He turned to walk away, but Ariya slid over the bar and grabbed the man’s white shirt, jerking him back toward her. He stumbled, but her grip kept him upright.
“Where is the host?” she snarled.
Someone pushed me aside, and the next thing I knew, Red Coat extracted Ariya from the bar, pinned her arms to her sides and held her in a bear hug, one of his beefy hands over her mouth, muffling her scream.
“Now listen up,” Black Coat said, pointing from Ariya to me. “We don’t want any trouble, from the guests, so stop worrying about what you can’t change and go enjoy yourselves.”
“Of course,” I said and held my hands up in surrender. One glance at Ariya told me she had no intention of enjoying the night off from whatever she had planned in Zafi, and I still didn’t want to tell her, her city was in the middle of being decimated. Still, I couldn’t leave her to be man-handled by these two men. “Ariya, come on. Let’s have a few words so you don’t say anything else that could be misinterpreted as offensive. Please?”
Her green eyes filled with fire. She nodded, but as soon as the man took his hand off her mouth, she glanced over her shoulder and said, “If I had a blade, I’d slice your hand off.”
She jerked when Red Coat started to laugh.
“You’re not the first, girl, and you won’t be the last. That’s why the host doesn’t allow weapons. Now, go on, and don’t cause any more trouble.” He set her down but put his hand on her shoulder and crouched to look her in the eye. “Because Lex and I don’t need weapons to kill you or your Viper-friend.”
“That’s enough, Bronx. Let her go,” Lex said with a head-tilt toward a man waving his arms and yelling at a younger woman on the other side of the room. “Let’s go take care of that.”
“It must be terrible to break up fights all night,” I said.
“Best night of the year,” Bronx said, flashing his feral grin. He wagged his finger at Ariya and then walked off.
I turned toward her, but she held up her hand. “Don’t bother,” she snapped. “You’re not responsible for me, so stop acting like you are.”
The song shifted from slow and seductive to a frenetic beat that made me want to dance. I watched Ariya march off toward the other bar and shook my head. She was right—she wasn’t my problem. And according to the guards and the pale server behind the bar, Ariya wasn’t going to be able to leave for Zafi until the celebration was over, so I might as well enjoy myself.
I returned to the first bar, giving Ariya her space, but white-haired Pointy Ears had switched spots with a stunning girl with gray and teal hair. She wore a black sheer tunic with black undergarments, and her pale skin practically glowed under the pulsating lights.
“What can I get you?” she yelled over the thumping music. She grinned when she caught me staring, and tossed her hair, the same teal as her eyes, over her shoulder. “What’s your poison?”
I grimaced. Poison? Why would anyone want poison?
She laughed, the sound of pure joy, and said, “Never mind. I’ll get you a drink.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned around and grabbed a silver cup. She poured two different liquids inside and then put another silver cup on top and shook it for several seconds. She poured the concoction into a wide rimmed glass, sprinkled cinnamon on top, and put a piece of roasted pineapple on the rim and slid the stemmed glass in front of me.
“That’s Dec’s specialty, 24K Gold, so don’t go telling him I made it for you, okay?”
I nodded and pulled the drink closer, stopping with it halfway to my mouth. “It’s not poisoned, is it?”
She laughed. “Not tonight, it isn’t.”
I gulped the entire drink in two long draughts and then coughed. The alcohol burned as it went down, and I shook my head. “I didn’t know it had spirits in it.”
The teal-haired girl raised her eyebrows. “Do you want another?”
The music continued to pound through me, and I decided to take Lex’s advice and enjoy myself. “What’s your specialty?”
She smirked. “Drunk Dancing Bears.”
“Sounds like my fate. How could I refuse?”
A minute later, she slid me a drink with small colorful bears sitting atop chunks of ice floating at the rim of the glass. “When you’re done drinking it, you’re supposed to eat the bears.”
I snorted. Before Sakari became a freezing pit, we’d had bears, although they looked nothing like the blobs of color in my drink. Eat the bears—funniest thing I’d heard all night. “Sure. I’ll eat the bears. Thanks.”
“Have a good night,” she said with another wink before turning to take the next person’s order.
Bolstered by liquid energy, I turned to see if I needed to intervene with Ariya. She was at the other bar, talking to one of the servers there, another white-haired one although this one was female, and her breasts spilled out over the top of her cinched black top. Ariya shook her head and said something else, probably pushing—again. The other server, a blond man with a full beard, joined the two women. He said something, and Ariya scowled.
“Former lover or future-hopeful?” a woman asked as she sidled up to the bar next to me.
I glanced at her, noticing the purple streaks in her dark hair and almost nonexistent clothing. She must be from somewhere like Zafi—or maybe hotter. I fixed my attention on her dark eyes; the left one twitched, and she forced a smile.
I wiped the furrow from my face, and shrugged. “Definitely not the former, and I’m not so sure about the latter.”
She gave her drink order to Teal-girl and then hopped up on the seat and faced outward with me. I was afraid to even look at her, given her scant attire. In Sakari, that much skin was only seen in the bedroom, and I didn’t know the rules here.
“Why aren’t you sure?” she asked.
I pointed to Ariya weaving her way toward the musicians who were just stepping off the stage. A petite girl with yet another shade of blue hair was chatting with the practically nude singer, and another blue haired girl was in a cage, seemingly leading a new song with just her fingers. Were all of the blue-haired people from the same world? I’d never imagined so many different hair colors. I sighed and then said, “Ariya’s like a falcon who’s spotted prey—singularly focused. Only she has zero idea who is predator and who is prey here. I don’t have a freezing clue either, but . . .” I shook my head. “She needs to calm down. Relax. She needs a drink . . . or ten.”
“I could help with that. You just want her to relax?”
“Yes.” I snorted. “You have that kind of power?”
Ariya interrupted the two women and started asking questions. I seriously hoped she didn’t get herself into trouble. Not my problem.
“Power?” the dark-haired woman asked. “Sure, you can call it that, I guess.”
Precisely. That kind of power didn’t even exist. I said nothing for several minutes while I watched Ariya. The short blue haired girl shook her head, and a moment later, the tall thin singer shook her head, too, and her hair swirled around.
“How much would you pay for something like that?” the woman next to me pressed.
I rolled my eyes. I had no weapons, no money, no food . . . nothing. Not that it even mattered. I glanced down at my boots, hoping one of my blades would magically appear so I could tell the woman to leave or else, but no such luck. The pulsing lights hit the side of the sole of my boot, glinting off a pebble wedged in the tread. A stone from Sakari. I plucked the rock out of the tread and held it up. “How about this?”
Her eyes lit up like a crazy person, and she plucked the rock from my fingers. After examining it, she grinned. “Done.”
She was deranged. Insane. This whole place was. I shifted my attention back to Ariya and took a deep breath as the singing started up again. Ariya walked off with a man whose hair was the same color as hers, and a moment later, I lost sight of her in the crowd.
“Can I have it?” the mad girl asked.
“Sure,” I said and
waved her away. “I have no use for it.”
She slid from her seat, and I turned in my chair to avoid having to see any more of the purple-haired lunatic. I faced the back of the bar and reached for my drink. Picking up the stemmed glass, I grimaced at the colorful blobs which had sunk to the bottom and then set the cocktail back down. I’d have to be a fool to drink something I’d had my back to while seated next to a woman wearing nothing but scraps—who also agreed to use power to help a complete stranger relax . . . in exchange for a rock. I stared at the glass bottles for several minutes, wishing for—
“May I get you something else?” a man asked.
I looked up at the pale-haired bartender, his features even more sharp up close, and shook my head. “Thank you. Any chance you have water? Just plain water.”
He gave me a curt nod and stepped to the back, returning a moment later with a clear bottle, sealed with a white lid. “Here,” he said, twisting the lid. A snapping sound accompanied his movement, and he smiled, “That’s how you know it wasn’t tampered with.” He handed me the bottle, glanced over my head, and frowned. “I don’t know what deal you made with Vye, but she’s waving at you from the other bar.”
Chapter Seven
“What?” I said, turning in my seat to follow the server’s gaze across the large auditorium.
Sure enough, Scraps, also known as Vye, was waving at me from the other bar. As soon as our gazes locked, she gave me a thumbs up. I scanned the area, and there was Ariya, with a stemmed glass in her hand. Rashi!
I jumped up just as the server yelled, “Wait.”
“What?” I snapped, my anger turning to gratitude as he held out the bottle.
“You’re going to need this. Whatever Vye put in your friend’s drink will be potent. You might even want to find somewhere secluded. There’s no telling what effect Vye’s concoction will have. She’s a loose cannon that one.”
“I wish I had known that before,” I muttered to myself. I grabbed the bottle and nodded to the server. “Thanks for . . . well, everything.”
I raced across the stone floor, dodging the gyrating attendees. What had I done? Not for one frozen second did I think Scraps—Vye would actually be able to follow through with her offer. I didn’t think about her slipping something into Ariya’s drink—only mine. Might need to rethink who was the idiot.
I got to the other side but couldn’t find Ariya at the bar. I turned in a circle, trying to locate her, and with the next flash of white light, I spotted her vibrant hair. I pushed into the crowd, the scantily clad bodies swaying and moving sometimes with those covered from neck-to-toes. More than just Ariya had lessened their inhibitions as the night wore on. I pretended the occasional bump was unintentional, but when someone grabbed my butt, I knew better. I threw an elbow behind me and then pressed deeper into the throng, stopping when I was only a few feet from Ariya, pausing to pick my jaw up off the floor.
To say Ariya was dancing to the music would be a relative use of the word. Her slender body twisted and circled to the throbbing beat in a suggestive way that—Whoa . . . I swallowed as she raised her hands overhead and threw her head back, her shirt lifting just enough to flash the bottom curve of her breast.
My circulation shifted as my attraction jumped to arousal. Less than a second later, a shirtless man slid in front of Ariya, his arm circling her waist and pulling her close. Then all I saw was the massive wings tattoo covering his entire back as he swayed. Shock held me captive, and he turned. Ariya laughed and threw her arms up to circle his neck . . . and I recognized the predatory gleam in his eyes. Freezing pits.
Rashi.
I closed the remaining distance with a single step and shoved the man, pushing him away from her. He stumbled back a couple of steps, his expression of lust shifting to anger as he regained his balance.
“What the bloody hell,” he said, glaring at me. His eyes narrowed with recognition from our earlier interaction at the entrance. “Go outside with the other dogs.”
Ariya was oblivious to him. She grinned up at me and exclaimed, “Jäg! You found me.”
The man’s icy blue gaze went from me to Ariya as she nuzzled up to my side. I encircled her waist and pulled her close.
“Sniffed her out, did you?” he grumbled, just low enough for me to hear.
Ariya obviously hadn’t heard. She patted my chest and slurred, “Don’t be so temperamental. You told me to relax.”
“Is she yours?” red-eyed Tattoo-wings asked, jutting his chin at Ariya. He kept his attention on me, puffing out his chest. “Do you already have a claim?”
How to answer without angering her more? Turns out I didn’t even need to.
Ariya giggled but kept her gaze riveted on me as she said, “He is mine. I found him first . . . in the alley”—she stroked my chest—“so no touching.”
Tattoo-wings frowned, but Ariya continued to ignore him, making it clear the interest he had wasn’t mutual. Thankfully. He wasn’t that much bigger than I, but I had no idea if he had friends or allies here. Me? I had one, maybe, and she was definitely not herself.
Guilt twisted my insides again. If I saw Vye again . . . but I couldn’t even be angry at her. This was all my own fault.
“Come on Ariya,” I said, turning my back on the crowd and the man with the odd eyes and huge tattoo. The music switched, and the new melody ached with want.
Ariya kept her arm around my waist, but after a few steps, her hand slid down my hip, her thumb hooking in the waistband of my leather pants. “You’re far too serious, Jäg. You should relax, enjoy the festivities, have a few of their special brews; they’re delicious.”
My own words returning to mock me. Freezing pits. I glanced around the room, past the throng of people, and spotted a darkened hallway. Hopefully, this massive castle had a quiet corner where Ariya could sleep off her inebriated state.
We started toward the hall, and Tattoo-wings and two of his buddies stepped in the way. I had no idea how they’d managed to get ahead of us, but we were well away from the crowd.
“I want to finish my dance,” Tattoo-wings said, his lips curling into a ferocious grin. His canine teeth elongated, far beyond what was normal, and his previously blue eyes glowed red. “I was just getting started.”
The temperature in the room was not quite as warm as it was in Zafi, but the sheer number of bodies and fervor of activity had increased the heat throughout the evening. However, this far from the crowd, the temperature was distinctly cooler.
I backed up, still holding onto Ariya, and shook my head. “No.”
The man-creature chuckled. “Don’t worry little Dog. We’ll not only let you watch, we’ll bite you too.”
The heat of the crowd billowed out to me, and I took a deep breath, letting it fill me. There was no question in my mind the men—what had Black Coat called them?—were going to attack. But I’d be frosted before I would let them bite me or Ariya.
The image of a spitting cobra flashed into my mind—only bigger than I’d ever seen—and, without thinking about the possibility, I shifted, dropping to the ground as Ariya gasped beside me. She jumped back with a squeal, and I rose up on the lower part of my serpent body. Without waiting for our pursuers’ response, I spit toxic venom—one, two, three times—into the red eyes of the strange men. The bellowing of their pain, sent a thrill through me, and I dropped to a coil on the stone floor and then forced another shift.
“Wh-what—” she stuttered.
I grabbed Ariya’s hand and yanked her back into the crowd. We needed to escape first, then talk. Darting into the torrid activity, I absorbed the heat of the throng as I wove us through the crowd, pulling her along with me. As we neared the entrance, I spotted the two brothers who’d checked our tickets and beelined toward them. Still a few feet from my goal, Tattoo-wings stepped in front of me, tears streaming down his face.
“You tried to kill me,” he snarled.
I raised my eyebrows in response. If I’d been trying to kill him, I would’ve
bit him, not spit in his eyes. Leaning to the side, my gaze connected with Lex, the one in the black jacket.
“What seems to be the problem here?” Bronx said, appearing at my side. “You aren’t fighting, are you fellas?”
Tattoo-wings turned to Bronx and pointed at his face which was turning a mottled shade of gray. “He tried to poison me. You know that’s not allowed at the Ball. He’s not following the rules.”
Bronx glanced at me and then back to Tattoo-wings. “Did he bite you?”
The mottled shade spread down his neck to his chest, and he sputtered, “No, but—”
“Was he trying to bite you?” Bronx asked me.
I shrugged. “He said he wanted to, but I’m not much for being bitten by another man.”
Ariya giggled, and I tightened my grip. I couldn’t recall if I’d seen her smile before tonight, but that giggle bordered on hysterical. “Jäg could’ve bit him”—she pointed at Tattoo-wings—“he was moving so slow.”
I pursed my lips and shook my head. Her quip wasn’t helpful.
“Get out of here, Trax. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of willing participants out there, or have Imperia or one of the other bartenders get you some blood—there’s plenty. No need to go biting unwilling participants. At least not if you want to come back next year.”
Tattoo-wings grumbled something as he stepped toward the bar on the right. I followed his movement and noticed his other friends waiting in the wings. Cowards.
Ariya grinned up at Bronx and asked, “Can you turn into any stone creature or just those winged animals?”
Bronx narrowed his eyes. “It’s a party trick, sweetheart. My wings and strength are all I need.” He looked up at me and said, “She’s been drugged.”
I nodded. “I figured I’d take her outside, and maybe some water would help.”
The Monster Ball: A Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 35