And There Were Wolves

(d) seventeen

That night after I'd taken a quick shower and gathered my things, I slung my satchel onto one shoulder and grabbed my key. The Cromwell's townhouse was locked using a passcode so I didn't have to bring a key or anything. I still didn't know whether after the meeting with Blair I'd come back here or not.

The address that she'd given me turned out to be a nightclub. I'd checked the street and the number and made sure that it was the right place. There was a long queue outside but I didn't have much time so I approached the bouncer. "Hey, is there Blair Balfour here? Do you know where I can meet her?"

The grumpy bouncer raised his eyebrows. "What do you think? I'm a receptionist or something? This isn't a hotel. You either go back to the line or get lost."

I checked the line. Yeah. Not gonna happen. I summoned a little bit of magic and flicked it so that it entered his mind through his temple. Thankfully apart from the neon light above the door, the place was quite dark. "Can I come in?" I asked the bouncer again.

He blinked a few times, almost as if he didn't recognize me, then he gave me a solid nod, causing the girl who was at the front of the queue to frown. "Sure. This way."

I entered the small door that led to a ballroom. It wasn't as big as the one that was used during my school's graduation party but it was packed. There were so many people in various attires. Some were scattered on the dance floor or mingled around the side of the room while others were sitting at their booths which had round sofas and small tables. My eyes scanned my surroundings to find Blair. Having quite a photographic memory, I still remembered her face and its details.

After about thirty minutes of wandering around this small nightclub, I couldn't find Blair anywhere so I hit the bar instead. I ordered a glass of gin and tonic.

"Here's your drink," said the bartender as he placed my drink on top of a coaster. "Do you want to pay for it now or keep a tab open?"

I pulled out ten pounds and handed it to the guy. Staring at the glass of gin and tonic in front of me, I was reminded of my first meeting with Ryker ages ago. We'd been in a club too, meeting in the bar which looked like this. The bartender had been trying to get me to order a drink called the Witch Doctor but Ryker, knowing that I'd never been drinking at that time, had saved me from what probably could be the worst hangover of my life. Unfortunately, he hadn't saved me from drowning in those beautiful silver eyes.

My phone blipped and I pulled it out of my pocket to stare at Dmitry's text.

Just tell me you are alright so I can go back to sleep. I woke up with an uneasy stomach.

I chewed on my cheek as I typed my reply :

I'm alive. Good night, Dimka.

I grabbed the glass and took a sip. I kept the glass in my hand while I searched for Blair as I didn't want to risk anyone spiking my drink. I kept alert to my surrounding. By the time I'd finished nursing that one glass of gin and tonic, it was already midnight. I stayed for another thirty minutes before heading towards the exit.

The place was way crowder than when I'd first entered a couple of hours ago. So much so that I had to steer clear of every drunken man and woman who was still trying to dance. The exit sign was only a few meters away from me when someone knocked their drink and splashed it out on my arm.

Simple magic and a flick of my hand would easily undo the damage but with the mass around, I'd have to wait it out until I was alone.

"I'm so sorry," said a vaguely familiar low voice. One hand that was holding a tissue tried to wipe the liquid off the sleeve of my leather jacket.