Читать книгу Rebirth - Dmitry Nazarov - Страница 19

Before I left, I reached into the deep wooden dish on the counter and pulled out some cigarettes and a lighter, surprised that I hadn’t wanted a smoke since I’d come home after my conversion. There was also a short screwdriver for all occasions, for a lonely girl, who was the master of everything and also the master of fixing all sorts of things. I had lost my father’s knife in the first attack in the yard, so this would do. I slipped the improvised weapon into my pocket, along with my wallet and phone. Ridiculous as it was, it was better to have something to poke me with and hurt me than nothing at all in my situation. He shoved me unceremoniously aside before the front door, and stepped out first.

– You’re not much of a gentleman, are you? – I muttered softly into his back.

– Which is handy for you, in case the Widdidesiders are blind men, and I was wrong in my guess as to the logic of your aggressor,» he quipped softly over his shoulder, glancing up and down the street with a keen eye.

Why is he mine? Not for nothing, not for money…

The monotonous, nasty rain began to fall, and despite my own recent criticism, I was grateful that Ri’er’s car was so close, at least it wouldn’t pour down my neck.

– Are you going to strap it on again? – I asked, hiding my sarcasm.

– Only if you ask me to, baby,» Ri’er snorted. – Politely and with feeling.

Yeah, I’ll do it right away, just as long as you wait, alpha.

I couldn’t help but notice a car following us as we pulled out of the yard. Surveillance, or just coincidence? I glanced at Rair, but he didn’t seem to care, only stared at himself. I was angry with myself again, because I was suddenly frozen, tracing a single raindrop on his smooth-shaven cheek, flashing silvery white now and then fading in the lights we’d passed, crawling slowly down to his rigidly contoured chin. And this sudden moment of completely unwanted contemplation was followed by a wave of his scent, only now softened and simultaneously emphasized by the rain’s moisture. I blinked, cursing myself frankly, and suddenly Rieher took a sharp turn into a courtyard, drove through, joined the traffic on the avenue again, took another sudden turn, and so on several times, and all I had to do was cling to the rail and watch for a headache. That answers the question of whether we were being tailed.

The closer you got to the center of town, the busier the traffic became, and despite the rain, there were more brightly dressed people on the sidewalks. When you’re young and want to have fun, a little thing like bad weather can’t stop you. A runny nose and a sore throat the next day are not enough reason to dress warmly rather than spectacularly, and possible cystitis and other unpleasant pleasures are no reason to just stay home. I rolled my eyes mentally. The thoughts of a hundred-year-old woman, really! He pulled in front of a place with a sign for Sweet Buttercup blinking nonstop, glanced at the crowd at the entrance, and drove forward to the alley where he parked.

– Quit sniffing like a rabid hedgehog, pookie! Get out! – he commanded.

– I see the list of cute nicknames is rapidly expanding,» she muttered as she opened the door, then winced at the nasty breeze that crept up the hem of her short dress.

– Stop hissing at me and pretend to be a girl eager to embark on future adventures.

– You call being able to pick up whatever the hell it is you meet in a place like this an adventure? – I asked grumpily. – Or is the chance to lose your life supposed to make me happy?

– You don’t have to worry about sicknesses anymore, baby. We can’t catch them.

It smelled nasty in here: urine, scraps, rats, exhaust from the road. What the hell is the point of having an enhanced sense of smell? To get unnecessary information for the brain about what might be lying underfoot in such a nice place?

– Oh, of course, that’s all I care about right now! – I snapped back, blatantly covering my nose. Of course, the elevator in the stairwell can be worse, but I go there of my own free will, and here I dragged a forced. I have a right to be displeased.

– You’re a fussy one!

– Yeah, I’m so fussy! I want to live! – I stumbled and stumbled backward, feeling something like a strange jolt in the back of my head, and it felt like someone had poked a finger right into my brain, bypassing the hair and skin and bone. I shuddered at the unpleasant feeling, and glanced at Ri’er. «I don’t know if this is some sort of alpha disciplinary thing, or some sort of invisible slap in the face. He’s a creep, isn’t he?

– So live it up, who’s stopping you? – He replied, not at all irritated Riher, as before perfectly ignoring my angry reproachful look, and pushed me in the loin closer to the entrance through a crowd of massively blowing puffs of cigarette smoke, occasionally nodding to someone around and smiling quite smugly. This was clearly not the first time he had been here. Which was confirmed by a wide grin from the big guard at the entrance, which was probably supposed to mean «welcome» smile. I sniffed to see if the big guy was human, but the draft, the mixture of many perfumes, and the thick tobacco smog from the street prevented me from catching anything.

The style of the bar’s interior in no way corresponded to the flower mentioned in its name. Black velvet draped on the walls, oddly arranged mirrors and transparent lamps everywhere, without any seemingly clear scheme, which made all the reflections multiplied, refracted, accentuated some details and blurred others. Gleaming chrome metal was everywhere, and the only accent color was the sofas and chairs upholstered in rich burgundy leather, like dense wine in the light. Glancing briefly into one reflections-formed mirror tunnel, I was struck by how both Rier and I fit harmoniously into this interior, given the monochromatic choice of clothing colors. To the left and further in, where there were fewer mirrors and less light, there was a decent-sized dance floor, and some of the girls who had already started to have fun were swaying their hips lazily there. The music was rhythmic and monotonous, but not too loud, and most of the noise was generated by the noise of the visitors, who were crowded into all the relatively secluded niches, booths, and open tables and chairs. Yeah, it didn’t look like much of a place to sit down. But Ri’er wasn’t going to do that, and he led me onward to the bar. The bartenders’ bar itself, and the many bottles of drinks behind them, were lit up very brightly, as if they weren’t one with the rest of the dark, shadowy space. There were no vacant seats there, either, but Ri’er, in his usual cheeky way, squeezed up to the counter, waved imperiously and carelessly at the redheaded, short-haired barmaid, turned to the guy sitting on the nearest high chair and raised an eyebrow. He looked at the alpha once, and then again, much more insolently and intently, but after about thirty seconds he suddenly sagged and slid off the leather seat.

– Get your ass over here, baby! – ordered the alpha, and he leaned against the bar, watching as the bartender, glowering, moved toward us.

– Ray! – She squealed, and bent down to flaunt her plunging cleavage and unceremoniously grabbed his palm. – Why didn’t you come over so long?

I do not seem to be demonstratively ignored.

– Been busy! – The alpha didn’t answer in a very friendly way, and moved his hand away, severing their contact abruptly. – I’ll have the usual, and I’ll have the girl something that really gets me in and relaxes her.

Now the redhead had «suddenly» noticed me and even deigned to grin.

– Since when do your girlfriends need alcohol to relax? – she asked mockingly, though the hurt glint in her eyes was too obvious for me to see. Another free and independent in this insensitive dog’s collection? I don’t care, as long as she didn’t spit in the glass. Poison.

Riher question as if he did not notice, I defiantly looked at the reflective smooth ceiling, and the girl, fleetingly wincing as if she had something painful, went to fulfill the order. Alpha, with his back to the counter, was scanning the hall, and I felt out of place here, so I looked around askance, occasionally finding curious glances directed in our direction. I wanted to cringe at the annoying attention. If they knew Ri’er well, then I’d probably already be labeled his next conquest.

Soon there were drinks in front of us. And in Rier’s glass was something suspiciously similar to the usual pineapple juice, but in front of me was a tall glass with layered multicolored contents, a straw, and quite strongly smelling of alcohol. Considering the proportions between my size and the volume of the portion, and a not at all close previous friendship with booze, this dose should knock me off my feet.

– Come on, drink it up, baby. – Ri’er shoved me with his shoulder so that I almost flew off the perch.

– I’m not likely to be able to think straight and walk straight if I drink that,» I warned him.

– Did I mention I needed you to think? – he smirked defiantly, sipping his drink. – It’s your job to do as I say, and to watch faithfully, waiting to be told what to do.

I balled my fists into fists, trying to control the urge to throw the contents of my drink in his insolent face. I could tell he was an annoying bastard! May you choke on your own juice, you smug bastard! Looking straight into his frankly sneering eyes, pulled the straw out of the glass and quickly drained it without stopping, although for a moment it seemed that in the stomach poured viscous sweetened fire, and even tears came.

– I can’t believe it didn’t rip! – Ri’er grinned at the empty glass and beckoned the redhead to do it again. – Now, you be a good girl and drink slowly and sit still and listen to your music. I have things to do.

And he just walked away, instantly lost in the still arriving crowd and leaving me alone with a new portion in a completely unfamiliar place in which I felt wildly uncomfortable. What the hell was that? Why the hell had he brought me here in the first place? To fill my eyes with alcohol? That’s how we catch the fucking beast that attacked me? Pretty fucking professional, yeah.

Time went on and on, the alpha didn’t show up. My head went blank, but my body felt relaxed and tingling at the same time, my heart felt like it was adjusting to the beats of louder music. Several times the playfully attuned members of the opposite sex tried to approach me, but, apparently, my stubborn silence and sullen eye did not dispose to develop communication, so they just appeared and disappeared. About halfway through the second cocktail the redheaded bartender stood in front of me.

– You know, bringing you here and going off to get laid in the private area is too much, even for Ray,» she said sarcastically. – Don’t you have any self-respect to put up with that?

I stared at her with an unfocused stare.

– The only one who cares what he’s doing right now is you,» I told her, and… lied. I was really sick of sitting on my ass, and I wanted to go to the bathroom and get the hell out of here. And the concentration of liquid courage in my blood seemed to have reached the point where I was ready to do just that. My instinct for self-preservation was all but surrendered to the enormous anger that had grown against fucking Riear, who had abandoned me to dip his dick in something. I slid off the high bar stool and swayed.

– End of the hall to the right hallway,» the redhead admonished me, obviously thinking I was about to have a showdown with the prodigal dog. – The third door on the edge. His favorite room.

Yeah, I’m rushing right in! I have no desire to interrupt his sex relaxation, especially after the warning about the consequences I received earlier today. I should visit the ladies’ room first, and then I’d see. As soon as I was on my feet, the feeling I had felt on the street, as if someone had poked me in the back of the head, was repeated. And so intensified that I almost flew nose-first. Or maybe it was just my legs that had already become tangled by themselves. Stopped me a girl with a cloudy eye, when asked where the facilities, vaguely waved somewhere to the right, and I went where sent, pushing through the crowd. I rolled my eyes and groaned when I saw what an endless line of suffering there. And with my pathological luck, how could it be otherwise? I leaned my shoulder against the wall, watching the unhurried progress of the row of girls stomping. I could see why that back alley smelled so peculiar. It was quicker to go there a couple of times than to wait here. When the going got tough, there was no sense of remorse or sensitivity. I wonder if Ri’er will be back by the time I get back, or if he likes to drag out the fun a little longer. I’m not interested, Rory, not at all! The only question is whether or not he’ll be angry at me for not finding out where he left me. But what question is that? Of course it is.

A tall guy with a case of beer on his broad shoulder, whistling lightly, strolled down the hallway. Obviously one of the local employees. I stared at him involuntarily, noticing the black bandage that crossed his face and covered his left eye. It combined with the dark green bandanna, the shirt unbuttoned nearly to his chest, and the rolled-up sleeves to give him an audacious, downright pirate look. Cool, though! In fact, I suddenly found him unusually attractive, to the extent that I continued to stare at him frankly while the guy approached, stepping lightly and springily, as if he was not burdened with a heavy box. When he caught my gaze, he smiled brightly and openly, revealing beautiful snow-white teeth, and winked playfully. And I smiled back, somehow completely unable to resist it. «I must look stupid staring at a stranger,» I thought, but then I didn’t care. I liked him. Just like that, all of a sudden, intensely, and I saw no reason to resist it.

– Down the corridor and around the corner is the staff room,» the handsome pirate whispered, coming up beside me and leaning swiftly toward my ear, and, without stopping, went on. And I… I followed him like a sheep on a rope. After a dozen meters I turned a corner, looked around, but didn’t find any doors, except one at the very end of the corridor, which was leaning against the guy who beckoned me, who had already gotten rid of the box. He kept smiling, but now it gave me the creeps. I shook my head, caught off guard by the nasty new poke in the back of my brain, and squinted at his face, wondering why the fuck I found him so attractive. His features looked like they were pierced with cruelty, and his single eye seemed to burn into my face.

– What, are you admiring your work? – he growled eerily, pointing to the blindfold.

I swallowed loudly and took a step backward, and he repeated my move with deadly rapidity, coming much closer. There was no time to realize my own stupidity, and, screaming, I staggered backward, turning around. But my scream was cut short when the bastard yanked my hair back in a tight ponytail and tossed me through the door behind him. It flew open with the impact, and I rolled out into the darkness, finding myself on all fours in some huge, stinky puddle.