“I’ve killed lots of them, you know.” His voice was soft. He wasn’t bragging, but I had no idea where he was going with this. “Hundreds, over the years. Maybe thousands. I’m stronger and meaner than they are, but it doesn’t matter. They still scare me.”
He slipped his hand into mine for the briefest instant. His fingers were cold as they squeezed mine. It was a small thing, but it was enough to get my legs to work.
“They scare me more.” I offered him a weak smile as we walked further into the park.
We came to the clearing where I had watched the two of them rip parts out of the jogger. Now I knew it was probably the liver. The idea made me queasy. Mark found the spot without my help.
“They took the body, but with the heat the smell of blood lingers.”
“I don’t smell anything.”
He grinned at me, flashing fang. I got the point. “Oh.”
“What’s that?” He pointed to a small cement building obscured by plants.
“Public works maintenance building. It’s why these small city parks are here. The city has to own the area around the building so workers can access them without any hassle,” I explained.
“We’ll wait over there, then.” He pointed to a tree surrounded by brush. I didn’t think there was room for two people and said so.
“Oh you’ll be surprised,” he laughed. He was right. I was surprised I could wedge my body into such a small space. I could only imagine the hell this was doing to my new designer jeans. Next time I wanted a stakeout in a hotel with Chinese food.
“Why are we watching a public works building?” I asked, a tiny bit disgruntled.
“Packs used to hide in caves or woods. They had to hide, and it made them a lot easier to hunt. Now they can live out in the open, they’re all normal citizens.”
“Must be hard for you.” The sarcasm crept into my voice but he didn’t notice.
“Usually, it is, you end up going house to house in a neighborhood, wasting a lot of time. But this pack can’t do that, you don’t hide thirty-five people in someone’s basement. There isn’t room. They need someplace bigger, someplace no one’s going to look, where no one will notice any bad smells. It would help if people could come and go relatively unnoticed.”
“So basically the park is perfect for them,” I summarized.
“Pretty much. I’ve seen them hole up in abandoned warehouses, old buildings, underpasses, any place you’d expect to find homeless, except when wolves are around the homeless disappear.”
“Eaten,” I gulped. He nodded. We settled into a comfortable silence, watching the building. I checked my watch whenever I could, shifting every half an hour or so. I was jealous of Mark’s ability to hold perfectly still. It must be nice never to have to worry about blood circulating. The most maddening part was that nothing happened. I’d never been hunting, but I’d always assumed it involved more action. It was a sport after all. This was more like sitting around bored. Eventually, I gave up.
“Enough. We’re done.” I backed out of the hiding place brushing the dirt off my jeans. “It’s the last Tuesday night of the month. Do you know what that means?”
“I have no idea.” He sounded surprised. I started to walk out of the park and he followed.
“On the last Tuesday night of the month, I go dancing with the girls while Jakob goes to work early. You have now wasted,” I stopped to look at my watch. I kept my voice light, trying to keep whatever weird friendship bonding we had going, “three hours of my dancing time. So you’re going to drive me to Convenire and hang out until I’m ready to go home.”
His mouth gaped open. Silence implies consent in my world. I opened my car door without turning to check that he was next to me.
“Now when we get there, you have two options: you can come inside and dance with my good looking single friends, or you can sit in the car. Guess which one I’d prefer?”
“That I sit in the car.”
“What?” I didn’t bother to conceal my shock.
“I’ve had these scars for four centuries. I know what I look like. I’ll wait outside.” His voice was resigned, not bitter, not sad. As far as Mark was concerned, he was hideously disfigured.
“You’re not. I wouldn’t.” I sat down in the car and thought about a way to be gentle with him. He stood outside my door, waiting with a triumphant look on his face. He was so smug it killed any thought of being kind I had.
“People have scars. That’s part of life. I know you’ve built your world around being some hideous victim, but you really need to get over it.” I slammed the car door shut.
He got in without saying a word, and we drove in silence out of Rakesh’s neighborhood. It took more than a few one-word directions from me before he tried talking again.
“I’ll stay in the car. I don’t want to ruin your night.”
“You won’t ruin our night,” I said. Secretly I thought he might, but I wasn’t angry enough to say it out loud.
“People flinch when they look at me, they stop talking, it doesn’t make for pleasant evenings.”
“It’s not a typical bar. Trust me, compared to some of the patrons, you’ll be boring.” I thought of the way Anna wrapped fire around her dance partners and the way the bartender split a stream of liquor four foot above the bar to fill six drinks.
“I don’t think you go dancing anyplace that tough,” he laughed.
“It’s a witch bar.”
“Oh,” he sound surprised. “What are your friends like?”
“Phoebe’s a spirit witch. Jakob once called her entirely too observant. Consider yourself warned.” I smiled at the memory of Phoebe meeting Jakob. I had had no idea how powerful he was when I’d met him, but she’d been able to tell.
“And the others?”
“Isaura is the curvy one. Anna is a fashion model. She’s the fire witch who made my necklace. And Rhythm is,” I searched for the word, “she’s Rhythm, a slightly insane muse who’s been away from Greece too long.”
“What kind of a muse?” he asked.
It was a blessing not to have to explain the concept of a muse to someone. I’d never come up with a short answer for the supernatural creatures that inspire men to create great works but can’t quite force them to do anything.
“Dance. When she dances, it’s like no one else in the world. She works with a modern dance company in town. I’m dying to take Jakob to one of their shows, but the season isn’t on yet.”
We turned into the nightlife district, the car moving slower than the river beside us. We passed Bones with its skull entrance and Alcatraz with a long line of college kids.
“Which one?” he asked.
“Further down, much further down,” I pointed.
“There aren’t any clubs there, just a shack.”
“That’s the one.” We pulled up to Convenire; the building had a rough wood exterior that was completely free of the usual nightclub decorations. There was the only name written on the door in flowing script. I could see where someone would think it was a shack. I opened my door. “You’re coming inside, and you’re dancing. Don’t make me command you.”
He hesitated, then let me led the way.
Anna was at the bar. She made me feel shabby even though I was wearing an expensive outfit I’d bought only days before. Her hair was down and wild, paired with the littlest and blackest of dresses I had ever seen. She looked great.
“Mal!” She grabbed me for a quick kiss on the cheek. We didn’t usually kiss, but when I got close to her, I could tell she’d been serious about her drinking tonight. “Didn’t think you’d make it! I’m getting the next round, what do you want?”
“Manhattan, double sweet,” I shouted over the music. The friendly water witch bartender nodded to me.
“Who’s your friend?” Anna gave Mark a look that I usually reserved for cuts of meat in the supermarket.
“Oh, Anna, Mark. Mark, Anna. Mark’s a friend of Jakob’s.”
“So I feel,”
she answered. When she shook his hand, a small burst of blue flame came out. He didn’t flinch.
“A pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine.”
My jaw dropped open. Mark, who couldn’t get along with anyone, was suddenly charming.
“Can I buy you a drink?” Anna responded to his flirting.
“I doubt they have anything for me, but thank you.”
I couldn’t handle the glances and the looks. “We’ll be at the table,” I shouted to Anna and pulled Mark. We were only ten steps away when he used that vampire trick to whisper in my ear.
“That was mating fire,” he said, stunned. “Is she always like that?”
“Nope, she must like you. Then again, she does come here to flirt.” We had made it to the tables around the dance floor. I could see two air witches dancing a few feet off the ground. Beside them, a supernatural-something I didn’t recognize glowed blue while she pressed up against a woman who didn’t seem to mind.
Anna’s usual dance partner, a fire witch who made a habit of wearing black leather pants without a shirt, was dancing close enough to his partner that it was slightly pornographic.
“You dance like that?” he asked, shocked again. If he wasn’t a vampire, I’d be worried about his heart.
“Not quite like that. More like them.” I gestured to where the girls were standing in a circle, grooving to the music. They saw me wave my hand and ran back to the table. Thankfully most of them were sober. I gave a quick series of introductions. Anna came up behind me with four glasses in her hands. Behind her, a waiter a carried another six glasses on a tray. They unloaded the liquid bounty, and Anna raised her glass first.
“To ladies night and two-for-one drinks!” she smiled.
“Ladies night, hence the bar is crawling with men,” Isaura cracked. Anna muttered something about the number of men looking to find drunk women on a Tuesday night, but Phoebe changed the subject entirely.
“So, Mark, what brings you to our wonderful city?” she asked.
“Werewolves,” he said. I had to restrain myself from smacking him. We might all be witches, but like everyone else in town, we were scared. The wolves were the last thing I wanted to hear about. “And I heard about the exceedingly beautiful women.”
The rest of the table laughed, but I wasn’t prepared for his charming recovery. I took a deep drink. The music changed, and Rhythm ushered us off to dance. Phoebe and Mark stayed to watch the drinks. We were close enough that I caught bits of their conversation between songs.
Phoebe asked when the last time Mark danced was. He told a long story, the only words I caught were ‘Queen Elizabeth’ and something about masks. Rhythm didn’t hear any of the story, so it wasn’t surprising that she dragged him out on the dance floor. He passed from her to Anna, then the two of them shared him. The last time I saw him before I lost track he was with Phoebe.
By one o’clock, we were all ready to go. Everyone had to go to work the next day. We searched the bar and eventually found Phoebe and Mark on the second floor. It was where I had spent my first hours with Jakob, close enough to see the dance floor below but quiet enough to talk. My curiosity about their conversation was maddening, I found myself wishing I was psychic. We all walked out to the parking lot with sore feet and smiles.
“Do we have to go?” Rhythm asked.
“Yes, dear, we have work tomorrow,” Phoebe patted her shoulder.
“No, you have work tomorrow. I’m going to stay.” She ran back with a giggle.
“Where does that woman get her energy?” Isaura asked. She was practically leaning on my arm.
“Dancing,” Mark answered. “Muses feed off their art.”
“I wish I had an art, then. An art or dessert,” she replied. Isaura never missed a good sweet. A light bulb went off in my head.
“I know the place to get one.”
“You know a sweet shop open at one a.m. on a Tuesday? You must be magic,” Isaura’s voice was wistful.
“Well, he’s not really open, but there’s a chance he’ll open for me,” I smiled. Admittedly there was also chance that Indigo had changed and was out roaming the countryside. “Come on, you guys can follow us.”
The three of them piled into Anna’s sports car and stayed close to us as we headed back to the failed stakeout. I felt light, happy. There might be dead bodies piled up tomorrow, but for now I was having a good time with my girlfriends.
“Are you having any fun?” I asked Mark. He was concentrating on the road.
“More fun than I’ve had in centuries.”
“Oh, I can’t believe you and Jakob didn’t have some crazy nights.”
He laughed. “Crazy nights sure, but none with four women fighting to dance with me.” He looked at me. “Thanks for inviting me to come along.”
“You’re welcome. And don’t sound so contemplative. The evening isn’t over yet.” We pulled into a parking spot in front of Indigo’s shop while the girls pulled up beside us. The shop’s main lights were dark, but there was a glow in the back.
“Indigo? Remember that late-night chocolate craving you mentioned? We’re having one,” I called.
Anna whispered that I was drunk, and we were going to get arrested. She shut her mouth when Indigo stepped out and flicked on the lights. He was wearing old worn jeans and nothing else. There was a smudge of chocolate on his chest, and I knew I wasn’t the only one thinking about licking it off.
“Mallory?” He opened the door for to us.
“And friends!” I ran through the introductions, ending with Mark.
“Werejaguar?” Mark asked as he shook Indigo’s hand.
Anna whispered “Meow,” and we all broke into giggles.
“You’re good. Most people can’t tell.”
“You’re fighting the change. That makes it obvious,” Mark said.
“I’ve got too much work to do to go prowling around the city. Besides, it’s the tail end. Another couple of nights, and the city will be safe again.”
Mark replied with something about the wolves and the area, but I didn’t notice it. I was too wrapped up in the contents of the shelves. The room smelled amazing, and the two of them were prattling on, ignoring our hunger.
“Please Indigo, we’re desperate. What’s left?” I interrupted.
“Everything you see, and brownies should be out in a minute,” he smiled. We spent thirty minutes sampling one thing after another. All of it was divine. Indigo practically purred with our compliments. Unfortunately, even with the chocolate I could barely keep my eyes open.
“I hate to break up the party, but I really do need to get up tomorrow.”
“You mean today,” Phoebe corrected.
“Good point, today.” I looked around, hoping someone would offer me a ride. I didn’t want to walk to the train alone.
“I’ll drive you. Not much appeal in a sweet shop for a fashion model,” Anna said. “Of course, that’s only if Mark can take these two gluttons home?”
“I’d be delighted,” he said. Not even the scar on his face could stop his smile.
We said our goodbyes and headed out to the car. I had a few concerns about Anna driving after she imbibed so much until she reminded me that her last drink was three hours ago.
“Sorry to be such a worrywart,” I said. “God, it is good to get out dancing. What do you think of Mark?”
“Raya likes him.”
It was the first time I’d heard Anna talk about her Goddess like she was another woman.
“I didn’t realize she took a personal interest in these sorts of things.”
“She likes men with scars. The priestesses say it’s because scars are a sign of strength, but who knows.”
“Do you ever get tired of being a fire witch?” I asked. She responded with a long laugh.
“I get tired of being a fire witch in my family, but I never get tired of being a fire witch. Ever.”
“Then I won’t admit I get extremely tired of being a
death witch,” I laughed.
The circular driveway of the Eclipse was bathed in bright lights, making me wonder how much of my exorbitant rent went to the electric bill. We said good night as I opened the car door.
“Thanks again for lunch today. I forgot how nice it was to eat with someone instead of in front of someone.”
“Anytime,” she said with a smile. “I mean it, Mal, anytime you want to get together with someone human, call me.”
I told her I would and walked inside. As I got into bed, I wondered what Mark would make of her comment. Then I realized his overanalyzing habits were getting to me and went to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The insistent ringing of my phone forced me from sleep. Even then, it took three rings to convince myself that it could be really really important. By that time I had to hunt for the phone in a frantic rush. The machine started as I picked up the phone.
“Whoever you are hold on, I’m here.” I sounded as unprofessional as I felt. We were going to have to start holding girls’ night out on the weekend.
“What should I hold on to, chica?” Phoebe asked with a laugh.
I groaned into the phone. I’d struggled out of bed for bad jokes?
“Shouldn’t you be helping some pimply faced kid decide which college to waste his life at?”
“I’ve got a break, and there’s something super important I need to talk to you about.”
“So talk,” I grunted.
“Uh, right, is Jakob there? Like can anyone hear me?” she hesitated.
“I’m completely alone, no one can hear you, and you have my full attention. What’s this about?”
“It’s about Mark.”
“Oh,” I said, hoping I sounded as deflated as I felt. “You two hit it off or something?” If Phoebe had woken me up with a recap of a fabulous night of sex, I was going to scream. All right, I’d listen first, then scream, I was curious after all.
“Oh we hit it off. Everything went great until we got to my place…” her voice trailed off.
“Kinky? Strange? Not kinky enough? Didn’t remember his handcuffs?” I teased.
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