Lux watched from the shadows as her friends swayed drunkenly around the bonfire. The red solo cup in her hand was filled with an untouched concoction she accepted to pacify Kitty. The girl had appointed herself the head of a special committee determined to make sure Lux's birthday was unforgettable, but at the rate Kitty wanted her to consume alcohol, Lux would be lucky to remember anything at all tomorrow.

Pouring the contents of her drink on the ground, she fished in the cooler for a bottle of water. Someone had to be the designated driver, and Kitty and Travis were out of the running within the first ten minutes of arriving. The rest of the small crowd was made up of classmates they hung out with from time to time, and it was all very much as Lux had expected. Every person present had known Lux since she was in kindergarten.

They held the party at the deer camp on Travis's land. His father and brothers were avid hunters, and Travis was an avid partier, so the arrangement worked out well for all of them. His dad turned a blind eye as long as they cleaned the place up afterwards and anyone unable to drive home spent the night in the cabin.

Lux glanced at her phone and sighed; it was just a few minutes past eleven. If things followed their usual course, she had at least another three hours before the party would wind down, and as of right now, she would be the only person sober at midnight when she officially turned seventeen.

A twig snapped behind her, and she spun around. The glow of the bonfire didn't reach far enough to illuminate the approaching person, but she could hear the heavy footfalls growing closer. Her body tensed, preparing to flee if the need arrived, but a calming sensation washed over her, easing her fears. And then a name formed in her mind.

"Hello Declan," she greeted.

At the sound of her voice, he paused just outside of the ring of light. She could read the surprise in the lines of his shadow, the way he stiffened and hesitated before moving again. His last steps brought him to a stop just inches from her. Not a short woman by any means, she felt dwarfed, and she swallowed hard as she slowly raised her gaze.

"Happy birthday," he said.

"Not for another thirty-eight minutes," she responded lamely. "How did you know about this party?"

"Phoebe told me about it, and she thought it might give me a chance to meet people closer to my age. I think that is how she phrased it."

Not nearly as nervous tonight as she had been when she met him, she noticed a strange quality in his accent. Still southern, the drawl was longer and more pronounced, but there was a crisp pronunciation to every syllable that added a polished edge. It was nothing like the mumbling her male classmates considered an acceptable form of communication, and Lux thought she could listen to him speak all night.

"That sounds like Memaw, but I got the feeling that you were older than me. Surely, you have better things to do than spend your time with a bunch of teenagers."

Declan's brows flattened into dark slashes across his forehead. "I'd...I'll be twenty next spring, so I suppose I'm still a teenager. There could be worse things to do this evening."

Lux raked her eyes over him, seeing nothing of the boy he claimed to be. Unsure of what else to say, she asked, "Would you like a drink?"

"Yes, that would be appreciated."

"What's your poison?"

He snatched her arm as she gestured towards the beverage table. His fingers were warm against her skin, and while his grip was tight, it wasn't bruising.

"Poison? Why are we drinking poison?"

"Calm down. It's just an expression. Do you prefer beer? Or a mixed drink?"

Abashed, he snatched his hand away and rubbed the back of his head. He answered, "Beer."

Popping the top, she offered him a can, their hands brushing as he took it from her. She shook her hand, telling herself it was to rid it of the condensation and not because her skin tingled. He drank half the beer in one long gulp and eyed the can with wonder.

"This is good stuff."

She laughed. "Not really. It's the cheapest stuff the guys can get their hands on. When you're not allowed to drink, you aren't real choosy about what you get."

"Is that why the party is out here in the woods? I didn't think prohibition would last this long," Declan mused, taking another drink.

Lux frowned. The mystery around Declan only grew the more he spoke. "Prohibition ended in the 30s. We're just all underage."

She couldn't be certain, but she thought she heard him mutter a string of curses beneath his breath. She waited for an explanation, but it never came.

"Right. Of course. Just making a joke," he replied, looking like he was two seconds away from disappearing back into the shadows.

"Lux!" Kitty's shrill, childish voice sounded in her ears as heavy arms dropped around her shoulders. Drinking always reduced Kitty to a four-year-old, and most of the time, her behavior was entertaining. Tonight, it was grating. She reached up to remove her friend's hand, but found that her hair had caught on something.

"Ow, Kitty. What are you wearing?" she asked, trying to free herself.

"Oopsies. It's the bracelet my mama gave me for my birthday. I thought I told you about it."

All of Kitty's efforts to untangle herself made the tangle worse, and hot tears formed in Lux's eyes as the pain in her scalp grew. Before she could give into her frustration, Declan pushed her hands away and picked apart the knot, his large, male hands surprisingly deft. Within a few moments, the tension against Lux's skull eased, and Kitty drew her wrist close to her face to inspect the bracelet.

"Is that an emerald?" Declan inquired, his sharp eyes snagging on the glittering green gem dangling from the thin gold bracelet.

Lux leaned closer to look at the jewelry. It was a beautiful piece, and far more expensive than Kitty's family could afford. She had a vague memory of seeing Kitty wearing the bracelet at the pond, but she didn't remember Kitty telling her about it before now.

Kitty's words were oddly well formed when she answered Declan. "It is. All the girls in my family receive one for their seventeenth birthday. It's tradition."

An understanding light flashed in Declan's eyes. "I see. How long has that been a tradition?"

Kitty ignored him and tugged Lux toward the fire. "Lux, dance with me."

"I will in a minute."

"Now. Mr. Sexy can come too."

Fingers tugged on the thin straps of her dress, forcing Lux to follow her friend, but she came to a halt as a wild impulse seized her. Pushing down her fear, she reached for the boy behind her. Declan stared at her outstretched hand in shock and made no move to take it.

"Come on, Mr. Sexy. It's my birthday, and I'd like you to dance with me.," Lux stated, playing her trump card.

Kitty and Travis whooped in approval, and spurred by their enthusiasm, Lux let her lips curl into what she hoped was a seductive smile. It must have worked. Fingers twining around hers, Declan drew her close to his body, settling one hand on her lower back as he swayed to the music. A boyish grin crossed his face, sending her heart skittering to a stop.

"I like this music," he said, dipping his head so that his lips were just a hairsbreadth from her ear. The deep timbre of his voice was like velvet and sent shivers down her spine. "What song is this?"

"Um," Lux began, her tongue thick in her mouth as she tried to find the name of the song around the lusty haze fogging her brain. "'I Don't Want to Live Forever.' I think that's it. It's from the Fifties Shades Darker soundtrack. Yep. Mmmhmm." She couldn't stop herself from rambling once her mouth started moving.

He tightened his hold until she was pressed against his solid chest, and she could tell by the way his chin rested on her head that he'd turned his ear towards the music to listen to the lyrics. "What is that movie about? It sounds like they're very tortured over the loss of each other."

"Oh," she began, grateful for the darkness to hide her blush. "I guess since you're a guy you might not know about it. The books were huge, if you're into that sort of thing, which I'm not....well okay, I liked the love story. It's really just a sex book."

She swore she could hear the thudding of his heart. "You've watched this movie? Read this book?"

"Yeah. My mom is really into it."

Wishing that the ground would swallow her, she decided a distraction from the music was in order. Lux caressed the nape of his neck, moving her fingers so they ran through the ends of his hair and trailed against his skin before repeating the process. Never had she been so bold with anyone before. She could blame it on the muggy summer air, the heat of the fire against her skin, or the romantic mood set by music and the stars.

But she'd been in this setting before, her partner less chaste even in his dancing while girly cocktails lowered her inhibitions. Never had she been tempted. Declan was the first man to unleash this kind of desire, and it frightened her.

The song came to a close, and she stepped away. Her attention snagged on his reluctance to release her, and she hoped it wasn't just a product of her imagination. They stood across from one another, gazes locked for several seconds before Lux was forced to break eye contact.

"Thank you for the dance," she said. One foot turned to run away, the other ready to step back into his arms.

That same boyish grin flashed again. "The birthday girl demanded it."

She grinned, a flirty comeback poised on her tongue, but it crumbled to dust when she realized Kitty was absent. "Travis, where did Kitty go?"

"I think she's puking in the kudzu," he slurred, making his way to Lux's side and giving Declan a good once over. "Hello handsome, I'm Travis."

Declan reached out to shake his hand. "I'm Declan. And thank you? You appear to be quite attractive as well."

Travis nudged Lux and winked. "Honey, if I hadn't just seen you two dancing and him looking at you the way my brother looks at his truck, I might go for it."

"Go for it?" Declan asked, looking at Lux for an explanation.

Travis gaped. "Where did you say you were from?"

Lux clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggle as Declan stuttered through his answer. She left the boys to go look for Kitty, pondering the strangeness of her grandmother's friend. Something told her that Declan had no experience being hit on by another man. It was like he'd arrived from another planet. Or another time... the thought whipped through her mind, the truth of the statement so strong in her bones she stumbled across the uneven ground.

How would that even be possible? She shook her head and continued to follow the sounds of retching and liquid splattering against the ground. Her feelings were never wrong, and they'd been nothing but clearer and stronger as the days passed. But this was just too much.

"Kitty, honey. You okay?" The sight of her friend on her knees in the bushes had Lux running to her side. Kitty was never one to hold back, but she couldn't remember a time the girl drank this much.

The blonde wiped at her mouth. "I'm good. Go back- Go back and dance with your hunky man."

"Nope. Can't let you stay out here alone. Not after Corinne went missing. Besides, you need someone to hold your hair back."

"You'reshuch a good friend. Ish your birthday party a good one?"

Lux rolled her eyes and prepared to lie. She'd have been happy sitting on her couch this evening and watching her favorite movies with her mom, but Kitty had meant well. She looked at Declan, his form dark against the bright flames. He was laughing at something Travis said, but as she watched him, his head swiveled in her direction. For a long moment, they stared at one another, and a thrill zipped down her spine.

Helping up her friend, she changed her response. "You know what Kitty? It really was."