I started to search for the other Neph, but caught myself. The last thing I wanted was to see Kaidan at work. I couldn’t afford to be distracted. The mere thought of Kai made me empty half my drink. It was too soon to finish the second one. I was already light-headed.
“Anna! There you are! Holy... What is that?” Veronica perched a hand on her hip and pointed at my beer. “And how the heck did you get a bracelet?”
“Connections,” I said, tensing as the whisperers circled the two of us, watching, trying to listen. My heart began to pound. “I needed to relax.”
She blinked at me, a look of disbelief displayed on her face. I should have warned her ahead of time that I’d “changed” my attitude toward drinking. I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Let’s just be careful and have fun, ’kay?”
“Fine, okay,” she shot back, still acting unsure about my out-of-character behavior. “I guess as long as you hook me up, too.”
A whisperer leaned near Veronica’s ear, and her guardian angel dived between them. I pretended not to see, grabbing her by the elbow and pulling her toward the deejay booth, only to stop short. Jay was leaning down, grinning, and talking with Marna. Veronica’s eyes narrowed. This was about to turn into a hot mess. I changed direction, pointing us at the bar instead.
“No, hold up,” she said, pulling away and watching them.
The two raunchy spirits could see the dark disappointment trickling around Veronica, swirled with green envy. The demons attacked, both whispering to her at once despite her guardian angel’s efforts to stop them. My breathing went shallow as her aura darkened and the green became more vivid. Standing there, not interfering, was one of the hardest things I’d ever done.
At that moment Marna tugged Jay’s arm, as if she were trying to get him to come out of the booth, and he laughed, shaking his head and pointing to his work. She went up on her tiptoes and hollered something to Jay’s boss, who grinned at her and shrugged his shoulders, patting Jay on the back. Marna clapped at her success and grabbed Jay by the hand, leading him out to the dance floor. What were they thinking?
Veronica stared out at them, and the spirits, who were finished whispering, danced around her, further antagonizing her angel as Veronica struggled internally.
I whispered to her, “She’s just a friend of Kai’s from England. Jay met her over the summer.”
“That’s the English chick? He told me about her, back when we were just...”
“Friends,” I finished for her.
Veronica never took her eyes off the two of them as they danced closer and closer, Marna’s ample chest pressed up against his, their hips moving together. I felt dizzy and nauseous. I drained the rest of my beer and noted the time. Two beers in fourteen minutes. That wasn’t good.
I leaned in again to tell Veronica not to worry, to tell her that the twins would be gone tomorrow, but an abrasive demon voice shot through my thoughts.
“No more whispering to the girl.”
I lifted my face to the thing hovering above us. As I met its sunken, mossy eyes, my foot automatically stepped back from the malevolent stare. Even in spirit form, it appeared malnourished, with hollow cheeks and a snarling hole for a mouth. I jerked my eyes away.
“Come on, Veronica,” I said to her, gripping her elbow. “Let’s go get a drink.”
She stood her ground, continuing to stare at Jay.
“I’m going over there.” Her voice was resolute as she started forward. Then she stopped. I looked past her to the dance floor. Marna’s hands were around the back of Jay’s head, and they were kissing, right there for the world to see. He was caught in a whirl of red lust. Not. Good.
Veronica pushed away, running toward the exit near the bathrooms. My muscles itched to run after her. The proud spirits were air-prancing and high-fiving each other. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t comfort Veronica or say anything to Marna and Jay.
I knew I should work, so I looked around, hoping for inspiration. I worried the two demons were becoming bored with me as they bobbed up and down, assessing the crowd and swooping down to whisper to people. A rush of paranoia overcame me.
“Don’t worry, they’re always a bit ADHD.” I turned to the quiet speaker next to me. Ginger sipped her cocktail from a small straw, watching as Jay jogged back to the deejay booth. Marna paused at the edge of the dance floor. When she saw me, she turned the other way and disappeared into the sea of bodies.
“But they won’t forget about you for long,” Ginger assured me. “So get back to work.”
“Yeah, thanks,” I said.
She strode away with major hip action. While the spirits were distracted, I left the ballroom on speedy feet. Veronica was just coming out of the bathroom with swollen red eyes. She stopped when she saw me, and her jaw trembled. I would have guessed her to be the confrontational type in a situation like this, ready to march right up and tell both of them off. The idea of her in tears tore at my heart. I went to her, checking over my shoulder and finding no spirits in sight. I fought the urge to hug her.
“I’m not going back in there,” she said to me. “I want to go home.”
“But...” Under normal circumstances I would get us out of there right away.
Behind her, a giant-winged being soared down at us, and I sucked in a short breath. It planted its gargoyle mug inches from mine. I tried not to cringe. If they’d had real bodies, their flesh and breath would no doubt smell rancid, like death. I focused through its misty form on Veronica.
“Take my car,” I offered, disinterest in my voice. She sniffled and looked confused. “I need to stay and deal with some things here, but you can drive home and I’ll get a ride.”
The spirit, if it was possible, got even closer, and I found myself tilting my stance to lean away from it. “Why do you show concern for this girl?”
I did some quick thinking and mentally sent a message back to it. “The damage has been done and I need her to think we’re friends so I can keep working on her at school.”
That seemed to appease the demon, but my heart was thumping way too hard. I had to be more careful.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” I told Veronica. She sniffed again and took my keys. I was glad to see her getting away from here. I just wished her heart didn’t have to be broken for it to happen.
Now I had to tell Jay I might need a ride home. Back in the ballroom, it took longer to get to the deejay booth because it was a full house now. I checked behind me; one demon followed. I let out a lungful of air as I came to the ledge where Jay was working, his eyes glazed by daydreams and thoughts.
“Hey!” I hollered up at him. When he saw me he froze and looked around.
“Where’s Roni?” he asked.
“She took my car and went home. I need a ride from you.” His face fell and his emotions became a tangled jumble. The spirit rose up beside me to get a better look at Jay. I spun on my heels to leave.
“Anna, wait!”
“I’ll talk to you later,” I yelled over my shoulder, putting some distance between us.
He probably thought I was mad at him, but I didn’t want that whisperer near him. He was fragile enough as it was.
Halfway to the bar I heard Jay call my name again, much closer this time, and then he grabbed my elbow. Fear for him almost made me bite his head off, but the look of anguish on his face stopped me. I crossed my arms instead.
“Why did she leave?” he asked. His expectant expression told me he knew the answer.
“She saw, Jay.”
He shut his eyes, stricken. “I didn’t mean for that to happen. Marna is, like, way out of my league, you know? I never expected... I just wasn’t thinking.” He rubbed his forehead.
Everyone cheated, according to Ginger. She’d even prophesied that Jay would.
“We’re not even going out, officially,” Jay responded to my silent thoughts. “I’m still single!”
“We’ll talk later,” I repeated, and nodded toward the deejay booth, signalin
g him to get back to work. I left him standing there. It was the coldest I’d ever been to him.
If the beginning of the night was this bad, I didn’t want to see the end of it.
The spirit jumped ahead of me, knowing I was going to the bar. I stopped, struck with an idea, and the demon came back to me. I wasn’t supposed to know I was being watched tonight. Maybe I could play dumb with the thing and get some information. According to the other Neph, the whisperers could be cunning and ruthless in their jobs, but they were ultimately self-serving. They followed orders from the Dukes halfheartedly and couldn’t care less about what the Neph were up to. They were slippery suckers who couldn’t be trusted.
I sent my thought to the spirit. “Why are you following me? I’m trying to work and you keep distracting me. Did my father send you?”
The sound of its cackle rattled my soul. “I don’t have to answer to you,” it said in such a juvenile way that a tiny bit of my fear toward it dissipated. I realized then that the second demon spy had gone.
“I see the other spirit abandoned you,” I goaded. “It’s probably out doing something fun now. Without you. What will it take to make you leave me alone and let me get back to work?”
The smile that stretched across its face was a nasty one. I expected to see maggots climbing out of that cadaverous crack.
“Give me a show,” the demon demanded. My heart boomed.
“You’re on.”
I moved with purpose through the crowd, craning my neck as I searched the crowd. Raucous cheering struck me on the right, where a crowd had circled around something. I went toward it, wondering if maybe Blake was showing off some new gizmo. I got to the edge of the group and stuck my head between two guys.
Kopano was at a table with several humans, playing cards, and a sizable pile of dough sat in front of him. He’d taken off his chocolate-colored suit jacket, loosened his gold-flecked tie, and rolled his white sleeves to his elbows. So Kope was a gambling man?
“Whoa,” I whispered, unable to contain it.
“This guy’s incredible,” the guy on my right said.
“What are they playing?” I asked.
“Blackjack. He hasn’t lost yet. Must be one of those genius card readers or something. But the dude next to him’s getting mad.”
Kopano showed his cards with a no-nonsense face, and everyone in the crowd cheered as if watching a magician’s magic trick. The spirit circled the table, seeming to grow excited as money exchanged hands and one of the guys at the table stood up, shouting about cheating. Others eagerly stepped up to argue who would play next. A tall girl in a short dress rubbed Kopano’s shoulder, but when he looked up it was my eye he caught and held. My heart rate went rapid-fire and I cleared my throat, backing out of the crowd.
I’d taken only a few steps away when I heard a crunching thunk and shouts erupting behind me. I was shoved from behind as the swarm of people heaved. A fight had broken out at the poker table. Kopano! I stood on tiptoe, trying see him. On the other side of the frenzied crowd I spotted him walking away unscathed from the chaos with his brown dress jacket over his shoulder, head down.
I moved when hotel security flocked to the area.
My heart was still beating fast as I looked around the massive ballroom brimming with life. Jolts of apprehension zapped my belly at the sight of each short-haired boy, but I was thankful none of them was Kaidan. I shook my head, staving off wonderings of where he might be.
Another throng of people had formed around the dance floor. Curious, I grabbed a nearby chair and stood on it. Apprehension filled me about what I’d see, but it was only Blake break-dancing in the center of the open space. And that boy could dance. He was pulling off better moves than I’d seen on prime-time dance shows. Anyone would envy his ability. Other guys would also be envying the number of girls he’d be pulling in after this stunt. The whisperer swooped next to me, making my breath hitch.
It was time to give this demon a show.
I caught sight of the person I needed. The demon followed as I went to the laughing couple. Marna reached up and straightened the guy’s tie, but her hand dropped in surprise when she saw me standing there with my evil shadow.
“Sorry,” I said to the guy. I grabbed Marna’s hand. “Time to do some shots.”
“Wicked.” She squeezed my hand and didn’t spare a backward glance for her abandoned prey.
I led her straight to Trevor, nudging our way through the waiting customers and propping my elbows on the ledge. Marna squeezed in next to me. The demon poked his nosy, smoky head between us, but we didn’t acknowledge him.
When Trevor saw me, I smiled at him and he bypassed the other customers.
“Finally back,” he said. “Ready to pound another beer, blondie?”
I shook my head. “Two tequila shots with lime.” He raised an impressed eyebrow and grabbed the bottle.
“Hey, we’ve been waiting over here longer,” a man yelled.
“Be right with you,” Trevor told him.
I glanced at my watch. Hour one was over. I could have three drinks. Trevor set two golden shots in front of us with a shaker of salt. But no limes. I looked up as he called the other bartender over and tossed him a lime wedge. The other guy grinned and nodded. What were they doing?
“If you girls want your limes, you gotta come and get ’em.” Trevor and the other bartender stood side by side in front of us, balancing lime wedges perpendicularly between their teeth.
Marna laughed, licked her wrist, and shook some salt on the damp skin. No problem. I could do this. I followed suit, salting my wrist, and we both picked up our shot glasses. When we looked at each other to toast, there was a moment of understanding. An apology. An acceptance. A kindred spirit.
We clinked glasses, licked the salt from our skin, threw back the shots, and leaned over the bar. The guys leaned in as well, and I barely registered the people around us whooping over the sound of my heart pounding. I tilted my face and bit the lime from between his teeth without even touching him. But as I took possession of the fruit, he dragged his warm tongue across my bottom lip. The scent of tequila with the sensation of his tongue and the flavor of lime had me pulling away, dizzy with thoughts of Kaidan.
“That was fun.” I almost leaped from my skin at the demon’s sour voice. “Now what?”
“Another shot,” I said to Trevor.
“Tequila?” he asked.
I paused, indecisive. I needed to up the stakes. I took in the faces of the people pressed to the bar around me. There were about ten of us, and many more at our backs. I had a purse full of money. I leaned to the girl next to Marna, who held an empty wine glass.
“Hey, wanna do a shot with us?” I asked her, upbeat.
“Me? Oh, no. I can’t handle liquor, only wine.”
“Aw, come on. It’s New Year’s!” I beamed at her. “I’m buying you one.”
I watched her colors turn from a misty reluctance to an eager orange.
“Okay, but just one!” she said.
“You’re doing a shot?” asked her friend on her other side.
“I want to get shots for everyone at the bar right now,” I told Trevor. His eyebrows flew up.
“Everybody? You know how much that’ll cost?”
“Yep. Don’t worry, I’m good for it.” I winked, my first ever wink at a guy. My skin throbbed with adrenaline.
I took a consensus vote from nearby girls as to what drink we should have. They came up with some shooter I didn’t know. Trevor got busy, lining up a row of at least twenty small tumblers.
The mix of ingredients gave Trevor the opportunity to show off his skills, tossing a bottle up and catching it upside down by the neck as it poured. He did that with several bottles and jugs. Then shake, shake, shake, and pink shooters came to life. I passed them out to the crowd, being met mostly with happy thanks, and having to talk a few people into accepting. It was out of my comfort zone to be a pushy temptress, but with that demon breathing evil air down my b
ack, I pushed those people to take the shots. I’d deal with the guilt later.
Together, twenty shots were lifted in the air as we all whooed. Marna tapped my drink and we tipped them back. It tasted like candy with a bite. The heat of two shots in a row rocked through my system, and I could feel it down to my tingling feet. My whole body begged for another. Trevor ran a hand through his hair and waited for what I’d say next. As the alcohol coursed through me, I struggled to make out his colors and the colors of others around me.
“One more, for the four of us,” I said to Trevor, pointing down the row to the other two girls who we’d befriended in our sweet, evil way. “Surprise us.” He got to work without hesitation. I noted the time on my watch. This would have to be my last drink until almost midnight. I hoped it would be enough.
“Crikey,” I heard Marna mumble as he set the brownish drink in front of us. I hadn’t been paying attention. I expected another shot, because it was in a small tumbler glass, but this appeared to be straight liquor.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Four Horsemen.” Trevor explained: “Jack, Jim, Johnny, and Jose.”
Crikey about covered it.
“Oh, hell, no,” said the girl next to Marna.
“What are you trying to do?” the other girl asked Trevor. “Kill us?”
The other bartender leaned in and interjected, “He’s trying to get you to dance on the bar.”
“This might do the trick,” I said, picking up the shot glass and raising it. “Come on, girls. To New Year’s and new friends.”
The girl next to Marna eyed her shot glass with major trepidation before picking it up. Marna lifted hers and crinkled her nose. The four of us tinked our glasses together and shot them back. I almost gagged. It was no joke. I did my father proud, setting it down without a cough or a cringe, earning high fives from all the strangers standing around us, and lastly from Trevor, who was all grins. He pushed a small, square napkin at me that said, Room 109, underlined twice. I folded it up and tucked it into my purse, grabbing five hundred-dollar bills while I was in there. I’d come prepared.
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