“No, that’s okay. We’re good,” one answered.
Her voice trembled, cracking at the end.
Alches’ tongue lolled out of his mouth as he trotted toward me, looking proud of himself.
I patted him on the head. “Good boy.”
From now on I was betting those harpies would think twice about playing with dogs.
I started toward the bar’s entrance and then paused. “You should probably wait out here.”
Dahlia had an affinity for shadows and what waited inside them. As powerful as Alches was, I wasn’t sure his glamor would hold up against her scrutiny.
While it wasn’t the end of the world for his true nature to be discovered, it also wasn’t something I wanted being bandied about among spooks. What someone else didn’t know couldn’t be used against you.
For now, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Alches dropped his butt to the ground with a disgruntled chuff as I opened the door, allowing sound and light to spill outside.
“I’ll be back soon. Don’t eat the harpies.”
ten
ForaThursdaynight,it was rather crowded as I stepped inside the Blue Pepper. Every table was occupied. The only seat available that I could see was located at a table near the bar where Caroline and Jenna sat.
Coincidence? I think not.
Especially since Connor was already seated beside them, his gaze on the martini glass Caroline set in front of him. Opposite him, Natalia leaned back in her chair, chewing absentmindedly on a drinking straw.
Caroline spotted me the second the door opened and waved madly in my direction. “Aileen! Over here!”
I lifted a hand in acknowledgement as a cheer went up from those nearby.
“Karaoke girl!”
Jenna’s eyes widened as she looked in surprise at the enthusiastic response to my presence. “Since when were you amenable to doing karaoke?”
I collapsed into the sole empty chair. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
Too bad Caroline didn’t feel the same. “She did! It was awesome.”
At that, Natalia removed the straw from her mouth to look at me with interest. “I would have liked to have seen that. I’m sure it was quite the interesting sight.”
Natalia possessed a scary kind of beauty, her features sharp and pointed like that of a raptor’s. Tonight, the harpy’s wings were glamoured to be invisible, allowing her to appear human and blend in with the rest of the patrons. They were still there though, as evidenced by the way she was sitting so as to not crush them.
“Something tells me I should be glad you weren’t,” I returned.
She’d probably never have let me live it down. I could just see a flock of harpies screeching the lyrics off key every time they saw me for months afterward.
The bar patrons there that night certainly had. Still did to this day.
Natalia’s lips twisted upward. “All the more reason I want to watch. Invite me next time.”
“Not happening.”
Caroline leaned forward. “Done.”
I glared at my best friend. She responded with an unrepentant grin.
