Dreams of Nightfall

Ari POV     I pushed through the mass of bodies surrounding me on the dancefloor of Raven’s Nest. It was the newest club to open in the city, making it jam-packed on a Friday night. I tugged at the hem of my black dress–it clung to every curve like a second skin. My feet were begging for release from the ridiculously tall stilettos Trish had conned me into wearing. We had come out to the bar to celebrate my twenty-third birthday. I had wanted just a relaxing night on my couch with some popcorn and Netflix. Trish had refused the idea, saying something about letting myself go to waste. She was my best friend and roommate. I loved the girl to death, but her idea of a good time involved lots of alcohol and guys. Neither of which I was too keen on. I flipped my blonde waves off my shoulder as I walked up to the bar, where she was sitting on a stool chatting with one of the bartenders.     “Trish, you could have told me you were coming to get another drink,” I grumbled. She had disappeared while we were dancing, leaving me completely alone. Her black mini skirt was getting dangerously high on her thighs. She had the legs to show off, but she was about to be showing more than that in a second. Not that Trish would mind–she loved to flaunt her assets as she called them. Her curves were to die for. She had that perfect hourglass figure that every woman envies. Add in her waist-length ebony hair with her jade eyes and tanned skin–Trish was a perfect ten.     “Sorry, I had gone to the bathroom, and then I saw this cutie,” she said with a flirtatious smirk at the guy shaking her next drink. I rolled my eyes at her comment. Could she be any more cringe? He was attractive as far as basic tastes go–not my type in the slightest. Then again, I couldn’t claim to have a type given how long it’d been since I’d last dated. I hadn’t been able to get Trish to understand my refusal to do so. In her mind, it was as essential as breathing.     “Okay, whatever. I’m over this though. Can we go home now? I did what you asked and came out tonight, but my pint of Ben and Jerry’s and my bed are calling me,” I put on a fake pout to maximize the effect. I may not be a ten like Trish, but I was often told I had a sexy pout that could make people melt. It was my one advantage over her. If I added in my puppy dog eyes, I could get her to do just about anything.     The bartender stared at us as Trish mulled over my request–it was clear she wasn’t ready to leave yet. He finished mixing her drink and poured it into a glass, then slid it over to her. She gave an appreciative smile to the guy, who blushed in response. That was how most men responded to Trish. One look that said she might be interested, and they were wrapped around her pinky finger.     “Let me finish this drink since he worked so hard on it, and then we can go,” she huffed, pretending to be annoyed with me. I breathed a sigh of relief. I had figured she would put up more of a fight than that since we hadn’t been out to a club in months. “But, while you wait for me to do that. You have to get back on that floor and enjoy yourself. It’s your birthday Ari–act like it,” the mischievous glint in those green eyes made me groan. Trish knew I hated dancing; too many guys want to creep on you. I knew there was no way I’d be able to convince her to leave before she’d polished off that drink. I would have to bear with it if that were what it would take to go home.     I shoved my way back to the front of the dancefloor so I could at least be near the speakers. The bass coming from them would drown out any guy who tried to hit on me. It was getting close to midnight, judging by the number of people now crowding the area. My twenty-third birthday officially arrived at eleven fifty-three if going by my birth certificate. That had to be why Trish pushed me back out here. She was either up to something or was taking me being out at the actual time as a consolation prize. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, followed by a wave of goosebumps going down my body. I whipped my head around to look at the faces near me. I only ever felt that sensation when someone was staring holes through me.     My eyes connected with a figure in the corner–his face hidden mainly through shadow from the speaker. His silver eyes glinted underneath the lights covering the dancefloor. He gave me a salacious grin when he caught my stare. I couldn’t help the smirk that snuck its way onto my face as I flipped him the bird. I was not interested, especially in someone that screamed trouble the way he did. He must have found my reaction amusing because he kicked off the wall he’d been leaning on and strolled over. His silver hair framed his face in jagged layers coming down to his chin. There was no way that could be his natural color. He was far too young to have gray hair already. My eyes were glued to him as he drew closer. The man was wearing ripped black jeans with a black t-shirt that was tight enough that I could see every ounce of lean muscle on him.     I stood rooted to the spot as he approached, feeling like I was in a trance. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. He was close enough that I could tell his eyes weren’t quite silver, more of a molten gray with a metallic shine. They reminded me of polished chrome with how they sparkled when they caught the light. Ink black tattoos wound up from his wrist, disappearing beneath his shirt. I unconsciously licked my lips as I wondered briefly just how far the artwork stretched on his body.     “Did I do something to offend you from over there?” he asked in a low sultry voice that had my brain short-circuiting. It had to be illegal to sound like that. His voice slid over me like he was caressing me with just his words. When I didn’t respond, he arched a brow at me. I snapped out of my trance, a blush sweeping over my cheeks.     “You were staring at me. I’m not interested, so you might as well give up now,” I said, trying to reclaim some of my dignity.     “Well, I apologize. I had felt someone watching me. I was only trying to see who it was. I can assure you there is no interest on my side either. I’m spoken for already. Have a good night,” he had a cocky smirk that I wanted to slap right off his face. I glanced to the bar to see if Trish had finished with her drink she’d insisted on having. When I turned back to where the man had been standing, he was gone. I craned my neck to see if he was walking through the crowd somewhere, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found. It was as if the man had vanished into thin air. I shook my head and reminded myself that I wasn’t interested.     When I made it back to the bar, Trish was still sitting on the same stool. She was so engrossed in conversation with the bartender from earlier she didn’t even notice my presence. Her flirt mode was in full swing, and the guy was eating up. I glanced at the clock behind him, eleven fifty. Just a couple of more minutes, and I would officially be twenty-three.     “Hey, you seem like you’re enjoying yourself, so I’m just gonna call a cab. I’ll see you at home Trish,” I said into her ear so she could hear me over the music. She gave me a quick nod before turning back to her conversation. With how into this guy she looked, I doubted I would see her until tomorrow. I made my way out of the club and pulled out my cellphone. I called the company Trish, and I always used when we went out. They said they would be there in twenty minutes.     I shrugged on my jacket to put some warmth back into my body from the frigid December air. I would never understand how Trish could go out in winter weather wearing so little. It was almost halfway through the cold season; the solstice was today, which meant warmer temperatures would be returning soon. I glanced at the clock on my phone–one minute left. As I tucked it back into my pocket, I caught a glimpse of silver from the corner of my eye. The man from earlier was standing a little way down the sidewalk smoking a cigarette while talking to some other people. His hair had a soft glow to it from the streetlamp above him–it gave him an ethereal look. How can one person be that attractive?     His eyes snapped in my direction suddenly as if he’d just been shocked. He stared at me unblinking for a moment and then started coming towards me. His eyes had changed from the bright gray to a dark slate, taking on a predatory gaze. He was only a few steps away from me when my cab pulled up. I hesitated for a second, debating whether to stay and talk to him or head home. When the driver honked his horn to let me know he was there, I hurried over to the car and climbed inside. We pulled away from the curb right as he reached the spot I’d been standing in. The pained look on his face made me arch an eyebrow at him. A deep scowl replaced his cocky grin as he stood there watching my cab get further and further away.     I turned back around in my seat to face forward. Tonight would, without a doubt, go down in my book of weirdest encounters that I’ve had. Ten minutes later, I got out of the cab and handed the driver what I owed him. I pulled my keys from my coat pocket as I walked up the path to the house I shared with Trish. It was a small cottage on the outskirts of the city that had come with cheap rent. The home was outdated by a couple of decades, but neither of us had cared. It had been precisely what we were looking for, so we jumped on it. I let myself in and walked down the hallway to my bedroom. I dropped my coat onto the back of my desk chair.     My feet screamed in pleasure when I peeled off the heels that I swore I’d never wear again. I unzipped my dress and peeled it down my body, letting it drop to the floor. I walked over to my dresser to grab my yoga shorts and a t-shirt. After pulling on the more comfortable clothes, I headed back to the kitchen for my cookie dough ice cream. I had just opened the freezer to grab the creamy dessert when my doorbell rang. Who the f**k would be here at this hour? Reluctantly, I closed it and walked to the front door. I raised onto my tiptoes so that my five-foot-three self could see through the peephole. My jaw hit the floor when I saw that silver-haired man standing outside my door.     Half of my gut was screaming to call the cops while the curious part of me said to open the door. I decided to settle somewhere in the middle.     “What do you want?” I yelled.     “I need to talk to you,” his voice held an urgency that put me on alert. He sounded almost frantic.     “About what? Actually, scratch that. How the f**k did you find my house?”     “Please open the door. I promise I’m not here to hurt you,” he looked right into the peephole. His face was etched with what looked like worry. What on earth could have him so spooked? Somehow my curious side won the battle, and I unlocked the door, opening it just a crack.     “Talk,” I snapped. I may be curious, but I wasn’t stupid.     “Can I come inside? This really isn’t a conversation for out in the open,” he glanced around him like he was checking to see if anyone was watching. I wanted to refuse him, to make him stand on my porch and say whatever it was he’d deemed so crucial as to stalk me to my home. Instead, I opened the door farther and let him in. This is how women get murdered Ari. What the f**k are you doing?     “You have five minutes, then you’re going to leave,” I said, closing the door, “First things first, tell me your name. Then you can tell me the rest,” I finished, crossing my arms over my chest.     “My name is Donovan Quinn,” his voice had taken on that sultry tone that warmed my insides.     “Nice to meet you. I’m Ari White. Now the–“     “I know who you are. I’ve been looking for you for centuries,” Donovan said. It took my brain a minute to register his words. Centuries? A bubble of laughter escaped–he couldn’t be serious. Did this guy really think that s**t worked on women?     “That’s a pretty good pickup line. Do all the other women you’ve used it on swoon when you say that?” I quipped. His eyes hardened back to the slate stone color I’d seen earlier on the sidewalk.     “It’s not some line. It’s time you came back home where you belong,”     “Okay, this is officially too creeper status for me; I need you to leave,” I said as I opened my front door again. Donovan didn’t move a muscle; he just stood there in my foyer with a determined look. A gust of chilled air blew in from the outside, making me shiver.     “Look, Donovan, was it? I won’t ask you again. Please–“     “You were born on the winter solstice. You have one green eye, one blue—hair golden like the sun. You despise the cold and the night. You’re always up right at sunrise, if not a few minutes before. Your favorite color is green, but not the dark version; you prefer the bright one,” I stilled at his words. How he knew so much about me, I couldn’t say, but it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.     “How did you kn–“     “You won’t believe me even if I tell you,” he carded his hand through his hair in exasperation. The dismissive words made my blood boil.     “Try me,” I growled, challenging him.     “Because I’m a faerie. I come from the Moon court ruled by the night. I am the next ruler of my court, and I’ve waited four hundred years for you,”     “You’re a what?”     “A faerie. Just like you are Aurora,”     I gaped at him–this man had to be insane. The fae didn’t exist–they were just a myth. Weren’t they? He had to be suffering from a severe case of schizophrenia. There was no other logical explanation. I didn’t know what unsettled me more, the thought that Donovan was deranged or that he somehow knew the full name that I never used. Ever.     “It’s not a delusion Aurora. You’re a faerie from the Sun court ruled by the day. You are meant to be their next ruler, and your people need you,” he stepped toward me, making me take a step back.     “Let’s say I buy into this little charade of yours. If you’re some night faerie and I’m a day one. Why would you be looking for me? Why wouldn’t one of the other day faeries or whatever come to get me?” I asked. I had to poke as many holes as possible in his fantasy, or I’d have to admit that I was crazy just like he was.     “I came looking for you because you’re my destined,” Donovan said with a devilish smile. Wait, what?     “I’m your what?”     “You are the person I’m supposed to marry and rule the faerie courts with. You and I are the next king and queen of all faeries,” he said casually, “Now it’s time to go home Aurora,” with that, he smacked his hands together then started to spread them wide. The air shimmered between his hands until a gust of wind kicked up. A circle of refracted light encompassed what could only be described as a portal. There was a scene of a lush meadow in the opening, all wildflowers, and sunshine. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I felt my breathing speed up–I was hyperventilating. This was too much.     “Ari!” Donovan yelled as he raced over to catch me right as I blacked out.