The bar is buzzing with noise and energy. I immediately spot Rina behind the counter, juggling drink orders while chatting with the kind of effortless confidence that makes it look easy. But what really catches my attention is the group of vampires gathered around her like she personally invented alcohol. Seriously, what is up with that? They’re watching her like she hung the moon and stars in the sky. Is she some kind of vampire whisperer? Lukas, standing beside me, takes in the scene with mild amusement. He’s clearly entertained by whatever power Rina seems to hold over the undead, but I’m still baffled. Is she wearing some kind of relic or amulet? I can’t see or sense anything. Maybe she’s just that good of a bartender? Just as I think it, she slips and basically tips nearly an entire drink onto one of the vampires. I expect him to be angry, or at least a little irritated. But instead he just laughs and drops more cash on the bar, apparently ordering more drinks. That is just so weird. I shake my head. No time to get distracted by odd vampire groupies. I push further into the bar, Lukas following closely behind me. A tipsy guy stumbles into him. The guy gives a slurred apology and keeps moving, but I don’t miss the slight grimace that flickers across Lukas’s face, showing his discomfort. Lukas exhales sharply and steps in closer to me, hooking an arm around my waist and tugging me against his side. Ah. I guess I’m playing buffer again. Or maybe not a buffer, since I’m not actually stopping people from running into him, but more like… An anchor? Something grounding. Something to keep him steady in the crowd. He squeezes my waist lightly, a silent confirmation that my assumption is correct. On Lukas’s other side, Roxy trots faithfully at his heels, her presence doing a far better job of keeping people at a respectful distance than anything I’m doing. I glance at her and give her an approving nod. Good girl.
Since Rina is occupied and currently the center of her own little vampire fan club, we make our way to Torin at the bar. I wasn’t expecting to see Richard, he’s probably off getting some actual sleep since he’s hanging out with Wren during the day. But I do find it odd that neither Eli nor Damien are anywhere in sight. Surely they didn’t leave when they knew we were on our way over, right? Torin acknowledges us with a nod in some kind of silent, manly greeting. For a moment, I wonder if that’s just a ‘guy thing’ or if it’s specific to him. From what Lukas has told me, Torin is actually pretty socially awkward despite his intimidating presence. I suddenly remember my earlier promise to myself, to try and be nicer to him. So, I make an effort.
“Hi, Torin.” I greet him politely. He blinks at me. His expression remains mostly blank, but I swear there’s a flicker of surprise. Maybe even shock. Did I actually just stun the demon into silence? Wow.
“Hello, Clare.” He responds after a slightly too long pause.
“How is Wren?” I ask, getting straight to the point.
“He’s doing okay. He’s in the back room.” Torin informs me. His answer is straightforward, no extra details, but his tone isn’t dismissive either. I nod, filing that away for later. Before I can respond, a voice from behind me suddenly cuts in.
“Wren? Who’s that?” A woman’s voice asks cheerfully. I yelp and spin around so fast that I nearly take Lukas down with me. He stumbles slightly, clearly just as startled, and even Roxy lets out a single quiet bark like she didn’t notice the person sneak up on us either. I finally get a look at the culprit and… What the hell? How did I not see this woman sooner? She’s tall and fit, her tanned skin suggesting she spends a lot of time outdoors. But what really makes her stand out, besides the fact that she managed to sneak up on both me and Lukas, is her hair. It’s rainbow. And not just dyed with a few bright streaks, but fully, unapologetically fluorescent. The kind of neon array that makes my pastel pink look practically natural by comparison.
“What the hell?” Lukas mutters under his breath, his brow furrowing in absolute bafflement.
“Okay, so it’s not just me who didn’t see her, right?” I demand out loud, glancing between him and Roxy for confirmation. Lukas nods slowly, still looking thrown.
“I’m sneaky like that.” The woman grins, clearly pleased with herself. I narrow my eyes. Who the hell is she?
I glance at Torin, raising an eyebrow in silent question. He meets my gaze, then shrugs… Okay, what does that mean? Is he saying he doesn’t know who this woman is? Or that her presence is no big deal? Or maybe something else entirely… Torin does seem a little uncomfortable, but honestly? The only time I’ve ever seen him look genuinely comfortable is when Rina is with him, so I have no idea if this is different than his usual state of being. I just don’t know him well enough to tell.
“I’m Rowan, and this is my husband, Andrew.” She introduces herself. The woman, Rowan, gestures toward a man standing a couple of steps behind her. Huh… I didn’t notice him either.
But not because he has some kind of weird ninja skills like Rowan does. I didn’t notice him because I was too busy staring at HER. Now that I do look at him, though, he’s definitely out of place in this bar. He looks like he should be a primary school teacher. Or maybe one of those kids’ TV show hosts, the kind that does craft projects and sings overly cheerful little songs about food that somehow get stuck in your head for ten years despite being objectively terrible. I shake off the thought and clear my throat.
“Uh, nice to meet you. I’m Clare.” I answer awkwardly. Rowan grins.
“Hey, Clare. And is this your husband?” She asks, glancing at Lukas. I inhale so sharply that I choke. Lukas, far too calm, just pats my back lightly as I try to recover.
“I’m not married!” I manage to gasp out.
“Oh, sorry.” Rowan says, completely unbothered.
“So, your boyfriend, then. What’s your name?” She directs the question to Lukas, still friendly, still completely casual, like she didn’t just casually drop an entire bomb on me. Lukas glances down at me. I desperately want to correct her. But I also know that making a big deal out of it will only be more embarrassing. It was a reasonable assumption, given that Lukas did have an arm around my waist when she appeared. I should just shut up. Just let it go. Lukas, meanwhile, doesn’t hesitate.
“I’m Lukas,” he says simply. Okay… Apparently, he isn’t correcting her either. I give him a side eye glance, but before I can overthink that too much, Torin clears his throat, drawing my attention back to him.
“Rowan here is a hunter.” He says quietly. The words hit me like a shock of cold water.
I stiffen. This woman? She’s one of the hunters we’ve all been so afraid of? But she seems so… Friendly. Still, I appreciate the warning from Torin. I definitely appreciate it. I glance back at Rowan, trying to process. She doesn’t look like a supernatural killing badass, but then again, Wren doesn’t look like a powerful necromancer. Looks can be wildly misleading.
“So.” Rowan says, completely oblivious to my inner panic.
“Now that we’re all introduced… Who are we talking about?” She asks. Her tone is casual, but something about it makes me pause. Why is she asking? This conversation has nothing to do with her. It’s suspicious that she’s so curious. The atmosphere shifts. The easy banter dies and we all fall into an awkward silence. Damn it, something is wrong here.