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"Ambitious and fiercely original. Sondi Warner is the exciting new voice we've all been wai...
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September 7 | Saturday Night
The clear liquor in the shot glass vibrated ever so slightly as I held it up for inspection. The Overlay City nightclub was lit, but the last time I had done this, I wound up dead. When I surveyed the scene, the feeling of déjà vu began to fade. No, this was nothing like last time or the hotel.
Less fake and more Supernatural? I smiled and let it sink in this was a different world entirely. The color scheme of reds, purples, and blues made the place throb with dark passion. The textures were sensual: Smooth concrete floors, velvet club chairs, and silk papered walls.
I didn't feel the same uneasiness as the night of that party, either. With Zyr and Mys, I felt safe.
"What is this stuff?" I asked about the drink.
"It's Pox," Mys replied. "It's a Mayan ceremonial liquor believed to link this plane of existence to the spiritual world. Very mystical! I bet this shit will fuck up even a ghost, Yokai!"
I had never heard of it, but I gave it a try for the sake of doing 'just enough' and all that. When I tossed it back. I raised the empty glass in salute as the drink I had imbibed filled me with warmth. It had a sweet, smoky richness I liked.
I stared goofily at Mys, who was acting distracted by the phone while the detective checked us both out. "You look great, by the way," he said directly to me. I knew what that was about. Playing a role since my roommate wanted to be a matchmaker. Yet, his eyes ate me alive, and I wasn't sure that was for play.
Detective Zyr signaled another round of drinks. The bartender's stygian skin, strange white irises, and slightly pointed ears set me back. But I had read about his type, the Sidhe Dubh, in one of Mys' many books about Supernatural beings.
I said thanks an octave too high before gulping the second shot and thumping the new glass between us. With a cough and a laugh, I used the back of my hand to wipe my mouth. Zyr smiled, to-fucking-die-for if I wasn't already dead. Facts.
Also, factual: I was the real third wheel.
My roommate could stop being generous and pitch woo if I found an exit from the love triangle. I glanced at the winding staircase past the bar with an idea. "Whew! Being stuck indoors was driving me insane. I think I'm gonna stretch my legs and explore the upper level," I insisted. "You two stay here and enjoy. I'll be back."
The detective casually dropped a hand on mine and stopped me. "Yeah, if I don't keep my mind stimulated, I go insane, too. Unfortunately, it's not safe for you to run off on your own here, sorry."
I chuckled at being seen through. "Why not? If anything went wrong, couldn't you become a giant wolf like the ones from Mys' favorite movie?" My roommate didn't even look up from the phone at my blatant attempt to bait them into the convo. I pouted. They were doing this on purpose.
Zyr demurred. "Call me Zyr, and it depends on which movie," he said with a grin. "When I shapeshift, I am a slightly larger than normal Canis lupus."
