My Most Precious Human novel Chapter 57

I could have sworn that the barista kept his eyes on me the entire time he was preparing our coffees. There was something in the way he acted. It was a predator-like behavior. He observed his prey - me. I decided to look the other way before that filled with panic spark, growing inside me, would take over my entire mind. As long as I could see Patrick standing right outside, my breathing rate slowly returned to normal.

"Oh, here comes our coffee!" Colleen sang, seeing Jimmy carrying our two cups.

He put them on the table, barely sparing a glance at Colleen. For some unknown reason, it seemed like I got most of his attention. There was something dangerous in the way Jimmy looked at me. His eyes were filled with a savage spark, just like the one, I saw in those golden pupils of the barista. I tried to avoid meeting Jimmy's devouring gaze, yet the sole awareness of his presence was enough to send chills down my spine. The thing I found even more uncomfortable was the intense smell of his cologne, which literally made me breathless while he was inches away from my face. I could only relax when Jimmy finally put the cup of coffee next to me and moved away.

"Taste the coffee," Colleen demanded, moving my cup closer to my edge of the table.

I forced myself to smile at her while trying to shake off Jimmy's overwhelming scent. Colleen's gaze intensified, roaming between my eyes and the cup. I guessed that she wouldn't give up until I tasted that damn coffee. I lifted the cup and took a tiny sip.

"It's good… Really good," I responded, without really tasting it, but I felt obligated to tell her something immediately.

"It is, isn't it?" She grinned, then used her hand to fan the coffee's aroma towards me, "The smell is fabulous, right?"

I smiled awkwardly, but the truth was that I'd rather smell coffee than that awful cologne. At times like this, I regretted training my senses with Ezra. I used to do it so I could differentiate humans from werewolves. Most of the shifters could never entirely get rid of their fur's scent even when they were in their human form, especially men. The way I scented it was as if those guys radiated a strong smell of musk-like fragrance combined with wet wood and something earthy. The smell became more intense with the wolves' growing excitement or anger. Unfortunately, Jimmy's cologne almost killed my smelling sense. I bet that at that moment I couldn't smell a wet dog even if it stood one foot away from me. Of course, my taste buds couldn't stay unaffected. I inhaled my flat-white, pretending that I was a coffee expert before my senses could recover from the state of shock.

"Drink some more," Colleen encouraged me while taking a sip from her cup

I joined her as soon as Jimmy's fragrance dissipated in the air. I drank a few gulps of the hot liquid but suddenly realized that once I did, she put her cup down and observed me. Her lips formed a mischievous smirk while her eyes became wider.

"You live away from your family, don't you?" she asked, all of a sudden.

I put the cup down and looked into her eyes, surprised.

"W-why do you ask about my family?" I voiced out hesitantly.

"Just curious." She shrugged as if it was a normal, random question.

"I don't have a family." I clenched my teeth, looking out the window to see Patrick.

"Oh, really?" She smirked.

"Yes," I confirmed, looking into her eyes.

Her expression changed as something darker filled her pupils. A smile on her face became colder and her gaze much more intense and uncomfortable.

"Do I have something on my face?" I laughed nervously.

"You have beautiful eyes, Lilith." I couldn't tell if Colleen's comment was a compliment or a mocking remark.

With her last word, a soft, sneering chuckle left the barista's throat. I turned my head towards him, and he looked at me with a wicked grin.

"Malik seems to share my opinion." Colleen snickered, winking at the barista.

"What can I say?" He leaned against the bar, locking his eyes on me, "She's every wolf's type."

I jumped up from my seat and ran towards the door.

"Don't leave us yet, lovely." Jimmy blocked my way before I could reach the door handle.

"It's sad to hear that Randall D'Apolito's daughter is so disloyal towards her own family." Colleen sneered.

I roared angrily and looked out the window. To my horror, I could no longer see Patrick anywhere. I made one more desperate try at reaching the door handle.

"Face it, bitch, you are not going anywhere!" Colleen fumed, grabbing my wrist.

I glared at her and hissed, "Let me go!"

She put a sly grin on her face as her claws grew and stabbed my arm. A painful moan left my mouth. She laughed. The excitement and satisfaction increased within her stare, making the lavender and mint scent more intense. I smiled bitterly as I came to realize what it meant and just how horrible a mistake it was for me to come here along with her…

How could I be so stupid as to not realize this earlier? Lavender and mint were herbs that odorless wolves used to hide their nature from vampires. Like Brian Myers, Colleen was a spy, and I fell into her trap like an idiot.

I used all the strength I could muster and tore my hand off of her grip. "Get away from me!"

Jimmy and Malik walked closer, cornering me right beside the door.

"My bodyguard is waiting right outside!" I called out, hoping that Patrick would quickly notice that something wasn't right.

"He's already been taken care of, lovely." Jimmy snickered meanly.

I gulped. I had lost sight of him, but still hoped he would show up the second I'd be in danger. I gazed through the window and suddenly saw three more men walking from the direction Patrick stood before. They were laughing, and one of them had blood on his hand, but it didn't look like he was the one injured. I didn't know if Patrick was dead or if he managed to escape and call for backup, but one thing was for certain: he couldn't help me.

"No…" A single word left my lips, as I was sinking in a swirling sea of anger, fear, and despair.

I put my guard up, but that only made my opponents laugh. I wondered why they didn't even bother to put up theirs until I suddenly felt my head spinning and my vision becoming blurry.

"What did you give me?" I clenched my teeth, fighting to stay aware.

"Oh, we already know that you're a feisty little devil, Lilith. That is why you're gonna sleep all the way to your new home." Jimmy chuckled, leaning over me.

I leaned back against the wall. My knees were weak, and it was getting harder to maintain my balance.

"I'd rather die than go back to my father…" I mumbled, using anger to maintain my consciousness.

"Oh, but you're not going to Randall D'Apolito, hon. You don't belong to him anymore." Jimmy sneered, "You're going to Alpha Draven, your new master."

"What?" I called out, fearfully.

All three of them burst out laughing. My dizziness blurred my vision. I collapsed onto the floor. I couldn't keep my eyes open, no matter how hard I tried. Before my eyelids fell down, I saw Jimmy crouching down beside me.

"Don't fight it, lovely. You've already lost." The close encounter with his disgusting cologne made me unable to breathe.

I moved my head away but still felt him leaning closer to my ear.

He murmured, excitedly, as his lips touched my earlobe. "Nighty-night," he whispered.

I passed out.