Chapter Seven
Emhara looked at the podium that they approached. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Don’t worry. If you would like, I can take point.”
“I don’t want to ask it of you. You have done a lot for me.”
“It was my pleasure, as this will be. I rarely get to chew on snobs. Normally, I just close the door. How much may I share with the hostess?”
“Whatever you like. I am going to be taking notes.”
Meritha grinned. “Goody. I am going to make her look like scum. It is the same hostess, right?”
“Yes.”
“Hooray.”
They glided up to the hostess stand, and Meritha said calmly, “I would like a table for five.”
The hostess blinked and looked at her. “Do you have a reservation?”
“No, but she did. Four weeks ago, a lunch reservation for one, and you refused to honour it. We are correcting it today.”
Emhara heard a strange reverberation that ran through her bones as Meritha spoke. It was similar to Echel’s effect.
The hostess looked them up and down. “I... others came in, and they were given precedence.”
A dark elf in chef’s whites came in. “Amber, what is going on?”
“This woman is demanding a walk-in table for five people, but we don’t have it.”
Meritha looked at him. “It is compensation for the dismissal this hostess gave my friend on her birthday, after she had scrimped and saved to escape her abusive family for one afternoon, where she could just forget her situation. Two of your numbnuts dark elves swanned in, and she dumped Emhara a moment later. No birthday meal, no distraction from pain, nothing.”
Emhara spoke, “It’s okay, I saw a hot dog cart down the street. That will do just as well.”
“I suppose it will have to. This place seems to have ceased serving plain old betas.” She fluttered her fingers, and glitter floated down again.
Denith’s eyes widened. “You are...”
“Just a beta. Just like this woman that your little hostess insulted. You would think that a place with such a reputation would have better sense. I mean, changing that reputation will be easy enough.” The dark chuckle that Meritha treated them to made Emhara shiver. “That is my focus, after all.”
Denith said, “Amber, put their party at my table. Now. I will tell Myrtle and the others to show up a little later.”
Meritha smiled cruelly. “Yes, Amber, do settle us at the chef’s table. Skip the insipid little influencers that you seated that first time, without a reservation. This will be fascinating. I have never made a chef uncomfortable at close range before.”
The others had caught up with them, and Duran smiled. “Well, Denith, it seems you have met the mage of communication and our eventual mate, the mage of art.”
Emhara waved. “Hi.”
Denith looked a little shocked. “Hi. Wow. I am actually hoping that they bring Myrtle early. She’s a light elf, but she’s a writer and the fusion of both of your focuses.”
Amber said, “Why didn’t you say you were with the elves?”
“Because if we show up without them and with a reservation, we will be seated, or you will lose the ability to speak or appreciate beauty,” Meritha smirked. “And then I will fuck up your bank accounts.”
Denith led them to the table himself and said, “I am sorry about that.”
“I would say not your problem, but it totally is. You need better hiring criteria. They need to understand that this place caters to folks who want an experience, not just a meal.”
Duran cleared his throat as he held Meritha’s chair for her. “Denith, I would also like to introduce, not only our mate, Emhara, but the head of the Van Housen Bank, Meritha Van Housen.”
Meritha wiggled her fingers in greeting. “Hello.”
Denith stared, and his dark form paled to Emhara’s vision. She laughed. “I didn’t know your skin could do that.”
He stared. “You can see me?”
“Yup. I would recommend either retraining Amber or replacing her. In this city, finding an attractive hostess who actually adheres to legit reservations is easy. Try not to pick one that likes to watch people crumple with their power flexes. It isn’t good for business.”
Denith wrinkled his nose. “This isn’t the first time. One of my servers didn’t care for Myrtle either. That didn’t end well.”
Emhara looked at him. “I was alone. I had saved up for a special birthday gift for myself and had arranged it so my sister’s pack wouldn’t beat the hell out of me for coming here. I risked life and limb just to do something fun, and your little bitch at the door pissed all over it.”
Denith nodded. “I will make a few calls.”
Meritha smiled. “Do you want someone attractive and reliable before the dinner rush?”
He paused. “Do you know someone?”
Meritha nodded. “She doesn’t need the job, but she is excellent with people and looks amazing in black.”
Denith looked toward the front. “Bring her in. She will shadow Amber for the night, and one more influencer without a reservation, and she will take over.”
Meritha grinned. “She will be here in half an hour. I will tell her to ask for you.”
Denith paused. “Is she... one of you?” He looked a little nervous.
“Wait and see.” Meritha smiled. She was obviously having fun.
Denith looked worried, and Emhara was laughing. Meritha was power. Pure and unadulterated power. Emhara smiled. “Knowledge is power.”
Meritha grinned. “Now you are getting it. I don’t know why we are like this, but I am able to make a guess.” She looked at the guys, and Emhara cocked her head.
“I don’t think it is just them. I have been seeing the beasts in the alphas and other betas since I was eight. I think something just turned on.” Emhara smiled at the server who brought them water. “Not just the elves.”
The guys chuckled, and they looked at the menus, ordering swiftly. Emhara was happy. This was the relaxing experience she had hoped for.
* * * *
Myrtle got a call and blinked. “Hey, Denith. You sound stressed. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, um, I got some peculiar VIPs in, and I need to push your reservation back forty minutes.”
“Not a problem. Are they eating and running?”
“I think they just came in to make a point. Oh, and Amber might not be with us much longer.”
“Great. She’s a class A bitch.”
“Huh. I didn’t know that.”
“You live in the back like the food machine you are. If you can’t put it on a table or counter, you aren’t interested.”
He chuckled.
“Yeah, yeah. I remember as well. So do the other three because they walked in on us.”
Denith sighed happily. “Yeah. Oh, the ladies are mages.”
“Elves.”
“No. Solid betas with a ton of power. I will ask them if they can meet with you so that you can pick their brains for the next book.”
“Aw, you like me.”
“Shut up and write, Myrtle.” He snorted. “See you later.”
“See you later, Denith. How much room is at the big table right now?”
“Three seats. What are you planning?”
“Mages, Denith. You can’t say that mages are real and not want me to beat feet down there.”
“Bring Teyval.”
“Yeah, like I could stop him.” She chuckled. “See you soon, and warn the others.”
“Your feet are wiggling.” He was laughing.
“Shut up, and cook good. I don’t want them leaving before I arrive.” Myrtle hung up.
* * * *
Denith smiled, walked to the table, and said, “If it is all right, my mate will be joining you in the time it takes her to grab her primary and get her ass in here. So, about twenty minutes on the outside. In case you wonder, she’s a writer on a fantasy bent right now, so she is very interested in the idea of mages.
Can you tell her about how it works? Please? ”
Meritha looked at him. “I can explain it. Our locked-in focuses are frustrating, but they can be bent a little.”
Denith grinned. “Any allergies?”
Emhara raised her hand. “It isn’t an allergy, but I hate broccoli and a lot of cruciferous stuff.”
Denith knew a soft expression crossed his face. “My mate has texture issues and a touch of ARFID. Going around that isn’t a problem.”
He nodded, turned, and whirled, whistling softly.
* * * *
Emhara looked at Duran’s astonished look. “So, you haven’t seen him acting like that before.”
“No. This is new.”
Echel chuckled. “Well, he still uses knives.”
Emhara smiled. “Did you all get to keep your inclinations?”
“Well, we came over as a colony and military force, but all male, so our partners were always going to come from the local population.”
“Whether they were willing or not?”
Samsor said, “Willing is important. It is everything.”
“Well, that is something. The pack was starting to talk about renting me out by the hour.”
The deltas froze. Echel asked, “Did they ever?”
“No. They hadn’t gotten past the planning phase, and they could never not mark me up. It was wrecking my value. They wanted to make some money, but Augusta had no self-control.” She shrugged as she read her menu.
Emhara made her choices, and when the server came by, she made her selections and handed her menu off with a smile. The woman smiled at her and took the rest of the orders.
There was a quiet kerfuffle from the front of house, and Denith headed forward with a grim expression. He spoke for a minute and came back with a dazed expression.
“Oh, good. Nimue is here.” Meritha smiled.
Emhara asked, “How can you tell?”
“Watch the men and women coming through. That is how you can tell.”
Emhara watched and smiled as she saw what Meritha was referring to. Everyone came in, floating as if in a dream. Smiles were everywhere.
Emhara asked, “Do you think she will come and visit?”
“When she has a moment.”
The appetizers arrived, and Emhara wanted to clap happily, but she let the happiness show on her face after the first bite. It was really nice. The food was good, and she had friends. That made it amazing.