Krystal
Zaden madea show of dropping me off at the front entrance of Z's place. Not a quick pull-up and a wave, but a full-on walk to the door, hand at the small of my back, his warmth rolling through the thin layer of my dress. He wore jeans and a navy button-down, sleeves rolled. I caught two women on the patio watching us with open curiosity, probably tourists, but I held his gaze when he bent to kiss me. He lingered, letting the world see, then let me go with a wink.
Inside, the overhead lights were dialed down to gold, the wood and glass polished to a shine that magnified every color and every smile. Z’s Place could be cavernous and loud, but tonight the noise was friendly, old jukebox tracks, laughter bouncing off the brick, the clink of glasses and the hush of secrets. My friends had already commandeered the biggest corner booth.
Frankie spotted me first, waving a highball glass like a flag as beer sloshed down her arm. "Krys! Over here! We started without you, but only a little!"
I cut across the floor, ducking a pair of soused bikers and side-stepping a precarious tray of hot wings. The booth was packed.Frankie and Tavi on one side, Skye and Rissa on the other, with Erin and Aurelia squeezed between. Frankie had dressed for maximum attention, a violet wrap dress, hair swept up, heels that defied gravity and common sense. She’d managed to convince Tavi to match, at least in color, but Tavi’s dress stopped mid-thigh and was sparkly.
Skye wore her hair in loose waves, lemon-bright, and a shirt that read, "I have a spreadsheet for this." Rissa had opted for a black turtleneck, statement earrings, and the resting expression of a woman who’d already decided which one of us would be bailing her out by midnight. Erin and Aurelia sat at the center of the chaos, quietly chatting. Erin wore a vintage tee and jeans, while Aurelia had gone full femme fatale in black silk and gold jewelry.
Drinks already lined the table, something clear and botanical for Skye, a whiskey sour for Tavi, a fluorescent blue monster for Frankie, and two stemless glasses of red wine for Erin and Aurelia. I slipped into the only open seat, pressed shoulder to shoulder with Skye, and let the collective energy of the booth pull me in.
"Cheers!" Frankie crowed, raising her glass. "To Krystal’s mating bond and surviving the Wicked Witch of Stock Creek!"
Six arms shot up in salute, and the toast rolled around the table. Skye poured me a generous gin and tonic from a pitcher, then set a lime wedge on the rim.
I clinked glasses and let the first sip loosen everything inside me. Man, I needed this girls' night.
Aurelia caught my eye over the rim of her glass. "You look good, Krys. Rested."
I grinned. "You should see the volcano we built in the kitchen today. Bryce is still scrubbing food coloring out of his hair."
Rissa nudged me. "So the homeschool life is working?"
"Ask me again when we get to geometry," I said.
Frankie barked a laugh. "Please. He’ll be designing drone aircraft by Christmas. The real question is, how’s his magic?"
Erin set down her glass, tucking a flyaway curl behind her ear. "I heard the last runes session went well."
I shrugged but couldn’t stop smiling.
Aurelia launched into praises for her student. "He scorched a perfect circle into the backyard. Grass won’t grow there until the next ice age."
Skye raised her glass. "I’ll drink to that."
Tavi leaned in, elbows braced on the table, eyes glittering. "Did you see the video? Krys, you have to show them."
I blushed, but Aurelia's phone was already out, and in seconds the whole booth was clustered around a two-second clip of Bryce lighting up a chalked rune, the blue flare reflected in his wild grin.
"Damn," said Frankie. She was human but had been in our inner circle since she was a kid. Actually, she knew half the wolf pack before I did since I'd only visited during the years I'd lived in Knoxville with my mom.
"His control’s ahead of schedule," Aurelia said, sounding overly proud. "We can start runework next month."
Erin snorted. "Start now. Kid’s going to outpace you if you wait."
The conversation spiraled from there. I let them run with it, the noise and affection sinking in. It felt good to be just another mom, another friend. Not a cautionary tale or the subject of a crisis intervention.
After a while, Angel came by with drink refills and a big wink, and the topics drifted. Rissa recounted an epic battle with a parent who refused to admit her child had bitten another child, "We don’t bite in Pre-K, we use our words!", and Tavi described a disastrous date with a shifter who’d tried to convince her to join his "pack" after two drinks and a basket of curly fries.
Frankie kept the table alive, tossing out jokes and making faces at anyone who tried to take themselves too seriously. When Aurelia nudged the conversation toward relationships, Frankie rolled her eyes but gamely played along. "Fine, fine, who’s getting laid? Don’t be shy. We’re all friends here."
Skye shot her a look. "You first."
Frankie raised a perfectly plucked brow. "Not me. I’m on strike. Unless I can count my own right hand."
Tavi giggled, nearly spitting out her drink.
