Half Blood Rising

"You look hot, much better than I ever have wearing it," Karina said as I finally emerged from the bathroom. I was a little apprehensive-well, hell, I didn't want to leave the room at all. Karina literally had to drag me out of our room, but not before I'd slipped a stake in my boot, just in case. I wasn't taking any chances.

The boys were waiting for our Uber ride. I didn't expect to see Dimitry amongst them. He always seemed so uptight, so I assumed he wouldn't want to join us. I had to admit, he looked very handsome wearing a navy jumper.

"I told you this dress is way too short, and I can barely walk in these heels," I said, probably for the hundredth time now. Everyone was most likely going to stare at me, and I didn't like being the centre of attention. She laughed and grabbed my hand, so I felt much steadier.

Then someone whistled at me as we approached the group outside. Marco gave me a wink, staring at me and nodding with his charming smile; he obviously approved of my outfit. Dimitry glanced indifferently, but quickly went back to his phone. Damn it. I didn't think about how the others would notice the change in me, and now I felt self-conscious again.

Lachlan stood further away, and he only noticed me when Marco whistled. Judas smiled, scratching his chin, giving me the once-over. I locked eyes with Lachlan, and for a second, my heart danced inside my chest. Karina insisted I wear makeup, too. After that, I hardly recognised myself in the mirror. I just looked beautiful; my hair was shiny and styled in a nice way. Damn it. I had nice legs, too.

Lachlan just stared with the same intensity as before, moving his eyes downwards, like he was trying to claim me. This was getting out of hand as I was seeing images of us together again, remembering his lips on mine. I looked away, rubbing my arms and trying to think of something else.

For the first time in my life since I'd awoken on the streets, I felt sexy, desired by a man who was not good for me at all.

"Okay, the uber is here," Judas said. "Let's get in." Seconds later, the moment between us was interrupted, and in a way, I was happy about it. It was a large van, but, unfortunately, I ended up sitting opposite Lachlan who wouldn't stop giving me his heated look.

He didn't seem to care about Ramona at all, but she was still a threat. Karina was chatting about all these cocktails she was going to try out, and Marco was speaking in Italian, most likely with some new woman he'd arranged a date with. My mind felt so chaotic, but I truly needed to relax tonight. In the past several months, all I'd ever thought of was how I was going to survive the next day. Right now, things were much different.

Lachlan's cerulean eyes were making me wet again, so I looked down, smoothing my dress. He hadn't said a word to me the entire drive. Half an hour later, we were in the centre of Moscow. It was a good thing it wasn't raining tonight. A lot of humans and supernaturals were on the streets. Clubs, bars, and restaurants were buzzing with people.

"Lennox is five minutes from here," Karina announced, pointing towards a large building where a lot of people were queuing. She seemed extremely excited.

"Are you ready for a wild night out, hen?" Lachlan asked, suddenly appearing next to me. His Scottish accent was doing something to my insides. I had butterflies in my stomach.

"Yes, as long as you stay away from me, then I'll try to have a good time," I said, brushing my hair away from my face.

He gave me a cheeky smile that said I shouldn't count on it. "Stop denying what's inside your heart, hen," he muttered, walking away from me and joining Judas.

My jaw dropped, but I decided to just ignore him. He was winding me up again.

We made it to the club a few minutes later, and we were glad when we didn't have to queue. Dimitry knew a few bouncers who stood outside. One of them was a werewolf and let us inside. The music was loud, and the lights were flashing. This wasn't my ideal place to have a good time, but I had to make the best of it for Karina. The group hadn't fully bonded yet, but we were getting there. Marco got us a table in the back where the music wasn't as loud so we could still talk.

"What do you want to drink?" Judas asked, licking his lips. I suspected he was hungry, but for more than just human interaction. I always felt that warm, fuzzy energy from him. He was an enigma; I didn't know much about him.

"Not sure, maybe a beer. I'll have whatever you're having," I said, knowing I had to be careful. The lust for blood was still tickling my throat. Alcohol just made me act a little crazy. I never drank after I'd nearly died one night while I'd been out with Melody.

"I'll get it, you two just relax," Lachlan said, interrupting our conversation. In the end, he and Judas headed to the bar.

"Isn't this exciting? I see a lot of supernaturals in here." Karina nudged me, giggling like a schoolgirl. "Maybe we'll both get lucky tonight."

"Maybe," I muttered, seeing as she was already eyeing a tall shifter who hadn't noticed her yet. Marco approached a group of American fae, and he started chatting them up. His charm and skill with women amazed me. He could always get a date no matter how he looked.

"Here you go, something special for you ladies," a familiar voice sang behind me. The pretty boy was back with drinks, and he brought fancy cocktails with sparkling sticks. Karina's was blue with a bit of pineapple and a small umbrella, whereas mine was pink. It was over-the-top ridiculous.

"Fabulous," Karina exclaimed.

"Thank you, but this isn't what I asked for," I told him.

"It's fab, Jay, just enjoy it while I go and introduce myself to that cute shifter to your right," Karina said. "Lachlan, keep this girl company until I'm back."

"Your wish is my command," Pretty Boy said.

Dimitry had vanished somewhere, and Judas was looking around, probably for a donor. It was unfortunate that I ended up sitting next to the only vampire I wanted to stay away from tonight. His shoulder rubbed against mine, and a fresh dose of desire jolted right through my core.

Karina vanished soon enough. She wasn't shy at all, and a moment later, she was already flirting with the tall and very handsome shifter.

"Please, give me some space," I told Lachlan, feeling overwhelmed with my energy and the magic that drifted around us. It was intense, and maybe I felt it because there was so many different supernaturals inside the club. I should have known we'd end up stuck together tonight.

"What are you so afraid of? Now it's going to be difficult for me to stay away from you, because you taste like silky smooth chocolate," he said, and his lips touched my ear, and I shuddered with desire. I took a drink of my cocktail, trying to repress the need to kiss him. We couldn't do this within the group. I wasn't really sure what the policy was in school when it came to dating, but I just wasn't ready. Well, he'd dated Ramona... and that was just another of my excuses. But still, he was bad for me, at least the tiny voice inside my head kept saying so. This time. Other times... not so much.

I

"You only want me for my blood. This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't found you in that tomb," I said, stirring my drink and avoiding eye contact. I could still feel heat boiling in my veins.

He frowned and then that cute dimple appeared in his cheek. Why the hell did I have to notice it?

"You can be annoying, hen, but it's more than that. Tell me what are you so afraid of?" he asked. It was time for me to disappear, to get away from him. The vibes around him were making me dizzy, and the damn heat was too much to handle. On top of that, I could feel my magic rippling through me and pulling me in different directions. This had never happened to me before. "And you look good tonight, sexy as fuck."

"I need to get some air," I said, standing from my seat. Lachlan said something else, but I didn't hear him as I walked through the crowd, passing people and trying to breathe.

He was going to follow me; I just knew it. The crowd was thick, so it took me a while to find the exit. I took several long pulls of air once I was finally outside the club. I was a little surprised the weather had taken a turn for the worse; it had started drizzling. A few vampires smiled at me, but I ignored them. I glanced behind, seeing that Lachlan had, indeed, come out to look for me.

I had to get away from here for a bit, so I went to the left, entering a back street. I was confused about my own emotions, about everything that happened between us. On top of everything, my heart was jackhammering inside my chest. He was searching for me, so I backed further into the alley until I found myself on another street. The music was slowly fading.

I could think straight in silence, away

from people, and Lachlan. I knew he wasn't going to give up so easily. He seemed determined to pursue me, forgetting about the fact he'd never trusted me until after I'd rescued him. I had trust issues, and although I knew he trusted me now, I always held niggling doubts in the back of my mind. This was another reason I was so confused about my feelings towards him. I couldn't run hot one minute and then cold the next. I needed time. And space. I needed to process all that I'd learned about my true nature and my past. And to do that, I had to be alone. Even if it

didn't seem fair.

I kept walking, feeling like I was in a maze, and on the one hand, I had this handsome vampire ready to sweep me off my feet, and in the other, missing memories, a large hole in my mind. The streets were narrow. I must have walked a fair bit because I couldn't hear the music anymore.

My head was still spinning as I moved to another area, passing one or two people who were trying to get out of the rain. The sky was filling with heavy clouds, and I didn't want to end up soaked. The high- heeled boots weren't that comfortable, and soon enough, it really started pouring down.

At least the energy faded, and my other symptoms weren't bothering me anymore. I must have lost Lachlan outside, but knowing him, I suspected he was still trying to track me down. Damn it. I wasn't ready for a relationship of any sort, or even a fling. I had no clue how a relationship worked. Besides, I kept thinking that Ramona could reappear at any time.

Ten minutes later, after walking and feeling pretty cold, I was ready to head back to the club, when I heard a scream in the distance. Then I felt an incredible source of magic hitting me from all different directions, taking my breath away. Someone was suffering badly. I bit my bottom lip, considering going back to the group, but the urge of finding out what was going on was stronger.

I ran to the corner of the alley that opened to a small square between the buildings. Split seconds later, I stopped in my tracks, seeing the ancient, Leonidas, the one who'd taken Dorothy as I'd escaped that old factory. There were more vampires there, too-members of the clan, but I didn't even have a chance to count them, as someone hit me from behind. I caught a strong smell of burning flesh and passed out a second later, crashing to the ground.

Sometime later, the pain inside my

head was mounting. I started coming around, not sure how long I had been out. I glanced up, my heart banging against my chest, as I realised I didn't have any of my knives on me, and I was still lying on the wet ground. This was supposed to be @relaxing night out-so much for that. I crawled on my forearms, pushing against the pain and gathering up my energy as someone approached me. I must have still been in the same alley I'd gone into earlier on. There were so many vampires out there, and that mage from the supermarket-the same mage from the first meeting that nearly killed me. Crap, crap, crap, it looked like Dimitry's intelligence was way off this time. No one from the group knew what was going on.

Further down, I saw Dorothy, she was damn unconscious, and another mage was holding her. The councillor, her father, stood off further in the distance. What the hell was he doing here?

"Well, well, well, see Leonidas, our star of the show is awake. What do you want me to do with her?" asked a voice I recognised. Why was my head pounding with so much pain? Fucking Ramona, she was the one who'd approached me, wearing similar boots to mine. That was damn annoying.

A few heads turned towards me. I counted five ancient vampires in the alley. I was so incredibly screwed, because I realised I had no way of reaching out to my team. No one knew about this meeting, and I found myself in the centre of the biggest shit I could ever have comprehended.0000