"Shut up and dance, Chase. I am tired of hearing people tell me how special I am. You people have no idea who I am. When this danger passes, and I know no one else will be hurt because of me, I'm leaving. I'm transferring to a school someplace far away from this bullshit," she snapped in midspin.
"You don't mean that." He stopped dancing and looked at her in disbelief.
"Hell if I don't! I'm sick and tired of being hurt by people who are supposed to care about me. You claim to love me, but you don't. You don't have any idea what it means to love, Chase. I have begged you to stop doing this to me. It hurts me to be near you. I lose myself in you and the way you make me feel, just to be immediately reminded every time that you can never be mine.
"I fight the urge to come to you every day, because in the end I'll be nothing but a memory to you. I won't be bonded anytime in the near future. In my world, people don't do that until they're in love. My people don't have a magic ceremony that forces two souls together. We have to find our spouse's soul and hold on to it with love and hard work. So when you head happily off into the sunset with Nightmare Barbie, I'll still be feeling the feelings you're going to forget. I'm trying to move on with my life now, instead of waiting for you to forget me."
She walked away as the song ended and everyone was invited to join the dance. She left the hall, going straight out the front door and around the side of the building to a patio area. Dani needed to get away from the crowd and from Chase before she made a fool of herself by having a public meltdown. The air outside was clear and cold. It felt good on her temper-heated skin. She realized Darren was watching from a safe distance, but he didn't approach, so she ignored him. She wasn't strong enough to live in that world. For a girl with so many admirers, she was very much alone.
She made it through the rest of the evening uneventfully, performing all her required dances, with the exception of the ones with Chase. He never came back to claim his rewards for donating such a price to the new couple. He wordlessly danced with the string of girls who requested his attention, then he disappeared. Dani was polite and spoke socially with her dance partners. They'd paid for it, after all.
When she was ready to leave, Darren had a car take them back to the Enclave before Gage and Koren. He was wise not to speak to her in the car.
When they reached her room he said, "I'm sorry for ruining your evening. It wasn't my intent."
She didn't respond before shutting the door in his face.
Chase was stunned by Danielle's intentions to leave the area. Talk about double-edged swords. She all but told him she loved him, but she was going to leave because of him. Chase hadn't meant to hurt her. He just couldn't help getting excited at the opportunity to hold her and soak up some of her sweet attention. He could have had lots of time with her, but after her speech, he didn't have the nerve to approach her again. He should have. What if she left, and he never saw her again? He would regret being a gentleman then, wouldn't he? To know he'd never hold her again, would never smell that delicious scent of hers again, or hear her soothing voice again, would kill him. To never again see those ice-blue eyes surrounded by rich, dark hair with flashes of the proof of her natural power. The thought put a cold spot in the center of his chest. He wanted her so badly, but all he seemed to be able to do was hurt her.
She danced so elegantly. He could still see the proud length of her slender, alabaster neck, her hair all up, and nude shoulders daring him to taste them. The way the red light played off of her skin was amazing.
Watching her dance with all those other guys was maddening. He guessed they had also decided to take advantage of Kayden's absence. She smiled and spoke politely to the would-be suitors, thanking them for being so generous to the new couple. Chase, on the other hand, was rude and too focused on what Dani was doing to even speak to the ladies he danced with. After all the time she'd been away from him, he tried to absorb everything he could without getting close enough to upset her again. Like a damn junkie trying to get a fix, he hung on her words, her expressions, the way she moved. He fixated on the way her lips moved when she spoke, and waited anxiously for glimpses of pale blue, when her eyes turned in his direction.
He was so whipped. He could have any girl crawling all over him. Instead, he was in bed alone, thinking about what it was like to have her pressed against his chest in the dark, giggling in his ear and happy to be with him. His mind replayed having her in his bed with him and moaning his name. He missed her in his home every day. Damn it! Chase was sick of living without her. He was closer and closer to walking away from his family. It seemed like that was what it would take to be with the woman he loved.
The phone in Kayden's bedroom rang, and he answered on the first ring. He was hoping it was Dani in a better mood. Kayden had gone straight to Dani's room when his shift was over the night before. She answered the door but wouldn't open it more than a crack. His fear was that his aggression earlier in the evening had put space between them. He didn't know what had come over him. She was so hot in that dress. He'd kissed her, and the next thing he knew, he had her nearly nude and trying to push him away.
Oddly enough, it was Chase calling. "What do you want, man?" Kayden asked rudely. He was in a shitty mood and nothing Chase had to say was going to make it any better, but he kept talking anyway. Chase filled him in on all of the gritty details from the night before. It had been a hell of a night, and Darren had totally crossed the line and behaved like he was on a real date with Dani. It was a problem they both believed needed to be dealt with. Then Chase had added fuel to the fire by insulting warriors and harassing her.
"I see. Thanks for the call. I think I may need to pay a visit to Darren," Kayden said darkly, before hanging up the phone.
Kayden stormed through the Enclave in search of the elder Wrath guard. He was seeing red and ready to fight. Darren had gone too far, and Kayden intended to teach him a lesson in how to respect boundaries. He found his father in the hall and quickly filled him in on the information he'd gotten from Chase.
"I'm going to kick his old ass!" Kayden shouted.
"Well, there's a problem with that, son. He's gone, and so is Dani. Darren came to me this morning with the news that Dani was gone, and she didn't let anyone know she was leaving. Apparently he put a tracking device on her car for just such occasions. I don't know where she's heading, but Darren left two hours ago to follow her, and she hasn't stopped driving yet. She has at least an hour lead on him. He called me to check in just before you showed up. Don't bother to ask. You can't follow them. You have duties to attend to here. Darren is dealing with his charge, and I won't allow jealousy to disrupt life at this Enclave. Do you understand me, son?" Gage ordered sternly.
Kayden looked at his father with confused anger. "I want to know where she is and what's going on."
"I guess she'll call you when she is ready for you to know. Otherwise, you need to let Darren do his job." Gage walked away.
Kayden stomped away from his father, trying to hold his tongue. It was difficult to separate his father from his commander, some days.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Gage turned around to stop Kayden. "You've been assigned to shadow a visiting representative from down south. You need to meet her at the hotel where she's staying. They'll have the address and room number at the dispatch office."
"A hotel? Why not stay on the Enclave?" Kayden asked.
"I was told she isn't comfortable staying in such close proximity to all of us lusty males." Gage rolled his eyes.
"Great. I bet this'll be a peach of a day." Kayden sighed.
"You should expect it to be a late night. She's leaving in the morning, so she has a lot to accomplish today. Try to be a gentleman. Your mother socializes with ladies from all over the country. I would hate for her to be embarrassed." An uncharacteristic grin cracked Gage's face. "You know, she had the best time parading your girlfriend around last night. She was delighted to have everyone dote over her son's selfless warrior girlfriend with unmatched talent and beauty to boot," Gage said warily, almost sarcastically.
"Oh God, Dad, tell me she didn't. I should have gone. Dani hates all that attention. Between Mom, Chase, and Darren, it's no wonder she ran." Kayden couldn't believe his mother would be so insensitive after all the crap Dani had been through. He'd never get Dani to move back to his place, if that was what she'd deal with every day.
"Well, since you've been voted least likely to succeed by her social peers, it's nice for her to have something to brag about," Gage bitterly defended his mate.