A Werewolf, A Vampire, and A Fae Walk Into A Bar (Book 1 of The Last Witch Series) novel Chapter 33

My request is utter BS and I’m about to laugh, but Rune answers with a curt nod.

“Of course. Should it be fizzy? Perhaps an alluring shade of pink? I’ll provide a few options.”

With that, he’s up and behind the bar, looking through my liquor selection and pulling small vials from the inside of his coat. AJ, now a little territorial as my head bartender, gives Rune an angry look.

“A, you’re on break,” I say. “Come hold the baby while I play piano.”

She smiles widely, jumping at the chance to hold Rain. It feels like weeks since I had my baby, but it’s only been days, and the opportunities for AJ to snuggle her goddaughter have been few and far between.

I may not trust many people right now, but I trust AJ with my life. Always will.

As she gently embraces my sleeping angel, I glide toward the piano, wondering what I’ll play. I’m instantly overcome with emotion, thinking back to my youth when I’d play for bar patrons all the time. Gramps used to tell me the bar would go out of business if people didn’t come to hear me.

I sit on the bench and uncover the keys. So many memories are tied to this instrument and this bar. My mom bought the piano when I was five, then a couple years later Tilly moved it into this bar, right where it still sits today. This is where I grew up, and now I feel like I’m trying to grow up all over again.

“Play, Bernie.”

Joe’s voice is soft and sweet, tied in with all those memories. It’s the perfect motivation to get my fingers moving.

I decide on Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2 in E-Flat Major, which was always Tilly’s favorite. Even after her mind went, this song would make her smile and give her a moment of respite from whatever was ailing her. It’s not the most complicated piece, which made it one I mastered early, and as my fingers glide over the keys, pulling from strings and ivory a hypnotic melody that carries its own kind of magic, that same relief washes over me. The music takes me out of myself and away from all the fear and uncertainty that have plagued me since Rain arrived.

I can’t wait to teach my baby to play piano.

I don’t realize how quiet the bar has grown until I finish, the pads of my fingers resting on the last notes. After a breath of silence, there’s a smattering of applause that seems much louder than our few patrons should justify. I turn towards the bar and notice AJ has tears in her eyes, the kind of crying you do when you’re incredibly proud of your friend. Rune has stopped mixing drinks, his enchanting face looking extra enchanted by my music. Darius looks calm and content, which is a big mood change for him. Even Zev seems affected and is now curled up by my barstool watching me.

“Girl’s night!! WOOOOOOO!!!”

No voice shatters a mood quite like Jennifer’s.