The Wolf Witch (The Keys Trilogy Book 1) by Anna Roberts Read Free Book Online

vengeance, and that won’t bring them back.
    Into the kitchen. Fans of green on the counter where she left them. Paint swatches. Mint and apple, peppermint and pistachio. Seems like every shade of green is a thing you can taste. Almost dulls the smell of blood. Almost. So much red in that hallway that I forgot that green was even a thing.
    *
    The drink she brought him was bright electric blue.
    Even the sugar frosting the rim was dyed blue. Gabe waved the straw around in it and glanced around the bar, looking to see if anyone else was drinking theirs. A blonde girl threw her head back, laughing; her teeth and lips were stained.
    “Excuse me,” he said, waving to the bartender. “What is this?”
    She was a slender honey blonde with eyes so large that the spikes of her black mascara made them look like big dark stars. She smiled, showing a full-lipped mouthful of lovely white teeth. “That’s a Blue Moon, sir.”
    “Of course it is.”
    “On the house.”
    “And what’s in it?”
    A large hand landed on his shoulder. The whiff of testosterone was near palpable; that honey of a bartender swayed towards him like a wood nymph, showing the deep soft shadows in her cleavage.
    “Tequila,” said Eli. “Triple sec, blue curacao...and some other stuff.”
    Gabe slid off the stool and glanced up at him. “And what if you’re driving?”
    Eli grinned. “Then give it to someone you like.” He wrapped both arms around Gabe and caught him in a solid, backslappy hug. The male smell of him stood out stark and Gabe suddenly realized why. The place was all but full of women.
    “Come on,” said Eli, taking the bright blue drink from the bar and handing it to Gabe. “It’s my new thing. House specialty. You gotta try it. Besides, you’re not driving. Not tonight. I hardly ever see you and you’re like ten minutes away; it’s fucking stupid.”
    I’m busy, Gabe started to say, but Eli was off, leading him through the crowd to the big double doors. So many girls. Since they banned smoking almost everywhere you couldn’t go to a club or a bar without drowning in the smells of pits and perfume, but female sweat had a tang that male sweat didn’t, and the breath of mingled sweetness was enough to almost knock him over. A wall of scents – flowery, musky, citrus and sweet. Basenotes of civet and artificial ambergris, the things that gave a fragrance its staying power. Aldehyde. Chanel No.5 – someone was stinking it up old school. Maybe the redhead with the black framed glasses and the picture of Marilyn Monroe tattooed on her shoulder blade.
    He bumped into a brunette on his way. “Sorry,” she said, pulling her Lana del Rey lips into a little moue of apology. Her breast jostled his arm as she passed and he felt lust rise and shake and stretch its jaws.
    Eli led the way out on to the balcony overlooking the marina. Strings of fairy lights were wound around the railings. On each weathered wooden table was a candle lamp made from an old mason jar. Women sat around in groups, their small hands cradling tulip shaped wine glasses half the size of their heads. Conversations drifted.
    “...so I had some encouraging customer feedback from the UK, which was good...”
    “...it’s like they’re behaving like Big Tobacco did in the Fifties and Sixties...”
    “...there is no way you can get away with those boobs and a boat neck. You’ll look as wide as a tank.”
    Gabe pulled up a chair opposite Eli. “So what gives?” he said. “Where are the men? You’ve turned this place into a gay bar now?”
    Eli laughed. “Nope. They’re not all lesbians. Some of them will let you watch. And join in.”
    “You’re an animal.”
    “Duh.” Eli winked and took a pull of his beer.
    Gabe peered down into the drink once more. Something blue. Couldn’t seem to get away from it these days. “You’re really going to do this, aren’t you?” he said. “You’re going to sit there with your Cerveza and watch me drink this