Focus (The Crescent Chronicles, #2) (10 page)

“
Are you sure you don’t
want to go home with me?” Levi helped me brush sand off my skirt.
His hands were wandering more than they needed to, and I knew
before looking up just how heated a look he’d give me.

“
Yes. I’m sure.”

“
Fine, but I know you’re
going to dream about me.”

“
You wish.” I tried to
shake the sand out of my hair.

“
No. I know.” He kissed me
again before taking off toward home.

He landed right near my dorm. “I’ll
pick you up at nine o’clock tomorrow night.”

“
I never
agreed.”

“
You will now. Hailey’s
invited too. I think it’s time I showed you some more of my, uh,
hangouts.”

“
Wait, a paranormal
place?”

He nodded. “You in?”

“
Definitely. I’ll tell
Hailey.”

“
Good night, Al.” He kissed
me gently.

“
Night.”

I walked inside knowing he was still
watching. When I got back to my room, Hailey was waiting
up.

“
So do we still hate Levi,
or is he back on the good list?” She stopped typing on her computer
and turned toward me. She was already in her pajamas.

“
We?”

“
Yeah. We’re on the same
team.”

I smiled. “He’s not in the dog house
anymore, but he’s certainly not back in the bedroom.”

“
No, he’s on the couch.”
She laughed.

“
You’re so
funny.”

“
Come on, how perfect was
that? But anyway, I’m glad. You look happy.”

“
I am. As angry as he makes
me, he also makes me—”

“
Hot?”

“
That’s one way of putting
it.” I slipped off my shoes, putting them back in the
closet.

“
Okay, he’ll be back in the
bedroom soon.”

My phone beeped, signaling
a text.
Sweet dreams.

I texted back to
Levi.
Wish you were here.

I can be there.

It was a joke.

Not funny. Next time you do
that expect to find me in your bed.

I didn’t like the thrill
that ran through me at the prospect.
I
don’t think Hailey would like that.

I don’t think I
care.

Good night.

Night, Love.

“
Are you done sexting with
Levi?” Hailey smirked.

“
Gross.” I dug some pajamas
out of my drawer.

“
Stop pretending to be a
prude, Allie, it’s not fooling anyone.”

“
I love you, Hailey. You
know that, right?”

“
Of course, how could you
not?”

I had no idea what was going to happen
with Levi, but at least I had a friend along for the ride with
me.

Chapter Eight

“
Stay close to me tonight,
Al.” Levi held me tightly against his side as we walked away from
where he parked his car on the dark street.

“
This place is safe,
right?” My excitement over seeing an actual paranormal bar subsided
enough for me to realize I should probably be worried.

“
It’s perfectly safe if you
stay with me.” He squeezed my shoulder.

“
It’s too bad they won’t
think I’m a Pteron,” I grumbled. It had been really cool when some
Weres thought I was a Pteron. The only way you could tell was to
wait for them to shift, and with my height, I’d managed to fool
some guys. I liked everyone thinking I was that
powerful.

“
Sorry, Al. Everyone knows
I wouldn’t mate with anyone but a human.”

“
What if I have to go to
the bathroom?”

“
You’ll go with me, of
course.” Hailey was a few steps behind us. I sensed she was
protecting me too. I could make out Jared and Owen at the
door.

The outside of the bar didn’t look like
much. Unlike other bars, there were no neon signs, or other
indications that the place was a public establishment. That was
probably the point. If you didn’t know about it, you shouldn’t be
there. The only hint that the place wasn’t abandoned was the two
large guys standing outside of it.

“
Levi.” The two bouncers
said in unison as they bowed their heads slightly.

Levi never loosened his hold on me. I
took comfort from being at his side.

There had to have been at least two
hundred people in there—although I doubted many were people in the
traditional sense. A large group congregated at the bar, while
others sat at wooden tables. Levi headed right over to a table off
in the corner. It felt distinctly like it was a table he frequented
often. I felt all eyes on me as he pulled out my chair.

“
I’ll get us a couple
rounds of shots.” Jared didn’t bother to sit down.

Levi sat next to me, and threw an arm
over my shoulder. “I’d get you your favorite drink, but this isn’t
the kind of place for it.”

“
Oh,” is all I said. I
didn’t like the way everyone was looking at me.

“
You alright?” Levi
carefully brushed some hair away from my face.

“
Of course.”

“
You’re not fooling me, but
I’ll pretend I believe you.”

I smacked his arm playfully. “Don’t
forget you’re still on probation.”

“
Probation? That’s a new
one. That could make for some interesting role play.” His
mischievous expression put me at ease. We might have been in a
weird place, but he was still Levi.

“
Levi—”

I was interrupted when Jared returned
with a tray heaping with shots.

Levi handed one to me, before taking
one for himself. Hailey, Owen, and Jared each took a shot
glass.

Levi held up his shot and everyone else
followed. “To good times and the king.”

I wasn’t completely sure what the toast
meant. I’d never head them toast Levi’s dad before, but I took the
shot. It burned on the way down. I doubted I’d ever be a shot
person.

I’d waved away the second shot when I
noticed a guy staring at me, literally licking his lips. He looked
like he was in his mid-twenties, with reddish-brown hair. I nudged
Levi to get his attention.

Levi growled. Jared, Owen, and Hailey
turned around to see what he was looking at.

The man smiled, pushing back his chair
and sauntering over.

“
Hello, Levi.”

Levi tensed beside me. “What do you
want, Martin?”

“
I just thought it would be
appropriate to introduce myself to your mate.”

“
She doesn’t want to meet
you.” Levi sat forward, attempting to block me from Martin’s
view.

“
Oh, come on now, she looks
friendly.”

I stiffened, my leg pushing into Levi,
wanting the comfort of his touch.

Martin never took his eyes off me. His
expression was anything but friendly. It was like he was a predator
examining his prey. It brought back some unwanted memories of the
cougars.

Levi put a hand on my leg to calm me.
“Go away, Martin.”

“
Is that anyway to treat
your cousin?”

“
Cousin?” I’d developed the
awful habit of blurting out what was on my mind without
thinking.

“
Yes, hasn’t Levi told you
about me?” He tilted his head to the side in a way I’d only seen
animals do.

“
No…” I looked at
Levi.

His face was blank.

“
What a shame. I know a lot
about you.” He licked his lips again. “You’re originally from New
York, aren’t you? I’m sure it was hard for you to
leave.”

I swallowed, determined not to let
Martin see just how much he frightened me. “I miss it, but I like
it here.”

He smiled condescendingly. “You never
really move on from the place you were raised.”

Levi glanced at me. “You can ignore
him. He isn’t worth your time.”

“
Ignore me? I think not.
Change is brewing little cousin, and if your mate wants a chance,
she should know the truth.”

Levi slammed his fist on the table,
knocking over several shot glasses. “Shut up.”

“
What’s going to happen
when you go down? Hopefully, I’ll get to have her first—that is
unless something happens to her before then…”

“
You son of a bitch.” Levi
was out of his seat, his eyes solid black as he lunged at Martin.
Levi punched him, launching him through the air and into a table.
The impact caused the solid wood to split into two. “I told you to
shut up.”

Levi walked back over to me, grabbing
my hand. “Let’s go.”

“
What the hell was that all
about?” I stopped short when we reached the sidewalk.

“
Nothing.”

“
I want the truth.” I
reluctantly let him pull me along, too shaken up to
fight.

Levi shifted uncomfortably.

“
She deserves it,” Owen
said from behind us.

Levi let out a deep breath.“Fine, let’s
go back to our place.”

I looked at Hailey and she nodded. I
needed answers.

***

Settled on a couch with a cup of
coffee, I got ready for what I figured would be some seriously
heavy information. Something felt almost humorous about the
situation. I was sitting around with a bunch of paranormal
creatures drinking coffee. Levi paced around the room. I knew he
didn’t want to share this stuff with me, but I was done being left
in the dark. If he wanted me in his life, he was going to have to
start keeping me informed.

“
You don’t have to worry.”
Levi stopped pacing long enough to kneel down in front of me. This
was going to be bad—really bad.

“
Spill it,
Levi.”

He put his hands on my legs, looking me
right in the eye. “You heard what they talked about at the meeting.
The Blackwell’s are trying to usurp us.”

Usurp? I’d never heard Levi speak so
formally.

“
Aren’t they always trying
to seize power? This isn’t new, is it?” When I’d been kidnapped
over the summer, my captors made it seem that way.

“
Yes, and no.” He looked
away for a moment before turning his attention back to me. “They’ve
always wanted power, but they’ve never actually attempted to take
it before. Or at least not in my lifetime.”

“
We think someone on the
inside is leaking information. It seems like the Blackwell’s are
going to strike soon.” Jared took a seat on the couch next to
me.

“
And you think they’re
going to come after me, right?” I said the words I knew Levi didn’t
want to say.

“
You’re safe, Al. I
swear.”

“
Only if I stay with you.”
I said it quietly, but knew everyone in the room could
hear.

“
Yes.” His eyes never left
my face.

“
What does your cousin have
to do with this?” No longer wanting my coffee, I set it
aside.

“
He hates me for being the
heir to the throne. He’s power hungry.”

“
Do you think he’s working
with the Blackwell’s then?”

“
Maybe. I don’t know what
he’d have to gain though.” Levi still made complete eye contact. I
guess he was trying to let me know he was telling me
everything.

I reached out and touched his shoulder.
He was trying to put me at ease, but at the moment he also needed
comforting. He was worried. “Maybe it’s not to gain anything, but
to hurt you. Jealousy can be a powerful thing.”

“
Yes, it can.”

“
I assume by the fact that
you’re on your knees that you really think someone might come after
me again.”

“
Yes.” The one word answers
should have annoyed me, but at least he was being
honest.

“
That’s why I have you guys
in all of my classes. I’m always being watched, aren’t
I?”

“
Only from a distance. And
no one violates your privacy. Hailey lives with you so it isn’t
necessary.”

“
But if Hailey wasn’t
living with me…”

“
If you weren’t living with
Hailey, you’d be living with Levi.” Jared always spoke so
bluntly.

“
What if I don’t want to be
watched?”

“
You have no choice. You’re
too important.” Levi stood up. Jared moved, letting Levi sit down
next to me.

“
When can I see my mom?
Will it ever be safe, or will I be putting her in danger?” I’d been
looking at things in the short term, but I doubted anything would
be resolved anytime soon. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Part
of me wanted to go back to New York, but most of me
didn’t.

“
We’re going to take care
of it. My dad already has some serious leads. It’s just a matter of
time.” Jared’s voice sounded a little distant. I knew he wished he
were a bigger part of the effort.