by Sarra Cannon
I reached out and grabbed hold of the iron bars, for the first time really looking through the crowd. He was here. Whoever had been watching me that first night was back, and his eyes were locked on me.
I turned around in the cage, searching for a pair of eyes staring back at me, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find him.
As long as I was having fun, the potion that flowed through my system felt good. It gave me energy and made me feel sexy and beautiful. But adding in that taste of fear was like an amplified version of the worst panic I’d ever felt. I suddenly couldn’t breathe.
I turned my attention to the bar, searching for Rend. He had somehow sensed this darkness before. Did he sense it now?
He wasn’t behind the bar, though, and I couldn’t find him anywhere in the crowd. Was he behind the black curtain with his friends?
I knew I would look stupid rushing into their private room with fear written all over my face. And I didn’t want to give Azure the satisfaction of seeing me freaking out.
I glanced over and was relieved to see that she wasn’t paying any attention to me. If I totally lost it, though, she’d see it. Everyone would. They would think I was crazy.
I had to pull myself together.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus on the music. Whoever was out there in the darkness was just watching me. They couldn’t touch me here in this cage in front of everyone. As long as I worked for Rend, they couldn’t hurt me.
After a few minutes, I was able to push the dark feeling to the edge of my consciousness and focus on the music again. Still, all sense of freedom was gone now. I was in survival mode, which was much more like my normal state of being. Instead of giving myself up to the potion running through my veins, I was fighting against it.
When Lyla finally came to tell me it was time for us to go on a break, I nearly jumped out of the cage and kissed her on the mouth. I wanted to get out of there and off display for a while.
“You doing okay?” she asked as we pushed through the crowd and made our way through the front doors and out on the street. “You don’t look like you’re having fun.”
I bit my lower lip. Should I tell her about the strange feeling? She seemed cool, but Azure had seemed fine at first too. I didn’t want her telling everyone the new girl had some panic attack over nothing.
“Do you ever get the feeling someone is watching you?” I asked.
She laughed. “Everyone is watching you,” she said. “It’s part of the job.”
“No, that’s not exactly what I meant,” I said, trying to figure out how to put words to the feeling. “I’m talking about someone… specific. Someone dark.”
Evil. The word was on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t dare speak it.
She lit a cigarette and took a long drag. “Did someone talk to you? Try to get inside your head? You have to just ignore those guys. They’re harmless, really. No one would dare lay a hand on one of Rend’s girls,” she said. A smile crept across her features. “Not without permission, anyway.”
“No, no one came up to me or anything,” I said.
“What then?”
I wrapped my arms around my body. Despite the late summer air and the heat of the shot running through my veins, I was shivering.
“Nothing, I guess,” I said. “Just a feeling I got when I was up there.”
“You want another shot of Dragon’s Breath?”
I laughed. “Is that seriously what it’s called?”
She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Yeah. All the drinks here have crazy color-themed names,” she said. “You’ll eventually learn what they all are and what they do. The base drink is Red Dragon, but Rend’s special mix for the dancers is called Dragon’s Breath.”
“Can I ask you something else?”
“Sure,” she said, finishing her cigarette and immediately lighting another one.
“How long has this place been here? I tried looking it up online and it’s like it doesn’t even exist at all.”
“Oh, gosh, Venom has been open for about sixty years, I guess?” She looked up, as if the answer were written on the sky. “Maybe sixty-five?”
“Oh,” I said, surprised. “I got the impression this was Rend’s place. You know, that he started it. How long has he owned it, then?”
She shook her head and tossed her cigarette onto the ground, stomping it out with her heel. “Girl, you have so much to learn, I can’t even begin to know where to start.”
I tried to ask her what she meant by that, but before I could, she was leading us back into the club.
Selena gave us a wave as we walked past the crowd waiting to get in. I smiled at her, but that smile was wiped right off my face the second we walked back inside. I hadn’t realized it, but the darkness was gone when we were outside. Walking back in was like walking into a cave of fear.
I shivered.
“Maybe you should go rest in the back for a little bit,” Lyla said, her face creased with worry. “Something’s really got you shaken up.”
“You really don’t feel that?” I asked. “That darkness?”
She shook her head, the smile fading from her face. “I’ve been surrounded by so much darkness my whole life, it’s the only thing I know how to feel.”
Lyla patted my shoulder and made her way toward her spot on the dance floor, leaving me with an overwhelming feeling of sadness.
More Than You
I wasn’t sure I could face another three hours in that cage.
Not with someone evil watching me. What did he want with me, whoever he was? Was he the one who had sent the black roses? I wished he would just show himself. Tell me what he wanted. I couldn’t take the not-knowing of it.
I should find Rend. He’d told me to find him if anything happened. I looked toward the bar again, but there was no sign of him.
I glanced toward the black curtain. I could just walk back there with a confident smile on my face and tell him I needed to see him for a second. No one would know I was a mess on the inside. He would be able to tell me if I was in danger or if this was all in my head. And if I was in danger, he would be able to help me.
I hoped.
I made it more than halfway to the curtain when a tall, thin man stepped in front of me out of nowhere. I knew him by the look in his eyes and the shadows that seemed to ooze from him like dark smoke.
I stopped cold, my chest constricting.
“I’ve been watching you,” he said. His voice was oily.
“I know.”
He tilted his chin and smiled a thin, papery smile. “Beautiful and intuitive.”
“Are you the one who sent the roses?” I asked.
“Roses?” He lifted a long finger to his lips. “Perhaps.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. What kind of an answer was that?
“I was not aware of any roses, but perhaps my associate sent them,” he said. “You see, my associate is very interested in you, Franki.”
His voice sent a shudder of disgust through me. “Your associate?”
“He sent me here to get a look at you,” the dark man said.
“Who is he?” My voice hitched on my fear. If this guy was just some lackey, how dark was the man he worked for? And what the hell did he want with me?
“You’ll find out in due time,” he said. “For now, it’s good your eyes have finally been opened to this world.” He moved a step closer to me and I fought to stand my ground, no matter how badly I wanted to turn and run. “You belong in this world. You always have. Too bad you will soon have to leave it.”
“I don’t know what you or your boss want with me, but I’m not interested,” I said. I sounded a lot more confident than I felt.
He laughed and the sound grated on my insides. Even his laughter sounded ominous and devoid of joy. “How cute,” he said. “You think your opinion matters.”
I swallowed down my terror. I didn’t like the fact that he talked about me as if I was already part of someone’s plan.
I didn’t like for anyone to talk about me as if my life was out of my own control.
“You look so much like your mother,” he said, lifting his bony finger to my cheek.
I pulled away, barely restraining myself from slapping his hand away. “What do you know about my mother?”
“More than you, my dear. So much more than you,” he said.
Anger flared within me, amplified by the potion still working its way through my veins. A sudden breeze blew across my skin and the man’s eyes widened.
“So much power inside that heart of yours. So much passion,” he said. “It’s a shame you’ll never really have the chance to explore all that talent.”
My heart thundered in my chest. I clenched my teeth and tried to force deep breaths. The last thing I needed to do was start a tornado with all these people in here. I squashed my anger as best I could, but it took everything I had just to keep my power from ripping this place apart.
“Your mother worked so hard to keep you from ever discovering this side of yourself,” he said. “It’s a shame she had to die before she saw your powers at work.”
Tears sprang to my eyes and I cried out, forcing them back. I would not cry. Even if he was telling the truth, I would not break this promise to myself. Especially not for a woman who had long since abandoned me.
“Such control,” he said. “Astounding. Truly.”
“Just tell me what you want.” I said. “Stop playing games.”
“Sweet child,” he said with a smile. “The games have only just begun.”
The Devil’s In The Details
I couldn’t move.
Anger, fear, and intense sadness pulsed through my veins as the dark man turned and disappeared into the crowd of club goers.
It took all my willpower to hold back the tears and rage I wanted to unleash.
Just who did he think he was, coming here and threatening me? Telling me my mother was dead and then walking away?
I wanted to kill him. I wanted to shove my hands inside his wide mouth and rip him in two, straight down the middle.
I turned to look for him in the crowd. This couldn’t be it. If I let him get away now, he’d just keep finding me. Watching me. Toying with me until I’d lost my damned mind.
I sprinted after him, pushing people out of my way and not even bothering to stop and apologize.
I finally caught sight of him going through one of the doors Azure had told me was off limits. His movements were slow and deliberate. He slipped through the door as though covered in oil.
I pushed my way through the last group of dancers and followed him through the door, only taking a second to look around and make sure none of the other staff were paying attention to me. When I didn’t see any eyes looking my way, I moved inside.
The room was nearly pitch-black, and I stopped as the door closed behind me with a thud, blocking off the only light.
Laughter rang out, echoing in the space.
“You really are something,” the dark man said. “Ninety-nine out of a hundred girls wouldn’t dare follow me. They’d still be out there shaking in their boots, but not you, Franki. You are special in every way.”
I could hear him several feet away, in front of me, but I couldn’t see so much as an outline of him in the blackness.
“I don’t like games,” I said. “If you want something from me, I’d rather know what it is now than go back and forth wondering when you’re coming back for me.”
“In this case, it’s not up to you, I’m afraid,” he said. Had he moved closer? I tried to mentally estimate the space between me and the door back into the club. Could I reach it in one or two steps?
It was stupid to have followed him. Impulsive.
In my fear, I reached for the only card in my hand. “I work for Rend now,” I said. “I’m under his protection.”
More laughter that cut me to my core. I had been hoping for some sign of fear, like those guys in the alley.
“Yes, that is a minor bump in the road for us, but Rend’s protection only extends so far,” the dark man said. “Rend would be a fool to deny my associate anything he asked. If he wants you, he will have you.”
“So why tell me and then walk away?” I asked. “Why not just take me now if he wants me, whoever he is?”
“Because you’re not ready,” he said. This time he was definitely closer. I hadn’t heard any footsteps, but his voice was inches from my face. Could he see me in the darkness? “When the time is right, he’ll come for you and there will be nothing you can do about it. You are a very special girl, Franki. Your sacrifice will change the world.”
“Sacrifice?” The word tasted sour on my lips.
He moved so close I could feel his clothing brushing against the bare skin on my arms and shoulders. His leg pressed against mine and one very cold hand snaked around my middle.
“Your death is inevitable.”
My body shivered violently as he pulled me against his thin frame. I grew colder, warmth leaving me as if his very touch was draining my body of its will to live. My knees went weak and my head felt fuzzy.
“Don’t touch me,” I said, my voice trembling.
“Or you’ll what?” he asked, amused.
Behind me, Rend’s voice came out as a low growl. “Or I’ll rip your goddamned arms off,” he said. “Let her go.”
The dark man’s body slid off me like a shadow, more cloud than solid form.
I backed toward Rend’s voice. The door to this room hadn’t even opened. How had he gotten inside?
Rend extended his hand and an orb of light formed against the darkness, illuminating a long hallway instead of a room like I’d expected. He moved in front of me, putting himself between me and the dark man.
“You aren’t welcome here, Fallon.” Rend said. “You know that.”
“You cannot deny me entrance to this place,” the dark man said. He didn’t seem afraid despite the conviction in Rend’s voice. “You and my master have an agreement, remember? I’m sure he would be happy to refresh your memory, if need be.”
It wasn’t lost on me that suddenly this man’s associate had been upgraded to his master.
Rend dropped his hand, but the orb continued to float in the air in front of him. “Maybe your master is the one who needs reminding,” Rend said. “The witches who work here are under my protection. He has no right to them, and he can’t step foot into my club.”
“The devil’s in the details, my friend,” the dark man said. “This girl is special. For him, she’s worth breaking a few rules. Even your rules. I’ll go for now, but you can’t stop this, Rend. You would do well to politely step out of my master’s way. You wouldn’t want to risk everything you’ve built here, would you?”
“Get the hell out of my club,” Rend said, raising his voice.
The dark man lowered his head in a bow, then disintegrated into black smoke and shadows.
His Words
Rend turned to me, and I threw my arms around him, my entire body trembling against him. He held me close until I’d calmed down enough to untangle myself from him.
“Who was that?” I asked.
“His name is Fallon,” he said.
His face was all hard angles in the dim light of his glowing orb.
“Franki, I’m trying to be very patient and understanding here, because I know you’ve been through some shit over the past few days, but my patience is running thin,” he said. His voice was calm and even, but his muscles were tense.
I pulled away, startled. Was he seriously reprimanding me after what I’d just been through?
“Why would you follow him back here?” he asked, some of his anger leaking into his tone. “After everything that happened the other night, why would you follow another stranger into a dark hallway, out of view from me and the rest of the staff?”
I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. It was a fair question. How did you explain to someone like him that sometimes I was too stubborn to be smart?
&
nbsp; “I looked for you,” I said. “I felt him watching me again, just like the other night. But you weren’t at the bar, so I figured you were behind the curtain.”
“Why didn’t you come back there to talk to me, then?”
“I was going to,” I said. “I was on my way back there when this guy appeared out of nowhere. He blocked my way, and I knew the second I looked at him that he was the one. He said things to me. He threatened me.”
“So you thought it would be a good idea to go with him into a dark, secluded place?”
“Hey, I didn’t know this was a dark, secluded place,” I said, gripping my arms, still shivering a little.
Rend shrugged out of his black jacket and put it around my shoulders. I mumbled a thank you and slipped my arms inside, inhaling the scent of him and wishing it didn’t send a wave of desire through me.
“Azure told you this door was off limits, right? Staff isn’t allowed back here in the first place and you knew that. You better start explaining yourself, Franki.”
“He said things,” I repeated. I hadn’t wanted to mention my mother, but it was becoming impossible to hide from him. “He told me my mother was dead.”
Rend’s eyes snapped to my face, questioning. “What?” He shook his head. “Your mother? How would a guy like that know your mom?”
“I have no idea,” I said. “I haven’t seen her in three years. She took off on my eighteenth birthday without so much as a note to say goodbye. Now this creepy guy tells me I look like her and that she’s dead. He threatened me, Rend. He told me his associate had his eye on me and that they were going to play games with me. He told me I’d make a good sacrifice. I couldn’t just let him walk away after that. I wanted answers.”
Rend grabbed his hair into his fist and paced the floor in front of me. “This doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “What kind of sacrifice?”
“I don’t know. He said I would have to die.” My voice came out like a scared third grader’s, high-pitched and terrified. “I couldn’t just let him threaten me and then walk away. I had to follow him.”