The bottles from the twelve-pack Ryder had placed on the bar disappeared from the carton and were dumped into a trashcan. Alecia curled into a ball. Ryder's and Sheila's perfect speech long ago began to slur and now both stumbled over each other as they danced and talked. Not once had Ryder offered her a drink, or seen to any of her needs. If there was only a bartender here. What would her fiancé do, if she let Mr. Bartender drop his arms around her like the way he did with Sheila? She could look at the bartender biting on the side of her bottom lip like Ryder did. Ryder would probably punch him.
“Ouch,” sheila said as she fell to the floor, followed by Ryder. They both busted out laughing.
Alecia walked over to Ryder. He lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling shaking his head - his chest rising and falling with each deep breath. He probably didn’t even notice her. They were both going to be sick.
Alecia went and got two glasses of water from a small kitchen on the second floor. When she came back, Ryder was still on the floor, but there was something different about his face. His eyes were glossy and roamed the ceiling as if he was trailing something. She looked at the ceiling, but there was nothing up there. Sheila sat on top of a chair, rocking back and forth.
“Sheila, get down you’re going to fall,” Alecia said.
Sheila sneered at her. “Go to bed.”
“Yeah, go to bed Alecia.” Ryder sprang off the floor and came running to Sheila. He took her hands and dragged her off the chair. When her feet hit the floor; he moved her hips with his, shouting something out, which sounded like Latin, but Alecia couldn’t tell.
Tears brimmed at the edges of her eyes. She would find out later what was going on even if she had to drill Ryder. She set the glasses down and turned to leave, but Ryder ran to her and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to the side.
“Where you going, pretty thing?” Ryder's free hand cupped her hip. “Alecia ever notice how blue your eyes are? How innocent looking?” He raised his hand in the air over her head and reached for the ceiling. “They’re so blue.” He fixed his eyes on his hand.
Alecia tried to turn around, so she could fully look at Ryder, but his arm held her still.
“What is wrong with you?”
He bent down to her ear and started whispering something in French.
“What are you saying?”
There was something about him that seemed different, his shoulders seemed broader, the sura around him became stronger, and an electric blue lined his silver eyes. Alecia's eyes widened. Was this how werewolves looked when they turned?
“Let’s do something,” Sheila shouted.
Ryder spun Alecia around and flipped her over his shoulder.
“Ryder,” she screamed, planting both hands on his sweat filled back. The floor sped from her as Ryder raced out of the room. She clenched onto the bottom of Ryder's pants - her pulse pushed through her, as tears slipped down her cheeks. Please don’t let him drop me. If he did she would fall right on her head. Alecia ducked her head to avoid a wall as Ryder turned a corner too fast.
He raced down the stairs making a scream slip from her. He didn’t even notice, or care. He was literally out of his mind. And what scared her most was that he was in his werewolf state. What if he brought out his claws!. They must have taken something while she got water. But Ryder didn’t take drugs. She had never seen one evidence of it and she lived with him. But what could be going on? What if he did and he hid it from her?
She closed her eyes. Please. I want to go home. Something moist and cold covered her, stabbing at her skin. She gasped and swallowed water. She pushed to the surface and coughed. Her lungs burned as she fought for air.
The Alpha pulled her against his strong body. She shoved her hair out of her face and glared at Ryder who laughed as if he’d just heard the best joke. His bangs covered his eyes, just slightly revealing the wildness in them.
“What is wrong with you?” She pushed hard on his chest, but he clenched her tighter.
Sheila wrapped her pale arms around them, making her feel as if the air fled from the pool room. She gasped but couldn’t bring any air into her burning lungs. She was trapped and these two were going to suffocate her. Every part of her tensed as a pair of feminine fingers ran down her side, curving over her hip. She touched her like Ryder did before he wanted something.
“Hey, Alecia,” Sheila said, her voice husky.
“You two are on something.” What could she do? She was not going to stand here between these two with this girl touching her. Ryder kissed her cheek, letting his lips trail down her neck. She gagged.
Play along. Do that. Alecia caressed the bottom of Rydery waist right above his pants line.
His arms loosened a little.
“Hey.” He bit down on the side of his lip.
Alecia bent down in the water until her head was fully submerged. She kissed his stomach. Sheila caressed her shoulders, letting her fingers run down to the small of her back, leaving a stabbing sensation in their wake. This girl was sick. When she felt Ryder's arms go completely loose, she swam from him and pulled herself out of the indoor pool. She ran to a table and latched onto the pole that held it up and hid behind a chair. Sheila and Ryder looked around the pool, arms in the air.
“Alecia,” Ryder called out.
She slipped more behind the chair.
They got out of the pool. Sheila leaned against Ryder who guided her out of the pool room.
Alecia sat on the chair and looked at the calm water, tugging at the nightgown and trying to drain out some of the liquid that had soaked into the fabric - a chill spread across her skin as the air hit it. She wanted to go home – to be safe in her bed. She looked at the door Ryder and Sheila had walked through. There was a trail of water. Did Ryder notice the way sheila had touched her? The guy who had warned Taylor to leave her alone, didn’t seem to mind that Sheila held her like she was the girl’s lover. It had to be whatever he was on. He would never act like that normally. Sheila was the problem. Not him.