Chapter 9

After sleeping the whole day, Remi knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to bed any time soon, so she busied herself, making sure everything was ready for the auditor before seeing how things were going out front.

Kyran was sitting next to the kitchen door, so she went over and stood beside him. It wasn’t overly loud yet, but it was close to being at full capacity. Darien was by the doors carefully checking IDs as another group filed in.

Kyran leaned closer to her. “It’s not as rowdy in here as I thought it would be. Last night seemed a lot louder.” He shrugged, “Although they nearly contained me in the kitchen, so I didn’t get to see much.”

Remi glanced at the clock behind the counter and smiled. “Pascal and Attis just haven’t gotten it going yet.”

“Got what going?”

Grinning, she motioned to the two vampires behind the counter serving the drinks. “Just watch.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned back against the counter, looking at the line of customers waiting for drinks.

Remi tucked her hands in her pockets and rested her shoulder against the wall keeping a watch at the line of customers gathered at the bar. She wondered how long it would take Kyran to notice they were all female. Glancing at the yellow light, she noted it was off. The boys would get it going any time now. The tension had been high the last few hours; everyone needed to blow off some steam.

When Attis turned and looked at Pascal with a cheeky grin on his face, and Pascal smiled in return, she nudged Kyran with her shoulder.

Attis gave a quick nod to Vienna as she passed. With a smile on her face, she turned and went into the small sound booth. Kyran started to say something and then stopped with his mouth hanging open as the louder drums and guitars started.

Pascal was suddenly animated behind the bar, mouthing the words to House Rules as the girls lined up at his end. Remi wasn’t much for country music, but this was more rock than twang, as far as she could tell. Even if you didn’t like it, the beat just pounded its way into your body, and you’d be stomping your boots on the floor whether you wanted to or not.

Everyone in Serenity came to life. If they’d been here before, they knew the night had officially begun with Pascal’s song of rules blaring through the speakers. If they hadn’t, the commotion was so infectious it carried you away. Vienna, Elise, and Finn were busy moving through the crowd bringing the drinks that the two vampires had made with vampire speed without missing a beat.

She even found herself mouthing the words to the song. Remi glanced at Kyran to see a huge grin on his face. She bit her lip as the song ended, and another one began right away. She nudged him again and motioned toward the bar. Whereas Pascal liked the rocky country, Attis had his own theme song, as the staff called it.

The opening had everyone cheering just as the guitars cut in. Attis knew every beat and instrument in the song, and his movements followed as if he’d written it. When he started to mouth the words, Kyran’s eyebrows shot up, and he gave her a questioning glance.

The girls were leaning over, ogling Attis now, their bodies swaying with the music. Attis smiled and mouthed each word of Give me a Reason. Pascal was smirking through the entire thing. Remi was sure their interpretation of the song had an entirely different meaning, but she could never bring herself to ask why they lit up when they sang some of the lines. Some things she just didn’t need to know.

As the song faded, the heavy drum beat of The Animal I have Become started, and the night had officially begun, with movement everywhere.

Emery came out of the kitchen and leaned over to place a cool-lipped kiss on her cheek. She looked at him and smiled. He touched her bruised cheek lightly and then pushed away from the wall and, strutting in time to the music, went out through the crowd, greeting most of the female patrons with a smile, wink, or slight nod.

“What’s the story there?” Kyran asked, his head close to hers so she could hear without him shouting.

She didn’t look at him, just continued to watch Emery as he worked the crowd almost as well as the older vampires. “He was turned and left to figure it out on his own.” She thought about all the details Kyran didn’t need to know, being a law official. “I found him and pretty much adopted him.” She finally glanced at him to see his mouth hanging open. Shrugging, she smirked. “I know, he’s a vampire.”

He blinked. “I thought you adopted Caitlyn?”

She laughed and then nodded. “I did. I have a troll daughter and a vampire son.” Pushing away from the wall, she shrugged. “Not many can say that.” Feeling like she needed to show her staff that all was well, even though she still felt like her body had been used as a punching bag, she moved to the bar and gave Attis a knowing look.

He paused to look her up and down and then smiled. With a look in Vie’s direction, he inclined his head to her and then motioned to the small dance space. Darien watched her as she walked out onto it. A few hoots from some regular female customers sounded over the music as they quickly joined her. Elise and Vienna set their trays down, and they followed the line of females.

The male staff all stood back. Even Baker appeared out of the kitchen as the opening bars of Ladies Come First began to pound through the place. Digging deep, Remi found the energy to give the song justice and began to move in time. It didn’t take long for the adrenalin to kick in, and she was soon bumping and grinding to the beat along with almost every female in the place. The males, Emery, Finn, and Darien surrounded the dance floor playing their part in the theatrics. Out of the crowd, Cait appeared as if the music had found her and brought among those that loved her. Taking her place between Remi and Vienna, she moved along with everyone else.

Serenity After Dark wasn’t just a place to hang out and drink. It was a place that always felt like home. It may be filled with paras, but as far as Remi was concerned, they were just like normal people and deserved more than a dingy hole to hang out in.

By the end of the song, the males had moved onto the floor to move in time with a female or two. Darien was in front of Remi, a smile on his face, mouthing the words as he rested a hand on her hip and swayed in perfect movement to hers. The set of his mouth told her he was watching her closely and knew she wasn’t at full strength, but the look in his eyes said something else as they held her gaze and sang to her.

When the song ended and another began, most of the customers continued to dance. Remi turned and worked her way off the floor, Darien’s hand tucked into her back pocket, following her without skipping a beat.

As she headed toward the bar, his hand dropped away, but he still followed her until she found a home on the closest stool. Attis set a drink down in front of her and leaned on the bar. His eyes held her for a moment, seeing that she was all right before he grinned and moved back down the bar. Darien’s warm body leaned against her back; his lips pressed up against her ear.

“You okay?”

She took a sip of the cool water and nodded.

He squeezed her hip. “I have to get back to the door.”

Taking another drink, she nodded again. As he moved away, Kyran came up and sat beside her. He leaned on the bar and smiled at her. “You guys know how to rev the place up.”

Remi laughed and then nodded. She was still too winded to say much. Dancing wasn’t the smartest thing, but she knew everyone needed it. She needed to feel some measure of normalcy right now too.

“I may have to get a job here for real,” he said as he motioned to Pascal for a drink.

Feeling like things might be okay for now, she turned her stool and tapped her foot on the floor to the music as she looked around at her world of the last few years. Just when she felt like she may have had enough for the night, the door opened, and in stepped someone she hadn’t seen in a while.

Someone she could have done without seeing.