A Lucky Little Short
A one shot from the Tides of Atlantis world.
Hey there, my beautiful book-loving beasties!
Here I am a day late and a dollar short again. Sigh. Ah, well… nothing new there. I felt the urge to share this story extra from my Tides world for St. Patrick’s Day and missed the timing entirely. 😫 Anyway, I wrote this short a couple years ago for my website and can’t find it anywhere in, here, our lair, so I must not have added it here. It’s a fun little scene of some of my favorite Tides characters, with hints of what may be to come from them. I may have missed “the wearin of the green”, but I think it works well to ring in the first day of spring later this week too. Enjoy, monsters!
* I left in the descriptive at the beginning of the original post. It gives a little context:
Hi, everybody! Here is a short little look at what the Tides of Atlantis gang are up to these days. If you've read King of the Tides, you know that Adam and Marley are a little MIA at the moment. That's left Kellan and Solomon to man the bar back home in Miami, while trying to figure out what to do about a shifting Sea Realm and demons on the loose. You know, nothing big. Anyway, here's the scene that inspired Kellan's new brainchild cocktail, The Sexy Leprechaun. Be sure to sign up for my newsletterso that you can get all the Tides world inspired cocktail recipes direct from Ramone's Party Cove and join in on this crazy party!
Ramone's
*****
“Sol, you’ve got to quit shooting death daggers at people with your eyes when they order the special.”
Solomon death stared Kellan.
“I’m not calling it that.” His deep voice reverberated from his huge chest, the lights over the bar catching the glint in his dark eyes that should have conveyed his absolute annoyance. Neither that nor the fact that he stood over head and shoulders taller than the tech geek seemed to faze Kellan, though.
“And what is this music you have on? We’re never going to appease the spring breakers with this old crap.”
Sol’s jaw tightened. The tight sleeves of the black athletic T he had on strained then rolled up over his giant bicep as he unknowingly flexed it.
“It’s Solomon Burke,” he growled, “I couldn’t take another minute of that bump and gyrate mess you had on. When is the band supposed to get here, anyway?”
“Oh, I love this song.” Cindy swished her way up to the bar, Ronan sidling up behind her. “It’s from Dirty Dancing. The one that plays through, you know… the scene… where Johnny and Baby, finally, get together.” She bounced her blonde eyebrows up and down.
“Mmmm, sexiest dance scene ever,” Kay groaned, eliciting a sidelong glance from Xieran. She fanned her face with one hand. “That scene was so hot.”
“Dirty Dancing?” Ronan leaned down to say to Cindy. “I don’t think you’ve shown me that one, cará.”
“What?!” Kay feigned outrage. “How could you not have made him watch Dirty Dancing yet?”
“I haven’t seen it in a long time.” Xieran said, sliding his arm around Kay’s waist.
Kay and Cindy looked at one another, blurting out, “Movie night!” at the same time.
They high fived, to the amusement of the men. Cindy looked back over at Solomon and Kellan.
“Yeah, right after one more of these Sexy Leprechaun drinks.” She shook the ice around in her empty hurricane glass.”
Another lower than low growl emitted from Sol’s chest and he rolled his eyes. Kellan took both the girls’ glasses with a snicker and refilled them.
“You better watch out, Sol, I don’t think it’s only this schmoozy green drink the ladies are after when they come up here to order one from you.” Cindy wagged her eyebrows at the big, brawny security guard turned bartender.
Sol’s brow furrowed. But then he lifted his head and scanned the crowd inside the nightclub. Probably fifteen hot women stared back at him, and a couple men too. Every single one gave him a wink, smile or suggestive lift of the gods-awful green libation in their hand. He dropped his gaze, heat stealing into his cheeks.
“Kellan,” his deeper than deep voice rumbled under his breath, “if you value your puny, mortal life, you will stop that snickering.”
The techie howled at that, quickly finding something he needed to get from the bar’s back room. The two Atlanteans and their women across the bar from Sol all wore gigantic grins.
“Cindy,” Kay nudged her friend’s arm, “you made Sol blush.”
“It’s not my fault the Cove’s new bartender is causing a stir.” Cindy shrugged without apology. She gave Sol a wink. “It’s his muscles that have them drooling.”
“Hm?” Sol’s eyebrow lifted. He lifted the tiny drink glass in his big hand in a cross body motion, unconsciously flexing his bicep in the process. The thin fabric of his stretchy T-shirt strained even more, rolling up over smooth, dark skin and muscle as it went. An audible sigh was heard from somewhere in the background. Cindy and Kay couldn’t stop their giggles.
“Definitely the muscles… and the dimples.”
“What?” Sol rubbed his free hand over the lower half of his face, his frown coming back. This only seemed to delight the girls further. That, and probably the fact that they’d downed nearly all of their drinks already.
Adam and Xieran eyeballed him and then their women, identical Atlantean scowls come over their faces.
“I have muscles too,” Ronan said, puffing his chest net to Cindy.
“Me too,” Xieran leaned into the bar next to Kay, flexing his arms obviously as he went.
Kay and Cindy laughed even more.
“C’mon,” Cindy said, grabbing Ronan’s big arm, “we have a date with Patrick Swayze in tight, black pants on screen. Then a night of you imitating his dance moves for me with your big, sexy muscles.”
“Let us know if there’s any trouble tonight, Sol.” Xieran said, helping Kay off her barstool. Sol nodded, his expression grim once more. All jokes aside, they were all on edge, what with Adam and Marlowe lost in the Hell Realm and Misros somewhere out there, plotting gods knew what with the demons he’d released from the Underworld. He watched the couples leave, then wiped at the counter with a towel as he tried to avoid any flirtatious smiles from out in the bar.
As soon as his hand made contact with the hard, smooth bar top, a wave of energy shot through him. Jerking back, he looked up with a start. The jolt had been fleeting, but it left a residual current sliding through his veins. The feeling wasn’t unfamiliar. No, not unfamiliar at all. At one time, very long ago, it had been something he’d welcomed… along with the silken touch that always accompanied it. Those days were gone though… buried in stone way before anything resembling history had ever been recorded in the annals of time here in the human world. Still, impossible as it was… it was unmistakable.
A dark roll of dread rolled through his chest. Could she be here? Now? He quickly squashed down that tight rise of hope that tried to ignite in his soul. No, it couldn’t be. The gods wouldn’t allow it… the universe wouldn’t allow it. This world would not survive it were she to return. Plus all of that, where his mind had just gone was impossible.
His next breath brought with it a sacred, ancient scent. A plant long gone extinct. Sol closed his eyes against the sweet pain that rushed through him, the memory of the only one who’d worn its unique perfume. On his exhale, one word passed through his lips, inaudible in the noise of the club, singeing his tongue with its long, lost taste.
Kala…
Thank you for reading! 🙏 If you’re so inclined, here is the recipe card I made, originally, to go along with this story. My little gift to you, in celebration of spring’s arrival. Let me know if you try it. 😉🍀
Do you have any St. Pat’s Day traditions? Let me know in comments.
