by Brey Willows
The songs stayed hot and fast, and they hardly stopped for a drink before going back out again. Selene’s nipples ached from being so turned on, and she knew her panties were soaked through. Alec’s hard body pressed against hers was driving her insane. The lights blinked twice, and she looked at the bar in surprise. The last call indication brought a few people to the bar, but for the most part, the crowd had thinned out substantially. They went to their table and downed the last of their drinks.
“Wow, I can’t believe it’s that late.”
A slow song came on, and Alec held out her hand. Selene took it and let Alec lead her back onto the dance floor.
“Did I mention you look beautiful tonight?” Alec said as she wrapped her arms around Selene’s waist, pulling her close.
“You might have said something to that effect, but feel free to say it again.” Selene tried to quell the butterflies trying to migrate from her stomach to her mouth.
“You look stunning.” Alec brushed a lock of hair away from Selene’s face. “Exquisite. I’m so proud to be here with you tonight.”
Selene closed her eyes as Alec’s lips met hers. Soft, cool, tender. She opened her mouth and let Alec’s tongue in, and was grateful for Alec’s arms around her as she felt her knees go weak. The kiss was slow, deep, and wanting. She pulled away and saw her desire mirrored in Alec’s eyes.
“Shall we go?” she said.
Selene nodded, unable to say anything. Thank God the hotel is nearby.
Alec grabbed Selene’s coat from the chair and held it out for her before she slipped on her own. She took Selene’s hand and led her from the bar.
The night was quiet compared to the constant noise inside, and when the sidewalk tilted slightly, Selene giggled.
“I think I had more to drink than I usually do.”
Alec laughed. “I haven’t had that much to drink in a long time. I’m not drunk, but I’ve got a nice buzz going.” She slipped her arm around Selene’s waist as they walked to the Hummer.
“Ouch!” Selene jerked forward, holding her shoulder.
“What is it?”
“Something just hit—Ow!”
A small rock bounced off Selene’s shoulder and hit the sidewalk in front of them. Alec spun around, pulling Selene behind her. Three men stood behind them. One held a handful of rocks, one held a bat, and one held a pipe. The rest of the street was deserted.
“Hey there. We saw you come out of the bar and thought maybe we could have a talk.” The one with the bat motioned with it, his face set in a malevolent grin.
“I have a feeling we don’t have much to say to one another. Why don’t you find someone else to talk to?” Alec crossed her arms and stared him down.
“Well, see, we would, except that you two look like you need to hear what we have to say.” They moved closer, and Alec pushed Selene away from her slightly, farther back.
“Believe me, buddy, you don’t want to have any kind of conversation with me. Ever. If I have to talk to you, it’ll definitely wreck your night.”
They all snickered. “I like your spirit. Too bad I need to beat it out of you. See, this whole lesbian thing really gets under my skin.” He looked over Alec’s shoulder at Selene. “That one there, she shouldn’t be with the likes of you. She needs to be with a real man, one who can show her what’s good in life.” He raised the bat. “And when we’re done with you, we’ll show her exactly what she’s been missing.”
He was fast, so fast. Selene barely had time to scream before he lunged at Alec, swinging the bat. She looked behind them and across the street. No one. She looked back at the fight and was stunned.
Alec held the bat in one hand, looking almost bored as he tried to yank it from her grip. The other man jumped forward with the pipe, and Alec grabbed that with her other hand. No matter how many times they tugged or pushed, she held steady. The third man, seeing her occupied with his friends, took advantage. He darted around them and grabbed Selene. He pulled her against him, and she could smell his fetid breath as he yelled at Alec.
“Hey, bitch. I got your dyke girlfriend. What you gonna do now?”
“You don’t want to do this. Really. Go away, guys.”
Selene cried out slightly when the man twisted her arm behind her back. He’d dropped his rocks and pulled a knife instead, something far more terrifying. Suddenly, the two men tussling with Alec went flying backward. She flung their weapons at their feet and turned so she could see Selene and her attacker, while not turning her back on the other two.
“Close your eyes, babe. Please.”
The knife dug into the soft skin under Selene’s chin. She whimpered.
And then hell broke loose.
Alec…changed. She grew taller, impossibly tall. And…wings. Thick, jet-black wings spread from her back. Her eyes turned the color of slate, the whites gone. She held up her arms, and from beneath her jacket sleeves slithered two massive diamondback snakes. Instead of dropping to the ground, they leapt, and one struck the man with the bat, while the other flew toward Selene and her attacker. She screamed, but the snake bypassed her and hit her attacker in the throat. He shoved Selene away from him and fell to the sidewalk, screaming and trying to pull it off him. The man with the pipe was scrambling backward, watching his friends with terrified eyes. He held his hands up in defense when Alec turned toward him.
“Please, don’t. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were this kind of freak. I just thought you were a dyke.”
Selene watched as Alec held up her hands, and a black mist formed between them. She turned them toward the man and the mist slithered over his body, twisting and turning around him until it entered his screaming mouth. He choked and gasped.
The other two men were writhing, nearly unconscious, and the snakes slithered back to Alec’s feet, up her legs and back under the cuffs of her jacket. She lowered her arms slowly and turned to face Selene.
She stumbled back. “Alec…what…I don’t…”
Alec sighed, and returned to normal size. Her wings folded and disappeared from sight. Her eyes returned to their normal color. She stepped over the man who had been holding Selene and reached for her. She winced when Selene pulled away.
“I can explain. I promise, just give me a chance—”
“A chance? Give you a chance? Are you serious? What…I don’t even…What are you? Have I gone insane? Did someone spike my drink? Oh God, I’ve been drugged, haven’t I?”
Alec motioned toward the Hummer. “You haven’t been drugged, as much as I’d like to blame it on that. Can I take you to your hotel, please? And maybe we can talk this out?”
“Talk it out. Just like that. You want to talk about the fact that you’ve got wings. And your tattoos just came alive and did…something…to those men. And what the fuck was that between your hands?” She looked at the men on the ground, all looking like they were stuck in some kind of horrific nightmare. I know how they feel. “I need a minute, Alec. I’ll take a taxi to my hotel. You can call me in the morning. I think. I don’t know.”
Alec sighed and looked utterly forlorn. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to find out this way. But when I saw him hurting you—”
“You what? Decided to become a…a…an evil fairy?”
Alec looked surprised, and then she grinned slightly. “I don’t think I’ve been called that before. I like it.”
She turned and flagged down a passing taxi. She opened the door, and Selene kept her distance, wary of the snakes she knew were under her sleeves. Tattoos. They’re tattoos. Tattoos who come alive and do things to people. Sure. Right. Okay.
“I’ll come by your hotel in the morning, okay? Please give me a chance. I’ll explain everything.”
“How do you explain…no. Nevermind. Not now.” She gave the driver her hotel name. “I’ll wait for you in the morning. If you’re not there by ten, I’m getting on a train home.”
“I’ll be there, I promise.”
The taxi pulled away, and Selene turned to
look out the back window. Alec stood on the sidewalk, looking like her usual gorgeous self. Except for the three men twisting in some kind of agony at her feet, everything looked normal.
Normal. The woman I wanted to go to bed with tonight is apparently over six feet tall and has wings. Sure. Normal. She closed her eyes but saw the situation play out again and reopened them. Please, let me be having a breakdown.
Chapter Fourteen
Alec stood outside Selene’s hotel room, a bag of bagels and cream cheese in one hand, a holder with two lattes in the other. She’d been standing there for nearly fifteen minutes. Fear and indecisiveness weren’t part of her nature. For centuries, she’d tracked down the worst of humanity, become something even nightmares couldn’t conceive of, and handed out judgments. Now, in front of a woman’s door, faced with her anger, she was a marshmallow of apology and contriteness.
The door opened, and Selene looked at her warily. “It’s creeping me out, you standing there like that.” She looked at the bag in Alec’s hand. “And I’m starving.”
Alec let out a deep breath. “Sorry. I couldn’t figure out how to knock with both hands full.”
“What, your wings aren’t that versatile?”
Humor. That’s unexpected. “No thumbs on them. Yet. I’m waiting to evolve.”
Selene stepped out of the doorway and motioned Alec inside. “Don’t change on me, okay? Just stay…you.”
Alec winced internally but smiled. “I can manage that, as long as no one pulls a knife on you.”
Selene moved to the little kitchenette with the bag and took an appreciative sniff. “There are a lot of bagels in here. Were you intending on kidnapping me and letting me have these as my only meals?”
“That’s right. No plain bread and water for you. Bagels are chewier. They last longer.”
They stayed quiet as Selene dug into the cream cheese with determination. She brought one over on a paper towel and handed it to Alec, though it was clear she did so carefully, making certain they didn’t touch. Not so great, then. She took a long, slow sip of her latte.
Alec took a bite and waited. When Selene didn’t say anything, she couldn’t stand the tension any longer. “Questions?”
Selene looked at her incredulously. “You think?” She shook her head. “I don’t even know where to start.” She looked Alec over, her gaze lingering on her jacket cuffs. “I suppose the logical question, if there is such a thing right now, is what are you? Did I really see what I thought I saw last night? Because that’s not possible. Right?”
She looked so desperate for Alec to agree, to be told her world was the way it should be, Alec was tempted to make up some ridiculous story. Maybe involving an acid tab in their drinks or something. It’s too late. And we’re running out of time. Step up. “The thing with life, with the world, is that there are a whole lot of things that seem impossible, but aren’t. They just aren’t likely.”
“Not likely? No. Not likely is a grandmother lifting a bus off her grandchild. Not likely is the ability of a peacock to fly or salmon to swim upstream. Those things are unlikely, but possible. You…” She closed her eyes as she chewed. “Tell me what you are. Start there. Then we’ll deal with unlikely.”
Alec’s stomach churned, and she put her food down, only half eaten. “Okay, fair enough. I’m a fury.”
Selene opened her eyes. “Sorry? What?”
“A fury. One of three, actually. Myself and my sisters.”
“Oh. Well. That explains everything.” Selene got up and began to pace, motioning with cream cheese covered fingertips as she talked. “Please, continue. Explain to me how you’re a mythological being? Tell me how you’re something that doesn’t exist?”
Alec raised her hands. “Selene, please try to keep an open mind. I know you’re stressing, and I know this is some weird shit. But please try to really hear me.”
Selene stopped pacing and stared at her. With a sigh, she flopped into the overstuffed chair. “I’m listening.”
“Thank you.” Alec pinched the bridge of her nose. Where the fuck do I start with something like this? In all her existence, she’d never had to explain what she was. “I’m a fury. I was born in the time of ancient Greece. BC, just before the Bronze Age. My sisters and I were the ones who dealt out justice, in a time when things were pretty black-and-white. We still do it now, even though things aren’t quite as simple as they used to be.”
Selene looked contemplative, and Alec loved the way her brow furrowed and she bit her lip. She forced herself to focus.
“How is that possible, Alec? You’re telling me that mythological beings, from more than three thousand years ago, exist.” Her eyes got wide. “You’re telling me you’re five thousand years old.” She laughed, a hoarse, choking sound. “If I hadn’t seen…if you hadn’t done…I’d say you should be locked away. I’m still not sure one of us shouldn’t be.”
Alec reached for Selene, but lowered her hand when Selene flinched away from her. “I can’t imagine how hard this is, especially for someone so devoted to philosophy and logic. But I can assure you, I’m very real.”
Selene covered her face with her hands and looked at Alec through her fingers. “Next you’ll be telling me unicorns and fairies are real. Leprechauns? Are they real? How about demons and succubi? Santa? The Easter Bunny?”
Alec sighed. “The unicorns died off before I was born. All the rest…yes. They’re real, to some extent.”
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Selene rushed for the bathroom, and Alec grimaced at the sound of her vomiting. She went in quietly and held her hair back, then placed a cold cloth against the back of her neck. She closed her eyes when Selene slumped against her legs and rested her head against Alec’s thigh. A flicker of hope licked at her subconscious. Maybe, just maybe, it would be okay after all.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered.
“I know.” She helped Selene stand and offered her a cup of water. “Why don’t we take a walk and talk a bit more? That way we’ve got some fresh air, and if you have to vomit again, you can do it in the sea?”
“Excellent. I’ve always been a fan of public spewing.” She ran her hands through her hair. “Give me a few minutes to pull myself together.”
Alec nodded and squeezed her hand. “I’ll wait outside.”
She turned to go but stopped when Selene tentatively touched her forearm.
“Wait. Before you go…I need to see. I need to see what I saw last night, right here in the light of day. So I believe and I don’t just think you got me so drunk I hallucinated you as something else.”
Alec searched Selene’s eyes but found only determination. “Are you sure?”
“More than you can know. I believe in things I can see. If we’re going to have this conversation, I need to believe you.”
“Okay.” She pulled gently on Selene’s hand and moved her to the bed. “Sit down. And please don’t scream.”
“Do I look like a screamer?”
Alec gave her a wicked grin. “I’m hoping I’ll still get to find that out.”
Selene gave a surprised laugh and looked away for a second. “Do it. Please.”
Alec stepped back and raised her arms. She let the magic fall away and breathed a sigh of relief as she spread her wings. Mostly spread them, anyway. The room wasn’t quite large enough for her to spread them fully. She let her eyes change and her teeth sharpen. She looked down at Selene.
“This is me. This is what I am, Selene.” She’d never really noticed how her voice hissed slightly. That must scare the crap out of people too. Nice. “I’m not a monster. I’m a myth, I’m a form of law no one ever thinks about anymore, and by the time someone knows I exist, I’ve already begun shredding their mind. But I’m not ashamed of what I am.”
Alec waited and watched as Selene took in what she was seeing. She was startled when Selene stood up and lifted her hand.
“Can I touch them?”
“My wings?”
Selene nod
ded. When Alec flicked her wing and brought it closer to Selene’s hand, she jumped slightly before stroking them. Alec shivered at her soft caress, the feeling running straight through her.
“They didn’t look soft. Last night. I thought they looked like…bat wings. But they’re feathers.”
Alec tilted her head. “They looked like bat wings because I wanted to scare the shit out of those guys. And those kinds of wings seem scarier today than wings with feathers.”
“Today?”
“As opposed to a thousand years ago, when feathered wings had a reputation for being some kind of terrible curse. It was a phase.”
“Of course it was,” Selene murmured. She stepped back. “And your tattoos?”
Alec shook her head. “Let’s take it a little at a time, okay? How about that walk?”
Selene nodded and moved away. “Okay. Five minutes.”
*
The drive to the beach was quiet. Alec could feel Selene processing, trying to work through the little she’d already been told. Wait till she hears the rest.
“That’s why I couldn’t see you properly. Isn’t it?”
Alec nodded. “It’s rare, but sometimes a human is sensitive enough to notice that something isn’t quite right. You’re one of those, apparently. I use a form of magic, a kind of shield, so no one sees my wings, or the things related to me. That goes for the Hummer and my house too. I can cloak everything completely, or just to a degree. Whatever I need to do.” There would be time to tell Selene the rest. For the moment, a bit of information was better than all of it.
“Does the Hummer have wings too? Is that how we got to my place so quickly the other day?”
“Kind of. I mean, not wings, but it moves through time and space differently.”
“Of course it does.” Selene sighed, a heavy, deep sigh. “I imagine there’s more?”
“Well…yeah. I mean, I’m only one kind of ancient. There are plenty to go around.”
