Page 265 of Flirting with Darkness

Nova studied her own reflection and she grabbed her black baseball cap. She pulled it on to keep her hair in place over her eye.

Exploring the city would be fun.

She double-checked her keys. There were a few self-defense weapons on there that any normal human girl would have. Except her knuckles were made out of silver and her mace was actually a potion that would put any paranormal to sleep. There was also her father’s hunter’s knife in her boot.

That was it.

Her hands twitched for the weapons she usually wore on her person. Even though she had all the permits she could possibly need for someone in private security, thanks to the Council fast-tracking her through the system, she couldn’t carry that kind of heat while doing reconnaissance.

If she saw anything, she wasn’t supposed to engage, not without orders from her handler.

She slicked on some Chapstick and grabbed her wallet with all her human identification in it and some money. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the sun had set and darkness was settling over the city.

Nova smiled and grabbed her jacket as she headed out, ready to see what the city had to offer.

4

DEX

The vodka wasn’t strong enough some nights.

Dex ordered five shots and watched the bartender pour them carefully. He barely even saw the person serving him. All he saw was the hand and the liquid.

He was zoning out again which was dangerous, but it was very unlikely something would happen in a newly renovated ‘barcade’ owned by Grim Corp.

The sounds from the arcade section grated on his nerves and a headache settled in for the long haul.

Dex downed two shots like they were water, hating how fast his metabolism was. If he was lucky, he’d be buzzed for half an hour, maybe a little longer if he drank the vodka quickly enough.

Three more and he put a hundred-dollar bill on the bar. “Bring a bottle to my table.”

The bartender stuttered his agreement and Dex stood, adjusting his leather coat. It hung heavy on his shoulders and was long enough the hem brushed against the top of his boots. It was a familiar weight – one he preferred when he had to pretend to be…as normal as possible.

“Hey.”

He stopped, sensing someone standing too close.

“I was, um, wondering. Are you here alone?”

Dex looked down at the female standing in front of him, barely seeing her. It wasn’t the dark lighting or the neon. His eyesight was better than perfect. Dex just didn’t care enough to get a good look at her.

Humans were little more than animals. They were helpless and delicate. If he wasn’t careful, he’d kill them all.

“I’m not interested,” he gritted out, tempering his voice as much as possible.

Even still, she jumped at the sound of it. The depth and rasp always scared them off even when he was trying to be careful. Prey always recognized a predator, even if the logic of humanity tried to play it off as something else.

“Oh, sorry to bother you.”

A flicker of guilt went through him as he pushed past her to the table he preferred in the corner.

The smell of her fear lingered, and it rankled.

Dex slumped into his seat, lifting one foot up to rest it on the bench. He threw his arm over his knee and watched the humans enjoy themselves.

It was a world he could never be a part of.

Maybe it wouldn’t irritate him so much if he didn’t feel like he didn’t belong among the paranormals either.

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