Lost Paradise Read Online Free Page B

state,” Lash said with a
shrug. “I don’t mind.”
    I looked at the floor uncomfortably. Cin had
been a weresnake waitress at Davy’s, and Lash’s lover. Their
breakup had been precipitated by his one liaison with me, which had
led to his discovery of Cin’s unfaithfulness to him through sordid
means that had affected me. He and I had never talked of it, after
his apology…
    Don’t think about that.
    “Davy’s it is.” Devlin turned back to me.
“Does Danial know?”
    I forced a smile. “You’re the first to know,”
I said warmly, hugging him again. “I came straight here from Dr.
Camlyn’s. No one else knows except Serena and Lash.”
    “Good!” Devlin shouted with glee. “I want to
be the one to tell him.” He pulled me close, then lovingly sang,
“Here is all I need!”
    “A book of verses underneath the bough,
    A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and Thou,
    Beside me singing in the Wilderness,
    Oh, such a Wilderness would be Paradise
enow!”
    I gave him a giddy smile, happy that he was
so happy. “Your own creation, Dev?”
    He shook his head. “From the Rubaiyat.” He
offered his arm. “Come, Sar. This night will be filled with many
songs, all of them in your honor.”
    * * * *
    We had a great night at Davy’s. I had a glass
of wine to celebrate, two grilled cheese sandwiches, and some
chocolate peanut butter pie.
    The guys got trashed. From the first, Devlin
and Lash toasted the baby, downing one drink right after the other.
Within an hour they were singing drinking songs loudly, both their
voices out of tune. The wearbears Nick and Jazz had taken up
positions by the doors, but weren’t in much better shape, despite
they’d had plain beer instead of the concoction Lash and Dev were
drinking.
    Devlin couldn’t drink much alcohol, or at
least, that was what he’d always told me. Still, Lash and Dev were
drunk on something mixed with blood. I suspected some type of drug
possibly, though Devlin refused to tell me what it was they were
imbibing, his only answer a gleeful smile.
    After the first round, Devlin called Danial
and excitedly informed him he was going to be a daddy. Terian
showed up at Davy’s with Danial ten minutes later.
    “Bro!” Devlin cried, jumping up and hugging
Danial hard. “Another round!” he called to Gary.
    Gary brought over some more mugs, giving me a
happy smile. I gave him a halfhearted one back.
    “You are wasted, Dev,” Danial said rolling
his eyes and smiling. “What have you been drinking?”
    “Blood, laced with a little something,”
Devlin said raucously. “Want some?”
    “Just one,” Danial said, gingerly taking up a
mug. “I’m only doing this because I’m so happy for you.”
    By the time Danial had finished his mug, he
was singing along with Lash and Dev, his notes pretty much on key.
I’d never heard him sing before. I tried to listen, but it was hard
to make out the lyrics, even though there weren’t many other people
in the bar. Giving up, I went over to the bar where Terian was
chatting up a brunette.
    I tapped him on the shoulder. “Got a
minute?”
    “Sure.” He said good-bye to the woman, then
turned to me. “Congrats.”
    “Thanks. You must have been here before.”
    “Once, with Titus, after I met Leri with him
the first time,” Terian sighed. “I needed a drink, and I think he
did, too. He brought us here.”
    “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
I produced the letter given to me by Lash a couple days ago.
“Here.”
    Terian took it. “What’s this?”
    “I know this isn’t the time. But I don’t know
when I’ll see you next. Going to Danial’s and Devlin’s every
weekend is fun, but I’m starting to feel like I never see anyone
but the three of them anymore.” I gave him a half smile. “I hope
Sundown is adjusting okay?”
    I’d met Sundown a week ago. Theo had been
right; she could’ve been my sister, something I found upsetting,
but didn’t know how to address, not that it was my place to do