Page 3 of Shifting Hearts

She pushes the cup of fragrant coffee against my chest before making her way inside. She is the only person that doesn’t fear me. In fact, she has gone out of her way to make friends withme even though I keep pushing her away.

“We have a new bartender.”

“And?”

“I need you to be nice to her,” she says hopping onto the marble kitchen counter.

I grunt, taking a sip of the bitter, black coffee she brought. How she knows my preference is beyond me, but I won’t be complaining.

“I’m not a child, Ari. I know how to treat people.”

She laughs, a light, happy sound. “Of course you do. That’s why everyone in the building, at work, and even on the street avoids you.”

“Whatever,” I say with a growl. “You’ve said your piece, you can leave now.” I gesture toward the still open door, but the little pixie doesn’t move.

“She doesn’t know about the paranormal world,” she says softly.

“What?” I all but roar. “How could Aldron employ a human?”

“She isn’t human, per se. She’s just oblivious.”

“Meaning?”

I wish she would just spit out what she has to say and get the hell out of my apartment. I need to be at The Gin Room in two hours and I still need to get in a workout and shower before then.

“She’s a descendant of the witch, Marie Laveau, though I doubt she even knows it. I did a full ancestral search of her family and somewhere along the line they changed their last name to LaVey to distance themselves from the past,” she explains. “She also doesn’t know what she is capable of.”

“Fuck my life.” I run my hand over my beard with a shake of my head. “And you think it’s a good idea to have a natural, untrained, oblivious witch in a bar full of shifters, vampires,ghouls, demons, and a million other things?”

“Aldron does.” With those words she finally moves from her seat, basically skipping through the door. “See you later.”

This is a very fucking bad idea. I can feel it in my bones. But The Gin Room belongs to Aldron, and he makes decisions that suit him. The rest of us can either fall in line or fuck off.

****

The fight is over before it even begins.

Even after an hour-long punishing workout, my bear is still agitated, roaming the corners of my mind. I have always struggled to control him. I think it’s because I never had anyone to teach me how.

After my mother was killed in her animal form by a hunter, I was left alone in the world. I had to make my own way and learn how to control my animal, which I’ve always only had a tenuous grip on.

It’s why I fight in the cage beneath The Gin Room. Every Friday for the past three years I face any willing opponent and let out all my suppressed rage to keep my bear happy. The violence and aggression I dole out in the cage make him happy. When I started, I fought in my animal form, but those fights are to the death. Killing someone, whether in their human or animal form, starts to take a toll on you eventually. Now, I only fight to submission or knockout and always in my human form.

The jaguar shifter across from me smirks, thinking he has my number after landing a single blow to my jaw. He fails to understand the fact that pain only drives me and my beast to more violence.

When he tries to hit me again, I quickly catch his fist before applying pressure. The scream that rends the air as I crush the bones in his hand has a deranged smile playing across my features. Within seconds he admits defeat, tapping out.

Another victory. Hollow as it may be.

I haven’t even broken a sweat. If I get lucky, Aldron will find me another opponent for tonight. But for now, I need to allow others to fight.

I grab a quick shower in the back and dress in jeans and a dark blue t-shirt before making my way upstairs to the main bar. I rarely go into the bar but tonight I feel a strange pull toward the upper level. Pushing open the door I step into the full room, people milling about and socializing with each other. There is something different tonight, though, and I struggle to put my finger on what that is.

My gaze moves around the room, seeing some of the regulars, our bouncers, the twin Minotaur shifters, and Ari where she stands behind the bar handing out drinks.

The moment my eyes land on the new woman, I have to place my hand against the wall to keep my knees from giving out. Beautiful caramel skin, a mesmerizing smile, dark eyes, and unruly curls. The scent of sunshine and lavender wraps around me just like it does in my dreams. My bear roars in the recesses of my mind, fighting to go to her.

Her gaze collides with mine and I feel the magic flow between us. The room around us melts away and we are the only two people in the building, even though I know there are others around us.

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