“Careful,” I cautioned. “It’s far morepotent than the wine you’ve had. It’s been known to knock more thana few demons on their ass before.”
I growled and stepped closer to River whenLix leaned over to nudge her in the ribs with his elbow. Lix jerkedhis arm back and leaned away from her as he spoke. “It’s why westopped drinking mjéod when we discovered beer. Not enough meat onour bones to handle it.”
River blinked at him before bursting intoloud laughter. I couldn’t help but smile as her laughter filled thebar, and the skelleins all turned their grinning skulls towardher.
“I think the skelleins like their queen,”Bale said from behind me.
“I think she likes them too,” I replied.
River lifted the drink and took a small sip.I expected the same reaction to it as she’d had to the wine I’dgiven her. Instead of making a face and pushing it away, she lickedher lips as she stared into the glass.
“It’s delicious,” she murmured.
This statement was met with silence aroundthe bar before the skelleins all cheered loudly. “The queen likesher demon brew!”
“She’s more one of us than we thought!”
“Drink more! Drink more!”
They all started shouting over the top ofeach other as River took another sip of mjéod. I didn’t know whatto make of this development. She’d always been such a solidcombination of the three species, but I’d never expected her tolike mjéod.
When she lifted the glass to her mouthagain, I realized she’d already consumed half the contents. “Easythere, you’ll fall off the barstool if you keep that up,” I said toher.
She relinquished the glass to me when I tookit from her hand and downed the rest of the contents in oneswallow. The potent flavor of it seared my tongue and burned allthe way down my throat. I groaned at the familiarity of the flavorthat reminded me of fire; it was a piece of home I hadn’t tasted inyears.
I placed the glass on the bar and noddedwhen the female skellein behind it lifted it toward mequestioningly. The strains of the piano filled the air again.Turning on her stool, River tapped her foot to the beat of themusic as the skellein in the coattails started another song.
I rested my elbow on the bar as I listenedto the melody flowing from the piano. What little music there hadbeen in Hell had consisted of the screams of the damned and the fewstrains of melodic sound that would sometimes travel across thebarrier from the human world to us.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’d heard theskelleins playing their tunes often, but it had been backgroundnoise to me. Now I found myself actually enjoying the noise. Ididn’t know how they’d taught themselves to play the instrument, orif they had been watching humans do it for centuries, but at leastone of the skelleins was always at the piano.
Glass scraped on the bar surface when thebartender placed our next drink down. I didn’t pay it any attentionwhile the notes of the piano drifted through the air. I found myeyes closing as the beat of the melody pulsed in my blood. No, wedemons most certainly would not be locking ourselves away in Hellagain.
River leaned closer to me. Her fresh rainand earthy scent filled my nose when she rested her hand on myforearm. Opening my eyes, I found her gaze on me. “It’s beautiful,isn’t it?” she asked.
The mjéod was already beginning to have aneffect on her as her cheeks were turning a deep red hue. I brushedback a strand of her hair and bent down to rest my lips against herear. “Not so beautiful as you.”
The color crept higher into her cheeks. Icouldn’t tear my eyes away from her face as I lifted my glass andtook another sip. Her gaze followed my every move. I lowered theglass to the bar top, and she reached out her hands for it. She’dend up drunk at this rate, but she was offering up her life forcountless others, so she deserved a night away from it all morethan anyone else I knew.
“Just take sips,” I cautioned.
Her eyes lit up as she accepted the glassfrom me and took a small sip. She licked her lips again beforehanding it back. Turning, I spotted Vargas and Hawk at the end ofthe bar ordering drinks. Erin had approached the piano and stoodbeside the skellein pounding away at the keys.
Bending down, she spoke with the skelleinwho nodded in response. Corson and Bale remained beside me. Baleleaned around River’s other side to order two mjéods for them. Thelast notes of the upbeat song died away; chatter filled the bar inthe brief interlude before the piano player began a slowersong.
River’s head lifted, and her black eyebrowsdrew together as she stared at Erin and the piano player. When Erinstarted signing, River’s body began to sway back and forth with thesong.
One by one, the skelleins settled down andturned toward the young woman. Not a single one of them moved asshe continued to weave a haunting melody in a clear, strong voice.I’d heard the siren’s songs before, and while this song didn’tweave the same kind of spell as the siren’s did, it definitely gotthe attention of all those in the bar.
Tears formed in River’s eyes as she listenedto the song about rainbows and birds flying. I drew her against myside as the rest of the bar remained silent with awe. I’d neverheard the song before, but there was something about it that mademe realize I wouldn’t forget it anytime soon.
After the song came to an end and Erin’svoice faded away, everyone remained still for a moment before theskelleins burst into loud, raucous applause. River wiped the tearsfrom her eyes and rose to her feet to clap enthusiastically for herfriend.
Erin beamed at everyone in the bar beforegiving a sweeping bow. Hawk and Vargas slapped Erin on the backwhen she walked over to join them at the bar. River took my drinkfrom my hand and finished off the last sip.
“Look at you, enjoying something human,” sheteased me.
My eyes raked over her slender frame beforeresting on her face once more. She drew her bottom lip between herteeth and nibbled on it while she watched me. “I’ve been more thanenjoying something human for a couple of months now.”
