Legend of the Touched (40 page)

The girls had decided carpooling to the club would be
the easiest mode of transportation. One car was easier to pay for
and park in a ramp downtown. The city was quiet, a glass mountain
range of skyscrapers in all colors, shapes, and sizes. The skyline
was always impressive, especially at night when the buildings lit
up with small lights like stars in the sky. Cheyenne took in all of
these sights, the buildings, the people, and tried desperately to
calm her nerves.
It'll be fine
, she reminded herself over
and over again.
This will be fun
.

Twenty minutes later, she wouldn't have used the word
fun
to describe her evening. Rachel and the rest of her
friends were off dancing on the floor. They tried to tempt her to
join them, but Cheyenne was a disaster when it came to dancing. She
tripped over her own feet, and when her arms or anything above her
waistline moved, she looked as if she was having a seizure. Her
hips couldn't do anything resembling sexy. To save herself from
public humiliation, she kept close to the bar and sipped on Shirley
Temples.

The music was loud in an obnoxious sort of way, which
left her with a throbbing headache. The lights were bright and
blinding and moved in disorienting patterns across the otherwise
bland-looking room. Definitely not the hippest club in the city,
but everyone seemed to enjoy it anyway. Well, everyone but her.

"This seat taken?" a male voice asked coolly behind
her. It took her a minute or two and a tap on the shoulder for her
to realize he was talking to her. She was about to mumble something
to him when she noticed this guy was the same one with the green
eyes she had seen standing outside of her school. Denver.

Immediately, her face became an impressive shade of
red, which she knew because she could feel the heat from her
cheeks. Thankfully nobody could see it in the dark light.

"No, it's not taken," she said at last.
Instinctively, she moved away from him as he sat down. He took a
moment to shift along with her, as if he actually wanted to get
close to her. Was there something wrong with her? She couldn't help
but wonder, because he was sitting awfully close and leaning in,
staring at something on her body. It took her a moment to realize
he was checking out her chest.

"Can I help you?" she asked, shielding herself
protectively with her arms.

"Sorry, you smell good," he murmured, practically
purring in her ear as he pulled away. He still maintained his close
proximity.

"I smell..." She frowned and was about to sniff at
her arm, but she stopped herself. "…good?"

"You smell good. Kind of like lilies of the valley,
actually. Let me guess—you use that for your scented body
wash?"

"I just use Dial." Her entire body tensed more as he
moved in again, his face dangerously close to her neck. "I don't
mean to be rude, and while I'm flattered you're so fascinated with
my body, you're also making me uncomfortable. If you're just trying
to butter me up so I'll go home with you, you should stop now,
because that's not going to happen. Back off before I make
you."

He moved away once more with a smug smirk. "I thought
I smelled fire, too." He extended his hand to her for a polite and
friendly handshake. "My name is Denver. Yes, like the city in
Colorado. Last name is Collins, and I'm sorry if I made you
uncomfortable. I don't usually meet someone with that kind of
scent. It's strong. I knew there was a reason I noticed you."

Is this guy high or something?
"Apology
accepted. I'm Cheyenne. I've seen you around school these past few
weeks, but I don't think we've ever been formally introduced until
now. You're new, right?" Cheyenne shook his hand nervously. He had
a strong and confident shake. He seemed to be a genuinely nice
person, outside of his odd behaviors. If anything, it made her look
good in front of her classmates to be talking to the new cool kid,
and a young, attractive male. She felt a little less like a
freak.

"I'm temporary. I haven't been formally introduced to
anyone. You're the first, and it's only because you smell so nice I
can't stay away."

"Do you use that line on everyone? It's unique. A
little creepy, but unique."

"No." He sat back and proceeded to grab a napkin off
the bar and fold it in front of him multiple times. He didn't have
much of an attention span, apparently. "I actually don't pick up
women often. I just made an exception for the blue-eyed beauty in
front of me."

Cheyenne's face flushed again. "I wasn't aware you
knew the color of my eyes, seeing as how you've been staring at my
breasts the entire time." It came out a lot harsher than she
intended. In fact, she wasn't meaning to say it at all. "Sorry,
I—"

"You're right. I was, but I remember you from
earlier. I noticed your eyes when you were looking across the
school yard at me."

"You do remember that." She shrank in her chair a
little, officially wanting to hide under a rock.

"It's a little hard not to when you're so cute." He
moved closer to her, not quite as close as before, but enough to
cause butterflies in her stomach. "You don't like it here. I don't
like it here. And since we both don't like it here, maybe we should
head out and find something else to do. Maybe we can go someplace
we both like."

An involuntary shiver ran through her entire body,
and she nodded slowly. She could never say no to those green eyes.
"All right, but don't get any ideas. Just because I'm leaving with
you doesn't mean that—"

"Relax, we'll just go for a stroll outside. We don't
even have to leave the front of the building. Everyone can see us
for all I care, but I don't want to be in here anymore." He laughed
and grabbed her hand, then discreetly led her out of the club
before any of her friends could see she was gone. Cheyenne doubted
they were paying enough attention to notice anyway. He held her
hand much more gently than before. The contrast surprised her.

"Fine." She stopped abruptly as soon as they were
outside the club. They had some privacy, but they were close enough
to the bouncers at the entrance. She felt comfortable enough to
scream and have someone come running to help her if needed. He
didn't seem like a threat, but then she reminded herself of all the
people on the news who said that about the serial killers living
next door to them.

"What brings you to a club on a Wednesday night?" she
asked.

"I'm visiting the area, and I want to live it up here
as much as I can. I figured I'd check out a party or two and see
what you city folk do for fun. What about you?" He leaned against
the brick exterior of the club and glanced over at her
casually.

"Birthday party," she mumbled, and then nervously
leaned against the wall as well. "You're obviously not from here."
He must have been from one of the more rural areas if he was
referring to her as 'city folk.'

"Gee, you think?"

"So where are you from?"

"Does it matter?"

It didn't, but she still wanted to know. "Yes."

He turned his body, now leaning onto the wall with
his left elbow supporting him. A small laugh escaped his lips and
he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Don't ruin the moment by
asking a lot of stupid questions."

She blinked a few times with surprise. "We're having
a moment?"

"Yeah." He kept his eyes locked on hers. He must have
known the effect they were having. When she looked into them, she
could see gleefulness inside him, as if he were playing some kind
of a game and winning. It took her a moment to realize she was the
game and she was letting him win. As much as she wanted to stop him
and take back control, she found herself unable to.

"Sorry, it's that smell again," he said. The next
thing she knew, his body was pressing hers against the wall and his
nose was sniffing along the curve of her neck. He paused at the
flesh connecting it to her shoulders and kissed it ever so gently.
"It's intoxicating. I hope you don't mind if I have a taste."

"Taste? A little taste couldn't hurt, right? Only a
tiny one," she stammered. What was this strange tingling she was
feeling inside? She couldn't understand why she enjoyed what he was
doing so much. It felt so wrong, but in a good way.

"Of course," he murmured, and that was when he bit
her. It didn't hurt as much as startle her. The bite itself was
filled with a raw and intense passion.

The pain lasted for only a brief moment and then she
was filled with a sense of euphoria mixed with confusion over why
it felt so good. Why didn't she want him to stop? Her body tingled
inside and out in ways she never knew existed. Just as quickly as
he had sunk his teeth into her skin, he pulled out again and fled
down the street. Several minutes passed before she regained her
composure and everything started to sink in.

Her hand instinctively went to her neck to numb the
lingering sting. This also shielded the wound from unwanted stares.
The bouncers nearby watched her curiously, no doubt wondering if
she was just relishing in the moment of a lover's sweet kiss. In
some ways, she was, because she certainly didn't feel any fear and
was still lost in the wave of euphoria. With her free hand she
pulled out her cell phone and dialed 411.

"I need the number for a cab company, please."

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