Forbidden Law (An Alien Love #1)

Chapter Fourteen

I locked our doors as we made our way towards Steve's sky blue McMansion. Rayne's leopard heels clacked on the pavement as we passed Land Rovers and Mercedes. I could hear the soft thump of EDM music from the yard, flashes of neon lights from the windows spilling out onto the porch and grass where people smoked and talked loudly. I suppressed the urge to cough in the cloud of cigarette smoke when we walked through the throng to the grand double doors. The smell of skunk told me that other drugs were being used elsewhere, probably the backyard.

"What's this guy's name again?" Jaden asked quietly. He wore a simple black button up and jeans, hands in the pockets to give the impression he was relaxed. But his eyes did a constant scan of the people around us, shoulders tight.

"Steve. If we separate, we can meet back up here on the porch or you can call me or Jace." I peered at Rayne, looking stunning in a black dress that hugged her every curve and had a slight flow, reminding me of a baby doll dress. The hem and details were laced in with small iridescent sparkles. "I can introduce you to Lauri and see if Tamara or Tommy are here, so you can make new friends."

"Sure, sounds fun," she said, blue eyes twinkling with the beginnings of affection. Then she looked at a boy standing in the corner of the porch, his hood up and earbuds in. "Though I may sneak off a couple times to do some...detail."

"Uh-huh," I muttered. I clasped the brass knob of the door and pushed. A wall of sound and energy greeted us; plug in strobe lights flashed in a haze of fake fog. A loose cluster of bodies writhed to the pounding music and alcoholic influence. The doors and walls did a surprising good job of keeping the sound in rather than out, therefore making police intervention less possible. No wonder he had these things semi-regularly. Stepping in was like wading through water, with the sweat and movement posing as a literal presence. I looked around for refreshments and spied a table laden in half empty plates and bowls. Picking up a plastic red cup, I poured myself some punch and chugged it down, abruptly aware of how thirsty I was. Before I knew it, I filled another and was starting on it as Jace looked around and studied the new faces and environment surrounding us.

"We'll catch up with you in a little bit," Jaden said, shouting over the sound. "Rayne wants to explore and I don't plan on finding her at the end of the night in a human's arms." With that, his form disappeared in the mass of fog after Rayne. Jace looked at me and smiled.

"It's spiked!" a guy said to my right, teetering on his feet. "It's called a fish bowl." And he promptly fell over.

Oh. Whoops. Too late, I began to feel a buzz in my head and felt my muscles begin to loosen. Jace glanced at my cup and then at the bowl, eyebrows furrowed.

"Spiked?" he questioned.

I took another sip. "That means its' got liquor in it. From the taste of it, vodka."

He looked like he was about to say something else, but was interrupted by a hand that grasped his arm, nails tipped in red. We both followed the arm to its' owner, revealing a blond in a strapless dress that matched her nails. Her eyes gazed at Jace like a lion eyeing it's next meal, lashes clotted with mascara.

"Hey, sweetheart. Wanna dance?" she said. It didn't sound like a request. She tugged him nearer to the dancing bodies.

Jace's face looked torn, eyes lingering on my face and then flitting to a dancing couple nearby. Then sighed. "Sure. But only one dance." In a flash, he was dragged away, leaving me alone.

Okay then. Guess I wasn't here. I mean, he didn't look like he wanted to go... But anger and a pang of jealousy jeered a stab into my chest. I finished the rest of my cup of punch and ate a mini sandwich, wandering over to a quieter corner of the living room absentmindedly. A couch squatted apart from the others, occupied by two bodies that were making out.