DARK DAYS

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The next night, Nathaniel began to regret his lack of control as he parked his car outside one of the towns two bars and he glanced at Micah. “What’s going on nate? I thought there was a problem with one of the pack members?” Micah asked suspiciously.

“Yeah… about that…” Nathaniel started getting out of the car. “Um… I’m really really sorry man… but once she gets an idea in her head…”

Micah gave a resigned sigh, “You told her it was today.” He said filling in the blanks.

Nate stopped at the door, “She can be very persuasive… and in my own defense, there wasn’t really a whole lot of blood being directed to my head at the time…” He tried to explain, knowing he might get his ass kicked very soon.

Micah winced, “I didn’t need to know that!” he said almost offended. He added seing Nates worried look, “Relax, I know how persuasive she can be when she wants to be. She really shouldn’t be off the property though.”

With that they walked into the bar, and he didn’t have to pretend to be surprised, the sheer number of people there did the trick, it wasn’t just pack, but guys he worked with at the docks as well.  He followed nates stare and saw what had him ensnared. Christiana  stood there in the middle of them all, dark brown hair gleaming and curled, and a short dark red dress that would probably inspire many fantasies. 

She walked over tentatively, “Happy birthday?” she said unsure of what his response would be.

Micah looked her over, the way the material hugged her in all the right places, and where it stopped to show off two gorgeous legs that ended in very sexy strappy  high heels. “It is now.” He murmured. 

Her face broke out in a smile of relief, “Thank god!” She exclaimed hugging him. 

He kissed the top of her head, “Thank you baby girl.” Nathaniel was still too shocked at her appearance to feel any jealousy. “Close your mouth nate, you’re hormones are showing.” Micah said dangerously, before letting her drag him over to the crowd of people. 

A few hours of mingling and drinking later Micah walked up behind Ana, and asked quietly in her ear, “Been wondering all night… are you wearing anything underneath that dress?” 

The guy she had been talking to, one of his co-workers, excused himself after a look from Micah. Ana turned around smiling, “My, my Micah, are you drunk or just horny enough to ask?” She replied joking around.

Micah tilted his head, and said with a shrug, “Probably a bit of both. So? Anything?” 

Ana took his hand, “Come dance with me, then I’ll tell you.” She insisted pulling him over to the dance floor, she had noticed he had turned down everyone who had asked him. “You can dance right?”

He laughed, “Yeah, I can dance.” He said pulling her closer to him, ignoring the looks and whispers, “You, I have noticed, dance like a stripper.” 

Christiana hit his arm in outrage, “I do not!” 

Micah nodded, “All that’s missing is the pole. But trust me, it’s a very good thing for every man in the room.” She laughed. 

“everyone’s staring.” She whispered, when the song changed into This Years Love by David Gray. 

“I don’t dance.” He said as if it explained everything. And in a way it did, she was going to be really, really unpopular the next day. “It’s not like you weren’t unpopular already.” He offered reading her thoughts as he spun her around. 

“I love this song.” She sighed, giving into the fact that she’d be treated like a leper for ever more. 

“yeah?” he said absently.

She nodded into his chest, “my mother used to play it all the time before she died.”

Micah looked down at her, “How’d she die?” he asked quietly.

Christiana shook her head, “Tonight is not the time for that story.” 

“Okay.” He accepted, seeing she meant it this time. He added in her ear so only she could hear, being in a room of werewolves limited the ability to tell secrets, “you know that agreement we made… I think my control might slip soon.” 

Ana pulled back to look at him, “I thought you might say that.” She said with a laugh, even though she was feeling pulled in two directions at the moment. But she had told Nathaniel that nothing could come out of them seeing each other at the moment, they hadn’t talked about dating, she wasn’t ready to.

“You never answered my question.” Micah pointed out.

Ana c****d her head, “What question would that be?”

Micah grinned, “What are you wearing under there?”

Ana laughed at him and walked away. He shook his head grinning, before walking over the table of his sentinels. Dante raised an eyebrow in question, Micah gave him a look that told him not to voice any question he might have. “You’re girlfriend is a good dancer.” Micah said to Nate who was sulking over a beer, after watching them dance.

“She’s not my girlfriend apparently.” Nate muttered. 

Micah sat across from him, “Not for lack of trying.” He commented.

Nathaniel all but growled, “I don’t get women… no scratch that, I don’t get her.” He stared off into the general direction that she had walked off, “After last night… I  don’t understand how she could still not be my girlfriend.” Micah just stared at him dispassionately, “For Christ sake she all but screamed my name.” 

Micah watched the others shift uncomfortably, “Maybe you should stop drinking before you say something you’ll regret Nate.”

“f**k you Micah, you aren’t my father.” Nate growled, he added with a smirk, “you aren’t hers either…  everyone sees the way you look at her, and yet you pretend to be all noble and self sacrificing, as if you are so much better than the rest of us, like you aren’t thinking about all the different ways you’d love to f**k her senseless if you got the chance.” 

Micah leaned forward, “Look at me Nathaniel.” He ordered darkly. 

Nate fought the urge to obey, “You are no better than any of us Micah, the only difference is you are waiting till she turns eighteen.”

“Enough!” Micah growled slamming his hand down on the table. “the difference between me and you, and there are many, is that I know she is just a kid. Is she beautiful? Yeah. Would any man want to have her in his bed? Of course. But I am trying to protect her, from you from the others and from myself. Did you ever stop to think for a second that she went through a hell of a lot in her last pack? Did you ever consider what being the pack Lolita does to a fourteen-year-old girl, who suddenly has men three times her age staring at her like she is a brood mare? 

In this pack, right now she has the opportunity to be a kid, to be a regular teenager, and I am going to allow her that opportunity, because the second she turns eighteen it’s going to get infinitely worse for her. So good for you Nate, you made a seventeen year old girl o****m last night, but don’t you ever for one second forget that if you do anything to her, if you hurt her, take it one step to far I will destroy you. That is my word and my word is LAW!” he spat out standing up, pushing the chair back in anger.