They entered the frat house and it was exactly what she'd expected. There were people everywhere, dancing and swaying to the music, just like at the club. Every corner and hall was full of people. There were speakers in every room piping in loud, thumping hip-hop.
Lucas looked around, and his expression settled halfway between joy and concern. He clearly liked the party, but not the idea of her attending them without him. It might have been a bad idea after all to bring him. He smiled and held out his hand to her for a dance. They danced, laughed, and talked as much as possible over the music. Lucas wrapped his arms around her for a slower dance, and his body was warm and familiar against hers.
"Maybe we can find something to drink," he suggested and grabbed her hand to tow her down the hall.
Dani felt a pang of jealousy as every girl they passed looked at Lucas like fresh meat.
In the kitchen, there were several kegs on tap and a large basin of some kind of punch being ladled into cups. It was an odd purple color. A guy walked up and added a bottle of grape juice and a whole bottle of clear liquor to the mix.
"What is that?" Lucas wondered aloud.
The guy smiled at them and spoke slowly, as if he were speaking to children. "It's called Purple Jesus. Everybody brings a bottle of liquor and dumps it in. Then we add enough grape juice to make it purple." He poured a ladle full into a cup and handed it to Lucas, who took a big swig.
"Jesus!" Lucas coughed and sputtered while the guy laughed.
"And that's why it's called Purple Jesus. That's what everybody says the first time they try it." Laughing again, he walked away.
Lucas held the cup out for her to take a drink. "I don't drink." Dani wrinkled her nose.
"It's alright if you're with me. I won't let you go overboard." He gave her a chiding look and all but forced the cup into her hand. She'd missed him so much and wanted to make him happy. Peer pressure was a bitch. She took a big gulp from the cup. Coughing and gasping, she handed it back. He laughed as he put his arm around her waist and led the way to one of the kegs.
"Maybe you should start with something less potent." He handed her a cup of beer and watched expectantly. She took a drink at his coaxing. It wasn't pleasant, but not nearly as bad as the other stuff.
He chugged his cup and refilled it with beer.
Lindsay and Olivia came down the hall with their eyebrows drawn together at the sight of her holding a cup of beer. Dani shrugged and inclined her head toward Lucas. One of the guys hanging out in the kitchen had struck up a conversation with Lucas, and they stood several feet away.
Dani spoke to Lindsay as Lucas continued to drink and talk with a group of students. The students made Dani uncomfortable, taking turns staring at her and Lindsay. She could hear them talking about her hair and complimenting Lucas on his taste in women. Occasionally he would come and refill her cup or insist she have a drink of his purple punch. Numbness was setting in.
"Maybe you should take it easy. It's not like you to cave this way," Lindsay chastised her for giving into Lucas's wishes.
"I've missed him so much, and he has to leave tomorrow. I don't want to upset him. I want him to be happy," she slurred, leaning against Lindsay. "I gotta pee." Dani realized it was unusual for her to announce her need for a ladies' room, as she staggered down the hall.
She saw a guy she recognized, and she couldn't seem to stop herself from being social. He was on his cell looking confused. She patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't I know you?" she asked, realizing too late that this sounded like a pickup line. "I mean, really. I have seen you somewhere before, haven't I?" That close, it was hard to miss how large and absolutely yummy the guy was. He looked like a bodybuilder with the face of a very tough angel.
"Yes, I'm sure it's her," he said into the receiver while looking at her. "Dani, how are you?" He looked at the phone and rolled his eyes. "I mean Danielle. How are you, Danielle?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you." She stumbled past him, and he steadied her before she fell against the wall.
"I'm Kayden, a friend of Chase's. You probably recognized me from the club. I haven't seen you since that first time," he said with the phone still to his ear. That was odd, but Dani was too numb to care. "Are you here alone?" he asked.
"I'm here with some friends and my boyfriend." There were so many people passing in the hall, she'd been pushed a bit uncomfortably against Kayden.
"Your boyfriend is here? Do I know him?" he asked. Then he jerked the phone away from his ear. The person on the phone was yelling. He turned away from her to prevent her from overhearing and said, "I'm trying, but she's drunk. Why don't you get your ass over here?"
"I really gotta find the ladies room." She took off before she could pee on his feet, and tripped twice on the way up the stairs. She realized she was drunk when she had to lean against the wall to stop the room from spinning while she relieved herself.
The trip back down the stairs was slow going. She pushed through the crowd back to the kitchen, but Lucas and his new friends were gone. That was bad. Dani wanted to leave and didn't think she would make it alone.
Lindsay suddenly appeared from a door Dani had assumed was a pantry, but it led to the basement. "Lindsay, have you seen Lucas? I'm ready to go back to the dorm," she slurred, leaning against the wall.
"I just saw him downstairs with the jock squad. He's trashed. You don't look so good either." She looked Dani up and down disapprovingly.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Dani headed down the steps, ignoring Lindsay's critique of her appearance. She needed to find Lucas and get out of there.
She found him at the bottom of the stairs with his new friends, laughing at someone vomiting in the corner. "Lucas, I'm ready to go now," she yelled over the music.
He turned to look at her, annoyed. "Don't be such a bitch. It's still early," he snapped.
A bunch of girls she hadn't noticed laughed from behind her. The leader of the jock squad patted Lucas on the back and said, "That's right, man, you can't let a bitch ruin your fun." He stepped closer to her. He picked up a lock of hair from her shoulder and sniffed it. "If you want, I can distract her awhile."
Dani smacked his hand away, and the effort knocked her off balance. She stumbled against the railing, hurt that Lucas would speak to her that way and more hurt that he would allow that jerk to speak to her the way he had. She glared at Lucas as he laughed with the others and went back to partying. Anger and embarrassment carried her up the stairs. She lurched for the door to find her way home before passing out. On the porch, she literally ran into Kayden. He once again saved her from a spill. She looked up to find his amused face. Suddenly all her muscles felt limp.
"I don't think I can walk home." She paused. "Hey, has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are? Damn, boy. You are beautiful." It sounded like her voice, but she didn't remember deciding to say the words, true as they were.
"Don't worry, Dani. I'll give you a ride. To answer your question, I have been called handsome or attractive many times, but I don't believe beautiful is one I've heard." He scooped her up into his arms and smiled down with something like satisfaction in his hazel eyes.
Chase pulled up to the address Kayden had given him to find Danielle being loaded into Kayden's car. "What happened to her?"
He pushed Kayden out of the way and snatched her up, trying not to jostle her too much. He leaned her limp body against the side of the car. He supported her head while he checked her for injuries. Chase's heart sped while he looked her over. He used his lower body to pin her against the car in an effort to hold her up, and the contact was torture.
"She fell into me, literally, and said she couldn't make it home alone. She passed out. I was going to take her to the dorms and try to track her scent to her room." Kayden was clearly annoyed. "You should talk to her about not feeding on people who are overintoxicated. The practice is dangerous and a bit unethical." Kayden filled Chase in.
Dani half opened her eyes and mumbled, "I'm nobody's bitch!"
Chase wondered what had brought about that comment. "Where's her boyfriend? He should be protecting her!"
"Dude, I never saw him. The only vampires I scented were we two. I think he may have left her here. Nobody inside is even looking for her. I would have left her to her own devices, had I known you'd be treating me like the bad guy. Shit," Kayden said indignantly.
Feeling like a heel, Chase apologized. "Look, I'm sorry, man. Thanks for calling me. She looks like she needed both of us tonight."