Page 32 of Demons & Damnation

Sam licked her lips and gave her friend a wink. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

The queue moved forwards and soon enough, the pair had paid and were clattering up the stairs to head into the dark world of booze, good music, and promiscuous predators. Foggy memories clouded Kyla’s mind as she thought back to the first time her and Sam had come here. So much had happened since then.

As a shudder ran down her spine, Kyla pushed her thoughts away, forcing herself to live in the present, not the past. Reaching the top of the stairs, a set of light-coloured wooden double doors stood between them and the two hot brothers.

Sam yanked the doors open, enveloping them both in thumping dance music, the bass vibrating right through their bodies. Stepping inside, they took a moment to let their eyes adjust. Almost immediately, Kyla spotted a lone figure at the bar on the other side of the room. Easily a head taller than anyone else, he was easy to spot. The broad bulk of his body and the confidence oozing from him made him stand out like an apple amongst oranges.

“Wow,” Sam said, her mouth dropping open. “He is just...I don’t remember either of them being this fit. Which one is that?”

“I don’t know,” Kyla replied. “I think...” She waited for one of the spinning lights to cast its beam over him and highlight his hair. “I think that’s Adam, the blonde one.”

Right on cue, as if he heard her, the lonesome brother turned around and looked right at them. Sparkling green eyes locked onto hers, flecks of gold flitting through them every few seconds, making Kyla think of jade crystal and gold. Even from this distance, his eyes were as vibrant and mesmerising as if he were stood right in front of her.

A sickening lurch clenched around Kyla’s heart as their eyes met. Something whispered in the back of her mind that this was more than just her body reacting to him. As much as she appreciated his fine form, she found herself wondering what his story was, not just wanting to know what he was hiding in his boxers.

Trying to battle her thoughts and figure out why she was thinking so differently about him, Kyla didn’t notice Sam pushing her way through the crowds until she had nearly reached him. Feeling like a rabbit caught in headlights, Kyla couldn’t take her eyes from him. Whatever spell he had cast over her with one look broke the instant he looked down to find Sam touching his well-defined bicep.

Kyla stood, watching with curiosity, to see how he would react to Sam. As the lights twirled around, bathing the room in various shades of colour, Kyla could have sworn she saw a swirl of black dissipate through his eyes as he looked at her friend. The obvious recoil and the disdain in his features was nothing short of as if he’d just sucked on a lemon.

Taking a step towards them, Kyla jumped out of her skin when a hand touched the middle of her back. Spinning around to see whose wrist she would be breaking, she found herself stunned to see the handsome Ben Worthington stood next to her.

“Sorry,” he said, withdrawing his hand and holding both up in a surrender sign. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He gestured his head towards the bar. “Would you like a drink?”

She stared back at him, falling into the darkness of his eyes. Just like his brother’s had done moments ago, Kyla found herself lost, hypnotised by him. His chocolate eyes speckled with glints of light, silver and purple, and Kyla couldn’t help but feel like she was falling into a bottomless abyss.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

His deep voice brought her back to reality with a snap. “Yes, sorry. I just...” Heat flushed through her body, and she laughed. “Your eyes are really pretty. Have you seen the film Men in Black?”

Giving her a lopsided grin, he nodded. “Of course. Who hasn’t?”

“You remember the bit with the cat and the galaxy on its collar? When the woman stares into it, she gets lost?”

He nodded.

“Your eyes remind me of that. I don’t know why.”

He leaned down and whispered into her ear, “Because I’m full of mystery, that’s why.”

Goosebumps popped up all over Kyla, causing her to shiver. She smiled back at him but said nothing, finding herself thinking over and over about his eyes. It unnerved her that she could be so lost in something as simple as someone’s eyes. And not just one person’s either, both of them.

The eyes are the window to the soul, sprang forwards from her memory. It was one of her gran’s most favourite sayings about people. From the depths she had seen of Ben Worthington’s eyes in just a few seconds, he had a soul buried so deep, someone would lose theirs trying to find it.

“Still want that drink?” he asked.

“Sure,” she replied. “But I’m driving so just a coke for me please.”

“Of course. At least I know you’ll remember this in the morning and there’s no risk of you throwing up on me.”

Kyla laughed and allowed him to lead her to the bar. As they walked, she couldn’t ignore the throng of thirsty, drunken people seeming to move around them like he was Moses parting the Red Sea. The Worthington’s were a highly respected local family, but she hadn’t expected anyone to remember the two nephews, nor immediately know that Ben was one of them. The change in them was just phenomenal.

The bartender ignored the people who had been stood there for minutes longer and came straight to Ben for his order, much to the disproval of those around them. Within a minute, Kyla had a pint of coke in her hand, complete with clinking ice and a blue straw. Ben bought himself a glass of whiskey—neat. As full as her own glass, Kyla started doubting her choice to entertain him in any way.

Placing his hand on the small of her back, Ben guided her towards the overcrowded booths that edged the dancefloor. Blue velvet bench seats and wooden tables were always a welcome place for drinks that got in the way of dancing, or throbbing feet that needed a brief reprieve from high heels, body weight, and twisty moves.

Kyla didn’t need to look to know that there would be no spare places. These were usually the first things claimed by the early birds that came in the instant the club opened. As luck would have it, a group of young lads cleared out of one as the pair approached it.

“Perfect timing,” Kyla said, grinning at him as she sat down.

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