We probably shocked her. Blew her innocent little worldview apart and scandalized her. Hell, we gave her enough gossip to dine out on with her friends for weeks. The thought makes me grimace.
We moved too fast. Rushed it. Swept up in River and Kai’s keenness, I let my usual instincts take a backseat in favor of something more… primal.
Not just them. Iwantedher. Still want her, even as I try not to think of silky black hair across satin sheets that makes me shift in place.
I taste sour regret at the back of my throat, as it tightens.
It’s for the best if we never hear from her again. She doesn’t belong with us. Not even for something temporary.
She belongs in her undoubtedly sheltered world. Safe, and warm, and—
My eyes catch on something in the far corner. Something out of place, and I straighten. Every fucking warning instinct I have starts to blare, a red fucking flag.
The fuck?
Briar
“Are you sure? Thank you so much!”
Smiling brightly at the man who beckons me past the long queue of people, I offer the girls at the front of the line an apologetic smile as he lifts the rope and I slip past them. The man, at least a foot taller than me and almost twice as wide with a shaved head, glances at me askance. “You in the right place?”
“Absolutely. This is – this is Mystic, right?”
He nods, still looking at me strangely before he shrugs. “No cover charge for you. Go on in.”
“Very kind of you.” I beam at him, smoothing down my dress. He blinks before pulling open the dark glass double-doors, and I step inside. My head cranes back to try to take everything in at once.
It’s really loud in here. A wall of noise hits me so hard I take a small step back before steadying myself. A huge dancefloor runs the length of the room, the black floor glittering with some kindof effect as hundreds of people move to the music being played from above their heads. Colored strips of lighting sweep over their faces as I take a breath and plunge into the crowd, heading for the bar I spotted against the far wall.
I squeeze in between two larger groups, only waiting a few minutes before scarlet, pointed nails tap on the marble. “What’s it gonna be?”
“Uh…,” I glance up. The wall of bottles stretches to the ceiling. It’s a little intimidating. “Surprise me?”
The bartender, a tiny, pixie-haired woman with incredibly pretty eyes, grins. “My favorite drink.”
I watch as she darts up and down, her fingers dancing over glass without seeming to even look as she pours several potent-looking liquids into a tumbler and shakes it with ice before she pours it into a glass.
Should have asked for wine.
It’s the only alcohol I’ve ever tasted. The woman bounces back to me with a wide grin. “Here you go! Onesurprise me.”
I take a sip as I hand her some cash from my purse, along with enough for a decent tip, and try not to gasp as it burns a line down my throat. “Wow. That’s… something. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Her head tilts. “I haven’t seen you before.”
“I’ve never been here before.”
Her eyes widen, as if she’s absolutely delighted. “Fresh meat?”
I blink. “Sorry?”
She laughs, a loud, surprisingly sultry giggle that draws eyes her way. “I like you. I’m not working on Wednesday. You should come and drink with me.”
I have a feeling that drinking with her would get very messy, very quickly. “I’ll try.”
“Great! I’m Dove.” She waves frantically at me as if I’m twenty feet away and not right in front of her before she turns to the guybeside me, her smile slipping into something resembling horror. “I’m not serving you. You look possessed.”
Is she… making the sign of the cross?
