7: Young & Restless Lounge

The line that wraps around the block is deterring. What else is there to do for desperate humans besides go to the hottest nightclub in town on a Friday night? It doesn’t necessarily make me feel young being here as most of the people waiting in line look to be barely eighteen. But it does make me feel slightly restless.

I walk the length of the line searching for Avery. She should be here by now. As if I spoke too soon, a blonde hurricane plows into me. She nearly topples on her heels as we crash together. Her squeal of excitement rings in my ears.

I catch sight of another blonde head. “Of course you brought Avalos.” I watch him flirt with the first girl that locks eyes with him.

“He wouldn’t let me leave without him.” She tells me.

“Well, he can hang out here with her or head inside with us.”

“There’s a line. How do you plan on getting in other than flashing some thigh to two dudes blocking the door.”

“Um, you’re here with a witch...and those dudes are warlocks.” I link my arm through hers. Every witch, man or female, are acquaintances of each other. We know our own, but not necessarily on a personal level. And what these lame humans don’t know is that Young and Restless Lounge is mainly operated by witches and warlocks. A sort of neutral ground for all of us to get along.

Avery’s fingers just latch onto Avalos before I lead the way leaving him behind. The yelp that exits his mouth is cute and lame at the same time. He shouts back to the girl, “I’ll find you.” Sure he will.

I cockily walk up to the warlock on the right. Off in the distance there’s hollers of protest against my inability to respect the line. As I meet bouncer’s eyes his name mutters off my lips, “Icky.” My arms still intertwined with Avery and Avalos signaling that these two humans are mine.

A sharp smile parts his lips. “Gretchen doesn’t have you working tonight?” This particular warlock may or may not only know me because he has the hots for Gretchen.

And I will definitely be using it to my advantage. She inadvertently almost got me killed and I may inadvertently agree for her to go on date. “She lets me play every once in a while.”

“Yeah, with a dog.” He jokes.

A deep breath is sucked through my teeth before a wide smile finds my face. “Shame shame.” A little teasing never hurt anyone.

He steps aside, waving his arm wide allowing us entry. The shouts of protest turn into groans of disappointment. As I pass him he says, “tell Gretchen I said hi.”

Avery and Avalos slip out of my grasp as I hang back. “You should stop by and tell her yourself.” I give one more smile before rushing to catch up to Avery.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been here. When Caleb and I were together he insisted that we hang out at The Den or just my apartment. And then there’s the fact that Gretchen rarely lets me have off. But it’s just like I remembered. Dark, smelly and hot...like sweaty hot.

“Let’s dance.” Avery shouts in my ear struggling to be heard over the loud music.

My heart even struggles against the beat of the music as each deep bang of the bass rattles my chest. For a few seconds I’m temporarily deaf before my ears adjust to the noise level. I let Avery tug me along, Avalos following behind, his eyes searching the crowd for a girl that will dance with him.

We squeeze ourselves into a little opening. Avery and I dancing with each other, while Avalos tries to look smooth dancing with the both of us. I’m pretty sure people can tell that one of the girls he’s trying to dance with is his sister. A few minutes pass by before he realizes how stupid he looks. He says something to us, but I can’t hear it.

I can only assume it’s something about finding a girl to dance with when he turns his back to us and leaves. His departure gives us a little more space, but every once in a while our elbows hit nearby bodies and those nearby body’s elbows once in a while jab us in the back.

Time stands still as the songs roll on. A sweat breaks out along my hairline and the tiny dress I wear clings to my body. Strands of Avery’s blonde hair sticks to her face and her arms don’t wave above her head quite as high as they did when we first started dancing. Even though our bodies are warring down, I can’t stop, I won’t stop.

“Drinks.” I shout at her before tugging her, forcing her to follow me.

We wiggle our way in between people to reach the bar, which is completely guarded by more warlocks, keeping the underaged guests at bay. I eyeball the man and the sense of each other’s magic pushes at the other, like an invisible gust of wind. He steps aside allowing us entry, because even if I was underage I’m still a witch.

I drag Avery behind me as I rush to an opening at the bar. I nearly hop up, belly down onto the counter to frantically wave the bartender down. He takes his sweet time making his way to us flirting with each woman he passes and giving imaginary fist bumps to the men. Ugh.

His eyes pass by me to land right on Avery completely enthralled by her blonde humanness that radiates off her. “What can I get you girls?” He asks Avery.

She’s dumbfounded and flustered by a hot guy staring at her. Something she’s not used to, maybe because she’s constantly with her brother, which is a turn off. She stutters her words as a blush attacks her cheeks. Completely lost to his magic.

“Shots. Two.” I answer for her, immune to his charm.

“Two shots coming up.” He shows off his skills by flipping the bottle around. He even goes as far as giving Avery a wink as he pushes a glass in front of each of us.

We clink glasses, “bottoms up.” we say at the same time. However, Avery’s sounds more like a question, filled with worry and soon to be regret. We both tip the small glass back and then slam it down, empty, on the bartop.

“Holy shit.” Avery yells. “It burns.”

“That means it's good.” The bartender shouts back. I don’t even see him refill the glass before he pushes it front of us. “On the house.” He says to Avery obviously trying his hardest to get her drunk.

I down mine within seconds, holding back the hiss of it burning down my throat. Avery on the hand thinks about. And you never think about drinking, you just do it. “If you’re not going to drink it I will.”

Her determined eyes stare at me before she tosses it back like a champ and instantly whoops with a newfound excitement before digging her nails into my arm dragging me away. We find a different spot to dance this time and thankfully it’s a little bigger. Avery’s dancing gets a little more proactive with a couple drinks in her and it’s her skanky dancing that brings the boys to the yard, or should I say wolves to the yard.

Within minutes, a tall, equally as handsome as the bartender, guy slides up behind her. There’s no shock or surprise on her face as his arms reach around her, one on each hip. I don’t hear her infamous giggle, but I see evidence of it. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Wolfy’s eyes go right above my head and when a pair of arms come in around me, I realize he brought friends.

He dances so close I can feel his heart pounding against my back. It matches the rhythm to the fast paced music. His face rests in the crook of my neck, the prickly facial hair scratching at my skin. His lips brush against my ear as he whispers, “Hello beautiful.”

I slip out of his grasp uncomfortable in his hands, not because me and Caleb may or may not have a thing going on, but because these wolves are part of a rival pack, Scarlet River. I don’t get nosey in werewolf business, but I know that these wolves are bigger assholes than the wolves in Caleb’s pack, Midnight Harrows.

Playing cool, I dance with him at a distance, in fear of starting something. It gets to be too much as his needy, grabby hands inch closer. And then an unexpected angel comes in, well, as close as an angel can get in this place. Avalos. I latch onto him, surprising not only him but Avery. She gives me a wide eyes stare, mouth slightly dropped open.

Avalos is shocked and confused too, his limbs move in a jerky motion unsure if I’m going to prank him or something. I dance with him until stranger number two disappears. Sadly, stranger number one doesn’t leave when his friend goes on the prowl for a different girl.

“Wolves.” I shout in Avalos’s ear. “Time to go.” When the wolves start showing up it’s time to leave.

We approach Avery, but Mr. Tall Dark and Part Dog spins her so he’s between us and she’s shoved behind him.

“Hey.” I shout as Avalos dives to the side trying to snatch his sister’s arm, hand, shoulder...anything.

“Avery, we’re leaving.” He shouts to her. He knows as much as I do that this isn’t good.

“Then leave. I’ll make sure she gets home safe.” His voice full of sick intent.

“I’m sure you will creep. Will you be making a stop in the woods, initiate a new member before you drop her off?” This time I try to dodge around him, my nails scraping against the bare skin of Avery’s arm.

The pain must snap her out of her stupor, quickly sensing the panic from Avalos and I. “I should get going.” Her feeble voice is barely audible.

But the wolf has a different plan. He wraps his hand around Avery’s upper arm, squeezing it to the point where she starts to struggle from the pain. “We’re having fun here. And no one ever hasn’t had fun in the woods.” His eyes meeting mine, “Witch.” He flashes me smile before whipping around to a fighting Avery. “You can’t just be a flirt and then leave.”

“Yes, she can.” I snap, my hand jolting out trying to get a hold of her, but he pushes her just out of reach and my hands bounces off his forearm.

He gets all big and tough and maybe it's false courage from defeating a vampire, or maybe because my friend is in serious danger of becoming a werewolf slave, but I stand up to him. Face to face, glare for glare. He’s the first to break. He shoves me backwards and I knock into Avalos. “Come on.” He jerks Avery around like a ragdoll as he tries to leave us behind.

Avery starts pounding on his chest, struggling to break free. But the stranger turned creep is far stronger than her. But he doesn’t get far. A bystander, equally as tall and more attractive than I will ever also myself to admit, stands up to him.

The music seems to get quieter as he speaks. “I think you should let the girl go. There’s plenty more to choose from. One’s that won’t fight back...unless you’re into that thing.” His golden eyes seem to glow in the darkness of the room. His hair is damp with sweat and he stands there, holding his ground, unamused with the wolf’s antics.

“What’s it to you? Go find your own.” His eyes go from the man trying to stop him to me. “Or should I say go impress some other bitchy witch.”

A long, stretched out ‘oh’ moans out of my mouth. He didn’t just call me a bitch. Avalos puts his foot out blocking my path all too aware of my anger that grows beneath my skin. But I didn’t need to get close enough to punch him. No, I could hurt him from here, a flick of my wrist, a little hex. No one would notice.

But the golden knight in shining armour gets to him first. It plays out silently, the two just staring at each other nose to nose before golden eyes’s hand wraps around the wolf’s neck. He tosses Avery at golden eyes as he struggles for air. He tries to play it cool, but I can see his face turn red, the vein in his forehead bulging.

“You can have her.” He hisses the second golden eyes releases him.

Avery’s hero walks her to us, his eyes landing on me and I go cold. My senses are never wrong. There’s only one other person that could manhandle a werewolf. Vampire.

Avery knocks into me almost pushing me off my feet. Her blonde hair whips me in the face as she turns back around to face her savior. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem.” He says as he runs his hand through his long hair. He’s in desperate need of a dye job as his dark roots are in deep contrast to his outgrown blonde ends. Or maybe that’s the look. The edgy vampire look.

We stare at each other. Both already aware of what the other is. I have a feeling he knew I was a witch before I knew he was a blood sucker.

Avery slaps me in the chest and I grunt with surprise. “Say thank you.” She demands.

“Thank you.” I say through numb lips.

“You’re welcome.” He flashes me a smile that pits my body against itself, my screaming head and burning heart. I turn abruptly on my heel with Avery and Avalos at my side. And here I thought when the wolves come out its time to leave, but I spoke too soon. There’s no better time to leave then when a vampire starts goggling you.