The Change

by Lori Aisling

  She felt his head push against her hair breathing against her neck, giving her goosebumps as his hot breath fanned against the sheen of sweat. His scent intoxicated her; all man. Musky and deep with a hint of amber from the shots. Her brain started firing off warning shots. Why had she never noticed how incredible he smelled? Three shots did not justify rubbing her ass all over his crotch. Nothing good could come from this, yet she did it anyway. Following the beat of the music, she pushed into him, rubbing herself against his body. She slid her hands down his arms and grasped them possessively on top of his wrists, holding them in place against her hips. She raised her head and immediately noticed Jayson and Jessie staring at her, wide-eyed. She was obviously making a spectacle of herself since they had slowed their dancing to stare at her. It wasn’t every day that they saw her grinding all over one of her best friends, and a co-worker, at that.

  The amber had dulled her reasoning. She just wanted to dance and enjoy the feeling of strong arms holding her. She turned her head to the left and froze. There on the dance floor, with his head buried in a busty brunette’s cleavage, was Boz. The girl had straddled his leg and was grinding herself against him. Then who the fuck was nuzzling her neck? She stiffened immediately and cranked her head back and fell into a deep set of amber-colored eyes with golden flecks. A lock of jet black hair had slipped down and framed one side of his face. Shit! Shit! Shit! It was the guy she had seen when she first entered the bar, the one that set off warning bells when he was practically eye-fucking her. His magnetic gaze held her captive as she slowly eased herself off his chest. As she started to pull away, his hands slid from her hips up to her waist and he spun her to face him. Oh God, the man was bigger than she thought. He was at least 6’4”, wide enough to fit two of her across his shoulders. His black button-down shirt strained to cover his wide chest and he had rolled the sleeves up to his elbows showing off those odd runes that covered his arms. A couple of licks of one rune ran up one side of his neck ending below his ear in a point. Tight black leather pants hugged thighs the size of tree trunks. If this man was a Hunter, she was fucked and she knew it. Her internal dialogue screamed at her ‘This is why you don’t get drunk in a bar for fuck's sake!’ As if that was a news flash. She shot him a shy smiled and took a step back, deciding to go with the coy girl ‘oh my gosh, I’m so drunk! Look what I did!’ plan. She saw his lips curl up in a slight smirk as if he knew her rouse. One of his hands snaked up to the middle of her back and pulled her closer as his lips came down to her ear.

  “You wouldn’t leave a man standing on a dance floor alone, would you? I know you enjoy this. Finish this dance with me” he whispered as he seductively pushed his hips into hers.

  Locked in his iron grip, Bristol fought down the sliver of fear that tickled up her spine while simultaneously returning the sway of her hips against his. Matching his rhythm as if controlled by someone else, her eyes locked on his. Her body responded to him while her mind struggled to come to grips with the situation. She found herself running her fingertips up his abs to his chest as they continued to move to the music. One of his hands rested on her lower back, firmly pushing her towards him as the other slid slowly up to her neck, holding her possessively, his fingers threaded through her hair. Bristol wasn’t sure if she should feel fear, lust, or comfort. Strangely, she felt all three. Her blood rushed hot, her breath quickened and she responded to the man pushed against her by losing herself in the dance. Too soon, the song came to an end and the DJ chose the moment to announce a quick break. Bristol stepped back as this mountain of a man released his hold on her.

  “Hey, I am really sorry I got all up in your business like that,” she stumbled, suddenly tongue-tied. “I thought you were my friend.” She mumbled.

  “Lucky friend,” he responded with a smirk. “I really didn’t mind. My name is Ristan,” he said as he extended his hand to shake hers. “And your name is?” he questioned.

  “Oh, sorry. My name’s Bristol,” she said, accepting his outstretched hand with her own. Turning it to face palm-up, he pressed his lips to the inside of her wrist. Hot tingles traveled from his mouth straight up her arm. This guy was off the charts. He was scary, huge and so incredibly hot that the sex appeal rolled off him in waves. No way, she told herself. Get me the fuck out of here.

  Bristol

  At that exact moment, a guardian angel appeared in the form of Jessie.

  “Hey, Love, I gotta pee. Will you please go with me?” She whispered, but loud enough for Ristan to hear.

  “Sure, girl. Lead the way. Excuse us, Ristan. It was nice meeting you. Sorry again about the whole dance, grind, umm, thing. I gotta go.” She stuttered and hurried off the dance floor without a backward glance. Once they were safely down the hall that led to the restroom, Jessie spun on her.

  “What the fuck was that Bristol? Who the hell is Mr. Sex Pot?” she exclaimed, her eyes wide.

  “Jesus, Jessie. I don’t know! I thought it was Boz! We were just dancing and I thought we were just cuttin’ loose a little. Do you think I am proud of rubbing my ass all over what appears to be a fucking Hunter?” She exclaimed through gritted teeth.

  “Let’s relax a sec, OK?” Jessie countered. “He might be fucking huge and a bit scary, but I am not so sure he’s a Hunter, Bri. I have never seen runes like that. That dude is packing a lot of juice and I find it hard to believe that someone with that much magic would need to resort to hunting. And even if he did, who the hell is he going to track down here? We are a simple little mining town with a mixed bag of Shifters, Fae, and Vamp, mainly. None of us are over the top powerful. Hell, we would have heard rumors if someone here was powerful enough to bring in a Hunter of that caliber. The only ones we get here are the jerks that just want to sell the current ‘flavor of the month’ to whatever shithead is paying the highest price to toss us in a cage and get us to fight. Or maybe, and it’s a stretch, a ‘slice and dice’ client for their experiments. But those assholes are getting more scarce. The world knows there is no ‘cure’. There is no coming back from whatever the fuck happened. Shit. The majority of the fucking planet has either disappeared, morphed, shifted or transformed into something other than human over the last 10 years. So unless you are hiding one big ass mothafuckin’ secret, I really don’t see why he would be hunting YOU. I know the rest of us just aren’t that high in demand..” She sighed and flopped her hands to her sides, obviously at a loss.

  “I am sorry, Jess. Really, I am. I would rather overreact then be oblivious, I guess. I really do see your point, though. So let’s get our asses back out there, regroup, and see if we can’t figure out who this guy is. If our ‘danger radar’ goes off, we can get out of here. I have a plan and frankly, in this packed bar, we are safer here than if we hit the streets in the middle of the night. Anyway,” she said, reaching out for her friend's hands, “I love you, girl, and I won’t let anyone hurt my kitty cat.”

  “This world might not be what we were born into, Bri, but we are all survivors. The four of us could be quite a force to be reckoned with if the need arises. We just need to stick together.”

  “Then let’s do this,” Bristol said, as she grabbed Jessie’s hand as they stepped from the shadows of the hall back into the bar.

  Ristan

  Ristan had held his seat and watched the group of four as they danced, laughing and tossing back a couple of shots in honor of their friend's birthday. He had overheard their names as they chatted at the table. They seemed pretty close, the males kept an eye on the females and kept any of the stray drunks in the bar from sliding up on either of the girls. The Fae’s magic of calming a situation really seemed to deactivate the drive in some of the more dogged advances. The few times that it had not been enough, a quick whisper in the ear from the vamp and it had the men turning and walking away, all interest lost in the pretty girls. Who knows what he was saying to them, but whatever it was, it was enough for even the most determined. Some sects of vamps had low levels of compulsion and it seemed highly likely
that was the case with Jayson, the birthday boy. Some vamps could be dangerous, but Ristan sensed no obvious danger in the guy and his loyalty seemed legitimate concerning his friends.

  His eyes took in every sway and dip of Bristol’s body moving to the music, he felt his heartbeat increase and his breath quicken. She moved him like no other woman ever had and ever would. She was his Other. She was made for him and it was time for them to meet. Again.

  He moved to the dance floor as the male Fae moved towards a lusty brunette that had been beckoning to him. Ristan came up behind Bristol and placed his hands on her hips, hoping she would accept his invitation to dance. She surprised him by leaning into him, pushing her body up against his chest. His blood seemed to thicken in his veins, feeling her against him made it hard for him to breathe. He instinctively tightened his grip on her hips and she slid her hands down his arms holding him in place. As she pushed her ass into him, rubbing against him, it was taking everything he had not to throw her over his shoulder and leave this dive. He was shocked at her brazen behavior when she had appeared so cautious. When her eyes met his, he realized the reason; she had mistaken him for another. The wide-eyed look, combined with the deep flush that started in her neck and ran up her face told the story. He gave her an easy smile, hoping to relax her, yet he was not willing to let her go. His beast growled at the thought of it. When she continued to dance, he could not resist pulling her closer, pushing harder against her, feeling his body come alive with the scent of her. That intoxicating fragrance that never changed. After the song, when he introduced himself and she took his hand, it sent a shock straight to his core. The simple feeling of her wrist when he brushed it against his lips threatened to undo him. Then Jessie butted in, blurted some nonsense about the bathroom and drug her off the floor. Damn it.

  Bristol

  As Bristol and Jessie made their way back to the bar, the scene in front of them presented quite a shock. Since the DJ had taken a break, Jayson and Boz had moved back to their table and sitting there with them was Ristan. Kicked back in the chair, long legs stretched out in front of him, Bristol struggled to control the nerves that tickled her belly. As Jessie would say, he was absolute ‘sex on a stick’. She had always fallen for the big, bad boys and Ristan must be their God.

  As they approached the table, she heard the casual, relaxed tone of the conversation between the three men. Stay calm she chanted internally as she took her seat.

  Ristan looked up at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Hello again, ladies.” He purred, as he slid a cup of hot coffee towards Bristol’s hands. “I thought you might enjoy this. I hope it’s the way you like it.”

  Bristol took the cup and tipped it up to her lips. The combination of bitter coffee blended with cream and honey shocked her. “How did you know how I like my coffee?” She asked, obviously surprised.

  Ristan shrugged, nonchalantly. “You just seem like a ‘black in the morning, sweet and creamy at night’ kinda lady, I guess.” He stated, winking at her. “Am I right?”

  Bristol just stared, feeling the color drain from her face.

  “Wow, stud. You stalkin’ my girl?” Jessie hissed, distrust gleaming in her eyes.

  “Not yet.” Ristan deadpanned, meeting her glare. “Let’s just say I have an uncanny ability to read people. When the entire planet goes to shit, figuring out what makes people tick is a handy skill,” he explained.

  With the tension thick in the air around them, Bristol felt Boz trickling his magic, trying to ease the tension. “So tell us, Ristan, where are you from and why are you here in our little slice of heaven?” He asked, innocently.

  Ristan kicked back in the chair, the front legs leaving the ground as his large frame stretched out for a more comfortable position. “Just wandering, really. Looking for some friends I lost track of years ago,” he explained. “I figured the more ground I cover, the better the odds that I…” and at that moment, the entire front of the bar exploded.

  Bristol

  As glass from the front window flew towards the patrons like deadly confetti, Bristol felt the world shift into slow motion. Her eyes took in people diving to the floor, covering their heads, their terrified screams drowning out the percussion of the blast. Adrenalin levels spiked, and she saw many people shifting to their alternate forms, instinct pushing their survival skills to the surface.

  Swinging her head to the side she saw Ristan dive towards her, his body weight lifting her completely out of her chair and towards the floor. She landed flat on her back, Ristan above her. The amber flecks in his eyes had completely consumed the iris, making them glow with an intensity she had never seen. “Trust me, Bristol,” he growled, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her wrist to his mouth. She caught a glimpse of what appeared to be fangs before she felt a sharp prick. He pulled away and two tiny droplets of blood appeared where he had bitten her. ‘He bit you!’ her brain screamed at her, yet her body refused to move, unable and unwilling to resist. Ristan drug his tongue through the little drops and the intensity in his eyes went supernova. She felt as if she were looking into a blazing inferno. She saw the runes on his neck begin to throb and glow with the same amber heat. “Now I can find you. I need you to be safe, and I need you to run. Now Bristol! Run!” he screamed at her, fury taking over his features. He leaped to his feet and turned to face the front of the demolished bar.

  Bristol struggled to stand, seeing the chaos and fear on every face around her. She felt the instinctive need to shift, to survive, and she fought it knowing there was nothing she could do in her alternate form that could help her. Jessie grabbed her arm as Boz shoved at her to move towards the kitchen, knowing there was an exit in the back.

  Looking back at Ristan she saw two black daggers appear in his hands, seemingly from nowhere. She tore her gaze to where he was focused, and saw strange, black beings slithering through the broken glass windows and the destroyed walls. They looked like smoke, but they were solid forms; morphing and shifting as they glided through the wreckage. The only feature she could make out clearly was their white eyes. No pupil or iris, just solid, sickly white pits that looked like the infection festering in a bad wound. They told her that hell hid inside them and they were coming for her. Her body froze, unable to look away, fear stealing all logical thoughts even as her brain screamed for her to run.

  Ristan met the first demon head-on, slicing through the abdomen of the creature and chunky, viscous, black fluid flowed from the wound. A scream unlike any sound she had ever heard filled her ears; an agonizing, high-pitched wail that pulled at her sanity, making her sick to her stomach. Striding forward, Ristan swung his blade up, catching a second creature under the chin and burying the knife to the hilt, then he spun and eviscerated a third. His body movements were liquid, ever-flowing, as he stabbed, slashed and tore at the stream of evil coming through the shattered building. One sleeve of his shirt had been ripped from his torso and Bristol could see the runes pulsing and glowing, coming alive as he fought. He spun, his blade nearly decapitating the creature next to him, and he saw her staring at him; fear freezing her body. “I said RUN!” Ristan bellowed, his eyes searing the intensity of his demand into her brain. Jayson shoved at her, and the foursome struggled their way through the back of the bar and into the night.

  The cover of darkness enveloped them, Jayson motioned to squat down next to the opposing building. The shadows covered the group as they all attempted to get their breathing under control, making as little noise as possible.

  “Boz, I need you to try and disguise us,” Jason whispered.

  “I don’t know if it will work, man, but I will give us as much cover as I can,” Boz said, while his magic whirled in the air, they hoped for the camouflage the Fae relied on to work on them as well.

  All around, the other bar patrons ran, the air thick with panic. Many had shifted; fox, wolf, coyote. Even a bear lumbered past as they were crouched down, hidden from view. A woman in mid-shift stumbled out the door, her arms hairy, en
ding in large paws with thick claws. As she turned away from them, they could see all the reasons for her stumble. Large, thick gashes ran down her back and from those ran dark, crimson blood. Two more steps towards the alley and suddenly her cries lit up the night, as three of the creatures from inside grabbed her. In horror, the group watched as between the three beings, they seemed to turn the poor woman inside out. Her flesh seemed to slide from her body as her organs began to push their way out of the many slits and gashes across her torso. Her screams of agony seemed to feed the frenzy of the evil assaulting her as they swirled around her, shoving their hands inside her, pushing everything inside, out. Bristol heard Jessie trying to hold back her own screams and Boz gagged as the woman’s tormented howls quieted and her life left her body. The last creature holding her up pulled its arms out of her torso, blood and remaining pieces of organs running down its arms. It tipped its head to the sky and shrieked, the other two immediately joining in. Bristol knew instantly what it was- it was glee. The beasts were enjoying their kill. It was time to get out of there.

  She grabbed Jessie by the arm, and with Jayson and Boz close behind, the quad kept low, ducking and weaving around piles of rubbish as they slipped through alleys. Bristol knew exactly where to go. The bakery they worked at had an old cellar under it that she discovered by accident while cleaning out a back room. While exploring its depths, she found a small tunnel that led to the abandoned building next door. If discovered, there was a possibility of escape. It was the best idea she could think of.