Once we near the tent, I hear the brap brap of the dirt bikes. The sound sends a frisson of excitement through me. Once inside, it’s too noisy to hear what Elliot’s saying, so he grabs ahold of my hand, leading me around the perimeter of the tent to the front row with two open seats. Sebastian, Eros, Tres, and Lathan are inside the globe, whirling around so quickly that I can hardly tell who’s who. “Worlds Collide” blares from the speakers, and I watch nervously, my fingers gripping the edges of my chair.
“I bet they could do this in their sleep,” I remark absentmindedly, but somehow Elliot manages to hear me over the noise and nods. “Do you ride?”
“I do,” he yells back. “I’ve been trying to talk them into letting me perform with them. They’re not convinced.” Something flashes in his eyes, but it’s gone before I can decipher it.
“Why stay then?”
A shrug. “I don’t have anywhere else. Or anyone else, more specifically.”
We watch the remainder of the show in silence. When the announcer says the last word, I stay in my seat, waiting for the crowd to file out. Sebastian jerks off his helmet and storms toward us, but Eros stops him with a palm to his chest.
I can’t hear what Eros is saying, but I can tell he’s trying to talk some sense into Sebastian. What on earth could he possibly be pissed about? I stand, shoving my palms into my back pockets, but all four of them are bombarded with a group of about ten girls. They oblige, taking the time to pose for pictures, even though Sebastian’s eyes don’t stray from our direction, before he’s had enough.
“I should go,” Elliot says dryly as Sebastian prowls toward us. “Wouldn’t want to piss off Sexy Sebastian.” If I wasn’t so preoccupied wondering what Sebastian’s beef with Elliot is, I’d laugh at the unexpected snark in his tone.
Sebastian comes to a stop in front of me, eyes locked on Elliot’s retreating back. “What were you doing with him?”
“Excuse me?”
Sebastian’s jaw tightens. “I told you. You can’t trust anyone here.”
“He’s like your brother,” I say incredulously. Brother might not be an exaggeration, but he’s part of their little crew. If he trusts him enough to have him around, why wouldn’t I trust him? “I figured he’d be on the safe list.”
“He’s not my brother, and no one is on that list.”
“Not even you?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
He flashes me a dark smile. “Least of all me. The most dangerous men are the ones with nothing to lose.”
I cock my head to the side. Had Sebastian just slipped up and gave me a tiny piece of his story? “What do you mean, you don’t have anything to lose?”
His smile falls. “You’re focusing on the wrong part of that statement, Princess. Jessup is having a get-together tonight. We don’t usually go to these things, but it’s the perfect opportunity to introduce you to everyone.”
“And by introduce me, you really mean stake your claim.”
“Basically.”
“Even though you don’t want me for yourself.”
“That pretty much sums it up, yeah.”
“That’s super fair.”
“Life’s not fair. Besides, it’s for your own good.”
An hour later, the five of us make the trek to Roy’s trailer. It’s a good half-mile away from Sebastian’s, clear across the other side of the lot. A handful of other vehicles form a circle around several folding tables full of food. There are people everywhere. Some are sitting on tailgates drinking beers, dancing, eating… Some people opt to lie back on a blanket on the ground, observing.
As soon as our arrival is noticed, all eyes are on us. The mood shifts, and I can practically hear the unspoken questions. I look to Sebastian, waiting for him to make a move. “Stay close,” he instructs. “We’ll stay long enough to make our point, then we’ll leave.” I nod my understanding. I don’t mind being in crowds or around new people. Never have. I’m used to being the center of attention, whether it’s at school, parties, football games…but this feels different. I feel like fresh blood and I’ve just walked into a coven of vampires.
“Bastian,” a dark-haired girl says, sauntering up to him. Girl isn’t the right word to describe her. She definitely qualifies as a woman with her sexy, smudged eyeliner, tits pushed up to her chin, and curves for days. She’s wearing a shirt that almost shows the bottom swell of her breasts and a pair of tight jeans. Bypassing me, she inserts herself directly between us, curling her hand around the back of his neck. Guess he’s not the only one who’s marking his territory tonight.
Sebastian looks at me over her shoulder with a bored expression as she presses a kiss to his neck. I cover my mouth to hide my smirk. So transparent. “Selina,” he says, not giving her more than a cursory glance before pushing her aside. “This is Evan.”
Selina turns around, eyes narrowed on me. “Hanging out with townies now, are we?”
“Not a townie. She’s with me.” I ignore how my stomach flips at those familiar words, the same words he said when he saved me from that pushy security guard the first night we met.
“Ah, so this is who Valeen told me about,” she says knowingly. Even Sebastian looks slightly caught off guard at her comment.