Jennifer and her sisters, who I think are named Rebecca and Amy, belly up to the bar, none of them even taking the time to acknowledge Max. He almost has to raise his hand to get his wife’s attention.
“Babe, where are the kids?” Good question, Max.
“At your parents’ place, playing video games with headphones on,” Jennifer answers, eyes still on Rune. “I told your mom to call you if they get too annoying.”
Max studies his wife and her sisters for a moment, then polishes off his beer and waves to me. It’s a clear signal that he wants another, and I’m to remember not to tell Jennifer how many he’s already had.
“A,” I half-whisper, loud enough to get her attention. “Time to get back behind the bar and do some beer pouring and nymphing. I’m going to make Jennifer’s night and really piss off a vampire.”
AJ nods her understanding and hands me Rain, who somehow slept through Jennifer’s booming entrance. I walk over to the girls, all three of them so entranced by Rune that they don’t even notice my approach.
“Thanks for coming in, ladies,” I say with a semi-forced smile. Older men have always been the lifeblood of this bar, and I’m not entirely sure how to feel about three women here for “ladies night.” Still, I’ve got bills to pay and sexy men to exploit.
“This is Rune, he’s visiting from Europe and he’ll be making some fancy, foreign drinks. And this… ” I say, putting a hand on Darius’ shoulder and feeling him tense as I do so, “is Darius.”
The vampire stares at me, looking unamused as he waits to see what kind of description he gets. I can read in his eyes that he fears what I’ll say next.
“He’s an exotic dancer.”
Time practically stands still. The girls turn their heads in slow motion, pulling away from Rune and focusing on a new object of desire. Darius stares into my eyes and I feel the familiar, uncomfortable sensation of a voice entering my mind.
You’ll pay for this, Bernie.
It’s not an empty threat, but he doesn’t scare me like he used to. I send a thought back his way.
Maybe I just want to see you naked, Darius. And this is the best way I can think of to make my dreams come true.
A little of the anger leaves his face, replaced by a slight trace of intrigue. I turn away, proud of myself for the sly reply, and also wondering how much truth there is to it.
I join AJ behind the bar, surveying the scene I’ve created: a few girls swarmed around Darius, all of them sipping magical cocktails whipped up by Rune, Joe scratching a man-turned-wolf behind the ears. Also, we’ve got five guys lined up at the bar staring at AJ, ready to order a tenth beer if it means she’ll give even the slightest smile. Not a bad night at Morgan’s, I’d say.
“I’m sneaking upstairs to feed and change Rain,” I tell AJ. “You keep everyone happy and drinking.”
“Try this before you go.” AJ hands me a cocktail that fizzes with magic. “It’s called a Sexy Runedezvous,” she says, unable to hold in her giggling. “Get it? Runedezvous, like rendezvous but--”
“I get it,” I say with a laugh, 100% sure Rune did not name or approve of the name for his concoction. That’s all AJ. I sip on the drink and the flavors burst on my tongue, then the magic and alcohol mix in my body to create a nice mellow buzz. “Damn. No wonder this is such a hit.”
I hand the drink back to AJ and duck over to the back exit, hoping to make a discreet getaway since I know the Sexies get nervous if I’m out of sight. Once I get up the stairs and into my bedroom, I quickly change Rain and then start to feed her. When she’s got a good latch and a steady gulp going, I head into the living room--
--And run smack into Darius.
“Jesus!” I yell, causing Rain’s eyes to flare open before going back to a contented half-mast. “What the hell are you doing up here?”
He stands very close to me, closer than he’s ever been, aside from the times he was showing his teeth and hissing some kind of threat.
“We don’t want you and the child alone, Bernie. Under no circumstances, no matter how quickly you think you’ll be back.”
He’s serious but sweet, a tone I’ve never heard in his voice. Then he does something even more unexpected.
“I was very upset I had to follow you. I was about to start dancing.”
Oh my God. Darius made a joke. I’m too surprised to laugh. His lips twitch into something close to a smile, and that’s about as much of a reaction to humor as I can expect from him.
“Right, sorry,” I say. “I thought maybe the pledge would have mellowed that protectiveness.”
Darius shakes his head. “We aren’t worried about each other. We worry about whoever else might be out there.”
Again he smiles, this time it even reaches the edges of his lips, and I’m getting exposed to a whole new Darius. He steps even closer, our faces now inches apart. With all the antagonizing, I’d forgotten how perfect his features are, how easy it is to get lost in his dramatic gaze. As he starts to speak into my mind, it nearly causes my knees to buckle.
I must say, Bernie, the thought of you dreaming about me in the nude was… stirring.
Oh shit. I awoke a lusting vampire.
Minutes ago I was ready to take a fae right there on the bar, not long ago I was sharing bathroom space with a naked werewolf, and now my body’s begging to be wrapped in a vampire’s arms. This kind of sexual energy can’t be normal for a new mother. The werewolf hair stitching must be having an effect. That feels like a safe thing to blame all this on.
Before I can think of how to respond to this advance, Darius stiffens. My gaze had been locked on his lips but now I glance up and realize his eyes have gone completely white. His body trembles and he stares blindly into the empty space above my head.
“Darius? Darius, what’s wrong?”
I don’t want to raise my voice, but I’m seconds away from running down the stairs and screaming for help. Just as my nerves are about to break, he comes to, his body relaxing and his eyes returning to their normal piecing darkness.
He stays still, thoughts clearly whirring around in his mind.
“What? What happened?” I ask, afraid of the answer.
“I’ve communed with my father, the King. He received word of our predicament… and passed on some news.”
All news is bad news at this stage of my life, so I don’t have any question that I’m about to hear something terrifying.
“Apparently… ” Darius continues, “The Order of the Star has returned.”
And, once again, the bad news makes zero sense to me.
“Okay. And I care because…?”
“Because that’s the group after your child,” he says. “It’s a collection of witches with bad intentions, but the members disbanded over a decade ago. It appears they’ve reconvened.”
Of course. More magical enemies to deal with. “If they’re witches, do I know any of them?”
Darius thinks for a moment. “I don’t know.” He looks at the floor, then back into my eyes to deliver the real bombshell.
“But it was amongst the Order that I first met your grandmother.”
Chapter Fifteen
"What the--" I lean away from Darius, so far that he has to reach out and catch me before both Rain and I fall ass over tea kettle. I have so many questions, I don't even know where to begin. "What does Nanny have to do with this Order of the Star? And what do you mean that's when you met her?"
He looks deep into my eyes. There’s a pain in his gaze, and I can’t tell if it stems from a past hurt of his own, or if he fears hurting me with his words. Either way, he’s showing a vulnerability I never expected to see.
Just as he opens his mouth to speak, I hear footsteps pounding up the stairs. They’re coming up two at a time, so I know it’s AJ.
“Hey, what are you dorks doing up here?” She seems a little out of breath, and I can tell it’s not just from her trip up to the apartment.
“The bar is, like, packed. Jennifer called a hoard
of horny moms when you said there was an exotic dancer.”
I peek back at Darius who’s already staring my way. I no longer notice that sweet vulnerability from two seconds earlier.
AJ is oblivious to the non-verbal conversation happening as she talks. “They brought cash and they’re like, I dunno, tigers at feeding time. If someone doesn’t start dancing soon, I think they’re gonna burn the place down.”
Stubborn as he is, I’ve got no idea if Darius will actually help us out. As much as I want to see him dancing while the ladies of Rowley stuff dollar bills into his thong, it’s a little hard to imagine. On top of all that, we still have to deal with the bombshell he just dropped on me.
To my surprise, Darius simply nods at AJ. "Mustn't disappoint the ladies," he says. He winks at me and then follows her quickly down the stairs.
Not one to let someone else have the last word, I mentally shout at him. This conversation isn't over, vamp boy.
He doesn't reply, but I do hear him laughing in my mind.
He's such a damn pain in the ass.
I strap Rain into her carrier and follow them down. The moment I open the door to the bar I stop short, staring in wonder at a sight I've never seen in my life.
Like AJ said, the place is packed. Mostly with women, which is definitely a first for Morgan’s. The few men I see are regulars, all looking fairly uncomfortable. I’ll have to remember to comp their drinks tonight as an apology. Or maybe AJ can nymph them all into high spirits. That might be a better plan. I also spot Michael and his husband in the corner drinking a few of Rune's magical elixirs. When Michael sees me, he grins and raises a glass.
I smile and nod, then follow his gaze to a makeshift stage one of the guys must have rigged while I was upstairs. Rune, no longer behind the bar, is playing a harp--where the hell did we get a harp?--in a way I've never heard one played before. It’s majestic, both the song he’s playing and the way that he plays. I could watch him all night, but it appears the crowd is getting antsy for something else.
“Where’s the strippah?!” A female voice yells from the middle of the room, inspiring a cheer of assent from the ladies around her. I scan the room for Darius but don’t see him. Did he bail? Is dancing the one thing in life that scares him, and he’s fled back to his realm?
I get my answer almost immediately, as a shadowy figure drops from the ceiling and lands in a crouch on the stage. I don’t know if he climbed to the ceiling earlier or just tricked the crowd with some vampire shit, but either way they all lose their freaking minds.
Darius is still fully dressed and he doesn’t move anything except his eyes as he surveys the audience before him. The crowd falls into a hush, waiting for what will come next. I see Darius give a quick look at Zev, then he turns to Rune who begins to play something different.
This new harp song is nothing like the first. It’s fast and intense, and it has me imagining a bunch of serious-faced fae at a rave.
As the music ramps up, the Dance of Darius begins. It’s rhythmic and fast, almost violent, but controlled and intoxicating. It’s like he’s breakdancing and gyrating and booty shaking all at the same time, and he hasn’t even taken his clothes off. That’s going to have to change if he wants to keep all the ladies interested.
As if on cue, Zev lunges at Darius, his teeth sinking into the vampire's black silk shirt, pulling it off dramatically. The crowd screams with fear and excitement. A wolf just attacked the dancer, but now the dancer is shirtless with his six… no wait, eight-pack on full display. Good grief vamp boy is ripped.
If there was any question as to whether or not Darius would enjoy dancing for a crowd, that doubt has disappeared. I dare say he’s in his element. As he moves into a handstand and does an aerial split, I wonder if he worked as a dancer to pay his way through vampire college. Then, when Zev approaches again to bite off Darius’ pants, I wonder if the two of them had a traveling stripshow act.
I move behind the bar to try and get a better view, since the place is packed with patrons. Before I can find the perfect vantage point, AJ taps me on the shoulder.
When I turn to her, I’m met with an enormous smile. Her eyes are wide as saucers as she opens the register to show me piles of cash within. "Rune's drinks are a hit. And the guys are tipping me like money’s going out of style. Plus, two kegs are tapped and we’re running out of all the well liquors. As long as these guys are around, you might have to start running this place like it’s a successful bar."
The thought is equal parts exciting and sobering. What happens to the bar, to us--to me--when the Sexies leave? Surely this can't be the status quo forever.
My sad musings are put on hold when Zev growls and pounces from across the floor, pinning Darius to the wall, who's now only wearing a pair of red silk boxers that do little to hide his significant... size.
AJ snorts as my gaze locks on the sexy vampire. His muscles glisten like he's been rubbed in oil, and as he continues his dance-fight with the wolf, I’m mesmerized by his fluid grace and his flexing muscles.
"Looks like someone's falling for vamp boy," AJ whispers with a mischievous smile.
I tear my eyes off of the stage to glare at her. "I can admire the view without wanting to pay the price to live there," I say.
"Suuuure," she says as she saunters off to fill a drink order.
To avoid falling into a lust-filled daydream about Darius, I focus instead on Rune, whose long, graceful fingers strum the strings of the harp with such mastery, I can't help but feel a kindred connection to him. To his music. To his craft and skill.
As if he knows I'm thinking of him, he glances over to me, his silver eyes gleaming in the dim light of the bar, and he winks. My cheeks heat with the attention and I turn away, flustered by all of them.
"Bernie, where did you find these guys?" Jennifer asks, her eyes glazed from too much drink. Or too much man meat. It's hard to tell.
"It's a long story," I say, shrugging. I'm super tired of the doctor lie, and I don't think this particular crowd will buy that one anyways. It makes me a little nervous; we may be digging ourselves into too many lies and sooner or later the walls will cave in. But that's a problem for future Bernie. Today's Bernie has enough to deal with.
When Darius and Zev finish up their weird--and perhaps rehearsed?--routine, the crowd screams and shouts, begging for more, but it seems the boys are done.
Darius locks his dark gaze with mine and smirks. Was that sufficient?
I swallow, still a little weak-kneed as he stands there mostly naked. It'll do.
He raises an eyebrow, then disappears with his clothes to the bathroom, where he emerges a few moments later completely dressed, to the utter disappointment of everyone.
For the rest of the night, Rune's drinks flow, Darius and AJ charm everyone with their powers, and Zev sticks close to me and Rain, nearly tripping me several times.
When Rain demands to be fed again, I sneak upstairs to take a break and rest. AJ, Rune and Darius are handling things well enough, and I’m exhausted. When I think of how little time has passed since I gave birth, I'm amazed. I should still be in the hospital. Or at the very least resting a lot while kind neighbors bring me casseroles.
I read What to Expect When You're Expecting at least three times. There for sure wasn't a single chapter on what to expect when a werewolf, a vampire and a fae walk into your bar and try to steal your baby, then proceed to protect you, then you find out your best friend is a nymph and your ex-boyfriend is a gay unicorn, and your grandmother is a witch who might have been part of a secret society. Someone should publish a new addition that takes all these issues into account, if you ask me.
Once in my apartment, I sink into the couch, my feet aching, my back about to break, and my head pounding.
I close my eyes as I pull my breast out to nurse Rain and am startled when my front door opens and a large white wolf walks in. "Jesus, Zev, you scared the living daylights out of--" I lose track of my thoughts when he transforms from beast to m
an and stands before me naked. I've already seen the goods, but I'm sitting and he's standing and he's on full display at eye level. Forgive me, but it's really hard to not stare. Holy hell, do all paranormals come packing, or just my three?
"Not all of us, no," Zev says in a deep voice, his green eyes twinkling flirtatiously. I blush three shades of red when I realize I spoke out loud. I must be more exhausted than I thought. "But if it bothers you, I'll clothe myself."
"It's not that..." I start to say, but then I stop. Of course he needs to put clothes on. I can't just hang out with him naked. Pull yourself together, Bernie.
"What's that?" Zev asks, turning toward me as he walks to the guest bedroom, his ass cheeks like perfectly sculpted boulders that I have to resist the urge to stand up and touch.
"Get dressed," I finally say when my brain starts to work again.
He chuckles as he disappears into the room, as if he knows what I'm thinking. Undoubtedly I'm not hard to read at the moment.
When he returns, he's only wearing jeans. Which I guess helps a bit. But those chiseled abs are just as distracting as everything else. "Did you lose all your shirts?" I ask, bundling Rain into a burrito and walking over to the living room crib to let her sleep.
Zev grins. "I'm not a big fan of excess clothing."
"Right." My throat feels suddenly dry, so I head to the kitchen for a glass of water, then go back to the couch to sit down.
Zev joins me and without asking permission, pulls my legs over his lap, forcing me to recline against the sofa. "What are you doing?"
"Giving you what you need," he says, which brings to mind all manner of tempting ideas, none of which involve my feet.
“Is that part of the pledge potion?” I ask. I have no idea how this thing works, so while my question is a bit cheeky it might also be spot on.
“In a way,” he answers. “We’re committed to respecting your wishes, as a mother and a woman. But, pledge or no pledge, I understand what you’ve been through and the care you need. And deserve.”
A Werewolf, a Vampire, and a Fae Walk Into a Bar Page 14
