“I believe this is yours.”

The voice so close behind me made me jump because I hadn’t even heard him approach. I turned to see a silver chain dangling from his fingers and my hand went to my bare neck. I reached out gingerly without looking at his face and he laid the necklace in my hand. “Thank you.” I ran my finger over the cross then put it in my front jeans pocket. The chain was broken but I was glad to get it back. It had been my grandmother’s and Nate gave it to me last year on my birthday.

I expected the man to leave then but he stared at me for a long moment studying me. It felt like he was sizing me up, trying to figure me out as if I was a weird piece of art he couldn’t understand. There was nothing suggestive in his look. If anything, he looked at me with something akin to dislike.

“Are you done?” I finally asked after I’d had enough of his rudeness. His eyes widened a little and I got the distinct impression he wasn’t used to being rebuffed, especially by the opposite sex.

“You are a bit young for this place,” he said brusquely, ignoring my barb.

I bristled at his tone. “I’m sorry but I don’t think that is any of your business.”

“You can’t be more than seventeen or eighteen. You shouldn’t be here alone.”

“You’re not much older than me,” I shot back. “And I’m not here alone.”

“I am older than I look.” His voice was cool but his eyes burned into mine and the beast in my head stirred again. After what had happened to Scott, I clamped down tightly on it until it was silent. All I needed was for that thing to get loose again. Besides, this guy might be aggravating but I didn’t sense any real danger from him.

He ran a hand through his dark hair and looked out at the city. I could not help but think that he really was gorgeous. Not like Mr. CK, who was way too pretty for my taste. No one would dare call the guy in front of me pretty. There was an edge to him, serious, almost guarded.

“Nikolas,” said a voice from the doorway. We both turned to face a blond man who gave my companion a ‘raised eyebrow’ look, as if he wasn’t surprised to find his friend alone with a girl. “Ready to move out?”

I wasn’t sure if Nikolas’s frown was for me or his friend. He gave me another searching look then nodded. “Be out shortly, Chris.”

I expected him to say something else to me but he only stood where he was for a long moment before he strode to the door. He swung toward me again before he stepped inside. “Stay with your friends. This part of town is not safe for a girl alone at night.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”

And that wasn’t weird at all. It was definitely my week for strange encounters.

I waited another minute then made my way back to Roland and Peter. They were still dancing where I’d left them and Roland had made a new friend. A petite brunette girl had taken up my spot and she was rubbing against him like a cat on a post. I was beginning to wonder if the girls in this place had never seen a good looking guy before.

When Roland saw that I had returned he beckoned me closer, earning me a glare from the brunette which I chose to ignore. The band had almost finished their last set and I was ready to leave. My head was pounding even harder after my fall and I was a little wigged out from the whole encounter with that Nikolas fellow. I wasn’t sure what bothered me more; his behavior or my reaction to him. He was gone now so it didn’t matter, but I couldn’t put it out of my mind.

The band finished their last song to loud cheers and shouts for an encore. Peter hooted at them then turned to me and Roland. “That was sick! Did you hear Samson’s solo?”

“It was hard not to,” I said with a laugh. My ears were ringing.

“I told you they were good,” Roland said, nudging me with his arm. “Dylan’s gotten a lot better than the last time you heard him play.”

“Yes he has,” I agreed.

Peter punched Roland’s arm. “They’re starting to pack up. Let’s go.” They both looked expectantly at me and I waved them off.

“Go on, I want to sit down for a bit anyway. I’ll be over there.” I pointed at pair of leather chairs being vacated by a couple of girls. Roland nodded and he and Peter headed for the stage with the brunette in tow. I snagged one of the chairs and laid my head back with my eyes closed, trying to will my headache away. It was a little better now that the music had stopped. I listened to people milling about, content to sit there quietly until Roland and Peter came back for me.

Someone took the chair across from me. I opened my eyes, expecting to see one of my friends, and I was more than a little surprised to find Mr. CK sitting there watching me. He was alone and I wondered how he had managed to slip away from Trish and Shelley.

He was maybe nineteen or twenty and up close he was even more beautiful, if that was possible, with ridiculously thick lashes and full lips that parted in a disarming smile. I could not help but smile back.

“Did you like the band?” he asked in a voice so silky it was almost a caress. For a moment I forgot to answer.

“They weren’t bad. You?”

He gave a small shrug. “They’re decent, but the next one is much better. The Furies; have you heard of them?”

“No.” I found it a little hard to believe that he was into hard rock. The Attic and this type of music really didn’t seem to suit him. But then what did I know?

The leather chair creaked as he leaned forward with his elbows on the armrests. His bottomless indigo eyes bored into mine. “You should stick around to see them. You won’t regret it.”