I saw his eyes crinkle with tension from his reflection in the mirror and his hands tightened on the steering wheel.
“I’m not here to make friends, Venatrix,” he spat back, his voice low and growl-like.
I rolled my eyes, my voice was thick with sarcasm, “yeah, god forbid that you actually find people that care about you. Or people that you care about. What a travesty!”
Meredith reached over Nate, since he was in the middle, and squeezed my thigh in a warning.
I was genuinely surprised by Meredith's reaction and was a little too forceful when I glared at her.
She shook her head at me and mouthed, "don't."
I huffed in my seat and crossed my arms. I had apparently missed a significant verbal exchange back at Underhill while they were talking in the Old Language. I snarled as I looked out the window, vowing that I was definitely going to learn the language of the Mundus Noctis without telling them.
✽✽✽
Twenty-five minutes later we were back in Franklin. This time it was the bar strip, which ran perpendicular to the small shops that the witchcraft store was on. For a weekday night, the town was buzzing with activity. College students left and right. We went a few blocks down and behind the bar strip into a dark-lit parking area. It was an area that had at one time held similar shops, but they had all been closed down and in disarray. It was the “dangerous” part of the sleepy, farming town of Franklin, which meant, it wasn’t exactly as dangerous as it was quiet. I texted Finn that we had made it to our destination and texted Sera that we were safe since I didn’t know what Finn had told her, before stepping out of the SUV and taking in that rural air. It greatly helped, releasing any tension that was still in my body from my irritation with Zane.
“Stay close and keep to the shadows,” Zane commanded, leading the way, with Anahita on his arm.
A little further ahead, Anahita turned her head around as if to make sure we were behind, but the intention got lost as she stuck out her tongue out at me.
I intended to rip her head from her shoulders, and my pace started picking up. Nate grabbed my left arm and Meredith my right, pulling me back to them. I seethed under the control of my friends. Meredith just patted my arm as we continued to follow them.
We followed them to the back of a particular bar. I could not see the sign from there, but it must have been Mick's since we stopped at the back door. The aura around the bar hummed with warded magic, which felt like a different type, but just as strong as the house.
“The bar is warded?” I quirked my eyebrows at Zane, who smirked back.
“Mick’s takes all species and factions. Sometimes, things get a little hairy, so, yeah, the place is warded. Mick’s is neutral.”
“I never knew this was here,” Meredith gaped in awe.
“You wouldn’t have. It is surrounded by a guise from humans,” Anahita stated. “Looking at it, you would have thought it was just another bar, but innately, you would have had no desire to go in. Only if you had been taken by someone from the Mundus Noctis would you realize it was anything other.”
“So are we all going to stand around in awe or are we gonna go in?” I asked, my tone a little more flippant than I had originally intended.
Zane stepped forward, knocking on the back door. Not too long after the knock, the door opened, and a fist shot out connecting with Zane’s jaw. He stumbled back and then fell on his ass. Anahita immediately crouched down next to Zane, taking care of her master. Nate, Meredith, and I looked up at the entrance of the back door.
A tall, rigid, gruff-looking man stood there. His lips were thin and his brown eyes sparked with anger. He was beefy and brawny looking; especially wearing a red, flannel shirt, blue jeans, disheveled brown hair, and a stubbled square jawline. The sleeves of his flannel shirt were rolled up to his elbows. Oh, yeah, he was incredibly handsome. Hot, lumberjack "handsome," and not the slightest bit pale. So, he was definitely not a vampire. But he was also not human, no real human looked that perfect. I glanced back at Zane, who was still rubbing his jaw and sitting on the concrete. I suddenly had a warm liking to the doorman.
“I told you that the next time I saw you, you would get what was coming to you,” the man gruffed, his voice a rich, deep baritone with a slight European accent. It actually was very close to Zane’s accent.
Zane wasn’t smiling, but there seemed to be some amusement in his eyes.
“I told you that I felt really bad about what happened,” Zane said, finally standing up slowly and brushing off the back of his pants.
“Bad? Bad?! You burned my bar down!”
All of our heads turned to Zane, who stood there, looking meekly at the man.
“Mick, try to understand. . .” Zane started, but Anahita shook her head.
"I don't think there's any way you can explain that, Zane." She retook his arm, while the three of us were still off to the side, watching the show.
“I was under the control of the Scelesti. You didn’t pay them for some stupid favor, it was their payment.”
Mick still seethed at the door.
“I did pay for your entire bar to be rebuilt after I left the faction. With all the new features you wanted. In my opinion, you got the better deal.”
Mick was still indifferent and angry in the doorway, but at least he didn’t strike Zane again.
“What do you want, Zane?” He asked, closing his eyes in disbelief. Almost as if he couldn’t believe he was even accepting the idea of helping Zane.
“We need your dark room and access to the bar.”
Mick lifted a thick, bushy eyebrow.
“Without questions, Mick.”
Mick finally glanced around, to look at us, shock filtering in his features. “These are minors, Zane.” A scowl turned Mick’s shock into a frown.
“I’m working on a special project. Not my usual deals. I promise.”
Mick lifted his eyebrow again in scrutiny and clenched his jaw.
“Usual deals?” I asked my voice barely above a whisper.
“He deals in an ‘R’ rating setting, rather than a ‘PG-13’,” Anahita whispered back to me, while Mick barked in laughter.
“Nice to see you, again, Ana, my dear,” Mick said, stepping aside to allow us through.
Zane stepped through first, with Anahita still on his arm. Then Meredith and Nate, while I followed up the rear. Mick closed the door behind me.
A concoction of music met my ears. It was low, but noticeable, even to the human ear. There was club dancing music in the distance, but closer, there was a dark instrumental blend that didn't exactly make the two types of music feel unbearable, but in a way, they complemented each other.
I walked passed Mick, noticing his warmth. He was definitely not a vampire, but he was warmer than a human.
“You’re not a vampire,” I mentioned, trying to make it seem more like a polite question than an accusation.
His smile was very toothy but held no fang. “No, not a vampire.”
I examined his sharp teeth a little more. Took in his appearance a little closer. Disheveled hair, sharp teeth, brawny and muscular build. When I inhaled, he had a woodsy, fresh, grass scent.
“Are you a werewolf?”
Mick nodded. “You act like you have never seen a werewolf.”
I smiled in return. There was something about Mick that seemed to settle me. “I haven’t. I’m a little new to the Mundus Noctis.”
“She’s only been a Venatrix Malorum for a few days,” Anahita shouted back with a snobby grin on her face.
Zane instantly pulled away from her, baring his fangs at her. I had seen him angry, but I had never seen him livid. His face grew taut, making his cheekbones stand out. His eyes bore that cutting luminescence that I was starting to distinguish as Scelesti rage that was still a part of him.
“I said that we had to keep this secret,” Zane said in a voice so cold that it froze my insides.
Anahita looked like she was staring at her execution. “I�
��m sorry,” she whimpered.”
If it wasn’t for the ward, which was giving off a subtle pressure around us, I was pretty sure things would not have ended well for Anahita.
Mick stopped in his steps. “What trouble have you brought here?” There was a command in his voice.
Zane hesitated for a second, giving Mick a weighted look before stepping closer.
“She is unknown to the Casti,” he hushed. “But was recently claimed by some pansy ass vampire who was hoping for easy pickings. I have been asked by a very powerful person to help her and keep her away from the Venatrix council’s prying eyes.”
Mick stood, gaping at him. “This really isn’t your normal deals.”
Before we had any chance to say anything else, Mick raced ahead and took the lead as the rest of the group followed.
I stepped up my pace, getting next to Zane and pulled on his arm. “Will he tell anyone?” Worry pooled in my gut.
“No.” Zane started walking again, making my arm drop, but I kept in step with him.
Anahita didn’t bother to keep up and fell behind the group.
“How can you be so sure?” I demanded.
“Because you never grew up in the type of setting that you should have, you haven’t been ‘brainwashed’ to believe werewolves are nothing more than animals.”
I raised my eyebrows quizzically.
“Venatrices, Casti trained, are made to believe that werewolves are nothing but animals and consider them below those that are part of the Mortalis council. And the Vampire Casti Council see werewolves as nothing more than pets. There are colossal rifts between the species of the Mundus Noctis, and many in power try to keep it that way.
You're an unknown, and we want to keep you hidden. So Mick is essentially prepared to do whatever he can to help."
I distanced myself a little from Zane, suddenly feeling like a lot was weighing on my shoulders as if I was some sort of key to give them hope from their oppression and the divisiveness that continued to thrive in their world. I wasn’t comfortable with the feeling, especially since I was sure I was going to lose my challenge.
“I am personally glad you didn’t grow up through the Venatrix council,” Meredith whispered to me from behind, making that weight on my shoulders heavier.
We hurried forward since Mick had hastened around a corner to a small dark area that was closed off by black walls and curtains. Several black booths lined the walls with black curtains that could be drawn for privacy. Several other tables were in the room and a bar in the back next to the kitchen. And the dark, instrumental melody was being played in this part of the club, loud enough to distract others from each other, which seemed the purpose of this area. Although, it really wasn’t as loud as the club music, which I could hear pumping from a door in front of a booth in another corner.
“Where does that lead?” I asked Zane who was right in front of me.
“To the outsider part of the club. You’re going to be heading in there in a few.”
Mick led us to one of the booths, and Zane sat down and scooted to the wall, allowing Anahita room to sit next to him. Apparently, the angry outburst moment was over, and they were back to being whatever it was that they were previously.
On the other side of the booth, Nate got in first, followed by Meredith. I sat on the end. The bar was exactly to my right, with the doors to the kitchen in the middle. Next to the bar on the other side was an office, probably Mick’s; and then bathrooms from the corner that we had previously rounded. Mick forcefully stared at us.
"Rules. There is no killing on my property. No setting anything on fire," Mick blazed at Zane. "All twenty-one and over policies apply. And anything that screws up my business will screw you up. Got it?"
The three of us nodded solemnly.
“Good. I’ll send Al by in a second. I’ll be watching you,” he warned and then backed away.
“So, what’s the plan?” I questioned when I was sure he was out of earshot.
Meredith took a small vial out of her left jean jacket pocket and an athame from under her right sleeve. She placed both on the table just as a waitress arrived.
The waitress, who must have been Al, didn’t even blink an eye as she observed the small knife and vial on the table. She just looked at us blandly as she got out her pad of paper from her back pocket and took a pencil out from behind her ear. Either this was something that regularly happened at Mick's, or she just didn't care.
Then again, looking at her, this was probably nothing. She was dressed in leather from head to toe. She had on a burnt-orange, long-sleeved t-shirt under a black, leather vest. And black, leather pants fell over black, leather, Harley Davidson boots that zipped up the sides. Her remarkably, whiskey, brown hair was wild, long and chunked to expose thick stripes of bright blond that were such a contrast that it screamed wild. Her green eyes sparked with yellow. Then there were the multiple holes that trailed all the way to the top of her ears.
I took a deep breath, trying to determine her species. It was wild, woodsy rain. She was a werewolf. Comparing her with Mick, it did not surprise me. Werewolves must be hard and gruff creatures.
“Zane, I didn’t expect the old man would let you back in,” she replied, her voice throaty and sultry.
However, she didn’t look at Zane in that starry-eyed gaze that Anahita and I had. She looked at him like he was an old friend and he the same to her. There was indeed nothing sexual between the two.
“I knew he couldn’t stay mad at me forever.”
They both chuckled over some inside joke that even Anahita didn’t understand.
“What am I getting you guys?” She asked, turning her gaze toward us.
“How about a Bahama Mama?” Meredith suggested.
The waitress scrutinized Meredith, who shrunk in her seat.
“Cokes, all around, Al,” Zane snorted. “And once they are delivered, we won’t need anything else.”
Al nodded and left to fill our order. Once she was out of hearing range, I turned to Meredith.
“A Bahama Mama? Really, Mere?”
Meredith blushed a little. “I just wanted to see what I could get away with.”
Looking around the area again, I noticed that the tables were starting to fill up and so were the booths. Some of the booths already had the curtains closed.
“I don’t think we are going to get away with much in here,” I replied.
“No, you won’t,” Al said, placing our drinks in front of us.
Zane pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to Al, who just shook her head, but grinned, and then closed the curtains. Zane just shrugged as we all glared at him, including Anahita who seemed a little taken back by what looked like jealousy.
“So what’s the plan, Mere?” I repeated my question.
All eyes were on her.
"Okay. Well, for this to work, I need some of your blood."
I grinned menacingly at her. “And if I say, no?”
Anahita rolled her eyes and took hold of my hand that was crossed over my chest. I almost lost it. She had grabbed me without consent. Violent waves of hatred rolled off me as Anahita dropped my hand like it was on fire and looked taken back.
“Don’t ever touch me again,” I growled, unsure where all this rage came from. I didn’t like her, but I had not realized to what degree until she had made contact with my skin.
Meredith took the opportunity of my stare down with Anahita to grab my hand and prick it with the athame.
“Ow,” I snapped as I felt the pain, which distracted me from Anahita.
Meredith rolled her eyes and held my hand over the coke as a couple of drops of my blood dripped into the drink.
“That is really unsanitary, Mere.” I gave her a mildly disgusted look.
She ignored me as she dropped a few drops of whatever was in the vial into the same coke and then a few drops into an untouched coke.
“Okay. Here’s how it’s going to work. Caden is going to drin
k the coke without her blood. I’ll take a sip of the coke with the blood. Wait a few minutes. It is going to take me a few to anchor myself to her. Then, Nate, you drink the one I drink from. Wait another few minutes. Nate is going to have to get ready to allow others to cross over. And then you two can follow from the community cup. Once we are all inside Caden’s head, we’ll discuss the next plan of action.”
“How about if something goes wrong? How are you guys getting out?” I questioned, worriedly.
“There is only enough to sustain us for an hour. Maybe two tops. We'll get pulled out on our own,” Meredith explained.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked again.
Besides Anahita shrugging, the other three nodded enthusiastically.
“Fine. Whatever. Bottoms up.” I grabbed my coke, tasting the peppermint residue of one of the herbs.
Within seconds I felt the effects of Meredith’s concoction. I was dizzy, and I felt a little drunk. Not too long, I heard Meredith’s voice through the thick fog.
“I can feel you, Caden. I’m right here.”
“I’m right here too,” I snorted, hearing giggling.
No, sweetie, I’m in your head, she replied.
Oh, I thought. I wondered if Meredith could hear all my thoughts.
Yes, we can. What you think and feel, we can too, she clarified.
So be mindful of them, Caden. I heard Nate say.
He must have entered. The drunk feeling started to leave me behind, filling me with something heavy inside my head, but light outside of my body. Almost like it wasn’t real.
It’s all real, Meredith replied hearing my thought. Are we all here?
There weren't verbal responses perse, but I could feel Nate's compassion, Zane's intensity, and Anahita's indifference. Yeah, they were all there.
We can’t get to her predator instinct, Zane stated with worried. No wonder why she kept freezing up.
Hello, I am here. Please don’t talk about me like I’m not, I snapped.
I felt Nate’s chuckle.
Oh, this is going to be fun, his silky response filled me with butterflies.
I did say be mindful of your feelings, Nate reminded me. We ALL can feel what you feel. His tone wasn’t really admonishing. It was actually flirty and almost as if he was smiling.
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