While I didn’t always love working at the bar, my nights here often passed in a rhythmic flow that kept me grounded and centered. A part of me would never forget how my father taught me how to make drinks and avoid the unfortunate incidents that could occur when owning a bar, behind this very counter. It made me feel close to him, even though he was no longer a part of my life.
My mother rushed up to me then, her face flustered as another wave of guards came into the bar, fresh off their shifts.
“Rae, grab some of those new tables, will you? I’ve got too much paperwork to get completed by collection day.”
With a sigh, I reluctantly nodded, knowing that I’d easily help my mother out. Hurrying on over to some of the tables before they got too rowdy, I quickly grabbed drink orders,jotting them down on a worn-out notepad in my hand before returning to the bar and mixing all the drinks.
“What’s taking so long?” An impatient shout sounded from one of the tables as I finished making the drinks, causing a frustrated sigh to spill from my lips as I wondered for the millionth time where the guards got off, thinking they could talk like that.
But I knew why. To be a member of the RSG, you had to rank as a higher-affinity, preferably with at least two strong elemental affinities.
“Let’s go already,” another voice chimed in impatiently as I finished up their orders and began making my way over to their table.
Biting my tonguehard, I set the glasses down with a heavythunk, ignoring the leering looks from the guards as my feet turned and I moved toward the next table.
They were lucky I was already beyond exhausted; otherwise, I don’t know what I would have done. But I would have done something.
My eyes didn’t even flicker up as I hurried through a rushed greeting at the table in the corner, furthest from the bar top, while pulling my notepad from my apron and flipping the page for a new order.
“What’ll it b—” My breath caught on the last word as my gaze finally shifted up toward the table’s occupants to meet a stunningly golden pair of eyes. The noise in the tavern faded to a dull clamor as I found myself caught momentarily in the male’s gaze, his eyes trapping me in place as a wave of foreboding danger and intrigue washed over me.
The amber flecks in his irises seemed to glow as they held mine before my eyes trailed over his features. Tracing the sharp cut of his jawline, the five o’clock shadow that neatly dusted bronzed skin. My eyes trailed lower, and I could almost detect hints of golden ink peeking through on his neck. Almost. My eyes flicked back up to his, and I froze.
A brief hint of amusement flashed through his eyes as he regarded me, and a devilishly slow smirk crept across his entirely too stunning features.
Stars-damned me.
A blush crept along my cheeks as I remembered my place, and my eyes then drifted over the remaining people in this booth, taking in the other male and a female. They wore dark clothing with no identifying labels and matching onyx face guards blocking the lower portion of their faces. Three sets of eyes rested on me, analyzing me just as I had watched them. It was rare that we got new customers in the tavern at this time of night, especially with so many of the Solis Guards fresh off their posts.
My eyes narrowed in on their left forearms, scanning to see whether they were highers or lowers. If I had to bet, I’d say they were highers based on the arrogance radiating off the golden-eyed male alone.
Only, I noted that their marks weren’t visible. It was illegal not to have your marks clearly on display. Surely they knew that, so why risk it? Especially in a place with so many guards swarming about.
“Well,” I finally added with an impatient bite. “What can I get for you?” My eyes flicked between the three customers before settling back on the first male, hidden in the shadows.
“Three whiskeys.” It was the female’s voice that answered as she looked me up and down with disinterest. “Neat.”
With a sigh of frustration at yet another table being taken by customers not even ordering food, I nodded and turned away, hurrying over to the following table to take their order as well before I rushed behind the bar.
Xavier, the other bartender working tonight, turned his head, brown eyes regarding me with concern as I slammed the whiskey glasses onto the wooden countertop, frustration radiating off me in waves.
“What’s got you in a mood tonight?” His friendly voice snapped me out of my frustration momentarily as I glanced toward the male. Xavier was a good century older than me, having worked here since before I was born, and was someone I had grown to consider a good friend.
“Fucking guards come in here every night, taking up all the tables and only ever ordering drinks. At least sit at the bar if you just want a drink,” I grumbled, not even caring if those around me heard my complaints at this late hour.
Reaching up, I stood on the points of my toes, trying and failing to reach the bottle of whiskey resting on a higher shelf.
“Fuck,” I muttered before I felt a gentle brush of water and watched Xavier use his water affinity to grab the bottle of whiskey off the top shelf, something I couldn’t do with my lackluster use of my own affinity. He set it down on the counter, turning to help the next customer, but not before I felt a teasing gust of water rustle across my skin. I flashed him a smile of gratitude before grabbing the bottle and beginning to pour the three whiskeys—neat.
“Don’t let ’em get to you, Rae. You know how they can be.” Xavier’s voice sounded to my side, but it was too stars-damned late. I’d had just about as much as I could take between the bar andKingLucanus tonight. My rage and frustration were bubbling inside me as I stormed over to the table.
Slamming the drinks down onto the table with slightly more force than necessary, I watched in pure satisfaction as the amber liquid swirled around before sloshing onto the tabletop.
“Busy night?” The male to the left of the shadows spoke. “Or is it just us?”
“Next time, sit at the bar if you just want a drink.” A strand of curly dark brown hair fell from my bun as I sarcastically bit out the reply. “But hey, thanks for drinking at the Tilted Tavern, feel freenotto come again.”
A low rumble of a chuckle sounded from the man in theshadows as I turned on my heel and quickly rushed to greet another customer, but not before I heard his response.
