Page 49 of Rejected Darkness

My partner jumps at the voice, pulling their hand out from under my skirt and moving away. I don't get a good look at their face before they disappear into the crowd, leaving me standing in the middle of the dance floor, all hot and bothered. Turning around, I see Guard Noah pushing his way through the last little bit of the crowd until he reaches me.Fuck. There went my buzz and how turned on I was.

"Arabella, what are you doing?" he snarls when he reaches me, pulling against his side. "Are you okay? It looked like that guy was trying to grope you."

Grope me? Sure. Nope, he was just getting me off, but you had to come along and ruin my fun.I don't say any of that to him, though. It's none of his damn business what I was in the middle of. Plus, whoever my partner is, they are long gone by now. "I'm fine. I was just dancing. What can I do for you?" I shout over the music. I want to keep my distance from him, so shouting is going to have to do. I refuse to get close enough that he could try to touch me in any sort of way.

"I saw you out here and wanted to make sure you were okay. You've had a lot to drink tonight," he hedges closer, reaching out to touch my arm. It's a miracle I can dodge him, but it means running into someone behind me who, in retaliation, shoves me forward, and I end up falling into Noah. "Woah there, I got you," he calls out, wrapping his arms around my shoulders to hold me still.

"I'm good," I answer coldly, trying to pull out of his hold. He doesn't move, instead tightening his arms around me so I can't get away.Fuck!I try again, but this time, I have even less roomto move. I'm not sure if he thinks I was trying to start something or what, but he flips me around in his hold, wrapping one arm around my stomach and the other around my chest to hold me in place against him as he grinds himself against me. It's absolutely disgusting.

Looking around, I try to spot my friends and wave for them to come save me, but there are too many people on the dance floor, and I can't even see them in the booth. Shit! This is not how I expected my night to go. With as much alcohol as I've had it's hard to fight against him and get out of his hold like I normally would be able to do. Every attempt to pry his arms off of me gets me nowhere.

"Stop trying to get away, Baby," he moans in my ear, pulling me tighter against him. "You know you're enjoying this. I bet if I reach up under that skirt, you would be wet for me."

Gag! Oh my god. This guy is completely fucking crazy.The last thing I want is him touching me in any shape or form. At his words, I try to fight even harder against him. If he even touches me under my skirt I think I'm going to vomit. Sure, I'm wet still, but it sure as fuck isn't from him. Every twist and turn I make does me no good. If anything, it feels like he is getting harder against my low back where his dick is pressing against me. Even digging my nails into his arms as I'm trying to pry out of his hold isn't getting me anywhere.

"Arabella!" I hear Isis call out through the crowd.

"Be a good girl," Noah leans down to whisper in my ear as he gives my side a hard squeeze in warning.

Asshole.

"Over here!" I shout, hoping that she can hear me. At my words, both her and Harper turn in my direction and begin to approach us. I thought the move would make Noah let me go, but he doesn't. When my friends reach us, they give me a questioning look of concern, and I give them a panicked lookright back. There is no way that I'm getting away from Noah without their help. Isis keeps her focus on me and begins to dance, trying not to give away that something is wrong, while Harper turns to wrap her arms around Stark's neck and pulls him into her so it looks like they are just dancing very closely. I can't hear what Harper tells him, but his eyes flash in anger when he looks to where Noah is holding me before his eyes meet mine.

He lets go of Harper and moves closer to me, wrapping one of my wrists in his hand as he comes up right against me. If it wasn't for the fact that I want to be as far away from Noah as possible, I would be freaked out by how he is touching me and how close we are. "Care if I cut in?" he shouts over the music to Noah. At the same time, he pulls me into him, creating just enough room that he can slide a hand around my back. If he needed to, he could try to yank me right out of Noah's hold, and even though it'll hurt, I'll take it if it means getting him off of me.

"Actually, I do. We were dancing. Right, Arabella?" he retorts, squeezing my waist again.

Fuck, this dude. I'm not going to let him win. He's already ruining my night. "Actually, we were done," I answer, wrapping my free hand around Stark's shoulders. Never would I have thought that my rejected mate's best friend would be saving my ass right now, if ever. It's a wonder how things change when you're away from Aeris.

Noah releases his hold on me, realizing he has no leg to stand on anymore. I made it clear that I was done and didn't want to dance with him anymore. If he were to fight me on it and try to keep me with him, it would just cause a scene, which is exactly what I think he wants to avoid. With me free from his hold, I plaster myself against Stark as he turns me around, placing his back to Noah so he is between the two of us. Harper grasps me and pulls me back into her before Stark lets me go. Once he seesthat I'm safe with Harper, he turns back around to face Noah, who is still standing there staring me down. He's pissed. His jaw is ticking as he watches me, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see him clenching his fists against his side. He's going to be an issue and an even bigger one than he has been. After tonight, I know I'm going to need to make sure he never catches me alone again. I should probably also let Talia know what has been going on, and maybe she can do something about it, even if he is a wolf.

"Is there a reason you're still here?" another male voice questions from behind Noah. I recognize this voice as well, but I can't see him. Warrick now came to join the party. Great, just what I needed. How in the hell did a girl's night out turn into this? Shaking my head, I settle into Harper's side and just watch the drama unfold. Stark already handled the problem, but it seems Warrick is completely ready to let it go. He better not start a fight here on the dance floor. That is the last thing any of us need to end the night.

"Just making sure that Arabella is good," Noah responds, never once taking his eyes off of me.

"I'm good," I answer quickly, just wanting him to walk away. With a nod, he takes one last good look at me with a glare and turns around to push his way through the crowd, leaving our small group standing there.

"You okay?" Warrick inquires as he gets closer to our group. He keeps just enough distance from me thanks to Stark still standing in front of Harper and me.

"I'm okay," I mumble, nodding and reaching forward to tap Stark on the shoulders so he can stand down. Warrick won't hurt me. Not physically.

"Do you want me to take you home?" he asks, stepping closer now that Stark stepped to the side and gathered Harper into his arms. I'm going to need to remember to ask her about him next week. Tonight, I'm done. I'm definitely ready to get home andjust crawl under the covers to be done with this night. The high I was feeling enjoying myself is now long gone.

"Please," I beg, stepping into his side and taking the offered hand. I turn to look at Harper and Isis, who are standing watching our exchange. "I'm going to head back with Warrick. You two stay and have fun, okay?"

Isis steps forward to wrap me in a hug and whispers in my ear. "Take care of yourself and text me when you get home." Harper steps up as soon as Isis lets go and says the same.

With a promise to text them, Warrick guides me to the booth where my jacket is sitting with my phone. Grabbing it, I turn to make my way to the bar so I can close my tab. Of course, with the place so packed, there is a decent crowd, and I can't even reach the bar top at first. Thanks to Warrick, he manages to make an opening by pushing his way forward and flagging down one of the bartenders. I can't hear what he says to him since he leans over the bar to talk, but I don't miss the way he slides the bartender his credit card. Damnit, of course, he would pay my tab for me. Usually, I wouldn't be that bothered by the move. When we were back home, most nights, he would pay for all my drinks. Not because I couldn't pay for them myself, I could, but because he said it was his way of taking care of me. I thought it was sweet then and made me feel special. I never caught him buying anyone else’s drinks while we were out, just mine. I guess some things never change, though tonight I wish he would have asked me instead of reverting back to our normal ways. We are way past that stage now.

"All right, the tab is paid for," he states when he leans down to place his mouth next to my ear. "Let's get you home." He straightens and places his hand against my lower back to guide me forward. I appreciate that he lets me choose the path through the crowd and doesn't force me to follow him. This way, with him behind me, I know that no one is going to be able to come upbehind me and try to pull me away. After the events with Noah, I wouldn't put it past him to try something again. I swear I can still feel his eyes on me, watching me walk out of the bar. It's freaking me out.

The second we step outside, Warrick steps up beside me and wraps his arm around my shoulders. It's still warm enough out that I don't need my coat on. It's probably thanks to still sweating from being inside. If I were to be standing out here waiting for a taxi, then I would probably change my mind and put it on. Since Warrick is here, I know I won't need to do that. Instead, he guides me to the back of the parking lot, and when we get close enough, I see his car parked right under the lamp post. Unlocking the doors, he comes to a stop next to the passenger door and holds it open for me. He waits until I get in and strap my seatbelt before gently shutting the door and walking to his side to get in.

"Am I taking you back to your dorm, or do you want to get food first?" he asks as he turns over the engine, starting the car.

"Food, please food," I beg, leaning against the cool window. He knows I always want food after a night out of drinking. I need the grease to help soak up some of the alcohol, especially tonight, with how many drinks I had. I'm almost positive I drank more than I ever have, though without seeing the tab, I can't be positive. I definitely lost count of the drinks.

"Food it is," he chuckles, backing out of the parking spot and heading toward the main road.

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