Neve (Silver Skates #3) - Helen Scott Page 0,13

I could figure out whether this mate bond was true or not, I might stand a chance at being happy. As it was, walking home alone, in the dark, with the taste of Neve still on my lips, I was miserable.

6

Neve

I couldn’t believe that Seren had just abandoned me at the rink. He knew I had just moved to Silver Springs, yet he just left me there. The nerve of that shifter. When I saw him again on Monday morning, he was going to get an earful.

At least it let me see a little of what Silver Springs was really like though—shifters changing form on ice, witches enchanting their skates so they didn’t fall over, and I think I even saw a yeti. The weirder this town got, the more it endeared itself to me, which was a problem, since I wasn’t planning on staying once the paper was making money.

After I’d watched the supernatural population at the ice rink do their thing, I decided to try and find my way back to my apartment. It was going to be a challenge, since I was directionally challenged and had no idea where I was.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been walking, but I was starting to shiver and shake uncontrollably. The martinis had worn off a while ago, and now I was just grumpy. I’d been rejected, which I wasn’t used to, and left to fend for myself, which I also wasn’t used to.

There was a building up ahead with a red neon sign that read “Vee.” I wasn’t sure what it was at first, but as I got closer, I realized that it had to be a club of some kind, which surprised me, given how small the town was. A bar, sure, I figured they had a few of those. I mean, what else was there to do out in the boonies other than drink? I just hadn’t expected a club.

A bouncer worked the door, and I handed him my ID as I walked up.

“Not really the weather to be walking round without your coat on,” he said, raising an eyebrow at me.

“Part of the reason I want to go inside,” I replied with a fake smile plastered over my face.

He glanced at my ID before handing it back and nodding me toward the door. I went without needing any more indication of his acceptance.

The doors opened, and the club was bathed in red light. A black wooden bar stretched along one wall, and I made a beeline for it, though I didn’t miss the opulent booths that were on either side. Large, red velvet privacy curtains were tied open on most of them, but there were a couple where they were closed.

My mind filled with images of Seren and I in one of those booths, that kiss replaying over and over and getting dirtier and dirtier. I wasn’t necessarily one for exhibitionism, but I’d try anything once.

I pushed the thoughts from my mind, banning thoughts of Seren for the rest of the evening. I found an empty stool by the bar and sat down. After giving my order to the bartender, I turned and watched the people dancing.

Bodies writhed on the dance floor, the air scenting of sweat and sex and maybe a little magic. I wanted to be part of that mass of bodies, losing myself in the music and the numbness of the alcohol. If I was being honest, I wanted to forget about being forced to move to Silver Springs and run a sinking ship.

I paid for my drink and opened a tab as I ordered my next one before I’d even finished the first.

“Drinking to remember or forget?” a man asked from next to me, his voice raised so I could hear him over the music.

I looked over, and a pair of brown eyes richer than any chocolate I’d ever seen were staring down at me. “F-forget,” I replied, stumbling over my words.

“Want some company?” he asked.

My gaze ate up his tall, lean form. Tousled brown locks topped his head and only enhanced his eyes, which seemed to be sparkling in the low, red light of the club. He had a full bottom lip that looked perfect for sucking on, and his plush lips were surrounded by the carefully trimmed scruff that covered the lower half of his face. He wore a sweater and jeans and looked delicious.

Why was I thinking about men in terms of how tasty they would be?

Clearly, it had