Galaxy Of Hope

‘I can hear your gears spinning from over here.’ He said. We were descending the stairs, Andrew covered my back.

‘It’s nothing.’ Before I could reply Skylark had found me. She hugged me so hard I fell back into Andrew, she didn’t mind that one bit.

‘Hey you!’ she flirted with him over my shoulder and I rolled my eyes. ‘You want a drink handsome?’ she gave him the cup she had brought over for me.

Chicks before dicks, huh.

‘I’m on the job.’ He whispered it to Skylark but obnoxiously loud and blatantly pointing to me behind his other hand as if I couldn’t see that gesture. I raised one eyebrow. He flashed his dimple. This was our normal banter. I could not see the killer beneath this sarcastic guy but I was believing Dosch. He would not lie about this.

Skylark handed me the cup. ‘Jesus, thanks Sky.’ I sarcastically added. ‘You shouldn’t have.’

Andrew grinned.

‘You want a soda or something?’ I said to him, glancing up and he looked at me as if I had offered him a cup of acid. ’A soda? No, I don’t drink that.’ We had moved over to the drink station now.

He reached for the water bottle and I snorted. ‘Okay mister. Whatever you say.’

The music was really loud so I had to yell over it.

‘So…’ he whispered in my ear. ’What are you doing now? A little dance party in the living room, a line of coke in the bathroom, orgy in the hot tub? What are the wild plans for today princess?’

I turned around, frowned at his face and opened my mouth to give him a wildly inappropriate reply but he grinned and put his finger on my mouth to stop me. ‘Relax, it was a joke.’ I did not find it funny.

‘I don’t do that.’

‘I know you don’t.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

’Just that… you’re a good girl.’

The last one that said that to me, was Dosch, and I had shown him. He would never call me a good girl ever again. Yet, I could not do that particular thing to Andrew. I flushed thinking about that night.

‘I got drugged last year, it was not for me.’

‘Somebody drugged you? Who? What happened?’ he glanced at my cup as if the perpetrator would jump out of it.

’We still don’t know for sure. We thought it was Otto, but it could have been Elia. I was drugged with that Fae Drug, Jupiter.’

‘Fuck me. That’s for most Rainers and Fae possibly deadly.’

‘Yeah, and they thought I was human back then.’ It hit me. They had wanted to actually kill me. I frowned again. He realised it too.

‘That’s fucked up.’

‘Yeah. So I’m staying away from all of it. Forever.’

‘Smart.’

I reached for my red cup. ‘I want a taste of that.’ Andrew sipped first and nearly spit it back out. ’I almost wished that was Jupiter. What the fuck is that!’

I snorted at his theatrical ass. ‘Skylark likes her drinks sweet.’

’That’s not sweet, that’s a fucking cup of sugar princess.’

‘Don’t be overdramatic.’

He wiped his lips as if he could still taste it on there from that small little sip. Drama queen.

‘What, you are going to taste all my drinks now? You also want a bite from my food?’

He scowled down at me. ‘I wouldn’t touch your food with a ten-foot pole princess.’

He hated that I ate so greasy, he had commented on it many times in the last week and had even dared put a plate full of pink vegetables I had never seen before, in front of my nose. He had thrown out the French fries right in front of me so I had emptied my soda on his lap. We had gotten into a huge fight and he had been so angry the vein on his forehead had been bopping on the tunes of his frantic heartbeat. That had been a day.

‘Come on, let’s dance Lulu!’ Sky was back from talking to one of her friends from Human Studies class and grabbed my arm and I had to down that drink in one big gulp before it would spill on my new dress. I flicked it towards the trash bin and landed it perfectly. Score!

Andrew was always watching that night, but I had the best time. Dancing and shaking on that dancefloor. Sebastian and Jax had joined us for a while. I thought I saw Dosch in a dark corner with Rachel, but when I looked again he was gone. I went back for my fourth drink and Andrew halted my arm. ’I love seeing you dance and all that but I don’t think you should do one more.’

Yes, I was wasted but it was the freaking weekend. It had been a few weeks since my last party and I had also almost died. So I needed this. ‘You are my bodyguard Andrew, not my father.’

‘No, but he is a daddy.’ Giggled Sky, who was way more drunk than I was. She had been here for over an hour before I arrived and had as many drinks under her belt.

I rolled my eyes at her. ‘Okay Sky, you need some fresh air.’

‘I’ll take her!’ Jax said and dragged her outside. I gazed towards the packed dancefloor, which was the living room of the cabin without the furniture. Sebastian was standing on a coffee table with Nexxar and Olive and they had lamps in their hands. Swinging them upwards to the beat. Probably thousand dollar lamps as well.

‘No, I’m not your father.’ He dryly stated.

‘Okay, Darth Vader.’ The earth reference clearly went over his head and I giggled at that. He sipped from his water, ignoring it. ’I hate seeing you drink that sugar poison like that. And you are starting to get intoxicated.’ He glanced toward the crowd again, always scanning for potential danger. Always on duty.

‘But the sugar will kill me right.’ I answered and glanced at the crowd again.

Sometimes I wished someone would come out of the woodwork to try and hurt me, to see what he would do. The food court snooze fest wasn’t even a proper takedown. The guy had one pizza slice in his left hand and flip flops on. All Andrew had to do was some stretching with his left arm and the boy had been eating dirt.

’If you have to drink another, please drink something else. Anything else princess.’

‘What are you suggesting?’

He glanced towards the liquor cabin. ‘Let me make you something.’

‘If you’re coming back with a water I’ll kill you.’

‘Of course not.’ He spoke darkly like I had insulted him.

He turned his back on me and started brewing something. Chris passed me again. He was a busy fellow tonight.

I spotted Aria in the dark corner where I had spotted Dosch earlier. The bitch was glaring at me as if she wanted to shoot me down with her eyes. I needed to keep my eye on that corner, that was where all the dangerous culprits came to scowl.

Andrew gave me a red cup. I smelled it. ‘Definitely fae whiskey.’

‘Very good.’

I took another swirl and a whiff. ‘Some notes of…. Bergamot…’ I sipped from it. It was a dark, dry drink, but with notes of citrus. ‘Lemon or orange… vodka?’

‘I’m impressed you know your liquor.’ His eyes sparkled.

I took a bigger sip. ‘It’s… interesting. I haven’t had this before but I guess I like it.’

I handed him the cup.

‘It’s your drink.’ he waved it back towards me.

‘Yeah, but you need to have at least one sip of alcohol in your system before this one kicks into mine. I’m about to get a little bit more than just intoxicated.’

He considered it for a moment, swirling the cup. ‘You have a point.’ He was way too sober for this party. He took a big sip and handed it back. ‘There, happy now princess?’

‘Very…’ I teased.

I had already forgotten Dosch’ words. Yes, I could believe this was a dangerous man, but he wasn’t dangerous to me. My gut feeling was seldom wrong.

Olive and Bronn were making out in another dark corner and Aria had abandoned the brooding hole. Great, the coast was clear again.

I smelled him before I saw him. The smell of fresh snow and crisp linen. Oak. He hugged me from behind and planted kissed in my neck. Which was quite awkward with Andrew staring at us. He was looking slightly amused, slightly something else I couldn’t quite place.

‘Baby.’ He kissed my lips.

I turned around and kissed him back. ‘I was searching for you earlier but couldn’t find you.’

‘Yeah, I’ve been in the kitchen helping Sebastian with some… technical issues with the oven.’

That sounded sketchy.

‘I’m on my way out, you coming with me?’ he glanced at Andrew and nodded. ‘You good here?’ Somehow he had an inkling of respect for the bodyguard that the others of the Paramore’s didn’t share.

I glanced at Andrew. ‘No, I have to stay here. It’s just getting started.’

‘Okay babe, be safe okay.’ He kissed me and nodded to Andrew. ‘You will take care of her.’

Andrew nodded. ‘Of course, her life is in my hands Briareve.’

That was a little overdramatic but okay.

I downed the rest of the cup. ‘I’ll be right back.’ Andrew started to follow me and I stopped him. ‘I can go to the bathroom by myself, thank you very much.’

He scowled. ‘Don’t break anything in there.’

I rolled my eyes.

’You roll your eyes so much you’ll become cross eyed soon princess!’ he yelled after me and I flipped him off while walking away.

The bathroom was right down a hall, which was covered in glass with an amazing view of the lake from the other side. The dock was in front at the terrace. The line at the bathroom was fortunately rather small, only three girls in front of me whom I haven’t seen before. The college was huge, so that was not a surprise. They kept on glancing at me though. Guess I had turned into quite the celebrity on campus.

It was almost my turn but when I stepped forward my hair was sharply yanked backwards. I shrieked, more out of surprise than pain, but it sure wasn’t pleasant. ‘What the fuck!’ I yelled. Hit the person responsible with an elbow kick and put my foot down on her foot. I wasn’t wearing shoes so that didn’t do much. I saw red hair falling over my arm. Aria. That bitch.

We tumbled through the hall. I high kicked the shit out of her. She wouldn’t let go of my hair. Off course my trainers never thought me how to fight dirty girls. I felt entire plucks of my long hair being pulled out, which enraged me further. I was vaguely aware of an audience.

I had this under control and the Rainer way was important. I didn’t want to ask for help. I needed to win this fight by myself. So I pulled back my blind rage a bit and focused on my training. As far as I knew Aria wasn’t trained in fighting, but naturally strong as all Rainers are. I kicked her shin out from underneath her, she fell down hard, but yanked some hair with her. That hurt. Motherfucker. I scrapped down on the floor with her, took her down, in a headlock and grunted. ‘Fucking bitch, stop this!’

She growled. ‘You will pay for this! For Kai!’

‘Try me fire crotch!’ I yelled. She tried kicking and screaming some more but it was over in under two minutes. ‘Try me again, and see what happens. I won’t be so tolerant as I was today.’ I dryly added and let her head flop back down on the floor. I was vaguely aware of some cheers and some guys dragging Aria towards the exit, kicking and screaming profanities at me. I was bleeding though. My scalp hurt. My nose had taken a hit. I felt a trickle of blood run along my temple. ‘Fuck…’

Andrew was slowly clapping. ‘Nice fight.’

‘Glad you liked the show.’ I said dryly. The others had evaporated and we were now alone in the glass hallway. Outside everything was still going on as usual, Jax and the others now all in the water. Sebastian dancing on a floatie.

’Try me, Fire crotch was a definite cherry on the cake for me.’ He mimicked my voice.

I snorted and started laughing.

‘She really has it in for you huh?’ he was now laughing too.

It hurt my ribs a bit. ‘S-stop…’ I grunted but couldn’t stop smiling. ‘My fucking ribs hurt. She wiled out on the floor and hit me by accident.’

‘Yeah, the girl couldn’t land a hit if it was right in front of her.’ He laughed some more and both of us had to clutch our stomachs.

After another good minute of hilarity he said. ‘Let’s get you cleaned up a bit.’