaze away from me, she bursts. “OMG! That’s his truck, isn’t it?”

  The girls and guys hurrying past us in that direction help me shake the uneasy squirm in my stomach. I hope I don’t see him. “No, it could be anybody’s truck. Let’s go.” I drag her with me to my car.

  “Okay, Tracey. I bet it gets under your skin seeing those girls all over him, huh? You think he’s going tonight?”

  “I don’t know,” I answer, hoping she lets it go.

  She doesn’t. “Well, what if he is?”

  “Glen, I do not want to talk about this,” I snap.

  She slips her arm from my grip, saying, “Him.”

  “What?”

  “You don’t want to talk about him,” she says, eyebrow popping up once.

  I roll my eyes, picking up the pace. This parking lot has never looked so big.

  A demanding presence slows my pace and scatters skin-pinching goosebumps over my flesh. “Tracey,” drawls from a deep, assertive voice that’s a triumphant, yet smooth melody playing through my ears.

  Dammit. My stomach flutters as I nonchalantly turn around to face its person. “Hey, long time no see.” Even if I wanted to resist the urge to respond, I can’t.

  A cocky smirk dents a dimple in Nathan’s left cheek.

  Slack-jawed, I gape at my desirable stranger whom I’m regrettably growing more and more fond of by the day.

  “You headed home?”

  Pull it together, Tracey, pull it together. “Uh,” I stammer over my words. “Sure.” And the best I can come up with is, uh, sure. Argh, Tracey. We have to work on your social skills.

  Nathan nods. “Well, I promise I won’t crash into you today.” He throws his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ve already found my cousin.”

  I blush. “Thank you. My car can’t take another hit.”

  Nathan takes a single stride forward, stepping right before me. My body absorbs his energy, and I gasp, sucking in the deepest breath and releasing it within the same second. Slipping his finger under my chin, he pushes it until my lips meet. “Better?” he asks.

  That’s embarrassing. Breathless, I utter, “Yes.”

  He tilts my head back and his chocolate eyes nearly absorb me, washing me in a contemplative stare. Even with his irises motionless, they’re still captivating.

  A girl yells for him, and I stumble back out of his trance. “Sounds like you’re wanted.”

  He shrugs. “I’m occupied.” He grabs the end of my braid hanging over my left shoulder. “Cool?”

  I shake my head. But before I can respond, Glen shifts beside us, drawing his attention to her.

  His hand falls as his gaze tears away from mine. “Hi,” he greets in a firm tone and then clears his throat, lightening its intensity. “You’re Glen, Tracey’s friend, right?”

  “Yep. I’m Glen.” She extends her hand and my insides beg him not to touch it. I don’t know why, but my stomach turns at the thought of him touching her. It’s odd.

  He meets my eyes and takes a few steps back. “Looks like Tracey isn’t good at introducing people.”

  “I wouldn’t be either if you were staring me in the face.” She winks.

  He smirks, giving her a single up-down brow flash. Shifting his gaze, he half-nods. “Bye, Tracey. I’ll see you around.” Turning on his heels, he ambles away. Simple as that.

  An empty coldness sweeps over me, numbing me with confusion as every good sense I have follows behind him. I don’t want to watch him walk away, but I can’t tear my gaze from him. He meets the gang of people surrounding his truck, and maybe it’s jealousy, but my chest burns and my cheeks warm with embarrassment. Ignoring it, him, and rolling my eyes at the single nod Scott gives me, I turn and continue to my car.

  “Oh my gosh, Tracey.” Glen jumps at my side. “Is that him? No, don’t answer that stupid question. Of course that was him! You could literally feel the intensity coming from you two! And yes, yes, yes, he is smoking hot! He and Scott are, like, equally hot. Scott looks a little better, but your guy is so cute.”

  “He’s not my guy, Glen,” I say, rolling my eyes.

  “Oh, you know what I mean.” She shoots off with her thoughts and opinions.

  We get in my car, and I hurry home, unable to take the oncoming chest quakes that seem to follow his parting. Stupid heart.

  accepted

  Glen and I stand outside of Andrew’s house, waiting for our friends to arrive. The night’s air is cool and humid, and the longer we stand outside, the more my straightened hair will turn into a curly ball of frizz.

  Rachel cheers as she, Angela, and Aubrey comes sauntering down the sidewalk. Their glossy eyes and loose demeanor tell me two things: Rachel will hand over her keys, and I’ll be keeping an eye on the four of them the entire night.

  Glen grabs my arm, keeping me from following the girls into Andrew’s house. “Let’s stay back a little from them tonight,” she whispers. “Most of them are already drunk, and I don’t want to get embarrassed.”

  “But we have to make sure Ray doesn’t drive home or do anything crazy.”

  “Okay, when I see Matt, I’ll tell him too.” Glen fluffs her natural sandy blond locks she spent an hour curling before we left my house. Her hair takes high heat to keep her tresses curled tight, but it’s cute and brightens her freckle covered face when she wears it like this. She clutches my arm. “Alright, keep me in check if I see Scott, okay? I don’t want to flip out if another girl is on him.” She sucks in an anxious gasp. “Or if he is with another girl.”

  I swipe the smudged mascara from beneath her left eye. “Calm down, Glen. We’re here to have a good time, not worry about boys. Kay?”

  She winks.

  We walk in Andrew’s house escaping the outdoor humidity, but we’re smack head on with the stench of sweat and someone’s musky cologne.

  My heart rate quickly accommodates the blaring music’s upbeat tempo, and I bounce and bob my head to the beat. We find our f
riends in Andrew’s large living room where everyone’s gathered. We dance, letting the music drive our souls as we laugh and we party. I forgot how fun this was. The girls talk loudly, smiling ear to ear, taking shots, which I have to talk a few out of drinking. A couple boys from the football team toss out some drunken guys I don’t know, causing hoots and cheers for their protective efforts. I giggle, watching them stand guard like bouncers.

  “It’s only been an hour and somebody’s already being thrown out,” Glen says, laughing.

  I nod, watching Sam dance over to me, rolling his body and bobbing his head. I laugh, joining him in his slinky moves. “Don’t think I’ve ignored how you’ve avoided our cheese the valedictorian tradition,” he says near my ear.

  I laugh. “You’re not going to get me, Sam. It would take me hours to get that stuff out of my hair.”

  “It is some gorgeous hair.” He drops his hands on my hips, and we dance to the next few songs, enjoying the freedom woven in our company.

  Glen dances with Matt, flirting and squeezing his football-player shoulders. She’s a fit of giggles as he whispers in her ear. I finally relax. Our evening couldn’t get any better.

  Until there’s an overwhelming change.

  A demanding presence sinks down on the room. I shiver, overcome by a stealthy sensation crawling over my skin. My stomach knots. I wring my hands, briefly distracted by a ringing in my ears.

  “You okay, Tracey?” Sam asks.

  I look around me, slowly starting to bounce to the beat again. That’s so weird. No one else seems to notice. “Um, yeah.” I give him a reassuring smile. “I’m fine.”

  Glen grabs my arm and turns me to dance with her, all into it, rolling her body to the music. I bounce on my toes and pump my fists in the air, whipping my hair one way then the other. Our tipsy friends find us tucked in the crowd and join the sense of freedom. Someone puts a water bottle less than half full of clear liquid in my hand and judging by the way it sloshes around in the bottle, it’s not water.

  Glen grabs it, throwing it down her throat. She grimaces. “Ugh,” she says with a twinge. She coughs. “Needs juice.”

  I laugh, taking the bottle back. “I’ll get you some. But this is it, no more.” She nods, turning to dance with Rachel.

  Sam and I leave for the kitchen and top off Glen’s bottle with some strawberry soda we find stuffed in the fridge. Heading out of the kitchen, we turn a corner and bump into Scott.

  I fumble with the bottle, and it hits the floor.

  Nathan retrieves it and straightens before passing it to me. He’s so tall and brawny, and is just naturally handsome with his low tapered fade and clean cut beard. It’s the dark hair and enchanting eyes that draw me, but I will resist it.

  I take the bottle as my gaze slithers across his and briefly meets Scott’s and two others who resemble them.

  “Come on.” Sam’s sleeved arm hooks around my neck, and we pass the four. “Wow, talk about escaping death stares,” he says as we return to the crowd.

  “I know right,” I say. “I’ll see you later.”

  He leaves me as Glen comes to my side. “I think I saw Scott.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” I shrug, handing her the bottle. “Here, take it easy.”

  She downs the entire thing.

  “Um, Glen, I said take it easy.”

  “So what!” she half-shouts and then freezes when she looks over my shoulder. The sight sends her angered expression morphing into distress.

  I look behind me. Scott’s across the room. He buries his hands in his hair as he turns his angered gaze away from me. I’ve got the slightest idea why he’s pissed. I look away from him and lead Glen back into the dancing crowd. Luckily, it doesn’t take long for her to relax again.

  I continue monitor my friends while trying to enjoy myself. Dancing with some guys I know and others I don’t, we rock out. Rap, techno, and house music, accompanied by the high from the booze puts everyone in their zone. It’s hard to hear anything over the tempo and bass shaking the floor. The lights dim and strobe lights and a fog machine makes Andrew’s oversized living room into an in-house nightclub.

  My hips sway in rhythm with a guy whose name I didn’t catch, and I drop my hands on his shoulders to bring us closer.

  A gentle tug on my shirt makes me whip around. I groan, throwing my head back, seeing Nathan. Without a greeting, I eye him, demanding he explain his intrusion.

  He leans in close, close enough where I can smell his woodsy cologne, but not close enough for us to touch. Beside my ear, he says, “I don’t mean to be that guy, but can you not do that?”

  I look around me. “Do what?”

  He draws back, standing at his full height and looks down at me. “You know what.” I read his lips, unable to hear him over the music.

  Fisting his shirt, I pull him down to repeat in his ear, “No. And accept no. Okay?” Releasing him, I rejoin my friends. All eyes caught our exchange, many curious and jealous. I ignore them and the one burning the hole through the back of my head, Nathan’s. I want to turn around and agree that I’ll stop, because I know what I’m doing even though it’s not on purpose. I’m getting close to other guys, overly enjoying myself in hopes he’s watching. But I won’t give in to him because he won’t treat me like a Yo-Yo and expect that I’ll be okay with it.

  Angela hooks her arm around my neck, saying, “Umm . . .that’s Nathan. Scott’s cousin. How do you know him?”

  “I don’t,” I say, and ignore anything further she has to say about him.

  Some other boys that none of us know, welcome themselves to dance with our group. I’m spun away from my friends by a guy I don’t recognize. He twists and bounces with me to the beat of a hip hop song, blasting through the speakers.

  “I’m Brett,” he says, voice deep but kind.

  “Tracey.”

  He smiles and his blue eyes sparkle in the strobe lights. We enjoy a couple of songs and share a few glimpses, with his hands resting on my waist and mine on his shoulders. The second I realize his hand is creeping over my hips, Brett’s grabbing my ass, forcing me to grind up against him.

  I yelp from a jolting shock when he cups my butt, keeping me from breaking away. I shove him from me, but he forces me back, worsening the effect of the jolt. “Get off, Brett!” I draw my hand back and whip across Brett’s cheek so hard it stings my hand and sends his head whipping right. “Do not touch me! Who the hell do you think you are?” I yell, drawing back for another blow. “You do not put your hands on me that way!”

  “Whoa.” A familiar touch grabs my wrist. Nathan pulls me back and nudges me to where Glen’s standing.

  I whip around to Nathan no longer near me and now before Brett. I’ve already missed a couple of punches in the short time I was turned around. Nathan’s elbow spikes high over his head and his fist comes down fast, connecting with Brett’s face.

  Nathan jabs and jabs. On his next drawback, blood is smeared across his fist. Scott jumps in, trying to wrench Nathan away from his opponent who can do little to nothing against Nathan’s attacks.

  Scott’s able to catch Nathan’s arm but releases it when Brett’s friend kicks Scott in the chest. Another of Brett’s friends comes up on Nathan’s back when Scott leaves Nathan for the guy who kicked him. Nathan jabs his elbow into the mouth of the newcomer. He hits the floor grabbing his face, blood pouring through his fingers.

  The two guys I saw Nathan and Scott with earlier jump in, grabbing Nathan, wrenching him away from the fight. Nathan defuses quicker than he turned up and snatches Scott away from the guy he’s battling who’s now groaning on the floor, hunched over on his side.

  My hand falls to my side, but it’s not until it does, that I realize it’s been covering my mouth as I watched Nathan beat the crap out of Brett and his friends. The brawl ruins his shirt, but there’s not a scratch on him.

  “O-Kay!” the DJ carries on. “Clean up in aisle four.” The music cranks back up as Andrew approaches them. Crossed arms r
est on top of his head, and he groans, staring at his crimson-stained floor.

  Splatters of blood blot Nathan’s cheek. He seems to head in my direction, but Scott steps to his side and redirects him with a nudge to his shoulder. They leave the house.

  Glen steps in front of me, eyes wide, brows high. “Oh my gosh, Tracey. He nearly killed those guys.”

  My finger tips tingle from the rush of adrenaline settling. I blink, still a little in shock. I’ve never seen someone get beat up so badly, or someone pack such a punch they break flesh and bones.

  Glen presses the back of her cold hand to my warm neck. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m going to go, um . . . get something to drink.”

  “Hey, Glen, come dance with me,” Eric says over the music, cutting her off. He’s been trying to get next to Glen since grade school.

  Glen shifts her gaze from me to Eric’s puppy dog eyes. “No, Eric. Did you not just see that? Tracey needs me.”

  “No. Go ahead, Glen. I’m fine. Have a good time. I’ll look for you when I get back.” I promise her. I head for the kitchen, running into Andrew.

  “Hey, you okay?” he asks, concern knitting his brows. “That shit was crazy. Not cool that dude was touching you like that.”

  I rub my arms before crossing them. “I’m over it.” That part, at least. Yes, it was downright disrespectful and Brett deserved a good punch in the nose, but I don’t know if he deserved a broken face.

  “You headed to the kitchen? There isn’t much left in there.”

  “Do you have something nonalcoholic to drink?”

  He presses his lips together. “Nope, gone.”

  I grumble. “Dang.”

  “You want to walk out to the back, get some fresh air? There’s a fridge out there with the drinks, but you can’t tell anyone. I want at least one part of my house not destroyed.” He waves his hand for me to follow.

  “Noted.” I walk behind Andrew through the bloated crowd of dancing teenagers, getting pushed and stepped on.

  Andrew’s such a nice guy with his upbeat personality I can’t help but love. He’s not too hard on the eyes with his warm, brown skin and wavy, low cut hair. But, he’s spoiled rotten; always driving a newly leased Beamer and having a new Rolex wrapped around his wrist. It makes his ego bigger than his house.