Claimed by the Devils

Chapter 36

Rowan POV

None of the guys were kissing and telling, so the date was made a little more difficult. I didn’t know what to do without anything to compare it to. Don’t get me wrong, I knew what they had all done. Lucian had taken the fancy dinner route. Elliot went and showed off his amazing talents, which left Sebastian with a movie night. They all sounded boring to me.

None of us ever had to show off to a girl. I mean ever. We all did our own thing and girls fell into our laps. It was why we created our little book of scoring. Deep down, I knew it was wrong. Kind of cruel in fact, but when chicks were throwing themselves at us, left, right, and center, well, we had to do something to keep it interesting.

With Aria, that idea was just crass.

She’d hate each of us, if not be repulsed by us if she ever found out. Damn, I hoped Lucian kept a lid on his temper. He had a way of messing things up, and right now, I didn’t want anything to come between me or Aria, or getting this part of the initiation process done with The Society.

So many rode on Halloween night, which was fast approaching.

Aria sat next to me as I drove us both out toward our date destination. All day I’d been driven insane on what to do. Then, out of the corner of my eye, during gym, I happened to notice Aria stood with Heather as someone played some tunes. Her hips swayed ever so subtly in time to the beat of the music.

Just watching her had turned me on. Instant thought. Dancing.

None of the guys had taken her out dancing, and I happened to know a nice bar, not too far from the campus. The owner, Billy, was a decent guy. So long as I agreed not to cause any trouble for him or his bar, I could go whenever I wanted. Alcohol wasn’t on the menu, but I loved the greasy food and the music.

“Did you enjoy classes today?” I asked.

Aria chuckled.

“You know you’re all bad at small talk.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Yep, you are. I feel sorry for the girls before me who thought you were a catch.”

She shook her head.

“It’s kind of hilarious now to think about.”

“Please, we’re a good catch.”

“You don’t know how to talk on a date.”

“Babe, this coming from a woman who hasn’t had a boyfriend.”

“So? I do better than you.”

“Try me,” I said.

“Fine. Fine.”

She turned a little in her seat.

“How are you, Rowan?”

“Good.”

“I had a wonderful day. I’ve been really looking forward to our date. Do you have any idea where we’re going or what we’re going to be doing?”

“You have?” I asked.

I didn’t care about the last part she said. All I heard was how much she looked forward to our date. To me, that was a damn high success.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“This entire setup isn’t exactly your thing.”

I cringed as the words tumbled out of my mouth.

“True. But we’ve been doing fine, don’t you think?”

“You know I do. I think we’re getting along great.”

She chuckled.

“See, we’ve got nothing to worry about. What are we doing tonight?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Really? Don’t forget we’ve still got classes in the morning.”

“Yeah, I haven’t forgotten.”

“Did Sebastian tell you about us going back to his folks’ place tomorrow night?” Aria asked.

He’d already gotten us up to speed on the small vacation. Personally, I didn’t want to go. Snooping around our folks’ s**t wasn’t a good way to spend the weekend. We were only supposed to know what we were supposed to. I knew if I allowed myself to really think of how deep The Society went, I’d s**t a brick. In fact, I probably wouldn’t leave the house because I was taking a s**t all the time. I didn’t need that kind of an issue in my life.

“Yeah, it should be fun,” I said.

No, it really wasn’t going to be. I had a feeling it was going to be f*****g tense as s**t.

Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I saw the neon sign for Billy’s. Just seeing the glowing red light made me feel so much better.

I happened to enjoy dancing. It was a good way of letting off steam. I didn’t say I was any good at it, but I hoped I could hold my own, or at least we were about to find out.

“A bar? Can we go into one of them?”

“Billy’s is good. I’m not buying you beer, so don’t ask. I’ve got a deal with the owner. He doesn’t mind me stopping by from time to time so long as I don’t cause any fights.”

“I’m impressed,” Aria said as I parked my car.

“You haven’t seen me dance yet.”

“No, this is a surprise. The second one of the night.”

“What was the first?” I asked.

“You’re wearing jeans. I like them.”

She opened the car door and I climbed out myself, meeting her at the hood of my car. I held my arm out to her.

“Are you ready to go and have some fun?”

She put her hand in mine and gave me the biggest smile I’d ever seen.

“Yes.”

As to be expected, Billy’s was thriving, as it was every single night they were open. It was one of the many reasons I loved this place. He had the best bands and played the greatest music. He was the king of the bar scene as far as I was concerned. I’d spent some time over the years in a few nightclubs, but none of them were even close to being this good. On entering, the heavy scent of sweat, beer, and cigarette smoke assailed my senses.

This was where life was.