I held Lavender close when everyone gathered around the blazing bonfire nestled between our group.
River sat beside Darcy who he had wrapped up in a blanket to keep him warm despite the fire already feeling like it was melting my eyes from my head.
Everyone drank the watermelon alcohol the two boys had smuggled in. The bottles were hidden inside the tree trunks we all gathered on under the stars.
"Is it true demons can't get drunk?" Sophia piped up when River sculled his drink and then reached for Darcy's that he cradled.
"Well, one drink isn't enough to get anyone drunk" Oxley piped up now with a small laugh.
"Is it also true demons don't burn?" the scarred teen smirked at us
I turned to River for an explanation. He quickly lifted his shirt to reveal several small burn marks tracked along the side of his body.
"Did you do those?" one of the girls gasped.
"Yeah, I like to use my body as an ashtray when I feel like it" River snorted and rolled his eyes at her.
Darcy smiled up at his dark humour. The scarred kid saw his affection and pointed his bottle at him.
"Are you gay or something?"
"Saxon" the redhead slapped his arm harshly "you can't say stuff like that!"
"Don't be a dick, dude" his dark friend mumbled.
River's eyes snapped to Saxon and remained there as he finished off his drink.
"If you've got something to say, speak up" he growled at him, his tail flicking now.
"I didn't mean anything by it" Saxon held up his hands now as he realised the cheery atmosphere had turned tense "sometimes my mouth works before my brain does; honestly."
River was quiet. He still stared murderously at Saxon who quickly made an excuse to get out of there. Brenten quickly followed after him.
"Please, don't take him seriously" the blonde girl pleaded to River "he's not looking to cause trouble. He has a loose mouth."
River snorted at her explanation and got to his feet.
"Any of you lot have a loose mouth too?" he scowled at them all "Darcy already gets enough thrown on him as it is without copping more here too, got it?"
I saw River shaking with frustration before he let out a growl and stormed off with the excuse of getting snacks.
Darcy watched River go but didn't follow him. He looked down at his feet in embarrassment.
"For what it's worth, I think you two are a super cute couple" the frizzy haired girl stated with a flirtatious smile at Darcy "and your demon boyfriend better keep a good hold of you."
"Sissy" Lavender gasped out with a giggle at her friend's boldness.
"We actually aren't even a couple..."
"There is no way!" the dark boy exclaimed in disbelief "he's obviously hot for you! Look at the way he got all defensive over what Saxon said."
"You're the one who named him too, aren't you?" Brenton added with a smile "of course he's going to be attached."
"Is it forbidden romance?" the blonde leant forward with the rest of Lavender's friends.
Olivia's friends squealed at the thought and Darcy nodded shyly.
"That is too cute!"
"He needs to ask him out" Braidon piped up now "otherwise someone else might swoop in and steal him before he has the chance."
The others agreed and got excited at the thought of playing matchmaker. The cheery atmosphere was back with excited babbling from everyone.
"Shh! Shh! Here he comes!" Sissy giggled.
River immediately sensed something was up when he reemerged into the light with a plate of marshmallows, chocolate, and biscuits. He dropped down the sticks warily and sat the plate down as everyone tracked him with held breath.
"Well?" Sissy prompted.
"Well... what?" River frowned and saw others stifling their giggles.
"Don't you have something to say to Darcy?" the red head batted her eyelids with a wide smile.
Darcy looked up expectantly and River looked around again. He looked like a spooked animal in headlights.
"Look, I'm sorry about before..."
"No!" The Sophia laughed out "not that!"
"I'm really confused what you are all getting at" River grumbled as he stabbed a marshmallow with one of the sticks and handed it to Darcy. He did the same and roasted his while deep in thought.
"River" I leant over to poke his leg with my shoe "they want you to ask Darcy out."
The marshmallow sizzled as it turned black.
Lavender waited with the others in anticipation. She was as excited as them for the happy outcome they envisioned.
Saxon returned with Brenten and handed out cans of soft drink. It really felt like River was on show now.
Even though a simple kiss had ended in disaster, Darcy beamed at River for those few words he longed to hear.
"We can't" he grimaced.
"You can!" Sophia urged before everyone started to chant.
"Do it! Do it! Do it!"
River was clearly uncomfortable. I joined in the chanting with Lavender to make him groan out and throw his crisped marshmallow into the bonfire.
"Darcy" River snapped in irritation, before realising his tone and softening it "do you... want to do this?"
Darcy's eyes sparkled and he nodded ever so slightly. River looked down briefly in embarrassment as the watching crowd that was deathly silent.
"Do you want to be with me?" River mumbled, glancing up at Darcy who nodded enthusiastically with a smile.
"Cheers to the new couple!" Saxon shouted out and shook up his soft drink to spray everywhere.
Everyone else did the same as they got to their feet, laughing as we were all soaked around the crackling bonfire.
River was more forward with his affection with Darcy now that they were official. He fed him smores and used the very tips.of his claws to wipe off any mess left behind. He only had eyes for Darcy who was lapping up the affection.
Lavender was in everyone's sight most of the night. She only had brief moments with me around her other friends who all enjoyed her opening their presents and sharing stories over pieces of cake at the pallet table. New dresses and a new pair of swimmers were amongst the clothes she proudly pressed to her own to show off.
Braidon was being particularly friendly with her out of everyone. His brother, Brenten, was obviously concerned about the growing interest in a girl who was already taken, especially when he caught my sour expression watching them closely.
When the party started to scatter around the field and through the house, Lavender left her joyful dance with Braidon to move over to me and gently tug my head down by one of my horns.
"We should go for a swim" she batted her eyelids up at me when she released my horn, resting her arms around my neck as we shuffled.
"Everyone will know you are missing" I smirked at her as I scanned the area.
It was dark enough to slip away undetected, but everyone had been after Lavender's attention all night; it wouldn't leave us much time to enjoy the moment together.
"We'll be super quick" she pressed and leant up again to whisper in my ear "I thought you wanted to see me nude?"
Nude?
My body instantly jolted at the thought and I felt a lump instantly form in my throat. I glanced over at the swimmers left on the gift table and saw Lavender follow my gaze with a knowing smile.
"Help me bring the gifts inside first" she nuzzled her head into my chest "then we can slip out my door and to the river."
I loved how sneaky Lavender was being. She was fuelled by the thrill of it all too as we both started to collect her gifts.
"I'll help you guys out" Braidon offered and started to load his arms up as well. Saxon followed suit, not reading my annoyance with the unwanted company.
With all of the gifts collected though, we wouldn't have to take multiple trips. We could be quicker in our escape together.
"Just in my room" Lavender ordered the boys who followed her past her friends snacking around the kitchen table and into the room.
Saxon dumped the items on her bed and left, while Braidon lingered at the door.
"Are you coming back for more dancing?" he smiled when he saw she wasn't leaving the room "there's some good ones playing at the moment."
"Soon" Lavender replied as she searched for an excuse "I'm... going to try on some of my new clothes first."
Braidon looked eager at her words when she held up the swimmers. I felt my lip curl back and my ears flatten instantly. Braidon was suddenly aware of my existence and quickly made himself scarce as he closed the door.
"I don't like the way he thinks he has a chance with you" I huffed at Lavender as she closed the curtains over the glass door "he's greedy."
"He's just being nice" Lavender waved it aside as she turned around for me to unzip her dress "Braidon is just an old friend and nothing more. He used to have a crush on me when we were little."
"Used to?" I narrowed my eyes at the door "or still does?"
"You have nothing to worry about" she soothed with a gentle kiss on my nose before shimmying out of the dress "he knows you are my boyfriend."
For someone who knew, he sure was testing his boundaries. He was seeing how much he could get away with before I snapped and had to put him in his place. He honestly didn't care that Lavender had a boyfriend already.
The next time he tried something, I would make sure he knew the consequences.
Lavender wore one of her new dresses when she dug out her torch from under her bed and tucked her bath salts under her arm before sneaking out the door and onto the verandah.
I saw the pastel yellow fabric flit over the other side as I followed her out. I spotted River and Darcy only a few meters to my right in the darkness.
Darcy was pressed to the wall with River only inches from his face, his arm planted above Darcy's head as leant in.
However, when they spotted me, River only glared and didn't move his position.
I left the tender moment to chase after Lavender who waited ahead for me. Her torch light bounced through the darkness to make me smile at it.
It looked just like her soul light teasing me again.
She was already pulling off her dress when I caught up to her further up the river. The torch cast a blanket of light over the dark hole while it rested on the rocks surrounding it. I saw Lavender's shadow dart across it when she took a running jump into the water and screamed out at the contact.
"Cold?" I teased her shivering body huddled in the middle.
"Just get in here" she shivered, popping open the bath salts she gripped.
My clothes collapsed next to hers just before I slid under the fizzing surface and shouted out to make her laugh and splash me.
"You really choose some weird times for a skinny dip" I commented when I splashed her back.
We were little kids again as we playfully teased each other and giggled in the darkness. I swam over to Lavender to grab her and try and force her head onto the water surface as she fought back by grabbing my horns. I used my tail to startle her into dipping downwards.
"No!" she cried out when the water touched her face "you cheated!"
I laughed when she grabbed my horns this time to try and force me downwards. But as she reached upwards and exposed herself, her laughing face grew serious.
She was right there, staring into my eyes, as her body pressed to mine. I could feel myself get hard at the sight of her before me which was instantly noticeable.
I heard her gasp when I wrapped my hands around her and pushed her back against the rocky border to press my lips to hers.
She pushed back and wrapped her hands around my back to pull me in close. My hands wrapped around her breasts to make her gasp again.
What a lovely sound that was. And this feeling of her pressed to my skin was making everything inside me melt all at once.
I wanted more of her. Suddenly, our public swimming hole seemed a million kilometres away. It felt like it was just us and the warming water.
"Teddy" Lavender spoke up when I went to kiss her again "we shouldn't."
Right. Things were really getting out of control.
"Maybe when we can feel below our shoulders?" I suggested to make her smile.
"I'm sorry" she kissed me quickly so she could swim past for her clothes.
"Apology accepted" I murmured back when she lifted herself out of the water and turned to show off her body as she slipped her dress back on.
She giggled at me then waited as I swam over to get dressed as well.
"You are going to have a problem with that" she teased my erection that I tried to hide in my pants.
"And you are going to have a problem with me" I smirked back and wrapped my wet body around hers to make her shriek out and laugh. Lavender took off back towards the house while I tried to snag her hand and drench her more.
There were cheeky comments when Lavender rushed for the showers and I made a beeline for the bonfire. Everyone else was scattered with their food and drinks as they danced and talked away.
"Look at you, late night swimming" Oxley commented when he dropped down to lean against the log beside me.
There was no sight of Sophia anywhere, and Oxley only sighed when I mentioned it.
"We may be Bonded, but her heart isn't with me" he only replied as he trailed his fingers along the ground "not like you and Lavender, or River and Darcy. I think she's over there hooking up with Saxon's friend, Angus, or something."
"That's tough" I peered over at the house when he did.
"And none of these other girls are the same" he whined and looked up at me now "Poppy and Hailee might be her friends, but I think they are irritating. The only one I'd really like is Sissy. She's super cute, but I know nothing about her to be like that with her."
"You can always find out" I nudged his side with my leg "seems like these people like pairing people up by what we saw before."
"Yeah" he chuckled and sighed again "I think I might just go sleep on it before I do anything stupid."
"Good idea" I grinned and watched him leave.
Lavender was still nowhere to be seen as I dried off by the bonfire. Hailee; Sophia's red head friend came to give me some company and roast marshmallows with me for a while. Her blonde friend, Poppy, came over with Sophia in giggling fits to sit themselves down only for a moment before rushing off to dance and drink some more.
"I swear Angus has some alcohol hidden around here somewhere" Hailee commented as she nibbled on a biscuit "no-one laughs like that over soft drink."
I snorted with her when Poppy and Sofia bumped into each other and laughed it off as part of their dopey dance.
"You haven't seen Lavender, have you?"
Hailee shrugged but then remembered as she passed me some chocolate.
"Last I saw, she was getting changed after her shower. I think she was having some snacks inside after that before I came out."
Relief flooded through me. She was just enjoying time with her friends; I was just being paranoid.
"The real question is, have you seen Sissy and Brenten?" she nudged me with a sly smile "those two were really making things awkward in their little corner."
I sniggered with her and smashed together another smore with her.
"You seem one of the more sensible ones here" I commented to make her blush.
I didn't know what Oxley meant. Hailee wasn't irritating at all. She was charming and really nice.
"Well, I don't know about that" she leant back to peer at the sky above "but I'm not one for the sneaky alcohol and schoolyard gossip like some of the others are. I'm just boring Hailee with her orange flavoured drink and really burnt smores."
"I like boring Hailee" I smiled before realising that my flattery could be coming across as flirting and looking away.
"Thanks" she smiled at me then patted my shoulder "as cliche as it sounds, we are braiding each other's hair later if you want to join in? Lavender told me you kept yours long for her to practice on."
I grabbed the drenched bun on top of my head and let it out so the warmth of the fire could reach it properly. It was only a fraction of the mess already stuck to my back.
"I think that's super cute" Hailee smiled again then waved as she left me "see you later, Teddy Bear!"
My insides bubbled as I waved back and stared up at the sky. There was no doubt she had been flirting with me just now. The feeling of it all only made me want to project it onto Lavender and make her feel as giddy.
I finished the rest of my smore and headed inside on the hunt for her. As soon as I passed the doorway though, I was grabbed by Poppy and dragged into the lounge-room where Angus, Saxon, and Sissy were gathered.
"Teddy!" Sissy exclaimed in joy when Poppy guided me down onto the floor "you are the perfect one for this!"
"Which is?"
"Braiding!" Sissy clapped her hands together "I'm trying to teach Saxon how to do it, but I didn't have anyone else with long, straight hair like yours to demonstrate. I want him to be good before everyone else gets in here. You'll be my model."
I nervously agreed and had Sissy sit behind me on the couch to begin her lesson. Poppy was beside me that Saxon focused on.
"You should get Lavender for this" I gushed as my hair was tugged and twisted "she is an expert at this."
"She's had the perfect practice" Poppy commented and winced when Saxon pulled too hard "but I haven't seen her in ages."
"Braidon was talking with her earlier at the table" Angus mouthed from around his drink that he was pouring a flask into "apologising for something he did earlier; who knows."
Apologising. So he was aware of the discomfort he caused earlier. I would have to find him later to try and mend things between us as well. It was not the night to form grudges.
"Look at you go!" Sissy cheered Saxon on who finished up his braid. It was very crooked and kinked down Poppy's back, but something that he was proud of achieving beside Sissy's perfect demonstration.
"I'll go find Lavender for you" I beamed and took it out as Hailee came rushing over to join in "then we can all do it."
Sissy was keen for the idea as I darted away to check the kitchen where River was racing Brenten in a drinking game.
"Lavender?"
River shrugged and slammed down the cup with a cheer of victory as I moved on.
I found Darcy exiting the bathroom that I quickly checked. He was also stumped on where she was and suggested a search outside.
"Come on!" Sissy called out when I passed her again to circle the verandah.
Both of our curtains were pulled over the doors as they had been all night. I placed my hand on Lavender's door before spotting Mum and Dad and heading for them instead.
They were gathered with four other adults further from the home. They all talked around their own bonfire amongst themselves.
"Have you seen Lavender?" I asked them.
None of them knew. Despite the other adults wanting me to join in their conversation, I quickly rushed off to avoid losing time.
Worry was starting to set in now. Lavender had gone missing and no-one knew where she was.
I skipped searching the riverside since she wouldn't be stupid enough to torture herself with more freezing water after regaining her senses again.
As I head back to the pallet tables to search, River joined my side.
"Still no luck?"
I shook my head and turned on the spot to scan the area wildly.
"Hey, she's not going to get far on her own birthday" River placed his hands on my shoulders "have you checked her room?"
"Not yet" I blurted and rushed back for the house with River following.
Sissy went to call out again but saw my distress and didn't. The group gathered instead to follow me to Lavender's door, keeping a gap between us.
Please be inside. Please, please, please.
I had nowhere else to search. This had to be it. It had to be.
I pressed my ear to the door and instantly heard movement. My hammering heart settled at the relieving sound.
"Sprig" I smiled as I knocked and pried open the door a fraction to peer inside. Darkness shielded the whole room before I flipped the switch by the door "everyone was lo..."
My words were cut off when the room flooded with light and I saw Lavender on her bed. Braidon was there too, between her legs that were wrapped around his pumping bare arse causing her soft moans.
"TEDDY!" she squealed out when she was blinded, trying to clutch at the covers lying on the floor. Her dress was tangled amongst it, along with Braidon's clothes that he dived for as he pulled himself from her.
Braidon. Fucking BRAIDON! And LAVENDER!
"You fucking piece of shit! " I snarled at him yanking his pants back up "you're dead."
"Teddy!" Lavender pleaded when I slammed open the door and stormed inside.
Nothing else was running through my mind when I snapped my claws around Braidon's throat and shoved him against the curtained door. His body was slick with sweat and he smelled just like the bath salts Lavender and I had soaked in at the river.
I didn't want to hear Lavender's excuses or Braidon's pathetic blathering to reason with me. I only wanted to tear my anger through the one thing I instantly hated most in this world.
I wanted him to feel my pain and suffer.
"TEDDY!" Lavender screamed at me when I hammered my fist into Braidon's face "STOP IT!"
She had her dress covering her now at least. Everyone spectated in shock or tried to call to me for reasoning.
I didn't hear any of them. I was deaf to anything that wasn't Braidon's angry grunts as he tried to fight back and gouge his fingers at my face.
I yanked Braidon from the door as he snagged onto my horns. He bought his knee up into my face to ram it into my eye before I threw all of my weight into his side I wrapped my arms around.
The glass shattered when we flew into it, coating the veranda in glistening chunks. Braidon's hand scramble for a piece while I sat on top of him and smashed my fists into his side in a furious frenzy of blinding tears and seething anger.
"YOU MOTHER FUCKER!" I SCREAMED, feeling someone trying to tug me away that I shoved away "FUCK YOU!"
"FUCK YOU!" Braidon roared back, slicing my throat with the glass sliver he held.
It was nowhere deep enough to cause any major damage, but it was enough to boil over my blind rage.
I got to my feet so I could drag Braidon upwards. My hands slammed his head into the side of the veranda to stun him and send blood splattering over the wood. Braidon blindly tried to cut me again before I shoved him over the side of the verandah and threw myself over to stab my heels into his spine.
I could hear the parent's voices now tangled in the mix. Thundering feet of some were on their way to tear apart our fight while others were frantically calling the police.
Braidon lunged for me and caught my stomach with his body. He rammed me onto my back so he could pin me down and smash his fists into my face I shielded.
"She's got something with me" Braidon huffed through each blow "you can't give her any of that, you demonic piece of shit."
I shoved my knees into his ribs and forced him from me. We both got to our feet to focus only on each other.
I ran for Braidon when the parents tried to intervene, and stabbed my claws through his throat and pinned him to the ground.
"She's not yours" I snarled down at him squirming below me "she's mine."
I saw the fear in Braidon's eyes when blood dribbled from his skin I pierced to force him to stop his struggle. Even his bucking body ceased trying to escape as I leant in close to him.
He needed to be as far as possible from Lavender. I wanted him to never look or talk to her again. And his scent.... he would wish for death before even breathing the same air as her again.
"Teddy..." Dad held out his hands towards me to try and break us apart "you need to stop."
"Back the fuck up" I growled at him and tightened my grip "or i'll cut his damn throat."
My threats were empty but he didn't know better. From what it looked like, a demon was about to brutally murder a human right there in the grass.
"Teddy!" River called out to me before leaping from the verandah himself and walking to us.
"Stay back! " I warned him through bared teeth.
"Help me out" Braidon gurgled to River who crushed his reaching hand beneath his shoe.
"You need to stop" River placed a hand on my back "the cops are going to be here any moment and it's not going to look good with a demon choking the shit out of a human, as pathetic as he is" he added with a swift kick into his side.
"Lavender" I begged up to him "he..."
I squeezed his throat to make him splutter in a breath. Dad reached out again before I snarled at him to get him to back up.
"We all saw" River spoke softly "but you need to think about Lavender. You're scaring her, Teddy. You've changed."
Changed?
I tore my claws from Braidon's throat to peer at them in confusion. Apart from the blood dripping over them, they were still untouched. My arms, however, had definitely lengthened to create extra distance between me and Braidon."
"You've got spikes all down your back now, and your horns are jagged" River explained "your arms are longer, and you've got splits up the side of your mouth. You wanted him to stay away and you have changed for that. I understand it too; I do."
Red and blue lights cut through the darkness that everyone turned to. I looked down at Braidon then to River before my tears choked from me and splattered onto his face.
"I don't want to leave her. Please."
River turned his head when the sound of slamming doors echoed through the air with garbled radio noise.
"Give him something to remember to stay away from her then" he replied with a cold smile from his gaping jaw as he left me.
Screams filled the air from everyone else when I pierced my teeth through Braidon's throat to tear at the soft skin there.
Blood dripped from it when I looked up at the police spilling across the grounds to line up their guns and fire.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
