Page 1 of A Drink of Destiny
Chapter One
Mori
Pierce’s Family Estate
Baby Andy slept soundly against my brother’s chest. He was a rolled-up ball of bear cub fur, and I hated the idea of leaving him to head to the Raven’s Perch but last night I had a dream that Dern walked into my bedroom and held up a pocket watch. If I read the signs right that probably means it’s time to get on with things.
“You’re really going to the bar without telling me why? If you’re just looking for a hookup, it’s okay,” Preston yawned. “I mean, I get it. Andy is a lot of work, but he’s my work. My baby. I appreciate all the help, and he loves his Uncle Mori, but you don’t always have to help.”
“Yes, we do,”my wolf chimed off in my thoughts, but I stopped it before it reached the link I shared with my brother. We’d miss him when he went back home to the Nightshade Bear Territory, but it was probably for the best. Body parts were being tossed around all willy-nilly all over London. If I was pregnant, I’d run back so fast that I’d probably speed up the rotation of Earthside.
“It’s not like that. I don’t plan on staying long but it might be work related. Depends what happens,” I shrugged, playing it off like nothing that would happen tonight would be a big deal either way.
“But you’re not going to tell me what this is all about? Did Dern tie your tongue again?” he arched a dark brow high on his forehead.
“No, but… I’m going out to meddle and the more you talk about meddling the more it’s likely to blow up in your face.”
“Meddle with who?” Preston asked as Baby Andy stirred in his sleep.
“I’m not sure. I only have a vague description,” I shrugged.
A spirit had warned me about Dern but part of me still believed that under all his trauma and all his murderous rampages against bad guys Dern was still a decent person. Sure, he wanted everything to benefit him somehow, but selfishness wasn’t that uncommon. After all, I was only on my way to dump a drink on someone at the bar because it would get the dead old wolf off my back. Maybe I was selfish too. Maybe I had more in common with Dern than I cared to admit.
“You’re not,” Preston said, picking up the tail end of my thoughts. “You’re one of the least selfish people I know, Mori. You’re not supposed to be doing this alone. Teddy and Ni were supposed to come over.”
“They have kids. Plans change and Teddy did save me from Sharon Claudis. They’ll be there when I need them. I don’t think I need them tonight. If someone tries to beat me up, I’m just going to jump over the bar and hide behind Raiel.”
“Is he working tonight?” Preston asked.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I double-checked. We know most of the regulars now, but I don’t think this guy is a regular. If this was some regular vs. regular matchmaking thing, they wouldn’t need my help. They’d probably have met by now.”
“Probably,” Preston nodded his agreement. “Oh! Did Crilus tell you?”
“I haven’t talked to him today. I don’t want him to know I’m up to something at his bar. He probably wouldn’t take it well. He’d send Pierce to tail me or do it himself,” I shrugged.
“Nic and Beal have hired a paranormal sleep specialist. He’s some old vampire or something,” Preston said. “Name’s Elvis or something like that.”
I stopped fidgeting with my hair in the mirror and scowled at my own reflection. They hired an investigator that wasn’t me? Sure, I didn’t know Nic well, but Dern said waking up Annila, Nic’s mom, was going to be my job.
“Dern doesn’t know everything,”my wolf chimed into my thoughts.
“I asked the same thing,” Preston said, switching which arm he held the bear cub with. “Crilus doesn’t know why they didn’t ask you for help. Except, it was sort of Pierce’s fault. Beal and him must’ve hit it off when Crilus went to talk to Nic. They’ve started their own sire chat and apparently Pierce recommended this guy. I thought I should tell you. So, if it bristled your fur, you’d have time to prepare. Sorry, Pierce didn’t think of you.”
“It’s whatever,” I shrugged. “I don’t have time to worry about why vampires don’t think of me.”
It stung but Nic and Beal were adults and as long as Annila was out cold, it was up to them what happened to her – magically or otherwise. It wasn’t my fault if they were making all the wrong choices.
Chapter Two
Raiel
Moonscale London, Nic and Beal’s House
I hated running late to work but my baby cousin Antonio had decided to spit up all over my shirt. Warm, regurgitated milk wasn’t exactly part of the dress code at the Raven’s Perch. So, a shower and an outfit change later, I was running twenty-minutes late. I let the guy I was replacing, Derk, know but I still hated it. Being on time was an important part of blending in on Earthside. I loved Baby Antonio to the moon and back. He was a little sabretooth tiger like my cousin, Beal, but under all that thick fur with its stripes just starting to come in were little scales he inherited from his carrier’s dragon.
“Relax. Chill. Showing up to work wound up like a ball of twine isn’t a good look. Tips will suck,”my lion chimed into my thoughts as I slid behind the wheel.
His sabertoothed ass was right but I wasn’t working for the tips. A fortune teller told me I’d meet my true-mate working at a bar. So, while I didn’t mind the job or the money, I was there for my own reasons. I hadn’t given up my cushy life of living off the land and not worrying about cars and cellphones just to pour liquor so people had an easier time of hooking up or dealing with their day-to-day life. I was here because sooner or later my true-mate would walk through those doors and change my life forever.
