“Uh … yeah, okay.” He glanced over at us one last time before following the other three people in.
“Here in a few seconds, we need to move.” Jordan dropped her façade, and her normal negativity returned. “That skank is going to cause us a little bit of trouble. That’s why we’ve gotta use his interest in you to get him away from them.”
Our cause was good, but Rage popped in my mind. “I’m not so sure …”
“Oh, save it.” Jordan tapped her foot and crossed her arms. “It’s not like anything is going to happen. Rage better keep himself in check.”
“It’s not that …”
“No, stop.” She reached over and grabbed my arm. “We’re going in there, and you won’t lead him on. All we are doing is talking to him and getting him outside so we can get him to the safe place.”
“The safe place?” It unnerved me that I had no clue where that was.
“Yeah, now come on.” Jordan’s grasp was firm, and she dragged me after her. She opened the door and began to giggle. “Now let’s act like friends.”
At least she was being honest with me. I’d never been to a Dave and Busters before. The arcade was so loud it was like someone drilling on my eardrums. “Holy shit.”
“I’m glad my hearing isn’t as good as yours.” She grumbled but kept a smile on her face. “It’s just obnoxious to me.”
A group of guys hovering over guns laughed as one of their buddies lost the game. “Loser.”
The dings and chimes of all the games overwhelmed me. When my eyes landed on some pool tables, I almost cried happy tears. “Let’s go over to the pool tables. It’ll at least be a little quieter over there.”
“It’s better than in here.” Jordan and I walked side by side, scanning the area for the hybrid. Hell, maybe I should give him a name. I decided to call him Ralph.
When we turned the corner to the pool tables, I wasn’t surprised to find Rage there. He was sitting at the bar that separated the arcade and pool area. He had a draft beer, and there was a girl sitting next to him. Obviously, she was trying to catch his eye. However, his eyes never wavered from me.
That girl had no chance, but I couldn’t blame her for admiring my man.
She reached out and touched his arm that rested on the bar table.
“Not interested,” he said gruffly as he pulled his arm away.
“It doesn’t have to be anything serious.” She attempted to make her voice sound seductive.
“Not interested,” he took a long pull of his beer and turned his back to her.
“It seems that I’m not the only one who’s taken notice of you.” A raspy voice behind us startled me.
The scent of musk and burning sulfur made my stomach churn. I turned around, and there was Ralph. “I’m sorry.”
Jordan giggled, the sound a little over the top like any tipsy human girl would act. “Ignore her. She should be a blonde.”
“Hey.” It was one thing to act like friends, but it was completely something else to insult me during the process. We weren’t close enough for that shit. “Watch it.”
The hand from the girl outside appeared on his shoulder as she sashayed around. She sized me up and down and seemed to think she looked better. “How much longer are you going to be?” She ran her finger down his chest. “I’m getting lonely.”
Dear lord, just gag me now.
“These are some people who are from my circle.” He removed her hand from his chest but smiled. “So I’ll be back in just a few minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll go get us some more drinks then.” She pointed to the empty glasses that were stacked on the pool table. “Don’t be too long.” She openly glared at both Jordan and me before turning around to make her way to the bar.
“So … you’re a shifter too?” He picked at his bottom lip and glanced around.
“Yeah, I am.” I wasn’t sure what to do here.
“Can we go back outside for a minute? It's a little too loud in here for me.” Jordan pouted and motioned to the door.
“Yeah, sure.” He winced and pointed to his ears. “It’s terrible for me too.”
The three of us headed back toward the front doors, and when we stepped outside, the quieter surroundings made me feel less on edge.
He hovered close to the door and scratched his head. “I’m finally happy to see different races hanging out with one another.”
“What do you mean?” He must have grown up like me and only been around his kind. However, that couldn’t be possible since he was a half-breed.
“The whole elitist propaganda against races co-mingling.” He kicked at the ground with his feet. “It’s like we are supposed to stay within our kind.”
The door opened again, and Rage appeared. “Everything okay out here?”
“Yeah, everything is fine.” I smiled at him, glad to see that he wasn’t held up for too long by the girl at the bar.
A car pulled up at the front entrance and rolled down their window. “You guys ready to go?”
I came close to choking when I turned around and found Nate in the driver's seat.
“Yes.” Jordan reached out and touched Ralph’s arm. “We’re heading to a party with all kinds of supernaturals there. Wanna join us? It’ll be a lot more fun than here.”
He frowned for a moment and glanced at me. “Are you coming?”
“No, she’s got a date with him.” Jordan motioned at Rage by the door.
“But …” His eyes took on an oval shape pupil, which confirmed he was at least part dragon.
“Come on, man.” Nate motioned to the car. “You’ll miss out on a good time.”
Something wasn’t right about not telling him the truth, but maybe he’d freak out. “I’ll meet up with you there.”
“So you’re coming?” He bit his bottom lip as he looked from the car to me over and over again.
That did it. “Yeah, I’ll see you there.”
“Okay.” He gave Jordan a wary smile but slid into the seat.
“Where are you guys going?” I couldn’t not show up now that I promised him.
Jordan’s frigid demeanor snapped right back into place. “It’s none of your concern.”
“But I told …”
“Yeah, thanks for that.” Jordan smirked and slid into the back seat next to him. “I’ll see you around, friend.” She slammed the door in my face, and Nate squealed his tires as he took off.
A coldness vibrated in my skin, making its way deep inside my bones. Something didn’t feel right about what had just happened.
Chapter Ten
The drive back to the Academy blurred together. My mind kept replaying the entire night over and over again in a loop.
Rage pulled into the Bloodshed Academy lot and parked in Cole’s normal spot. “Hey, we’re here.” His voice was low, and he touched my arm.
“Yeah.” Honestly, I didn’t know what was wrong. Something was just… off. “That back there …”