When I came back out, Luis raised an eyebrow at me in question. I waved him off and went back to work. Later in the night, I got another wave of near panic and went to the kitchen again to calm my nerves. I stood at the back door getting some fresh air, surprised to see Nico’s other friend Felipe sitting on the tailgate of a truck watching the rear entrance. He spotted me and nodded. I forced a smile and waved back. I bit into the side of my cheek and went back out into the main room.
Abi nudged up against me. “Are you sure you’re okay? The look in your eye is??”
“First night back jitters. Nothing to worry about,” I lied. “All good.”
Abi looked at me suspiciously, but didn’t force the issue. Luis strolled up and tapped the bar with a knuckle. “Can I get a drink?” he asked with a smile.
I stepped over and started polishing a glass. “Is that really wise? Aren’t you, like, on duty or whatever?”
He shrugged. “Shifters don’t get drunk like humans do. Takes a lot. Mostly, I enjoy a well-mixed cocktail for the taste. Plus, I’m getting weird looks standing around a bar not drinking. What do you??”
Luis froze, then tilted his head to the sky, sniffing the air. I looked over his shoulder, and dropped another glass on the floor. The sound of shattering glass filled the bar, and almost all the customers cheered at the sound. I barely heard them. Instead, it seemed like the entire building went dead silent. A group of shifters had walked in the front door.
Abi saw them and moved to my side. “Hey, Maddy? It’s okay.”
I nodded and said nothing. My eyes flitted across every face as the group found a booth to sit at. None of them were familiar, none were part of the group who had attacked me. The memory of that voice returned, unbidden.
You shouldn’t even exist.
Luis was already in motion, striding over to the group of shifters. My body felt completely worn out. It was like I’d run a marathon and then come in to work a twelve-hour shift. I’d made a mistake, and I knew that. The way my hand shook as I watched Luis talk to the other shifters told me all I needed to know.
“Babe, go home. We can handle this,” Abi said.
I nodded shakily. “You’re right. I need to rest or something.”
Luis finished his discussion with the shifters and returned to the bar. “All good. They’re from a pack about four hours’ north from here. It’s a boy’s road trip to a concert in Miami. They’re cool.” Luis looked at my face and frowned. “Hey, are you okay?”
“No,” Abi answered for me. “She needs to go home.”
All I could do was nod while staring at the men in the corner. Even though Luis had told me what was going on, I couldn’t stop thinking that they were about to leap to their feet and rush me, knives and teeth flashing in the light from the bar.
Luis came around the side of the bar and took my arm. I glanced at Abi once before letting him lead me away. The bar’s entire atmosphere felt strange as he escorted me out. It was no longer welcoming, warm, and pleasant. Now, it seemed every face had a hidden motive, every hand a concealed weapon, every word spoken a warning. I even glanced back at the table of shifters. Not a single one of them was looking at me as I left.
The ride back home was silent, for which I was grateful. The last thing I needed was some kind of lecture from Luis. I didn’t even know what he’d say, but I imagined a ton of obnoxious and annoying things. The fact that he was the kind of guy who was fine with awkward silences was a blessing in disguise.
When we got back to the house, Nico wasn’t there. Luis checked the house, making sure he wasn’t in one of the other massive rooms. He took a seat at the kitchen island. “I’ll hang out until Nico gets back.”
“Sure, that’s fine.” I glanced around the house again, and had to ask a question that had been eating at me. “Luis, do you know where Nico’s been going? He’s either locked up in his room or he’s away for hours at a time. Where the heck does he go? I’ve barely seen him since the first night, and when I do see him, he seems tense, distant. Is that normal for him?”
One corner of his mouth turned up in a humorless smile. “You’ll know everything soon enough.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. It seemed overly ominous. “What do you mean? I’ll know what?”
Luis shook his head dismissively. “Not my place to tell. Nico will explain it all in due time. That’s all I can say.”
I huffed out a sigh, but knew I wouldn’t get any more out of Luis. He was like a living, breathing brick wall. No reason to keep beating my head against that wall.
I went upstairs and turned my shower on. While I waited for the water to heat, my stomach rumbled. I hadn’t eaten anything for hours. I’d been too nervous before going to work, and I hadn’t had any appetite at work. I jumped in the shower and cleaned myself quickly. Wrapping myself in a bathrobe, I headed downstairs to dig through the massive pantry and fridge for something to make for dinner.
Instead of finding Luis downstairs, Nico was sitting on the sofa. His face was hard and stony as he glanced up at me. The look in his eyes was not pleasant. He didn’t look angry, but I’d never seen him so serious.
“Want to have a seat?” he said, gesturing to the other side of the couch.
“Uh…sure. I’m gonna grab a beer. I think I may need it based on your face.”
He cocked his head. “Unfortunately, you’re not wrong there. Grab me one too, please?”
I pulled the cans from the fridge and handed him the other as I sat down. Nico popped the can open and took a drink, then glanced across at me. “What do you know of shifter history?”
This was a strange subject, I thought, but shrugged and played along. “Um, only what you learn in school. Basic dates and big events. The Shifter’s Rights Movement in the forties and fifties, the Shifter Purge in Russia back in the early 1800s, stuff like that. Why? What does this have to do with me?”
Nico downed his beer in three quick swallows and suppressed a burp. “Okay. Let me tell you this story. Wait until I’m done to ask questions. I’m sure you’ll have a lot.”
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