Bear with Me (#2, Completed)

10. Venom

CALLUM

The ride to the White Swan was pretty quick as it wasn't too far from the Go Ape location. If anything, it was too quick for my liking. I was enjoying too much having Flame's gentle arms wrapped around me as my bike sped down the narrow roads around the lake. Having her so close to me and my bear made both of us more relaxed, more at peace with everything around us.

The White Swan was not my usual preferred pub but this was exactly why I picked it- it was classier than the usual haunts that most shifters preferred, which meant it was also quieter and I could enjoy my mate's company without having rowdy crowds of shifters to ruin the moment. A bonus was the fact that it was also right by the lake and had a huge terrace which was going to allow us to enjoy the spectacular view that the setting sun was about to provide.

"What would you like to drink?" I asked once we were inside the pub.

"Surprise me." Her eyes sparkled with playfulness. I loved how mischievous she was always with me, bantering and pushing me, daring me in a little competition. "I have just one condition- it has to be something Scottish."

Ha, I knew exactly what to get us- something that I was sure she had never even heard of in London.

"Just grab us a table, and I'll be there in a minute."

Usually, I was more of a whisky guy like many of us in the area. Shifters didn't really get drunk because of our speedy metabolisms. It was not impossible, but you needed to drink a lot of alcohol in a very short period of time to get even remotely tipsy. Whisky was our preferred drink because we could simply enjoy the magnificent flavours and savour our drink.

But the drink I had in mind was typical for the region, so it was a no-brainer to order that, even if Jack was going to bite my head off for ordering a cocktail, never mind that it was not one for the light-hearted.

"Two Venoms on my tab, please, Paddy."

I grabbed the drinks as soon as the two pints of luminous green liquid were ready and made my way over to Scarlett on the terrace.

She was so busy admiring the beautiful scenery in front of us that she didn't even hear me coming. I knew how she felt though- I could easily find myself gazing at her for hours. She was a red-haired goddess, a work of art. But her beauty ran way beyond her appearance- her personality was even more spectacular than her looks.

"Oh wow, what is this?" She quizzed me, her eyes widened at the sight of the cocktails.

"We call it Venom in Scotland."

"Like snake venom? Bloody hell, this sounds dangerous." The audible gulp that came from her made me chuckle.

"Scared, Flame?"

"Me? Of course not. Trust me, I've had plenty of training with alcohol. If I survived Jagerbombs and Tequila, this should be easy. What's in it anyway?"

"Let's see. A typical Venom cocktail contains whisky liqueur, triple sec, vodka, blue alcopop and orange juice poured over ice. In this case, blue WKD, vodka, Southern Comfort and fresh orange juice."

Her eyes looked like they were about to pop with every ingredient that I mentioned.

"Blimey, you don't mess around here." She grabbed her drink and lifted it for a toast. "Well, cheers."

I took a sip from my pint glass and immediately remembered why I did not like cocktails- too damn sweet for my liking! A double order of my favourite amber liquid was definitely on the cards for the next round.

Once I stopped thinking about my drink, I realised just how quiet it was. The terrace was very peaceful because we were the only customers outside, and Scarlett had gone back to taking in the view.