Page 124 of Illusory

40. BAD MOON RISING

OperationDitch The Guys And Sneak Outworked like a charm. After discussing our escape plan in depth, Tessa and I rejoined the guys in the living room and went straight into the script we’d rehearsed in the bathroom as we pretended to settle on a Girl’s Night In together. We’d even gone as far as to argue about which movie we were going to watch first as we left the kitchen with armfuls of drinks and snacks that neither of us would be indulging in.

Once behind the safety of Tessa’s locked bedroom door, we fixed our hair, threw on some makeup and then changed into a couple of club appropriate outfits with Tessa sporting tight leather pants and a crop top and me in one of her skin-tight black mini dresses.

Considering how little time we had to get ready, I thought we looked pretty darn cute.

Giving ourselves one final look in the mirror, we finally headed out. And by heading out, I mean we proceeded to sneak out the bedroom window and shimmy down the rose trellis that ran along the back of the house with our purses and heels clutched in our hands.

The whole thing went off without a hitch and judging by how effortlessly Tessa had made her way down, I was pretty sure this wasn’t her first time. I imagined she’d probably sneaked out dozens of times back in her younger, more rebellious years when Uncle Karl was still alive and running the show. Even though I hadn’t had nearly as much experience as she did with it, I thought I’d done a pretty good job keeping up with her seeing as I didn’t fall off the trellis andbreak my neck.

After creeping around to the front of the house and making our way down to the street, we put our heels back on and then started down the road where Tessa called us a taxi to take us the rest of the way. She didn’t want to risk taking one of our cars out of fear that the guys would hear the engine turning over and foil our fun before it even had a chance to start.

Also, we both planned on drinking tonight—a lot—and neither one of us wanted to be stuck being the designated driver. Because there was literally zero fun in that.

Thirty-five minutes later, we were leaning against a weathered bar counter inside of a packed, smokey tavern calledBad Moon Risingwith a row of flaming shots that tasted like black licorice lined up in front of us. We hadn’t even been there for five minutes and already I was having a blast.

Tessa had informed me about two seconds before we walked into the bar that we were smack in the middle of werewolf territory. The Avalon pack’s territory to be specific. I’d hesitated at first, arguing that I much preferred to go to a club filled with humans who couldn’t tell the difference between Lucifer’s Daughter and a spork, but Tessa reassured me that we’d be safest in Avalon.

For one, the wolves were neutral when it came to matters of the Order and The Dark Legion. They didn’t live by the same rules as the rest of us and frankly couldn’t care less about either side or the war that was currently dividing us all.

It all sounded too good to be true and I’d been somewhat skeptical until we finally walked through the tavern, and I took in the scene around me. Not a single person seemed to bat an eyelash at either one of us. Everyone was busy having a good time—playing pool, dancing, drinking, and doing othermore inappropriate things in the darkened corners of the bar. There was some kind of pissing match going on between two of the larger guys a few feet away from the bar, but even that didn’t get in the way of anyone’s good time.

It was clear that people came here for one reason—to party—and nothing was going to get in the way of that.

By the time I downed my third shot, nearly all the anxiety and tension I’d felt on the way over here had already melted away and anything that remained was quickly being swallowed up by the swamp rock song blaring over the speakers. The whole place was a vibe, and I was completely there for it.

“You’re going to want to space those out,” warned Tessa as I blew out the flame flicking out from my shot glass and then tossed the warm liquor down before it had a chance to cool off. “I don’t want to have to carry you out of here. That isn’t the way I’m planning on ending my night.”

“Please.” I rolled my eyes at her. “I can outdrink you any day of the week.”

Tessa whipped her head back and laughed so hard that it made my cheeks sting like she’d just slapped me. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response,” she said and then blew out the flame from her own shot glass.

Tipping her head, she downed the shot and then slammed the empty glass on the bar counter, signaling for the bartender to line up another row.

Alright then.Challenge accepted, I thought as I smirked to myself like the brat I was. Nothing gave me more satisfaction than besting my sister.

“So, how did you find out about this place anyway?” I asked, my eyes tightening with curiosity. “I didn’t realize you had an in with the werewolves,” I added pointedly as Tessa turned away from the bar and faced the packed dance floor,propping her elbows up on the counter behind her as she took in the crowd.

I couldn’t tell if she was canvassing the area for threats, or for a hookup. Judging from the way she bit her lip when her eyes zeroed in on something—or rather someone—across the room, I was guessing it was the latter.

“I knew the owner once upon a time. I used to come here whenever I needed to, you know, get away from things.”

My brows rose at that. “Once upon a time? Did he die or something.”

“No.” She turned back around as the bartender—a doll faced blonde with a purple pixie cut and boobs up to her chin—lined up another row of shots in front of us, minus the dancing flames.

Tessa handed me a glass and then picked up one for herself before we clinked our glasses together and then swallowed down the alcohol like the seasoned pros we were.

I crooked my head and examined her. “You’re not going to fill me in on any of the details, are you?”

“What gave it away?” she answered without meeting my eyes.

“I thought we were supposed to be having some kind of sisterly bonding night out?”

“We are,” she said as she pulled out a fifty-dollar bill from her back pocket and put it down on the counter and then called out to the bartender, “keep the shots coming.”

“You got it,” said Miss Pixie Cut and then paused to look at us, her brows pulling together slightly. “You girls have a safe ride home tonight, right?”

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