Page 2 of Eternal

I take a sip from my drink, the bitter liquor burns my esophagus. I don’t grimace. The pain dulls everything else, leaving a blissful burn.

“Yeah, I do. I’ll show you tomorrow, I say, leaning against the bar, scanning the sea of people.

Serena leans into me, “Don’t look now, but that guy with the long black hair keeps watching you like you’re gonna be his next meal. Do you know who he is?”

I look down at my drink to prevent myself from looking around for him, “The super tall guy with the woman standing off to the left?”

“Mhm.” She nods.

Finally, I give him a good look, and my heart stops. He’s dressed in a suit that looks ungodly expensive. Shaggy black hair frames his face, creating a stark contrast to his otherwise pale complexion and striking blue eyes. Waves of danger roll off of him, screaming for me to turn and run in the other direction. But the same part of me that enjoys the burn of alcohol, also calls out to his darkness. A flirtatious grin dances across his face, as he says something to the woman with him. A hand comes up to comb his hair back, when his eyes flicker to me again, catching my gaze. I quickly look away, hoping he didn’t notice me staring for too long. I suck in a breath, he looks like a facade. Perhaps he is. No one that looks like him or even oozes his kind of authority is good. He is gilded fucking perfection.

“That’s Soren Astor, Luca’s son,” Serena whispers as my eyes scan the crowd. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen him with my own eyes. He’s something like a fucking legend. A myth. Oh so beautiful, and dangerous.”

His eyes flicker up from the woman he’s speaking with, to meet my hard stare. He holds my gaze for a moment until he realizes the woman is trying to recapture his attention.

“Geeze, can the guy do anything but stare?” Serena says jokingly, bumping her shoulder with mine as we leave the bar area to join the crowd of people.

I scoff and take a large gulp of my drink, hoping it’ll hide the creeping blush trailing up my neck.

“I didn’t notice.”

That’s such a fucking lie and Serena already sniffed it out.

“Uh huh, well he doesn’t date. Or if he does, it’s casual, nothing permanent. But, from what I hear, Soren is known to treat women,” She trails off trying to find the right words, “well. He’s like super fucking gentle with them apparently. He’d be a good option for you to let loose a little bit.” She murmurs as we part the crowd we are walking through. We are locked elbow to elbow as we seek a more secluded area.

“I’m not ready for that, Serena,” I whisper and keep my eyes glued to the ground. It’s not that I get nervous in crowds, but the whispers whirling around me are starting to get to me.

“That’s Freya Spencer, the eldest, next in line. She hasn't been around for a while. Rumor has it she was abused by an ex. That’s why she hasn’t been around.” One woman with deep black hair says to another.

“Well, I heard she tried to run from her title. And had to have her sister save her.” The other woman laughs.

“How pathetic!” They both cackle amongst themselves.

That’s about where I stop listening, the truth of their words eating away at me. Tristan had done a number on me. And right now, I’d like nothing more than to inflict every ounce of the pain he did to me onto one of these assholes. Hurt them like he hurt me. They have no idea what I’ve endured. No idea what torture I went through when I was just trying to chase my dreams. Sure, I had abandoned my title as my father’s prodigy, but the truth is, I didn’t want to illegally sell weapons or make deals with scumbags like my father does.

I still don’t.

I want more for myself.

I want to leave.

Serena tugs on my elbow, pulling me further from them, as my body begins to shut down. I shouldn’t have come. I shouldn’t have left the safety of my tiny apartment in Seattle. I’ve made a mistake. My heartbeat increases in my throat, as our father approaches us.

Frank Spencer.

“Freya.” He stops in front of us, his hands in his pockets, as he eyes me.

Would it kill him to embrace me just once, and say ‘welcome home’ or ‘I’m so happy to see you after all this time’? It only serves as a reminder of why I left in the first place.

“Father,” I respond, unsure what else to say. There really isn’t anything elsetosay, I just want him out of my face.

“Come. I have someone I’d like you to meet.” Father turns on his heel, heading in the other direction. Serena and I fall in step with each other and start following him. “Not you, Serena.”

Serena stops in her tracks as her eyes meet mine. “I’m gonna go find Abe.”

She squeezes my hand, as I keep trailing behind father. We are going to the other side of the impressively large lobby where there’s lounging for those that don’t enjoy the festivities.

“I’m surprised you made the trek here from Seattle. Figured you’d want to hole yourself away like always.”

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