Beyond (9 page)

After he
was settled in the driver ’
s seat, Austin look ed at Claudia and imagine d he was ta k ing his amazing girlfriend out on a date.
That thought warmed him and he spe d of f happi er than he had ever been.

Austin drove to
the Black Velvet, the only nightclub nearby.
After pulling into the valet park ing section, he stepped out of his ca r .
He glanced at the door .
Always a long line , he thought.
Good thing I’m a VIP member .
Out of habit, h e swept the perimeter for anything unusual .
When he spotted a limo, cold painful shivers slithered down his spine as h e recalled the last time he was t here , when he ’d encountered soul eaters and almost lost his life .
He was sure they weren ’
t around anymore since Aliah was dead. He assumed they were safe since there had been no demon activities the last couple of weeks.

After Claudia stepped out of the car, Austin hooked her arm onto his.
“
This is so you won ’
t get lost. Who knows, a guy may snatch you when I ’
m not looking …
I would .”
He winked, making her blush , but she didn ’
t budge from his arm .
In fact, she seemed to cling to the security of it .
Austin wasn ’
t sure why , but she acted a bit nervous. Was it from being at a nightclub for the first time , or was it from being somewhere off of Island of Eden with him , and doing something that normal people d id ?

“
Hey , Bob, ”
Austin greeted cheerfully to the same guy who was working the last time he was t here with Holly, Trinity and Patrick. How times ha d changed. So much ha d happened. Both Trinity and Patrick were gone. He hadn’t care d much for Trinity, but he did for Patrick. He trie d not to think of him …i t only brought on pain he couldn ’
t handle.
The only o ther person that put his mind at ease was the girl standing next to him.

“
Mr. Picasso. Yes…come in, ”
he gestured, unhooking the chain , then look ed at Claudia and smile d .

When they were some distance away, Claudia
giggled .
“
Mr. Picasso?
”

Austin
chuckle d .
“
I even have a VIP room. Would you care to join me there for a midnight snack?
”

“
Serious ly ?
You have your own private room? And what kind of snack woul d you provide for me?
”
s he asked .

“
Not for you , my dear. I was thinking about what a delicious snack you would be ,”
Austin teased, tickling her by pretending to sink his teeth into her neck.

Claudia
punche d him lightly in the arm.
“
You never stop, do you? You ...
.
”
S
he stared as they entered through the double door. Her eyes grew wide .
Austin was right. She could get lost. Not only was th e place huge, the re were hundreds of people , and she looked overwhelmed by the intensity . Austin ’
s eyes never left her s . He was enjoying her expression , and wondered what she was thinking at th at very moment.

Claudia
’
s eyes focused on the strangers on the dance floor . Their bodies moved in chaotic motion with one another , producing an animalistic heat with the beat of the music.
The bass was pounding so loud ly she could feel it pumping through her heart. She had never seen so many bodies mo ving so seductively before. I t ma de her feel uncomfortable , and she wondered if Austin would ask her to dance.
Th e place reek e d with a mixture of a floral fragrance from perfume, cheap cologne, alcohol and cigarette s . But the smell she most enjoyed was Austin ’
s fresh ocean breeze.

Step by step, as Austin led her down the stairs,
her curiosity intensified. Wanting to quench her thirst, her gaze went straight to the bar. As if Austin read her mind, he led her there.

Austin drummed his fingers on the table as he tried to catch the bartender ’
s attention. Waiting patiently, he lean ed into Claudia, almost too close for comfort.
“
Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?
”

“
Just tonight?
”
she teased back, but she wasn ’
t good at flirting. All she could do after that was blush and give a shy smile.

“
Good evening, ”
the bartender sa id , breaking the silence .
“
What can I get for you?
”

“
A beer for me and…
.”
Austin turn ed to her .

“
Water please ,”
she said loudly, speaking over the music.

Austin chuckle
d .
“
Water?
”

“
I ’
m thirsty , so I want water. What ’
s wrong with that?
”

“
Water and mojito for her, ”
he said.
“
Make it strong.
”
The bartender nod ded and le ft .

“
What ’
s a mojito?
”
she inquired.
“
I didn ’
t order one.
”

“
Don ’
t worry. You ’
ll like it. Just try it , and if you don ’
t like it, don ’
t drink it.
”

Claudia lean
ed over and whisper ed , “
Have you forgotten? I ’
m not twenty-one yet.
”

Austin let out a chuckle.
“
I didn ’
t forget, but you ’ve forgo t t en you are a venator. You can do whatever you like.
”
His brows arched mischievously.

Claudia shrugged her shoulders.
“
Right.
”
I n a way she was grateful. She ’d wanted to get away from Island of Eden , go somewhere exciting , and try new things. She told herself to be more adventurous and not act so sheltered , like Austin ke pt telling her she was.

When the drinks came, she took her first sip
, and her face betrayed her effort not to show a reaction to the bitter taste of the alcohol .
It twisted her tongue and made her facial muscles cringe.

“
So…what do you think?
”
Austin asked, hoping her taste buds ha d now become like his—tasteless.

“
Actually…not bad, ”
she said , trying to sound convincing. A fter a couple more sips she smiled, and seemed pleasantly surprised.
“I like it!
It taste s like something between Sprite and lime juice , but with a heavy dosage of alcohol.
”
She smacked her lips and tongue.

“
You can actually taste it?
”

“
Um…shouldn ’
t I be able to, unless I have some kind of taste bud amnesia ?”
Claudia questioned, laughing at her own joke.

“
Are you sure?
”

“
Of course I ’
m sure. Why? Was it supposed to taste like something else?
”
Claudia seemed thoroughly confused.