Heath stuck out his tongue.“Nah-ah.I have cake blood and Jason, and Bryan is watching the movie for me.We’re good.Clem’s here too.”
Clement tsked.Bryan looked more gleeful by the minute.
“As you say, darling.But if anything is the matter—”
“One more round!Cannot hear you, old bat, having another round…”
Maxim hid his smile.“Let’s leave them to it, Raven.”
Maxim led the way to the elevator, which opened without having to be called.Bryan was still paying attention to all the minutiae of the house in order to keep things running as smoothly as ever.
“Didn’t see them getting drunk like that,” Raven said when they were in the relative calm of the elevator.The tumbler was still in his hand, and he took a small sip.“Jason’s really not like that though, and when he said he was responsible, that’s true.”
“I trust that he is, but everyone deserves to let their hair down every now and then.Did you know him before you came here for your university education?”
“No.I…” Raven heaved a sigh.“Everything was always hard.I was homeschooled.I was really good at picking stuff up on my own, luckily, and when I was, I don’t know, thirteen or so, I planned to throw a really big tantrum to get my mom to finally let me go to school.I executed the tantrum, screamed myself sore.There was some back-and-forth, but in the end I got my way.”He took another swig.“I’ve worked so hard ever since.I mean, there was so much I didn’t know.I did know that if I wanted to build my own life, I had to get out, and in order to do that, I had to go to college.”
The elevator arrived with aping, making Raven look up.“Sorry.You didn’t ask for me to blabber at you like that.”
Maxim led the way.“That’s quite all right.So that’s when you met Jason?”
“Right.Yeah.What is this?”
Maxim had stopped at the automatic sliding doors that led to the bar and restaurant so Raven could have a look inside through the glass first.
At close to midnight, it was quiet here, just a few of the on-site donors having late snacks or using the quiet restaurant area as a coworking space, some warm drinks sitting next to their laptops or notebooks.Apart from the servers, Maxim didn’t spot any of the supernatural staff.
“A place to eat and drink, for humans, vampires, and everyone else.Should we sit?”
Raven finished the last of his Armagnac.“Okay.You said by the window?To see the city?”
“If you’d like to.”Maxim pointed.“If you go left around the bar, you’ll find the quiet tables.”
He waited, letting Raven decide where to go, standing there while the fledge’s eyes wandered over the other guests.It might be the blood and his senses sharpening.Or not.
After a good ten seconds, Raven moved forward, looking around the space.In many ways, Morgan’s was what you might expect in any posh hotel or special little place not many people knew about.Maxim had wanted it to be more quiet and private than any other supernatural bar in the city; a place where no stray humans would offer their necks just for the novelty of it.
Raven made for one of the tall bar tables.It was tucked into a corner and offered a very generous view of the city.At all hours of the night, you could see lights from here—car lights, streetlights, the lit windows of people’s homes—and when the sun was up, the chrome, glass, and stone of New Amsterdam’s architecture.Raven set his empty glass down and stood in front of the window, looking out.
Maxim took one of the bar chairs.“Pretty, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“The thermos earlier, was that okay?”
Raven crossed his arms, hugging himself.“Yeah.”
Maxim texted the kitchen rather than waiting for one of the servers to find them, then turned his attention back to Raven while taking one of the tall bar chairs.“I take it the view meets your standards?”
“The view… Yeah.It’s really nice.Thank you.”
“No need to be that polite.”
“What… I don’t know.What’s next?”
A server brought out some of the fresh blood, not in a traveling thermos but rather in a nice mug more typically used for coffee and such.She picked up the empty tumbler too, and being fae, she read the room clearly and left in silence, giving Maxim only a curt nod.
“There are options.You get to choose.”
