The Nephilims stood when Adrianna first approached them. Now, Adrianna is draping herself all over Sacha Gunther like a serpent while the Nephilim woman, whose name I learned is Marina, is hugging his other arm like a vine. It's like watching two children fight over a swing at a playground.
The expression in Sacha's gorgeous face never changed, it stays cold and impersonal like the attention of the two beautiful women isn't affecting him at all. He looks so bored it's bordering on insolence.
Not many people could ignore Adrianna's seduction. I bet his indifference is driving her crazy. I know my sister, she's taking it as an insult and sees it as a challenge.
"Don't even bother with the Nephilims, especially Sacha Gunther," says Audee in my ear. She must have noticed me watching him. "He's dangerous and he's not interested in half-demons Danica. Adrianna is a fool."
"I'm not interested in him," I lie.
"Where are you going?" Audee asks, grabbing my arms as I try to step out of my hiding space behind the spray of flowers.
I jerk my arm out of her tight grip. "Astaroth has already seen me, I don't see the point in hiding anymore." I take Ariella's hand and drag her away. "Come Ari, I'm bored, let's dance."
Audee's plump red lips thinned and her nostrils flare, but she doesn't do anything to stop me. Her cornflower blue eyes follow Ari and me to the dance floor.
The singer is crooning a slow jazz song, so we don't have a choice than to slow dance like several other couples in the room. Not that it's a problem, I've slow danced with Ari so many times in the past before.
We're the dynamic duo, Ariella and I. We're very good at attracting every male attention wherever we go. Ariella to feed her lust, Me to feed my vanity.
Ariella places her hands on my shoulder and I hold onto her waist as we move. Hips swaying, our steps synchronized, our movements practiced and sensual.
I try to loose myself in the music as I usually do when I'm dancing, but I can't seem to keep him out of my mind. Keeping my eyes off him is a struggle enough. All my senses are tuned in on him.
I know the exact moment he sets his eyes on me, I feel the scorching heat between my shoulder blades. I feel his gaze like a trail of fire moving slowly from the top of my head to the slope of my naked back, the length of my long legs, down to the tip of my nude colored heel shoes. Never have I felt such a strong feeling just from someone's inspection of me before. It feels much more intense than Ariella's physical touch on me right now.
Then I feel his gaze on the side of my face and it stays there as if willing me to turn and face him. I can feel it so acutely, it makes my heart race. It makes me loose my mind and miss my step that I almost stomped on Ariella's foot. My movements become clumsy.
The longer I keep my face averted from him, the stronger I feel his command to turn and look at him. It's as though we're having a silent war without even talking. He's demanding me to surrender and the longer I resists, the worse it gets.
My knees feel weak and my breathing feels heavy and Ariella is staring at me strangely. It gets to the point where resisting his command becomes an impossibility so, finally, I guide Ariella to make a slow turn.
Our eyes meet and lock over Ariella's shoulder; something passes between us. A recognition, a connection. It's like a zap of lightning.
His eyes are hooded and intense, unwavering. Something flickers in them. An emotion I don't have a name for.
When I pulled Ariella out of our hiding place to dance with me, I knew I was stroking the fire of Astaroth's wrath on me. But I did it anyway, because I wanted Nephilim to look at me. I wanted to wipe off that bored look on his face. I wanted him to be facinated by me as I am with him. I wanted him to see me. Like all my other siblings, I am also a slave to my weakness that i inherited from our father; vanity.
But I didn't expect to feel this.
The air around us feels electrified. Our eyes lock together for an eternity and we go where no one exists.
Very slowly, I start to become aware of my surroundings as though he lets the string that's teethers me to him to go slack.
I also know the moment his fellow Nephilims notice me. "Whoa," I hear his friend Matthew say as soon as his eyes lands on me.
"Who is that?" Oliver asks. He's looking at me, but seems to aim his question at marina. They all seem to depend on her for information, as though she knows everything there is to know about us. Maybe she's their informant? But she is now staring at me with a confused expression on her face.
Yeah, not many people know of me..yet.
Adrianna's smile is saccharine sweet but I know she's fuming. Sacha's lack of response to her charm is already an unspeakable sin in her book. Any attention on other girls, especially on me I like pouring a can of gasoline into a fire. "Oh, the blondie? That's my baby sister, Danica."
"I didn't know Astaroth has another daughter," say Marina. "She's very…"
"Pretty?" Adrianna supplies..
"She's stunning," Matthew says, sounding as though he's in awe. A wrong thing to say Matthew.
Adrianna's eyes narrowed venomously before she turns her chin up and smile. "If you like underage girls,sure. She's fifteen."
"Fifteen?" Oliver questions. His eyebrows rises. I'm sixteen darn it! And I'm going to be seventeen in a few months.
"What's a little girl doing at an adult party like this?" Sacha's voice sounds unconcerned and uninterested. He gives me another once over before he turns his icy gaze towards Adrianna. He smiles coolly at her as he wraps his arms around her waist. It's like a slap to the face and a stab through the heart, I feel it.
Was I the only one who felt our strong connections? Was it all in my head? Did I imagine it?
Adrianna laughes, slapping him playfully on the shoulder before she runs her palm up across his wide chest to play with his tie. "She's such a spoilt brat," Adrianna says with a pretty pout of her scarlet red lips. "She snuck out of the house when her nanny wasn't looking."
I want to march across the room and punch my sister in her conniving face.
"Danica you're hurting me," Ariella's sudden voice sounds too loud in my ears and I wince. I've been clutching her waist too tightly.
I quickly uncurl my fingers; "Sorry."
"And your sister Audrey is scaring me," Ariella continues to complain.
Audrey is standing not too far from where we are, watching us like a hawk. Maybe our father put her on a baby sitter duty and Audee is nothing if not obedient. She's the most loyal soldier to Astaroth out of all of us, yet daddy dearest seems to favor Adrianna.
"Ignore her, I do." I tell Ariella while my eyes helplessly seek out the Nephilims. They're still staring at me except him.
The song ends and the old man who looks like a bulldog from before is suddenly standing right next to us with his beautiful young partner.
"Excuse me sweetheart, but can i have the next dance?" He says and he's looking right at me. His partner is also staring at me with a smile on her face. Why is he looking at me?I absently stare back at him waiting for him to look away or move on. He can't be talking to me right?
Ariella snickers before she awkwardly steps backs.
"You have to excuse her, she's extremely shy, Mr. Pappalardo," Audrey suddenly chimes in from behind me. "My sister will be happy to dance with you."
No, I'm not! I'm about to go jump into a sewer Audrey presses a hand on my shoulder. Her nails are digging into my skin. Hard.
He smiles at Audee, clearly pleased with her lie. "Audrey John, it's always a pleasure to see you sweetheart," he says. His pale blue eyes ravenously roam up and down her body like he already knows her intimately before he turns to me.
There's a psychotic glint in his eyes that I recognize seeing in front of my father's associates. The man is dangerous.
"Don't be shy my dear, a woman as beautiful as you are shouldn't be shy," he says. He brings his gaze down to rake my figure and stops at my boobs.
Ugh! I'm not shy! I don't want him to be looking at me, let alone touching me and I certainly don't want to dance with him.
He offers me his hand and when I fail to move, Audee unceremoniously pushes me forward, right into the bulldogs arms.
I try to straighten up, but he roughly pulls me back against him and drags me further into the dance floor.
"I didn't realize that Asta John has another daughter," he says as he guides us around other couples. His palms are soft but moist while his breath smell like alcohol, fish, and onion. His pudgy hands slides slowly over the bare skin of my back to rest on the curve of my butt. His other hand is holding mine in a deathly grip, it's painful. I try to put some space between us but his hand on my lower back keeps me close to him as he sways us around. I grit my teeth as I endure his administrations.
"I'm Baggio Pappalardo," he says. His jowls jiggle as he talks. "Most people call me pappalardo, privilege few call me Baggio. You my dear can call me Daddy. His lips stretch down at the corners when he attempts to smile.
"Can I call you grandpa instead?" I ask him with a venomous smile.
The swarmy smile on his lips die. His face quickly turn an alarming shade of red. His beady eyes grow hard and his breath sounds labored. "Oh I can't wait to break a small fiery thing like you," he growls.
His clammy hands continue to knead my back as we continue dancing.
I see my sister Adrianna on the dance floor with Sacha, her hands wrapped around his neck intimately. But I feel his eyes on me constantly and when he's not looking at me I know his attention is still on me. He's aware of my every move as much as I'm aware of his. I don't know how hard I know this, but I do.
When the song is finally over, the bulldog returns me to where Audee and Ariella are still standing. I'm surprised Ariella hasn't found herself a partner to dance with. She's rarely without a partner but tonight she's just standing there watching me.
"Be nice to him," Audrey says after the man is gone.
"Nice? He's disgusting Audee, and he looks like a bulldog!" I hiss at her.
"Hey, bulldogs are cute," Ariella say.
"Of course bulldogs are cute! I love bulldogs. But do you really want to go out with a guy who looks like one?"
"Yeah, I don't think so," I continue when Ariella doesn't answer me immediately answer me. Even Ariella looks disgusted and she's normally not very picky.
"I think Audrey was just trying to warn you Danica, " Ariella says quietly. "Mr Pappalardo has a reputation…"
"What kind of reputation?"
"His sexual preference is ummm… rather peculiar. Violent. Women don't come out unscathed… torn skin, broken ribs, cigar burns…I hear rumors that a few went missing, never to…oh uh, here he comes."
Mr bulldog is back, this time he has a man carrying a black velvet box by his side. I know that velvet box houses a strings of diamonds. The dreaded choker. I feel my temper flaring and my blood boiling.
"Astaroth is watching," Audee whispers in my ear. I swallow hard before i lift my face towards Astaroth. Sure enough, daddy has his eyes trained on me. Everyone is watching me, including the Nephilims.
Mr. Bulldog smiles slyly and I clear my face, trying not to reveal my feelings. I fold my hands serenely in front of me as my father watches on, looking amused.
The men walk to stand behind me and when I hear the box being opened, I force myself to stand still. I'm sure I look meek and agreeable. He fastens the choker around my neck while I devise a plan to kill him. He grazes his damp fingers down my back on purpose and I imagine him lying dead at my my feet.
Then he leans in and whispers in my ear, "Too bad I have to wait till the end of this party to have you all to myself." I try not to breathe in the smell of his breath. "But that's okay, I can be very patient. I'll break you piece by piece sweetheart and I have a whole week to do it. I'm looking forward to our time together," he adds before he reluctantly steps back and smiles smugly. Astaroth is still watching, so I look down staring at the floor wondering if slitting the man's throat is messier than slicing his balls off.
"Don't," Audrey hisses as the man waddles away.
"What?"
"Whatever you are thinking, don't," she says. "Astaroth will kill you for sure if you hurt or kill a client."
"But not if it's an accident," I argue. A happy accident. He will try to eat a chocolate covered strawberry and opps… a knife just slipped and accidentally sliced open his throat.
No, he's getting clumsy and falls and breaks his neck. Yes, that sounds better. Less mess, I decided. Tonight.