by Sarra Cannon
Red Dragon, Blue Frost, Lady Luck, Yellow Sunshine, and Green Monster. Each drink was created by Rend to make the person drinking it feel a certain way. It could make them feel more confident, happy, or sexy. It could enhance their senses or make them feel drunk without actually having to suffer through a hangover.
I glanced up to take the money from my new customer and smiled. “Jackson, what are you doing here?” I asked.
One corner of his lips raised, and he laughed. “I was wondering if you were going to say hello,” he said. “Seemed like you were lost in your own world there for a few minutes.”
“Just a lot going on these days,” I said. “How’s Harper? Is she here?”
“She’s in Cypress tonight, but she’s doing great,” he said. “I’ll tell her you said hello.”
“What are you doing here, then?” I asked.
He glanced toward Rend. “Nothing much,” he said, clearing his throat. “Just hanging out.”
My stomach coiled into knots. Sure, nothing. I shook my head. Rend was hiding something, and I didn’t like it one bit.
“I’m actually going to take this upstairs for a few minutes,” Jackson said. “It was good to see you, Franki. I’ll try to come say goodbye before I head out later.”
“Okay,” I said, forcing a smile.
A minute later, Jackson appeared at the edge of the balcony with Rend and his friend.
“What’s going on there?” I asked Azure a few minutes later. “Do you recognize that guy?”
“Rend hasn’t told you?” she asked, her eyebrow up as if she just couldn’t believe I wasn’t told.
“No.” I placed a hand on my hip. “Care to enlighten me?”
She just loved to get one up on me.
“If Rend wants you to know, I’m sure he’ll tell you.”
Anger flashed through me, but I wasn’t about to let Azure see she was getting to me.
“Cool, I’ll ask Rend on our date tonight,” I said, immediately hating myself for mentioning it when I knew how much she loved Rend. Azure just got under my skin sometimes with her superior attitude. She’d been here at Venom for a really long time and had known Rend a hell of a lot longer than I had.
She seemed to think she was entitled to being the second in command around here, and she didn’t like that I was threatening her position.
But I knew how she felt about Rend, and it wasn’t nice to pour salt in the wound by flaunting our relationship in her face.
“Date? You guys are going out after work?” she asked. I could tell she was trying to act casual, but she swallowed too fast and tensed her shoulders, betraying her emotions.
I was a monster. I shouldn’t have pulled that card on her.
“Yeah. I’m sure it’s nothing special, though,” I said, trying to downplay it.
Her superior smile faded from her face, and she cleared her throat and looked away. “Cool. Well, I’m due for a break, so I’m going to step away for a few. You got things back here?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
She glanced up at the second-floor balcony for a moment, and I recognized the look in her eyes.
Regret.
Love.
It was the way she always looked at Rend when she was thinking of him in that way.
When she turned and walked away, I slammed my palm on my forehead.
Nice move, Franki.
I honestly hadn’t wanted to hurt her feelings. The girl just pushed me too hard sometimes, but I really needed to learn how to control myself instead of resorting to the ugly side of myself. I knew exactly what would hurt her, and I had used my weapon willingly.
“Why does my girl look like someone just killed her puppy?”
Rend slid his hand across the smooth top of the bar, and I placed my hand in his.
“I’m a bad person,” I said.
“Not possible. You’re the best person.” He met my eyes and smiled, which melted my insides. God, I loved this man.
“How’s your night going?” I asked. “Looks like things finally slowed down a bit.”
“It’s good,” he said, glancing back toward the balcony where Jackson and the stranger stood talking. “Just some business to take care of, but I think I’ve got things arranged pretty well for a night off.”
“A night off?” I asked. “When?”
“Tomorrow,” he said.
I knew we had plans to go out after the club closed down, but I hadn’t realized our date would extend into the following night.
His eyes gleamed with mischief. “I told you I had plans for us.”
“Not for tomorrow night, too,” I said. “I have class tomorrow, remember?”
“You’re skipping class tomorrow.” He held a finger to my lips before I had a chance to protest. “I promise it’s going to be well worth it.”
“You know what happens when I miss too many classes, right? I only have a few weeks left, Rend.”
“You’ll be fine,” he said. “It’s one day.”
“Maybe I’d be happier about it if I knew where you were planning on taking me,” I said, tilting my head.
He shook his head and pulled his hand away. “Not a chance. I want this to be a surprise.”
“Well, if you want me to be able to enjoy this surprise, you’re going to have to mix up some kind of energy potion for me,” I said. “I’m exhausted. I’ve barely slept more than four hours any night in two weeks. Unlike you, my body needs rest.”
“I sleep,” he said.
“Because you enjoy it,” I said with a laugh. “Not because you need it.”
He met my eyes again. “I enjoy it, because I get to be next to you all night.”
“Maybe that’s the problem,” I said, teasing him. “Maybe I should start sleeping at my old apartment again. When I graduate, maybe I’ll get a good job and settle down in my own place somewhere outside the city. A cute little house with a white picket fence. Get a dog.”
“Don’t make me come across this bar,” he said in a low voice, leaning closer.
“And do what?” I raised a defiant eyebrow.
He narrowed his eyes. “And show you why I want you by my side every night for the rest of our lives,” he said.
Before I realized it, tears formed in the corners of my eyes. I blinked and looked away, hoping he wouldn’t notice. But Rend was too observant to miss it.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly, his voice barely audible over the music.
I swallowed and swiped at my tears. “It’s silly,” I said. “We can talk about it later. I don’t want to spoil our night with sad thoughts.”
“Nothing that could make you cry is ever silly,” he said. “Unless it’s one of those sappy movies you make me watch.”
I laughed and held my hand up to my mouth to hide my ridiculous smile. “I love you, you know that?”
“I do,” he said, staring into my eyes. “I love you, too.”
“Get a room, already,” Marco said, coming up behind Rend and patting him on the back. “None of that mushy love stuff during work hours.”
“Hey, when you get to be the boss, you can order me around,” Rend said.
“That’ll be a cold day in hell, I’m sure.” The stranger with the long hair stepped up to the bar and extended his hand to me with a smile. “You must be the woman I’ve heard so much about. I’m Connery.”
The moment his hand touched mine, a jolt of electricity ran up my arm, causing every tiny little hair to stand on end. I pulled away and rubbed my hand on my jeans.
“Whoa, what the hell was that?” I asked with a nervous laugh.
He tilted his head and leaned forward, lifting his chin as he seemed to sniff the air between us.
He glanced over at Rend. “You didn’t tell me your woman was a shifter,” he said.
“It’s not exactly common knowledge,” Rend said. “The wrong people get ahold of that information and it puts her life in danger.”
Connery nodded and leaned against the bar. “I
’ve never met a crow witch before,” he said. “To be honest, I kind of thought it was an urban legend.”
“Isn’t everyone in here an urban legend?” I asked, eyebrow raised.
He laughed and touched his nose. “She’s witty and beautiful,” he said.
“How did you know what I was?” I asked. I didn’t like the idea of someone knowing just by touching me. Especially when I couldn’t tell the same thing about him.
“I’m a shifter, too,” he said, answering that question before I’d even asked it.
Rend put his hand on Connery’s shoulder. “He’s a werewolf, and he’s possibly the most annoyingly irreverent one you’ll ever meet.”
“So far, I’m pretty sure he’s the only one I’ve ever met,” I said.
“Nah, some of my boys come in here all the time,” Connery said, turning to lean his back against the bar as he scanned the crowd. “You just haven’t learned how to recognize all the subtle signs yet. You’ll get the hang of it over time.”
A werewolf. I shook my head. I guess I’d probably met lots of people in here who belonged to some kind of paranormal community that I didn’t even know existed. I still had so much to learn about this world.
“I’m sorry I have to run so soon, but I’ve got some business to attend to this evening,” he said. “It was very nice to finally meet you, Franki.”
“It’s always nice to meet an old friend of Rend’s,” I said. “I hope we’ll see you in here again soon.”
“No doubt you will.” There was an edge to his voice that made me shiver. Something was definitely going on, and I intended to find out what it was.
I didn’t get a chance to ask Rend about it during the rest of my shift, because he was busy talking to other guests and making his rounds on the dance floor. Azure barely spoke to me when she returned from her break, and we continued to work in near-silence for the rest of the evening.
When the last guest had cleared out of the club, one of the dancers, Lyla, stopped by the bar to say goodnight.
“Have a great time tonight, girl,” she said, kissing my cheek. “It’s going to be amazing.”
I eyed her. “You say that like you know where he’s taking me.”
She looked up toward the ceiling and laughed. “If I do, I’m not telling.”
“You sneaky bitch,” I said. “How did you find out?”
“Rend needed my help getting a few things set up, so I made him spill the beans,” she said. “Trust me, it’s going to be a night to remember.”
Next to me, a glass slipped out of Azure’s hand and tumbled toward the ground.
She put her hand out quickly, and the glass froze a few inches from the floor. She cursed and slowly used her magic to float the glass back up to her hand.
I wanted to say something to her to make her feel better or to let her know there were no hard feelings, but she turned away before I had the chance.
“You ready to go?” Rend asked, appearing next to the bar.
“I still have a few things to clean up back here,” I said. “Give me maybe twenty minutes.”
“You go ahead,” Azure said. “I can take care of it.”
“Are you sure?”
Crap. Now she was being extra nice to me. Either that or she just wanted me out of her sight.
“Yeah, I think I know how to close down my own bar.”
And there was the sting I was used to from her.
“Thanks,” I said. I looked at Rend, noticing the excitement in his eyes. “Then I guess I’m ready to go. I just need to change.”
“No need,” he said. “I’ve got everything taken care of. Oh, but I do need to mix up that special potion for you real quick.”
He came around behind the bar and used his key to open the small wooden box on the wall where he kept all of his rare ingredients. Every once in a while, VIP customers would order a custom cocktail and Rend would mix it up himself with ingredients from the box. Mostly, though, Rend was the one who drank the potions he made from that box. Since he was a vampire who’d mostly sworn off blood, he’d used his knowledge of alchemy to find ways to keep his energy up and still be able to use his demon powers.
I watched as he swirled together several milky-looking liquids. He pulled a small leather pouch from the bottom of the box and threw in a pinch of dusty blue powder. Finally, he picked up a tiny vial of turquoise liquid and counted out three drops. He mixed them all together and handed me the glass.
“Try this,” he said.
“It isn’t going to make me jittery, is it? Because if I drink a Red Bull or something, I’m bouncing off the walls.”
He laughed. “Seriously? You’re comparing one of my potions to a Red Bull?”
I rolled my eyes and downed the shot.
At first, I felt nothing. Then, slowly, a hum started in my core and spread through my veins like an army of bees swarming through my body. I felt awake and alive, and to be honest, almost high. It definitely wasn’t a jittery feeling like an energy drink. This was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. I was wide awake and ready for anything.
“Wow. This is incredible.”
Rend smiled and locked his wooden box. He reached for my hand.
“Just wait,” he said, looking into my eyes. ”This is just the beginning of incredible.”
My stomach flipped, and I placed my hand in his. I had no idea where he was taking me or what the next few hours would bring, but I wanted to remember every minute of it.
He said this was just the beginning, so why did it feel more like an ending?
A shiver ran down my spine. Change was in the air.
I could feel it, like a storm just over the horizon. The wind was shifting, and here we stood, clinging to each other for dear life as the world rearranged itself around us.
I just hoped that once the storm passed, no matter what else had changed, the two of us were still standing.
The City Of Lights
Rend
Franki started walking toward the Hall of Doorways, but I tugged her in a new direction. She paused and gave me a curious look.
I tilted my head in the direction of a different exit, and her eyes widened.
“We’re not going home first?” she asked. She motioned to her clothes. “I’m not dressed for an evening out, Rend.”
I smiled. “I’ve taken care of everything,” I said. “Just trust me.”
She gripped my hand tighter, an excited smile blossoming on her face. “Okay. Lead the way.”
I led her past the Moscow door and the one leading to Havana. No one was guarding them this late at night, as most of the Venom staff had already gone home.
I stopped at the third door, and Franki sucked in a breath.
She didn’t say a word, but I could see the joy beginning to spread through her entire body. She was practically bouncing on her toes, and her happiness filled my heart. I’d been wanting to do something really special for her for a long time, but we’d been so busy between repairing the Chicago door, keeping the club running, and helping Jackson search for Harper that we hadn’t had enough time or energy to do much more than come home after the club closed and crash.
“Come on,” I said, feeling more excited than I could remember. “I can’t wait for you to see this.”
She swallowed and nodded, staring at the door.
We walked through together, first entering the small reception area, which was more like a small hallway where the club’s bouncer checked to make sure that whoever was coming into Venom was allowed to be there.
After a few steps, though, the real door to the city beyond beckoned us. I placed my hand on the knob and turned, opening it quickly and motioning for her to step through.
Franki walked forward as the door opened. She dropped my hand to cover her mouth, her eyes glistening with tears.
I followed her out onto the rooftop that served as this city’s entrance to Venom, and I watched her every expression as she took in the sweeping views of the Eiffel Tower a
nd the city of Paris. It was eight in the morning here, and the sun was shining with the light of a brand-new day.
“What do you think?” I asked softly.
Other than a few trips we’d had to make in our battle against the Order of Shadows, Franki had never been able to travel much in her life. She’d never been given the joy of experiencing a new city like this, and I had been dreaming of bringing her here for a long time.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, turning and throwing her arms around my neck. “Thank you.”
I held her close to me, closing my eyes as I breathed in the scent of her. I never wanted to let go, and while I was determined not to let the rumors of the summoning destroy my mood, I wanted to make the most of the time we had left, whether it was ten hours or ten lifetimes.
“I told you this is just the beginning,” I whispered. “I have a full day and night planned for us. No battles. No working. No classes or homework. Just you and me in Paris.”
She held me tighter and kissed my neck, sending shivers across my skin.
“I love you,” she said.
I soaked the words in like the sunlight. Those three words made every sacrifice I’d had to make worth it, no matter what happened with the Council.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. “I know the most amazing little cafe just a couple of miles from here.”
“I’m starving,” she said, pulling away. “I wish I’d brought some clothes to change into, though. I guess I could do a glamour.”
“What? My staff t-shirts suddenly aren’t fashionable enough for Paris?” I asked, trying to hide a smile.
“No offense, but definitely not,” she said, laughing.
“I thought you might say that,” I said. “I already have a hotel room for us. We can stop by on the way. There are clothes waiting for you there.”
“Wow, you really did think of everything,” she said.
“You have no idea,” I said, thinking of the preparation that had gone into the next twenty-four hours. I wanted everything to be perfect. I’d never really had a reason or opportunity to shower a woman with affection or take her out on a romantic date, and I wanted to make up for lost time.