Chapter 5: Scent

He looked good. A white button down that contrasted to the slight tan on his skin, black slacks. No tie, no coat; he looked casual and sexy and something inside of me was pacing back and forth, demanding that I go to him and rip every button off of that shirt to see what was underneath.

I knew exactly what was underneath though, it wasn't hard to guess when you looked at him. That only made it worse.

"Damn, you clean up well." He said, black eyes looking me up and down slowly, in a way that made me feel warm and shaky. I felt my face flush. "Really well."

I laughed. It wasn't some sultry little giggle. It was an awkward, pitchy laugh that slipped out of my mouth in an awkward way. I felt my fingers grip the door frame for some degree of support, knowing full and well that my legs weren't going to do their job. Something deep within me wanted more of him, wanted me to tear those clothes off and go in for a taste. His eyes moved to my hand, then to my eyes once more, and he smiled, knowing exactly what was up.

"Thanks. You, uh, you do too." I said, swallowing the lump growing in the back of my throat. "Were we supposed to dress up for dinner? Because I'm sure Minnie could get me something ni-"

"No. It's casual." He said, taking a step closer. At first, I thought he was going to try something, and I was prepared to explain that how I felt wasn't really my fault, that it was all biological, and that we should take things slow, but he didn't move. He didn't try to kiss me or touch me. He just stood there, his body hardly an inch away from mine, close enough for me to taste his scent. And another.

My scent.

Things began to click. I wasn't stupid, I could read in between the lines. The shirt was one I'd touched among my snooping through his dresser, curious about his own sense of style. He'd caught me, and he wanted me to know.

I didn't comment, only squaring my shoulders and meeting his gaze. Natalie seemed to think it was fine, so I went with it.

"If you want to go through my stuff, it's fine." He said, leaning down a little closer. "But you're not going to find much about me. I'm not one for physical momentos, I don't keep the nail clippings of the people I kill. Just ask me questions and I'll answer them. Honestly."

He wasn't angry. The smile tugging on the corners of his lips made as much clear. He wasn't angry, he was just amused.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain my sense, then opened them. "Fine. I'll let you know when I have a question. Now can we go to dinner? Because I haven't eaten today." I inquired, crossing my arms, trying to make my demand for food clear. We could talk later; first, I needed to eat.

He chuckled and his arms spread out, on each side of the doorway, and he stood a little straighter. "There's actually a little rule about dinner."

"And that is?"

"We need to smell like each other." He said with a shrug, a devilish look on his features. "There's a lot of unmated people in this house. To keep men away from you, and women away from me, so we can enjoy our food in peace... we need to at least smell mated. You won't let me mark you, so we have to settle for the next best thing."

My eyes widened as I realized what the next best thing was. "We are not having sex. That comes after the marki-"

"No." He said, brows furrowing, giving his head a slight shake. "If we were to have sex, we wouldn't be able to do that and be on time for dinner, sweetheart. Just relax and tilt your head to the side." I watched him warily, unsure of his intentions, and he rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to mark you, relax."

I hesitated. But if it meant that females would stay away from him, and prevent me from making another scene, I figured I ought to. So I did as he said, tilting my head to the side.

His hands dropped from the door frame and one arm snaked around my waist, pulling me against him. I gasped, surprised, but my body being against him was no longer on my mind when he pressed his lips against my neck. The air left my body and I took a shaky breathe to pull more in, overcome with the electricity that pulsed through me at the sensation. Something inside of me wanted to tell him that this was technically against the rules, but even I didn't want him to stop. This, this was okay. His teeth stayed in, and there was no harm done. Just a kiss. On the neck.

His mouth moved along my neck, moving in a rhythm I felt but didn't quite process. All I could think about was how right this was, how this could be every night if he gave a little more. If he let his pride down for a moment and stopped trying to be an Alpha male. Every night for the rest of our lives could be this, but better.

My neck began to tingle when he pulled away, his free hand catching my wrist and he did something strange; he licked it. From halfway down my power arm to the base of my hand. It wasn't some sloppy wet one, it dried in a matter of seconds, but it was strange enough to emit a bewildered chuckle from me.

"There." He said, dropping my wrist and releasing me, moving a step back. "Now anyone a mile away will say we smell like each other. Now, come on, we're going to be late."

The magic was over. He didn't hold my hand or put his arm around me. He just turned and walked out of Minnie's room, and after a moment, I followed, setting my clothes in the hamper by the door and feeling frustrated. It was like he hadn't just felt how mind blowing that was. Or maybe, it occurred to me, he just didn't care.

Shutting the door behind me, I scrambled to catch up with him, falling in place beside him and struggling to keep up. He was a foot taller than me, his legs carrying him further - and he wasn't going slow. We rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, went down another, then down a set of stairs. There were doors everywhere, different scents, and a few hundred fake flowers. It was strange, just how many fake flowers were in this house.

Through another hallway, then another doorway, and we were in a dining room. It was massive, a few dozen tables and a few hundred chairs around them. Some people sat, but many milled around, chatting and laughing. Just as soon as they seemed to notice us, however, the room grew silent.

Nicholas stood still and I stood beside him, unsure what to do. Glancing at him, I noticed his arm held out, and I wrapped my own through it, and he began walking. Once more, I scrambled after him.

We moved to the nearest table and he let go of my arm, pulling the chair out. I sat down, feeling the eyes crawling over me and feeling uncomfortable. I was quiet, introverted; I've never done very well with attention. Candy and Tyler were social butterflies, and I sat on the sidelines with mom. Granted, it meant I got to sip on wine and watch R rated movies before them, but I always wondered if hanging out with a woman in her thirties for my entire life sort of... fucked me up. I figured this was as good evidence as any.

Nicholas sat between me and his sister, and the introductions began.

"The woman beside you is Jasmine, the Gamma; beside her is Dante, my Beta." Nicholas introduced, motioning to each of them in turn.

Jasmine was perfect. She was elegant and tall, dark eyes and pouty lips. Dark hair was pulled into a neat ponytail, bone straight and smooth; I had to envy that hair. It never got that straight, no matter how much heat I used on it. It was curly by nature, and considering the fact that I kept it short, it seemed to bounce even higher, defying gravity.

Dante was just as tall, dark, and attractive as the rest of them. When I thought about it, really, I had to be the ugly duckling of the table. Washed out skin, my hair still wet, half the size of all of these people.

My anxiety tripled.

"Dante, Jasmine, this is-" Nicholas stopped short and turned his gaze onto me, looking lost for words. I realized it just as soon as he stopped talking, the little issue with this situation.

He didn't know my name.

I felt trashy, gross. I'd just had a one-sided make out session that included wrist licking with a guy, all but moved in with him, and he didn't even know my name. I felt my lips press into a thin line as their faces seemed to register this; Dante's expression filled with amusement, while Jasmine took on an expression of smugness that made my stomach twist and turn in a series of knots that a boy scout would be amazed by.

"Darcy." I choked out, clearing my throat and turning my gaze down to my hands. "Er, Darcy McGreggor." I introduced, my hands wringing themselves. I'd done that since I was a child, all of my siblings had. My mother did it constantly, and naturally, we'd taken after her in that matter. She'd be so ashamed of me.

It was quiet for a moment, and finally, Dante spoke up. "Well Darcy, it's nice to meet you. Kinda crazy - everyone just started assuming you were... dead." He said with a chuckle, sitting back and tossing Nicholas an easy grin. "Guess I shouldn't give up hope either, then. Might even start walking the parade myself, since apparently it worked for you."

I felt my frown deepen at his last statement. That killed me, that this parade was a choice for them. It wasn't for me, for any of us. It was like we were items to be traded, passed around and our fates decided upon simply because of our mates. My jaw set and I was ready to say something, feeling my anger rise, but someone spoke before I could.

"Damn shame she wasn't dead."

I felt my jaw go limp and drop then. My eyes widened and my head turned to see that it was Jasmine. A wine glass held casually in a perfectly manicured hand, I realized those pouty lips were actually pouting, and those dark eyes were darkened with contempt as she looked at me. I could smell the shock coming from much of the table, and the calm anger that seemed to stew in Nicholas beside me.

He cleared his throat and his hand moved out, landing on my chest and he pushed me back slightly, against the back of the seat, to get a better view of her.

"Jasmine, say something like that one more time and you won't live to regret it." He said, tone cold, cool.

I could smell the anger that came from her as well. I felt suffocated by it, coming from both sides of me, thick in the air like humidity. "Yeah, I figured as much. Find her and now it's fuck Jasmine. You haven't even marked her yet - you know you want me Nicholas."

"I settled for you, Jasmine."

"She's a kid, Nick. A juvenile. She can't, won't, give you what you want. Let me guess - she wants true love? I give it a week before she gives up on you and you're back in my room, tearing my clothes off."

She was smug. Her lips had become a smirk, and she spoke to Nicholas as though I wasn't even there. I felt my heart beginning to race, full of feelings I didn't know what to do with. I'd lives a life feeling neutral, never really angry, never really sad. I'd felt more emotional extremes in the past few hours than I had in a long time.

I stood up, unsure what to do, but knowing I had to get out. I glanced at Nicholas, who was staring at Jasmine with a look of death, then to Jasmine, who watched me with that smirk still playing on her features. She'd set her cup down, and in a moment of fury, I picked it up, turning to her and emptying it over her head.

It was a silly, childish move, I knew, but it was the only thing I thought to do in the moment. I slammed the glass back on the table, eyes meeting Nicholas’. There’s pride in his gaze, but I don’t want it. I turn instead, grabbing a basket of bread from the waiter standing back with shock in his eyes, and tear into a piece as I leave the room.