31. Spewing the Wolf
Chapter 31
Spewing the Wolf
CINDER
I n record time, Prince Charming scores an invite to Red’s wedding, despite insulting her werewolf betrothed.
Brexley was only slightly less thrilled than me, and I was shocked to find it was because Brexley is protective of me. I saw him act like this when Goldie first started seeing Ted, and we were on the same side of that protectiveness. But now to be the object of it?
Super weird.
Once Tink finishes Snow’s tattoo, we all decide we aren’t done with the evening. All the good shit in Boston is pretty much closed down at four A.M., so we went to the best place we knew to hang out.
The Poison Apple.
“I have to confess it’s kind of weird you guys still want to hang out here after you spent all night working,” Kai says, leaning against the bar. “And won’t your boss be pissed?”
“Rap loves us. She doesn’t mind if we hang out as long as we clean up after ourselves and don’t take advantage of her too horribly.” Goldie waves a dismissive hand before putting it back around Ted’s neck, who is sitting on a bar stool with his girlfriend draped all over him.
Unlike us, the big lumberjack-looking bear shifter is a morning person, but he doesn’t like Goldie being out late without him and is often coaxed out well past his bedtime to hang with us.
I am more than a night owl. I come to life. I live for the darkness to fall. It’s one of the reasons my heart sings whenever I step into Midnight. I’m covered, shrouded, and held in perpetual night.
Thankfully, Ted owns his own business and finds ways to manage the opposing schedule. For being a big serious, grumpy looking guy, he’s an absolute slave to the pink and leather bombshell that is my best friend.
I wonder if he really is trying to propose to her, and if he’ll catch a break. She deserves all the happiness in the world. Though I can’t help but notice how his hand keeps returning to a certain suspicious boxy outline in his pocket.
“Have we ever crossed the line of taking advantage of Rap too much?” Red asks, rounding the bar to pour herself a glass of red wine and a whiskey for Brex that she then slides over to him. She has a real, adult job as an accountant now, but once a lost girl, always a lost girl. She has the Poison Apple tat on her left arm to prove it. We all get it eventually.
“Maybe we aren’t trying hard enough,” I say, cracking my fingers in preparation. “Pumpkin spice martini, anyone?”
“I’ll try one,” Snow volunteers, though her gaze is still fastened to the new tattoo that spans the length of her inner forearm—a hand mirror. The ink practically springs off her smooth skin in glowing silver lines. The mirror is beautiful, broken, and hazardous all at once.
When Snow asked Tink what it meant, Tink shrugged and said the magic is in the pixie dust ink and it does the speaking for itself.
I intend to push the Lost Girls’ branding on our next visit. The Poison Apple logo with the words ‘pick your poison’ underneath it.
“That sounds dangerous,” Kai says, referring to my drink.
“I thought you were brave,” I shoot back as I pull out the RumChata, vanilla vodka, and Irish cream.
Snow, Red, and Goldie break out in a chorus of ‘oooo’s, letting him know I’ve definitely thrown the gauntlet down.
“In that case,” Kai says. “I’ll take two.”
I roll my eyes, but I can’t stop the smile spreading across my face.
“Holy fae fucks,” Kai says under his breath, even as the others continue to discuss Snow’s new ink.
“What?” I ask, even as I measure out a bit of syrup over the pumpkin puree.
“I just—I’ve never seen you smile.” Kai’s tone is full of shock and awe.
My brows pinch, but he’s right, I can’t keep my mouth from its upward curl.
“I smile,” I protest in defense.
“Small ones. Crumbs barely big enough for birds to eat, but this, this on your face is a real smile. I can see your teeth and everything.”
“Shut up,” I laugh.
“Forget the martini. I’d like to order a hundred more of these.”
“Smiles? You are the cheesiest, most ridiculous person I have ever met. And don’t you think the pumpkin spice might be the reason I’m smiling?”
“You want me to believe pumpkin spice has this much power over you?” Kai leans in until his delicious male scent wraps around me.
“Maybe it’s because I get to make my favorite martini, or maybe it’s having my friends gathered in one of my favorite places in the middle of the night.” He’s right. I am in a particularly good mood.
Kaison tilts his head, probing me with a private, sultry gaze. “Nothing to do with the multiple orgasms and fantastic fucking?”
I shrug one shoulder and work to suppress the smile that threatens to validate everything he’s saying. The pressures of finding the Ember of Midnight and uncovering the truth about my father seem so far away right now.
“Pumpkin spice is the way to a girl's heart, but it’s possible the second best way is, in fact, via some fantastic fucking. I think I read that in a book once.”
Kai looks hungry, and not for food. Heat sweeps through my body. Only the barest hint of fear zips through me at the idea he might be thirsting for my blood. The way I’ve started to trust him so fast it’s scary.
I push the martini over to him, hoping it will keep his thirst at bay.
“Do vampires live forever?” Snow asks, breaking our private moment as she reaches for the third martini. “Like are you actually in your twenties, or do you just look that age while you are hundreds of years old?
I bring my martini to my lips and sip on the perfect cozy cold concoction that heats my belly immediately with pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. If only Midnight had more pumpkin spice and less a-hole bloodsuckers, it might be my perfect haven.
Kai laughs, looking down at the creamy, light orange liquid that I sprinkled cinnamon on top of. “Midnight fairies age at a normal rate until we hit our mid-twenties or early thirties and then it slows down from there. So, I will likely live hundreds of years if I keep in good health and don’t get assassinated by silver or stake.” With that, he cheers Snow and then sips the liquid.
A spew erupts from Kai's mouth. He turns his head away from Snow just in time so as not to plaster her with his mouthful. “Gah, that is disgusting.” He smacks his lips and pushes his tongue out as if he can rid himself of the taste.
Unfortunately, while Kai avoided hitting Snow, he sprayed Berkeley fully across the face. The room collectively sucks in its breath. Even I wait to see if Brex will massacre Kai on the spot.
“Oh, sorry, man. I didn’t mean to get you like that.” Kai grabs a napkin to dab his own dripping chest.
The tall wolf shifter stands, the stool scraping loudly across the floor.
“That’s it,” he growls. “You’re uninvited to the wedding.”
“No, you're not,” Red assures Kai. Without missing a beat, she hands a fresh bar towel over to Brexley who is too busy glaring at Kai to clean himself.
“Even if you were uninvited, you’d obviously just come as Cinder’s date,” Snow pipes up.
“Oh my gods.” The distressed voice distracts me before I can respond.
“Goldie?” I prompt when I see her eyes glued to her phone, brows furrowed with concern. She’s even extracted herself from Ted as she takes in whatever she is reading.
“That guy, remember the one who fucking assaulted you?” Goldie’s nostrils flare with anger at the memory.
My stomach sours a little. “Yeah.”
Her big brown eyes turn up to meet mine. “They found him dead.”