"I wouldn't know about that," Nia says thoughtfully. "I've never seen him act the way he does with you with any other woman, human or not."
"I don't like the look in the professor's eyes," I confide in a whisper. "It's too cold."
"And the eyes of your god aren't?"
A forlorn sigh escapes me. "I wouldn't know. I've never seen my god's face."
Nia sputters in shock. "Excuse me?"
I nod emphatically once again, but this time the whole club seems to bob up and down as well, and it's amazing. Who knew being drunk could turn everything so magical? If I shake my head, would the club also—-
"Hales!"
Nia snaps her fingers in my face, and I blink at her. "What?"
"Have you really never seen your god—-"
I shake my head, and ooooooh, it's exactly what I thought. The whole club also starts moving left and right, too!
"Hales!"
More snapping, and the club stops moving as I refocus on Nia. "What?"
"Tell me more about your god. Did you guys get into a fight or something?"
Her question leaves me aghast. "Of course not. I'm not stupid. And only stupid people fight with gods, and..." I give her a smug smile. "My god is nice." I see Nia's lips twitch, and feeling like she doesn't believe me, I say insistently, "It's true. My god is different. He's very, very nice, and he kisses nice, too!"
Nia's jaw drops.
"Actually..." I sigh dreamily. "He does everything nice. Like when he touches my—-"
Nia hastily covers my mouth. "I get the picture."
I quickly push her hand away. "But I'm not finished! I want to—-"
"I know you want to," my roommate says soothingly, "but maybe your god would like to keep that a secret?"
My brows furrow. "Really?"
"Really."
"So I can't say then that when he touches my—-"
"No," Nia practically yells. "You can't."
I sigh. "If you say so." The ice bucket on our table suddenly catches my eye, but when I lean forward to get myself another bottle, Nia quickly swipes it out of my hold, and I let out an outraged gasp. "Hey!"
"I think you've had enough."
I vehemently shake my head. "No, I haven't." I try snatching the bottle out of her hand, but Nia retaliates by calling for one of the servers to clear our table.
"That's not fair!"
"I think—-"
"We should dance?" The thought perks me up, and I jump to my feet.
"Hales—-"
"You're right, let's dance!" I grab Nia's hand and start dragging her towards the dance floor. It's swarming with people grinding their bodies against each other, but while this sight is something I'd normally steer clear of—-
Right now, it looks tempting.
I want to grind, too.
I want to feel another man's body.
I want...
I want to recapture that feeling of being with my god—-
Nia tugs my hand, saying, "I think it's time to go home."
"No!" I toss her a stubborn look over my shoulder. "We are going to dance." I turn back around, but this time I bump straight into something.
Oops.
I look up to apologize, but instead I find myself staring into a pair of red eyes.
I've seen these eyes before.
But before I can even remember where or how, I feel something slide into my flesh, and when I look down, it's almost as if my whole world is suddenly moving in slow motion, and it feels like an eternity passes with every second that ticks by.
Is that a knife handle sticking out of my stomach?
Is that a man's hand pulling it out?
Is that why there's this searing pain—-
Something - someone - suddenly shoves me off, and as I lose my balance and fall against Nia, I see the red-eyed man swiftly turn his back and walk away.
"Hales?"
I look up at Nia. "I think I've been stabbed."
Chapter Thirteen
Nia is the bomb when it comes to emergencies.
The thought repeats itself somewhat hazily in my mind as gradual loss of blood reduces me into a silent spectator, and all I can do is watch as my roommate calmly calls 911 while asking the staff for their first-aid kit.
I'm loaded in an ambulance in no time, and I faintly hear Nia snapping at the EMTs to stop gawking and start moving. I had this vague idea she'd take me to the nearest local hospital, but when I hear the doors open, the first thing I see outside are the familiar ivy-covered walls of Rosethorne's infirmary.
Huh.
I wonder why Nia chose to take me here. I want to ask her, but as soon as I'm transferred to the ER, that's when things get a little woozy, and the room around me starts to spin.
When I wake, I'm in the same room I was previously confined, and I see Nia and Keia standing next to each other on one side of the bed. The pain is gone, but I also don't feel like myself, and when I start to speak, it's like hearing my voice come out from someone else's mouth.