Reckoning

Thanks to the laws protecting the health of the city's human inhabitants, smoking inside a bar was no longer allowed. After catching Aidan's eye to let him know where I was going, I ducked down the hallway, the dim red glow from the exit sign acting as my own personal beacon to freedom. I pushed the metal bar and the heavy door swung wide. The night air felt cool against my skin and I took in a lung full as I made my way down the concrete steps. I got to appreciate it for about two seconds before the odor of rancid garbage assaulted my nose. I walked to the dumpster and slammed the lid shut but it did little to help with the smell.

"It's the only downside to sneaking out here.” The raspy feminine voice came from a shadowy alcove in the side of the building. I could have seen her better if I let my wolf peek out but I didn’t want to scare her. “If you stand too close, it actually seeps into your clothing. You won't be able to get that fucking smell out of your nose for days.”

She stepped into the light and was nothing I'd expected to see hanging around at the Silver Bullet. The women who trolled the wolves here tended to be a little on the trashy side, only coming around with the specific goal of going home with one of the boys. Their dresses were a little too tight, their makeup a little too heavy, and their minds seemed to travel the same single track Ace’s did.  It could be argued that Ace genuinely didn’t know what it was like to be told no. He rarely had to go very far to find some hot young thing ready and more than willing. Maybe that was part of his problem. 

This girl was something else entirely. She was petite, maybe five-foot-four if she was lucky. A quick sniff of the air confirmed she was human. The thick tread of her black combat boots peeked out from the bottom of black pants fitted low on her curvy hips. Her bare midriff was taut with muscle, and the stone decorating her navel piercing twinkled in the streetlight. Her top looked like the vest from a three-piece suit, black with charcoal grey pinstripes.  Her blonde hair was up in two French braids that curled down over her shoulders like pigtails. She stepped further into the light and for the first time I got a good look at her eyes. They were a bright blue, the heavy charcoal eyeliner making them stand out, but if I had to guess, she didn’t need it. 

“I’m telling you, man. You’re going to want to step away from there.” I realized I’d been standing there staring at her for longer than was comfortable. Heeding her warning, I crossed the alley and stood near the steps leading back into the bar.

“Sorry, it’s just I don't remember seeing you around here.” 

She eyed me cautiously before speaking. “I didn’t realize I had to check in with anyone. It’s not a private club, is it?”

“No, it’s public, but the clientele is usually a specific crowd. We don't get many new faces.”

“Wolves? Yeah, I’m aware. How the fuck anyone could miss it is beyond me. You guys aren’t exactly subtle. But this place has cheap liquor and since I don't have a car, the fact that it’s within walking distance to my motel automatically shot it to the top of my list of favorite places to hang out. It’s not exactly a shining endorsement. My options were limited.” 

“Is it worth risking your safety?” I asked.

“Who says my safety is in jeopardy?” she scoffed.

“A human in a bar full of drunk wolves isn’t exactly a sound plan. You could get hurt.”

“Thanks for the concern, but if shit goes sideways, I’m not the one you need to be worried about. You guys keep your hands to yourself and I promise to do the same.”  

With that, she stepped around me to put her cigarette in the butt can and headed for the mouth of the alley. If she were smart, she’d rethink her plans for the night. As she walked through the light shining down from the overhead lamp, something on her hip glinted and caught my eye. I squinted to get a better look. The top half of a black metal ring was sticking out of a discreet pocket near the hem of her pant leg. Then another right below it and another below that. If I had to guess, she had the same thing down the other leg. Throwing knives.

“Hey, do you know how to use those?” She glanced back, saw what I was looking at, and smiled over her shoulder. Not a warm smile. A predatory sneer.

“It’s best for both of us if you don't find out.”