by R. A. Gates
with.
After setting the brush down on
the bathroom counter, Athena crossed
her arms over her chest and watched Ivy
fidget with the dress again. “So, how
many?”
Ivy tore her eyes away from the
mirror to see Athena arch one perfectly-
plucked eyebrow. “How many what?”
Huffing a humorless laugh,
Athena leaned back against the door.
“Look at you, trying to play dumb. It
doesn't suit you. How many have you
killed?”
She really didn't want to have
this
conversation
right
now,
but
considering how nice Athena was acting,
she relented. “Actually, I hadn't killed
anyone, until my magic made its
appearance and flattened out an entire
forest. My friend Ernie and I had always
managed to handle a situation without
bloodshed.”
“Wow, that's... really boring.
Had you ever even been in a fight?”
“A few, mainly with fae. I was
only sixteen when I left.” It sounded
even more pathetic when she said it out
loud. She sat on the edge of the tub and
shoved her leg into the gold hooker-
boots Athena demanded she wear. She
looked like a slutty leprechaun.
She helped Athena clean up the
mess of make-up and hair clips, tossing
them back into her bag. “Do you think
Garren will ever speak to me again?”
The cold shoulder he’d given her since
lunch was expected, but it still stung.
“I didn’t think you cared,”
Athena said.
“I don’t,” she said quickly. “But
it’s going to get rather annoying if he
keeps ignoring me. Thane got over it.
Why can’t he?”
“That’s because Thane’s ruled
by reason and logic where Garren lets
his emotions take control. Even though
he’d never admit it, he needs a gesture
on your part to get past your betrayal.”
At first, she balked at the idea
that Garren even had any feelings based
on his past treatment of her. But when
she thought about it, he did tend to react
without thinking. It was like dealing with
a child.
“So what you’re saying is that I
need to do something to sooth his ego.”
Athena nodded. “Exactly. That’s
why I chose that dress for you to wear.”
Her brow furrowed as she
looked down at her gaudy outfit.
“What?”
“Is this a dress you would pick
out yourself?”
She shook her head.
“Are you embarrassed to wear it
out in public?”
“Extremely.”
“That’s the gesture that’s going
to get Garren to talk to you again; your
utter humiliation for the good of the
group.”
She glanced at her reflection one
more time and winced at the bright
colors of gold and green. Mortified
better described how she felt being seen
like that. “Couldn’t I just apologize and
offer to do his homework for the rest of
the year?”
“Nope.”
She sighed. “Are we finished
yet? Or do you have something else to
torture me with?”
Athena smoothed down her pale,
pink dress. “We're done.” She pulled her
blond hair over one shoulder to show off
her scars from when she was infected. It
was a werewolf thing.
The iridescent Eradicator mark
on her right wrist glinted off the
bathroom light. “Do you have something
to cover this up? I don't' think my leather
bracelet goes with this outfit.”
Athena smeared some concealer
over Ivy’s wrist and gave her a gold
bangle to wear. The werewolf’s eyes
traveled up and stopped at the sapphire
around her neck.
“That’s got to go. It ruins the
whole outfit.” She reached to take it off
when Ivy clamped her hand over the
stone.
“I’m not going anywhere without
it.”
“Ivy, it clashes. Besides, you
shouldn’t use it in the club. With all the
witches, fae and anything else with
magic there, you’ll wear yourself out in
minutes trying to hide everyone. Best to
leave temptation at home.”
Reluctantly, she handed the
sapphire to Athena. After making sure
all the last minute touches were
complete, the girls left the safety of the
bathroom to find Garren and Thane
lounging on the beds, channel surfing.
She was so embarrassed for
anyone to see her that Athena had to push
her through the door. “Here she is. All
cleaned up and in a dress.”
“You look real nice,” Thane said
as he hopped off the bed. Garren
followed and stood next to Athena.
Ivy smiled and gestured at his
clothes with a wave of her hand. “Um,
thanks. You, too.”
Both guys were wearing their
jeans and button down shirts. Garren
eyed her with a scowl on his face. The
intensity of his gaze was messing with
her already wavering self-esteem. She
crossed her arms over her chest in an
attempt to hide herself.
If this doesn’t prove I’m on his
side, nothing will.
“You look... different,” he said,
his eyes widening slightly as he
scrutinized her outfit.
At least he’s talking to me.
“Different? Wow, you sure know how to
make a girl feel special.”
He grinned, dimpling his cheek.
“Well, you know me.”
“Unfortunately.”
“All right,” Athena said. “We all
know what we need to do. Try not to be
too obvious. We don't need some
nutcase following us.” She handed Ivy a
dagger, which she hid in her boot, just in
case. “Thane, I want you sticking close
to Ivy.”
Thane crinkled his brow in
confusion. “Why? I thought we were
supposed to split up to cover more
ground.”
Athena exhaled loudly before
explaining. “Well, look at her. She's
hot.”
“Maybe I should just stay
behind,” she said. The idea of attracting
so much male attention made her queasy.
Rolling her eyes, Athena grabbed
her purse and guided Ivy out the door.
“They're just going to flirt with you, Ivy,
not attack you. The worst you'll get is an
ear infection from all the cheesy pick-up
lines.”
Ivy had to grab onto Garren for
support as she teetered down the motel
stairs. Her boots were going to kill her
before any Eradi
cator had a chance.
It didn't take long before they
were parking the car at the rail yards.
Over 200 acres of land with abandoned
buildings and train cars which were
once the focus of the burgeoning city.
Sparky curled up in the backseat and
slept.
Ivy hesitated, glancing back at
the little dragon, then shook her head as
she followed the others. I pity the idiot
that tries to steal this car.
The foursome slipped through a
hole in the chain-link fence, and made
their way in the dark to the cluster of
long, brick, train houses. The moonlight
reflected off the broken windows and
rusted metal roofs. The only sound was
their own footsteps clumping on the
ground and the passing cars of the
highway on the edge of the lot.
She worried this was the wrong
place, but when they opened the wooden
side door, the blaring music and flashing
lights spilled out and consumed them.
“We need some sort of signal if
one of us gets into trouble,” Thane
suggested as they entered the crowded
bar.
“Fine,” Athena said. “How
about... pumpernickel?”
The lighting was dim, except for
the bright colors that swam around the
room. The center of the room was filled
with people bumping and rubbing all
over each other to the beat of the music,
in what was supposed to be dancing.
Tall, round tables sat along the
perimeter of the spacious room where
couples and small groups huddled
together, drinking and talking. The bar
ran the length of the long wall opposite
the entrance. Most of the stools were
occupied with flirting patrons nursing
their drinks.
She was overwhelmed with the
assortment of magical beings there.
Salmagundi had a varied population, but
nothing like this. In the few minutes she'd
been there, she spotted werewolves,
satyrs, faeries, a couple drunk elves and,
of course, wizards and witches.
All chatter ceased when they
walked in, every head turned their way.
A figurative spotlight shone on her as
she made her way across the floor to the
bar.
Athena immediately broke away
from them and headed straight toward
the group of werewolves. They occupied
the corner of the club where couches
were grouped together into a square. The
three remaining were on their own,
again.
After a few moments, people
went back to their conversations,
ignoring them. Ivy sat on an empty stool
at the bar, next to a punk rock satyr. The
flashing disco lights gleamed off the
metal studs lining his black leather
jacket and his face was full of piercings.
As soon as she sat down, he
pulled his seat closer and leaned in.
“Hello, love. Can I buy you a drink?” He
spoke with the most wonderful British
accent.
She smiled and nodded. “I'll
have a Poison Apple.” The nice thing
about underground bars is that they didn't
card.
Thane took the stool on her other
side, nervously glancing around. Garren
stood behind her, leaning against the
wooden railing circling the dance floor.
He surveyed the area around him, but
didn't move to speak to anyone. She
caught his eye during one of his sweeps.
“Talk,” she mouthed.
Her attention was stolen when
her drink was set down in front of her.
She'd never tasted a Poison Apple, but
heard they were delicious. She took a
sip and her face practically caved in.
The satyr chuckled in her ear. “I
take it you've never had one before.
They tend to be a bit sour.”
She finally swallowed and
smiled back, being polite. “Just a bit. I
think my face might implode.”
His warm laugh put her at ease.
“What's your name, love?”
She leaned in close to be heard
over the blaring music and talking
echoing off the walls. He wore a
wonderful cologne that teased her nose
in the most delicious way.
“I'm Ivy.” This close up, she
could make out intricate designs carved
into his horns atop his head. His hair
was a nice chocolate brown and she
wondered if it matched the fur on his
goat legs.
“Ivy? Are you a fae?”
She gritted her teeth as she
answered, “No.”
“Well, it’s a lovely name for a
beautiful woman. I’m Ralph.”
She had to look the other way to
hide the blush rushing to her cheeks. She
didn't know if it was the beautiful part or
being referred to as a woman that caught
her by surprise. Flirting was hard.
Next to her, a lovely, but much
older, blue faery talked to Thane with a
smile on her lips. There was something
about him that sure attracted the cougars.
A hand squeezed her knee,
bringing her attention back to the satyr.
Not wanting to be rude but also not
wanting to encourage him, she patted his
hand before removing it from her leg and
placing it on his own. All while smiling
warmly, of course.
Ralph's hand then snaked its way
to the exposed skin on the top of her
back, underneath her hair. A shiver ran
down her spine. Instead of shrugging him
off like she was inclined to do, she
picked up her drink and took a big sip.
She forgot the shock of sour that hit her
last time. Her eyes watered as she
forced herself to swallow.
Ralph chuckled as he rubbed
small circles on her upper back. “You'll
get used to it, love.”
She was about to ask him what
he knew about Prince Sebastian when
his arm was forcefully pulled away.
They both spun around to see Garren
holding onto Ralph's wrist.
“Hands off,” Garren said, glaring
at the satyr.
Ralph wrenched his arm away
and stood up to face Garren. The satyr
was taller, but Garren had him beat in
bulk.
“Bugger off. The lady's with
me,” Ralph said. They stood facing each
other in silence. She was about to
separate them, when a beautiful woman
with ebony skin beat her to it.
“Care to dance?” she asked
Garren.
He looked to Ivy, waiting for her
to say something. She nodded her head,
encouraging him to go with the woman.
The woman was a werewolf, by
the look of the scars she proudly wore
on her arm. She led him to the dance
floor where he wra
pped his arms around
her delicate frame.
“Who was that bloke?” Ralph
asked as he sat back down.
“No one special.” She peeked
back over her shoulder to see Garren
smiling and laughing with the woman, as
if they were a couple. She ignored that
little twinge in her chest as she smiled
over at Ralph.
“So Ralph, how long have you
been in...”
The mark on her wrist burned
more intensely than it had since entering
the bar. Only one creature still had that
effect on her anymore. A horrible
sensation washed over her that she'd
only felt a few times in her life. It felt
like tiny icicles stabbing her all over her
skin. She went on alert; muscles tensed,
heart sped up and adrenaline coursed
through her veins.
A pale hand tapped Ralph on the
shoulder. “I said…” he started as he
turned, but his next words died on his
lips as he came face to face with the
intruder. Blood drained from his face as
his mouth dropped open. “Well, it... it
was nice talking to you, Ivy,” he
stammered before he slunk away.
Coward.
She
stared
straight
ahead,
counting the bottles of liquor lining the
shelves behind the bartender. Out of the
corner of her eye, a man dressed in
black took the seat Ralph vacated.
He didn't say anything for a good
two minutes as she sat frozen in her seat.
It dawned on her, then, that she didn't
have to stay there. The club was huge
and a girl had to make her rounds, right?
Without a word to her new
neighbor, she moved to stand, when a
cold hand clamped onto hers. She
flinched at the touch and tried to yank
her hand free, but he held on. She finally
turned to glare at the man next to her.
His short black hair and almond
shaped eyes spoke of an Asian heritage,
most likely Korean. He was handsome
and appeared to be older than her by
only a few years, though it could have
been centuries.
Then it happened. He revealed
himself when he smiled. “Hello, Ivy,” he
said, the light glinting off his pearly
white fangs.
Her mind went blank. What was
it? Sourdough? Rye? When finally she
found the word, her voice barely rose
above a whisper. “Pumpernickel.”
Chapter 16
“Pardon?” The corners of his
eyes crinkled as the vampire smiled at
Ivy.
She racked her brain for any
excuse to get away from him but nothing
came to her as she gazed into his black