Liquid Courage: Smoke & Mirrors Tavern - Book 3 by Ember Morgan

Author:Ember Morgan [Morgan, Ember]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B0BHR7L5JF
Publisher: Dark November Media
Published: 2022-10-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

TEX

I settled on my usual stool, stalking my favorite bartender a little more obviously this time around. He bustled around serving drinks, sharing smiles and lifting spirits as he went, and it was impossible to believe he was anything but some magical being sent here to make the world suck a little less.

Patrons came in, their shoulders sagging, frowns marring their faces, and within minutes, Nikko would have them smiling, sharing their worries, and interacting with other customers. They came in troubled and alone and he worked his magic, drawing them out of their shells and brightening the world with his own brand of kindness.

It was incredible to watch. Sometimes it was gentleness, sometimes teasing. Laughter, music, someone to listen. He treated every customer like they were someone special. I supposed they were, though I usually assessed people by the level of threat they posed to me. I’d never seen anything like it before Nikko. He was incredible and I could watch him work forever.

Especially since the smiles he shared with me from across the bar every now and then were different. A special smile just for me. It soothed my wolf a little when his customers flirted a little too much. Unlike when I’d first worked with him, he no longer flirted back. He was still friendly, but no longer was there talk of them coming back to see him. No innuendo, no offers to meet up. Only kind words and humor.

Seeing him in his element was quickly becoming one of my favorite things. Whether or not he saw it, this tavern was home for him. These people loved him.

My heart panged in my chest. Because no matter how long the pack tolerated my presence, it wasn’t my home. By definition, rogues didn’t get a home.

It wasn’t that I expected the pack to toss me out tomorrow. It was that all rogues had a clock on their heads. The longer we were away from our pack, the more unstable our wolves grew. I’d been able to delay the effects for years, but not entirely, and not without a cost. But nothing I’d done would matter in the end.

My fate was inevitable. It was just the way it was. It was the cost of my freedom. One I’d accepted long ago.

But now that I’d had a taste of Nikko, the unfairness of that trade off weighed on me heavily. I was letting myself get wrapped up in the beautiful man, and it was going to crush me when it was time to leave. And there was no way around it, that time would come eventually.

How long would the town tolerate my presence? How long would my wolf hold out before the damage of being alone so long finally started bleeding over regardless of what form I took?

The door opened, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts, and the human from the other day walked in, shaking off the effects of the spell on the door. My eyes went to Nikko, and he shot me a worried look this time.

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