by Susan Illene
"Here she is, Madam Noreen,” the vampire behind me announced. I figured him for one of her minions. All the powerful sups had an entourage of “lessers” to do their bidding.
Noreen wore a designer pantsuit, minus the jacket. The white silk shirt she had on was sleeveless and low-cut, hugging her slim curves in a flattering way, and her highlighted hair had been swept up into a fancy twist. She stood with confident authority. I set my face in a neutral expression, not wanting to give away any signs of fear. Nothing could be done about my rapidly-beating heart, though.
Her lips curled up. "Are you enjoying my club, little one?"
"Of course, but I just remembered I left my stove on.” She didn’t need to know I couldn’t cook a hot dog without blowing it up into chunks. “It runs on gas, so I really should get home and shut it off.”
I swiveled on my heels to leave, but didn’t make it more than two steps. The vampire by the door shoved me back in the direction of the witch, making me stumble before catching myself. I turned around to find Noreen had moved in closer. When she spoke next, her tone might have come off as pleasant, but a hint of malice laced its edges.
"This shouldn’t take long, don’t worry."
Right, I felt really reassured.
"Good to know,” I said instead, glancing back at the door, “but it would really suck if my apartment caught on fire. I really do have to get going.” Maybe if I said it enough times, she’d believe me.
The witch ignored my protest and hit a button on a small remote in her hand. What had been a wall in front of me slid open on silent tracks. Tinted glass appeared behind it, along with the dance floor below. The lights continued to blink in rapid succession over the contorted bodies moving with the beat. I wasn’t the prudish type, but some things went beyond even my limits. It took all my self-control not to shudder in revulsion.
Two pairs of suspicious eyes bored into me, making it difficult to keep up my stoicism. I was reaching the point where I wanted them to know how I really felt. Anyone with a scrap of decency would have had a tough time pretending any of this was okay.
"Why are you not participating in the fun?”
"Fun?” I raised my brows. “They’re down there licking each other’s asses, among other things. Not exactly my style.”
Noreen’s gaze didn’t leave me as she spoke to the vampire. "Give us a moment, Hector."
"Of course, Madam."
Damn, should have kept my mouth shut. Playing innocent and stupid had gotten me out of a few messes in the past, but my anger ran too high this time to keep it in check. I resisted the urge to look back when the door clicked shut. My senses told me the minion moved down the hall, but he didn’t go far.
Noreen frowned. "How is it that a human could be immune to my magic?"
I cocked my head to the side. "Excuse me?"
Best to try the innocent act again.
Her eyes narrowed. "Don't play games with me, young lady."
She flicked her delicate hand out and mumbled a few incomprehensible words. Magic swept over my body before fizzling out. Noreen had cast a strong freezing spell—one that should have prevented me from moving. Any human, or weaker sup, would have been susceptible to it. I stood still. Better to let her believe the spell worked for now. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t buying my act of innocence.
Noreen studied me close for signs of resistance before nodding in satisfaction at her "forced compliance". I chanted a mantra in my head, telling myself not to move yet, as she stepped up to the window. Her back faced me while she watched the dancers below.
"Here is the problem, dear. You should be down there, participating with the others, and yet that isn't the case. This tells me you’re not what you seem."
My hand slid up to reach the hidden knife. It folded open in a smooth motion, thanks to countless hours of practice, and fit in the palm of my hand. I pressed it close to my side to keep it concealed.
Whatever happened, I had to make a choice. Killing her could get me in trouble with the authorities, if the sups chose to go that route. It would be difficult to prove self defense with all her employees vouching for her, and the police couldn’t be told the truth. That’d be a sure death sentence in the supernatural community and not something I wanted to contemplate. If they decided to resolve things on their own, it wouldn’t be much better. They might get over me wounding her, but they’d never let me get away with killing her.
Noreen’s voice carried over to me as my mind raced. "You appear to be human, yet this cannot be true. What are you?”
If she pondered the subject too long, she might come to the correct answer. Various methods of escape ran through my head. The only idea that came to mind wouldn’t be foolproof, but it was the best I could come up with under the circumstances. I remained motionless, waiting for my chance, as every instinct in me screamed to act.
“Of course, you can't answer that. Can you, little one?” She smoothed her pant legs and lifted her chin. "You should know I’m the most powerful witch in central California. The entire area around here is mine now and every supernatural creature in it will obey me. Whatever you are, you’re not human. Do not doubt I will discover the truth, one way or another."
I had to suppress a flinch at the idea I wasn’t human. Maybe enhanced, but still very much mortal. I refused to lump myself in with a bunch of unnatural beings. They were the enemy and pure evil. Sups preyed on humans and sensors protected them, or at least we used to.
Noreen circled my still form, studying me. The hand concealing my knife twitched, wanting to take action against her cold, slithery presence. Not all witches were bad, but this one had gone down the dark path.
She stopped moving when she came around to my front again. Her hand rose to touch my face in a light caress. I wanted to shove it away. Pressure pushed at the edges of my mind as she tried to force her way in. Noreen would discover nothing by this method, but that in itself would reveal too much. When her eyes lit up, I knew I was in trouble.
“Hmmm, there is an associate of mine who would find you very interesting. How would you like to take a trip up north?”
I gave up the act of being frozen, and jerked her close.
“Not very much at all,” I said, looking into her widened eyes.
In a swift move made easy from practice during my army days, I thrust the knife into the region of her stomach where her left kidney should be and twisted hard. It wasn’t a death blow, since it could be healed quickly by her minions, but it would be enough to weaken her until I got away. The witch screamed out in pain and rage, forcing me to cover her mouth and drive her body to the floor. I shoved a knee into her chest for good measure. Her struggles weakened, but didn’t stop.
Her kind had the same physical limitations as all other humans had—unless they put temporary spells in place ahead of time. Those wouldn’t work on me, even if she had used them, but my real advantage came from being stronger. I went to the gym regularly to keep my muscles toned. A part of me always knew something like this might happen.
I couldn’t hold her like this for long, so I searched for something nearby to use as a weapon. A fancy bronze sculpture of entwined lovers sitting on the nearest shelf caught my eye. I grabbed it and slugged her over the head with it. She slumped onto the plush, beige carpet without making another sound. A trickle of blood ran down her head, but the rise and fall of her chest let me know she still lived.
Seeing her lying still caused a twinge of guilt, but not enough to make me feel all that bad about it. She deserved a whole hell of a lot more, considering everything she’d done. It annoyed me to know she’d live to hurt more humans, but I didn’t have the power to stop her. Keeping myself alive was a full time job.
I set the statue back on the table and yanked my knife out of her abdomen, cleaning the blade off on her mint green designer pants before putting it away. She wouldn’t be happy about the mess, but that wasn’t my problem. I had to get out of here.
My senses told me Hecto
r still stood at the other end of the hall. Noreen must have had the room soundproofed. It didn’t surprise me since having creatures around with excellent hearing would have made privacy rather difficult.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled the door open a few inches and peeked out. He was talking on the phone with his back facing my direction. No one else stood out there, leaving me a clear path. The loud music coming from below would help cover any sounds I made, but to be safe I slipped off my heels and held them in one hand.
Staying on my toes, I raced to the stairs. He didn’t turn around during my passing. His murmuring voice faded as I moved farther away from him.
My flight down went almost as fast as the one going up. I slipped my shoes back on at the bottom, wanting both hands free. The main room appeared before me. I turned left toward the entrance. A small group of newcomers walked past, but their eyes were already glazed over from the heady magic still clouding the air.
I wanted to save them and the other humans but had no way of doing it alone. A sensor I might be, but superwoman I was not. It would be impossible to go against all the sups in the place and I was nothing if not realistic. Five were in the main dance floor area and two behind the bar. Not to mention the ones I’d left upstairs and the werewolf standing at the front door.
I hesitated for a moment over leaving Lisette, but didn't think she would be in any real danger. She’d made it clear she wanted to stay. They wouldn’t dare to harm a pixie anyway with so many of her kind in the area. Pixies were one of the more peaceful races among the fae until one of their own was threatened. Then things got ugly.
Reaching the entrance, I saw the werewolf who’d been standing there before. He was busy checking over humans waiting in line. I debated for a moment on how to get past him, but realized he wasn't blocking the door, only standing by it. Rushing past him in the same way I had the vampire upstairs seemed like the best idea.
It would have worked too, if he hadn’t grabbed my arm right before I slipped out.
"Where do you think you're going?” he growled out. His breath stank of things I didn’t want to contemplate.
A smart reply didn’t come to me. I stood frozen in his vise-like grip in that way that happens when you’re sure you won’t get caught and then you do. He used his free hand to reach for the radio on his belt. My near escape couldn't end so close to getting away. I had to do something.
Without thinking further, my knee shot out and slammed into his groin. A grunt escaped him as he doubled over, moving both his hands to cover his crotch. I took advantage by wrapping my arm around his neck and locking him into a choke hold, using his own weight against him. Within seconds, the blood supply to his head cut off and he slumped unconscious. I dropped him, letting his body fall to the ground in front of me with a loud thump. Countless hours of training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu had just paid off.
Those waiting nearest in line looked at me with rounded eyes and dropped jaws. Not every day a one hundred and thirty pound girl knocked out a guy twice her size.
"Get out of here,” I yelled at them, waving my arms in a shooing manner. “This place isn’t safe!”
Confused gazes stared back at me. Why couldn't people heed a simple warning without needing an explanation first? I didn't have time for this—escape first, worry about them later. I took off down the street and around the next corner, dashing out of sight.
Chapter Two
My townhouse resembled something a tornado stopped by to visit. This occurred to me as I trudged back and forth across the living room. My feet traced the one clear path stretching from the sitting area to the kitchen. Every other available space was covered with books, old college assignments, and recently used fast food wrappers.
Aniya, my roommate, had been away for six weeks in Alaska visiting a guy she’d met online. Because neither of us were the tidiest people, the townhouse continued to remain a mess well after her departure. When we’d decided to move in together two years before, we’d worked out a deal where she would take care of the kitchen and I would deal with the bathroom. The rest of our home was supposed to be a mutual effort, but we rarely got past our assigned areas.
It didn’t bother me most of the time since we didn’t invite many people over, but it irked me now. I had a lot of pent up anxiety and frustration to work out after events from the night before. Mindless chores would help me get my focus back.
The dilemma over what to do about the nightclub incident pervaded my thoughts as I worked. I imagined each piece of trash I picked up as a vampire or werewolf who needed “removal”. The dirty clothes being stuffed into the washer resembled a certain witch who needed her dark magic cleansed in a more permanent way.
There had to be a solution that wouldn't require a drastic lifestyle change. I was tired of moving around. My time in the military had been a great way to avoid sups, but it didn't make me safe. Nothing did.
Life had been comfortable since coming back to California. My friends were here and classes at the nearby university would be resuming in a couple of weeks. I looked forward to school and didn't want to leave again if possible. With two semesters left before getting my bachelor’s degree, it wouldn’t take long to finish. There had to be a way to stay until then.
I needed to be realistic, though.
The restaurant located in the Fisherman’s Wharf where I worked wasn't more than a mile from the nightclub. Keeping my job there any longer wouldn't be a good idea, or going anywhere near that area. I escaped the sups once but the odds of surviving another run-in now that they could recognize me were not high. Explaining to my friends why I had a sudden aversion to downtown Monterey wouldn’t be easy, but living in the neighboring town of Marina would give me some protection by distance—so long as I kept a low profile.
When the doorbell rang a little past noon, I already knew who was waiting outside. She always lit up my mind like a bright light as soon as she got near me. I still checked the peephole, though. Caution remained uppermost in my mind—even if my senses didn’t detect anyone else. The sups could always hire a human to come after me and my abilities couldn’t detect them so easily. They could be standing out there now, watching my home, and I'd never know it.
No one strange appeared to be lurking about, even after I opened the door for a better view. Lisette came bounding in with her usual cheerfulness, unaware of my paranoid behavior. Her pink hair swished with her movements.
I envied that carefree attitude she pulled off with such ease. At exactly five feet, she always made me think of a tiny ball of energy. From what I’d seen, all pixies were on the short side. I frequently reminded her of my six inches of greater height—to her annoyance.
Lisette headed straight for the living room and took a seat. I plopped down beside her on the hunter green couch Aniya and I had bought together the year before, happy to take a break from cleaning and other worries. My friend wasted no time opening the conversation.
"So…did you hear what happened at the club after you left last night?”
I lifted my brow. She didn’t need any further encouragement.
"The police showed up and shut the place down. Everyone ran as soon as they arrived. I managed to escape but a lot of others were rounded up. No idea who called the cops, but I’m sure the owners weren't happy. Someone told me they’ll be closed again tonight. I hope it isn’t permanent.” She shook her head and sighed.
At least she didn’t suspect me of calling them. Keeping my thoughts to myself, I replied with sarcasm. "I'm sure they’ll be open again in no time. Good thing you didn't end up in jail, though. It would have sucked to come and get you out."
"Yeah, but you would have,” she said with a smirk. "I can always count on that."
"You’re right…maybe.” She had always relied on me and Aniya a little too much to get her out of trouble.
"Hey, did you clean up?” Lisette’s eyes widened. “I can see the floor. You have beige carpet. It’s a little stained, but who would have guessed?"
"The place wasn't that bad before," I grumbled.
She raised an eyebrow. "You and Aniya are the worst slobs I know. It might be the reason you two make such good roommates. Who else would put up with your disgusting ways?"
Of course we’d look bad to the neat freak. This was an old argument that never got old for her. We’d met in high school after I’d moved from San Francisco at fifteen years old. Lisette and Aniya gave me the friendship I’d needed after losing my parents in a suspicious car crash—an event I continued to question after discovering I’d been adopted. Who my birth parents were remained a mystery, but the man and woman who raised me felt real enough that I couldn’t refer to them as being adoptive.
Wanda, a family friend, took me in after the accident. She provided for my basic needs, though she often acted distant. None of my other “relatives” wanted the responsibility, but she hadn’t minded. In some ways it turned out for the best because she helped me to understand my strange abilities. She’d recognized them from being a sensor herself. Since my senses had awakened only eight months before moving in with her, I’d been lost as to what they were or how to deal with them. She taught me a lot in the time we had together.
It didn’t last long, though. Three years after she took me in a sup murdered her, taking my last guardian away. I was there when it happened and couldn’t do anything to stop it. After that I left for the army, hoping to get away from the danger that seemed to be stalking me. Maybe it didn’t make a lot of sense, but at least the military gave me a gun and armor to protect myself. That was more than I’d had before.
It put a slight strain on my friendship with Aniya and Lisette, but we managed to stay in contact. Both women were happy when I returned to California after my six-year obligation was up.
