1
Delaney
My body sways to the beat of the music as I make a cocktail for my customer.
The scent of sex, smoke, and alcohol wafts through the air around me. I let it soak into my soul, freeing me of any heartache that I have carried with me for many years. My new life is just what I need: a time for me to be free and be myself.
I have nothing to hide here; I sing and dance with the amazing people I work with.
I love Emerald— not her real name of course. She is feisty and will take down a man twice her size. Emmy, as I call her, is a shifter, an owl to be exact. She is the best. Then we have Monica and Nolan, who are human like me, not that I feel human if I do not get my morning coffee.
These are my new family, and I love them. They took me in when I applied for a job here at Starlight Lounge. I came in looking for a typical waitress job and they gave me a manager position. It did make me think that maybe the club had a handin this, but then I realized that they did not know where I was applying for jobs.
Thinking of the club makes my heart ache still. It has been three months since I left the Kings of Anarchy MC.
It still feels like I have left a part of myself there, but I know deep down that I had to leave. Seeing Thorin fuck a different woman night after night, and feed from them, slowly tore me apart.
He knew that he was hurting me, and he made himself a villain in my eyes. Skyla once said that maybe he was doing it to protect himself from getting hurt, and it did make me think that maybe he, too, has suffered some trauma in his many years as a vampire.
Hell, Camo was a dick to Skyla because he wanted to protect himself from losing someone he loved. Thank the fates that he pulled his head out of his ass, because he is a great mate for my girl Skyla.
I have seen both Camo and Skyla since I moved on from the club. They helped me move into my new apartment, along with Rush and Shift. Some of the brothers come in to see me, but never Thorin.
Sometimes I am grateful that he has kept his distance, letting me heal and get over him on my own. For years, I fell apart after finding out what we were to each other— and that he never intended to claim me. Now it is time for me to heal, to reach a place where I might finally stop missing him.
Time will tell.
There are times when I think I can feel him watching me. My skin tingles and heats up when I can feel him near, but he never shows himself.
For years I have seen Thorin as a villain in my fairytale. He is the man who causes pain and breaks the leading female’s heart, yet loves her deep down. One can only hope that he, like hisbrother, will pull his head out of his ass and do the right thing, but he is one stubborn vampire.
It is such heartbreak that he will not accept me, but I cannot, and will not, force him to be with me. I have more self-respect than that, if we just ignore the last four years, when I was with the club.
Being here in Starlight Lounge, I am a new Delaney.
I am strong and feistier than ever.
Living on my own has made me see that I can do things for myself, and while I was at the club, I did everything I needed as well. The difference was that I had the added safety of the brothers, where now I do not, but my apartment building is super safe. It is guarded by a witch’s ward, Aspen to be exact.
She is a friend of Skyla, Eva, Clark, and Rocky.
Aspen is a good witch by blood. People look to her for help and comfort in times of need.
“You good, girl?” Emerald hip checks me, shaking me out of my thoughts.
I blink, smiling at my friend.
“I am good. Just overthinking.”
“Okay. You were so lost in thought, I was going to have to spank you to bring you back.” She winks.
“Do not promise me a good time and not follow through, woman.” I twirl my finger in front of her face, making her laugh.
She moves in, biting the tip of my finger, and cheers go up around us.
This is what it is like to work here. Fun and relaxed.
She winks, then blows me a kiss as she dances down to the other side of the bar to serve customers.
