Chapter Twenty-One

"Here you go," Leif said as he finished mixing an old fashioned for an older man in leather gear, who thanked him before turning to give it to his companion. Tapping on the bar in time to the loudspeaker music, Leif checked that he didn"t have any other waiting customers before doing a bit of spot tidying.

Valentine"s Day at the Rainbow Rooster this year had been themed "Hairy Bears and Underwear," so the evening"s clientele was a massive array of shirtless men minging in their jockstraps or favorite briefs. Leif himself wasn"t hairy, but he could still fit the Valentine"s theme with a magenta speedo, matching pink hair and piercings, and a giant heart on his chest drawn with red body glitter.

He paused to stand on his tiptoes and wave back at Tucker for the fifth time, who was here in his weredog form and who always waved excitedly at him whenever they made eye contact. Rahul was next to him, holding Tucker"s free hand and talking with three other gentlemen.

"Barney," Leif said, hailing the barback as he returned with several empty glasses. "Can you get me some more grenadine next time you"re in the stock room? Thanks."

As a large customer approached the bar, Leif turned, flashing them a bright smile. "Hi! What can I, um…"

It was a canine shifter, probably twice Leif"s mass though not quite as large as Tucker"s shifted form. His fur was multi-toned, with grays and browns predominant, and he had white around his muzzle. The only clothing he wore was a large blue handkerchief, secured to his left leg and wrapped snugly around his balls and sheath.It was a precipitous affair that looked like it would slide off any second.

The wolf squeezed his eyes shut, giving him a smile. "Mr. Becken, you"re looking well."

The cadence of the voice, the familiar body frame, and the month old memory of an invisible rescuer clicked together. "Clairmont? I didn"t know you, uh..."

"Call me Jack, please.And didn"t know what, Mr. Becken?"He crossed his arms, but spoke in a teasing tone."That I"m gay?That I like having a drink every now and then?That I like being out and about in my shifter form?"

"That you were so daring in fashion," Leif said, feeling his face heat."I"ve only ever seen you in a suit."

"And you probably never will again.You"re dating a shifter, I"m sure you understand that clothes are just kind of, well..."

"Super-duper ugh, to quote Tucker?Yeah.Anyways, where are my manners!I"m Leif, and I"ll be your bartender tonight.Can I get you a drink?"

"Not yet, but maybe later.I"m here to meet someone."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful!So how have you been?I heard about your retirement.

"Still adjusting," he said. "For now, I"m taking a bit of time off to find some hobbies, and I think I might travel for a month or two."

"That sounds amazing, I hope you find something you like doing."

"For starters, I"m thinking of gardening, but we"ll see what pans out." Jack leaned over the bar, peering past Leif at the back room. "Oh, there he is! Dee, hi, I was just talking with your cute bartender."

"He is the cutest, isn"t he," Dennis said, sashaying past Leif with an easy pat on his shoulder.

"Second only to yourself," Jack murmured, drawing Leif"s boss against himself and giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Oh, you flatter me!" Dennis lightly bapped Jack on his chest before stepping back and away, then looked back at him over his shoulder with a smoldering gaze "Do go on, though."

As Jack laid hands on Dennis"s shoulders and lowered his muzzle to begin whispering sweet endearments into his ear, a red-faced Leif turned back to the counter to help another customer. When he"d finished with the simple rum and Coke, he turned back to his boss and his former boss"s boss, seeing Dennis pretending to swoon in the werewolf"s arms.

"So, um, Dennis. Is this the one you mentioned?"

Dennis lifted a hand to stroke Jack"s snout. "He is indeed the beau I told you about, my little dove. Isn"t he just the handsomest?"

"I mean—"

Jack laughed. "Leif"s already admitted that he thinks I"m... what was it you"d said? "Actually pretty hot?" And I overheard Tucker mention about you wanting to bury your face in my chest."

"Oh, geez. Sorry, Dennis, I didn"t know he was taken."

"You"re forgiven.I can hardly blame you for looking, or even some below-the-belt petting if the big bad wolf will let you near without snapping your little fingers off." Jack did a mock snarl and flashed his teeth before winking and doing a quick squeeze of his sheath. "But the two of us are going the monogamy route for now while we focus on ourselves, so please, take pity on this old hag and don"t steal away my boyfriend with your youthful good looks and almost perfect complexion and admittedly very fine ass."

Leif raised his hands and shook his head, grinning. "Ohhh, no. Nuh-uh, we can save the verbal sparring for later. Let me just say, I"m so very super happy for you, and it"s awesome seeing you two together."

"Thank you, Leif." Dennis lifted an elbow up, and Jack proceeded to link their arms together. "Come, dearest, let us walk among the masses and wish them all a good fucking evening, and a good evening fucking."

Jack gave Leif a short wave goodbye, then strode into the crowd, his tail wagging steadily above his bare ass.

Blowing out a breath, Leif adjusted himself in his speedo and went back to work, trying not to picture Jack in a pair of assless chaps, but at the same time thinking that he absolutely needed to work the next leather fetish night, just in case.

After another two hours of mixing spirits and holding casual conversations with customers, including indulging a relentless Rahul by doing a literal dance on a table-top which netted him a number of fresh tips, he paused to get himself some water and reapply some of the glitter that had been rubbed off by affectionate customers. He"d just finished adding a smiley face inside the heart when a woman sat down at a just vacated seat in front of the bar.

"Good evening! I"m Leif, and I"d be happy to get you whatever you want."

"Dangerous words," she said with a grin, her teeth pearly white against her dark skin. She leaned on the bar with her chin propped up by her hand, reading the colorful menu on the blackboard above the bar. "Vasta, there are so many options and possibilities! But today is a special occasion, so perhaps a simple cosmopolitan would be most fitting."

"Well, congratulations!" Leif reached under the bar for a martini glass, setting it to chill. "Do you want it standard, or made special for your special day?"

"Spirit of Hven for the vodka, if you would. It has an earthy aftertaste that I enjoy."

Leif kicked a step stool over to the back of the bar, allowing him to reach up and grab the premium Swedish vodka. "Excellent choice! This vodka is top notch, and has a citrusy flavor that should pair super-perfect with a cosmo cocktail. In fact, I might… no, nevermind."

"Tell me what you"re thinking, dear," she said.

"Oh, I was just thinking that this vodka would work great with my magic," Leif said airily as he gathered the cranberry juice and orange liqueur. Pulling out a knife, he sliced a lime in half and began juicing it. "I use vodka often in my cocktails, since it usually represents kinetic or elemental energy. The earthy tones you mention might lead to some great potion variations!"

"Tha," she agreed, "that"s interesting to hear. Could I see for myself?"

"Sorry, I don"t do magic while bartending. It could backfire, and I love Dee too much to do anything that would jeopardize his bar." Leif gathered the ingredients into a shaker and began mixing them.

"But you do mix magic drinks for your friends, yes?"

"I do!"

"And aren"t we friends?"

Leif paused with a strainer held against the shaker. "We are?"

"Of course! I"ve known you for years."

Leif found himself nodding, and he barked a laugh. "Yes, that"s right! I"m so sorry, though, I"ve forgotten your name."

"Lady I"ari Lanathanon of, hmm, of Terra, I suppose, to use the English language. But you may call me I"ari."

Summoning his spirit magic, Leif imbued the cocktail. It began glowing a bright pink in his eyes as he strained the mixture into its chilled glass. He had to pour it slowly, though, since his hands were starting to shake.

Concentrate.

Once he was done, Leif set the shaker down with a clatter, then lifted a too-heavy hand to attach a slice of lime to the cosmo"s rim. He slid the cocktail over to his friend.

"What"s the occasion?" he asked brightly.

She lifted the glass up with a smile, then tipped it in his direction. "Today, I get to meet my future savior face to face! Here"s to you, Leif Becken of Minnesota."

Harder, Leif!C"mon.

The sounds of the bar seemed like nothing more than white noise, like waves of an ocean, as he watched I"ari put the glass to her lips and take a long drink.

"Erana. Delicious, Leif. You mix a fantastic drink."

"Thank you! I do try."

I"ari drank the last of the cosmo, setting the glass down. She looked at her hands with an odd smile, then summoned a burst of golden glitter with a snap of her fingers.

"Erana."

More. Just like Julia taught you.

As I"ari traced her name on the bar with the sparkling glitter, Leif pulled in as much spirit magic as he could, but it wasn"t having a noticeable effect. He watched himself put away the cranberry juice and liquour.

You"re not made of alcohol, and you haven"t had anything to drink.

No, he was just flesh and blood.

But… he was in a bar, wasn"t he? Dozens of bottles of alcohol on all sides. A hundred drinks around the room. He pushed outwards, like he did when fueling his hydroponics garden.

"Oh, Leif, don"t do that. We"re just having a pleasant conversation!"

He felt—and saw—a glimmering around the bar as the ambient spirit energy inside him fed into the many bottles of alcohol. Scarecely a dollop of energy since he wasn"t touching any of them, and entirely transient, but he was starting to feel more like himself.

"You don"t have anything to fear from me, I swear it on my name."

Like one of Julia"s wards, Leif felt a circle of spirit magic surround him, cutting off whatever the strange effect was.

"I see.Well, perhaps I acted a bit hastily in coming here and disturbing you.I"m sorry, dear."

Leif opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

She gave him an amused smile, then snapped her fingers, and a brilliant flash filled Leif"s sight.

"See you soon," he heard her whisper in his ear, and then it was like the sounds of the bar returned in a hurry, a cacophonous racket that was making up for lost time.

Leif blinked hard, clearing his vision.

No elven royalty, no glitter, and no sign she"d been here except for the empty cosmo glass sitting in front of him. He took a few steadying breaths, leaning heavily on the bar.

Tucker arrived a moment after in a hurry, back in his human shape. He looked at him worriedly as he held his black-and-green jockstrap up with one hand, using the other to tighten its adjustable band. "Darlin", are you alright? I smelled something off, and you"re pale as a sheet."

Leif looked up in the face of his two boyfriends. Tucker had his head tilted and with his concern plainly evident, while Rahul was scanning the area, taking in the different customers with a calculating look.

He grabbed a plastic bag from beneath the counter, then used it to pick up the glass I"ari had drunk from, making sure not to get any of his own fingerprints on it.

"Oofa. So, um, I know you"re not on duty, Tucker, but I might need to report a DOMA kind of situation…"