Page 109 of Demon's Heart

Ollie scanned the room again as they moved through the crowd. “I felt Rowan projecting.”

Harper’s brows rose. “Wow, that’s unusual.”

“Maybe it has to do with your connection to Dante,” Nico guessed.

Ollie shrugged. He’d have to ask his mate. “So most humans wouldn’t have been able to tell Rowan was something else?”

Nico leaned against the polished bar. “They’d have felt uneasy or afraid. Gotten a bad vibe or decided he was untrustworthy, but they wouldn’t have known why.”

Ollie supposed he’d never have assumed Rowan wasn’t human a month ago. Maybe he couldn’t really sense magic. He just knew what the unsettling feeling meant.

Harper picked up a cocktail menu. “Oh, these look amazing. There’s a chocolate orange martini.”

He and Ollie took their time reading through the drink options. Harper wanted to try them all and might have if they weren’t here under such serious circumstances.

Ollie ordered a piña colada because why not. The bartender made a show of mixing their drinks, chatting with Nico about something Ollie didn’t bother trying to interpret.

“Oh shit, that’s good. What’s in this?” Ollie groaned after his first sip.

The bartender, Leo, grinned, showing what was surely a bit of fang. “Nothing more than what it says on the menu.”

“I’m guessing you haven’t heard of witch-brewed rum?” Nico pulled a bottle from behind the bar, showing it to Ollie. “Gives it a special kick.”

Ollie froze, halfway to taking another sip. “Like a magic kick? Is a spell going to get me?”

Leo laughed, the sound melodic. “There’s no spell on what you’re drinking. Magic used during the distilling and aging processes enhances flavor.That’s all.”

“We’d never serve it to you otherwise,” Nico added. “At least without telling you what the magic would do to you first.”

Harper nudged him. “Believe me, no potion would taste this good.”

“That’s a relief,” Ollie muttered before taking another sip.

When he turned around, a third of Harper’s drink was already gone. Harper’s cheeks flushed red. “This martini is dangerous. I already want another. Unless I can get my hands on a piece of chocolate cake.”

Ollie and Nico laughed.

Leo passed Nico a pile of chips. “Go show your boys some fun. They’re too lively to darken my bar like you always do.”

Nico swiped the chips with an eye roll and pushed off the bar. “You’re lucky to have me.”

A wave of surprise hit Ollie out of nowhere. He clutched his glass. What had Dante seen? Harper’s brow furrowed like he’d sensed something too. He grabbed Ollie by the hand and pulled him after Nico.

Surprise wasn’t necessarily bad. No fear followed, so at least there was that.

Nico divided the chips between Ollie and Harper. “You can thank Rowan for these.”

“He’s very generous. Leo too.” Harper gestured to an unoccupied roulette wheel with his drink, his eyes lighting. “Let’s try this one!”

“He’s like a kid in a candy shop,” Nico muttered to Ollie.

“Totally.” He loved how much joy Harper got out of everything. His life with the Nightingale Coven had been so dark, and now that he was getting to have so many firsts, he seemed to hold nothing back.

Once Ollie and Nico explained how to play, Harper placed his bet. He was adorably dejected when he lost but immediately placed another, and his excitement floodedback.

The wheel spun, the ball circling. It bounced into a black pocket.

“Oh Satan! I won!” Harper turned to Ollie, grabbing him by the shoulders.