Chapter 1: 1
The night was hot and humid, and all Ana could think about was getting out of her damp, sticky clothes; if you could even classify the skimpy outfit she wore as clothing. She had just left the club her friend insisted Ana go to, but she had found no interest in it- as she knew would happen- and now all she wanted was to get out of the ridiculous heels that were nearly breaking her ankles. Ana was just about to get in a cab when her phone started vibrating in the small clutch she carried. After sliding into the back seat and telling the cabbie her address, Ana pulled out her phone. Caller ID said it was the so-called friend that had forced Ana into the night of torture.
"I hate you." Ana said when she answered. Audrey had begged and pleaded and then moved on to blackmail until Ana had finally agreed to go to the club. She wouldn't be as upset, if Audrey hadn't decided to stay home with her fiancé instead. Ana would much rather have spent her night at home reading and wearing something a lot less revealing.
"I know and I am so sorry!" Audrey said. "But can you wait and yell at me later? I'm in a really bad mood right now and don't want to accidently take out all my frustration on you."
"Why, what happened?" Ana asked, temporarily forgetting to be mad at her friend.
"Demetri!" Audrey said in an exasperated tone, which is all Ana needed to hear.
"Alright, I'll be there in ten."
"Thank you! You are the best!"
"Yeah I know" Ana said before hanging up. She told the cabbie Audrey's address and he changed course to the apartment complex where Ana's best friend currently lived. She was opening her clutch to pay the cabbie when the back door opened and Audrey slipped in, slamming the door behind her. Audrey quickly told the cabbie Demetri's address, then turned to Ana.
"Damn girl you look hot!" Audrey exclaimed.
"Thanks, but no one else seemed too impressed" Ana replied grudgingly. Standing at only five foot two and weighing roughly a hundred pounds, Ana looked more like a child than an almost twenty-three-year-old woman. Audrey, on the other hand, was gorgeous. She was five foot eight, with platinum blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and curves that made men drool. Unlike her friend, Ana faded into the background.
"Oh, shut up, you look amazing!"
"Easy for you to say" Ana mumbled.
"What do you mean?"
"Look at you Audrey! You're a model for Christ's sake!" Ana's already thin patience was being stretched to its limit, but Audrey didn't even bat an eyelash. She simply waved her hand dismissively and didn't reply. Ana sighed, knowing the argument was going nowhere. "Whatever, what is it that Demetri did?" Audrey's eyes narrowed and her anger seemed to seep back into her at the mention of his name.
"He ditched me!" She shrieked. Ana was about to bring up the fact that Audrey had ditched her, but seeing as how Audrey was already fuming, she decided against it.
"Why?" She asked instead.
"We were supposed to go out to dinner and then lounge at home and just spend some quality time together, but something came up and he flaked out on me."
"What came up? It must have been something important." Ana figured it had to be something really important for Demetri to ditch his fiancé. Her thought was verified with Audrey's answer.
"Something about the coven. I don't exactly remember, I was too angry to pay attention." By coven Audrey was referring to the Trăim Coven- meaning "we live" in Romanian, Demetri's native language- in which he was the head. It was the largest vampire coven in all of New York. Audrey and Demetri had been together for almost two years, and he had just proposed last month, right after revealing his dirty little secret. Before they had started dating, neither Audrey nor Ana had known that vampires- or any supernatural creature for that matter- really existed, but after Demetri's little reveal, they both had gotten a crash course in all things that went bump in the night. Come to find out, the myths the girls grew up on had some truth to them after all.
"Well, that is kind of important business Audrey."
"You're supposed to be on my side Ana!"
"I am I am! I'll back you up, no matter how much his argument makes sense."
"Thank you." The cab pulled into the driveway that led up to Demetri's- and soon to be Audrey's- house. Ana thanked the cabbie and paid him before following Audrey out of the car and up to the front door.
"What if he has some of the coven here? Or what if he isn't even home?" Ana asked.
"Too bad" Audrey said. Ana sighed, hoping for Demetri's sake that he was alone. Audrey had the bad habit of chastising people and not caring who was around. Ana doubted Demetri wanted his coven to see his human fiancé ripping him a new one. Audrey gave the front door two hard knocks, and when no one answered she laid on the doorbell until the door finally opened to reveal an annoyed looking Demetri. The annoyed expression vanished, however, the minute he saw Audrey, who stormed into the house, brushing right past him.
"Audrey what are you doing here?" His gaze moved down to Ana and he gave a small smile. "Hey Ana, you look nice."
"Thanks Demetri" Ana said a bit shyly. She liked Demetri, he was nice to almost everyone- as long as they weren't trying to flirt with Audrey- and very handsome. With his height, -around six two- pale skin, neat black hair and gray-blue eyes, he was the embodiment of tall, dark and handsome. He was muscular but lean, showing that he had worked out once upon a time.
"How much trouble am I in?" Demetri whispered as Ana crossed the threshold and shut the door behind her.
"Loads" Ana whispered back. Audrey had walked halfway down the main entrance before walking back and planting herself at Ana's side. She fixed her ice blue eyes on Demetri's face and pointed an accusing figure at him.
"You" was all she said though.
"Audrey listen, I know you're mad about me cancelling our plans, but"
"But nothing Demetri! I am your fiancé! I understand that you have obligations, but I think I deserve an explanation for you flaking out on me! And not some vague response like on the phone!" Demetri looked torn between wanting to wrap her in his arms and running as far away from her as possible. Ana was just glad she wasn't on the receiving end of Audrey's tirade. She was about to yell at Demetri some more, but a handsome stranger walked into the entryway.
"What the hell is going on in here?" The stranger asked. His voice was a deep baritone, and it seemed to reverberate throughout Ana's small body. The man was the exact opposite of Demetri, all tan skin and golden locks. He was taller than the vampire- around six foot five Ana guessed- with rippling muscles and golden eyes that made Ana melt. His golden blond hair was tied back at his neck, but Ana guessed it was about shoulder length and extremely shaggy. She wondered what it would be like to run her fingers through it and- No Ana stop, she scolded herself.
"Jack! Sorry about all the noise, we were just having a discussion" Demetri said, looking relieved at the sight of the man.
"Sounded like one hell of a discussion" Jack replied.
"Yes well, I kind of deserved it."
"Kind of?" Audrey's voice rose even higher, becoming shrill and hysteric. Jack winced and Demetri looked guiltily at her.
"Okay, I did deserve it. But if you would just calm down love, I'll explain" Demetri pleaded. Audrey crossed her arms tightly over her chest and fixed Demetri with a cold glare.
"Go on" she said in a terrifyingly level voice.
"First, let me introduce Jackson Carter. He is a werewolf and alpha to the Redwood pack. He just returned after three years of being gone with his pack to visit the Greyhound pack in Pennsylvania. He is a good friend of mine and so he came to visit after the meeting I had with my coven. Jack, this is my fiancé, Audrey Claire, and our friend Analise Johnson."
Ana's cheeks turned pink when Demetri referred to her as "our" friend instead of just Audrey's friend. She was flattered. Jack regarded Ana with a look that made her body temperature rise. Ana looked away before she burst into flames, though she could feel him looking at her still. Why won't he look away?
Jack lounged on one of the plush couches in Demetri's living room while the vampire paced in circles. "What are we going to do?" Demetri asked, stopping in front of Jack, who simply shrugged, which made Demetri start pacing again. The vampire had learned that he couldn't marry his new fiancé- not while she was human anyway- or else he would be expelled from his coven. It seemed Jack had picked a perfect time to return to Brooklyn.
"I don't know, but if you don't stop pacing, you're going to end up with a trench in the middle of your floor. Or make me puke, and I don't think you want either of those."
"Jack this isn't the time for jokes!" Demetri said. He was really freaked out.
"I know, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. We'll figure this out. Have you spoken to her yet?"
"No" Demetri sighed.
"Well that's where you need to start." Demetri was about to argue, but then two loud knocks sounded from the front door, followed closely by the doorbell. Whoever was outside was eager to enter. Demetri excused himself to go answer it. Jack stretched out on the couch and looked at the ceiling while he waited, but when a shrill female voice leaked into the room, he decided to go check it out. As soon as he stepped into the entryway Jack's senses were overwhelmed with the most delicious scent he had ever smelled. Demetri did introductions, and Jack's eyes fixed on the girl he had introduced as Analise.
She wasn't the typical kind of girl that Jack found himself staring at. This girl was tiny; if she was over five feet tall it wasn't by much- though her heels gave her a few extra inches- and she looked about as light as a feather. She was on the pale side, with chocolate brown hair that fell in waves down her back and the biggest, most vibrant green eyes he had ever seen. She wore a tight black dress that dipped low enough to show some of her small chest. It hugged her tiny waist and surprisingly curvy hips, stopping mid-thigh, showing off amazing legs for such a short girl. And to top it off she smelled absolutely amazing. Even from where Jack stood, he could smell the lingering remnants of perfume as well as the pleasing scent of vanilla and caramel. This girl was the source of the mouthwatering aroma in the room, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. At Jack's scrutiny her cheeks turned pink and she looked down.
"Just call me Ana" she said so quietly Jack wasn't sure he would have heard her if it weren't for his heightened senses.
"Nice to meet you Audrey, Demetri has told me a lot about you" Jack said, forcing his eyes away from Ana.
"Thanks, I've heard about you as well. But can we chit-chat later? For now" Audrey turned back to Demetri, her blue eyes seeming to pierce right though him. "Are you going to give me an adequate explanation?"
"Yes love, but I think you should come inside and sit, it's going to take a little while. It's very important though and you need to hear it." Demetri pleaded.
"Fine" Audrey replied.
"I think I'm going to head home Aud. My feet kill, I'm exhausted and this dress is sticking to me. I may need to call in a specialist to help me out of it." Ana smiled at the end of her statement, but Jack couldn't help but think how he'd gladly volunteer to help her out of it.
"Alright Ana, I'll fill you in on all the bloodshed tomorrow" Audrey replied, hugging her friend.
"Bye Ana, it was nice to see you." Demetri hugged the small girl as well, whispering in her ear so that Audrey couldn't hear, but thanks to his wolf like senses, Jack heard every word. "If she kills me, I just want you to know you are amazing and thanks for everything."
"Of course," Ana whispered back. "Bye" she said to the rest of the room, blushing when she glanced at Jack, before leaving.
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