Page 9 of Gambling with Time

He laughed again. "And the owner of the club, this building, my paycheck," he said, adding to my observation. "Tell him I have this handled while you guys deal with that other issue."

I nodded as if I even knew what the other issue was, then picked up my drink and moved back across the room to my brother and the guys.

"Did you know I come here enough to have a regular drink?" I swirled the soda around in the glass, mixing in the flavoring with the sword and cherry.

"Yes," my brother replied. It was more of a sigh. "This is Lex's bar. Even when Rai and I tried to get you to quit the Demi-god, you were stubborn and kept coming back. I should have known that it meant something then."

"We don't like the Demi-god?" Rai asked. His attention was focused on my brother, his back stiff.

"He’s fine now. We got used to him. To all of them, really." He pushed his fingers through his hair. "It isn't conventional. Mom and Dad are having a hard time with it, not that they truly know what’s going on. But honestly, none of it matters if you make my sister happy. And I know the four of you do, which is why I'm helping this one," he gestured at Alastor before continuing, ”fix your memories."

"Bellamy is here, Lex is with him," Alastor said, looking up from his phone. He watched the doorway expectantly.

I caught sight of Bellamy's shock of white hair and horns first, then the man from my memory and the silent Demi-god from the pawnshop. Lex. Home. Comfort. The feelings shot through me. Why didn't I feel this way in the shop? Was it because it wasn't familiar to me?

"The mage is looking for you," Lex said. His blue eyes pinned on me. Then he caught sight of Rai, Tyler, and Alastor. He went still as his gaze landed on Alastor. "What are you doing here?"

"Lex, good to see you."

"The feeling is not mutual. If you are trying to screw this up for my boss, I won't let you." His anger felt wrong. "If you found her, dragon, why haven't you brought her back?"

"Lex, we need to talk," I said.

Bellamy nodded toward the left of the bar, and I tilted my head to acknowledge that we would follow.

"We can do it in the VIP room," Bellamy replied, his tail flicking the ground behind him. Then he passed us and led the way. He tugged out a key from his pocket. "I didn't have a chance to give it back." He shrugged.

The room we entered felt familiar. It all did. Just on the edges of my mind, like a dream I couldn't recall. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors lined one wall and one-way windows lined the other. With red leather couches along a wall, and stripper poles in front of them. Curiosity drove me to the smooth round pole, and I placed my drink on a nearby table before twirling around it. I stumbled as the recollection of kissing Lex goodbye hit me square in the chest. A gasp burst from me at the pain.

"Are you okay?" Lex asked.

My gaze collided with his clueless one. I rubbed the center of my chest and shrugged. "Do you have any recognition of this room?"

He glanced around as if seeing it for the first time. "It looks like any club's VIP room would look."

"Or maybe how a VIP room would look in your imagination," Alastor replied. "Since you designed it."

Lex turned a scowl on him. "I what?"

"This is your club, your building. In fact, your apartment is upstairs."

"You don't remember any of that?" I asked. It was a little confusing. Why would Raiden have a memory of his apartment, but Lex wouldn't?

"I imagine it is because you spent a lot of time here, and erasing each other from our heads seems to be the goal of whatever happened to us," Bellamy said, answering my unasked questions.

"What are you guys talking about?" Lex asked. He backed toward the door like we were going to jump on him and beat him to the ground.

"Your sisters gifted you with a prophecy. We are in the middle of it, and our fates are tied together. The mage crushed a ruby to stop that prophecy given to you. But I don't think it worked the way he planned. Possibly because I ran," Alastor said.

"Well, you are a coward, so I'm not shocked," Lex replied.

Alastor winced but didn't defend himself.

"If it wasn't for him, escaping, we would all be stuck under that mage's thumb doing his bidding and not being ourselves. So stop being a dick." I had closed the distance between us, poking him in the chest with each word.

"That is hot," Bellamy muttered, and I glanced back at him in time to see him adjust himself. Warmth flared to life in the pit of my stomach, but I pushed it away, for now.

My brother groaned and rolled his eyes. "And here I thought without your memories I'd be safe from the sex for a while. I should have known better with a freaking incubus in the group."

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