Page 69 of Legendary

“Let’s go,” Elise ordered as we weaved around different patrons that were grinding their sweaty bodies against one another. We safely made it to the bar and Reese nearly grabbed onto it for dear life. Dani hadn’t been lying about the ‘dress code,’ since yes there were different outfits all around us, but for the most part all the women were dressed like Elise and Dani. They definitely played towards whatever asset they wanted on display for all to see.

There was so much confidence in this establishment you could taste it. There was also the smell of sex and temptation. The scent of jasmine was long gone the minute we stepped through the threshold; any signs of its comforting nature was gone. Leviathan had a heady scent of make bad decisions but fuck the consequences. I saw Reese moving his head back and forth, trying to figure out if any of this was real or not. If we thought the two women fondling each other in plain sight was bad, this place was much worse. There was dancing happening on the dance floor, obviously and then…well, there was literal dry humping. If you looked long enough it could have genuinely been perceived as sex happening right before your eyes.

It was difficult to look away from. It was hard to not want to be doing that with—

“I don’t see him,” I heard Elise tell Dani, leaning in close to her ear over the heavy beat of the music.

“Who are we looking for?” I asked, getting them to remember we were here as well.

Elise pushed her hand into her hair. “The demon we need to talk to.”

“I don’t know how the hell you plan to find anyone in this clusterfuck,” Reese yelled over the music.

Dani ran her teeth over her bottom lip, pushing in between us and leaning over the glass top bar. It was holographic and the small speckles of different colors illuminated as the strobe lights ran over it. The racks behind the bar had four long shelves filled to the brim with various amounts of alcohol. The brick behind the bar was painted all black, causing the red from the lights to pop. A man with a mohawk smiled at her when she approached. He noddedhis head in greeting. “Ah, Soul Seether, long time.” He didn’t say it like they had spent any sort oftimetogether, but just like she frequented this place regularly.

“What have I said about being so formal, Ian.” She had a flirtatious way about her tone. I got the feeling this place made her a bit different.

He laughed, shaking a drink with both his hands over his shoulder. “What can I do for you—and your friends.” He eyed Reese and me, looking back at her.

Dani cleared her throat, getting on her tiptoes to lean further in. “I’m looking for Dimitri.”

Ian was pouring his shaken drink into its glass when he stopped. He regained his composure and finished making his drink. Dani tapped her nails against the glass bar, waiting. Ian looked to his right, eyeing a space I hadn’t noticed before. It was an open area that almost looked like an alleyway. It was dark and I couldn’t see anything beyond the black trimming framing around the entryway. People passed it like it didn’t exist or if they knew it existed, they didn’t go snooping.

“He’s in a meeting.”

Elise took her place next to Dani, clearly intrigued. “You know who he's with?”

Ian shook his head. “No clue. He just went in, so he’ll be a minute. I’d make myself comfortable.” The look on Dani's face was pure frustration but she rallied, scanning the bottles on the shelves behind him. He looked over his shoulder and smirked. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Four shots, please.”

“Shots?” Reese and I both said at the same time. Reese moved out of the way as a man walked past him, his eyes lingering a little too long on my best friend.

Elise snorted. “Yes, shots. You two need to loosen up. We’re waiting anyway.” Ian poured the shots and slid them across the bar. Dani gathered all four in her hands and held them out to us. Elise took hers happily while Reese and I took ours with pure skepticism.

Dani winked at me. “It’s just vodka, don’t worry. No funny business unless you want a splash of a little something.”

I shook my head, pointing at the shot. “No, this is just fine.”

We took the shots and the alcohol burned going down. I’d had vodka before, but this was some kind ofonly made in the bowels of Helltype. It was pure fire the way it burned and then it settled into a pleasant warmth in my stomach. “Do you know the demon we’re here to talk to?”

Dani looked from the open space where that particular demon waslocated then back to me. “More or less.” She rubbed her lips together almost nervously, but then her eyes seemed to zero in on something behind me.

“The club looks good on you, handsome treat.” That voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint it.

“For fucks sake.” Elise patted the bar, asking for another drink.

I turned around, coming face to face with one of the girls we had met at the hostel. She was closer to me than I expected her to be, like she was drinking me in. I backed up a small bit, giving me some much-needed space.

“We thought you two would never show up.” I looked over my shoulder to see her friend come up behind Reese, snaking her hand around his arm.

I kept thinking, racking my brain for their names. Rae and Eva, that was it. The demon in front of me—Rae—flashed her sharp teeth. “An angel in Leviathan just makes this all the more fun. You look even more delicious than I thought.”

I heard Elise choke on her drink and there was a tension behind me. Dani had moved to where she could visually be seen by everyone, but her focus was solely on Rae. Her look was calculating and damn near patient.

People scrambled up to the bar, sweaty and out of breath. They would look at Dani and then do a double take. Some of their backs would go rigid and others would immediately whisper to someone next to them. Both women and men alike would give her a once over, a look of skeptical fear in their eyes, but there was desire there as well.

“I guess I should take that as a compliment.”

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