Aidan has been warned about the dangers of being with a human. His people live on the edges of society, in the shadows and alleys. And one day, if he's willing to submit to the birthright ceremony, he'll lead the next generation to continued wealth...
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Vegas by Doja Cat reverberates through the house, and the thumping bass is starting to give me a headache. Hailey refused to come to the party. In her words, a bunch of immature frat boys don't do it for her and neither does being a third wheel.
At this point, even I feel like a third wheel. If Brody isn't grabbing my ass or planting a slobbery beer breath kiss on me, he's talking to his friends from the lacrosse team and making me feel like an ornamental piece.
My vow to play the part of the doting girlfriend and then go back to his apartment for mediocre sex is fading fast. Whether he's got too much confidence from our out-of-body make-out session in my room or that inspired a lack of confidence he's trying to hide with alcohol, I can't be sure. But I can say with certainty that he's a sloppy drunk.
If I'm taking my medication (which I am), then I can't drink alcohol or engage in recreational drug use. Other people my age might consider that a drawback, but I don't want to be out of control. That reckless feeling inside me that tries to escape when my meds wear off makes me think I'll never be normal. This is as close as I get.
According to Hailey, normal is boring. But she didn't jump around from foster home to foster home like I did. No one wanting to adopt me because I didn't quite fit in or I ruined it by doing something reckless and impulsive, unable to control myself.
She had a family until they died in a car accident when she was fifteen. Stability existed for her for a long time. Whereas she's been the most stable person in my whole life. Just her. No one else has stayed or even wanted to stay.
Which is what makes me smile at Brody when he leans over and plants another wet kiss on my cheek while grabbing my ass for the five hundredth time. He wants me, and up until this afternoon, it wasn't just about the sex.
If I can keep a good guy like him, maybe one day I won't have to pretend. Maybe one day, all of this will feel natural. The music. The party. The slobbery kisses. I'll belong somewhere. Maybe I'll belong to him.
But right now, as much as I don't want it to be true, his oscillating attention and inattention is beginning to frustrate me. It's too much and not enough, and it's making my innate restlessness worse.
"I'm going to get some fresh air," I say in his ear.
"Oh, babe. Do you want me to come with you?" His hand is on the small of my back and then drifts lower to rest on my ass again.
"No, I'll just be right out there." I point through the crowd to the back door.
He kisses my temple, and I leave him and his friends to weave through the throng. My red leather jacket is on the back of a chair near the door, and I grab it, unsure whether the temperature has dipped this close to the water.
When I step outside, the crush of people feels never ending, even on the patio. Half of campus must be here. Hailey could have found someone other than a frat boy to make out with.
