My eyes widened in terror as I staggered back before catching my footing.
"Jesus Christ!" He murmured under his breath "I'm sorry, Miss. There I go startling you again"
I didn't say anything. Just held my breath and waited for his move.
He moved threatening towards me.
"My mama always said never leave those in need stranded. I hate to leave you in this dangerous place alone, Miss"
"I can manage, sir. Thank you for the ride, sir" I said in what I hoped was a brave voice.
"Still doesn't feel right, Miss"
Then he surprised me by turning the pointy end of the blade towards himself and the wooden handle towards me like he wanted me to take it from him.
"Do you know how to use one of these, Miss? I hate to leave you without help but I drive vegetables and if I don't get them to Cate city before noon, my paycheck gets ducked and I got an awfully huge number of children, Miss"
He came closer and pressed the knife into my palm.
I still didn't said a word.
"If one of those sons of bitches come at you, stick 'em with the pointy end, okay?" He told me.
And I nodded.
He took off his jacket and placed them on me. I didn't even realize how cold I was until he did that.
And just like that, he entered his truck and drove away.
I guess I shouldn't judge people by their exterior.
A mean looking trucker can be an angel and a man with the body and face of a God can be rotten as hell.
I started walking.
Followed the trail left behind by many who had come before me.
Walked in the deserted alley of Old Jersey city about six minutes before I stumbled into the right bar.
I don't know what I was expecting but this wasn't it. The outside looked stranded enough, off-putting like it was deserted on purpose.
People with a working brain would have left but I don't think I was thinking with my brain, a lot of decisions made today had been done by my heart.
The name on the neon sign was "Midnight Rhapsody"
was it me or did the sign look like it had horns.
When I pushed the door open, it was another world. It wasn't a bar.
It was a club of sorts.
A haven of some kind for supernatural creatures.
As I stepped inside, the air pulsed with an otherworldly energy. The dimly lit huge room was filled with a diverse array of beings, each with their own unique abilities and characteristics.
Creatures I have heard of but never seen before. Occurrences I have never seen before.
They were wolves there, their eyes glowing yellow in the dark, mingled with other shifter as they danced. Vampires, their skin deathly pale, sipped blood-red cocktails at the bar, while witches, their hands weaving intricate spells, chatted in the corner.
Shapeshifters, their forms blurring as they transformed, moved through the crowd with ease. A creature I have never heard of or seen before spun tracks on the DJ deck, filling the room with a hypnotic beat.
I even saw a vampire kissing a wolf.
In what world doesn't a vampire kiss a wolf, we were mortar enemies!
"What can I get you?"
The bartender was a girl. She polished a glass with a white cloth, her slender fingers moving with a quiet confidence.
Her silver hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail, revealing piercing green eyes that sparkled with a hint of mischief.
A small tattoo of a sprig of rosemary adorned her left wrist - I guess it was a nodd to her heritage.
She was a freaking fae!
I gripped the knife the trucker gave me tightly, every instinct telling me to remember the stories we told about fae as a child.
About how dangerous they really were behind those pretty faces of theirs.
"You don't need that" She said and pointed to the knife I was hiding underneath the huge coat.
"Only a fool would break one of his rules and fight in his club. You are not a fool, are you?" She asked me, her voice lowered like she wanted to keep it between us.
She wore a fitted black tank top and a pair of high-waisted jeans, her feet clad in scuffed up Converse shoes. A silver necklace with a tiny crystal pendant glinted in the dim light of the bar, adding a touch of whimsy to her outfit.
"What's your poison?" She asked me. "You are a wolf, right? An unshifted one by the looks of it. I have an ale that can help you shift at least for a few hours before it wears off. It's gonna cost you though"
As she worked, her wings remained hidden, but a subtle shimmer in the air around her hinted at their presence. Her smile was warm and inviting, putting even the most skeptical of patrons at ease but there was nothing easy about her.
I took a step closer and placed the blade on the table. She took it and hid it quickly.
"I will get the ale for…"
"I want to make a deal with him"
"With who?" She played clueless.
"With whomever is behind that door" I pointed at the red door in the southern corner of the room. "I want to make a deal with the devil"
She grabbed a cup and placed it roughly on the table and poured a glowing drink inside it before pushing it to me.
"Take the drink, love, enjoy a few hours of freedom. It's on the house" she said.
"I want…"
"You don't know what you want!" She said through her gritted teeth, her eyes dancing with fear.
Faes are never afraid. If something made her terrified to the bones than what chance could I stand with it but I was determined.
Lucious had to pay.
"The deal, please" I said in a steady voice.
She took out a card reluctantly and placed it on the bar table.
"It's your funeral, kid!"
I took the card.