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I whoosh of wings buffeted against my ears, and I let out a shriek as powerful talons gripped around my waist. A massive roar next to my ear preceded a sudden upward lift as the ground fell away beneath me and I sailed up into the clouds.
Back to Not So Normal
CADEN
The damage to Velvet was worse than I’d feared. When we’d walked back through those doors, the bar was in shambles with tables and chairs overturned, broken glass littering the floor, and various bottles of liquor smashed everywhere.
After listening to Franc swear up a storm in honor of the deceitful fae, Taneisha, we’d quickly divvied up the tasks. Franc and Emrys went to check on the staff, Liam and Marcos did a circuit of the club, and I checked on the electronic equipment.
There was no nice way to say it. The place was a wreck. The dance floor had been ground into a fine layer of glass shards. They’d trashed the DJ booth with several smashed turntables and electronics strewn about. I shook my head at the wreckage.
Franc didn’t need to lose money on this mess. It was Taneisha’s fault that things had gone so poorly for Franc’s quest and his club. But what could we do about it? It wasn’t as if we could have prevented the fae from wreaking havoc, at least not without time traveling back to our academy days and changing the ways of our past selves. It was Franc’s bad luck that he had been the one Taneisha was the most angry with.
As I walked by the bar, my feet crunched on broken glass. There were several empty bottles strewn about, as if someone had flung them around in a fit of rage or drunkenness, which is no doubt exactly what happened. The door behind the counter hung open, and I peeked inside to find shelves overturned and shattered bottles everywhere.
I was pulling a trash bag out of the bin when Franc approached, laughing and talking animatedly on his cell phone. Emrys trailed along behind him, a sour expression on his face.
He hung up his call, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. “What a mess!” Gratefully, when Taneisha had returned us guys to Velvet, she’d also returned all our missing stuff, including our cell phones.
Emrys perched on one of the remaining working bar stools, leaning heavily on his elbows. The demi-god seemed to have aged a decade during Taneisha’s quests, a grave weight hanging over his mood. I wondered what it might take to get him back to his normal, gregarious self.
“We’ll get through it, but we’re gonna need more trash bags,” I replied.
Franc waved away my concern as if it would wipe away the damage, too. “I’ve already called two construction firms to handle the heavy work. One for rebuilding the temple and other one to remove the pond from the dungeon. I’ve got one coming for an estimate right now. Oh, and don’t bother picking up the trash, I called a company to start on cleanup tomorrow. Other than that, it’s not too bad.”
“It’ll be an expensive remodel,” Emrys said.
Franc shrugged. “Happily, pleasure is a lucrative business. Maybe not ‘ruined by the fae’ lucrative, but still.”
“I was kind of partial to the pond,” I admitted, setting the trash bag aside.
“I’ve got nothing against ponds, but it doesn’t work in the basement dungeon,” Franc said, and then leveled me with that knowing stare of his. “I’m guessing your thoughts are elsewhere.”
He was right, my thoughts were divided between our task and thoughts of Sera. “I can’t stop thinking about her.”
Franc leaned against the counter next to me and crossed his arms over his chest. “Me either. I know she’s back at her shop and safe, but I miss her presence.”
I nodded again, looking away, not wanting Franc to see my sudden tears of frustration. “Yeah, me too. I mean, after so much time together, and now she’s gone? It feels so wrong.”
“We shouldn’t have let her go,” Emrys said, breaking his silence. “At least one of us should have stayed by her side.”
Franc nodded. “I admit I feel the same, but she asked for some time to herself, and we honored that. She’s our mate, so I think it’ll always feel uncomfortable to spend time away from her.” He sighed and then shook his head as if to clear it away. “But enough of our woes! Let’s keep busy, lest we become the moody emo boys we always avoided back at Goldenbriar. How about we look for anything not broken and we can set it aside?”
The sound of someone approaching interrupted our conversation. We all turned towards the door to the gardens as Liam opened it up and walked in first, followed by an antsy looking Marcos who almost looked like he’d rather be out running his panther than here at Velvet. When they saw us gathered around the counter, both headed our way.
“What’s your assessment?” Franc asked.
Marcos shrugged. “The place is a wreck, but the damage is repairable. Most of it’s surface level stuff. Events shook the staff up pretty bad. I’d recommend giving them some time off, but they’re all safe and accounted for. There are even a few who showed up for their shifts today and are just doing clean up.” He glanced at me, then Franc, before turning back to Liam.
“There’s nothing unsalvageable, if you’re willing to spend the money on repairs,” Liam added.
“This will put me back, but I’m not giving up on Velvet,” Franc replied. “And those stalwart few who showed up today are earning a bonus. Hell, who am I kidding? All of them are just for sticking with me through this insanity.”
Liam’s cell rang, and he took a few steps away to answer it. “Hello? Hey mom, yeah don’t worry, I’m fine, really.”
“Yikes,” I replied. “I’d better check in with work, too. Although they likely just figure I’m too busy to call. The benefits of undercover work.”
“I’m not sure my dad’s noticed I’ve been gone,” Emrys said, seeming more tired than upset about the prospect.
