Harmony

Harmony set her phone on the towel beside her and closed her eyes, basking in the sun's hot rays and trying her best not to smile. She reminded herself smiling was not a normal reaction for most people when hearing about a death, and then repeated it three more times until the corners of her lips finally relaxed. To be honest, the effect was probably worse since she now appeared to be smirking beneath her wide brimmed straw hat, but she gave herself an A for effort.

Hell, she deserved an A for even caring about it in the first place. The younger version of herself would have worn that grin proudly for all the world to see. A giant, toothy in your face smile that was the equivalent of flipping the bird.

But going from the town darling to the town pariah and being force fed humble pie for years was enough to make anyone change their perspective–or at least try to. She would never be as sweet and accommodating as her little sister, Rose. She didn't even want to try. A sliver of pride wound its way around her heart when she thought about her sister. Though she would never tell her, Harmony admired how strong Rose had become, and it wasn't a strength that came just from coming into her powers. It was one that came from knowing who she was and what she wanted out of life.

Something Harmony had yet to achieve. Again, a detail she would never admit out loud. Which is part of the reason she was here on the Bewitching Isles, celebrating her twenty-first birthday all by herself. Convinced no one was planning a celebration and unwilling to ask anyone to celebrate with her, she spent some of her Atlantean trust fund on a week-long vacation at one of the world's few magical creatures only resorts.

Barely her first full day into the trip, she knew this was exactly what her soul needed. To be surrounded by strangers who didn't whisper about her whenever she passed. To cast a spell without side eye from the Council and threats to bind her magic if she so much as thought about stepping out of line.

She got it. She messed up. But three years had gone by, and she had been a model Black Brier citizen... mostly. There was that incident where she put a hive hex on Willow's moisturizer, but she'd warned the girl a half dozen times to stop using her shampoo when she spent the night with Caly. It was specially crafted and charmed by her mother, Alizon, to enhance her blonde hair, and every batch took three months to make.

She sucked in a deep breath and wiggled her shoulders to shake off the negativity. These thoughts did not belong in this paradise. She sank down into the lounge chair and tried to recapture the peace she'd been experiencing before that text message came through. The music had been just right, a little sultry with a nice tempo. The breeze was salty and just cool enough to be refreshing, and to top it all off, the waves crashed into the shore rhythmically—perfect for falling asleep to.

"Ugh," Harmony growled, sitting upright when she remained wired fifteen minutes later. She grabbed her phone and swiped the screen, heading immediately to the text message and rereading it.

Caly: Luis Goodwin is dead. Malphas found him holed up in El Salvador with at least two other prisoners released from the bottle. They put up a fight, and well... I guess it happened about a week ago.

Malphas. The sorcerer that started this entire headache, and the one she still hadn't met despite several attempts. Harmony tapped out a response and hit send. Her sister had to have been waiting or already on the phone. Her response was almost immediate.

Caly: No sign of Jemina. Sorry.

She dropped the phone again. It was fine. The only thing that mattered was Luis was gone, and his threats could no longer disrupt her life. Jemina had not been a part of her life since she went on the run with her dad, and Harmony understood how toxic her influence had been. Still, it didn't make losing that friendship any easier. Mostly because Jemina had been Harmony's only friend.

Well, that was going to change right now. She stood up and stretched, showing off her figure in the strappy little emerald green bikini she'd chosen for today's beach lounging. Its cut was flattering, giving her cleavage where she normally had zilch, and emphasizing the swell of her butt, an asset she worked to her advantage whenever she could. It was the same reason she wore skirts and shorts more often than not. She might only be five foot three, but most of her height was in her legs.

Satisfied the move had earned some appreciation, she sashayed over to the beach bar and slid onto a stool. Flipping her icy blonde hair over her tan shoulder, she scoped out the prospects. The three girls giggling at the end of the bar might have been a possibility if they hadn't glared at her when they caught her staring, and the woman pounding back martinis had a hungry gleam in her expression that meant she was on a mission. The target was likely a middle-aged, slightly overweight white man with a lot of money to spend on arm candy.

Harmony skipped the girl reading a book while drinking a Bloody Mary. Maybe if she was still desperate for company toward the end of the trip, she would put in the effort to charm the bookworm, but for now, she needed someone to push her out of her comfort zone, not the other way around.

Exhaling, she folded her arms in front of her and worked to keep the petulance from her expression, but just before she could decide to try another bar, he sat down, and she had to put one finger on her chin and push up to keep her mouth from falling open.

He was older than she was. Mid to late twenties would be her guess, though where magical creatures were involved, guessing age was a dangerous game to play. The water sprite who checked her into the hotel said she'd been working on the Bewitching Isles for over a century, but she didn't look older than twelve.

Tattoos peeked out from the sleeves of his white t-shirt and spiraled down his biceps and forearms. His sun streaked blonde hair was twisted in a knot at the nape of his neck, but a few pieces escaped and framed his face. She silently begged him to shift in his seat so she could see his face in its entirety. Not that she had any complaints about the profile. There wasn't a single, soft line anywhere–not from his nose to his sharp jaw, which was covered in stubble a little darker than the hair on his head. It nearly hid a scar, but when he moved, the white line caught the sun.

"What can I get for you?" the bartender asked.

Forcing herself to drag her attention from the delicious man, she replied with the first drink that came to mind. "Sex on the beach."

The bartender looked where Harmony had been staring and chuckled. "Cheers to that. Sure, that's what you want to drink, though?"

Blushing, she infused her tone with a bit of her old snark. "That's what I said."

"Down, girl," she said, pulling out the ingredients for the beverage. "He's not my type. I like them a little prettier." She put the drink in front of Harmony and dropped an umbrella in. "More like you."

Harmony wanted to dig a hole in the sand and disappear. Since that wasn't possible, she went with option two–drinking herself into oblivion. Sliding the straw between her lips, she guzzled the sweet, tropical cocktail, wishing she'd asked for it spelled so it would take effect more quickly. When she came up for air, she risked a peek across the bar and wilted in her chair when she saw the sexy stranger was gone.

"Careful there, princess."

"What the–" she shrieked, spinning in her seat to find the stranger sitting in the chair beside her. Some of her earlier infatuation fizzled out as she digested what he'd called her. She detested nicknames, particularly that one. Considering she was, in fact, a princess.

"Is that what does it for you? Sneaking up on women and using cheesy pet names?"

He leaned back on the stool and smirked. Now that he was closer, she spied two silver horns on his forehead. What manner of creature was he... the horns sparked something familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Of course not," he purred, putting his hand flat on the bar and flexing his fingers. "I don't really need to say anything at all, judging by how hard you were staring at me earlier. If I was interested, you'd already be in my bedroom."

Harmony snorted in outrage even as his words made her stomach tighten with want. Why did she have to have a thing for assholes? "Darling, I know my worth, and if you think you could pull this, then you've had more to drink than I have."

He threw his head back and laughed. When he stopped, silver flecks sparked in his green eyes, and he slid his tongue over the oddly sharp canines that protruded over his bottom lip. From anyone else, she would think he was trying to appear seductive, but there was nothing enticing about it. Instead, she pulled back, a frisson of fear skittering through her as she suddenly understood what it felt like to be prey faced with a predator.

"I've heard so many stories about you, and you don't disappoint." He stood, his tall, muscled frame towering over her as he continued to speak. "But it's as I suspected. You don't shine half as bright as your sister, Rose."

Harmony reeled back. "Malphas."

"In the flesh." And with those words, he walked away. Between one step and the next, the golden man disappeared, replaced by an inky black raven who took to the sky with a piercing shriek that left Harmony rattled.

"Excuse me," she called out to the bartender, shaking her empty drink. "I need another."