Page 21 of Nighted

Necessary, but the image they were presenting of me was a lie. I wasn’t innocent. I wasn’t harmless. I had the blood of a thousand Venators running through my veins, and the possessive mark of a deadly werewolf on my neck. This pack may not believe in Venators, but they had another thing coming for them if they expected a passive human to toy with.

Jasper drove us to the outskirts of Chicago, where the houses were still spaced far apart and set back from the road. He led us down a narrow road, to where a small home was nestled in the tree line, cheerfully lit in the full dark. I don’t know what I had been expecting, but I definitely wasn’t expecting a normal looking house party. Music blasted out of the bright windows, with people milling about in the yard. I could see still more guests inside.

I subtly touched my blades again, for reassurance. A party full of werewolves. Easy. Jasper reached across the seat and squeezed my hand. “It’ll be fine, baby. You can kick all of their asses if you need to.”

I groaned. “Not the motivation I was looking for. Mingling isn’t really my thing.”

Jasper chuckled. “You’ll do great.” He brought my hand to his mouth, kissing my knuckles softly. “Don’t let anyone else sweep you off your feet.”

I snatched my hand away and rolled my eyes as I got out of the car. “As if. Besides, hiding our marks was your idea.”

Jasper grabbed my wrist back, pulling me into the dark shadows on the other side of the car. He pinned me between his firm body and the car, trapping me between his arms. I watched his muscles tighten and ripple beneath his fitted shirt as he struggled to control his emotions. “Don’t think for a minute this isn’t hard for me,” he breathed. “Acting like I didn’t have you screaming my name from underneath me this morning. Pretending like I won’t be fucking the hell out of you again later tonight.”

I could feel desire flooding his body, coursing through the mate bond which only amplified my own cravings. Shit. How was I going to focus now?

Jasper smirked, and I knew he was fully aware what he was doing. “Let’s go, Green. Our new friends await.” He ran one last longing look over my body as I tried to catch my breath.

We walked into the party together, but far enough apart we seemed like colleagues. Nothing more. He introduced me to several burly men, all of their names and faces blurring together. They gave me polite nods, but didn’t seem to care who or what I was. After all, to them I was nothing more than a lowly human. Some people sniffed openly at me as I brushed past, knowing I smelled… different. Other. And without Jasper holding my hand, I was either a threat or a meal. Jasper tugged me over to where a few women stood, drinking sweating cans of beer.

“Ava. This is Sage. She’s the Beta for this pack.” Jasper introduced me to the tallest woman as her friends looked over me curiously. A female Beta? I had thought the pack was old-fashioned. Sage was stunning, with bright blue eyes and masses of golden hair spilling down her exposed back. She certainly didn’t look like a deadly Beta.

“Don’t hurt yourself trying to figure it out.” Sage’s voice was cool and laced with disdain. “You humans and your emotions are so… easy.”

Easy.Irritation pricked under my skin, and I was ready to snap back until I felt Jasper place a tense hand on my shoulder. For the pack. I was here for the pack. “Ava is our new Venator.”

I gave Sage an icy smile and offered my hand. “Pleasure.”

She looked down her nose at my offered hand before turning to Jasper. “Jasp, you ran out before we could finish our dinner the other night.”

Jasp?Why was she familiar with my mate? And why were they having dinner? I could feel anger bubbling in my stomach. He needed to have a damn good explanation for this. Jasper shot me a warning gaze out of the corner of his eye, but I ignored him, waiting to hear his response.

“I had other matters requiring my immediate attention.” His voice sent sparks through my carefully hidden mark. Oh. Still didn’t explain why they were having dinner.

Sage tossed her casually curled hair, arousing the attentions of several wolves in the surrounding area. She was obviously used to getting what she wanted. “We’ll have to find another time for us to get together then. I had so much fun.” She glanced at me as if to dare me to interrupt the conversation.

“Yes. We will.” Jasper took my elbow, steering me toward a leaning table stacked with beer. “I have to be on Sage’s good side. She’s the Alpha’s sister,” he murmured under his breath, covering up the sounds of his whispers by opening a can of beer. “Can you handle making the rounds on your own now?”

I glared at him as openly as I dared. “Yes. But we can talk about your convenient memory lapse regarding your dinner with Sage later.”

He handed me the beer and grinned. “I had other things on my mind. Come find me in a bit.”

I scowled at his receding back as he turned and walked into the crowd, immediately striking up a conversation with another man who had called him over. And then I was on my own, at a party. How hard could mingling be?

As I leaned against the wall near the beer table, I’m sure I scared away everyone within a ten-foot radius. Some of the teenaged wolves smiled and giggled as they walked by in groups, but I was left alone for the most part. I nursed my beer, wanting to keep a level head as I kept an eye on Jasper’s tall frame as he worked his way around the room. I was always awkward in group settings. Alpha Dean had really made a mistake sending me into a party to build relationships. The anger I could feel radiating off me toward Sage probably wasn’t helping things either. She was currently laughing loudly with her hand on another man’s chest. Fucking Sage. Telling me I was human. Telling me I was easy.

“You’re the Venator right?”

I startled from my angry inner monologue to find one of the werewolves standing in front of me, smiling warmly.

“The one and only.” I raised my beer in a sarcastic toast, giving him a half smile. “But you can call me Ava.”

He clinked his own beer can in response, humour alight in his eyes. “I’m Mick. I’ve never met a Venator before.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Not much to it. At the end of the day, it’s a job.” Small talk was not my forte. But I had to do my best for the pack. Mingle. Make people like me.

“Come on. I can see those pipes hiding under your shirt. You must work out nonstop. I bet you could even take me down.” I raised my gaze to look directly at Mick. Was he flirting with me? A quick glance over his shoulder to Sage’s evil glare told me he was. Time to have some fun.

I smiled sweetly at Mick, tossing my hair over my shoulder the way Sage had done. “I’m sure I could take you down in more ways than one.”

---