Chapter 20

The warehouse was huge and crammed with people. There was a long bar along the left wall, but that's all it was—there were no shelves of bottles, or bar stools, or even a sink. A few people stood behind it, filling plastic cups with beer. The bar area was elevated a few steps, separating it from the standing area for the stage. The stage was small and lined with black curtains, red lighting, and a handwritten sign that read Open Destruction in drooping letters.

I followed Hunter and Hudson to the bar and spotted Melody perched against it, but her pink hair didn't stand out as much as usual. There were other colors, just as vibrant, dotting the crowd. When we made eye contact, her expression turned acidic, and she leered at me the entire walk over.

A guy stood behind her, his hand tucked around her waist, and she leaned into him, looking conceited. He had short dark hair and clear blue eyes. Tattoos poked out from beneath his jacket and sprawled up the sides of his neck. His ears were weighted down by gauges that made me wince in pain, but besides those, he was gorgeous. When my eyes met Melody's again, her smile was wicked and knowing, as though she'd caught me doing something scandalous.

When we reached them, Hunter waved one hand at him. "This is Kohen. Kohen, this is Alice."

Kohen smiled at me despite Melody clawed into him. Another guy stood beside them.

"And Max," Hunter said.

Max nodded at me. He and Kohen were dressed like Hunter and everyone else, but while Hunter always managed to look effortless, their attire felt more intentional. Max had styled his hair to stick upright in spikes, and over his black ensemble, he wore a dark green army jacket with various patches sewn onto it.

"Alice Matthews." Melody's smile was razor-sharp as she lowered her head, bowing before me multiple times. "We are not worthy of your presence."

Max laughed, but it was light instead of malicious, and he struck me as the type of person who laughed at anything.

"Cut it out," Hunter ordered, his jaw hard, but she didn't.

"You're in the presence of royalty, gentlemen." She glanced around the circle before taking a long sip of her drink. "Our favorite fallen princess, and my, how far you've fallen."

Kohen sighed. "Melody ..." But she didn't have time to respond, because Hunter was barreling toward her and then steering her away by the elbow.

"Whatever have I done?" she asked, her voice mystified.

"Sorry about that, Alice," Kohen said, and I smiled in acknowledgment, tight-lipped and polite.

While everyone else stared at me, their eyebrows raised in interest, I stared at Hunter and Melody a few feet from us. It was too loud to make out their entire conversation, but I heard bits and pieces. They were leaned in close to each other, Hunter's hand still on her arm. I forced myself to look away because their closeness made my chest hurt. I studied Kohen instead to see if he shared my thoughts, but he wasn't paying any attention to them.

"I swear, if one more person—" Hunter started to say.

Then Melody's voice, loud enough so I'd hear it. "Can't she ever speak up for herself? Why does she need you to defend her all the time?"

"Royalty, huh? Do you have, like, a famous relative or something?"

I redirected my gaze to the guy with the army jacket, Max. The patch sewn over his heart was a dark red anatomical one. His face was open with curiosity, and my cheeks grew hot, but it was Hudson who answered.

"She's just popular, moron." And though I was the topic of the conversation, he didn't spare a glance in my direction.

"Ohhhhh, popular."Max smiled at me, wide and honest, as he raised his drink in my direction. "My condolences."

"I'm not, actually."

He grinned as his eyes dropped to my brown boots before shooting back up to my face. Unlike the way Scott or the bouncer checked me out, his gaze was laced with good-natured amusement. "Somehow I doubt that."

Hudson was staring at me then, eyes narrowed in thought. I tore my gaze from his as Max pushed a red cup of beer in my direction despite my wristband. I accepted it, glancing back at Hudson, and I didn't miss the way his eyes flicked to my wrist.

Hunter and Melody rejoined the circle a moment later, and Hunter slid into the space next to me while Melody re-tangled herself with Kohen.

Melody cleared her throat. "I'd like to make a public apology." Her voice was polite and musical, bordering on childlike, as she extended her cup. She turned to me, and everyone else did the same. "Alice, I'm sorry I was rude to you, but it's really not my fault you're so unlikeable ... cheers!" She lifted her cup even higher, then brought it to her lips.

Hudson watched me as he took a slow, drawn-out drink while everyone else lowered their cups.

"I swear to fucking god," Hunter growled.

"Quit being such a dick, Melody," Max said, shaking his head, but Kohen was already leading her away from the group.

"You don't know her. Stop manhandling me!" Melody tried to jam her elbow into Kohen's side, but he just chuckled and prodded her along.

"Oh, I'll show you manhandled."

They drifted off into the crowd, and everyone else was quiet as I felt the threat of tears, strong and sudden.

"Um, right. Where were we? A toast!" Max scratched the side of his head. "Cheers to ..." He looked around, searching for inspiration. "Cheers to shitty music, shitty beer, a new friend, and, uh, yeah ... that should do it. Let's get fucked up."

Everyone drained their cups except Hudson. "How poetic."