Chapter 8: Butterflies

“I’m gonna have to steal your lady away for a bit, Cassian.” Matteo clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder casually, smiling at the both of us. 

My mouth went dry. 

His white button-up shirt was untucked, a few buttons at the top undone to reveal the smooth, taut, brown skin of his chest. He ran his fingers through his dark curls, and I surprised myself with the force of how much I wanted to do that. 

It was probably just the alcohol talking. 

I shot Cassian an apologetic look as I stood. He tried to grin at me, but it was strained. His dark eyes flickered to Matteo’s, whose returning gaze was seemingly impassive. 

I stiffened when Matteo guided me off the stool and away from the bar. My breath was cut short, as though I was about to be pushed off a plank and into shark-infested water if I looked up at him. 

I pretended to glance around the club. 

He’s just a man, I tried to remind myself. A beautiful one. A dangerous one.

f**k.

“I liked your performance, curly.” 

My hands got clammy when I realized I couldn’t ignore him anymore. 

Inhaling for courage, I craned my neck up to look at him. The top of my head didn’t even reach his chin, and I was wearing heels. His light eyes reflected the colorful lights, dark lashes adding onto his enticing stare. 

“What performance?” I managed to ask, fighting the urge to avert my gaze. 

“That little show you put on for me earlier.” 

A cold whisper ran through my blood at the memory. I didn’t know what I’d been thinking—no, I obviously hadn’t been thinking. There was no other explanation for the way I’d let him draw me into whatever twisted game he was playing. 

“What do you want, Matteo?” 

His grin widened at my question, and he let his eyes fall down to my body. It wasn’t in the leering way that I was used to men looking at me with, not the way that made my skin crawl with disgust. This was more intense.

I felt oddly breathless under his scrutiny. 

“Your friend asked me to come get you,” he said finally. “I think Ads is a bit too much for her to handle, even with the others around.” 

I refrained from sighing. There was no way I could leave Dev alone when she needed me, especially not on her birthday.

I tried to step past him, around him, but before I could, something came down on my wrist. His hand came down on my wrist, and it was all hot fire and rough calluses.

Matteo’s heavy gaze met my weak one. 

“Wrong way,” he said smoothly. 

He started walking, dragging me along with him. The crowd parted for us as eagerly as the sea did for Moses, and I couldn’t keep from rolling my eyes.

There were two bulky bouncers standing in front of a glass double door. They took one look at Matteo and scrambled to open it.

We approached a dim hallway, the shouting and music that had been threatening to burst my eardrums fading as the door fell shut behind us. I wondered how it felt to be treated like some deity; a thing to be worshiped without ever needing to earn the respect it got.

I scoffed, shaking my head.

Matteo stood a couple of feet away, his grip on my wrist the only thing connecting us. He breached the distance between us with a few steps that were lost in the loud pounding of my heart. 

He noticed my incredulous expression. “What’s up?” 

“You’re an entitled little s**t, that’s what’s up.” I probably shouldn’t have insulted a man with a reputation like his while alone with him, but I was too flustered to care at the moment.

Something amused and curious played on his face. It was an expression that someone might wear after witnessing a dog do a funny trick.

I tugged at my wrist, trying to get myself out of his hold. He wasn’t gripping me tight enough to hurt, not by a long-shot, but it was enough to send a message.

I couldn’t leave unless he chose to release me. 

“Think you’ve got me all figured out, do you?” 

I glared at his mocking tone. “There isn’t much to figure out beyond the obvious.”

“Huh.” There it was again. That f*****g ‘huh.’  

“What does that even mean?” 

His only response was an enigmatic smile. 

We continued walking down the hall until we arrived at a black metal door. He held it open for me with his free hand.

I wondered if he could feel my pulse fluttering beneath his touch, if that was why he didn’t let go. 

Through the door was a large space with a black marble floor and a long, sleek bar curving into it. There were chandeliers with neon crystals dangling from above. Overall, the place had this Gothic modern sort of look to it with its dark matte walls. The VIP lounge looked nothing like the rest of the club. 

People were scattered all over the place. Some had wandered off to the bar where they were nursing drinks, others were strewn over couches, some even on the floor.

There were a few familiar faces that I’d seen around campus or had lectures with, but no one I really knew. Briefly, I considered whether being good looking was a rule for someone to become a member or associate of the CSN.

There seemed to be no other explanation as to why everyone in here was so unfairly attractive.

Maybe it was something in their expensive water that made them this way. 

I spotted Dev sitting on one of the leather couches with a flute of champagne in hand. She looked uncomfortable, even as she nodded along to whatever the girl next to her was saying.

I identified the source of her discomfort when my eyes slid across from her. Chucky had her legs crossed and her eyes narrowed as she glared at Dev like her life depended on it.

This b***h.

Dev turned her head towards me like she could feel my stare, and a relieved smile broke out on her face. She patted the empty spot on the couch next to her. I moved to walk over to her.

Suddenly, all eyes were drawn to the wrist that Matteo hadn’t let go of yet.

We looked at each other as his large hand glided down my wrist, to my palm, my fingers. The rough pads of his fingertips brushed my softer ones, and the movement sent a shock through my whole body. 

Jesus.

Being around this guy was starting to become a health hazard. 

“Matt, where’ve you been? You and Luca both disappeared on me,” Chucky whined.

It didn’t go unnoticed by me that Adeline was the only person, other than Matteo, who called Lucas that. From what I’d observed around campus, the rest of the guys usually addressed him by his first or last name.

I thought that “asshole” was much more fitting than the other titles, but who was I to judge? 

I headed over to Dev just as Matteo murmured, “Saw a pretty girl and got caught up.” 

It took an extraordinary amount of self-control to keep my step from faltering, but the flush that burned my body from head to toe couldn’t be helped.

I plopped down next to Dev and snatched the champagne out of her hands, throwing it back in one gulp. 

The sweet looking girl beside her giggled lightly at my forcefulness. “Well, hello to you too. I’m Autumn.” 

I noticed an accent in the way that she said the name. She leaned over Dev to hold her hand out to me. I shook it and introduced myself as well. 

“Cool name,” I said with a smile. 

Behind me, I could hear Adeline’s heels clicking against the floor as she chased Matteo across the room. 

Autumn beamed at my compliment. “It was a pain to spell in kindergarten.” 

A scoff drew my attention to a dark haired guy sprawled on the couch that Adeline had just vacated.

He was doing something on his phone, his head resting against one arm of the couch, while his feet were propped up on the other. The angle that he was holding his phone at made his biceps flex.

Buff guy. 

“You think Autumn’s hard to spell when your last name’s f*****g Deffevre?” 

I bit back a laugh at his words and Dev coughed to smother hers. It was such a heavy and posh last name that didn’t suit her at all. 

Autumn had these doe eyes and golden curls that made her look too innocent to be anywhere near these people, but I supposed looks could be deceiving. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matteo smile blindingly at a woman he was talking to. 

Very deceiving indeed. 

“Are you French?” I asked Autumn curiously. 

“Unfortunately, we are,” Mr. Muscles responded before she could say anything. 

My brows rose as I studied both of their features. Autumn was all soft, pale skin and softer brown eyes, while the guy was tanned muscles that were as hard as his green eyes.

Not siblings then. 

“You sound awfully patriotic, Peter,” Dev commented. 

Peter finally looked away from his phone and narrowed his eyes at Dev.

My friend stared coolly back. 

“Oh, yeah, ‘cause French people are renowned for their patriotism. Viva la f**k you and all that,” he drawled. 

This time I couldn’t hold back my laugh at the dry way he delivered his words. My chortling earned me a few curious glances from the people closest to us.

Guess people were all small chuckles and dainty laughs around here.

Another guy and a girl made their way over to us, eyeing me curiously. I was feeling more and more like some foreign creature with every moment I spent here, but the way Dev had relaxed beside me kept me from leaving. 

She wanted to be here, for whatever strange reason, and I couldn’t leave her alone with these people on her birthday. Not when she needed me, at least. 

The guy coming over was Asian and had the cutest eye-smile I’d ever seen. He offered me a flute of champagne, which I accepted gratefully. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before,” he said to me. “Did you get tapped recently?” 

Tapping was how the CSN recruited new members. Nobody knew much about it aside from the people being recruited, and they obviously weren’t allowed to talk about it. 

The girl standing next to him tilted her head to the side as she observed me. I stared back at her. She looked a little young, but she was stunning. She had thick, wavy brown hair and olive skin that complimented her honey colored eyes. 

Something about her looks, her intense gaze, was painfully familiar.

“She’s not a member,” the girl said after a moment, her voice soft and quiet. 

My nose wrinkled. “I don’t have anything to do with these assholes—”

Dev elbowed me in the ribs none too gently, and I clamped my mouth shut. I blinked innocently in response to her glare.  

Whoops.

To my surprise, they all just laughed. The girl went to sit on the couch, but Peter didn’t move at all. 

“Pete, scoot over, please,” she said, tugging her hair behind her ears.

He yanked her on top of him instead, shifting so that her butt landed right on his crotch. Dev and I cringed while Autumn muttered what sounded like prayers under her breath in french. 

“You’ve got an empty spot right here, Aria,” Peter smirked. 

“Dude, leave her alone.” The words fell from my mouth without a thought as I watched Aria flush a dark red. 

Her Asian friend was about to step in, his expression furious, but I stuck my arm out to hold him back. The last thing Devyn needed at her party was a fight.

Peter ignored me and leaned forward to whisper something to Aria that made her flinch. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly.

The guy I was holding back lost it.

I couldn’t blame him, to be perfectly honest. I wanted to beat Peter up myself. He was just about to break free from me when a clicking sound made us all freeze.

I turned around slowly to find myself face to face with a gun barrel.

And Lucas was holding the gun.