The screech of Fin's bicycle tires echoed down as Fin pedaled his cycle furiously.
"She should be there, if not..." Thinking about the only place that came to his mind, his grip on the handlebars tightened as he spotted the neon glow of Luna Noir Bar ahead.
He jumped from his cycle toward the bar. The weather changed, with the wind turning sweet and cold.
Inside, the bar was a noisy mess of strobe lights, sweat, and the sharp stink of cheap booze.
Fin pushed through the crowd, ignoring the music and drunken laughter, his eyes scanning for her.
"Ha... Huff Huff." Then his eyes landed on her—Amelia.
She was standing with two men in suits, their expensive watches catching the light. Beside them was Kara, laughing and leaning against one of the guys like she didn't have a care in the world.
"Amelia!" Fin called, his voice cutting through the noise as he pushed through a cluster of rowdy college kids.
Fin? Amelia's body froze like she'd been caught.
Her eyes went wide. "F-Fin? What are you doing here?"
"Are you okay?" He grabbed her wrist before she could pull away. His grip was too tight, and he knew it, but he couldn't help it.
One of the guys stepped forward, reeking of cologne, and asked Kara, "Who is he?"
Kara rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. "Him again?"
Amelia yanked her arm away. "I'm fine, Fin. Just… go home."
The taller man snorted with jealousy as he compared Fin with himself. "Who the fuck are you? Back off, Dumpster."
Kara snickered. "Dumpster? Please. Even that's a compliment. He is Fin, that shithead I've been talking about."
Fin clenched his fists, his jaw tight. "Amelia. Look at me."
She wouldn't. Her voice trembled as she said, "Just leave, Fin. Please."
The taller guy slung an arm around her shoulder like he owned her. "Didn't you hear? She's with me now. Get lost before I have to do something about it."
The words hit harder than any punch. Fin's gaze landed on the green-haired guy with fire igniting on his hands.
"Hey," Ronny backed off a little.
Fin felt his throat tighten. "...is it true?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Amelia's lips quivered. "...Y-yes. But—"
As if he had lost everything, his eyes lost all their color. Fin couldn't stay to hear more.
"Fin—" Amelia was stopped by Ronny before she could chase after him.
The noise of the bar faded into a blur as he turned and stumbled out into the early pecks of rain.
The cold drops of rain slapped against his face as Fin wandered aimlessly, his mind racing with everything that had just happened.
"LET GO!"
The scream snapped Fin out of his thoughts. He froze, his eyes darting to a dark alley where four men were surrounding a blonde girl.
She was small but wild, thrashing and kicking like a cornered animal. One of the men had dog ears, his canine fangs glinting under the faint light of the streetlamp.
"HEY!" Fin's voice boomed as he stormed into the alley.
The demi-human growled, baring his fangs. "Mind your business, hero."
Hero? Fin's fists lit up with flames.
"Guess I'll make it my business" Fire burned down his arms as sparks of electricity danced around his feet.
"Haaaaa!" Fin dashed forward, his heavy eyes still filled with tears, hidden by the raindrops on his face.
The first guy smirked, his shadow suddenly shifting unnaturally, like it had a mind of its own. Before Fin could land a punch, the shadow coiled upward like a serpent and lashed out at him.
Fin instinctively jumped back, his flames flaring to burn away the shadowy tendrils that tried to grab his legs. ""
"You thought we'd be easy, huh?" the man sneered as his shadow twisted and grew, forming a jagged, spear-like shape.
Before the spear could launch toward Fin, the second guy stepped forward, his shadow splitting into multiple sharp tendrils that swirled around him like whips. "Let's finish this quick," he said, his voice cold and calculated.
"Try me!" Fin roared, launching himself toward the first guy.
The shadow spear shot toward him, but Fin ducked low, his fist blazing as he drove it into the man's stomach.
The man let out a grunt, flying backward into the alley wall, but the others didn't give Fin a moment to breathe.
The second guy's shadow tendrils lashed out, one of them catching Fin's shoulder and tearing through his shirt.
"Argh!" Fin winced as he staggered back, but he quickly retaliated with a flaming kick that burned through the tendrils, forcing the guy to retreat.
The dog-eared demi-human growled, gripping a long wooden staff that was suddenly unsheathed, revealing a hidden blade. He twirled it expertly, the blade gleaming in the dim light.
"You're not getting out of here in one piece, hero," the demi-human snarled before lunging at Fin with blinding speed.
The sword came down in a sharp arc, and Fin barely managed to block it with his forearm coated in flames. Sparks flew as the blade clashed with his fiery defense.
"Not bad," the demi-human said, smirking, "but let's see how you handle this."
He flipped the sword-staff in a fluid motion, the blade slicing through the air with deadly precision.
Fin ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding each strike, but the demi-human was relentless, his movements calculated and precise.
Behind him, the two remaining men joined the fray, their shadows merging and morphing into monstrous shapes with claws and fangs.
"Fine," Fin muttered under his breath, clenching his fists tighter as the flames around him flared brighter. "You want a fight? Let's fight!"
He slammed his fist into the ground, sending a wave of fire surging forward. The flames roared like a living beast, forcing the men to scatter.
The demi-human leaped into the air, avoiding the fire, and came down with a spinning slash.
Fin sidestepped at the last second, countering with a flaming uppercut that grazed the demi-human's side.
The guy winced but didn't slow down, his sword-staff spinning again as he aimed for Fin's legs.
Meanwhile, the two shadow-users tried to trap Fin with their shadowy constructs. One of the tendrils wrapped around his ankle, yanking him off balance.
"Gotcha!" one of them said, grinning wickedly.
But Fin wasn't done. With a burst of electricity from his feet, he shocked the shadow tendril, forcing it to release him.
Smirking with tear's in his eyes as he lunged at the guy, landing a fiery punch that sent him crashing into a pile of crates.
The second shadow-user tried to attack from behind, but Fin spun around just in time, kicking him square in the chest with a crackling, lightning-infused strike.
"Oh angry?" the demi-human taunted, baring his fangs in a feral grin.
Fin glared at him, his flames burning hotter.
With a burst of energy, Fin dashed forward, catching the demi-human off guard. He feinted left, then right, before driving a flaming fist into the guy's gut.
The demi-human coughed, staggering back, but he wasn't down yet. He growled, his canine ears twitching as he gripped his sword-staff tighter.
Before he could attack again, a voice cut through the chaos.
Everyone froze as the sleek silver Rolls-Royce-like car came to a stop at the edge of the alley.
The car door opened, and out stepped a tall woman with platinum-blonde hair and a dress that screamed money and power.
"You," she said, pointing at Fin. "You're my husband now."
Fin blinked. "What?" The rain stopped.
The blonde girl, now grinning ear to ear, ran up to her. "See, Sis? I told you the fake kidnapping idea would work, Three hours. it Onl-" she said.
The older woman groaned, smacking the younger girl lightly on the head "Luna, you idiot! You ruined the whole setup!"
The demi-human, still clutching his ribs, sniffed the air and smirked "Alpha scent… strong. He's perfect for Miss Evelynn."
Evelynn cringed with disgust. "Shut it, Rex" She turned back to Fin.
"You passed the test. Now change into something decent—and come with me for dinner " her expression cool and confident.
Rex tossed a suit bag at Fin, who caught it awkwardly.
"Lady, I just had a Break-up. I'm not in the mood for whatever this is" Fin said, glaring at her.
Evelynn raised an eyebrow, her smirk returning "Dumped? Perfect. That means no extra baggage." She snapped her fingers. "Now change. Or I'll do it for you."