Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Two more hours and the bar would be closed and I could go home. A girl gyrated against the pole before spinning in to a split on the floor. I barely noticed anymore. When I’d started working here five months ago I could hardly keep my cheeks from flushing, but it had been the only place that was hiring a half werewolf, half human hybrid.
I mixed a drink for one of the girls who had just finished her shift. She sipped it and flirted with Philip, one of the bouncers.
“Another one!” A cup slammed onto the bar to my left.
“Hell no Mac,” I took the glass. “You can hardly sit on that stool.”
“Lies,” he slurred and winked and did a spin that toppled him to the floor beneath the chair. I nodded my head at Phillip and he walked over to the disoriented customer.
“Phillip’s gonna make sure you get a cab home, okay Mac? And then I’ll see you tomorrow.” I leaned over the bar and watched as Phillip scooped him up under the armpits and began to drag him towards the door. There was always a cab waiting, probably the same driver who always took him home to his empty high rise up town. No one could get mad at Mac though. His wife of forty years had died a few months ago. His high school sweet heart. Every night he told me more about her. If I worked here forty more years, I’d probably hear every damn detail about her. But it was sweet and I’d take Mac over some of the scum that rolled through the door.
The girl onstage finished her dance and then jumped down and in to the arms of a man who’d just walked through the door.
The last stragglers wandered out as Emily walked to the bar with her fiancé Jason.
“That split at the end was killer Em,” I smiled at her and Jason.
“Thanks Pip. I’ve been practicing all week.”
“I can attest to that. She knocked a lamp over in the living room,” Jason chimed in then pulled her in for a hug when Emily hit him playfully on the chest.
“See you tomorrow,” Emily grabbed Jason’s hand and pulled him towards the back room doors to grab her stuff.
I washed the last few dishes and straightened up the bar as Phillip returned.
“Need a walkout, Pip?”
“I’m good Phillip, thanks. You can head out. I have to grab my stuff and write up an order.”
“Okay. I’ll lock up.”
“Thanks,” I smiled as I pulled out a pad of paper, beginning to jot down supplies and liquor we were running low on. The manager could order it in the morning. Morning. Ugh, it was already 3am. I grabbed my purse from under the bar and stood up and screamed.
“Sorry,” the tall stranger said from over the bar, holding up his hands.
“The bar is closed,” my voice wavered as my heart tried to return to a normal beat.
“Yeah, sorry. I was in the bathroom and I think I got locked in.”
I gave him a side eyed look and I took a step closer to the bar, rather than backing away, my fingers curling around the taser hidden on the shelf. He might be a werewolf, but the jolt would still knock him flat on his ass for a half a minute.
“I can let you out.” I nodded towards the door and grabbed the taser, pulling my sleeve down over my hand to hide it as best I could as he made his way towards the door. I followed him and kept my eyes on him as I slipped my key into the door and unlocked it. I held it open as he brushed past, his large frame filling the doorway. He stopped and turned around leaning down towards me, a grin across his face, only inches from mine as he stared into my eyes for what seemed like one second too long.
I put my finger on the taser button.
“Thanks,” he mumbled. “Sorry to freak you out. I swear that’s the last time I take a business call in the bathroom.
I threw him a smile, which disappeared as soon as he began to walk towards the only other car in the lot besides mine. I stepped back inside and locked the door behind me again, peering out the small window until I saw him drive away.
I realized I was still holding my breath, and leaving an imprint on my hand from squeezing the taser so tightly. I relaxed my shoulders and took a few breaths.
I retrieved my purse from the floor behind the bar, shoved my taser in it, made my way to the door, checked a hundred times for shadows before unlocking the door and stepping out into the cool morning air. The door relocked behind me and I raced to my car, jumping inside before hitting the door lock.
It still felt like I wasn’t alone, so I turned on the engine and gunned it out of the parking lot.
My poor car rattled in protest until I reached the limits of the city and took an exit that took me through woods on a winding road. The last ten minutes of my drive was all muscle memory and I pulled into the gravel drive of Gran’s house. I used my key and slipped inside, making my way down the hall, past her bedroom before slipping into mine, dropping my purse on my nightstand and then collapsing into bed.
I would rip into Phillip tomorrow for not checking the bathrooms before he left.
I crashed, a jumble of chaotic thoughts fading into bizarre dreams.
The smell of coffee assulted my senses when I peeled myself out of bed at 9. The shower calmed my lingering nerves and I pulled on on jeans and a tee shirt and made my way to the kitchen.
“How was work?” Gran pressed a mug into my hands as I walked into the room. I kissed her cheek and smiled, taking in her patchouli and eucalyptus scent as she gave me a quick hug. Her stacks of bracelets clattered as she pulled her arms away and brushed her hands on her linen pants.
“Good. Lots of tips. It was super busy last night. I had a guy freak me out when I was locking up but it was nothing. He was in the bathroom when they were closing up.”
“Oh? What’d he have, a case of the runs keeping him in the bathroom that late?”
I laughed at her sarcasm. “A business call, he said.”
“International businessman or pimp? Not too many others making calls that late.” Gran moved around the space and put some fruit and pancakes on a plate, dropping it on the table. I sat down.
“Definitely more of the business man type then pimp type. He was well dressed and polite. I almost tased him when he turned around to say thank you.”
Gran chuckled. “Maybe you should have, just to remind him to be a little more prompt.”
I smiled with a mouthful of pancake and washed it down with a swig of coffee. “What are you doing today?”
“I’m working on a commission in the barn. I should be finished with it today.”
“I’d love to see it.”
“Swing in before you head to work. I’ll be there all day. The client is eager to have it.” Gran tied her wild silver curls back with a silk scarf. “What are you doing today?”
“Probably a run in the woods.”
“Don’t hurt yourself,” Gran shot me a knowing look. I mock rolled my eyes and smiled.
“I think I’m the one who’s supposed to start worrying about you at your age.”
Gran snorted. “No 22 year old should be worrying about anything other than figuring out what they want in life. Are you sending out any more applications?”
“I think I’ve applied to every place in a 100 mile radius. I think if I want a job as a natural healer I’m going to have to search outside of werewolf territory. No one wants a half human that can hardly heal on her own to heal them.”
“Keep trying honey. Your determination to heal without natural abilities is what makes you such a great herbalist and natural healer. Someone out there will see your worth. And of course you have a place with me here forever, so there’s no rush.” Gran bent down and gave me a hug.
I just smiled and filled my mouth with pancake as she headed out the back door towards the barn.
