Chapter 15 Bachelor Party #2
She had on some styling black jeans and a bedazzled tight t-shirt with a very cute bee on the front. Her yellow and black hair were done up in two pigtails. Her makeup matched with her upper lip in black lipstick and her lower lip in yellow. Gold dust was sprinkled on her cheeks.
“Hey, I can drink you under the table, missy! I went to prison and drank something brewed in a toilet!” Landry poked Rose’s belly with the champagne bottle.
Rose wrested it from her and drank half the bottle. “Shifters don’t get drunk.”
“Unless I put Ambrosia in the bottle.” Landry grinned.
Rose blinked a few times and put a hand to her forehead. “Oh, my! Yes, you did!”
“So now you’re getting into the party mood!” Landry laughed. “C’mon, Caden, you’ve got to drink and be drunk with us!”
“I’m coming!” Caden laughed. “But where are the others?”
“Oh, we will be picking up some Dragon Shifters and some Swarm Shifters and some, well, humans and all of it on our way to our final destination,” Rose told him, her cheeks now both rosy and glittery.
Caden looked up at Valerius again. What he saw made him happy. There was no sadness in his Black Dragon King. He was grinning, looking more like he was excited. He framed Caden’s face with his powerful hands.
“I’ll see you later,” Valerius said.
“Promises, promises.”
They kissed and they only stopped when there was some hooping and hollering from below. Laughing, Caden jumped down from the platform to the bottom floor and landed in that perfect pose.
“Wally, that better not be a Black Dragon balloon hat!” Valerius called down, hands on his hips.
“It is not! Though Landry here tells me that there’s been a run on them at the shop!” Wally informed him. “I am trying to start a new trend.” He turned so that Valerius could truly see the animal the hat was based on. “It is my Rat Hat, thank you very much!”
“Actually, we have been selling some rat merch since it came out about Wally being such a hero and being Caden’s Councillor!” Landry reported.
“What did I tell you? Once you have a rat, you can’t go back!” Wally struck a pose.
“I need to have some of what you guys are having!” Caden grabbed the Veuve Clicquot bottle that Rose offered him and took a big swig.
His throat tingled as it went all the way down and his stomach felt warm once it reached there.
Iolaire’s eyes widened and its tongue slid out as if tasting the Ambrosia. “Now I understand!”
“Remember the hangover, Caden. Because I still do.” Valerius touched his temple.
“Right on! I’ll be careful!” Caden said and took a smaller swig before handing it back to Landry. “Love you! See you later!”
He waved to Valerius, sending him an air kiss, the Black Dragon King waved back. The four of them then piled out of the room, buoyed by Ambrosia and the excitement of the night to come.
“So where are we going?” Caden asked as Rose led them to a black SUV parked in the courtyard. Simi was driving and Ngoye was in the front passenger seat.
“Simi! Ngoye! I’m so glad you’re coming!” Caden cried.
The two Claw captains were dressed in club clothes, but both shook their heads when Caden offered them the Veuve Clicquot. “We’re working until we get to the final place where–supposedly--we won’t need Claw security.”
“Final place?” Caden looked at Rose, but she just giggled and said nothing.
The first place they went was a gorgeous champagne bar on the highest level of Reach.
The bar was onyx. The walls were dark mahogany.
The lights were golden and low. The champagne was top-notch.
There were little puff pastry cheese crackers that Caden loved.
There were also fresh oysters with tart mignonette sauce, huge shrimp with cocktail sauce so spicy it cleared the nostril passages, and crab legs covered in a delicate cream sauce that Caden licked off his fingers long after it was gone.
Esme and Jahara were the hosts. They were both dressed in icy white dresses and had silver glitter on their faces. Ice buckets made of real ice held bottles of Krug, Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon and more were set out. Glasses were filled and toasts were made with the patrons joining in.
“Thank you so much for doing this!” Caden said to Esme and Jahara.
“We did nothing. A little champagne. A little food. All that matters is that we get to spend time with you,” Esme said as she patted his cheek.
“I remember when you trusted me with knowing you could do magic outside of your Dragon form, Esme. That meant a lot,” Caden told her.
“And it meant a lot that you trusted me first with your secret after I had made such a hash of it with my own people,” Esme sighed. She brightened then as she said, “You gave me the boost I needed to trust myself again.”
“You’re more than welcome,” Caden told her. He then turned to Jahara. “I was so afraid to meet you.”
“My reputation precedes me,” Jahara said with a wry smile.
“But you never had anything to worry about, Caden. I don’t trust people easily.
As you know, I’ve been… let down. But the moment we met, I knew I could trust you.
And that made me certain of my plan to ask the other Dragon Shifters to come to my territory and make it our territory. ”
“I think if anyone could have made that work, it’s you,” Caden said.
“Actually, you made it work, Caden. We’re all united now in a way I didn’t think was truly possible. You and Iolaire have made us a clan. Have made us a chosen family,” Jahara said.
He embraced both women, feeling as if he couldn’t put into words what each of them meant to him.
Wally clinked a knife against his glass to get everyone’s attention. He cleared his throat and adjusted his balloon hat that squeaked a bit on his head. “I have the honor to give the toast to Caden here at our first stop tonight.”
Caden blinked.
“I met him while he was still in highschool, which wasn’t all that long ago!” Wally grinned.
Someone called out, “Little Caden!”
Caden grinned.
“He was unsure of himself. He was new to greeting customers. I remember that he got so nervous on the first sale that he actually started paying them for their purchase!” Wally chortled.
“I lost count!” Caden laughed. “What can I say?”
“But though I feared the kid might spend me out of business that first day, I didn’t regret hiring him a bit!
” Wally smiled at him with that big, silly smile that caused Caden’s heart to hurt a little.
“Because I knew he was special the moment I laid eyes on him. I know people will think that I’m just saying that after the fact.
But no, I knew. There was something about this kid.
Something extraordinary. Oh, and he became a pretty damn good salesman too. So to Caden!”
Wally lifted his drink.
“To Caden!” Everyone cheered and lifted theirs.
Caden hugged Wally tightly. “Thank you, Wally. For everything.”
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, kid. I should be thanking you,” Wally told him, his voice a little hoarse from tears.
The champagne and food was devoured and all too soon they were on their way again. Esme and Jahara though were not coming to the next place. They would meet up with them later.
“At the final place?” Caden asked.
“The final place. But we’re not there yet, Caden!” Rose laughed, looping her arm through his and tugging him out of the champagne bar.
Once more, they piled into the SUV with Simi and Ngoye in charge. They were laughing and talking over one another. The evening had just begun and it had begun beautifully. Caden felt like his blood was filled with champagne even though he hadn’t had any more Ambrosia.
They left High Reach and headed down into the Mid towards an area packed with clubs and nightlife.
They headed towards a bar known for incredible homemade beers and bar food to die for.
While the other bar had been crystal and elegance, this one was scarred wood, pool tables and dart boards.
Tez, Mei and Kaila were waiting for them there.
Wally immediately headed over to the bar for a brew so dark and thick that Caden was pretty sure he could have stuck a fork in it and the fork wouldn’t have moved. Wally’s mustache and its own mustache of foam.
Tez gave Caden a golden brew that had a certain zing of grapefruit and lemon. He took a large, grateful swallow. Kaila, who was in a spirited dart game, insisted on feeding him some soft pretzel nuggets covered in a hot, beer-cheese sauce that Caden wanted to eat with a spoon.
“Are Anwar and Illarion with Valerius?” Caden asked Tez, not able to keep his desire to know about his soon to be husband out of his voice.
“Oh, yes, they’re meeting up with everyone at different spots than you. Illarion had requirements.” Tez’s nose wrinkled. “Poor Valerius.”
“Poor Valerius,” Caden giggled. “I’m sure he’s having fun or, at least, he’ll have stories.”
“I’m certain that Anwar will protect him from all of Illarion’s antics,” Tez said. “Anwar’s a new man since Fadel was found.”
“And that was Illarion’s plan,” Mei said as she dragged a tortilla chip through some very creamy spinach and artichoke dip.
She had a pool cue in her other hand. She was playing against three burly men whom she looked at through hooded eyes as if she wanted to eat them too.
They were looking back at her like they wanted to be eaten.
She was wearing a silvery sheath dress with some very red lipstick.
Caden realized that all of the Dragon Shifters had some silver or white on them for him and Iolaire. He was more than touched.
“Illarion’s really come around,” Caden agreed.
Mei’s head turned from her prey to Caden and there was a very different look on her face. “Because of you.”
“Oh, no, no, more because of Valerius and Illarion himself and--”