Mates Next Door

Sugar Venom

~ASTRA~

"I won't be returning home this evening," I fiddled with my dress as I spoke, picking my words carefully. "Something came up and I'll be crashing at a course mate's dorm."

"Ugh," Valerie groaned from the other side of the phone. "I really wanted you to be back tonight. That race was magnetic! I'm sure Ryder was impressed. Don't forget to tell him about me!"

I glanced at Ryder. He was just about to light up the end of his cigarette when he heard Valerie speaking. There was a spark of interest in his eyes but I immediately tore my eyes off him.

I was still filled with rage. I didn't even want to see him right now so I pushed to my feet and made my way towards the balcony overlooking the bright city lights behind the school's campus.

It was windy out here. Utterly serene too.

"I won't. And you'll see me tomorrow morning. I'll give you every detail." I smiled and kept glancing through the transparent french doors demarcating that side of the house from where I stood.

"Did he give you his number?" She asked.

"Uhm, no."

"Bummer," She sighed. "See you tomorrow."

"Was that your friend?"

I jumped, my heart skipping a beat. I missed a footing and staggered backwards. Ryder was quick to catch me by the arm. He pulled me off the wrought iron bannister and pulled back immediately, like I stung him.

"You scared me," I glared at him and rubbed the part of my skin he just grabbed. I didn't want to be anywhere close to him or feel his presence. It didn't matter if he was the son of the man who killed my father and had nothing to do with it. "What do you want?"

"Was that your friend on the phone?" He asked.

"Yes," I nodded. "Why?"

"I heard her talking about me," He smiled slowly, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief as he casually leaned against the door jamb and slipped both hands into his pocket. "She likes me, I presume?"

"What does it matter?" I scoffed.

"I like her too." He replied. "Can I have her number?"

"You don't like her, Ryder," I shook my head. "My friend is not a toy for you to play with."

"You don't know what I like." He replied with an eye roll. "She already told you to talk about her to me, didn't she? Stop being the awful friend who doesn't want something good because her friend keeps getting attention."

I burst into laughter. "What? I am not being an awful friend. I care about her. I know how down bad Valerie gets with guys like you. She's always falling for them and getting heartbroken in the end. I won't allow you to use her the way you do other girls."

"You're so naïve, aren't you?" He glared at me. "Valerie is not a f*****g kid. She knows what she wants and she asks for it. Unlike you."

"You don't know one damn thing about me!" I retorted.

"Neither do you," He shrugged and spread out his arms. "So are you going to give me her number or not?"

I cared so much about Valerie. I didn't want to be the one roping her into this mess that was Ryder. She was going to get heartbroken. He was going to use her like a rug and discard her once he was done with her. I'd seen several guys do that to her.

"She's human, Ryder," Arik appeared from behind him. "Do you really want to do this now that Argents are after us?"

Arik's statement sent a wave of anxiety down my body. He wasn't wrong. The Argents were still prowling around. How could I have forgotten?

But Ryder laughed. "And what does it matter? You speak like you've not done it with a human. Isn't Astra the first of our kind you have ever taken interest in?"

Arik grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him against the wall, his gaze narrowing at his friend. "Shut the f**k up, Ryder. Now is not the time to be stupid."

Ryder glanced at me. Something flashed in his eyes but it was gone as soon as it came. I had no idea what it was but it bothered me.

Arik got a grip of himself and pulled away from Ryder. "Do whatever you want. You've always done that since I knew you."

With those words, Arik walked away, leaving Ryder to put himself in order.

Smiling, Ryder turned to me again. "You pine desperately for him and you can't make a simple move. Pathetic," He spat. "Valerie is the type of girl that gets whatever she wants. Now, are you going to give me her digits or do you want me to create problems trying to find her? The Argents wouldn't hesitate to capture and kill me once they find me."

He was such a manipulative bastard. Disgust bubbled up within me and all I wanted to do was wipe that grin off his face with a blow to the side of his head.

I called out her number to him and he immediately called.

"Hey, Valerie," He smiled. "Do you know who's speaking?"

When I heard her squeal his name in excitement, my shoulders sagged in dread. My fists clenched and unclenched as I fought to rein my anger in.

"I'm glad you do," He flipped the bronze lighter between his fingers. "Your best friend gave your number to me. I'm glad she did but kind of bummed that it's late. A pretty woman like you deserves to be taken out on a date. Inviting you over tonight would be really rude of me. I guess I'd have to wait till this weekend."

"No!" She snapped. "I can come immediately, you know. Just send your address to me and I'll be there."

Ryder glanced at me, his eyes glinting with a light that scared me. He wasn't interested in her. Bastard.

"Alright. See you soon."

As soon as he ended the call, I advanced at him. "You disgust me. Do anything to hurt her and I'll rip you apart."

"You're no match for me." His hand brushed my hair and I pulled back immediately. "Be careful with Arik anyway. He's as charming as they come."

Pushing past him, I made my way back into the main house and took a seat on one of the couches.

I gave the place a good look. Whoever decorated this space did a good job at representing a modern day minimalist, maximalist design. The walls were pale coloured and the abstract and impressionist paintings added life and colour to the room.

The Raft of the Medusa sat directly above a pale blue shelf containing old looking tomes. I didn't need to be told that it belonged to Arik. I rose to my feet and made my way towards the shelf, guided by my curiosity.

My fingers brushed the hard back of the book until I stopped and pulled out a hardcover book I immediately recognised.

A Tale of two Cities.

I remembered reading it in high school. It wasn't everyone's favourite in highschool as they were all tilted towards reading more romantic books than this classic I held in my hand.

"You've read A Tale of two Cities?" I turned and found Arik standing behind me. He had changed from his usual earthen jacket and slacks to a simple pair of grey sweat pants and a white shirt that hugged his features.

He was ripped, good heavens.

His biceps bulged in the sexiest manner and my eyes narrowed in on a tattoo at the side of his neck.

"You have a tattoo." I muttered under his breath, forgetting everything else he said before this moment.

He brought his hand to his neck and rubbed it softly. "Yes, I do. It's a Celtic drawing of a mythical beast."

"Oh," I nodded. "Can I see it?"

"Sure," He made his way over to me. I caught the overpowering scent of mint and shampoo. My fingers dug into the skin of my palm as I fought to keep myself composed.

He pulled the left side of his collar to reveal more of the drawing. "Is that a wyvern?"

He nodded. "Yes, it is. I got it when I turned sixteen."

"It's so nice. Scary, but I like it."

He smiled, causing his eyes to twinkle. The lights in the room turned them into a golden brown hue, making him look angelic.

"What Ryder said, don't mind him." He sighed. "He has a thing for instigating fights and every negative energy in our group. But we're quite used to it so it doesn't get to us anymore."

"I hate him." I replied through gritted teeth.

"Don't let him get to you," Arik chuckled, plucking the book from my hand and giving it a good look, like he was remembering a moment from his past. "He'll try to rile you up so he can use it against you but don't show him he affects you in any way."

But he did. He was affecting me in ways I didn't like. He made me feel uncomfortable and scared and...

I had no idea!

"Why don't we go back to talking about this unique tattoo on your neck," I lifted my gaze to him, watching his face dissolve into a grin. "Why did you choose it?"

He heaved a deep sigh, his voice rumbling deep in his chest as he spoke. "I only did it to upset my parents, to be honest."

"Rebellious much?" I laughed.

"They did me wrong and I thought this was enough to get back at them. Well, it was."

"So do you believe you made a wrong decision or a right decision?" I asked. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. I couldn't help being overwhelmed by the sheer sight of him.

Arik dressed so casually wasn't also helping matters. It wasn't like his corporate and academic style even helped. I was attracted to how he looked in every outfit.

And I'd seen only two.

"Since you like it, I guess I made the right decision."

"This isn't about me."

"Everything seems to be now that you're here," he muttered under his breath. His breath fanned my cheek, causing waves and waves of desire to ebb through me. I didn't fight Mylena this time. I wanted him as much as he did.

He took my hand and brought it close to his collar. "I know you want to touch my tattoo. You're scared of what you'll feel, aren't you?"

"I don't want to make this more complicated than it already is," I replied, barely able to tear my gaze from his. "Flynn already hates me. I don't want to hurt him further."

"It doesn't matter."

The door suddenly clicked open, drawing my attention. Ryder stood by it, smiling down at an overly excited Valerie.

"Oh, no." I gasped in horror. I stepped away from Arik but he caught my wrist and tried to stop me from walking away.

"No, Arik. She can't see me like this." I whispered right before he placed my hand on his tattoo.

The moment my fingers brushed the drawing, a sharp, stinging sensation ripped through me and sent me crashing to the ground.