Bonus Capter New Besties

One and a half years later

Cora

The thumping beat of Club Gaudium was almost completely muted as the door softly clicked shut behind Cora, Kimble, and Pike. Blinking at the sudden quiet, she looked around at the people gathered in the room. For a brief moment, she thought about turning around and leaving but then Imani was suddenly in front of her, thrusting a cold glass bottle of Coke into her hand.

“You made it!” she said.

Cora gave a single nod, still unsure what was going on. “Yep, and Kimble even brought a book!”

Imani gave her an approving smile, then nodded her head. “Perfect. This way.”

As they followed Imani through the room, Cora noticed almost every person there was holding a book in one hand and a drink in the other. She saw a few faces she knew, but most weren’t familiar to her.

Then Imani walked them the short distance to where Briar, Memphis, and Tobias were sitting.

“Sister!” Cora shouted in a dramatic voice. “It’s been ages since we saw each other last!”

“Sister!” Briar repeated and stood so the two could embrace. “In truth, a lifetime has passed! My heart is overjoyed to be in your presence once more!”

“Didn’t they hang out last night?” Memphis asked Tobias.

“They need to stop watching Bridgerton,” Tobias grumbled. “It’s making them both positively histrionic.”

Cora met Briar at Imani’s club opening and the two had instantly bonded. They were both the youngest in large, dysfunctional families—it was a lot to have in common. Tobias and Kimble hadn’t been thrilled at their friendship, but both put up with it. Cora and Briar ignored their grumbling .

“If I knew you would be here, I wouldn’t have debated about coming for so long that I was late,” Cora said, making Briar laugh.

“You’re really going to do me like that?” Imani asked, her hands on her hips. “You could've just said you didn’t want to come instead of telling me there was a last-minute job, and you might not make it.”

Cora grinned at her long-time friend. “I didn’t lie exactly. There was a last-minute job.”

“Yeah, a blowjob!” Briar cackled.

Giving up on her frown, Imani rolled her eyes and then noticed more new arrivals. “Tag, you came!”

She rushed to greet the three people standing just inside the door. Ignoring the heavily muscled man and woman, probably shifters, Cora watched Imani wrap her arms around a slim, anxious-looking young man with big, dark eyes.

“Uh, hi Imani. I’m sorry we’re late,” Tag said, returning the hug, then letting go and pressing close to the couple behind him as soon as he could.

“We might not stay long,” the woman warned Imani without giving any reason.

Imani wasn’t fazed. “Of course, Harper. You guys stay for as long or little as you like.”

Tag looked past Imani, and his features lit up. “Sopek!”

Cora followed his gaze to see a large, overstuffed copper colored, wingback chair that didn’t match the rest of the club's sleek furniture at all. There were stacks of books piled high enough that the person in the chair could easily reach the top over the arm and grab the one on the top.

She would have sworn that spot was empty when she first walked in. Even more startling was the occupant of the chair.

The creature wasn’t something Cora had ever seen before. He was small, maybe three feet tall if he stood up, covered in greenish gray skin, and with small horns on his head and stubby spikes scattered over his body. He had a book open on his lap but was regarding the room instead of reading it.

The way Kimble let out a startled sound and dragged her tightly against him clearly declared this creature as something formidable .

Tag wasn’t scared at all. He moved toward the chair with confidence, the two people he came with following close behind. Once he got to the chair, he leaned over and gave the small guy a hug.

“It’s good to see you, Sopek.”

“Why must you always embrace me?” Sopek grumbled, even as he returned the hug.

“That’s a hobgoblin,” Kimble whispered in her ear.

“Oh shit,” Pike muttered. Everyone in the room was staring at the exchange between Sopek and Tag, some with expressions of surprise and others of horror.

“Uh, guys, clue me in here,” Cora whispered.

“Hobgoblins are formidable creatures,” Kimble explained. “They can pull magic directly from the void. I’d heard that’s how Imani and her flock became covered in void magic, but I didn’t believe it.”

“So that means these guys are really powerful,” Cora said. “But he’s so small and cute.”

Kimble looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. “You should be the last person to judge strength based on size.”

She had to give him that. “Point taken. How powerful are we talking?”

“Only creatures like demi-gods and gorg—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a familiar woman strode through the door. This time it was Cora’s turn to shout out a greeting. “Ysabel!”

Ysabel was dressed in a sleek white pantsuit, matching heels, and a purse so tiny, Cora wasn’t sure anything but a single tube of lipstick could fit in there.

“I was going to say gorgons,” Kimble finished dryly.

“Cora!” Ysabel yelled back and made her way across the room.

Briar made an admiring sound. “I wouldn’t wear it, but I like her style, and she’s loud. I think we need to be friends.”

Cora glanced over her shoulder and caught a look of commiseration between Kimble and Tobias. Poor vampires, forever lamenting all the inappropriately dangerous people their humans wanted to be friends with .

Then Ysabel was on her, giving her a warm hug. Muggsie was right at her side, back in his little dog form disguise but no longer looking old.

“It’s been foooooorever!” Ysabel declared. “When are we getting together for drinks again?”

“It’s been two weeks,” Cora said with a laugh. “We’re having a party at the compound this Saturday. Want to come?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Ysabel purred, her eyes taking in the room of people. “Will there be singles there? Everyone here is attached.”

“A few,” Cora said. Since revitalizing, Ysabel had been partying hard and enjoying herself. Cora suspected she was also sleeping her way through most of the population of San Diego. “Probably mostly human or wolf shifters, though.”

Ysabel’s grin turned predatory. “Sounds perfect. I do love a good dog pile.”

Briar barked out a laugh. “Fuck, that was funny!”

Cora was quick to make introductions and the three of them were soon comparing notes on sex with shifters vs vampires vs humans. They were talking about dick shapes and sizes when Sopek spoke up.

“If everyone could be seated,” Sopek called out. “We’ll begin.”

“Thank whatever gods are listening,” Kimble muttered. “I don’t think I could listen to another description of a dick.”

“I’ll send pictures next time,” Ysabel said with a chuckle.

Kimble grumbled something under his breath as all eyes turned to look at the hobgoblin. So far, only Tag and his two mates were sitting next to the powerful creature, looking happy and at ease. Everyone else was keeping space between themselves and the hobgoblin.

“Begin what?” Kimble asked as Pike pulled chairs out for the three of them.

“I didn’t tell you?” Cora asked, looking at him with a mischievous grin as she pulled the book he was currently reading out of her purse and handed it to him. “This is a book club. We’re here so you can talk about books.”

Kimble saw through her subterfuge. “I think we’re here so you can hang out with Imani.”

“That’s a bonus,” Cora assured him .

“What about the gorgon? She didn’t even bring a book,” Kimble pointed out.

Ysabel hummed happily. “I’m another bonus. I bring joy and light everywhere I go.”

“That’s only because everyone’s scared you’ll turn them to stone if they don’t laugh at your jokes,” Cora teased.

“How did my life come to this?” Kimble asked the ceiling. “For a long time, I was the most powerful creature I knew. Now I’m in a room where I’m third on the list.”

“Fourth,” Pike said and pointed. Walking through the door was Mama Monroe and Ellie linked arm and arm. They were wearing matching shirts that had an image of a book and said Sorry, I can’t make it. I’m booked .

“Are we too late?” Monroe asked.

“Not at all!” Imani said and rushed over to sort out drink orders.

After the two women had drinks and found seats, Sopek started speaking. “As it seems everyone has arrived, I’ll begin the first meeting of this book club. First and most important, if I ever catch any of you doing this, I’ll eat you myself.”

Holding up a book, he pretended to dog-ear a page, then brought the book down and petted it as if to apologize for almost folding a page.

Looking back up, he gave an expression that Cora thought was his version of a smile. “Now that is out of the way, let’s talk about books.”

A mug of steaming tea appeared in his hand, and he held the book up again. “Who’s read this one?”

“Sopek, we talked about this,” Imani said, taking a seat on her mate Mac’s lap. The large sloth bear shifter brushed a kiss on her cheek before turning his attention back to Sopek.

“I wasn’t being rude,” Sopek objected.

“You need to let people talk about the books they’re reading, not the one you’re currently focused on,” she reminded him.

“Oh, yes, that’s right,” Sopek said with a nod of his squat head. “Someone tell me about their book, right now!”

Cora couldn’t help it she laughed. Then Briar joined her, followed by Monroe, Ellie, and Ysabel. No one else laughed, but Cora could tell the tension in the room eased. Still, no one spoke up.

It was Tag who got everyone talking by pointing at the book Lex was holding. “Have you finished that one yet?”

Lex nodded his head. “It was good.”

“As good as the first one in the series?” Tag asked. “I felt like the action was good in the first one, but the plot lagged a little.”

“It’s better than the first.”

Lex’s answers might have been short but that little exchange helped other people start talking. Soon there were lively discussions going on about authors, books, and series in all different genres.

To Cora’s delight, even Kimble ended up engaged with several people about historical fiction. Imani moved from group to group making sure everyone had drinks and having a good time.

The only scary part of the evening was when Monroe and Ysabel got close enough to almost touch and a few sparks flew. Lex was quick to put out the smoldering carpet, and Kimble reminded the ladies that they were far too powerful to even shake hands or risk setting everyone on fire.

Laughing, Ysabel moved a chair away, and Monroe linked her hands with Ellie’s. It wasn’t subtle when almost everyone moved their chairs further away from the demi-god and gorgon.

“You know, if I was to give a gathering of readers a name,” Briar mused as she wiggled around a little in Memphis’s lap before taking another sip of her beer. “Before Tobias, I would’ve called them a Silence of Readers.”

“And now?” Cora asked as she leaned back against Pike’s chest. “No, wait, let me guess, a Binding of Readers?”

Briar laughed. “That’s a good one, but no. I think it should be a Binge of Readers.”

“That’s fitting,” Pike agreed. “Even when Kimble wasn’t talking well, he’d read an entire book in a few hours. It was intense!”

Pike and Briar talked, exchanging stories about the trials and tribulations of caring for sick vampires while Cora let her eyes wander the room. Life was a crazy ride and it had plunked her down in the middle of a world she never knew existed. The story of her meeting Pike and Kimble would make a great book .

Maybe she should start writing books. The story of Briar, Memphis, and Tobias was an adventure tale, Then there was Imani and her amazing strength in surviving a world set on destroying her only to find love with Lex and Mac.

Looking around her, Cora realized there were a lot of good books in this room waiting to be written. Perhaps it was time for her to try her hand at being an author. She had enough source material, and she bet Briar and Imani would love to help.

Watch out world, she thought. You’re about to get some badass stories you’ll never believe were true!