Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 132582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
I take the goblet from her, sticking my tongue out before giving it a sip. “This is much better.”
“So, are there parties like this in your world?” Juniper leans against the wall, casually sipping.
“No.” I take a thorough look around. A guy in the corner is blowing fire into the air from his mouth with a bronzed liquid. Three women are belly dancing—one in the main living area, one in the kitchen, and another outside. A gay couple makes out by the back door, their tongues lodged down each other’s throats. A group hovers over a bar counter, sniffing gold dust up one nostril. When they inhale, their eyes sparkle like stars have exploded in them, and they grin. “Nothing like this.”
“Vanorians know how to party. I will give them that.”
“What made you want to come out tonight?”
Juniper shrugs. Sips. “I don’t know. Just needed a little fun, I suppose. It’s always so serious in Blackwater. Always about business and bloody rubies. Sometimes it’s nice to not think about any of it.”
“I get that. It’s the same with my job. I take days off, just to lie in my bed and read…or drink…or get high.”
A laugh bubbles out of Juniper. “You’re basically the female version of Caz, only he gets lifted off red tablets.”
“What are red tablets?”
“They’re a medicine created by Mythics that cures someone’s aches and pains. Caz has a sensory issue—doesn’t like to be touched much—so he has to take them, but they come with lots of side effects. The main one being that if you take too many, you’re lifted higher than the clouds.”
“Oh.” I shift on my feet. “Well, regardless, I’m sure he’s ready for me to get out of here.”
“Nah.” Juniper pushes off the wall, chugs the rest of her drink down, and then grabs another glass. “If he is, it’s only so he can be serious Caz again. It’s all he cares about. Seriously, it’s better that he’s out of Blackwater right now. That place will end up driving him mad if he lets it.”
The kissing couple is now making their way outside, stripping out of their clothes and slinking into a glittery pool. I can’t help watching them as they sink under the water, lip locked and tongue tied, then re-emerge, their hair shimmering in the night, like its coated in glitter.
“Do you date anyone?” I ask, turning to Juniper.
“I don’t date,” she says, waving a dismissive hand. “Waste of time, especially with Blackwater men. But I do get laid here and there by a guy who works at Blackwater Tavern.” She grins, taking pride in that. “Only thing is he’s the equivalent of a wolf in heat, so yeah, he’s suitable in bed, but downright awful with women.”
I swallow a mouthful of my drink and turn my head as Juniper does to focus on the people in the wide-open living room. The song changes to some kind of folksy song with a lot of bass, and I spot Hannie still chatting with the petite woman, both of them laughing, joyous.
A guy walks into the kitchen just as I’m about to take another mouthful of wine and bumps into me. I gasp as my drink tips over, spilling onto my shirt, sinking into the material. He brushes past Juniper to grab a drink, chugs it down, and then grabs another. Juniper looks at my shirt, her eyes stretching, before turning to him.
“Excuse me, love. Did you not feel yourself bumping into my friend here?” she asks, her head going into a slight tilt.
“No, Juniper—it’s okay.” We are standing in the way of the drinks. “Let’s just move.”
“We will. After he apologizes to you.”
“Oh, fuck off,” the man snaps. “I’ve had a long night.”
Juniper sets her empty glass on the table, then squares her shoulders, facing him full on. “Let me guess. You’re not a Vanorian. You’re a Rippie, and you think women are beneath you, so you talk to them any way you want.”
The man turns, nostrils flaring, reddening at the edges.
“Juniper.” I tug on her arm, my heartbeat ratcheting.
“I said. Fuck. Off,” he growls, stepping closer to her.
Juniper gently pulls her arm away from my hand, and before I can even blink, she’s drawing her gun and pointing it at the center of the man’s forehead.
The man tosses his hands in the air, his grimace transforming into sheer panic, while bystanders watch the encounter, their eyes wide with worry. Some of them back away, trying to get out of the room, as if they sense something very bad is about to happen.
“Would you like to repeat those words?” she asks, pressing the barrel to his forehead.
“H-how the hell do you have a Blackwater gun?” the man demands.
“Oh this?” She smiles as she studies the side of it. “I own it, and I do love to use it. Now, do me a favor.” She pulls the gun away and walks around the man, pointing it at the back of his head. “Apologize to my friend, and we’ll squash this.”