Lapidary

I ignored the voices in my mind as I walked down Rimetide Street. I had to start taking my medication again, but I didn’t want to take those pills because they made me sick. I found myself leaning toward the idea of drinking alcohol instead, but I couldn’t be drunk on the job, and I couldn’t get fired. I reached My Night Habit and entered to find most of the staff had already arrived. We began to get the club ready for a crowd, and I started by the bar close to the VIP section. It didn’t take long for Megzith to approach me. Istrag watched us, but I knew he would do nothing to help me.

I had to put an end to this bullying.

“You owe me money,” Megzith said.

I met her gaze, resting my hands on the bar, close to the whisky. “I don’t owe you shit.”

Her mouth twisted into a wicked smile. “You didn’t give me your cash last night, but this time, you won’t be able to hide behind Lakelyn.”

I laughed loudly, and out of the corner of my eye saw Devton appear. “You think I need protection from you?”

Her smile faltered, and she showed me her sharp, deadly teeth in a snarl. She must have expected me to shy away. Despite being scared, I held my ground, and then I reached for the whiskey bottle closest to me. I closed my hand around its neck and slammed the bottle down on the counter, breaking it. Everyone in the bar was looking at me now. I held the broken bottle neck to Megzith, and she instantly hid her teeth behind her lips.

“Come on then,” I dared her.

She looked over to Istrag, who stared at us from across the club.

“He is not going to help you. No one is.”

She eyed me warily before pouncing, but I had anticipated the attack and twisted out of her way. I performed a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn before jabbing the bottle into her arm. She cried out, and I kicked her, as hard as I could. She fell against the bar and looked up at me with hatred in her eyes. I had only humiliated her, and she would come back for revenge. I had to make her fear me, or she’d never stop.

I kicked her in the teeth. She hadn’t expected that, and her head slammed against the bar. I gripped the edge of the bar with one hand, the bottle neck with the other, and continued to kick her. I kicked and kicked until everything around me faded away. Then strong hands grabbed my shoulders and pulled me away from the bar, away from her. I shoved him and then realized it was Devton. Shit. Was I fired?

“Don’t kill the staff.” He didn’t sound angry.

I swallowed and looked at Megzith – she was terrified and bloody. Darfin, my self-defense teacher, would have been proud. I tossed the broken bottle at her feet.

“Clean that shit up,” I told her, and she obeyed, whimpering.

I meet Devton’s eyes, expecting him to reprimand me, but the corners of his mouth threatened to twitch upwards in amusement. He was trying hard to remain professional.

“You’re tough for a human.”

“I’m tough, period.”

He grinned at me. Was I correct in my assumption that he admired me? His grin faltered when he saw my gloves. “Take those off.”

I swallowed hard. If I didn’t listen, he’d surely fire me. Slowly, I pulled back the black gloves and handed them over to him. Every part of my body was on edge as his eyes found the scars on my wrists. His face contorted with realization: I had tried to kill myself.

“Is that all?” I hated how small my voice sounded.

Devton nodded. I left my gloves with him and returned to the tables. I hated that having him see my scars made me feel so open and vulnerable, as if he knew my deepest, darkest secrets. I had never trusted anyone with my deepest secret, my angelic blood – not even Ryker. Maybe I hadn’t told him because I hated what I was and feared that he would, too, once he learned the truth. I averted my eyes from my wrists and hated that my scars were exposed for everyone to see.

As always, the club filled up quickly, and after a while, I was so busy, I forgot about my scars. It was dark, even with the disco lights jumping from wall to wall. A shiver traveled up my spine when Astaroth entered the club. The disco light shone through her transparent body, and I realized that she was heading toward the VIP section where Devton had taken a seat in the corner. Moments later, a fae male with snow-white hair, and a reaper, who was carrying a scythe, arrived. The crowd parted so that they could also reach the VIP section and sit at Devton’s table. I shuddered as I went closer to take their drinks order.

Before I got any words out, I realized they all had the same flames tattooed on their right wrists. The flames curled upward, over their palms, and each had a different color. This tattoo must be their gang sign.

“I’d like a Brothers-beer,” Devton said, and I realized I’d been staring at his wrist.

I took all their orders and headed over to the bar where I could mix the drinks. I soon began to feel overwhelmed and pressured for time.

“What do you need?” Megzith asked.

I hesitated. “A Bloody Mary and whisky on the rocks”

She began to make the cocktail and did a good job. Her bruises and scars were already healing, and I envied her ability to heal so quickly. She was helping me, which meant I had earned her respect. She placed the drinks on my tray, and I thanked her before she helped the next customer. As I reached for the tray, someone touched my shoulder, and I turned to see who it was.

Neron’s green hair was the first thing that caught my eye – green hair identical to Lakelyn’s. The previous time I’d see him had been when Zimran had been murdered, and then he had been wearing a suit. Now he wore ripped jeans and a shirt that displayed his muscular arms. He had sworn he wouldn’t give the safe to Bellevue and how he wouldn’t let her steal it, and then he caved and given it to her anyway. I ripped my arm free.

He frowned. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Surprise,” I say. “Now, go away.”

He chuckled. “You owe me coffee.”

He had spilled his coffee on me the day we met. “Arrogant bastard.”

“You walked into me,” he said. “You at least owe me a drink.”

Devton was watching us. Did he think that Neron was flirting with me?

“One drink,” I said.

Neron smiled, evidently thinking he had won. I picked up the beer glass from the tray and tossed it into his face. Neron stepped back, wiping his face with his hands.

“That’s what you get for giving Ryker’s safe to that thieving bitch.” I went behind the bar to refill the beer glass, and when I returned, Neron had gone… to the VIP section. He sat next to Astaroth, dabbing his face with a handkerchief. For fuck sakes.

I headed over to the table, carrying the tray, and gave everyone their drinks. I deliberately avoided Neron’s eyes, until he started speaking.

“Can I have a drink?”

My boss was sitting right there and expected me to do my job, but I couldn’t serve a man who had given Ryker’s safe to his mother. In my eyes, Neron was as much a thief as Bellevue. I didn’t mind as much that they had stolen from me, I minded that they had insulted Ryker by doing so.

“Sure. Go steal one,” I said.

Before he could respond, I stormed off.