Page 88 of Vicious Luna
People respond to fear in different ways. Some hunker down and hide, waiting for the storm to pass, while others get out and live every day like it may very well be their last. With the threat of the hunters weighing heavily on us all, I’m not sure how many are holed up in their homes tonight- but it feels like everyone in the latter camp has flocked to the Stillwater Tap to drink and dance their worries away.
This place is more packed than I’ve ever seen it. There’s a swarm of people around the bar, the staff looking exhausted as they try to keep up with the demand for drinks, and the dance floor is crowded with sweaty bodies bumping and grinding against one another, fueled by the heavy beat of club music rattling through the speakers and vibrating the floorboards. Even the air feels like it’s charged with chaotic energy as we make our way toward the back of the room, a group of guys immediately offering up their table to us when they see Andie Raines. It pays to be friends with the princess of the Stillwater pack.
A tray of lemon drop shots arrives the moment we sit down, compliments of the bartender who makes moon eyes at Andie every time we’re in here, and I deliver one ofmy usual raunchy toasts before we toss them back, then order a round of cocktails. I’m already rolling on a solid buzz, but even if I wasn’t, the atmosphere alone is intoxicating. I survey the crowd, aiming to pick out the cutest boys to dance with, but despite the staggering number of potential partners, none of them seem to do it for me.
It’s not that they aren't attractive. The issue is that I find myself comparing each and every one of them to Cam, and they all come up short. Their builds aren’t quite as large; their eyes not nearly as dark and intense. They’re all lacking that magnetic pull that I feel whenever I lay eyes on my warden, and that’s when I realize just how deeply he’s gotten beneath my skin.
Ace Conway tosses me a flirty wave from the DJ booth, but not even the prospect of getting sandwiched between him and Seb on the dance floor appeals to me tonight. I just keep my ass planted on my barstool, nursing a vodka cranberry and cursing fate for making my life so damn complicated. The thump of the music and the roar of the crowd make it difficult to carry a conversation, but my girls and I try our best, shouting to be heard over it. This is definitely a departure from the relaxed vibe of the hot springs.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Lo comments while watching a cocktail waitress fight her way through the crowd to deliver drinks, liquor sloshing from the tops of the glasses each time someone bumps into her. Which is alot.
“Or it’s the best idea,” Andie counters, grinning as she gestures around her. “This place is lit! Can you imagine if we’d missed out?”
“I’m just saying, it has to be a fire hazard or something to have this many people jammed in here,” Lo points out. “It’s way over capacity.”
Andie waves her off with an exaggerated eyeroll, turning to glance in the direction of the bar. “Oh look, my brother’s here!” she exclaims, throwing up a hand to call him over.
I follow her gaze, and despite how thick the crowd is, Ares Raines’ distinctive red hair is easy to spot weaving through the masses. He’s pushing our way with several drinks in his hands, holding them up over his head to prevent them from spilling as he threads his way through the swarm of bodies.
“Well look who it is,” I purr when he finally reaches our table, batting my lashes up at him. “Big surprise that you’re here on ladies night, Raines.”
“This place is an absolute madhouse, you’d think the world was ending,” he pants as he lowers the drinks to the table, wiping a forearm across his sweaty brow. Safe bet that he’s already put in some solid time with the she-wolves on the dance floor tonight.
“Are these for us?” Sloane asks sweetly, green eyes bouncing hopefully between Ares’ face and the glasses he just set on the table.
He jerks a nod. “The bar is crazy, so I offered to bring these over for you guys.”
“Aw, you work here now?” I tease, cocking my head to the side. “Couldn’t hack squad life after all, huh?”
Ares turns his gaze on me, narrowing his eyes. “Does Madd know you’re out?”
I roll my own as I toss my hair over a shoulder. “Be cool, Ares.”
“I’m just lookin’ out for you, babe,” he comments, winking.
“I can look out for myself, thank you very much,” I tut, snatching up the glass in front of him with red-tinted liquid inside. I assume based on the color alone that it's the vodka cranberry I ordered, and one sip confirms my assumption is correct.
“Thought you girls were doing a spa day or some shit?” Ares says, sweeping his suspicious gaze around the table as my friends reach in for their drinks.
“Oh we did,” Andie supplies, swapping out her emptyglass for a full one and twirling the swizzle straw between her fingers. “Just took a little detour after to keep our buzz going.”
“We aren’t staying long,” Lo adds.
Andie nudges her with an elbow, laughing. “Speak for yourself, girl! I’ve got a dance floor to destroy.” She waggles her brows, raising her drink to her lips and taking a sip.
Sloane picks up her own glass, but she falters as she raises it, hissing in a breath through her teeth. “Shit, our guys are here.”
I turn at the waist to glance toward the entrance, heart stuttering in my chest when I lay eyes on the four large men pushing their way through the crowd.
I’m not surprised to see my brother- I swear he’s got Sloane chipped or something- nor am I shocked to see Javi and Nash flanking him. It’s the sight of Cam that catches me off guard, because he’s the last person I expected to see wander into the Stillwater tap tonight, and one glance is all it takes for my hibernating libido to suddenly roar back to life.
The crowd parts for the guys to get through, enough Alpha energy rolling off them to fucking suffocate the place, and I don’t miss the curious stares pointed in Cam’s direction as he passes by. The way the she-wolves instantly start drooling over him makes me want to rip their eyes out of their sockets, my inner wolf’s possessive nature rising to the surface in a blinding rage.
No rage can quite match my brother’s, though. Ares wisely hightails it outta there as Madd storms up to our table, pointing an icy glare toward his mate. “So you don’t answer your phone now?”
Sloane’s brow creases as she reaches for her phone on the table in front of her, flipping it over to look at the screen. “Shit, it must’ve died. I didn't even realize…”
“What’s your excuse?” he snarls, turning his glare on me.